of your Interest in Christ and Union with him Assurance that all comes from love Assurance that all things work together for your good and then if the Tempter come and saies Wilt thou praise the Lord dost thou not see how all thy acquaintance hath left thee and all thy friends left thee you will answer again I but all this is for my good and all this comes out of love and so what ever fals out you will be thankful in every thing Desire not Much he that desires much will expect much and he that expects much he won't be content with little much lesse Thankful for every thing Jacob was a plain-hearted man he desired little he was content with less he was Thankful for every thing So must you be And if you do desire much let your eye be as much upon what ye have as upon what ye want The Covetous rich man having a desire to have more is not Thankful for what he hath if you come to borrow money of him saies he I have need to borrow of you I am a very beggar I have nothing His eye is so much upon what he would have he forgets what he hath So many times it fals out spiritually let your eye therefore be as well upon what you have as upon what you want Lastly Be sure of this that you maintain the sense of your own unworthiness No man more Thankful than David no man more sensible of his unworthiness than David Continually thankful Continually sensible of his unworthines There is a Two-fold unworthines Creature-unworthiness and Sinful-unworthiness Accordingly a Two-fold sence of unworthiness One that arises from the apprehension of creature-unworthines of the emptines that is in us as Creatures And another that arises from sense of guilt of sin See them both in the 8. Psalm The Psalmist there praises the Lord O Lord our God verse the 1. how excellent is thy Name in all the Earth when I consider the heavens the work of thy fingers what is man that thou art mindful of him and the Son of man that thou visitest him He praises the Lord this Thankfulness was raised from the sense of unworthiness it was Creature-unworthiness Lord what is man O Lord our God how excellent is thy Name in all the earth Lord what is man Look into the 116. Psalm and there ye find the Psalmist praising God upon the sence of unworthiness too Gracious is the Lord and righteous yea our God is merciful verse the 12. What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits towards me here 's his Thankfulness it was raised upon sence of unworthiness But what unworthiness Sinful unworthiness verse the 11. I said in my hast all men are lyars what shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits towards me He was sensible of his own unworthiness and it was a sinful unworthiness I said in my hast all men are lyars yet God is gracious to me What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits So now it will be with you if ye can but keep the sense of your own unworthiness you wil say I was a wretched and a great sinner and though I have but little in the world yet any thing is too much for one that was such a great sinner as I was you will be Thankful for every thing in every thing Thankful maintain but this Beloved ye see how in all these troubles of these times God hath given us our lives for a prey As the Lord said concerning Job Only spare his life Job 2.6 So hath the Lord said concerning us spare their lives God did not deal so by our Saviour Christ when our Saviour Christ came into the world he met with hard dealing from wicked men and his life went for it he did not say Only spare his life his life went for it You have more in this respect than our dear Saviour had you have your lives given you for a prey in these evil times our Saviour had not Shall we not then be Thankfull in every thing having more than our Saviour had in this respect shall we not be Thankful for any thing for any thing that God gives us shall we not now be Thankful How many are there that walke directly contrary unto this Truth that I have spread before you In every thing Thankful and they in nothing Thankful in nothing contented Husband godly Children hopeful Estate comfortable and yet never contented Servants cannot please Children cannot please friends cannot please never contented Oh! is this a duty to be in every thing Thankful how do they lie in a sin and the breach of this commandement that are in nothing contented never pleased Beloved I don't now come to call for contentment and patience and quietness under Affliction but for Thankfulness and not for thankfulness only when all goes well with you but for Thankfulness in every thing Oh! therefore let us return unto our own souls consider how it hath been with us If there be ever a discontented man or woman reade this Sermon consider this Scripture The Lord saies be in every thing Thankful and thou hast been in nothing Thankful in nothing contented in thy condition Oh! how will you answer it at the great day Let me leave this Exhortation with you in your bosoms the Lord knows into what condition we may come whether into Affliction or Persecution or Desertion or of Temptation Remember here lies your duty before you lay it up in your hearts 'T is the will of God even our Father that we should be Thankful to him in every thing not in some things not when things go well only when we have Victory but in all things Thankful In every thing give Thanks unto God for this is the will of God our Father concerning you FINIS THE TABLE Of the First VOLVMNE A Absolution ABsolution of sin how obtained by Christ Page 90 Ability Difference between ability of sufficiency and ability of Idoniety Page 119 Acceptance see Duties Affliction Affliction and temptation used promiscuously in the New Testament Page 103 See Temptation Agreement There was an Agreement made between God and Christ before the world was made Page 57 Anointed Christ is anointed to be our High-priest Page 45 Antichrist Antichrist labours to derogate most from the priestly office of Christ Page 5 Argument The greatest argument to make us walk closely with God in Christ Page 50 Attributes Those Attributes of Christ which are most beneficial to the Saints are most opposed by the world Page 4 The same Attributes are given to the Devil for evil that are given to God for good Page 244 Avoid see Temptations B Bless What Christ doth when he blesseth men Page 80 Christ blesseth as God blesseth Page 82 Christs willingness to blesse men Page 83 How Christ blesseth ibid Christ doth not blesse as man blesseth Page 84 Whom Christ blesseth Page 86 Blessing What will make a man to be alwaies blessing
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
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
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
THE WORKS OF WILLIAM BRIDGE Sometime Fellow of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge now Preacher of the Word of GOD at Yarmouth The first Volume VIZ. I. The great Gospel-mysterie of the Saints comfort and holinesse opened and applyed from Christs Priestly office II. Satans power to tempt and Christs love to and care of his people under temptation III. Thankfulnesse required in every condition LONDON Printed for Peter Cole and are sold at his shop at the signe of the Printing-Presse in Cornhill neer the Royall Exchange 1649. TO THE READER SO good is the God of Jacob to his Israel on this side the promised Land that no good thing will he with-hold from them that walk uprightly Friend If it may be verified of thee what our blessed Saviour spake of Nathaniel behold an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile thou hast at present not only a title to Esau's ENOVGH but the tenure of Jacobs-ALL according to that ancient Charter of all Saints recorded by that great Apostle of the Gentiles For All things are yours whether Paul 1 Cor. 3 21 22 23 or Apollo or Cephas c. All are yours and you are Christs and Christ is Gods The very Persons and Ministery Calling and Gifts Studies and Writings Prayers and Sermons of the faithfull Ministers of the Gospel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All are for the use service and comfort of Christs LITTLE-LITTLE FLOCK This Evangelical truth is notably proved by the same Apostle to the Ephesians When our only High-Priest ascended up on high into the Holy of Holies there to transact his Priestly office of Intercession at the right hand of God the Father He gave some to be Apostles and some Prophets Ephes 4.11 12. and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministery for the edifying of the body of Christ Thus this Servant of the Lord is thine as much thine as Paul was the Corinthians Yea these his Spiritfull peeces of Evangelical mysteries are thine Thine to build thee up in the saving knowledge of that doctrinal truth the Priestly office of Christ as it is the Magazine and storehouse of all that grace and comfort which we are crowned with under heaven Thine to give thee a piercing insight into the intricate methods of the Old Serpent and plainly to discover upon what rocks and sands the faith of many suffer shipwrack Thine 1 Thes 5.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ephes 6.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to arme thee with spirituall Armour of proof called a BREAST-PLATE because it guards the heart or as the word elsewhere holds it out A LONG-IARGE-SHIELD which is very dexterous to defend the whole of a Christian Souldier from all the fiery darts of THE WICKED-ONE 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Reader Let us be thine to beseech thee by the mercies of God as thou tenderest the peace and welfare of all within thy own tabernacle immediately to put in practise the holy Contents of this Experimentall Book For if thou art one of the LORDS-Simons Behold Satan hath desired to have thee that he may sift thee as wheat Oh therefore make provision for thy soule with all speed before the houre of temptation draweth on It is not true valour but desperate fool-madnesse to adjourne this Every-dayes businesse of everlasting concernment Because in this as in oversights of War there is no room for a second retractation the first error being unrecoverable This is all we have to advertise thee touching these choise usefull Lectures For the Author of them whom we very much love and honour we must beare witnesse that when he first preached them from the bosome of Jesus Christ his Master to many tempted bleeding hearts in and about this populous City he had not then the least thought to suffer them in Print to serve the Publique But afterwards eyeing the voice of God in the multiplied desires and greedy expectations both of friends and strangers his constant Auditors though of different judgements in their private speeches and Letters and to prevent a further inconvenience sc the publishing them by some who had impefect Notes in their hands was necessitated to depute us in his absence at Yarmouth to hand out into the world this his Copy M. W. M. which was exactly penned from his tongue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Tim. 1.14 by that his beloved Amanuensis and since kept charily by him as a precious thing committed to his trust The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ grant thee