Devil looks upon him And Jesus Christ looks upon him The work of the Law is to Condemn The work of the Devil to Accuse And the work of Jesus Christ is to Intercede it is the work of his office Now therefore assoon as the Devil sees such a soul Oh saies he here 's a fine instrument for me here 's a fit subject for me to injoy Assoon as Moses sees this man Here 's a fine subject for me to condemne unto all Eternity But when Jesus Christ looks upon such a soul saies he Here 's a fine soul for me to save unto all Eternity to intercede for why because it is his Office and what a man does by office he interprets accordingly Therefore what the Lord Jesus Christ does he does by office and he does it readily and willingly And I will give you one demonstration of it It was the end why Jesus Christ was taken into Heaven into the Holy of Holiest that he might Intercede According to the Scriptures mentioned before in Heb. 9.24 For Christ is not entered into holy places made with hands but into Heaven it self now to appear in the presence of God for us He does not say thus Christ is now gone to Heaven to be glorified there Christ is now gone to Heaven to injoy the bosome of his Father for his own happiness No but he is gone into Heaven to appear in the presence of God for us This is the end of his ascention And so again in the 7. of the Hebrews Wherefore he is able to save to the uttermost seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for us What is he in Heaven to be glorified there No but the end why Christ is in Heaven Is to make intercession for poor sinners And therefore he must needs be infinitly willing to do this because it is the end of his going thither into the Holy of Holiest Oh therefore be of good comfort all you that do come unto God by him for he is willing to intercede for you And let not any thing discourage you It may be you will complain and say Oh! but I am much opposed here in this world What matter so long as Jesus Christ does intercede for me in Heaven and speaks good words unto God the Father for me in heaven what though I be opposed by men It may be you will complain and say Oh! but I am much tempted and cannot pray Be humbled for it but yet know this That when you cannot pray Christ prayes for you and he prayes that you may pray It may be you complain and say Oh! but I labour under such and such corruptions and the Devil he is busie with me exceeding busie and I cannot overcome them and the Devil stands at my right hand for to tempt me and to lead me into such and such sins Wel be it so yet notwithstanding the Lord Jesus Christ he is at the right hand of our Father and he is set down at the right hand of God the Father till all enemies be made his footstool and your sins are his enemies And therefore be of good comfort O all ye people of the Lord. Is there ever a poor myrtle-tree a soul that growes in a bottom in a poor dark condition be of good comfort the Lord Jesus Christ our great High-Priest he is entered into Heaven into the Holy of Holiest there to intercede with God the Father for thee I but Quest you will say unto me Does not this conduce to our Grace and Holiness too and how does it do it This Intercession of Jesus Christ Ans this work of the Priestly Office of Christ and the consideration thereof it does conduce exceedingly unto our Grace and Holinesse For. First What a mighty incouragement is here unto all poor sinners for to come unto Jesus Christ He ever liveth to make Intercession for those that come unto God by him Oh! then who would not come unto God by Christ who would not come unto Jesus Christ Me thinks a poor sinner should say Indeed my sins were so great that I was afraid for to come unto God But now I hear that the Lord Jesus Christ is in Heaven to make intercession for all those that come unto God by him Though I have been a Drunkerd now I wil go unto God by Christ And though I have been a Swearer and though I have been an unclean wanton yet I will go unto God by Christ Indeed I thought that my time was past for I have been an Old Swearer and I have been an Old Drunkard and I have been an Old Sabbath-breaker and I have been a sinner so long that I was even afraid of going to God at all and thought there was no mercy nor no pardon for me But seeing now that this is true That the Lord Jesus Christ is in Heaven to make intercession for all those that come unto God by him Well through the Lords grace now I will go unto the Lord Christ I will go unto Jesus Christ I indeed am a young man and I thought it was to no purpose to go unto God God would not regard poor ignorant ones and I am a poor ignorant creature and thought it was to no purpose for me to go unto God But now I understand this That the Lord Jesus Christ is in Heaven to make intercession for all those that come unto God by him Well then Though I am ignorant yet will I go unto God by Christ and though I am but a poor young thing and scarce understand the termes of Religion yet will I go unto God by Christ Oh! come unto Christ come unto Christ Behold here in the Name of the Lord I stand and make invitation to poor sinners Come poor Drunkard Swearer Sabbath-breaker Unclean heart the Lord Jesus Christ is in Heaven to make intercession for all that come unto God by him and will not you come Oh! how will you answer it at the great day when it shall be said The Lord Jesus Christ made a tender and offer of mercy to you and you would not accept of it you would not come unto him Here is matter of great Incouragment unto all poor sinners to come unto Jesus Christ Again Secondly The more I apprehend or see with a spiritual eye That the Lord Jesus Christ does appear in Heaven for me the more am Fingaged to appear upon earth for him Mark I pray that you may see how this does conduce unto Grace and Holiness Ah! shall the Lord Jesus Christ appear in Heaven before Saints and Angels and God the Father for my soul and shal I be afraid to appear before poor worms for him Shall the Lord Jesus Christ own me in Heaven and shall not I own him upon earth Shall the Lord Jesus Christ as the great High-Priest take my name and carry it upon his breast into the presence of God the Father and shall not I take the Name of Christ and hold it forth to the world Oh! I beseech
