in the Promises There is more of Grace in the Promise than there can be of Sin and Misery in the Man that pleads it Take heed how you compare your Necessities with the fulness of the Promises Nothing you can need but a Supply is promised Study your Hearts and God's Covenant and you will quickly find it to be so We may ask any thing for God hath promised every thing Psal 84.11 2. The Freeness of the Promises gives Boldness at the Throne of Grace That they are Promises of a Covenant of Grace proves they must be free A free Promise is a Bond given meerly from the Heart and proper motion of the Promiser without any motion or motive from the Party to whom it is made except it be that of his Misery that Grace works on If the Promises were not purely free to us there could be no Boldness in pleading of them See how the Shunamite pleads with the Prophet Elisha 2 Kings 4.28 Did I desire a Son of my Lord Did I not say do not deceave me As if she had said It was not at my desire but of thine own motion thou didst promise me a Son and I did not fully believe it at first but now the Son promised is dead So may the Believer plead Lord I did not ask of thee a promise of Grace and Glory I was sinfully contented in and with my natural lost Estate and thou didst call me and quicken me with thy Promise wilt thou not make out thy Promise The freeness of the Promise is the firmest Foundation of Boldness in pleading its performance No other Promises but free ones are in the Covenant of Grace and no other pleading of them but as free is allowed to them that come to the Throne of Grace If thou be for Merit and Worth in thy self go elsewhere there is no place for such proud rich Folks at this Court 3. The Sureness of the Promises of the Covenant of Grace is another ground of Boldness at the Throne of Grace They are the sure Mercies of David Isa 55.3 Sure because of grace Rom. 4.16 Therefore it the Promise or the Inheritance promised is of Faith that it might be by Grace to the end the promise might be sure to all the Seed A promise is made for Faith would ever God or Man promise but to be believed Faith is given for and acts on the Promise believing without a Promise is dreaming A Promise made by the God of all Grace 1 Pet. 5.10 to Sinners void of all Grace to give all Grace to them must be a Promise of Grace the Believer of this Promise must and can have nothing in his Eye but the Grace of the Promiser Now saith Paul it is this Grace of the Promise and Promiser that makes the Blessing promised sure to all the Seed Again the Promises of God are sure because they are his Heb. 6.17,18 Promises sworn for putting an end to the strife of Unbelief Balaam was a bad Man and therefore called a mad Prophet 2 Pet. 2.16 Yet by the over-ruling Spirit of God upon him spoke truly and highly Numb 23.19 Godâ— is not a man that he should lie neither the Son of man that he should repent Hath he said and shall he not do it or hath he spoken and shall he not make it good All God's Promises are sure because they are his Promises that cannot lie And they are yet further confirmed of God in Christ Gal. 3.17 So that the Believer in his pleading of God's Promises may lay down this Conclusion I want indeed great and many Blessings but I want nothing I ask nothing but what he hath promised who cannot lie and what is confirmed in Jesus Christ the Amen the true and faithful Witness Believers fail greatly in their neglect to quicken and strengthen their Faith by taking up the Promises in their full extent Fulness Freeness and Certainty It is always found that Faith is weak when the Promises are mean in our Eyes But if the Promise appear and shine in its Glory as God's faithful Word then Faith is aloft and acts strongly Hence it is that all strong believing gives Glory to the Promiser Rom. 4.20 and weak Faith reflects on him Psal 77.9 Hath God forgotten to be gracious doth his promise fail for evermore Alas it was the good Man's Infirmity to say and think so ver 10. but from his arguing I observe that where Faith is feeble a Man thinks the Promise fails as a giddy Man thinks the Rock he stands on shakes and reels when all the shaking is in his Head or Legs and when he thinks the Promise fails he thinks the Promiser is chang'd from what he was when he made it And it borders on Blasphemy to rob God by our Unbelief of his glorious Attribute of Vnchangeableness If you have a mind to believe keep still the Promise in your Eye if you would believe strongly view the Promise narrowly and steddily The Promise is both the Father and Mother of Faith it both begets Faith and feeds it Your first believing is from the power of the Promise and the continued and growing life of Faith is by sucking and drawing Nourishment from the Breasts of the Promise 5. Another ground of the boldness of Believers in their Approaches to the throne of grace is Their Priviledges that they are possessed of So the Apostle argues Heb. 10.19,20,21 to drawing near with full assurance of Faith ver 22. Some of those I shall name with this Caution that though all Believers have them yet all do not know they have them and therefore all do not use them as they ought and would if they knew them to be theirs But all should therefore labour to know them that they may use them to the glory of the Giver and to the Comfort and Edification of the