and are thus unprofitable servants, Luke xviii. 10, and therefore our former debt would remain unpaid, and we have nothing wherewith to satisfy for it.

But "can there not be found any where one, who is a mere crea ture, able to satisfy for us?" If a mere creature should satisfy for us, he behooved to be either a rational, or an irrational creature. A rational creature is either a mere man, or an angel; but no mere man, who is not more than a man, can satisfy the justice of God for another. For, (1) no man is lord of his own life, and hath therefore no right to become a surety for another, in order to bear his guilt: therefore God also rejected the proffer of Moses, "that he would be blotted out of the book of God for the people," Exod. xxxii. 30-35. (2) That which a man would be willing to do for another, he oweth for himself; for "every man shall bear his own burden,” Gal. vi. 5. (3) A man cannot satisfy for himself, as we have shown before; how shall he then satisfy for another? (4) He who should satisfy for another, would be obliged to render that other, by an almighty and heart-changing grace, a partaker of his satisfaction and righteousness, if it should be profitable to him. Now no mere man can do this: he can at most only "plant and water; but God giveth the increase," 1 Cor. iii. 4, 5, (5) Yea, if a mere man were even able to do this, he would not be deemed worthy to do it, because those who were delivered by him, would be obliged to offer him the divine honours of faith, love, hope, fear and worship, since he would truly have merited such honours of them: but no mere man may be honoured thus. See Isaiah xliv. 21-25. Jer. xvii. 5-8. (6) Add to this, that "no mere man can sustain the burden of God's wrath, so as to deliver others from it." Truly the wrath of God is dreadful and insupportable hear what an eminently holy man saith of it, "Thou, even thou art to be feared, and who may stand in thy sight, when once thou art angry?" Psalm lxxvi. 7. xc. 11. And therefore "none can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him; for the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever," Psalm xlix. 7, 8.

Say not, could not God create a new man, who should be perfectly 'holy, and endue him with such strength, that he would be able to satisfy, to sustain his wrath, and effectually apply his righteousness to another for thou shouldest not inquire wisely concerning this, since no such man can proceed from the corrupt posterity of Adam, nor love the sinner as his neighbour, and thus satisfy the demand of the law moreover no man is capable of such power, inasmuch as

T

it is an almighty power, since he would then be God, and no longer a creature, which is impossible.

An angel, although he excells in strength, and can slay a whole army of a hundred fourscore and five thousand men, cannot satisfy for a sinner; for an angel hath no right to become a surety for the sinner, and he would not be able to apply the righteousness procu red by him, and would not be worthy to be admitted to such an honourable work; and besides this, "God will not punish any other creature" but man, "for the sin which man hath committed," beCause no angel can suffer the human punishment of death, so as to satisfy the demand of the law, nor love his neighbour as himself, since he is not a neighbour of man. "Moreover, no mere creature" (as an angel is) "can sustain the burden of God's eternal wrath, so as to deliver others therefrom." The glorious angels cannot endure even the bright lustre of the most holy countenance of God: they must hide and cover themselves before it, Isaiah vi 2, 3 "The devils," though exceedingly mighty and dreadful, "tremble before the one only God," James iii. 19. How earnestly "do they pray, that they may not be tormented before the time, and be sent away into the deep!" Luke viii. 27-31.

Cannot a satisfaction be made by any rational creature, perhaps irrational creatures, either living or dead, may effect something, if we offer them up to God for an atonement. This was the opinion, not only of the blind heathens, but also of the carnal Jews, who sought their righteousness by keeping the moral law, and when they were guilty of sinning in one instance or another, imagined that they should be able to atone for their sins by bringing this or that gift for a sacrifice. This notion was also somewhat specious, since God himə self had enjoined by the ceremonial law, the sacrificial service of sin offerings, trespass offerings, and sacrifices of atonement; but this is a false pretence. The justice of God cannot be satisfied by any sacrificial service: "for it is impossible, that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sin," Heb. x. 4. There is no proportion between irrational or inanimate sacrifices, and the guilt of the soul: God doth not eat the flesh of bulls, nor drink the blood of goats," Psalm, 1. 18. When the Jews would appease God by their sacrificing, he then said, that "he had not required this at their hands," Jer. vii. 21, 22, and he rejected it, Isaiah i. 13. Jer. vi. 20. Micha vi. 6, 7, 8. When he demands a satisfaction, he then refuseth the sacrificial service, and he substitutes a more perfect service in the stead of it. See Heb. x. 1–9. Did God himself enjoin sacrifices for atonement, it was however not done in the broken covenant of works, in

order that men might escape punishment, and be again received into favour; but in the covenant of grace, which was established with Israel, Exod. xix. which supposeth a satisfaction by a sufficient surety. And thus, all those offerings, enjoined by the church-law of Israel, did not serve to effect a real satisfaction and atonement; but to shadow forth and to prefigure the Surety, and his satisfying sacrifice, that the covenant people of the Old Testament might look through all that outward service to him, and seek in his perfect sacrifice, the real atonement. And thus, "the law of sacrifices had a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things," Heb. x. 1.

