Chap. 1. sea. 9· 1Loo1ung unto 'jJ£fu5. Book v. 547 into Heaven, that he might do the work of the High Pridl there ; no fooner had Chriil: enrred through the gates into the City, but prefenrly, fit thou down ( faah God) at my right h~nd; bur to what end? furdy not only to rule as King (of which wehave fpoken before) bur alfo to intercede os our great High Prieil:; hence we find 1n Smprure, that ehrill's feffion and inrerceffion; his Kingly and Prieflly office are joyned wgcther; He Hcb. 8. t. ;.[et on the right hand of the throne of the Majejly in the He~vens: he? who? wh~, chrifl our High Priefl, we have fuch an H1gh Pnefl who IS fet down. It JS as 1f chri!l: at his entrance into Heaven had fa~d, i11y :Father, I am comc, h,ther M the great fiigb Prie.ff, having oil hi<brr.ff plite the names of all the Eiefl, and I come to intercede frtr poor formers; what Jhalll h.<ve welcome 011 thefefame terms ? to whom the Father replied, Welcome my Son, my onely Son on thefe very termcs; co,ne, ftt thee donm, and tf!- tercede for tvbomthou plea[eff. I have called thee on purpofe to th•-<very office, and thot< {h<it prev~il. Surely the Father is enga~ed to purpofe to hear his Son, in rhar he is an High Prietl: to God, and called ro hiS office by God. 3. That Chriil is God's Son; and tbat is more than God's High Prieil:; he is his natural Son, his beloved Son, his Son that never gave him the lea!l: offence ; fure then when he comes and intercedes for a m1n he is mofllike io fpeed; if a gracious child do but cry, my Father, my Fl!th'", he may rrevail very much, efpecially with a Father who is tender-hearted, Jefus Chriil: is the gracious, precious Son of God rlie Father, and God the Father is 'a dear and kind-he-amd Father, how then fhould theimerceffions of Chrilt bur be mofl powerful wirh God? hence fome gather the prevalency of Chritrs inrerceffion, becaufe in rn;my places of Scripture where this part of Chri!l:'s Pridl·hood or imerceffion is laid down, this Sonfhip is a_lfo expreffed or fet forth; as tve have a Hcb. 4· '4· gr·eat High Ptieff entred into the hcavem, {eju< the Son of God. --- And thou art Heb. 5• 5,6. tm Higb Prieff for ever after tbe order of Melchiudech. But immediately before, Thou art my s.n, rhu day have ·; begotten rhee. 0 needs murl the interceffion of fuch a Son be very prevalent: I fay of fuch" Son, for was ever any fon like this Son of God? was every any fon fo like his father, or fo equal with his far her? we know he is a begotten Son, and yet ne,·er begun to be :i fon ; he i~ the Son of the Father, and yet never begun to have a Father; he IS a branch of rhe Ktng of ages, and·yet in all the ages parl was never younger; furely all the relations of fon,and father in the World are but afhado:v of this reladonberwixt GodandChri!l:; it is fo near, that though they are two (as in all relations there mull: needs be reiAtum and oorrelntum) yet Cbriil: fpeaks of them, as if they were but one; I and my Father are on<; if then the Father John 10 • 3°· fhould deny him any thing, he fhould deny himfelf, or ceafe to De one with his Son, which can never be. Chrifl is God's Son, his natural Son, his beloved Son, Thi< is my Mat. 3· 17. beloved Son in whom I am wellpleafed, faith God ? Oh then how prevalent muil Chriil:'s interceffion be with God? 4· That Chriit is God himfelf, not onely God's Son, but God himfelf; how power– ful in this refpeCl: mull: his interceffions be unto rhe Father? it is true that Chrifl is ano– ther fubfiflence and perfon from tbe Father, but Chrirl is one and the fame God with fhe Father; Chrifl is the very effenrial, fubrlanrial, and noble reprefemation of God him– felf, Chriil: is the very felf of God; both God fending, and God fei1t · ·chrifl is the fellow of God, A !"ake 0 jivord againff my Shepherd, and aJainH the m;ll that i< my fellow; Zach. '3· 7• nay, Chnil:" God, and nor another God, but one God; God of God, light of light, very Gad of very God; begotten, 11ot made, being of one fubftance with the Father, by ,.horn •ll thi11gs were made. Can we imagine now that God himfelf 010uld ,be denied any boon ofGod himfelf? if God fometimes fpoke to his fervants, Ask of me, com-!fa. 4 s. 11 • mand ye me concerning all the work.. of mine h.<nds; will not God much more fay to God, .A,k._ of me, and I [hall give rhee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the mter- Pfa!. 2 , i. moff parts of thcearth (drrhy poffejfioa? we have brought it now fo near, that if God be God, and G?d be Omnipotent, 'that he can do, and can have wlmfoever he pleafes: then ~hnfl b~mg one God with his Father, he mull: needs prevail, it is bur·.uk._andhavr, let htm a~k what he wilL . S· That Chrirl is God's darling upon this very account, becaufe he intercedes for hts people.. Therefore doth my Farher love me,· bec.<u(e I lay down my life, that I John ro.17. "'.'ght tak.J •t a~mn. I lay it down by fu!fering, and I take it again by riling afcendmg up tnto Heaven, and interceding there, and therefore ~oth my Father love me. 0 the love of God to Chn!l:, and o~ God 111 ehnil: ro all Ius Samts! Godfo loved the world, thnt he gave hJS Son! and Clmft fo loved the world, that hegave himfe!f, and now M m m 2 again
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=