according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man so that thou mayest be more then conquerour through Him that loved thee and prayed for thee that thy faith faile not So be it Thine in the Lord Jesus William Greenhill John Tates William Adderley The Titles of the second Volume Viz. I. Grace for grace or The overflowings of Christs fulnesse received by all Saints II. The spirituall actings of Faith through Naturall impossibilities III. Evangelical Repentance THE CONTENTS Of the First VOLVMNE HEBREWES 2.17 18. SERMON I. THE words opened Doct. Page 2 The Priestly office of Christ is the great Magazine and Store-house of all that grace and comfort we have on this side heaven Page 3 Proved ibid 1 It is a relief and succour to a Christian against all temptations Page 6 Cleered by particulars 1 When the Lord Jesus Christ died he offered up himself a sacrifice to God the Father Page 7 Proved Page 8 2 When he was upon the Altar the sins of all beleevers past present and to come were laid upon Christ Page 9 Cleered ibid 3 When the sins of beleevers were laid upon him he did make full satisfaction to God the Father and Divine Justice for them all ibid Object Why Beleevers have their sins still charged upon their Consciences Answered Page 13 4 This he hath done in a more eminent way than ever any high priest did before Page 14 5 How all this conduceth to our comfort or holiness Page 15 It conduceth to our comfort 1 There is a store house of mercy and meer compassion erected for poor sinners Page 15 2 All our Afflictions come not upon us as punishments Page 16 3 We shall never be damned ibid 4 We may come with boldness to the throne of grace ibid Object How shall I know that Jesus Christ hath satisfied for me Ans 1. Why not for thee Page 17 2 Applying the promise makes it thine ibid 3 Christ is willing you should think he satisfied for you ibid 4 Else we are in a worse condition than the Jews It conduceth to our holiness 1 The new covenant is founded upon it Page 19 2 Strengthen faith and strengthen all graces ibid 3 The more a man sees a holy necessity upon Christ to shew mercy the more his faith rises Page 20 4 The more a man is engaged to Christ the more
that Jesus Christ is my High-Priest so as to have satisfied for me Ah if I did but know that the Lord jesus Christ were my High-Priest in this particular so as to have satisfied for me then should I have comfort indeed how shall I discover that I am afraid he hath not satisfied for me And why not for thee man or woman why not for thee Ans 1 I shall tell you what I have heard concerning a young man that lay upon his death bed and went to Heaven While he was lying upon his death bed he comforted himself in this That the Lord Christ died for sinners Oh! blessed be the Lord saies he Jesus Christ hath died for me Satan came in with this temptation to him I but young man why for thee Christ died for sinners but why for thee how canst thou make that appear that Christ died for thee Nay Satan saies he and why not for me Ah the Lord Jesus he died for sinners and therefore Satan why not for me So he held his comfort and went up to Heaven triumphing So say I to thee poor drooping soul that labours under Temptation Why not for thee why not for thee and say so unto Satan Why not for me Again Christs satisfaction it lies open for all sorts of sinners to come unto it As the promise Ans 2 it runs indefinitely and if a man come to the promise and apply it his very applying the promise does make it His. You say Oh! that I did but know that the promise belongs to me I say thy very resting upon the promise makes it to belong to thee So the satisfaction of Jesus Christ this piece of Christs Priestly Office it lies open for all sorts of sinners for to come unto it and your very resting upon it and applying it to your own souls it makes it to belong unto you Furthermore If Jesus Christ be willing that you should think that he hath satisfied for you Ans 3 then it is no presumption for you to think so Now saies he at the Lords Supper Take my blood that is shed for thee I apply it to thee Behold thy King cometh unto thee When he rode upon an Asses colt it was not said Behold thy Lord cometh but behold thy King cometh to thee he would have every one so to think More especially Ans 4 If that a poor Christian now might not to unto Jesus Christ as unto his High-Priest and say that he is an High-Priest to me then are we Christians in a great deal worser condition than the Jews were for when a Jew had sinned he might carry his sacrifice to the Priest and he might say That this Priest here belongs to me And there was never a Jew amongst all the people of the Jewes but when the High-Priest sprinkled the Mercy-Seat but he might say This he hath done for me Now we are not in a worse condition than the Jews were this High-Priest is beyond all the High-Priests that ever was before him and therefore there is never a poor Christian but he may go to the Lord Christ and say Oh! my High-Priest and this my High-Priest hath satisfied for me Oh! what comfort is here to poor drooping souls Lift up your heads O all ye Saints and Children of God me thinks here is that indeed that might bring you off your own sands When there is no water in the river but his own the tyde comes not in no sea-water only the water of the river the native water as I may so speak then your bottoms your ships they stand upon the sands but when the tyde comes in then they are raised and come off the sands then And so long as thou hast nothing in thy own channel but thine own righteousness thou stickest upon the sands in the deep mire But now when the tyde of the Lords satisfaction comes in there is a full-sea of mercy and satisfaction able to swim the heaviest vessel made by Jesus Christ Ah me thinks this should lift up a poor soul and fetch him off from his sands Be of good Comfort them Thus it 's evident how this truth does much conduce to our Comfort But you will say Quest Does it not much conduce to our Grace or Holiness too Or if it do I pray how Yes Answ 1 This truth does conduce much to our Holiness too You shall observe that the new Covenant of grace it is laid and founded upo the satisfaction of jesus Christ upopn the Crosse upon that oblation Three times the Apostle Paul makes mention of the new Covenant of grace in the book of the Hebrews the 8 9 and 10. Chapters and in all these places he laies the Covenant of grace and founds it upon the satisfaction of Jesus Christ But especially in the 9. Chapter the 13 14 and 15. verses The 14. How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God Then at the 15. And for this cause he is the Mediator of the new Testament For this cause plainly laying the new Covenant of grace upon the satisfaction of Jesus Christ upon this part of his Priestly Office So then thou maiest now go unto God the Father and say Lord thou hast made a Covenant of grace with poor man and this Covenant of grace is founded upon the Priestly Office and satisfaction of Jesus Christ and the Lord Jesus Christ he hath satisfied for me and the new Covenant promises that we shall be all taught of God Lord I amignorant Oh! therefore now by the satisfaction of Christ let me be taught of thee that I may be made wise unto salvation And so again Lord thou hast made a Covenant of grace with poor man this is laid upon the satisfaction of Jesus Christ The Covenant of grace saies I will write my Law in your inward parts Now O Lord seeing Jesus Christ hath founded this Covenant in his blood and I am one of those that he hath made satisfaction for Oh! write thy Law in my inward parts that I may do all thy wills But again Answ 2 in the Second place that we may see how this do conduce to our Holiness Strengthen faith and we strengthen all if faith be weakened all grace is weakened Strengthen your faith and you strengthen all your Holiness and all your Graces The way to strengthen a bough or a branch of the tree is not to carry dung up into the tree but to lay it to the root Strengthen the root and ye strengthen all the branches Faith is the Root-grace now the knowledge and the thorow degesting of this truth That the Lord Jesus Christ is our great High-Priest in this point of satisfaction it does wonderfull strengthen our faith For the more I know that God is willing and and Christ willing to shew mercy unto me the more my faith is strengthened I know this That every man is willing
brought against us But he does also call for Absolution and for Pardon of poor sinners at the hand of God the Father in a way of justice and equity And therefore he is called 1 John 2.1 our Advocate If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous The work of an Advocate differs from the work of a Petitioner an Advocate does not Petition the Judge but an Advocate he tels the Judge what is Law what is right what ought to be done So the Lord Jesus Christ being in Heaven and making Intercession is there as our Advocate Lord saies he this man he hath sinned indeed but I have satisfyed for his sins I have paid for them to the full I have satisfied thy wrath to the ful now therefore in a way of Equity and in a way of Justice I do here call for this mans pardon Thus Christ intercedes And thus we see briefly wherein the Intercession of Christ consisteth and what he does when we say That he Intercedes for us in Heaven Well But suppose he does Intercede Quest Can he prevaile in his Intercession hath he any potency power or prevalency with God the Father in his Intercession Yes very much Answ and therefore we find in that same 3. of Zach. That Joshua goes away with a faire Myter upon his head ver 5. And I said let them set a faire Myter or a Crown upon his head so they set a faire Myter or a Crown upon his head and clothed him with garments and the Angel of the Lord stood by Satan at the beginning stood at his right hand to accuse him but this Accuser of the brethren goes away with a double rebuke and Joshua goes away with a Crown through the Intercession of Jesus Christ he goes away with a Crown upon his head All which will appear to you if we consider Three things First What great interest our Lord and Saviour Christ hath in the bosome of God the Father Paul prevailed with Philemon for Onesimus through the great interest that Paul had in the bosome of Philemon Our Lord and Saviour Christ he hath lien in the bosome of God the Father from all eternity he is his Son his natural Son his beloved Son his Son that did never offend him and therefore surely when he comes and intercedes for a man he is most like to speed to prevaile We know that David going out against Nabal and his house Abigail comes forth meets with David and intercedes for Nabal and Abigail did so powerfully intercede even for Nabal that she turned Davids heart quite round about David swore he would not leave one of the house and after Abigail had interceded a little for Nabal in the 1 of Sam. 25.32 verse David said unto Abigail Blessed be the Lord God of Israel which sent thee this day to meet me and blessed be thy advice and blessed be thou which hast kept we this day from coming to shod blood Pray what did Abigail say that shee turned David thus about that her intercession was thus powerful Saies Abigail as for