Abednigo there was a hot fiery furnace prepared for them seven times hotter than ordinary the King proclaimes that what ever he be that will not fall down and worship his Image should presently be cast into this furnace This was enough to startle a person and make him tremble But how is the temper of the three children expressed there We are not say they carefull to answer thee in this matter These threatnings though very fearfull in the eyes of others seemed but a matter of nothing to them they made a tush at it We are not carefull to answer thee in this matter Even so people are then free from feare who when evill is comming care not for it a man when he cares not for any thing that assailes him hee rusheth in upon it and although it seeme to threaten unto him some mischief yet he is confident it cannot hurt him So far forth as youâ— can overlook evills drawing on upon you more or lesse not regarding them in respect of any hurt they can doe you so far forth are you free from feare Object You will say none in the world can have such a temper of spirit when dangers are growing especially great and thick upon them Answ No What say you of these three children I speak of men now they were carelesse Object You will say it may be that was an extraordinary case Answ Nay you shall finde that the very ground of the undauntednesse of their spirits was the same which the Lord proposeth in this Text to put us out of feare We are carelesse to answer thee in this matter Why Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us and he will deliver us The carelesnesse of their spirits was grounded upon a common principle of the whole Church and upon the same the Lord proposeth to all the rest of his people as well as to them they being confident God was their God neither the greatnesse of the King nor the violence of his threatnings could stir them a jot they were all nothing to God who was their God who was able to deliver them and would deliver them Their confidence in this was that which made them break forth into this bold expression We are carelesse to answer thee in this matter But now let us consider what the people of God should not feare Object What to be affraid of nothing doth not the Lord himselfe commend feare to men Nay is not God himselfe called the fear of Isaac and yet would you make us to believe that we should have no fear Answ I answer there is a threefold feare here is a naturall feare a religious feare and here is a turbulent feare A naturall feare is â—othing else but such an affection as is in men â—y nature that they cannot be freed from such feare was in Christ himselfe without sinne There is a religious and godly feare and that is nothing but an awfull reverence whereby people keepe a fit distance between the gloriouâ— Majesty of God and the meannesse of a creature and it is opposed to saucinesse And theâ— there is a turbulent feare and that is a feare 〈◊〉 disquietnesse now all disquieting feare is thaâ— which the Lord endeavours to take off froâ— his people Well but what are the things you will say we should not bee affraid nor dismayed atâ— Perhaps I shall pitch upon things people are much affraid of and will thinke strange theâ— should not be affraid of them First I must tell you the people of Goâ— his owne people they need not be affraid 〈◊〉 their sins And yet let me not be mistaken 〈◊〉 doe not say we must not be affraid to sinne bâ— they need not be affraid of their sins they thâ— have God for their God there is no sin thâ— ever they commit can possibly doe them anâ— hurt Therefore as their sins cannot huâ— them so there is no cause of feare in their sinâ— they have committed Object Some will be ready to say This 〈◊〉 strange All the evils in the world that comâ— they grow up from the sinfulnesse of men If man be affraid of any thing he should bee aâ—fraid of sin from whence all evils do flow Answ I answer beloved it is true sin natâ—rally is a root bringing forth all manner of evill fruit The wages of sinne is death but yet I say what ever sin in its owne nature brings forth yet the sins of Gods peculiar people they that have God for their owne God their sins can doe them no hurt at all and in that regard there is no cause of feare from any of their sins that ever they have committed Beloved I conceive this may seeme somewhat harsh to some spirits touching the truth of it especially to such as misconceive the drift at which I aim which is not to incourage any one unto sin but to ease the consciences of the distressed I desire you to resolve with your selves this one thing so far forth as the Lord reveals it so far you will sit downe contented with the minde of the Lord revealed to you and I beseech you kicke not against the truth There is not one sin not all the sins together of â—ny one believer that can possibly do that belieâ—er any hurt real hurt I mean and therefore he â—ught not to â—e affraid of them How will that â—e made good you will say I will make it apâ—eare out of the seventh to the Romans from â—he midst of the Chapter to the end you see â—ow the Apostle carries it along especially â—bout the 15. and 19. verses where it is true the â—postle expresseth himself in heavy complaints â—gainst such sins as befall believers The good that I would doe that doe I not and the evill thâ— I would not do that doe I insomuch that in tâ— last verse but one the Apostle with much vehâ— mency puts the question thus O wretâ—hed mâ— that I am who shall deliver me from the body of thâ— death Some will be ready presently to saâ— here you see plainly is a fear of sin or ought 〈◊〉 be here is a body of death in men to be affraâ— of But give me leave to tell you that thâ— Apostle in this Chapter as I conceive doâ— personate a scrupulous spirit and doth nâ— speak out his owne present case as it was at thâ— time when he speaks it but speaks in the persâ— of another yet a Believer and my reason 〈◊〉 this Because the Apostle in respect of hâ— owne person what was become of sins wâ— already resolved therefore I conceive he doâ— act the part of a troubled spirit that in respeâ— of the multitude and prevalency of corruption was ready to cry out O wretched man who shâ— deliver mee from the body of this death But maâ—â— how the Apostle answers this question whâ—ther it bee his owne case or anothers foâ— will not stand upon that and you shall plainâ— see the Apostle concludes though there 〈◊〉 such marvellous filthinesse and prevalency 〈◊〉
all these but that Christ is an Advocate we cannot finde where it is mentioned in all the Scripture but in this place and therefore it will be the more difficult to finde out the intention of the Holy Ghost what he means by this office of Advocateship The word Advocate in the originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the some word is used by John in the 1 of John and the 26. verse and attributed unto the Holy Ghost and is there translated the Comforter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Text The Comforter will come Now the same word that we have here Advocate is also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And indeed the proper singification of the word is A Comfortable Advocate But the thing it self What is this Advocateship will you say It is a borrowed expression and an allusion opening the prevalency of Christ with the Father for his owne people it is taken from an office among men Advocates in the Common Law you call them Counsellors but in the Civill Law they have this very title of Advocate The office is this namely being well experienced in the nature of the Law and the Rules and Principles of Justice when ever a cause comes to be tried they are to make clear the Principles of Justice and so to plead out Justice on the behalfe of the client for whom they plead I say the office of an Advocate is to plead the cause of a person as it stands in equity and justice and to demand and require a sentence of acquittance and discharge from Justice and equity it selfe Herein an Advocate differs from a Suppliant a Suppliant makes only requests and depends altogether upon favour alone so as if hee should stand to the rigor of Justice he must bee gone and his cause must miscarry I say this is the proper office of a Suppliant or Petitioner but an Advocate hee stands to the justice of a person whose cause hee doth plead and puts the issue of the triall even to Justice it selfe that as the cause can bee cleared to bee a just cause so the Judge would passe a sentence upon the cause just so I say is it with Christ pleading the cause of his own people with the Father in respect of indempnity from sin for his Advocateship is this namely to lay the Law to the Father to plead justice in the discharge of the sinner that doth commit sinne that it is but right and justice to discharge him and it were an unrighteous thing and in justice if he should not I say it is most certainly true that Christ stands here upon justice and he will in righteousnesse have God to discharge his own people from all the sins that they do commit and hee pleads that it is an unrighteous thing to charge them with them or to plague or punish them for them Object But some peradventure will be ready to say this cannot be that Christ as an Advocate should plead for indempnity upon terms of justice for in the strictnesse and the rigor of justice the soule that sinneth must die And the Gospel seems to say it is onely and solely Grace that any person is discharged from sin For in justice there cannot be a claime made of pardon and discharge from sin but all the plea must be meerly bounty and favour Answ This objection seems to have a great deale of strength in it How may these two things stand together that Christ pleading justice God must forgive and yet notwithstanding justice doth sentence a person unto death if he sins For answer to this you must learn to distinguish and I desire you warily to observe this distinction that so you may plainly see a reconciliation of that which seems impossible to be reconciled I say observe this distinction namely first consider the pardon or discharge from sin in regard of any thing laid down in consideration of the sin committed by the person who doth partake of this pardon And secondly consider this pardon or indemnity and discharge from sin in reference unto Christ who gets this discharge Now I say in the former consideration that is in respect of us that do partake of this discharge from sin and in regard of any thing that we can bring in recompence for that sin or satisfie in this regard it is meerly and only Grace that sinners being the members of Christ are discharged When you or I commit sin that God doth discharge us that God doth not lay our sins to us that God doth not give sentence of damnation upon us for such and such sins as we do commit I say it is an act of meer Grace alone Justice cannot 〈◊〉 pleaded in this case But secondly consider the indemnity from sin in respect of Christ who doth get this discharge and doth purchase it of the Father Then Christ is to bee considered two wayes First as Christ is allowed by the Father to stand in the room of such persons whose cause he pleads Or secondly Christ is to be considered as he hath actually made full payment unto the Father his satisfaction being allowed and admitted before thereunto Now I answer considering Christ in his being allowed by the Father to stand in the room of the persons whose cause he pleads so this discharge from sin by Christ it is an act of Grace Christ cannot plead justice that he should be allowed There was not a tye upon the Father that Christ should bee in mans room and that the Father should be unrighteous if hee did not ordain him to bee so it was an act of free Grace in God when men were under the curse and became miserable bankrupts that Christ should make satisfaction for them When one man doth owe another money it is not an unrighteous act in this creditor to refuse a surety he may make the debtor pay the debt himselfe if he will it is matter of grace it is meer courtesie so to doe Even so it is matter of grace that Christ is admitted to come in the roome of man and to stand in the stead of man 〈◊〉 to beare the sins of man For him to be 〈◊〉 to beare the wrath of God for these sins that another hath committed this is an act of grace and in regard of these particulars is the Scripture so frequent in these expressions of the free Grace of God in communicating this discharge and pardon of sin unto sinners But secondly consider Christ allowed of the Father to stand in the room of men as he hath come forth and paid down the utmost farthing that God in justice could demand for or in consideration of these sins that are committed by his people I say when Christ hath deposited or delivered up into the hands of his Father the utmost farthing that hee could charge upon Believers or demand on their behalfe this being received by the Father acknowledgement being made by him upon the receipt of what Christ hath paid this I say considered it is an
