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" of Chrift their Lord: and fend ye up (faith he) "thanksgiving to God and the Father by him, and not 66 by the angels." And then he makes mention of the canon of the fynod of Laodicea; "which (fays he) in "pursuance of this rule, and being defirous to cure "that old difeafe, made it a law, that none fhould

pray unto angels, nor forfake the Lord Jefus Chrift." It feems then that fome relicks of that impious custom, of praying to angels, which Theodoret here calls that old difeafe, had continued from St. Paul's time, to the council of Laodicea; which was the occafion of that severe canon then made about that matter: the very words whereof I will fet down, because they are remarkable, viz. "That Chriftians ought not to forfake the church "of God, and go away from it, and to invocate an"gels, and to make conventicles; all which are for"bidden. If any therefore be found giving himself to "this fecret idolatry, let him be anathema; because he "hath forfaken our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Son of God, " and is gone over to idolatry." What fhall be faid to them, who do not only fecretly, and in their private devotions, but in the publick affemblies of Chriftians, and in the most publick offices of their church, invocate angels, and pray to them? So that it was praying to angels, or making use of them as mediators and interceffors with God for us, which St. Paul here reproves fo feverely in the Coloffians, as a defection from Chrift and the Chriftian religion.

And indeed, confidering how frequently the fcripture fpeaks of Chrift as our only way to God, and by whom alone we have access to the throne of grace, we cannot doubt but that God hath conftituted him our only mediator and interceffor, by whom we are to addrefs all our requests to God. John xiv. 6. Jefus there faith unto Thomas, I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me. I am the way, and

the truth, and the life; that is, the true and living way to the Father; which the Apostle calls a new and living way, Heb. x. 19. 20. Having therefore boldness to enter into the holieft by the blood of Jefus, by a new and living way which he hath confecrated for us. No man cometh to the Father but by me; that is, we can have no access to

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God by prayer, or by any other acts of religious worfhip, but by him. So St. Paul tells us, Eph. ii. 18. For through him (speaking of Christ) we both have an accefs by one Spirit unto the Father. We both; that is, both Jews and Gentiles. Under the law, the Jews had accefs to God by their High Priest, who interceded with God, and offered up prayers in behalf of the people; the Gentiles, they addreffed themselves to God by innumerable mediators, by angels, and the fouls of their departed heroes, which were the Pagan faints: inftead of all thefe, God hath appointed one mediator and interceffor in heaven for us, Jefus the Son of God; and by him all mankind, both Jews and Gentiles, have accefs by one Spirit unto the Father.

And we have no need of any other, as the Apostle to the Hebrews reafons, chap. vii. 24. 25. But this perfon, (fpeaking of Chrift), because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood; acalov, a priesthood which doth not pass from one to another, as the the priesthood under the law did, when, upon the death of one High Prieft, another fucceeded in his place: but our High Prieft under the gofpel, fince he abides for ever, is able to fave to the uttermost all thofe that come to God by him, feeing he ever liveth to make interceffion for them. So that Jefus Chrift is an all-fufficient mediator, and able to carry on and accomplish the work of our falvation from first to laft. And as we do not find that God hath appointed any other; fo we are fure, that there needs no other, fince he is able to fave to the uttermoft all thofe that come to God by him, and that he lives for ever to make interceffion for them.

II. I proceed now, in the fecond place, to fhew, that this doctrine or principle of one mediator between God and men, is most agreeable to one main end and defign of the Chriftian religion, and of our Saviour's coming into the world; which was, to destroy idolatry out of the world; which St. John calls the works of the devil, 1 epift. iii. 8. For this purpose the Son of God was manifefted, that he might deftroy, iv on, that he might diffolve, or demolish, the works of the devil: by which St. John does. more especially mean the idolatrous worship of the Heathen, which confifted in the multitude of their gods, and

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the bloody and barbarous rites and facrifices whereby they worshipped them; and likewife in the multitude of their mediators between the gods and men, who were also esteemed by them an inferior fort of deities. Both thefe kinds of idolatry had strangely prevailed, and overrun the world before the appearance of our Lord and Saviour; who came on purpose to deliver mankind from the horrible fuperftition and flavery of the worship of falfe gods, to pull down this kingdom of the devil, and to demolish that fabrick which he had been fo long a rearing, and to beat him out of those strong holds, which he thought had been impregnable.

