not in this way appease his wrath; you must cast yourself on his free mercy, or perish. Do not think of excusing yourself from this act, by pleading that it would be presumption, an aggravation of your guilt, an invitation to ruin even if this were true, it is also true that to neglect it is destruction. If a single ray of hope be left you, it must come direct from the throne of God.

From what quarter then shall we draw the encouragement which shall embolden you to approach the mercy-seat? What is the condition on which you would consent to go at any given hour to-day or to-morrow, and fall down before God in prayer? Would you promise to do this; could you be assured that at the moment when you were calling upon God for mercy, you should be accompanied by the earnest intercessions of your family, and of all your friends in your behalf? You have heard, that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much;' that the intercession of Abraham suspended, for a time, the descending fire which destroyed Sodom: that, could ten righteous men have been found there, God would for their sakes, have recalled the sentence which had gone out against it ;- -now would you deem it a sufficient encouragement to go before God, could we guarantee that, at the time you prayed, every righteous man, every believer in the kingdom, should enter into his closet, and earnestly supplicate God for you? Or, beyond this, could we assemble together, in your behalf, a solemn convocation of all the christian churches upon earth; could we bring all flesh before God; could we undertake to engage for you all the power of prayer which at present exists upon earth; and carrying the supposition out to the utmost, could we even ensure to you the might ier supplications of the church above, of all its thrones dominions, principalities, powers, and orders of saints; were all the created universe to obtain a special audience

of God at the same time, and to surround his throne together, for the sole object of entreating him on your behalf, could you doubt of your success? If he speaks of the combined intercession of Noah, Daniel, and Job,' as all but omnipotent, could you question the efficacy of your entreaties, if you knew them to be thus seconded and urged by the combined importunity of all creation in prayer? But what if, at the very moment of audience, when the violent were taking heaven for you by force; what if then you should behold the Savior himself come forth, and stand at the altar of incense, having in his hand the golden censer; and what if you should hear him announce, I will pray the Father for you.' O what a day of hope would instantly arise upon your soul! would you not at once be shamed out of all your fears and unbelief? would you not feel that, having him for an advocate, you could dispense with all inferior aid? that your suit was as good as gained? So far from doubting or dreading the issue of your prayers, you would henceforth feel that the footstool of mercy was the only place of safety and of hope; that if danger impended, yet there he stood between you and it; that if mercy gushed forth, he stood there as the medium to receive and pour it into your soul; that, in his hands, your sacrifice received an infinite accession of worth, and your entreaties, if at all augmented in power were augmented to omnipoBut you need no vision to certify the substantial truth of this representation. If there be any veracity in the word of God, there can be no more credible fact than this-that Jesus ever liveth to make intercession for us. You are warranted to imagine and paint the vision to your faith; to believe that you no sooner approach the seat of mercy, than you become the client of the great Advocate; that, on the first utterance of your penitence, he espouses your cause, makes it his own, and presents your supplica

tence.

tion before the throne as his own desire. Can you doubt or delay to draw near to God after this?

9. It is observable that our Lord encourages the devo> tion of his disciples, by placing the virtue of his mediation in a striking variety of lights. In uttering the language already quoted, he pledges himself to the office of their PERSONAL INTECESSOR; I will pray the Father for you.' He who could not see them exposed to destruction without pouring out his life to save them, could not behold them prostrate at the throne of grace, as trembling suppliants, without raising them up and becoming their advocate. He, who has created for them an infinite fund of merit, could not fail to employ it in the way most eminently conducive to their advantage; causing it to ascend, in their behalf, as a memorial before God, at the moment of their entreaties for mercy. It is to be borne in mind, that while on earth, he did nothing for himself. Having graciously engaged to be our substitute, whatever he did, he did solely for his people. What then has become of the inexhaustible fund of obedience accruing from his obedience unto death? How is the infinite treasure employed? Where is it depos ited? By proclaiming himself our Intercessor, he would have us to know that the entire merit of all he did is contained as incense in his golden censer, that he might offer it up with the prayers of his people. Our prayers then, in their ascent to the throne of God, mingle and blend with the ascending incense of his merit. Our voice, before it reaches the ear of God, falls in and blends with the voice of him whom the Father heareth always. So that, in pledging himself to intercede in our behalf, he is, in effect, assur ing us of the certainty of our success.

10. Another encouragement to prayer, which he derives for us from his mediatorial influence, 'is the use which he allows us to make of his name. 'Ask,' saith he, in my

name.' Were we about to become suppliants to an earthly benefactor, it would be important to ascertain the plea most likely to dispose him to accede to our request. For there is always one argument which affects an individual, ́and gives us the key to his heart more effectually than all others. How important is it then that we, who are daily suppliants to God for blessings on which our salvation de. pends, should be acquainted with that plea which he most delights to honor. Now the plea most prevalent with him is beyond all comparison, the name of Jesus. It is the name of his only begotten Son. It is the name which he has solemnly pledged himself to honor. It is the name which he himself has conferred in token of his infinite complacency and satisfaction. It is the name which he has indissolubly bound up with his own character and perfections, so that he cannot disregard it without dishonoring his own name. Employ any other name, as a plea at the throne of grace, and you insult the majesty of heaven. But employ his name, and you instantly attract the complacent attention of the almighty Father, and obtain access to the treasures of his grace.

'Hitherto,' said Christ, 'have ye asked nothing in my name.' Up to that moment, in the history of the church, devotion had been ignorant of its real strength; unacquainted with the extent of its resources and power. Relying simply on the promiess of God, it was content to present its supplications, ignorant of the ground on which they were heard; and often sighing, in the paroxysms of conscious guilt, for a days-man and intercessor. But Jesus explained the rationale of devotion; laid open the secret of our success; and thus enabled it to feel the power which it has with God, the purchase it has on the eternal throne. 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you;' as if he had said,

'When you go to the door of mercy, and knock make use of my name and you shall gain admission; make it known that you belong to me, and my father will treat you as belonging to him; make it known that there is a mutual affection, a close and indissoluble friendship subsisting between us, and my Father will take you into his favor, to his heart; tell him that my name is dear to you, and it will endear you to him; so endear you, that ask what you will, the forgiveness of your sins, adoption into his family, the sanctification of your nature, the riches of his grace, all, all, he will give it you; I am so beloved by him, that for my sake he will refuse you nothing.'

We ourselves are accustomed to act kindly towards a person, though he be a stranger to us, provided he can show us that he is related to one whom we love; in showing him kindness, we feel that we are evincing our affection for the friend who sent him. The father demonstrates his infinite love to Christ, by receiving and welcoming the friends of Christ as his own friends. He has pledged himself to do so; and he is so complacently delighted with Christ; so fully satisfied with the atonement he has made; feels himself so unspeakably glorified by the incarnation and life, the death and mediation of Christ; by all that he has done for the honor of the divine government and the salvation of man, that, if I may say so, he has thrown open his heart and his heaven to all the friends of Christ. They come to his throne; and, on the intercession of Christ in their behalf, the Father lays open all the treasures of his grace for their appropriation and use. 'Yea,' saith Christ, ‘ask in my name, and I do not say that I will pray the Father for you; for the Father himself loveth you because ye have loved me.' 'Make use of my name, and that will suffice; my name alone, without any entreaty on my part, would be a certain passport to my Father's