As our surety, sponsor, representative, and mediator, he has put away all our sins; he died, he rose, he triumphed over all his and our foes, and kindly speaks to us—“Fear not, I am he that liveth, was dead, am alive for evermore, and because I live, ye shall also.” While he lived upon earth, he lived a life of faith, hope, dependance, love, humility, and holy zeal, and the believer’s privilege is to live and say, as he lives, “The life I live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the son of God”—a life of faith, dependance, hope, confidence, love, humility, and zeal, though daily interrupted, and the subject of much deadness, carnality, and unbelief; yet as fresh life is given from his fulness, I possess a life that will never die. The Lord has promised to water his people every moment—“every thing liveth where this water comes; and it is in the believer, a well, springing up to eternal life.” And as we use the means, we sing, “Spring up, O, well.” Sing ye unto it: for as well the singers as the players on instruments, shall be there. All my fresh springs in Thee, who hast said, “because I live, ye shall live also.”
4.—His life of intercession and advocacy in heaven. Hence the apostle declares, that “he ever liveth to make intercession for all that come unto God by him;” and as we have been redeemed and reconciled to God by his death; much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. He appears in the high court of heaven for us, in the full virtue of his blood, and righteousness—
“Looks like a lamb, that’s newly slain,
And wears his priesthood still.”
This is ever available to the Father for us; he is our priest before the throne, carrying on the work of manifestatives. Salvation, the great sacrifice, once offered, has infinitely more voices for us before God, than all our sins can have against us. His blood is said to speak for us; it cries aloud to the God of justice for the church; yea, for every sensible sinner, that mercy might be shewn, and pardon enjoyed by him upon the ground of strict justice, truth, holiness, righteousness, and judgment; it speaks for us to God—and to us from God—“I have loved thee, I have redeemed thee, I have called thee, thou art mine.” Our great high priest bears all the names of his dear people upon his heart, and though exalted above all principalities and powers, he cannot forget his poor relations on earth. The days of his passion are ended, but not of his compassion. Our spiritual Joseph, though Lord of all, is not ashamed to own his brethren, the poor. Many, when exalted, forget their former poor acquaintances; but our ever-living, ever-loving, everlasting friend, has sworn by himself as the living God—“I will not forget you;” he lives in heaven for his people; by his death he paid the debt; by his resurrection he came out of prison; and by his ascension he shews himself openly to God, the creditor, and pleads satisfaction; he in acting in heaven as our advocate with the Father; he is the faithful friend at the bar of justice, answering all the charges that sin, natural conscience, and Satan, can accuse us of. Hence, for his people, he gives the challenge—“who is mine adversary, let him come near,” and by the apostle asks, “who shall lay any thing (unpardoned) to the charge of God’s elect, seeing he maketh intercession with God,” and this precious portion has warned and cheered thousands. “My little children, I write these things unto you, that you sin not; but if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father,” and such an advocate must carry the cause; he has never failed—and demands no fee, but the fruit of the lips giving thanks to his name; and while his personal appearance in heaven has any virtue before God, his mourning disciples are safe, to whom he has said, “and because I live, ye shall live also.”
5.—His life of glory in heaven. He is the very glory of the place. We say at times, of some persons, they are the very life of the company—Christ will be the very bliss, the very joy, the very life of the church above for ever, when he is surrounded with all his blood-bought throng, and with all his holy loving angels; the lamb in the midst will make all their heaven; his person, his glory, his looks, his smile, his love, will feast their happy minds to all eternity; while the glorious majesty of God shall be enjoyed, through the all glorious body of Jesus Christ, as the rainbow round the throne, to behold this glory. The Lord has made choice of his people, set them apart for this very purpose, redeemed them to God, called, fitted, qualified their souls, and will raise them up again in the last day, and for this the Redeemer prays and demands, “Father, I will that those whom thou hast given be with me, where I am, that they may behold my glory,”—and as he smiles, they will sing—or,
“Overwhelmed with raptures sweet,
Sink down, adoring at his feet.”
