Christ Set Forth, Section 5 · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
The potencie and prevalencie of Chriſts Interceſsion, demonſtrated from the graciouſneſſe of the Perſon with whom he intercedes, conſidered firſt as he is the Father of Chriſt himſelfe.
WE have ſeen the greatneſſe of the Perſon interceding, & many conſiderations from thence,The readineſſe in God to hear Chriſt for us. which may perſwade us of his prevailing for us. Let us now in the next place, conſider the graciouſneſſe of the Perſon, with whom he intercedes, which the Scripture for our comfort herein doth diſtinctly ſet before us, to the end that in this great matter, our joy and ſecurity may every way be full. Thus in that 1 Iohn 2. 1. when for the comfort and ſupport of Beleevers, againſ the evill of the greateſt ſins that can befall them after converſion, the Apoſtle minds them of Chriſts Interceſſion in thoſe words, If any man ſinne, we have an Advocate, Ieſus Chriſt the righteous: mentioning therein the power and prevalencie of ſuch an Advocate, through his own righteouſneſſe: But yet over & above all this, the more fully to aſſure us of his good ſucceſſe herein for us, he alſo adds, [An Advocate with the Father.] He inſinuates and ſuggeſts the relation and gracious diſpoſition of him, upon whoſe ſupreame will our caſe ultimately dependeth, [The Father] as affording a new comfort and encouragement, even as great duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page as doth the righteouſneſſe and power of the Perſon interceding. He ſayes not, [With God onelyonly] as elſewhere, but [With the Father.] And that his words might afford the more full matter of confidence, and be the more comprehenſive, and take in all, he expreſſeth not this relation of God limitedly, as confined to his Fatherhood, either unto Chriſt onelyonly, or us alone: He ſayes not onelyonly [An Advocate with his Father,] though that would have given much aſſurance, or [With your Father,] though that might afford much boldneſſe; but indefinitely he ſayes [With the Father,] as intending to take in both; to aſcertaine us of the prevailing efficacie of Chriſts Interceſſion, In that he is both the Father of Chriſt, and alſo our Father.from both. You have both theſe elſewhere more diſtinctly, and on purpoſe, and together mentioned, Iohn 20. 17. I goe to my Father, and your Father, ſayes Chriſt there: And it was ſpoken after that all his Diſciples had before forſaken him, and Peter denyed him; when Chriſt himſelfe would ſend them the greateſt cordiall that his heart could utter, and wrap up the ſtrongeſt ſublimation of comforts in one pill; What was it? Go tell them, (ſayes he) not ſo much that I have ſatisfyed for ſinne, overcome death, or am riſen, but that I Aſcend: For in that which Chriſt doth for us being aſcended, lyes the height, the top of our comfort. And whereas he might have ſaid, (and it had been matter of unſpeakable comfort) I aſcend to heaven, and ſo where I am, you ſhall be alſo; yet he chooſeth rather to ſay, [I aſcend to the Father,] for that indeed contained the foundation, ſpring, and cauſe of their comfort; even that relation of Gods, [his Fatherhood] with which Chriſt was to deal after his aſcending, for them. And becauſe when before his death he had ſpoken of his going to his Father, their hearts had been troubled, Iohn 14. 28. they thinking it was for his owne preferment onelyonly, (as Chriſts ſpeech there implyes they did) therefore he here diſtinctly addes, I aſcend to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. He had in effect ſpoken as much before, in the words fore-going, Goe tell my Brethren, but that was onelyonly implicitely; therefore more plainly and explicitely he ſayes it, for their further comfort, [I goe to my Father, and your Father.] And conſider, that Chriſt being now newly riſen, and having as yet not ſeen his Diſciples, and being now to ſend a meſſage, his firſt meſſage, a Goſpel of good tidings to them, (and that in a briefe ſentence) by a woman; he chooſeth out this as the firſt word to be ſpoken from him now, when he was come out of the other world, at their firſt heare-ſay of his return, he utters forth at once, the bottome, the depth of all comfort, the ſumme of all joy; then which the Goſpel knows no greater, nor can go higher: So as if Chriſt ſhould intend now at this day to ſend good news from Heaven to any of you, it would be but this, I am here an Advocate, interceding with my Father, and thy Father. All is ſpoken in that. Even [He] could not ſpeake more comfort, who is the God of comfort. Now therefore let us apart conſider theſe two relations, which afford each of them their proper comfort and aſſurance; both that Chriſt is aſcended, and intercedes with his own Father; and alſo with Our Father: and therefore how prevailing muſt this Interceſſion be?
