these have known that thou hast sent me Christ gives a good report of the Saints in Heaven the Father and the Son are speaking of him as I may say behind back and surely a good report in heaven is of high esteem Christ tells over Ephraim's prayers behind his back I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus Jer. 31.18 20 Thou hast chastised me and I was chastised as a Bullock unacustomed to the yoke turn thou me and I shall be turned thou art the Lord my God and thereupon God resolves Is Ephraim my dear Son Is he a pleasant Child for since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still therefore my bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. Happy souls of whom Christ is telling good Tidings in heaven for he is the Angel of the Covenant 3. He is the witness of the covenant he saw and heard all Isa 55.4 Rev. 1.5 Rev. 3.14 Luke 19.10 Behold I have given him for a witness to the people And he is called the faithful witness The Amen The faithful and true witness The covenant saith The Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost Amen saith Christ I can witness that to be true the covenant saith Christ dyed and rose again for sinners Amen saith Christ I was dead and behold I live for evermore Amen Rev. 1.18 There 's not any thing said in the covenant but Christ is a witness to it and therefore we read in the very end of the Bible this Subscription as I may call it in relation to Christ He which testifieth these things saith surely I come quickly Amen Rev. 22.20 4. Christ is the Surety of the covenant Heb. 7.20 22. In as much as not without an oath he was made a Priest by so much was Jesus made a surety of a better Testament The covenant of works had a promise but because it was to be broken and done away it had no oath of God as this hath O doubting soul thou sayest thy salvation is not sure think on this Scripture thou hast the oath of God for it it is a sworn article of the covenant Believe in the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be Saved and to this end is Christ a Surety 1. Surety for God he undertakes that God shall fulfil his part of the covenant Fear not little flock Luke 12.32 for it is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the Kingdom And all that the Father giveth me John 6.37 shall come to me and him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out 2. Surety for us and to this purpose he hath paid a ransome for us and giveth a new heart to us and he is ingaged to lose none of us Those that thou gavest me I have kept and none of them is lost John 17.12 Heb. 12.24 5. Christ is the Mediator of the covenant the Apostle calls him Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant He hath something of God as being true God and something of man as sharing with us of the nature of man hence he is Mediator by office Job 9.33 and layeth his hands on both parties as a dayes-man doth and in this respect he is a friend a reconciler and a servant 1. A friend to both parties he hath Gods heart for man to be gracious and he hath mans heart for God to satisfie justice 2. A reconciler of both parties he brings down God to a treaty of peace and he brings up man by a ransome paid so that he may say unto both Father come down to my brethren my kindred and flesh and thou my Sister and Spouse come up to my Father and my Father to my God and thy God 3. He is a servant to both parties Behold my servant saith God Isa 24.1 Isa 53.11 Mat. 20.28 my righteous servant Yea and our servant He came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransome for many 6. Christ is the Testator of the covenant He dyed to this very end that he might confirm the covenant Where a Testament is Heb. 9.16 17. there must also of necessity be the death of the Testator for a Testament is of force after men are dead otherwise it is of no strength at all whiles the Testator liveth Christ then must dye and Christs blood must be shed to seal the covenant of grace it is not every blood but Christs blood that must seal the everlasting covenant Heb. 13.20 And his blood being shed he is then rightly called the Testator of the covenant O what fewel is here to set our desires on flame come soul and bend thy desires towards Christ as the Sun-flower towards the Sun the Iron to the Loadstone and the Loadstone to the Pole-star yea the nearer thou drawest towards Christ the more and more do thou desire after Christ true desires never determine or expire Bern. delect evang serm He that thirsts let him thirst more saith Bernard and he that desires let him desire yet more abundantly Is there not cause O what excellencies hast thou found in Christ Poor soul thou hast undone thy self by sin there 's but a step betwixt thee and damnation but to save thy soul Christ comes leaping on the Mountains and skipping on the Hills he enters into a covenant with God he is the covenant the Messenger of the covenant the Witness of the covenant the Surety of the covenant the Mediator of the covenant the Testator of the covenant the great business the all in all in a covenant of grace If David could say Psal 119.20 My soul breaks for the longings that it hath to thy judgements at all times how mayst thou say My soul breaks for the longings that it hath to thy mercies and my Jesus at all times Oh I gaspe for grace as the thirsty land for drops of rain I thirst I faint I languish I long for an hearty draught