2. Are those that are justified by the blood of Christ such, after that, as have need also of saving by Christ"s intercession? From hence, then, we may infer, that as sin, so Satan will not give over from a.s.saulting the best of the saints.
It is not justification that can secure us from being a.s.saulted by Satan: "Simon, Simon, Satan has desired to have you." (Luke 22:31,32) There are two things that do encourage the devil to set upon the people of G.o.d:--
(1.) He knows not who are elect; for all that profess are not, and, therefore, he will make trial, if he can get them into his sieve, whether he can cause them to perish. And great success he hath had this way. Many a brave professor has he overcome; he has cast some of the stars from heaven to earth; he picked one out from among the apostles, and one, as it is thought, from among the seven deacons,8 and many from among Christ"s disciples; but how many, think you, nowadays, doth he utterly destroy with his net?
(2.) If it so happeneth that he cannot destroy, because Christ, by his intercession, prevaileth, yet will he set upon the church to defile and afflict it. For (a), If he can but get us to fall, with Peter, then he has obtained that dishonour be brought to G.o.d, the weak to be stumbled, the world offended, and the gospel vilified and reproached. Or (b), If he cannot throw up our heels, yet, by buffeting of us, he can grieve us, afflict us, put us to pain, fright us, drive us to many doubts, and make our life very uncomfortable unto us, and make us go groaning to our Father"s house. But blessed be G.o.d for his Christ, and for that "he ever liveth to make intercession for us."
3. Are those that are justified by the blood of Christ such as, after that, have need to be saved by Christ"s intercession? Then, hence I infer that it is dangerous going about anything in our own name and strength. If we would have helps from the intercession of Christ, let us have a care that we do what we do according to the word of Christ. Do what he bids us as well as we can, as he bids us, and then we need not doubt to have help and salvation in those duties by the intercession of Christ. "Do all," says the apostle, "in the name of the Lord Jesus." (Col 3:17) Oh, but then the devil and the world will be most of all offended! Well, well, but if you do nothing but as in his fear, by his Word, in his name, you may be sure of what help his intercession can afford you, and that can afford you much help, not only to begin, but to go through with your work in some good measure, as you should; and by that also you shall be secured from those dangers, if not temptations to dangers, that those that go out about business in their own names and strength shall be sure to meet withal.
4. Are those that are justified by the blood of Christ such as, after that, have need of being saved by Christ"s intercession? Then, hence I infer again, that G.o.d has a great dislike of the sins of his own people, and would fall upon them in judgment and anger much more severely than he doth, were it not for Christ"s intercession.
The gospel is not, as some think, a loose and licentious doctrine, nor G.o.d"s discipline of his church a negligent and careless discipline; for, though those that believe already have also an intercessor, yet G.o.d, to show his detestation against sin, doth often make them feel to purpose the weight of his fingers. The sincere, that fain would walk oft with G.o.d, have felt what I say, and that to the breaking of their bones full oft. The loose ones, and those that G.o.d loves not, may be utter strangers as to this; but those that are his own indeed do know it is otherwise.9
"You only have I known" above all others, says G.o.d, "therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities." (Amos 3:2) G.o.d keeps a very strict house among his children. David found it so, Haman found it so, Job found it so, and the church of G.o.d found it so; and I know not that his mind is ever the less against sin, notwithstanding we have an Intercessor. True, our Intercessor saves us from d.a.m.ning evils, from d.a.m.ning judgments; but he neither doth nor will secure us from temporal punishment, from spiritual punishment, unless we watch, deny ourselves, and walk in his fear. I would to G.o.d that those who are otherwise minded did but feel, for three or four months, something of what I have felt for several years together for base sinful thoughts! I wish it, I say, if it might be for their good, and for the better regulating of their understandings.
But whether they obtain my wish or no, sure I am that G.o.d is no countenancer of sin; no, not in his own people; nay, he will bear it least of all in them. And as for others, however he may for a while have patience towards them, if, perhaps, his goodness may lead them to repentance; yet the day is coming when he will pay the carnal and hypocrites" home with devouring fire for their offences.
