Ambrose - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .A49 1674

Chap. 1. Sett. 8. jl!)Ol\mg ttnto 'JJ!f~.S. . . Book V. 545 ~e~nAngels prcfen;mg rho ~aims prayers, I am Raphacl one of. the [even holy An- Tobit. 12 , 1 5, /!e/5, which prcfent the pr.:ycn of the S~ints. VJe [•Y 1t IS no cano~lcal Scripture, .nor 1 s ir amboriz l by any Clnon al Smprure ; be!Jdes, I cannot rhmk that the Pndh were types of Angels, bu: o;',J :· of Cbrift: Again, howfoever the Gr.eek Copiesfo read rbar Text, yet the annenr n ' brew copy fer forth by Pa~tlm Fag•tlf, and Jerome, who rranllared it out of theCddcc (as Mall:er M cde on Z1ch,1r. 4· 10. avoucheth) reads 11 ibus.• I am Raph~el one of the few:z A tgcls, which ftand, and minifter before 1he glory of the holy One. And cerrainl~ in this Text of Revel. 8. 3, 4·. There IS a figurau~e defi:ription of an heavenly fervrce, correfpondent to rhat wl11th was performed Ill rhe Temple; namely, that rhe people being wirhom at prayer_, the Prieft offered incenfe . within upon the Altar, Luk§ 1.9, 10. To f1gn1fie rhat Believers prayers l1ave always need to be helocd and fanctified by Chrift's inrerceffion; and wlm though the incenfe was given bi~? we know rhar Chrift himfelfwas ,given of ~od ;. Cod fo /oued rh: world, John 3· t6. that hegave his onely begown Son; and yet t!us lunders not bur rhar Jefus Chnft gave himfd f, and that he gave lumf~lf for an mcenfe too ; for fo .the Apoll:le, He h$th givert Ephef. 5· 2. himfclf for "' an Offering ant! a{acrifice '!nto God.' for.an mcenfe, or f?r afweet f me!- ling favour ; iri this refpcCl: rh; mcenfe m1ghr be giVen h1m, and yet the tncenfe was !us own they were onely Chnfi s •item<, n ghteoufnefs , fausfaC1:10n; they are the fweet odo~r, by vertue whereof God accepts of his SJints perfons and prayers,; and it is onely Chrift that prefenrs before God rhar wh1c_h he IS and bath, he alone bemg both offering and Prieft; we caR rl11nk of no other Pne!lm Gofpel-·1mes, but onely Jefus, Tbe Heb. 6. 2o. fore-runmr,evcn T'f"' Chrift made an high Prieft for ewr afur the order of Mclchiz..edech. It is Jef"'• and onely r:f"' that prefenrs our prayers, and fanC1:1fies our prayers, and mingles our prayers With !us mems, and fo makes them penetrate fweerly before his God. 6. Chri!l's inrerceffion confif1:s in the prefenring of our plea <lr anfwer in Heaven to allthofe accufations that arc brought in againll: our felves. And this I take it to be the meaning of the chailenge; WhoJhaH lay any thing to the charge of God's ele[/; ? it is Rom.8.33,34; God that juftifies, who is he that co•dmmeth it? it is Chrift that dyed, yea rather that i; · rifen again, who i< even at the right hand of G_od, who alfo mak!th interce[Jion for llf. Chrift intercedes, and who (hall condemn? Chnft takes off all accufations, and who (hall charge ? if the Law, or Sin, or Satan, !hall dare to accufe, our Jefus' is ready at God's right hand to anfwer all. There is a virion in Zachariah reprefenring this, And Zach. 3· r. the .AngelJhewed me {ojhua the high Pr\eft ftanding beforethe Angel of the Lord, and SatanJfanding at hu nght hand toreftH mm. It was the cull:om of the accufer to !land at the rightJland of the accufed, Set thou a wick§d man ove~ him, and /et .Satan ftand at Pfalm 109, 6,· hi< right hand ; now here's Satan !landing at Jojh~tah' s right hand to accu'fe him. but ' whereof dorh he accufe him?. that appears in rhe words following, Jojlma """" cl;athed Ver. 3· with filrhy garments, an ordmary fignof fin; as a white garment is a fign pf Cbrill:'s righteonf?efs, fo is a filthy garment in Scripture, a fign of vilenefs; alas! Jojhua was defiled With the pollunon wlu:h he ~ad gomn by the contagion of Babyfon , and no~ at hrsreturn Satan.lays 1t 10 h1s _charge, bur Jefus Chrift our great High Pneil: ll:eps m, and takes off the accufatton, And the L•rd[aid ~<nto SatAn, the Lord Ver. 2, rebuk£ thee 0 Satan, even the Lord that· bath, chofen Jemfalem rebuk§ thee; twice he repeats it, to fhew the fulnefs of Chrifl's inrerceffion, q. d. rbe Lord my God, my · everlaftihg Father, rebuke, and confound thee Sarari, iri this thy malicious oppofition againll: my /ofh""; and rhen be goes on in his apology for J•Jima , Is not thi< a Ver. 2, brand pluck! om of the fire? q. d. is not this one, whom of my grace I have refer·· v_ed among& my people, whom I caufed to pafs through the fire of mine indignauon? and fl1a\l nor my decree of grace (bnd firm and inviolable roward·s fuch? or thus, is nor this a brand pluckt newly OUt of the fire of affliCtion? was he not in the captivity of Baby/on? and is ir likely he flJOuld be there , bur he would .be defiled with the touch of pitch? take abrand, and pull it our of the fire, and there will be fome dull, and afl1es, and filth about it ; why Lord ( fays Chrif1:) this JojiJUa is bur newly pull'd out of rlie burning, and therefore he mull: needs have all1es, and dufl, and filth about him: But come (faith Cluift to his holy Angels) taks away the Yer. 4· filthy garment from him; and come ( fays'Chrill: to his fervant (oflma) Behold I have ver. , ca•1ed thme tntquuy to pafs from thee, and I will cloath thee wtth change of rP.ymcnt. . 4 And ~bus Chrtfl rook off the accufatioo that was brought againft Jofhua, by Satan, for h1s filthy garments. In hke manner doth our blefTed lnterccfTor at this inftatit, if a Mmm ·· poor

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