2. The interceffion of Chrift is conftant; it always continues: though he was dead, he is alive, and lives for evermore; and he lives not for himself only but for others; he ever lives to make interceffion: and because he is conftantly employed in this work, therefore, as fast as charges are brought against his people, he removes them; by pleading for them, and fhewing the falfhood or injustice of such charges; or the reason why, though true, they are not to be received; and on any attempt to condemn them, he fhews reason why there is, and should be, no condemnation to them.

3. His interceffion is always prevalent: he, who is the redeemer of his people, is strong; the Lord of Hofts is his name; and he pleads their cause, and thoroughly pleads it; and always carries his point; for his pleas are founded upon his propitiatory facrifice, which is of a fweet fmelling favour to God, and gives a full fatisfaction to his justice; fo that it has nothing to object to those on whofe account it was offered up, and the virtue of it is pleaded. Chrift was ever heard, when here on earth, and fo he is now in heaven: whatever he asks for he has; yea, whatever is asked for in his name, is given.

4. The application of falvation is owing to the interceffion of Chrift, though the impetration of it is by his death; and the apoftle argues from the evidence of the one to the certainty of the other; for if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son; much more being reconciled, we shall be faved by his life, Rom. v. 10. that is, by his interceding life: yea, the proof of Christ being able to fave, is taken from his perpetual interceffion; wherefore be is able alfo to fave them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, feeing be ever liveth to make interceffion for them, Heb. vii. 25. The influence therefore which the interceffion of Christ must have on the fecurity of the faints from condemnation, is very evident.

Thus have I endeavoured to improve this paffage of feripture upon the mourn ful occafion of the death of Mrs ANN BRINE, late member of the church of Christ in this place, and late wife of the pastor of it; at whofe request I have preached from it to you; it having been of fingular use to the deceased.

It may now be expected I should fay fomething concerning her, which will be chiefly about the gracious experience fhe was favoured with. She was a daughter of Mr JOHN MOOR of Northampton; an eminent preacher of the gospel, a minifter of the Baptist denomination, of confiderable abilities and learning, whom I had the honour to have a perfonal knowledge of, and acquaintance with. But though he had a religious education, her converfion, her knowledge of Christ, and experimental acquaintance with divine things, were not owing to that, but to the efficacy of divine grace: by feveral papers of her own writing, put into my hands, it appears, how he came by the knowledge of falvation by Chrift, and the

a Near Cripplegate.

the great doctrines of the gospel; which were the fupport of her foul, and the foundation of her joy. These express the sight and sense she had of fin; her abhorrence and deteftation of it; the view fhe had of the loveliness of Christ; of the neceffity and fuitableness of falvation by him; and how he was enabled to cast her foul on him; and trust in him for eternal life and happiness: but, among the reft, I find one paper, written little more than a year ago, when the took a review of her experience; led thereunto upon a fuppofition, that there were yet some very great troubles to come upon the churches and fervants of Chrift, fhe once thought had been over; which put her upon confidering, how it would fare with her in fuch a time of trial; and what evidence the had of her being a child of God: for which purpose fhe observed how it had been with her of late; what was her prefent frame of mind and thoughts of things, and how it had been with her heretofore, and whether her former experience was from nature, or from the Spirit of God. As to the first of thefe, how it had been of late, and how it was with her then, her words are these: "I have "often thought my spots are not the fpots of God's children; I find fo much "fin bubbling up in my heart; fo many fins of omiffion and commiffion, daily "and hourly; I can fay, that in me, that is in my flesh, dwells no good thing; "and fuch an evil heart of unbelief, departing from the living God. Sure it is "not with the faints as with me! at the fame time I have fome fecret hope, " which I would not part with for all the world: at fome times I have earnest "defires after a full conformity to Chrift, and thirstings after him. O! that "I could love him more: O! that I could ferve him better: O! that I "found more love in me to his ways, his ordinances, and his people: but, O! "wretched creature that I am; who shall deliver me from this body of fin? At "fome times I think I can say with the apostle, thanks be to God, through Jefus Chrift, who bath given me the victory. Those three fcriptures have of late, upon various occafions, been fweet under a sense of fin, If thou wilt, thou "canft make me clean, Matt. viii. 2. To whom shall I go, but unto thee? Thou baft the words of eternal life, John vi. 68. The name of the Lord is a strong tower, "whither the righteous run, and are fafe, Prov. xviii. 10. Though I am a vile, “finful, polluted creature, and, as I think, the most vile of all thy creatures; "yet, for fuch, for the very chief of finners, thou didft fuffer and die, and "who knows but for me? I know this, that if thou wilt, thou canst make “even me clean; and though I am thus finful, to whom can I go, but to that "God against whom I have finned? there is no help any where else; no other "name given, whereby any can be faved, but the name Chrift Jefus." She next proceeds to inquire, how it had been with her formerly, when God first begun to work upon her foul, and fhe fet out in the way of religion; concerning which, the thus expreffes herself: "Have I not experienced fome things " which