of the Fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem Oh that I could see Jesus flying through the midst of heaven with the Covenant in his hand Oh I long for that Angel of the Covenant I long to see such another vision as John did when he said And I saw another Angel flie in the midst of Heaven having the everlasting Gospel to Preach unto them that dwell upon the Earth What Is that Covenant in the hand of Christ and is my name written in that roll Say Lord Is my name written on the Heart of Christ Oh! if I had the glory and possession of all the world if I had ten thousand worlds and ten thousand lives I would lay them all down to have this poor trembling soul of mine assured of this Oh my thirst is insatiable my bowels are hot within me my desire after Jesus in reference to the Covenant is greedy as the grave the coals thereof are coals of
there 's no room for faith in this case these are the hinderances 2. The helps of faith in this sad condition are these 1. A consideration that God is pleased to pass by and to overlook the unworthiness of his poor creatures this we see plain in the very act of his incarnation himself disdains not to be as his poor creatures to wear their own flesh to take upon him humane nature and in all things to become like unto man sin only excepted 2. A consideration that God satisfies Justice by setting up Christ who is Justice it self now was it that mercy and truth met together and righteousness and peace kissed each other now was it that free grace and merit that fulness and nothingness were made one now was it that all things became nothing and nothing all things our nature which lay in rags was enriched with the unsearchable treasures of glory now was it that God was made flesh and so that flesh which was so weak as not able to save its own life was now enabled to save millions of souls and to bring forth the greatest designs of God now was it that truth ran to mercy and embraced her and righteousness to peace and kissed her in Christ they meet yea in him was the infinite exactness of God's Justice satisfied 3. A consideration that God hath set up Christ as a Mediator that he was incarnate in order to reconciliation and salvation of souls but for the accomplishment of this design Christ had never been incarnate the very end of his uniting flesh unto him was in order to the reconciliation of us poor souls alas we had sinned and by sin deserved everlasting damnation but to save us and to satisfie himself God takes our nature and joyns it to his Son and calls that Christ a Saviour This is the Gospel-notion of Christ for what is Christ but God himself in our nature transacting our peace In this Christ is that fulness and righteousness and love and bowels to receive the first acts of our faith and to have immediate union and communion with us indeed we pitch not our faith first or immediately on God himself yet at last we come to him and our faith lives in God as one saith sweetly before it is aware through the sweet intervention of that person which is God himself only called by another name the Lord Jesus Christ and these are the helps of faith in reference to our unworthiness Gods justice and the want of a Mediator betwixt God and us 3. The manner how to act our faith on Christ incarnate is this 1. Faith must directly go to Christ we find indeed in the Bible some particular promises of this and that grace and in proper speaking the way to live by faith it is to live upon the promises in the want of the thing or to apprehend the thing it self contained in the promise but the promises are not given to the elect immediately without Christ no no first Christ and then all other things Encline your ears and come unto me 1. Come unto Christ and then I will make an everlasting Covenant which contains all the promises even the sure Mercies of David As in marriage the woman first consents to have the man and then all the benefits that necessarily follow so the soul by faith first pitcheth upon Christ himself and then on the priviledges that flow from Christ Say Soul dost thou want any temporal Blessing suppose it be the payment of Debts thy dayly Bread Health c. Why look now through the Scripture for promises of these things and let thy faith act thus If God hath given me Christ the greatest blessing then certainly he will give me all these things so far as they may be for my good in the twenty thirst Psalm we find a bundle of promises but he begins thus The Lord is my Shepherd saith David and what then Therefore I shall not want the believing Patriarchs through faith subdued Kingdoms wrought righteousness obtained promises stoped the mouths of Lyons did wonders in the world but what did they chiefly look to in this their Faith Surely to the promise to come and to that better thing Christ himself and therefore the Apostle concludes having such a cloud of witnesses that thus lived and died by faith let us look unto Jesus the Author and finisher of our Faith 2. Faith must directly go to Christ as God in our flesh some think it a carnal apprehension of Jesus Christ to know him as in flesh I confess to know him only so and absolutely so to consider Jesus no other way but as having flesh and going up and down in weakness it is no better than a carnal apprehension but to consider Christ as God in flesh and to consider that flesh as acted by God and filled with God it is not a carnal but a true