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God indeed gave fome check to these many ages fore, and not long after their firft appearance, by the Jewish religion; which was on purpofe introduced, and confirmed, and established by fo many and fuch 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, fome fhadow and rude draught of that more perfect difpenfation of the Chriftian religion; which, by one facrifice once offered, and by one mediator between God and men, was, to put an end to the infinite fuperftitions 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 looked upon as a middle fort of powers between the gods and men; and therefore addressed themselves to them, as mediators between the fuperior and heavenly gods, and men here on earth. This was plainly one of the great defigns of the Chriftian religion; and therefore it concerns Chriftians to understand it, and to be very careful that they do not fuffer themselves to be deluded by any fpecious pretences whatfoever, to bring these 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 epistle, namely, that Chriftians fhould be very careful that they were not carried back again into the Heathen idolatry, by the confident pretences of the Gnostick hereticks to higher degrees of knowledge and illumination

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than other Chriftians had; that is, by their pretending to be the infallible church, and the only true and genuine Chriftians. For it is against this fect that this epiftle is plainly defigned, which St. John thus concludes, chap. v. from y 18. to the end: We know that whofoever is born of God, finneth not; (meaning that he doth not commit the fin unto death, which he had spoken of just before, viz. apoftafy from Christianity to the Heathen idolatry, or that which was very like it): whosoever is born of God, doth not commit this fin; but he that is begotten of God, keepeth himfelf, and that wicked one toucheth him not; (that is, he preferveth himself from the contagion of i dolatry, into which the devil was fo bufy to feduce mankind). And we know that we are of God; (that is, do belong to the true God, and are worshippers of him): and the whole world lieth in wickedness; it wonpe xeito, is in the power, or under the dominion of that wicked one; (that is, the greatest part of mankind was funk into idolatry, and the worship of the devil). And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true. We know; that is, we Christians are better taught by the Christian religion, to acknowledge and worship the only true God. And we are in him that is true, in or by his fon Jefus Chrift; that is, we worship the only true God by his Son Jefus Chrift. And then he concludes, Little children, keep yourfelves from idols; intimating hereby, that the worshipping of any other befides this only true God, and by any other mediator than Jefus Chrift, is idolatry.

There were indeed two very ancient and common notions, both amongst Jews and Gentiles, of the original whereof it is hard to give any certain account; only this is certain, that they did prevail very early, and did very generally poffefs mankind: and they were thefe. First, That God was not to be appeased towards finners, merely upon their repentance, without the death and fuffering of fome other in their stead; and that God would accept of this vicarious punishment and fuffering inftead of the death of the finner himself. And this feems to have given the original to the facrifices of living creatures, to appease the wrath of God towards finners; which, in procefs of time, as the worship of falfe gods prevailed in

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the world, did proceed to that degree of fuperftition and barbarous inhumanity, that, by the inftigation of the devil, men offered up the blood of their children, and facrificed their fons and daughters, to their idols and false gods. Secondly, Another common notion, which had likewife poffeffed mankind, was, That God was not to be immediately approached by finful men; but that their prayers were to be offered up to the Deity by certain mediators and interceffors, that were to procure for them the favour of the gods, and the gracious answer and acceptance of their prayers. And this was the original of that other fort of Heathen idolatry, which confisted in the worship of the demons and heroes; that is, of angels, and fouls departed, viz. of fuch eminent perfons as had been great benefactors to mankind, and, for their worthy deeds upon earth, were canonized, and tranflated into the number of the inferior gods. By thefe, as the chief courtiers and favourites of heaven, they addreffed their prayers and fupplications to the fuperior gods.

Now, with thefe notions, which had generally poffeffed mankind, how imperfect foever, God was pleafed to comply fo far, as in the frame of the Jewish religion, which was defigned for a type of the more perfect inftitution of the Chriftian religion, and a preparation for it; I fay, God was pleased to comply fo far with these notions, as to appoint facrifices to be flain and offered up. for the finner; and likewise an High Priest, that once ayear fhould enter into the holy of holies, with the blood of facrifices that were offered up for the people, to make expiation for them; and, in virtue of that blood, fhould interceed for the people; as the Apoftle to the Hebrews does declare at large. And when God fent his Son in the fulness of time, he was pleafed likewife, in the difpenfation of the gospel, that perfect inflitution which was never to be altered, to have fo much regard to thefe common notions and apprehensions of mankind, as to provide for the fupply of those two great wants, which they feemed always to have laboured under, and concerning which they were at fo great a lofs, viz. an effectual expiatory facrifice for fins upon earth, and a powerful mediator and interceffor with God in heaven: and both these by: the fame perfon, Jefus Chrift, who appeared in the end of

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