Sermon 68

Isaiah 53:12 — Verse 12. — And made intercession for the transgressors.

It were a very great consolation, and a main furtherance in all religion, to get this solidly believed: that Christ Jesus, who is the express image of his Father's person, and the brightness of his glory, is now in heaven in our nature, and has it for his work to be interceding, and interceding for transgressors. We are every day reaping the good of this intercession, in reference to many evils that are kept off us, and in reference to many mercies bestowed on us, that we pray not at all, or but little for. And we come never to hear a preaching, but we are beholden to it; it being a peculiar fruit of his intercession that gifts are given to men, and that the Gospel is sent through the earth. And if ever any get good of a sermon, it is by virtue of this intercession; seeing he has said, that he will pray the Father, and that he will send the comforter. And whenever we come to hear a preaching, there would be (to say so) a revising of the thoughts of Christ's intercession and a stirring up of ourselves to get the faith of it lively in its exercise.

That which we spoke to the last day, was concerning the comfort that flows from this, and indeed, if any doctrine be comfortable, this must be comfortable: that we have such a friend in the Court of Heaven, invested in this office of an Advocate, and Intercessor for us.

Use 3. Of exhortation, seeing there is such an office with which Jesus Christ is invested, and such an officer that bears this office, to be an Advocate for sinners; then sinners would be exhorted to learn to improve, and to make use of this Advocate, and of his office, since he has this office of an Intercessor. O! do not despise such a mercy, neglect not such an advantage, but learn to make use of him, and in your worship applications to God to approach by, and through him. The ground of this use of exhortation is clear in the words; and from the nature of the thing; for if Christ Jesus bears these offices, and if he bears them for us, then sure we should make use of them. If he be a king, we should make use of him, for subduing sin in us; if a prophet, we should make use of that office, for attaining of light, and saving knowledge from him; and if he be a priest to satisfy divine justice, and to make intercession, we should make use of both parts of that office. The necessity of our making use of Christ's intercession appears from this, if we consider in what terms we stand with God; have we any boldness, or access of ourselves? Is not the door shut on us? and is there not a stated controversy standing between God and us? And have we any access but by his means? The necessity of it is further clear, from the order that God has laid down in the way of his administration of grace; why, I pray, has he appointed a mediator, and Intercessor? Is it not for good reason? even for the consolation, and encouragement of sinners to draw near, who, if they be in earnest, cannot but be affected with fear to approach to God. And is it possible to come to God, and not by this door? and were it not ingratitude to neglect it; seeing he has contrived this new and living way of access to him?

But to descend to more particular discoursing of this matter, which is as difficult a thing to speak of aright, and to practice suitably, as any part of religion; if especially he himself teach us not. For sometimes we will make use of his sacrifice and satisfaction, when we know not how to make use of his intercession. For either we do it all on our own, and ignore the Intercessor; or we will do nothing, and give it over as desperate, as if our business were quite broken, and hopeless, and as if it were needless, or useless to lay any weight on Christ's intercession. And thus whether we apprehend ourselves to be in better, or in worse case, he is much ignored, and neglected. That therefore we may the better know how to make use of Christ's intercession; we shall, 1. in the general, show what it is to make use of it. 2. Speak to some particular cases wherein it in a special manner is to be made use of. 3. Satisfy and remove some objections, or answer some questions that may be moved about it. 4. We shall give some characters of one that is serious and tender, in making use of his intercession.

