at the Day of Account the whole tale to God of those that he has given him Further this would dishearten Sinners and make them afraid of venturing their Cause and their Souls in his Hand and would as I said before either prove his Propitiation in some Sense ineffectual or else himself defective in his pleading of it But none of these things must be supposed He will throughly plead the Cause of his People Mic. 7. execute Judgment for them bring them out to the Light and cause them to behold his Righteousness Priv. 3. Thirdly The Plea of Satan is groundess and that 's another Privilege For albeit thou hast sinned yet since Christ before has paid thy Debt and also paid for more since thou hast not yet run beyond the Price of thy Redemption it must be concluded That Satan wants a good bottom to ground his Plea upon and therefore must in Conclusion fail of his Design True there is Sin committed there is a Law transgressed but there is also a Satisfaction for this Transgression and that which super-abounds So â—ho there be Sin yet there wants a Foundation for a Plea. Joshua was cloathed with filthy Garments but Christ had other Garments prepared for him Change of Raiment Wherefore Iniquity as to the Charge of Satan vanishes And the Angel answered and said Take away the filthy Garments from him This intimates that there was no Ground no sufficient Ground for Satan's Charge and to him he said behold I have caused thine Iniquity to pass from thee and will cloath thee with Change of Raiment Josh. 3.4 Now if there be no Ground no sound and sufficient Ground to build a Charge against the Child upon I mean As to Eternal Condemnation for that 's the thing contended for then as I said Satan must fall like Lightning to the Ground and be cast over the Bar as a corrupt and illegal Pleader But this is so as in part is proved already and will be further made out by that which follows They that have indeed Christ to be their Advocate are themselves by Virtue of another Law than that against which they have sinned secured from the Charge that Satan brings in against them I granted before that the Child of God has sinned and that there is a Law that condemneth for this Sin But here is the thing this Child is removed by an Act of Grace into and under another Law. For we are not under the Law Rom. 6.14 chap. 8.1 and so consequently there is now no Condemnation for them Wherefore when God speaketh of his dealing with his he saith it shall not be by their Covenant Ezek. 16.61 That is not by that of the Law they then being not under the Law. What if a Plea be commenced against them a Plea for Sin and they have committed Sin a Plea grounded upon the Law and the Law takes Cognisance of their Sin Yet I say the Plea wants a good bottom for that the Person thus accused is put under another Law. Hence he says Sin shall not have Dominion over you for you are not under the Law. If the Child was under the Law Satan's Charge would be good because it would have a substantial Ground of Support but since the Child is dead to the Law Gal. 2.16 and that also dead to him for both are true as to Condemnation Rom. 7.6 how can it be that Satan should have a sufficient Ground for his Charge tho he should have Matter of Fact sufficient Matter of Fact that is Sin for by his change of Relation he is put out of the reach of that Law. There is a Woman a Widow that oweth a Sum of Money and she is threatned to be sued for the Debt now what doth she but marrieth so when the Action is commenced against her as a Widow the Law finds her a married Woman what now can be done Nothing to her she is not who she was she is delivered from that State by her Marriage If any thing be done it must be done to her Husband But if Satan will sue Christ for my Debt he oweth him nothing And as for what the Law can claim of me while I was under it Christ has delivered me by Redemption from that Curse being made a Curse for me Gal. 3.13 Now the Covenant into which I am brought by Grace by which also I am secured from the Law is not a Law of Sin and Death as that is from under which I am brought Rom. 8.2 but a Law of Grace and Life so that Satan cannot come at me by that Law and by Grace I am by thâ—t secured also from the Hand and Mouth and Sâ—ingâ— of all other I mean still as to an eternal Concern Wherefore God saith if we break his Law the Law of Works he will visit our Sin with a Rod and our Iniquity with Stripes but his Covenant his new Covenant will he not break Psal. 89.30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37. but will still keep close to that and so secure us from eternal Condemnation Christ also is made the Mediator of tha Covenant and therefore an Advocate by that For his Priestly Office and Advocateship are included by his Mediation Wherefore when Satan pleads by the Old Christ pleads by the new Covenant for the Sake of which the Old one is removed In that he saith A new Covenant he hath made the first Old now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away Heb 8.13 So then the Ground of Plea is with Jesus Christ and not with our Accuser Now what doth Christ plead and what is the Ground of his Plea Why he pleads for Exemption and Freedom from Condemnation tho by the Law of Works his Children have deserved it And the Ground for this his Plea as to Law is the Matter of the Covenant it self For thus it runs For I will be merciful to their Vnrighteousness and their Sins and Iniquities will I remember no more ver 12. Now here is a Foundation a Foundation in Law for our Advocate to build his Plea upon a Foundation in a Law not to be moved or removed or made to give Place as that is forced to do upon which Satan grounds his Plea against us Men when they plead before a Judge use to plead matter of Law. Now suppose there is an old Law in the Realm by which Men deserve to be condemned to Death and there is a new Law in this Realm that secureth Men from that Condemnation which belongs to them by the old and suppose also that I am compleatly comprehended by all the Provisoes of the new Law and not by any tittle thereof excluded from a share therein And suppose again that I have a brangling Adversary that pursues me by the old Law which yet cannot in Right touch me because I am Interested in the New my Advocate also is one that pleadâ— by the new Law where only there is a Ground of Plea Shall not now mine Adversary
are forgiven or shall we not much matter what manner of Lives we live because we are set free from the Law of Sin and Death God forbid Let Grace teach us another Lesson and lay other Obligations upon our Spirits My little Children saith he these things I write unto you that you sin not What things why tidings of Pardon and Salvation and of that nearness to God to which you are brought by the precious Blood of Christ. Now lest also by this last exhortation he should yet be misunderstood he adds and if any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous I say he addeth this to prevent desponding in those weak and sensible Christians that are so quick of feeling and of decerning the Corruptions of their Natures For these cry out continually That there is nothing that they do but it is attended with sinful Weaknesses Wherefore in the Words we are presented with two great truths First with a Supposition that Men in Christ while in this World may Sin. If any man sin any man none are excluded for all or any one of the all of them that Christ hath redeemed and forgiven are incident to Sin. By may I mean not a Toleration but a Possibility For there is not a Man not a Just Man upon the Earth that doth good and sinneth not Eccles. 7.20 1 Kin. 8.46 Secondly the other thing with which we are presented is an Advocate If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous Now there lieth in these two truths two things to be enquired into as 1 What the Apostle should here mean by sin 2. And also what he here doth mean by an Advocate If any man sin we have an Advocate There is ground to enquire after the first of these because tho here he saith they that sin have an Advocate yet in the very next Chapter he saith such are of the Devil have not seen God neither know him nor are of him There is ground also to enquire after the Second because an Advocate is supposed in the Text to be of use to them that sin If any Man sin we have an Advocate 1. For the First of these to wit what the Apostle should here mean by Sin If any Man Sin. I answer since there is a difference in the Persons there must be a difference in the Sin. That there is a difference in the Persons is shewed before one is called a Child of God the other is said to be of the wicked One. Their Sin differ also in their Degree at least for no Child of God sins to that Degree as to make himself uncapable of Forgiveness For he that is born of God keepeth himself and that wicked one toucheth him not Chap. 5.17 18. Hence the Apostle says there is a sin unto Death Mat. 12.32 which is the Sin from which he that is born of God is kept The sins therefore are thus distinguished The Sins of the People of God are said to be sins that Men commit the others are counted those which are the Sins of Devils First the Sins of God's People are said to be Sins which Men commit and for which they have an Advocate tho they who sin after the example of the wicked one have none When a Man or a Woman saith Moses shall commit a Sin which Men commit they shall confess their Sin and an atonment shall be made for them Numb 5.5 6 7. Mark It is when they commit a Sin which Men commit Or as Hosea has it when they transgress the Commandment like Adam Hos. 6.7 Now these are the Sins under consideration by the Apostle and to deliver us from which we have an Advocate with the Father But for the Sins mentioned in the third Chapter since the Persons sinning go here under another Character they also must be of another Stamp to wit a making Head against the Person Merits and Grace of Jesus Christ these are the Sins of Devils in the World and for these there is no Remission These they also that are of the wicked one commit and therefore sin after the similitude of Satan and so fall into the Condemnation of the Devil Secondly but what is it for Jesus to be an Advocate for these If any Man sin we have an Advocate An Advocate is one who pleadeth for another at any bar or before any Court of Judicature but of this more in its place So then we have in the Text a Christian as supposed committing Sin and a Declaration of an Advocate prepared to plead for him If any Man sin we have an Advocate with the Father And this leads me first to enquire into what by these words the Apostle must of necessity presuppose For making use here of the Similitude or Office of an Advocate thereby to shew the preservation of the sinning Christian He must 1. Suppose That God as Judge is now upon the Throne of his Judgment For an Advocate is to plead at a Bar before a Court of Judicature Thus it is among Men and for as much as our Lord Jesus is said to be an Advocate with the Father it is clear that there is a Throne of Judgment also This the Prophet Micaiah affirms saying I saw the Lord sitting upon a Throne and all the Host of Heaven standing by him on the Right hand and on the Left 1 Kin. 22.19 20. Sitting upon a Throne for Judgment for from the Lord as then sitting upon that Throne proceeded that Sentence against King Ahab that he should go and fall at Ramah gilead And he did go and did fall there as the award or fruit of that Judgment That 's the First 2. The Text also supposeth that the Saints as well as Sinners are concerned at that Bar for the Apostle saith plainly That there we have an Advocate And the Saints are concerned at that Bar because they transgress as well as others and because the Law is against the Sin of Saints as well as against the Sins of other Men. If the Saints were not capable of committing of Sin what need would they have of an Advocate 1 Chr. 21.3 4 5 6. 1 Sam. 12.13 14. Yea though they did sin yet if they were by Christ so set free from the Law as that it could by no means take cognisance of their Sins what need would they have of an Advocate none at all If there be twenty places where there are Assizes kept in this Land yet if I have offended no Law what need have I of an Advocate specially if the Judge be Just and knows me altogether as the God of Heaven does But here 's a Judge that 's just and here 's an Advocate also an Advocate for the Children an Advocate to plead for an Advocate as such is not of use but before a Bar to plead therefore here is an Offence and so a Law broken by the Saints as well as others That 's the Second thing 3. As the Text
