our Prayers and Gifts vnto God the Father And to Bless poor souls Now then beloved according to all your Wants and according to all your Temptations I do beseech you in the Lord Go to Jesus Christ unto this High-Priest try and see if you don't find it true That the Lord does make good all this unto you In case that you be under any spiritual Want or Temptation put your souls unto this Disjunction Come O my soule Either the Lord Jesus Christ is our great High-Friest or else he is not If he be not what means this and that Scripture And if the Lord Jesus Christ be our great High-Priest then surely he being faithful will do all the work of the High-Priest for my soul Indeed I have sinned and sinned greatly but O Lord it is the work of our High-Priest to Satisfie Now Lord Jesus I come to thee as mine High-Priest Oh! Satisfie for me Indeed I confesse mine own Conscience does Accuse me Satan does Accuse me Moses does Accuse me but it is the work of our great High-Priest to take off all Accusations brought against poor beleevers Now Lord I do come unto thee as to my great High-Priest Oh! take off this Accusation that any poor soul does labour under Indeed when I look upon mine own Duties there is so much deadness so much hardness of heart and so many distractions that do accompany them that I am afraid they will never be accepted but O Lord it is the work of our great High-Priest to take away the weeds of the Duty and to present the Duty now O Lord I come unto thee as mine High-Priest Oh! carry my Prayers into the bosom of God the Father Yea when I look upon my former life Lord I cannot but conclude my self a poor cursed finner but yet notwithstanding it is the work of our great High-Priest for to blesse the people O Lord I do therefore now come unto thee as mine High-Priest Oh! blesse me and say unto all my graces Increase and Multiply FINIS SATANS Power to tempt AND CHRISTS love to and care of his people under temptation HEBREWES 2.18 For in that He himself hath suffered being tempted Preached at Margrets New-fish street Octob. 5. 1646. he is able to succour them that are tempted THE Scope and Drift of this Epistle is to raise and strengthen the faith of the Hebrewes and so the faith of those that are weak in grace Our Apostle Paul therefore whom I take to be the Pen-man labours to discover the transcendent Excellency of Jesus Christ with his love and good-will to the Children of men And because his Excellencies were either such as relate his Person or such as relate his Offices of King Priest Prophet He tels us in the first Chapter that for the Personal Excellencies of Jesus Christ He is the Son of God Heire of all things by whom were the World 's made being the brightness of his Fathers glory and the express Image of his Person in the 2 3. verses of that Chapters That he is far above the Angels at the 4. verse That he is God himself at the 6. verse And as for those excellencies that relate his Offices He tels us at the 1. verse That he is the Prophet of Prophets That he is the great King at the 8. verse That he is an High-Priest in the 2. Chap. and the 17. verse and therefore who would not trust unto him and take heed unto such things are he shall speak unto them And as for the love and good-will that he bears unto the Children of men the Apostle speaks it out in all this Second Chapter The greater Condeseention in the person loving to the person loved the greater is the love Now though Jesus Christ be Heir of all things and had all things put under his feet far above all Angels yet notwithstanding at the 7. verse He is made a little lower than the Angels takes our nature upon him c. The more Profitable any love is to the person loved the greater is the love Such is the love of Christ for his love is such That by him many sons are brought to glory at the 10. verse Sanctified while they live at the 11. verse Satan their deadly enemy subdued for them at the 14 15 verses The more Distinguishing any love is the greater is that love Now Jesus Christ as the great Load-stone passes by the golden mettel of Angels and draws unto himself the Iron-mettal of man kind at the 16. verse For verily he took not on him the nature of Angels but he took on him the seed of Abraham Again The more the person loving does Suffer for the person loved the more and the greater is the love Christ suffered death and he was while he lived subject to our infirmities and unto our temptations He was in all thing made like unto us at the 17. verse And he was tempted as we are tempted that he might succour those that are tempted at the 18. verse And would you have an Account or a Reason of all this it is that he might shew mercy unto the children of men verse the 17. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren that he might be a merciful and faithful High-Priest in things partaining to God to make reconciliation for the sins of the people If he were not made like unto us in regard of our infirmities he could not so experimentally pity us under our infirmities If he were not tempted like unto us he could not so feelingly succour us under our temptation and so he had not been so fit to have benn our High-Priest but our High-Priest he is gone into the holy of holiest to make reconciliation for the sins of the people Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto us that he might be a merciful and faithful High-Priest For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted be is able to succour them that are tempted I will not hold you longer in the Coherence or Division of the words or further Explication I shall open the words God willing more particularly and distinctly as I shall come to the Observations that shall be raised from them And I begin with the last being made the reason of the former For in that he him self hath suffered being tempted he is able to succour them that are tempted Tempted twice He tempted and They tempted This word Tempted or Tempt it is given in Scripture phrase sometimes to God sometimes to Man and sometimes to the Devil and accordingly it is used Three waies Sometimes it is used for to Prove and so God is said for to Tempt in the 13. of Deuteronomy Sometimes it is used for to Try to make experiment of a Thing or a Person whom or which we did not know before and so it is given to Man as I take it in the 6. of Judges Sometimes it is used for a Solicitation and Drawing unto
Truth Is it not a great mercy for a man to be glorified on this side heaven pray look upon that expression which ye have in the 13. of John the 30. and the 31. verses 'T is said concerning Christ himself that when Judas went out having received the sop Jesus saith Now is the Son of man glorified and God is glorified in him Verse the 30. Judas having received the sop went immediately out and it was night therefore when he was gone out Jesus saith Now is the son of man glorified Judas went out to betray him to bring him to the Crosse a false brother was gone out Now is the son of man glorified saies he Not only because the cross was the way to glory but the truth is he was glorified upon the Crosse there was a glory there You may observe it He did many miracles and when he had done those miracles he did not say then Now is the son of man glorified He was Transfigured and he did not say upon his Transfiguration Now is the son of man glorified But now he comes to suffer now he comes to the Crosse now saies he is the son of man glorified And indeed now is his love to poor sinners glorified Col. 2.15 The Apostle saies He triumphed over all principalities and powers upon the Crosse and his love triumphs over all our fins and our guilt and our unworthinesse Oh! then was free-grace and love when Christ was upon the Crosse Now is the son of man glorified And so it shall be with you When a false brother goes out to persecute you to betray you to bring you to the Crosse you may say so Now is the servant of the Lord glorified now is my love to Christ glorified never more glorified than now This makes the Apostle Peter speak in the 1. Peter 4.16 If any man suffer as a Christian let him not be ashamed but let him glorifie God on this behalf 'T is matter of Praise and Thanksgiving here saies he at the 13. verse Rejoyce in as much as ye are partakers of Christs sufferings Verse the 14. If ye be reproach't for the name of Christ happy are ye for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth on you That is saies one upon that place As Noahs Dove hovered over the water and found no place for to rest her foot upon untill she returned to the Ark So does the Spirit of God as it were hover over the souls of men it wanteth rest and when it sees a soul that suffers for the Truth there it lights there it rests there the Spirit of God and of glory rests I appeal to you which will be most comfortable think ye at the day of Judgment that ye have been persecuted for the Truth or that ye have been a persecutor of the Truth I know your Answer When a Christian is under persecution he may lift up his voice and say I might have been ingag'd against the Truth Ah! I might have been a persecutor of the Truth but blessed be God it is not so The Apostles went away rejoycing that they were accounted worthy to suffer for the Name of Christ Surely therefore there is matter of praise and thanksgiving even in this condition also in this condition a Christian should be thankful 't is the will of God our Father we should be thankfull here But suppose that a mans inward and spiritual condition be overclouded Quest and God withdraw and hide his face from a Christian shall he can he be thankful in this condition is it his duty to be thankful now Yes For though God do withdraw Answ though he do hide his face and not shine upon a Christian yet it may be light with him Day may be day though the Sun do not shine forth in bright-beams And it may be day light it may be day upon a Christian soul though there be never a beam shines We are saved by faith and not by feeling Again Though Christ doth hide his face though he doth withdraw his Comforting presence he never withdraws his Supporting presence from a Christian sometimes more of that when least of the other Christ deals by a Christian as God dealt by Christ in his agony and on the Crosse though God withdrew his Comforting presence so as he cry'd out and said My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Matth. 