For the first, it is indeed a thing so difficult to improve Christ's intercession aright, that we cannot easily tell how to conceive of it, being a considerable part of the mystery of faith, to go to God by a Mediator and Intercessor. However, we shall 1. show some mistakes that are to be eschewed. 2. We shall show wherein it more properly consists; which is, in the exercise of faith in him, with respect to his intercession. And 3. We shall illustrate it by some similitudes, for the further making out of it. 1. Then, when we spoke of improving Christ's intercession, and of going to God by him, we would have these mistakes eschewed. 1. Beware of thinking that there is a going to the Mediator in a distinct, or in a different manner from what is, in going to God, for he is God; or that we may go to God at one time, and to the Mediator at another time; as if we would first speak a while to the Mediator, and then speak to God, or would first make our moan to the Mediator to pacify God, and when God were calmed to speak to him; as if he were to make influence with God for us, as a Courtier makes influence with the King, the offended party for a Rebel. We would beware of this: for it divides in our apprehension the Godhead, that is indivisible; for if we consider the Mediator as the object of our worship, he is to be considered as God; though we may, and are also jointly to consider him as Mediator, and on that account make use of him. And if we consider him as God, we must consider him as the same God, with the Father, and the Holy Ghost. But to have this imagination of him, that we are to speak to him, as to another party, or not as God, is to make him another thing, which is unbecoming that apprehension, and estimation that we ought to have of the unity of the blessed Godhead. 2. Beware of thinking that there is a greater facility or easiness to have access to the Mediator, than to have access to God; or that it is more easy to have access to the Second Person of the Trinity, than to the First, or Third Person. We are afraid that there be mistakes here also, as if the Mediator were more easy to be dealt with, than the majesty of God; or, as if there were more easy access to him. Whereas he being the same God, and so considered, there are the same grounds, on which sinners may have access to the Father, as to the Son. For if we look on a sinner repenting, and believing, he is as welcome to the Father as to the Son; but if we consider the sinner as not repenting, and believing, he is so neither welcome to the Father nor to the Son. It is true, the Son being considered as man, there is a sympathy, that the Second Person united to our nature has, which is not in God, abstractly considered; yet this is not so to be understood, as if the mercy of the Mediator, having the two natures so united in his person, were of larger extent than the mercy of God; or as if he could be merciful when God is not. For there cannot be greater mercy than that which is infinite, and that is the essential attribute of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Only this sympathy in the Mediator is to be considered, to strengthen and confirm our faith, in our application to God, that we have him to approach to in our nature; but it is not to give us any new ground of having access easier to Christ than to God; but (as we said) only to confirm our faith, in having access to God. Hence it is, that Jesus Christ is always proposed as the means whereby, and through whom a sinner comes to God, so that we have access with boldness not to the Mediator, as a distinct party, but to God through and by him. Therefore there is the same common way of application to God, and to Christ, the same covenant and promises; the same exercise of repentance; of faith and of prayer, which gives us access to God, and that gives us access to the Mediator. 3. Beware of placing this improving, and use making of the Mediator's intercession in words, or petitions directed to the Mediator; which I apprehend, is the use that the most part make of his intercession: to put up such petitions, as I am afraid to speak of, as namely, O! Mediator at the Father's right hand plead for me, as if the Mediator were a distinct party from the Judge, to whom we must speak for interceding with the Judge, which still leads us to look on the Mediator, as another different party, or as having other terms on which he deals with sinners, or as if there were another way of making use of him; and of application to him; and on other grounds, than of, and to God. The contrary of which we have shown; whereas the use making of his intercession consists rather (as after will appear) in faith's application to God in him; and laying weight on his intercession for access, and acceptance of our persons and services; when we make it the ground of our address to God, the ground on which we draw near. And this we may and should do, when we name Christ, or pray to him as God, with respect to his office of being Intercessor; even as when we look to him by faith, to get sin pardoned; there is a looking to him as God, with respect to his offering, and satisfaction to the justice of God, on which account we expect to be pardoned.

