Christ Set Forth, Section 5 · Chapter 7
CHAP. VIII.
Thirdly, The prevalencie of Chriſts interceſsion, and of his grace with his Father, demonſtrated from the greatneſſe and abſoluteneſſe of his power, to doe what ever he asks.
A Third demonſtration both of Chriſts greatnes with God,3. From the great power over all things that God the Father hath put into his hands, and therefore will deny him nothing. & his power to prevail for us, is taken from this, that God hath put all power into his hand, to doe what ever hee will, hath made him his King to doe what pleaſeth him either in Heaven, Earth, or Hell; yea to doe all that God himſelfe ever meanes to doe, or all that God deſires to doe: And certainly if his Father hath beene ſo gracious to him as to beſtow ſo high and abſolute a ſoveraignty on him, as to accompliſh and effect what ever he meanes to do, ſurely his purpoſe was never to deny Chriſt any requeſt, that he ſhould after this make: he would never have advanced the Humane nature to that abſoluteneſſe elſe. Thoſe two great Monarchs made great grants and largeſſes, the one to Eſther, the other to Herodias daughter; but yet they were limited only to the halfe of their Kingdoms: ſo Mar. 6. and Eſt. 5. 6. and the royall power in their Kingdomes, they meant ſtill to retain and reſerve wholly to themſelves: But God having placed Chriſt on his Throne, bids him ask even to the whole of his Kingdome, for God hath made him a King, ſitting on his Throne with him, not to ſhare halves, but to have all power in heaven and earth; He hath committed all judgement to the Sonne, to ſave and condemne whom ever he will; and ſo farre as the Kingdome of God goes, or is extended, he may doe any thing. So Iohn 5. 21. As the Father raiſeth up the dead, ſo the Sonne quickneth whom he will; for as the Father hath life in himſelfe, ſo hath he given to the Sonne to have life in himſelfe, ver. 26. and hath in like manner given authority to execute judgement alſo, as the Sonne of man, (namely, of himſelfe) ver. 27. as he had ſaid, He had given him to have life in himſelfe, ver. 26. (not dependently, as we have, but independently) ſo to execute judgement alſo, ver. 27. So that Chriſts will is as free, and himſelfe as abſolute a Monarch and King of himſelfe, as God himſelfe is. He indeed hath it not à ſeipſo, but in ſeipſo; not à ſeipſo originally, but from his Father; but in ſeipſo independently.
Now then,Though Chriſt as King can command all things, yet to honour his Father he intercedes for what himſelfe commands. if he who is King, & may and doth of himſelfe command all that is done, as abſolutely as God himſelfe doth, (I ſpeak in reſpect of the execution of things downward, by ſecond cauſes) if he, over and above, to honour his Father, will aske all that himſelfe hath power to doe, what will not be done? Qui rogat, & imperare poteſt; He that can, and doth command what ever he would have done, and it is ſtraight done; if he ſhall ask and entreat, what will not be done? As a King who ſues for Peace, backt with a potent Army which is able to win what he entreats for, muſt needs treat more effectually: So doth Chriſt ſue for every thing, with power to effect it. Remember that he is ſaid here in the Text, firſt to be at Gods right hand, and then to intercede. He treats the ſalvation of ſinners, as a mighty Prince treats the giving up ſome Towne to him, which lyes ſeated under a Caſtle of his, which commands that Towne: hee ſtands treating with the Governour, having his Ordnance ready for the battery, and to bring all into ſubjection,That this is a conſideration upon which God denyes him nothing. as 2 Cor. 10. 4. And this is a conſideration that God himſelfe took, in that 2. Pſal. when he made him that promiſe, (Ask & I will give thee) why he made ſo large a grant: He had ſaid before, ver. 6. I have ſet my King upon my holy hill of Sion, (which made him (one would think) paſt asking) and above the condition of an Interceſſour. Now God ſayes of him, He is My King, not in reſpect of his commanding God, (that were blaſphemie to think) but it is ſpoken in reſpect of commanding all below him. God having ſet him in his Throne, to doe as much as he himſelfe would (or meanes) to have done, ſayes, He is my King to rule all, not ſo much under me, as for me, and in my ſtead; yet abſolutely, and in himſelfe, The Father judgeth no man. Now when the Father had firſt made and conſtituted him thus great a King, then he bids him Ask, to whom he had firſt given this abſolute power to command. We may (without blaſphemy) ſay of this God-man, that God hath (not onelyonly not the heart, as being his Father, but) not the power to croſſe any thing he doth. Thus faſt hath he God unto him. OnelyOnly he (who in reſpect of this his power is to be honoured as the Father, as Iohn 5. 23. yet) to honour his Father, who gave this power originally to him as Mediatour; He is to ask for that which of himſelfe he yet can doe. And therefore (ſayes God) though thou art a King, (ſo ver. 6.) and all my Kingdome, even the utmoſt ends of the earth are thine inheritance by a naturall right, now that thou art my Sonne, (as verſe 8.) yet becauſe thou art My King, of my appointing, and I have ſet thee on the Throne, (as the word is, ver. 6.) and (Thou art my Son, and I have begotten thee) therefore acknowledge my grant in all, Ask of me, and I will give thee the utmoſt ends of the earth for thy inheritance: I cannot deny thee, but I would have thee aske; And therefore Chriſt asks. Yet ſtill withall remember, that he asks, who can command the thing to be done: and yet, as he muſt ask ere the thing be done; ſo if he aske, it muſt needs be granted. Theſe are the termes betweene this Father and this Sonne; who (in a word) had not beene ſo great a Father, if he had not had a Sonne thus great, that himſelfe could not deny what this Sonne would have done: it is for his owne honour, to have ſuch a Sonne: So Iohn 5. 23. That they might honour the Sonne, as they honour the Father, therefore All judgement is committed to him. Now then, if he who hath ſo much power, will joyne the force of entreaty with a Father that ſo loves him; if he who is The Word of his Father, that commands, creates, and upholds all, as Heb. 1. [He ſpake, and it was done] if he will become a Word to his Father, and ſpeak a word for us, and aske all that he means to doe; how forcible will ſuch words be?
