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4n

THE EXCELLENCY OF

DEAivr.

rrr.

The

bread broken,

and the

wine

poured out

in

the

Lord's

supper, distinctly

represent

the bedy of Christ broken on

the

cross for

our

sins,

and

his

blood

poured out

as

an

atoning sacrifice: and

the actions

of

eating and drinking

do

as evidently hold

forth our

partaking

of

the

blessings

purchased

by

the blood

and death of the

Son

of God,

This

rite

also solemnizes

and

confirms

the

covenant

of

grace, which

God

hath

-made

with

us

through

his

Son

Jesus

Christ, by

our hearty consent thereto,

which

is

expressed

by

eating and

drinking

in

his

presence, and

at

his table.

IV.

"

The

Son

of

God,

who

was

the

real

Mediator

of

the

covenant

of

grace,

through

all

former dispensa-

tions, has

condescended

to

become the

visible

Mediator

of

this

dispensation.

So

saith

my

text,

"

he

is

the

Mew

diator

of

this

better

covenant."

I-Ie

began

his

office

of

mediation between

God

and man indeed

in

those

early

counsels and

transactions

with

God

the Father, before

the world

was

made, which

are called

the

covenant

of

redemption, and

of

which you

have

heard in a former

discourse

;

He appeared

in

the Old

Testament

in

the

form

of God

;

and though

he was

sometimes called

the

angel

ofthe

Lord,

and

the

angel

of

his

presence, yet he

often appeared

as

God

himself,

as

Jehovah

dwelling

in

a

cloud

of

glory,

in

light or

flame

:

and

as

he

was

one with

the

Father,

so in his

visible

appearances he represented

God,

even the

Father,

both

to

the

patriarchs

and

to

the

Jews,

in

his

grandeur and

majesty,

as well

as

his

mercy.

But

in

this

last

dispensation,

he

appears

visibly

and

plainly as

the one

Mediator

between

God and

man,

when he discovers himself

as "

the

Son

of

God, and

as

the

n

ani

Christ

Jesus;"

John

iii.

16,

And

so

St.

Paul

more

expressly speaks in

1

Tim.

ii.

5,

The Lord

Jesus

in

the

course

of

his ministry,

and

especially

at

the end

of

it, gave some

notices

that

he was

our

Mediator

with

God,

and

that

he

came to

give his life as

a,

ransom

for

sinners, and to

make

=ipeace

with

his

blood

:

Before he

died and rose

again,

and

ascended,

he

gave

us

a

pattern

pf

his

pleading

with

the

Father,

in

the seventeenth

chap-

ter

of the

gospel

of

John

;

and

he

appears now

as St.

Paul

represents

him, as

our Mediator and Intercessor

in

his human nature,

before

the

throne

of

God. Moses

the

mediator of

the

Jewish covenant,

with all

his

viatica