But if our holy G.o.d will not let us go altogether unpunished, though we have so able and blessed an Intercessor, that has always to present G.o.d with, on our behalf, so valuable a price of his own blood, now before the throne of grace, what should we have done if there had been no day"s-man, none to plead for us, or to make intercession on our behalf? Read that text, "For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee; though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee; but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished." (Jer 30:11) If it be so, I say, what had become of us, if we had had no Intercessor? And what will become of them concerning whom the Lord has said already, "I will not take up their names into my lips"? (Psa 16:4) "I pray not for the world." (John 17:9)
5. Are those that are already justified by the blood of Christ yet such as have need of being saved by his intercession? Then, hence, I infer that Christ is not only the beginner, but the completer of our salvation; or, as the Holy Ghost calls him, "the author and finisher of our faith," (Heb 12:2); or, as it calls him again, "the author of eternal salvation." (Heb 5:9) Of salvation throughout, from the beginning to the end, from first to last. His hands have laid the foundation of it in his own blood, and his hands shall finish it by his intercession. (Zech 4:9) As he has laid the beginning fastly, so he shall bring forth the headstones with shoutings, and we shall cry, Grace, grace, at the last, salvation only belongeth to the Lord. (Zech 4:7, Psa 3:8, Isa 43:11)
Many there be that begin with grace, and end with works, and think THAT is the only way. Indeed works will save from temporal punishments, when their imperfections are purged from them by the intercession of Christ; but to be saved and brought to glory, to be carried through this dangerous world, from my first moving after Christ till I set my foot within the gates of paradise, this is the work of my Mediator, of my high priest and intercessor; it is he that fetches us again when we are run away; it is he that lifteth us up when the devil and sin has thrown us down; it is he that quickeneth us when we grow cold; it is he that comforteth us when we despair; it is he that obtains fresh pardon when we have contracted sin; and he that purges our consciences when they are loaden with guilt. (Eze 34:16, Psa 145:14)
I know also, that rewards do wait for them in heaven that do believe in Christ, and shall do well on earth; but this is not a reward of merit, but of grace. We are saved by Christ; brought to glory by Christ; and all our works are no otherwise made acceptable to G.o.d but by the person and personal excellencies and works of Christ; therefore, whatever the jewels are, and the bracelets, and the pearls, that thou shalt be adorned with as a reward of service done to G.o.d in the world, for them thou must thank Christ, and, before all, confess that he was the meritorious cause thereof. (1 Peter 2:5, Heb 13:15) He saves us, and saves our services too. (Rev 5:9-14) They would be all cast back as dung in our faces, were they not rinsed and washed in the blood, were they not sweetened and perfumed in the incense, and conveyed to G.o.d himself through the white hand of Jesus Christ; for that is his golden-censer; from thence ascends the smoke that is in the nostrils of G.o.d of such a sweet savour.
(Rev 7:12-14, 8:3,4)
6. Are those that are already justified by the blood of Christ, such as do still stand in need of being saved by his intercession?
Then hence I infer again, that we that have been saved hitherto, and preserved from the dangers that we have met with since our first conversion to this moment, should ascribe the glory to Jesus Christ, to G.o.d by Jesus Christ. "I have prayed that thy faith fail not: I pray that thou wouldest keep them from the evil," is the true cause of our standing, and of our continuing in the faith and holy profession of the gospel to this very day. Wherefore we must give the glory of all to G.o.d by Christ: "I will not trust in my bow," said David, "neither shall my sword save me. But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us. In G.o.d we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever.
Selah"! "He always causeth us to triumph in Christ." "We rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." (Psa 44:6-8, 2 Cor 2:14, Phil 3:3) Thus you see that, both in the Old and New Testament, all the glory is given to the Lord, as well for preservation to heaven as for justification of life. And he that is well acquainted with himself will do this readily; though light heads, and such as are not acquainted with the desperate evil that is in their natures, will sacrifice to their own net. But such will so sacrifice but a while. Sir Death is coming, and he will put them into the view of what they see not now, and will feed sweetly upon them, because they made not the Lord their trust. And therefore, ascribe thou the glory of the preservation of thy soul in the faith hitherto, to that salvation which Christ Jesus our Lord obtaineth for thee by his intercession.
