aray.

If

going, and for what; he told them of his returning again, and receiving them to himself, never to part more, John xiv. 2, 3, 4. and yet sorrow filled their hearts, chap. xvi. 6. He again saith, ver. 7. Nevertheless, it is expedient for you that I go you will not be content, because it is necessary and fit for me, I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you that I gr away. How hard was it to believe this? What was, to all reason, more expedient, yea necessary, than that such weak scholars should have their blessed Master's company? It was so far from seeming expedient to them, that they thought they would be ruined thereby; and were very near it, Luke xxiv. 21. Although the matter be not so obvious to our conceptions and liking: yet really it is a greater mercy and advantage to us, that we have our glorified Mediator at the Father's right hand, than if we had him present with us upon the earth. It is more expedient for us, that he is where he is, than it would be to have him where we are. Poor distressed believers, they cry for ministers and Christians to pray with them, and for them: O if they had but one hour of Christ's bodily presence with them, and had him to pray for them, as he did for some when he was on earth, what heavenly consolation would it be to them? Take in by faith the comfort of his being in heaven, and his being as knowing and mindful of you, and as able to help, and that as speedily, as he was on earth, or could be, if he were now on earth with you.

7. Lastly, Our Lord's intercession in heaven, is a great and strong ground of confidence in coming to the throne of grace. This is in the context. This is the last ground of Paul's triumph of faith: Rom. viii. 33, 34. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth: Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. His faith begins at Christ's death, and riseth out of his grave with him, ascends up with him to the right hand of God, and concerns itself in his intercession there. Not unlike this rising and climbing of faith, is his account of the rising of grace on the vessels of grace, Eph. ii. 4, 5. They are dead in sins when grace finds them first. The first thing grice doth to them, is, to quicken them with

Christ, then raising them up together, then setting them in keavenly places in Christ Jesus. All our life springs out of Christ's grave: John xii. 24. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. This heavenly grain, Jesus Christ, must be sown in the earth and die; and from the virtue of that death, all the life of grace and glory grows up in all its branches. He is indeed the tree of life, that now groweth in the midst of the paradise of God, Rev. ii. 7. And he is the glory of the place, and the eternal food of all the happy inhabitants thereof. But he was once dead in his grave; and grew out of that grave, up to all that glory and dignity that we shall one day be blessed with the beholding of, John xvii. 24. In this his glory in heaven, he intercedes for us. Intercession is a sort of praying, 1 Tim. ii. 1. Supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, are commanded to be made for all men. We have one sad intercession, Rom, xi. 2. Elias made intercession to God against Israel. He was a severe prophet, and had severe service put into his hand. But our great Prophet and High Priest makes no intercession against his Israel, but all for them.

This intercession of Christ, which is so great a ground of boldness to us at the throne of grace, stands in these :

1st, In his appearing in heaven, in our nature, and in our name before God: Heb. ix. 24. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true, (and those were the places the high priests of old entered into), but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. He is there, not only for himself, to reap the glorious fruit of his hard work on earth; but for his people, as their head and representative. All the church, the body, is now in heaven itself, because its head is there, Eph. ii. 5, 6. Christians, you are now lying among the pots, and defiled with the smoke and soot of this sinful world; you are sometimes plunged in the ditch, till your own clothes abhor you, as Job speaks, chap. ix. 31.; you cry out, Wo is me, that I sojourn in Meseck, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar, Psal. cxx. 5. Let faith say, "But where is my Lord and head? Is he not " in heaven? in that glory that I am not able now to bear a VOL. I.

"view of? And he is appearing there, as my nearest and "dearest friend. I am ashamed to look on myself, and my "loathsome deformity; I am afraid that so foul and spotted "a face as mine should be seen in heaven. But Christ is "there, and my Christ is there; and there he is to appear «for me, who must dread my personal appearance there, if it "were not for this appearance of my head for me."

