The mystery of Christ opened and applied. In several sermons, concerning the person, office,…The mystery of Christ opened and applyed. In several sermons, concerning the person, office,…

Instruct. II. Great is their Sin who make into themselves other Mediators besides Christ. They rob Christ of his chief Glory. Herein was the great and grosest Superstition of the Gentiles of Old, that they fancied and worshipped many mediators, Demons or middle-gods. They looked upon the souls of their Heroes or deceased Worthies, to be Demons, or Agents between the Sovereign Deity and them. And this is the great […] of the apostate Christians, h. e. the Papists; Their Idolatry does consist chiefly in their Doctrine of Demons 1. ⟨p. 142⟩Tim. 4. 1. Indeed, they do in world acknowledge that there is no Mediator of Redemption or Satisfaction but Christ, and yet they think to satisfy for their own sins themselves, by their doing Penance: and they pray for Salvation on account of such a Saint, or such a Martyr. And they Teach that their is more Mediators of Intercession than one. But that is contrary to clear Scripture. Hence the Apostle having him speaking about Intercession, •aith, there is one Mediator. Cap. 2. 1, 5. None but Christ fits in the Throne of God. Tho' Believers shall sit in Christ's Throne at the Last Day, yet none but Christ shall sit In God's Throne. Rev. 3. 21. Hence none else is to be the Agent between God and all the Elect. It's an encroaching on Christ's Prerogative-Royal, and therefore derogatory to exalt any other to that Dignity. It belongs to Christ as exalted to the right Hand (of Throne) of the Father, there to present our Devotions to the Father of Glory. Rom. 8. 34. As none but the High Priest might enter into the Holy Place; so it belongs to Christ alone to be a Mediator in Heaven. He appears for us, as our Agent. We have no other Agent in Heaven but Christ: None else to appear for us there. Heb. 9. 24. Rev. 8. 3. ⟨p. 143⟩Therefore for men to offer up prayers to any […] Christ, and to God in Him, is heinous Idolatry. Its true, that we may desire good men on earth to pray for us, but it does not therefore follow that we may pray to them, as Prayer is taken for Religious Worship. Nor does it follow, that because we may desire men on earth to pray for us, we may desire those in Heaven to do so; for they in Heaven cannot hear us: If we desire them to do this or that, they know not what we say. As for the Papists, there are Thousands, it may be Millions of them, praying at once to the Virgin Mary;