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"which natural men are ftrangers to? O! fure I hope I have: upon a recol«lection of feveral parts of my former experience, I was warmed, and asked "myself this question; Did this or that flow from nature? No; nature is "averse to it. Did education produce it? No; for if that could have had "fuch an effect, it might as well have produced it fooner: for it was not any "particular care of my parents, at the time of my awakenings, that was a " means thereof; for fome time before their care had been abated to what was "ufual; and my heart more averfe to God and good than ever: Did fabbaths "feem before this time delightful? and was I before convicted, inftructed, edified, or comforted, by the word preached? No; I too well remember the quite contrary of this; even when fabbaths were burdenfome instead of delightful; when, if I was obliged to be prefent, I ftrove to keep from giving is any attention to what was delivered. Had I love for the people of God? "No; I had an averfion to many of them; nor did I love any for the fake of "their being faints. Had I a fight and fenfe of fin; of its evil nature? No; "I thought myself as good as others that talk more: I did not know that I "was poor, and wretched, and blind, and naked then: Did I tafte a fweetness in "the fcriptures? No; I thought them to be only the inventions of fome men, "done with a defign to keep others in awe. Did I ever fee the abfolute need "of a Saviour before? No; I thought my own works were to fave me, and "reasoned thus fometimes: I have not been guilty of murder, ftealing, &c. "and fo am in as fair a way for a better world, if any fuch there be, as others." Having put these questions, and resolved them in the above manner, she rightly draws the following conclufion. "Then fure what I have met with and expe"rienced, must be from the Spirit of God; as conviction of fin, of its heinous "and aggravated nature; of original, as well as actual tranfgreffion; the curfe "demerited by it; the sense of my own inability to perform the thing that is

good; the discovery of my need of a Saviour; my feeing Chrift to be a fuit"able, all-fufficient, and able Saviour; my approving of him, and application "to him for my Saviour; my preffing defires towards him, as my alone and "complete Saviour; my admiration of the love of Father, Son and Spirit, ma"nifested in the great concern of man's falvation; my discovering the harmony " and agreement; the fublimity and sweetness of the holy fcriptures; and the "effects that many fweet and precious promifes fet home to my foul have had "on me; my hungering and thirfting after Chrift, his grace, and manifeftation. "of his love and pardoning mercy; my abhorring myself for all that I have "done; especially for those fins which I thought were committed against light " and love; my love to young converts; my longing for the return of fabbaths; "the comfort I have received under the preaching of the gospel, &c. These VOL. I. 3 L

were

"were things I was once an utter ftranger to, and do believe the carnal mind "is enmity against. Why then it must be from above; and if so, then be that "bath begun the good work, will carry it on to the day of Chrift. If the Lord had "a mind to have destroyed me, he fure would not have fhewn me fuch things as thefe; and if I am the Lord's, then that promife ftands firm, with the righteous it shall go well, Ifaiah iii. 10. and what if troubles fhould arife? "what if I fhould fuffer, or even fall in the common calamity? if the Lord is pleased to fupport under, and give fuffering grace, fuffering faith, and suf"fering patience, with fuffering trials,

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"I can do all things, or can bear
"All fufferings, if my Lord be there;
"Sweet pleasure mingles with the pains,
"Whilft his left hand my head fuftains.

"I leave myself, my all, in his hands, and defire chearfully to fubmit to his "will in all things; and not be anxious about this, or the other trying difpen"fation of providence; knowing that he can make hard things eafy, and crook"ed things ftraight; hoping that these things he will do for me, and not for"fake me." This was the comfortable result of her thoughts, occafioned by a melancholy scene of troubles fhe had in view: but, fhe is got fafe to her father's houfe, and is fecure from them. How foon they may come to pass, namely, the "giving the outward court to the Gentiles, to be trodden under foot; the flaying of the witneffes; the leaving their dead bodies unburied for three "days and a half, or three years and a half; and their enemies rejoicing over "them;" things fhe was meditating upon, God only knows may we be prepared for them, fupported under them, and carried through them, should they be in our day, which is very probable.

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She was a perfon attended with frequent disorders of body, and which often came upon her on Lord's days; whereby fhe was prevented waiting upon the Lord in his word and ordinances, which were delightful to her, and in which the received much spiritual advantage: this gave her a great concern of mind, and she would fometimes fay, "fhe chofe, if it was the will of the Lord, that "The might have two days affliction, inftead of one, on other days, could fhe be "free on the Lord's day, that he might have the opportunity of hearing the "word which was so useful to her."

Her laft illness was very fhort, and it was not expected it would have issued in death. Under it she was very comfortable, refigned to the will of God, and trusting in Christ, and so died in the Lord: wherefore, you, my Brother, and

the

the rest of the furviving relations, have no reafon to mourn as thofe without hope, fince them that fleep in Jefus, God will bring with him, and her among the reft, when you will meet, and never part more, and be for ever with the Lord.

Let what has been the subject of discourse on this forrowful occasion, be regarded by each of us; which may ferve as a direction to us, where to go for relief under all charges brought against us, either by ourselves or others; and under a sense of deserved condemnation, and especially when harraffed with the accufations of Satan, and the condemnation of our own hearts: let us apply to Chrift; let us take the shield of faith, that shield which faith lays hold on, and ufes to good purposes when it weilds it aright; namely, the blood, righteousness and facrifice of Christ; his refurrection, feffion at God's right hand, and interceffion : let us hold up, and hold forth these things, as a full answer to every charge, and as a sufficient reason, why no condemnation can come to us.

This may lead us on to obferve, how much we are beholden to Chrift; and of what use he is to us, as dying, rifing again, afcending on high, fitting at the right hand of God, and there'interceding for us: how valuable he is, and how precious he should be to us; and, particularly, what a regard we should have for his righteousness, which of itself clears from all charges, and secures from condemnation; and, therefore, it should be our chief defire, and real concern to be found in him, not having on our own righteousness, but his. It becomes us, and is best for us, to look to him at all times; to place our confidence in him, and fetch all our comfort from him; for if there be any confolation, it is in him; and seeing we receive so much benefit by him, we are under obligation to glorify him, with our bodies and spirits, which are his.