upon the trespasse but bail takes men off till judgement be given or perfect satisfaction be made As wee have sinned so in legality wee ought to lie by it presently but Christ comes before hand even the Advocate and passeth his word for these persons that there shall be currant payment in due time binding himself body for body that there shall be appearance at the day but that is not all when the day is come though most witnesses prove point-blanck the crime objected and the Law pleads the just desert of the punishment provided in that behalf yet this Advocate steps in and payes all the Law can demand I my self have satisfied the Law on their behalf saith he therefore there can be no more asked of them This you know that if a man have borrowed an hundred pounds and he be sued never so violently and witnesses come in and prove the debt never so cleerly yet if a surety comes in and enters bond for him yea and payes the debt for him if he hath been discharged hath an acknowledgement of satisfaction made on the behalf of that person then there is no judgement comes out against that person that borrowed the mony though the thing be proved This is the case with our Advocate he is the Surety of a better Testament and pleading when matter of fact is proved and the Law speakes directly against it and justice pleads for such a penalty to be inflicted yet then is the Saviour produced that makes currant and full payment There could not be expected any stopping of the sentence for the client by pleading for them but there must first be a satisfying of all This is the Saviours office and as a Saviour so he is the satisfier Thirdly this Advocate is Jesus Christ the righteous and this title imports two things to us and they are very considerable and they have either respect unto us or they have respect unto God and both of them shew how admirably Christ is gifted how sufficiently he is qualified For this office of Advocateship as it hath reference unto us he is Christ Jesus the righteous as much as to say the true and faithfull Faithfulness and righteousness are taken for one and the same thing for dealing truly with persons Many a one loseth a goodcause for the unfaithfulnesse of his Counsel they make against their clients for bribes and play on both sides they deal not honestly with men they carry the business in a dilative way they will not dispatch the suit they have all the arguments of delay But this your Advocate and our Advocate is the righteous Advocate the faithfull and true witness he dealeth ingenuously and uprightly this one you may trust and put all things into his hand Many times men put their whole business into their Counsels hands to sink or swim But here is an Advocate that is faithfull here is no danger of sinking you may put all into his hands you need not fear at all he is the righteous and faithful Christ the faithfull Advocate But the principal thing I intended in this righteousness is that wherein the strength of his argument lieth that he doth plead in the behalf of his client that is the Advocate Christ is so righteous that this very righteousness of his shall carry the cause on your side even to a full dicharge even from all sins whatsoever Beloved the whole security of persons from wrath and Hell from sin and death hangs upon this one hinge of his righteousnesse As there is force enough in his righteousnesse so the cause prospers on the clients side if that should fail nothing in the world can uphold the cause It will be therefore of mighty concernment to consider First how cleere the Scripture is that layes all the burthen of the task in pleading upon his righteousnesse and further to consider what kind of righteousnesse of Christ that is that carries such a strength in Christs pleading for his people Both of them need to be cleered especially the latter passage For the first the Scriptures will be cleer of themselves only the latter passage what kinde of righteousnes it is that hath that prevalency is to be made apparent A righteousnesse and his righteousnesse most grant but some mistake there is in the mindes of some people that reach not the height of the Gospel what that righteousness is that hath such a prevalency The present time will not give me leave to handle it fully and I will not doe it by halves and therefore I will leave it to another time SERMON IV. 1 John 2. verse 1 2. If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins c. IN these words you have the Apostles conclusion and his Argument to inforce it his conclusion is that he would not have them to sin his argument is If any man doe sin c. The first thing that we have observed out of these words is this That it is a powerfull argument to prevaile with persons such as John writes unto not to sin to let them know that though they do sin yet they have an Advocate with the Father We are fallen upon the consideration of the Argument it self First in the matter of it Secondly in the forâ—e of it Every Argument hath some firmnesse in it self from whence is produced some good inference That which hath not a power in it self is not able to make good another thing Concerning the matter of this Argument you have First the Apostles Supposition Secondly a Provision against that which this Suppesition might doe or against that which he doth suppose a man might do First I say here is a Supposition You may sin though you be little children The Provision against the evill that sin might doe is in the following words Though we do sin yet we have an Advocate with the Father ' And concerning this matter of the Argument we have these things proposed considerable First what the office is that is here ascribed unto Christ in that he is called Advocate We have an Advocate and how Christ in Heaven doth exercise this office Secondly whose cause it is that Christ doth plead by verâ—â—e of this his office Thirdly how this Advocate is qualified unto this office Lastly the issue and the event of the execution of this office Concerning the first this Advocateship oâ— Christ is a plea founded or grounded upon Justice Christ doth not appeal in his plea to meere mercy but his client shall stand or fall as Justice it self shall pronounce a sentence And concerning the second clause of this first part Christ doth exercise this his office in Heaven rather virtually then vocally He speaks as his blood doth speak We are come to the blood of sprinkling saith the Apostle in the 12th Chapter to the Hebrews that speaks better things then the blood of Abel We came further to consider whose cause it is that
to God as the injury comes to and what is from the Godhead is Gods own before Secondly therefore some say that there is a satisfying justice properly though there be not a full recompence as in every point to answer the injury done I will but give you a familiar illustration of it that you may not say it is not unknown and an unheard of thing that justice is satisfied although no plenary recompence in the former sense for satisfaction be brought Suppose one man murther another an ordinary case now for a plenary recompence to the injury done he that is slain must be in statu quo prius that is he that is slain must be made alive again and till that person slain be restored to life here is not a compleat recompence made But how is it possible that any man that hath committed murther should make this full and plenary recompence to the person that is injured He cannot restore life to him again and yet for all this although he cannot bring in a full recompence in this way this man may properly satisfie justice For if life answer for life if the murtherer be executed the Law and Justice may truly be said to be satisfied Here then they say that there may be satisfaction of justice and yet not the fulnes of recompence in the strictest sense brought in Justice I say is satisfied in this respect because here is as much brought in by way of recompence as is possible to be had You know beloved you have a Proverb Where there is nothing to be had the King must lose his right when a man payes all that ever he hath he can pay no more he doth satisfie justice In this sense justice is said to be satisfied when the Law of justice is satisfied and so the satisfying of justice doth not necessarily imply the fulness of recompence in the strictest sense according to the injury done How cometh it to passe when a murtherer is executed that upon this execution of the murtherer onely the Law doth esteem this tobe a recompence and justice to be satisfied though it be not a plenary recompence answering the injury that is done but onely as it answers to the Law that is the rule of justice so it is satisfaction Even so say they the justice of God is truly satisfied when the will and pleasure of God is fulfilled whether or no there be a bringing in a full and plenary recompence If the will and pleasure of God be satisfied concerning transgression that satisfaction of the will of God is the satisfaction of the justice of God Now what is the will of God It is this that in the day that man sins man must die either he must doe it in person or he must do it by deputation for among men the satisfaction of the Law is made either in the mans own person that is the debtor or his surety that will pay the debt for him The Law in some cases looks more upon the thing that is brought in to answer to it than it doth upon the person that doth bring the thing in The justice of God looks upon the fulfilling of his will although it be not by the same person that sinned this alters not the nature of 〈◊〉 thing whether I my self pay the debt or anâ— ther for me pay my debt the payment is satâ— factory so in that the will of God hath 〈◊〉 utmost bounds for the satisfying of justiâ— whereas transgression must be recompence with death Now Christ the surety of 〈◊〉 people going under the punishment and 〈◊〉 filling the punishment the Law is satisfied be cause every tittle of the Law is fulfilled anâ— there is nothing in the Law remaines to 〈◊〉 answered But yet thirdly I say further that the satisfaction of Christ is compleat even in thâ— strictest sense although it be granted that the bare sufferings and righteousness of the humane nature cannot effect it without the divine nature and the righteousnesse thereof and whereas it is urged that the righteousness of the divine nature is Gods own already it is granted and that both because it is essentiall unto God and incommunicable unto the creature therefore and also for the reasons alledged before in the objection it cannot be formally either the whole or any part of our righteousnesse yet notwithstanding the divine nature and so the divine righteousness doth so by the Hypostaticall Union fit and furnish Christ to be an All-sufficient Saviour and satisfier that thereby the person of Christ is so glorious that his active and passive obedience is thereby made of infinite worth and â—alue that so he might give satisfaction for â—s compleat perfect and that in the strictest sense making a full reparation and restauration of all things in the behalfe of the elect for whom he undertakes and brings upon them salvation to the uttermost In brief beloved and so to conclude this businesse though there may be some hint given for your better understanding by way of illustration how justice may be satisfied yet the truth is the fullest and most satisfying resolution wherewith persons ought sit down without further dispute is not by argumentation but by divine faith Suppose wee could not sound the bottome of this Principle that Gods justice should be satisfyed yet we may sit down as fully resolved that it is satisfyed though we know not how it should be so in that the Lord reveales to us he is satisfied whose word must be more to us then all the evidences and demonstrations in the world can be by way of Argument that here Christ is said to be the propitiation for our sins that God himself doth acknowledge else-where that he is satisfied What matter is it to me how he is satisfied I mean in respect of resolving me by way of Argument how he should be satisfied his ownâ— Word speaking it and resolving it to us is that with which we should sit down withall without any further dispute If therefore all this while you cannot know how he is satisfied your believing upon the testimony of Godâ— Word that it is so may be as full a satifaction to you yea may be a more full resolution to your spirits then all the arguments and demonstrations in the world can be And so I come in brief to the last clause of the Text namely the issue of this Advocateship of Christ in the behalf of his people when they sin The issue is this He is the propitiation for our sins I say the words containe in them the upshot or the conclusion of the pleading of Christ telling us what this pleading of Christ comes to at the last it comes to this that by this pleading of his Christ becomes the propitiation for our sins The main thing to be considered here that wee may understand aright our portion in this Grace is to know what this propitiation meaneth or what it is for Christ to be a propitiation Beloved there is
