The apostle, in other paffages, infifts upon the particular relation which Chrift bears to us different from that of all other teachers of christianity. As in 2 Cor. iv. 5. We preach not ourselves, but Chrift Jefus the Lord, and our felves your fervants for Jefus fake. If Chrift was but a mere teacher of God's will, it will be difficult to make fuch declarations confiftent with truth; for in that cafe, the apostles preached themselves as much as they preached Chrift: And it will not be easy to find a good reafon, why one preacher of the gospel should call himself the servant of those to whom he preaches, for the fake of another perfon, who was fimply a teacher like himself.

The scriptures conftantly represent the death of Chrift as having a peculiar respect to our forgiveness and reconciliation with God, and this is expreffed in a variety of phrases. We are said to be justified by his blood,reconciled to God by his death,-to have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of fin,—to be perfected through his offering, &c. Yet not one word is fpoken concerning any fuch relation which the death of the martyrs bears to us, although frequent and honourable mention is made of them. St. Stephen, and St. James had suffered death in defence of christianity as well as our Lord, before the writings of the New Teftament were finished; and a very particular account is given of the behaviour

and

and fufferings of the former, who, according to the Socinian scheme, gave himself a facrifice for us precisely in the same sense as Christ did; yet we have not the least intimation that any were juftified by the blood of Stephen, or that he bore our fins in his own body, and made reconciliation for us: Nothing like this appears in the whole New Teftament; we are only commanded to be followers of their faith and patience. In the book of the Revelation by St. John, the whole body of chriftian martyrs is represented as affembled together; many of these, without doubt, had been brought to repentance by the preaching and good example of others, and, therefore, according to the doctrine of Socinus, must have been juftified by their blood; but nothing like this fentiment appears; on the contrary, they are all faid to have washed their robes, and made them white in the BLOOD OF THE LAMB, and on that account to be before the throne of God, Rev. vii. 14, 15. They, and all the rest who attain eternal felicity, afcribe their falvation to the Lamb, the influence of whofe death is declared to be of univerfal extent. They fung a new fong, faying-Thou waft flain, and haft redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, chap.

v. 9.

Again; If the death and refurrection of Christ are only to be confidered as motives to

our

our repentance, they could never have been declared in holy writ to be necessary for the remiffion of fins: For if the remiffion of our fins flows merely from the mercy of God,, without respect to any other confideration than our repentance; then nothing else is necessary to our forgiveness.* Yet St. Paul fays, If Christ be not raised (and, confequently, if he has not died) ye are yet in your fins, 1 Cor. xv. 17. Now the apoftle could not have argued thus, if nothing but repentance was neceffary to their forgiveness. He might, indeed, have faid, as he does in the preceding verfes, If Christ be not rifen, we are found falfe witnesses of God, because we have teftified of God, that he raifed up Chrift: but he could not add, that the remiffion of their fins was affected by the failure of this confideration, if no fuch confideration was neceffary to that remiffion. On the contrary, if Chrift be confidered as our highprieft, appointed to offer a facrifice for fins, and to rise again that he might enter the holieft with his own blood, there to appear in the prefence of God for us; then there is fome

pro

*It is only necessary," (in order to understand how we are justified through the redemption which is in Chrift Jefus,) "to fuppofe that our redemption or deliverance

from the power of fin,. i. e. our repentance and refor¬ "mation, without which there is no promife of pardon, "is promoted by the gofpel of Jefus Chrift." Triumph of Truth, p. 21.

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propriety in the affertion, that if Chrift be not raised we are yet in our fins; because the want of his refurrection would prove that he had failed in the execution of his office, and, confequently, that his facrifice was infufficient to make atonement for tranfgreffions.

Laftly; If forgiveness is granted to penitent finners without any respect to the death of Christ, we ought to have no respect to it in asking forgiveness at the hands of God. But if we are commanded to come to God through the Lord Jefus Chrift, and our views are directed to his mediation while we implore the divine favour, then is pardon granted with a refpect to his mediation.*

We are commanded to pray in the name of Chrift, which furely intimates, that we ought to have a regard to him in our addresses to God. Whatfoever ye shall afk in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son, John xiv. 13. It is allowed that this is one of the peculiarities of christianity; but to pray with the temper of Chrift, as fome interpret the expreffion, is no peculiarity of christianity, for even natural religion teaches us, that we should worship God with reverence, love, and fubmiffion, which is all, I suppose,

*When David and other penitents confess their fins, " and intreat for pardon, they refer themselves to the "divine mercy only, without feeming to have the leaft "idea of any thing farther." Triumph of Truth, p. 21.

fuppofe, that is meant by the mind of Christ. If any one should imagine, it is praying in the name of Chrift, to fay through Jefus Chrift our Lord at the end of our prayers, without meaning any thing by thofe words, with fuch an one, I apprehend, it would be needless to argue.

The peculiar regard which is due to Chrift in our approaches to God, is clearly intimated in the first epistle to Timothy. The apoftle, after exhorting that fupplications, prayers, interceffions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, adds, For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Chrift Jefus, chap. ii. 5. Now if by a mediator is only meant one who declares the mind of God to mankind, then there are as many mediators as there are inspired teachers of religion.§ But the manner in which the apostle expreffes himself fhews, that Chrift is our mediator in a fenfe peculiar to himself, and the context leads us to understand the term in its most common acceptation, as expreffive of one who treats with God on our behalf, as well as with us on the behalf of God.

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$ "A mediator, in the fenfe of facred fcripture, is one "between God and the people; who declares to them the "mind of God, denounces judgments upon the disobe"dient, and proclaims pardon to penitent characters; and "there being only two authentic revelations from heaven "to our world, of courfe, we read only of two mediators, "employed to communicate the fame to the people; and "if there was to be a third revelation, there would also "be occafion for a third mediator," &c. See Mr. Graham's fermon, before quoted, p. 8.