Firſt,1. That Chriſt intercedes with his Father. Chriſt intercedes with his Father, who neither will nor can deny him any thing. To confirme this, you have a double Teſtimony, and of two of the greateſt witneſſes in Heaven: both a Teſtimony of Chriſts owne, whilſt he was on Earth; and Gods own word alſo declared, ſince Chriſt came to Heaven. The 1. in the 11. of Iohn, whilſt Chriſt was here on earth, and had not as then fully performed that great ſervice which he was to finiſh; which ſince he having done, it muſt needs ingratiate him the more vvith God his Father. When Lazarus was now foure dayes dead, Martha, to move Chriſt to pittie her, firſt tels him, that if he had been there before her brother dyed, that then he had not dyed: and then (as having ſpoke too little) ſhee adds, yea thou canſt (if thou pleaſeſt) remedie it yet. But I know (ſayes ſhe, ver. 22.) that even now (though he be ſo long dead) what ever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Here was her confidence in Chriſts Interceſſion, though this were a greater worke then ever yet CHRIST had done any. And Chriſt ſeeing her faith in this, he confirmes her ſpeech when he came to raiſe him, and takes a ſolemn occaſion to declare, that God had never denyed him any requeſt that he had ever put up to him, firſt thanking God particularly that he had heard him in this, ver. 41. Father, I thank thee, that thou haſt heard me: He had (it ſeems) prayed for the thing at her entreaty; and now, before the thing was done, he (being aſſured his prayer was heard) gives thanks; ſo confident was he of his being heard. And then ſecondly, ſhews upon what this his confidence at this time was grounded, his conſtant experience that God had never denyed him any requeſt; for it follows, ver. 42. And I know that thou heareſt me alwayes, (and therefore was ſo bold, as to expreſſe my confidence in this, before the thing was done) but becauſe of them who ſtood by, I ſaid it. As if hee had ſaid, Though I gave this publique thanks for being heard onelyonly in this one miracle, and at no time the like ſo publiquely; yet this is no new thing, but thus it hath been alwayes hitherto, in all the miracles I have wrought, and requeſts I have put up, which made me ſo to give thanks before-hand: and this is not the firſt time that God hath heard me thus; which I ſpeak, that they might beleeve. Thus he was never denyed on earth, from the firſt to the laſt. For this was one of his greateſt miracles, and reſerved unto the laſt, even a few dayes before his crucifying.
And now he hath performed the ſervice deſigned him, and is come to heaven, let us ſecondly heare God himſelfe ſpeake, what hee meanes to doe for him. You heard before, when he came firſt to heaven, what God ſaid to him, duplicate page duplicate page and how he welcommed him with a [Sit thou at my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy foot-ſtool:] And before Chriſt opened his mouth to ſpeak a word, by way of any requeſt to God, (which was the office that he was now to execute) God himſelfe prevented him, and added, [Thou art my Sonne, this day have I begotten thee: Ask of me, and I will give thee, Pſal. 2. ver. 8.] He ſpeaks it at Chriſts firſt comming up to heaven, when he had his King on his holy hill, as ver. 6. Chriſt was new glorifyed, which was as a new begetting to him, To day have I begotten thee: And this is, as if he had ſaid, I know you will ask me now for all that you have dyed for; and this I promiſe you before-hand, before you ſpeak a word, or make any requeſt unto me, you ſhall ask nothing but it ſhall be granted; and this I ſpeak once for all, as a boone and a grace granted you upon your birth-day, as the ſolemneſt celebration of it, (for ſuch was his Reſurrection, and Aſcenſiſion, and ſitting at Gods right hand) This day have I begotten thee; Ask of mee and I will give thee. So full of joy was his Fathers heart, that he had his Sonne in Heaven with him, whom he had begotten from everlaſting, and ordained to this glory, who was lately dead, and in a manner loſt, and therefore now (as it were) new begotten. Gods heart was ſo full, that he could not hold from expreſſing it in the largeſt favours and grants. And whereas Kings upon their own birth-dayes, uſe to grant ſuch favours to their favourites: So Herod on his birth-day to the Daughter of Herodias, promiſed with an oath to give her whatſoever ſhe would ask, Mat. 14. 7. God himſelfe having no birth-day, nor being of himſelfe capable of it, yet having a Sonne who had, he honours him with that grace upon that day; and if Q. Eſther (a Subject, yea, a ſlave in her originall condition) was ſo prevalent for the Iews her People and Nation, when their caſe was deſperate, and when there was an irrevocable decree paſt (and that not to be altered) for their ruine and deſtruction, then what will not Chriſt (ſo great a Sonne, even equall with his Father) prevail for, with his Father, for his brethren? be their caſe, for the time paſt, never ſo deſperate, be there never ſo many threatnings gone out againſt them, never ſo many preſidents and examples of men condemned before for the like ſins, and in the like caſe, yet Chriſt can prevaile againſt them all.