Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n
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A67185
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A sermon preached at Bowden in Cheshire, April 6th, 1691 at the funeral of the right honourable Mary, Countess of Warrington by Richard Wroe.
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Wroe, Richard, 1641-1717.
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1691
(1691)
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Wing W3729; ESTC R12196
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15,529
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32
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Priesthood the Consummation of which Consists in his intercession at the Throne of Grace Now that we may better apprehend the manner and Efficacy of his intercession I shall briefly point at the Method and Order as well as the Power and Prevalency of it Necessary then it was that Christ having made an Oblation on earth to Appease offended Justice should have something also to present before the face of his Father in Heaven For otherwise by the Apostles Arguing he had not been a Compleat Priest Heb. 8. 4. if he were on Earth he should not be a Priest i. e if he had staid still on Earth after the Sacrifice of himself he had not been a perfect Priest he had left his work imperfect he had not fullfill'd the part of an Intercessor which was to be the last Act Consummation of his Priest-hood For in this he was to answer to his Type the High Priest who without entring into the Holy of Holys was not a perfect High Priest for to offer there was the proper and peculiar Act of the High Priesthood And so it was our Saviours Office to enter into Heaven and there become our Advocate as before he made himself a Propitiation for us as the Apostle concludes the Argument Heb. 8. 1. We have such an High Priest who is set on the right hand of the Throne of the Majesty in the Heavens viz. to present this his Sacrifice before the Mercy-Seat which is the peculiar Office and Consummation of his Glorious Priesthood This is what the Apostle calls his appearing in the presence of God for us Heb. 9. 24. Namely when we are Summoned before the Tribunal of Justice there to answer the Charge laid against us then he appears as our Advocate and Presents to his Father the Merits of that Oblation which he made of himself as a full satisfaction to his Justice which tho' offered but once yet does remain for ever before the Mercy-Seat and is continually offered up by him who continues a Priest for ever And all this he does as a publick Person presenting himself in our Nature and in his own as a Mediator between God and man as a Pledge and Surety for us And he presents his own Merits as a publick satisfaction to the Justice of God for the debt of Sin as a publick price for the Redemption of Mankind All which being offered to the Father by the Son of his Love in whom he is well pleased and who appointed him to this Office cannot fail of making a powerfull intercession on our behalf for all that his Meritorious sufferings for us did deserve either for the Expiation of Sin or the purchase of Salvation Now this is necessary to be observ'd to manifest the falsity of that distinction Coyn'd in the Church of Rome between Mediators of Redemption and Intercession whereby to maintain the Invocation of Saints and Angels who may therefore say they be pray'd unto because they intercede to God for us But suppose they do pray for us which yet we are not absolutely certain of the Scripture having no where told us so and the great Service of Glorifyed Saints consisting rather in Anthems of Praise than in Requests and Prayers but allowing that they do pray for us as an Effect of their Charity which we know remains there and is no doubt in an high measure extended to the Members of the Church Militant yet that may be done with Relation to the State of the Church in general whose welfare they wish and pray for as an Expression of their Charity not as an Act of their Office to Supplicate for particular persons For where are they Authorized to such an Office Or can we imagine them to run before they be sent as some in the Church Militant do or take to themselves that Honour without being called of God without a special Designation to such an high Employment No sure 't is part of their Glory and the great Matter of their Joy to behold their Saviour fulfilling that last Act of his Priestood in Heaven who onely can intercede because he alone has Merits to present whereby to supplicate before his Father For he that is an Advocate must be a Propitiation too and we know we have such an Advocate with the Father but we know no other and he that can intercede must be able also to save to the uttermost but who dare give that Glory to Angels or Saints which belongs solely to Christ through whom alone we have boldness and access with Confidence by the Faith of him Eph. 3. 12. If Faith in him be the Ground of our Confidence shall we apply our selves to any other in whom we have not believed Where the Apostle seems as if he designed to obviate that common Plea of theirs that being so unworthy of our selves we are to make our Addresses by the Courtiers of Heaven who are more in favour with God More than we indeed but not more than his Son whom the Father has commissioned to present our Services to him and will accept none but such as make their Applications by him for so the Text says He is able to save to the uttermost those that come to God by him Which leads to the next thing in the Words Secondly The Qualification of those that receive the Benefits of his Intercession they must be such as come to God by him i. e. believe in him and rely on him as coming to God is frequently explain'd in Scripture Our Apostle says Heb. 11. 6. He that cometh to God must believe that he is And he that cometh to God for Salvation must bring Christ with him relying by Faith in his Merits and supplicating in the efficacy of his powerful Intercession So when Christ invites all that are weary and heavy laden to come to him St. Mat. 11. 28. he calls for our Faith in him which then becomes truly saving when it brings the Soul to God by him No coming to God but by Faith for without Faith it is impossible to please him no Faith is acceptable to the Father but in and through his Son in whom alone he is well pleased They are Strangers to the Covenant of Grace that look for Pardon of Sin by any other means than through the Blood of Christ They know not what Salvation is that hope to obtain it by any other Name than his that purchased it since there is no other Name given under Heaven whereby we may be Saved Acts 4. 12. The Name given him by the Angel at his Conception carryed its import with it St. Mat. 1. 21. Thou shalt call his Name Jesus for he shall save his People from their Sins It is a Name at which all things bow both in Heaven and Earth It speaks Reconcilation on Earth and Intercession in Heaven and miserable are their hopes that are founded on any other tho' they be the Friends of God tho' the Favourites of the Court of Heaven yet if no Man can