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
all this for us as our great High-Priest that is the meaning of it So that this is plain what he doth when as our great High-Priest he offers up our Gifts unto God the Father But in the Second place Suppose he doth so What Favour Quest 2 or Acceptance hath this our great High-Priest in Heaven He hath very much Answ Father saies he I thank thee that thou hearest me alwaies He never spake a word unto God the Father but the father heard him alwaies We reade as I remember but of Two places in the new Testament where the Lord by an audible voice gives testimony of Jesus Christ his Son And in both those places we have the same words uttered This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased And again This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased We may know what favour a man hath with another by the Trust that he doth commit to and repose upon him Joseph had great favour in the eyes of Pharaoh and how did it appear It appear'd by this Because Pharaoh trusted him with so much Now God the Father hath trusted Jesus Christ this our great High-Priest very much This I shall evidence in Four Particulars viz. What a great Trust God the Father hath put upon him First It was an agreement between God the Father and Christ the Second Person before the world was That in due time he should come into the world take flesh upon him and die for sinners and he did so But before Christ came into the world there were thousands of souls saved How came they to be saved They came to be saved by the blood of Christ and before Christ had died So then God the Father saved them upon Christs bare word That he would come into the world and die for them What a mighty Trust was here That so many hundred thousand souls should be saved upon a bare word of Christ That he would come into the world and die for them afterward Again The Trust appears in this That he was made when he did come into the world the great Lord-Treasurer of all the Grace and Comfort that should be given out unto the children of men When Pharaoh trusted Joseph all the whole kingdom was put into his hand with the Corn thereof and not a grain was to be given out to any but as Joseph gave it out which argued a mighty Trust So now That not any Grace or Comfort given out to the children of men but only by the hand of Christ it argues a mighty Trust that the Father put upon him But yet further When our Lord and Saviour Christ died and ascended unto God the Father to Heaven as soon as ever he came into Heaven saith the Father to him Thou hast now suffered Aske of me and I will give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession all the world at one word Aske of me saith he and at the first word I will give thee the whole world It was a mighty and a great Trust that the Father did put upon him Yea as if all this were not enough The Father did put the keyes of Heaven and of Hell into his hand the keyes of Heaven and Hell into the hand of Christ So we reade in the 1. of Revel 18. ver I am he that liveth and was dead and behold I am alive for evermore Amen and have the keyes of Hell and of death There 's no man that goes to Hell but he is lok't in by Jesus Christ And there 's no man goes to Heaven but Christ hath the keyes of Heaven and he locks him in there unto all Eternity The Lord Jesus Christ he hath the keyes of Hell and of Heaven he hath the keyes of all mens Eternities hanging at his girdle Oh! what an infinite Trust is here that God the Father hath put upon him Then let us conclude if that Trust do argue favour and the Lord Jesus Christ our High-Priest hath such a great trust as this put into his hands by the Father what infinite Acceptance must he needs have with God the Father In the Third place Suppose that he have all this favour Quest 3 and Acceptance in Heaven Doth he Improve this his Favour and Acceptance for our Acceptance and for our Favour Yes He Improves all this his favour and acceptance Answ for our acceptance and does plant all our Prayers and Duties upon his own acceptance Lord saith he unto his Father concerning beleevers I will that where I am they may be also I will O Lord that they may be One even as thou Father and I am one He doth not count himself full and happy but in the happiness and fulness of the Church And therefore as Christ is called The fulness of God the Father So the Church is called The fulness of Jesus Christ in the 1. of the Ephesians and the last verse Which is his body the fulness of him that filleth all in all When our Lord and Saviour Christ came to die and the heart and love of God the Father was let out unto him Ye shall find if ye look upon that 17. of John and reade it all over That he spends his time not so much in praying for himself The time was but short and his prayer short Father if it be possible let this cup passe if not yet not my will but thine be done But he