and spiritual apprehension of Jesus Christ and hither is faith to be directed immediately and in the first place suppose a case of danger by some enemies and I find a promise of protection from my enemies I look on that but in the first place thus I argue if the Lord hath given me Christ God in the flesh to save me from Hell then much more will he save me from these fleshly enemies Thus Juda had a promise that Syria should not prevail against Judah they doubted of this Isa 7.14 but how doth the Lord seek to assure them why thus a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and his name shall be Immanuel this seems a strong reason to flesh and blood I knew one turn Infidel and to deny Jesus Christ upon this very argument Ah thought he what a grand imposture is this that Christ's conception and Christ's birth many years after should be a present sign of ruin of Rezin King of Aram and of the preservation of Ahaz King of Judah alas poor soul he was not acquainted with this art of living by faith he might have seen the very same reason elsewhere the yoke of their burthen Isa 9.4 6. and the stuff of their shoulder and the rod of their oppressor shall be broken for unto us a child is born and unto us a Son is given if their faith had not first respected Christ incarnate they could never have expected any temporal deliverance by that promise of deliverance first laid down But in this way they might and so may we You will say what 's this to us they looked for Christ to come in the flesh but now he is come and that time and design is gone and past many a year since I answer no the time is gone but the design is not Christ remains God in the flesh to this very day he came not as once to manifest himself in flesh to satisfie Gods justice in the flesh for sin and so to lay it down again that flesh remains and shall remain nor is it without use for all the spirit and life which the
of this World or of that World to come Here is an Object of Faith and Love and Joy and Delight here is a Compendium of all Glories here is one for a heart to be taken with to all Eternity O lay thy mouth to this Fountain suck and be satisfied with the brests of his Consolation Isa 66.11 Milk out and be delighted with the brightness of his Glory 2. From the sutableness of this Object Christ Incarnate is most sutable for our Faith to act upon We are indeed to believe on God but God essentially is the utmost Object of Faith we cannot come to God but in and through Christ alas God is offended and therefore we cannot find ground immediately to go to God hence you heard that Faith must directly go to Christ as God in our Flesh O the infinite condescentions of God in Christ God takes up our Nature and joins it to himself as one person and layes out that before our Faith so that here is God and God suited to the particular state and condition of the sinner Oh now with what boldness may our souls draw nigh to God Why art thou strange poor soul Why standest thou afar off as if it were death to draw nigh Of whom art thou affraid Is God come down amongst men and canst thou not see him lest thou die and perish Oh look once more and be not discouraged See God is not come down in fire God is not descended in the Armour of Justice and everlasting burnings No no he is cloathed with the Garments of Flesh he sweetly desires to converse with thee after thine own form he is come down to beseech thee to see with thine own eyes thy eternal happiness q. d. Come poor Soul come put in thy hands and feel my heart how it beats in love towards thee O the wonder of Heaven it is the cry of some poor souls Oh that I might see God! loe here God is come down in the likeness of man he walks in our own shape amongst us it is the cry oft others O that I might have my heart united to God! Why he is come down on this very purpose and hath united our nature unto himself Surely God hath left all the World without excuse Oh that ever there should be an heart of unbelief after these sensible demonstrations of Divine Glory and Love Why soul wilt thou now stand off Tell me what wouldst thou have God do more Can he manifest himself in a more taking alluring sutable way to thy condition Is there any thing below flesh wherein the great God can humble himself for thy good Come think of another and a better way or else for ever believe Methinks it is sad to see Believers shy in their approaches to God or doubtful of their acceptance with God when God himself stoops first and is so in love with our acquaintance that he will be of the some nature that we are O let not such a Rock of strength be slighted but every day entertain sweet and precious thoughts of Christ being incarnate enure thy heart to a way of believing on this Jesus as he carries on the great Work of thy Slavation at his first Coming or Incarnation 3. From the Gospel-tenders and offers of this blessed Object to our Souls As Christ is come in our natue to satisfie so he comes in the Gospel freely and fully to offer thee terms of Love therein are set out the most rich and alluring expressions that possibly can be therein is set out that this Incarnation of Christ was Gods own acting out of his own Love and Grace and Glory therein is set out the Birth and Life and Death of Christ and this he could not do but he must be Incarnate God takes our Flesh and he useth that as an Organ or Instrument whereby to Act he was Flesh to suffer as he was