Under the Christian dispensation, the Deity represents himself as making new, and infinitely more favourable, engagements with his offending creatures. These engagements are introduced, and they are ratified by the Saviour of the world. "He is the mediator of a new, and a better Covenant." The conditions proposed by him who seeks reconciliation are, that they shall believe in the divine mission of his son, Jesus Christ, repent of their sins, and return to the paths of duty; and he engages, in a solemn Covenant, to pardon their offences, to adopt them as sons, and to give them the inheritance of eternal life.

According to the language of the Gospel, these conditions and the promises are represented in the character of a Testament. This term appears to be synonymous with a Covenant, but there is a marked distinction of no small importance. Covenant simply expresses the agreement itself; Testament has also a reference to the Earnest deposited; a token by which the covenant is ratified. Testament signifies also a WILL, or that solemn act by which a person, under the prospect of death, disposes of his property; the different articles of which are to be executed after his demise. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews has adopted this idea. He observes, that "where a Testament is, there must also,

of necessity, be the death of the Testator. For a Testament is of force after men are dead, otherways, it is now nothing at all while the Testator lives." But Jesus did not die according to the usual course of nature. He died a violent death, to which he submitted voluntarily, that he night rescue a guilty world from the condemnation of death, and become the medium of their salvation. The same Apostle observes, "for this cause he is the Mediator of the New Testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of transgressors, that were under the first Testament, they which are called, might receive the promise of eternal inheritance." In various other passages of this Epistle is the death of Christ placed in the same point of view.*

These representations correspond with the expressions uttered by our Saviour, at his last supper with the Disciples. "As they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the Disciples, and said, take eat, this is my body; and he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, drink ye all of it, for this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."†

* See Heb. ix. 15; Psalm xii. 24. xiii. 20.

+ Mat.xxvi. 26.

The new Covenant, therefore, being rendered efficient by the death of the Son of God, we are presented with a promise, and a ratification. He, who, in his transactions with the children of men, has so frequently represented himself as being actuated by their principles, has condescended to give this great pledge of his paternal affection for the whole human race, and complacential acceptance of the penitent. When God so loved the world as to give his own son for its redemption, no one can rationally doubt of his conciliatory disposition. He has demonstrated his willingness to bestow every other blessing. For as the Apostle argues," he that spared not his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how shall he not with him also, freely give us all things?"

Thus have we attempted to investigate, with all the precision in our power, the nature of the mediatorial office of Christ, and the great benefits accruing from it, to the offending offspring of heaven. The result of our enquiry is, that Jesus Christ is the Saviour of mankind from the condemnation and punishment of eternal death; that he hath changed a total extinction of Being, which every one must acknowedge to be an equitable punishment of sin, into

a temporary repose in the regions of the dead;-that he has purchased a right to this distinguished honour, by the perfection of his moral character, by his unmerited sufferings, by his voluntary submission to death, to an ignominious death, although, according to the moral constitution of God, death had no natural power over him; for he had not forfeited his natural claim to immortality as the Son of God, by any act of disobedience ;-that the death of this righteous person was permitted, and appointed, by his heavenly complacential Father, on account of the beneficial purposes to be answered by it, in favour of his offending offspring. He was thus an example of perfect obedience, in circumstances the most severe and humiliating. He died that he might rise again. By his Death, he bore witness to his own sincerity, in declaring himself to be Son of God; and by his Resurrection, his heavenly Father bore witness to the truth of his assertions. He died that we might live, that the sentence of condemnation might be repealed :-He bore witness to the possibility of a resurrection from the dead, in opposition to every physical appearance; and he became the first fruits of them that sleep. By his Death he set a seal upon the new Covenant of Grace; by his Resurrection he proved that the Covenant was

ratified in heaven; that God accepted of his services, and acknowledged him to be the medium of that salvation to be conferred upon a guilty race; according to which Covenant, pardon is ensured to every sincere penitent; and a restoration to all those blessings which a reconciled parent possesses the power of bestowing.

These positions, which appear to us in no other light than as a simple statement of facts, will enable us to comprehend the nature of Justification, and of Justification by Faith, as represented in the apostolic epistles, concerning which so many volumes have been written; as also the propriety of those peculiar expressions by which the different Apostles designate the Saviour of the world, in distinction from every other messenger of God.

Essential errors in first principles, naturally and necessarily lead to erroneous inferences; and it is in yain that hypothetic notions will be assumed, in order to give the desired consistency to any particular theory. If the basis be an arbitrary assumption, instead of an evident fact, every hypothesis which we may attempt to erect upon it, must be visionary; and of consequence, the more minutely it is examined, the