THE

NEW EVANGELICAL MAGAZINE,

AND

Theological Review.

MARCH 1815.

CHRIST THE ONE MEDIATOR.

the obedience of one man, many are constituted righteous, and brought to reign in life by one, namely, Jesus Christ." Rom. v. 19-21. To illustrate a little this important subject, the following particulars deserve consideration.

THE great apostle of the Gen- | obedience, sin entered into the tiles, instructing his son Timothy world, and death by sin, so by how to discharge, in a proper manner, that important office with which, as an Evangelist, he had been invested, reminds him that, "There is one Mediator between God and man, namely, the man Christ Jesus." 1 Tim. ii. 5. This doctrine enters so deeply into the 1. The character of the Medianature of the Christian religion, tor: He was Immanuel, or God that it may be not improperly re- with us, Matt. i. 23. "God manigarded as the center of the whole fest in flesh,” 1 Tim. iii. 16. “The system, and therefore can never be son of David, according to his hulost sight of by us without endan-man nature, and yet the Son of gering our making shipwreck of the faith and a good conscience.

The mediation of Christ is that stupendous event by which the Sovereign of the universe remedies the evils which were introduced into the world through the disobedience of our first parents; and therefore has for its object to deliver mankind first from the power, and secondly from the punishment of sin. The scriptures assure us that to prevent the consequences of sin from taking place among mankind universally, the Son of God, by the appointment of his Father, made propitiation for the sins of mankind by his sufferings and death; in virtue of which God is now just, even in justifying the ungodly who believe in Jesus. Rom. iii. 24-26. And hence we read that "as by one man's dis

VOL. I.

God, or David's Lord." Matt. xxii.
42-45. Rom. i. 3, 4. It was this
wonderful constitution of his per-
son, in which were united the di-
vine and human natures, that qua-
lified him for the great work of
mediating between heaven and
earth; between our incensed So-
vereign and his rebellious subjects;
and had he not possessed both na-
tures, (with reverence be it spoken)
'tis not possible he could have dis-
charged the arduous undertaking
on which was suspended the sal-
vation of myriads of the human
race. But,

2. Consider the means by which
his mediation takes effect.
On no
subject are the scriptures more ex-
plicit than on this. "When the
fulness of the time was come,
God sent forth his Son, made of a
woman, and made under the law,

G

to redeem them that were under | it is that all spiritual blessings flow the law, that we might receive the unto sinners through Him, and adoption of sons." Gal. iv. 5. As through him alone. We have "rehe came down from heaven not to demption in his blood, the forgivedo his own will but the will of the ness of sins according to the riches Father who had sent him, he not of the divine grace.' "Our sins only emptied himself of the glo- are forgiven us for his name's sake.” rious form of Deity, but to dis- "He is the way, the truth, and the charge the duties of a substitute or life, no man cometh unto the Farepresentative, he appeared in the ther but by him." For, "he is likeness of sinful flesh. And "the made of God unto us, wisdom, Lord laid upon him the iniquities and righteousness, and sanctificaof us all." "He was made a sin- tion, and redemption "—and beoffering for us." Himself bare lievers are "complete in Him, who our sins in his own body on the is the head of all principality and tree." "Through the eternal Spi- power." Col. i. 14, and ii. 10. 1 rit he offered himself without spot John ii. 12. 1 Cor. i. 30. John to God, and thereby put away sin xiv. 6. Even faith itself, which is | by the sacrifice of himself." For the means of a sinner's regenera"he poured out his soul unto tion, and unites the soul to Christ; death; was numbered with the and is the medium also through transgressors, and bare the sins of which all the blessings of his reMANY, and made intercession for demption are enjoyed-this faith the transgressors." Is. liii. 2 Cor. is bestowed upon the elect for the v. 21. 1 Pet. ii. 24. Heb. ix. 24. sake of Christ, and as the reward of his righteousness; for so the apostle tells the Philippians: “Unto you it is given, in the behalf of Christ,-to believe on his name." Phil. i. 29.

