568 Book VI. !Lroktng unto jldtt~. Chap.2. Sect.&. 1 Cor. 11, 6. Rev. S· 8, 9, 1 r, 12, 13, '4· ment, even with the Jhining robes of mine own righteoufnefs! 0 my Father, let this Jo 1 live in thy fight! o.cAfthi~I10t.f!lVfiYforwhum Ihavefuffered, anddonea/1 this. ha=– not reft Jatufied W•thont hu fo~ttty, ~am not r.ght till he is with me in glory; he is my darlmg, my purchafo, my portson, lily dcl.g~t, and therefore let him be faved. Is not this enough to caufe thy very heart leap in thy bofom? Bonaventure fondly reporrs that Francis hearing an Angel a little while playing on an Harp, he was fo moved with extraordinary delight, t.hat lie thought hiii)felf in another world. 0 bur fuppofe thou lhouldfl he~r the vo1ce of Jefus thy Jnrercelfor thus pleading for thee wouldft thou not be caf!mto an extafie? would not this fill thee with joyes unfpeak~ble and full of glory ?.- -Come, realize this meditation? certainly if thou art Chrifl's he is rhu~, or ·~ fom~ otb~r manner. interceding for thee; as fure as Chrift is in Hea~ ven, he 1s pleadmg wuh Ius Father in Heaven on thy behalf: 0 the joyes, the joyes the joyes tha.t I flwuld now fee~ !---Tell me, is it not a ~omfort, for a poor beg: gar to be relteved at a rtch mans door ? we ate all beggars mregard of Heaven. aod Jefus Chrift doth not o.nly c~me forth .and ferve us; but he rakes us poor begga~s by the hand, and leads !'!'m to h1s heavenly Father: Oh what comfort is here! SEC'r. VIII.• Of prttying to; and praiflng of [efm in thAt reJPeEl. 8. r Et'us pray, and praife our Jefus in this refped. .- r. Let us pray or fue our our inter~ft in this inrerceffion : it is a queflioit amongft the Schools, whether we may convemenrly pray to J efus, ro pray to his Fa– ther in our behalf? And rhus far is granted, that we may pray eo Chriflro make us partakers of his interc~ffions, a~d to mingle our prayers with his prayers, that rhey , may find acceptance w·uh Go~ ~Is Father. Butr~at we m~y u~e fuel~ a form, as or 11 pr• nobis, 0 Chrijf pray for 111, 11 IS looked upon as mconvemenr m th1s refpect. r., Be– caufe we hav~no fuch cufto»>, neither the Churches of God. 2. Becaufe it favours too much of the error of Arrim, 1Vejforim , and indeed of the Romanills themfelves, 3.Becaufe our prayers aremofi-what direded to Chrill in his perfon or divine fubli!lence, whofe part is rather to give, than to ask ; or if they are directed to Chrif! as Media– tor, and. not limply as the only ~egotten. Son of God, then I fee no incongruity (thoughm the former refped fome mconvemence) bur that we may pray ro Chrill: ro intercede for us; for fo he is God and man; and he is confidered according to both Na– tures ; on]ythe difference of both Natures is frill to be kept and maintained ; interceffi– on is the office of the whole perfon of Chrifi, and of the two natures of Chrift. But he performs this office one way according to hi> Divine nature, and another way ac– cording to his humane nature. I lift not to quarrel about niceties; it is thus agreed on aU hands, and that is enough to ourpurpofe, that we may call on Jefus, or on God rh,e Father in and through Jefus, that Chrifl's interceffions may be oun; and that he would make it out to us in a way of alfurance every day more and more. 2. Let us praife ; let us blefs God, and blefs Chrill for every rranfaction in Heaven for us. It is awonder to obferve what fongs of praife were chanted to Chrill: in Heaven for that one tranfadion of opening the Book, and looiing the feven Seals thereof: fir!(, The four beafts, and then the four andtwenty Eldm fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odourt, which are the prayrs of the Saints, and they fimg a new fotJg; Jaying, thou Art worthy to take the book_, 1111d to open the fials thereof, for thou wajf jlain, and haft redeemed m to God by thy blood. --And then the Angelt round about the Throne, whofe number WM ten thoufand times ten thoHfand, and thoufandt of thonfandt, came on, Jaying, worthy is the Lamb that WM jlain to receive power, andrichet, andwifdom, and ftrength, and honour, Andglory, andblejfing.- – And then every creawre which u in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, ""d Juch "'ar~ in the fe-<, came on, Jaying; blef!ing, and honour, and 'glory, andpower be unto him that jitteth ttptm the Throne, and U'nto the Lamb for ever and ever; andthe four beoftt, «nd {o1er and twenty Elders fell down "nd worjhipped him that liveth for ever and ever. I cannot tell what other rranfaC!ions may be in Heaven, we have but hints of 1l:!em here, nor o,.n we fully or part!c!!l~rly know them till we come to He~ven; ~~;
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