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may, on certain occasions at least, be made in words. However this may be-and very eminent men have been divided in opinion on the subject—it is agreed on all hands, that his appearance in heaven, in that body in which he suffered on earth for his people, is virtually a perpetual intercession with the Father, in their behalf. It is expressly declared in scripture, that "Christ is entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:" and the presence there of that glorified body in which remain the prints of the nails and the spear, and of that sacred head which was crowned with thorns, and of those holy lips which expressed his agony in the garden and on the cross-the very presence of these, speaks and pleads beyond all the eloquence of words, whether of men or of angels. An illustration of this from a historical fact is given by Doddridge, in his sermon on the intercession of Christ, in the following passage:

"Now this appearance of Christ in heaven, which is expressed by his standing in the midst of the throne, as a lamb that had been slain, may properly be called a virtual intercession. There is a language in that circumstance, more forcible than in any words that we can imagine. This is happily illustrated by the pious Mr. Flavel, by the story of Amyntas and Eschylus, as Ælian relates it. Eschylus was condemned to death by the Athenians, and was just going to be led to execution. His brother Amyntas had signalized himself in the service of his country; and on the day of a most illustrious victory, in a great measure obtained by his means, had lost his hand. He came into the court just as his brother was condemned, and without saying any thing, drew the stump of his arm from under his garment, and held it up in their sight; and the historian tells us, that when the judges saw this mark of his sufferings, they remembered what he had done, and discharged his brother, though he had forfeited his life.' Thus does Christ, our dear elder brother, silently, but powerfully, plead for our forfeited lives: And such is the happy consequence. His Father looks on the marks of his sufferings, and remembers what he has done; and

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in this sense His blood is continually speaking better things than the blood of Abel. We have an advocate with the Father, who is also the propitiation for our sins.”

You may perhaps be ready to think that this illustration is hardly suitable to the subject of Christ's intercession; and truly there is no transaction among men that can pretend to compare with it, either in dignity or interest. But the inspired penmen themselves, do not hesitate to illustrate heavenly things by those which are earthly. And the condescension of God, in thus accommodating himself to our capacities and apprehensions, only makes a more powerful demand on our admiration and love. No thought can be more interesting and delightful to an humble and self emptied sinner, than that he has in heaven a friend, an advocate, an intercessor, who is "touched with the feeling of his infirmities;" who knows, better than he knows himself, all his desires and perplexities; and who will make effectual prayer of every petition that he offers, before the throne of God on high.

From a consideration of the priestly office of Christ, let me exhort you-1. To reflect seriously on the evil of sin. Who can estimate the intrinsick malignity and ill desert of that evil, for which divine justice could not be satisfied, but by an expiation which required, in order to its being made, the inconceivable sufferings and ignominious death of the Son of God himself? And O my young friends! if "these things were done in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry!" If the immaculate Saviour suffered as he did, only when standing in place of the guilty, how will the soul of the sinner himself suffer, when divine justice shall exact from him its full demand, for all his personal transgressions! And this exaction will surely be made, of every sinner who dies without a personal interest in that great atonement which Christ Jesus has made-made for the benefit of those-and those only-who by faith are united to him, before the day of grace is forever closed by death. You are by nature and by practice sinners; and from each of you personally, this exaction will be made, if not prevented by a flight to Christ, and a re

liance on his merits alone for pardon and salvation. Fidelity to your souls and my own, requires that I plainly warn, as now I do, those of you who have not yet embraced the Saviour, that the accumulated guilt of all their transgressions. rests upon them; and that if not speedily removed by the atoning blood of Christ, it will press them down to a perdition hopeless and eternal. Therefore

2. Be urged to make no delay in availing yourselves of that merciful provision, which a gracious God has made for your deliverance from all the consequences of sin; and to raise you. to all the happiness and the glory, which the once suffering but now exalted Redeemer will bestow, on all those whom he has bought with his precious blood. The priestly office of Christ is full of terror, as you have seen, on the one hand; but it is equally full of persuasion and encouragement, on the other. By that one offering which the Lord Jesus has made of himself, he has opened the way for the very chief of sinners to return to God, with an assurance that, for the sake of the atoning and interceding Saviour, all their offences shall be freely cancelled; and all the blessings and benefits of his purchase be made over to them. What an encouragement is here to press into the kingdom of God! For the guilty and condemned, an all-sufficient surety is provided, who invites, and urges, and commands them to come to him, and receive, as his free gift, pardon, salvation and eternal life. He stands before the throne of the Sovereign of heaven and earth, whose justice he has fully satisfied, to plead his own merits, in behalf of every penitent and returning sinner. His intercession makes effectual prayer of every petition which they believingly offer in his name. O confess your sins, with a sincere and contrite heart!-Take to yourselves the charge of guilt with all its aggravations, and without attempting palliation. You are completely guilty, and entirely undone in yourselves. But there is a complete salvation provided for you in Christ. Renounce your own righteousness with abhorrence, and with gratitude unspeakable, accept of his. Send up your cries through his prevalent intercession, for the Holy Spirit, to

renew you in the temper of your minds; to work in your hearts that faith which shall form an indissoluble bond of union between him and your souls; and ensure to you ere long, an admission to his blissful presence in the mansions of eternal purity and peace. Amen.

LECTURE XXIII.

How doth Christ execute the office of a King?

"CHRIST executeth the office of a king, in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies."

I have heretofore had occasion to show, that the kingly office of Christ is plainly taught in the holy scripture. To this office he was ordained, or appointed, even from everlasting. It is the general opinion of orthodox divines, that to him the personification of wisdom refers, which we find in the 8th chapter of the book of Proverbs; where it is said— "I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was." It is clearly the doctrine of scripture, that the universe was created by Christ, and for him; and that he is made "head over all things to the church." "By him (says the apostle) were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist: And he is the head of

the body the church."

Thus it appears that Christ Jesus is the sovereign Lord of creation, and exercises his dominion with a special reference to his church and people. From the nature of the case, he could not exercise his kingly office as a part of his mediatorial character and work, till after the fall of our first parents. Till there were sinners and rebels against God, there was no

room for the functions of a Mediator. But immediately after the fall, the kingly office of Christ, as mediator between God and man, began to be exercised. The promise was then made, that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head-a promise to be fulfilled in the exercise of divine and sovereign power, which was to be manifested by Christ, as the king of his church.

The throne of this mighty potentate,-this King of Zion, -is in heaven. The Lamb that "is in the midst of the throne, (says St. John speaking of heaven) shall feed his people, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters." This is now a throne of grace to his people, to which they are invited to approach with a holy boldness, "that they may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." This throne, at the consummation of all things, shall be placed in the visible aerial heavens;-it shall be set as a throne of judgment for angels and men, and they shall stand before it, to receive from Christ the award of life or death eternal.

Even now, the king of Zion sways his sceptre with resistless efficacy, both over his friends and foes. The gospel is the sceptre of his grace, which, accompanied by the power of his Spirit, is made effectual, first to gather, and afterwards to guide and govern, his own people. The power of his anger is that iron sceptre whereby he dashes his enemies in pieces, and destroys all those who inflexibly refuse his grace. He is called in scripture the "Lord of hosts," and all the armies in heaven, whether saints or angels, obey his commands. Nay, Satan and all his host, are not only perfectly under his control, but are the executioners of his wrath on the wicked of this world, who will not have him to reign over them. Satan is permitted (and he only waits for the permission) to inflict on them the judgments which their crimes invoke. At the bidding of the King of Zion, too, the elements of nature, or the meanest of the animal or reptile tribes, become the scourges of mankind.

Christ also receives a continual tribute of voluntary praise,

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