ther ; as if Christ did not present our pleas and arguments, as well as simple desires to God ; as if the choicest part of our prayers must be kept backj because Christ presents our prayers to God. No, no, Christ's pleading is one thing, ours another : " * His and " ours are not opposed, but subordinate ;" his pleading doth not destroy, but makes ours successful. God calls us to plead with him, Isa. i. 18. " Come now let us reason together.'1 " God (as u one *f* observes) reasoneth with us by his word and providences " outwardly, and by the motions of his Spirit inwardly : but we " reason with him by framing (through the help of his Spirit) cer- " tain holy arguments, grounded upon allowed principles, drawn " from his nature, name, word, or works.11 And it is condemn- ed as a very sinful defect in professors, that they did not plead the church's cause with God ; Jer. xxx. 13. " There is none to plead " thy cause that thou mayest be bound up.11 What was Jacob's wrestling with the angel, but his holy pleading and impor- tunity with God? and how well it pleased God, let the event speak, Gen. xxxii. 24. Hos. xii. 4. " As a prince he prevailed, " and had power with God." On which instance, a Worthy J thus glosseth : " Let God frown, smite or wound, Jacob is at a " point, a blessing he came for, and a blessing he will have ; " I " will not let thee go, (saith he) unless thou bless me." His limbs, " his life might go, but there is no going from Christ without a " pawn, without a blessing." This is the man, now what is his speed ? The Lord admires him, and honours him to all genera- tions. " WThat is thy name ?" saith he ; q. d. I never met with such a man, titles of honour are not worthy of thee : thou shalt be called, not Jacob a shepherd with men, but Jacob a prince with God. Nazianzen said of his sister Gorgonia, That she was mo- destly impudent with God ; there was no putting her off with a denial. The Lord, on this account, hath honoured his saints with the title of, His recorders ||, men fit to plead with him, as that word [masVir] signifies : Isa. lxii. 6. " Ye that make mention of the " Lord, keep not silence, give him no rest." It notes the office of him that recorded all the memorable matters of the king, and used to suggest seasonable items and memorandums of things to be done.
By these holy pleadings, " the King is held in his galleries," as it is Cant. vii. 5. I know we are not heard, either for our much speaking, or our excellent speaking ; it is Christ's pleading in hea- ven, that makes our pleading on earth available : but yet surely, when the Spirit of the Lord shall suggest proper arguments in
* Subordi?iata non pugnant. f Mr. Corbet, of Prayer.
\ Dr. Harris, in his Sermon on Luke xviii. 6, 7, 8.
[i C^TOfftn Rememorantcs, vel% qui nmnistifaciunt res Domini, Mont.
SERM. XX. THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFI. 257
prayer, and help the humble suppliant to press them home belie v- lngly and affectionately *, when he helps us to weep and plead, to groan and plead, God is greatly delighted in such prayers. " Thou hast said, I will surely do thee good," said Jacob, Gen. xxxii. 12. It is thine own free promise ; I did not go on mine own head, but thou badest me go, and encouragedst me with this promise. O this is pleasing to God, when by his spirit of adop- tion we can come to God, crying, Abba Father ; Father, hear, forgive, pity, and help me. Am I not thy child, thy son, or daughter ? To whom may a child be bold to go, with whom may a child have hope to speed, if not with his father ? Father, hear me. The fathers of our flesh are full of bowels, and pity their children, and know how to give good things to them, when they ask them. When they ask bread or clothes, will they deny them ? And is not the Father of spirits more full of bowels, more full of pity ? Father, hear me. This is that kind of prayer, which is melody in the ears of God.
Corollary 3. Wltat an excellent pattern is here, for all that hav6 the charge and government of others committed to them, whether ma- gistrates, ministers, or parents, to teach them liow to acquit them- selves towards their relations, when they come to die ?
Look upon dying Jesus, see how his care and love to his people flamed out, when the time of his departure was at hand. Surely, as we are bound to remember our relations every day, and to lay up a stock of prayers for them in the time of our health, so it be- comes us to imitate Christ in our earnestness with God for them, when we die. Though we die, our prayers die not with us : they out-live us, and those we leave behind us in the world, may reap the benefit of them, when we are turned to dust.
For my own part, I must profess before the world, that I have a high value for this mercy, and do, from the bottom of my heart, bless the Lord, who gave me a -religious and tender father -f-, who often poured out his soul to God for me : he was one that was in- wardly acquainted with God ; and being full of bowels to his chil- dren, often carried them before the Lord, prayed and pleaded with God for them, wept and made supplications for them. This stock of prayers and blessings left by him before the Lord, I cannot but esteem above the fairest inheritance on earth. O it is no small mercy to have thousands of fervent prayers lying before the Lord, filed up in heaven for us. And O that we would all be faithful to
* The heart cries to God more by groans than by words, and more by tears than by speaking. Aug. Mr. R. A. vind.
f Mr. Richard Flavel, a faithful and laborious preacher of the gospel, at Haseler in Warwickshire, and afterwards in Wiilersay in Gloucestershire, now with God.
258 THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. SERM. XX*.
this duty f surely our love, especially to the souls of our relations, should not grow cold when our breath doth. O that we would remember this duty in our lives, and, if God give opportunity and ability, fully discharge it when we die ; considering, as Christ did, we shall be no more, but they are in this world, in the midst of a defiled, tempting, troublesome world ; it is the last office of love that ever we shall do for them. After a little while we shall be no longer sensible how it is with them ; for, (as the church speaks Isa. lxiii. 16. " Abraham is ignorant of us, and Israel acknow- *' ledgeth us not") what temptations and troubles may befal them, we do not know. O imitate Christ your pattern.
Corolla?-?/ 4. To conclude ; Hence we may see^ what a high es* teem and precious value Christ hath of believers ; this was the trea- sure which he could not quit, he could not die till he had secured it in a safe hand : " I come unto thee, holy Father, keep through " thine own name those whom thou hast given me.fl