Nabal he is according to his name And it shall come to pass at the 30. verse when the Lord shall have done to my Lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel that this shall be no griefe unto thee nor offence of heart to my Lord either that thou hast shed blood causelesse or that my Lord hath avenged himselfe This shal be no griefe at all unto thine heart saies she and other words that she used by which she prevailed here with David But Abigail was a stranger to David and Abigail she prayes and intercedes for Nabal a wicked vile foolish man Shall Abigail a woman a stranger prevail thus with David for a Nabal and shall not the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of the Father not a stranger nor a stranger to his bosome but beloved from everlasting shall not be prevaile much more when he comes and pleads the cause of the Elect and of the Children of God in the presence of God the Father whom the Father loves also Great is the Rhetorick of a Child if a Child do but cry Father especially if the child be a wise child he may prevail much with a tender hearted father The Lord Jesus Christ he is the Son of the Father and he is the Wisdom of the Father too and God the Father is a tender hearted father Oh! surely therefore Powerful are the Intercessions of Jesus Christ with God the Father Secondly The prevalency of Christs Intercessions with the Father will appear if we consider The inclination and disposition that God the Father hath unto the same things that Christ prayeth and intercedeth for If a child should come and intreat his father in a matter that the father hath no mind to or that the father is set against possibly he might not prevail But if a beloved child shall come and pray the father in a business that the father likes as well as the child surely then the child is very like to speed Thus it is The Lord Jesus Christ comes and he intercedes for us and the Father hath as great an inclination and disposition unto the work that Christ intercedes for as Christ himself hath And therefore saies Christ Loe I come to do thy will I come not to do mine own will but the will of him that sent me That which Christ did that he had a mind to it was rather the will of the Father than Christs will the Father is as strongly inclined and disposed to what Christ did and wils as Christ himself Those that thou hast given me saies he I have lost none they are thine own Lord and therefore I pray for them We have a notable expression to this end in the 10. Chapter of John and the 17. verse Therefore doth my father love me because I lay down my life that I may take it again I lay down my life Here 's his suffering and his satisfaction That I may take it again Go up to Heaven and take it again and intercede Therefore doth my father love me Oh! what a round of love is here God the father out of love sends Christ into the world to die for man God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son Wel Jesus Christ out of love to us he dies for us Who hath loved us and given himself for us The Father loves the world in giving Christ The Son loves the world in dying for us and the Father he loves Christ again for loving us Christ loves us and the Father loves Christ again for loving of us a mighty high expression That the Father should love Christ for loving us So then look wherein the love of Christ is seen unto poor sinners the Fathers inclination and disposition is untot hat as much as Christs So that when he comes unto God the Father
and does intercede he must needs prevail because the Father loves him for his interceding the Father likes the matter as well as he loves you the better for it Thirdly This will appear also if we consider upon what termes our Lord and Saviour Christ our great High-Priest was taken and admitted into Heaven the Holy of Holiest so it is called He was Honourably received into Heaven and he ws received thither for to do the work of the High-Priest He was Honourably received when he came to Heaven Sit thou down at my right hand saies God the Father to him a note of Honour When Solomon would expresse his Honour to his mother he set her down at his right hand Thus God the Father would expresse the Honourable welcome that Christ had when he came to Heaven Sit thou down on my right hand saies he Now ye shall observe that when soever this is made mention of The sitting down at the right hand of God the Father it is made mention of not with the Kingly Office of Christ but with the Priestly Office of Christ as if that he were set down there to do the work of the Priestly Office One would think I say that this should be exprest with the Kingly Office of Christ but you shall find it running along in the Scripture still with the Priestly Office of Jesus Christ Look into the 8. Chapter of the Hebrews the 1. verse Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum We have such an High-Priest who is set on the right hand of the Throne of the Majesty in the Heavens It 's named with the Priestly Office And so again in the 10. Chapter of the Hebrews at the 11. and 12. verses Every High-Priest standeth dayly ministring and offering often times the same sacrifices which can never take away sin But this man speaking of Christ after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever sate down on the right hand of God It is carried a long with the mention of the Priestly Office of Christ as if he were sate down on the right hand of God the Father in Heaven on purpose to do the work of the Priestly Office When Jesus Christ came into Heaven into the Holy of Holiest he came thither as our great High-Priest and he said unto God the Father Lord I am not now come in mine own name for my own sake only but I come as the great High-Priest having on this Brest-plate the name of all the Elect and I come to intercede for poor sinners I come as High-Priest Saies God the Father to him Welcome upon those termes welcome upon those termes not wich standing thou doest come in their names come and sit down at my right hand saies God the Father to him Thus Father is ingaged for he received him upon those termes into Heaven as our great High-Priest the Father therefore is engaged to hear his Intercession and so the intercession of Jesus-Christ must have a great deal of power and prevalency with God the Father in Heaven This is the Second thing But Thirdly Does the Lord Jesus Christ intercede for us in Heaven as our great High-Priest Yes and he does do this in a more transcendent and eminent way and manner than ever any High-Priest did before Him For First He hath gone through more Temptations than ever any High-Priest did He was tempted saies the text that he might succour those that are temped as an High-Priest If he was Tempted that he might succour those that are Tempted succour them as an High-Priest then the more he was Tempted the more experimentally able he is for to succour those that are Tempted Never any High-Priest that was Tempted like unto Christ He was saies the Apostle in all things tempted like unto us sin only excepted Poor soul name any temptation that thy heart is scared at the thoughts of and you will find that the Lord Jesus Christ he was tempted with that temptation You will say I am often times tempted to doubt Whether I be the Child of God or no and that very often So was Christ too you know the place in the 4. of Matthew If thou be the Son of God and if thou be the Son of God twice that the Devil would set an If upon Christs Son-ship Oh! but I am tempted often times to use indirect means to get out of trouble So was Christ too Command that these stones be made bread saies the Devil to him Oh! but sometimes I have been tempted even to lay violent hands upon my self So did the Devil tempt Christ too Cast thy self down off the pinacle of the Temple that was a temptation Oh! but I am tempted unto such evil things that truely I am afraid to speak of such Blasphemies such horrid and wretched Blasphemies as I think never came upon the heart of any child of God so that I am afraid to think of them and ashamed to mention them And was not Christ so was not he tempted so Saies the Devil to him All this will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me Oh! horrid Blasphemy Blush blush O Sun that the Lord Jesus the God of glory should fall down to the Devil and worship the Devil what wretched blasphemy was here that he should speak this and yet the Lord Jesus Christ he was tempted to it What shall I say He was in all things tempted like unto us sin only excepted Now there was never any High-Priest that was so tempted and he was therefore tempted that he might succour those that are tempted He is more able as our High-Priest to intercede to put in for you and to succour you than ever any High-Priest was before him Again As he hath gone through more Temptations than ever any High-Priest did So also he is filled with more Compassions It behoved the High-Priest to be Merciful it is an office of love and Mercy Now our Lord and Saviour Christ saies the Apostle is such an High-Priest as cannot but be touched with your infirmities the High-Priest that did go before him sometimes was not touched with their infirmities Hannah came and prayed and Eli's heart was not touched with her infirmity at the first But our High-Priest cannot but be touched he does sympathize with us under all our infirmities He is afflicted in all our afflictions It was the work of the High-Priest to sympathize with the people and yet notwithstanding there was a law that the High-Priest might not mourn for his kindred in that he might not as others sympathize or mourn But now our Lord Jesus he does fully sympathize with us and therefore goes beyond all the High-Priests that ever was before him Further He is more faithful in his office and place than ever any High-Priest was Aaron was an High-Priest butunfaithful in the matter of the golden calfe But our Lord and Saviour Christ he is more faithful than Moses was In this 3. Heb. 1.2 verses and so on Wherefore
