Chapter VII
Thirdly, the prevalency of Christ s intercession, and of his grace with his
Father, demonstrated from the greatness and absoluteness of his power to do whatever he asks.
[3.] A third demonstration both of Christ s greatness with God, and his power to prevail for us, is taken from this, that God hath put all power into his hand, to do whatever he will, hath made him his king to do what
pleaseth him either in heaven, earth, or hell ; yea, to do all that God him
self ever means to do, or all that God desires to do. And certainly if his Father hath been so gracious to him as to bestow so high and absolute a
sovereignty on him, as to accomplish and effect whatever he means to do,
surely his purpose was never to deny Christ any request that he should after
this make : he would never have advanced the human nature to that abso luteness else. Those two great monarchs made great grants and largesses, the one to Esther, the other to Herodias s daughter ; but yet they were limited
only to the half of their kingdoms ; so Mark vi. 22. and Esth. v. 6, and the
royal power in their kingdoms they meant still to retain and reserve wholly to themselves. But God having placed Christ on his throne, bids him ask even to the whole of his kingdom, for God hath made him a King, sitting on his throne with him, not to share halves, but to have all power in heaven
80 THE TRIUMPH OF FAITH [SECT. V.
* he hath committed all judgment to the Son, to save and con demn whomever he will ; and so far as the kingdom of God goes, or is
and earth ;
extended, he may do anything. So John v. 21, As the Father raiseth
up the dead, so the Son quickeneth whom he will ; for as the Father hath
life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself, ver. 26 ; and hath in like manner given authority to execute judgment also, as the Son of man* (namely, of himself), ver. 27 ; as he said, he had given him
to have life in himself, ver. 26, not dependently, as we have, but inde
pendently, so to execute judgment also, ver. 27. So that Christ s will is
as free, and himself as absolute a monarch and king of himself, as God him
self is. He indeed hath it not a seipso, but in seipso ; not d seipso originally, but from his Father ; but in seipso, independently. Now, then, if he who is king, and may and doth of himself command
all that is done, as absolutely as God himself doth, I speak in respect of
the execution of things downward, by second causes ; if he, over and above, to honour his Father, will ask all that himself hath power to do, what will not be done ? Qui rogat, et imperare potest ; he that can and doth command whatever he would have done, and it is straight done, if he shall ask and
entreat, what will not be done ? As a king who sues for peace, backed with a potent army which is able to win what he entreats for, must needs
treat more effectually, so doth Christ sue for everything with power to
effect it. Remember that he is said here in the text, first to be at God s
right hand, and there to intercede. He treats the salvation of sinners as a
mighty prince treats the giving up some town to him, which lies seated under a castle of his which commands that town : he stands treating with the governor, having his ordnance ready for the battery, and to bring all
into subjection, as 2 Cor. x. 4. And this is a consideration that God him
* Ask, and I
self took, in that 2d Psalm, when he made him that promise,
will give thee, why he made so large a grant. He had said before, ver. 6,
* I have set my King upon my holy hill of Sion, which made him, one would think, past asking, and above the condition of an intercessor. Now God says of him, He is my King, not in respect of his commanding God
(that were blasphemy to think), but it is spoken in respect of commanding
all below him. God having set him in his throne, to do as much as he himself would, or means to have done, says, he is my King, to rule all, not
so much under me as for me, and in my stead, yet absolutely, and
in himself ; the Father judgeth no man. Now when the Father had first made and constituted him thus great a King, then he bids him ask, to whom he had first given this absolute power to command. We may, without blasphemy, say of this God-man, that God hath not only not the heart, as being his Father, but not the power to cross anything he
doth. Thus fast hath he God unto him. Only he who in respect of
this his power is to be honoured as the Father, as John v. 23, yet to honour his Father, who gave this power originally to him as media
tor, he is to ask for that which of himself he yet can do. And there
fore, says God, though thou art a King (so ver. 6), and all my kingdom, even the utmost ends of the earth, are thine inheritance by a natural
right, now that thou art my Son (as ver. 8) ; yet because thou art my King, of my appointing, and I have set thee on the throne (as the word is, ver. 6), and thou art my Son, and I have begotten thee, therefore acknow
* ask of me, and I will give thee the utmost ends of
ledge my grant in all,
the earth for thy inheritance. I cannot deny thee, but I would have thee