as it is set up by Satan with a terrible visage as it were to spit fire in the faces of the godly and faithfull seems very threatning and dreadfull But they are to know for certaine it is but a made thing there is no feare from the sins of Believers all the terror and fearfulnesse of sin Christ himselfe hath drunk it and in the drinking of it Christ himselfe our life was crucified and in that regard I say all the terror and gastlinesse and hideousnesse of sin as it is represented by Satan is spent and â—n it self is dead It is true indeed a living roaring Lion is a terrible creature but in a dead Lion there is no more feare then is in a stick or a stone to him that knows he is dead While sin is alive it is fearfull and corrible and deadly but when sin it self is dead then there is no more terror in it then is in a dead Lion Thus I speak concerning sin not as it smiles upon a man with a promiâ—ing countenance before it be committed for so it is most dreadfull and odious to the faithfull as that which crucified their sweetest Lord but as committed and lying upon the conscience of a Believer indeavouring to drive him to deny the love and free Grace of God to him and the all sufficiency of Christ For in this regard it is crucified by Christ and so a Believer need not be affraid of sin Indeed terrible it maâ— seem to be at first but there is no just cause of terriblenesse in it for it can doe no hurt Therefore the Apostle telling us of the Hand-writing of Ordinances that was against us and contrary to us saith that Christ hath nailed them to his Crosse So that the sins of Believers are crucified with Christ they that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof We commonly understand this as if our mortification and denying of sin were the crucifying of the flesh but the Apostle speaks otherwise there and you may see he intends that they that are Christ are crucified with him as much as to say Christs dying upon the crosse for Beleevers his death became the death that is the expiation of sin for them that it should be no more terrible unto them nor affright the people of God I have inâ—isted the more upon this because indeed it is the root from whence all other feares spring For from crosses and afflictions which come upon persons of which we shall speake presently they run immediately to their sins and conceive that it is their sins that have put stings into them and makes them so bitter still therefore they are perplexed with fears as long as sin is upon them Certainly some fearfull thing wil come upon them Why they have committed such and such sins these be the cause of their fear But beloved either deny plainly that Christ dyed for your sins and that he hath borne the whole wrath of God that sin hath deserved or sit down by this truth that sin did hurt Christ so much that it cannot hurt the Believer for whom Christ did die Secondly as we should not fear our own sins being Believers and members of Christ so neither ought we to fear the sins of others Object You will say supposing there be no sins of our own to pull downe judgement yet the world is full of iniquity and abundance of sins there are upon the times that bring downe wrath from Heaven Answ Though it be true that Nationall sins bring downe Nationall judgements and wrath yet all the sins of the times cannot do a member of Christ a lot of hurt And therefore as they cannot do him any hurt so he need not be affraid of them I will make it appeare that the sins of the world the crying sins of the times can do a Believer no hurt at all Marke the plea of the Lord often mentioned in Ezekiel against the people that hit him in the teeth as if he were unjust The fathers say they have eaten sowre grapes and the childrens teeth are set on edge He pleads his owne innocency in it and directly answers that the soule that sinneth shall dye As much as to say he that doth commit the fault shall bear the burthen of it thou that art not the committer of the fault thou shalt not bear the burthen of it Therefore the sins of the times that are committed by the wicked they cannot do Gods people any hurt The childrens teeth shall not be set on edge Object I but some will say I have had some hand in these sins I did not reprove these sins or I did not seperate my selfe from them Answ I answer suppose that the members of Christ are in some sort accessary to these sins yet so far as you in your owne persons have been actors or partakers of these transgressions Christ hath borne these transgressions and suffered for them It is not some sins that Christ bears and leaves some sins for Believers to bear and so also leaves some punishment for Believers to suffer for it is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world and that he doth take them all away appeareth 1 John 1.7 The blood of Christ his Sonne cleanseth us from all sins Whether then you consider every elect person as he sinneth by himselfe or as he shareth with others all these sinnes the blood of Christ cleanseth him from and therefore I say the sins of other people they shall not they cannot be imputed to him that is a Believer Object But you will say surely the Lord doth send crosses and afflictions upon his owne people as well as upon the people of the world many times and should we not therefore bee affraid of them Answ Therefore in the third place let mee tell you as there is no occasion nor need nay as people ought not to be affraid for the sins of others so ought not they to be affraid for the chastisements of the Lord upon them Consider but the true nature of feare looke upon things as they are in themselves If there bee occasion of feare in any thing that may come there must be evill in these afflictions or else there need not be feare now there is no evill in them but all are exceeding good and they work for good and that that works for good is not evill every agent produceth effects answerable to its owne nature an evill tree brings forth no good fruit no more doth a good tree bring forth evill fruit so then if there be nothing but good in all the afflictions of the people of God then there is no cause of feare there is an apprehension of evill in a thing if there be feare but there is not a just apprehension of evill in a thing that is good be assured of this there is no feare to be had of afflictions let them be never so tart let them be never so great or many Oh saith
righteousness And among all the Aâ—â—stles and Dâ—â—cipies that conversed with Christ his Dâ—â—ciple John had the priviledge which Daniel had among the Propâ—ets to be called The beloved of the Lord the beloved Disciple And as an argument of that he is admitted 〈◊〉 in the bosome of Christ And of all the Apostles that conversed with Christ you shall finde none of them hit so upon the great Gâ—â—ce of God to the sons of men as this Apostle doth compare the Gospel which he wrote with other Evâ—â—gelists writings you shall finde a vast difference between the manifestation of the free grace of God to them and to this 〈…〉 also writing this Epistle follows the same strain therein in â—he former Chapter he delivers notâ— us two admirable passâ—ges the one is The blâ—ud of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sins and the other is He is faithfull and just to fo give us one sins two great manifestions of the â—hsolute freenesse of the Grace of Gâ—d to the sons of men Now this Apostle in the 4. verse of the first Chapter declares one main end for which he doth publish this free grace of God I write these things saith he that your joy may be full implying that there is fulnesse of joy in the Grace here revealed and it is fit that little children that have fellowship with the Father and the Son should have the knowledge of this excellent Grace of God that their joyâ— mâ—y he full Now whereas he speaks of Gods forgiving freely he would not have people mistake as if his revealing of pardon of sin did intimate that people did not sin any more And therefore he anticipates it in the 8. verse If any man say he hath no sin he deceiveth himselfe and there is no truth in him Sâ—n we do but the grace of God stands in this that when wee sin sin is forgiven and it is an act of justice for God to forgive these sins that are committed Beloved I â—â—â—ceive the world clamouâ—s extremely against that in consideration of the fearfull fruits as they conceive of such publishing the Grace of God to men Tell men their sins are forgiven tell them whatsoever sins they do commit being Believers their siâ—s shall do them no hurt This is the way say they to all manner of licentiousnesse this brings Libertinisme into the world this opens the floud gates for flouds of sins to overflow the Church But the Apostle prevents this great objection and he doth not only prevent it but he establishes the direct contrary to the infrence men make from the free Grace of God And this he doth in the words of my Text. And observe it well were it not an Apostle of Christ that spake these words there are many Zelots in the Church would condemnit not only for Heresie but for the greatest absurdity in the world This appears plain for there are two things the Apostle drives at in these two verses First an inforcement of something that he would work upon little children as he calls them that have fellowship with the Father and the Son Secondly the great argument the Apostle useth to prevaile with them to entertain and imbrace that which hee would fasten upon them The thing that the Apostle would fasten upon believers was that they would not sin For which cause he writes these things to them The argument by which he would prevail with them to do this he calls upon them for is a strange one in the opinion of most men Observe the argument If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father c. Put them together and it amounts to this I would have you not to sin Now the only way and the best way to prevail with you not to sin is this I will acquaint you with this truth that if you do commit sin there is an advocate with the Father that shal take order that the sin you commit shal do you no hurt at all Though you do sin he is become the propitiation for your sins therefore feare not though you doe sin of any hurt that can come to you by these sins So that this is the argument by which he would prevail with them and us against the commission of sin Now what an absurd argument seems this to be not only to the world but even to zealous professors also to prevail with men to the forbearance of sin to tell them before hand that if they sin there is an advocate for them and he is the propitiation for their sins That this is an argument for men to forbeare sin is such a Paradox not only to the world but even to professors themselves that for ought I see in matters of Religion at this day there is nothing so vilely calumniated as the publishing of this free grace of God to men in this way as being the high way to break out into all manner of sinfulness whatsoever This say men is that which lets go the reins into the neck of Libertisme this is that which makes men take liberty without controule freely to commit any sin in the world Who ever is of this mind I must tell him before I go on he doth directly crosse the wisdome of God and directly give the lie to the Apostle here that expresseth with much infallibility to the world how little hurt the knowledge of the pardon of sin can do do to persons in Jesus Christ in that he passeth it as an argument to prevail from sin I shall beseech you beloved not to have any regard to any words I shall say of my selfe to you but as I shal speak the full mind of the Holy Ghost And I shall give you one point first in generall which is the main scope of the Apostle here and afterwards handle the severall branches of it particularly First I say take the generall scope of the Apostle here and then as the Scripture will evince the truth so for the truths sake receive that which shall be delivered though for the present it may seem otherwise then ordinary The point that ariseth out of the words is this observe how naturally it â—riseth out of the words For a person who hath fellowship with the Father and the Sonne one of the little children which the Apostle speaks of here for such a person to know before hand before he doth commit sin that there is an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous who is the prâ—pitiation for sin to know this I say iâ— so far from being a spur to provoke him to the commission of sin that it is one of the strongest arguments and the best motives toprevail with such persons to refrain from the commission f sin First see how naturally it lieth in the Text that you may see the Doctrine is no fancâ— not opinion of men but the cleer truth It appears plainly that the Apostles business here is to take men off from sinning that appears in the beginning of the tex
