Jesus Christ is not only to reconcile God to Man, but also Man to God. A Mediator is not a Mediator of one, but God is one. God is the offended and injured Party, and Jesus Christ reconciled God by that Satisfaction he made to his Holy Law and Justice, but he hath another Work to do, which is to reconcile the Elect unto God: Some Men intimate, that although God on his part in Christ is reconciled, yet Man is to reconcile himself to God, or make his own Peace as well as he can,1 and that he is to enter into a Covenant himself with God, and labour to perform these things upon the pain of ⟨p. 55⟩Damnation, but this Gospel I understand not; I know no Covenant of Peace but that which Christ made with the Father; and it is his Work as Mediator to bring poor Sinners to accept of the Terms of Peace agreed on in order to their personal and actual Interest in the Blessings of the said Covenant, Christ must change the Sinners Heart by the infusing of his Spirit, and so unite the Soul to himself, by which means he brings the Sinner into the Bonds of the Covenant: The outward means is indeed the Preaching of the Gospel, but the inward and effectual means, is the efficacious Operations of the Holy Spirit; and he that saith it is in the Power of Man's Will to make his Peace, or to lay hold of the Covenant, takes the Work of Christ's Mediation out of his Hand, and the Crown from off his Head.
Jesus Christ is not only to reconcile God to Man, but also Man to God. A Mediator is not a Mediator of one, but God is one. God is the offended and injured Party, and Jesus Christ reconciled God by that Satisfaction he made to his Holy Law and Justice, but he hath another Work to do, which is to reconcile the Elect unto God: Some Men intimate, that altho God on his part in Christ is reconciled, yet Man is to reconcile himself to God, or make his own Peace as well as he can,1 and that he is to enter into a Covenant himself with God, and labour to perform these things upon the pain of ⟨p. 55⟩Damnation, but this Gospel I understand not; I know no Covenant of Peace but that which Christ made with the Father; and it is his Work as Mediator to bring poor Sinners to accept of the Terms of Peace agreed on in order to their personal and actual Interest in the Blessings of the said Covenant, Christ must change the Sinners Heart by the infusing of his Spirit, and so unite the Soul to himself, by which means he brings the Sinner into the Bonds of the Covenant: The outward means is indeed the Preaching of the Gospel, but the inward and effectual means, is the efficacious Operations of the Holy Spirit; and he that saith it is in the Power of Man's Will to make his Peace, or to lay hold of the Covenant, takes the Work of Christ's Mediation out of his Hand, and the Crown from off his Head.
- 1See Mr. Dan. Williams's Book.