27.46 Yet he had never more of Gods Supporting presence And so 't is with a Christian Though Christ may withdraw his Comforting presence yet he never withdraws his Supporting presence from them Besides Jesus Christ does so withdraw from a Christian as he does draw withall by his Spirit He seemed to withdraw from the Canaanitish woman but he did draw her to him by his Spirit When he withdraws in the 5. of the Canticles from his Spouse he leaues Myrrhe upon the ringles of the door And so when he withdraws from a Christian he leaues his Myrrhe upon the ringles of the heart the heart cannot be quiet cannot rest takes no contentment without him he does draw the soul to him while he seems to witndraw from the soul Lastly What a man would not lose for all the world that you will say is worthy of Praise and Thankfulness Now take a gracious soul a godly man when he is most deserted forsaken left as it were and he saies now Mercy is gone now Christ is gone Ask him but this Question If Christ be gone as you say why don't you renounce Christ and renounce all his waies He will tell you Oh! no I dare not renounce him for all the world But if he be quite gone Why don't you turn Drunkard why don't you turn Swearer and why don't you cast off all duties Oh! no that I dare not I have yet something left that I would not lose for all the world Is there not then matter of Praise and Thanksgiving in this condition Surely there is even in this condition also But you will say Quest Suppose that a man be oppressed with sad Temptations black and dark Temptations God does not only withdraw but Satan draws neer heavy and dreadful Temptations presse in upon him is it the will of God the Father that he should be Thankful in this condition also Yes Answ For is it not matter of Praise think ye and Thankfulnesse that your Enemy is overcome before you strike a stroke you shall be more than Conquerers write your Enemy overcome before you fight Job 16.33 Be of good comfort saies Christ I have overcome the world and so the god of the world Satan your Enemy is overcome before you do strike a stroke Besides Is it not matter of Praise and Thanksgiving That Satan can tempt you no more than your own Father gives him leave to do Simon Simon Luke 23.31 saies Christ Satan hath desired thee that he may winnow thee as wheat Mark the words He hath desired he was fain to aske leave first he could not winnow Peter till he
the Father He did not as the Socinians say die only as an example for to teach us how to die but he offered up himself a sacrifice unto God the Father then Yea as if all sacrifices were met in him all those titles that are given unto other Sacrifices they are given unto him There were Three sorts of Sacrifices some were living others were not living and those were either solid as bread and the like or else they were liquid as wine and oyle There was a alwaies Destructio rei oblatiae A destroying of the thing offered If it were a living thing that was sacrificed then it was said to be slain In answer to that Jesus Christ is said to be a Lamb slain from the beginning of the world If it were a dead thing that was offered up as bread or corn a solid thing then the sacrifice or offering was said to be bruised In answer to that our Lord and Saviour Christ is said to be bruised for our iniquities If it were a liquid thing that was offered up to God as wine or oyle then it was said to be powred out In answer to this it is said of our Lord and Saviour That his soul was powred out unto death Thus all Sacrifices meeting in him Behold the Lamb of God saies John the Baptist when he saw Christ He does not say Behold the Bull of God or the Goat of God and yet Buls and Goats were sacrificed Why does he rather say behold the Lamb of God than the Bullock or the Goat For when the High Priest went into the Holy of Holiest and sprinkled the Mercy-Seat he did not sprinkle the Mercy-Seat with the blood of the Lamb but with the blood of a Goat and yet notwithstanding it is not said Behold the Goat of God but Behold the Lamb of God Why so Not only because that Christ was of a lamb-like and meek disposition as some would have it Nor only because that the great Type of Christ was the Pascal-Lamb though these be reasons But there was a dayly sacrifice in the Temple whether men brought any offering or no there was a standing sacrifice in the Temple morning and evening and that sacrifice was a Lamb. Now therefore to shew that Jesus Christ is the dayly sacrifice therefore he cries out and saies Behold the Lamb of God and not the Goat of God for the Goat was not sacrificed every day as the Lamb was For proof of this take the Apostles Exhortation Ephe. 5.2 Walk in love as Christ hath loved us and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God Here are Three things considerable First He does not say Who hath redeemed us but to show his great love unto us Who hath given himself for us He doth not say Who hath given himself for our sins Yet he saies so in Gal. 1.4 Who gave himself for our sins But Who gave himself for us Why To shew who they were that he gave himself for He gave himself for us as sinners Again He saies here He gave himself for us an offering and a sacrifice not only an offering but a sacrifice too So that this first Proposition is cleerly proved That our Lord Jesus when he died upon the Crosse he did offer up himself as a sacrifice unto God the Father Secondly As he did offer up himself a sacrifice unto God the Father So when he was upon this Altar this sacrifice the sins of all beleevers were then laid upon Jesus Christ those that do now beleeve or shall hereafter beleeve they were all then laid upon Jesus Christ Look into the 53. of Isaiah ver 6. All we like sheep have gone astray and have turned every one to his own way and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all That which God laies on shall never be taken off no man shall take it off The Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all Yea Our iniquities are not only said to be laid on him but to use the same word that is used for the sacrifice it