seem,

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and for uncleanness. His intercession has the same effect. If he was manifested on earth to take away sin in its guilt, he interposes in heaven to take away sin in its defilement. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.-Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth.' From this it would that believers are indebted to the intercession of the Redeemer, for all that repugnance to sin which leads them to crucify the flesh, to mortify the deeds of the body, to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to abstain from all appearance of evil; and for all that love of holiness which prompts them to indulge pure thoughts, to cherish sacred desires, to form spiritual resolutions, and to practise sanctified obedience. The expulsion of sin, the implantation of the principle of righteousness, and the maintenance of habitual holiness, all proceed directly from this source. Sanctification in life, as well as in nature, is one of the gifts which the ascended Mediator has received for the rebellious, and with the bestowment of which his advocacy on high is inseparably connected. Without this, indeed, never could the believer subdue a single corruption, or think a single hallowed thought, or feel a single pure emotion, or speak a single holy word, or perform a single unpolluted act.

And thus is the perseverance of the saints in general secured. Accusations, after being answered,

John xvii. 15, 17.

may be renewed; temptations, once resisted, may be repeated; holiness, once imparted, may have its strength weakened, or its lustre obscured. It is necessary that perseverance to the end, in acquittal, resistance, and sanctification, be secured. And this is effected in the same way as the incipient benefit. 'I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.' If the faith fail not, there can be no accusation without its answer, no temptation but is sure to be repelled, nor any kind or degree of holiness finally unattained. But the stability of the believer arises not from his faith, nor from any thing about himself, not even from the work of grace in his soul; but from that to which he is indebted for the stability of his faith itself, namely, the intercession of Christ. 'I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.' Here lies the secret of the saints' perseverance. If Christ only persevere to pray for them, they cannot fail to persevere in the enjoyment of what he has procured, and the practice of what he has commanded. And does he not thus persevere? 'HE EVER LIVETH TO MAKE INTERCES

SION FOR THEM.'

He

By the intercession of Christ peace is maintained, and intercourse kept up between God and men. made peace by the blood of his cross; by presenting this blood in heaven is this peace maintained.

He

hath reconciled us to God by his death; but we need to be upheld in reconciliation by his life of intercession. There are many things at work which have a tendency to disturb this peace, to break in on this state of reconciliation. Sin separates between be

lievers and their God; and the accusations of satan and of a guilty conscience, tend to deprive them of all inward tranquillity. But, by means of the Saviour's intercession, the propitiation for sin shall be so applied, and the blood of sprinkling be so brought home to the conscience, that any interruption of intercourse or of peace, shall be but partial and temporary. For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment: but, with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed: but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee." Hence the people of God have ever access to him for the supply of their daily wants. Not a day, not an hour, but they have business to transact in the court of heaven. They have requests to prefer; sins to be pardoned; wants to be supplied; iniquities to confess with shame; blessings to acknowledge with gratitude. And how shall they approach a throne of such awful majesty; how enter a court of such inexorable justice! The mediatorial Angel before the throne, the Advocate at the bar, is their encouragement. "Through

13

him we have access by one Spirit unto the FatherIn him we have boldness and access with confidence -Seeing that we have a great High Priest that is

13 Is. liv. 7, 8, 10.

passed into the heavens, let us come boldly unto the throne of grace-Having an High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith.'

14

It is through the intercession of Christ that the services of the people of God are rendered acceptable. The services required of them are special, manifold, great, and arduous. The whole moral law is the measure of these services. And it is a matter of no small consequence for them to know, not only in what strength these services may be performed, but by what merit they can be accepted. If they are not to be received and acknowledged by God, the performance of them must be nullified. The law requires perfection, but the services of the people of God are at best imperfect; the law requires unblemished obedience, but their services are at best tainted with pollution. How then shall they be accepted? Through the intercession of Christ. This makes up for all their deficiencies; this removes all their blemishes. The prayers of the saints ascend up before God out of the Angel's hand, in which is held a golden censer with much incense. And what is true of the prayers of the saints is true also of all their other services-their songs of praise, their tears of penitence, their works of faith and labours of love, their deeds of mercy, and their acts of holy obediTheir burnt-offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar. It is in this way that

ence.

15

14 Eph. ii. 18.—iii. 12; Heb. iv. 14, 16.—x. 21, 22.

15 Is. lvi. 7.

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God overlooks all their imperfections; he sees no iniquity in Jacob, nor perverseness in Israel; he smells a sweet savour in the performances of his children; their sacrifices of righteousness are wellpleasing and acceptable in his sight; and, although in themselves like 'pillars of smoke,' dark, confused, and ill-savoured, they come up before him 'perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, and all the powders of the merchant.' Like Aaron of old, our great High Priest has on his forehead the inscription, HOLINESS TO THE LORD, that he 'may bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts.' So far from the performances of men being the ground of their acceptance with God, it thus appears, that for the acceptance of our performances themselves we are indebted to the merits of another. Our services, as well as our persons, are accepted in the Beloved. By expecting to be accepted for any thing that we do, we set aside the Saviour's atonement; by expecting that any thing we do shall be accepted on account of its intrinsic excellence, we set aside the Saviour's intercession. And it is thus we are enabled to understand how it comes about, that 'a cup of cold water given to a disciple in the name of a disciple shall not lose its reward,' while 'the ploughing of the wicked is sin.'

In fine, the intercession of Christ secures the complete salvation of the chosen of God, their entrance into

16 Exod. xxviii. 38.