unto ye like unto me hear ye him And now here in this 17. of Matthew at the transfiguration Moses and Elias appeared which they did not in the 3. of Matthew First Consider that the Emphasis may lie upon the word Hear and not upon the word Him only This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Hear ye him His face did shine as the Sun and his rayment was white as the light And Christ appeared in great glory and they stood looking upon him Nay saies the Lord from Heaven do not make it a gazing matter but Hear him don't stand looking upon him but Hear him He don't appear in such a glory in the 3. of Matthew when he was baptized and therefore those words are not added there But again Here now in the 17. Chapter of Matthew at the Transfiguration appears Moses and Elias Behold at the 3. verse There appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him Moses that gave the Law Elias that restored it Then answered Peter and said unto Jesus Lord 't is good for us to be here if thou wilt let us make here Three Tabernacles one for Thee and one for Moses and one for Elias Peter and so the rest of the Disciples began for to equallize Moses to Jesus Christ One for Moses and one for Elias and one for Jesus Christ no more for Christ than for Moses Now the Lord takes Peter off from all his mistakings Your eye is upon Moses saith he but I saith the Lord God Almighty am wel pleased in my Son This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased I am well pleased with you and with your Duties through this my Son and not through Moses and therefore Hear Christ and not Moses He laies this in upon it that therefore they should be Evangelical and hear Jesus Christ because the Lord Christ gives acceptance unto all and by him God is well pleased with them Again further The more glory Christ does appear in the greater reason there is why we should hear him Now here the Lord Jesus Christ appeared in glory his face did shine as the Sun and his raiment was white as the light In the 3. of Matthew he was there baptized and he did not appear in glory but now here he appears in glory and therefore saies the Lord now Hear him this is your glorious Saviour Hear him Beloved what greater glory can Jesus Christ appear to your souls in than this the glory of his love he takes every one of your Duties and your Prayers and he carries them in to the bosome of God the Father and by him you have acceptance Oh! what a glorious Saviour have ye therefore Hear him This is that if any thing will make ye very Obedient to Christ more than to Moses to be Evangelical in all your Duties Yet further The more a man can rejoyce in spiritual priviledges with humility and the more humble a man is and yet can rejoyce in his spiritual priviledges the more holy he is there goes a great deal of Holiness to it to joyn these two together for a man to rejoyce in his spiritual priviledges and yet to be humble and to walk very humbly Some there are that look upon ther spiritual priviledges and rejoyce much but they don't walk humbly Some labour to walk humbly and are much troubled in the consideration of their own evil but they don't rejoyce in their spiritual priviledges Give me a Christian that doth both and he is a blessed man The study of this Truth that is now before you will teach you to do both to do both together For what a great priviledge is this not a figh not a groane not a duty but the Lord Christ takes it and carries it in and presents it to God the Father for me whereby I have acceptance Considering this here is matter of much joy and rejoycing I but It is Christ that does it there is no such worthiness in mine own duty it were lost and cast away if Jesus Christ did not take it in his hand and carry it into the bosome of God the Father and therefore why should I not walk humbly I conclude all with this If that the Lord Jesus Christ our great High-Priest offers up all our Gifts unto God the Father whereby we have acceptance What infinite cause have we all to be Thankful to God for Christ and to love Jesus Christ for ever Suppose one of you had been among the Disciples when the Lord Christ wash't his Disciples feet and he should have come and wash't your feet and have done it would not your heart have glowed with love to Jesus Christ Yet when the Lord Jesus Christ wash't his Disciples feet it was in the daies of his flesh when he was here on the earth but now he is in glory and yet for all this he takes your dirty prayers and does as it were wash the feet of your prayers that he may present them to God the Father he washes your tears over again in his bloud and presents them to God the Father he takes all your Duties and perfumes them with his intercessions and so presents them unto God the Father Oh! what cause have we to love Jesus Christ Oh! you that never loved Christ love him now and you that have loved him before love him much more you that fear the lord love the Lord and let us all even go away with our hearts warmed with this love blessing and praising the Name of the Lord. And thus I have led you into a Third work of our great Hight Priest which is this To offer up the Gifts of the people unto God the Father A Fourth follows c. SERMON IV. HEBREWES 2.17 18. Wherefore in all thing it behoved him Preached at Stepney May. 16. 1647. to be made like unto his brethren that he might be a merciful and faithful High-Priest in things pertaining to God to make reconciliation for the sins of the people For in that He himselfe hath suffered being tempted he is able to succou them that are tempted IT hath been opened and applied that the work of the High-Priest was and is To satisfie for the sins of the people to make Intercession for them and to offer up their Gifts unto God the Father all which Christ doth for us I shall speak of one work more of our great High-Priest and that is To bless the people We reade in the Old-Testament of two sorts of High-Priests One according to the order of Aaron the Levitical High-Priest as I may so speak and his work was for to Bless the People as we may reade in the 6. Chapter of Numbers the 23. verse Speak unto Aaron and unto his Sons saying On this wise ye shall bless the Children of Israel saying unto them c. There was another High-Priest not according to this order of Aaron and that was Melchisedec and he also did Blesse Abraham And the Apostle speaking of him
