And wouldst thou know whether he hath undertaken thy cause, and begun to intercede for thee? In a word, Hath he put his Spirit into thy heart, and set thy own heart on work to make incessant intercessions for thyself with groans unutterable' (as the apostle hath it, Rom. viii.)? This is the echo of Christ's intercession for thee in heaven.

(5.) And lastly; if such a soul shall further object, But will he not give over suing for me? May I not be cast out of his prayers through my unbelief? Let it here be considered that he lives ever ' to intercede: and therefore, if he once undertake thy cause, and getteth thee into his prayers, he will never leave thee out, night nor day. He intercedeth ever, till he hath accomplished and finished thy salvation. Men have been cast out of good and holy men's prayers, as Saul out of Samuel's, and the people of Israel out of Jeremiah's, but never out of Christ's prayers; the smoke of his incense ascends for ever,' and he will intercede to the utmost, till he hath saved thee to the utmost. He will never give over, but will lie in the

dust for thee, or he will perfect and procure thy salvation.

Only, whilst I am thus raising up your faith to him upon the work of his intercession for us, let me speak a word to you for him, so to stir up your love to him, upon the consideration of this his intercession also. You see you have the whole life of Christ, first and last, both here and in heaven, laid out for you. He had not come to earth but for you, he had no other business here. Unto us a Son is born.' And, to be sure, he had not died but for you. 'For us a Son was given;' and when he rose, it was 'for your justification.' And now he is gone to heaven, he lives but to intercede for you. He makes your salvation his constant calling. O therefore, let us live wholly unto him, for he hath and doth live wholly unto us. You have his whole time among you; and if he were your servant, you could desire no more. There was much of your time lost before you began to live to him; but there hath been no moment of his time which he hath not lived to, and improved for you. Nor are you able ever to live for him but only in this life, for hereafter you shall live with him, and be glorified of him. I conclude all with that of the apostle, 'The love of Christ it should constrain us,' because we cannot but 'judge' this to be the most equal, that 'they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him who died for them, and rose again,' and (out of the text I also add) 'sits at God's right hand;' yea, and there lives for ever to make intercession for us.'

THE HEART OF CHRIST IN HEAVEN,

TOWARDS SINNERS ON EARTH.

[ORIGINAL TITLE.]

THE

HEART

OF

CHRIST IN HEAVEN,

Towards

SINNERS on Earth.

OR,

A TREATISE

DEMONSTRATING

The gracious Disposition and tender

Affection of Christ in his Humane Nature now in Glory, unto his Members under all sorts of Infirmities, either of Sin or Misery.

By THO: GOODWIN, B.D.

LONDON,

Printed by J. G. for R. Dawlman, 1651.

THE HEART OF CHRIST IN HEAVEN,

TO SINNERS ON EARTH.

PART I.

HAVING set forth our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in all those great and most solemn actions of his-his obedience unto death, his resurrection, ascension into heaven, his sitting at God's right hand, and intercession for us, which of all the other hath been more largely insisted on-I shall now annex (as next in order, and homogeneal thereunto) this discourse that follows, which lays open THE HEART of Christ, as now he is in heaven, sitting at God's right hand and interceding for us; how it is affected and graciously disposed towards sinners on earth that do come to him; how willing to receive them; how ready to entertain them; how tender to pity them in all their infirmities, both sins and miseries. The scope and use whereof will be this, to hearten and encourage believers to come more boldly unto the throne of grace, unto such a Saviour and High Priest, when they shall know how sweetly and tenderly his heart, though he is now in his glory, is inclined towards them; and so to remove that great stone of stumbling which we meet with (and yet lieth unseen) in the thoughts of men in the way to faith, that Christ being now absent, and withal exalted to so high and infinite a distance of glory, as to sit at God's right hand,' &c., they therefore cannot tell how to come to treat with him about their salvation so freely, and with that hopefulness to obtain, as those poor sinners did, who were here on earth with him. Had our lot been, think they, but to have conversed with him in the days of his flesh, as Mary, and Peter, and his other disciples did here below, we could have thought to have been bold with him, and to have had anything at his hands. For they beheld him afore them a man like unto themselves, and he was full of meekness and gentleness, he being then himself made sin, and sensible of all sorts of miseries; but now he is gone into a far country, and hath put on glory and immortality, and how his heart may be altered thereby we know not. The drift of this discourse is therefore to ascertain poor souls, that his heart, in respect of pity and compassion, remains the same it was on earth; that he intercedes there with the same heart he did here below; and that he is as meek, as gentle, as easy to be entreated, as tender in his bowels; so that they may deal with him as fairly about the great matter of their salvation, and as hopefully, and upon as easy terms to obtain it of