2dly, Christ's intercession stands in this, That he, in our nature, and in our name, presents continually the savour of his sacrifice Heb. ix. 12. He went into the holy place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption for us. Aaron, and his successors in the office of high priest, were appointed to offer the great sacrifice of yearly atonement at the altar, and with the blood thereof to enter into the holy of holies, and to sprinkle the mercy-seat (their throne of grace) with that blood, Lev. xvi. 14. Our Lord Jesus, the antitype, offered the sacrifice of himself in his death; and, in and with the virtue of that sacrifice, he entered heaven, to sprinkle the highest altar therewith. It is but a fond Popish fancy to think, that there do remain visible marks and signatures of his humbled state, on the glorified body of our Lord Jesus. That is indeed to know Christ after the flesh, in a bad sense, 2 Cor. v. 16. But his entering with his own blood, is spiritually to be understood; that Christ's appearance in heaven, is to bring up a memorial continually before God, of the virtue and savour of that sacrifice he offered without the gates of Jerusalem: Eph. v. 2. Christ hath loved us, and hath given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. This savour never spends or wears out. The blood of Jesus, in the virtue of it, in the merit of it, and in the power of it, is as fresh this day, as in the day it was shed on the cross. He is still the new slain way to the holiest of all, Heb. x. 20. as fresh and fragrant as ever. If men by their unbelief account it old or stale, and to have lost its savour and virtue to themselves; and if they will seek for somewhat else to procure them acceptance in heaven; let them try, and perish; for none can help them that reject Christ. But our Lord presents nothing for the salvation of his body, the church, but his own blood; and nothing else is

accepted in heaven for this end, but that precious blood. And all they to whose conscience this blood is applied, and who come into it, and feel its virtue and power, will abhor all vain and dangerous mixtures of any thing with this, sovereign balsam. It is always savoury in heaven; and it is always savoury to all them that are in the right way to heaven. Our Lord, in his intercession, fills heaven with the almighty and eternal savour of his blood; and heaven is filled with the praises of it, and of the shedder of it, Rev. v. 9,-12. If its savour do not fill the parts of the earth where it is preached, it is because men have lost, (or rather never had) the spiritual sense that only can take in this savour, and not because this blood is impaired in its virtue. But this is the sin and misery of this condemned world, that what is most savoury in heaven, is least savoured on earth; and what is .most sought after, prized, and doated on in earth, is vanity and abomination in heaven, Luke xvi. 15.

3dly, In Christ's intercession, there is his knowledge of, and sympathy with the ailments and distresses of his people. This the apostle takes notice of in ver. 15. His knowledge of their distresses, we can more easily account for, than for his sympathy. His omniscience as God, we believe. Peter sweetly owned it, John xxi. 15, 16, 17. O that Christ would with power ask the same question at all of you, and that you could give the same answer! Christ's question is, Lovest thou me more than these? "Not long since thou saidst so, what sayest thou now?" Peter's answer is, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. And on the repeating of the question, Peter gives the same answer, ver. 16. When Christ a third time asked the same question, Peter was grieved, ver. 17. and answers, Thou knorvest all things, thou knowest that I love thee. As if he had said, "I dare not compare my love to "thee, with that of others to thee; thou hast reason to ques"tion my love to thee, because of my late woful denial of "thee: but yet I dare call thee to witness, who knowest "all things, that I do love thee. Though all my brethren "love thee better than I do, or can; though I be more un"worthy than any, to be loved by thee; yet I am sure I love thee." If the love of Christ were as a hot fire within,

and its coals were casting out a vehement flame, as Song viii. &. believers would more often call Christ by that sweet name, sweet to us to speak, and sweet to him to hear, O thou whom my soul loveth, Song i. 7. Miserable souls are they who love not Christ; and dull unobservant people are they that know not what, or whom their souls love. Is the love of Christ a mere notion? Is it not a most sensible, holy, and spiritual passion, or rather a heavenly grace! Can men love Christ, and not feel it? Should they feel it, and not avow it? Is there any thing we should be ashamed of in the love of Christ, but the shameful smallness of it? that our highest and hottest love is so unsuitable a return to his incomparable loveliness, and his wonderful love to us, and the dear demonstrations of it? All ye that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, look on him, and love him more; love him with all your souls, and blush with shame that ye love him no better. Blow the coals of love by faith, and let the flame mount up to heaven, and ascend ye in the flame of the altar, as Manoah's angel did, Judg. xiii. 20. You that doubt of your love to Christ, go to him, fall down before him; answer Peter's question, according to the true sense of your souls, and it will be, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. Love Christ, and ye will quickly feel ye love him. A sight of Christ will beget love, and love will quickly speak for itself, 2 Cor. v. 14, 15.

But for Christ's sympathy with his people, this is harder to conceive, than his knowledge of their distresses. It is à sympathy different from what he had in the days of his own infirmity. It is as tender, but not disturbing; as real, but not afflicting. It is inconsistent with his glorified state, to have any trouble. His sympathy itself is to be believed: the manner how it acts, is unsearchable: Heb. ii. 17. 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 pertaining to God. Heb. iv. 15. He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities; and was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. About this deep point of Christ's sympathy we may soberly conceive, 1. Our Lord's remembrance of his own infirmities, temptations, and afflictions in the days of