Saviour, who sealed the truth of his mission by the blood of the crucifixion. We believe him to be the "mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,"* who was "approved of God by the miracles, and wonders, and signs, which God did by him;"+ "that son of man whom God the Father hath sealed."‡ We believe that "God hath made the crucified Jesus both Lord and Christ," and "anointed him with the Holy Ghost and with power," and "hath exalted him with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins;" who, because he "became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, therefore hath God highly exalted, and given him a name, which is above every name; that, in the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."** And we believe that the highly exalted Jesus, "the son of man, shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels, and then he shall reward every man according to his works;"++ for although "the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do; yet what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son; for as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man."‡‡ For God has 'appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead."§ § And we further believe, that, through the man Christ Jesus, is salvation offered unto men: "the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.”|| || "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,"¶¶ who, "being made perfect, became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him," Heb. v. 9, and ii. 10. 66 The charge, therefore, is false, that Unitarians "degrade Christ," or "rob him of his crown of everlasting glory." 1 Tim. ii. 5. + Acts ii. Acts x. 38. Acts v. 31. John v. 19, 22, 26, 27. ¶¶ 1 Thes. v. 9. 22. John vi. 27. ** Phil. ii. 8-11. SS Acts xvii. 31. $ Acts ii. 36. ++ Mat. xvi. 27. Rom. v. 15. He is our Mediator and Saviour; we implicitly rely on his teachings as a messenger sent from God, full of grace and truth; we dare not doubt God's holy promises, or presume to deny the power of the Almighty to ordain the salvation of man, although he decrees its accomplishment by the instrumentality of a human being. Our Saviour, of the seed of David,* is the beloved Son of God,† is anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power, is made both Lord and Christ, is highly exalted, to the glory of his God and Father,|| and is constituted the future Judge of an assembled world; ¶ we therefore embrace, and rejoice in believing the glorious truth to which the Apostles bore testimony, "that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.** Another equally groundless accusation is, that Unitarians deny Christ! It is hoped that the candid reader, after perusing the preceding remarks, will perceive that it needs not a serious refutation. If we cannot believe that he is the Most High God, we joyfully receive him as the "Mediator of the New Covenant,"++ which God has vouchsafed to a guilty world. Here we deposit our care, here we cast our burden, here we place our reliance, rejoicing that we are not utterly consumed, because of our iniquities that we are allowed to participate in the promises of the gospel,‡‡ in the tender mercies of the everliving God, and the exceeding riches of his grace, manifested through Jesus Christ, §§ who is "able to save them to the uttermost, who come unto God by him."|||| We rejoice with joy unspeakable, that "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life; for God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved."¶¶ We pour out our souls in thanksgivings to our heavenly Father, for the immensity of goodness and mercy, with which he blessed mankind, in his last best gift, Jesus Christ the righteous; we praise him for the richness of his unbounded grace, in providing for us a Mediator-the man Christ Jesus; we reverence him, when * Acts xiii. 23. Phil. ii. 11. ++ Heb. xii. 24. Heb. vii. 25. + 2 Peter i. 17. Acts x. 38. $ Acts ii. 36. P we reflect, that our Mediator is a man like ourselves;* was tempted as we are;t was subject to the infirmities of the flesh; and is, therefore, admirably fitted to mediate and intercede for us. He is acquainted with our frailty, being one of the human race; he knows what is the constitution of man, and understands his feelings, and propensities, and powers, because he is himself a man;¶ being one of us, he understands the inclinations of humanity; he is not a stranger, and an alien; he feels our situation; he enters into the circumstances by which we are influenced; he appreciates exactly our strength and our weakness, because he a brother-bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh.** Is the Mediator of the New Covenant an incarnate God? or an infinite divine essence, clothed in a human form? Such a doctrine destroys the confidence, and blights the hope, and undermines the faith of the Christian, who, reposing on the testimony of Scripture, places his rejoicing on the corner-stone of a manMediator. sses God cannot be tried; what earthly temptation can change the purposes of Omniscience?++ He cannot suffer any of the ills which flesh is heir to, for one attribute of the Almighty is impassibility.‡‡ The Ruler of heaven, and the heaven of heavens, is not liable to sin, for he is impeccable.§§ Jehovah of hosts cannot be the prey of anxiety, and fear, and doubt, which is the lot of finite mortality, for he is Omnipotent: in short, the temptations of man cannot operate upon God;¶¶ the dis of the creature cannot be suffered by the Creator, Psalms 1. 