24 MEDITATIONS occasioned by our sin and apostacy from him, which of itself could issue in nothing but the utter ruin of the whole race of mankind, there was none in heaven or earth in their original nature and operations, who was meet or able to make up a RIGHTEOUS PEACE between them. Yet must this be done by a asEntaron, or cease for ever. This mediator could not be God himself absolutely considered; for a mediator is not of one, 'but God is one. Gal. iii. 20. Whatever God might do herein in a way of sovereign grace, yet he could not do it in the way of mediation, which yet was necessary unto his own glory, as we have at large discoursed elsewhere. And as for creatures, there was none in heaven or earth that was meet to undertake this office. " For if " one man sin against another, the judge shall judge " him; but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall 5' entreat for him? 1 Sam. ii. 25. There is not any ' days-man betwixt us to lay his hand upon us both." Job. ix. 33. In this state of things the Lord Christ as the Son of God had said, " Lo I come to do thy will, O God, " sacrifice and burnt offering thou wouldst not, but a body hast thou prepared me, and, lo I come to do thy " will," Heb. x. 5 -9. By the assumption of our na- ture into union with himself, in his one divine person, he became every way meet for the discharge of this of- fice, and undertakes it accordingly. That which we inquire after at present, is the glory of Christ herein, and how we may behold that glory. And there are three things wherein we may take a pros- pect of it. I. In his susception of this office. II. In his discharge of it. III. In the event and consequence thereof; or what ensued thereon. In the susceptionof this office, we may behold the glory of Christ, 1. IN HIS CONDESCENSION. 2. IN HIS LOVE. First. We may behold his glory in his infinite con- descension to take this office on him, and our nature to be his own unto that end. It did not befal him by lot or chance, it was not imposed on him against his will, it belonged not unto him by any necessity of condition, he stood not in need of it, it was no addition unto him; but of his own mind and accord, he graciously conde- scended unto the susception and discharge of it, AND DISCOURSES So the apostle expressed:, it, Phil. ii. 5--8. " Let " this mind be in you, which was also in Jesus Christ: " who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery " to be equal with God: but made himself of no repu- tation, and took on himselfthe form of a servant, and " was made in the likeness of men: and being found in " fashion as a man he bumbled himself, and became " obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. It was the mind that was is ,Jesus Christ, which is proposed unto our consideration and imitation; what hewas inclined and disposed unto from himself and his own minci alone. And that in general which is ascrib- ed unto him, is exinanition or self -- emptiness; he emptied himself. This the ancient church called his syncata. basis, as we do his condescension, an net of which kind in God is called the humbling a.fhimself. Psalm cxiii. 6. Wherefore the susception of our nature for the dis- charge of the office of mediation therein, was an infinite CONDESCENSION in the Son of God, wherein he is ex- ceedingly glorious in the eyes of believers. And I shall do these three things. (I.) Shew in general the greatness of this condescension. (2.) De- clare the especial nature of it. And, (3.) Take what view we are able of the gloryof Christ therein. Ist. Such is the transcendant excellencyof the divine nature, that it is said of God, that " he dwelleth on " high, and humbleth himself to behold the things that " are in heaven, and in the earth." Psalm cxiii. 5, 6. He condescends from the prerogative of his excel- lency, to behold, to look upon, to take notice of the most glorious things in heaven above, and the greatest things in the earth below. All his respectunto thecrea- tures, the most glorious of them, as an act of infinite condescension. And it is so on two accounts. 1. Because of the infinite distance that is between his essence, nature, or being, and that of the creatures. Hence " all nations before him, are as the drop of a " bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the bat- " once; yea, that they are as nothing, that they are "accounted unto him less than nothing and vanity. All being is essentially inhim, and in comparison there- unto all other things are as nothing. And there are no measures, there is no proportion between infinite being and nothing; nothing that should induce a re- gard from the one unto the other. Wherefore, the in- finite, essential greatness of the nature of God, with its
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