't is to no boot at any time step in to endeavour to save the Soul. Wherefore as for Judas for his backsliding from the Faith Christ turneth him up to Satan and leaveth him in his Hand Saying when he shall be judged let him be condemned and let his Prayer become Sin Psal. 109.7 But he will not serve Peter so The Lord will not leave him in his Hand nor condemn him when he is judged Psal. 37.33 He will pray for him before and plead for him after he hath been in the Temptation and so secure him by Virtue of his Advocation from the Sting and Lash of the Threatning that is made against final Apostacy But Fourthly The Necessity of the Advocate 's Office of Jesus Christ appears namely in this To plead about the Judgments Distresses Afflictions and Troubles that we meet withal in this Life for our Sins For though by Virtue of this Office Christ fully takes us off from the Condemnation that the Unbelievers go down to for their Sins Yet he doth not thereby exempt us from temporal Punishments for we see and feel that they daily overtake us But for the proportioning of the Punishment or Affliction for Transgression seeing that Comes under the Sentence of the Law 't is fit that we should have an Advocate that understands both Law and Judgment to plead for equal Distribution of Chastisement according I say as the Law of Grace And this the Lord Jesus doth Suppose a Man for Transgression be indicted at the Assizes his Adversary is also full of Malice and would have him punished sorely beyond what by the Law is provided for such Offence And he pleads that the Judge will so afflict and punish as he in his malicious Mind desireth But the Man has an Advocate there And he enters his Plea against the Cruelty of his Clients Accuser Saying My Lord it cannot be as our Enemy would have it The Punishment for these Transgressions are prescribed by that Law that we here ground our Plea upon Nor may it be declined to satisfie his Envy we stand here upon Matters of Law and appeâ—l to the Law. And this is the work of our Advocate in Heaven Punishments for the Sin of the Children come not headlong not without Measure as our Accuser would have them nor yet as they fall upon those who have none to plead their Cause Hath he smote the Children according to the Stroke wherewith he hath smitten others No In Measure when it shooteth forth or seeks to exceed due Bounds thou wilt debate with it He stayeth his rough Wind in the Day of his East Wind Isa. 27.7 8 9. Thou wilt debate with it enquiâ—ing and reasoning by the Law whether the shootings forth of the Affliction now going out for the Offence committed be not too strong too heavy too hot and of too long a time admitted to Distress and break the Spirit of this Christian. And if it be he applies himself to the Rule to measure it by he fetches forth his Plum-Line and sets his Plum-line in the middest of his People Amos 7.7 8. Isa. 28.17 and lays Righteousness to that and will not suffer it to go further but according to the Quality of the Transgression and according to the Terms Bounds Limits and Measures which the Law of Grace admits So shall the Punishment be Satan often saith of us When we have sinned as Abishai said of Shimei after he had cursed David Shall not this Man die for this 2 Sam 19.21 But Jesus our Advocate answers as David what have I to do with thee O Satan thou this Day art an Enemy to me Thou seekest for a Punishment for the Transgressions of my People above what is allotted to them by the Law of Grace under which they are and beyond what their Relation that they stand in to my Father and my self will admit Wherefore as Advocate be pleadeth against Satan when he brings in against us a Charge for Sins committed for the regulating of Punishments both as to the Nature Degree and Continuation of Punishment And this is the Reason why when we are judged we are not condemned but chastened 1 Cor. 11.32 that we should not be condemned with the World. Hence David says the Lord had not given him over to the Will of his Enemy Psal. 27.12 And again The Lord hath chastned me sore but he hath not given me over unto Death Psal. 118.18 Satan's Plea was that the Lord would give David over to his Will and to the Tyranny of Death No says our Advocate that must not be to do so would be an Affront to the Covenant under which Grace has put them that would be to deal with them by a Covenant of Works under which they are not There is a Rod for Children and Stripes for those of them that transgress this Rod is in the Hand of a Father and must be used according to the Law of that Relation not for the Destruction but Correction of the Children Not to satisfie the Rage of Satan but to vindicate the Holiness of my Father Not to drive them further from but to bring them nearer to their God. But Fifthly The Necessity of the Advocateship of Jesus Christ is also manifest in this For that there is need of one to plead the efficacy of old Titles to our eternal Inheritance when our Interest thereunto seems questionable by reason of new Transgressions That God's People may by their new and repeated Sins as to Reason at least indanger their Interest in the eternal Inheritance is manifest by such Groanings of theirs as these Why dost thou cast me off Psal. 43.2 Psal. 51.11 Cast me not away from thy Presence Psal. 60.1 and O God why hast thou cast us off forever Psal. 74.1 Yet I find in the book of Leviticus that tho any of the children of Israel should have sold morgaged or made away with their Inheritance they did not thereby utterly make void their title to an Interest therein but it should again return to them and they again enjoy the Possession of it in the Year of Jubilee In the Year of Jubilee saith God you shall return every Man to his Possession The Land shall not be sold â—â—r ever not be quite cut off for the Land is mine for ye are Strangers and Sojourners with me In all the Land of your Possession you shall grant a Redemption for the Land Levit. 25.23 24 25. The Man in Israel that by waxing Poor did sell his Land in Canaan was surely a type of the Christian who by Sin and Decays in Grace has forfeited his Place and Inheritance in Heaven But as the ceremonial Law provided that the poor Man in Canaan should not by his Poverty lose his Portion in Canaan forever but that it should return to him in the Year of Jubilee So the Law of Grace has provided that the Children shall not for their Sin lose their Inheritance in Heaven forever but that it shall return to them in the
and Authentick and that cannot be gainsaid Gabriel saith he make this Man understand the Vision Dan. 8.16 And again saith he to another Run speak to this young Man saying Jerusalem shall be inhabited as Towns without Walls Jerusalem had been in Captivity had lost many Evidences of God's Favour and Love by Reason of her Sin and her Enemy stept in to augment her Sin and Sorrow But there was a Man among the Myrtle trees that were in the bottom that did prevail with her God to say I am returned to Jerusalem with Mercies And then commands it to be proclaimed That his Cities through Prosperity should yet be spread abroad Zech. 1.11 12 13 14 15 16 17. Thus by Virtue of our Advocate we are either made to receive our old Evidences for Heaven again or else are made to understand that they yet are good and stand valid in the Court of Heaven nor can they be made ineffectual but shall abide the test at last because our Advocate is also concerned in the Inheritance of the Saints in Light. Christians know what it is to lose their Evidences for Heaven and to receive them again or to hear that they hold their Title by them But perhaps they know not how they come at this Privilege Therefore the Apostle tells them they have an Advocate And that by him as Advocate they enjoy all these Advantages is manifest because his Advocates Office is appointed for our Help when we sin that is commit Sins that are great and heinous If any Man sin we have an Advocate By him the Justice of God is vindicated the Law answered the Threatnings taken off the Measure of Afflicton that for Sin we undergo determined our Titles to eternal Life preserved and our comfort of them restored notwithstanding the Wit and Rage and Envy of Hell. So then Christ gave himself for us as a Priest died for us as a Sacrifice but pleadeth Justice and Righteousness in a way of Justice and Righteousness for such is his Sacrifice for our Salvation from the Death that is due to our soul or high Transgressions as an Advocate Thus have I given you thus far an Account of the Nature End and Necessity of the Advocateship of Jesus Christ And should now come to the use and Application only I must first remove an Objection or two Obj. But what need all these Offices of Jesus Christ or what need you trouble us with these nice Distinctions 't is enough for us to believe in Christ in the general without considering him under this and that Office. Answ. The Wisdom of God is not to be charged with needless doing when it giveth to Jesus Christ such Variety of Offices and calleth him to so many sundry Imployments for us They are all thought necessary by Heaven and therefore should not be counted superfluous by Earth And to put a Question upon thy Objection What 's a Sacrifice without a Priest and what 's a Priest without a Sacrifice And the same I say of his Advocates Office what 's an Advocate without the Exercise of his Office And what need of an Advocates Office to be exercised if Christ as Sacrifice and Priest by God was thought sufficient Each of these Offices are sufficient for the perfecting of the Work for which they are designed but they are not all designed for the self same particular thing Christ as Sacrifice offereth not himself 't is Christ as Priest does that Christ as Priest dieth not for our Sins 't is Christ as Sacrifice does so Again Christ as a Sacrifice and a Priest limits himself to those two Imploies but as an Advocate he lances out into a third And since these are not confounded in Heaven nor by the Scriptures they should not be confounded in our Apprehensions nor accounted useless 'T is not therefore enough for us that we exercise our thoughts upon Christ in an undistinct and general way but we must learn to know him in all his Offices and to know the Nature of his Offices also Our Condition requires this It requireth it I say as we are guilty of Sin as we have to do with God and with our Enemy the Devil As we are guilty of Sin so we need a Sacrifice and because we are also Sinners we need one perfect to present our Sacrifice for us to God We have need also of him as Priest to present our Persons and Services to God. And since God is just and upon the Judgment-Seat and since also we are subject to sin grievously and again since we have an Accuser who will by Law plead at this Bar of God our Sins against us to the end we might be condemned we have need of and also have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous Alas How many of God's precious People for the want of a distinct Knowledge of Christ in all his Offices are at this day sadly baffled with the Sophistications of the Devil To instance no more than this one thing When they have committed some heinous Sin after Light received How are they I say tossed and tumbled and distressed with many Perplexities They cannot come to any Anchor in this their troubled Sea. They go from Promise to Promise from Providence to Providence from this to that Office of Jesus Christ but forget that he is or else understand not what it is for this Lord Jesus to be an Advocate for them Hence they so often sink under the Fears that their Sin is unpardonable and that therefore their Condition is desperate Whereas if they could but consider that Christ is their Advocate and that he is therefore made an Advocate to save them from those high Transgressions that are committed by them and that he waits upon this Office continually before the Judgment-Seat of God they would conceive Relief and be made hold up their Head and would more strongly twist themselves from under that Guilt and Burden those Ropes and Cords wherewith by their Folly they have so strongly bound themselves than commonly they have done or do Obj. 2. But notwithstanding what you have said this Sin is a deadly stick in my way It will not out of my Mind my Cause being bad but Christ will desert me Answ. 'T is true Sin is and will be a deadly stick and stop to Faith attempt to exercise it upon Christ as considered under which of his Offices or Relations you will And above all the Sin of Vnbelief is the Sin that doth so or most easily beset us Heb. 12.1 2. And no marvel for it never acteth alone but is backed not only with Guilt and Ignorance but also with carnal Sense and Reason He that is ignorant of this knows but little of himself or of what believing is He that undertaketh to believe sets upon the hardest Task that ever was proposed to Man not because the things imposed upon us are unreasonable or unaccountable but because the Heart of Man the more true any thing is the more it sticketh
