demption, and a Mediator of Interceffion; which will prefently appear to be a distinction without a difference: for if the right of Christ's Advocateship be founded in the Virtue of his Ranfom and propitiatory Sacrifice, as the Scriptures do abundantly declare, then 'tis as evident, as if written with a Sun-beam, that no one has right to be a Mediator of Interceffion, but he that was a Propitiation for our Sins. And the Apostle fays, there is but one Tim. 2.5. Mediator betwixt God and Men, the Man Chrift

Jefus. Now if none are fit to fuftain the Character, and discharge the Province of an Advocate with the Father, but he that paid the Price of our Redemption; how ufelefs will be the multiplied Mediators of Interceffion, whom the Papists fet up and apply to? And how much Dishonour do they reflect on the Divine Mediator, who tho he trod the Wine-prefs of his Father's Wrath alone, and of the People there was none with him; yet will not fuffer him to be alone in Interceffion, but as much as in them lies would fhare the Glory of that part of his Priestly Office amongst fome of the Heavenly Courtiers?

I should now proceed to the Second general Head of Difcourfe; but before I enter upon that, I shall just mention two or three Inferences, that are naturally deducible from what I have faid.

1. From Job's Faith in the Redeemer, I infer, that those that went to Heaven before the Incarnation of Chrift, were faved by his Blood, as well as thofe that have died fince his Exhibition in the Flesh. The Seed of the Woman was immediately promised upon the Fall of Man; and all the Sacrifices under the Law were

but

but Shadows and Types of Chrift, the great expiatory Sacrifice. Thus he is faid to be a Lamb Rev. 13.8. flain from the Foundation of the World; that is, fays an excellent Author, federally not actual- Mr. Charn. ly, imputatively but not really, fententially in the acceptation of the Judg, tho not executively in the enduring of his Paffion.

And indeed Chrift's Blood being the moral Caufe of our cleansing from Sin, might be effectual before it was actually fhed: for tho all natural Causes be before their Effects, it is not fo with moral ones. If I am to redeem a Perfon from Slavery, and promise a certain Sum for his Redemption; upon the Credit of my Promise he may be actually redeemed, tho the Price be not paid till fome Years after: this is easily applied to the cafe in hand.

Christ having ingaged to the Father to make a compleat Satisfaction to Divine Justice for the Elect, upon the Credit of the Redeemer's Promife, Believers under the Old Testament were juftified and faved the fame way as we are under the New; only they believ'd in the Meffiah to come, and we look back upon him as having fuffered.

2. From what has been faid, I infer the poffibility of Affurance. Fob knew and was affured that his Redeemer lived. Now that which has been, may be. Fob's Faith farmounted the Fear of Death; he looked not into the Grave, but through it, and beyond it, to the Redeemer, that had difarmed Death of its Sting and Poifon. I do not now speak of an Objective, but a Subjective Affurance, viz. a Saint's certain, well-grounded,and full Perfuafion of his own Interest in Chrift and Right to Heaven; which concurs with the Experience of the

Children

Children of God in every Age. The Apostle Paul for himself, and in behalf of the Saints that were contemporary with him, fpeaks fully to this matter. We know that if our earthly 2 Cor. 5.1. House of this Tabernacle were diffolved, we have Building of God, an House not made with Hands, eternal in the Heavens.

a

Not that we are to imagine, that all the Heirs of the Heavenly Glory have fuch a certain Knowledg and full Affurance, that when their Immortal Spirits are diflodged from their earthly Tabernacles, they fhall enter into the Heavenly Habitation. For fome very eminent Saints have walked in Darkness, accofted with Doubts, without any Light of fubjective Affurance at all. But I fay, this kind of Affurance is attainable in this Life.

I know the Papifts object to this Doctrine, that there was fomething extraordinary in the Affurance of Job, and Paul, and other excellent Perfons mentioned in Holy Writ; therefore they say 'tis impoffible that ordinary Chrif tians fhould ever attain in this Life to a certain Knowledg and full Aflurance of their own Salvation.

To which many things might be return'd, but I fhall but briefly fuggeft what follows in a general way, viz. That it is the laft degree of Folly to rife up against Fact; for there are many ordinary Chriftians in this Day, that have a bright unclouded full Affurance of their own Salvation. But further, let me add, that none of the Prophets, Patriarchs or Apoftles, could boast of a better Title to Heaven, than every ordi nary true Christian has, viz. the Righteousness of the Mediator; and therefore (as our Divines have obferved) the Apostles affert their own Affurance upon Grounds common to all the

Faithful

1 John 5.19.

Faithful. And ordinarily when they mention themselves and their own Affurance, 'tis in conjunction with other Chriftians, as the Scriptures 2 Cor. 5. 1. in the Margir do evince. Finally, tho the Apoftle Peter (by the Church of Rome) is unreafonably raised to a Supremacy above the rest of the Apostles; yet I obferve that this very Apostle, when he speaks of his Title to Heaven, has the Modesty to put himself upon the level with the reft of the Saints. Simon Peter, a Servant and an 2 Pet. 1. 1. Apostle of Jefus Chrift, to them that have obtained like precious Faith with us, through the Righteoufnefs of God, and our Saviour Fefus Christ.

3. Hence I infer, that Chrift did exist before his Incarnation, and confequently is God by Nature.

I know this Inference will not be allowed to be genuine by the Admirers of Socinus, who with him affert, that the Bleffed Jefus is but a mere Man, and that he had no existence before he was conceived in the Womb of the Virgin Mary his Mother. An Opinion which faps the Foundation of Christianity, against which the Teftimony of Fob does ftrongly militate; for he affures us that in his time the Reedeemer lived; and the Redeemer himself faith, Before John 8. 53. Abraham was, I am. So that the matter may be brought into a very narrow compafs, whether we shall believe Chrift, who is Truth it felf, who afferts he did exist before his Incarnation, or a blafpheming Socinian, who afferts he did not. If he did exift before his Manifestation in the Flefh, as my Text proves, then we have folid Grounds to believe from other Texts that he did exift from Eternity, and confequently is God by Nature. I fhall only cite one in the room of many, and 'tis that which those of the Racovian way have abused

by

7

2, 3.

by a violent Interpretation. The Text is that John 1. 1, of St. John: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The fame was in the Beginning with God. All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. By the Beginning the Socinians understand the Beginning of the Gofpel; i. e. when the Gospel began firft to be published, then Chrift did exift, and not before: which by the way proves he did exift before his Incarnation, the Gospel being first published in Paradife.

By being with God, they understand the Gofpel of Chrift, which he afterwards reveal'd to the World, was first only known to God.

He was God; i, e. fay they, God by Office. All things were made by him, &c. This they refer to the Renovation of Men by the Gospel.

Which Interpretation I call violent, because feveral learned Men have prov'd, 'tis not agreeable to the Scope of the place, nor other plain Texts of Scripture; and that none of the Fathers, or other Writers of the Chriftian Church for 1500 Years, ever fo explain'd it till Socinus. In this Paffage it is evident, that by the Word we are to understand the Son of God, our Lord Jefus Chrift; of whom 'tis afferted, That he was in the beginning, i. e. when things first began to be, he was: not that he then began to exift, but then already was, and had an Existence before any Creature was made. For what was in the beginning, did not then begin to be, but did exift before the beginning of Time; which, I think, plainly proves the eternal Existence of our Lord Jefus Chrift. And then it follows, The Word was with God, and the Word was God; agreeable to what is affirm'd

of

1