simply and abstractively there is an Advocate but he speaks relatively we have an Advocate that is our Advocate c. Thirdly this Advocate is set forth not only in his relation to men as he is their advocate but he is declared also and set forth as he hath relation unto God Hee doth not say simply we have an Advocate but I say the Apostle doth declare the excellency of this office of advocateship in respect of this circumstance With the Father we have an Advocate and that with the Father we have an Advocate he is ours and not only so but he is an Advocate of ours which the Father which notes unto us that the plea of Christ for indemnity from sin is not in any inferiour Court where if there bee a sentence of acquittance procured there may be a charge from an higher Court But the Advocateship of Christ is managed for our good in the highest Court of all with the highest Judge that when hee gets a sentence it is definitive and determinative and there is no other Court that can take upon it the determination of the case or call in question the triall of that which hath been determined there Lastly the provision in respect of the office assigned is excellently illustrated by the circumstance of time when the office is on foot or when the officer doth manage it The Text doth not say we had an Advocate or we shall have one hereafter but he speaks in the Present Tense We have an Advocate that now is to agitate it It is but a cold comfort for a man to say being now a begger he had abundance of wealth neither doth it give him fulnesse of comfort to say that he shall have abundance of wealth hereafter but herein lyes his comfort and happinesse that he can say in truth I am rich I have abundance of all things It is but cold comfort for a man to say I had a friend in Court once but he is dead now If he had been alive now it had been better with me then it is I should have sped well I had then carried the cause on my side hee would have done so and so for me I but here lies a mans comfort that he hath a friend at Court that will doe him a good office at his need The Apostle saith here we have an Advocate As therefore I said of the present being of sin committed so I say of the present being of our Advocate It must not be understood to be a transient but a permanent sentence it was in force in the Apostles time it is as full in force in our time and we may as well and truly say Wee have an Advocate and in after ages the Church of God shall say to the end of the world in their times as truly as we now and the Apostle in his time said We have an Advocate with the Father Secondly consider here the person managing this office of Advocateship who is described unto us by three admirable and notable titles that are proper and full for the comfort and incouragement of those whose Advocate he is He is Jesus Christ the righteous saith the Text this is our Advocate First he is Jesus and that is a word that imports a Saviour as the Angel expounded it Luke 1. And they shall call his name Jesus for hee shall save his people from their sins An admirable encouragement to lift up the heads of dejected and drooping spirits when the Advocate comes to plead this Advocate is their Saviour that is his plea is of such force and prevalency that he saves his client Object But some may say many times in suits of Law men have skilfull Lawyers to plead for them which are able to save them who are not admitted to plead for them because they are not called to the Bar. Answ Yea but this Jesus is Christ too this Advocate doth not rush into this office of his own head without warrant but is called to it For as you shall heare afterwards the word Christ imports anointing to the office Many a good Lawyer indeed may not be admitted to come to the bar of Common pleas although he can plead the cause of his client the best of all he must be authorized and called unto the bar or else he may not speak But the Advocate provided for the indemnity against sin is Christ he is called to it Thirdly it is Jesus Christ the righteus and that imports the strength of the plea hee hath by which he becomes a propitiation for sin it is his righteousnesse that prevails in heaven to get the sentence to go on the side of his client Lastly you may observe here the issue what will become of this Advocateship what effect it will have at the last Many men who have causes in suit are restlesse to know how their cause will goe when they come to triall fain they would know on which side the verdict will be given and it is a great refreshing to persons to know before-hand that the cause will goe on their side Now the Apostle doth here intimate unto us what will become of the cause before it is tried He is such an Advocate with the Father saith hee that hee is become the propitiation for all the sins of Gods people and what that is we shall shew hereafter Beloved this is a large field of excellent variety of sweetnesse and fatnesse we must take the particulars into consideration that wee may discusse them the more orderly and I hope it will be no difficulty to gather some of the flowers in this garden and the Spirit of the Lord assisting there may be sucking yea sucking so that persons may be satisfied that they may suck and bee satisfied at the brests of consolation That wee may the better lay our mouthes to this breast and draw more easily the milke thereof let us briefly consider these particulars First concerning the office here spoken of we are first to consider what it is to be an Advocate and how Christ doth manage this office being in heaven I say first what it is to be an Advocate with the Father and how Christ doth manage it Secondly whose cause it is that Christ doth undertake to be an Advocate for Thirdly how Christ is gifted and qualified for the comfortable managing of this office of Advocateship Fourthly what it is to have Christ to be the propitiation for the sinnes of his people this I conceive contains the sum of the whole drift of the Apostle in these words To begin with the first what the office of Advocateship is and what it is for Christ to be an Advocate and how hee doth now manage it in heaven for his elect First this office to bee an Advocate as it is appropriated unto Christ I doe not finde that it is once more mentioned in all the Scripture besides this place Of an Intercessor and Redeemer and the atonement we reade frequently in Scripture that Christ is
sons of men that they might have discharge from sin he doth make it manifest that all he doth aske of the Father he doth ask according unto justice nay Christ makes it to appear that justice is as much satisfied in discharging of Believere from their sins as it is in the damnation of the Reprobates in hell for their sins Justice 〈◊〉 no more right in their damnation then it hath in the others acquittance and discharge In the damnation of the Reprobates in Hell to satisfie justice there is no more but the wrath of God revealed from Heaven and executed upon them Now for those Believers that are the members of Christ and are discharged by Christ from their sins the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven and poured out upon his Son in their behalf who sustained in respect of the proportion of justce equivalently to all the torments the Repriobates in Hell do sustain So that Christ hath as fully satisfied the justice of God for his elect as it is satisfied in the damned in Hell who suffer in their own persons Surely there had been no need of Christs coming into the world if Believers might have been saved and justice violated without satisfaction But now justice had been violated had not a proportionable recompence been made before the sin had been discharged from off the person committing the same Therefore the Psalmist speake admirably when he saith Mâ—rey and Truth hath met together and Righteousnesse and Peace have kissed each other This place is appropriated unto Christ shewing that in managing the work of Redemption of the sons of men as he doth exâ—â— Mâ—â—cy so he doth not diminish Justice and Righteousnesse but carries the businesse so that they both of them have their due and both of them have so their due that they agree one with another nay they do imbrace and kisse each other they come to rejoyce and triumph in the satisfaction of each other And therefore it is but an ignorant imagination in the hearts of some men that God will grow more remisse in respect of the sins of his own people that God is not so much offended with the nature of sin after Christ died as before For God hath all the abhorring detesting thoughts of sin in the nature of it since Christ is dead as he had before he died It is altogether as abominable unto him as before it was Christ did not come to make sin lesse filâ—â—â— to the Lord or to make a person where sin is more lovely or lesse hatefull before God but rather declares and sets forth the wrath of God 〈◊〉 sin in the highest degree Where eveâ— thâ— Lord seeth sin and not Christ upon the persâ—n taking away that sin the Lord cannot but hate both the sin and the sinner All the pleasure the 〈◊〉 takes in the sons of men proceeds from a purity Christ put upon them and the taking away of that sinfulnesse from them which otherwise could not but stir up indignation and wrath in the Lord against the perâ—â—ns where he findes it I say this is the ground upon which Christ pleadâ— justice that so it might appear there is no violation of it but the Lord is as well satisfied as if the person transgressing had lain under the wrath deserved in his own person I could wish I were able to speak to you in so sull and clear language that not one dram of this glorious mysterie of this Gospel of Christ might be hid for the comforting and refreshing of your spirits The thing I drive at being that all the people of Christ might know wherein lies their strong consolation not in themselves as if they did not sin nor in themselves as if they could mâ—ke amends for their sins but in him who hath made perfect amends for them and in whom they are accepted with the Father as if they themselves in their own persons had made this amends who hath presented them so compleat in himself unto the Fathers eye that the Lord is pleased to looke upon them as upon his own innocent Son and to take pleasure in them with the same pleasure that he takes in his Beloved And if ever you mean to have your consciences and your consolations established and well grounded concerning the pardon of your sins you must see that Christ hath onely pleaded and doth plead out your acquittance and discharge and this your indemnity even to the sans◠〈◊〉 of justice it self For if justice be not yet 〈◊〉 if the Lord hath yet a plea against your â—ouis if Christ hath not fully answered it but lefâ—â— us plea with God who shall stand up before him Christ being silent to plead for you Gods jurâ—ce comes in and pleads terribly against you and will exact satisfaction of you therefore you must receive this principle if you will be established in consolation that as there is mercy in respect of us who bring nothing in consideration of our sins so there is righteousnesse and justice in forgiving of sin in respect of Christ our Advocate that doth manage his office and makes it known for this very end that in knowledge thereof we might have the stronger consolation SERMON V. 1 John 2. vers 1 2. My little children these things I write unto you that you sin not And if any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins WE have formerly as some of you may remember entered upon these words wherein the Apostle makes the proposall of the Grace of God in Christ the encouragement unto people to forbear sin The first thing we noted therefore from hence was this That the knowledge of an Advocate that becomes a propitiation for sin even for such as do commit sin I say the knowledge of this Grace is so far from opening a gap unto a licentious life that indeed it is the best means and help in the world to keep us from sinning The last day we fell upon the matter of the Argument which the Apostle useth to disswade little children from sin If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous Herein we proposed to be considered First what this Advocateship of Christ is and how Christ doth manage this office of Advocateship Secondly whose cause it is that Christ doth here plead Thirdly how Christ is gifted and qualified for this office of Advocateship Lastly what the issue of this Advocateship of Christ is proposed in the last words of the Text He is the propitiation for our sins Concerning the first what this office of Advocateship is the summe is briefly this The office of an Advocate is to plead out the cause of a man as it is in justice and right so that the Advocateship of Christ consists in pleading forth the discharge of his people even from the principle of right and justice Whereas it is objected and indeed seems a thing unreconcilable namely that