brought against us But he does also call for Absolution and for Pardon of poor sinners at the hand of God the Father in a way of justice and equity And therefore he is called 1 John 2.1 our Advocate If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous The work of an Advocate differs from the work of a Petitioner an Advocate does not Petition the Judge but an Advocate he tels the Judge what is Law what is right what ought to be done So the Lord Jesus Christ being in Heaven and making Intercession is there as our Advocate Lord saies he this man he hath sinned indeed but I have satisfyed for his sins I have paid for them to the full I have satisfied thy wrath to the ful now therefore in a way of Equity and in a way of Justice I do here call for this mans pardon Thus Christ intercedes And thus we see briefly wherein the Intercession of Christ consisteth and what he does when we say That he Intercedes for us in Heaven Well But suppose he does Intercede Quest Can he prevaile in his Intercession hath he any potency power or prevalency with God the Father in his Intercession Yes very much Answ and therefore we find in that same 3. of Zach. That Joshua goes away with a faire Myter upon his head ver 5. And I said let them set a faire Myter or a Crown upon his head so they set a faire Myter or a Crown upon his head and clothed him with garments and the Angel of the Lord stood by Satan at the beginning stood at his right hand to accuse him but this Accuser of the brethren goes away with a double rebuke and Joshua goes away with a Crown through the Intercession of Jesus Christ he goes away with a Crown upon his head All which will appear to you if we consider Three things First What great interest our Lord and Saviour Christ hath in the bosome of God the Father Paul prevailed with Philemon for Onesimus through the great interest that Paul had in the bosome of Philemon Our Lord and Saviour Christ he hath lien in the bosome of God the Father from all eternity he is his Son his natural Son his beloved Son his Son that did never offend him and therefore surely when he comes and intercedes for a man he is most like to speed to prevaile We know that David going out against Nabal and his house Abigail comes forth meets with David and intercedes for Nabal and Abigail did so powerfully intercede even for Nabal that she turned Davids heart quite round about David swore he would not leave one of the house and after Abigail had interceded a little for Nabal in the 1 of Sam. 25.32 verse David said unto Abigail Blessed be the Lord God of Israel which sent thee this day to meet me and blessed be thy advice and blessed be thou which hast kept we this day from coming to shod blood Pray what did Abigail say that shee turned David thus about that her intercession was thus powerful Saies Abigail as for Nabal he is according to his name And it shall come to pass at the 30. verse when the Lord shall have done to my Lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel that this shall be no griefe unto thee nor offence of heart to my Lord either that thou hast shed blood causelesse or that my Lord hath avenged himselfe This shal be no griefe at all unto thine heart saies she and other words that she used by which she prevailed here with David But Abigail was a stranger to David and Abigail she prayes and intercedes for Nabal a wicked vile foolish man Shall Abigail a woman a stranger prevail thus with David for a Nabal and shall not the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of the Father not a stranger nor a stranger to his bosome but beloved from everlasting shall not be prevaile much more when he comes and pleads the cause of the Elect and of the Children of God in the presence of God the Father whom the Father loves also Great is the Rhetorick of a Child if a Child do but cry Father especially if the child be a wise child he may prevail much with a tender hearted father The Lord Jesus Christ he is the Son of the Father and he is the Wisdom of the Father too and God the Father is a tender hearted father Oh! surely therefore Powerful are the Intercessions of Jesus Christ with God the Father Secondly The prevalency of Christs Intercessions with the Father will appear if we consider The inclination and disposition that God the Father hath unto the same things that Christ prayeth and intercedeth for If a child should come and intreat his father in a matter that the father hath no mind to or that the father is set against possibly he might not prevail But if a beloved child shall come and pray the father in a business that the father likes as well as the child surely then the child is very like to speed Thus it is The Lord Jesus Christ comes and he intercedes for us and the Father hath as great an inclination and disposition unto the work that Christ intercedes for as Christ himself hath And therefore saies Christ Loe I come to do thy will I come not to do mine own will but the will of him that sent me That which Christ did that he had a mind to it was rather the will of the Father than Christs will the Father is as strongly inclined and disposed to what Christ did and wils as Christ himself Those that thou hast given me saies he I have lost none they are thine own Lord and therefore I pray for them We have a notable expression to this end in the 10. Chapter of John and the 17. verse Therefore doth my father love me because I lay down my life that I may take it again I lay down my life Here 's his suffering and his satisfaction That I may take it again Go up to Heaven and take it again and intercede Therefore doth my father love me Oh! what a round of love is here God the father out of love sends Christ into the world to die for man God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son Wel Jesus Christ out of love to us he dies for us Who hath loved us and given himself for us The Father loves the world in giving Christ The Son loves the world in dying for us and the Father he loves Christ again for loving us Christ loves us and the Father loves Christ again for loving of us a mighty high expression That the Father should love Christ for loving us So then look wherein the love of Christ is seen unto poor sinners the Fathers inclination and disposition is untot hat as much as Christs So that when he comes unto God the Father
as a great Type of and in relation to Jesus Christ our great High-Priest in the 7. Chapter of this book of the Hebrews and the 6. verse saith That he blessed Abrabam But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham and Blessed him that had the Promises So then this Blessing of the people being the work of both the High-Priests and both Aaron and Melchisedec being great types of Jesus Christ our High-Priest Surely it must needs be one of the great works of our High-Priest for to blesse the people For the opening and cleering up of this Truth I shall endeavour to discover First What the Blessing of Christ our High-Priest is wherein consists and what Christ doth when he doth Bless the people Secondly That it belongs unto Jesus Christ especially for to Bless the people Thirdly That our Lord and Saviour Christ our great High-Priest is exceeding willing for to Bless poor sinners and that this Blessing of the people is a work whereunto he is much inclined and wherein he is much delighted Fourthly That he doth this and doth it fully Fifthly according to our method How all this doth conduce unto our Comfort and unto our Holiness First If ye aske me What the Blessing of Christ Quest 1 and of the Gospel is and wherein it consists I answer First in the General That the Blessing of the Gospel Answ and of Christ consisteth in Spiritual things especially and not in Temporal And therefore saith the Apostle in that 1. of the Ephesians and the 3. verse Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all Spiritual blessings in Heavenly places in Christ The Curse and Judgments of God that do befal men now under the Gospel are not in outward afflictions and bodily troubles so