Sermon 71

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

The greatest privileges that we have by the Gospel, do often hold forth the greatest aggravations of our sin; as being against so great and excellent privileges; now that the Lord has given us a Mediator; and that this one part of his mediation, to wit, to make intercession for transgressors, or sinners; is one of the great privileges of the Gospel, is beyond all doubt; and therefore, we had need to fear, lest by our abusing, and not improving aright of this privilege it prove an aggravation of our guilt. And this is the last thing that we would speak a word to, from these words; that seeing our Lord Jesus is invested with this office, to be an intercessor, then it must be a ground of expostulation with, and reproof of these, who shall be found slighters of His intercession. For, if it be a duty to improve his intercession, and if it be a mercy that we have it, and if many advantages be gotten by it; then it must be a grievous sin, a matter of just challenge, and great shame, that sinners should have such an advocate and intercessor provided for them, to take and plead their cause so freely, and to manage it so dexterously as He does; and yet to slight Him, and not to put that trust in Him, as to commit their cause to Him.

In prosecuting of this use, we shall 1. show, that there is such a sin as not improving of Christ's intercession, and how it is fallen into. 2. The causes of it, or from where it comes, that folks so much neglect this part of Christ's office. 3. The great inconveniences that follow on it, and the prejudices that are sustained by it. 4. We shall hint at some symptoms and evidences, where this sin is. And 5. speak a word to the remedies in opposition to it.

For the first, that there is such a sin, it may be clear from a few considerations, that may be obvious to every one of us. 1. It may be clear from the effect, what is the cause that so many come so little speed in prayer, that they pray, and yet get not a hearing, so that in the day of judgment, it will be found that many prayed, and that their prayers were cast back as dung upon their faces, they sought to enter, and were not able, as it is, Luke 13. And this will be found to be the reason of it, that they went to God, but miskenned, or took not notice of him, who is the way, the truth, and the life. For where Christ's intercession is improved, there is an effect following; for God has laid it down for a solid ground, that whoever believes in him shall not perish; and, Whatever you ask in my name, it shall be granted. And therefore where there are many petitions put up to God, and no answer at all; there is sure a crack and default in folks making use of Christ; for God is faithful, and will perform His promise. 2. And more particularly, all the members of the visible church may be reduced to these three ranks; and we will find a defect as to the use-making of Christ's intercession, in them all, though not of the same degree, or rather not of the same kind. 1. Either they are profane, and have not so much as a form of religion, and such do slight Christ, and his intercession altogether. Or 2. they are hypocrites, that make a fashion of prayer, but come not to God by Him, but at the short cut proudly step forward, and put up their suits upon the account of their own righteousness; as they ground their justification on it, and not on Christ's satisfaction, so they put up their prayers to God, on the account of their own righteousness; and not on the account of Christ's intercession. Or 3. they are such as have something of God in them, and so are believers, and even in such there is often a great defect, as to this; as Christ says to the Disciples (John 16:24), Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name; He charges them not simply for not praying, he grants that, but you have not asked in my name, that is, you have not made use of my intercession, as you should have done; although there be not such a defect in them as there is in the former two sorts, yet there is a great short-coming, and not an improving of Christ's intercession, as they should. And therefore, 3. it will be more clear, if we consider the particular cases incident to believers; wherein we will find, that but very scarcely Christ's intercession is improved in any of them. As, 1. if the believer has liberty in prayer, he is ready to sit down on it, and to conclude that he cannot but be heard, because he has liberty; and there is not so single an eye had to Christ's intercession; and often it is more difficult to hold off this sin, when liberty is enjoyed, than when it is wanting; because, though liberty be good and desirable in itself, yet through our corruption, and pride it is often abused; even as when Christians come to some good measure of holiness; it is in some respect more difficult to rest upon Christ's righteousness, than if that measure were not attained; so is it here more difficult, some way to rest upon Christ's intercession when we have liberty in prayer, than when we are in bonds, and under restraint. 2. Upon the other hand, if we look to a believer when he is straitened and it goes not well with him in prayer; there is then ordinarily a great defect, in making use of Christ's intercession, as if it could not in that case avail us, and upon this follows anxiety and fretting; and the believer is ready to conclude, he will be nothing the better of prayer, and that it is better to pray none than to pray so; whereas an eye to Christ's intercession would give the mind some quietness. 3. If there be an ill and very necessitous case; or if there be challenges, and some commotion, discomposure and disquiet be in the spirit, there is readily little respect had to Christ; if quietness, and calmness be, there is also hazard of sitting down on that, and we readily forget that we hold it of him; and indeed it will be found difficult, either to have or to want, and in either the one case or the other to be making right use of his intercession. Now when I speak of this sin, it not only reproves them that pray none at all, which smells of gross atheism, but also these who shuffle by Christ, and step forward at the nearest, as if they were not to come to God by him; as it is (Hebrews 7:25) and (John 14:6).