Spirit to satisfie for our sins Methinks I might challenge Unbelief and bid it come forth let it appear if it dare before this Consideration What is not God Incarnate enough to satisfie thy Conscience Come nigh poor Soul hear the Voice of Christ inviting Mat. 11.28 Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden with Sin and O let these rich and glorious openings of the heart of Christ overcome thy heart Suppose the case thus what if God should have done no more than this Had he only looked down from Heaven and hearing sinners cry out O wo wo unto us for ever we have broke Gods Law incurr'd the penalty damned our own souls O who should deliver us Who will save us from the Wrath to Come Who will keep us out of Hell our deserved Dungeon where the fury of the great Judge burns in a fiery Brimstone and his revenge boyls in a fiery Torrent limitless and unquenchable In this case if God hearing sinners thus crying out had he I say only looked down and told them in sweet Language Poor souls I will pardon your Sins by my own Prerogative I made the Law and I will dispense with it fear not I have the Keyes of Life and Death and upon my word you shall not perish What soul would not have been raised up even from the bottom of Hell at this very voice I know a poor soul would have scrupled at this and have said What then should become of infinite Justice shall that be dishonoured to save my Soul This would have been a scruple indeed especially considering that great controversie as we have heard of Mercy and Truth and Righteousness and Peace but to remove all controversies God hath not only spoken from Heaven by himself but he himself is come down from Heaven to Earth to speak unto us O see this Miracle of Mercy God is come down in Flesh he is come as a price he himself will pay himself according to all the demands of his Justice and Righteousness before our eyes and all this done now he offers and tenders himself unto thy soul Oh my soul why shouldest thou fear to cast thy self upon thy God I know thy Objection of vileness notwithstanding all thy vileness God himself offers himself to lead thee by the hand and to remove all doubts God himself hath put a price sufficient in the hands of Justice to stop her Mouth or if yet thou fearest to come to God why come then to thy own Flesh go to Christ as having thy own nature it is he that calls thee How Go to Flesh Go to thy own Nature What can be said more to draw on thy trembling heart If God himself and God so fitted and qualified as I may say will not allure must not men die and perish in unbelief What O my soul give me leave to chide thee Is God come down so low to thee and dost thou now stand questioning whether thou shouldst go or come to him What is this but to say all that God is or does or sayes is too little to perswade me
with man I know no reason why we should exclude civil peace out of Christ's wish many many a promise and precept we have in the Word scattered here and there to this purpose Lev. 26.6 Job 5.23.24 And I will give peace in the land and ye shall lye down and none shall make you afraid and thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field and thou shalt know that thy Tabernacle shall be in peace Ier. 29.7 Heb. 12.14 and seek the peace of the City and pray unto the Lord for it for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace And follow peace and holiness without which no man shall see God Orbem pecatum was ever a clause in the prayers of the primitive Church Rom. 12.13 that the world might be quiet I am sure it is Christ's command if it be possible as much as lyeth in you live peaceably with all men 3. It speaks there peace among themselves peace one with another such is or should be the condition of the Church Jerusalem is builded as a City that is compact together Psal 122.3 or unity within it self the Apostle dwells in this unity there is one body Eph. 4.4 5 6. and one Spirit and one hope and one Lord and one faith and one baptism and one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all The Church is a Court whose very pillars are peace the building of Christianity knows no other material to work upon if we look upon the Church it self there is one body if upon the very soul of it there is one Spirit if upon the endowment of it there is one hope if upon the head of it there is one Lord if upon the life of it there is one faith if upon the door of it there is one Baptism if upon the Father so it there is one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all Mark 9.50 It was sometimes Christ's commands unto his Apostles have salt in your selves and have peace one with another and as a blessed effect of this salutation for I look upon them as words full of vertue the Apostles and Churches of Christ in primitive times kept a most sweet harmony the multitude of them that believed were of one heart Acts. 4.32 and of one soul 4. It speaks peace within peace of conscience the Apostles had exceedingly fallen from Christ one betrayed him and another denyed him but all run away and left him alone in the midst of all his enemies and yet to them he speaks this salutation peace be unto you I know not a better ground for comfort of poor humbled sinners than this is it may be you have dealt very unkindly with Jesus Christ you have forsook him denyed him forsworn him O but consider all this hindred not Christ's apparition to his Apostles