But, second, to explicate this a little more, we shall show wherein this exercise of faith in making use of the Mediator's intercession does mainly consist; and for the more clear following forth thereof, we shall speak to these two: 1. To some things presupposed. 2. To some things wherein more properly it consists; To both of which we would premise this word, that when we speak of making use of Christ's intercession, there are two extremes to be avoided. One is, when persons go to God ignoring Christ, and do all that they do, as if they were constantly friends with God, and in good terms with him, and had need of none to make their peace, or to keep up and maintain their peace with God; which is in effect the way laid down in the Covenant of Works, when Adam was a friend. Another extreme is in the defect, and that is, when persons go to God by Christ, yet do not lay weight on his intercession as becomes; when not only they want confidence, which the other has, though on a wrong ground; but do not lay the burden on the right ground; but go to God faintingly and discouragedly, as fearing to trust or rely on Christ's intercession. There is necessity to guard against both these; for there must be such a use-making of Christ's intercession, as we dare not go by him, and yet a concurring act of faith, putting us to go to God by him, and to lay the weight of what we seek and expect, on him, and on his intercession. Now the things that are presupposed to the use-making of Christ's intercession guard against the first extreme; and these things wherein the use-making of it properly consists, guard against the other extreme.

First, then these things presupposed are: 1. A conviction of our natural sinfulness, not only of the distance that is between God and us, but of the quarrel and enmity, and that by our deserving, we may justly have the door of access to God shut upon us; that is what puts the sinner to ask for an intercessor, and to make use of him; [reconstructed: as those] who have provoked a great person fear to go there alone to him, but seek for the mediation of some special friend or favorite. 2. There is presupposed a consenting to, and acceptance of Christ's satisfaction, as the ground of our peace with God; for there is no access to his intercession till this ground be laid; because all the efficacy that is in Christ's intercession results from, and is founded upon his satisfaction (1 John 2:2): If any man sin, we have [reconstructed: an advocate] with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous, who is the propitiation for our sins. He procures nothing by his intercession, but through the virtue of that blood which he offered in a sacrifice to satisfy justice, and therefore in improving of his intercession, this method must be followed; there must first be a betaking of ourselves to his satisfaction, as the ground of our peace, and on which we plead for peace, and for any other thing that we stand in need of. Except this be done, all the imaginations that we can have of Christ's intercession — as if we would first prevail with Christ, conceiving that he will soon be engaged, and then have hopes of prevailing with God — if his satisfaction be ignored, will be to no purpose; for as we showed in the first use of this point, he intercedes only for his own people, who are believers in him and have closed with his satisfaction; and as we showed from Revelation 8, it is only the prayers of all saints that are offered up by him; I mean, none can comfortably conclude that he intercedes for them but believers and saints. And therefore, till his satisfaction be relied on, as the ground of our peace, we can look for [reconstructed: no] benefit by his intercession. 3. There is beyond this required, the conviction and impression of our own [reconstructed: inability] to keep up friendship and fellowship with God, through our remaining corruption, and the prevailing of temptation, without a Mediator; and withal, an approbation of God's way, who has appointed a Mediator for that end; and a loving to keep up communion with him by a Mediator. So that suppose we were clear that our sins are pardoned, yet we would know that this conviction and impression is necessary to put us to make daily use of this part of the Mediator's office; for we may have conviction of the first part, that is, that we cannot make our peace without Christ's satisfaction; and yet we may be defective as to our walking under the due conviction of the second, that is, of a necessity of keeping up of our communion with God, by virtue of his intercession. This is as if a rebel, being reconciled and made a friend by the procurement of some great person, yet having to do with the king, should not dare to go to him without the man that was instrumental in making his peace; or we may allude to Absalom's coming home by Joab's procurement, who was three years thereafter at Jerusalem before he saw his father's face, and had a new dealing with Joab for that end. So it is very suitable to the way of grace, and shows that our being and standing in grace is free, not to dare to go in to God, even when our peace is made, without the Mediator. 4. Upon the back of all this, there is a necessity of the faith of the Mediator, or intercessor, his being at the right hand of God, ready to agent our cause; through whom we may have access, when there is reason enough in ourselves why we should be kept at the door; and though we dare not go ourselves alone, yet to venture to go through him to God. And though this be but the doctrinal faith of the thing in general, yet it is necessarily presupposed, as well as the rest, that when a challenge rises, and the conscience says, how [reconstructed: can you] go to God? Faith may answer: Because there is a friend there in our nature. When the sinner is convinced of sin, the conscience challenges, and the law condemns, and there is some sad expectation of the drawing forth of the sentence; there is an act of faith that convinces of a Savior, whose satisfaction, if it be made use of and improved, all will be well. This we say is necessarily presupposed to the use-making of Christ's intercession.