this discharge from sin goes all along under the notion of Grace and free Grace and pardon how can this be if it be meerly an act of justice for God to forgive sins This may easily be reconciled with a distinction discharge from sin in respect of us or what we can bring by way of recompence for the sin committed is meerly free Grace Wee can bring nothing at all Also in respect of Christ as he is allowed to stand in the room of us it is Grace too But thirdly Christ being allowed and admitted and the Lord having taken the full payment he could ask at the hands of Christ and acknowledging satisfaction upon such payment this act of Christ makes it an act of justice and right that God should forgive sins and therefore the Apostle in the first Chapter of this Epistle of John tells us That the blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God cleanseth us from all our sins And therefore he concludes that he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sins But I cannot insist upon what I have formerly delivered Now peradventure some though I confesse a little over-curious desire to understand how Christ being now in Heaven doth execute this office of Advocateship or in what sense he is said to plead the cause of his people I call it a curious querie because the Scriptures are very sparing in declaring the manner of Christs managing this office That he is an Advocate is cleer enough how he doth deale with God in the execution of it is more obscure Frequent mention is made indeed of Christs intercession in Heaven be ever liveth to make intercession for us as the Apostle testifieth he doth intercede for the Saints saith the holy Gost yet though this be so frequently mentioned and the comfort of Gods people much laid upon this nâ—â—ely this intercession yet the Scriptures are very sparing what kind of intercession he makes whether he prays to his Father in heaven as he did upon earth or no The like I say oâ— this businesse of Advocateship Some few passages of Scripture there are that will give some â—int at least to have some glimmerings of the very manner of Christs Advocateship and the exâ—cution of it In Heb. 11.4 there is something that wil give us some light Bâ— faith saith the Apostle Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice then Cain whereby he received or obtained witnesse of God that he was righteous by which he being dead et speaketh that is by which sacrifice he being dead yet speaketh The sacrifices you know they were Christ in the Antitype for all the life of sacrifices from which persons obtain testimony of God that they are righteous is Christ himself And it is Christ in sacrifice that speaks even when the sacrifice it selfe is offered I conceive therefore beloved as sacrifices speak in respect of a prevailing power they have with God when he sits in judgement we are to conceive likewise of the Advocateship of Christ which iâ— nothing else but the speaking of Christ is in such a kinde managed after such a manner Christ speaks as sacrifice speaks for indeed Christ as Advocate pleads only as a sacrifice form an In the 12th Chapter of the same Epistle and the 14. verse you have another expression having a little more cleernesse in it We are come saith the Apostle to Mount Sion the City of the living God to an innumerable company of Angels and to Jesus the Mediator of the new Covenant and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things then the blood of Abel Here you see whereas the Apostl in the former Chapter imports a voyce or a plea in the mouth of sacrifices in this Chapter and verse he speaks more plainly and puts a voyce or plea to that which is the life of sacrifices namely the blood of sprinkling the blood of Jesus Christ Wee are come unto the blood of sprinking And this blood is that which speaks better things then the blood of Abel You know that there was a strong plea in the blood of Abel which cryed from earth to heaven till it brought vengance upon the head of Cain The blood of Christ hath a stronger plea and hath a stronger cry and is for better purposes So that under favour for in this I shall not contend much so far as I can see the value and working and desert and preciousnesse of the bloodshed of Christ that is the plea that Christ makes as Advocate in heaven that when a Believer doth commit sin the efficacy of this blood-shed is fresh in the pretence of the Lord in the behalfe of that poore wretch that hath thus sinned I say the blood is present and the whole efficacy power and vertue of that blood is fresh in the thoughts of the Lord. And as it is thus effectuall and powerfull it procures the discharge and brings the discharge and acknowledgement of the Lord to his thoughts too if I may so speak whereby he is pacified towards them and pleased with them This is alwayes before him and present with him yea present before him when the sins that a Believer commits are present and the counterplea of the value of the blood of Christ overcomes the naturall plea of the sin it selfe But I will not dwell upon this but rather hasten to a second thing very considerable which is Whose cause it is that Christ doth plead with the Father or for whom the value and vertue of his blood doth plead I remember the Disciples when Christ spake generally concerning his betraving were very inquisitive Is it I saith one Is it I saith another I doubt not but in regard of the prevalency of the plea of the blood of Christ many persons present will fal upon this inquiry Is it I that he means is he my Advocate Am I his client to plead my cause I shall endeavour to make it cleer and to resolve it is the Apostle doth here propose it The plea that Christ puts up for the persons whose câ—use he doth undertake are first all sorts of Believers whatsoever high or low rich or poor â—ay strong or weak Christ I say pleads their cause he is the Advocate of the weakest Believer iâ— the world Nay more he is the Advocate of the weakest Believer when he is the greatest sinner I mean when he falls foulely when he falls it may be through the weaknesse of his faith making him suspect that Christ will be silent in his cause in regard of such failings and sinfulnesse I say he is then as properly the Advocate of such a person a Believer who peradventure falls into some scandalous evill at that very time when this person that is a Believer falls thus Mark but the Apostle If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father he makes no exception neither in respect of persons nor in respect of sins If any man sin he doth not say if any man sin meerly of infirmity and common frailty but
in generall If any man sin as if he had said there must something be done by Believers that goes beyond the being of sin before they can be excluded from having interest in the Advocateship of Christ Here the Apostle speaks expresly there is an Advocateship of Christ for Believers finning without exception I know it is too frequent among many that more grosse sins then ordinary in a Believeâ— do not only waste the conscience but do also interpose between such a person and Christ of which we shall have occasion to speak else-where For present there is a coâ—â—eit that if a Believer sine more then ordinarily presently there is just câ—use for him to suspect Christ will not sufficiently manage his office for him an least Christ hath not sufficiently managed it already so that there is juâ—t cause of feare But let me tell you to the everlasting consolation of Gods people that there is no sin which a Believer can commit which can exclude him from the benifit of this Advocateship or bring him beyond the bounds of this large grant If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father And if it be any man you will say it extends to all men in the world as well as Believers if any man sin Nay there is a restraint in the words and you shall easily see it If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father If any of us that have fellowship with the Father and the Son it is not every one that hath Christ for an Advocate but those that are Believers Those that have right to fellowship with the Father and the Son are only spoken of in this place I speak this to the end that those who 〈…〉 fear of death are subject unto bondage all their lives long â—ay know that Christ is coâ—â—e to deliver them and reveales this truth on purpose to deliver them from the feare of death and bondage by being their Advocate for their sins He is an Advocate he is a propitiation for every sin of his The words run in the generall to the end If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father and he is the propitiation for our sins The Apostle doth not say he is not an Advocate for such and such but for such and such Believers that sin so and so if they commit sin so and so agravated and if their sins rise to such an height there is no propitiation for them But the Apostle speaks in the generall style If any man sin and he is the propitiation for our sins and yet beloved I must be bold to goe a little further in respect of the persons whose cause Christ doth plead and in whose behalf Christ is an Advocate I say it is for all sorts of Believers nay I go further it is for more then present Believers even for some who are not for the present Believers but remaine as yet in a state of unbelief In brief Christ is the Advocate of the cause of euery person in the world for whom he paid the price of redemption whether they be persons already called or persons not yet acquainted with the Grace of God for every Elect person as well unconverted as converted Christ doth equalty in respect of the substance of his plea interpose but when I say he plead as well for the unconverted as for the converted I mean for such unconverted persons as do belong unto the election of Grace and have their portion in the price of his blood Beloved for mine own part I cannot yet conceive any other considerable difference between the plea of Christ for the converted persons and the Elect unconverted but this circumstantiall difference namely that the value of his blood is equally of force to Believers and unbelievers being elected saving that the Belevers have this priviledge that the Lord Christ pleads for the manifestation of this discharge unto this converted person but pleads not for the present manifestation there of unto the unconverted elect person tell such time as he shall be called to the faith and by that faith that thing be made evident which before was hid I say the pardon of sin by the blood of Câ—rist is 〈◊〉 full for the unconverted elect person as fully passed over in grant I mean to that person as to the Believer himself God doth add never a tittle of pardon it self more to him that is a Believer then to that person not yet converted to the faith in regard of the substance of the pardon it self For the cleering of this to you I beseech you note what is the rise or ground-work of the pardon of sin Secondly note when this pardon of sin is compleat with God These two things considered you shal perceive that all the pardon in respect of the substance of it that God passeth over unto men he doth passe it over before their conversion Look I say upon the rise the true rise or originall of the pardon of sin is the gracious grant of God upon the blood of Christ shed This is the onely foundation of pardon I say Gods gracious grant upon the sheding of the blood of Christ there is no pardon appliable to any person in the world but what pardon is to be found in the word of Grace Thou that art a Believer at present thou hast the pardon of thy sins in thy spirit thou art assured of it Where hadst thou this pardon Didst thou not fetch it out of the word of Grace Then as soon as the word of Gods Grace was first published this Grace of the pardon of sin was held forth If thou foundest it not here thou found'st it some where else but tell me where will you have this Grant of God to build upon if you will not have it in the word of Grace You will say the Spirit of God will reveale it unto you It is true indeed but if the Spirit of the Lord doth reveal a grant to you of Grace it is according to his Word The Spirit speaking out of the word oâ— Grace to men speakes no otherwise but according to this word of Grace in men and if that there be a contradiction between the inward voyce and this word of Grace that is enough to give you cause of suspicion yea you may be confident that that voice within you in respect of such contradiction is a false voyce I say that the Lord Christ sends us unto his Word and from the word we take out the pardon of sin we have Now beloved I beseech you consider if all pardon to all the Elect to the end of the world be contained in this word of Grace there is no more pardon then what is written there then it must needs follow that God passed over his act of pardon of sin at that instant when he entred this pardon in the volume of his Book Is there no pardon till thou art converted and called then the pardon of all thy sins are not to be