spends most of the time in praying and interceding for those that did beleeve or should afterward beleeve The favour and acceptance which the High-Priest had in the times of Moses was not for himself he had a Mitre upon his head and a golden girdle upon his loynes Priestly garments and he had great acceptance when he went into the Holy of Holiest but it was not for himself he did improve it all for the people he was to lay it out all for the people and not for himself Our High-Priest goes beyond all other High-Priests in this particular also for now as for other High-Priests though they went in with their incense and covered the Mercy-seat with a cloud yet it was but once in the yeer But our High-Priest is alwaies in the Holy of Holiest and never goes out of it ever covering the Mercy-Seat with his Intercessions Take their High-Priest and though he were very Holy as Aaron was yet sometimes he made the people naked unacceptable But our great High-Priest never makes his people naked but alwaies clothes them with his own righteousness Take their High-Priest and though he did go into the Holy of Holiest for the people yet he never led the people into the Holy of Holiest they stood without But our great High-priest is not only gone into the Holy of Holiest himself but doth also lead every poor beleever into the Holy of Holiest as we reade in the 10. of the Hebrews and the 19. verse Having therefore brethren boldness to enter into the Holiest
by the blood of Jesus Christ The people might not enter into the Holiest in the time of the Jewes But our great High-Priest hath improved his favour for us thus far that every man may come into the Holy of Holiest Now If our great High-Priest in this respect go beyond all the High-Priests that ever were before him and they did improve their interest and their favour and their acceptance for the people much more doth the Lord Jesus Christ our High-Priest improve the favour interest and acceptance that he hath in heaven for our acceptance and and the acceptance of all our Duties And that is a Third Particular But Quest 4 If that it be so then surely we have great acceptance in all our Duties but have we so Yes Answ very great in and through the Lord Jesus Christ our High-Priest And therefore if we look into the 14. of John our Lord and Saviour saith Whatsoever ye aske in my Name at the 13. verse that will I do I but may we be sure of this He repeats it again in the 14. verse If ye shall ask any thing in my name I will do it Yea that ye may see what great acceptance we have now through him in all those Duties that we offer up to God the Father saith he in the 16. Chap. and the 26. vers At that day ye shall aske in my name and I say not unto ye that I will pray the father for you for the father himself loves you It is a mighty high speech I don't say That I will pray for you Ye shall have so much favour and love in Heaven from the Father imediately that he will hear you presently I but is not all upon Christs account Yes and therefore saith he at the 13. verse of the 14. chapter Whatsoever ye shall aske in my name that will I do that the Father may be glorified in the Son So that all is upon Christs account Great was the testimony of Christs acceptance which he had from Heaven This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Now if we look into the Scripture we shall find that the same words are given unto the Saints Is the Lord Jesus Christ called the Son of God My beloved Son So are Beleevers too As many as receive him have power to be called the Sons of God Is he called The Beloved Son of God This is my beloved Son So are the Saints also In the 31. chapter of Jeremy at the 20. verse Ephraim my deer Son a pleasant child Ephraim that is Israel my deer Son a pleasant child Well Is it said In whom I am well pleased my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased The same word also is given to men When our Lord and Saviour Christ was born into the world the Angels they came and sung at his birth and they sung Good will towards men So we reade it but it is the same word that is used concerning Christ himself My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased So that whatsoever word there is in all this speech This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased whatsoever word there is in that sentence concerning Christ 't is given also unto the Saints unto Beleevers so greatly does he improve his own favour acceptance for our acceptance and so great acceptance have we through Christ Yea As the Lord Jesus Christ is said to be made sin for us in the Abstract So are we said to be made Righteousnesses by him in the Abstract too As we have it in the 1. of the Canticles the 3. vers Therefore do the Virgins love thee so we reade it in our english translation But in the Hebrew it is Therefore do the Righteousnesses love thee The Saints and Beleevers through Christ are called Righteousnesses in the Abstract So that here is the great acceptance that the Saints and Beleevers do find through this acceptation of Jesus Christ our High-Priest But Quest Suppose a man be very poor and lives in some mean cottage which hath but one room to lie dine and sup in and that a smoky dark room too and this poor creature comes and prayes unto God Will the Great and Glorious God of Heaven and Earth take notice of such a prayer from such a worme as this and shall he find acceptance with God the Father For answer to that Answ look into the 2. of the Canticles and the 14. verse O my dove that art in the clefts of the rock in the secret places of the stairs