verily he glorified not himself, to be made an High Prieft; but he that faid unto him, Thou art my Son, to-day have I begotten thee, Heb. v. 5. And as the Lord called him to be a Priest, so to all the acts of the priestly office. He called him to make his foul an offering for fin, to pour out his life unto death, and to shed his blood for the fatisfaction of offended justice. In a word, he called him to make intercession for tranfgressors. For fays the Lord, I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me.

2. He intercedes for his people, because they were given him for this end, John xvii. 6. Thine they were, and thou gavest them me. The elect that the Father gave to Chrift were his own three ways. They were creatures, and therefore their life and being were derived from him. They were criminals, and therefore their life and being were forfeited to him. They were chosen, and therefore their living and being were designed for him. They were given to Christ, that the election of grace might not be frustrated, that none of the little ones might perish. Yea, they were given him, that the undertaking of Christ might not be fruitless; for they were given him as his feed, in whom he should fee of the travail of his foul, and be fatisfied, and confequently might not spend his strength and shed his blood in vain. Now, because the elect were thus given to Chrift, therefore he intercedes for them, John xvii. 9. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me, for they are thine.

3. He intercedes for his people, because it is a special part of his priestly office to do so. As the high priest under the law was not only to flay and offer the facrifice in the outer part of the tabernacle, on the anniversary day of expiation, but to enter with the fresh blood into the fanctuary, and sprinkle it seven times; and not only fo, but was to bring a cenfer full of burning coals off the altar, with incense in his hands, to be put upon the fue before the Lord

within the vail, that so the cloud in the incenfe might cover the mercy-feat: in like manner, after our great High Prieft had offered himself a sacrifice to God in his bloody death, he entered into heaven, not only with his blood, but with the incense of his prayers, as a cloud about the mercy-feat, to preserve by his life the falvation which he had purchased by his death. Hence the apostle assures us, that our falvation depends upon his intercession, and his interceffion upon his priesthood, Heb. vii. 24. 25. This man, because be continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost, that come unto God by him, feeing he ever liveth to make interceffion for them.

4. He intercedes for his people, because he was their propitiation; for the efficacy of his plea depends upon the value and virtue of his facrifice. As the high priest under the law could not enter into the holy of holies, till by the flaying of the sacrifice he had blood to carry with him: so no more could our Prieft be admitted to folicit at the throne of grace, till by his death he had fatisfied the tribunal of justice. Thus because he paid the debt as our Surety, he is fit to plead the payment as our attorney. What he finished on earth, he continually presents in heaven. By shedding his blood he made expiation, and by presenting it he makes intercession. In the one he prepared the remedy, and in the other he applies it.

5. He intercedes for his people, because his doing so is one of the great ends of his ascension and. fefsion at the right hand of God. In his incarnation he came down from the Father to acquaint us with his gracious purposes, and how far he had agreed with God on our behalf; and at his ascension he went from us to the Father, to sue out the benefits which he had so dearly purchased. He drew up an answer upon the cross to the bill that sin, by virtue of the law, had drawn against us, and afcended to heaven as an Ad vocate to plead that anfwer upon his throne, and to

rejoin to all the replies against it. And therefore the apostle tells us, that he is entered into heaven, to appear in the prefence of God for us, Heb. ix. 24.

6. He intercedes for his people, because of that matchless and amazing love which he bears to them. He loves them with a love infinitely transcending the reach of human or angelic conception; he loves them with a love that knows neither height nor depth, breadth nor length, but is absolutely incomprehensible, His love to them brought him down from heaven, and made him willingly undergo all those forrows and fufferings, which like impetuous torrents poured in upon him. And certainly seeing in his love and in his pity he purchased eternal redemption for them, he will never cease to plead for the application of it to them. Seeing in such plentiful streams he shed his precious blood to save them, it is not to be imagined that he will spare his prayers for them.

7. He intercedes for his people, because this service of love is that wherein he takes the greatest delight and pleasure. Before time existed, his delights were with the fons of men; and when the fulness of time did dawn, he faid, Lo, I come, &c. He had a delight to live with the fons of men, and to die for them. And no fooner does he enter heaven, after his death and refurrection, but there he delights to act on their account, to plead their cause, and to intercede for all the bleffing of his purchase to them. This is the will of the Father, and he delights to do it.

I conclude all with an inference or two.

1. How wonderful is the love of God in appointing an Interceffor for us, not an angel, but his own beloved Son! Were we left to ourselves, and to our own pleas, our leaft fins would ruin us, and all the grounds of interceffion we could plead upon would be rejected, as unworthy of acceptance before the throne of God.

2. How wonderful is the love of our Redeemer, in condescending to act so friendly a part to us, notwithflanding all our unworthiness, and foul miscarriages

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against him! How should it fill our hearts with wonder, that he who is our Judge, should take upon him to manage our cause in the court of heaven; that he who has a mouth to condemn us, and wrath to confume us for our fins, should bind the arms of his wrath, and employ his tongue to folicit our cause, and procure us the richest blessings!

3. Then true believers have a friend in the court of heaven, who is agenting their cause, managing their concerns, and will make all things work together for their good. Whatever their cause be, and however fearful they may be about the issue of it, all shall go right at length, through the interest of their mighty Interceffor.

4. Believers cannot finally miscarry and utterly fall away: for they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. Their Redeemer ever liveth to make interceflion for them. So that neither their own fins, nor all the temptations of Satan, nor the frowns or allurements of the world, shall ever prevail to make them fall from their stedfaftness, or from the favour of God: for Christ as their High Prieft hath died for their fins, and will never intermit his, fuits to God in their behalf till they be safely brought to glory.

5. Lastly, Employ the Lord Jesus Christ as your High Prieft to bring you to God, depending on his merit as the ground of the expiation of your guilt, and giving you a title unto eternal life. And make ufe of him as your Advocate with the Father, to procure you all the blefsings you stand in need of for time and eternity.

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PSALM ii. 6.

Yet have I fet my King upon my holy hill of Zion.

HE New Testament leaves us no ground to

T doubt of our Lord Jesus Christ being the per

fon here spoke of, as several passages in this pfalm are expressly therein applied to him. The words contain a direct affertion of Chrift's being appointed King of Zion, his spiritual kingdom. Therein we have,

1. His office: He is a King, invested with all regal power and princely authority: being King of kings, and Lord of lords; yea, the Prince of the kings of the earth. And this name he hath written on his vesture and on his thigh, Rev, xix. 16.

2. His kingdom, over which he rules, the holy hill of Zion; which was an eminent type of the gofpelchurch, and is called holy, because the temple, the house of God, was built upon it.

3. His right to this kingdom; I have fet him my King, fays Jehovah. The Father hath placed him in that office, giving him, as God-man, Mediator, all power in heaven and in earth. He is given to be head over all things to the church.

4. The ftability of this kingdom against all attempts made to oppose or destroy it, Yet have I fet my King, &c. Though enemies roar and rage, and leave no means unessayed to hinder the erection and establishment thereof; yet all their plots shall be unsuccessful, and all their deliberations shall miscarry. I have fet him as King, and will maintain his throne.

The doctrinal proposition arising from the words is,
Рост, Chrift executes the office of a King.

In difcourfing from this doctrine, I shall shew,
I. That Chrift is a King.

II. What fort of a kingdom the kingdom of Chrift