Chapter VIII
The potency and prevalency of Christ s intercession, demonstrated from the
graciousness of the person with whom he intercedes, considered Jirst as he i&
the Father of Christ himself.
(2.) We have seen the greatness of the person interceding, and many considerations from thence, which may persuade us of his prevailing for us. Let us now, in the next place, consider the graciousness of the person with whom he intercedes, which the Scripture, for our comfort herein, doth dis
tinctly set before us, to the end that in this great matter our joy and secu
rity may every way be full. Thus in that, 1 John ii. 1, when for the com
fort and support of believers, against the evil of the greatest sins that can
befall them after conversion, the apostle minds them of Christ s intercession
in those words, If any man sin, we have an advocate, Jesus Christ the
righteous; mentioning therein the power and prevalency of such an advo
cate, through his own righteousness. But yet, over and above all this, the more fully to assure us of his good success herein for us, he also adds,
* An advocate with the Father. He insinuates and suggests the relation and
gracious disposition of him upon whose supreme will our case ultimately dependeth, the Father, as affording a new comfort and encouragement, even as great as doth the righteousness and power of the person interceding. He says not, with God only, as elsewhere, but
* with the Father. And
that his words might afford the more full matter of confidence, and be the more comprehensive, and take in all, he expresseth not this relation of God
limitedly, as confined to his Fatherhood, either unto Christ only, or us
alone. He says not only, an advocate with his Father, though that would have given much assurance, or with your Father, though that might afford much boldness ; but indefinitely he says,
* with the Father, as intending to take in both ; to ascertain us of the prevailing efficacy of Christ s inter
cession from both. You have both these elsewhere more distinctly, and on
purpose, and together mentioned, John xx. 17, I go to my Father, and
your Father, says Christ there. And it was spoken after that all his dis
ciples had before forsaken him, and Peter denied him ; when Christ himself could send them the greatest cordial that his .heart could utter, and wrap
CHAP. VIII.] FROM CHRIST S INTERCESSION. 83
up the strongest sublimation of comforts in one pill. What was it ? Go,
tell them (says he) not so much that I have satisfied for sin, overcome death, or am risen, but that I ascend. For in that which Christ doth for us
being ascended, lies the height, the top of our comfort. And whereas he
might have said (and it had been matter of unspeakable comfort) I ascend
to heaven, and so, where I am you shall be also ; yet he chooseth rather to
say, I ascend to the Father : for that indeed contained the foundation,
spring, and cause of their comfort, even that relation of God s, his Father
hood, with which Christ was to deal after his ascending for them. And
because when, before his death, he had spoken of his going to his Father,
their hearts had been troubled, John xiv. 28, they thinking it was for his own preferment only (as Christ s speech there implies they did) therefore he here distinctly adds, I ascend to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. He had in effect spoken as much before, in the words
foregoing, Go, tell my brethren, but that was only implicitly ; therefore, more plainly and explicitly he says it, for their further comfort, I go to my Father and your Father. And consider that Christ being now newly risen, and having as yet not seen his disciples, and being now to send a message, his first message, a gospel of good tidings to them, and that in a brief sen
tence, by a woman ; he chooseth out this as the first word to be spoken from him now, when he was come out of the other world, at their first hear
say of his return, he utters forth at once, the bottom, the depth, of all com
fort, the sum of all joy, than which the gospel knows no greater, nor can go
higher. So as if Christ should intend now at this day to send good news from heaven to any of you, it would be but this, I am here an advocate,
interceding with my Father and thy Father. All is spoken in that. Even he could not speak more comfort, who is the God of comfort. Now, there
fore, let us apart consider these two relations, which afford each of them
their proper comfort and assurance ; both that Christ is ascended and inter
cedes with his own Father, and also with our Father ; and, therefore, how
prevailing must this intercession be !