Secondly, these 4 being presupposed, it follows that we show what properly it is to make use of Christ's Intercession, or wherein it consists. And 1. when Faith has laid hold on Christ's Satisfaction for peace with God, in the improving of his Intercession, there is an act of Faith whereby we actually bestir ourselves to approach to God, upon the weight we lay on his Intercession; that when the Soul sees itself secluded, considered in itself, yet it will go forward trusting to that; so that if a challenge come in its way, and say, what ground have you to look that you will be welcome to God? the Soul says none in myself, but there is a friend before me, with whose satisfaction I have closed for my peace, and I lay this weight on his Office, and on God's call to make use of him, that on the ground of his influence with God, I dare hazard to go forward; even as if a Rebel after his peace were made, had some business to do with the Prince, and hearing that there is a friend at Court, yea the same friend that made his peace, he thinks that a good time, and fit season, to go in, and present his suit, expecting to come speed through his influence. And this keeps always the weight, and honor of our obtaining anything we seek, as a prerogative to Christ, and stops the person's own mouth, from looking to anything in itself to boast of; even as the Rebel has no cause to boast of his getting a hearing from the Prince, but gives the thanks to him, who, as he made his peace, so also procured him a hearing. And it is according to that word (Hebrews 10:21), "Having a high Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with full assurance of faith," expecting a hearing; and that (Hebrews 4:15-16), "Seeing we have a high Priest, who was tempted in all things, like as we are yet without sin; let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." This is the first step of improving Christ's Intercession, when the justified sinner is at a stand, on some new challenge for guilt, and dares not go forward, nor venture to approach to God; on this account, and ground that there is a Mediator, and Advocate at his right hand, to hazard (if we may speak so) or rather with confidence to go forward, and present his suit to God. 2. There is an act of Faith, as in undertaking, so in expecting and waiting upon God, for obtaining a hearing of our suit, on this account, that Jesus Christ is an intercessor in heaven for such as employ him. And this guards against both the failings before mentioned, to wit, against anxiety on the one hand, [reconstructed: and] presumption on the other; against anxiety and fainting, when as there is not only a proposing of our desire, but a waiting for, and expectation of a hearing from God; against presumption, and turning carnal when the expectation of a hearing is not founded on our own righteousness, but on the Intercession of Christ. This is it which we have, Daniel 9:17, compared with Jonah 2:4. In Jonah 2:4, he says: "Then I said, I am cast out of your sight, yet will I look again toward your holy temple;" the which look was in effect a looking toward the intercession of Christ the Messiah; the Temple with its Sacrifice having been typical of him; and the Mercy-seat that was there, being typical of his intercession. It is, as if unbelief had suggested to Jonah, now Jonah, what will become of you? you are a gone man, and need not pray any more; yet says he, I will look again towards your holy temple. And though he knew not well, now being in the belly of the Whale, where the Temple stood, yet his Faith having a suitable exercise on the Messiah signified by the Temple, and his looking, being an act of Faith, carried in his suit to God, which was accepted. And indeed this is a main thing, by which a poor Believer cast down, wins to his feet again. The other place is Daniel 9:16-17, where, when he is serious, and doubling his petition, he has these words, "Cause your face to shine upon your Sanctuary, which is desolate, for the Lord's sake;" and to let it be known what he meant, by saying, "for the Lord's sake," which looks to him who was to be intercessor in our nature, he expounds it in the following words, "O my God incline your ear, and hear, open your eyes, and behold our desolations, for we do not present our supplications before you for our righteousness but for your great mercies." That is an improving aright of Christ's intercession, not to pray directly to him as a distinct party, but to pray for mercy upon the account of his Intercession; for what is "for mercies' sake" in the latter, is "for the Lord's sake" in the former, namely, because by him, and by virtue of his Intercession, mercy comes out to us. And this is a main use to be made of Christ's Intercession, to wit, to have upon that ground an expectation of a hearing, or