much as in Spiritual miseries Blindness of mind and Hardness of heart And so also on the contrary the blessing of the Gospel doth not consist much in Outward things as in Spiritual Who hath blessed us with Spiritual blessings Indeed if we look into the old Testament we shall find That when Moses did bless the people he blest them much in Temporal blessings in the 28. of Deuteronomy and the 2. verse All these things shall come upon thee and overtake thee if thou shalt hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God What blessings are those Blessed shalt thou be in the city and blessed shalt thou be in the field blessed shall be the fruit of thy body and the fruit of thy ground and the fruit of thy cattel the increase of thy kine and the flocks of thy sheep blessed shall be thy basket and thy store Thus he goes on in outward blessings But now if we look into the Gospel and consider the blessings of Jesus Christ and lay them together with Moses we shall find them to be Spiritual blessings In the 5. of Matthew and the 3. verse c. Blessed are the poor in spirit for their's is the Kingdom of Heaven Blessed are those that mourn for they sall be comforted Indeed the promise of the earth comes is at the 5. vers but he returns again to Spiritual blessings Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after rightousness for they shall be filled Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Here are Spiritual blessings this is the stream of the Gospel it runs this way When the Lord blesseth a man he gives him that which is sutable to him In the times of the Gospel men are more Spiritual than they were in the times of the Law therefore Gospel-blessings they are Spiritual blessings Every thing gives and communicates to another according to what it hath it self The Sun communicates light unto the world because it hath light it self And man communicates the nature of man unto his child because he hath the nature of man himself So our Lord Christ when he Blesses he communicates according unto what he hath himself and his blessings especially consisting in spiritual things so he doth blesse Indeed as in the times of the Old Testament there were Spiritual blessings that were mixt with Temporal by vertue of the Covenant that was made with Abraham So now Outward blessings are thrown in as an overplus but yet notwithstanding though they be not spiritual in their nature they are spiritual in their end and so it is true to say That the blessing of the Gospel and of Christ is a spiritual blessing But more particularly if yet ask me wherein this consisteth I shall name but Two things First This Blessing of the Gospel or of Christ it consists in a supernatural and spiritual injoyment of God in Christ the love and favour of God in Christ When the Priests blest in the time of the old Testament in that 6. of Numbers they said The Lord cause his face for to shine upon you The Lord make his face for to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee the Lord blesse thee and keepe thee Verse 24 25 26. Which the Spostle Paul expounding in the 2 Cor. the 13. Chapter and the 14. verse renders it thus The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the holy Ghost be with you all Amen The Lord blesse thee the Lord cause his face to shine upon you the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you Three times the Lord the Lord the Lord noting the Trinity which the Apostle here explains by the Father the Son and the holy Spirit Blessed are the pure in heart Mat. 5.8 for they shall see God Seeing of God is a blessing out of the mouth of Christ a Gospel-blessign And what is it for a man to see God In the phrase of the old Testament the Hebrew to See it is ordinarily used for to Injoy In the 4. Psalme Who will shew us any good The word in the Hebrew is Who will make us to See any good that is t Injoy good So then to see God it is to injoy him When Jacob injoyed God he saw him and the place it was called Peniel for he had seen the Lord and there the Lord blest him There 's no seeing of God but in Christ And therefore I say that herein confists the blessing of the Gospel in a supernatural and spiritual in joyment of God in Christ the favour and love of God in Christ Again It consists also in the Inhabitation of the holy Ghost in our hearts the giving out of the holy Ghost unto the hearts of men And therefore it is added in that place of the Corinthians And the Communion of the holy Ghost be with you all Amen That must needs be the great blessing of the Gospel and so of Christ that is the thing promised in the Gospel What is that If we look into the 1. Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles and the 4. verse It is said
there of the Disciples That they should wait for the promise of the Father Christ commaded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem but wait for the promise of the Father What is that We know what it was and is that which befel afterward it was the giving out of the holy Ghost the holy Ghost fell upon them this is called THE promise of the Father That as in the times of the Old Testament the promise was the giving of the Son and coming of the Second Person So after Christ came the great promise was the coming of the Third Person and the giving of the holy Ghost When I am gone saith Christ I 'le send ye another Comforter He that beleeveth out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water This he spake concerning the Spirit which was not yet given in those extraordinary emanations of gists and graces because he was not yet glorisied So then the great Blessing that was to be given unto the children of men the great Gospel-blessing was the giving out of the holy Ghost this is a Gospel-blessing indeed Well Ques But what doth Christ do when he doth Bless It 's observable Answ 1 that when any Superiour did Blesse a father did blesse his child or the like he did observe what was the choice mercy and good in those times and he did wish that unto his child or unto his inferiour And so in Isaac and Jacobs time the choice good it was The dew of Heaven and when they did blesse their children they wish't unto them the dew of Heaven So now when our Iord Jesus our great High-Priest doth blesse any man observing that the choice mercy of the Gospel is the injoyment of God in Christ the favour and love of God and the giving out of the holy Ghost into a mans heart he doth wis all this good unto him and he saies unto God the Father Lord let this poor soul have thy favour Oh! cause thy face to shine upon this poor soul and give out the holy Ghost unto it that it may walk after the spirit In the Second place It 's observable That when the Priests did Blesse the people they did not barely wish good unto them but they did Authoratatively pronounce them blessed Numb 6.27 They shall put my name upon them saith the Lord when they bless So when the Lord Christ our great High-Priest doth Blesse a man he does not barely wish him good The Lord cause his face for to shine upon that soul in a way of wishing but the Lord Christ being a High-Priest when he blesseth he doth authoratatively pronounce such a soul to be Blessed Thirdly When the Priest