2. All this while we have spoken of his personal holiness, which raaketh him acceptable to God and amiable to us, and qualifieth him for his office. Now let us see how he showeth this love to holiness and hatred to iniquity in his office as well as in his person. The general term whereby this office is expressed is mediatoi'. The three- particular functions are those of prophet, priest, and king.
[1.] As to the general term mediator, whose work it is to bring
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heaven and earth to kiss each other, or to make peace between God and man, God offended, and man guilty, all that he did therein was out of his love to righteousness and hatred of iniquity, which was the great makebate between God and us ; therefore surely his chief design was to destroy sin and to promote holiness. So much we are told, Dan. ix. 24, that the Messiah shall come ' to finish transgressions, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and pro- phecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.' The great business for which the Mediator came into the world was to destroy the reign and power of sin, and to advance the practice of all goodness and holiness, and to recover the lost world to God. Now, because his heart was so much set upon this, God ' anointed him with the oil of gladness above his fellows.'
[2.] Come we to those three particular functions wherein this office is exercised, those of prophet, priest, and king.
(1.) As a prophet, by his doctrine he showeth that he loveth right- eousness and hateth iniquity, for the whole frame of it discovereth and breatheth out nothing else but an hatred against sin and a love to holiness : John xvii. 17, ' Sanctify them through the truth ; thy word is truth ; ' Ps. cxix. 140, ' Thy word is very pure.' All the histories, mysteries, precepts, promises, threatenings, aim at this one business, that sin may be subdued in us, and brought into disrepute and dis- esteem in the world. The histories are certain patterns and examples of holiness, and those taken from men and women that had not divested themselves of the interests and concernments of flesh and blood no more than we have, and yet pleased and served God in their several generations, to excite us to like diligence and self-denial : Heb. vi. 12, ' Be followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.' The mysteries are not only to raise our wonder, but breed a true spirit of godliness : 1 Tim. iii. 16, ' And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness.' The whole gospel is called, Titus i. 1 , ' The truth which is after godliness ; ' and 1 Tim. vi. 8, ' A doctrine which is according to godliness ; ' because it delivereth the exact and most perfect way of serving God. The Lord Jesus was desirous that this doctrine should take place in the world, therefore he himself Avas pleased to assume our nature to preach it to us. So for his precepts, they all prescribe an universal adherence to God, and dependence on him, that we may not be carried away by the false offers and delights of sin, but may live in perfect obedience to God, and justice and charity to men. Besides, the word discovereth all the cheats and fallacies we put upon ourselves, to keep us from all impure mixtures of worldly and carnal aims : it discovereth the crafty pretences, and the most insinuating and cunning contrivances to disguise and hide sin : Heb. iv. 12, ' For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart.' In short, the whole aim of it is that we may please God and be beloved by him : John xiv. 21, ' He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me ; and he that loveth me, shall be loved of my Father, and I will love
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him, aucl will manifest myself to him/ The promises call for the greatest purity and cleanness of heart and life : 2 Cor. vii. 1, ' Having therefore these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from all iilthiuess both of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.' So the threatenings ; why doth Christ tell us of torments without end and ease, of a pit without a bottom, of a iire that shall never be quenched, but to make sin more odious and hateful to us ? Surely not to terrify us, but to sanctify us ; for his government is rather by love than by fear. Now, whosoever wisely considereth the christian religion, he will soon discern that it was framed and set afoot by one that loved righteous- ness and hated iniquity.
(2.) His priestly office consists in his oblation and intercession, as the high priest under the law did both offer sacrifice and intercede for the people. Now what was the intent of Christ's sacrifice but to put away sin ? Heb. ix. 26, ' Now once in the end of the world hath he appeared, to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself ; ' that is, not only to destroy the guilt, but the power of it. There are three things in the death and sufferings of Christ to make us hate iniquity, and so by consequence to love righteousness — (1.) By way of representation ; (2.) By way of impetration ; (3.) By way of obligation.