Christ Set Forth, Book V: The Special Influence of Intercession on Our Salvation

The second. The special peculiar influence that Intercession hath into our Salvation and Justification, and the reasons why God appointed it to be added to the former.

To come now more particularly to shew that proper and special influence that Intercession hath into our Salvation, and what it adds to the oblation of Christ’s death, (though in its kind perfect) in order to the effecting our salvation; and so shew the more in ward reasons why God ordained (for upon this ordination alone is this to be put) this work of Intercession in heaven to be joined with his death. And both these I shall put promiscuously together; for in laying down the reasons why God thus ordered our salvation to be brought about by it, that influence also which Intercession hath into our salvation, will together therewith appear.

The reasons either respect 1st, God himself, who will have us so saved, as himself may be most gloriiy HIS INTERCESSION”. 137

fied: or 2ndly, respect us and our salvation; God ordering all the links of this golden chain of the causes of our salvation, as should make our salvation most sure and stedfast, as David in his last song speaks, 2 Sam. xxiii. 5: or 3rdly, respect Christ himself, whose glory is to be held up, and throughout continued as the author and finisher of our salvation, beginner and ender of our faith and justification.

The first sort of reasons respect God himself.

1. In general: God will be dealt withal like him self, in and throughout the whole way of our salvation, from first to last, and carry it all along as a superior wronged, and so keep a distance between himself and sinners, who are still to come to him by a Priest and a Mediator (as Heb. vii. 25, hath it), upon whose mediation and intercession for ever, (as there) at least till the day of judgment, their salvation doth depend; and therefore though Christ in his dispensation of all to us downward, doth carry it as a King, as one having all power to justify and condemn, (as hath been shewn) yet upward, towards God, he carries it as a Priest who must still intercede to do all that which he hath power to do as a King. Therefore in the second Psalm, after that God had set him up as King upon his holy hill, ver. 6, namely, in heaven, and so had committed all power in heaven and earth to him; then he must yet ask all that he would have done; Ask of me, and I will give thee, &c. ver. 8, says God to him: for though he be a King, yet he is God’s King; 1 have set my King, &c. and by asking him, God will be acknowledged to be above him. But more of this hereafter.

But 2ndly, more particularly. God hath two

0 e attributes which he would have most eminently appear in their highest glory by Christ’s effecting our salvation, namely, justice and free grace; and there fore hath so ordered the bringing about of our salvation, as that Christ must apply himself in a more especial manner unto each of these, by way of satisfaction to the one, of entreaty to the other. Justice will be known to be justice, and dealt with upon its own terms; and grace will be acknowledged to be free grace, throughout the accomplishment of our salvation. You have both these joined, Rom. iii. 23, 24, 25, Being justified J reely through his grace 9 by the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus: that he migJit be just and the justificr of him that believes. Here is highest justice, and the freest grace both met to save us, and both ordained by God to be declared and set forth, as ver. 25, and 26, have it. I said before, that God justifies and saves us through, free grace, so absolutely, freely, as if his justice had had no satisfaction. Now therefore our salvation depending and being carried on, even in the application of it, by a continuation of grace in a free way, not withstanding satisfaction unto justice; therefore this free grace must be sought to, and treated with like itself, and applied unto in all, and the sovereignty and freeness of it acknowledged in all, even as well us God’s justice had the honour to be satisfied by a price paid unto it, that so the severity of it might appear and be held forth in our salvation. Thus God having two attributes eminently to be dealt withal, his justice and his free grace, it was meet that there should be two eminent actions of Christ’s Priesthood, wherein he should apply himself to each according to their kind, and as the nature and glory of each doth require. And accordingly in his death he deals with justice, by laying down a sufficient price; and in his Intercession, he entreateth free grace, and thus both come to be alike acknowledged. In the 4th Heb. 1C, we are encouraged to come boldly to the throw of grace, because we have an high priest entered into the heavens. Observe how it is called a throne of grace, which our High Priest now in heaven officiates at; so called, be cause his priesthood there deals with free grace chiefly, it is a throne of grace, and so to be sued unto; there fore he treatcth with God by way of Intercession. Of this throne of grace in heaven, the mercy-seat in the Holy of Holies was the type. And as there the High Priest was to bring the blood and mercy-seat together, he was to sprinkle the blood upon it; so Christ. And as the High Priest was to go into the Holy of Holies by blood, so with incense also, (that is, prayer) to shew, that heaven is not opened by mere justice, or bringing only a price in hand for it; but by grace also, and that must be entreated; and therefore when the Priest was writhin tV.at holy place, he was to make a cloud over the mercy-seat, (which cloud of incense is prayer, whereof incense was tho type, Rev. viii. 3.) And thence it is, that Christ hath as much work of it still in heaven as ever, though of another kind. He dea.lt with justice here below, to satisfy it, and here got money enough to pay the debt; but in heaven he deals with mercy. There fore all the grace he bestows on us, h,e is said first to receive it, even now when in heaven. Acts ii. 3.3, it is said “of him, after his going to heaven, and that £e was exalted, £c. that he received th$ promise of tilt

