241 / 514
sERM.
XIIL
HERE
AND HHAEABTER..
233
as
our great
High
Priest
and
Surety,
to make
us
acceptable
to
God
there.
Nor
should
our
warmest devotions,
nor
our
highest
praises,
dare
to
appear
there without
him.
Remember
that
the
high
priest
himself among
the
Jews,
was
in
danger
of
death, whensoever
he
went
into
the
holy
of
holies,
to
appear
before the tokens
of
the
divine presence,
if
he had
not proper
garments upo
i
him,
and the blood
of
atonement
with
hirrl;
(-see
E.r
xxviii. 35.
43. Lev.
xvi.
,
13,
74.
Let
Aaron
be
so
clothed
and
the blood
so
sprinkled, saith the Lord,
lest
he
die.)
How much more may
we
fear destruction,
if
we
rashly,
or
carelessly, come
near and
speak to
God
himself,
and yet neglect the garment
of
righteousness,
and the
blood of sprinkling, and
Christ our
great
,M.Ie-
diator.
Remember,
O
Christian,
that
for
a
sinner
to
appear
before God without the Mediator,
is
a
thing
of
infinite
terror, and not of
comfort.
A
traitor
would
keep
at
the
farthest distance
from
the prince,
if
he
bath no friend
to speak
a word
for him
there.
To
come and
present
yourselves
.
before
God
as sinners,
without a Saviour,
would be
but
to.
awaken
his
wrath,
and
put
him in
mind
of your
guilt,
and
his
righteous vengeance. Remember
therefore
to
take
Christ
with you
when
you corne
near
to God.
See
Eph.
ii 3.
13,
&c.
We are
by
nature chil-
dren of
wrath,
and afar
off from
God,
it
is
he,
only
can
.
bring
us
near:
No
man cometh to
the
Father
but
by me,
John
xiv. 6.
And
as
this is the only
appointed
way
for sinners to
appear
before God,
so
it
has been the sweet
experience
of
ten
thousand
souls
that
they have drawn
near
to
God,
in this
manner, with acceptance and delight..
Hear
what
many
a.child of
God
can
tell you
in
this case
:
"
When I
had the first sight
of
my
guilt and defilements,
and
beheld
God
in the
terrors
of
his
holiness
and justice,
as
a consuming
fire,
I
was
affrighted
at
the thoughts
Of
appearing
before
him;
every
threatening that I heard,
I
thought
it
was
pronounced against
me,
nor
could
I
de-
light
myself in the blessings
of
his
gospel,,
for they were
not
mine. But when he
was
pleased
to
lead and draw
me
to Christ,
I
saw
such an
all
-
sufficiency
of
atonement and
»ghteousness
in
him,
that
would answer
all
the demands
that
divine
justice had
upon
me;
I.
joyfully accepted
of