Chapter X (continued, part 6)
stead, as 2 Cor. v. 20, and as ambassadors do in his stead beseech you ; and herein we are lawful ambassadors ; so as it is, as if God by us did beseech you, and we exceeding not our commission ; God will make it good, as kings use to do the treaties of their ambassadors in the like, when they do things in their names and according to their instructions. God the Father s warrant we have to go to his Son, and he condemns us if we do not.
And, 2. Jesus Christ will not be your hindrance ; for he hath said, John vi. 37, * Whosoever cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out. And we have reason to think him willing ; for it was the end of his death, that he might see his seed and be satisfied. Christ needed not have pur chased it for himself, who was and is * God blessed for ever ; and there fore is not desirous to keep it to himself; it is no profit to him to have it lie by him : he had rather it should be put out, and that others should share in it. And who should ? The good angels have no need of it, and the bad ones are incapable ; therefore for us poor sons of men it is or dained, called therefore man s righteousness.
And, besides, he was God s servant (as was said) in that great work. When, therefore, I come to him with his father s warrant and command (which you heard you have), it is as if you should come to the lord trea surer with a ticket from the king for so much money ; he must dispense it, for it is the king s money, as this God s righteousness, and so called; and he is but the king s servant, as Christ also was. And it is also his office ; for why else was he appointed priest ? (as she said, Why art thou a king, if thou wilt not do me justice ?) for Heb. v. iii., If one brought a sacrifice to the priest, he was bound to offer it by the law, otherwise he failed in his oflice ; and so is Christ to present thee to his Father, if thou comest to him : John x. he says, His sheep he must bring ; he looks at it as his duty.
Only this he will say to thee, that as his Father hath appointed him a priest, and he is but a servant in this dispensation of righteousness, yet his Father hath appointed him a king, a head, a husband to thee, to sub mit to ; and that he will require of thee, or thou shalt have no benefit by his death ; as thou hast a patent for righteousness, he hath a charter for sovereignty over thee, and obedience from thee ; which is the second thing you are to be convinced of.
THREE SEEMONS ON HEB. I. 1, 2.
THREE SERMONS ON HEB. I. 1, 2.