he comes unexpected and quiets their spirits he stayes not till they had sued to him for mercy or pardon but of his meer love and free grace he speaks kindly to them all he stills the waves and becalmes their troubled Spirits working in them according to his words peace be unto you O the sweet of peace it is all wishes in one this little word is a breviary of all that is good what can they more than to have peace with God and peace with men and peace within Luke 2.14 sure there is much in it because Christâ— is so much upon it at his birth the Angels sung Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace at his baptism the form of a dove lighted upon him and what meant this but peace in his life the sort of integrity was his court and what was here but peace near his death he gives peace as a legacy to his Church Iohn 14.27 peace I leave with you my peace I give you at his resurrection his first salutation to his Apostles is a wish of peace peace be unto you what can I say more to make us in love with peace Ioh. 17.2021 why all Christ did and all Christ suffered was for peace Luke 19.42 he prayed for it neither pray I for these alone but for them also which shall believe on me that they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in us And he wept for it if thou hadst known even thou at least in this thy day the things which do belong unto thy peace And he dyed to 〈…〉 but ye who sometimes were afar off are made nigh by the blood of Christ for he is our peace Eph. 2 13 14. Of this we need no other proof or sign but that of the Prophet Jonah when the sea wrought and was tempestuous what shall we do unto thee said the Mariners that the sea may be calm unto us and he said take me up and cast me into the sea so shall the sea be calm Jona 1.11 12. when that great enmity was betwixt God and us what shall I do said God that my justice may be satisfied and my wrath appeased and that there may be a calm why take me said Christ and cast me forth into the sea let all thy waves and thy billows go over me make me a peace offâ—ring and kill me that when I am dead there may be a calm and when I am risen I may proclame it saying peace be unto you You hear what he said 3. What he shewed this is the next passage he shewed unto them his hands and his side I look upon this as a true and real manifestation of his resurrection And we find that without this Thomas professed he would never have believed except I shall see in his hands the print of the nayls and put my finger into the print of the nayls John 20.25 and thrust my hand into his side I will not believe But a question or two is here raised as whether these wounds and prints of the nayls spear can possibly agree with a glorified body and why Christ retained those wounds and prints for the first whether those prints could agree with a glorified boâ—y some affirm it with much boldness and they say that Christ not only retained those prints whilest he abode upon earth but now that he is ascended into heaven he still retains them for my part I dare not go so far because Scripture is silent but the day is a coming when we shall see Christ face to face and then we shall know the truth of this only I conceive that Christ's body yet remaining on earth was not entred into that fulness of glory as it is now in heaven and therefore he might then retain some skars or blemishes to manifest the truth of his resurrection unto his Disciples which are not agreeable to his state in heaven But this I deliver not as matter of Faith reasons are produced both
2 Cor. 6.16 Cant. 7.5 but as a Temple for himself to dwell in as a Gallery for himself to walk in Oh what longings Oh what pantings and gaspings Oh what faintings and swoonings should there be in thy spirit after this Spirit Come holy spirit O come and dwell in my soul I know thou wilt make the place of thy feet glorious if I have but thy presence I shall be all glorious within O come come holy Spirit SECT IV. Of hoping on Jesus in that respect 4. LEt us hope in Jesus carrying on the great work of our salvation for us in these particulars thus was the Apostles Prayer Rom. 15.13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and Peace in believing that ye may abound in hope through the power of the holy Ghost could we abound in hope that Christ's Ascension Session and Mission of his Spirit did belong to us we should never be ashamed Hope maketh not ashamed Rom. 5.5 O then let us look to our hope and be sure that it be of the right stamp which in reference to every of these passages we may examine thus As 1. If Christ's Ascension be mine then am I ascended with Christ I mean not in respect of any bodily Ascension for that must not be untill the last day nor in respect of any essential substantial soul-ascension for that must not be before the separation of soul and body at our deaths-day but in respect of our spiritual ascension for so we may ascend into heaven by faith and love though for the present we are on earth Col. 3.1 2. if ye be risen with Christ seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God set your affections on things above and not on things on the earth If Christ our Head be ascended then we that are his Members must needs follow after him in our affections Christ tells us Where our treasure is there will our hearts be also Mat. 6.21 If Christ our Treasure be ascended into heaven our loves our affections our