2. The causes of this sin, and why it comes to pass that people so slight the use-making of Christ's Intercession. 1. There is a great difficulty in the thing — it's tricky. 2. There is a natural averseness from, and enmity at that thing in us. 3. There is a readiness to pitch on some other thing, and to fail to recognize and overlook this. Now let all these three be put together, and we will see the reason and way how people slide and fall into this fault.

1. I say, there is a difficulty in the thing, it being one of the most purely spiritual, sublime and denied things in all the Gospel — one of the greatest exercises of faith, and we know that all such things have to our nature a great difficulty. 1. It's a difficulty to bring a man to be but formal in religion. 2. There is a difficulty, when he is made formal, to make him serious even in a legal manner, and to be anything affected in the exercise of repentance and of other duties, so that he be not grossly dissembling. 3. When he is made thus serious, it's a difficulty to bring him over that seriousness, and to draw him from resting on these duties which he has been drawn to. I say, it's a great and difficult work to get a man brought to the performance of holy duties, and as great a work to get him brought over them, and from resting on them, to rest on Christ's Righteousness for his justification, and on Christ's Intercession for the acceptance of his prayers. And therefore when the Lord has once gotten his disciples to pray, and honestly yoked and engaged therein, he trains them on to pray in his name, and so to get their prayers rightly qualified. 2. If we consider our nature, we will find that there is an averseness and backwardness therein to it, as there is an averseness in us to all things that tend to making us deny ourselves and lay the weight of every thing on Christ. That which thwarts with our pride stands and sticks at our stomachs (to speak so) and goes not well down with us — of such nature is this. For our use-making of Christ's Intercession implies that we of ourselves are at a distance with God, that we have broken covenant, and are not to be trusted without a Mediator — and there is in our nature a secret sort of disdain at this. We cannot naturally endure it. Therefore, in Romans 10, it's said of the Jews that being ignorant of God's Righteousness, they did not submit nor stoop to the same, but sought to establish their own righteousness. 3. There is a readiness to settle and condescend on almost any other sin rather than on this, and therefore people may be longer under it than under many, and yet not be convicted for it. They will readily be convicted for lying, swearing, Sabbath-breaking, and the like, but they sleep more securely in this sin than in most others. It is a sin easily fallen into, and a sin not easily recovered from or gotten out of, because it is a Gospel-sin that the light of nature reaches not, and that the conscience has not such [reconstructed: awe in] convincing of. It's against nature's light to neglect prayer, or to take God's name in vain — but this runs in the channel of the Gospel: to pray in the name of Christ, and to make all our addresses to God through him, the sinful neglect of which cannot be discovered but by Gospel-light. And we find by experience that many will be convinced of, and have convictions for out-breaking sins, who yet will have no convictions for the neglect of this duty. Even as it is easier to convince people of a breach of the law than of not believing in Christ — many will grant that ignorance of God is a sin, and that irreverence and wandering in prayer are sins, who yet will stand and stick at this, and cannot be gotten convinced but that they still believe in Christ and make use of his Intercession.