Receavers 1. The first of these Priviledges is Election And justly its called the first for nothing can be before it for it self is before time and all that they afterwards receave flows from it Election is that eternal and adorable Act of Free-grace wherein God the Father passed over his Love to a select Company of Mankind that were to come into the World appointing them to Salvation appointing a Saviour for them and all means fit to accomplish his design of Love on them to the praise of his grace Eph. 1.4,5,6 This Blessing is revealed in believing When God gives Faith he makes known his electing Love and when we act Faith we may see it Faith is the Faith of God's Elect Tit. 1.1 This when seen is a great ground of boldness at the throne of grace Luke 18.7 Shall not God avenge his own Elect that cry unto him day and night This our Lord prays upon in John 17.9,10 I pray for them I pray not for the world but for them which thou hast given me for they are thine And all mine are thine and thine are mine and I am glorified in them As if our Lord
By his Fall he hath lost Happiness and Purity but retains his Knowledge which his Corruption hath turned into Craft Malice and Wiles 3. His long Experience in cheating of Men. 4. That in Men that his Wiles are proposed to it is to the Heart deceitful above all things and desperately wicked Jer. 17.9 It is to the Old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts Eph. 4.22 Such a Devil dealing with such a deceitful Heart must have many dangerous Wiles Christ's Grace only can enable a Man to discern them and it should be much prayed for Many have been skilful in the Theory and Knowledge of the Doctrine of Satan's Wiles that have been notwithstanding prevailed upon by them A Man must know his own Heart well and observe its motions narrowly and be much at the Throne of Grace that would know Satan's particular Wiles on himself 2. Grace helps the Tempted in helping to hate the sin they are tempted to Many Believers though they cannot tell well whence the Wind comes that drives them whether from their own Heart or the Devil yet they know whither it drives them to Sin that they are averse from Tempted Joseph spake like a Man that had present assistance of Grace when he said Gen. 39.9 How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God As far and as long as the sin tempted to stands black and ugly in the eye of the tempted Person so far and so long is the Temptation ineffectual Temptation prevails when the sin tempted to takes with the Heart and Will Jam. 1.14 A man is tempted i. e. successfully when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed Sin was without him but near to him by the Temptation now it is within him and it is his sin The Temptation to numbering of the people took with David but his Command about it was abominable to Joab a Man far short of David's Grace if he had any 1 Chron 21.6 3. Grace can help the Tempted to resist and stand Eph. 6.13 No Man is overcome of Satan till he flee and yield Resisting is overcoming of him Jam. 4.7 Resist the Devil and he will flee from you 1 Pet. 5.9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith Eph. 6.16 Above all taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the Devil They are Darts they are the Devils Darts they are fiery Darts there is an all of them yet by Faith you may be able to quench them all Why is so much said of Faith Because as Christ's strength is the Believers strength so Faith is that only in a Believer that acts on this Strength draws it in and acts in it Separate Faith from its Object Christ either in Justification or in Sanctification and it becomes an Imagination a Vanity a Nothing Now consider how cunningly Satan deals with Believers and how simply they are gulled by him in Temptation He perswades and often prevails with them to lay aside the Shield of Faith when they should mainly use it How foolish were that Man that would yield his Arms to an implacable Enemy Christ knew Peter's danger and provides graciously for it I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not Luke 22.32 4. The helping Grace of God assists tempted Believers in preventing an utter Foyl by Satan and in recovering them from a begun Foyl So did Christ for Peter and Paul 2. Cor. 12.8,9 The Devil never gets all his Will on a Believer nor are any Wounds he gives to a Saint mortal in the issue whatever they be in their own nature in Believers Fears or in the Devil's Design All the Glory is due to the Grace that is in Christ Jesus Lastly Grace can rebuke the Tempter and call him off This Joshua the High-Priest needed and got Zech. 3.2 And the Lord said unto Satan who was standing at Joshua's right hand to refist him when he is standing before the Angel of the Lord ver 1. The Lord rebuke thee O Satan even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire This Mercy was the first thing in Paul's Prayer 2 Cor. 12.8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from me This Messenger of Satan was of Christ's sending and giving There was given to me a thorn in the flesh a Messenger of Satan to buffet me ver 7. Lord save us from such gifts will Christians be apt to say there is no reason to pray for them if the Lord see them needful he will send them But it is comfortable that all the Devil's Assaults are of Christ's ordering