Effay VII. to virtue, it hath been objected, that it is unneceffary, because, as God might have brought every individual of the human fpecies into the world perfect in knowledge, fo he might have brought them into the world perfect in virtue; and if, afterwards, any of them had fallen into vice, he might have restored them by an immediate exertion of his own power, without having recourse to such a complicated conftitution as the mediation of his Son. True. But it fhould be confidered, that in the natural world nothing is brought to pafs by an immediate exertion of the power of God, excepting what are called the lars of nature. All other things are accomplished by the intervention of means. For inftance, Whatever hath life, is brought into the world by the inftrumentality of parents, although God could have brought them into life merely by willing it. In like manner, he might have supported the life of animals by his own power, without the intervention of means, if he had fo pleased. Yet he hath chofen to do it by food, to the production whereof great variety of means are employed; in each of which, his wifdom, and power, and goodnefs, are as much exerted and difplayed, as they would have been, if the life of animals had been fupported by an immediate exertion of his power, without any means. This being the courfe which God follows in the administration of his natural kingdom, why fhould it be thought proper for him to follow a different courfe in the government of the moral world. As Taylor juftly obferves, in accomplishing his purposes, in the moral as well as in the natural world, by the inftrumentality of means, God hath multiplied and beautifully diverfified the displays of his perfections, in fuch a fenfible manner, that the attention of his intelligent creatures is roufed, their powers of contemplation are exercifed, their admiration and gratitude are, excited to a much higher degree, than if every thing in the natural and moral world had been produced without means. In this conftitution, therefore, there is the greatest propriety, fince it is impoffible to turn our eyes to any part of either world, without beholding God in thofe multiplied and varied exertions of his perfections, by which he accomplisheth his purposes. So that in both worlds God employs means, not because he is deficient either in wisdom or in power, but to multiply the instances of both; and to fet these

before

before his rational creatures, as the most engaging subjects of contemplation, and the most powerful motives of action: A method of exerting his perfections more proper in the moral world than even in the natural; because to render men accountable, it is neceffary that they be induced by rational confiderations, to become virtuous from choice.

Thus, as Butler obferves, it appears, that against the mediation of Chrift as a prophet and king, there lieth no objection,' but what may be urged with equal force against the natural providence of God.

SECT. IV. Of the Objection to the Mediation of Chrift, taken from the Dignity of his Perfon.

Notwithstanding all that hath been faid in vindication of the mediation of Chrift, there ftill remaineth one objection, which I have not hitherto mentioned, but which I have referved laft of all, to be treated of by itfelf, becaufe being levelled, not against any one part of the mediation of Chrift, but against the whole thereof, it requires to be completely difcuffed. The objection of which I speak, is that taken from the dignity of the Mediator, and the meanness of the creatures for whom his mediation was appointed.

In fcriptures, the Mediator is faid to be the only begotten Son of God, the brightness of his Father's glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon; the maker of all things in heaven and on earth, visible and invifible; and who having made all things, upholdeth them by the word of his power, and governs the whole as its Lord or proprietor. This great perfonage is faid to have divefted himself of the form of God, and to have appeared on earth in the likeness of man, and to have humbled himself still farther, by fuffering the painful and ignominious death of the cross as a malefactor; and all for the purpose of faving the finful inhabitants of this earth, which in comparison of the immenfity of the universe, is as nothing; and who being, as is fuppofed, the lowest order of God's rational creatures, their falvation, it is affirmed, was an end too inconfiderable to merit that a person of such dignity should affume the

human

human nature, and therein die as a malefactor to accomplish it; and that, after his refurrection, he fhould continue united to the human nature for ever. These things, it is faid, are so aftonishing, that our understanding, dazzled and confounded by them, cannot conceive them to be poffible.

This objection being confidered by infidels as fufficient to overturn the gospel from the foundation, merits our attention; efpecially as it is plaufible, and at times hath occafioned doubts in the minds even of enlightened believers.—To remove this embarraffing objection, let it be observed, that notwithstanding the mediation of fo great a perfon as the only begotten Son of God for the falvation of the human fpecies, may at first fight appear a transaction unworthy of him, on account of the low rank mankind hold in the creation, and on account of the small dimensions of the earth their present habitation, in comparison with the other orbs, which are supposed to be inhabited, and which compofe the great fyftem of the universe, the mediation of the Son of God for the falvation of fuch creatures, will not appear unworthy of him, if the importance of the human fpecies, as rational creatures, is justly estimated, and the conftitution of the earth their prefent dwelling place, is duly at

tended to.

