by their high priest, who interceded with God, andSERM. offered up prayers in behalf of the people. The LXXI. Gentiles, they addressed themselves to God by innumerable mediators, by angels, and the fouls of their departed heroes, which were the pagan faints. Instead of all these, God hath appointed one mediator and intercessor in heaven for us, "JESUS the Son of "GOD, and by "him all mankind," both Jews and Gentiles, "have access by one spirit unto the Father." And we have no need of any other, as the apostle "But to the Hebrews reasons, chap. vii. 24, 25. 66 ἀπαράβατον, a priesthood which doth not pass " from one to another," as the priesthood under the law did, when upon the death of one high priest, another fucceeded in his place; but our high priest under the gospel, "fince he abides for ever, is able to "save to the uttermost all those that come to GOD " by him, feeing he ever liveth to make interceffion "for us." So that JESUS CHRIST is an all-fufficient mediator, and able to carry on and accomplish the work of our salvation from first to last: and as we do not find, that God hath appointed any other; fo we are fure, that there needs no other, " fince he " is able to fave to the uttermost all those that come "to God by him, and that he lives for ever to "make intercession for us." Secondly, I proceed now in the second place, to shew, that this doctrine or principle of " one media"tor between God and man," is most agreeable to one main end and design of the christian religion, and of our SAVIOUR's coming into the world, which was " to deftroy idolatry out of the world;" which St. John calls "the works of the devil," I John VOL V. P LXXI. SERM. iii. 8. " for this purpose the Son of God was mani"fested, that he might destroy, ἵνα λύσῃ, that he " might diffolve or demolish the works of the devil;" by which St. John does more especially mean the idolatrous worship of the heathen, which consisted in the multitude of their gods and the bloody and barbarous rites and facrifices, whereby they worshipped them; and likewise in the multitude of their mediators between the gods and men, who were also <esteemed by them an inferior fort of deities. Both these kinds of idolatry had strangely prevailed, and over-run the world, before the appearance of our LORD and SAVIOUR, who came on purpose to deliver mankind from the horrible superstition and flavery of the worship of false gods, to pull down this kingdom of the devil, and to demolish that fabrick which he had been so long a rearing, and to beat him out of those strong holds, which he thought had been impregnable. God indeed gave some check to these, many ages before, and not long after their first appearance, by the Jewish religion, which was on purpose introduced, and confirmed, and established by so many and fuch mighty miracles to preserve and keep alive in the world the primitive tradition and belief " of the "one true GoD;" and likewise to be (as it were) fome shadow and rude draught of that more perfect dispensation of the christian religion which by "one " facrifice once offered," and by one mediator " between God and men," was to put an end to the infinite superstitions of the heathen worship, and all the bloody and barbarous rites of it, and likewife to the idolatry they were guilty of, in the worship of their inferior deities, whom they looked upon as a middle fort of powers between the gods and men, 66 and and therefore addressed themselves to them, as me-SERM. diators between the fuperior and heavenly gods, and LXXI. men here on earth. This was plainly one of the great designs of the christian religion; and therefore it concerns Chriftians to understand it, and to be very careful, that they do not fuffer themselves to be deluded by any specious pretences whatsoever, to bring these things back again into the chriftian religion, for the ruin and extirpation whereof, it was purposely defigned and intended. And this feems plainly to be the meaning of that caution, wherewith St. John concludes his catholick or general epiftle, namely, that Christians should be very careful, that they were not carried back again into the heathen idolatry, by the confident pretences of the Gnostick hereticks to higher degrees of knowledge and illumination, than other Christians had: that is, by their pretending to be " the infallible " church, and the only true and genuine Chriftians.” For it is, against this sect, that this epistle is plainly defigned, which St. John thus concludes, chap. v. from ver. 18. to the end; "we know that whoso" ever is born of God finneth not;" meaning that he doth not commit the "fin unto death," which he had spoken of just before, viz. apostasy from chriftianity to the heathen idolatry, or that which was very like it) "whosoever is born of God doth 66 not commit this fin, but he that is begotten of "GOD, keepeth himself, and that wicked one touch"eth him not;" that is, he preferveth himself from the contagion of idolatry into which the devil was so bufy to feduce mankind. "And we know that 66 we are of GOD;" that is, do belong to the true God, and are worshippers of him: " and the whole world lyeth in wickedness, “ ἐν τῷ πονηρῷ κεῖται, is in LXXI. SERM.the power, or under the dominion of that wicked one;" that is, the greatest part of mankind was funk into idolatry, and the worship of the devil. "And " we know that the Son of God is come, and hath "given us an understanding, that we may know "him that is true." We know, that is, we Chriftians are better taught by the chriftian religion, to acknowledge and worship the only true GOD: " and " we are in him that is true, in" or " by his Son JE"SUS CHRIST;" that is, we worship the only true GOD, by his Son JESUS CHRIST. And then he concludes, " little children keep yourselves from idols;" intimating hereby, that the worshipping of any other, befides this only true God, and by any other mediator than JESUS CHRIST, is idolatry. There were indeed two very ancient and common notions, both amongst Jews and Gentiles, of the original whereof it is hard to give any certain account; only this is certain, that they did prevail very early, and did very generally possess mankind; and they were these; first, that God was not to be appeased towards finners, merely upon their repentance, without the death and fuffering of fome other in their stead; and that God would accept of this vicarious punishment and fuffering, instead of the death of the finner himself. And this seems to have given the original to the sacrifices of living creatures, to appease the wrath of God towards finners, which in process of time, as the worship of falfe Gods prevailed in the world, did proceed to that degree of fuperftition and barbarous inhumanity, that by the instigation of the devil, men offered up the blood of their children, and sacrificed their fons and daughters to their idols and false gods. Secondly, another common notion, which had likewife poffefsfed man LXXI. } kind, was, that God was not to be immediately ap- SERM. proached by finful men, but that their prayers were to be offered up to the deity, by certain mediators and intercessors, that were to procure for them the favour of the gods, and the gracious answer and acceptance of their prayers. And this was the original of that other fort of heathen idolatry, which consisted in the worship of their demons and heroes, that is, of angels and fouls departed, viz. of fuch eminent persons, as had been great benefactors to mankind, and for their worthy deeds upon earth were canonized and tranflated into the number of their inferior gods. By these, as the chief courtiers and favourites of heaven, they addressed their prayers and fupplications to the fuperior gods. Now with these notions which had generally possessed mankind (how imperfect foever) God was pleased to comply fo far, as in the frame of the Jewish religion (which was designed for a type of the more perfect institution of the chriftian religion, and a preparation for it) I say, God was pleased to comply so far with these notions, as to appoint facrifices to be flain and offered up for the finner; and likewife an high priest, that once a year should enter into "the holy of holies, with the blood of facrifices" that were offered up for the people to make expiation for them, and in virtue of that blood, "fhould "intercede for the people," as the apoftle to the Hebrews does declare at large. And when "GOD "sent his Son in the fulness of time," he was pleased likewife, in the dispensation of the gospel, (that perfect institution which was never to be altered) to have so much regard to these common notions, and apprehenfions of mankind, as to provide for the fupply of those two great wants, which they feemed al. ways P3 |