7. Are those that are already justified by the blood of Christ such as do still stand in need of being saved by his intercession? Then is this also to be inferred from hence, that saints should look to him for that saving that they shall yet have need of betwixt this and the day of their dissolution; yea, from henceforward, even to the day of judgment. I say, they should still look to him for the remaining part of their salvation, or for that of their salvation which is yet behind; and let them look for it with confidence, for that it is in a faithful hand; and for thy encouragement to look and hope for the completing of thy salvation in glory, let me present thee with a few things--
(1.) The hardest or worst part of the work of thy Saviour is over; his b.l.o.o.d.y work, his bearing of thy sin and curse, his loss of the light of his Father"s face for a time; his dying upon the cursed tree, that was the worst, the sorest, the hardest, and most difficult part of the work of redemption; and yet this he did willingly, cheerfully, and without thy desires; yea, this he did, as considering those for whom he did it in a state of rebellion and enmity to him.
(2.) Consider, also, that he has made a beginning with thy soul to reconcile thee to G.o.d, and to that end has bestowed his justice upon thee, put his Spirit within thee, and began to make the unweldable mountain and rock,10 thy heart, to turn towards him, and desire after him; to believe in him, and rejoice in him.
(3.) Consider, also, that some comfortable pledges of his love thou hast already received, namely, as to feel the sweetness of his love, as to see the light of his countenance, as to be made to know his power in raising of thee when thou wast down, and how he has made thee stand, while h.e.l.l has been pushing at thee, utterly to overthrow thee.
(4.) Thou mayest consider, also, that what remains behind of the work of thy salvation in his hands, as it is the most easy part, so the most comfortable, and that part which will more immediately issue in his glory, and therefore he will mind it.
(5.) That which is behind is also more safe in his hand than if it were in thine own; he is wise, he is powerful, he is faithful, and therefore will manage that part that is lacking to our salvation well, until he has completed it. It is his love to thee that has made him that "he putteth no trust in thee"; he knows that he can himself bring thee to his kingdom most surely; and therefore has not left that work to thee, no, not any part thereof. (Job 5:18, 15:15)
Live in hope, then, in a lively hope, that since Christ is risen from the dead, he lives to make intercession for thee, and that thou shalt reap the blessed benefit of this twofold salvation that is wrought, and that is working out for thee, by Jesus Christ our Lord. And thus have we treated of the benefit of his intercession, in that he is able to save to the uttermost. And this leads me to the third particular.
[III. THE PERSONS INTERESTED IN THE INTERCESSION OF CHRIST.]
THIRD, The third particular is to show WHO ARE THE PERSONS INTERESTED IN THIS INTERCESSION OF CHRIST; and they are those that come to G.o.d by him. The words are very concise, and distinctly laid down; they are they that come, that come to G.o.d, that come to G.o.d by him.
"Wherefore he is able also to save them, to save to the uttermost them that come to G.o.d by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them."
[Of coming to G.o.d by Christ.]--A little, first, to comment upon the order of the words, "that come unto G.o.d by him."
There are that come unto G.o.d, but not "by him"; and these are not included in this text, have not a share in this privilege. Thus the Jews came to G.o.d, the unbelieving Jews, "who had a zeal of G.o.d, but not according to knowledge." (Rom 9:30-34, 10:1-4) These submitted not to Christ, the righteousness of G.o.d, but thought to come to him by works of their own, or at least, as it were, by them, and so came short of salvation by grace, for that reigns to salvation only in Christ. To these Christ"s person and undertaking were a stumbling stone; for at him they stumbled, and did split themselves to pieces, though they indeed were such as came to G.o.d for life.
As there are that come to G.o.d, but not by Christ, so there are that come to Christ, but not to G.o.d by him:11 of this sort are they, who hearing that Christ is Saviour, therefore come to him for pardon, but cannot abide to come to G.o.d by him, for that he is holy, and so will snub their l.u.s.ts, and will change their hearts and natures.
