A85428:310
Christ Set Forth
Christ set forth in his [brace] death, resurrection, ascension, sitting at Gods right hand, intercession, [brace] as the [brace] cause of justification. Object of justifying faith. Upon Rom. 8. ver. 34. Together with a treatise discovering the affectionate tenderness of Christs heart now in heaven, unto sinners on earth. / By Tho: Goodwin, B.D.Christ set forth in his [brace] death, resurrection, ascension, sitting at Gods right hand, intercession, [brace] as the [brace] cause of justification. Object of justifying faith. Upon Rom. 8. ver. 34. Together with a treatise discovering the affectionate tendernesse of Christs heart now in heaven, unto sinners on earth. / By Tho: Goodwin, B.D.
London: printed by W.E. and J.G. for Robert Dawlman, 1642
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Well, Resp. but intercession undertakes the work absolutely: For Christ prays not conditionally in Heaven, If men shall believe &c. as we do here on earth; nor for propositions only, but for persons; and therefore he prays to cure that very infidelity. Now as if a Physician undertakes to cure a mad man (if he knows what he doth) he considers the madness of his Patient, and how he will tear off what is applied, and refuse all Physic; he therefore resolves to deal with him accordingly, and so to order him as he shall not hinder that help which he is about to afford him; and so upon those terms he undertakes the cure: even so doth Christ when by intercession he undertakes to save us sinners; he considers us what we are, and ⟨p. 146⟩how it is with us,1 what unbelief is in us, yet undertakes the matter, and so to save us is the scope and end of this his work, which if he should not accomplish, he after all this should not be a perfect Priest. It was the fault that God found with the Old Priest-hood, that it made nothing perfect, Heb. 7. 19. and therefore ver. 12. the Law was changed, and the Priesthood was changed together with it, (as there you have it.) Now in like manner Christs Priesthood should be imperfect, if it made not the elect perfect, and then God must yet seek for another Covenant, and a more perfect Priest; for this would be found faulty, as the other was. So then our comfort is, if Christ approve himself to be a perfect Priest, we who come to God by him must be perfectly saved. It is in this office of his Priesthood, and all the parts of it, as in his Kingly office: The work of his Kingly office is to subdue all enemies, to the last man, even fully to do the thing; and not only to have power, and to go about to do it: so as if there should be any one enemy left unsubdued, then Christ should not be a perfect King. The same holds in his Priestly office also; he should not be a perfect Priest, if but one soul of the elect, or those he intercedes for, were left unsaved. And this is indeed the top and highest consideration for our comfort in this argument, that Intercession leaves us not till it hath actually and completely saved us; and this is it that makes the Apostle put a further thing upon Intercession here in the Text, then upon that other his sitting at Gods right hand.