128 Nips Chrif, the only Mediator Gud, indeed, gave fome check to thefe, manyAges before, and not long after their firft Appearance, : by the,Jerofh Religion, which was on purpofe introduced; and confirmed, and eftablifhed by fo many and fuck mighty Miracles, to preferve and keep alive in the World the Primitive Tradition and Belief of the One True God ; and likewife to be (as it were) fume Shadow and rude Draught of that more perfea Difpenfation of the Chrf1ián Religion, which, by one Sacrifice once offered, and by one Mediator. between God and Men, was to put an end to the infinite Süperftitions of the Heathen Worship, and all the bloody and barbarous Rites of it, and likewife to the Idolatry they were guilty of in the Worship of their inferior Deities, whom they look'd upon as a middle fort of Powers between the Gods and Men, and therefore addrefs'd themfelves to them, as Mediators be- tween the Superior and Heavenly Gods, and Men here on Earth. This was plainly one of the great Defigns of the Chriftian Religion ; and therefore it con- cerns Chriftians to underftand it, and to be very careful that they do not fuffer themfelves to be deluded by any fpecious Pretences whatfoever, to bring thefe Things back again into the Chriftian Religion, for the Ruin and Extirpation whereof, it was purpofely defigned and intended. And this feems plainly to be the Meaning of that Caution, wherewith St. John concludes his Catholick or General Ep le, namely, That Chriftians should be very careful, that they were not carried back again into the Heathen .Idolatry, by the confident Pretences of the Gná/lick Hereticks to higher Degrees of Knowledge and Illumination than other.Chriftians had ; that this, by their pretending to be the Infallible Church, and the only trueand genuine Chrians. For it is against this Seil, that this Ep/le is plainer defigned, which St. John thus concludes, Chap. g. from Verfe the r8th to the End ; We know that whofoever is born of Godftnneth not ; meaning that he doth not commit the Sin unto Death, which he had fpoken of juft before, viz. Apoftacy from Chriftianity to the Heathen Idolatry, or that which was very like it) whofoever is born ofGod loth not com- mit this Sin, but he that is begotten of God, keepeth himfelf, and that wicked one touch'eth him not ; that is, he preferveth himfelf froth the Contagion of Ido- latry, into which the Devil was fo bufy to feduce Mankind. And we know that we are ofGod ; that is, do belong to the True God, and are Worfhippers ofhim ; And the whole World lieth in Wickednefs, év .r vrovnpyi xÑ'ray is in the Power, or under the Dominion of that wickedone ; that is, the greateft part of Mankind was funk into Idolatry, and the Worship of the Devil. And we know that the Son ofGod is come, and hath given us an Underflanding, that we may know him that is true. We know, that is, we Christians are better taught by the Chriftian Religion, to acknowledge and worfhip the only True God : And we are in him that is true, in or by his Son, Jefus Chr 1; that is, we worship the only true God, by his Son Jefus Chrift. And then he concludes, Little Children, keep your felves from Idols ; intimating hereby, that the worfhippingof any other, betides this only true God, and by any other Mediator than Jefus Chrift, is Idolatry. There were, indeed, two very ancient and common Notions, both amongif Jews and Gentiles, of the Original whereof it is hard to give any certain Account- only this is certain, thatthey did prevail very early, and did very generally poffefs Mankind ; And they were thefe : Firfi, That God was not to be appeafed towards Sinners, meerly upon their Repentance, without the Death and Sufferingof force other in their ftead ; and that God would accept of this vicarious Punifhment and Suffering, instead of the Death of the Sinner himfelf. And this feems to have given the Original to the Sacrifices of Living Creatures, to appeafe the Wrath .of God towards Sinners; which, in Procefs of Time, as the Worfhip of False Gods prevailed in the World, did proceed to that degree of Superstition and bar- barous Inhumanity, that, by the Instigation of the Devil, Men offered up the Blood oftheir Children, and facrificed their Sons and Daughters to their Idols and Falfe Gods. Secondly, Another common Notion, which had likewife poffefs'd Mankind, was, That God was not to be immediately approached by sinful Men ; but that their Prayers were to be offered up to the Deity . by certain Mediators and Inter-
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