Mind me what I say. There are a great many that would be saved by Christ, but love not to be sanctified by G.o.d through him. These make a stop at Christ, and will go no further. Might such have pardon, they care not whether ever they went to heaven or no. Of this kind of coming to Christ I think it is, of which he warneth his disciples when he saith, "In that day ye shall ask me nothing.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you." (John 16:23) As who should say, when you ask for anything, make not a stop at me, but come to my Father by me; for they that come to me, and not to my Father, through me, will have nothing of what they come for. Righteousness shall be imputed to us, "if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead." (Rom 4:24,25) To come to Christ for a benefit, and stop there, and not come to G.o.d by him, prevaileth nothing. Here the mother of Zebedee"s children erred; and about this it was that the Lord Jesus cautioned her. Lord, saith she, "Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom." But what is the answer of Christ? "To sit on my right hand and on my left, is not mine to give, but for whom it is prepared of my Father." (Matt 20:21-23) As who should say, Woman, of myself I do nothing, my Father worketh with me. Go therefore to him by me, for I am the way to him; what thou canst obtain of him by me thou shalt have; that is to say, what of the things that pertain to eternal life, whether pardon or glory.
It is true, the Son has power to give pardon and glory, but he gives it not by himself, but by and according to the will of his Father. (Matt 9:6, John 17:22) They, therefore, that come to him for an eternal good, and look not to the Father by him, come short thereof; I mean, now, pardon and glory. And hence, though it be said the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins--to wit, to show the certainty of his G.o.dhead, and of the excellency of his mediation; yet forgiveness of sin is said to lie more particularly in the hand of the Father, and that G.o.d for Christ"s sake forgiveth us. (Eph 4:32)
The Father, as we see, will not forgive unless we come to him by the Son. Why, then, should we conceit that the Son will forgive these that come not to the Father by him?
So then, justifying righteousness is in the Son, and with him also is intercession; but forgiveness is with the Father; yea, the gift of the Holy Ghost, yea, and the power of imputing of the righteousness of Christ is yet in the hand of the Father. Hence Christ prays to the Father to forgive, prays to the Father to send the Spirit, and it is G.o.d that imputeth righteousness to justification to us.
(Luke 23:34, John 14:16, Rom 4:6) The Father, then, doth nothing but for the sake of and through the Son; the Son also doth nothing derogating from the glory of the Father. But it would be a derogation to the glory of the Father if the Son should grant to save them that come not to the Father by him; wherefore you that cry Christ, Christ, delighting yourselves in the thoughts of forgiveness, but care not to come by Christ to the Father for it, you are not at all concerned in this blessed text, for he only saves by his intercession them that come to G.o.d by him.
There are three sorts of people that may be said to come to Christ, but not to G.o.d by him.
1. They whose utmost design in coming is only that guilt and fear of d.a.m.ning may be removed from them. And there are three signs of such an one--(1.) He that takes up in a belief of pardon, and so goes on in his course of carnality as he did before. (2.) He whose comfort in the belief of pardon standeth alone, without other fruits of the Holy Ghost. (3.) He that, having been washed, can be content to tumble in the mire, as the sow again, or as the dog that did spue to lick up his vomit again.
2. They may be said to come to Christ, but not to G.o.d by him, who do pick and choose doctrines, itching only after that which sounds of grace,12 but secretly abhorring of that which presseth to moral goodness. These did never see G.o.d, what notions soever they may have of the Lord Jesus, and of forgiveness from him. (Matt 5:8)
3. They surely did never come to G.o.d by Christ, however they may boast of the grace of Christ, that will from the freeness of gospel grace plead an indulgence for sin.
[Manner of coming to G.o.d.]--And now to speak a few words of coming to G.o.d, or coming as the text intends. And in speaking to this, I must touch upon two things--1. Concerning G.o.d. 2. Concerning the frame of the heart of him that comes to him.