Spirit, which John xiv. 16, he told them he would pray for. And this is part of the meaning of that in Psalm lxviii. 18, He ascended up on high, and received gifts for men, says the Psalmist; the Apostle renders it, Eph. iv. gave, but you see, it was by receiving them first, as the fruits of his Intercession and asking after his ascending. He is said both to give, as being all of his own purchase; and as having power as a King also both to do and bestow all he doth, and yet withal he is said to receive all that he gives, because as a Priest he intercedes for it, and asks it. Free grace requires this. This is the first thing.

Yea, secondly, justice itself might stand a little upon it, though there was enough in Christ’s death to satisfy it; yet having been wronged, it stood thus far upon it, (as those to whom a debt is due, use to do) namely, to have the money brought home to God’s dwelling-house, and laid down there. God is resolved not to stoop one whit unto man, no not to Christ, his surety. Justice will not only be satisfied, and have a sufficient ransom paid, as at Christ’s death; but he must come and bring his bags up to heaven: justice will be paid it upon the mercy-seat: for so in the Type the blood was to be carried into the Holy of Holies, and sprinkled upon the mercy-seat: And therefore his Resurrection, Ascension, £c. were but as the breaking through all enemies, and subduing them, to the end to bring this price or satis faction to [the mercy-seat; and so God having his money by him, might not want wherewithal to pardon sinners: so as the blood of Christ is current money, not only on earth but in heaven too, whither all is brought, which is for our comfort, that all the treasure which should satisfy God, is safely conveyed thither, and our surety with it.

The second sort of reasons why God ordained Christ’s intercession to be joined to his death, are taken from the best way to effect and make sure our salvation, and secure our hearts therein; and these reasons will shew the peculiar influence that Inter cession hath into our salvation, and therein as in the former.

First, in general, God would have our salvation made sure, and us saved all manner of ways, over and over. By ransom and price, (as captives are redeemed) which was done by his death, which of itself was enough; for it is said, Heb. x. to perfect us for ever. By power and rescue; so in his Resurrection, and Ascension, and sitting at God’s right hand, which also was sufficient. Then again by Intercession, a way of favour and entreaty; and this likewise would have been enough, but God would have all ways concur in it; whereof notwithstanding not one could fail; a three-fold cord, whereof each twine were strong enough, but all together must of necessity hold.