For the third, to wit, the inconveniences and prejudices of this evil — they are very many. We shall only hint at them, for they are directly opposite to the good that comes by the improving of Christ's Intercession. 1. It makes many prayers to be fruitless and futile — though people should weary themselves in prayer, yet it is all but lost labor, and the Lord will say as it is in Isaiah 1: though you make many prayers, yet I will not [reconstructed: hear] them, if Christ's Intercession be neglected; but one word put up in Christ's name has a gracious hearing. 2. It makes many prayers and other duties also to be lifeless — no duty goes with people, neither can it go with them when Christ is slighted, seeing it is by faith in him that we have life derived to us, whereby we are made lively in every thing. 3. It has much anxiety following on it — to be praying and to have no expectation, nor ground of expectation of a hearing; for if we look no further than to something in ourselves, it is but a poor foundation of quietness and peace. 4. It has this prejudice, that it inures, habituates, and accustoms us to a low esteem of Christ, and makes us want many sweet experiences that we might have of his usefulness and worth, and it fosters a disrespect to Christ. Whereas the use-making of his Intercession always keeps up an esteem of him, and makes the thoughts of him fresh, and it is ever well with the soul while he is esteemed of — and it is impossible it can be well when he is not in request.

Now, you may easily gather what all this aims at — even that you may not satisfy yourselves with the form of duty, but that you may look that it be rightly discharged, so as Christ in his offices, and particularly in his priestly office, and more particularly in this part of it, be made use of. It may be there are some here that have been called Christians these 20, 30, or 40 years — but I would inquire at you, what use have you made all the while of Christ's Intercession? The neglect of this is a sin against mercy, a sin against your own souls, and the cause of many other sins. Therefore take it among your reproofs, that not only have you neglected prayer, lived in ignorance, and taken his name in vain, but that you have also long professed faith in Christ and yet have not made use of Christ's Intercession. This will be among your saddest convictions when you come to sickness and to your death-beds, and you will have it heavily charged on you that there has been great slighting and disregarding of Christ, even [reconstructed: when you thought you were praying] to him.

In the fourth place, to clear it yet further, we shall 1. hint at some symptoms, or evidences of neglecting of Christ's Intercession. 2. At some characters of a person that is making use of Christ's Intercession aright. 3. At some directions that may help to the suitable performance of this duty. And 4. At some motives, and encouragements to it.

First, for the symptoms, or evidences of neglecting, and slighting of Christ's Intercession. 1. This is one: when there is little walking under the impression of the need of His Sacrifice, when folks walk wholeheartedly (to speak so) and without due conviction of the distance that is between God and them; for Christ's Intercession flows from His Satisfaction, and the improving of His Satisfaction flows from the conviction of our natural distance from God; when folks are not sensible of their enmity, and of their vileness, and see not their need of washing, when they have a [reconstructed: hale heart], few challenges, little exercise of repentance, and of self-loathing, it's a great evidence that there is little or no use made of Christ's Intercession. The 2nd symptom is deep security, and much self-confidence; where these are, Christ's Intercession is little, or not at all made use of; when a soul makes no question of, nor has any doubt about its own peace, or about its praying or getting a hearing, this is indeed self-confidence and does flow from the former, to wit, ignorance of our distance from God; which is clear both from experience, and from Scripture. They that make least use of Christ's Intercession, and have most carnal confidence, have readily fewest challenges: thus the Pharisee stands (Luke 18) and prays, saying, Lord, I thank you, etc. The greatest part of such folks' prayers is thanksgiving on carnal grounds, whereas the poor publican dare not come near, but when the Pharisee comes boldly forward, he stands afar off, and says, Lord be merciful to me a sinner, who, (as if he had said) have a respect to the Covenant of Grace, and so to the improving of Christ's Intercession. It's certainly an ill token, when folks sit down with confidence to their prayers, and rise up from them without all fear of being denied, and said no. A 3rd symptom of not making use of Christ's Intercession is when folk have too much anxiety, which is a fault that a believer may easily fall in, when he has no ground from himself to propose to God for a hearing, and when he cannot answer his own challenges, and is therefore discouraged; which says that he trusts not much to Christ, and to His Intercession. A 4th symptom is when duties of worship become burdensome, when it wearies folk to pray, to sanctify the Lord's Day, etc., when these are mere formalities, and cumbersome to them; the reason of which is, because they take the burden wholly, or mostly on themselves, and lay it not over on Christ; whereas, were He rightly made use of, it would be found to be a truth, that His yoke is easy, and His burden light, as Himself says (Matthew 11:30). A 5th symptom is when folks are not thankful for any mercy they receive, and are not wondering how it comes that they get such mercies as they have; when they think little of their daily bread, of ordinances, of access to pray, etc. Souls that are improving Christ's Intercession think much of any mercy, because the least mercy is quite without the reach of the merit of anything they can do, and must come to them by the mediation of another; thus every mercy becomes a double mercy, as it is considered in itself, and as it comes to them by virtue of Christ's Intercession. Therefore the believer improving Christ's Intercession wonders at every thing he meets with from God; that he is admitted to pray, or to praise, for he knows that it's from free-grace thus admitting sinners through, and by a Mediator.