Therefore the sinner cannot have a hope of effecting a satisfaction either by himself, or by any mere creature, in order that he may escape punishment, and be again received into favour. Is there then no door of hope open for him? There is none, unless he can find a sufficient mediator and deliverer. He must indeed have a mediator between God and himself, to deliver him; not only a mediator of advocacy and intercession, for a mere creature could be such a mediator: Moses was such a mediator and deliverer, Exod. xxxii. Deut. v. 5, but the sinner must have a mediator and deliverer, who can deliver him from his guilt, and satisfy the justice of God for him by a sufficient ransom; and therefore he must have a mediator for the redemption of transgressions." Heb. ix. 15. But who, who in heaven or on earth is worthy or able to be such a mediator? The instructer saith, he must have four great qualifications. Question 15. (a) "That he must be very man," who hath a human soul with a human body, and particularly of a human being, and so he must be man of man. (b) " That he must be a righteous man," one who is perfectly righteous and holy, agreeably to the demand of the law. (c) "And, nevertheless, more perfect than all creatures; that is, one who is very God."(d) He must also be God and man in one person; therefore our catechism saith, who is "also" very God; and in the Latin catechism we read, qui simul etiam sit verus Deus, “who is withal, or at the same time also very, God." Why the mediator must have these four qualifications, the instructor will teach us hereafter, Question 16, 17; and so the sinner is still kept under his concern to know how he shall escape punishment, and be again received into favour, that his distress may be perfect, and he may be the more capable of a complete consolation.

APPLICATION.

But, hearers, how shall ye escape temporal and eternal punishinent, which ye have deserved according to the righteous judgment of God, and be again received into favour? Many do not even think of this, at least many of you are not concerned about it; "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, whoredom, wine and new wine take away their hearts," 1 John ii. 16. Hosea iv. 11. Or the cares and business of this life, render them careless and unconcerned about their eternal welfare, and suffer them not to ponder seriously upon their eternal salvation. But hear, voluptuous and poor worldling, whose "end is destruction? is not thine, whose God is thy belly, whose glory is in thy shame, and who mindest earthly things," Phil. iii. 19.

Some think it is unnecessary to be solicitous about their eternal salvation. Is there any person who is afraid of eternal perdition, presently another will scoff at him, as if such a fearful person were silly and disordered in his understanding. Hath such a reviler of good things any compassion with such a sorrowful person: how will he bestir himself to discourse with him, in order to dispel his anxiety! he will at least take care that he doth not himself become so melancholic; he thinks that if he should, he would despair, and he doth not intend to listen so much to the devil, as if that conviction were a work of the devil, and not of "the Holy Spirit, who convineeth the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment," John xvi. 8. Christ, he thinks, hath died for our sins, and this he will believe firmly, without doubting; and he imagineth that such sorrow doth not agree with the joyful season of the New Testament. But, friends, ye who harden and deceive your hearts in this careless manner, how can ye so rely upon, and be so assured of an interest in the satisfaction of Christ, which he hath accomplished? Doth it belong to all men? to you also must, and can ye believe this without ever having been concerned about your woful misery? and do ye think, that under the New Testament we must not have any

godly sorrow, which worketh repentance not to be repented of," contrary to 2 Cor. vii. 8-11. Surely none but "those who mourn, are comforted and blessed," Mat. v. 4. Do ye say, we repent indeed of our sins? is it indeed true, and not merely a vain assertion? are ye ever affected with concern, distress, and a restless, earnest desire to escape the deserved punishment, and to be again received into favour? Saul and Judas said also, "I have sinned," 1 Sam.

xvi. 24-Matt. xxvii. 3, 4; but they both "died in their iniquity," yea, they murdered themselves. 1 Chron x. 13-1 Sam. xxxi. 4. -Matt. xxvii. 5.

Others experience severe twinges of conscience, and are accord. ingly fearful, when with "Felix, they hear of righteousness, temperance, and the judgment to come;" Acts xxiv. 25; but they do not earnestly inquire after the way which is above, to depart from hell beneath; for one endeavours to divert his anxiety by business or amusement, or by hardening and barring up his heart, that the anguish of his heart may not be too much enlarged, or by turning away his ear from hearing severe preaching, which would convince him. Paul, who preaches so severely, and who goads so sharply, must then "go his way." Acts xxiv. 25. Another gives up ali hope, and thinks, how can I help it, if God will not receive me graciously and he abandons himself to his careless sinfulness, or sinful carelessness. "This evil," saith he, "is of the Lord, what should I wait for the Lord any longer?" 2 Kings vi. 33. A third will convert himself, he intends and promises it, he will not commit this and that sin any more; he will serve God better, and attend public worship more diligently than he used; and he will offer this to God as a payment, at least in part; and he hopes that God will remit the rest of what he oweth but his promise is generally empty words, without effect: when his distress is over, his promise is also puffed away by the least blast of concupiscence. Doth he conduct in some measure as he proposed, by forsaking a few sins, and doing a little good, he is then perfectly easy, and trows that he is already a great saint, and a dearly beloved child of God. And a fourth quiets himself with the calamities which he suffers in this world; he hopes, and it is his comfort in his sorrow, that his present misery will constitute the full measure of his sufferings, and that he will not be obliged to suffer any more hereafter; as if his sufferings were a satisfaction to the justice of God, and not the beginning of his sorrows, and so "he doth not say, there is no hope: he finds the life of his hand, and is not grieved." Isaiah Ivii. 10.

"Hear this, O foolish people, and without understanding, who have eyes, but see not; who have ears, but hear not." Jer. v. 21. I speak to you, who have not the least concern about your eternal welfare, and to you also. who consider all distress on account of your wicked condition to be unnecessary: to you also, who deceive yourselves with vain and false imaginations, and hush in such a careless manner, your awakened conscience. Know that ye will not by these means escape temporal and eternal punishment, nor return again