Jefus. Thus we ourselves, do in fome measure, remove the weight and load of pain from the offender, by fignifying to him our reconciliation.

If men would be content with the doctrine of Chrift's mediation, as he himself has explained it, they would eafily understand all fuch expreffions in the Epiftles which relate to it. See John xvi. 26, 27, at that day, the day of the effufion of the Spirit at Pentecost, to which he evidently refers, Ye fall afk in my name: And I Say not unto you, that I will pray the father for you; for the father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. Hence it is evident that afking in Christ's name, does not fuppofe, that God is made propitious by Chrift: but asking in his name, muft intend, such an afking as Chrift has authorized, and taught men to make use of in their addreffes, viz. afking in the spirit of truth and holiness; and expecting to be heard only upon thofe terms that are worthy of the father's notice of us. Farther, Jefus thus expreffeth himself, I do not fay that I will pray the father for you; q. d. there is no occafion, for the father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God, i. e. was commiffioned by him. This excludes all thofe notions of Christ's perfonal miniftrations from being the reafon of God's gracious regards: and fhews us, that they are, moft properly, the medium of God's conveying good things to Chriftians. The father himself loveth Chriftians, becaufe they have loved his Son, and received his doctrine, thus believing his miffion to be divine. And Jefus exprefsly difclaims any fuch influence on the father, as to alter his effential love, and goodness. So that when we pray in Chrift's name, or acknowledge any favours thro' Chrift, we muft mean, if truth guide us, that we ask in the fpirit

of

of his doctrine; fince that is the most express revelation of the will of God.

But if men will talk of Chrift's righteoufnefs, or of his blood, as appeafing the Deity; it will be incumbent on them, to reconcile the immutability of God's goodnefs, and the express declarations of Jefus, with fuch their apprehenfions. We know that God is effential love; that from God's love of the world he fent his Son, which was prior to the miffion, even as the caufe is to the effect. We know that the personal righteoufnefs of Christ, is not imputable to any other than himfelf. And that whofoever doeth righteousness, is righteous, even as he is righteous. And as God, thro' the miniftrations of Chrift, does forgive us; fo ought we to forgive one another. This is the manifest doctrine of the New Teftament, whatever may have been the abfurdities which men have built upon it. And we can make a bold appeal to the perfections of God, and to the reafon of things for the truth of it.

It might farther be observed, that altho' there are two places in the Epiftles which speak of Chrift, as interceeding, Rom. viii. 35. and Heb. vii. 25, yet, bis ever-living at the head of power, gives us the import and meaning of that interceffion. His thus exifting, in fuch a fphere of influence, is the fure pledge, exemplar, or exhibited reason of that falvation which God defigns for men, who believe in this his own appointment. For the Greek word rendered, interceffion, imports the being, or the exiftence of a perfon or thing. Τυγχάνων Sum. vid. Scapula.

The interceffion then imports, the fituation of Jefus, as made head over all things to his church; by whofe miniftrations God confers favours on the children of men! but by no means, any fuch thing as his altering the Deity either by one or

L 2

by

by another kind of fupplication; which would imply influencing motive. God is the immutable, eternal fource of power and of goodness; none but he is effentially good! and Jefus Chrift, he makes the minifter of his bleffings. Hence Jefus is faid, to be able to fave to the uttermost all who come unto God by him, i. e. who come by the rules, and in the method he has prescribed.

This I take to be the obvious sense of Chrift's mediation. And there feems to be nothing in it, unworthy the abfolute perfections of the Deity. Jefus is not exalted either above, or to an equality with his God and Father. But has the place which God affigned him: a place of fupreme honour and dignity, in reward of his own love of righteoufnefs, and hatred of iniquity! And Chriftians are exhorted to an imitation of his piety and virtue, as the term of their final acceptance and reward; yea, they are encouraged to expect that they fhall fhare with Jefus the honours of his kingdom.

But how any Chriftians will be able to answer for the hand they have had, in making Chriftia nity offenfive to the reafon of mankind, by reprefenting Jefus, as a much better and more friendy being, than the eternal God, I cannot conceive. These men fhould never complain of the growth of infidelity. For if the doctrines of Christianity, are not intelligible, and what will quadrate with reafon; or if they are fuch that the natural powers of man are not commenfurate unto: infidelity, would, with me, be more eligible than fo romantic a faith, as would be implied in the reception of them. For what man in his fenfes, would embrace the doctrine of tranfubftantiation? And if any doctrines doctrines among Proteftants are as repugnant to reafon, why fhould they not be equally abhorred? That must be as

re

repugnant, which would make Chrift a more friendly being, than the God of nature!

Moreover, our author breaks out in warm ex- Sect. clamations, upon 1 Cor, xv. 31. and afks, "what XVIII. "confufion of ideas is here?" Vol. II. p. 57. exclamaNote.

Warm

tions on

St. Paul has been mentioning the imminent 1 Cor. xv. danger of death, that the Chriftians were in; they 31. were baptized into a religious profeffion, which immediately expofed them to perfecution. But how very inhuman would it have been, both in him and others, to perfuade men to expose themfelves fo obviously to death, if the dead rife not at all? or why should the apoftles thus expofe themfelves? Upon which he fays, I protest by our rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. So the margin obferves fome lections have it, our, and not your rejoicing. This makes the reading more eafy. The apoftle contemplating the matter of joy, common to him and other Chriftians, who were expofed to death, in teftimony of the truth of the gofpel, thus expreffeth himself. And it was pertinent, fuitable to the paffionatenefs of his fubject. So that one might as well cavil at our Lord's faying, Blessed are ye when men fhall revile you, and perfecute you, &c. rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven. St. Paul behaves upon this very injunction, and difcovers the genuine effect which Chrift's inftructions had had upon

him.

But the apostles are faid fometimes to draw conclufions, which the premifes will not fupport, e. g. 1 Cor. xv. 19. Vol. II. p. 36.

Sect.

XIX. Conclu

fions faid

to be

Now, nothing could have been faid by St. Paul, in this text, with more juftnefs and propriety: drawn, for if the doctrine of a future ftate was not a unfuptruth, then the Chriftians having nothing to fup- ported.

port their behaviour upon, must have put them, by virtue of their profeffion, into the most wretched condition poffible! contending with all difficulties, enduring all evils, and fuffering tortures, for no other end than to fupport a fraud, a lye! And if in this life they only had hope in Chrift, they were, in fact, of all men moft miferable. No one command that Christ had laid upon them, to take up his cross and follow him, would have been juft, much less fit and proper; fince the motives he fet before them, were all taken from a future ftate. And had there been no fuch ftate, or if they had only in this life hope in Christ, they would have been undeniably of all men the most miferable. There could be no tendency in Chriftianity to make men happy, when the great doctrines of it, were all of them deception, falfehood, and a lye: for the miraculous power attending their miniftrations, was in atteftation of Christ's power and defignation to raise the dead and judge the world. And yet, the whole a delufion. How very fhocking!- deceived, and deceiving all men. No comparison can be formed between their condition, and that of the raving enthufiaft, who endured every evil under the full perfuafion of the truth and reality of his conceits or opinions. But in the apoftles, there are no figns of fraud, no marks of mental diforder. They reafon well, and act in character. They are exposed to all kinds of perfecution and hardfhips; and they ufe no mean artifice to evade its force. They were not allowed to pay any man, however powerful and great, the leaft complaifance, that would militate with their Chriftian profeffion, of having but one God, and owning but one mafter and Lord. This made their condition every where perilous: because they taught a new fcheme of religion, that would abolish all

the