As to the second, to wit, the characters, or evidences of a person's making use of Christ's intercession, the first may be this: a constant use-making of Christ's satisfaction; when the soul is never quiet, but when it has a respect to that, and this use-making of Christ's satisfaction has in it, always either more implicitly or more expressly an use-making of his intercession and leaves the weight of duties and mercies upon Him; hence a soul will be under thorough conviction of its enmity; and very much edged and eager in its desires after peace, and will have expectation of obtaining it through Him. A second evidence is, when people in their approaches to God, have faith and fear going together; anxiety and fear without faith are not good, and self-confidence without fear is as ill; but when faith and fear go together, it is good; fear arising from the impression of our own unworthiness, and discovered distance; and faith from the discovery of Christ's fullness, keeping the mind quiet, looking over its own unworthiness, to His worthiness, like to that spoken of Noah (Hebrews 11): by faith, Noah moved with fear, prepared an ark; presumption will not hold up with fear, and therefore, when the hypocrite is staggered, he turns anxious, because the ground that he leans to is shaken; neither is that which is supposed to be faith, good without fear, for it turns to security, but fear is good, having confidence mixed with it, for it says, that there is a relying on something else than anything in the soul itself. Third, they that make use aright of Christ's intercession, betake themselves to it, when in a manner they have given over, and been formerly hopeless, like those spoken of (Psalm 107): then they cry in their distress, etc. Many have a confidence, because they were never troubled nor shaken, and have come to quietness this way, even as it is in the matter of making peace with God, many will profess that they always had it, even from their youth up, they never doubted of it, which speaks its unsoundness; but it is a solid evidence of faith, when the soul has once been troubled and shaken, and this gives it confidence, that Christ has satisfied, and makes intercession, and they betake themselves to that. Fourth, where Christ's intercession is improved and made use of, it will be ground of rejoicing, and comfort to think on it, when souls themselves can do little: being bound up, and under bonds, yet they cheer themselves, and bless God, that they know they have an Advocate; I apprehend there are many to whom it was never refreshing, nor matter of gladness, that He is an Advocate, or that He stands in such a relation to plead for sinners, surely such have not made use of Him. A fifth evidence is this, when anything is attained, the improving of Christ's intercession makes thankful and humble; if the soul has liberty, it is not puffed up with it, because it considers that it is a mercy come through Christ's intercession, it has received it, and therefore should not boast; it is not of its own procurement, but it is obliged to free grace for it. Sixth, the soul that is improving Christ's intercession, when it obtains not, it gives not over, but continues adhering, and waiting for attaining of that which it is seeking; the cause of such a person is never quite desperate; if it be a thing conditional it is submissive, if it be simply necessary, it is dependent, and will not quit, nor give over, because, though it obtain not today, it knows it is possible to attain it, and that it will in due time be attained; it lays not the weight of its obtaining on its own prayers, but on Christ's purchase and intercession; and though the believer may be sometimes assaulted, and set upon to quit his suit, and then his faith is troubled, yet he leaves it not so. Seventh, it is a difficulty to the believer, to get Christ's intercession rightly depended on, and made use of when he prays, this is as great a difficulty to him, as to get words, and greater; as it is one piece of his exercise in prayer to get words, affection, and reverence; so it is another piece of his exercise, to get his prayer accepted through Christ's intercession; it is here as in justification, it is one part of his exercise to do duty, and another part of his exercise to be denied to it, and made to betake himself to Christ's righteousness entirely for his acceptation; but other persons that make not use of Christ's intercession, if they get words, and any bit of tenderness, they think all is well enough; but it is a believer's exercise to see that his mind does not miscarry in the use-making of Christ. Eighth, souls that are improving Christ's intercession, their confidence is not up or down according to their liberty, words or reasons, they come to make use of in prayer, but they are up or down according as they come to get the thing they seek committed to Christ; hence a word, or look will sometimes quiet the soul, when at another time many hours of prayer will not do it; for this is sure, so long as the thing rests on ourselves, the soul gets never a kindly rest, and that which puts it off ourselves over on Christ, is the exercise of faith, and not liberty, nor the multitude of words; at another time a believer will rise from prayer, and not seriously look whether Christ has been depended on, or not, but is quiet, because he has prayed; whereas, when Christ's intercession is improved, he is quiet on that ground, that it is God that is prayed to; through Christ; it is that which gives him ground of confidence to expect a hearing, and on that his soul rests when he has done praying: and therefore we would commend this to you, in place of many questions that might be moved on what you have heard, even to carry a distinct answer in your bosom to these two, whether when you are going to pray, or when you have done with prayer, first, to whom are you to pray, or have you been praying? That it is the great God, that one God, the maker of all things, who ought alone to be worshipped, that being properly, and formally the object of your worship, and particularly of this your prayer. Second, upon what ground do you hazard to put up a suit to this great God, and what is it that gives you confidence to expect an answer? It is that, not for any righteousness or worth in yourselves, or in your prayers, but for Jesus Christ, for His satisfaction, and intercession's sake; when you can give a distinct answer from the conscience in reference to these two, though there be not such distinctness in other things, to wit, that it is God you pray to, and that you expect a hearing on Christ's account, it is right.

