111. Observation. That Jesus Christ is invoked together with the Father as an author of grace, and thereby his Godhead is i)roved ; for he that is an object both of internal and external worship is God. Now such is Christ. Of internal worship : ' fJohn xiv. 1, ' Ye believe in God, believe also in me.' Though Christ died as man, yet he is God equal with the Father, and an object of faith and trust. For ex- ternal worship, or prayer, the text is clear: 'Our Lord Jesus Chri.st, and God, even our Father.' That is nuich for the comfort of the faithful, that we have God to trust in, and Christ to trust in ; that we that have
2 TlIES. II. IG, 17.] TIIK FOUUTEEXTH SERMON. 139
sinned with botli liands earnestly, have a double ^i,'round of our comfort and hope — the infinite mercy and power of God, and the infinite merit of a mediator. There is a i^reat latitude in the ol)ject of faith, and so of invocation : ' Tlie Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father.' There is no pain so great that God in Christ carinot remove ; no dan- ger so dreadful but he can i)revent ; no misery so deep but he can de- liver from it; no enemy so strong, but he can vanquisli them; no want that he cannot supply. When we have a want that he cannot supply, or a sickness that he cannot cure, or a danger that he cannot prevent, or a misery that he cannot remove, or enemies that arc too hard for him, then we may sit down and despair, and die. I speak of both as one, for God and Christ are here joined as to the same effect : ' Comforting their hearts, and stablishing them in every good word and work.'
IV. Observation. We can obtain nothing from God unless we seek it in Jesus Christ. Therefore the apostle beginneth his prayer, 'Now our Lord Christ, and God,' &c. God alone is abundantly enough for our happiness, for there is in him more than abundantly enough to satisfy all the capacities of the creature ; but without a mediator how shall we come to receive of his fulness ? If man had kept innocent, God had been enough to us, for in innocency there was no mediator ; but to man fallen a mediator is necessary
1. I shall state the necessity of it. Because of distance and diflfer- ence ; we are unworthy to approach his holy presence ; tmd God hath a quarrel and controversy with us, which till it be taken up, we can exjiect no good tiling from him.
[1.] Distance. We are estranged from God by the fall, and have lost his image, lost his favour and fellowship, and all communion with him, so that God now is looked upon by us as out of the reach of our commerce, which hindereth our love and confidence in him ; for we can hardly depend upon one so far above us that he will take notice of us, or take care for us, so as to relieve us in our neces- sities, or help us in our miseries, and give us the blessings we ask of him ; or that we shall be welcome to him, when we come with our prayers and supplications. God taught the Israelites their distance ; and the apostle telleth us that all that dispensation ' the Holy Ghost did signify, that the way into the holiest was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was standing,' Heb. ix. 8. They could not come near God without danger of death ; he would not have them so familiar with him.
[2.] Difference, or controversy. A mediator is used only between disagreeing parties. When man was guilty, God was angry. Con- science of sin presents God terrible, and taketh away all confidence from us, so that we are obnoxious to his wrath and righteous ven- geance : 1 Sam. vi. 20, 'Who is able to stand before this Holy God ?' Isa. xxxiii. 14, ' xVnd who can dwell with everlasting burnings ? ' We cannot api)roach God in any friendly manner.
2. I shall show what provision God hath made for us. The Lord Jesus took this office at God's appointment, of reconciling God to us, and appeasing his wrath, and us to God, by bringing us back again, our alienated and estranged aftections to God. How so? what hath he doneP
140 THE FOURTEENTH SEIOION. [2 TuES. II. IG, 17.
[1.] The distance is in truth taken away by his very person. He is God-man ; God and man meet together in the i)er.son of Christ. God doth condescend and ct)me down to man, and man is enconra<;ed to ascend to God. God in Christ is nearer to uum than he was before, that we may have more familiar thoughts of him. The pure Deity is at so vast a distance from us, that we are amazed and confounded when we think of it, and cannot conceive an hope that he shouUl con- cern himseU' in our affairs. But the Son of God is come in our nature : John i. 14, ' The word was made flesh, and dwelt among us ; ' 1 Tim. iii. IG, ' Great is the mystery of godliness, God manifested in the flesh ;' so that he is more accessible to us, and nearer at hand, and more readily inclined to help us, for he will not be strange to his own flesh.