Blessed he did not only pronounce the people Blessed but in the Blessing of the Priest there was a kind of Binding-power it had the power force and efficacy of an Absolution And therefore as Christ saies unto his Disciples Go and whosoever sins ye remit they shall be remitted I 'le stand by you in it So saith the Lord in that same place the 6. of Numbers On this wise shall ye bless the children of Israel saying unto them The Lord blesse thee and keep thee and at the 27. verse They shall put my Name upon the children of Israel and I will blessethem I 'le stand by them in this So when the Lord Jesus Christ our great High-Priest doth Blesse he doth not only pronounce a man to be Blessed but he doth Absolve him from all his sins saith he by authority that is given to me from my father the Keyes that are put into my hand I do Bind this blessing upon this poor soul Further The Priest when he blessed indeed he could wish well and he could pronounce a man blessed and he might Absolve but he could go no further he could not confer the Blessing he could not bestow the Blessing But our Lord Christ being an High-Priest beyond all the High-Priests that ever were before him in this respect too where he doth Blesse he bestoweth the Blessing being God and man he bestoweth the Blessing In the Fifth place This our great High-Priest being God and Man look how God Blesseth so doth he Blesse In the Scripture ye shall find That when God the Father Blessed he said unto those things that he blest Increase and Multiply still when he blest Increase and Multiply So the Lord Jesus Christ our High-Preist when he comes to blesse he doth not barely wish good unto a poor soul or pronounce him blessed or beslow a good thing upon him but saith he O soul Multiply in this good the Lord increase thy Graces and thy Gifts and thy Comforts poor soul Increase and Multiply herein This the Lord Christ our great High-Priest doth Thus it 's cleer what the Blssing of the Gospel is wherein it consists and what our High-Priest doth when he doth blesse the people But Secondly Quest 2 Does this Blessing properly or specially belong unto Jesus Christ Yes Answ For he was made a curse for sin he and none else made a curse for sin and therefore it belongs unto him above all the world for to blesse For look what evil Jesus Christ endured the contrary good he merited for the children of men a power to bestow that good Now he above all was cursed hung upon the Crosse and died a cursed death he was made a curse therefore it belongs unto him above all for to give the blessing for to blesse poor sinners Primum in quolibet genere c. The first in every kind is the cause of the rest The Sun is the cause of all the light we have here below and 't is the first light body And the Lord Jesus Christ he is the first blessing Therefore hath they God blest thee for ever There are Three that we reade of in Scripture especially that did blesse The Father the King and the Priest The Father did blesse his Children the King blest his Subjects and the Priest blest the People Now the Lord Jesus Christ He is our Father The Everlasting Father He is our King I will set my King upon my holy hill And he is our great High-Priest and therefore all these relations meeting in him it belongs unto him above all for to blesse the people But is the Lord Jesus Christ Willing for to Blesse poor sinners Quest 3 and inclin'd unto it Yes Answ He is very Willing this blessing of the people it is a work whereunto he is much inclin'd and wherein he is most delighted Ye shall observe therefore what abundance of blessings Christ scattered among the people when he was here upon the earth Ye don't reade that ever he cursed any man formally cursed him Once indeed he pronounced a Curse but it fell upon a barren fig-tree not upon a man But take your Bibles and turne over from leaf to leaf and see how frequent he was in blessing and consider whether you do reade in al the Bible of any Preacher or Prophet
blessing to them Is it not a Comfortable thing for a man to have all his Cursers to be Blessers It 's a Comfortable thing for all a mans Curses to become Blessings But now I say it 's a Comfortable thing for al a mans Cursers to be Blesters to him Whē the Lord Christ Blesses he will make mens Cursers whether they wil or no in the day of their visitation at least for to Bless Ye know that Balaam would have Cursed Israel but the Lord had blest them Balaam got upō a high mountain and from thence he would have Cursed Israel but it would not be Then he gets upon another high Mountain from thence he would have Cursed Israel but it would not be Then he gets upon another high Mountain thinking that would have done it and from thence he would have Cursed Israel but that would not do it Oh! saies he The Lord hath seene no iniquity in Israel and therefore he Blesses them the Curse is turned into a Blessing So there are many that deale thus by the people of God in these daies They get upon such a high Mountain such a great and high means and they think to Curse the people of God from thence but it won't be Then they get upon another Mountain another means thinking from thence to Curse the people of God but it will not be Then they get upon another high Mountain or hill and think then to Curse the people of God and do them mischief but it will not do it Why for the Lord Christ sees no iniquity the Lord Christ hath blest them and so at last in the day of wicked mens visitation they are forced to say These are the people of God and these are Blessed and shall be blessed We know what is said in the Scripture The blessing of the Lord maketh rich and he addeth no sorrow therewithal Is it not a good thing then to be blest by Christ If a man be blessed by Jesus Christ he may blesse himself in the Lord and he may comfort himself in every Condition and he may say thus Well though I be a Poor man yet I am blest by Christ And though my Estate be sunk and decaied yet I am blest by Christ And though I be reproached and hated by men yet I am blessed by Jesus Christ a man may comfort himself in every condition But you will say Object Indeed if a man be assured that Christ hath blest him he may do thus but I am afraid that Christ hath not blest me or that he is not willing to bless me if I could be assured that this great High-Priest had once laid his hand his blessinghand upon me I should have comfort in all conditions Give me leave to lay Two or Three things before you concerning this Answ First When the Lord blest Abraham he said unto him In thee and thy seed shall all Nations be Blest It 's a sign unto Abraham that he was blest because others were blessed by him So now when a mans Parts Gifts Graces and Comforts are blessings to others it is an argument that that man is blest himself Further When a man is blessed by God or Christ he is drawn nearer to God by all outward things by all things Come ye Blessed Go ye Cursed Blessing hath an attractive Nature Come ye Blessed when the Lord Christ does bless a man he does draw him Come ye Blessed When a man is brought nearer to God by Affliction he is blessed when a man is brought nearer to God by his Estate by any Comfort by any Sorrow here is blessing Come