away, all diffidence, doubting, wavering, fluctuating hopes; a foul thus grounded, may with Paul caft the gantlet, and bid defiance to all the world, Who fhall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? Who is he that condemneth? It is Chrift that died, yea, rather that is rifen again, who is even at the right hand of God, and who also maketh intercef fion for us, Rom. viii. 34.

and to

4. If I am called, juftified and fanctified, then is Chrift's interceffion mine: are not these the fubjectmatter of Christ's interceffion? I pray (faith Chrift) that thou should keep them from the evil, John xvii. 15.-I pray that thou wouldst fanctify them through thy truth; neither pray I for thefe alone, but for them alfo which shall believe on me through their word, or preaching; Father, I will, that thofe whom thou haft given me, be with me in glory, ver. 17, 20, 24. He first prays that we may be called and juftified, and then he prays that we may be fanctified and faved: he holds at both ends of this golden chain of our falvation; the one end is hanged at his breaft, where the names of all his faints are written, and the other end is at his heart that he may be the author and finisher, the first and laft, the beginning and ending of our fouls falvation: alas! there is nothing in us, in our reach here below; the firft ftirrings of grace is up in heaven, at the right hand of the Father; and the far end of any gracious thought is as far above us, as the heart of Chrift is above the earth: come then, fith all hangs on this great pin of Christ's interceffion; let us fearch and try, are we called? Do we believe on the Son? Are we fanctified in fome meafure? Are we kept from the evil, that fin may not have dominion over us? Hath Chrift put up thefe prayers in our behalf, that now we feel (as it were) and experience the truth of Chrift's prevailings with his Father in our hearts and lives? O fure figns that Chrift's interceffion is ours! Away,

L

SECT. V.

Of believing in Jefus in that respect. Et us believe in Jefus, as carrying on this great work of our falvation in his interceffion; wounded fpirits are full of fcruples, and thus they cry, My Gins will never be forgiven; have not I finned against God, and Christ, and the Spirit of Chrift? Had I not my hands imbrued in the blood of his Son? And have not I trod'den under foot the blood of God? And will that blood that I have shed, and trode on, intercede for my pardon? Had I but gone fo far as the Jews did, who indeed killed and crucified Chrift, I might have had fome hopes, because they knew not what they did, and therefore Chrift prayed, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. But alas! I finned, and I knew well enough what, and wherein I have finned, Had they known, (faith the apostle) they would not have crucified the Lord of glory, 1 Cor. ii. 8. But alas! I knew it, and I was fully convinced that the commiflion of every fin is a crucifying of Chrift; and yet against knowlege, and judgment, and light, and 'checks of my own confcience, I have crucified the Lord of glory; and is not the apostle exprefs? It is impoffible for those who were once enlightned, and have tafted of the heavenly gift, if they fall away to renew them again unto repentance, feeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to open flame, Heb. vi. 4, 6. Oh! 1 fear my name is not in the 'roll of thofe for whom Chrift intercedes, I have 'crucified him afresh, and will he intercede for fuch a dead dog as I am? I cannot believe.' Silence, unbelief! be not tyrannical to thyfelf, for Chrift will not, fin fhall do thee no hurt, nor Satan, no nor God himself, for Jefus Chrift can work him to any thing; if he but open his wounds in heaven, he will fo work his Father, that thy wounds on PPP

earth

8. Faith is going to Chrift as interceding for us; it is principally and mainly to look to the purpofe, end, intent, and defign of Chrift's in his interceffion: now the ends of Christ, as in reference unto us, are these. ———

1. That we might have communion and fellow fhip with the Father and the Son, I pray for thefe, that as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, they alfa may be one in us, John xvii. 21.

2. That we might have the gift of the holy Ghost, I will pray the Father, and he fhall give you another comforter, that he may abide with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth, John xiv. 16, 17. 3. That we might have protection against all evil, I pray (faith Chrift) that thou wouldst keep them from the evil, John xvi. 15. Some may object, are not the faithful fubject to evils, corruptions, and temptations ftill? How then is that part of the intercession of Christ made good unto us? 1 answer, The interceffion of Chrift is presently available, only it is conveyed in a manner fuitable to our prefent condition, fo as there may be left room for another life; and therefore we must not conceive all presently done; it is with us as with malefactors doomed to death, suppose the fupreme power should grant a pardon to be drawn, though the grant be of the whole thing at once, yet it cannot be written but word after word, and line after line; fo the grant of our protection against all evil is made unto Christ at first, but in the execution thereof, there is line upon line, and precept upon precept, here a little, and there a little: we know Chrift prayed for Peter, I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not; yet Peter's faith did hake and totter; the prayer was not, that there might be no failing at all, but that it might not utterly and totally fail; and in that refpect Peter was protected.

of

Chrift's interceffion in our hearts, The Spirit maketh interceffion for us with gronings which cannot be uttered, Ro. viii. 26. It is the fame Spirit's grones in us, which more diftinctly and fully in Chrift prayeth for us, Thefe things I fpeak in the world, (faith our Saviour) that they might have my joy filled in themfelves, John xvii. 13. q. d. I have made this prayer in the world, and left a record and pattern of it in the church, that they feeling the fame heavenly defires kindled in their own hearts, may be comforted in the workings of that Spirit of prayer in them, which teftifieth to their fouls, the quality of that interceffion which I make for them in the heaven of heavens; certainly there is a dependance of our prayer on Chrift's prayer; as is with the fun, though the body of it abide in the heavens, yet the beams of it defcend to us here on earth; fo the interceffion of Chrift, though as tied to his perfon, it is made in heaven, yet the grones, and defires of the touched heart, as the beams thereof, are here on earth.

