enemy once to the good ways of God and the things of God? Yes; And are you not reconciled now to the things of God? Yes, I confess I am. Well, if you be reconciled to the things of God, God is reconciled to you; and if God be reconciled to you, I am sure Christ hath mediated for you. Luther was wont to say, The only way to make God our friend, is to cast ourselves into his arms when he seems to be our enemy. Thus have you done, poor soul? When God have seemed to be our enemy, then have you cast yourselves into the arms of God? Surely then God is reconciled

unto you, and Christ is your Mediator.

دو

Again, if you be the seed of Christ, then Christ is your Mediator, and Christ hath, and doth mediate for you; for he is a Mediator for his seed. Now mark it, there are but two seeds, the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent; "I will put enemity between thy seed and the seed of the woman." There are but two seeds: how think you, are you the seed of the serpent? Either you are Christ's seed, or the seed of the serpent, and that is an hissing seed, an opposing seed. Do you think you are the seed of the serpent? No, I hope I am not the seed of the serpent; why, then you are the seed of Christ, and Christ doth mediate for you. Now then humble yourselves for all your unbelief, and lay the wait of your guilty soul upon this sweet covenant of grace, for Jesus is the Mediator of it.

This doctrine methinks looks very wishly upon all sorts; It looks wishly upon those that are good, and upon those that are bad; It looks wishly upon those that are godly, and upon those that are ungodly; upon those that are converted, and upon those that are not converted.

Upon those that are bad, wicked, ungodly, unconverted, and to them it saith, why should not you, even you come unto God for the grace of this new covenant, which is confirmed by Christ the Mediator? Why should not you, you that are unconverted, go unto God the Father, and press him to give out the grace of this covenant to you? Hath not the Lord said, "Let not the eunuch say, I am a dry tree; only let him take hold of my covenant. Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the Lord, speak, saying, The Lord hath utterly separated me

from his people; Only let him take hold of my covenant, and do the things that please me."

This new covenant confirmed by Christ Jesus the Mediator, either it is confirmed for saints only, or for sinners also, that are sinners for the present.

If for saints only, why doth the Lord say, "I will write my law in your hearts?" Surely, therefore, it is for some in whose heart God's law is not yet written. And if this covenant doth extend to such, who as yet have not the law written, the law of grace written in their hearts, oh, what encouragement is here for a poor sinner to go to God, and say, Lord thou hast made this covenant, and Christ hath confirmed it, and he is the Mediator of it; now this law is not yet written in my heart; oh, make good thy covenant, and write thy law in my heart.

And for you that are saints, this doctrine looks upon you, and it saith thus: If Christ be the Mediator of the new covenant, and your Mediator that God hath provided for you, then go away, and be ashamed of your sins, and of all your doings, the pardon whereof requires such a Mediator, and the blood of the Mediator; "Then shall you be ashamed," saith the Lord, "when I am pacified towards you." If Christ be your Mediator, and God be pacified, oh, then be you ashamed.

And to you it speaks thus: If the Lord Jesus Christ be the Mediator of this new covenant, your Mediator, and mediates for you, then why should not you appear for Christ on earth upon all occasions? Shall Christ interpose with the Father, and appear for you, and mediate for you in heaven upon all occasions, and will not you appear for Christ on earth? What, Christ appear for you in heaven, and mediate for you in heaven, and will not you appear for Christ on earth? Yea, unto you it saith, Why should not you all go away with your hearts full of love and thankfulness, both to God the Father and to Jesus Christ? If you were going to the prison for a debt, and a man should meet you, and undertake to be your surety, and pay your debt, you would love him as long as you lived. Here is the case: we were all going to prison, Christ comes, undertakes to be our Surety, pays our debt; then will not you love Christ the Mediator of the new covenant? Will you not love him, and

be thankful to him, and to God the Father? For though the performance of this mediation be Christ's, the contrivance is God the Father's. God the Father did contrive this covenant, and God the Father did send Christ this Mediator; "I have given thee for a covenant," saith the Father; and saith Christ, "Lo, I come to do thy will." Friends, it was the will of God the Father that Jesus should be the Mediator of this new covenant. Oh, the freeness of the grace of God the Father! He was the person offended; and yet, that he himself should find out such a Mediator of such a covenant, what grace is here! Now therefore blessed be God the Father for this Mediator, let us all say; and blessed be this Mediator Jesus, who hath mediated us into this new covenant.