be are more able to plead a cause and can doe it better then some Sergeant at Law or some others that are called but yet because he is not called he must hold his tongue Beloved were Christ our Advocate a Novice and not graduated if he were not called to the Bar though he can plead never so excellently with God he could not be heard God will give a call before he heare So Christ is called Yet again when men are called to be Counsellors yet they cannot plead at every Bar. At the Common-pleas none plead but a Sergeant at law though many Counsellors be able Lawyers better gifted then some Sergeants yet this will not suffice he is not called to that Bar in speciall and therefore they must not come till they have the cal as the Sergeants have The Lord doth not bid us to seek his face without a Mediator but he that is the Advocate at the Court of Heaven is the Lord Jesus Christ that is one Man the Man Christ He that hath the best Rethoricke in the world to plead his cause must have him as a Sergeant to plead for him he cannot be admitted into this Court to plead for himself The Ministers of God are in some sort the pleaders of our cause yet they themselves must have this Sergeant to plead for them when they come to this tribunall of God and he alone is admitted to it And it is a great matter to know what kinde of Christ he is that is singled out and then you must know that if all the world offer this service unto you to plead your cause before God it would not avail if this Man Christ were not freely assign'd and called to plead your cause you are gone for ever nothing in the world can be heard but Christ Obj. You will say the servants of God are heard when they pray Answ I say Christ is onely heard when he Prayes you must pray in faith saith James Let him not think that he shall obtaine any thing at the hand of the Lord that wavers he must ask in faith that is he must ask in Christ for faith rests not upon it self but upon Christ It is Christ gets every thing for men it is not they themselves nor their prayers but it is Christ that prevails Now this Advocate Christ he speaks his minde and is admitted to speak his minde to the full But this is not all Christ is gifted and qualified that he may plead effectually There may be some unrighteous Judge in the world that may call men for favour as a father calls his son whether he be gifted and qualified or no that is not regarded This man for some by-respects shall come to the Bar but God is a righteous Judge a Judge that hath no partiality Christ indeed is his Son but Christ his Son is not called meerly for favour but as he calls his Son so he breeds his Son You know beloved that at the Inns of Court the Judges and primest Lawyers are teachers of Students and when they finde them to be proficients then they call them and admit them to the Bar. So Christ is the Student and the Father he doth instruct and tutor him he breeds him up if I may so speak after the manner of men to be fit for the Advocateship and then when he was fit he put him out unto it You shall find anointing as in the word Christ to import gifting of men when they are called out Aaron he was anointed he was gifted to make atonement and so of Saul when Samuel anointed him the Text saith God gave him another he gave him a regall heart and when hee made him a King he gave him the heart of a King he gave him a kingly spirit And this was that which Solomon prayed for when the crown was set upon his head that God would give him a wise and understanding heart to goe in and out before his great people and the Lord answered him and gave him wisdome so that there was none before him nor after him like unto him Even so God did with Christ he was anointed to be our Advocate and as he anointed him he gifted him for it as he saith I have laid help upon one that is mighty Christ is the person that must bring help and therefore his person shall be mighty In Psal 68. vers 18. you shall see there that God did gift Christ when he called him forth Thou art ascended up on high thou hast led captivity captive and received gifts for men Here the office of Christ is to deliver captives and for this purpose must be gifted if he be not qualified unto it he will fail in the execution of it The Apostle recites the same passage but above all that place in Isaiah 42. and the 2 3 4 5. verses doth manifestly cleer this matter Behold my servant saith the Lord mine elect in whom my soule delighteth hee shall not fail neither shall he be discouraged I will hold him with my right hand he shall not be dismayed saith the Text Here you see in the words how many expressions the Lord useth to shew how he qualifieth his Son Christ that so he may be fit to manage his businesse But further in the second place he is not only called Christ but he is Christ Jesus saith the Text and the title doth further illustrate the excellency of Christs qualifications to be an Advocate Here is Christ Jesus Jesus is a name importing the effectuall prevalency of Christ in his plea. I will not stand to cleer the signification of it by the Etymologie of the word but for a more sensible understanding of it the word is taken up and examined by the Holy Ghost himself in Mat 1. verse 21. when the Angel brings the tidings of his birth he gave his name They shall call his name Jesus for hee shall save his people from their sins Jesus is as much as to say a Saviour of people from sin Now see how admirably our Saviour is qualified hee hath not only Rethorick Law at his fingers ends as we say but he hath an admirable prevalency in his Rethorick There is not any cause that Christ yet took in hand that miscarried not any client that ever Christ pleaded for that at any time was cast but he that pleads is still the Saviour of his people This Jesus pleads so that he saves them from their sins It is admirable to consider let the sins produced against a person be never so many never so hainous let the witnesses come in and swear never so punctually and prove never so fully the crimes committed against such a Law yet such is the faculty of this Advocate with the Father that he is Jesus that hee stops the judgement the sentence cannot goe forth This Christ as he is Jesus is first the baile of mens persons till the day of payment You know the nature of bailing persons should go to prison presently
Christ doth maintain and plead First I say of all Believers he calls them little children as well as strong men even the cause of little children even when they have sinned without limitation of this sin they shall commit For he doth expresse himself in generall terms it is the cause of those that do sin If any man sin Secondly the cause not only of present Believers but also the cause of all the Elect Believers or unbelievers if they be elected It is true they shall believe in time but yet I say Christ is an Advocate of them while unbelievers if they be elected There is not a sin in the world but as it is damnable in its own nature in the rigour of justice so it doth not allow of any forbearance it is only Christ that makes the forbearance evun untill they are called Then we came to consider how Christ our Advocate is qualified to manage this office with that efficaciousness and successe to the comfort of those whose cause he doth maintain The qualifications of Christ are expressed in three things in the Text. First for the title he is anointed to be an Advocate he hath a lawfull call to the Bar nay he is priviledged there is none to plead but himself Secondly it is Christ anointed that is gifted and made an able Minister in the 42. of Isaiah and the beginning of the Chapter in the 1. v. the Lord tells us how he shall not be dismayed he will hold him up and saith the Text There the Isles shall wait for his Law we must understand it two wayes The Isles shall wait for his Law that is the Isles shall now be directed and guided by him as their Law-giver or we may understand it thus he shall be so good a Lawyer that the Isles shall waite for his Law as much as to say If a man have a cause to be tried he heares of a good Counsell and a Lawyer very expert in the Law such a man waits for such a mans Law he waits for the Law out of his mouth he hopes he will plead his cause so well that it shal go well with him God makes Christ so good a Lawyer that when he comes to plead his Law he shall carry the sentence on his clients 〈◊〉 Secondly he is Jesus 〈◊〉 the Text and in that is imported 〈…〉 equalification of Christ to exercise his â—ffice of Advocateship Jesus as much as a Saviour and it shews the efficacie of his pleâ— he pleads the cause of his clients so strongly that he sayes Thirdly the qualifications of Christ unto his Advocateship sâ—mported in the third title he is Jesus Christ the righteous saith the Text He is Jesus Christ the righteous in a double sense and in both of them is declared the excellent qualifications of Christ to Advocate for us First he is Jesus Christ the righteous that is the raithfull a Conâ—sellor that will deal truly with his client A Counsell that will deal uprightly a Couâ—eâ— that will not fall Secondly this Advocate is Jesus Christ the righteous 〈◊〉 Christ who hath such a righteousnessâ— as â—â—at the whole strength of his plea the force â—f his Argumenâ— that he doth â—â—â—e in his 〈…〉 together in his righteousnesse The 〈◊〉 expression imports what Christ himseâ—â— is this imports what his Argument is I say the only argument that hath the carrying power to leade the cause to state the conclusion for the client the only force of the argument lies in the righteousnesse of Christ this is that 〈…〉 is that 〈…〉 this is that which makes 〈…〉 thing with God to so give and to 〈…〉 I say his righteousnes this is 〈…〉 which the whole 〈…〉 which all our 〈…〉 that keeps us from 〈…〉 nothing else could be 〈…〉 of all things in the world 〈…〉 be more searched into and 〈…〉 then this one truth namâ—ly that it is the righteousnesse of Christ that prevailes in plea with God for a person that dâ—th sin and this righteousnesse of Christ only I shall therefore endeavour for the cleering up of this thing that the strength of Christs 〈…〉 God doth lie in his righteousnesse Here 〈◊〉 I shall endeavour to shew you First evidently onâ— of Scripture that it is this righteousnesse of his and only this righteousnesse of his that prevails with God for the discharge of a member of Christ when he doth sin Secondly we shall consider what this righteousness is that doth so prâ—vail with him First I say the Scripture or rather the Holy Ghost in the word of Grace holds forth this truth frequently unto us that all the strength of the plea with God and consequently all the ground of solid comfort unto us doth wholy depend upon the righteousnes of Christ and nothing else Look into Psal 50.5 6. verses for David even in his time was marvellous cleer in this truth Gather my Saints saith the Lord in that Psalm such as have made a covenant with me by sacrifice and the heavens shall declare his righteousnesse Gather them together that is bring them to judgement such as have made a covenant with me by sacrifice and then when they stand in Judgement The heavens shall declare his righteousnesse The Text doth not say the heavens shall declare my righteousnesse though that also is a truth that the heavens do declare both Gods and Christs righteousnesse Gods in passing sentence of absolution Christs pleading so for this sentence that God in justice cannot but passe the sentence The heavens shall declare his righteousnes saith the Text. Either understand it thus the righteousnesse that shall be pleaded is the righteousness that comes down from heaven of which wee shall speak more hereafter or thus the righteousnesse which Christ shall plead shall be so cleer and evident in the prevalency of it that the Sun in the Firmament the Sun in Heaven hath not a cleerer brightnesse in it then this righteousnesse shall have to cleer up the business Gather my Saints together that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice saith the Text. What sacrifice will you say or what is there in sacrifice that the Lord should be in covenant with his people Look into the 51. Psalme and verse 19. you shall there see what there is in sacrifice that makes a covenant between God and his people Then shalt thou be pleased saith David with the sacrifice of righteousnesse righteousnesse in the sacrifice is that which doth procure a pleasedness in God unto those persons unto whom sacrifice doth belong or for whose use sacrifice doth serve I say righteousnesse in the sacrifice not an inherent righteousnesse in the typicall sacrifice it self For saith the Apostle it is impossible that the blood of Buls and Goats should take away sin But there is a righteousnesse that is declared from Heaven and annexed to the sacrifice the righteousness of Christ this is that which puts an end to the quarrel this is that which makes an agreement between those that are at