let me see thy countenance they are the words of Christ let me hear thy voice Why for sweet is thy voice and thy countenance is comely But I pray where now is the Church In the clefts of the rock and in the secret places of the staires in a hole under the staires as it were in a poor distressed place an hidden place now saies he here thy voice is sweet and thy tountenance comely Well Quest But suppose that a Duty or service be performed by one that is weak weak in Grace or weak in parts and Gifts for this is my case will some say I am one of very weak parts and Gifts and I have little Memory or Ability of speech there are some men indeed that are of great Parts and Graces and when they pray I make no question but their prayers do find acceptance but as for me I am one of very mean Abilities Oh! can there be any acceptance of such prayers as mine are through Jesus Christ Will God answer such stammerings lispings halfe-words broken imperfect petitions Yes Answ We know that the paire of Turtles were accepted in the time of the Law by those that could offer no more Surely much more now will a poor Turtle be accepted in the time of the Gospel those that could but bring Goats-haire towards the making of the Tabernacle they were welcome and shall it not be so now much more in the times of the Gospel That which is little in regard of Quantity it may be great in regard of Proportion as the widdows mite was The Sun fals we know with a common influence upon all the Herbs and Plants but there is a several sweetness and flowers that are of a several and different growth There is the Rose and there is the Violet The Violet is not so Tall as the Rose the Violet lies on the ground but though the Violet be not so tall as the Rose the Violet hath its sweetnesse and it may say to the Rose Though I be not so tall yet I have my sweetness as well as thou hast So now there is a common influence from Jesus Christ upon all the Saints and they have their several sweetness one as the Rose and the other as the Violet It may be here lies a poor Christian upon the ground like the Violet and is not so tall in Gifts and Parts as the other is but yet notwithstanding he hath his sweetness Christ
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
the Son of God putting another If upon his Son-ship So when he was upon the Cross the Devils Instruments speak his own Language they had not forgotten it If he be the Son of God let him come down putting an If upon his Son-ship again The Devil follows this close Oh! but I am tempted many times to use indirect means to get out of trouble out of mine affliction And was not Christ so when he was an hungry saies the Devil to him Command that these stones be made bread Oh! but I am tempted I am loth to say what it is sometimes even to lay violent hands upon my self And what said the Devil to Christ Throw thy self down off the pinacle of the Temple Oh! but I am tempted to horrid and blasphemous things that I am afraid to name and my heart trembles to think of And was not Christ thus tempted saies Satan to him All this will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me What worship the Devil Oh! horrid blasphemy Blush O Heavens and be astonished All this will I give thee If thou wilt fall down and worship me Oh! but I am tempted to depair sometimes I confesse I am able to reade Gods love and to say that God is with me and I think I can say I know that God is with me but at another time Oh! how unlike am I unto my self and I say Mercy is gone and Christ is gone and hath left me as an orphan And I pray consider how it was with Christ in this respect he went as neer to it as could be without sin It is Musculus his Observation In the 16. of John Behold saies Christ at the 32. verse the hour cometh speaking of his suffering hour Yea it is now come when ye shall be scattered every man from his own and shall leave me alone and yet I am not alone because the Father is with me Speaking of his suffering hour And yet when he was upon the Cros he saies Father My God my God why hast thou forsaken me How diverse does he seem to be from himself Saies he I am not alone because the Father is with me And yet when he comes into the hour My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Oh! but I have suffered as much as ever any did I have suffered by the hand of my temptations they have been a continual torment to me and I have suffered much from them Well but have ye suffered more than Christ suffered It is said in the text For in that he suffered being tempted What a mighty suffering was it for the glorious God of Heaven and Earth to have such temptations thrown in upon him any one temptation to be lodged in his mind what a mighty suffering was this Thus you see how Christ suffered And beloved He suffered and was tempted that he might succour you that are tempted Will you question his love then because of your temptation or your own condition do ye know what you do Suppose that your Father should leave you a great Estate and give you good Evidences and a cunning Lawyer comes and writes upon the back-side of your Evidence Naught naught will ye because of that joyn with him and say that your Father hath given you nothing Christ hath given you in a great Estate of Mercy and hath given you good Evidences for it and Satan now comes writes upon the back-side of your Evidence and saies This is naught Will you joyn with him against God and Christ what wrong is this to his love think of it I pray you that are the Saints and people of God Be humbled under every temptation though it be never