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and that we do not exprefs it by lewdnefs and luxury, by intemperance and excefs, by prodigal gaming, and profufe wafting of our eftates, as the manner of fome is; as if we intended literally to requite our Saviour, who being rich, for our fakes became poor. This is a way of parting with houfes and land, and becoming poor for his fake, for which he will never thank nor reward us. This is not to commemorate the coming of our Saviour, but to contradict it; and openly to declare that we will uphold the works of the devil, in defpite of the Son of God, who came to deftroy them. It is for all the world like that lewd and fenfeless piece of loyalty, too much in fashion fome years ago, of being drunk for the King. Good God! that ever it fhould pafs for a piece of religion among Chriftians, to run into all manner of excefs for twelve days together in honour of our Saviour ! A greater ag gravation of fin cannot eafily be imagined, than to abufe the memory of the greatest blessing that ever was, Chrift coming into the world to take away fin, into an opportunity of committing it. This is to reprefent the Son of God as a patron of fin and licentioufnefs, and to treat him more contumelioufly than the Jews did, who bowed the knee to him, and mocked him, and called him King, and fpat upon him; and, under a pretence of rejoicing for his birth, to crucify to ourselves afresh the Lord of life and glory, and to put him to an open Shame.

I will conclude all with the Apostle's exhortation, Rom. xiii. 12. 13. 14. Let us caft off the works of darknefs, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk decently as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonnefs, not in ftrife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jefus Chrift, and make not provifion for the flesh, to fulfil the lufts thereof.

and

Now, to our most gracious and merciful God, the great friend and lover of fouls, who regarded us in our low and loft condition, and caft an eye of pity upon us, when we were in our blood, and no other eye pitied us; when we had loft and ruined ourselves, was pleased, in tender compaffion to mankind, to fend his only begotten Son into the world, to feek and fave us; and, by the pu

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rity

rity of his doctrine, and the pattern of his life, and the facrifice of his death, to purchase eternal life for us, and to direct and lead us in the way to it and to him alfo, the bleffed Saviour and Redeemer of mankind, who came down from heaven, that he might carry us thither; and took human nature upon him, that we thereby might be made partakers of a divine nature; and humbled bimfelf to death, even the death of the cross, that he might exalt us to glory and honour; and, whilft we were bitter enemies to him, gave fuch a demonftration of his love to us, as never any man did to his best friend : Unto him that fitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb that was flain; to God, even our Father, and to our Lord Jefus Chrift, the first begotten from the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth; to him who hath loved us, and washed us from our fins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father: to him be glory and honour, dominion and power, now and for Amen.

ever.

S

ERMON

LXXI.

Chrift Jefus the only mediator between God and men.

Preached at St. Peter's, Cornhill, on the feaft of the annunciation 1691.

I TIM. ii. 5. 6.

For there is one God, and cne mediator between God and men, the man Chrift Jefus; who gave himself a ranfom for all.

The fecond fermon on this text. The 48th is the first.

TH

Hefe words contain in them these four propofitions; three of them exprefs, and the fourth of them fufficiently implied in the text.

1. That there is one God.

2. That

2. That there is one mediator between God and men, Chrift Fefus.

3. That he gave himself a ransom for all.

4. That the mediation or interceffion of Jefus Chrift is founded in the redemption of mankind. For this seems to be the reason why it is added, that he gave himfelf a ransom for all, to fignify to us, that becaufe he gave himself a ransom for all, therefore he interceeds for all. In virtue of that facrifice which he offered to God for the falvation of men, he offers up our prayers to God; and therefore it is acceptable to him, that we should pray for all men. This feems to be the true connexion of the Apoftle's difcourfe, and the force of his reasoning, about our putting up publick prayers for all men.

I have, in a fomer difcourfe, [ferm. 48.], handled the first of these. I proceed now to the

Second, That there is one mediator between God and men, the man Chrift Fefus. One mediator, that is, but one; for the expreffion is the very fame concerning one God, and one mediator and therefore, if the Apostle when he fays, There is one God, certainly means, that there is but one God, it is equally certain, that when he fays, There is one mediator between God and men, he means, there is but one mediator, viz. Chrift Jefus. He is the only mediator between God and men.