apply our selves to him for it and by Faith lay hold on the Merits of his Death and the Prevalency of his Intercession First The All-sufficiency of Christ in the Work of Man's Salvation is the great Thing here asserted He is able to save to the uttermost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Phrase is Emphatical and may denote either ad perfectum as some render it the Compleatness of the Salvation wrought by him or in perpetuum as others the Permanency and Perpetuity of it or else the Perfection of his Influence in working out so mighty Salvation for us 1. The Salvation he wrought for us is every way complete and perfect He saves from the lowest degree of Sin and Misery to the highest Pitch of Glory and Happiness He delivers us from all Evil and sets us beyond the reach of it He delivers us from the hands of our Enemies and he exalts us in Triumph over them He leaves no thing unaccomplished that can be reckoned any tendency to or part of our Salvation Whatever good Work he has begun he will perform and finish it Phil. 1. 6. He will stablish us in the Faith and at last make Faith perfect and consummate being the Author and Finisher of it Heb. 12. 2. He makes Men ready to every good word and work and preserves their whole spirit soul and body blameless to his coming 1 Thes 5. 23. And then he will improve Grace into Glory and summate the Happiness already commenc'd in endless Fruition Which is another Notion of the Phrase and denotes II. The Permanence and Perpetuity of his Salvation The Purchase he made for us is of an Inheritance Eternal in the Heavens incorruptible and undefiled that fadeth not away His Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom that has no Bounds and knows no End He saveth to the uttermost that is for ever than which nothing can be more or rather beyond which nothing is Other Saviours and Deliverers hath God raised up for his People but for a Time onely but he made his Son an everlasting Saviour He sent him to purchase Eternal Redemption for us Heb. 9. 12. III. His saving to the uttermost may denote the power of his Influence the perfection of all his Vndertakins in the work of our Salvation Whatever was to be done he alone was able to do it whatever he undertook to do he perfected and finished it Was there a Price to be paid He laid down his own Life a most valuable Purchase a precious Ransome Were there Enemies to be subdued which required Power and Authority to effect it Behold him sat down on the Right Hand of the Majesty on high invested with all Power both in Heaven and Earth Do we need daily Pardon and Favour from God Behold him continually interceding for us with the most efficacious Oratory of his Blood and Merits presenting that before his Father and by Vertue of that Meritorious Oblation reconciling him to us Thus he saves all manner of ways by all manner of means Nothing is wanting to our Salvation nothing can be done to make it more complete and perfect And all this the Apostle here confirms by a double Reason 1. From the Uncommunicableness of his Priesthood in the Verse foregoing this Man hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sacerdotium nunquam transiturum that cannot pass away that does not descend from Father to Son intransibile such as passeth not from him to any other which is as much as to say such as has no Successor in his Mediatorial Office he being the only yet withal eternal Mediator and therefore is able to save to the uttermost 2. From his continual Intercession which is the last Act of his Priesthood he ever liveth to make Intercession for us There are Two Parts or Offices of Christ's Priesthood the one of offering up himself a Sacrifice on the Cross the other his appearing before God in Heaven and there presenting the Merits of that Blood and Sacrifice which is his interceding for us We read Rev. 8. 3. Another Angel came and stood at the Altar having a Golden Censer and there was given unto him much Incense that he should offer it with the Prayers of all Saints upon the Golden Altar The Angel is Christ the Incense his own Prayers in Heaven which he continually puts up when the Saints pray on Earth and so perfumes all their Prayers and procures all Blessings for them and so St. John names both these together 1 Joh. 2. 2. Calling him at once our Advocate and the Propitiation for our Sins which make up the Two Parts of his Office the one the great Act of his Priesthood on Earth when he offered up his own Blood on the Cross with strong Crying and Tears Heb. 5. 7. The other is his continual Employment in Heaven where having brought that Blood into the Holy of Holies he there incessantly offers it up that is presents it before his Father as a perfect Atonement and full Propitiation for the Sins of Men and by Vertue of that Oblation prays or intercedes for them Now great is the Force of the Apostles Reason to prove his Ability to save to the uttermost seeing he ever liveth to make Intercession For he dyed to merit our Salvation but he ever liveth actually to confer it upon those that come to God by him If he had not lived again by his Resurrection whereby he was declared to be the Son of God with power Rom. 1. 4. or if he had revived but for some time onely and not for ever we had not been raised from our Sins nor Death perfectly subdued But since we can affirm with St. Paul Rom. 6. 9. That he being raised from the dead dyeth no more death hath no more Dominion over him since he liveth for ever we may strongly argue with the same Apostle Rom. 5. 10. If when we were Enemies we were reconciled to God by the Death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his Life If he being risen was able to exalt himself to a Life glorious and immortal we have proof sufficient of his Ability to save to the uttermost Yet the strength of the Argument lyes not in his being risen to Life but in his living for ever to this end that he may intercede for us For others besides him shall live for ever Angels are immortal and the Saints shall survive to Eternal Ages yet both of them are so far from being able to save to the uttermost that they could neither Purchase Salvation for themselves nor others The Highest Angel in Heaven could not Redeem so much as one of their own Laps'd Tribe nor all the Celestial Hierarchy the whole Angelick Order save any of the fallen Angels The greatest Saint in Glory could not so much as Redeem his own Soul or give to God a Ransom for it But 't is his Sole Prerogative whose proper Office it is to intercede and who therefore lives for ever that he may execute an Eternal