hearts will follow after him and if our hearts be in heaven no question but we our selves both souls and bodies shall at last ascend when Christ ascended we ascended virtually with him now we ascend spiritually and at last we shall ascend bodily for he that ascended shall descend and then we shall meet him in the ayr and so shall we be ever with the Lord. 1 Thes 4.17 In the mean time to maintain our hope let us ascend dayly by faith and love and this is our character that Christ's Ascension is truly ours 2. If Christ's Session be mine then am I set down with Christ in heavenly places I mean not bodily but by faith which faith makes it as sure to my soul as if I had a foot already in heaven Faith is the substance of things hoped for Heb. 11.1 and the evidence of things not seen By faith I now sit in heavenly places in that I verily believe I shall do it one day my hope is now certain in that I am as sure of that I look for as I am of that I have already received it is the common objection We see it not As the Apostle said of Christ We see not yet all things put under him but he presently answers We see Jesus who was made a little lower than the Angels crowned with glory and honour Heb. 2.8 9. and so we may be sure the thing is as good as done for if he be above all must come under in like manner we see not our selves in present possession but we see Christ crowned and our selves sitting with him virtually and therefore at last we shall see our selves actually crowned and sitting together with Christ in heavenly places In the mean time faith takes possession of the Kingdom of Heaven saith makes the soul even now to converse with God 1 Tim. 6.19 and Christ and Saints and Angels Faith layes hold upon eternal life it puts the soul as it were into heaven and sets it down at the right hand of Christ and this is our character that Christ's Session is truly ours 3. if Christs spirit be mine and sent to me then have I both the person and train of the spirit of Christ it is the having the spirit and the working of the spirit in me that is my evidence of the Spirits mission I look upon this as the greatest Question and the weightiest and most important case of conscience that can be propounded or known of us viz. Whether the spirit of Christ doth reside in us or whether we have a well-grounded hope to say of our selves that we have the in-dwelling of the spirit of God Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God saith the Apostle and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you 1 Cor. 3.16 1 Cor. 6.19 And again Know ye not that your bodies are the Temples of the holy Ghost In this Question he seems to put it out of Question that true Christians should know and in right temper do know that the spirit of God dwells in them if we know not this we cannot know that we have any part in Christ because the holy spirit is the principal bond of our union betwixt Christ and us if we know not this we cannot know that we are justified for we have nothing to do with Christ's Righteousness by which we are justified untill by our spiritual union Christ is made ours if we know not this we cannot know we are the adopted Children of God for it is the spirit of adoption Rom. 8.15 whereby we cry in our hearts Abba Father if we know not this we cannot know that we are sanctified for it is the spirit which is the beginner and perfecter of our sanctification if we know not this we cannot know that our prayers are heard for it is the spirit that helps our infirmities Rom. 8.26 and that makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered if we know not this we cannot know whether we are in error or truth or whether our religion which we profess be true or false for it is the spirit who enlightens us and teacheth us and leadeth us into all truth if we know not this we cannot know our own comforts for he is the only true Comforter from whom all sound comfort springs Come then and put we our selves to the trial Let us search whether we have the spirit of Christ which we may resolve if we will not deal deceitfully with our own hearts by these following signs 1. The Spirit of Christ is the spirit of illumination if he dwell in us he will enlighten our eyes reveal to us those saving truths of God as they are in Jesus But the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost John 14.6 1 Joh 2.20 v. 27. whom the Father will send in my name he shall teach you all things But ye have an unction from
suffered upon earth it had been ineffectual unto us had he not entred into heaven Heb. 9.24 to appear there in the presence of God for us Surely this Intercession is that which puts life into the death of Christ this Intercession is that which strikes the last stroak during this World in the carrying on of our souls Salvation Goodwin Christ set forth Rom. 8.34 and makes all sure It is a witty observation that one makes of these several steps of Christs actings for us as first there was an all-sufficiency in his death who shall condemn it is Christ that dyed 2. A rather in his Resurrection yea rather that is risen again 3. A much rather in his life and session at God's right hand for if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of Christ much rather being reconciled we shall be saved by his life Rom. 5.10 4. The Apostle riseth yet higher to a saving to the utmost and puts that upon his intercession wherefore he is able to save us