He must have Christ's leave to tempt Luke 22.31 And our Lord when he pleaseth can and will call him off When Christ was tempted Matth 4. he resists all his Temptations by the Word as his people should at last he put forth his Divine Power ver 10. Get thee hence Satan c. Then the Devil leaveth him This we cannot do but Christ can do it for us It is a blessed Promise Rom. 16.20 The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you Amen Poor tempted Christians think that they are not only in Satan's Sieve and in his Hands but that they are often under his Feet But lift up your Heads by Faith on this Promise Compleat Victory is coming and the Faith of it should not only encourage you to resist but this Faith is a present Victory Faith is our Victory 1 John 5.4 The Believer not only shall be but is an Overcomer SERMON XI HEB. IV. 16. Let us therefore come boldly unto the Throne of Grace that we may obtain mercy and find Grace to help in time of need THE Lord hath been pleased so to order and determine the State and Condition of his Children while they are in this Life that they shall be constantly needy This Dispensation we should submit unto with all quietness of mind not quarrelling with the Wisdom and Mercy of our God therein Yea more than Submission is called for There is a further Duty required though it be hard to perform it to take pleasure and to rejoice in this needy State that the power of Christ may rest upon us For as the Lord hath laid us or left us under manifold Necessities So hath he laid up and is ready to lay out of his Grace for helping us under them And surely such Wants as lay us open for those Supplies of his Grace will be found to have a great deal of Mercy in them in the issue The Exhortation in the Text implies that Grace can help in every time of need There are some times of need contrived by the Lord on purpose that the helpfulness of his Grace might the more shine and appear I was speaking last day from this Truth That there are some special necessitous Times in which Believers are specially needy of
need and none can stand with Peace before that Throne but they that have been acquainted with this Throne of Grace in my Text. Christ on the Throne of Grace and Christ on the Judgment-seat is the same Christ Christ in the Gospel and Christ on the Clouds is the same Christ Yet we must distinguish Christ on the Throne of Grace is no Judge and Christ on the Judgment-Seat hath no Grace to dispense Now is his time of dispensing Grace then will be the day of his punishing the Despisers of Grace and of giving the Crown of Glory to the Receavers of his Grace In the last place I would give a few Directions unto real Christians in order to your providing of Grace to help in time of need 1. Lay the Foundation sure a time of need will try it 1 Cor. 3.11 Other Foundation can no man lay than that is laid which is Jesus Christ The Father hath laid Christ for a Foundation Isa 28.16 Therefore thus saith the Lord God behold I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone a tried stone a precious corner-stone a sure foundation He that believeth shall not make haste Applyed to Christ 1 Pet. 2.6 The faithful Ministers of the Gospel lay Christ for a Foundation 1 Cor. 3.10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me as a wise Master-builder I have laid the foundation But how can a poor Sinner lay Christ for a Foundation to himself Turn but the Words and the Question is answered Thy laying of Christ for a Foundation is thy laying thy self upon Christ as a Foundation and it is neither more nor less nor any thing else Cast your selves and all your Concerns about Salvation on Christ alone Let him bear all He only can and calls for this from you One of the first Questions that riseth in the mind of a Christian in a time of need is this Is the Foundation right laid Am I founded on Christ The Storm will try the Foundation It were great wisdom to secure that before the Storm come 2. Clear up your Evidences against a time of need The Evidences of a Christian are not his Charters for Heaven the Covenant of Grace contains them but they are as Light by which a Christian reads his Charters Evidences are of great use in a time of need They stand in Gods Work in us Our Faith stands on God's word of Promise to us and on Christ's Work for us the Evidences of Believers stand in God's gracious working in and on and by them These four Words I would give about your Evidence 1. When you cannot perceave them search for them 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whether you be in the Faith prove your own selves know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except you be reprobates or disapproved The Exhortation is so delivered as to perswade us that very narrow and exact searching is called for in this Work May not that Christian's Heart condemn him who is daily complaining of his Ignorance of his State when he knows that serious self-examination is neglected by him 2. If upon searching you cannot yet find beg the help of the Spirit of God to discover his own work in you 1 Cor. 2.12 Now we have receaved not the Spirit of the World but the Spirit which is of God that we may know the things that are freely given to us of God The Illumination of the Holy Ghost is not only simply needful to give us a saving knowledge