must needs be Christ for no Angel intercedes but Christ alone What is the fruit of this Intercession at the 13. verse The Lord answered the Angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words I indeed good words and comfortable are the fruit of the Intercession of Jesus Christ It is a matter of great comfort this That the Lord Christ our great High-Priest is in Heaven to intercede for us Is it not a comfort to a poor man to have a friend above neer the King or in the Court that may be able to do him kindness A man sometimes saies I had a friend indeed in the Court but now he is dead I but here is a friend that never dies He ever lives to make Intercession Friends may alter and turn enemies but he changeth not Our Lord and Saviour Christ said unto his Disciples Rejoyce not in this that the Devils fall down like lightning before you but rejoyce in this That your names are written in Heaven it is a matter of great joy to have ones name written in Heaven Oh! but what is it then to have ones name written in the chiefe part of Heaven to have ones name written there upon the breast-plate of Jesus Christ our great High-Priest that is gone into the Holy of Holiest Thus it is The Lord Christ is now gone to Heaven entred into the Holy of Holiest and carries our names into the presence of God the Father and there pleades and intercedes for us Oh! what matter of comfot is here But you will say unto me Object This is indeed exceeding good and very comfortable in it self but what is this to me for I am afraid that the Lord Christ does not intercede for me if indeed I could perswade my self that the Lord Jesus were in Heaven as my High-Priest to intercede for me I think verily I should have comfort though I were in the lowest bottom though I were in Hell it self but Oh! I am afraid to bear my self upon the Intercession of Jesus Christ lest I should presume This is the great Objection and stands up continually Ans to resist the comforts of Gods people Give me leave therefore to deal with this Objection all along and to take it off that so the comfort may fall the more fully upon you First I will shew It is no presumption for us to bear our selves upon the Intercession of Jesus Christ Secondly Who those are that the Lord Christ does Intercede for in Heaven And Thirdly How willing how infinitely willing he is to Intercede for us that so I may bring the comfort neerer to our own bosomes First I say it is no Presumption for us to bear our selves upon the Intercession of Jesus Christ no Presumption to beleeve We know the story of the woman in the Gospel that came unto our Lord and Saviour touching the hem of his garment for her cure and she was cured thereby But our Saviour perceiving vertue to be gone from him he cals out the person Who hath touched me come forth and the woman came forth trembling Our Lord and Saviour Christ does not say to this poor woman How dare you thus touch me how durst you thus presume to do it Consider The woman had no Command to do it no Precept to back her The woman had no promise to engage her that if shee did touch the hem of his garment she should be cured The woman had no Example never any before that touched the hem of his garment and was cured No Commandement No Promise No Example Surely now if any woman or man should Presume it should be this woman that had no Commandement nor no Promise nor no Example and yet the Lord Jesus Christ does not chide her away does not tell her she had presumed but O woman thy faith hath saved thee thy faith hath made the whole Let me speake this home we have a Command now to beleeve in Christ and a Promise Those that come unto him he ever liveth to make Intercession for them And we have Examples of many that have come unto Jesus Christ born themselves upon his Intercession and have gone away cured what was it no Presumption for the woman to come and touch Christ without a Commandement and a Promise and an Example and have you Examples and have you Promises and have you Commandements to beleeve and will you say this is Presumption Be not deceived it is no Presumption for thee poor soul to bear thy self at length upon Jesus Christ Secondly To make this out a little more fully I shall discover who those are that the Intercession of Jesus Christ does belong unto 1 Joh. 2.1 If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous You will say This is to be carried upon those that were spoke of before and those were such as had fellowship with the Father Truely our fellowship is with the Father and with his Sonne Jesus Christ Chap. 1. verse 3. Now if any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous If any man that hath fellowship with the Father or Christ sin they have an Advocate with God the Father First therefore stand you by I pray that we will take for granted all you that ever had any fellowship with God the Father or with Jesus Christ this Doctrine of the Intercession of Jesus Christ and the comfort hereof does belong to you Moreover In the 17. Chapter of John there we find that our Saviour saies He prayes for those that do beleeve and should beleeve Those that he prayes for here he intercedes for in Heaven Neither pray I for these alone at the 20. verse but for them also which shall beleeve on me through thy word I do not pray only for those that do beleeve now but for them also which shall beleeve Well then here is a second sort Those that do beleeve and those that wait upon the Lord in the Ordinance that they may beleeve or shall beleeve Stand you by also you are another sort of people that the Intercession of Jesus Christ and the comfort thereof does belong unto But now yet further If we look into the 7. Chapter of this Epistle unto the Hebrews at the 25. verse we shall find these words Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make Intercession for them Who are those Those that come unto God by him Lay this and 53. Chapter of I saiah the 12. verse together He was numbred with the transgressors speaking of Christ cleerly and he bare the sins of many and made intercession for the transgressors It may be thou canst not say I have fellowship with God the Father it may be thou canst not say I do beleeve I am perswaded that I do beleeve thou canst not say so Well but can you say thus Through the Lords grace I do come unto God by Christ I
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
but he may go in to the Mercy-Seat of the Lord Jesus Christ that hath all the favour and acceptance in Heaven he carries him into the Mercy-Seat and God the Father will never put him by what Comfort is here Besides Is it not a great Comfort to a man for to know how it shall go with him at the great day of Judgment When there shall be hundred thousands at the right hand of Christ hundred-thousands at the left hand of Christ when all faces shall gather palenesse Oh! saies one that I did but know how it shall go with me at that day This Doctrine tels us The Lord Jesus Christ shall be our Judge at that day and he that shall judge us then he takes our Prayers and all our Duties now and carries them in unto the presence of God the Father by him we have acceptance and according to these we shall be judged Surely then if he takes our Duties and carries them in for acceptance unto God the Father he will never judge you for them and condemn you for them at that day Here is Comfort Once more Is it not a Comfort for a poor begger to be relieved at a rich-mans door We are al beggers in regard of Heaven and the Lord Jesus Christ he does not only come forth and serve us but he takes us poor beggers by the hand and leads us in to his Father Oh! what Comfort is here what Comfort is here Indeed if I were able to say That the Lord did accept my Duty Cbj. this were Comfort indeed if I were able to conclude That the Lord Jesus Christ did take my Prayers and my Duties and carry them in unto God the Father this were sweet consolation but how shall I know that If the Lord Jesus Christ be our High-Priest Ans then we may say also that he takes our duties and carries them in for acceptance unto God the Father if we may say that Jesus Christ hath satisfied for us and doth intercede for us then we may say also that he takes our duties and carries them for acceptance unto God the Father But yet a little further to bring this Comfort nearer to your hearts give me leave to appeal to you First Whosoever thou art that makes this Objection Didst thou never find a spiritual fire come down from Heaven as it were upon thy heart in Duty or after Duty In the times of the old-Testament if they offered up a sacrifice and a material fire came down from Heaven and burnt up the sacrifice to ashes it was a certain testimony that the sacrifice was accepted Now in the times of the Gospel we must not expect material fire to come down upon our Duties But hath the Lord at any time caused an inward and spiritual fire to fall down upon thy heart warming thy spirit in Dutie there the Lord speaks thus much to thee Thy sacrifice is turn'd into ashes and it is accepted by Jesus Christ Again Did you never find in your heart you that make this Objection to Pray and Cry and Intercede for others for the godly especially Look what disposition there is in your heart towards the members of Christ there is the same disposition in Christ's heart towards you Ah! do you think that there is love in your bosome towards the Saints and that there is none in Christ's heart towards you Do you think that your bowels are more large than Christ's Canst thou find in thine heart to go unto God when thou seest a Saint in misery to go to God and pray and cry and intercede for him and don 't you think that the Lord Jesus hath as much bowels towards you to go and intercede for you and present your prayers unto God the Father Further Don't you look upon your own Duties as coming from your selves most unworthy Beloved 't is in regard of Duties as it is in regard of Persons When a man does judge himself to be most unworthy then Christ counts him worthy God counts him worthy in Christ As you reade in the 1. of the Canticles saies the Spouse there ver 5. I am black O ye daughters of Jerusalem as the tents of Kedar Look not upon me because I am black ver 6. Now would you see Christs opinion of her that counts her self black saith she Black and Black again but Christ saith concerning her verse 8. O thou fairest among women She calls her self Black and Christ cals her Fair and the Fairest among women Now when a man doth count himself most unworthy God counts him most worthy and when a man looks upon his own Duties and Sacrifices as most unworthy they are look't upon by Jesus Christ as most worthy poor prayers in our eyes are precious in Gods eye A word more Don't ye think that grace is larger now in the times of the Gospel than it was in the times of the Law If ye doubt it as unto this particular Look upon the 30. Chapter of Exodus compared with the 41. of Ezekiel In the 30. Chapter of Exodus The Lord commands an Altar to be made to burn incense upon Of Shittim wood shalt thou make it verse the 1. A cubit shall be the length thereof verse the 2. The Altar is for Incense 't is the matter that now we are upon A cubit shall be the length thereof and a cubit the breadth thereof and two cubits shall be the highth therof Now in the 41. Chapter of Ezekiel he speaks of the Altar in the times of the Gospel and saith he at the 22. verse 't is the Altar of incense that there is prescribed to be made the Altar of wood of Shettem wood The Altar of wood was three cubits high and the length thereof two cubits And yet again this altar of incense in the times of the Gospel is to be as large again as that in the times of the Law as high and as long and as large again In the times of the Law times of the old-Testament a poor soul might go unto the High-Priest and might challenge a right in him and might say That his Service and his Duty and his Sacrifice was accepted by the High-Priest If in the times of the Old-Testament a man might say so much more may a poor soul now go unto Jesus Christ our great High-Priest and say That his Service and his Duty and Sacrifice is accepted through him Here is abundance of Comfort unto the Saints be of good comfort all you that do beleeve But How doth this make unto our Holiness Quest unto Holiness of life We confess indeed that there is abundance of Comfort in this That the Lord Jesus Christ our great High-Priest takes all our Gifts and al our Prayers and presents them to God the Father and that in his acceptance we have acceptance but I pray how doth all this conduce to our Holiness of life Much every way Answ First In case I be Ungodly a Wicked man Here is that that may
