[3.] The appropriation of this office and dignity to him alone : ' One Lord, Jesus Christ.' To set up other lords of our faith, or other mediators between God and us, is a wrong to Christ. There is but one Mediator, either of redemption or intercession, and no saints or angels share in this honour : 1 Tim. ii. 5, ' For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus ; ' Eph. iv. 5, ' One Lord ; ' without partner or substitute. He will communicate this glory and dominion over his church to no other, in whole or in part.
[4.] The distinctness of his operation as mediator, from what was said concerning the Father. It is said of the Father, ' Of whom, and for whom, are all things ; ' but of the Mediator it is said, ' By whom are all things, and we by him.' God is the fountain of all heavenly gifts, James i. 17 ; and Christ is the pipe and conveyance, God is the ultimate object of our worship, and by the Mediator do we make our addresses and applications to him : Eph. ii. 18, 'For through him we both have an access by one Spirit unto the Father.' From God all things have their being, as from their spring and cause, both in a way of nature and grace ; so all things by the Mediator.
Doct. That the owning and worshipping God by the Mediator, Jesus Christ, is the sum of the christian religion.
Natural religion owneth a God, but the christian religion owneth a Mediator ; and Father, Son, and Holy Ghost for that only true God,
SERMON UPON I CORINTHIANS VIII. 6. 261
and Jesus Christ for that Mediator. See other scriptures : John xv'n. 3, ' And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent' There is the sum of what is necessary to life eternal, that God is to be known, loved, obeyed, worshipped, and enjoyed, and the Lord Jesus as our Eedeemer and Saviour, to bring us home to God, and to procure for us the gifts of pardon and life, and this life to be begun here and perfected in heaven. So 1 Tim. ii. 5, ' For there is but one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.' Here are the two great points oi. the christian religion — one God, in whom is all our trust and con- fidence ; and one Lord Jesus, the only Mediator for the restoration and reconciliation of man with God.
Here I shall show you — (1.) The necessity of a mediator ; (2.) The fitness of Christ for this office ; (3.) The benefit and fruit of it ; (4.) Who are the parties interested in these comforts, and most con- cerned in these duties.
I. The necessity of a mediator in this lapsed and fallen estate of mankind. Two things infer and enforce this necessity — distance and difierence. Distance by reason of impurity, and difierence by reason of enmity ; both these occur in the case between God and men. God is a God of glorious majesty, and we are poor creatures. God is an holy God, a God of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, and we are sinful creatures. As creatures, we are unworthy of immediate access to God ; as lapsed, and under the guilt of sin and desert of punishment, and unable to deliver ourselves, we cannot draw nigh to him with any comfort.
1. Our distance, which is so great that it is a condescension for God to take notice that there are such creatures in the world : Ps. cxiii. 6, * Who humbleth himself to behold the things which are in heaven and earth.' The excellency and majesty of God is so great that either angels or men are unworthy to approach his presence. Now, as inferior and mean people dare not approach the presence of a great prince but by some powerful friend and intercessor at court, so our distance produceth our fears and estrangedness, and backwardness to draw nigh unto God, and so hindereth our love and confidence in him. Well, then, to depend upon one so far above us, that he will- take notice of us, take care of us, relieving us in our necessities and straits, and help us out of all our miseries, and finally save us, requireth a mediator; one that is more near and dear to God than we are, which can be no other than Jesus Christ, as I shall show by-and-by. When a sinner looketh only at God as in himself, he is confounded and amazed, as quite out of the reach of his commerce.
2. Diff'erence. A mediator is chiefly one used between disagreeing parties : Gal. iii. 20, * Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.' There must be two parties, and usually two differing parties. There is God angry, and man guilty. Conscience of guilt presents God terrible, and taketh away all confidence from the guilty sinner, so that of ourselves we cannot approach in a friendly manner to an offended and provoked God : Heb. xii. 29, ' For our God is a consuming fire;' and 'Who can dwell with devouring burnings?' Isa. xxxiii. 14. Who shall interpose and stand between God and us.