First, Christ intercedes with his Father, who neither will nor can deny him anything. To confirm this, you have a double testimony, and of two
of the greatest witnesses in heaven : both a testimony of Christ s own, whilst he was on earth, and God s own word also declared since Christ came to heaven. The former, in the llth of John, whilst Christ was here on
earth, and had not as then fully performed that great service which he was
to finish ; which since he having done, it must needs ingratiate him the more with God his Father. When Lazarus was now four days dead, Martha, to move Christ to pity her, first tells him that if he had been there before her brother died, that then he had not died ; and then (as having spoke too little) she adds, yea, thou canst, if thou pleasest, remedy it yet. But I know (says she, ver. 22) that even now (though he be so long dead), * whatever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Here was her con
fidence in Christ s intercession, though this were a greater work than ever
yet Christ had done any. And Christ seeing her faith in this, he confirms her speech when he came to raise him, and takes a solemn occasion to
declare that God had never denied him any request that he had ever put up to
him, first thanking God particularly that he had heard him in this, ver. 41, * Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. He had (it seems) prayed for the thing at her entreaty; and now, before the thing was done, he
(being assured his prayer was heard) gives thanks, so confident was he of
his being heard. And then, secondly, shews upon what this his confidence
84 THE TRIUMPH OF FAITH [SECT. Y.
at this time was grounded, his constant experience that God had never denied him any request ; for it follows, ver. 42, And I know that thou
nearest me always, and therefore was so bold as to express my confidence
in this before the thing was done, but because of them who stood by, I
said it. As if he had said, though I gave this public thanks for being heard only in this one miracle, and at no time the like so publicly ; yet this is no new thing, but thus it hath been always hitherto in all the
miracles I have wrought, and requests I have put up, which made me so to
give thanks beforehand ; and this is not the first time that God hath heard me thus, which I speak, that they might believe. Thus he was never denied on earth from the first to the last. For this was one of his greatest miracles, and reserved unto the last, even a few days before his crucifying.
And now he hath performed the service designed him, and is come to
heaven, let us, secondly, hear God himself speak, what he means to do for him. You heard before, when he came first to heaven, what God said to
him, and how he welcomed him with a Sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstool. And before Christ opened his mouth to
speak a word, by way of any request to God, which was the office that he was now to execute, God himself prevented him, and added, Thou art my Son ; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I will give thee, Ps.
ii. ver. 8. He speaks it at Christ s first coming up to heaven, when he had
* King on his holy hill, as ver. 6. Christ was new glorified, which was as a new begetting to him,
his
* To-day have I begotten thee. And this
is as if he had said, I know you will ask me now for all that you have died
for : and this I promise you beforehand, before you speak a word, or make
any request unto me, you shall ask nothing but it shall be granted ; and
this I speak once for all as a boon and a grace granted you upon your
birthday, as the solemnest celebration of it ; for such was his resurrection, and ascension, and sitting at God s right hand, This day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I will give thee. So full of joy was his Father s heart that he had his Son in heaven with him, whom he had begotten from
everlasting, and ordained to this glory, who was lately dead, and in a man ner lost, and therefore now (as it were) new begotten. God s heart was so
full that he could not hold from expressing it in the largest favours and
grants. And whereas kings upon their own birthdays use to grant such
favours to their favourites, so Herod on his birthday, to the daughter of
Herodias, promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask, Mat. xiv. 7. God himself having no birthday, not being of himself capable of it, yet having a Son who had, he honours him with that grace upon that
day. And if Queen Esther (a subject, yea, a slave, in her original condi
tion) was so prevalent for the Jews, her people and nation, when their
case was desperate, and when there was an irrevocable decree past, and that not to be altered, for their ruin and destruction, then what will not Christ, so great a Son, even equal with his Father, prevail for with his Father for
his brethren? Be their case for the time past never so desperate, be
there never so many threatenings gone out against them, never so many precedents and examples of men condemned before for the like sins, and in
the like case, yet Christ can prevail against them all.
CHAP. IX.] FROM CHRIST S INTERCESSION. 85