For the third thing, what is it that will help us to make use of Christ's Intercession? First, consider that it's our duty; souls often do not mind that God has not simply bidden them pray, but commanded them to pray in the name of Christ; He has not bidden us simply approach to Him, but to approach to Him, in and by Christ; this would be remembered, else we forget the half of our duty, to wit, the manner how we should come to God, which is a main, if not the main part of it. 2. We would remember and think upon our condition by nature, that upon the one side, God is a consuming fire, and we on the other, like dry stubble; and that there is no approaching to Him without a Mediator; there were the less hazard of going wrong, if people were walking under the suitable impression of their sinfulness and misery by nature; the want of which makes too much forwardness, in stepping into God without Christ; therefore we commend to you all, and especially when you go to prayer, to endeavor, to be under deep impressions of your own sinfulness and baseness; as we see it was with Abraham (Genesis 18), Behold now I have taken on me to speak to the Lord, who am but dust and ashes. 3. Mind the promise of God's hearing you through Christ, and His promise of leading you in all necessary truth, and so to perform duty in this manner; Mind I say, 1. The promise of hearing, that it's not a promise to hear us simply in what we pray for, but in what we pray for with other requisite qualifications of prayer, and with this in particular, that it be in Christ's Name; hence is asking in His name, so often mentioned (John 14:13-14 and John 16:23-24, 26). To mind that there is a promise of hearing, draws a soul to pray to God, and to mind that the promise is made to praying thus qualified, to wit, that it be in Christ's Name; binds the soul to this way, because otherwise it forfeits the promise, if it observe not the due qualification; I fear there are too many, who look on the promise as absolute; it's true. Though there are absolute promises in the covenant, yet there are other promises that have qualifications and conditions, of which this regarding hearing of prayer is one, and we are to expect the performance of the promise, when we seek after the qualification and condition. 2. Mind Christ's promise whereby He has engaged, as to lead us in all necessary truth, so in this part of it, to put up our prayers in His Name (John 16:24). In that day you shall ask in my name; to consider aright of this promise, gives some ground of confidence to win at the performance of it, and holds the soul in dependence on Him, and makes it to be quiet in the duty of improving Christ's Intercession; and indeed this is a main part of religion. Learn therefore to put these things together, First, think it a mercy that you have a warrant and access to pray, 2. That you have a promise to be heard. 3. That you have a Mediator to intercede for you. 4. That a promise is given you to learn how to make use of Him, and that though the use-making of His Intercession aright be difficult, and many do misunderstand and mistake it, yet that by the eyeing of the promise, you may win to the right use-making of it; you would by any means eye the promise, that you be not mistaken; it may be there is a look now and then to liberty, and it is good in itself, but there may be a defect here; that you look not to Christ to be helped to pray with liberty, and to be guided to pray in His Name, so as to lay the weight of your being heard on Christ's intercession.

