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SERM.

THÉ

CHRISTIAÑ Í)1SPESATTON.

43

and

graces,

with all the sacred intimacy to which God

ad-

mitted

him,

and

with all

the shining

honours

with which

God

invested

and surrounded

1ìäi,

was

not

comparable

tö the

Mediator of

the

new

covenant, the

Son

óf°God him-

self,

"

the

brightness

of

his

Father's

glory,

the express

image

of

his

person,

who lay in

the bosom

of

the

Father

before the

"foundation

of

the

world,

but

seventeen hun-

dred years

ago,

"

*as

made

flesh

and

dwelt among us

;

`

John

i.

14,

18.

And

let

it

be

further

observed here,

that

every

thing

which

we

have to do with

God

by

a Mediator,

is

much

more clearly and expressly set before is in the

New Tes-

tament, than

in

all

former dispensations. Though

Jesus

was always the

Mediator

of

the covenant

of

grace,

yet

the ancients

knew

so

little

of

him

under

this

express

character,

that

you find

neither

Abraham,

nor

David,

nor Isaiah,

no

those which were most

enlightened

in

divine

things;

make much

use

of

his

name

in

their

act

dresses to the

Father, nor make

plain mention

of

draw-

ing

hear

to

God

by

a

Mediator.

Bút

if

we

christians

call

upon God,

and

draw

near

to him,

we

have the

prevail-

ing name

of

Christ,

given us

to

plead

at

the

throne;

if

we

apply

to the mercy

of

God,

it

is

by

Jesus

Christ,

the

great

Reconciler;

if

we

offer

our

sacrifices

of

praise

and

thanksgiving to the

Father, they

will

be

well

received

through

Christ,

his

first

beloved

Son.

We

must do all

and

every

thing in the

christian

life

through

Jesus

Christ,

and there

we

are secure

of

finding

acceptance

with

God

;

Col.

iii.

17.

"

Whatever

ye

do in

word

or

deed, do

all

the

naine

of

the

Lord

Jesus

Christ,

giving

thanks

to

God

and the

Father

by him."

V.

This dispensation

of

the gospel

is

not

confined

to one

family

or to one nation,

or

to a few

ages

of

men,

but

it

spreads through

all

the nations

of

the earth,

and

reaches to

the

end

of

time."

That of

Moses

was

con-

fined to one

nation only;

that

of

Abraham

to

one

family,

and

chiefly

limited to

his Son

Isaac.

The

dis-

pensations

of

Adam

and Noah

are

more general indeed,

and

may be

represented

as given

to all

mankind

:

because

these

were the

two

great

fathers

of

all,

one

before the

flood,

and the other after

it

But then

each

of

these

re-

velations

was

left

to

the

care

of

one

family to

publish

it

to all mankind,

Who

were to be

their

posterity. But the