to found our expectation of a hearing on that account, and let it bear the weight of it, as well it can. 3. The right improvement of Christ's Intercession has this act of Faith: that although there seem to be many difficulties, and long off-putting, yet Faith upon the account of his Intercession will continue its expectation of a hearing and its looking for what the person has sought, and stands in need of; whatever cross dispensations thwart its expectation, and whatever signs of anger appear in the way of its obtaining, it waits on for all that. Though Jonah be in the belly of the Whale, and the weeds wrapped about his head, yet will he look towards his holy Temple. So though a Soul have no life, nor sense, no inward [reconstructed: subsisting], nor arguments in the mouth, yet acting on Christ's Intercession by Faith, it will not leave, nor give over its suit, considering that though it has no ground of expectation of good from itself, yet from Christ's Intercession it has; which is the improvement of that (Hebrews 7:25), "He is able to save to the uttermost, all that come to God through him," etc. If there were never so strong objections from unbelief, and carnal reason, and if it should be suggested, you have such and such difficulties, that cannot be overcome, lying in the way of your Salvation, and there is nothing in you concurring to make out your Salvation; yet Faith says, "He is able to save to the uttermost," or, as the word is, he can save to the full, or to the uttermost; and what is the ground? because he ever lives to make intercession. And this is the main thing to be taken notice of, in improving of his Intercession, when the sinner has presented his suit, or request to God through the Mediator; to get his mind quieted, on the account of Christ's Intercession, that it shall be answered; even as a man, who having a cause to plead, and getting an able Advocate, who says to him, I will warrant your cause, quiets himself because of his undertaking. So proportionably there is a weight laid on Christ's Intercession by Faith's trusting to him, which makes the Soul to be without anxiety. And this continued act of Faith does not at all foster sin, but strengthens rather to oppose sin; quiets the mind, and makes more humble, and keeps a tranquility in the Soul, in bonds, as well as in liberty; because it lays the weight of its coming speed with God, not on its own arguing, but on the Mediator's Intercession. For as we show from Revelation 8, the prayers of all Saints go up from his censer; the weakest, as well as the strongest, because it is his incense that makes them savory. 4. There is an improvement of Christ's Intercession, when anything is obtained, whether it be a mercy in preventing such and such a stroke, or the bestowing of such and such a favor; and that is, when Faith derives not that mercy from, nor attributes it to, its own praying, though it did pray, and pray somewhat seriously, but derives it from, and attributes it to the virtue and efficacy of Christ's Intercession, and counts itself obliged to that, as the source of all the person's good; and again, by him returning thanks to God for it. And this is a little proof of improving Christ's Intercession: sometimes when we want what we would have, and are restrained, we will improve all means to obtain, yet when we have obtained, there is but little acknowledgment of him therein; which acknowledgment is our duty, indicated (John 14:13-14), "Whatever you ask in my name, I will do; that the Father may be glorified in the Son." And in this sense, we ought to walk in the use of every mercy, as being the acknowledgment of Christ's Intercession; and to be affected with love to God, and should withal have a new impression of its obligation, to be forthcoming for God, upon the account of his Intercession. Whereas the most part of folk take their mercies, and think not themselves to be in his debt for them; neither do they own him with thankful acknowledgment of them, when they have gotten them; even as a man who had gotten a favor through the mediation of another, and should forget him, would be very ungrateful. The making use of Christ's Intercession in this respect, is the improving of it, for the awakening of our thankfulness, and the confirming of our obligation to him. If we look through our life, is there any day, or hour, but we will need something, and be enjoying something? and the improving Christ's Intercession thus, would make the thoughts of Christ always fresh, and lovely to us; but we seek, and get, and enjoy, as if a Mediator were not in heaven; but as we acknowledge him in praying to him, when we have need, so when anything is gotten, we should acknowledge that we have received it, and do enjoy it on the account of his Intercession, who obtained it for us.

