DISCOURSE ïJ. 555 his body, the church, if he lias no particular knowledge of the wants, sorrows and sufferings-of his particular members ; if he has only a mere general confused knowledge that he: has mem- bers on earth who endure sorrow and suffering, though he. knows not how many, nor whiçh they be, nor i$ he able as man to do any thing for their particular relief ? Would it not he strange to say, He has the most near and intimate relation of headship to his members, as he isman and of the same nature with them,. and yet he cannot, do any thing for the support or succour of any of them, by the powers of the very nature whereby he sustains this, relation; and whereby chiefly he becomes their head ? It is granted that the indwelling godhead capacitates him for the supply of the. wants of his members, by furnishing him with all grace ; but I think that human nature by which he eminently sustains this relation and becomes a head, may be allowed to be an intelligent and conscious medium of conveying, these supplies. . V. If it should not be allowed that .Jesus Christ, as man, can bestow effectual succour and relief on his tempted saints, yet surely he is able to make particular intercession for them. It is Upon this account he is declared " able to save to the ut-. termost those that come to God by him, because he ever lives to make intercession for them, lleb, vii. 25. Now we cannot suppose it is the divine nature which properly and directly inter- cedes or pleads for us in heaven, but the man Jesus, who gave us a pattern of that intercession here on earth; Jolie xvii. Though it may be the divine nature united that renders this ins tercession so universally powerful and prevalent. Nor can we suppose that Christ intercedes merely in ge- neral for all his saints Without knowledge of their particular persons, or their present particular circumstances; for this is no more than every christian on earth does or should do: we should all intercede or plead in that ¡canner for all the saints ; 1:ph. vi. 18. though our pleadings have not the same efficacy as his, nor are we supposed to have the same knowledge of their wants. . When are told that our great High -priest, whose special work and office in .heaven is to make intercession fir us, " is passed into the heavens, and that he can be touched with the feel- ingof our infirmities, having himself been tempted as we are ;" can we ever imagine that this does not refer to the human nature of Christ, since none of these expressions are applicable to his tleity : And can we think that the scripture would represent Our encouragements to apply ourselves to him as au intercessor in such tender and sympathetic language, if he knew only in gene- ral that there were thousands of tempted saints on earth, but had no particular knowledge of their persons, their special kinds il
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=