is said he bare our sins upon the Crosse as the Goat bare the sins of the people So saies the Apostle He himself bare our sins upon the Cross Moreover He did not only bare our sins upon the Cross but saies the Apostle he was made sin for us 'T is not said He was made a sinner or accounted a sinner only for us but he was made sin for us All our iniquities were laid on him he bare our sins and he was made sin for us upon the Crosse Thus briefly the Second Proposition is cleared That when he did thus offer up himself upon the Crosse as a sacrifice the sins of all beleevers were then laid on him Thirdly When the sins of beleevers were laid on him then he did make full satisfaction unto God the Father and Divine Justice for all our sins This is a bottom of much comfort For if the Lord Jesus Christ our surety had not satisfied to the utmost farthing our great Creditor God the Father for all our debts God the Father might come upon us the Debters But our Surety the Lord Christ hath given full satisfaction unto God the Father that no more demands can be made upon us And indeed else how could our Surety ever have come out of prison He was under arrest he was in the Jayle in the grave The Father the great Creditor lets him out and did not only let him out but the Lord Jesus Christ he goes inbto Heaven and sits down there at the right hand of the Father Surely if the Creditor had not been satisfied the Surety should never have bin released out of prison He was so fully satisfied That he looked for iniquity and he found none saies the text He look't over all his books to see if he could find any thing upon the score but he found none all our debts were paid Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world He does not say That takes away the sin of the Jewes only but takes away the sin of the whole world He does not say That takes away the sins in the plural Number but takes away the sin in the singular Number Sins go so together as if they were but one but let the sin be never so twisted together as if it were but one sin this lamb of God he takes away the sin of the world And he does not say That hath pardoned the sin of the World for then a poor soul might say I but though he hath pardon'd my sin yet my sin is not mortified Neither does he say Behold the lamb of God that Mortifies or Destroyes the sin of the world But he gives you a word that takes in both pardon and Mortification too Behold the lamb of God that takes them away both in regard of Pardon and in regard of Mortification Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world There is
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
Debter when he comes and looks upon the book he is able to reade all the particulars Item for such a thing and Item for such a thing and Item for such a thing but the man being not aquainted with the nature of crossing the book he is able to reade all th particulars and he charges it still upon himselfe because he does not understand the nature of this crossing the book and he is as much troubled how he shall pay the debt as if it were not paid at all So now 't is here The Lord Jesus Christ he hath come and cross't our book with his own blood the sins are to be read in your own consciences but we being not acquainted with the nature of Christs satisfaction and the crossing of the book we charge our selves as if no sin at all were satisfied for us Yet when the Lord Jesus Christ was made an offering for sin upon the Cross then he did give full satisfaction unto God the Father And that 's the Third Fourthly This now he hath done as our great High-Priest and in a more transcendant and eminent way than ever any high-Priest did before For though the High-Priest did come and make an atonement for a poor sinner yet he himself was never made a sacrifice the Priest offered up a sacrifice but himself never was made a sacrifice But our great High-Priest does not only offer up a sacrifice but Himself is made a sacrifice Yea that sacrifice that was then in the times of the old-Testament it could not purge the conscience not only because as the Apostle speaks it was the blood of bulls and goats but because the sacrifice was performed successively as thus A man sinned then he brought a sacrifice sins again and then he brings another sicrifice and once every yeare the High-Priest goes into the holy of holiest to make an atonement But in the mean while a poor soul might think thus What if I die before the year come about what will become of me the High-Priest he goes once a year into the Holy of Holyest and sprinkles the mercy-seat but what will become of me if I die before that time But now our great High-Priest he does not only offer up a sacrifice and Himself the sacrifice but he offers up a sacrifice once for all So saies the Apostle So that now when a Christian hath sinned he is not to think of a sacrifice that is yet to come a year hence but he is to look unto that which is done already a sacrifice once offered and once for all So that he needs not be in suspence now as the Jewes were his Conscience it may be fully purged from sin Again Take the High-Priest in the times of the old-Testament and though he did make an atonement for the sins of the people yet sometimes also he did make the people to sin It is said of Aaron the great High-Priest concerning the golden-Calf that he did make the people naked But the Lord Jesus Christ our great High-Priest he makes an attonement for sin and never does make them sin He is