First, §1What great interest our Lord and Saviour Christ hath in the bosom of God the Father. Paul prevailed with Philemon for Onesimus, through the great interest that Paul had in the bosom of Philemon. Our Lord and Saviour Christ, he hath lien in the bosom of God the Father from all eternity: he is his Son, his natural Son, his beloved Son, his Son that did never offend him: and therefore surely when he comes, and intercedes for a man, he is most like to speed, to prevail. We know, that David going out against Nabal and his house; Abigail comes forth, meets with David, and intercedes for Nabal: and Abigail did so powerfully intercede, even for Nabal, that she turned ⟨p. 32⟩Davids heart quite round about. David swore he would not leave one of the house, and after Abigail had interceded a little for Nabal, in the 1 of Sam. 25.32. verse, David said unto Abigail, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me: and blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou which hast kept we this day from coming to shod blood. Pray, what did Abigail say, that she turned David thus about, that her intercession was thus powerful? Says Abigail, as for Nabal, he is according to his name. And it shall come to pass (at the 30. verse) when the Lord shall have done to my Lord, according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel, that this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart to my Lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my Lord hath avenged himself. This shall be no grief at all unto thine heart (says she) and other words that she used; by which she prevailed here with David. But Abigail was a stranger to David: and Abigail she prays, and intercedes for Nabal, a wicked, vile, foolish man. Shall Abigail, a woman, a stranger prevail thus with David for a Nabal? and shall not the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, not a stranger, nor a stranger to his bosom, but beloved from everlasting, shall not be prevail much more, when he comes, and pleads the cause of the Elect, and of the Children of God, in the presence of God the Father, whom the Father loves also? Great is the Rhetoric of a Child: if a Child do but cry, Father, especially if the child be a wise child, he may prevail much with a tender hearted father.
First, §1What great interest our Lord and Saviour Christ hath in the bosome of God the Father. Paul prevailed with Philemon for Onesimus, through the great interest that Paul had in the bosome of Philemon. Our Lord and Saviour Christ, he hath lien in the bosome of God the Father from all eternity: he is his Son, his natural Son, his beloved Son, his Son that did never offend him: and therefore surely when he comes, and intercedes for a man, he is most like to speed, to prevaile. We know, that David going out against Nabal and his house; Abigail comes forth, meets with David, and intercedes for Nabal: and Abigail did so powerfully intercede, even for Nabal, that she turned ⟨p. 32⟩Davids heart quite round about. David swore he would not leave one of the house, and after Abigail had interceded a little for Nabal, in the 1 of Sam. 25.32. verse, David said unto Abigail, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me: and blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou which hast kept we this day from coming to shod blood. Pray, what did Abigail say, that shee turned David thus about, that her intercession was thus powerful? Saies Abigail, as for Nabal, he is according to his name. And it shall come to pass (at the 30. verse) when the Lord shall have done to my Lord, according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel, that this shall be no griefe unto thee, nor offence of heart to my Lord, either that thou hast shed blood causelesse, or that my Lord hath avenged himselfe. This shal be no griefe at all unto thine heart (saies she) and other words that she used; by which she prevailed here with David. But Abigail was a stranger to David: and Abigail she prayes, and intercedes for Nabal, a wicked, vile, foolish man. Shall Abigail, a woman, a stranger prevail thus with David for a Nabal? and shall not the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, not a stranger, nor a stranger to his bosome, but beloved from everlasting, shall not be prevaile much more, when he comes, and pleads the cause of the Elect, and of the Children of God, in the presence of God the Father, whom the Father loves also? Great is the Rhetorick of a Child: if a Child do but cry, Father, especially if the child be a wise child, he may prevail much with a tender hearted father.
