Looking unto Jesus a view of the everlasting gospel, or, the souls eying of Jesus as carrying on the great work of mans salvation from first to last / by Isaac Ambrose ...

SECT. I. What the Intercession of Christ is.

WE have spoken of Christ's entrance into Heaven, and of his immediate actings after his entrance there; that transaction which yet remains, and will remain untill his coming again, it is his Intercession for the Saints. In these actings of Christ in Heaven (if we will fol∣low him) we must go from glory to glory; no sooner come we out of one room of glory, but presently we step into another as glorious as that before: one would think, enough had been said already of the glo∣ry of Christ, and of our glory in Christ; who would not willingly sit down under the shadow of this hap∣piness, and go no further? but yet this is not all; so thick and fast doth the glory of Christ break in upon us, that no sooner out of one, but presently we are led into the bosom of another. Oh what a blessed thing is it to be viewing Christ, and to be looking up to Jesus Christ! Saints might do nothing else (if they pleased) but ravish their hearts with the diversity of heavenly light and comfort, which breaks forth from the bosom of Jesus Christ. Here is now another mystery as great, and amazing, as the former, which springs out before our eyes in this transaction of Christ's Intercession.

And in prosecution of this, as in the former, I shall first lay down the object, and secondly direct you how to look upon it. The object is Jesus carrying on the great work of our salvation in his Intercession: in ordering of which, I shall examine these particulars; —

• 1. What is this intercession of Christ?
• 2. According to what nature doth Christ intercede?
• 3. To whom is Christ's intercession directed?
• 4. For whom is the intercession made?
• 5. What agreement betwixt Christ's intercessions, and the intercessions of the High-Priests of old?
• 6. W••••t is the difference betwixt Christ's intercession, and the intercessions of those High-Priests?
• 7. What are the properties of this intercession of Jesus Christ?
• 8. Wherein more especially doth the intercessions of Christ consist?
• 9. How powerful, and prevailing are Christ's intercessions with God his Father.
• 10. What are the reasons of this great transaction of Christ's intercession for his people?

1. What is the intercession of Christ? some define it thus, Christ's intercession is that part of his Priestly office, whereby Christ is Advocate, and intreater of God the Fa∣ther for the faithful. I shall give it thus, Christ's intercession is his gracious will, fer∣vently and immovably desiring, that for the perpetual vert•••• of his sacrifice, all his members might both for their persons and duties be accepted of the Father. 1. I call the intercession of Christ his own gracious will; for we must not imagine that Christ, in his intercession, prostrates himself upon his knees before his Fathers Throne, uttering some submissive form of words or prayers; that is not beseeming the Majesty of him that sits at God's right hand; when he was but yet on Earth, the substance of his requests for his Saints run thus, Father I will, that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am; and how much more now he is in Heaven, is this the form of his intercessions, Father I will this, and I will that. 2. The ground of foundation of Christ's intercession, is the sacrifice, or death of Christ; and hence we make two parts of Christ's Priest-hood, or oblation; the one expiatory, when Christ suffered upon the Cross; the other presenta∣tory, when he doth appear in Heaven before God for us; the one was finished on Earth, when Christ suffered without the gate; the other is performed in Heaven, now Christ is within the City; the one was a sacrifice indeed, the other is not so much a sacrifice as the commemoration of a sacrifice; the first was an act of humiliation, and this latter is an act of glory; the first was performed once for all, this latter is done continually; the first was for the obtaining of redemption, and this latter is for the application of redemp∣tion; so that the ground of this is that; Christ fervently and immoveably desires his Father for the sake and vertue of his sacrifice. 3. The subject-matter interceded for, is, that all the Saints and their service, might find acceptance with God; first Christ's inter∣cession is for our persons, and then Christ's intercession is for our works, for as out per∣sons are but in part regenerate, and in part unregenerate; or in part flesh, and in part spirit; so be our duties, part good, and part evil; in part spiritual, and in part sinful; now by Christ's intercession is Christ's satisfaction applied to our persons, and by consequence the defect of our duties is covered and removed; and both we and our works are appro∣ved and accepted of God the Father. And thus much for the nature of Christ's inter∣cession, what it is.

Notes

• John 17.24.