of the Mystery of the Gospel but is so also to give us a right knowledge of the my story of his Grace in us Eph. 1.17,18,19 where the Apostle prays for the Spirit for both these ends David prays for the Lord's help in his examining of himself Psal 139,23,24 A Heart laid open to God's search a Heart willing to have all in it viewed and discovered by the Lord is an upright sincere Heart Whoever is willing to know his worst is not stark naught Yet he that seeth but the least half of his badness will judge himself to be very bad 3. If you cannot yet find your Evidences make them presently Many Christians need this advice They formerly had Evidences of their Interest in Christ they had a clear fight of the Truth and Fruits of their Faith and Love and Repentance this refreshing Sight is gone and they mourn as without the Sun as Job speaks chap 30.28 Let such take this course Act afresh that Grace when you are doubtful whether you ever acted it before See you at present no clear Evidences of your former believing Act Faith presently There are few things more evident than strong believing is in the very acting of it And if the acting of Faith on Jesus Christ as speaking in righteousness and mighty to saue Isa 63.1 be evident to thee thou hast the best Evidence for eternal Life that is in all the Bible Most of the Promises run this way Whoever believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting life John 3.15,16,17 It is the gracious and wise Constitution of the Lord that no Grace can be ordinarily evident to a Man in whom it is so as in and by the exercise and acting of it 4. When you find Evidences of God's Work in you Bless the Worker and Discoverer of them and believe more and more Say with David Psal 71.14 I will hope continually and will yet praise thee more and more It is just with God and merciful too that darkness should come upon that Man's Evidences who sits down upon them and blesseth himself in them more than he doth God for them and pleaseth himself in a life of Sense with neglecting the life of Faith 3. Make good use of your former Experiences of the Mercy and Grace of God helping you in former times of need The Lord's kindness is not shown to us for the present time only but for the time to come It is not given to us to play or please our selves with at present but for good and needful uses for strengthening of our Faith exciting of Praise and directing and encouraging us to come to the same Door we were formerly relieved at It is a part of the work of Faith to look back on formerly-bestowed Mercy and Grace as well as to look forward to the greater and better things to come It is a great Sin but very common that a Believer who hath many Years Experience of the Mercy of God if there be a stop put to the Stream of Mercy he is often as much shaken in his Faith as if he had never tasted that the Lord is gracious 4. In preparing for a time of need be careful to keep your Conscience's clean There is no worse Company in an evil day than an evil Conscience It is worse Company than the Devil 's His Company is that of a Tempter and Accuser but an evil Conscience is a Judge condemning and an Executioner tormenting a Man Therefore herein exercise your selves
the power of the air working powerfully in them as children of disobedence they were fulfilling the desires and lusts of the flesh and of the mind they were by nature the children of wrath even as others Who can be lower vifer and baser except they that are in Hell it self Yet in this Case and Condition Grace made its first visit to them All that this saving Grace falls on are lost and undone sinners men at the very brink of Hell An Elect child of God is worst and most sinful the moment preceeding his Conversion Paul was at his worst Acts 9. when Grace fell up him If there be nothing but the power of Grace that can subdue the corruption of Nature if this corruption grow in its strength till that subduing power of Grace be applyed and if there be no middle State betwixt Death and Life and these have been reckoned Gosper Truths how plain is it that a sinner is at his worst when saving Grace first comes upon him 2. Whither did this Grace bring Paul and the Ephesians and so all Christians Out of the Grave of sin unto a new Life and up to heavenly places in Christ Jesus ver 4 5 6. O what a mighty Arm hath the Grace of God It s nothing for Grace to pull a man out of Hell and set him down in Heaven When shall this Arm of Jehovah be revealed When will perishing sinners long for a saving pull of the Grace of God 3. What is all this great Work of Grace for ver 7. That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his Grace in his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus As if the Apostle had said You and I cannot sufficiently in our time and age admire this kindness Grace and Riches of Grace through Christ Jesus that we have receaved but as long as this world lasts and as long as there are receivers of this same Grace in future ages and that will be as long as the world lasts for the world lasts for the sake of the Throne of Grace and for what God hath to do on it and to give from it there will be praisers of this Grace for every Generation of Receivers of this Grace owe praises for all the Grace bestowed on all that have been before them And when this world is at an end