ye Blessed Blessing draws one nearer to God with a cord of love Thirdly Where the Lord does Bless he does cause a man to Increase and Multiply in that thing wherein he is Blest Increasing and Multiplying is so natural unto Blessing that in the Original tongues of the old and new Testament Plenty is put for Blessing I will give you but one clear place for it in the new Testament the 2 Cor. 9. Chapter 5. verse Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren that they would go before unto ye and make up before hand your Bounty The word is your Blessing Whereof you had notice before that the same might be ready as a matter of Bounty The word is as a matter of Blessing But especially in the next verse But this I say he which soweth sparingly shal reap sparingly and he which soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully And he which soweth with Blessing as it is in the Original shall reap with Blessing And here 't is opposed to Sparingly and translated Bountifully Where the Lord does blesse he does alwaies cause a man to Increase and Multiply Now beloved in the Lord I appeal unto all your souls you that make this Objection that are afraid the Lord Christ hath not blest you as your High-Priest hath not laid his hand upon you and blest you yet don 't ye know more of Christ than ye have known before hath not the hidden truths of the Gospel been increased and multiplied upon your hearts hath not your hearts been brought neerer to God by Affliction hath not your souls been drawn neerer to God by his outward dealings with you And as Abraham was therefore blest because he was made a blessing to others So I appeal to ye have not your Parts Gifts and Graces in some measure been blessings unto others even unto your poor Family and unto others also Then be of good Comfort man or woman where ever thou stand'st the Lord Christ hath blest thee and thou shalt be blessed hold up thy head poor blessed soul the Lord Jesus hath blest thee when the Lord did lay this blessing upon thee I cannot till thee but I find thee a blessed man stay thy self upon the Lord cheer up thy drooping heart thou art a blessed soul But you will say Quest How does this make unto our Holiness I confess this is a very Comfortable Cordial That the Lord Jesus Christ is in office to bless poor sinners but how does this conduce unto our Holinesse Very much Answ This holds forth great incouragement unto all poor sinners for to come to Christ and to come without delay Why Once come to Christ and blessed but without Christ and Cursed an enemy to Jesus Christ and a Cursed man Cursed in thy store-house Cursed in thy basket and Cursed in all things that thou puttest thine hand unto Oh! then will you not come to Christ that you may be Blessed That day that a poor soul comes unto Christ whatever he hath been he is blessed that day may be called Gilgal for then the Curse is rouled away from him Blessed is the man whose iniquity is forgiven and whose sin is pardoned The first day the first minute that he comes to Christ his sin is pardoned and he is blessed Who would not then come unto Christ presently that he may be blest for ever When as Esan had
Chapter of the Hebrews the 24. verse Christ is not entred into the holy place made with hands but into Heaven now to appear in the presence of God for us He does not in an ordinary way and manner appear for us in Heaven but with an Emphasis he does openly and publickly before all the Saints and Angels appear for us in the presence of God the Father It is a comfort unto a man sometimes to have a good friend at Court at the Kings elbow that may own him and appear for him but though a man have a friend at Court sometimes if there be any danger he will not appear and own a man it may be he will own him and countenance his Cause as long as there is no danger but no longer But now here we have a friend in Heaven that will appear for us and own our Causes and our souls and in all conditions appear for us That is the First Secondly Answ 2 He doth not only appear for us but by vertue of his Priestly Office he does carry the power merit and vertue of his blood into the presence of God the Father in Heaven and sprinkles the Mercy-Seat with it seven times Seven is a note of Perfection Those that Christ suffered for he does Intercede for He takes all their bonds and he carries them in unto God the Father and he saies Father I have paid these bonds I have paid this debt I have satisfied thy Justice for these poor sinners and now my desire is that they may be acquitted from these bonds and from these debts This also is remarkable in that 9. Chapter of the Hebrews 11 12. verses Thirdly Answ 3 He doth not only carry the power and vertue of his blood and present it to God the Father for our discharge but he does also plead our Cause in Heaven answering unto all those accusations that are brought against us And therefore we may reade what the Apostle saies in the 8. of the Rom. 33. ver Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect it is God that justifies who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died yea rather that he is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Upon this ground the Apostle speaks thus Who shall condemn them Jesus Christ is at the right hand of God the Father to take off all accusations that shall be brought against them Let the World condemn let Moses condemn let Satan condemn Jesus Christ is at the right hand of God the Father to take off all accusations that shall be raised against them Concerning this there is a clear and full instance in that notable Scripture the 3. Chapter of Zachariah and the 1. verse We find Satan standing at the right hand of Joshua to resist him He shewed me Joshua the High-Priest standing before the Angel of the Lord and Satan standing at his right band to resist him It was the custome of the Accuser to stand at the right hand of the accused Psalme 109. ver 6. Set thou a wicked man over him and let Satan stand at his right hand take the wall of him in his accusation condemning of him Now here Satan-standing at Joshua's right hand notes his accusing of him Well what was the matter that he accused him of Ye shall find that there was matter verse the 3. Now Joshua was cloathed with filthy garments and stood before the Angel Satan came and accused him that he had filthy garments and so he had for the Priests had defiled themselves in Babylon in marrying of strange wives as Joshua and his children are charged in the 10. Chapter of Ezra and the 18. verse Give me leave a little to open this charge of Satan that we may see Satan had matter of Charge and accusation against Joshua And among the sons of the Priests there were found that had taken strange wives namely of the sons of Joshua He was High-Priest So that now Joshua had defiled his garments thre was then matter of accusation for Satan to work upon But now our Lord Jesus Christ our great High-Priest steps in and takes off this accusation The Lord said at the 3. of Zachariah 2. verse unto Satan The Lord rebuke thee O Satan even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee The word used by the Septuagint is the same that is used for Excommunication And