ask ; and therefore Christ asks, Yet still withal remember, that he asks
CHAP. VII.] FKOM CHRIST S INTERCESSION. 81
who can command the thing to be done ; and yet, as he must ask ere the
thing be done, so if he ask it must needs be granted. These are the terms between this Father and this Son, who, in a word, had not been so
great a Father if he had not had a Son thus great, that himself could not
deny what this Son would have done. It is for his own honour to have such a Son : so John v. 23, That they might honour the Son as they honour
the Father, therefore all judgment is committed to him. Now, then, if he who hath so much power will join the force of entreaty with a Father
that so loves him ; if he who is the word of his Father, that commands,
* He spake, and it was done; if he will become a word to his Father, and speak a word for us, and ask all that he means to do ; how forcible will such words be ! *
creates, and upholds all, as Heb. i.,
Therefore, observe Christ s manner of praying, John xvii. (which prayer
is a platform of intercession in heaven), ver. 24, Father, I will that they whom thou hast given me be where I am. He prays like a king, who is
in joint commission with God. If God puts that honour upon our prayers, that we are said to have power with God, as Jacob, Hos. xii. 3, that if God be never so angry, yet by taking hold of his strength, we hold his
hands, as Isa. xxvii. 5, that God cries out to Moses, like a man whose hands are held,
* Let me alone, Exod. xxxii. 10, yea that he accounts it as a command and a mandamus, so he styles it, Isa. xlv. 11, command ye me, so unable is he to go against it ; then, how much more doth Jesus
Christ s intercession bind God s hands, and command all in heaven and earth ! Therefore, Zech. i. 12, you have Christ, the Angel of the cove
nant, brought in interceding with the Father for his church; and he speaks abruptly as one full of complaints, and in an expostulating way, Lord of
Hosts, how long wilt thou not be merciful to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah ? and, ver. 13, Zechariah saith, that he observed that the Lord answered the Angel with good words and comfortable. God was fain to
give him good words (as we use to say), that is, words that might pacify him, as words of comfort to us, so good words in respect to the Angel s com
plaint. And you may observe, how in the answer God returns upon it
(which he bade Zechariah write), God excuseth it, as it were, to Christ, that his church had been so long and so hardly dealt withal ; as if beyond his intention, he lays the fault on the instruments,
* I was but a little dis
pleased, but they helped forward the affliction, ver. 15. This is spoken and carried after the manner of men, to shew how tender God is of dis
pleasing Christ our intercessor : that when Christ hath, as it were, been a
long while silent, and let God alone, and his people have been ill dealt
withal, he on the sudden in the end intercedes and complains of it, and it
is not only instantly redressed, but excused for times past, with good words, and comfortable words. Christ s Father will not displease him, nor
go against him in anything. Now that you may see a reason of this, and have all cavils and exceptions taken away, that may arise against this, and how that there is an impossibility that it should be otherwise, know that this Father and this Son, though two
persons, have yet but one will between them, and but one power between them (though the Son, ad extra, outwardly executes all). John x. 30, My Father and I are one ; that is, have but one and the same power to save you, and one mind and will. So also, John v. 19,
* The Son can do nothing of
himself, but what he sees the Father do ; and whatever he doth, the same the Father doth also : they conspire in one, have one power, one will ; and then
it is no matter though God commit all power to the Son, and that the Son,
VOL. rv. F
82 THE TEIUMPH OF FAITH [SECT. V.
though he hath all power, must ask all of the Father, for to be sure what ever he asks, the Father hath not power to deny, for they have but one
will and power. They are one ; so as if God deny him, he must deny him
self, which the apostle tells us he cannot do, 2 Tim. ii. 13. And so in the same sense that God is said not to have power to deny himself, in the same sense it may be said, he hath not power to deny Christ what he asks. Therefore God might well make him an absolute King, and betrust him with all power ; and Christ might well oblige himself, notwithstanding this power, to ask all that he means to do ; for they have but one will and one power, so as our salvation is made sure by this on all hands.
* I come not to do my will, but the will of him who sent me ; and his will is, that I
shall lose none of all those whom he hath given me, John vi. 38, 39. And
* who shall condemn ? It is Christ that intercedes. As who
therefore,
shall resist God s will ? (as the apostle speaks) so who shall resist or gain say Christ s intercession ? God himself cannot, no more than he can gain say or deny himself.