6. That we might have the fanctification of our fervices, of this the Levitical priests were a type, For they bear the iniquity of the holy things of the children of Ifrael, that they might be accepted, Ex. xxviii. 38. And he is the angel of the covenant, whe hath a golden cenfer to offer up the prayers of the faints, Rev. viii. 3. Some obferve a three-fold evil in man, of every of which we are delivered by Chrift; First, An evil of state or condition under the guilt of fin. Secondly, An evil of nature upder the corruption of fin. Thirdly, An evil in all our fervices by the adherency of fin, for that which toucheth an unclean thing, is made unclean thereby. Now Chrift, by his righteousness and merits, justifieth our perfons from the guilt of fin; and Chrift, by his grace and Spirit, doth in measure purify our faculties from the corruption of fin; and Chrift, by his incenfe and interceffion, doth cleanse our services from the adherency of fin; fo that in them the Lord fmells a fweet favour; and both we and our services find acceptance with God.

of

of justice. And to this end, rather is Chrift called an advocate than a petitioner, If any man fin, we have an advocate with the Father, 1 John ii. 1. The work of an advocate differs from the work of a petitioner; an advocate doth not merely petition, but he tells the judge what is law, and what ought to be done, and fo doth Chrift, O my Father! (faith Chrift) this foul hath indeed finned, but I have fatisfied for his fins, I have paid for them to the full; now therefore, in a a way of equity and justice, I do here call for this man's pardon.' If this were not fo, our eftate would be most miserable, confidering, that for every fin committed by us after repentance, we deferve to be caft out of the love and favour of God our Father, for ever and ever.

8. That we might have continuance in the ftate of grace, I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not, Luke xxii. 32. Some that diffent from us in the point of perfeverance, object, that in our Saviour's prayer for Peter, there was fomewhat fingular; but we fay, That in this prayer there is nothing fingular, which is not common to all the faithful, and unto fuch as are given unto Chrift of the Father. They alledge, That this privilege was granted to Peter as an apoftle; but we fay, That if it was granted to Peter as an apoftle, then it was common to Peter and Judas, in that both were apostles. They alledge farther, That Chrift prays not for the abfolute perfeverance of believers, but after a fort, and upon condition. But we fay the prayers of Chrift is certain and not fufpended: in this prayer his defire is not for Peter that would perfevere, but his defire is for Peter that he should perfevere; the object of the thing for which Christ prays, is diftinct from the thing itself prayed for. 9. That we might have the falvation of our fouls in the day of Jefus, Father, I will, that they alfo whom thou haft given me, be with me where I that they might behold my glory, John xvii. 24. Why, this is the main end in refpect of us, our glory; and indeed herein is the main piece of our glory, to behold his glory! oh! to fee the Lord Jefus Chrift glorified! as he fhall be glorified, must be a glorious thing; What is it to fee his glory, but to behold the luftre of his divinity through his humanity? In this refpect our very

am,

eyes

fhall come to fee God, as much as is poffible for any creature to see him: we may be fure God

fhall appear through the humanity of Chrift, as much as is poffible for the divinity to appear in a creature; and therefore men and angels will be continually viewing of Christ. I know there is another glory of Chrift which the Father will put upon him, because he humbled himself, therefore God will exalt him, and give him a name above every name; and we fhall fee him in his glory. O the ravishing fight of faints! Chrift is fo lovely, that the faints cannot leave, but they must, and will follow the Lamb wherefoever he goes, Rev. xiv. 4. There fhall be no moment to all eternity, wherein Chrift fhall be out of fight to fo many thoufand thousands of faints; now this is the glory of the faints above: as a queen that fees the prince in his glory, the delights in it, because it is her glory; fo the church when the fhall fee Chrift her husband in his glory, fhe fhall rejoice in it, because she looks upon it as her own. Is not this a blessed end of Chrift's interceffion? Why, hither tend all the reft; all the other ends end in this; and for this above all, Christ intercedes to his Father, Father, I would have my faints with me; O! that all the daughters of Zion may behold King Solomon with the crown wherewith thou haft crowned him in the day of his efpoufals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart, Cant. iii. 11.

How

Only one question, and I have done. should I fet my faith on work to act on Christ's interceffion for thefe ends? I answer,

1. Faith muft perfuade itself, that here is a virtue in Chrift's interceflion. Certainly every paffage and acting of Chrift hath its efficacy; and therefore there is virtue in this, it is full of juice, it hath a 'ftrong influence in it.

2. Faith must consider that it is the defign of God, and the intendment of Chrift, that this interceffion fhould be for the good of those that are given to Christ. O! there's enough in Chrift, enough in Chrift's interceffion to convey communion, the Spirit, protection, free accefs to the throne of grace, a Spirit of prayer, pardon of fins, continuance in grace and falvation of fouls to the faints and people of God through all the world; and this is the defign of God, that Christ's interceffion fhould be as the fountain from whence all these ftreams must run, and be conveyed unto us.

3. Faith must act dependantly upon the interceffion of Chrift for these very ends: this is the