so far from making the people naked that he covers them with his righteousness that their nakedness may not appear Here 's a glorious High-Priest Yea This High-Priest of ours He does not only make an atonement for sin committed and paies the debt but he does also become our Surety unto God the Father He does not only pay the debt that is past but he becomes a Surety for time to come None of all those High-Priests that ever did so not Aaron not any High-Priest that ever gave his bond unto God the Father that any sinner should never sin no more But our Lord Jesus Christ our High-Priest he becomes our Surety and what Surety not an ordinary surety for amongst us the Surety joyns and does become bound with the Debter but still it runs in the name of the Debter and the Debter he gives the bond for to pay the debt But now here our Surety he gives the bond and we that are the Debters we do not give the bond for to pay the debt there is no godly man or beleever that ever gave a bond unto God the Father that he will pay the debt but our Surety comes and the bond goes in the name of the Surety and the Debters name is out Oh! what a glorious and blessed High-Priest is here here is a High-Priest beyond all the High-Priests that ever did go before And that 's the Fourth thing Fifthly How does all this conduce to our Comfort or Holiness First How does all this make to our Comfort Quest first Answ 1 Is it not a comfortable thing in the eares of a poor sinner that there is a Magazine and a Storehouse of Mercy set up that the Lord hath erected an office of Love and of meer compassion for poor sinners Is it not a comfortable thing that God the father is satisfied and so your sins pardoned Mark 2.5 Son saies Christ unto the palsie man be of good comfort thy sins are forgiven thee He does not say Be of good comfort thy disease is healed No whether thy disease be healed or whether it be not healed this is comfort Son thy sins are forgiven thee If the Lord Jesus Christ hath satisfied for my sins may a beleever say then whatsoever affliction I do meet withal it does not come upon me as a punishment properly it does not come upon me as an arrest for to pay my debt When a Reprobate is smitten and afflicted all his miseries they are arrests for to pay his debt Hath the Lord Jesus Christ satisfied Divine Justice and God the father for me then surely these afflictions they do not come for me to make satisfaction Again If the Lord Jesus Christ hath satisfied for my sins may a beleever say then I shall never be Damned I shall never fall from grace I have had many fears that I should fall from grace and so go to Hell and perish at last But if the Lord Jesus Christ hath satisfied Divine Justice for my sin then God the father will never punish my sin again for it was punish't in Jesus Christ therefore I cannot fall from grace therefore I can never be Damned And if the Lord Jesus Christ hath satisfied Divine Justice as our great High Priest Then I may come with boldness unto the Throne of grace A debtor so long as his debt is unpaid he dares not come by the prison door by the Compter door he is afraid of every Sergeant he is afraid of his friends that they should be Sergeants but when his debt is paid then he dares go up and down with boldness And so the poor soul when he knows that his debt is paid and Christ hath satisfied then he may go with boldness unto the Throne of grace But you will say Quest I cannot have the comfort of this because I cannot say that Christ hath satisfied for me How shall I know
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
Saviour Christ say to Peter The gates of Hell shall not prevail against thee and yet now Satan tempts if Satan know this why should he follow Gods children yea the best of his children so sorely with sad temptations Satan is the envious man we reade of in Scripture Answ 1 and when he hears the Lord owning and honouring of his children then does his envy work and rise and when he hears any of Gods children triumphing by faith and making boast of the love of God then does his malice kindle into a flame shall such a one go to Heaven and shall I be damn'd saies he shall such a one be received and shall I be cast away for ever These are the boylings of this envious mans heart against the children of the most high But there is this great reason for it Answ 2 Satan knows that if he can but make Gods people and the best of his children fall though they should not be damn'd but pardoned that their fall shall be stumbling blocks unto others that may be damn'd And therefore I pray mark how it is carried concerning Dauid it is said in the 1 Chron. 21. chapter and the 1. verse That Satan stood up against Israel to provoke David to number Israel It is not said thus And Satan stood up against David and provoked David to number Israel no but thus And Satan sood up against Israel and provoked David to number the people he stood up against Israel why because he know that if he did make David thus to number the people it would be a stumbling for all Israel and all Israel should fare the worse by it When Satan stands up and tempts the master of a family unto sin he does not barely stand up against him but in tempting him he stands up against all the family When Satan tempts a religious holy man a beloved Disciple of Christ in a Town Satan stands up against all the Town in tempting that one man He stood up against Israel and tempted David to number the people and so when he tempts those that are the