1. Of G.o.d. G.o.d is the chief good. Good so as nothing is but himself.
He is in himself most happy; yea, all good; and all true happiness is only to be found in G.o.d, as that which is essential to his nature; nor is there any good or any happiness in or with any creature or thing but what is communicated to it by G.o.d. G.o.d is the only desirable good, nothing without him is worthy of our hearts. Right thoughts of G.o.d are able to ravish the heart; how much more happy is the man that has interest in G.o.d. G.o.d alone is able by himself to put the soul into a more blessed, comfortable, and happy condition than can the whole world; yea, and more than if all the created happiness of all the angels of heaven did dwell in one man"s bosom.
G.o.d is the upholder of all creatures, and whatever they have that is a suitable good to their kind, it is from G.o.d; by G.o.d all things have their subsistence, and all the good that they enjoy. I cannot tell what to say; I am drowned! The life, the glory, the blessedness, the soul-satisfying goodness that is in G.o.d is beyond all expression.
2. Now there must be in us something of a suitableness of spirit to this G.o.d before we can be willing to come to him.
Before, therefore, G.o.d has been with a man, and has left some impression of his glory upon him, that man cannot be willing to come to him aright. Hence it is said concerning Abraham, that, in order to his coming to G.o.d, and following of him aright, the Lord himself did show himself unto him--"Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The G.o.d of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, and said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee." (Acts 7:2,3, Gen 12:1)
It was this G.o.d of glory, the sight and visions of this G.o.d of glory, that provoked Abraham to leave his country and kindred to come after G.o.d. The reason why men are so careless of, and so indifferent about, their coming to G.o.d, is because they have their eyes blinded, because they do not perceive his glory. G.o.d is so blessed a one, that did he not hide himself and his glory, the whole world would be ravished with him. But he has, I will not say reasons of state, but reasons of glory, glorious reasons why he hideth himself from the world, and appeareth but to particular ones. Now by his thus appearing to Abraham, down fell Abraham"s vanity, and his idolatrous fancies and affections, and his heart began to turn unto G.o.d, for that there was in this appearance an alluring and soul-instructing voice. Hence that which Moses calls here an appearing, Christ calls a hearing, and a teaching, and a learning--"It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of G.o.d. Every man, therefore, that hath heard and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me," that is, to G.o.d by me. But, I say, what must they hear and learn of the Father but that Christ is the way to glory, the way to the G.o.d of glory. This is a drawing doctrine; wherefore that which in this verse is called teaching and learning, is called, in the verse before, the drawing of the Father--"No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him"; that is, with powerful proposals, and alluring conclusions, and heart-subduing influences. (John 6:44,45)
Having thus touched upon this, we will now proceed to show you what kind of people they are that come to G.o.d by Christ; and then shall draw some inferences from this also.
[Who are the people that come to Christ.]
There are, therefore, three sorts of people that come to G.o.d by Christ. First, Men newly awakened. Second, Men turned from backsliding. Third, The sincere and upright man.
[Of the newly awakened coming to Christ.]
First, Men newly awakened. By awakened, I mean awakened thoroughly.
So awakened as to be made to see themselves, what they are; the world, what it is; the law, what it is; h.e.l.l, what it is; death, what it is; Christ, what he is; and G.o.d, what he is; and also what judgment is.
A man that will come to G.o.d by Christ aright must needs, precedent to his so coming, have a competent knowledge of things of this kind.
1. He must know himself, what a wretched and miserable sinner he is, before he will take one step forward in order to his coming to G.o.d by Christ. This is plain from a great many scriptures; as that of the parable of the prodigal, (Luke 15); that of the three thousand, (Acts 2); that of the jailer, (Acts 16), and those of many more besides. The whole have no need of the physician. They were not the sound and whole, but the lame and diseased that came to him to be cured of their infirmities; and it is not the righteous, but the sinners that do well know themselves to be such, that come to G.o.d by Christ.
It is not in the power of all the men on earth to make one man come to G.o.d by Christ, because it is not in their power to make men see their state by nature. And what should a man come to G.o.d for, that can live in the world without him? Reason says so, experience says so, the Scripture beareth witness that so it is of a truth. It is a sight of what I am that must unroost me, that must shake my soul, and make me leave my present rest. No man comes to G.o.d by Christ but he that knows himself, and what sin hath done to him; that is the first. (Job 21:7-15)