supposeth that there is a Judge and Crimes of Saints So it supposeth that there is an Accuser one that will carefully gather up the Faults of good Men and that will plead them at this Bar against them Hence we read of the Accuser of the Brethren that accuseth them before God day and night Rev. 12.10 11 12. For Satan doth not only tempt the godly Man to sin but having prevailed with him and made him guilty he packs away to the Court to God the Judge of all and there addresses himself to accuse that Man and to lay to his charge the heinousness of his offence pleading against him the Law that he has broken the light against which he did it and the like But now for the relief and support of such poor People the Apostle by the Text presents them with an Advocate That is with one to plead for them while Satan pleads against them With one that pleads for Pardon while Satan by accusing seeks to pull Judgment and Vengeance upon our Heads If any Man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous That 's the Third thing 4. As the Apostle supposeth a Judge crimes and an Accuser So he also supposeth that those here-in concerned to wit the sinning Children neither can nor dare attempt to appear at this Bar themselves to plead their own Cause before this Judge and against this Accuser For if they could or durst do this what need they have an Advocate for an Advocate is of use to them whose cause themselves neither can nor dare appear to plead Thus Job pray'd for an Advocate to plead his Cause with God Job 16.20.21 And David cries out Enter not into Judgment with thy Servant O God for in thy sight shall no Man living be justified Psal. 14.3.1 2 3. Wherefore 't is evident that Saints neither can nor dare adventure to plead their cause Alas the Judge is the Almighty and Eternal God. The Law broken is the holy and perfect Rule of God in it self a consuming Fire The Sin is so odious and a thing so abominable that 't is enough to make all the Angels blush to hear it but so much as once mentioned in so holy a place as that is where this Great God doth sit to judge This Sin now hangs about the neck of him that hath committed it yea it covereth him as doth a mantle The Adversary is bold cunning and audacious and can word a thousand of us into an utter Silence in less than half a quarter of an hour What then should the Sinner if he could come there do at this Bar to plead Nothing nothing for his own Advantage But now comes in his Mercy he has an Advocate to plead his Cause If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous That 's the fourth thing But again 5. The Apostle also supposeth by the Text That there is an aptness in Christians when they have sinned to forget that they have an Advocate with the Father Wherefore this is written to put them in Remembrance If any Man sin let him remember we have an Advocate We can think of all other things well enough namely that God is a just Judge that the Law is perfectly holy that my Sin is an horrible and an abominable thing and that I am certainly there of accused before God by Satan These things I say we readily think of and forget them not Our Conscience puts as in mind of these our Guilt puts us in mind of these the Devil puts us in mind of these and our Reason and Sense holdeth the Knowledge and Remembrance of these close to us all that we forget is that we have an Advocate an Advocate with the Father that is one that is appointed to take in hand in open Court before all the Angels of Heaven my cause and to plead it by such Law and Arguments as will certainly fetch me off tho I am cloathed with filthy Garments But this I say we are apt to forget as Job when he said Oh that one might plead for a Man with God as one pleads for his Neighbour Job 16.21 Such an one Job had but he had almost at this time forgot it as he seems to intimate also where he wisheth for a days-man that might lay his Hand upon them both Chap. 9.33 But our Mercy is we have one to plead our cause an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous who will not suffer our Soul to be spilt and spoiled before the Throne but will surely plead our Cause 6 Another thing that the Apostle would have us learn from the words is this That to remember and to believe that Jesus Christ is an Advocate for us when we have sinned is the next way to support and strengthen our Faith and Hope Faith and Hope are very apt to faint when our sins in their Guilt do return upon us nor is there any more proper way to relieve our Souls than to understand that the Son of God is our Advocate in Heaven True Christ died for our Sins as a Sacrifice and as a Priest he sprinkleth with his Blood the Mercy-seat Ay but here is one that has sinned after Profession of Faith that has sinned grievously so grievously that his Sins are come up before God yea are at his Bar pleaded against him by the Accuser of the Brethren by the Enemy of the godly What shall he do now Why let him believe in Christ. Believe that 's true but how now must he conceive in his mind of Christ for the encouraging of him so to do Why let him call to mind that Jesus Christ is an Advocate with the Father and as such he meeteth the Accuser at the Bar of God pleads for this Man that has sinned against this Accuser and prevaileth for ever against him Here now tho Satan be turned Lawyer tho he accuseth yea tho his charge against us is true for suppose that we have sinned yet our Advocate is with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous Thus is Faith encouraged thus is Hope strengthened thus is the Spirit of the sinking Christian revived and made to wait for a good deliverance from a bad cause and a cunning Adversary Specially if you consider 7. That the Apostle also doth further suppose by the Text That Jesus Christ as Advocate if he will but plead our Cause let that be never so black is able to bring us off even before Gods Judgment-Seat to our Joy and the confounding of our Adversary For when he saith we have an Advocate he speaks nothing if he means not thus But he doth mean thus he must mean thus because he seeketh here to comfort and support the Fallen Has any Man sinned we have an Advocate But what of that if yet he be unable to fetch us off when charged for Sin at the Bar and before the Face of a righteous Judge But he is able to do this the Apostle says so in
Miscarriage or of the naughty Temper of some that are about him who trouble and vex and labour to bring him into danger of the Law. This is the Nature of this Office as I said on Earth and this is the Office that Christ executeth in Heaven Wherefore he saith If any Man sin we have an Advocate one to stand up for him and to plead for his deliverance before the Bar of God Joel 3.2 Isa. 66.16 Ezek. 38.22 Jer. 2. For tho in some Places of the Scripture Christ is said to plead for his with Men and that by terrible Arguments as by Fire and Sword and Famine and Pestilence yet this is not that which is intended by this Text for the Apostle here saith he is an Advocate with the Father or before the Father to plead for those that there or that to the Fathers Face shall be accused for their Transgressions If any Man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous So then this is the imploy of Jesus Christ as he is for us an Advocate He has undertaken to stand up for his People at God's Bar and before that great Court there to plead by the Law and Justice of Heaven for their Deliverance when for their Faults they are accused indicted or impleaded by their Adversary 2. And now to treat of the Order or Place that this Office of Christ hath among the rest of his Offices which he doth execute for us while we are here in a State of Imperfection And I think it is an Office that is to come behind as a Reserve or for an Help at last when all other Means shall seem to fail Men do not use to go to Law upon every Occasion or if they do the Wisdom of the Judge the Jury and the Court will not admit that every Brangle and foolish Quarrel shall come before them but an Advocate doth then come into Place and then to the Exercise of his Office when a Cause is counted worthy to be taken notice of by the Judge and by the Court. Wherefore he I say comes in the last Place as a reserve or help at last to plead and by pleading to set that right by Law which would otherwise have caused an increase to more doubts and to further Dangers Christ as Priest doth always works of Service for us because in our most spiritual things there may faults and Spots be found and these he taketh away of Course by the Exercise of that Office. For he always wears that Plate of Gold upon his Fore-head before the Father whereon is written Holiness to the Lord. But now besides these common Infirmities there are Faults that are highly gross and foul that oft are found in the Skirts of the Children of God. Now these are they that Satan taketh hold on these are they that Satan draweth up a Charge against us for And to save us from these it is that the Lord Jesus is made an Advocate When Joshua was cloathed with filthy Garments then Satan stood at his right Hand to resist him and then the Angel of the Covenant the Lord Jesus pleaded for his Help Zech. 3. By all which it appears that this Office comes behind is provided as a Reserve that we may have help at a pinch and then be lifted out when we sink in mire where there is no standing This is yet further hinted at by the several Postures that Christ is said to be in as he exerciseth his Priestly and Advocate 's Office. As a Priest he sits as an Advocate he stands Isa. 3.13 The Lord stands up when he pleads His sitting is more constant and of Course Sit thou c. but his standing is occasional when Joshua is indicted or when Hell and Earth is broken loose against his Servant Stephen For as Joshua was accused by the Devil and as then the Angel of the Lord stood by so when Stephen was accused by men on Earth and that Charge seconded by the fallen Angels before the Face of God 't is said the Lord Jesus stood on the Right Hand of God Act. 7.55 to wit to plead for so I take it because standing is his Posture as an Advocate Heb. 10. not as a Priest for as a Priest he must sit down but he standeth as an Advocate as has been shew'd afore Wherefore Secondly The Occasion of his