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He deftroy'd Death by the Power of his Resurrection, opening thereby the Gates of the Grave, and rifing thence, firft himself as our Head, and then drawing us his Members after him. The last Enemy (fays the Apoftle) which shall be destroy'd, is Death: which he did, by deftroying him that had the Power of Death, which is the Devil; and thereby freed his Followers from all the Powers of Hell and Darkness.

This is, in fhort, the Victory obtain'd for us by Jefus Chrift over his and our Enemies, of which we have abundant affurance by his afcending up into Heaven, and his fitting down at the right Hand of the Majefty on high which Victory, tho begun, and in fome measure confer'd on us here, yet will not be completed till his fecond Coming, and the time of the Reftitution of all things. In the mean time let us confider,

2. Another great Privilege we enjoy by his fitting at the right Hand of God; and that is, his interceding and pleading our Cause in Heaven for us: and this he doth, not by any verbal or vocal Addrefs, not by formal Pleas or Supplications; but by presenting himself, and appearing in the prefence of God for us, fhewing his Merits for our Discharge, and exhibiting the Virtue of his Sacrifice, that we may obtain Grace and Help in time of need. For as the High Priest under the Law went into the Holy of Holies with the Blood of Expiation, and by fprinkling and presenting it before the Mercy-Seat, obtain'd Mercy and Pardon for the Sins of the People, Levit. 16. even fo our High Priest is enter'd into Heaven with the Blood of his Sacrifice, and prefenting it at God's right Hand, intercedes in our behalf, and procures Mercy for us. So the Apostle affures us, He ever liveth to make Interceffion for us; Heb. 7. 25. 7. 25. And if any Man fin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Fefus Christ the Righteous; 1 John 2. 1.

Now his Interceffion must be very powerful, and cannot but prevail and fucceed for us; for being ftill near at hand, and fo highly exalted at God's right Hand, he is ever ready to present our Petitions, and to receive Returns, and is always heard in what he asks. But befide his nearness and dearnefs to his Father, he pleads not only the Father's Promife but his own Purchase; and afks no more than his Merits claim for us: which must make his Interceffion prevalent beyond all Expreffions. He hath all Power given him both in Heaven and Earth, and can grant what he pleafes: If ye ask the Father any thing (fays he) in my Name,

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I will do it, that the Father may be glorify'd in the Son;

John 14. 13, 14.

But may we move him then for any thing we pleafe, and are we fure to fpeed in whatever we afk?

Yes, in all that is proper for us to afk, and fit for us to receive; all, that God hath promis'd, and our Saviour purchas'd: both which extend to all that is neceffary and convenient for us. We may not indeed move for any thing that tends to the difhonour of God, or the prejudice of our own Souls, as fome things we are fond of too often do: for thefe things being contrary both to his Nature and Will, and inconfiftent with the Goodnefs as well as the Glory of God, are not the proper matter of our Requests; and the Mercy would not be fo great in the Grant, as in the Denial. Our Saviour, in acting as our Interceffor, hath a due regard both to the Honour of his Father, and the Happiness of his Followers, and therefore will not appear in any thing that is prejudicial to either: But for all the Mercies and Bleffings of the New Covenant, all the Benefits promis'd by the Father, and purchas'd by the Son, thefe being all for our Good and God's Glory, he allows us to ask, and is ever ready and willing to bestow.

But for whom doth Chrift now intercede at God's Right Hand? Have all Men a fhare and intereft in his Interceffion?

No, as the Merits of his Death, fo the Mercies of his Interceffion appertain only to his own People; he neither fhed his Blood here on Earth, nor fhews it now in Heaven for wicked and obdurate Perfons, who continue in Sin that Grace may abound. No, 'tis only the Penitent, Faithful, and returning Sinners, whofe Caufe our Saviour pleads at the Tribunal of Heaven, and there procures Mercy and Pardon for them; he leaves obftinate and obdurate Offenders to themselves, who must therefore perifh thro' their own Impenitence: I pray not (fays he) for the World, but for them which thou haft given me out of the World, that they all may be one, and that where I am, there they may be alfo; John 17. He intercedes not for carelefs and prefumptuous Perfons, who think and fay that all is done for them, and will be at no pains to work out their own Salvation; that depend only upon abfolute Prómifes, and talk of nothing but overpowering and irrefiftible Grace, without ufing their own Endeavours, or obferving the Conditions of the New Covenant: Thefe are left to fatisfy and help themselves as

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well as they can; and if they cannot, juftly mifcarry by their own Negligence: for Chrift no where offers Pardon but to the Penitent, nor faving Grace but to the fincere and found Believer.

Thus we fee both the Senfe and Certainty of Christ's Seffion at the right Hand of God, together with the great Benefits and Privileges that accrue to his Followers by it.

