CHAPTER VIII.

THE LAW OF MEDIATION AND THE MEDIATION OF CHRIST.

'There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all.'-1 Tim. ii. 5, 6.

The doctrine

tion.

I. In these words, in which, almost at the close of his career, St. Paul sums up the main subject of his apostolic preaching, we may trace the second chief phase of the doctrine of the Christ, as it was actually set of mediaforth in the first preaching of Christianity. It followed necessarily on the teaching involved in the declaration of the Resurrection; it could not have preceded it, nor perhaps at first have been co-ordinated with it. The earliest preaching (as especially represented in St. Peter), addressed to Jews, naturally took up, in the proclamation of the Resurrection, the fulfilment of Messianic glory and Messianic hopes, rather than the Cross, which, viewed alone and in itself, was a stumbling-block. That proclamation was brought home to men in all its meaning by a teaching which, after emphasising with all possible energy the actual fact of the resurrection, passed on immediately to its significance in relation to the Lord Himself, 'declared' by it 'to be the Son of God with power,' and on still further to its significance to humanity at large, as a demonstration of man's spiritual and immortal life, and a consecration of his bodily nature as a part of his true self. The wisdom of this appointed method of preaching proved itself by results. So proclaiming the resurrection, the sound' of the Gospel 'went out' literally into all lands, and its words to the ends of the world.' For it came home as a Gospel of good tidings to those who sat trembling under the oppressive burden of physical law, under the blight and cloud of sin, and on the edge of the shadow of death.

L

Its connex-
ion with
the doctrine
of the Re-
surrection.

But soon the thoughts of men began to search into the reason of this inseparable connexion between the resurrection of the Lord Himself and the spiritual life, here and hereafter, of all humanity. That there was such a connexion He Himself had expressly declared, and the first preaching of Christianity had unhesitatingly taken up His word. But on what did it depend? Why was His resurrection so utterly different in its spiritual significance from the resurrection of Lazarus or the translation of Elijah? Each of these, if accepted as true, might be held to show, by an exceptional and miraculous manifestation, what was the true birthright of humanity. For, from the rising of him who had been dead four days, it was clear that the corruption of the body in the grave did not hinder its reunion with the soul; and the translation of Elijah showed how humanity was capable of rising to perfection without passing through the shadow of death. In each there was type and promise. But why was the resurrection of Christ something more than a greater type and a brighter promise? Why was there in it not merely (as was obvious) a greater evidence of glory and power in Him, but an entire difference of meaning; so that He should be declared to be in it, not our example only and our leader, but the 'second Adam,' whose heavenly image all would bear; so that all men should be said to be risen, not with Him, or like Him, but in Him'? The question might at first be answered by simple faith in the word of the Master Himself. But as Christianity won its way to the notice of the civilised and sceptical world, it was necessary for the disciples to give to enquirers a reason' or 'defence' for the hope that was in them.' That reason was contained in the declaration of the fundamental principle of Mediation, embodied in the text in one of those clear-cut maxims in which the Pastoral Epistles delight. There is one God;' there speaks the sublime Monotheism of the Old Testament. There is one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.' this declaration, emphasising His humanity, yet distinguishing Him from 'man' generally, we have a doctrine of which we can trace the germ in the Old Testament, but which bears its full fruit in every line of the doctrinal and practical teaching of the New.

6

In

of the Cross

It is to be noted that this great principle of mediation actually presented itself in the preaching of the Gospel (as the language of the text suggests) in especial rela- The doctrine tion to the mystery of evil, and to the death of our especially Lord upon the cross as being a deliverance from preached, that evil-whether as a ransom' or redemption, as it is called in the text, which is an echo of certain recorded words * of Christ Himself, or as a sacrifice' or 'propitiation,' which name He more solemnly stamped upon it at the institution of the Holy Communion. St. Paul, indeed, at one time summed up his whole preaching of the one Mediator in the celebrated words: I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.' Under this aspect it showed itself supplementary to the Messianic preaching in the resurrection; for it dealt with that great perplexity of Natural Theology, which in that earlier teaching was touched only by implication. Under this aspect, therefore, it was felt to be especially necessary to the completeness of Gospel revelation.