Secondly, the whole application of his redemption, both in justifying and saving of us first and last, hath a special dependance upon this his Intercession. This all divines on all sides do attribute unto it, whilst they put this difference between the influence of his death, and that of his intercession into our salvation; calling his death medium impetrationis, that is, the means of procurement or obtaining it for us; but his intercession, medium applkationis, the means of applying all unto us. Christ purchaseth salvation by the one, but possesseth us of it by the o’.her some have attributed the application of justification, to his Resurrection; but it is much more proper to ascribe it to his Intercession; and what causal influence his Resurrection hath into our justification, hath been afore in the third book declared. But that his eternal Priesthood in heaven, and the work of its Intercession, is the applying cause of our eternal salvation, in all the parts of it, first and last, seems to me to be the result of tjie connexion of the 8, 9, and 10 verses of the 5th chap, to the Hebrews; for having spoken of his obedience and sufferings unto death, ver. 8, and how he thereby was made, perfect, ver. 9, he says, And being (thus first) made perfect, he became the author (or applying cause, altios) of eternal salvation, unto all them that obey him; and this by his being become an eternal Priest in heaven, after he was thus perfected by sufferings; for so it follows, ver. 10, Called of God an High Priest, after the order of Melchisedec. And Melchisedec’s Priesthood was principally the type of his Priesthood in heaven, as was before declared. One leading instance to shew that his Intercession was to be the. Applying cause of salvation, was given by Christ, whilst he was on earth, thereby manifesting what much more was to be done by him in heaven, through his Intercession there; when he was on the cross, and as then offering that great sacrifice for sin, he at that time also joined prayers for the justification of those that crucified him, Father, forgive them, for they faimv not what they do; so fulfilling that in Isaiah liii. ult. He bare the. sins of many, and made Intercession for the transgressors. And the efficac of that

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then put up, was the cause of the conversion of those three thousand, Acts ii. whom ver 35 the Apostle had expressly charged with the crucifying of Christ, whom ye by wicked hands have taken, crucified, and slain. These were the first fruits of his Intercession, whose prayers still do reap and bring in the rest of the crop, which in all ages is to grow up unto God on earth. ^i«i

Thirdly, and more particularly, as the whole application in general, so our justification, in the whole progress of it, depends upon Christ’s Inter cession. As

1. Our first actual or initial justification (which is given us at our first conversion) depends upon Christ’s Intercession; therefore in the fore-mentioned prayer on the cross, the thing he prayed for was forgiveness, Father, forgive them. You heard before that Christ’s death affords the matter of our justification, as being that which is imputed, the ransom, the thing itself that satisfies; and that his Resurrection was the original act of God’s justifying us in Christ; we were virtually justified then in Christ’s being justified, as in a Common person. But besides all this, there is a personal or an actual justification to be bestowed upon us, that is, aix accounting and bestowing it upon us in our own persons; which is done when we believe, and it is called a being justified by faith, and receiving the atonement, Rom. v. 1, 10; now this depends upon Christ’s Intercession; and it was typified out by Closes a sprinkling the people with blood, mentioned Heb. ix. 19, which thing Jesus Christ as a Mediator and Priest doth now from heaven: for Heb. xii. 24, it is said,

You are come to heaven, and to Jems the Mediator of the new Covenant, and(&$ it is next subjoined) to the blood of sprinkling; he shed his blood on the cross on earth, but he sprinkleth it now as a Priest from heaven. For it is upon Mount Sion, to which (he had said first in the former verse) ye are come; and so to Christ as a Mediator standing on that Mount, and sprinkling from thence his blood; and so therein there is an allusion unto Moses, Christ’s type, who sprinkled the people with the blood of that ceremonial covenant, the type of the covenant of grace. Now in the 1 Pet. i. 2, The sprinkling of Christ’s blood, as it is there made the more proper work of Christ himself, in distinction from the other persons, (and therefore was done by Moses, who was his type) so is it also put for our first justification. And this sprinkling (as it is there mentioned) is from the virtue of his intercession. And therefore in that place of the Hebrews forecited, he attributes an intercession unto it, as the phrase that follows, which speaks better things, &c. doth imply, of which more hereafter. Yet concerning this first head, let me add this by way of caution, (which I shall presently have occasion to observe) that though this our first justification is to be ascribed to his Intercession, yet more eminently Intercession is ordained for the accomplishing our salvation, and this other more rarely in the scripture attributed thereunto.

2. The continuation of our justification depends upon it. And as his Intercession is the virtual continuation of his sacrifice, so is it the continuing cause of our justification; which though it be an act done once, as fully as ever, yet is it done over every moment, for it is continued by acts of free grace, and so renewed actually every moment. There is a standing in grace, by Christ spoken of, Rom. v. 2, as well as a first access by Christ; and that standing in grace, and continuing in it, is afterwards (verse 11) attributed to his life, that is, as it is interpreted, Heb. vii. 25, his living ever to intercede. “We owe our standing in grace every moment, to his sitting in heaven, and interceding every moment. There is no fresh act of justification goes forth, but there is a fresh act of intercession. And as though God created the world once for all, yet every moment he is said to create, every new act of providence being a new creation; so likewise to justify continually, through his continuing out free grace to justify as at first; and this Christ doth by continuing his Intercession: he continues a Priest for ever, and so we continue to be justified for ever.