exercising of this Office of Advocate is as hath beeâ— hinted already when a Child of God shall be found guilty before God of some heinous Sin of some grievous thing in his Life and Conversation For as for those Infirmities that attend the best in their most spiritual Sacrifices if a Child of God were guilty of ten thousand of them they are of Course purged through the much Incense that is always mixed with those Sacrifices in the golden Censer that is in the Hand of Christ And so he kept clean and counted upright notwithstanding those Infirmities And therefore you shall find that notwithstanding those common Faults the the Children of God are counted good and upright in Conversation and not charged as Offenders David saith the Text did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his Life save only in the matter of Uriah the Hiâ—â—ite 1 Kin. 15.5 But was David in a strict Sense without Fault in all things else No verily But that was foul in a higher degree than the rest and therefore there God sets a blot Ay and doubtless for that he was accused by Satan before the Throne of God For here is Adultery and Murder and Hypocrisie in David â—s doings Here is notorious matter a great Sin and so a great Ground for Satan to draw up an Indictment against the King and a thundering one to be sure shall be preferred against him This is the time then for to Christ stand up to plead For now there is room for such a Question can David's Sin stand with Grace or is it possible that a Man that has done as he has should yet be found a Saint and so in a Saved State Or can God repute him so and yet be Holy and Just Or can the Merits of the Lord Jesus reach according to the Law of Heaven a Man in this Condition Here is a Case dubious here 's a Man whose Salvation by his foul Offences is made doubtful Now we must to Law and Judgment wherefore now let Christ stand up to plead I say now was David's Case dubious Psal. 51. he was afraid that God would cast him away and the Devil hoped that he would and to that end charged him before God's Face if perhaps he might get Sentence of Damnation to pass upon his Soul. But this was David's Mercy he had an Advocate to plead his Cause by whose Wisdom and Skill in Matters of Law and Judgment he was brought off of those heavy Charges from those gross Sins and delivered from that eternal
Condemnation that by the Law of Sin and Death was due thereto This is then the occasion that Christ taketh to plead as Advocate for the Salvation of his People to wit the Cause he pleadeth the Cause of his People Not every Cause but such and such a Cause the Cause that is very bad and by the which they are involved not only in Guilt and Shame but also in danger of Death and Hell. I say the Cause is bad if the Text be true if Sin can make it bad yea if Sin it Self be bad If any Man sin we have an Advocate An Advocate to plead for him for him as considered guilty and so consequently as considered in a bad Condition 'T is true we must distinguish between the Person and the Sin and Christ pleads for the Person not the Sin. but yet he cannot be concerned with the Person but he must be with the Sin for tho the Person and the Sin may be distinguished yet they cannot be separated He must plead then not for a Person only but for a guilty Person for a Person under the worst of Circumstances If any Man sin we have an Advocate for him as so considered When a Man's Cause is good it will sufficiently plead for it self yea and for its Master too specially when it is made appear so to be before a Just and Righteous Judge Here therefore needs no Advocate the Juâ—ge himself will pronounce him righteous This is evidently seen in Job Thou movest me against him this said God to Satan to destroy him without a Cause Job 2.3 Thus far Job's Cause was good wherefore he did not need an Advocate his Cause pleaded for its self and for its owner also But if it was to plead good Causes for which Christ is appointed Advocate then the Apostle should have written thus If any Man be righteous we have an Advocate with the Father Indeed I never heard but one in all my Life preach from this Text and he when he came to handle the Cause for which he was to plead pretended it must be good and therefore said to the People see that your Cause be good else Christ will not undertake it But when I heard it Lord thought I if this be true what shall I do and what will become of all this People yea and of this Preacher too Besides I saw that by the Text the Apostle supposeth an other Cause a Cause bad exceeding bad if Sin can make it so And this was one Cause why I undertook this work When we speak of a Cause we speak not of a Person simply as so considered For as I said before Person and Cause must be distinguished Nor can the person make the Cause good but as he regulates his Action by the Word of God If then a good a righteous man doth what the Law condemns that thing is bad and if he be indicted for so doing he is indicted for a bad Cause and he that will be his Advocate must be concerned in and about a bad Matter and how he will bring his Client off therein doth lie the Mystery I know that a bad Man may have a good Cause depending before the Judge and so also good Men have Job 31. but then they are bold in their own Cause and fear not to make mention of it and in Christ to plead their Innocency before the God of Heaven as well as before Men Psal. 71.3 4 5. 2 Cor. 1.23 Gal. 1.20 Phil. 1.8 But we have in the Text a Cause that all Men are afraid of a Cause that the Apostle concludes so bad that none but Jesus Christ himself can save the Christian from it It is not only sinful but Sin it self If any Man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Wherefore there is in this Place handled by the Apostle one of the greatest Mysteries under Heaven To wit That an innocent and holy Jesus should take in hand to plead for one before a just and righteous God that has defiled himself with Sin. Yea that he should take in Hand to plead for such an one against the fallen Angels and that he should also by his Plea effectually rescue and bring them off from the Crimes and Curse whereof they were verily guilty by the Verdict of the Law and Approbation of the Judge This I say is a great Mystery and deserves to be pry'd into by all the godly both because much of the Wisdom of Heaven is discovered in it and because the best Saint is or may be concerned with it Nor must we by any means let this truth be lost because it is the truth the Text has declared it so And to say otherwise is to belye the Word of God to thwart the Apostle to sooth up Hypocrites and to rob Christians of their Privilege and to take the Glory from the Head of Jesus Christ Luk. 18.11 12. The best Saints are most sensible of their Sins and most apt to make Mountains of their Mole-hills Satan also as has been already hinted doth labour greatly to prevail with them to sin and to provoke their God against them Job 2.9 by pleading what is true or by surmising evilly of them to the end they may be left with him to be try'd that they may be accused by him Great is his malice towards them great is his Diligence in seeking their Destruction wherefore greatly doth he desire to sift to try and winnow them if perhaps he may work in their Flesh to answer his Design that is to break out in sinful Acts that he may have by Law to accuse them to their God and Father Wherefore for their Sakes this Text abides that they may see that when they have sinned they have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous And thus have I shew'd you the Nature the Order and Occasion of this Office of our blessed Lord Jesus I come now to shew you How Jesus Christ doth manage this his Office of an Advocate for us And that I may do this to your Edification I shall choose this Method for the opening of it First shew you how he manages this Office with his Father Secondly I shall shew you how he manages it before him against our Adversary How he manages this his Office of Advocate with his Father First He doth it by himself by no other as Deputy under him No Angel no Saint no Work has place here but Jesus and Jesus only This the Text implies we have an Advocate speaking of one but one one alone without an Equal or an Inferior We have but one and he is Jesus Christ. Nor is it for Christ's Honour nor for the Honour of the Law or of the Justice of God that any but Jesus Chrisâ— should be an Advoâ—â—â—e for a sinning Saint Besides to assert 〈◊〉 contrary what doth it but lessen Sin and make the Advocateship of Jesus Christ superfluous It would lessen Sin should it be removed by a Saint or Angel It would
Col. 2.13 Eph. 4.32 The Devil cannot his Mouth is stopp'd as is plain in the Case of Joshua Zech. 3. The Law cannot for that approveth of what Christ has done This then is the way of Christ's pleading You must know That when Christ pleads with God he pleads with a just and righteous God and therefore he must plead Law and nothing but Law And this he pleaded in both these Pleas. First in confessing of the Sin he justified the Sentence of the Law in pronouncing of it evil and then in his laying of himself his whole self before God for that Sin he vindicated the Sanction and Perfection of the Law. Thus therefore he magnifies the Law and makes it Honorable and yet brings off his Client safe and sound in the view of all the Angels of God. Thirdly the Lord Jesus having thus taken our Sins upon himself and presented God with all the Worthiness that is in his whole self for them in the next place he calleth for Justice or a just Verdict upon the Satisfaction he hath made to God and to his Law. Then Proclamation is made in open Court saying take away the filthy Garments from him from him that hath offended and cloath him with Change of Raiment Zech. 3. Thus the Soul is preserved that hath sinned thus the God of Heaven is content that he should be saved thus Satan is put to Confusion and Jesus applauded and cried up by the Angels of Heaven and by the Saints on Earth Thus have I shewed you how Christ doth Advocate it with God and his Father for us and I have been the more particular in this because the Glory of Christ and the Comfort of the Dejected is greatly concerned and wrapt up in it Look then to Jesus if thou hast sinned to Jesus as an Advocate pleading with the Father for thee Look to nothing else for he can tell how and that by himself to deliver thee yea and will do it in a way of Justice which is a Wonder and to the Shame of Satan which will be his Glory and also to thy compleat Deliverance which will be thy Comfort and Salvation But to pass this and to come to the Second thing which is to shew you how the Lord Jesus manages this his Office of an Advocate before his Father against the Adversary For he pleadeth with the Father but pleadeth against the Devil he pleadeth with the Father Law and Justice but against the Adversary he letteth out himself I say as he pleadeth against the Adversary so he enlargeth himself with Arguments over and besides those which he pleadeth with God his Father Nor is it meet or needful that our Advocate when he pleads against Satan should so limit himself to matter of Law as when he pleadeth with his Father The Saint by sinning oweth Satan nothing no Law of his is broken thereby why then should he plead for the saving of his People justifying Righteousness to him Christ when he died died not to satisfie Satan but his Father not to appease the Devil but to answer the Demands of the Justice of God nor did he Design when he hanged on the Tree to triumph over his Father but over Satan He redeemed us therefore from the Curse of the Law by his Blood Gal. 3.13 and from the Power of Satan by his Resurrection Heb. 2.14 He delivered us from righteous Judgment by Price and Purchase but from the Rage of Hell by Fight and Conquest And as he acted thus diversly in the Work of our Redemption even so he also doth in the Execution of his Advocate 's Office. When he pleadeth with