184 COMING TO GOD BY CHRIST. was intimated in God's earliest revelations of his grace, when he spake of the seed of the woman, which should break the head of the serpent, and destroy the designs of the tempter to ruinman- kind : But under thechristian dispensation it is much more abun- dantly manifested: And finding no other person sufficient for this, work, God chose his own Son to become a Mediator between Godand man ; even that Son of his love, who was one with the Father ; John x. 30. and lay in his bosom and had glory with him there, before the foundation of the world ; chapters i. 18. xvii. 5. that Sou, in whom dwelt all thefulness of the godhead ; Col. ii. 9. even that Son by whom he created the world and mankind at first ; Eph. iii. 10. Heb. i. 3. it was by him, as a Mediator, that he designed to recover man from his ruins, his guilt and his wretchedness. This was the Messiah whom God promised to Abraham, who should be one ofhis posterity, and in whomall the nations of the earth shouldbe blessed ; Gen. xii. 3. xviii. 18. xxii. 18. This was he whom God spoke pf, and recommended by many of the prophets, and described under several types and figures in an- cient ages, that when he came he might be better known and accepted by the world. This was he who in thefulness oftime; Gal. iv. 5. was sent to take flesh and blood upon him, and to be- come a complete man. This is the one and only Mediator be- tween God and man, even -the man Christ Jesus ; 1 'l'im. ii. 5. who was also one with God. For this end it pleased the Father to furnish him with every necessary talent and qualification: He anointed him withhis holy Spirit to dwell in him without measure: John iii. 34. he ap- pointed him to be born of a woman in low circumstances of life, and to grow up through all the stages of infancy, childhood, and youth, to the manly age of thirty; then he called and commis- sioned him to be a public prophet and teacher of the gospel, or the way of salvation : He set him up also for an example of humility and love towards God and man, and of holiness, sub- mission and patience, and universal obedience through thecourse of his life, and then appointed him to die as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of men : God laid our sins upon him; Is. liii. 8. and set him forth, or fore- determined him to be a propitiationfor sin through faithor trust in his blood; Rom. iii. 25. This is he whomGod raisedfrom the dead and exalted Mon his presence, and his embraces, without some honourable Mediator to introduce them. 2. To do sublime honour to his Son Jesus Christ, who is the express image of his person and his first favourite, that as by himGod made the world, so by him mankind should be recovered, new-created, and restored to God's fa- vour and image again. 3. To secure the salvation of man more Effectually, uniting all the saved number in one unfailing and all-sufficient head : And there- fore his own Son was chosen for this office, as being able to undertake all that was necessary completely to bring back man to God.
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