so small but never question your condition though your temptation be never so great There is indeed something of a suffering a malignant quality an affliction in every temptation when it takes least and therfore look how you would walk under an affliction so walk under your temptation In your affliction you will walk Humbly so under your temptation do In your affliction you will examine the Cause especially if your affliction lie long upon you So in your temptation do In your affliction you will seek God Early So in the morning of your temptation do In the day of your affliction you will Engage to God the day of affliction is the day of engaging and you say Oh! if the Lord will deliver me through his grace I will do so and so So in your temptation do In your affliction you will take heed of those sins that you are most apt unto in the time of affliction so do in the time of your temptation For example thus in affliction a man is very apt to be discouraged to have his heart sink and to die within him So in temptation take heed of that In affliction a man is apt so to mind his present burden as to forgit all his former mercy so in the time of temptation take heed of that In the time of affliction a man is very apt to be froward and impatient to break out into frowardness and impatiency though he did not so before As the wood that is laid upon the fire sends forth filth which you did not see in the wood before it came upon the fire So men are apt to send forth filth and much frowardness and impatiency in the time of affliction when you took them for good natured people before and thought there was no such frowardness in them and no such impatiency So in the time of temptation also take heed of that In the time of affliction men are apt to make an evil construction and interpretation of things Affliction raises Passion and Passion puts other colors upon things than formerly and so in time of temptation we are apt to make strange constructions of Gods dealings and Christ's dealings with us take heed of that In time of affliction men are apt to change their behaviour David did so he let fall his spittle upon his beard and faigned himself mad he changed his behaviour and so are men apt to change their behaviour in times of temptation take heed of that In time of affliction men are apt to stint and limit God and say Can God provide a table now and can God deliver now and so also in the time of temptation men are apt to say Can God provide now can God deliver now and so stint and limit the Holy One of Israel take heed of that In the day of affliction a gracious heart does rather rejoyce that he hath any opportunity to exercise his grace than mourn for his present burden so do you now In the day of affliction a gracious heart doth more desire to be cleansed than to be delivered wishes rather that his heart may be sanctified by his affliction thā that his affliction may be removed There is somthing of a suffering ye have heard in every temptation now then does a temptation arise and presse in upon
up an Affliction between them that so these two wicked lovers may be kept asunder Thus Under temptation After temptation he succours By filling the heart with joy unspeakable and full of glory By sending the Angels to Minister As when the Devil left Christ had tempted him and left him then came the Angels and Ministred to him Every way Before temptation and In temptation and After temptation the Lord Jesus Christ is asuccouring Christ to tempted souls he is a succouring Christ Beloved he was aman of sorrows that he might be a God of succours his heart it is full of succours I come to the Application Whist I stand upon this Truth Applyca 1. me thinks I hear a solemn and gracious Invitation to all poor tempted souls to come unto Jesus Christ to come for succor There 's none of you all but labour under some temptation or other Ye have read that the Lord Christ is a succouring Christ shall I need to invite you to come unto him Ye have read how able he is and willing he is to succour His heart is bent to succour you his armes are open his bosom is open his heart is open to poor tempted souls that they may receive succour from him Oh! therefore you that are tempted Come unto Jesus Christ that you may be succoured by him Come unto Christ Come unto Christ alone You will say Quest But does he succour all that are tempted why then are any damned Some men will not come unto him Answ Ye will not come unto me that ye may have life Some come unto him but make an halfe Christ of him They won't come under great temptations then they are afraid and then they despair They won't come under small temptations then they despise But for middleing temptations those they will come to Christ for succour in and thus they make a halfe Christ of him Some come to him as to a Moses make a conditional Christ of him they must have their own Preparations and Humiliations before they come unto him or else they will not come unto him But beloved ye know what our Apostle saies in the 7. of the Hebrews He is able to save unto the uttermost those that come to God by him Those that come to God by Him if you do come unto Him he will succour But my temptation is an Old temptation Object an Ancient temptation I have gone under fears and temptations for many yeers together I may say almost my whole life and will Jesus Christ succour such a one as I am Pray what think you of the verse that goes before the text Answ reade it and consider it the 14. and the 15. verses He himself took part of the same that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death