righteousness but the righteousness of faith must be considered meerly only as it is Christ alone and not as it is any righteousnesse of faith it self as I may so speak If any strength of faith be brought in as concurrent to that righteousnesse that pleads out the discharge of a sinner over and above what is simply and only Christs own righteousnesse I say that is no righteousnesse to be pleaded nor hath power nor force in plea at all I shall give two or three passages by way of hint It is true the Apostle in the 10. to the Romans tells us The righteousnesse of faith speaks on this wise importing a righteousnesse of faith which indeed before was called the righteousnesse of God himself they submitted not themselves to the righteousnesse of God but beloved I take it the righteousnesse here is called the righteousnesse of faith as faith is the hand that doth close with the righteousnesse of God not as if this righteousnesse were properly faith but meerly objective as we say Faith as it lays hold upon that righteousnesse which is onely Christ the object thereof in 1. Rom. verse 16. the Apostle saith there I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the power of God to salvation to every one that believeth Mark it well here is the power of God to salvation revealed In what is the power of God to salvation It is in it saith the Apostle that is in the Gospel of which hee was not ashamed so it is the power of God to salvation to every one that believeth but the power of God to salvation is not in believing but in it that is in the Gospel And what is the Gospel of Christ there Certainly the Gospel of Christ there is not faith but the object of itâ— For it is said to be revealed from faith to faith But if you looke into the 2. or Luke and the 10. verse there you shall see plainly what the Gospel of Christ is An Angel came from Heaven to the Shepherds and speaks thus Behold I bring you glad tidings that is I Evangelizâ— so the word is in the originall â—â—ring you glad ridings of exceeding great joy for unto you is born this any in the City of David a Saviour that is Christ the Lord. The word Gospel in the Romans is the very same word drawn from the same theame with that in the 2. of Luke verse 10. It is as much as to say the Gospel is glad ridings of great joy and what are these glad tidings A Saviour is born unto you So Christ a Saviour born to men is the Gospel and saith the Apostle I am not ashamed of it that is I am not ashamed of Christ borne a Saviour for this reason Christ is the power of God to salvation to every one that believeth In the 1. of Peter and the 1. Chapter the Apostle tells us Wee are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation where it is plainly imported that faith unto salvation is the thorrow fare it is but a meer chanell through which the righteousnesse of Christ doth run not communicating any righteousnesse it self by which a person may stand righteous before God or have discharge by the Lord or from the Lord. This I would fain know beloved in every act or in any act of believing is the act of believing absolutely perfect and compleat in all things without any defect at all or weaknesse Or Is there some imperfection There is some imperfection you must say If then there be imperfection this I would fain known how that thing that hath imperfection that hath unrighteousnesse in it self can constitute a person by it self righteous Can Faith chargeable with unrighteousnesse make a person unrighteous in himself stand righteous before God The Apostle in the 7. to the Hebrews telling us of Christ saith It behoveth us to have such an high Priest harmlesse holy undefiled and separate from sinners if Christ himself had had finfulnesse with his righteousnesse that very righteousnesse of Christ it self would not have served the turn and therefore it behoved him to be holy harmlesse and undefiled and withouâ— offence Beloved Christ himself could not constitute us righteous before the Father if he himself had not been holy and without sin and can it be imagined that faith that hath unrighteousnesse in it self can make us righteous This is the summe of that I shall speake at this time I hope the things that I have spoken will not be offensive to any for I desire freely that this and all that I have or shall deliver unto you may be received as they agree with the light of the Gospel that is to be the rule to measure all truths by and the rest that remainâ— I shall come to the next day SERMON VII 1 John 2. vers 1 2. My little children these things I write unto you that you sin not And if any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins WE have observed already First from the connexion of both verses together the latter containing an Argument in it to inforce a charge in the former That the making known of this discharge from sin before sin be committed is so far from opening a gap unto licentiousness that it is one of the best means in the world to restrain men from licentiousnesse Secondly we came to consider the Argument and in the Argument the matter of it and the force of it The Argument that prevails with men not to sin is That if any maâ— sin he hath an Advocate with the Father Wee have considered what this Advocateship is and I shewed â—is a plea grounded upon Justice We have â—â—â—er considered for whose cause it is First it is the cause of Believers and the cause of Believers when they sin and not only the cause of present Believers but of the Elect although not yet Believers which yet in time shall be such We came also to consider how Christ this Advocate is qualified unto this office of Advocateship The qualifications of Christ are intimated in the three titles here attributed unto him First he is Christ that imports 1. A lawfull call to plead 2. A sufficient furnishing him with skill to plead Secondly he is Jesus importing the efficaciousnesse of his plea He pleads so well that he saves his people from their sins he carries the cause Thirdly Christs qualification to his office of Advocateship is imported in that attribute of Righteousnesse Jesus Christ the righteous and that contains in it the strengh of his plea whereby he doth attain to the salvation of those persons whose cause be doth plead Concerning this last attribute we have observed that the righteousnesse of Christ contains in it the strength oâ— Christs plea as Advocate whereby he doth become the propitiation for the sins of his clients I say the strength of his plea lies in this that he
is Jesus Christ the righteous we have therefore proposed to be considered First how cleer the Scripture is in this truth that it is his righteousnesse that carries the cause of a poor Believer when he hath sinned and gets the discharge for his sin after it is committed I say the plea lies in his righteousness I cannot insist upon the Scriptures mentioned they are very plentifull We came further to consider what this righteousnesse of his is that hath such a strength of plea in it the resolution of this I distributed into two heads First Negative Secondly Affirmative First the righteousnesse which carries away the cause and obtains the discharge of a Believers sin is no righteousnesse of our own no not so much as the righteousnesse of faith as it is our act of believing Here we left the last day I will give you a touch of the impossibility that faith should so plead for the discharge from sin in its own name or strength as to carry away the cause on the side of this person sinning It is true the Apostle speaks of the righteousnesse of faith in the 10. to the Romans about the 4. verse A righteousnesse of faith there is indeed but that righteousnesse which is here given and ascribed unto faith is afterwards appropriated to the Word that is unto the Gospel that is the righteousnesse of faith speaks on this wise say not in thine heart who shall ascend up into Heaven that is to bring Christ from thence or who shall descend into the deep But what saith it The Word is nigh thee in thy heart in thy mouth That is in the word in the heart and in the mouth that is the word of Faith and so not the righteousnesse of a mans own act of believing I cannot dwell upon what I have delivered before There are some things briefly to be considered even about our believing as it hath a stroke in the discharge from sin or in the pardon of sin The truth is beloved some hand faith hath in this businesse but it is not any righteousnesse in the act of believing that carries any stroke in it If you will consider it well you shall easily see there is no more righteousnesse in our believing as we do act believing then there is in any other gracious act whatsoever we do there is no more righteousnesse in the act of our beleving then is in our love of God nay more there is as much sinfulnesse in our act of believing as in our acting of other gifts There is no man under Heaven hath attained unto that height of believing or that strength of faith but there is still something wanting some imperfection and sinfulnesse in it And as there is weaknesse and imperfection in believing so it is not possible that this believing should give forth such a righteousnesse as to constitute a person who is unrighteous in himself to be righteous before God That which cannot set it self compleat and righteous before God can never set another righteous before God Faith must be first just it self or else it is not possible it should be imagined it can ever by the righteousnesse of its own act justifie another Beloved what ever the Scriptures speak concerning faith justifying it must of necessity be understood objectively or declaratively one of these two wayes Either faith is said to be our righteousnesse in respect of Christ onely who is believed on and so it is not the righteousnesse of his own act of believing but the righteousnesse of him that is apprehended by that act of believing Or else you must understand it declaratively that is whereas all our righteousnesse and all our discharge from sin flowing only from the righteousness of Christ alone is an hidden thing that which in it self is hid to men doth become evident by believing And as faith doth make the righteousnesse of Christ evident to the Believer so it is said to justifie by its own act declaratively and no otherwise And whereas in the 5. Chapter to the Romans and the 1. verse the Apostle there saith being justified by faith we have peace with God In Rom. 8. vers 33. the Apostle saith It is God that justifieth Now I beseech you compare these Texts together then tell mee whether the act of believing except it hath reference to the object which is Christ of it self doth justifie whether or no these two places caÌ„possibly be reconciled without contradiction It is God that justifieth and it is Faith that justifieth Faith is not God neither is God Faith If therefore it be faith in justification in respect of its own act that justifieth it is not God that justifieth us and if it be God that justifieth then it is not Faith in respect of its own act How will you reconcile it When therefore the holy Ghost speaks of faith justifying it speaks of faith as laying hold upon God for our justification and therefore though faith doth here appeare as that which doth lay hold upon the righteousnesse of God yet faith here cannot be said to be that righteousnesse that doth justifie us Ob. But I know some will be ready to say it is not to be understood as if saith had any innate power of its owne to procure the discharge or pardon from sin but saith is to bee understood as the Instrumentall cause that laies hold upon that justification and so it goes before the justification of a person and it is to be understood no otherwise Answ I shall desire to keep in the plain path for the cleering up of this truth and so far as possible may be I abhor to walk in the clouds in a truth that so highly concerns the comfort and establishing the consciences and spirits of men and therefore I say that faith as it layes hold upon the righteousness of Christ it doth not bring this righteousnesse of Christ to the soul but only doth declare the presence of this righteousnesse in the 〈◊〉 that was there even before faith was I beseech you mark me wel I know beloved I have many very catching ears about me I speak it the rather that there may be the more warines because there are frequent mis-understandings misâ—â—â—ings of the things I deliver especially by those that come to catch I say again there is no pâ—â—son under Heaven reconciled unto God justified by God through â—he righteousnesse of Christ but this person is justified and reconciled unto God before hee doth believe And therefore faith is not the instrument radically to unite Christ and the soul together but rather is the fruit that follows flows from Christ the root being united before hand to the persons that doe believe so that the efficacy and power of believing is to be instrumentall for the declaration of an act that was done before only it was hid For the cleering up of this to you beloved consider that expression in the 12. Chapter to the Hebrews vers 1. Faith saith the Apostle
