ones. And he repels Satan, and confounds him, saying, "The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan!" Blessed be God, to the intent that the love and mercy, grace and compassion, righteousness and sacrifice of Christ, may be discovered to his church to the uttermost, and all their cases, maladies, wounds, and wants, be amply provided for, the intercession and advocacy of Christ was appointed, whereby a perpetual memorial and remembrance of his passion is kept up in heaven; he appearing there as "a Lamb newly slain," the efficacy of whose blood is perpetual and everlasting, he being the propitiation. And his intercession and advocacy containing in them a supply and support for his people, let what may befal them. It is this is the grand preservative of the people of God from total and final apostacy. Their recovery from falls and relapses into sin, their freedom from condemnation, their deliverances from Satan, when they have been actually taken captive by him; the renewings of manifestative peace, pardon, healing, and

salvation, are all to be ascribed to it.

And never does the grace of Jesus appear in an higher point of view than it does when manifested to the soul who has been exercised with, Satan's snares, temptations, resistings, and accusations, in the manner which has been described. When impleaded by Satan, accused in the court of conscience, self-condemned, non-plussed and confounded, inwardly filled with confusion, and assaulted at the throne of grace by our common adversary with his threatenings and me naces; to have the Lord Jesus in these circumstances plead the causes of our souls, this is grace! and some of the highest acts of it, which we have a sensible experience of in this present life. Jeremiah the prophet knew somewhat of this in his own case and experience, which he thus sets before us in the third chapter of his Lamentations, verses 54-58, addressing himself to the Lord, he utters himself thus: "I called upon thy name, O Lord, out of the low dungeon. Thou hast heard my voice, hide not thine ear to my breathing, at my cry. Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee, thou

saidst, Fear not. O Lord, thou hast pleaded the cause of my soul, thou hast redeemed my life." Blessings on our great high priest, his heart in heaven is fixed on his people on earth, and breaks forth towards them under all the sin and misery which be fals them; for he is in union with them, their head in glory, and is so far interested in what befals them here below, both as it respects sin and suffering, that his mercy, grace, and compassion, break forth in the displays of it just as their cases are, and their necessities require. He is their judge, who knows their cause, and is able to plead it. He is their advocate, who looks on them as his clients, and acts for them as such. He is their friend who loveth them at all times. He is their sanctuary and defence, notwithstanding all the assaults of hell against them. He can actually discern between what is the devil's own work in them, and what is their own act. He knows how far they sin with their will, and how far they are overcome by the

and power of the enemy.

superior force

He knows full

well the malice, hatred, and power of the

devil, his goings in, his comings out, and his rage against them. He knows how their souls mourn for offending him, and grieving his Holy Spirit; and though he does not excuse, connive at, or bear with their sins, yet he bears with them, and bears them up under them, bringing them forth in due time from under these burthens and oppressions with triumph, so that they say, "Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall I shall arise when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me." He repels with indignation Satan's accusations against thom, and casts out his indictments, having the whole personal worth of his ancient engagements, his righteousness, and blood to plead on their behalf. He casts out Satan's accusations, having more to plead for them, than he can possibly have to plead against them. Does the adversary plead against them that they have broken the law, and are thereby guilty? Christ pleads he has fulfilled the law, and that they thereby are in him justified. Does Satan plead that they are loathsome and filthy in their own persons, being defiled

with sin? Christ pleads that "He hath loved them, and washed them from their sins, in his own blood." Does Satan further charge it upon them, and plead that their wills have been greatly engaged in sinning? Christ hath to plead, that their wills were never so much, so freely and fully engaged in offending, as his will hath been in obeying and suffering for them, "the just for the unjust." Does he further say, They have by their falls greatly dishonoured God? the advocate has to rejoin, he himself has more honoured his Father's law and justice, than it was ever in their power to dishonour them. Satan's accusations against them have no force in them, they being all founded upon the law as a covenant of works, which as such has been fulfilled by Christ the covenant head of his people, for them, and is as such out of force and date as it respects them; so that it cannot pronounce a curse upon them. Also Satan only accuses before God as a lawgiver; but Christ pleads with him as the God and Father of himself, and of his people; using all his in