Wherefore, in the sense now intended, he is considered as the ordinance, as the servant of God, " who raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory." So our faith respects not only his person, but all the acts of his office. It is faith in his blood, Rom. iii. 25. It is the will of God, that we should place our faith and trust in him and them, as the only means of our acceptance with him — of all grace and gloiy from him. This is the proper notion of a mediator. So is he not the ultimate object of our faith, wherein it rests, but God through him. " Through him have we access by one Spirit unto the Father," Eph. ii. 18. So he is the way whereby we go to God, John xiv. 6; see Heb. x. 19-22. And this also is faith in him; because he is the immediate, though not the ultimate, object of it. Acts xxvi. 18.
This is that which renders our faith in God evangelical. The especial nature of it ariseth from our respect unto God in Christ, and through him. And herein faith principally regards Christ in the discharge of his sacerdotal office. For although it is also the principle of all obedience unto him in his other offices, yet as unto fixing our faith in God through him, it is his sacerdotal office and the effects of it that we rest upon and trust unto. It is through
134 THE PERSON OF CHRIST.
him as the high priest over the house of God, as he who hath made for us a new and hving way into the holy place, that we draw nigh to God, Heb. iv. 14-16, x. 19-22; 1 John i. 3.
No comfortable, refreshing thoughts of God, no warrantable or acceptable boldness in an approach and access unto him, can any one entertain or receive, but in this exercise of faith on Christ as the mediator between God and man. And if, in the practice of re- ligion, this regard of faith unto him — this acting of faith on God through him — be not the principle whereby the whole is animated and guided, Christianity is renounced, and the vain cloud of natural religion embraced in the room of it. Not a verbal mention of him, but the real intention of heart to come unto God by him, is required of us ; and thereinto all expectation of acceptance with God, as unto our persons or duties, is resolved.
We have had great endeavours of late, by the Socinians, to set forth and adorn a natural religion; as if it were sufficient unto all ends of our living unto God. But as most of its pretended orna- ments are stolen from the Gospel, or are framed in an emanation of light from it, such as nature of itself could not rise unto; so the whole proceeds from a dislike of the mediation of Christ, and even weariness of the profession of faith in him. So is it with the minds of men who were never affected with supernatural revelations, with the mystery of the Gospel, beyond the owning of some notions of truth — who never had experience of its power in the life of God.
But here lies the trial of faith truly evangelical. Its steady beholding of the Sun of Righteousness proves it genuine and from above. And let them take heed who find their heart remiss or cold in this exercise of it. When men begin to satisfy themselves with general hopes of mercy in God, without a continual respect unto the interposition and mediation of Christ, whereinto their hope and trust is resolved, there is a decay in their faith, and pioportionably in all other evangelical graces also. Herein lies the mystery of Christian religion, which the world seems to be almost weary of.
CHAPTER XI.
Obedience unto Christ — The Nature and Causes of it.
II. All holy obedience, both internal and external, is that which we proposed as the second part of our religious regard unto the person of Christ. His great injunction unto his disciples is, " That they keep his commandments" — without which, none are so.
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Some say the Lord Christ is to be considered as a lawgiver, and the Gospel as a new law given by him, whereby our obedience unto him is to be regulated. Some absolutely deny it, and will not grant the Gospel in any sense to be a new law. And many dispute about these things, whilst obedience itself is on all hands generally neglected. But this is that wherein our principal concernment doth lie. I shall not, therefore, at present, immix myself in any needless disputations. Those things wherein the nature and necessity of our obedience unto him is concerned, shall be briefly declared.
The law under the Old Testament, taken generally, had two parts, — first, the moral preceptive part of it ; and, secondly, the in- stitutions of worship appointed for that season. These are jointly and distinctly called the law.
In respect unto the first of these, the Lord Christ gave no new law, nor was the old abrogated by him — which it must be if an- other were given in the room of it, unto the same ends. For the introduction of a new law in the place of and unto the end of a former, is an actual abrogation of it. Neither did he add any new precepts unto it, nor give any counsels for the performance of duties in matter or manner beyond what it prescribed. Any such supposi- tion is contrary to the wisdom and holiness of God in giving the law, and inconsistent with the nature of the law itself For God never required less of us in the law than all that was due unto him ; and his prescription of it included all circumstances and causes that might render any duty at any time necessary in the nature or degrees of it. Whatever at any time may become the duty of any person towards God, in the substance or degrees of it, it is made so by the law. All is included in that summary of it, " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbour as thyself" Nothing can be the duty of men but what and when it is required by the love of God or our neighbour. Wherefore, no additions were made unto the preceptive part of the law by our Saviour, nor coun- sels given by him for the performance of more than it did require.