Fourthly, when there has been an eyeing of the promise, not only for the thing we seek, but also to be guided in the seeking of it; you would be often taking a review of yourselves in, and after prayer, whether you be indeed praying, and have prayed in Christ's Name, that when the soul looks back, and sees it has much failed to recognize and neglected Christ, it may take itself in this evil, and disclaim it, and settle itself on a right ground; in a word, there would be looking well on the one side, that Jesus Christ be the ground we build on, and on the other side, that when we eye Christ, and build on Him, we be not afraid to trust in Him; for into one of these extremes we readily run, either to trust and lean to some other thing than Christ, or, if we see no other thing to lean and trust to, and be necessitated to eye Him, we distrust Him, and are loath to trust in Him.

Fifthly, and lastly, if we consider well, we will see good ground, 1. To press, 2. To encourage us to, this way, not to be doing duty only, as men under the Law, but as Christian men under the Gospel, with respect to Christ's Satisfaction and Intercession; And, First, for pressing it, consider, that there is a necessity of it in reference to as many prayers as are accepted of God; If it be necessary to get a hearing, it's necessary to pray in Christ's name; It may be many think it to be but an indifferent thing that we have been pressing all the while that we have been speaking of Christ's Intercession; but indeed it's of more moment than our pressing you to any external duty; for the external duty of prayer, though it must needs be gone about, is yet but the carcase, this is the soul and life of prayer; And therefore let me exhort and obtest you, never to satisfy yourselves with a legal performance of the most spiritual duties in themselves, except you win to a Christian way of performing them, that is, that they be done in Christ's strength, and that you rest on Him, for the acceptance of them; It's as necessary to worship God in and by a Mediator, as it is to worship the only true God, and not to worship a false, or strange God. I make no question, but most part of the hearers of the Gospel, do destroy themselves here, by resting on their legal performances, and not making use of Christ. 2. For your encouragement, consider that it is most advantageous and profitable; These words in the promise are broad and full, Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, And the promise is frequently repeated in these cited chapters of John; O! what calmness, tranquility, peace, victory over anxiety, what patience in waiting, whether, when in bonds or in liberty, do flow from the exercising of faith on this ground, to wit, That we have an Advocate in heaven with the Father; further consider the great ground of confidence that he has given us, that we shall come speed in this way, which should stir us up, hearten and encourage us to it, which will manifestly appear, if we join these two together. 1. That this blessed Advocate is our brother, that He was made like to us in all things except sin; that He is a fellow-feeling High Priest, that is touched with our infirmities, that He refuses to grant no suits of His people that are for His glory, and their good, that He saves all to the uttermost, that come to God by Him; none could ever say that He refused to take their cause in hand, when they indeed committed it to Him. 2. That when a cause is committed to Him, it cannot but carry, and be successful, for as He is man, so He is God, and He is heard always; This blessed Mediator (as I said just now) refuses the suit of none, and no suit is refused Him: And now, what can we say more to you, for your stirring and encouragement to make use of Him? It is no stranger we have to go to, and there is good ground of confidence, that when we go, we shall come speed; Therefore let Him ever be gone to more and more; and bless God heartily, that He has given such a High Priest to sinners, Who is able to save to the uttermost, all that come to God through him: Now to this God, who can effectually teach us to make use of the Mediator every way, and particularly in His Intercession, suitably and successfully, And who is able to do exceeding [reconstructed: abundantly] above all we ask, or think, according to the power that works in us, be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end, Amen.

FINIS.