that is the Devil And at the 15. verse Deliver them from Satan that were all their life time subject to bondage That he might deliver them from Satan that were all their life time subject to bondage in fear of death and all their life time subject to bondage Art thou therefore a man or woman that hath gone up and down all thy daies in fear of death and fear of hell and been in bondage all thy life time See he came to deliver such souls such tempted souls as these are Christ came to deliver Oh! But my temptation is not a bare temptation Object there 's much affliction that is mixt withal and will he deliver those Yea you know how it was with Jacob Answ Jacob used indirect means to get the blessing Esau's heart rose against him Jacob flies for it when he was in the field in the night then Christ appears to him A ladder whose top was in Heaven the Deity the bottom on Earth the Humanity and Angels ascending and descending All the while he was in his fathers house he never had this Vision of Christ but now when he lay in the open field Christ appears for his succour by his Angels thus Oh! but my temptation is not such Object but my temptation is mixt with much Corruption I have a Proud heart an Vnclean heart a froward heart Will the Lord Jesus Christ lay such a wretched heart as mine is in his bosom Oh! will he succour such a soul as I am For answer to this Answ I pray consider these Three things with me The Lord Jesus Christ is a succouring Christ ye have read And First He will succour tempted sinners most when they are most tempted When the Child is sick and when the Child is most sick then the Mother comes forth and succours it then love sits upon the bed-side then love laies the Child in her bosom And saies he in the 66. chapter of Esay and the 13. verse As one whom his mother comforteth so will I comfort you Again He will not only succour thus but he will succour you that are tempted when you cannot succour your selves when your own thoughts cannot succour you when your own thoughts dare not succour you or when your own thoughts trample-upon your Evidences and when your own thoughts shall make a Mutiny in your hearts and set al on fire In the multitude of my thoughts thy word comforts my soul The Lord knows how to deliver in the time of temptation though you do not know and when you do not know it then he knows and then he will deliver when you know not Reade again the same place the 13. verse of the 66. of Esay As one whom his mother comforteth so will I comfort you Who are those saies he at the 5. verse Hear the word of the Lord ye that tremble his word and you that are cast out by your brethren As one whom his mother Comforteth so will I comfort you you that lie and tremble before the promise and dare not draw neer unto it As a mother comforteth so will I comfort you Thirdly He will not only succour thus but he will succour poor tempted souls with a Notwithstanding Notwithstanding all their failings Notwithstanding all their infirmities Joseph a Type of Christ his brethren sold him away he indured much misery Afterward his brethren came to want and they go down to Egypt to him and when they came there Joseph succours them Notwithstanding all their former unkindnesse I am your brother Joseph I am Joseph your brother 't is true you sold me and thus and thus you dealt by me but you are come for succour and I will succour you with a Notwithstanding So saies the Lord Jesus Christ Poor tempted soul I know how thou hast dealt by me how thou hast sold me how thou hast neglected me how thou hast crucified me but I will succour thee with a Notwithstanding Notwithstanding all thy guilt and all thy fear I will succour thee with a Notwithstanding Three great succours that the Jewes had in the wilderness Succour from the Rock that gave out water Succour against their Thirst Succour from the Mannah that came down
are in the deep and his footsteps are not known but as the Heavens are greater than the earth so are Gods waies of mercy beyond our waies Now therefore if a drak temptation do come upon ye and ye see no way to get out say O but my soul remember Gods waies are infinite and his waies are beyond our waies and though I see no way God hath infinite waies he walks over mulbery-trees and his waies have been in the deep and so it hath been all along with my soul and therefore now O my soul wait on God Sixthly Answ 6 If temptation come if Satan come Do you run to Christ and look how Satan appears to you so do you apply the Attributes of Christ to you sutable to his temptation Does Satan set a temptation unto your breast observe what temptation it is and take an Attribute of Christ sutable to that temptation and set it to the breast of that temptation For Example Does Satan come and tempt as a Serpent Then remember that Jesus Christ is the brasen serpent Does Satan come and present himself as a roaring Lyon Now remember that Jesus Christ is the Lyon of the tribe of Judah Does Satan come and present himself as an Accuser Now remember that the Lord Jesus Christ is an advocate Beloved in the time of temptation ye are to run to Christ that is true but that is not all but you are to observe how your temptation lies and apply that Attribute of Christ to your soul which is sutable to your temptation do this and your faith shall not faile in time of temptation Seventhly Answ 7 and lastly Above all things take the Shield of faith Take the Shield of faith that your faith may not fail for the way to beleeve is to beleeve the way to pray is to pray the way to hear is to hear the way to receive is to