262 SERMON UPON I CORINTHIANS VIII. 6.
the power of his wrath, and our weakness and obnoxiousness to his righteous vengeance.
II. That none but Christ is fit for this high office, that, though God be high, and just, and holy, yet poor creatures and sinners may have access to him. A mediator must be one that can take off the distance, and compromise the difference between us and God : ' 0 that there were,' saith Job, * a day's-man between us, that might lay his hands upon both ! ' Job ix, 33. Now, considering this, Jesus Christ is the only fit interposing party ; therefore he is called ' the Mediator of the new covenant,' Heb. xii. 24, * And to Jesus, the Mediator of the new covenant,' and ' The Mediator of a better covenant,' Heb. viii. 6.
1. As to the distance; so in his person he is God-man. Our media- tor must be one in whom God doth condescend to man, and by whom man may be encouraged to ascend to God. Now in Christ God is nearer to man than he was before, and so we may have more familiar thoughts of God. The pure deity is at so vast a distance from us while we are in the flesh, that we are amazed and confounded, cannot imagine that he should look after us, concern himself in us and our affairs, love us, show us his free grace and favour. Now it is a mighty help to think of God manifested in our flesh, 1 Tim. iii. 16 ; ' The Word made flesh,' John i. 14. So that while we are here in the flesh, yet we may have commerce with God. It is a mighty en- couragement to consider how near God is come to us in Christ, and how he hath taken the human nature into his own person ; for surely he will not hide himself from his own flesh, Isa. Iviii. 7. He came down into our flesh that he might be man, and familiar with man. This wonderfully reconcileth the heart of man to God, and maketli the thoughts of him comfortable and acceptable to us, so that we may encourage ourselves in free access to God.
2. As the person of the Kedeemer, so his work ; which is to take away the difference and quarrel between us and God. To understand this, observe, that the mediation between the two differing parties must be carried on so that God, who is the supreme and offended party, may be satisfied. Now God stood upon these terms that the honour of his governing justice should be secured : Rom. iii. 25, ' Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins.' And that the repentance and reformation of sinful man should be carried on : Acts v. 31, ' Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a prince and saviour, to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins.' These must be done, otherwise man must lie under his eternal displeasure. If the one be done a-nd not the other done, no recon- ciliation can ensue. Therefore we must not look to Christ's mediation with God so as to overlook his work with man, nor so look to his work with man as to overlook his mediation with God : Heb. iii. 1, * Consider the apostle and high priest of our profession, Jesus Christ.' We have both here. The work of an apostle lieth with men; the work of an high priest with God. He hath an office with God and man, and both are necessary to bring about our salvation. And Christ cannot be a complete Saviour without doing both. To be barely a prophet would not serve the turn, but he must be a priest to
SERMON UPON I CORINTHIANS VIII. 6. 263
satisfy God's justice also by the merit of his sacrifice. In short, his work with God is that of a priest ; his work with man is that of a prophet and king.
[1.] His work as a priest is to pacify God's wrath, procure his grace, love, and favour for us ; and this he doth under two relations — as a sponsor and intercessor.
(1.) As a sponsor and surety. He was the surety of a better testa- ment : Heb. vii. 22, * By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament' So —
(1st.) By way of satisfaction, he undertook something to be paid and performed for us. He undertaketh to satisfy God's justice by the sacrifice of himself, and so make way for his mercy on easy terms. The pacifying of God's justice was a great part of his mediation : Heb. ix. 15, * For this cause he is the Mediator of the new testament, that, by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance ; ' that is, that penitent and believing sinners might be acquitted from the curse due to them by the first covenant, and so made capable of eternal life. What they owe he hath paid.
(2d.) By way of caution, undertaking for those whom he reconciled to God that they shall perform what God requireth of them in the new covenant. Having purchased the Spirit, he hath enabled them to repent, and believe, and mortify and crucify the flesh, and obey the gospel : Rom. vi. 6, * Knowing that our old man is crucified with hip, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.'