12, 15; Isaiah xl. Hence the necessity that Jesus should be (even in his mediatorial office), in nature-a man. Yes! the Mediator of the New Testament is "a man, in all respects, like his brethren," Heb. ii. 17, tempted as they are, yet without sin, Heb. iv. 15; made perfect by suffering, Heb. ii. 10; despising the shame for the glory that was set before him, Heb. xii. 2; yielding up his life with assured faith in the promises of God, that he should receive it again, John x. 17, 18; and giving to all, an example of sinless purity, and unfainting obedience to the will + Heb. iv. 15. Heb. v. 7. § Rom. viii. 34. John viii. 40. ** Mark iii. 31, 35; Heb. iv. 15. SS Hab. i. 13. ¶¶ James i. 13. Heb. ii. 17. of God, Mat. xxvi. 39, 42; John xviii. 11. "Not as some regard him-a divinity, or a super-angelic nature, superior to suffering, superior to temptation, incapable of sin; whose sinlessness, therefore, had no merit, whose devotion had no heroism, whose virtue had no sacrifice, whose resurrection is in itself no demonstration that man will be raised from the grave; whose life and martyrdom, whose actions and sufferings, are too divine for imitation, too supernatural for example-can awaken no admiration, can excite no sympathy." The Scriptural Mediator is "the man Christ Jesus," yet there is language generally used, and there are creeds embraced, which are diametrically opposed to the inspired writers. The Gospel historians knew not the Mediator as the "Eternal Son of God,"† or "God the Son," the second person of the blessed and glorious Trinity-the infinite vicarious sacrifice offered to appease the vengeance of God the Father; but Christ's glories, his rewards, his exaltation, his high office, and towering dignity, are conferred upon him as a man! Who brought life and immortality to light, and became the first fruits of them that slept? The Apostle testifies, "For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrec Mr. Cooke somewhat resembles a disciple of Emmanuel Swedenborg, inasmuch as he worships the "eternal Son of God," as the "everlasting Father,” a dogma which Trinitarians, generally, are rather chary of openly avowing. His favourite apophthegm, "the eternal Son," is not viewed so complacently by a certainly more liberal and probably not less learned champion of Orthodoxy than himself-Dr. Adam Clarke. It would, perchance, be profitable to the religious inquirer, too, if the Doctor's reasonings were rebutted by the Synodical sage. "If Christ be the Son of God, as to his divine nature, then he cannot be eternal; for Son implies a Father, and Father implies in reference to Son, preceding in time, if not in nature too. Father and Son imply the idea of generation; and generation implies a time in which it was effected, and time also antecedent to such generation. If Christ be the Son of God, as to his divine nature, then the Father is of necessity prior, consequently, superior to him. Again, if this divine nature were begotton of the Father, then it must be in time; i. e. there was a period in which it did not exist; and a period when it began to exist. This destroys the eternity of our blessed Lord, and robs him, at once, of his Godhead. To say that he was begotten from all eternity, is, in my opinion, absurd; and the phrase, eternal Son, is a positive contradiction. Eternity is that which has had no beginning, nor stands in reference to time. Son supposes time, generation, and father; and time also, antecedent to such generation. Therefore, the conjunction of these two terms, Son and eternity, is absolutely impossible, as they imply essentially different and opposite ideas."-Dr. Adam Clarke's Commentary on the New Testament:-Note on Luke i. 35. tion from the dead;"" but now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept."* Who is our Lord and Saviour? It is "Jesus Christ, a. man approved of God, who was, by wicked hands, crucified and slain, whom God hath raised up, and exalted with his right hand, and hath made that same crucified Jesus, both Lord and Christ."+ He is a Mediator, according to the Apostle Paul, "who, in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications, with strong crying and tears, unto him that was able to save him from death, was heard in that he feared."+ "In all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest, in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people: for in that he himself hath suffered, being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted." And again, "we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." And hence, we joyfully accept the invitation of the Apostle: "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."¶ But it is objected, that if our Mediator be not God, he is not Almighty to save; nor, in such case, can salvation be obtained, by those who put their trust in him. But the Mediator of the New Covenant is supported by the arm of Omnipotence;** and God will use those means he, in wisdom, thinks fit to employ, for the completion of his purpose. Jesus proclaimed his mission,++ and performed his works, and avowed himself supported and endowed with power, by that heavenly Father, §§ in whose name he was sent to bless the world. He ascribed all things to the power of God.¶¶ And is Jehovah's arm shortened that he cannot save? Is he shorn of his Omnipotence, and unable to effect his purposes? Or do we, indeed, lean on a broken reed, because we believe in "him, of whom Moses in the law, and the Prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph?" John i. 45; be * 1 Cor. xv. 21, 20; 2 Tim. i. 10. + Acts ii. 22, 23, 24, 33, 36. ‡ Heb. v. 7. § Heb. ii. 17, 18. Heb. iv. 15. ¶ Heb. iv. 16. **John x. 36, xiii. 3. tt John vi. 57, vii. 16. ‡‡ John ix. 4, $$ John v. 19-30, xvii. 7. John ¶¶ Mat. xxviii. 18; John xii. 49, 50, xvii. 2, 4. x. 25, 32, 37, xiv. 10. viii. 26-29, v. 37. |