for ever keep me from opposition to the good wayes of God I have said sometimes may a wicked man say concerning godly mens duties That it was their Hypocrisie And I have said concerning such and such Professors This is your Pride and this is your Singularity and I have opposed with all bitterness and earnestness the prayings and wrestlings of some of Gods people But is this true That the Lord Jesus Christ takes every Prayer of the meanest of Gods Children and carries it into the bosom of God the Father and shall I spit upon that that Christ owns shall I dare to oppose that that the Lord Jesus Christ presents unto his Father The Lord in mercy pardon me I have sinned and done foolishly and for ought I know I may have spoken evill of that Duty that Christ hath carried into the presence of God the Father Oh! through the Lords grace then for ever will I leave to make any opposition against any of the good waies of God again and I will never speake one word against the persons meetings or supplications of the godly again Again In case a man be Ungodly a wicked man Here is mighty incouragement for to come unto Jesus Christ I and to come presently For is Jesus Christ the ladder that Jacob saw by whom we go up to Heaven doth he take all our Duties and Prayers and present them to God the Father for acceptance Then till I do come to Christ all is nothing all is lost if I be a Drunkard and will not come to Christ Prayer is all lost if I be a Swearer and will not come to Christ an Unclean wretch and will not come to Christ all my Prayers and all my Duties are lost Oh! the Lord pity me may many a poor soul say I have lost too many Prayers already through the Lords grace now I will lose no more Oh! I come to Christ Lord I come I come This is a mighty incouragement to make every man now for to come unto Jesus Christ because the Lord Jesus our High-Priest takes every Duty and carries it into the bosom of God the Father for acceptance Thus for Ungodly Secondly In case a man be Godly this truth doth conduce to our further Holiness and growth in grace If I be Codly Then here I see infinite reason why I should be much in Duty not only pray but be much in prayer Why for the Lord Christ taketh all and carries all into the bosom of the Father mingles his own odours intercessions with it although it be but a sigh and a groane The Apostle upon this account makes this use of it having spoken of Christ our High-Priest Therefore saith he let us come with boldness vnto the Throne of grace Heb. 4.16 The word signifies to speak all ones mind let us come speaking all Having such an High-Priest indeed as will carry all into the presence of God the Father for acceptance every sigh and every groan then who would not be much in prayer speak all to Christ be free with Christ come with boldness There 's many a poor soul that is much discouraged and he dares not go to prayer many times afraid to go to the Throne of grace The reason is because he looks upon his Prayer or Duty as it lies upon his own heart or as it comes from himself Whereas my beloved 't is with your Prayers and Duties as it is with fire Your kitchin fire is troubled with abundance of smoake and there is filth about it fire upon the hearth hath much smoake but fire above in the Element of fire there 's no smoke So your Prayer when it lies upon your own hearth as I may say there 's a great deal of smoke but when it gets once into the hands of Jesus Christ there 's it's Element and it is freed from all it's smoke Or as it is with a mans Body so long as he lives here upon the earth he is feeble and weak and many times sickly assoon as he is come into Heaven all his weakness is taken away and his body being in Heaven 't is presently glorified and strength put upon it and all his diseases are gone So 't is with our Prayers So long as they are here below in our own bosoms they are full of weakness but assoon as our Prayer is out of our mouth 't is in the hand of Christ 't is in Heaven 't is glorified the weakness is now done away Oh! 't is a glorified Prayer when once 't is gone from you 't is in the hand of Christ And therefore this is a mighty incouragement unto all those that are godly to be not only in Prayer but to be much in Prayer come with boldness unto the Throne of grace Again If ye be Godly yea if ye be Ungodly Here I see infinite reason why I should receive every Truth that comes from Christ though accompanied with many failings in him that speaks it The Lord Jesus Christ he accepts of every prayer and duty that comes from me though it have many weaknesses yea he takes my Prayer and carries it into the presence of God the Father for acceptance my poor Prayer labouring with many weaknesses Then when a Truth comes from Christ shall not I accept of it what though the Minister or Preacher that speaks it labour with this or that weakness There is Pride or there is some miscarriage in the delivery or the like Shall the Lord Christ take my Prayer labouring under infirmity and accept thereof and carry it into the presence of God the Father for acceptance notwithstanding all the failings of my Duty and shall not I accept of Truth that comes from Christ notwithstanding all the failings of the poor messenger that brings it Further The more Evangelical you are in your Obedience the more Holy ye are in your lives This truth that is now before ye well studied and considered will make you more Obedient in an Evangelical way And ye shall find therefore that the Lord himself from Heaven does make this use of it pray consult with the 17. of Matthew and the 5. verse This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased hear ye him Those words follow Hear him Hearing notes Faith and Obedience not a bare Hearing with the ear Compare this and the same speech together which ye have in the 3. of Matthew and the 17. verse Loe a voyce from Heaven saying This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Heare ye him is not there in the 3. of Matthew but here in the 17. of Matthew these words are added Heare ye him What should the reason be that Hear ye him should be added here in the 17. of Matthew and not in the 3. of Mat. thew Give me leave to give you some reason for it so far as may make to our present purpose Not to say any thing of that which Moses said In his daies a Prophet will the Lord your God raise up
sold his Birth-right for a mess of pottage the Lord look't upon him as a Prophane man and he stands upon record in Scripture for a Prophane man unto this day because he sold his Birth-right And saies the text Though he sought the Blessing it was a blessing with tears he never recovered it The Lord Jesus Christ he is now among us and offering to bless us and if I will rather keep my sins than come unto Jesus Christ the Lord will look upon me as a Prophane man and I may go and seek the blessing with tears and never recover it again Oh! here 's that me thinks that should make every wicked man if there be ever a Drunkard Swearer or Unclean wanton that reades this book mind what is said for your Everlasting peace I say here 's that me thinks that should make every wicked man to look upon the Godly as David did upon the sparrows and upon the swallows Saies David These birds full nigh thine Altar may have place to sit and sing as ye have it in your singing Psalms These birds can come and make their nests but as for me I am kept at a distance He was provoked by the sparrows and swallows making their nests neer the Altar So may a wicked man say There 's a godly man indeed he may go to Jesus Christ he may go to Prayer and he may offer up his Gift to God the Father by the hands of Christ he can come neer to God by Christ But as for me I am yet without Christ I am not yet gone to Jesus Christ I am such a cursed Swearer I am such a prophane Drunkard I am such a vile wretched Wanton such a Notorious Scandelous sinner Oh! these people are blessed but I am Cursed but now through the Lords grace I will go unto the Lord Christ that I may be blessed Yea My beloved here is me thinks a strong Invitation unto all those that are young people for to come unto Jesus Christ even those that are very young Hear the word of the Lord ye Children The Lord Jesus Christ received Children into his armes and he blest them You that are nine ten eleven twelve thirteen fourteen or fifteen years old you can be solicitous for your fathers blessing and have gone down upon your knees often unto your father and you have said Pray father pray to God to bless me Oh! will ye go to your outward father for his blessing and will ye not go unto Jesus Christ He is an Everlasting Father this your earthly father will be dead erelong He is an Everlasting father children and he is able to bless ye and willing to bless ye Have ye gone down upon your knees to your outward father Oh! children down down upon your knees before the Lord Jesus Chrit and go to him for his blssing Some of you it may be never went yet to Christ for his blessing ye have lived so many yeers ten eleven or twelve yeers and never went to Christ as a High-Priest for his blessing all this while Oh! what a mighty incouragement is here unto all men to come to Christ that they may be blessed by him But yet further As there is an incouragement for to come unto Christ So this argument does also incourage us to go on in the good waies of Christ notwithstanding all opposition that we meet withall I say it does speak incouragement to go on in the face of all opposition For when Abraham had been at battel then came Melchisedec the High-Priest to bless him And when a poor soul goes out to battel for Christ then comes our great Melchisedec our High-Priest and blesses that soul The time of opposition it is the time of Christs blessing Therefore why should I be dilcouraged or beaten out of the way of Christ by reason of any opposition though it be never so great Times of opposition are Christs blessing-time Again This argument does not only speak incouragement against all oppsition But it does also incourage us to go on in the good waies of God when we are called unto it though we have but little strength and weak parts Though there be but little oyle in the Cruse though there be but little meal in the barrel if Christ call to the work he will bless a man in it and when Christ blesses he does multiply and increase a mans parts in the using of them As when he commanded them to sit down and eat he did multiply and increase the bread in their eating So now does Christ call me to any work or service well then though I am weak though I have not oyle enough though I have not meal enough though I have not strenght enough yet the Lord Christ will bless and when he blesses he does increase and multiply and therefore why should I not go on upon his work if he do call mee thereunto though I have never so little strength And yet further If all this be true Why should not a man be contented with his condition though it be never so mean Beloved in the Lord is there not enough in Christs blessing Truly He is too covetous whom the blessing of Christ will not satisfie Well what ever my condition be yet I may be blessed by Jesus Christ and hath the Lord blest me then will I be contented with my Condition though it be never so mean I have All as Jacob oncesaid I have All. Yea in the Fift and last place Here is that which if wel studied and considered will provoke us all for to bless the Lord and continually to blesse the Lord What is the life of a Christian here but a continuall blessing of God 't is Heaven begun and in Heaven they do nothing else but blesse and praise the Lord and I say our life here is Heaven begun and therefore a Christian should be alwaies blessing and praising the Lord. Well But what will make a man to be alwaies Blessing Quest and Praising of God in Christ The knowledge that a man is blessed by Christ Answ wil make a man blesse God for Christ And therefore consider how the Apostle reasons in the 1. of the Ephesians the 3. vers Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Why Who hath blessed VS When once a man can come to this for to say That the Lord Christ hath blest him then he will break forth into blessing and praising of the Lord Oh! Blessed be the Lord Blesse the Lord O my soul blesse the Lord all that is within me For the Lord hath blessed me with spiritual blessings Do you therefore desire to be alwaies in this work of blessing the Lord think much of this To conclude al give me leave to cal upon you to remember what ye have read Ye have read That it is the work of our great High-Priest To Satisfie for the sins of the people To answer unto all Accusations that are brought against them To offer up all