to the utmost Heb. 7.25 seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for us If in the former were any thing wanting this intercession of Christ supplies all it is the Coronis which makes all effectual it saves to the uttermost for it self is the uttermost and highest step on earth Christ begins the execution of his office in heaven he ends it in his life and death Christ was the meritorious cause but by his intercession Christ is the applying cause of our souls salvation In this very Intercession of Christ is the consummation and perfection of the Priest-hood of Christ O then how requisite and necessary must this needs be 4. It is gracious and full of bowels Christ his intercession and indeed Christ's Priestly office is erected and set up on purpose for the relief of poor distressed sinners There is no mixture of terror in this blessed office of Jesus Christ and this doth distinguish it from his other offices Christ by his Kingly office rules over the Churches and over the World but all obtain not mercy whom he thus rules over Christ by his prophetical office comes to his own but many of his own received him not but now wherever the Priestly office of Jesus Christ is let forth upon a Soul that soul shall certainly be saved for ever O this Priestly office of Christ is an office of meer love and tender compassion Heb. 4.15 Christ saith the Apostle is such an high-Priest as cannot be but touched with the feeling of our infirmities Oh he is a merciful Heb. 2.17 and a faithful high Priest in things partaining to God to make reconciliation for the sins of the People He is mercifull and exceeding compassionate in all our afflictions he is afflicted Isa 63.9 and in his love and in his pity he Redeemed us and in his love and pity he intercedes for us SECT VIII Wherein the Intercession of Christ consists 8. WHerein more especially doth the Intercessions of Jesus Christ consist some suppose that Christs very being in heaven and putting God in mind of his active and passive obedience by his very presence is all that intercession that the Scripture speaks of But I rather answer is these particulars As 1. Christs intercession consists in the presenting of his Person for us he himself went up to heaven and presented himself the Apostle calls this an appearing for us Christ is not entered into the holy place made with hands but into heavâ—n now to appear in the presence of God for us Heb. 9.24 I believe there is an Emphasis in the Word appearing for us But how appears he for us I answer 1. In a publick manner whatsoever he did in this kind he did it openly and publickly he appears for us in the presence of God the Father he appears for us in the presence of his Saints and Angels heavens eyes are all upon him in his appearing for us 2. He appears for us as a Mediator he stands in the middle betwixt God and us hence it is that he is God-man that he might be a Mediator betwixt God and man 3. He appears for us as a Sponsor and a pledge surely it is a comfort for a man to have a friend at Court at the Princes elbow that may own him and appear for him but if this friend be both a Mediator and Surety a Mediator to request for him and a Surety to engage for him Phil. 9.10 ver 18 19. Oh what comfort is this thus Christ appeared in every respect he is a Mediator to request for us and he is a Surety to engage for us as Paul was for Onesimus a mediator I beseech thee for my Son Onesimus and a Sponsor if he hath wronged thee or owe thee ought put that on my account I will repay it So is Jesus Christ for his Saints he is the Mediator of a better Covenant Heb. 8.6 Heb. 8.6 and he is a Surety of a better Testament Heb. 7.22 Heb. 7. â—2 4. He appears as a Solicitor to present and promote the desires and requests of his Saints in such a way as that they may find acceptance with his Father He is not idle now he is in Heaven but as on earth he ever went about doing good so now in glory he is ever about his work of doing good he spends all his time in Heaven in promoteing the good of his people as from the beginning it was his care so to the Worlds end it will be his care to solicite his Father in the behalf of his poor Saints he tells God thus and thus it is with his poor Members they are in want in trouble in distress in affliction in reproach and then he presents their sighs sobs prayers tears and groans and that in such a way as that they may become acceptable to his Father 5. He appears as an Advocate if any man sin 1 John 2. â— we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous An Advocate is more than a Solicitor an Advocate is one that is of Counsel with an other and that pleadeth his Case in open Court and such an advocate is Jesus Christ unto his people 1. He is of Councel with them that is one of the Titles given him by the Prophet Isaiah Wonderful Councellour Isa 96. He councells them by his Word and Spirit 2. He pleads for them and this he doth in the high Court of Heaven at the Bar of God's own Justice there he pleads their case and answereth all the accusations that are brought in by Satan or their own Consciences but of this anon 6. He appears as a publick agent or Ledger-Embassadour what that is some tell us in these particulars 1. His work is to continue peace and surely this is Christ's work he is our peace saith the Apostle that is the author of our peace Eph. 2.14 he purchased our peace and he maintains our peace with