SERM. ginal and true occafion of the inftitution of I. this Office; which cannot otherwise be known than by taking a brief view of the ftate and condition of human nature, with regard to the favour, or difpleasure, of Almighty God. And here then, if we confider mankind in their prefent corrupt and degenerate condition, as fallen from the divine grace and favour, and ftripped of thofe mighty privileges to which they had been intitled, as polluted with fin, and therefore objects of divine vengeance; as having their understanding darkened, and therefore not able to difcern clearly the will of God; as having their will biaffed and depraved, and therefore utterly averse to obey it; this melancholy reflection fuggefts nothing by itself but horror and defpair, and the fearful forebodings of eternal mifery. It was beneath the Majefty of God to tranfact immediately with fuch abandoned wretches: A nature fo polluted and defiled with fin, could never be admitted to expoftulate with him, who is of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity*. Or if he had fo far condefcended, yet our infirmity could never have endured the brightness and terror of his presence. When, though veiled with a cloud, he defcended on Mount Sinai, and gave laws to *Hab. i. 13. I. his chofen and peculiar people; they were SERM. fo fhocked, we find, at his appearance, that they intreated that voice might not speak to them any more; nay, and fo terrible was the fight, that even Mofes himself confeffed he exceedingly feared and quaked *. In fhort, it was, on one hand neceflary, we should be recovered from the dominion of our fins, should have our minds enlightened, our wills rectified, and our offences expiated, before we could be qualified to approach our Maker, or be reinftated in his favour; and yet, on the other hand, it was impoffible we should ever in our own perfons pay the debt we owed to the divine Juftice, either for ourselves,or one another; fince no man, we are told, may deliver his brother, or make agreement unto God for him ; but it cofts infinitely more, to redeem our Souls, than we are able to discharge: So that, if no other method could have been found out, this matter must have been let alone for ever; and we, for what appears, had funk and perished in that mifery we had thrown ourselves into. But, behold an expedient truly just, and wife, and merciful, and every way worthy of God. Becaufe, man was neither able, nor worthy, to appear as advocate in his *Exod. xx. 19, Deut. v. 24-27. xviii. 16. Heb. xii. 19-21. + Pfal xlix. 7, 8, SERM. own caufe; therefore, there was one MediaI. tor appointed between God and Man, the Man ~Chrift Jefus, in whom the human Na ture, by a perfonal myfterious union, was And + Mat. iii. 17. ‡ John ii. 2, **Luke iv, 18. ++ Col. i. 18. Church Church diffused throughout the world SERM. might be duly taught and governed, and I. the Body here on earth correfpond with the acts of its Head and High-Prieft now in heaven; we find, that he appointed certain Substitutes to fupply the room of him the only Mediator. He fent his Apostles, as his Father had fent him, to fuftain his offices on earth, and ordain others after them, that might keep up a perpetual fucceffion. Were this reflection but in any due meafure attended to, the nature of the Priefthood would be much better understood than ufually it is. It would then up SERM. office of our dear Redeemer, who having I. offered himself a facrifice for fin, now liveth to plead the fatisfaction and merits of that facrifice, and make for ever interceffion for us. Nor is it of any moment here to object, that there are different orders and degrees of men appointed in the Church; and confequently fince all cannot be invefted with the fame powers (for then they were no longer different) it seems abfurd to speak of the Priesthood in general as intitled thereunto: I fay this objection is of no weight, because although the Bishop only (in whofe order alone the whole Priesthood is contained) be primarily and chiefly the Minister of Chrift; yet he may commit fome part of his authority, to other inferior orders in fubordination to himself : And therefore not the Bishop only, but every inferior Priest and Deacon too, as far as he acts by virtue of that power fo delegated to him, fo far he also represents the common High-Priest of our profeffion. From the whole, we may collect, that the end of the Levitical and Chriftian Priesthood is the fame; that they point equally to Chrift the only eternal and unchangeable High-Prieft*. Only in the first, this end was clouded and wrapt up in myftick types and ceremonies; whereas in the *Heb. vii. 24. other, |