receive the way to perform duty is to perform duty the way to exercise grace is to exercise grace When temptation therefore does come upon thee that thy faith may not fail now stir up thy self to this work of faith and to beleeve and if ye beleeve that ye shall overcome ye shall overcome and if ye beleeve that ye shall prevaile against your temptations ye shall prevaile against your temptations And poor soul if thou canst relie upon Christ and beleeve that thou shalt be justified thou shalt be justified and if thou canst by faith relie upon the Promise the Promise shall belong to thee Wherefore stir up your selves now to beleeve when temptation comes When ye have to deal with an Enemy here among men I don't say beleeve ye shall overcome your enemy and ye shall overcome a man may beleeve he shal overcome his outward enemy here in the field and yet fall before him and not overcome but having to deal with this enemy Gods enemy your fathers enemy and your enemy beleeve ye shall overcome him and ye shall overcome him Quest But shall we overcome him Only if we beleeve Answ Who ever thou art that speakest or thinkest thus Doest thou make on Only of beleeving I tell thee from the Lord It is an harder thing to beleeve than to keep all the Commandements for there is something in Nature towards the keeping of the ten Commandements but nothing in Nature towards beleeving in Christ And poor soul doest thou make an Only of beleeving thou doest not know what beleeving means but I say unto thee from the Lord Beleeve that thou shalt overcome and thou shalt overcome beleeve that thou shalt prevaile against Satan and thou shalt prevail against him beleeve that thy sins shal be pardoned through Christ and relie upon him and thy sins shal be pardoned Whensoever therefore any temptation comes Oh! run to Christ cry unto Christ and rest upon Christ and say Lord I do beleeve help thou my unbelief Beloved in the Lord ye have heard That in all Satans temptations his great design is upon your faith to weaken your faith therefore let it be all your design in all your temptations to strengthen your faith and to look to your faith Which that ye may do think on all these things and the Lord bless them to you SERMON V. Of TEMPTATION LUKE 22.31 32. And the Lord said Simon Simon behold Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat Preached at Stepney Oct. 24 1647. But I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not THese words as ye have heard acquaints us with a great temptation that was to come down upon Christs Disciples Concerning which ye have here The Danger of the temptation And the Remedy against it For the Danger of the temptation I have spoken already and now come unto this 32. verse But I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not Here is something Implyed and somthing Exprest Satans design implyed which is and was to weaken the faith of Christs Disciples to make their faith to fail And of that ye have heard already Now that which is exprest is Christs tender care of and love unto his Disciples in regard of their temptations And this love and care of his towards his Disciples under temptation is Exprest in many things First in the forewarning of them of a temptation coming upon them there is his love and care in that he told them of the temptation before it came And then also He prayed for them Yea He prayed for them before they were tempted Yea And he tels them that he did pray for them that they might have assurance of his help in the time of their temptation Great was his love and care to and for his Disciples unders their temptation And so the Observation is this Christs love and mercy Doct. is never more at work for his Disciples and people then when they are most assaulted by Satan When Satan is most busie to tempt and assault their faith then is Christs love and mercy most at work to keep and defend both them and their faith We don't reade of such a prayer for Peter before We reade indeed that our saviour said unto Peter Vnto thee do I give the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven Thou art Peter and upon this rock will I build my Church but we don't reade there that he prayed for Peter But here he prayes and for Peter in particular I have prayed for Thee Why because now his temptations were to be more than Ordinary and therefore Christs love and care was drawn out and exprest in a more than ordinary way For the clearing of this Truth unto ye I shall labour to discover First Wherein the love care and mercy of Christ is expressed unto his people under their temptations Secondly That this love and care of his is most expressed when they are most tempted Thirdly What there is in the heart of Christ that does thus incline him to this indulgence or mercy And so to the Application First Quest 1 If
