N01732:120
Five sermons on several subjects. I. A birth-day sermon, preached on the day when…
Five sermons on several subjects. I. A birth-day sermon, preached on the day when the author attained to the eightieth year of his age. II. A dying testimony to the sovereign grace of God in the salvation of his elect, containing three sermons. III. Believers encouraged to pray from the consideration of Christs interceding for them, and with them. / By Increase Mather, D.D ; [Six lines of quotations]
Boston: printed by B. Green for Daniel Henchman, 1719
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
PROP. III. The Lord Jesus Christ, Does Intercede for Believers, that their Prayers may be answered; that God would ⟨p. 108⟩give to them the things they humbly Pray and seek unto Him for. We find when the People were Praying without the Sanctuary, then the Priest was Offering Incense within. Luk. 1. 10. We Read of Zechariah the Priest, that he did offer Incense on the Altar; and that then the People were Praying without. And doubtless there is an Allusion to that in the first Verse of this Eighth Chapter of the Revelations, where it is said, There was silence in Heaven for the space of half an hour. Thus it was among the Jews, when they were offering Sacrifices, there was not silence; but the Temple rang with Music while the Sacrifices were offering; but after they offered Sacrifice, Incense was offered, then all was silent. So then, Christ in Heaven is Interceding for His People, that their Prayers may be heard. When they are Praying on Earth out of the Holy Place, then He is Interceding with God before the Throne in Heaven; and the very things they Pray for, Christ does desire on their behalf, that those things may be granted to them. He desires they may have those things which ⟨p. 109⟩are the main Petitions that they present to God. As now, Believers Pray to God that they may be kept from Sinning against Him, that of all evils they may be preserved from Sin, that is the request of all true Believers: Christ has made that Prayer on their behalf, Joh. 17. 15. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the World: that is, before they have done all the work thou hast appointed for them; but I pray that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. What is the evil? Sin is the evil of evils, the greatest of evils; now Christ Prays for Believers, that they may be kept from that, that no Sin may ever prove a ruining iniquity to them, and it will be granted. Believers Pray that they may have Grace to persevere, that they may hold on in the way God has commanded them to walk in; that is a special request which all true Believers earnestly present to God, that they may hold on to the end, may never turn aside from God: and Christ has made the same request to God, that they may Persevere in the way of holy Obedience to Him. He said to Peter,