Thirdly, we said that this may be illustrated by similitudes; and there are these three whereby it may be illustrated. The first is (if we may call it a similitude) the comparing of the use-making of his Intercession with the use-making of his Satisfaction (wherein there is a resemblance): we make use of his Satisfaction when we are convinced of our natural sinfulness and enmity, and that we cannot make our own peace ourselves; yet hearing of his Satisfaction, and having an offer of it, and believing that he is able to do our turn, we hazard [illegible] that ground, to close with God in the Covenant. And though the sense of peace may not come for a long time, yet we with confidence wait for it, because the ground we lean on for it cannot fail. Proportionably to this, we [illegible] use of Christ's Intercession; when under a challenge, we are convinced of a [illegible], and dare not approach to God; yet hearing that there is an Intercessor in heaven who will undertake for them that employ him, we hazard confidently on that ground to propose our suits to God, and notwithstanding of difficulties, expect and wait for an answer. It may be objected here that it seems there is no difference between the improving of his Satisfaction and the improving of his Intercession. Answer: There is no difference in respect of the things [reconstructed: sought], nor in respect of the acts of faith whereby we make use of the one and of the other, nor in respect of the grounds whereupon; for Christ has paid the debt of them for whom he intercedes, he has purchased the same things for which he makes Intercession, they are the same acts of faith that make use of both. It is the same Covenant and offer that warrants us to come to his Satisfaction for peace, that warrants us to make use of his Intercession for the application of peace. There is only this difference: that by his Satisfaction he procures us peace and a right to it, and our peace is made by his laying down before God the price, which we by faith take hold of; but when he intercedes, he has nothing to pay, but intercedes for what he has purchased. Therefore the Scripture hangs the application of his purchase upon his Intercession; he has bought peace, and every good thing that we stand in need of by his death; and by his Intercession he procures and makes the application. Therefore it is on this ground that the Spirit is poured out. As among men it is one thing to make peace, and another thing to bring the offending person into familiarity with the offended party, so it is the same faith acting on Christ's Satisfaction for being brought in to Covenant with God, as the meritorious cause that acts on Christ's Intercession for application of that which he has purchased; but under a different consideration, looking on his Satisfaction as procuring, and on his Intercession for application of the same things. A second similitude to clear it is the people under the law, their making use of the high priest. There were two parts of the high priest's office, or two things wherein the people made use of him: first, for offering sacrifice; second, for intercession. The high priest went into the most holy place once a year, and sprinkled the blood, and prayed for the people; in which time they were standing without praying, in the hope of having their prayers made the more acceptable. This was by God's appointment typically to prefigure our Lord's Intercession in heaven. It is true, the high priest's praying for them was nothing to the soul's advantage of him or them if Christ was not made use of, both by him and by them; yet it was typical, and to show this much, that they were to improve Christ's Intercession as well as his Sacrifice and Satisfaction. Therefore, Luke 1:10, when Zacharias went in to pray, the whole multitude of the people was outside praying. A third similitude (which we have hinted at in our going along) is drawn from that way that is used among men for bringing two parties that are at odds and variance to be reconciled and at one; which though we are not to conceive in that carnal manner, yet it holds as to the substance of the thing. As if the offending party dared not go alone to the party offended, but should carry along with him a friend that has place and power to prevail with the other; when he undertakes to go along with him contrary to his deserving, he will expect confidently to get a good hearing. And if any should say to him, 'How dare you go to such a one, whom you have so provoked?', he would answer, 'Because I have a friend before me that will make means for me'; and when by that friend's means he gets a favorable hearing and his suit granted, he comes away rejoicing, professing his great obligation to that friend. So is it here as to the thing, though as was said, we would guard against carnal conceptions of taking up God and the Mediator as distinct parties to be made application to. We shall insist no further for the time. O that there were seriousness to improve his blood and Satisfaction for washing us from the guilt of sin, and for making our peace with God, and his Intercession for upholding our peace and communion with God, and for the attaining of every good that he has purchased and promised, which is the sum of all. God help us to the practice of it, and to be conscientious in it.