Therefore obſerve Chriſts manner of praying,How forcible Chriſts prayers and interceſtion muſt needs be, by an inference from the prevalencie of ours. Iohn 17. (which Prayer is a plat-form of Interceſſion in Heaven) ver. 24. [Father I will] that they whom thou haſt given mee, be where I am. He prays like a King, who is in joint commiſſion with God. If God puts that honour upon our Prayers, that we are ſaid to have power with God, as Iacob, Hoſ. 12. 3. that if God be never ſo angry, yet by taking hold of his ſtrength, wee hold his hands, as Eſay 27. 5. that God cries out to Moſes, like a man whoſe hands are held, Let me alone, Exod. 32. 10. yea that he accounts it as a command and a Mandamus, ſo he ſtyles it, Eſay 45. 11. [Command ye mee] ſo unable is he to go againſt it. Then how much more doth Jeſus Chriſts Interceſſion bind Gods hands, and command all in heaven and earth? Therefore Zach. 1. you have Chriſt, the Angel of the Covenant, brought in interceding with the Father for his Church, and he ſpeakes abruptly as one full of complaints, and in an expoſtulating way, [O Lord of Hoſts, how long, wilt thou not be mercifull to Hieruſalem and the Cities of Iudah?] and ver. 13. Zachary ſaith that he obſerved, that the Lord anſwered the Angel with good woords and comfortable. God was fain to give him good words (as we uſe to ſay) that is, words that might pacifie him as words of comfort to us, ſo good words in reſpect to the Angels complaint. And you may obſerve, how in the anſwer God returns upon it, (which he bade Zachary write) God excuſeth it (as it were) to Chriſt, that his Church had beene ſo long and ſo hardly dealt withall; as if beyond his intention, he layes the fault on the inſtruments, I was but a little diſpleaſed, but they helpt forward the affliction; ver. 15. This is ſpoken and carried after the manner of men, to ſhew how tender God is of diſpleaſing Chriſt our Interceſſor: that when Chriſt hath (as it were) beene a long while ſilent, and let God alone, and his people have beene ill dealt withall; he on the ſuddain in the end intercedes and complains of it, and it is not only inſtantly redreſſed, but excuſed for times paſt, with good words, and comfortable words. Chriſts Father will not diſpleaſe him, nor go againſt him in any thing.
Now that you may ſee a reaſon of this,A farther explication of this demonſtration. and have all cavils and exceptions taken away, that may ariſe againſt this; and how that there is an impoſſibility that it ſhould be otherwiſe: know, that this Father and this Sonne, though two Perſons, have yet but one will betweene them, and but one power betweene them, (though the Sonne ad extra outwardly executes all) Iohn 10. 30. My Father and I are one; that is, have but one and the ſame power to ſave you, and one minde and will: So alſo, Iohn 5. 19. the Sonne can doe nothing of himſelfe, but what he ſees the Father doe, and what ever he doth, the ſame the Father doth alſo: they conſpire in one, have one power, one will: and then it is no matter though God commit all power to the Sonne, and that the Sonne though he hath all power, muſt ask all of the Father, for to be ſure what ever he asks, the Father hath not power to deny; for they have but one will and power. They are one; ſo as if God deny him, hee muſt deny himſelfe, which the Apoſtle tels us he cannot doe, 2. Tim. 2. 13. And ſo in the ſame ſenſe that God is ſaid not to have power to deny himſelfe; in the ſame ſenſe it may be ſaid, he hath not power to deny Chriſt what he asks. Therefore God might well make him an abſolute King, and betruſt him with all power; and Chriſt might well oblige himſelfe, notwithſtanding this power, to ask all that he meanes to doe; for they have but one will and one power, ſo as our ſalvation is made ſure by this on all hands. [I come not to doe my will, but the will of him who ſent me; and his will is, that I ſhall loſe none of all thoſe whom he hath given mee,] Iohn 6. 38, 39. And therefore who ſhall condemne? It is Chriſt that intercedes. As who ſhall reſiſt Gods will? (as the Apoſtle ſpeakes) ſo who ſhall reſiſt or gain-ſay Chriſts Interceſſion? God himſelfe cannot, no more then he can gain-ſay, or deny himſelfe.