eousness to them, and the imputation of their sins to Christ; on their hypothesis the elected persons are not, never were, nor ever will be the subjects of sins imputable to themselves to be transferred to Christ; and consequently our Lord's sacrificial death was needless, irrational, and unaccountable: opposed to the scriptural declaration, that the world is guilty before God, and that without shedding of blood there is no remission. This preposterous hypothesis stands with its whole weight on the quicksands of supralapsarianism and is equally untenable as its foundation. Consider,

1st. That on this hypothesis the sins of the elected persons, even previous to their faith were not imputable unto them, opposed to the apostolic opinion that the primitive believers in Jesus" were by nature the children of wrath even as others. Eph. ii. 3.

2dly. That the elected persons were virtually justified before God, from the earliest period of their existence: opposed to our Lord's affirmation that an unbeliever in him is condemned already, (John iii. 18,) or as such is actually in a state of condemnation.

3dly. Consider, that on the hypothesis before us, there is no such thing as Divine mercy respecting any person of mankind: for all persons are either elect or non-elect, and interested in Christ's righteousness as their substitute, or not. The first class as never being subjects of imputable sin could never be objects of mercy, mercy being a display of compassion to those who are liable to punishment; and the second class suffer for their sin without mercy; opposed to the affirmation of Moses, that God show eth mercy unto thousands. Exod. xx. 6.

4thly. That all the jeopardy of spirit usually attending the commencement of personal religion, through consciousness of having sinned, is founded merely on the person's ignorance of his justified state

in Christ; and their prayers for forgiveness, are impertinence occasioned by ignorance of the fact; notwithstanding our Lord who is truth without duplicity taught his disciples the very petition, "Forgive us our trespasses;" who also assured them that "if they forgave not men their trespasses, their heavenly Father would not forgive them." Matt. vi. 15

5thly. That the grand scripture doctrine of justification by faith and through faith, is reduced to and can mean no more than personal knowledge of our justified state, (or as some call it, justification in the court of conscience,) which consists in an opinion formed by reasoning from what we experience, and the fruit we bring forth. Opposed to our Lord's declaration, that, "as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the son of man be lifted up, that whoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." John iii. 14, 15.

6thly. That this hypothesis of actual substitution of Christ for the elect, if it were realised, provides no regenerating and sanctifying truths, and is repugnant to their existence. What truth are we called to believe on this hypothesis, which more than the truths of mere natural religion displays the enormous evil of sin, the awfulness of the Divine justice, and the infinity of the Divine love?

7thly. Consider that if this literal substitution of Christ for the elect were a fact, substitution would be an office of Christ of the first magnitude, would be the chief office of Christ, if not rationally supercede his offices of prophet, priest, and king, notwithstanding the inspired writers of scripture have totally omitted to mention it !-But I will pursue these absurdities no further.

We proceed to the advocateship and intercession of our Mediator.

L

SECTION II.

Of the Intercession of Christ.

Our Lord remained in a state of death for a time, but it was impossible he should be holden of it, God raised him up, thereby giving to numerous witnesses indubitable evidence of the divinity of his mission; and also that resurrection from the dead and immortality are actually procured by him, as revealed in the gospel. After forty days, in his spiritual and incorruptible state, we are informed, Jesus ascended up into heaven, and was enthroned in glory;—our Mediator ascended on high, having led captivity captive, and seated at the right hand of the Father, received and communicateth gifts for men. Ps. lxviii. 18; Eph. iv. 8.

The priestly office of our Mediator seems represented in scripture as prior in order of nature to his kingly, (Phil. ii. 9,) "He became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross; Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow-and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father," Ps. lxxxix. 27.

Our Mediator is scripturally represented as a priest, a high priest, and a great high priest. This honour he was called unto, for no man taketh this honour on himself but one called of God as was Aaron. Our Lord glorified not himself by intrusion into the priests office, but was glorified by that Being who said unto him "Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee;" and who added, also, confirmed by an oath:

"Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck," Heb. v.4-6; vii. 21. We have attended the sacrifice of our Lord in his invariable office of Priest. Another special employ of a priest under the Mosaic dispensation, was to offer supplication, for the worshippers who presented sacrifices. This he did in the inner court, while the assembly were themselves praying in the outer court, and the high priest alone entered once a year the holiest of all with the blood of sacrifice. Thus our priest, after the order of Melchisedeck, in the days of his flesh, offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears, and was heard in that he reverenced God: (Heb. v. 7:) Our risen Saviour" is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us," (Heb. ix. 24). And "he is able also to save them to the uttermost who came unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. (Heb. vii. 25.) We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:" 1 John, ii. 1. A successful advocate, who in the days of his mortality, with eyes directed upward, uttered, "Father-I knew thou hearest me always;" (John xi. 42;) and can we doubt of the certain prevalence of his intercession in heaven, which is perpetuated even as the gathering in of his Church is progressional?

The intercession of our Mediator, in his priestly office, seems confined to persons who repent and believe his gospel. He said before his passion," I pray for them; I pray not for the world, but for them which thou (the Father) hast given me, for they are thine," John xvii. 6-9. If it was certainly known to Jesus that some person's did not, and eventually would not believe, receive, or keep the words he had received of the Father, or know that he came out from God, and believe that the Father sent him; He could not pray in his priestly office for them

since the acquiescence of the party is ever rightly conceived a prerequisite to the priest's praying for them.

From the intercession of Christ as a scriptural fact, we rightly infer, that his people in their pilgrimage state are in danger. If our Lord prayed for Peter, that his faith should not fail under the temptation of Satan, certainly there was chance and danger of Peter's faith failing. If he prays that his disciples may be kept from the evil of the world, certainly they are in danger from the evil of the world. And, if he petitions that they may be sanctified through the truth, certainly there is danger of their nonprogress in sanctification. And, if he prays that they may be made perfect in one, as himself and the Father are one, certainly there existed chance and danger of their nonperseverance to this perfection.

Again. If the saints have an advocate and intercessor with the Father, we infer, that penitent backsliders need not dispair on account of their sins of infirmity, and the defect of their obedience, after they were pardoned their former sins. 1 John, ii. 1.

If the preceding representation of the mediatorial work of our Lord Jesus Christ be just, the intelligent reader must perceive, that this doctrine, and these facts, give a new aspect to human duty, and consequently to imputable sin, which we proceed to consider.