it is here twice repeated The Lord rebuke thee even the Lord rebuke thee not only to show the fulnesse of Satans rebuke but to show the fulnesse of the intercession of Jesus Christ Now would we see the fulnesse of Christs apology for Joshua Saies the Lord unto Satan The Lord rebuke thee even the Lord rebuke thee And saies he at the latter end of the 2. verse Is not this a brand pluck't out of the fire Thus it is true Lord that Joshua hath filthy garments but yet notwithstanding Joshua is but as a brand pluck't newly out of the burning Take a brand and pull it newly out of the fire and there will be dust ashes and dirt about it Lord saies he Joshua is but newly puld out of the burning and therefore Lord he must needs have some ashes and some dirt and some filth about him O Lord saies Christ although that Joshua be clothed with filthy garments I will take away those filthy garments verse the 4. He answered and spake unto those that stood before him saying Take away the filthy garments from him and unto him he said Behold I have caused thine iniquity to passe from thee and I will clothe thee with change of raiment This can be none but Christ Thus Christ takes off the accusation that was brought against Joshua by Satan for his filthy garments And so does the Lord Christ now If a poor soul fall into any sin defile his garments Satan he comes in and takes the right hand of him stands at the right hand and accuses by reason of this filthy garment but our Lord Jesus Christ our great High-Priest he being at the right hand of the Father takes up the cause and answers to the accusation True Lord this poor soul indeed hath filthy garments but he is but as a fire-brand pluck't newly out of the burning He was in his natural and sinful condition the other day in his burning and he is but newly changed and therefore he must needs have some dirt and some filth upon him as a fire-brand pluck't out of the burning and therefore consider him in that respect and though he have filthy garments now upon him yet I will give him change of raiments and take away his filthy garments Thus the Lord Christ steps in to God the Father and answers to all those accusations that are brought against him to God the Father This is the Third thing that he does by way of his Intercession Again Answ 4 He doth not only plead our Cause and take off accusations that are
you consider what a mighty ingagement is here to stand to and appear for the Lord Christ and to own his Cause in these backsliding times because he is now in Heaven appearing for you and making intercession for you Thirdly The more I confider or apprehend That the Lord Jesus Christ does lay out himself for me the more am I ingaged to lay out my selfe for him The Scripture saies He ever liveth to make intercession for you He laies out his whole Eternity for you Me thinks we have here before us the greatest argument in the world for to make us to walke closely with God in Christ For shall the Lord Jesus Christ spend of his Eternity for me and shall not I spend of my whole time for him He Ever liveth he Ever liveth to make intercession Before the world was made his delight was in the habitable parts of the earth among the children of men He laid out himself in delighting upon you before the world was made Well in due time he comes down into the world and here while he was upon the earth he laid out himself fully for you Then he Dies and goes up to Heaven and saies he I go to prepare a place for you He was at work for you before the world began Then he comes down upon the earth and here he spends all his time for you And now that he is gone to Heaven the text saith He ever liveth to make intercession for you he spends off all his eternity for you Oh! does not the Lord Jesus grutch me Eternity to spend off his Eternity for my soul and shall I grutch the Lord Jesus Christ a little time to spend a little time for him Surely people don't think what Christ is doing in Heaven for them you that are Saints especially if you did you could not be padling in the world so much Shall the Lord Jesus Christ be appearing in Heaven for me and shall I be digging in the world Shall he be making mention of my name unto God the Father and interceding for me and shall I be sinning against him shall I be contending with his children shall I now be joyning with his Enemies shall I be opposing his waies Oh! if people would but think what the Lord Jesus Christ is doing in heaven for them they could not rebel so in the world against him as they do Wherefore that you may be kept from your sins kept frō the world think of these things The Apostle saies These things have I written unto ye that ye sin not and if any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous And so say I to you I have been here delivering to you this Doctrine concerning the Priestly Office of Jesus Christ and these things have I preach't unto you that you sin not And therefore that you may be kept from sin and your hearts made more Holy think of the Priestly Office of Jesus Christ he is gone into Heaven to make intercession for you And thus have I discovered the Second Particular of the Priestly Office of Jesus Christ A Third follows SERMON III. HEBREWES 2.17 18. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren that be might be a merciful and faithful High-Priest Preached at Stepney May. 9. 1647. in things pertaining to godliness to make reconciliation for the sins of the people For in that He himselfe hath suffered being tempted he is able to succour them that are tempted WE have found already That the work of the High-Priest was and is To Satisfie and to Intercede for the sins of the people Now if we inquire further we shall find also That the work of the High-Priest was and now is To offer up the gifts of the people unto God To present our Prayers Praises Duties Services and all spiritual Performances unto God the Father and to procure acceptance of him This was done thus In the times of Moses in the Tabernacle there were two Parts or Courts as we reade in the 9. Chapter of the Hebrews In the one which was called The Holy of Holiest there was the Arke the Mercy-Seat the Cherubims of glory and the golden Censer In the other there was the Brasen-Altar upon which they offered sacrifices there was the table of Shewbread the golden Candlestick and the golden Altar upon which incense was This is expresly laid down in the 2 3 and 4. verses of that 9. of Hebrews For there was a tabernacle made the first wherein was the candlestick and the table and the shew-bread which is called the sanctuary And after the Second vail the tabernacle which is called the holiest of all which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold wherein was the golden pot that had manna and Aarons rod that budded and the tables of the covenant And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the Mercy-Seat And as every day morning and evening there was a lamb offered a sacrifice for the sins of the people upon the Brasen-Alter So every day morning and evening there was incense also upon the golden-Altar which was performed while the people were without at prayer mingling that incense with their prayers As it is