Massab and Meribah the waters of strife and of temptation there the Lord gave Israel his statutes How many experiences do Gods people get in and by their temptations tempting times are teaching and Christ teaches his people by their temptations Satans Buffetings are the Saints schoolings Yea Thirdly He does not only teach his people But he does also bear up and uphold their hearts with new supplies of his grace and Spirit in the times of their temptations Christ does not suffer his people to go into new temptations with old strength but as a new temptation does come from Satan so new supply of grace and strength does come from Christ Saies David in the 94. Psalm and the 18. verse When I said my foot slippeth thy mercy O Lord held me up He does not say thus when my foot slippeth thy mercy O Lord held me up but when I said my foot slippeth when I thought I was quite rejected cast off and forsaken when I said my foot slippeth then thy mercy O Lord held me up As new temptations do come in so new strength comes in Yea and supplies of greace in Proportion to our temptations My grace is sufficient for thee saies the Lord to Paul my grace is Fit for thee Yea he does not only give out Proportionable strength but an Cverplus of sirength As the woman that had oyle given her not enough barely to pay her debt but an Overplus to live on the rest So Gods people in the time of their temptations have not only strength given them to stand out against their temptations but an Cverplus to live on the rest Yea and they have not only in-comes of Assisting grace but of Accepting grace too more Accepting grace God doth and will then Accept lesser than at another time Though the prayer be weak and the faith low yet saies the Lord it is the time of temptation with this my poor servant and therefore I will take the Duty though it be never so little because it is the time of temptation it 's a time of darkness and a time of sadness Ye know what our saviour said unto Thomas Reach hither thine hand and put it into my side Come Thomas if thou wilt not beleeve without it I 'le take thy faith even upon these termes for I know it is a time of temptation with thee What grace what love and mercy is here Yea Fourthly The Lord Jesus Christ does not only come in thus with supplies of grace strength in the times of temptation But he does give his people an Ease and a Remedy a breathing time under their temptations though they be never so sad and never so great Indeed Job said That God was his enemy and would not suffer him to swallow his spittle he followed him so close but the good man was mistaken much for at the same time the time of his temptation he could say I know that my Redeemer liveth and he could blesse the Lord he had his breathing time in the midst of all When David was persecuted by Saul he was under temptation for as the Devil casts some men into prison so the Devil persecutes in wicked men yet David had his breathing time now and then Saul given into his hands as a pledge of that ful deliverance that David should have afterwards And this is no other than that which the Apostle speaks of in that same 1 of the Corinthians the 10. Chap. at the 13. verse Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape Make an Out-let so the word is He will make an Out-let Though the smoke be very offensive yet there shall alwaies be some window open for to let it out or some door open for a poor tempted soul to go out at stil an out-let some breathing time in the midst of these temptations Fiftly and lastly As the Lord Jesus Christ liveth for ever to make intercession for us So he doth it especially when his people are under temptation then he prayes for them and then especially I will not determine whether Christ now in Heaven does intercede Vocally or Really but when Satan lies hard upon a poor tempted soul and fetches blood from it then does the Lord Jesus step in unto his Father and present his wounds and his blood and saies unto his Father O Father I have prayed unto thee that this poor man or woman may not fail in the time of temptation Thus it was with Peter here I have prayed for thee and yet this was not the time of his full intercession when he was here on earth There are two parts of Christs Priestly Office Satisfaction and Intercession The proper place for him to make satisfaction for sin was here on earth and in Heaven the holy of holiest he does make intercession there he does do it fully but he could not for bear while he was here on earth but he saies unto Peter I have prayed for thee Though my great work in Heaven be to intercede and my special work here on earth be to satisfie yet notwithstanding I have prayed for thee already Peter And the Lord Jesus Christ was heard in all that he prayed for Now then if the Lord Christ doth intercede here on earth for his poor tempted servants and was heard here how much more when his Disciples are tempted does he intercede and pray for them in Heaven and is heard there Satan may come running in upon you with his temptation but when Satan runs in upon you with his temptation Christ runs into the presence of God the Father and spreads his blood and his satisfaction for you and there he saies unto the Father Father I have prayed that this man or womans faith may not fail Oh! what grace and mercy and love is here Thus in all these respects and many others that I might mention is the love of Christ and his mercy drawn out unto his people in the time of their temptation Well Quest 2 But how may it appear that Christs mercy is most at work when his people are most assaulted by Satan Christ deals by His Answ as God the Father did deal by Him Now ye shall find that Gods love was never more towards Christ than when Christ was under temptation When Christ came to die Satan was very busie it 's called The hour of darkness so busie was Satan with all his malice against him yet then was the Fathers love towards Christ then especially for saies Christ Therefore does the Father love me because I lay down my life If the Father did therefore love him because he laid down his life then his love was most at work towards Christ when this hour of darkness was And so I say when you hour of darknese is the hour of temptation Christs love is then most at work because he deals by His as the Father did deal by Him The truth is Christs dealing with his Disciples