SERMON III.

CHRIST THE MEDIATOR.

Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.-PHIL.'ii. 6-11.

In these words, my brethren, we have,

I. The mediatorial character, work and glory of Christ, and

II. The grand design of the whole.

I. The mediatorial character, work and glory of Christ.--By the mediatorial character of Christ, we are to understand, not his essential, but his official character-that which he, as mediator, sustains in the economy of man's redemption. Had man never existed; or ex-isting, had never fallen; or fallen, had never been redeemed, the Eternal Son of God had never assumed the name of Jesus Christ or Mediator. This is, unquestionably, that new name spoken of in the book of Revelation, iii. 12, and

that name which is above every name, made mention of in the passage now before us. Entering upon the glorious work of man's redemption, he assumes a new name, and sustains a new character. This character is commonly denominated his mediatorial character. The scope of our text would lead us, however, to speak not so much of those offices which belong to the mediatorial character of Christ, as of that union of the human and divine nature in the person of Christ, upon which the mediatorial character is founded, and which indeed gives to it all its dignity, and sweetness, and excellence, and perfection. Here it will be necessary for us, by sound scriptural argument, to establish this proposition, that Jesus Christ, as Mediator, possesses two natures—the divine and human, in mysterious, yet all-harmonious union. This is a doctrine of prime importance. It lies at the very foundation of the whole Christian system; and with it, the most precious hopes of the believer must live or die. No wonder, then, if we be tenacious for this doctrine; no wonder if we cling to it, as the miser clings to his gold; for "if the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous, do?" In establishing this point, we shall adduce only one argument, with some collateral proofs-I say only one argument, but that, humbly conceived to be, both clear and unanswerable-it is this: In this volume, the

Bible, there are certain things affirmed of Jesus Christ, which can properly be affirmed only of the human nature; and yet, in the very same volume, certain other things are affirmed of him which can properly be affirmed only of the divine nature. Now these two. classes of affirmations, in the very nature of the case, cannot be true, except on the principle that Jesus Christ possesses, as we have said, both the.human and divine nature, in mysterious, yet all-harmonious union. How do we prove that a living man possesses both a soul and body in union? Very much in this way. Speaking of this man, for example, I say that he has flesh, bones, blood, and is mortal. These things, we all see, belong not to his soul, but to his body, and prove-what? certainly that he has a true body. Yet, speaking of the very same individual, I change my language, and also affirm that he has memory, will, and understanding, and is immortal. Now here is a new set of attributes. which evidently belong not to the body, but to the soul, and prove-what? assuredly, that this man has also a soul, a reasonable soul. The connecting link between the soul and the body may, be unseen; the union may be absolutely inscrutable. It matters not, the facts are clear, and therefore the inference is irresistible: this man has, in himself, mind and, matter united; he has both a soul and a body, in mysterious, yet

.

all-harmonious .union. Now let us bring this principle of reasoning to bear upon the case in hand. And first, with regard to the human nature of Christ. Here we need not enlarge; the doctrine is not controverted; we need only remind you of those passages of Scripture, which tell us plainly, that Jesus Christ was born of a woman; was made under the lawand that he wept, hungered, thirsted, died! These things we all see, appertain not to the divine nature, but to the human, and provewhat? Certainly that Jesus Christ possessed the human nature; was very man, had a true body, and a reasonable soul; was as truly a man as any in this assembly. This is a precious doctrine; we have never denied it-the Apostle never did his language is this: "Forasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself took part of the same.”

But with regard to the second point, that in connexion with the human nature our Saviour also possessed a nature strictly speaking divine. Notice the affirmations in our text: "who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God." Here are two affirmations, having reference to the supreme divinity of Christ. Take the first, "Who being in the form of God." Here, the apostle affirms that, originally, Jesus Christ was in the form of God. Now as God is an infinite spirit, possessed of incommunicable attributes, and arrayed in

peerless, uncreated glory, it is very certain that no mere creature can possess the real form of God, and that it is the real, and not assimilated form of God, is evident from what the apostle says in his epistle to the Hebrews, i. 3, where he declares Jesus Christ to be the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of his person. "The brightness of the Father's glory." Now as the brightness of the natural sun in the heavens, is of the same nature and date with that great luminary itself, and may be distinguished, but not separated, even so, in the unity of the Godhead, the Father and the Son are in essence one and the same, co-equal, co-eternal. They may be distinguished, but not separated. When, therefore, the apostle declares that Jesus Christ was in the form of God, the idea is this, that Jesus Christ possesses in himself, really and substantially, all the perfections of God the Father's person. In confirmation of this, notice the following remarkable facts: 1. That the sublimest works of the supreme God are ascribed to Christ. Is creation the work of God? No man denies it; and yet John tells us that, “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." John i. 3. Is preservation the work of God? Who denies that? And yet Paul tells us that Jesus Christ upholdeth all things by the word of his power. Heb. i. 3. Is the work of resurrection the work of