God he pleadeth so And when he pleadeth against Satan he pleadeth so And how he pleadeth with God when he dealeth with Law and Justice I have shewed you and now I will shew you how he pleadeth before him against the Accuser of the Brethren First He pleads against him the well Pleasedness that his Father has in his Merits saying This shall please the Lord. Or this doth or will please the Lord better than any thing that can be propounded Psal. 69.31 Now this Plea being true as it is being established upon the liking of God Almighty Whatever Satan can say to obtain our everlasting Destruction is without Ground and so unreasonable I am well pleased saith God Mat. 3.17 and again The Lord is well pleased for his Christ's Righteousness Sake Isa. 42.21 All that enter Actions against others pretend that wrong is done either against themselves or against the King. Now Satan will never enter an Action against us in the Court above for that wrong by us has been done to himself he must pretend then that he sues us for that Wrong has by us been done to our King But behold we have an Advocate with the Father and he has made Compensation for our Offences He gave himself for our Offences But still Satan maintains his Suit and our God saith he is well pleased with us for this Compensation Sake yet he will not leave off his Clamor Come then says the Lord Jesus the Contention is not now against my People but my self and about the Sufficiency of the Amends that I have made for the Transgressions of my People But he is near that justifieth me that approveth and accepteth of my Doings Therefore shall I not be confounded Who is mine Adversary let him come near me Behold the Lord God will help me Isa. 50.7 8 9. Who is he that condemneth me Lo they shall all were there ten thousand times as many more of them wax old as a Garment the Moth shall eat them up Wherefore if the Father saith Amen to all this as I have shew'd already that he hath and doth the which also further appeareth because the Lord God has called him the Saviour the Deliverer and the Amen What follows but that a Rebuke should proceed from the Throne against him And this indeed our Advocate calls for from the Hand of his Father saying O Enemy The Lord rebuke thee Yea he doubles this Request to the Judge to intimate his Earnestness for such a Conclusion or to shew that the Enemy shall surely have it both from our Advocate and from him before whom Satan has so grievously accused us Zech. 3. For what can be expected to follow from such an Issue in Law as this is but sound and severe snibs from the Judge upon him that hath thus troubled his Neighbour and that hath in the Face of the Country cast Contempt upon the highest act of Mercy Justice and Righteousness that ever the Heavens beheld And all this is true with reference to the Case in Hand wherefore The Lord rebuke thee is that which in Conclusion Satan must have for the Reward of his Works of Malice against the Children and for his contemning of the Works of the Son of God. Now our Advocate having thus established by the Law of Heaven his Plea with God for us against our Accuser there is way made
a Father as such is a Son or That Father and Son is the self same Relation as say a Priest and an Advocate as to Office are but one and the same thing They differ in Name as much as Priest and Sacrifice do A Priest is one and a Sacrifice is another and tho Christ is Priest and Sacrifice too yet as a Priest he is not a Sacrifice nor as a Sacrifice a Priest. 2. As they differ in Name so they differ in the Nature of Office. A Priest is to slay a Sacrifice an Advocate is to plead a Cause A Priest is to offer his Sacrifice to the end that by the Merit thereof he may appease An Advocate is to plead to plead according to Law. A Priest is to make Intercession by Virtue of his Sacrifice an Advocate is to plead Law because Amends is made 3. As they differ in Name and Nature so they also differ as to their Extent The Priesthood of Christ extendeth it self to the whole of God's Elect whether called or in their Sins But Christ as Advocate pleadeth only for the Children 4. As they differ in Name in Nature and Extent so they differ as to the Persons with whom they have to do We read not any where that Christ as Priest has to do with the Devil as an Antagonist But as an Advocate he hath 5. As they differ in these so they differ as to the Matters about which they are imployed Christ as Priest concerns himself with every wry thought and also with the least Imperfection or Infirmity that attends our most holy things but Christ as Advocate doth not so as I have already shewed 6. So that Christ as Priest goes before and Christ as an Advocate comes after Christ as Priest continually interceeds Christ as Advocate in Case of great Transgression pleads Christ as Priest has need to act always but Christ as Adâ—ocate sometimes only Christ as Priest acts in times of Peace but Christ as Advocate in times of Broils Turmoils and sharp Contentions Wherefore Christ as Advocate is as I may call him a Reserve And his time is then to arise to stand up and plead when his are cloathed with some filthy Sin that of late they have fallen into as David Joshua or Peter When some such thing is committed by them as ministreth to the Enemy a shew of Ground to question the truth of their Grace Or when 't is a Question and to be bebated whether it can stand with the Laws of Heaven with the Merits of Christ and the Honour of God that such an one should be saved Now let an Advocate come forth now let him have time to plead for this is a sit Occasion for the Saints Advocate to stand up to plead for the Salvation of his People But Secondly I come next to shew you How far this Office of an Advocate is extended I hinted at this before so now shall be the more brief 1. By this Office he offereth no Sacrifice he only as to Matter of Justice pleads the Sacrifice offered 2. By this Office he obtains the Conversion of none He only thereby secureth the converted from the Damnation which their Adversary for Sins after Light and Profession endeavoureth to bring them to 3. By this Office he prevents not temporal Punishment But by it he chiefly preserveth the Soul from Hell. 4. Be this Office he brings in no justifiing Righteousness for us he only thereby prevaileth to have the Dispose of that brought in by himself as Priest for the justifiing of those by a new and fresh Act who had made their Justification doubtful by new Falls into Sin. And this is plain in the History of our Joshua Zech. 3. oâ— often mentioned before 5. As Priest he hath obtained eternal Redemption for us and as Advocate he by Law maintaineth our Right thereto against the Devil and all his Angels I come now to shew you Who they are that have Jesus Christ for their Advocate And this I shall do first more generally and then shall be more particular and distinct about First more generally They are all the truly Gracious those that are the Children by Adoption And this the Text affirmeth I write unto you little Children that you sin not And if any Man sin we have on Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous They are then the Children the Children by Adoption that are the Persons concerned in the Advocateship of Jesus Christ. The Priesthood of Christ extendeth it self to the whole Body of the Elect but the Advocateship of Christ doth not so this is further cleared by this Apostle and that in this very Text if you consider what immediately follows We have an Advocate says he and he is also the Propitiation for our Sins He is our Advocate and also our Priest. As an Advocate ours only but as a Propitiation not ours only but also for the Sins of the whole World to be sure for the Elect throughout the World and they that will extend iâ— further let them And I say again had he not intended that there should have been a straighter Limit put to the Advocateship of Christ than he would have us put to his Priestly Office What needed he when he speaketh of the Propitiation which relates to Christ as Priest have added And not for ours only As an Advocate then he ingageth for us that are Children and as a Priest too he hath appeased God's Wrath for our Sins But as an Advocate his Offices are confined to the Children only but as a Priest he is not so He is the Propitiation for our Sins and not for ours only The Sense therefore of the Apostle should I think be this That Christ as a Priest hath offered a Propitiatory Sâ—crifice for all but as an Advocate he pleadeth only for the Children Children we have an Advocate to our selves and he is also our Priest but as he is a Priest he is not ours only but maketh as such amends for all that shall be saved The Elect therefore have the Lord Jesus for their Advocate then and only then when they are by calling put among the Children because as Advocate he is peculiarly the Childrens My little Children we have an Advocate Object But he also saith if any Man sin we have an Advocate Any Man that sinneth seems by the Text notwithstanding what you say to have an Advocate with the Father Answ. By any Man must not be meant any of the World nor any of the Elect but any Man in Faith and Grace For he still limits this general Term of any Man with this Restriction we Children if any Man sin we have an Advocate We any Man of us And this is yet further made appear since he saith that it is to them he writes not only here but further in this Chapter I write unto you little Children I write unto you Fathers I write unto you young Men ver 12 13 14. These are the Persons intended in the Text. For
saw it went well with me But alas I have waited and that a long time and have as you advise ran from Ordinance to minister and from Minister to Ordinance or as you phrase it from the Post to the Carrier and from the Carrier to the Post-house to see if I could hear ought from Heaven how Matters went about my Soul there I have also asked those that pass by the way if they saw him whom my Soul loveth and if they had any thing to communicate to me but nothing can I get or find but Generals as that I have an Advocate there and that he pleadeth the Cause of his People and that he will throughly plead their Cause but what he has done for Me of that as yet I am ignorant I doubt if my Soul shall by him effectually be secured that yet a conditional Verdict will be awarded concerning me and that much Bitter will be mixed with my Sweet and that I must drink Gall and Wormwood for my Folly For if David and Asa and Hezekiah and such good Men were so served for their Sins 2 Chron. 