that you sin not in the words before This is urged as an Argument to perswade them namely Wee have an Advocate with the Father We have considered already the force of this Argument to prevaile to this thing required and we have considered something concerning the nature of the Argument it self If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Here we considered what the Advocateship of Christ is namely to plead a sentence for his peoples discharge according to the rules of justice and equity Secondly whose cause it is that Christ doth advocate or plead Thirdly how Christ is qualified and gifted unto this office of Advocateship He is first Christ that is called of God and furnished by the Lord unto it Secondly he is Jesus Christ an effectuall and prevailing Advocate an Advocate that saves every client harmlesse whose cause hee doth plead Jesus is as much as a Saviour of his people from their sins We have considered thirdly further that Christ is qualified with righteousnesse and herein also the strength of the plea of Christ or the Argument of his plea He pleads discharge from sinne by vertue of his own righteousnesse Now because this discharge doth depend upon this righteousnesse of his We have proposed to your consideration what this righteousnesse is that hath such strength of plea as to obtain discharge from sin to the members of Christ after they have committed sin wee have proposed it first negatively secondly affirmatively The righteousnesse that obtains discharge from sin is no righteousnesse of our own nothing we do hath prevalency in the Court of Heaven with God for our dischargâ— It is not our tears our prayers or our fastingâ— that do prevaile with God but the righteousnesse of Christ only by the way a word oâ— two before I go on Let none think that thâ— denying efficacy unto our performances for thâ— procuring of our discharge from sinne doth wholy take away or derogate or eclypse these performances which are the things God himselfe calleth for at our hands I am not ignorant what an aspersion is rather by men collected then what can be justly raised out of what I have delivered as if there should be a slighting and a derogating from the performances that are the businesse of a Christians conversation as if denying efficacy to prevaile for discharge should be the overthrowing of these performances in Gods people You know what is said of fire It is a good servant but a bad master usefull in the harth dangerous iâ— the top of a house I say the like of all performances whatsoever keep them within their due bounds they are for excellent uses and for excellent purposes Let them break out of their bounds and they are dangerous Rivers are usefull but when they overflow their banks they drown all they are good creatures within the banks and water is usefull and necessary for many purposes but nothing more dangerous and destructive when it rieseth too high Exact performances once into the Throne of Christ give performances the peculiar priviledges of Christ and they deny Christ keep them in subordination to Christ they are usefull in their kinde Prâ—yer and fasting and circumspect walking and holinesse of conversation so farre as they are kept within these bounds namely the glorifying of God the manifestation of thankfulnesse and our due obedience to divine Majesty doing good to others and as they are looked upon as the Ordinances of God in the performances of which the Lord will be graciously pleased to meet with his people and in them make good to them things that are freely given by him before in Christ so farre they are exceeding usefull As for instance God calls forth unto prayer he calls forth unto fasting what is the encouragement of men to performe these services not a prevalency that these services themselves have with God but because that he hath promised that when his people call he will answer So for the promise sake we are encouraged in the expectation that the Lord will be as good as his word when we meet with him where he calls us forth to meet with him so far we are encouraged These things will I doe saith the Lord yet for all this I will be inquired of by the house of Israel Observe it well and in it you shall see the usefulnesse in seeking God in any way that the Lord will be sought in First the Lord saith These things will I do the Lord hath bound himself he cannot alter it the word is gone out of his mouth the thing shall come to passe when it is once gone out of his mouth he will make that good for his own sake and I will be sought unto by the house of Israel I will doe it you shall seeke mee and when you seek me I will make it good So when we come to the Ordinances wee look to what God hath promised and upon what God hath ingaged himself to make good to us And when we are upon the Ordinances our eye is or ought to be upon the promises not upon our performances and the Ordinances as if these our qualifications and doing this or that were the procurers of that we desire but the procurer of that is that which moved the Lord to make a promise Secondly as our righteousnesse hath not plea in it to prevaile of it selfe for discharge of sin after commission so neither hath faith it self any prevalency for the discharge of sin I say the plea of saith it self hath no efficacy and strength in it to get discharge from sin Faith improperly is called the righteousnesse of God Look into the 10. of the Romans the Apostle expresseth himselft us The righteousnes of faith speaks on this wise c. Here by the righteousnes of faith there cannot be meant the righteousnesse of the act of believing but the righteousnesse of Christ believed on I came to this assertion that faith hath not such prevalency of plea to discharge from sin I say not a prevalency of plea as to obtain the discharge from sin Nay saith hath not this prevalency so much as to be an instrument to unite a soul unto Christ in its first union I shall desire beloved in this case yet once more to be marked and heeded both attentively and spiritually and ingenuously and candidly The assertion I delivered was this and the reason why I deliver it again I will tell you by and by There is I say not such a thing as an uniting and cementing nor knitting power in faith as that faith doth or should become the instrument to unite a soul in its first union unto Christ For before such believing a soul is united unto Christ and a soul must be united unto Christ before it doth or can believe I said this of elect persons still and so carried it along to the end of the discourse That an elect person is united unto Christ before he can believe on Christ Something I said before for the
of faith it self unto Christ and to nothing else in the world and that I may uphold these particular and glorious prerogatives that are proper to Christ that he may not be robbed of any of them To this end I deliver it to you that elect persons have a participation and share in Christ himself even before they do beleive let none conceive that this takes away or diminisheth from the prerogative of believing neither For there are glorious things done by faith unto believers God hath honoured it above all meer creaturs in the world he hath made it the conduit pipe for the conveyance of all that peace and comfort nay of al that strength which believers have all their lives no faith no comfort no faith no peace of conscience no faith no plesure to walk with God through faith Christ conveys himself in speaking peace to the foul in bidding the soul be of good cheer the soul lies in darknes while it lies in unbelief But still that which is proper peculiar to Christ alone is not to be ascribed unto believing I should now proceed having as well as I can taken away the rubs to that which I purpose to follow But the time is past SERMON IX 1 John 2. vers 1 2. If any man sin wee have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins c. WEe have considered already the Office of Christ here spoken of his Advocateship We have considered the cause he manages also the persons whose cause it is that he doth manage The cause he manageth is in behalfe of the sinnes of his people and the persons are not present Believers but all elected persons though yet unbelievers Wee further considered the indowments and qualifications of Christ unto this Office First he is Christ that is called of God unto it and furnished by God for it Secondly he is Jesus he takes no cause in hand but he saves his client Thirdly he is Christ Jesus the Righteous the efficacy of the plea of Christ lyeth in this righteousness of his that being the soule hinge upon which the doore turneth In the large opening of this righteousness unto you I spake first negatively The plea that prevails for the discharge of â—in is not our works no not our faith but it is the righteousness of Christ himself that onlyserves to make up the strength of this plea Secondly affirmatively There is First an active righteousness of Christ For by the obedience of one man many shall be made righteous Rom. 5.19 Secondly the passive righteousness of Christ The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin 1 Joh. 1.7 But it is the divine righteousness or dignity of the divine God-head that adds an efficacy and life and vertue making the active and passive righteousness of Christ a compleat righteousnesse that wee might be compleat in him and we gave a touch to you wherein the efficacy of the plea of this righteousness stands The efficacy of it stands in the satisfaction that righteousness hath made to the justice of God In judgment there are but two wayes to be acquitted either just proof that the person upon triall is not guilty or being guilty the Law is already satisfied The strength of the plea of the righteousnesse of Christ insists not upon the first way heâ— grants the persons whose cause he pleads had for matter of fact done the thing that is charged but the strength of his plea is that the Law on their behalf is satisfied already This latter plea being good hath the like force for acquittance and discharge as the former hath So that the sentence of judgement can no more passe upon the person for whom the Law is satisfied then it can upon persons that never transgressed the Law Now it remains to be considered by way of objection out of the premises how this can be that the justice of God should be satisfied seeing the satisfaction of justice is the bringing of a recompence to answer in proportion for the offence that is committed The ground of the objection is this all that Christ as man brings unto God comes short to make a full recompence I told you before that the divine righteousness is that that makes the righteousnesse compleat and that a meer humane righteousnesse is not able to effect till it be infinite or be made infinite by the divine righteousnesse Now when Christ brings a recompence to the Father for the transgressions of men that that he brings to him by way of recompence should not be that which was his own before Now what ever the divine righteousness is that iâ— Gods own the active and passive obedience of Christs human nature that is brought to him but the divine righteousness is not brought You will say this is just as one man oweth another an hundred pounds and he sueth this man for it now the debtor he cannot raise above ten pounds of this money but the creditor must make it up out of his own purse So then here is the ground of the objection and the truth is this matter contains in it the depth of the mysterie of the Gospel that justice should be satisfied by bringing a recompence for transgression and yet the recompence as it is brought is not so much as will answer the injury that is done of it self It is true there is enough in the divine Righteousnesse to make the satisfaction for the injury done But how is this divine Righteousnesse brought It is most certainly true therefore even where there is satisfaction of justice in this case there is also mercy too For although God be just to forgive sin yet observe the phrase well you shall finde that where the Apostle speaks of justice in this act of forgiveness of sinz he speaks of mercy too You know to forgive a thing is an act of grace and mercy yet even while there is forgivenes there is manifested the act of justice Justice it selfe takes its course even while there is forgivness But this you will say doth not resolve the question Where can there be a satisfaction of justice seeing there is not brought by way of recompence that which might be proportionable to the injury done Answ 1. First of all justice is satisfied in the strictest sense when there is such a plenary and equivalent recompence given that the person injured thereby is in as good estate every way as he was before the injury done When a man is trespassed against and doth sue the man for this trespasse and when the man doth make up and bring in as much recompence as the injury commeth to so that the party trespassed is worth as much as he was before here is a plenary satisfaction of justice Now comes in the objection and sayes that the justice of God cannot be said to be so satisfied because the active and passive obedience of Christ as humane bring not in so much