In the handling of this argument, I fhall proceed in this method.

1. I fhall endeavour to fhew, that God hath appointed but one mediator, or advocate, or interceffor in heaven for us; in whofe name, and by whofe mediation and interceffion, we are to offer up our prayers and fervices to God.

2. That this is most agrecable to one main end and design of the Chriftian religion, and of our Saviour's coming into the world.

3. That it is likewife evident, from the nature and reafon of the thing itself, that there is but one mediator and interceffor in heaven for us, to offer up our prayers to God; and that there can be no more. And then,

4. and laftly, I fhall endeavour to fhew, how contrary to the doctrine of the Chriftian religion, concerning one mediator and interceffor in heaven for us, the doU 3 Єtrine

&rine and practice of the church of Rome in this matter is, in their invocation of angels, and the bleffed virgin, and the faints, and making use of their mediation and interceffion with God for finners; as likewise how contrary it is to the doctrine and practice of the primitive Christian church: and then I fhall answer their feveral pretences for this doctrine and practice; and fhew that this practice is not only needlefs, but ufelefs and unprofitable; and not only fo, but very dangerous and impious.

I. I fhall endeavour to fhew, that God hath appointed but one mediator, or advocate, or interceffor, in heaven for us; in whofe name, and by whofe interceffion, we are to offer up all our prayers and fervices to God.

Befides that it is exprefsly faid here in the text, There is but one mediator between God and men, the man Chrift Jefus, and that the fcripture no where mentions any other: I fay, befides this, we are conftantly directed to offer up our prayers and thanksgivings, and to perform all acts of worship in his name, and no other; and with a promife, that the prayers and fervices which we offer in his name, will be gracioufly anfwered and accepted: John xiv. 13. 14. Whatsoever ye shall afk in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall afk any thing in my name, I will do it. And chap. xvi. 23. 24. And in that day ye shall afk me nothing: Verily verily I fay unto you, Whatfoever ye shall afk the

Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye

;

afked nothing in my name: afk, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. In that day; that is, when I have left the world, and am gone to my Father; as he explains it at the 28th verfe. In that day ye shall afk me nothing but whatfoever ye shall afk the Father in my name, he will give it you; that is, you fhall not need to addrefs your prayers to me, but to my Father in my name. Andy 26. 27. At that day ye shall ask in my name; (that is, from the time that I am afcended into heaven, ye fhall put up all your prayers and requests to God in my name); and I fay not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: for the Father himself loveth you; that is, I need not tell you, though I fhall certainly do

it, that I will intercede with the Father for you; for he of himself is kindly difpofed and affected towards you, for my fake: The Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me.

St. Paul likewife commands Chriftians to perform all acts of religious worship in the name of Christ, Col. iii. 16. 17. Singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jefus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. And this precept of addreffing all our prayers and thanksgivings to God by Jefus Chrift, as the only mediator between God and us, is the more remarkable, because it is given in oppofition to the worfhipping of God by any other mediators and interceffors in heaven for us; and to that fuperftition which had begun fo early to prevail among fome Chriftians at Coloffe and Laodicea, of worshipping God by the mediation and interceffion of angels, against which he had cautioned in the former chapter, y 18. 19. Let no man beguile you of your reward, in a voluntary humility, and worshipping of angels; not holding the head: intimating, that for Chriftians to addrefs themselves to God by any other mediator but Jefus Chrift only, was a defection from Christ the head, and high priest of our profeffion. And that this is the Apostle's meaning, Theodoret affures us, in his comment upon this place; where he tells us, that fome who maintained an obfervance of the law, together with the gofpel, afferted alfo," that angels were to be wor"fhipped," saying, " that the law was given by them." And this custom, he tells us, remained a long time in Phrygia and Pifidia; and that upon this account it was, that the fynod of Laodicea in Phrygia, about the middle of the fourth century, forbad Chriftians, by a law, to pray to angels. And yet more exprefsly, in his comment upon those words, chap. iii. 17. Whatfoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jefus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him: For because "(fays he) they (meaning thofe of whom St. Paul 66 warns the Coloffians to beware, because they) did "command men to worship angels, he injoins the contrary; that they should adorn both their words and "actions with the memory (or mention) of the name

66

"of

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