most beloved Disciples of Christ he stands up against others and therefore though Satan knows that their sins shall be pardoned yet he does follow them with sad and sore temptations Answ 3 Thirdly Satan loves to divide between friends he is the great make-bait of the world he loves to divide He may know that there is so much goodness between man and wife that he shal never part them and yet he will labour to sow discord between them that they may live uncomfortably And so though he knows he shall never part Christ and a poor beleever yet he will labour to throw jealousies into the heart of a beleever concerning the love of Christ He knew well enough what was said concerning our Saviour Christ What was said by the Angels at the birth of Christ what was said by the Angel to Mary what was said by Elizabeth he heard what was said from Heaven This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased and yet presently he comes to Christ with an If If thou be the Son of God laboring to throw a jealousy into the heart of Christ and to doubt of his Son-ship even with God the Father So I say although Satan should know that the Lord will pardon such of such a man yet he loves to make a division between God and the soul and to cast in jealusies between Christ and a beleever As for others saies he they are my own already I shal not need to break into that house there is nothing but chaffe lies there but here 's a godly man and here 's treasure and therefore he does especially lay his battery against the Satines and those that are the most beloved Disciples of Jesus Christ But you will say unto me Quest 3 How does Satan come by this tempting power this infesting and molesting power Great is the power as we have read already that he hath as he is a Superiour creature Ausw but Satan hath yet another power and that is the power of Conquest for in Adams fall Satan conquered the whol world all man-kind they were the Devils conquest upon the fall When a man is Converted and trun'd to God then he comes out of the kingdom of Satan But I say upon the fall the Devil made a conquest upon all man-kind and so by conquest he hath a great power Satan hath heave from God the Father to tempt I don't say that he hath a special leave for every temptation not a special commission or permission or leave for every temptation but there is no great or extraordinary temptation that does fall upon the children of God but Satan hath a special leave from God the Father for it There was a special temptation upon the Country in his running their herd of swine into the Sea and he had leave for that before he did it There was a special temptation upon Ahab in the lying spirit of the Prophets and he had a special leave and permission from God for that There was a special temptation upon Job and he had a leave for that Here was a special temptation coming down upon the Disciples and he had leave for that Simon Simon Satan hath desired you He was fain to ask leave and he had leave for that There is no extraordinary or great temptation befals any of the children of God but Satan is fain to ask leave for it he hath a leave for it before he can come and tmept the soul But you will sa then unto me Quest 4 Why does God the Father give Satan leave thus to tempt his own Children and Christs own Disciples First take it thus Lood whatsoever is the end Answ 1 and the issue of any evil which befals the children of God that was the design of God the Father in suffering that evil to come upon them Now the end and issue of the Saints temptation is alwaies good unto them and therefore God suffers the temptations of his people because he hath a design of mercy and love upon them in these temptations What was the end and issue of Satans tempting of Adam and Eve They fell and then the righteousness of Christ and eternal life thereby was brought in this was the end and the issue of it Now God the Father had this design upon Satans temptation all the while Satan was tempting of Adam and the Lord would never have suffered our heel to have been bruised by Satans temptation but that he did intend to break the head of Satan It was a great temptation that of David when as Satan stood up and provoked him to number the people pray what was the end and issue of that temptation I shall only name the Scriptures The 1 Chron. the 21. chapter and the 22. chapter and the beginning of it and the 2 Chron. the 3. chapter and 1. verse compared together you shall find this First Satan tempts David he
numbers the people the people being numbered a plague breaks forth the plague prevailing David goes and offers up a sacrifice at the threshing flowre of Ornan and there God told him the temple should be built David had a long time desired to know where the Temple should be built he saies he would give no rest unto himself no sleep unto his eye-lids until he had found out a place for God you shall find that David had this place discovered as the issue of this temptation this was the issue of it the Devil had as good have let David alone he had as good have been quiet for David now had the end the issue attain'd unto that that he never did attain unto before So I say it is with the people of God the Lord never suffers his own children to fall into any sin but he does intend to wean them from that sin that they do fall into even by the falling into it the Lord never suffers any of his own children to be tempted but he intends to break the back of that temptation even by their being