It remains that we proceed to the Use we are to make of it. And,

1. From Chrift's being exalted and feated in Heaven, we may learn the Error of the Doctrine of Transubstantiation : for Chrift's natural Body having all the Properties of a Body as ours have, as appears by his appealing to the Senfes of his Difciples about it, it must be circumfcrib'd and confin'd to a Place as ours are; and confequently, if it be locally afcended into Heaven, it cannot, with a local Defcent from thence, be corporaily prefent here on Earth, and much less in many thoufand Places at once: and if the Heavens must contain him till the time of the Reftitution of all things, 'tis abfurd to imagine that the Prieft, by the powerful Charm of a few Words, fhould be able to fetch him thence at pleasure.

2. From Chrift's being exalted to the highest Honour and Power at God's right Hand, we may learn to pay the greateft Homage, Reverence and Subjection to him; for God hath thus highly exalted him, that at the Name of Fefus every Knee should bow, and every Tongue confess that Fefus Chrift is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father Phil. 2. 9, 10, 11. Subject we must be to him, for he must reign till he hath put all his Enemies under his feet and if we do not fubmit to his Kingdom of Grace here, in order to follow him to his Kingdom of Glory hereafter, we fhall be forc'd at last, to ftoop to the Kingdom of his Power; when he will bruise those with a Rod of Iron that would not fubmit to his Golden Scepter, and cause those his Enemies, that would not that he should reign over them, to be brought forth and flain before him.

3. From Chrift's making all his and our Enemies his Footstool, by fitting at the right Hand of God, we may learn to rejoice in and congratulate the Happiness of the Victory, triumphing in the words of the Apoftle; 0 Death, where is thy Sting? O Grave, where is thy Victory? But thanks be to God, who giveth us the Victory thro' our Lord

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Jefus Chrift. We may challenge Sin and Satan, Death and Hell, to do their worst, and say with the Apostle, Who shall lay any thing to the Charge of God's Elect? it is Christ that died, yea rather that is rifen again, and fet down at the right Hand of God: which is matter of the greatest Joy

and Exultation.

4. From Chrift's fubduing all Enemies under his feet, let us learn to put our Trust in him in the greatest Exigencies, for he is faithful that hath promis'd: and being advanc'd to fo high a Dignity at God's right Hand, is both able and willing to help us. Let us therefore commit ourselves to bim in well-doing, without giving way to any anxious and distrustful Fears, and much lefs betaking ourselves to any finifter and indirect ways for our own fafety; knowing that if we fuffer with him here, we shall hereafter reign with. him in Glory. In the mean time, let us look unio Fefus the Author and Finber of our Faith, who for the Foy that was fet before him, endur'd the Cross, and defpis'd the Shame, and is now fet down at the right Hand of the Majesty on high; left we be weary and faint in our Minds.

5. From Chrift's interceding for us at God's right Hand, let us learn to come boldly to the Throne of Grace, that we may obtain Mercy, and find Grace to help in time of need. Let us lift up holy Hands without Wrath and Doubting, having fo good a Friend and Advocate to plead for us in the Court of Heaven.

6. Let us learn hence, to rely upon his Interceffion, without feeking to any other Mediators; for there is one Mediator between God and Men, the Man Christ Jesus. He hath all Power in Heaven and Earth, and confequently as there can be no need, fo neither have we any warrant to have recourse to any other.

Lastly, Chrift having advanc'd our Nature to fo high a Dignity at God's right Hand, let us learn the greatest Purity, and not make the Members of Christ to become the Members of a Harlot; but rather, being rifen with Chrift, let us feck those things that are above, where Chrift fitteth at the right Hand of God.

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DISCOURSE XXI.

2 TIM. iv. part of the 1ft Verfe.

The Lord Jefus Chrift fhall judge the Quick and the Dead, at his Appearing and his Kingdom.

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E have feen our Bleffed Saviour afcended up into Heaven, and there feated at the right Hand of God: We are now to behold him coming from thence in Power and great Glory, to exercife the last Act of his Regal Power, which is the highest step of his Exaltation. And this is contain'd in the

Next Article of our Creed, in thefe words; From thence he shall come to judge the Quick and the Dead. Where we have,

First, Our Saviour's fecond Coming from Heaven: From thence he shall come; exprefs'd in the Text by his appearing in his Kingdom.

Secondly, The End and Defign of it, which is to judge the World.

Thirdly, The Perfons that are to be judg'd, and they are the Quick and the Dead. The

First Thing we here profefs to believe, is Chrift's Second Coming; From thence he shall come. And of this we have many clear and exprefs Revelations in Holy Scripture: Enoch, the feventh from Adam, prophefied of it, saying, Bebold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his Angels; Jude, ver. 14. Daniel, in his Vifion, faw one like the Son of Man coming in the Clouds of Heaven; Dan. 7. 13, 14. His firft Coming was in great Humility, cloth'd in all the circumftances of Meannefs and Mifery; but his fecond Coming will be in Power and great Glory, attended with a numerous Train of Angels, and appearing in his Kingdom with Majefty and Splendor, futable to the Greatnefs of his Person, and the Dignity of his Errand: For fo we read, Matth. 25. The Son of Man fhall come in the Glory of his Father, with

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