falvation, Heb. i. 14. And when the grand defign is confummated, then fhall man and angels not only be reconciled, but united in the highest and moft inalterable friendfhip, when through the merits and grace of the Son of God, we the younger fons of the heaven-born family, having paffed through our ftate of minority, are made completely the Sons of God by the refurrection. And having become wayyexo, equal or like unto the angels, as our Lord affures us, Luke xx. 36. fhall be advanced to the fame heaven, and enjoy the fame fupreme bleffedness with thefe illuftrious and benevolent beings through eternal ages. Farther, Had thefe two divifions of mankind, the Jews and the Gentiles, been long in a state of mutual enmity, the great reconciler hath removed the occafions of difcord, that of enemies they might be friends. In his generation and birth, though immediately and chiefly of the Jews, he was allo, as to feveral of his ancestors, allied to the Gentiles. By his obedience and facrifice, he fulfilled and abolished the ceremonial law, which, like the partition wall in the temple that divided the Jews and the Gentiles, had long divided the Jewish and the Gentile worlds. He purchafed falvasion for both, reveals it to both, and on their belief of his revelation, beftows it equally on both, for he is a light to lighten the Gentiles, and "the glory of Ifrael," Luke ii. 32. He hath established a difpenfation of religion, in which neither circumcifion availeth any thing, nor uncircumcifion, but a new creature, and faith which worketh by love. On mens compliance with this nobleft of religions, both Jews and Gentiles are reconciled to God as their Father, united to the Son of God as their Saviour and Lord, animated animated by the fame Divine Spirit, made the happy members of the fame church on earth, and fhall be incorporated into one general affembly and church of the firft-born in heaven for ever: "For he is our peace, fays the apoftle, "who hath made both one, and hath broken "down the middle wall of partition between us; "having abolished in his flesh the law of com"mandments contained in ordinances, for to "make in himself, of twain, one new man; fo "making peace; and that he might reconcile "both unto God in one body by the cross, "having flain the enmity thereby, and came "and preached peace to them which were afar off, and to them that were near: for "through him we both have an access by one "Spirit unto the Father," Eph. ii. 14, 18. In fine Chrift hath laid the firmeft foundation of reconciliation and friendfhip among all mankind in time, and on their proper compliance with. his gofpel, of friendship the most exalted and permanent through eternity. He hath introduced a religion calculated to be the religion of mankind; a religion, like its benevolent author, whofe fpirit is goodnefs, and whofe law is love, and of which the whole tendency and aim is to reconcile and unite men to God, in true piety and holiness, and to one another in charity and love. To the tyes of friendship which we have as men, it hath fuperadded the more tender and endearing ones that cement us as Chriftians. He unites men in the fame moft excellent religion; and makes all who fincerely embrace it, children of the fame divine Father, brethren of the fame Redeemer, and partakers of the fame Spirit and grace, and fellow-heirs of heaven and eternal glory. Confiderations which have the most pow erful erful tendency to extinguifh every hoftile and malevolent difpofition, and to infpire univerfal benevolence among all who truly feel their divine influence. And when his grand uniting plan is accomplished, then fhall all the friends of God and goodness, a number which no man can number, whom he has reconciled to God, to himself, and to one another in time, out of all kindreds, and nations, and languages, be united in univerfal love through never ending ages. Thus is the Son of God the general mediator of reconciliation and bond of union and friendship between God Moft High, and his great empire of obedient or redeemed creatures. . For it hath pleased the Father, that in him fhould all fulness dwell, and having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself, even by him, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven, Col. i. 19, 20. He unites, we have feen, universal nature in the conftitution of his perfon: and he unites univerfal being by his office of mediator, for which that perfon was conftituted. In both he is the grand medium and bond of union and communion, love and friendship, between God and his creation, uniting God with created nature, angels to men, men to angels, God to the whole, and the whole to God, and to each other in harmony and union that fhall never be diffolved. He reftores the friendship and peace when it was broken, he guaranties it where continued or restored. And having begun and carried on his Godlike design in time, he will complete it at the confummation of the world; and remaining in his perfon the indiffolved bond of union between God and his obedient or redeemed fubjects, will will by his character and offices preserve that union inviolate to eternity. III. The Son of God is the illuftrious fubduer and destroyer of Satan's kingdom, and the expeller of vice and irreclaimably vicious beings out of his Father's empire. This office was moft neceffary to the falvation of mankind, and the reconciliation Christ was to accomplish and preferve in the creation of God. Satan, the arch-rebel against God, had revolted from allegiance to his Maker and fovereign, and drawn many of God's angelic fubjects into the fame criminal apoftafy. Banished with his wicked affociates from the manfions of purity, he next feduced our firft parents into a fimilar difobedience. The dominion he gained over the parents he hath maintained in a great degree over their fallen pofterity, from age to age, in this manner adding man to his angelic fubjects, and eftablishing a kingdom of impiety, vice, and mifery, in the world, in oppofition to God's empire of goodness and happiness. Thus he is called "the prince of the power of the air, the "spirit that now worketh in the children of "difobedience," Eph. ii. 2. "The prince of "this world," from the dominion over it he poffeffes, John xii. 13. And "the God of this "world," 2 Cor. iv. 4. from the religious worfhip actually performed to him, and his affociates, 2 Kings, i. 2, 3. Pfa. cvi. 37. 1 Cor. x. 20. by deluded mortals, and the regards all wicked beings give to him, in preference to God. kingdom of Satan is founded in ignorance, confifts in impiety and vice, is confirmed by the dominion of fin and bands of guilt, in which its flaves are involved, and tends directly to the dishonour This dishonour of God, and the eternal destruction of his rational creatures. As it had commenced from the feduction and fall of our firft parents, it had enlarged as the world of fallen mankind enlarged. And though, even in the moft' degenerate ages, God always had a church of wife and well affected subjects, yet by the artifices of Satan, and mens own depravity, a great part of the human kind had, with equal folly and wickedness, chofen rather to be the flaves of Satan their deftroyer, than dutiful fubjects of God their Creator and Lord. At the time of our Saviour's appearance, it had arrived at its greatest height, in that ignorance of the true God and religion, and that worship of false and impure deities and devils, and the practice of impiety, unrighteousness and impurity that had overrun the world. Many expedients had the Divine Goodness employed to check the progress of these malignant beings, and reclaim his human offfpring to their duty and happiness. Revelations of the true God, and of his laws and grace were given for their inftruction. Prophets were fent to admonish them of their fin, and call them to reformation. The most aweful punishments were denounced, and on proper occafions inflicted, to convince them of their danger, and awaken them to repentance. Many blefings of the Divine Goodnefs were bestowed upon them, to reconcile and bring them back to God and their duty, from which the devil had feduced them. These, by the divine bleffing, were made effectual for the converfion and recovery of many in all ages; but ftill were infufficient for any general reformation. The Son of God only was able to oppofe, and fruftrate the defigns of the arch-enemy to God and |