cenforious of others, trifling in your spirit, and unsettled in your conduct. Oh! be afraid of resembling the foolish virgins *, of having the lamp of your profeffion expire in darkness, for want of the oil of grace. Left when the Bridegroom cometh, you should find the door shut against you.

* Matt. xxv. I-12.

SER.

SERMON XLVII.

THE INTERCESSION OF CHRIST.

ROM. viii. 34.

Who is he that condemneth? It is Chrift that died, yea rather that is rifen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who alfo maketh interceffion for us.

T

HE redemption of the foul is precious. Fools make a mock of fin *. But they will not think lightly of it, who duly confider the majefty, authority, and goodness of him, against whom it is committed; and who are taught, by what God actually bas done, what fin rendered neceffary to be done, before a finner could have a well-grounded hope of forgiveness. For wisdom does nothing in vain. The death of the Son of * Prov. xvi. 9.

God

God would have been in vain *, if the

great

defign, in favour of finful men, could have been effected by inferior means. But as he, in the office of Mediator, was the hope of mankind, from the beginning; fo the work he has accomplished, and the chagreat racters he fuftains, when made known to the confcience, are, in fact, fufficient to relieve in every cafe, to answer every charge, and to £tisfy the believer in Jefus, that there is now to condemnation to fear. There are

As we have obferved) ready to accuse, but is in vain; the charge may be true, aura is overruled. Who fhall dare to congs be as the apostle states them Whoever would impeach the bellover, must prove (if he E not die; or that he did end; or that he was not me pratace of God on our me de i zamindful of his proon for all who come

Fer if thefe points are

I are, it is impoffible that ich has truited in Jefus, and put bis bends, can mifcarry.

• Ga. i. 21.

1

The

The death and refurrection of our Lord, his appearance in our nature, clothed with glory, feated on the right hand of the Majesty on high, as the High Priest of our profeffion, can scarcely be confidered too often. Thefe old truths are always new to those who love him, and are the food by which their fouls live. Yet, I fhall not, at prefent, repeat what I have offered upon them from former paffages, but shall chiefly confine myself to the subject of his interceffion, which has not, until now, expressly occurred to our meditations.

The word the apoftle uses, here, and in Heb. vii. 25-feeing he ever liveth to make interceffion, occurs likewife Acts xxv. 24. where Feftus fpeaks of the process managed by the Jews against Paul; and alfo Rom. xi. 2. of Elijah's making interceffion to God against Ifrael. From thefe paffages compared together, we may observe, that the word is to be taken in a large fenfe. He pleads our cause, he manages our concerns, he answers our enemies. Who then fhall condemn those for whom the Lord Jefus thus employs his power and his love? He is our advocate *. * 1 John ii. 1.

He

He takes upon him our whole concern. He pleads as a Prieft, and manages as a King, for those who come unto God by him.

I. He pleads as a priest. His office of interceffion has a plain reference to his great instituted type, the high priest under the Levitical difpenfation; who, according to the appointment of God, entered within the vail, to prefent the blood of the facrifice before the mercy-feat *. We have a clear and infallible explanation of the design of this inftitution. Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the fervice of God. But into the fecond went the high prieft alone, once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the errors of the people. The Holy Ghost this fignifying, that the way into the holiest of all, was not yet made manifeft, while the first tabernacle was yet ftanding. Which was a figure for the time then prefent, in which were offered both gifts and facrifices, that could not make him that did the fervice perfect, as pertaining to the confcience; which flood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordi

* Lev, xvi.

nances