The Scripture directory for church-officers and people, or, A practical commentary upon the whole…

Fourthly, Christ is to be set up the only foundation, in respect of mediation and intercession with God. We can have no approach to God without him, because of the great gulf sin hath raised between him and us. He is a consuming fire, and we are stubble, without Christ. Concerning Deus Absolutus, as Luther would say, The soul of a man may not think of him without horror, or despair; but as he is Deus relatus, related to us in Christ. And this is (indeed) the primary, and the most noble setting up of Christ as the foundation, when we again and again instruct you of what distance and contrariety there is between God and a sinner; and that only by his mediation there can be an agreement. There is one Mediator, (saith the Apostle) 1 Tim. 2.5. No man may, can, dare, to draw nigh to God, or think of him, without this Mediator. Oh, but how practically ignorant are people of Christ herein! They do not go to God in Christs Name: They do not desire, by Faith to bring Christ (as it were) into Gods presence, that he may behold us in him; that we may be Jacobs in our eldest Brothers clothes. As Joah bid the Messenger tell David, when his anger should rise, because they had the worse in battle, that Uriah is slain; and this quieted David. So it's here: When the wrath of God shall be ready to arise against thee, Why hast thou broken this Command? Why hast thou trasgressed this Law? Then say, Christ was killed: Christ was the Lamb slain. And this will appease the wrath of God. Rev. 10.1. Christ is there described with a rainbow upon his head, very fitly. As God said, He would not drown the world any more, but look upon the rainbow, and remember that Covenant of mercy: So it's here; God will not damn the poor sinner repenting and believing, but he will remember this rainbow; he will look on Christ. Now this preaching of Christ, hath been wonderfully obscured in setting up other Mediators, other Intercessors; so that Christ was seldom spoken of, but the Virgin Mary, St Francis, and others. And this very point was the first occasion of coming out of Popery, The obscuring of Christs Mediatorship. They equalized St Francis to Christ: They (indeed) said, the way to Heaven was by Christ, but it was easier by St Francis. So that if you look upon the Doctrine of other Mediators, about the Virgin Mary; about their Canonized Saints; about Images;

Fourthly, Christ is to be set up the only foundation, in respect of mediation and intercession with God. We can have no approach to God without him, because of the great gulf sin hath raised between him and us. He is a consuming fire, and we are stubble, without Christ. Concerning Deus Absolutus, as Luther would say, The soul of a man may not think of him without horrour, or despair; but as he is Deus relatus, related to us in Christ. And this is (indeed) the primary, and the most noble setting up of Christ as the foundation, when we again and again instruct you of what distance and contrariety there is between God and a sinner; and that only by his mediation there can be an agreement. There is one Mediator, (saith the Apostle)