3. It is in virtue of the efficacy of Christ's sufferings and death, that the pardon of sin, and the enjoyment of eternal life are now freely bestowed on all who believe | the gospel. The great proof of 4. By the mediation of Christ, the sufficiency of his sacrifice to not only is the salvation of believexpiate sin, is his resurrection from ers effectually secured, but all the dead. For though our divine the perfections of Deity are glorisubstitute placed himself in the fied in the highest possible degree. lowest state of human wretched-" It became Him, by whom are all ness, and expired under the wrath things, and for whom are all things, of God, yet he rose again on the in bringing many sons unto glory, third day, according to the scrip- to make the Captain of their saltures; by which it was fully de-vation perfect through sufferings." monstrated, that the work which Heb. ii. 10. By the obedience of he finished in his death, was accep- his own Son, as our representative, table and well pleasing to his hea- his holy law has been magnified venly Father; and all-sufficient to and made honourable, and by his deliver his people from death and penal sufferings, the dishonour the curse that he, as their repre- which it had sustained in our dissentative, was fully absolved from obedience has been fully expiated. those sins which were charged And though the plan of salvation upon him, having made full atone- through the sufferings and death ment for them; for he now received of the Messiah was a stumbling an acquittal from them and obtain-block to the Jews, and to the ed the reward of his obedience and Greeks foolishness, yet it was a' sufferings, when he was crowned method every way worthy of God, with glory and honour at his Fa-highly becoming his infinite wisther's right hand in heaven. Hence dom, holiness, justice, and good

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ness, and in which all his divine | dience), as a figure or type of the perfections are rendered everlast- Promised Seed, in person and ofingly glorious in the eyes of all fering, in whom all the families of holy intelligences. the earth should be blessed?

ON ABRAHAM'S OFFERING UP
HIS SON ISAAC.

Thoughts on Genesis, xxii. 2.

In order to answer this question satisfactorily, it will be necessary to attend to the first and twelfth verses of this chapter. "And the Lord did tempt Abraham, and said "Take now thine only son Isaac," THE great Creator is Lord of Ver. 12. " And He said, lay not life and of death. He exercises a thine hand upon the lad, neither rightful sovereignty over all his do thou any thing unto him, for creatures and, whatever he com- now I know that thou fearest God, mands to be done, obedience be- seeing thou hast not withheld thy comes the indispensable duty. In son, thine only son, from me." this verse we have an instance of "God did tempt Abraham." This a command, of a very singular na- cannot be understood in a bad ture, given to Abraham; namely, sense; such as when the devil tempts that he should offer up his son men to sin, or as men tempt one Isaac. This, like every other another. In this sense God tempts command which God hath given no man, neither is he tempted of to the children of men, laid Abra- any, so as to yield to the temptaham, to whom alone it was appli- tion. But God tempts men when cable, under the indispensable duty he issues his commands so as to of performing what was command-render the service of their obedied, without granting him the liber-ence seemingly at variance with ty of entering into any previous the good of the promise, as the reasoning as to the propriety of command itself at first view may what was commanded, farther than seem to oppose the promise; and a consciousness that it was the ex- this kind of temptation is for the press will of Jehovah. Whether trial and discovery of his people's it stood in opposition to the great love to him, in their obedience to promise which God had already his commands, and their faith in given him of the life and offspring his promises. In this sense the of Isaac, or whether it did not op- word, tempt, is expressed by anopose some moral precept, as "thou ther term, as in Heb. xi. 17. "By shalt not kill," was by no means to faith, Abraham, when he was tried, be the object of his enquiry. (tempted) offered up Isaac." And However repugnant the matter this ascertains the proper import of this command might be to the of the term; and, "he who had tender feelings of an affectionate received the promise, offered up father, yet Abraham did not hesi- his only begotten." This repetitate to obey; as in the following tion of the expression, with some verse: "He rose up early in the little variation, is not only most morning," &c. In the considera- necessary, but also most sublime tion of this passage, a question and expressive. It connects the naturally occurs; Whether an en- command and the promise togetire, and an implicit obedience to ther; it shews Abraham's obedithis extraordinary command was ence to the former, and his faith all that was required of Abraham? in the latter. That even he who or if, in addition to this, and in a had received such a promise connecessary connection with it, he cerning his very con Isaac, (which was taught to view his offering promise he firmly believed), re(which was the matter of his obe-ceived also a command to offer