3. There is hereby a full security given us of justification to be continued for ever. The danger either must lie in old sins coming into remembrance, or else from sins newly to be committed. Now first, God hereby takes order, that no old sins shall come up into remembrance, to trouble his thoughts, (as in the old Law, after the Priests going into the Holy of Holies, their sins are said yet to have done, Heb. x, 3) and to that end it was that he placed Christ as his remembrancer for us, so near him, to take up his thoughts so with his obedience, that our sins might not come into mind: not that God needed this help to put himself in mind, but only for a formality sake, that things being thus really carried between God and Christ for us, according to away suiting to

6 i’ apprehensions, our faith might be strengthened against all suppositions and fears of after reviving our guilts. Look therefore, as God ordained the rain-bow in the heavens, that when he looked on it, he might remember his covenant, never to destroy the world again by water; so he hath set Christ as the rain-bow about his throne. And look as the bread and wine in the Lord’s supper are appointed on earth to shew forth Christ’s death, as a remembrancer to us; so is Christ himself appointed in heaven to shew forth his death really, as a remembrancer thereof to his Father; and indeed, the one is correspondent to the other. Only the Papists have perverted the use of the Lord’s supper, by making it on earth, a commemorative sacrifice to God, whereas it is but a rememberancer thereof to men: and besides, their Priests therein do take upon themselves this very office of presenting this sacrifice to God, which is proper only to Christ in hea ven. But God when he would make sure not to be tempted to remember our sins any more, nor trouble himself with them, hath set his Christ by him to ’ put him in mind of his so pleasing an offering. So the High Priests going into the Holy of Holies, was for a memorial, and therein the type of Christ. And this is plainly and expressly made the use of this execution of his priestly office in heaven, Heb. viii. where the Apostle having discoursed of that part of his office (as the chief thing he aimed at in this Epistle, verse 1, and of the necessity of it, verses 3, 4, 5, and excellency of it, in that respect, verse G) he then shews, how from thence the new Covenant of pardon came to be sure and stedfast, that God will remember our sins no more, verse 12, which he there brings in as the proper use of this doctrine, and of this part of his Priesthood.

Secondly, as by reason of intercession, God remembers not old sins, so likewise he is not provoked by new. For though God when he justifies us should forgive all old sins past for ever, so as never to remember them more, yet new ones would break forth, and he could not but take notice of them; and so, so long as sin continues, there is need of a continuing intercession. Therefore for the securing us in this, it is said, That if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son; much more, being reconciled, we shall he saved by his life, Rom. v. 10. Where we see, that his Death is in some more special manner said to procure reconciliation at first for the sins of unregeneracy, and to bring us to Christ; but then his life and Intercession, or living to intercede, is said to keep God and us friends, that we may never fall out more. What Christ did on earth, doth more especially procure reconciliation for sins which we do in the state of nature; so as notwithstanding them, God resolves to turn us from that state, and draw us to Christ. But sins which we commit after conversion (though pardoned also by his death) yet the pardon of them is more especially attributed to his life and intercession, as a daily preservative, a continual plaister (as some call it) to heal such sins. So that it would seem, that God out of his eternal love doth bring us to Christ, and draws us to him through the beholding the reconciliation wrought by his death, and so gives us at first conversion, unto

