Conco. 3}
Morn: 3. Jan. 1691
110. Ps. 1.
The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, untill I make thine enemies thy footstool.
- Doctr. Our once humbled, wounded, & bruised Mediator, has long since been exalted, not only by a Glorious Resurrection from the Grave, & also a Glorious Ascension into Heaven, but also by a Glorious Session at the Right hand of God. Here it was enquired (1) What is this Session of Christ at the Right hand of God (2) When did this Session begin, & how long shall it continue? (3) Last: What are the fruits of this Session? (An) The fruits & benefits hereof belong partly to Christs Sacerdotal Office; & partly to Christs Kingly Office (1) The great benefit which ariseth from Christs Session at the Right hand of God, as to his Sacerdotal Office, is his Intercession for Beleivers. 8. Rom. 34.
Here three things may be enquired into.
- 1. With whom Christ dos Intercede?
- 2. After what manner dos Christ Intercede?
- 3. Last: Whither Christ dos Intercede alone?
- 1. Q. With whom dos Christ Intercede?
- An: For answer hereto, we must Note, That to Intercede is to have some Plea put in, or preferred to another by a third Person: So that here are Three Persons to be considered in this Intercession.
- 1. There is the Offended Person: And that is God. God is angry: He is displeased, & incensed.
- 2. There is the Offending Person: And that is Man: yea all Mankind; the whole Race of Apostate Adam, as such. Even the very Elect, are by nature dead in sins & trespasses, Offending Persons, & so are by nature children of wrath, God is offended with them. 2. Eph. 1. 3. 7. Ps. 11
- 3. Last: There is the Interceding Person: And that is Christ Jesus, who steps in between the justly Offended Person, God, & the unjustly Offending Person, Man, to make Peace between both. 1. Tim. 2. 5. There is One Mediatour between God & men, the man Christ Jesus. God being Offended cannot now speak one good word to us but by Christ: And we being the Offending Persons, dare not look up to God for favour, but thrô Christ. Christ Intercedes with the Father, as being the first Person in the Sacred Trinity, who being once appeased together with him the Son: & Holy Spirit also are appeased: So that this Intercession is directed to the whole Trinity, immediately to the first Person, & then in him also to the rest.
- 2. Q. After what manner dos Christ Interced wth ye Father?
- 1. An: Negatively: Not by any external prayers, nor by prostration of himself, or falling down upon his knees, as we do, & he also was wont to do, whilst in ye state of his humiliation, as we read. 26. Matt. 39. & 22. Luke. 41. He kneeled down & prayed. Not so now.
- 2. An: Affirmatively.
- 1. Christ appears before the face of his Father & presents him with the inestimable worth & vallue of his Sufferings.79 The worth of Souls, is above all the world. Much more valluable must be that price, by which such pretious souls are purchased. The Sufferings of Christ are speaking Sufferings. 12. Heb. 24. It is called the blood of God. 20. Acts. 28. And therefore must needs be infinitely valluable. Men highly vallue their own blood: Nay God sets an high price upon mans blood: How much more will he prize his own blood? As Christs was by com̄unication of Properties.
- 2. Christ intercedes by his expressing his will & desire to the Father. He pleads as. 17. Joh. 4. Father, I have Glorifyed thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. q.d. Father, in order to the Salvation of a certain number of poor lost mankind, thou didst require my assuming of sinful flesh, & perfect obedience both active & passive &c. Father, I have done as thou didst require. Well, & what then? Why then sais he I require that these I have suffered for have the benefit of it. 24. v. of that. 17 John. Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me be wth me where I am &c. Man by the Fall was mortally wounded: By the Suffering of Christ a Restorative Plaister was made; but now Christs Intercession is as it were an application of that Plaister.
- 3. Q. Last: Whither Christ dos Intercede alone
- An: Yea, verily; for the Scripture makes not mention of any other Intercessors. As for the Holy Angels, the Scripture asserts no such thing of them: And as for the Saints in Heaven they have no knowledge of our private state. 63. Isa. 16. & therefore are uncapable to Intercede for us. True it is the Saints on Earth ought to intercede for one [an]other, but yet improperly, For he only properly can be said to intercede for an other,
- 1. Who brings forth & offers somthing of his own of Sufficient worth, price, & vallue, as that he, he petitions to, or intercedes with, should injustice answer his request for ye sake thereof.
- 2. All this is to be done by him that would be accounted an Intercessor in his own Name.
But now this is the Prerogative only of Christ Jesus, both to Intercede in his own Name, & upon the account of his own Merit.
So much for the first blessed fruit of Christs sitting at the Right hand of God with respect to his Priestly office, namely his Intercession for all his Elect.