Book V. rLrolttng ttnno 'jjefu~. Chap. 1. sea. 10. 55• - - - ,.----- -- - - - breail: or heart, as near as near may be, that they may be in a continual remembrance before the Lord for ever; his very love compels him to this office, to intercede for them. 6. It is Chri!b delight to intercede for his Saints? before the world was, Hi; d<- Prov. 8. 3'· ligh.s were with the fons ofmen ; and when the fulne{s of time came, then faid he, L• Pfalm 40·7,8. 1co,ne, in the volume of the boo\ it iJ written of me, I delight to do thy will 0 my God; and what was that, out to be with the fons of men? he knew that was hi; Fathers pleafure, and in refpe<'l: of himfelf, he had adelight to live with them, and to dye for them : and no fodner he entred into Heaven, but there he delights to officiate !liU in behalf of the fons of men; he carries their names on his heart there, and though fomc of their perfons be on earth, and he in his bodily prefence is in Heaven, yet dillance of place cannot deaden hisdelights in the remembrance of them; he is ever minding his Father of his people in the neather world; he tells him that they are his, all in all, upon the earth, all his joy, and all his delight, and all his portion ; as men ufe to give portions to their children, fo God having but one Son by eternal generation, he bath given the Elect unto him as his portion; and hence he makes it his great bufinefs in Heaven, to provide manfions for his portion, to take up God's heart for his portion, to beg favour and love for his ponion. Here tis the joy of Chritl: in Heaven, in going to his !'ather, and telling him, Why Father, 1have a[mall portion yet on earth, 11nd bec.i'.fe they ar< on earth, they tire jli/1 finning againff thy Majejly, but I have fujfered 'lind[atiJ{ied for their fins, rmd hither am I come, to mind thee ofit, and continually tOget out frejh pard.?ns for newfins; come, loofz on my old fati<fa'iion ; didff thou not promife? u it not in the A rticles of agreement bmviw thee and me, that I {hould fee of the travel!(a. S3•II,u; of my[on!, and jhouldbefatt';jied? didff thou not fay, that becaufc I poured out-my foul, therefore thm Wb11ldff divide me a;ortion with thegreat, ..nd the (poylcwirh the flrong? 0 myFmher, now I milk! interceffion for the trnnfkre!fors; give me out pardons for an hundred thot<{and millions of fins ; th•u haff (Aid and[worn, that thou haff no pleafure in the death of finners; andit i< my pleafure, my joy, my infinite delight, to fave finners, thefe aremyfeed, myportion, my redeemed onu, andthereforelet thembefaved. Thus Chrift intercedes , and his delight in his Saints, as knowing it to be his Fathers mind , draws him on eo this imercelfiGn ; indeed this reafon bangs upon that primary and firll reafon; it is God's will that Chr~!l: 010uld intercede, and it is Cbrill's delight to do the will of his Father in Heaven , I delight to do thy will 0 my God. 7· It is Cbrift's compaffion that caufeth imerceffion. Chriff ;, (uch an high Prieft, Heb, 4· 15. (faith the Apo{l!e) tU cannot but be touched with_thefeeling of our infirmiries, He WtU in all pointstempted lik§"' we are, yet without fin. When he was on earth he felt our infirmities, frailties, miferies, and as a man that bath fel t the Stone, or Gout, or Fever ; or cfpecially that bath felt foul-troubles, cannot but coinpaflionate thofe that are in the like condition; fo Chrill having had theexpet'ience of our outward, and inward futferings, he cannot but compafiionate us; and hence it is (Iris very corripaffions •noving) that he intercedes to his Fath~r in our behalf. It is obferved that the very office or work of rhe High Priellwas tO fymparhize with the p~ople of God; onely in the cafe of the death of his kindred; he wasnot as others, to !"ymparhize or mourn; buc Jefus Chrifl g?es beyond all the High _Priells tll~t_ever were qefore him; he doth fully fympathrze wah us, notin fome, but tn all condmons; In all our affliCtionshe u af/Mled. !fa. 63. 9, I believe Chrill hath carried a man's heart up with him \O Hhaven . aod though there be no pafiions in him as he i• God ; yet the Bower, the blolfom, the excellency of all thefe pafiions, (which we call compaffions) are infinitely in him as he is God; he llnketh, and trycth, and yet he pirieth ; when Ephraim bemoanetl1 himfelf, God repltes, Is Ephraimmy dearfon? is he a fleafant child? for jint~ I (pak§ againfl him, I Jer. 3'· 2j; do earnej/ly remember him j/ill, therefore my bowels are troubled f•r him. Surely there's a vro_lence of heavenly paffion in Ghrrlrs heart as God man, wbich makes him to break out Into prayer t.o G?d , and inro compafiions towards men: 0 that tempted fouls would confider thts ! 1t may be Chrifl is giving you a cup of tears and blood to drink, ~ut who knows what bowels, what turnings of bean, what motions of compafsion are mJefus Chnft all the while? thole who reel the fruit of Chrill's inrercefsion know this, and cannot burfubfcrille ro this truth. 0 ye of Z,ule f•itb, why do ye doubt of Chrifl"t bowels? ts he !JOt our compafsionlte High T>riell ? bath not the tenderell, meekell, mtldeft heart of a man that God pofsibly can form, met with the ete.rnal and in- - ·- linin.'
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