16.7 12. why should I look for other Dealing at the Hand of God But as to this I will endeavour to bear the Indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him Isa. 39.3 8. and shall count it an infinite Mercy if this Judgment comes to me from him that I may not be condemned with the World 1 Cor. 11.32 I know it is dreadful walking in Darkness but if that also shall be the Lord's Lot upon me I pray God I may have Faith enough to stay upon him till Death and then will the Clouds blow over and I shall see him in the Light of the Living Mine Enemy the Devil as you say is of an inveagling Temper and although he has accused me before the Judgment-Seat of God yet when he comes to me at any time he glavers and flatters as if he never did mean me harm But I think 't is that he might get further Advantage against me But I carry it now at a further distance than formerly and O that I was at the remotest Distance not only from him but also from that self of mine that laboureth with him for my undoing But altho I say these things now and to you yet I have my solitary hours and in them I have other strange thoughts For thus I think my Cause is bad I have sinned and I have been vile I am ashamed my self of mine own doings and have given mine Enemy the best end of the Staff. The Law and Reason and my Conscience plead for him against me and all is true he puts into his Charge against me That I have sinned more times than there he Hairs on my Head. I know not of any thing that ever I did in my Life but it had flaw or wrinkle or Spot or some such thing in it Mine Eyes have seen vileness in the best of my doings what then think you must God needs see in them Nor can I do any thing yet for all I know that I am accused by my Enemy before the Judgment seat of God better than what already is imperfect I lie down in my Shame and my Confusion covers my Face I have sinned what shall I do unto thee O thou Preserver of Men Jer. 3.24 25. Job 7.20 Reply Well Soul I have heard what thou hast said and if all be true which thou hast said it is good and gives me Ground of Hope That Jesus Christ is become thine Advocate And if that be so no Doubt but thy Tryal will come to a good Conclusion And be not afraid because of the Holiness of God for thine Advocate has this for his Advantage that he pleads before a Judge that is just and against an Enemy that is unholy and rejected Nor let the thoughts of the badness of thy Cause terrifie thee over much Cause thou hast indeed to be humble and thou dost well to cover thy Face with Shame And 't is no matter how base and vile thou art in thine own Eyes provided that it comes not by renewed Acts of Rebellion but through a spiritual Sight of thine Imperfections Only let me advise thee here to stop let not thy Shame nor thy self-abasing Apprehension of thy self drive thee from the firm and permanent Ground of Hope which is the Promise and the Doctrine of an Advocate with the Father No let not the Apprehension of the Badness of thy Cause do it for as much as he did never yet take Cause in Hand that was good perfectly good of it self And his Excellency is to make a Man stand that has a bad Cause yea he can make a bad Cause good in a way of Justice and Righteousness And for thy further Encouragement in this Matter I will here bring in the fourth chief Head to wit to shew what excellent Privileges I mean over and above what has already been spoke of they have that are made Partakers of the Benefit of this Office. If any Man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous First Priv. 1. Thy Advocate pleads to a Price paid to a Propitiation made and this is a great Advantage Yea he pleads to a Satisfaction made for all Wrongs done or to be done by his Elect For by one Offering he hath perfected for-ever them that are sanctified Heb. 10.14 ver 10. chap. 9.26 By one Offering That is by the Offering of himself by one Offering once offered once offered in the end of the World. This I say thine Advocate pleads When Satan brings in fresh Accusations for more Transgressions against the Law of God he forceth not Christ to shift his first Plea I say he puts him not to his Shifts at all For the Price once paid hath in it sufficient Value would God impute it to that end to take away the Sin of the whole World. There is a Man that hath Brethren he is rich and they are poor and this is the Case 'twixt Christ and us and the rich Brother goeth to his Father and saith thou art related to my Brethren with me and out of thy Store I pray thee let them have sufficient and for thy Satisfaction I will put into thy Hand the whole of what I have which perhaps is worth an hundred thousand Pounds by the Year and this other Sum I also give that they be not disinherited Now will not this last his poor Brethren to spend upon a good while But Christ's Worth can never be drawn dry Now set the Case again that some ill-conditioned Man should take Notice that these poor Men live all upon the spend and Saints do so and should come to the good Man's House and complain to him of the spending of his Sons and that while their elder Brother stands by What do you think the elder Brother would reply if he was as good-natured as Christ Why he would say I have yet with my Father in store for
just the time present Now the time always present Now let Satan come when he will. Nor is it to be omitted that this Word that thus specifies the time the present time doth also conclude it to be that time in which we are imperfect in Grace in which we have many failings in which we are tempted and accused of the Devil to God This is the time and in it and every whit of it he now appeareth in the Presence of God for us O the Diligence of our Enemy O the Diligence of our Friend the one against us the other for us and that continually If any Man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous This then that Jesus Christ is always an Advocate with the Father for us and so continually ready to put a check to every Accusation that Satan brings into the Presence of God against us is another of the Privileges that they have who have Jesus Christ for their Advocate Priv. 9. Ninthly Another Privilege that they have who have Jesus Christ to be their Advocate is this He is such an one that will not by Bribes by Flattery nor fair Pretences be turned aside from pursuing of his Clients Business This was the Fault of Lawyers in old time that they would wrest Judgment for a Bribe Hence the holy one complained That a Bribe did use to blind the Eyes of the Wise and pervert the Judgment of the Righteous 1 Sam. 12.3 Amos 5.12 Deut. 16.19 There are three things in Judgment that a Lawyer must take heed of One is the Nature of the Offence the other is the meaning and intendment of the Law-makers and a third is to plead for them in Danger without Respect to Affliction or Reward And this is the Excellency of our Advocate he will not cannot be byassed to turn aside from doing Judgment And this the Apostle intendeth when he calleth our Advocate Jesus Christ the righteous We have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous Or as another Prophet calls him to wit The Just Lord one that will do no Iniquity that is no Unrighteousness in Judgment Zeph. 3.5 He will not be provoked to do it neither by the continual Sollicitations of thine Enemy nor by thy continual Provocations wherewith by Reason of thy infirm Condition thou dost often tempt him to do it And remember that thy Advocate pleads by the new Covenant and thine Adversary accuses by the Old and again remember that the new Covenant is better and more richly provided with Grounds of pleading for our Pardon and Salvation than the old can be with Grounds for a Charge to be brought in by the Devil against us suppose our Sin be never so heinous 'T is a better Covenant established upon better Promises Now put these two together namely that Jesus Christ is righteous and will not swerve in Judgment Also that he pleads for us by the new Law with which Satan hath nothing to do nor had he can he by it bring in a Plea against us Jer. 31.29 30 31 32 33 34. Ezek. 36.25 26 27 28 29 30. Heb. 8.8 9 10 11 12 13. because that Law in the very body of it consists in free Promises of giving Grace unto us and of an everlasting Forgiveness of our Sin. O Children your Advocate will stick to the Law to the new Law to the new and everlasting Covenant and will not admit that any thing should be pleaded by our Foe that is inconsistent with the Promise of the Gift of Grace and of the Remission of all Sin. This therefore is another Privilege that they are made Pertakers of who have Jesus Christ to be their Advocate He is just he is righteous he is Jesus Christ the righteous He will not be turned aside to judge awry either of the Crime the Law or for Favour or Affection Nor is there any sin but what is pardonable committed by those that have chosen Jesus Christ to be their Advocate Priv. 10. Tenthly Another Privilege that they have who have Jesus Christ to be their Advocate is this The Father has made him even him that is thine Advocate the Vmpire and Judge in all Matters that have do or shall fall out 'twixt him and us Mark this well For when the Judge himself before whom I am accused shall make mine Advocate the Judge of the Nature of the Crime for which I am accused and of matter of Law by which I am accused to wit whether it is in Force against me to Condemnation or whether by the Law of Grace I am set free specially since before my Advocate has espoused my Cause promised me Deliverance and pleaded my Right to the State of eternal Life must it not now go well with me Yes verily The Judge then making thine Advocate the Judge for he hath committed all Judgment unto the Son Joh. 5.22 hath done it also for thy Sake who hast chosen him to be thine Advocate 'T was a great thing that happened to Israel when Joseph was become their Advocate and when Pharoah had made him a Judge Thou says he shalt be over my House and according to thy Word shall all my People be ruled See I have set thee over all the Land of Egypt and without thee shall no Man lift up his Hand or Foot in all the Land of Aegypt Only in the Throne I will be greater than thou Gen. 41.39 4â— 44. Joseph in this was a type of Christ and his Goverment here of the Government of Christ for his Church Kings seldom make a Man's Judge his Advocate they seldom leave the Issue of the whole Affair to the Arbitration of the poor Man's Lawyer But when they do methinks it should even go to the Hearts desire of the Client whose the Advocate is Specially when as I said before the Cause of the Client is become the Concern of the Advocate and that they are both wrapt up in the self same Interest yea when the Judge himself also is therein concerned And yet thus it is with that Soul who has Jesus Christ for his Advocate What sayst thou poor Heart to this The Judge to wit the God of Heaven has made thy Advocate Arbitrator in thy Business He is to judge God has referred the Matter to him and he has a Concern in thy Concern an Interest in thy good speed Christian Man dost thou hear Thou hast put thy Cause into the Hand of Jesus Christ and hast chosen him to be thine Advocate to plead for thee before God and against thy Adversary and God has referred the Judgment of that Matter to thy Advocate so that he has Power to determine the Matter I know Satan is not pleased with this he had rather things should have been referred to himself and then woe had been to the Child of God But I say God has referred the Business to Jesus Christ has made him Vmpire and Judge in thine Affair Art thou also willing that he should decide the Matter