in the 1. Chap. of Luke the 8 9 and 10. verses It came to passe that while he that is Zacharias executed the Priests Office before God in the order of his course according to the cusiome of the Priests office his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord and the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense So that the incense was at a time when they were sweetly mingling their prayers and the incense together But now although that there was a sacrifice every day yet once in the yeer th◠High-Priest came and he took the blood of the Sacrifice and carried it into the Holy of Holiest and sprinkled the Mercy-Seat therewith And although there was incense too from the Golden Altar every day yet once in the yeer the High-Priest came and he took the golden Censer and putting incense into it from off the golden Altar went into the Holy of Holiest and caused a cloud of perfume to arise upon the Mercy-Seat All which was a great Type of Jesus Christ our High-Priest who though he offered up himself a sacrifice once for sin without yet when he died and ascended he carried the vertue of that his blood into the Holy of Holiest into Heaven and sprinkled the Mercy-Seat therewith Although he began to make Intercession while he lived as we reade in the 17. of John yet when he ascended up into Heaven the Holy of Holiest then he did take his golden Censer and carried his Intercession into Heaven causing a cloud of sweet perfumes to arise upon the Mercy-Seat which stil he does whilst we are praying here without he mingling all our Duties with his Intercessions and
ye aske me Wherein the love and care of Christ is expressed unto his people under their temptations I answer Answ 1 First In the ordering of their temptations For there is no temptation befalls any of His but he measures out the temptation according to their abilities As a wise Phifitian does not give the same Physick unto every person but considers every ones ability that which he gives to one is too strong for another he considers first the ability of his patient and prescribes accordingly Now though our Saviour Christ don't direct Satan for to tempt yet he does order him in tempting and Satan cannot put the least dram into any temptation but as it is measured out by the hand of Christ And this is that which the Apostle speaks plainly in the 1. Cor. 10. Chapter and the 13. verse But God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able c. that ye may be able to bear it Psal 139 The Psalmist David saies Search me O Lord and prove me That is saies Gregory First O Lord look upon my strength and then if I must be tempted suffer me to be tempted according to mine ability Christ does measure out all the temptations of his people according to their abilities Secondly As he does measure out their temptations according to their abilities So he does also mortifie their temptations and weaken them as they come through his hand Mortifie them before they do come at his Disciples and people before they do come at you And upon this account partly it is said That we are more than conquerers through Christ that giveth victory Because our enemy is overcome before he strikes and his blow is broken as he strikes And therefore saies the Apostle concerning our Saviour That he hath spoil'd principalities and powers and made a shew of them openly upon the crosse All your temptations the power and strength of them were spoil'd upon the crosse There 's no temptation befals any of Gods people but it is mortified and weakned before it does come it them the sting teeth and the poison being taken out Thirdly He does not only thus mortifie and weaken a temptation before it does come at us But he does cause Satan so to lay his temptations as that he may be discerned and so overcome Satan tempted Adam and Eve but he tempted in a serpent and so Adam might easily have discerned the hand of Satan in it for Adam knew all the creatures he gave them their Names he knew their Natures and he knew well enough the serpent could not speak to him he might easily have known that the hand of Satan was in the business And so now though God does suffer Satan to tempt his people yet he does cause Satan so to lay his temptations as that the black feet of the tempter may be discovered and when a temptation is discovered 't is half overcome Fourthly He doth not only thus But the Lord Jesus Christ hath the Timeing of all our temptationps Time is a great matter in the point of temptation Should a temptation come at such or such a time possibly Gods child might be overwhelmed I praise the Lord saies one I did resist such a temptation but had it fallen out at such a time I should never have been able to have stood under it Satan observes his tempting times he knowes that great advantage may be made unto him by his time And therefore when Christ was an hungry he tempted him to turn stones into bread observed his time And as Satan does observe his time to tempt So our Lord and Saviour Christ does set him his time the time of his temptations are in the hand of Christ And therefore if ye look into the 20. chapter of the Revelation the 1. 2. and 3. verses ye shall find to this purpose thus I saw an Angel come down from Heaven having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand And he laid hold on the dragon the old serpent which is the Devil and Satan and bound him a thousand years and cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a seal upon him that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years should be fulfilled and after that he must be loosed a little season Mark The Lord Jesus Christ hath not only the tempter in a chain that he can go no further than he gives him leave to go but his hand also is in the hand of Christ and Christ hath an eye to the Time of his temptation a special eye upon the time of our temptation and this argues much of his care and love Fiftly He hath not only the Timeing of our temptations But he does also Sanctifie our temptations and does make them blessed means of our Sanctification And therefore saies Paul I received the messenger Satan for to buffet me that I might not be exalted Twice he hath that That he might not be exalted out of measure But for this I need go no further than the instance of Peter before Peter was tempted what abundance of carnal confidence was there in Peter Lord saies he though all men for sake thee yet will not I. But now I pray look upon him after his temptation and you shall see how this carnall confidence was laid down for our Saviour saies unto him Peter lovest thou me more than these Lord saies he thou knowest I love thee but not a word of the comparative More than these he had left comparing now having been under temptation and having fallen his carnal confidence was gone and he don't say now Lord though all men forsake thee yet will not I the comparison is left out now he answers to the other part but not a word to that So that I say If the Lord Jesus Christ do measure out all our temptation for us And mortifie them before they come at us And does cause Satan to lay them as we may most easily discover them And if the Lord Christ does Time our temptations for us And sanctifie them unto us Then certainly there is much of Oh rists love and mercy at work for his people under their temptations Secondly If you ask me yet further Quest 2 Wherein is the love of Christ exprest or drawn out unto his people under their temptations I answer It is seen and exprest in this In teaching of them Answ in and by their temptations Tempting times are teaching times unto Gods people the school of temptation is a great school Luther said that the temptations of Satan were the imbracings of Christ meaning that then Christ did imbrace his people most and discover most of his love unto them Three things he said there were that made a Preacher Meditation Prayer and Temptation And indeed when or where does God or Christ reveal himselfe more fully unto his people than in the times of their temptations 'T is said that at
whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy See who are to say so Let the Redeemed of the Lord say so whom he hath Redeemed from the hand of the enemy Beloved ye know that not long since we were in Captivity I mean a Spriitual Captivity we sate down by the waters side and said How shall we do to sing a Christian song The Lord hath Redeemed us he hath Redeemed us out of the hand of our Enemies And if the Lord hath not Redeem'd you out of the hand of your Enemy don't say so but if he have Let the Redeemed of the Lord say so Pesides Is it not worth our Thankfulness that we have had so many daies of Thanksgiving together A day of Fasting and Prayer is a sweet day a Thanksgiving-day sweeter if I may make compate For in a day of Fasting and Prayer we deal with the anger and wrath and displeasure of God In a day of Thanksgiving with the love of God and the mercy of God In a day of Fasting and Prayer we exercise Grief But in a day of Thanksgiving we exercise Joy and love In a day of Fasting and Prayer your eye is upon your sins In a day of Thanksgiving upon your graces to be Thankful for them As the fish swims upon the top of the water when the Sun shines which in a storm lay at the bottom and wood and sticks tumbled up and down and those were seen So in a day of Thanksgiving there ye see and take notice of your own graces to be thankful for them In a day of Fasting and Prayer sometimes ye are so humbled for sin committed as the sence of your Justification is quite shattered But in the day of Thanksgiving your assurance for heaven is sealed they are sweet daies And beloved you have had many of them of late and surely this is worth our Praise But give me leave a little to Enumerate for Enumeration is one kind of Argument Hath not the Lord from heaven owned his own Cause in the hands of his servants our brethren in the field Hath not the Lord heard your Prayers Hath not the Lord opened many Mines of precious Truths that ye never knew before Hath not the Lord delivered you from the hand of a savadge Enemy Those that lay among the pots brought forth with doves-wings Victory after Victory one treading upon the heel of another overtaking another Does he not daily load you with his benefits I cannot say as David in the 9. Psalm and the 1. verse I will praise thee O Lord with my whole heart I will shew forth all thy marveilous works The former part I will praise thee O Lord with my whole heart you will say But the latter part I will shew forth all thy marveilous works Who can say they are beyond us And now Beloved if it be our duty to Praise God to be Thankful to him in every condition when we are low shall we not be thankful to him now that the Lord hath raised us and fill'd us thus You will say Object There 's one thing that hinders us in the work of Praise and Thanksgiving in these times A Reformation is now begun and things do not succeed according to our desires in the matter of Reformation should we can we be Thankful now Yes If the Lord give me a Child Answ should not I be Thankfull for it because it is not borne a man When the Jews built the Temple did not they shout and praise God that the Foundation was laid When the Israelites had overcome their enemies in Samuels time though the Enemies were round about them they set up a stone and called it Eben-ezer 1 Sam. 7.12 Hitherto the Lord hath helped us Beloved in our Thanksgiving we are to be like unto Jesus Christ He did not only praise God when he had the mercy but before he had it in the entrance upon it When he raises up Lazarus from the dead John 11.41 42. Father saies he I Thank thee that thou hearest me alwaies and then he commands Lazarus to come out But first he gives Thanks to God In the Scripture the holy-Ghost hath commmanded us Prov. 3.9 To honour the Lord with our substance and with the first fruits of all our increase Either ye have the first-fruits of Reformation or not If not what mean all those precious Ears and fruits which ye have been gathering in these latter times And if ye have the first fruits though ye have not reap't the harvest yet then honour the Lord with your substance and with your first-fruits So shall your barnes be fill'd with plenty and your presses with the new wine of the Gospel God does give one mercy as a seal unto another a First as a seal to the Second the Second as a seal to the Third the lesser as a pledge of the greater God does give a lesser mercy to try us whether we will be Thankful that he may give a greater Beloved these are trying times God tries us whether we will be Thankful for what we have A Reformation is now on foot what though things don't succeed according to your desire shall we not be Thankful for what we have because we want something of what we would have when then shall we be Thankful I but Quest 't is not only want of Reformation but many Errours that are risen up among us in these times and should we be Thankful now in this condition Yes Answ Shall I not be Thankful for some grace because it is mingled with much Corruption Shall I not be Thankful for my field of Corn because divers weeds are mingled therewith Shall I cast away the kernel because it is compast about with a shell Luther in the beginning of the Reformation met with many Errours and he comforted himself with this When the Corn is grown the weeds will die alone Meaning this When Reformation is come to greater strength Errours would die alone 'T is said of our Lord and Saviour Christ Isa 53.12 He was numbered among transgressors Should not I love Christ or own Christ or be Thankful for Christ because he was numbered among transgressors The Errours of the time you say are the transgressors of the time Shall I not love the Truth and own the Truth and be thankful for the Truth because it is numbered among the transgressors the transgressors of the time Blessed is that man that can see a beauty in Truth when it hath a scratch't face And indeed every Truth hath a beauty the Lord hath given you out many Truths in these times that ye were ignorant of before Beloved I do not say that ye should be thankful for any Errour we ought to be grieved for any Errour But shall we be so mindful against Errour crying out against Errour Errour as not to be thankful for any Truth we have If the whole world were spread with Errour that one Truth living Jesus Christ died for sinners there were