Go away, I say, you that are saints with your hearts full of love, both unto God the Father, who hath contrived this mediation, and unto Jesus who hath performed this mediation; and now let your hearts be confirmed, let your hope be confirmed, let your love be confirmed, let your joy be confirmed, let your thankfulness be confirmed, let your graces be confirmed. A confirmed covenant calls for confirmed christians.

I have done, I cannot say whom we should love most and be thankful most unto, the Father or the Son; but this I say, love the Father with all your heart, and be thankful to him in reference to his contrivance; love the Son with all your heart, and be thankful to him in reference to his performance, for Jesus is the Mediator of the new covenant.

And thus I have done with the second doctrine, namely, that Jesus is the Mediator of the new covenant. The third follows, and that is, that now in these gospel times we are not come to Moses the mediator of the Old, but unto Jesus the Mediator of the New Testament.

SERMON V.

THE WAY AND SPIRIT OF THE NEW COVENANT OR NEW TESTAMENT.

"And to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel."-HEB.

xii. 24.

THE third observation follows, which is this:

Observation III. That in these gospel times we are not come to Moses, the mediator of the Old; but unto Jesus, the Mediator of the new covenant or the New Testament. The latter part of the doctrine you have in the words of the text, and the former part in the context; for, saith the apostle, "Ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched," to mount Sinai, "but ye are come unto mount Sion, and ye are come unto Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant." So that now in these gospel times, we are not come to Moses, the mediator of the old covenant; but to Jesus, the Mediator of the New Testament.

For the opening and prosecuting whereof,

First, We must inquire what is here meant by coming unto Jesus, the Mediator of the new covenant, in opposition to Moses, the mediator of the old covenant.

Secondly, Whether it be possible for a man that doth profess Christ, the Mediator of the new covenant, to have recourse unto Moses, the mediator of the old covenant or the Old Testament? That is, whether a man may possibly be legal and Mosaical in these gospel times?

Thirdly, When so.

Fourthly, The danger of it. And,

Fifthly, What we should do that we may stand clear from Moses, the mediator of the old covenant; and come fully off unto Jesus, the Mediator of the new. That we may

walk with a gospel, not a legal spirit; and be found in a gospel, not a legal way, in these gospel times.

First of all, If you ask what is here meant by coming unto Jesus, the Mediator of the new covenant, in opposition to Moses?

I answer in the general, It doth signify and note out that evangelical and gospel state that we are now brought unto,

by Jesus the Mediator of the New Testament; in opposition to the legal state that they were in, in the days and times of the Old Testament. But because this is general and common unto that which goes before, therefore you must know more particularly:

That a man is said to, come unto Jesus the Mediator of the New Testament, in opposition to Moses, when now in these gospel times, upon all occasions, he hath recourse unto Jesus, as in the times of the Old Testament, upon all occasions, they had recourse unto Moses. As now for example.

In the times of the Old Testament they came to Moses for the law, under God, and they received the law from his mouth. What saith Moses? was the saying then. So now in these times of the gospel we are to have recourse unto Jesus, and to receive the law at his mouth. What saith Jesus? And therefore saith our Saviour, "It hath been said unto you, Thou shalt not kill;" and, "Thou shalt not commit adultery; but I say unto you, and I say unto you." Why? What, because (as the Socinians would) Christ made any addition to the law? No: but because now, as for other reasons, we are to receive the law from his mouth, from the mouth of Jesus.

And, as in the times of the Old Testament, they had recourse to Moses for their church and their church state. He it was that did give the tabernacle, under God, and the way of the tabernacle. So now in the times of the New Testament, we are to have recourse to Jesus. What saith Jesus to a church-way? not, What saith Moses? now. And therefore saith Christ, "If thy brother offend thee, tell him of it; and if he hear not, call two or three; and if he mind not, then tell it to the church; and if he hear not the church, let him be as a heathen or publican to you; for where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am in the midst of them," Matt. xviii. We are to hear what Jesus saith in this matter, and not what Moses.

And, as then, in the times of the Old Testament they had recourse to Moses, under God, for their ministry; and Moses did direct them unto priests and Levites for their ministers so now in the times of the New Testament, we are to have recourse to Jesus for our ministry; and therefore