Father Jesus Christ the righteous And again I say 't is evident that one part of his Work as an Advocate is to vindicate the Justice of God while he pleadeth for our Salvation because he pleadeth a Propitiation For a Propitiation respecteth God as well as us the appeasing of his Wrath and the reconciling of his Justice to us as well as the redeeming of us from Death and Hell. Yea it therefore doth the one because it doth the other Now if Christ as an Advocate pleadeth a Propitiation with God for whose Conviction doth he plead it Not for God's for he has ordained it allows it and gloriously acquiesces therein because he knoweth the whole Virtue thereof It is therefore for the Conviction of the fallen Angels and for the confounding of all those Cavils that can be invented and objected against our Salvation by those most subtil and envious ones But Secondly There is Matter of Law to be objected and that both against God and us At least there seems to be so because of the Sanction that God has put upon the Law and also because we have sinned against it God has said in the Day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die and the Soul that sinneth it shall die God also standeth still upon the Vindication of his Justice he also saveth Sinners Now in comes our Accuser and chargeth us of Sin of being guilty of Sin because we have transgressed the Law. God also will not be put out of his way and steps of Grace to save us also he will say he is just and righteous still I but these are but saysoâ—s how shall this be proved Why now here is room for an Advocate that can plead to Matter of Law that can preserve the Sanction of the Law in the Salvation of the Sinner He shall magnifie the Law and make it honourable Isa. 42.21 the Margent saith and maâ—â— him honourable That is he shall save the Sinner and preserve the Holiness of the Law and the Honour of his God. But who is this â—hat can do this It is the Servant of God saith the Prophet ver 1. ver 13. the Lord a Man of War. But how can this be done by him The Answer is it shall be done for God is well pleased for his Righteousness Sake For 't is by that that he magnifies the Law and makes his Father honourable That is he as a Publick Person comes into the World under the Law fulfils it and having so done he gives that Righteousness away for he as to his own Person never had need thereof I say he gives that Righteousness to those that have need to those that have none of their own that Righteousness might be imputed to them This Righteousness then he presenteth to God for us and God for this Righteousness Sake is well-pleased that we should be saved and for it can save us and secure his Honour and preserve the Law in its Sanction And this Christ pleadeth against Satan as an Advocate with the Father for us By which he vindicates his Fathers Justice holdeth the Child of God notwithstanding his Sins in a State of Justification and utterly overthroweth and confoundeth the Devil For Christ in pleading thus appeals to the Law it self If he has not done it Justice Saying most mighty Law what Command of thine have I not fulfilled what Demand of thine have I not fully answered where is that jot or tittle of the Law that is able to object against my Doings for want of Satisfaction Here the Law is mute it speaketh not one Word by way of the least Complaint but rather testifies of this Righteousness that it is good and holy Rom. 3.22 23. Rom. 5 1â— 16 17 18 19. Now then since Christ did this as a publick Person it follows that others must be justified thereby For that was the end and Reason of Christ's taking upon him to do the Righteousness of the Law. Nor can the Law object against the Equity of this Dispensation of Heaven For why might not that God who gave the Law his Being and his Sanction dispose as he pleases of the Righteousness which it commendeth Besides If Men be made righteous they are so and if by a Righteousness which the Law commendeth how can Fault be found with them by the Law Nay It is witnessed to by the Law and the Prophets who consent that it should be unto all and upon all them that believe for their Justification Rom. 3.20 21. And that the mighty God suffereth the Prince of the Devils to do with the Law what he can against this most wholesome and godly Doctrine it is to shew the Truth Goodness and Permanency thereof For this is as who should say Devil do thy worst When the Law is in the Hand of an easie Pleader tho the Cause that he pleadeth be good a crafty Opposer may overthrow the right but here is the Salvation of the Children in debate and whether it can stand with Law and Justice The Opposer of this is the Devil his Argument against it is the Law he that defends the Doctrine is Christ the Advocate who in his Plea must justifie the Justice of God defend the Holiness of the Law and save the Sinner from all the Arguments Pleas Cavils Stops and Demurrs that Satan is able to put in against it And this he must do fairly righteously simply Pleading the Voice of the self-same Law for the justification of what he standeth for which Satan pleads against it For tho it is by the new Law that our Salvation comes yet by the old Law is the new Law approved of and the way of Salvation thereby by it consented to This shews therefore that Christ is not ashamed to own the way of our Justification and Salvation no not before Men and Devils It shews also that he is resolved to dispute and plead for the same tho the Devil himself shall oppose it And since our Adversary pretends a Plea in Law against it 't is meet that there should be an open Hearing before the Judge of all about it But for as much as we neither can nor dare appear to plead for our selves our good God has thought fit we should do it by an Advocate we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous This therefore is the second thing that shews the need that we have of an Advocate to wit our Adversary pretends that he has a Plea in Law against us and that by Law we â—â—â—uld be otherwise disposed of than to â—e made Possessors of the Heavenly Kingdom But Thirdly There are many things relating to the Promise to our Life and to the Threatnings that minister Matter of Question and Doubt and give the Advantage of Objections unto him that so eargerly desireth to be putting in Cavils against our Salvation all which it hath pleased God to refel by Jesus Christ our Advocate 1. There are many things relating to the Promises as to the largeness and straitness
of Words as to the Freeness and Conditionality of them which we are not able so well to understand and therefore when Satan dealeth with us about them we quickly fall to the Ground before him we often conclude that the Words of the Promise are too narrow and strait to comprehend us we also think verily that the Conditions of some Promises do utterly â—â—ut us out from hope of Justification and Life But our Advocate who is for us with the Father he is better acquainted with and learned in this Law than to be baâ—â—eâ— out with a bold Word or two Isa. â—0 4 or with a subtil piece of Hellish Sophistication He knows the true Purport Intent Meaning and Sense of every Promise and piece of Promise that is in the whole Bible and can tell how to plead it for Advantage against our Accuser and doth so And I gather it not only from his Contest with Satan for Joshua Zech. 3. and from his Conflict with him in the Wilderness Mat. 4. and in Heaven Rev. 14. but also from the Practice of Satan's Emissaries here For what his Angels do that doth he Now there is here nothing more apparent than that the Instruments of Satan do plead against the Church from the pretended Intricacy Ambiguity and Difficulty of the Promise whence I gather so doth Satan before the Tribunal of God but there we have one to match him we have an Advocate with the Father that knows Law and Judgment better than Satan and Statute and Commandment better than all his Angels And by the Verdict of our Advocate all the Words and Limits and Extensions of Words with all Conditions of the Promises are expounded and applyed And hence it is that it sometimes falleth so out that that very Promise that we have thought could not reach us to comfort us by any Means has at another time swallowed us up with Joy unspeakable Christ the true Prophet has the right Understanding of the Word as an Advocate has pleaded it before God against Satan and having overcome him at the common Law he hath sent to let us know it by his good Spirit to our Comfort and the Confusion of our Enemy Again 2. There are many things relating to our Lives that minister to our Accuser occasions of many Objections against our Salvation for besides our daily Infirmities there are in our Lives gross Sins many horrible Backslidings also we oft-times suck and drink in many abominable Errors and deceitful Opinions of all which Satan accuseth us before the Judgment-Seat of God and pleadeth hard that we may be damned forever for them Besides Some of these things are done after Light received against present Convictions and Disswasions to the contrary against Solemn engagement to Amendment when the Bonds of Love were upon us Jer. 2.20 These are crying Sins they have a loâ—d voice in themselves against us and give to Satan great Advantage and Boldness to sue for our Destruction before the Bar of God. Nor doth he want Skill to aggravate and to comment profoundly upon all Occasions and Circumstances that did attend us in these our Miscarriges to wit that we did it without a Cause also when we had had we had Grace to have used them many things to have helpt us against such Sins and to have kept us clean and upright There is also a Sin unto Death 1 Joh. 5. and he can tell how to labour by Argument and Slight of Speech to make our Transgressions not only to border upon but to appear in the Hue Shape and Figure of that and thereto make his Objection against our Salvation He often argueth thus with us and fastneth the Weight of his Reasons upon our Consciences to the almost utter Destruction of us and the bringing of us down to the Gates of Despair and utter Destruction The same Sins with their aggravating Circumstances as I said he pleadeth against us at the Bar of God But there he meeteth with Jesus Christ our Lord and Advocate who entereth his Plea against him unravels all his Reasons and Arguments against us and shews the guile and falshood of them he also pleadeth as to the Nature of Sin as also to all those high Aggravations and proveth that neither the Sin in it self nor yet as joined with all its advantageous Circumstances can be the Sin unto Death Col. 2.19 because we hold the Head and have not made Ship wrack of Faith 1 Tim. 1.19 but still as David and Solomon we confess and are sorry for our Sins Thus tho we seem through our Falls to come short of the Promise with Pâ—â—er Heb. 4.3 and leave our Transgressions as stumbling Blocks to the World with Solomon and minister Occasion of a Question of our Salvation among the Godly Yet our Advocate fetches us oâ—â— before God and we shall be found safe and in Heaven at last by them in the next World who was afraid they had lost us in this But all these Points must be managed by Christ for us against Satan as a Lawyer an Advocate who to that end now appears in the Presence of God for us And wisely handleth the very Crisis of the Word and of the Failings of his People together with all those nice and critical Juggles by which our Adversary laboureth to bring us down to the Confusion of his Face 3. There is also the Threatnings that are annexed to the Gospel and they fall now under our Consideration They are of two sorts such as respect those who altogether neglect and reject the Gospel or those that profess it yet fall in or from that Profession thereof The first sort of threatning cannot be pleaded against the Professors of the Gospel as against those that never profess'd it Wherefore he betaketh himself to manage those Threatnings against us that belong to those that have professed and that have fallen in or from that Profession Psal. 109.6 Joshua fell in it Zech. 3.1 2. Judas fell from it And the Accuser stands at the Right Hand of them both to resist them before the Judgment of God. To resist them by pleading the Threatnings against them To wit that God's Soul should have no Pleasure in them If any Man draws back my Soul shall have no Pleasure in them Here 's a Plea for Satan both against one and t'other they are both Apostatized both drawn back and he is subtil enough to manage it Ay but Satan here is also Matter sufficient for a Plea for our Advocate against thee for as much as the next Words distinguish betwixt drawing back and drawing back unto Perdition every one that draws back doth not draw back unto Perdition Heb. 10.38 39. Some of them draw back from and some in the Profession of the Gospel Judas drew back from and Peter in the Profession of his Faith Wherefore Judas perishes but Peter turns again because Judas drew back unto Perdition but Peter yet believed to the saving of the Soul. Nor doth Jesus Christ when he seeth