part of the

doctrine of

But it ought never to be forgotten that the idea of mediation extends far beyond the preaching of the Cross. In it the Incarnation, the Atonement, the Resurrection, but only a the Ascension, the Intercession, the Judgment to come, are all included, as the salient points of the Mediation. great office of the one Mediator for the salvation of souls. We may even say that the idea of suffering and death is not necessarily involved in the idea of mediation as such, but only belongs to mediation so far as, being exercised in a world like this, it comes into collision with the power of evil. Could we venture to conceive of the first great act of our Lord's humility without the second, and picture to ourselves a manifestation of Himself without either death or resurrection, in which the ascension should present itself simply as the climax of a perfect and glorious life on earth, just as it is represented in His own words: 'I came forth from the Father and am come into the world, again I leave the world and go to the Father'-still His mediation would remain. Still, though without the special adaptation of that mediation to humanity, as oppressed by the power of evil

we should have to confess that there is 'one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.'

The media

tion of

Christ super

natural.

Now in respect both of the general principle of mediation, and of its special application in an atonement for sin, Christianity, more distinctly than ever, assumes for itself the position of a truth, supernatural, not natural and preternatural.' The law of mediation is a law of human nature. The Mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ is preached, first as the highest type of that law, and next as being itself unique and transcendent, passing into regions and exercising powers which our reason can neither discover nor perfectly comprehend.' Moreover, the assertion of this unique Mediation is especially directed to grapple practically with that mystery of evil, which unsolved is a terror and a despair to human nature, and yet from the solution of which most religions and philosophies are apt to shrink, and pass by on the other side.

The law of

human life.

II. If we consider what mediation really is, all study of human life will show us that some mediation between man and God is a fundamental law of human nature. mediation in For mediation (as the very word implies) is the power of one human soul to be the means of spiritual communion between others and God, either by bringing them into new relations with Him, or by renewing to living energy and fruitfulness relations already existing, but as yet dormant or forgotten. Now, since the establishment of the true relation of the soul to the Supreme Power must be, on any hypothesis, a leading element in its right development, it follows that mediation thus conceived is a part-the highest and the most striking exhibition-of the power which is exercised on the growth of the individual soul to its natural perfection by other souls, whether in their individual action or in the collective influence of human society. Of the reality of that power no one could ever

It is, of course, needless to acknowledge the debt which all study of this subject must owe to Butler's celebrated chapter on Mediation (Anal. part ii. c. v.). It might have been sufficient to refer to it, had not the course of Christian theology since

Butler's day brought out a larger and higher conception of the Mediatorial work of Christ, and so marked more decisively the points in which it exemplifies, and in which it transcends, the general law of mediation.

reasonably entertain any doubt, and modern thought has brought it out with an extraordinary vividness.

The spiritual

soul on soul

It is exercised in many ways, which, however, fall generally under two categories, according as they affect the outer or the inner life of the individual. In both they take for granted free and responsible action in power of him, sometimes preceding, sometimes accompany- in various ing, sometimes following it. Thus in the outer life phases. this influence from without may precede all action, by affecting a man's circumstances or opportunities, giving or withholding the things which afford him scope for action, bringing him into new relations with persons, from which follow important results for evil or for good. It may accompany action, to assist or to hinder it, either indirectly by supplying or refusing means, or directly by support or opposition of actual power. It It may follow action, stepping in between a man and its visible consequences, saving him from himself when his action is foolish or evil, or robbing him of the proper fruits of action wise and good. So, again, on the inner life this human mediation may act in the same relations to the individual action, by bringing to bear on the mind various influences-by presentation to it of principles of intellectual or moral truth, by the application of motives of hope and fear, by the exercise of personal ascendency or the dominating force of public opinion. But in none of these ways is it, strictly speaking, a compulsion. That it is in some way harmonised with individual freedom and responsibility, in spite of the paradoxical exaggerations of semi-fatalism, we feel sure, although the method and the proportions of that harmony it is often very hard to trace. There are lives in which this external power seems so strong, for good or for evil, as to overbear the individual freedom, and (as we fancy) to weaken or destroy responsibility. There are lives, on the other hand, in which the internal force, moral or intellectual, seems either to grow unaided from without, or to overcome all external influences, almost without effort, by a sturdy self-assertion. But still the coexistence of the two powers remains a fact, acknowledged in universal language and practice. The growth of the soul we call its 'education,' that is, the drawing out by external influence of capacities