A. 2. He is faithful, Heb. ii. 17., " It be- hoved him to be made like unto his bre- thren, that he might be a faithful high priest." Moses was faithful as a servant, — Christ as a son, Heb. iii. 5. He doth not forget any cause he hath to plead, nor doth he use any deceit in pleading. An ordi- nary attorney may either leave out some word which might make for the client, or put in a word against him, having received a fee on both sides ; but Christ is true to the cause he pleads ; we may leave our matters with him, we may trust our lives and souls in his hand.
A. 3. He never dies. The priests under the law, while their office lived, they them- selves died, Heb. vii. 23., " Tliey were not suffered to continue, by reason of death ;" but " Christ ever lives to make interces- sion," Heb. vii. 25. He hath no succession in his priesthood.
Quest. IVIio Christ intercedes for ?
Ans. Not for all promiscuously, John xvii. 9., Dut for the elect. The efficacy of Christ's prayer reacheth no further than the efficacy of his blood ; but his blood was siied only for the elect, therefore his prayers oiily reach them. The high priest went into the sanctuary with the names only of the twelve tribes upon his breast : so Clirist goes into heaven only with the names of llie elect upon his breast. Christ intercedes for the weakest believers, John xvii. 20.,
and for all the sins of believers. In the law there were some sins. the high priest was neither to offer sacrifice for, nor yet to offer prayer for. Numb. xv. 30., " The soul that doth ought presumptuously shall be cut off." The priest might offer up ])rayer for sins of ignorance, but not of pre- sumption ; but Christ's intercession extend3 to all the sins of the elect. Of what a bloody colour was David's sin ! Yet it did not exclude Christ's intercession.
Quest. What doth Christ in the work of intercession ?
Ans. Three things.
1. He presents the merit of his blood to his Father, and, in the virtue of that price paid, pleads for mercy. The high priest was herein a lively type of Christ. Aaron was to do four things: 1. Kill the beasts. — 2. To enter with the blood into the holy of holies. — 3. To sprinkle the mercy-seat with the blood. — 4. To kindle the incense, and with the smoke of it cause a cloud arise over the mercy-seat ; and so the atonement was made, Lev. xvi. 11, 12, 13, 14, 13, 16. Christ our high priest did exactly answer to this type : he was offered up in sacrifice, tliat answers to the priest's killing the bul- lock : and Christ is gone up into heaven, that answers to the priest's going into the holy of holies, — and he spreads his blood before his Father, that answers to the priest's sprinkling the blood upon the mercy-seat, — and he ])rays to his Father that for his !)h)<)d's sake he would be propitious to sin- ners, that answers to the cloud of incense going up, — and through his intercession God is pacified, that answers to the priest's mak- ing atonement.
2. Christ by his intercession answers all bills of indictment brought in against the elect. Believers, do what they can, Sin, and then Satan accuseth them to God, and conscience accuseth them to themselves : now, Christ by his intercession, answers all these accusations, Rom. viii. 33., " Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? it is Christ that maketh intercession for us." Wlien Esculus was accused for some impiety, his brother stood up for him, and shewed the magistrates how he had lost his hand in the service of the state, and so obtained his pardon : thus, when Satan ac-
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cuseth the saints, or when the justice of God lays any thing to their charge, Christ shews his own wounds, and by virtue of his bloody sufferings, he answers all the demands and challenges of the law, and counterworks Satan's accusations.
3. Christ by bis intercession calls for acquittance, ' Lord, let the sinner be ab- solved from guilt :' and in this sense Christ is called an advocate, 1 John ii. 1. He re- quires that the sinner be set free in the court. An advocate differs much from an orator ; an orator useth rhetoric to persuade and intreat the judge to shew mercy to an- other ; but an advocate tells the judge what is law. Thus Christ appears in heaven as an advocate, he represents what is law; when God's justice opens the debt-book, Christ opens the law-book : " Lord," saith he, " thou art a just God, and wilt not be pacified without blood ; Lo ! here the blood is shed, therefore in justice, give me a dis- charge of these distressed creatures; it is equal, that the law being satisfied, the sin- ner should be acquitted." And, upon Christ's plea, God sets his hand to the sinner's par- don.
Quest. In what manner Christ intercedes ?