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies such a Succouring as brings in help unto those that cry out to come in and run in with help upon ones crying out In the 12. of the Revelation it is said Woe to the inhabitants of the earth for the Devil is come down with great wrath for he knows that his time is short There is a Woe in it where the Devil comes down with great wrath Now he looks upon all the Saints as having their time but short and he comes down upon them in great wrath with his temptations and there is a Woe in it although the temptation takes not And for ought I know upon this account the new-Testament may so promiscuously use the word Temptation both for Affliction and Satans Suggestions even because seldom any Affliction comes but it does bring Temptation with it never any Temptation but brings Affliction alwaies something of a Suffering in every Temptation even at that very time when it does least prevail This is the First thing Secondly Doth God suffer his own children thus to Suffer Quest 2 Yes And many times the best most tempted Answ the best men meet with the worst temptations those that are most eminently Godly are most fouly assaulted David Job Peter Paul and Christ himself was Yea God doth not only suffer Satan to come and present evil objects before his servants but suffers him to go so far as to solicite to press to follow on his temptation And therefore it is said concerning David That Satan stood up and provoked him to Number the people He did not only present an evil object to him but he followed his temptation he solicited he stood up and provoked David to Number the people Yea God doth not only suffer this but at that very time when the Saints have had most of God then they have suffered by the hand of temptation when Paul had been taken up into the third Heaven then a messenger Satan was sent to buffet him And when Jesus Christ had heard the voice This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Then saies the text in the 4. of Matthew 1. was he led by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the Devil And so with the Saints now when they have been as it were in the third Heaven with God when they have had most of him when they have heard the Lord saying This is my beloved child after special manifestations of his love then most tempted Oh! who would be secure after manifestations of Gods love Further God doth not only suffer it thus far but sometimes he suffers his children to be so far tempted as they seem to have the worser Satan the better Satan taking the wall of them the upper hand In the 3. of Zachary it is said concerning Joshua That Satan stood at his right hand Satan took the wall of him took the upper hand of him Lastly God suffers this to be and to continue a long time with some of his children Paul saith he had prayed thrice that is often and all the answer he could get was this My grace is sufficient for thee Paul I don't say I will deliver thee but thou shalt have grace enough to uphold thee My grace shall be sufficient Thus God suffers his own dear children to Suffer under the hand of temptation And would you know the Reason Reas 1 Good Authors say That God suffers his own dear children to be tempted that they may be more inlightened Temptation inlightens the tempted there by they are more experienced and so more inlightened God is pleased to answer them by this secret of thunder God suffers his children thus to be tempted Reas 2 That they may be cleansed This is Gods usual way he does wash us from our own filth by the dung and excrement of these unclean spirits and scowres of the rust from his chosen vessels by the messengers of Satan these are Gods scullions to make his golden pots of the Sanctuary the brighter God suffers his own children to be tempted Reas 3 That they may be conserved or kept He preserves them from one sin by being tempted to another And Paul saies That he received that messenger of Satan twice that he might not be exalted Reas 4 God suffers his children to be tempted That their graces may be increased As the fire is blown up by the wind of the bellows and the strength of an Argument draws out the strength of the Answerer So does these temptations draw out the strength of the tempted God suffers his Children to be tempted Reas 5 That they may be discovered to themselves and others what their sins graces are You don't know what the liquor is till the vessel be bored then you know it And the word that is used here for Temptation Originally signifies to bore as a vessel is bored 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The love of a woman is never more known than when her husband is from home and she is solicited to folly then her love is tryed to her husband God suffers his children to be tempted Reas 6 That occasionally they may be made more fit to receive the fulness of Christ as a Saviour A man not tempted may receive the fulness of Christ as the head but unlesse a man be tempted not fit to receive the fulness of Christ as a Saviour Hereby they are made like unto Jesus Christ Reas 7 Christ was made like to us that he might be tempted and we are tempted that we may be made like to him He was made like to us that he might be tempted and so become our High-Priest and we are tempted that we may be made like to him and receive of the mercy of that office He was made like to us and tempted that he might have communion with us in the evil of our temptation and we are made like to him and tempted as he was that we might have communion with him in the benefit of his temptations For these and other reasons God suffers his children to be tempted But my design is not to fall upon the argument of Temptation at large only to speak of the Suffering part of it For in that he suffered being once tempted he is able to succour those that are temped And upon the same reason or account that God suffered the children of Israel to be Vexed and to suffer by the hands of the Egyptians he doth suffer his own dear children to be stung and vexed by these temptations Give me leave a little in that God suffered the Isralites to be vexed to suffer much by the hands of the Egyptians That so be might make his glorious power the more to appear for them and in them For when men saw that the Isralites increased and prospered the more they were oppressed and the more that the Egyptians laboured to cut them off then who would not say Oh! what power and what mercy is here So now when as men shall
was but thought him a Prophet yet he would do it So willing as that though they did not desire it themselves but were brought by others yet he would do it So willing as that though they were unmannerly in their coming to him withness the pulling the tyles off the house yet he would do it And that so willing though much unbeleef express by those that were brought unto him yet he would do it I beseech you consider it this was a work that Christ came into the world to do this is The work the work that Christ came to do it was to bind up broken hearts The work that Christ came to do was to open the prison doors to poor captives The Spirit of the Lord is upon me you know the place To administer a word in due season to those that are weak He hath given me the tongue of the learned to administer a word in due season to those that are weak Now then if Jesus Christ was so willing to do the other work which was but his work by the bye which was not The-work that he did come about how infinitely willing must he needs be to do The-work that he did come about but I say to succour poor tempted ones this was The-work that he came upon Heaven hath not alter'd him he hath lost none of his love by going thither Surely therefore the Lord Jesus Christ is infinitely willing to succour poor tempted souls Well But though he be able and willing yet it may be he is not faithfull Yes saith the former verse Faithful merciful and faithful High-Priest Faithful in all his house as Moses was What honest man will break his word go contrary to his oath He is sworne into this office of the High-Priest Yea we have not only his Promise and his Oath but the fathers Bond for the Sons performance The seed of the woman shall break the serpents head it shall bruise his heel she shall break his head The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand This is the work that is in his hand to succour tempted ones it shall prosper in his hand In the 8. Chapter of Matthew We reade there at the 16. verse That he cast out spirits with his Word and healed all that were sick That is might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the Prophet saying Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses Because he took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses he took himself to be engaged for to heal the sicknesses and diseases among the people Beloved he hath taken our infirmities He hath borne our sins and therefore he takes himself engaged also for to heal our soul-diseases to heal those temptations He is very faithfull Well But suppose he is faithful How doth he succour those that are tempted in the day and time of their temptation that is the Fourth thing He succours Before temptation He succours In temptation He succours After temptation Christ succours tempted souls Before the temptation comes sometimes By a special manifestation of himself ihs love and fulness to them When Christ himself was to be tempted immediately before the Father said from Heaven This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased And so when Christ sees that a soul is to go into temptation he speaks out from Heaven and saies This is my beloved servant in whom I am well pleased Sometimes he succours Before temptation By laying in of Gospel-principles and Gospel-dispositions in the heart The Law is weak saies the Apostle As it is weak unto the point of Justification the matter of Justification so a legal disposition is weak as to the matter of resisting temptation a Gospel-disposition is able to bear it off Christ fore-seeing a temptation laies in such a disposition then when it comes Oh! saies the soul How shall I be able to close with all this love of the world having received so many love-tokens from my dear Saviour Again He succours Before the temptation By filling the heart with the holy Ghost When the vessel is fild with one liquor it keeps out another I will return to my house saith Satan and I came and found it empty and so he entered The Lord therfore fils the house the soul with the holy Ghost and so keeps Satan from entering He succours also Vnder temptation By opening the eyes of him that is tempted to see that 't is but a temptation A temptation is half cured when a man knows that 't is but a temptation when a mans eyes is open to see the tempter and the temptation Therefore men are so hardly cured because they are hardly perswaded that 't is a temptation when they see that then they say Get thee behinde me Satan Christ opens their eyes Again He succours Vnder temptation By letting fal some glimpse of his love some love-look upon a tempted soul And so when Peter was in the High-Priests hall Christ looks upon him and he went out and wept bitterly It was the sweet look of Christ that made Peter weep bitterly Peters tears came from Christs eyes first and though he were much engag'd yet having a love-look from Christ I 'le stay no longer and away he goes And so when a soul sees but the gracious eye of Christ looking on him he breaks off from his temptation thus he succours Again He succours Vnder temptation by temptation even from temptation Beloved the Devil seldom tempts with one single temptation As we seldom commit single sins or receive single mercies so the Devil seldom tempts with a single temptation One may be laid in our Natures and the other laid in our Callings Christ sees now that one is given to Uncleannesse or to Pride and so he lets out Satan upon him to trouble him with blasphemous thoughts and by the afflictions of those blasphemous thoughts they are kept from Pride and from Wantonnesse and delighting in other sins He does succour From temptation I say from temptation by temptation sometimes by causing a word in the temptation to standout so as thereby to give the tempted man an hint to Jesus Christ So when Christ tempted and tryed the woman of Canaan 'T is not lawful to cast childrens bread before dogs There stood out a word that word Dog she laies hold on it True Lord yet the dogs eate of the crums Christ does so order the very temptations of Satan that some word or other in the very temptation does so stand forth as to hint the soule again unto Jesus Christ Sometimes he succours Vnder temptation By throwing in a Promise lotting the soul upon some Promise which as a Cable keeps the heart fast in the time of a storm And sometimes he succours Vnder temptation again By weakending the temptation and by keeping the heart and the temptation asunder may be by raising up some Affliction Woe to that soul when the heart and temptation meet corruption and temptation meet The Lord Christ therefore sometimes is pleased to raise
so will I comfort you and then it follows They shall rejoyce your hearts shall rejoyce But take heed your spirituall joy after Victory don't degenerate into carnal joy and you be drunk therewith 'T is reported of the English that once going into Spain and taking in a Town there after they had taken it in there being much wine in the Town the souldiers fell a drinking of themselves drunk and the Country came down upon them and beat them out and recovered the Town again So 't is with many They have a Victory over temptation and they begin to rejoyce spiritually but their spiritual joy degenerates into carnal joy and they are drunk with their joy and so lose their Victory Beloved Joy not in your Joy but in the God of your Joy after Victory And if you have the better after temptation if you have the better be sure of this That you improve your Victory to more assurance If the Devil get the better of you he 'le be sure to improve his Victory to your despair I say if he get the better of you he will be sure to improve his Victory to your despair Therefore if you get the better of him be sure that you improve your Victory to more assurance of Gods love in Christ Yea my beloved for ought I know there is no temptation that a child of God meets withal but he may improve it to more assurance As thus Surely If I were the Devils own he would never trouble me thus When the strong man keeps the house all is at peace and all is at quiet Now ever since from the very first day that I have set my face towards heaven and Christ Oh! how have I been troubled and tempted and perplexed and vexed in my spirit Surely therefore I am none of the Devils Now if I had been his own I should have been more quiet under him but because I am thus troubled I hope in the Lord I am none of the Devils I am the child of God Thus a man may improve And Oh! what a good thing were it if we did make improvement of our temptations what gracious improvement might we make of all our temptations and what a blessed issue might we have in our temptations if we did go unto Christ for succour I beseech you therefore in the Lord when as any temptation arises go unto Jesus Christ he is a succouring Christ He hath National succours and he hath Family succours and he hath Personal succours You have National temptations and you have Family temptations and you have Personal temptations Soul-temptations temptations when you are alone Therefore go unto Christ for succour To conclude I beseech you beloved in the Lord go to Christ and try him put him to it The greater your temptation is the more fit work for Christ to cure do not despair do not sit down go to Jesus Christ you shal find him better than I have spoken you shall not find him worse he will go beyond my words he will not fall short of my words As the Devill goes about like a roaring lyon seeking whom he may devour So Jesus Christ in the Gospel goes up and down with his succour seeking whom he may succour Go to him for succour and the God of peace even Jesus Christ himself tread down Satan under our feet shortly SERMON III. 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 But I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not AFTER our greatest injoyments of God usually follow the greatest temptations of Satan And therefore our Saviour speaks these words unto his Disciples In the 19. verse of this Chapter we find them at the Lords Supper with Christ himself This is my body which is given for you This do in remembrance of me Having received the Supper with Christ himself and having had sweet Communion with him there our Saviour gives them out a most gracious and blessed promise at the 28 29 30. verses Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations and I appoint to you a kingdom as my Father hath appointed unto me that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel Having said thus unto them He comes in the very next words to acquaint them with a great temptation that was coming down upon them all and therefore these words are knit together with the former by the word And And the Lord said Simon Simon behold Satan hath desired Though you have had this Communion with me and though I have made you this gracious and blessed promise know that there is a great storm of temptation coming down upon you Here are two things The Danger of the temptation and the Remedy against it The Danger in the 31. and the Remedy in the 32. verse In the 31. verse we have considerable The Tempter called Satan which signifies an Adversary The Tempted and those are not Simon only but all the Disciples Satan hath desiredyou 't is in the Plural number he directs his speech unto Simon but the temptation spreads larger upon all the Disciples That he may sift you The Manner of the temptation in Two expressions Satan hath Desired you according to the Original word Satan hath challenged you into the field 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as one man does another And hath desired you that he may sift you as wheat and leave you nothing but chaffe Plainly then here this Observation The Lord Jesus Christ does give leave sometimes unto Satan Doct. to tempt and winnow his own and best Disciples Christs own and best Disciples are exposed to Satans temptings and winnowings not Peter only but James and John and all the beloved Disciples of Jesus Christ were exposed here unto Satans winnowings He hath desired You in the Plural number not thee Peter only but you all my Disciples that he may sift you as wheat For the clearing and making out of this Truth I shall labour to discover First What great power Satan hath to tempt molest and annoy the children of men Secondly That he puts forth this power especially upon the Saints Christs own-and bestDisciples Thirdly How he comes by this power and why God the Father gives him this leave And so to the Applycation First Quest 1 If ye aske me What power Satan hath to infest molest and thus to tempt the children of men I answer Answ 1 First ye know that Satan is an Angel still and being an Angel he is a Superiour creature to man and therefore according to the rank of Creation he hath a great deal of power over man Man hath a great power over the Beasts for man is a Superiour The Beasts have a great deal of power over the Herbs and the grasse for the Beast is the Superiour The Angels by Creation are Superiour to man Satan though fallen is an
whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy See who are to say so Let the Redeemed of the Lord say so whom he hath Redeemed from the hand of the enemy Beloved ye know that not long since we were in Captivity I mean a Spriitual Captivity we sate down by the waters side and said How shall we do to sing a Christian song The Lord hath Redeemed us he hath Redeemed us out of the hand of our Enemies And if the Lord hath not Redeem'd you out of the hand of your Enemy don't say so but if he have Let the Redeemed of the Lord say so Pesides Is it not worth our Thankfulness that we have had so many daies of Thanksgiving together A day of Fasting and Prayer is a sweet day a Thanksgiving-day sweeter if I may make compate For in a day of Fasting and Prayer we deal with the anger and wrath and displeasure of God In a day of Thanksgiving with the love of God and the mercy of God In a day of Fasting and Prayer we exercise Grief But in a day of Thanksgiving we exercise Joy and love In a day of Fasting and Prayer your eye is upon your sins In a day of Thanksgiving upon your graces to be Thankful for them As the fish swims upon the top of the water when the Sun shines which in a storm lay at the bottom and wood and sticks tumbled up and down and those were seen So in a day of Thanksgiving there ye see and take notice of your own graces to be thankful for them In a day of Fasting and Prayer sometimes ye are so humbled for sin committed as the sence of your Justification is quite shattered But in the day of Thanksgiving your assurance for heaven is sealed they are sweet daies And beloved you have had many of them of late and surely this is worth our Praise But give me leave a little to Enumerate for Enumeration is one kind of Argument Hath not the Lord from heaven owned his own Cause in the hands of his servants our brethren in the field Hath not the Lord heard your Prayers Hath not the Lord opened many Mines of precious Truths that ye never knew before Hath not the Lord delivered you from the hand of a savadge Enemy Those that lay among the pots brought forth with doves-wings Victory after Victory one treading upon the heel of another overtaking another Does he not daily load you with his benefits I cannot say as David in the 9. Psalm and the 1. verse I will praise thee O Lord with my whole heart I will shew forth all thy marveilous works The former part I will praise thee O Lord with my whole heart you will say But the latter part I will shew forth all thy marveilous works Who can say they are beyond us And now Beloved if it be our duty to Praise God to be Thankful to him in every condition when we are low shall we not be thankful to him now that the Lord hath raised us and fill'd us thus You will say Object There 's one thing that hinders us in the work of Praise and Thanksgiving in these times A Reformation is now begun and things do not succeed according to our desires in the matter of Reformation should we can we be Thankful now Yes If the Lord give me a Child Answ should not I be Thankfull for it because it is not borne a man When the Jews built the Temple did not they shout and praise God that the Foundation was laid When the Israelites had overcome their enemies in Samuels time though the Enemies were round about them they set up a stone and called it Eben-ezer 1 Sam. 7.12 Hitherto the Lord hath helped us Beloved in our Thanksgiving we are to be like unto Jesus Christ He did not only praise God when he had the mercy but before he had it in the entrance upon it When he raises up Lazarus from the dead John 11.41 42. Father saies he I Thank thee that thou hearest me alwaies and then he commands Lazarus to come out But first he gives Thanks to God In the Scripture the holy-Ghost hath commmanded us Prov. 3.9 To honour the Lord with our substance and with the first fruits of all our increase Either ye have the first-fruits of Reformation or not If not what mean all those precious Ears and fruits which ye have been gathering in these latter times And if ye have the first fruits though ye have not reap't the harvest yet then honour the Lord with your substance and with your first-fruits So shall your barnes be fill'd with plenty and your presses with the new wine of the Gospel God does give one mercy as a seal unto another a First as a seal to the Second the Second as a seal to the Third the lesser as a pledge of the greater God does give a lesser mercy to try us whether we will be Thankful that he may give a greater Beloved these are trying times God tries us whether we will be Thankful for what we have A Reformation is now on foot what though things don't succeed according to your desire shall we not be Thankful for what we have because we want something of what we would have when then shall we be Thankful I but Quest 't is not only want of Reformation but many Errours that are risen up among us in these times and should we be Thankful now in this condition Yes Answ Shall I not be Thankful for some grace because it is mingled with much Corruption Shall I not be Thankful for my field of Corn because divers weeds are mingled therewith Shall I cast away the kernel because it is compast about with a shell Luther in the beginning of the Reformation met with many Errours and he comforted himself with this When the Corn is grown the weeds will die alone Meaning this When Reformation is come to greater strength Errours would die alone 'T is said of our Lord and Saviour Christ Isa 53.12 He was numbered among transgressors Should not I love Christ or own Christ or be Thankful for Christ because he was numbered among transgressors The Errours of the time you say are the transgressors of the time Shall I not love the Truth and own the Truth and be thankful for the Truth because it is numbered among the transgressors the transgressors of the time Blessed is that man that can see a beauty in Truth when it hath a scratch't face And indeed every Truth hath a beauty the Lord hath given you out many Truths in these times that ye were ignorant of before Beloved I do not say that ye should be thankful for any Errour we ought to be grieved for any Errour But shall we be so mindful against Errour crying out against Errour Errour as not to be thankful for any Truth we have If the whole world were spread with Errour that one Truth living Jesus Christ died for sinners there were
matter of Praise The more Errour does prevail the more mercy it is that you are kept And truely the only way or a special way to be kept from Errour is to be thankful for Truth As a way to be kept from sin is to be thankful for grace So a special way to be kept from Errour is to be thankful for Truth So then Notwithstanding all this yet you are to be thankful Thankful even in this condition though many Errours yet ye are to be thankful to be in all things thankful in every thing thankful Thankful when ye are straitened as well as when ye are most enlarged Thankful when ye are Deserted as well as when God shines upon you Thankful when ye are Afflicted as well as when ye are Delivered Thankful when ye have no Victories as well as when ye have Victories Some it may be now will Praise the Lord and be Thankful hearing of so many Victories and because there may be some hopes of Peace But beloved 't is our duty to be in every thing Thankful 'T is the will of God our Father that we should be Thankful in every thing Thankful in every condition Give me leave to propound some few Incouragments hereunto for it seems a hard thing to be Thankful in every thing in every condition If you can be thankful in every thing even when ye are low you will engage God for to raise you up If when you are weak you engage God for to make you strong If when you are Deserted you engage God to enlarge you to shine upon you It pleases God much you cannot please him more than to be Thankful in every thing even when ye are low For Example Suppose a man be convinc'd of sin troubled in Conscience hath no assurance of Gods love in Christ If he should die he does not know whether he should go to heaven or hell Yet notwithstanding saies he what ever become of me I bless the Lord that I am come hither I was going on in the most sad condition the Lord hath opened my eyes I see indeed nothing but the wrath of God due for my sins but yet blessed be the Lord that hath opened my eyes to see this I saies the Lord doest thou blesse me because I have opened thy eyes for to see thy sins I 'le open thine eyes for to see thy Saviour Doest thou blesse me because I have opened thy eyes to see thy own heart and the naughtiness thereof I 'le open thy eyes to see all my grace and I 'le cause all my grace to passe before thee This engages God when ye can be thankful for every thing and when ye are low it engages God much unto you Again Hereby your Afflictions shall be made blessings unto you You say How shal I know whether an Affliction be a blessing or no Take this note when thou canst blesse God under an Affliction then thy Affliction is made a blessing thy very blessing of God under an Affliction makes thy Affliction a blessing to thee Job greatly afflicted and he blest God and his Affliction was a blessing to him so shall it be with you Touch but thy Affliction with a Thankful heart it will turn it into gold Moreover The more you can be Thankful for any thing when ye are low the more peace shall your heart and your soul be fild with Some of you it may be want peace of Conscience and ye say Oh! that I had peace within whatever become of me Outwardly whatsoever the world do with me Oh! that I had peace within To this purpose consider the 4. to the Philippians saies the Apostle Be ye in nothing careful at the 6. verse but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus This is the way to get a great and a full peace Be in nothing careful be in all things Thankful then the peace of God shall guard you Besides Hereby ye shall shame the Devil your great adversary shall retreate from tempting of you as one ashamed and confounded Some there are that shame the Saints and are a shame to the waies of God the Gospel Some there are that shame the Devil The Devil said unto God concerning Job Do but touch him Job 1.11 12 21 and he will curse thee to thy face saies the Lord He is in thy hand only save his life and Satan touch't him what then The Lord giveth the Lord taketh away blessed be his Name The Devil said he would Curse God and he blesses God See how the Devil is sham'd and confounded here Some there are that make the Devils words good Touch him and he will curse thee to thy face and so do some do and thereby they are a shame indeed unto the people of God and the waies of God But when people can blesse God under Affliction if ye in every this be Thankful the Devil is confounded God is much honoured Wherefore beloved as ye desire that God may be much honoured by you the Devil confounded your own peace setled all your afflictions turned into blessings and the Lord engag'd to you to raise you up when ye are low learn out this lesson not only to be Thankful when ye are full but to be Thankful when ye are empty to be in every thing Thankful this is the will of God your Father How shall we do this Quest you will say how must that be done Some few things in answer to that and so I will wind up all First Answ 1 Observe your own temper and accommodate your selves put thy self upon that duty and that grace which thine own disposition lies next unto God hath given us this indulgence Jam. 5.13 Is any afflicted let him pray is any merry let him sing Psalms According to your disposition saies he that is the meaning So let your work be so let your grace be It may be thou canst not Pray by that time thou hast been at another duty that thy disposition lies more unto next unto thou wilt be fit to pray It may be thou canst not Sing by that time thou hast been at Prayer which thy disposition lies next unto thou wilt be fit to Sing Let us not be more cruel to our souls than God is he hath give us this indulgence observe your selves accommodate your selves and by this means you shall be able upon all occasions to blesse and praise the Lord. Again Be sure of this that you maintain your Assurance fresh and green It 's a hard thing for a man to be thankful in every thing that wants Assurance Come to him for to praise God for a great work but it may be saies he it came in Judgment to me I have no Assurance Strengthen your Assurance in these Three things and it will cause continual Thankfulnesse Thankfulnesse in every thing Assurance