And what adds a blessing to the whole is, that this bliss, this felicity, will be for ever; yea, lasting as the very existence of him, who, for the everlasting consolation of his people, hath said, “and because I live, ye shall live also.” Our most blessed Lord is the author, giver, and maintainer, of all natural, spiritual, and eternal life, for all live in him; he is the root and spring of all the life of sanctification, and glorification of his people, and though they are said to live in him by faith, yet more properly it is Christ living in them. Christ liveth in me—all the blessings of the covenant of grace are in him—the eternal favor of God, which is our life, is in him—and this is the grace which was given us in him before the foundation of the world; he came, that his people might have life, and have it more abundantly in experience and enjoyment; he came that he might abolish death, and bring life and immortality to light by the gospel. Justifying, pardoning, and regenerating grace, is brought to light in the word, and often brought to light in the souls of God’s children, and they by virtue of union to their covenant head, live—live in the love, favour, mind, purposes, decrees, covenant, and promises of God—live in Christ, secured, hid, locked up—where Christ is hid as head, there they are hid—live representatively before God—live spiritually by quickning power, and this life in the soul is the holy spirit as the spirit of life. The Lord and giver of life, producing as an evidence of his indwelling—a spiritual hungring and thirsting after the favor of God, the sense of pardon, holiness, love, and communion, humility, self-abhorrence, spiritual repentance, holy confidence, resignation, and joy—and where these are found in the soul, by divine teaching they are the evidences of being disciples indeed, and it is to such genuine disciples our dear Lord speaks in the sweet language of the text—“ye see me; and because I live, ye shall live also.” Such indeed was our dear departed friend—spiritually quickened and made alive to God, she possessed those immortal principles which supported her through the changing scenes of her pilgrimage—cheered her heart at times—subdued her fears—brought her mind to God—endeared the Saviour—bowed her will to the Lord’s will—and caused her to long to be dissolved, and to be with Christ: to grace, and grace alone, she attributed all her salvation from first to last; her soul hated every system that was calculated to exalt the creature in any sense whatever. Convinced deeply of the depravity of the human heart, she was often led to self-abasement, self-loathing, and self-condemnation, taught out of God’s law—she felt her need of a surety, a mediator, a law fulfiller, a better righteousness than her own; she saw the way of forgiveness by the great atoning sacrifice of Christ; and was taught to believe, to receive Christ with his whole finished salvation; she loved to hear him extolled; his very name was precious to her; his word was dear to her; she loved his people who stood manifest to her conscience, that they were taught of God; she highly esteemed those ministers, whom she considered faithful to God, to truth, and to souls; she prized the ordinances, because they were of divine appointment, and because the Lord had often met her in them. Her poor mind was often discouraged by heavy trials, within and without; her path, in many instances, was rough; she was often in many waters; the floods at times lifted up their waves; but here she learned the vanity of all things below the stars, the emptiness of the creature, her own weakness, unbelief, and rebellion, these were matters of humility to her; but in this right though rough way, she also learnt the faithfulness, power, wisdom, and goodness of God—the value of a throne of grace to carry her burden to, and empty her ashes at the foot of the altar. Her mind was seldom long from the general infirmity of the Lord’s people, I mean the fear of death; she often gloomily anticipated the last act, the struggle of body and soul at parting her weak nerves, lowness, and dejection. Satan also, taking the advantage, was frequently the cause of great distress in the prospect; yet her dear Lord, in due time, delivered her from these fears; and that same grace which made her willing to be saved in God’s way, made her also willing, yea, desirous of departing, to be with Christ. How true is the language of our poet,
“Who can take Death’s portrait true?—Fear shakes the
Pencil—Fancy loves excess—Dark ignorance is lavish of
Her shades—and these the formidable picture draws:
Man forms a death that nature never made;
Then on the point of his own fancy falls,
And feels a thousand deaths, in fearing one.”
None, indeed, return from the grave to tell us what it is; but it is well known, that most of those who have been much troubled in mind all their days, have had the most serene moments at last. That God, who has delivered in six troubles, has always been found faithful in the seventh, the last.—Descending into the waters of Jordan, the deep has never swallowed them up: they have found the rock of ages for their feet to stand upon, at the bottom of the brook.
I remember, after a season of long and painful affliction our dear friend was enabled to come up to chapel. I was totally ignorant of her coming: but previous to this, I could find no portion of scripture to speak on but this: “And came to deliver them who, all their life-time, were subject to bondage, through fear of death.” This was the last sermon she ever heard: and the truths contained in it, she sweetly felt. Her direful complaint increased. Her sufferings were very great indeed. And as all other persons in like sorrows, so she ebbed and flowed in mind; but her God was with her in her final hour.—