1. _First_, It will fill your hearts with love one to another. He that every day heartily intercedes at the throne of grace for all mankind, cannot but in a short time be filled with love and charity to all: and the frequent exercise of his love in this manner, will insensibly enlarge his heart, and make him partaker of that exceeding abundance of it which is in CHRIST JESUS our LORD! Envy, malice, revenge, and such like hellish tempers, can never long harbour in a gracious intercessor’s breast; but he will be filled with joy, peace, meekness, long-suffering, and all other graces of the Holy Spirit. By frequently laying his neighbour’s wants before GOD, he will be touched with a fellow-feeling of them; he will rejoice with those that do rejoice, and weep with those that weep. Every blessing bestowed on others, instead of exciting envy in him, will be looked on as an answer to his particular intercession, and fill his soul with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
Abound therefore in acts of general and particular intercessions; and when you hear of your neighbour’s faults, instead of relating them to, and exposing them before others, lay them in secret before GOD, and beg of him to correct and amend them. When you hear of a notorious sinner, instead of thinking you do well to be angry, beg of JESUS CHRIST to convert, and make him a monument of his free grace; you cannot imagine what a blessed alteration this practice will make in your heart, and how much you will increase day by day in the spirit of love and meekness towards all mankind!
But farther, to excite you to the constant practice of this duty of intercession, consider the many instances in holy scripture, of the power and efficacy of it. Great and excellent things are there recorded as the effects of this divine employ. It has stopped plagues, it has opened and shut heaven; and has frequently turned away GOD’s fury from his people. How was _Abimelech_’s house freed from the disease GOD sent amongst them, at the intercession of _Abraham_! When “_Phineas_ stood up and prayed,” how soon did the plague cease! When _Daniel_ humbled and afflicted his soul, and interceded for the LORD’s inheritance, how quickly was an angel dispatched to tell him, “his prayer was heard!” And, to mention but one instance more, how does GOD own himself as it were overcome with the importunity of _Moses_, when he was interceding for his idolatrous people, “Let me alone,” says GOD!
This sufficiently shews, I could almost say, the omnipotency of intercession, and how we may, like _Jacob_, wrestle with GOD, and by an holy violence prevail both for ourselves and others. And no doubt it is owing to the secret and prevailing intercessions of the few righteous souls who still remain among us, that GOD has yet spared this miserably sinful nation: for were there not some such faithful ones, like _Moses_, left to stand in the gap, we should soon be destroyed, even as was _Sodom_, and reduced to ashes like unto _Gomorrah_.
But, to stir you up yet farther to this exercise of intercession, consider, that in all probability, it is the frequent employment even of the glorified saints: for though they are delivered from the burden of the flesh, and restored to the glorious liberty of the sons of GOD, yet as their happiness cannot be perfectly consummated ’till the resurrection of the last day, when all their brethren will be glorified with them, we cannot but think they are often importunate in beseeching our heavenly Father, shortly to accomplish the number of his elect, and to hasten his kingdom. And shall not we, who are on earth, be often exercised in this divine employ with the glorious company of the spirits of just men made perfect? Since our happiness is so much to consist in the communion of saints in the church triumphant above, shall we not frequently intercede for the church militant here below; and earnestly beg, that we may all be one, even as the Holy JESUS and his Father are one, that we may also be made perfect in one?
To provoke you to this great work and labour of love, remember, that it is the never ceasing employment of the holy and highly exalted JESUS himself, who sits at the right hand of GOD, to hear all our prayers, and to make continual intercession for us! So that he who is constantly employed in interceding for others, is doing that on earth, which the eternal Son of GOD is always doing in heaven.