Christ; and we being brought to him, he sprinkled us with his blo.^d; and then God says to him, Now do you look to them, that they and I fall out no more. And to that end Christ takes our cause in hand by that eternal Priesthood of his; and from that time begins more especially to intercede for us. And thus, sins after the state of grace, may be said more eminently to be taken away by that part of his Priesthood, which he now in heaven performs. That place also, 1 John ii. 1, 2, seems to make this the great end of Intercession, — If ant, man sin, (that is, if any of the company of believers, to whom alone he wrote) we have an Advocate with the Father: so as Intercession principally serves for sins to come, or after grace received. Thus also in his prayer, John xvii. which was left as a pattern of his Intercession in heaven, he prays for his Elect as believers, / pray for them that shall believe through their word. Not but that sins after conversion are taken away by his death; and sins before it, by his Intercession also: for Christ interceded for those who crucified him, and by virtue of that Intercession, those three thousand were converted, as was observed. But the meaning only is, that yet more eminently the work of reconciliation for sins before conversion, is attributed to his death; and for sins after conversion to his Intercession: even as the Persons of the Trinity, though they have all a like hand in all the works .of our salvation; yet we see that one part is attributed more to one Person, and another to another.

A third sort of reasons why God ordained this sort of Intercession to accomplish our salvation by, do

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respect Christ himself, whose honour and glory, and the perpetuation of it in our hearts, God had as well in his eye in the ordering all the workings of our salvation, as much as his own, That all might honour the Son even as they honour the Father, as Christ him self speaks. Now therefore for the maintaining and upholding his glory, and the comings in thereof, did God ordain after all that he had done for us here below, this work of Intercession in heaven-, to be added to all the rest, for the perfecting of our salvation. As

First, it became him, and was for his honour, that none of his offices should be vacant or lie idle, and he want employment in them. All offices have work to accompany them: and all work hath honour, as its reward, to arise out of it. And therefore when he had done all that was to be done on earth, as appertaining unto the merit of our salvation, he appoints this full and perpetual work in heaven, for the applying and possessing us of salvation, and that as a Priest, by praying and interceding in the merit of that one oblation of himself. God would have Christ never to be out of office, nor out of work. And this very reason is more than hinted at, Heb. vii. 24, 25, This man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable Priesthood, (or, as verse 21 expounds it) for ever. And the work of his Priesthood is interpreted, (verse 25) to be ever to make intercession. The meaning is, that God would not have him continue to be a Priest in title only, or in respect only of a service past, and so to have only the honour of Priesthood perpetuated to him out of the remembrance of what he once had dune, (as great Generals have, even in time of peace, the glory of some great battle fought, continued to them in their titles or rewards for ever); but God would have him have, as the renown of the old, so a perpetual spring of honour by new work, and employment in that office which he is continually a doing, so to preserve the verdure of his glory ever fresh and green, and there fore ordained a continual work for him. And the sum of the Apostle’s reasoning is this, That seeing himself was to be for ever, so should his work and Priesthood be, that so his honour might be for ever: so verse 28 concludes it, — Consecrated or perfected j ‘or evermore.

Secondly, for the same reason also, it became him that the whole work of our salvation first and last, and every part of ‘it, should be so ordered as he should continue still to have as great and continual a hand in every part, even to the laying of the top stone thereof, as he had in laying the first foundation and corner stone thereof. And this you have expressed, Heb. xii. 2, Looking unto Jems, the author and Jinisher of our faith. Two things had been said of him, as two causes of two effects; and we must look to him in both. 1. He is to be looked at as fy’ingp (enduring the cross) as there he is set forth. 2. As sitting at God’s right hand, and interceding, (as that whole Epistle had represented him). We are to look at these two, as causes of a double effect: to look at his dying as that which is the beginning of our faith, (so according to the Greek, and the margin of our translation) and at his sitting at (rod’s right hand, as an Intercessor, for the finishing of our faith thereby; and so of our final salvation. For as

Christ’s work began in his life and death; which is put for all his obedience here below) so our first believing (as was said) begins by virtue of his death at first: and as his work ends in his Intercession, and sitting at God’s right hand; so, answerably, is our faith and salvation perfected by it, that thus he might be left out in nothing, but be the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending, to whom be glory for ever. So that we are to look upon our Mediator, Christ, as doing as much work for us in heaven at this instant, as ever he did on earth: here suffering, but there praying, and presenting his sufferings. All his work was not done, when he had done here; that work here was, indeed, the harder piece of the two, yet soon dispatched: but his work in heaven, though sweeter far, yet lies on his hands for ever: therefore let us leave out none of these in our believing on him.