336 How mikji Pray in Faith d St~r r q- with all his rich PriefllyGarmencs,cothew we thoulo be cioatr,ed with the rich Robes of Chrifts Righteoufnefs, for what the High - Fruit did, he dint not in his perfonal,but in his publick capacity. Nov the efficacy of his In :ercelhon was no: only from the wonderful Love God bore co Chriff, from the unparalleld In,ereft Chrift had in the Father, by rhefe me Ins we may expedt all alts of favour,but we have jufhice on our fide, for favour is an arbitrary ching,therefore Christ is our Advoczce, r Toh. 2.1,2. he prefenrs bur cafe not by way of Pe:ition,buc by way of plead - ing ; for Advocates do not petition but plead. So then Chrifl dorh four things as co our Prayers.' .He codices them by his Spirir,he perfumes them by his merir,then he prefents our Pray - ers and Perfons,for we Pave accefs through hirn, Eph.3.I 2.and then fu- peradds his own Interceffion, his blond crying louder than our Gns,and better things than our Prayers. IV. We are co believe and improve this truth, viz, that the Father exceedingly delights to honour Chritt,and hereby God wonderfully ho- nours Christ by pardoning , and receiving into favour filch Rebellious (inners as we are for his fake, by forgiving any thing for his fake. A fin - ner cannot pleafe God becter, then by coming with confidence for pardon for his fake. If we come for pardon or mercies, and our Con fidence arifeth f oat our low thoughts of the number or finfulnefs of our fins, or of Gods hatred of fin, or our ability to fatisfie Juflice or deferve Mercy;our Confidence is defperate Impudence and arrogance, but if purely from the high efleem we have of the incomprehea- fiblenefs of Chrifts facisfadtion, and of Chrifls Incerefl in Gods Love, and of the Fathers delight to honour Christ ; fuch Confidence is preci- ous and acceptable with God, and whofoever hach ir, may go with as -much freedom and affurance of favour,as if he had never finned,wich as much as AdRna in his Innocency, or the Angels in Glory. Alas we do not believe or not improve thefe truths, for if we did, we might have any thing, for Chrifl hath Irnereft enough in God to bear us out, and procure any Mercy. V. We are to believe,improve, and obey Chrìí}s Command, viz..in Ala 14.13,14,16,23. the former truths give -us great hope, but this strong Cónfolation, for though fuch a great Perlon had never fo much interet in fome other great Perfon,with whom we had to do,yet wich- out a Cornrnißîon from him we might nor go in his Natne, but Chrift hash not only given us leave but a Comm:and,and now it is nor an arbi- trary thìng,we may do or not do, but we Muff dó. This is the Incor- prehenfïble goodnefs of God, t hat w hat is for our good he commands us,
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