to them, I have counselled and warned them by my prophets; but they would not hear; they would not obey my voice, that they might live. I have now devised a plan, which must be effectual to their recovery. I will send thee, my beloved Son, to be the only Mediator between them and me; thou shalt go into their world. I will permit thee to leave my bosom, to lay aside, for a time, thy divine dignity and honors, to divest thyself of thy celestial form, and that glorious appearance like unto me, which thou now hast, that thou mayest appear like unto them. And thou shalt consent to be born of a virgin, and to be made in the likeness of men, and even of a servant, to dwell among them, in a body that I will prepare for thee, to teach and instruct them; to reveal clearly, my perfect character, my love, mercy, and long-suffering towards sinners, their transgressions, and disobedience, and my willingness to forgive them upon their repentance and faith in thee. But though thou shalt have the appearance of a man, yet I will open the heavens, and come down in a cloud, and proclaim thee as "my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." And further, to convince all, that thou art my Son and Messenger, I will give thee power to perform publicly great and wonderful works-to heal the sick, to give sight to the blind, and hearing to the deaf, to raise the dead, to forgive sins, and to cast out devils. I will give thee all power in heaven and earth, that shall be necessary in this great undertaking. I will constitute thee the only Mediator and

Advocate of sinners. I will give thee extraordinary capacity, (such as no other being ever had or can have,) to teach, convince, instruct, and persuade them to repent and be reconciled to their heavenly Father; so that they may receive forgiveness of their sins, and life everlasting. But to make thy mission more effectual and convincing, and to show and display fully my amazing love and mercy, thy great kindness and condescension, and to establish with irresistible proof thy true character, as my only Son, and their only Mediator and Advocate, thou must submit to suffer unjustly, to be crucified most cruelly, and to die most innocently; and on the third day, I will raise thee from the tomb, display thee again to them, exalt thee again at my own right hand, and make thee the final Judge of the whole world! Then must sinners repent and believe, and I will receive them into my presence, to dwell forever with thee in glory! And what saith the Son, (may we suppose,) that only beloved Son, who always pleased his Father, who sought not his own will, who had no will of his own, but to do the will of his Father? Methinks I hear him with rapture reply; Lo, I come to do thy will, O God; I am ready, and willing, and axious to do and to suffer, whatever to thee, Holy Father, seemeth good! -Here is love ineffable! Here is a Mediator indeed provided, one mighty to save, one who must melt a heart of stone into grateful love and admiration!

From this glowing, glorious picture of a Mediator,

we come down with gloomy sadness, to notice that inefficient mediator of the Orthodox, which by their pretended proofs, arguments, and reasoning, is dwindled down to humanity, to a mere man, it cannot be more; it is no better than that of the Socinian or Humanitarian, which I as well as they reject, and which I think I have proved to be unscriptural, unsatisfactory, and delusive. I will here, for the present close my remarks upon this point, with a devout quotation from the pious, sensible divine, Dr. Worcester, who writes thus, speaking of Christ, the Mediator. "He was truly the Son of the living God, had long been in the bosom of the Father, before the foundations of the earth were laid, as one brought up with him, and was daily his delight.” He was highly honored by the Father in the great work of creation; for God created all things by him. In him it pleased the Father, that all fulness should dwell. He was intimately united with the Father. He was honored by him as the Angel of his presence, on the most solemn and interesting occasions, and was truly in the form of God; for he was the "image of the invisible God." But while in this state of preexistent glory, he beheld our perishing state; he saw that the blood of bulls and goats was not sufficient to take away sin; and he said to his Father," Sacrifice and offering, thou wouldst not, but a body hast thou prepared for me.— -Lo I come to do thy will, O God." He laid aside the form of God, and voluntarily became united with the body, which God had prepared, and was thus "made in

the likeness of men.

And being found in fash

ion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.' Such is the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world. This is the character, in view of which ten thousand times ten thousand tongues. sing, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain."

CHAPTER IX.

ON THE GREAT AND IMPORTANT OBJECT OF THE

MEDIATION.

THE great object of the mediation was, undoubtedly, to make, cause, or produce reconciliation, or atonement, as it is most generally called by theological writers, though improperly; for the term is not used but once in the New Testament, [Rom. v. 11.] and then and there it should be rendered reconciliation, which is the true meaning of zarallaɣ},v. Hence arises the great question, what are we to understand by reconciliation as used in the Bible? Does it mean a reconciliation of God to men, or men to God? The former is understood and held by most of the Christian world, by the Church of England, the Prebyterian Churches, and most of those, who are called Orthodox. I will therefore consider that first. In the 2d and 31st of the Articles of Religion of the English Church, it is laid down that, "Christ, very God and very man, truly suffered, was crucified, dead and buried, to reconcile his Father to us. The offering of Christ, once made, is that perfect redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction for all the sins of the whole world, both original and actual.” And in the Westminster Confession, we read that, "The Lord Jesus, by his perfect obedience, and sacrifice of himself, hath fully satisfied the justice of his Father, and purchased