there is a better world that shall succeed it wherein better and higher praises will be given forever there is no other musick but the praises of free Grace in Heaven and none shall sing its praises there but the happy Receavers of it here 2. Consider the Infinite Wisdom of this contrivance of a Throne of Grace for sinners The Lord wisely consulted poor mans case his Sinfulness his Misery and his Infirmity No where else can God and Sinners meet in Peace but at this Throne of Grace Here is the manifold wisdom of God Eph. 3.10 Grace abounds in all wisdom and prudence Eph. 1.8 Yet not according to the sorry Rules of the wisdom of this world nor of the Princes or great leading men of this world that come to nought But the wisdom of God in a mystery even the hidden wisdom hid to them that are lost 2 Cor. 4.3 which God ordained before the world unto our glory which none of the Princes of this world knew for had they known it they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory God and Holy Angels may meet in peace whenever he is pleased to manifest his Glory to them though they be sensible of their meanness as Creatures and deeply humble before his Majesty But where God and Angels meet comfortably God and sinners cannot meet comfortably That Light and Manifestation of divine Glory that makes a holy Angel happy would confound and destroy a sinful man Isaiah 6.1,5 The Seraphims adore humbly and praise Isaiah a sinner sinks he is terrified with the Sight and with the Song And yet this was a sight of Christ John 12.41 but his divine Majesty and Holiness as God was then represented to him which terrified the Prophet But when sin is forgiven by an act of Grace ver 6 7. then upon the Lords saying whom shall I send and who will go for us Isaiah answered here am I send me Now I have tasted the Grace of my Lord I will run his errands let him send me where and on what he pleaseth 3. Consider how costly the erecting of this Throne of Grace was It was a dear Building The Throne of Gods essential glory is in his own super-excellent Being and falls under no acts of the divine Will When he had a mind to rear up a Throne of Glory to his name in creating a world there was no more needful but his word of Power his Almighty Fiat Let it be and all things sprung up out of nothing in marvelous order and Beauty and Goodness But when a Throne of Grace is to be erected for sinners there is more to be done here God's own Son must be made man in that nature must be charged with their sins and must discharge that debt by bearing the Wrath of God and curse of the Law even unto death Rom. 3.25 the Apostle gives us a description of the Throne of Grace God hath set forth Christ to be a propitiation a Mercy Seat a Throne of Grace But his Blood went for it Law and Justice exacted it and Christ paid it On this comes forth the blessed Proclamation of Grace whoever he be of lost mankind that will come to this Throne of Grace by Faith and will receive his Justification in and by this Blood and will trust to it only shall never come into condemnation This Paul preached Acts 13.38,39 What is this grace revealed for ver 26. To declare at this time Gods righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus We all know that God is just and the condemner of transgressors of his Holy Law But how the Gospel is framed so as that God's justice may appear in justifying of a believing sinner is far deeper and more hardly known and believed But take in but these three things and it will appear 1. God was just and the punisher of the sins of the Elect laid on Jesus Christ. God's sending of his Son and laying of the sins of his people on him was an act of amazing grace and mercy But the exacting the debt of sin of him when the Father laid it on and the Son took it on him was of Justice and strict glorious Justice Never did Justice shine so in its glory and purity as in bruising the Son of God for the sins that were laid on him The sending of millions to Hell for their own sins and all must go thither that have them to answer for and all such have them all to answer for who offer to pay their debt with their own coyn and have no interest in Christs undertaking is a display of Divine Justice that
us Aaron and his Successors in the Office of High Priest were appointed to offer the great Sacrifice of yearly Attonement at the Altar and with the Blood thereof to enter into the Holy of Holies and to sprinkle the Mercy-Seat their Throne of Grace with that Blood Lev. 16.14 Our Lord Jesus the Anti-type offered the Sacrifice of himself in his death and in and with the virtue of that Sacrifice he entred Heaven to sprinkle the highest Altar therewith It is but a fond Popish fancy to think that there do remain visible Marks and Signatures of his humbled State on the glorified body of our Lord Jesus that is indeed to know Christ after the Flesh in a bad sense 2 Cor. 5.16 But his entring with his own blood is spiritually to be understood that Christ's Appearance in Heaven is to bring up a Memorial continually before God of the virtue and savour of that Sacrifice he offered without the Gates of Jerusalem Eph. 5.2 Christ loved us and hath given himself for us an Offering and a Sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour This savour never spends or wears out The Blood of Jesus in the Virtue of