And first, to begin with the earth the habitation of the human fpecies, for whofe falvation the mediation of Christ was appointed, it is acknowledged that, in respect of its magnitude, it holds but a middle rank even among the orbs of which our folar fyftem confifts. Nevertheless its importance, as the dwelling place of mankind, may depend, not fo much on its relative magnitude, as on the exquifite contrivance of its parts, their nice arrangement, their apt union, and their suitablenefs to produce the ends for which they were defigned. Judging of the earth according to this rule, although it now lieth under the curfe of God, and bringeth forth to man nothing spontaneously but thorns and thistles, Gen. iii. 18. it was, in its primitive ftate, more excellent in many respects than it appears to be at prefent; as may be gathered from the excellence of its productions before it was curfed of God. Gen. ii. 9. Out of the

ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the fight, and good for fruit: the tree of life alfo in the midst of the

garden,

garden, whose fruit, by the operation of God, poffeffed the noble quality of rendering those who ate of it immortal; just as the prefent fruits of the earth, by the fame operation, keep men alive for a time: alfo it produced the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which may be called the tree of death, because its fruit was of such malignancy, that it not only introduced diseases and death into the body of him who ate of it, but also corrupted his mind by inflaming his paffions; as our first parents by fatal experience found. Farther, the importance of our globe in the mundane fyftem may be learned from this, that one of the purposes for which the mediation of the Son of God was appointed, is declared in scripture to be, to put the righteous in poffeffion of an habitation fimilar to the earth in its primitive ftate, that that illuftrious display of the perfections of God which was made in its original conftitution, may not perish from the universe. Hence the habitation of the righteous after the refurrection, is called a new heaven, and a new earth, and the creation thereof, is termed by the apostle Peter, Acts iii. 21. The reftitution of all things, which God hath Spoken, or promised, by the mouth of all his holy prophets fince the world began ̧ In this new earth, wherein the righteous are to live for ever in an embodied state, there will be no curse to spoil its contexture, or to mar its productions, or to blaft its beauty, as in this earth; but it will remain, without any change, an illustrious monument of the great Creator's wisdom, power, and goodness, to all eternity; as was just now observed. And if so, are we not warranted to suppose that, in the view of God, our earth had a pre-eminence above many other parts of the universe.

2. With refpect to the human fpecies, for whofe falvation the mediation of Chrift was appointed, although their habitation be but of small dimensions, confidered in relation to the immensity of the universe, they may be of more account for their numbers, than the inhabitants of any other world in the fyftem, however great its dimenfions may be. For who can tell, whether rational beings any where else propagate their kind, as the human species doth: And, whether any where elfe, the conftitution taketh place which fubfifts in our world, in which multitudes die, almost as foon as born, and multitudes live only a few years, then are remoyed, and their places are filled by new comers, who in like man

ner

Essay VII. ner die and are fucceeded. And, for as much as all who die, whether in early infancy, or in advanced age, are to be brought a fecond time into life, namely by a general refurrection, and on that occafion are all to be finally difpofed of, according to their different capacities and deferts; I say when The mystery or secret purpose of God in creating mankind, is in this manner completed, the human fpecies may be found more confiderable for their number, than the inhabitants of other orbs whofe dimenfions are greater, but who do not die. And on account of their immenfe number, this our fpecies may have been judged by God worthy to be redeemed, or faved from perishing, by the mediation of fo great a person as his only begotten Son.

The multiplication of the human kind by generation, which take place in our system, is a thing fo wonderful, whether their bodies or their fouls are confidered, that were it not a matter of daily experience, it would be thought an absolute impoflibility. Wherefore, if generation takes place in no other fyftem of rational beings, the human species to which that faculty hath been imparted, may be of more importance in the fight of God, than any other fpecies which doth not poffefs the fame faculty; and on account of their number, the new earth, or material habitation, which is to be affigned to them who are faved after they are reftored to life, will probably be of greater magnitude, than any earth or material habitation existing at prefent in the universe.

3. As the human fpecies the inhabitants of this earth, may, in respect of their number, be more confiderable than the inhabitants of any other habitable globe, they may be more confiderable even in respect of their nature. For as Taylor hath obferved, in his key to Romans, No. 133. The human body, though it is now contaminated with disease and subjected to death, having been created in its original ftate capable of immortality, it may have been the chief of all the organized material works of God; the work in which his wifdom and power fhine most illuftriously. For, as it is compofed of a dense or grofs fleshly fubftance, its ftructure muft on that account be the more exquifite, in order to its being united to, and animated by a rational spirit, in fuch a manner that its organs of fenfation hould convey, to that fpirit ideas of things external; and its

members