tempted This is the design of God the father Oh! what a glorious design of love and mercy is here upon all the temptations of Gods people But God hath yet greater Answ 2 and higher designs The Manifestation of his own Power of his own Wisdom of his own Faithfulness of his own Love and Free grace The manifestation of his Power When Paul was tempted and buffeted by Satan the Lord said unto him That his sirength should be perfected in weakness in Pauls weakness Gods strength should be perfected The manifestation of his Wisdom The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation saies the Apostle The manifestation of his Faithfulness In the 1 Cor. 10.13 The Lord is faithful and will not suffer ye to be tempted above what ye are able to bear The manifestation of his free-Free-love and grace And therefore when Paul was tempted and bufferted by Satan and prayed against his temptation the Lord answered thus My grace is sufficient for thee But in regard of the Saints themselves How should they give a Probate or Testimony of their uprightness and sincerity their firm and fast cleaving to God if they were never tempted reade for this purpose the 13. of Deuteronomy and the 2. and 3. verses Before Job was tempted Satan thought that Job had served God for a boone for something Hast thou not seen my servant Job saies God I saies Satan but does Job serve God for naught Job's an Hypocrite all things go well with him Job's in a fair and blessed outward condition and Job was never tempted does Job serve God for naught but now touch him and let me tempt him a little and see if he don't blaspheme God then thus Satan then And just thus is the language of the Devil now Does such a man or woman serve God for naught he is but an Hypocrite all things go well with him he was never yet tempted but O Lord let this man or woman come under my hand and let me tempt him a little and see if he don't blaspheme Well Satan saies God Job is in thine hand only spare his lefe And Satan did tempt him and touch him and in stead of blaspheming behold blessing The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away blessed be his Name Here now Job gave a Testimony that he did not serve God for something that his heart was sincere and upright And so when men can hold out notwithstanding all their temptations they give a Testimony of their uprightness and sincerity and that their souls do cleave unto God in truth For these and many other reasons the Lord doth suffer his own best and dearest Children to be tempted by Satan I come to Application If God doth suffer his own people and dearest children Applica to be exposed to Satans temptings and winnowings Why sould any man then doubt of his Child-ship doubt of his own everlasting condition and say That he is none of the child of God because he is tempted Beloved I have seen a sore evil under the sun a vanity even among the Saints and people of God Some doubting of the soundness of their condition and the love of God because they are not tempted others doubt betause they are tempted One saies Oh! I am afraid I am none of the child of God for I was never tempted the children of God they meet with temptations but I was never yet buffetted and therefore I am none of Gods child Another on the contrary I labour under these and these temptations and therefore I fear that I am none of Gods child yea sometimes the same person thus First he does not observe his own heart and saies he I fear I am none of Gods child for I never was tempted Afterward when he meets with temptation then he doubts againe that he is not Gods Child because he is tempted Oh! what Childish dealing is this with God your Father But my beloved in the Lord If this be true That the Lord doth suffer his own and best children to be exposed to Satans winnowings and temptings then why shouldst thou conclude that thou art not the child of God because thou art tempted Oh! but I don't conclude will some say that I am not the child of God I don't conclude that the Lord does not love me because I am tempted but because I meet with such and such temptations Tell me did not David Job Paul and Peter meet with such and such and so great temptations Yea did not Christ himself meet with it Oh! but my temptations are such as would make ones haire stand upright on ones head to thinke of them sometimes tempted even to lay violent hands upon my self What think ye of Christ when Satan spake unto him and tempted him to throw himself down off the pinacle of the Temple Oh! but I am tempted with such temptations that I am ashamed to name and my heart akes and trembles when I do reflect on them even with blasphemous thoughts What think ye of Christ was not he tempted to blasphemy Saies the Devil to him All this will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me what greater blasphemy than to worship the Devil to make a God of the Devil himself what greater blasphemy Oh! but I fear and doubt my condition and the love of God towards me because my temptations are not as the temptations of Gods children but my temptations are such as cannot stand with grace there is a spot that is not the spot of Gods people and are there not temptations that are not the temptations of Gods people have not wicked men their peculiar temptations such as does not fall upon the children of God I am afraid that my temptations are of that rank and of that sort and therefore I fear and doubt my condition Mark I pray This same word Temptation may be considered two waies