it in the Merit of it and in the Power of it is as fresh this day as in the day it was shed on the Cross He is still the â—ew-slain way to the holiest of all Heb. 10.20 â—s fresh and fragrant as ever If Men by their â—nbelief count it old or stale and to have lost â—ts savour and virtue to themselves and if they will seek for somewhat else to procure them â—cceptance in Heaven let them try and peâ—ish for none can help them that reject Christ â—ut our Lord presents nothing for the Salvation of his Body the Church but his own Blood and nothing else is accepted in Heaven for this End but that precious Blood And all they to whose Consciences this Blood is applyed and who come unto it and feel its virtue and power will abhor all vain and dangerous mixtures of any thing with this Sovereign Balsom It is always savoury in Heaven and it is always savoury to all them that are in the right way to Heaven Our Lord in his Intercession fills Heaven with the Almighty and Eternal savour of his Blood and Heaven is filled with the Praises of it and of the shedder of it Rev. 5.9,12 If its savour do not fill the parts of the Earth where it is preached it is because Men have lost or rather never had the spiritual sense that only can take in this savour and not because this Blood is impaired in its virtue But this is the sin and misery of this condemned World that what is most savoury in Heaven is least savoured on Earth and what is most sought after prized and doted on in Earth is vanity and abomination in Heaven Luke 16.15 3. In Christ's Intercession there is his knowledge of and sympathy with the Ails and Distresses of his people This the Apostle takes notice of in ver 15. His knowledge of their Distresses we can more easily account for than for his Sympathy His Omniscience as God we believe Peter sweetly owned it John 21.15,16,17 O that Christ would with power ask the same Question at all of you and that you could give the same Answer Christ's Question is lovest thou me more than these Not long since thou said'st so what saist thou now Peter's Answer is Yea Lord thou knowest that I love thee And on the repeating of the Question Peter gives the same Answer ver 16. When Christ a third time ask'd the same Question Peter was grieved ver 17. and answers thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee As if he said I dare not compare my Love to thee with that of others to thee thou hast reason to question my love to thee because of my late woful denyal of thee but yet I dare call thee to Witness who knowest all things that I do love thee Though all my Brethren love thee better than I do or can though I be more unworthy than any to be loved by thee yet I am sure I love thee If the love of Christ were as a hot Fire within and its Coals were casting out a vehement Flame as Song 8.6 Believers would more often call Christ by that sweet Name sweet to us to speak and sweet to him to hear O thou whom my Soul loveth Song 1.7 Miserable Souls are they who love not Christ And dull unobservant people are they that know not what or whom their Souls love Is the love of Christ a meer Notion Is it not a most sensible holy and spiritual Passion or rather a heavenly Grace Can Men love Christ and not feel it Should they feel it and not avow it Is there any thing we should be ashamed of in the love of Christ but the shameful smalness of it That our highest and hottest love is so unsutable a Return to his incomparable Loveliness and his Wonderful Love to us and the dear Demonstrations of it All ye that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity look on him and love him more love him with all your Souls and blush with shame that you love him no better Blow the coals of Love by Faith and let the Flame mount up to Heaven and ascend ye in the Flame of the Altar as Manoah's Angel did Judg. 13.20 You that doubt of your Love to Christ go to him fall down before him answer Peter's Question according to the true sense of your Souls and it will be Lord thou knowest that I love thee Love Christ and ye will quickly feel ye love him A sight of Christ will beget Love and Love will quickly speak for it self 2 Cor. 5.14,15 But for Christ's Sympathy with his people this is harder to conceave than his knowledge of their Distresses It is a Sympathy different from what he had in the days of his own Infirmity it is as tender but not disturbing as real but not afflicting It is inconsistent with his glorifieâ— State to have any trouble His Sympathy it self is to be believed the manner how it acts is unsearchable Heb. 2.17 In all things it behoved him to be made like unto his Brethren that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God Heb. 4.15 He is touched with the feeling of our Infirmities and was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin About this deep point of Christ's Sympathy we may soberly conceave 1. Our Lord's Remembrance of his own Infirmities Temptations and Afflictions in the days of his Flesh This is plain and certain 2. His sure and distinct particular Knowledge and Remembrance of his people and of all that concerns them within and without 3. His Interest in them and Care of them and Concern for them as his Members 4. His Power and Wisdom as their Head to send down vital Influences upon them as their Case requires Eph. 4.16 Col. 2.19 Lastly Christ's