good Men into his Sive to sift them as Wheat that if possible he may leave them nothing but bran no Grace but the very husk and shell of Religion And when a Christian comes to know this should Christ as Priest or Advocate be hid from him what could bear him up But let him now remember and believe that we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and â—e forthwith conceiveth Comfort For an Advocate is to plead for me according as has been shewed afore that I may be delivered from the Wrath and Accusation of my Adversary and still be kept safe under Grace Further by telling of my Brother that he hath an Advocate I put things into his Mind that he has not known or do bring them to Remembrance which he has forgot To wit that tho he hath sinned he shall be saved in a way of Justice For an Advocate is to plead Justice and Law and Christ is to plead these for a Saint that has sinned Yea so to plead them that he may be saved This being so he is made to perceive that by Law he must have his Sins forgiven him That by Justice he must be justified For Christ as an Advocate pleadeth for Justice Justice to himself and this Saint is of himself a Member of his Body of his Flesh and of his Bones Nor has Satan so good a Right to plead Justice against us tho we have sinned that we might be damned as Christ has to plead it tho we have sinned that we might be saved For Sin cannot cry so loud to Justice as can the Blood of Christ And he pleads his Blood as Advocate by which he has answered the Law wherefore the Law having nothing to object must needs acquit the Man for whom the Lord Jesus pleads I conclude this with that of the Psalmist Surely his Salvation is nigh them that fear him that Glory may dwell in our Land. Mercy and Truth are met together Righteousness and Peace have kissed each other Truth shall spring out of the Earth and Righteousness shall look down from Heaven Yea the Lord shall give that which is good and our Land shall yield her Increase Righteousness shall go before him and shall lead us the Way of his Steps Vse 8. Eighthly But what is all this to you that are â—ot concerned in this Privilege The Children indeed have the Advantage of an Advocate but what is this to them that have none to plead their Cause Jer. 30.12 13. They are as we say left to the wide World or to be ground to Powder between the Justice of God and the Sins which they have committed This is the Man that none but the Devil seeks after that is pursued by the Law and Sin and Death and has none to plead his Cause 'T is sad to consider the plight that such an one is in His Accuser is appointed yea ordered to bring in a Charge against him let Satan stand at his right Hand Ps. 109 6 7. in the Place where Accusers stand And when he shall be judged let him be condemned let there be none to plead for his Deliverance If he cries or offereth to cry out for Mercy or Forgiveness let his Prayer become Sin This is the Portion of a wicked Man. Terrors take hold on him as Waters a Tempest stealeth him away in the Night the East Wind carrieth him away and he departeth and as a Storm hurleth him out of his Place For God shall cast upon him and not spare he would fain free out of his Hand Men shall clap their Hands at him and shall hiss him out of his Place Job 27. â—0 21 22 23. And what shall this Man do Can he over-stand the Charge the Accusation the Sentence and Condemnation No he has none to plead hâ—s Cause I remember that somewhere I have read as I think concerning one who when he was carrying upon Mens Shoulders to the Grave cried out as he lay upon the Bier I am accused before the just Judgment of God and a while after I am condemned before the just Judgment of God. Nor was this Man but strict as to the Religion that was then on Foot in the World but all the Religion of the World amounts to no more than nothing I mean as to eternal Salvation if Men be denyed an Advocate to plead their Cause with God. Nor can any Advocate save Jesus Christ the righteous avail any thing at all Because there is none appointed but him to that Work and therefore not to be admitted to enter a Plea for their Client at the Bar of God. Obj. But some may say there is God's Grace the Promise Christ's Blood and his second Part of Priesthood now in Heaven Can none of these â—everally nor all of them jointly save a Man from Hell unless Christ also become our Advocate Answer All these his Advocates Office not excluded are few enough and little enough to save the Saints from Hell For the righteous shall scarcely be saved 1 Pet. 4.18 There must then be the Promise God's Grace Christ's Blood and him to advocate too or we cannot be saved What 's the Promise without God's Grace and what 's that Grace without a Promise to bestow it on us I say what Benefit have we thereby Besides if the Promise and God's Grace without Christ's Blood would have saved us wherefore then did Christ die Yea and again I say if all these without his being for us an Advocate would have delivered us from all those Disadvantages that our Sins and Infirmities would bring us to and into surely in vain and to no purpose was Jesus made an Advocate But Soul there is need of all and therefore be not thou offended that the Lord Jesus is of the Father made so much to his but rather admire and wonder that the Father and the Son should be so concerned with so sorry â—â—ump of Dust and ashes as thou art And I say again be confounded to think that Sin should be a thing so horrible of Power to pollute to captivate and detain us from God that without all this ado I would speak with Reverence of God and his Wisdom we cannot be delivered from the everlasting Destruction that it hath brought upon the Children of Men. But I say what is this to them that are not admitted to a Privilege in the Advocates Office of Christ Whether he is an Advocate or no the Case to them is the same True Christ as a Saviour is not divided He that hath him not in all shall have him in none at all of his Offices in a saving manner Therefore he for whom he is not an Advocate he is nothing as to eternal Life Indeed Christ by some of his Offices is concerned for the Elect before by some of them he is But such shall have the Blessing of them all before they come to Glory Nor hath a Man ground to say Christ is here or there mine before he hath ground
to say he also is mine Advocate Tho that Office of his as has been already shewed stands in the last place and comes in as a Reserve But can any imagine that Christ will pray for them as Priest for whom he will not plead as Advocate Or that he will speak for them to God for whom he will not plead against the Devil No no they are his own that he loveth to the end Joh. 13. to the end of their Lives to the end of their Sins to the end of their Temptations to the end of their Fears and of the Exercise of the Rage and Malice of Satan against them To the end may also be understood even until he had given them the Profit and Benefit of all his Offices in their due Exercise and Administration But I say what is all this to them that have him not for their Advocate You may remember that I have already told you that there are several who have not the Lord Jesus for their Advocate To wit those that are still in their Sins pursuing of their Lusts those that are ashamed of him before Men and those that are never otherwise but lukewarm in their Profession And let us now for a Conclusion make further enquity into this matter Is it likely that those should have the Lord Jesus for their Advocate to plead their Cause who despise and reject his Person his Word and Ways Or those either who are so far off from Sense of and Shame fâ—r Sin that it is the only thing they hug and embrace True he pleadeth the Cause of his People both with the Father and against the Devil and all the World besides but open Profaneness Shame of good and without Heart or Warmth in Religion are no Characters of his People It is irrational to think that Christ is an Advocate for or that he pleadeth the Cause of such who in the self same Hour and before his Enemies are throwing dirt in his Face by their profane Mouths and unsanctified Lives and Conversations If he pleads as an Advocate for any he must plead against Satan for them and so consequently must have some special bottom to ground his Plea upon I say a bottom better than that upon which the carnal Man stands Which bottom is either some special Relation that this Man stands in to God or some special Law he hath Privilege by That he may have some ground for an Appeal if need be to the Justice and Righteousness of God But none of these things belong to them that are dead in Trespasses and Sins They stand in no special Relation to God they are not privileged by the Law of Grace Obj. But doth not Christ as Advocate plead for his Elect tho not called as yet Answ. He died for all his Elect he prayeth for all his Elect as a Priest But as an Advocate he pleadeth only for the Children the called only Satan objecteth not against God's Election for he knows it not But be objecteth against the called to wit whether he be truly godly or no Job 1.9 10. Zech 3. or whether they ought not to die for their Transgressions And for these things he has some colour to frame an Accusation against us And now 't is time enough for Christ to stand up to plead I say for these things he has some Colour to frame a Plea against us for there is Sin and a Law of Works and a Judge too that has not respect of Persons Now to overthrow this Plea of Satan is Jesus Christ our Advocate Yea to overthrow it by pleading Law and Justice and this must be done with respect to the Children only My little Children I write unto you that ye sin not And if any Man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous FINIS ERRATA PAge 31 Line 22 for acknowledgeth read acknowledged p. 65 l. 13 f. your r. you p 70. l. 2 r. his Office is p 77. l 19 f. world r. word p. 87 l. 13 f. deferrs r. defers p. 102 l. 24 f groundess r. groundless p. 108 l. 15 f. thes v. the p. 118. l. 27 f. affliction r. affection p. 127 l. 10 f. matter r. water A Catalogue of Books Printed for and sold by Dorman Newman at the Sign of the Kings Arms in the Poultrey THere is likewise Published by this Author An useful Book entitled The Holy War made by Christ upon the Devil for the regaining of Man or the losing and taking again of the Town of Man-Soul The Pilgrims Progress from this World to that which is to come delivered in the Similitude of a Dream wherein is discovered the manner of his setting out his dangerous Journey and safe Arrival at the desired Country the First part Price 1 s. The Pilgrims Progress from this World to that which is to come the Second part delivered in the Similtude of a Dream wherein is set forth the manner of the setting out of Christians Wife and Children their dangerous Journey and safe Arrival at the desired Country Price 1 s. A Treatise of the Fear of God shewing what it is and how distinguished from that which is not so Also whence it comes Who has it What are the effects And what the Privileges of those that have it in their Hearts Price 1 s. 6 d. The Life and Death of Mr. Badman presented in a familiar Dialogue between Mr. Wiseman and Mr. Attentive Price 1 s. 6 d. The Doctrine of the Law and Grace unfolded or a discourse touching the Law and Grace the Nature of the one and the Nature of the other shewing what they are as they are the two Covenants and likewise who they be and what their conditions are that be under either of these two Covenants Very easie to be read and as easie to be understood by those that are the Sons of Wisdom the Children of the Second Covenant Price 1 s. 6 d. Grace abounding to the chief of Sinners Or a brief and faithful Relation of the exceeding Mercy of God in Christ to his poor Servant John Bunyan Namely in his taking him out of the Dunghil and Converting of him to the Faith of his Blessed Son Jesus Christ. Here is also particularly shewed what sight of and what trouble he had for sin and also what various Temptations he hath met with and how God hath carried him through them Corrected and much inlargged in this Edition Price 1 s. Questions about the Nature and perpetuity of the Seventh Day-Sabbath and proof that the First day of the Week is the true Christian Sabbath Price 6 d. A Book for Boys and Girls or Country Rhimes for Children Price 6 d. Sighs from Hell or the Groans of a damn'd Soul. Come and welcome to Jesus Christ. A Discourse upon the Pharisee and Publican Seasonable Counsel or Advice to Sufferers The barren Fig-tree The Greatness of the Soul. A Discourse of Prayer or I will pray with my Spirit and with my Understanding also Questions about