A Perfon felf-condemned, who shall plead for his Abfolution? If he cannot but accufe himfelf, and ftop his Mouth, being guilty before God of the Tranfgref fions of all his Law, then what place for an Advocate to excufe him, or defend his Caufe? And who is it that can enter in the Lifts with God, who, because the fupreme and highest Judge must be both Judge and Party? Where shall a Days Man be found to lay bis Hands on both, and advocate the defperate-like Caufe of Sinners? Truly here we had been at an eternal Stand, and here had the Business stuck for ever, for any Thing that the Creation could imagine, had not the infinite Grace and Wisdom of God opened themselves to Mankind, in opening a Door of Hope to broken and outlaw Sinners; and behold here is the Provifion made for the Security and Salvation of loft Souls, there is One able and mighty to fave, a Perfon found out fit for this Advocation, who taketh the broken Cause of Sinners in Hand, and pleads it out, and makes out Juftice to be for them, and not against them, If any Man fin, we bave an Advocate, &c.

There is one Thing imported, that Sin maketh a Man liable to a Charge and Accufation, and brings him under the Hazard of Judgment. Indeed, 'tis hard enough to endure an accufing Confcience, and a Spirit wounded with the Apprehenfion of Wrath: When our Saviour would exprefs great Affliction, he doth it thus. A Man's Enemies fball be those of bis own House. If a domeftick Enemy be fo ill, what shall a Bofom-enemy be; when a Man's Accufer is not only befide him, but within him, not only in the Houfe with him, but in the Field too, carried about with him whitherfoever he goeth, fo that he can have

no retiring or withdrawing Place from it? Indeed, fome poor Souls make a mad Efcape from under the Challenge of their Confdiences; they get away from their Keepers to more Excess in Sin, or make fome vain Diversion to Company, and other Things of the World; but the End thereof shall be more Bitterness, for that will not ftill fleep within them, but shall awake upon them with more Terror, and one Day put them in fuch a Pofture, that all the Comforts of the World shall be but as a Drop of Water to a Man in a burning Fever, or as Oil to a Flame. But, as I told you, that is not the greateft Matter, to be felf-accused, and felfcondemned, if there were not a higher Tribunal,,which this Process originally flows from, one greater than the Confcience, who speaks to us in his Word, and hath written his Cbarge and Sentence against us, and this is it which fets the Soul moft on Edge, and it is but the very Apprehenfion of that higher Judgment, which is the Gall and Wormwood, the Poison of these Challenges in the Confcience. I would defire you to look upon this, and confider that there is a Sentence paft in the Word of God upon all your Actions, that the Wrath of God is revealed in the Scriptures as due to you, however you may flatter yourselves in your Sins, and fancy an Immunity from Wrath, tho' you live in Sin. I wish ye were once perfuaded of this, that all Sinners muft once appear before God's Tribunal, and hear the righteous Sentence of the Dueness of Punishment pronounced; I fay, all muft once appear, either to hear and believe it, or to fee it executed. The Wisdom of God requires, that all Mens Guilt, which is a Tranfgreffion of the Law, fhould once come to a judicial Trial and Decifion by the Law; and

and fuftains their Perfons, and maintains their Caufe; even from the Principles of Juftice; he prefents his fatisfactory Sacrifice, and pleads that we are not to be charged with that Punishment that he hath fuffered, because he hath indeed fulfilled our legal Righteousness; and by thisMeans the Law's Mouth is ftop'd, which had ftop'd our Mouth, and the Sinner is abfolved, who was found guilty. Thus you fee the Salvation and Abfolution of Believers is wonderfully fecured, for there is a Sentence for it in the Court of the Gospel, pronounced by the Son. But left you think he should ufurp fuch an abfolute Power, then hear, that he is an Advocate to plead out the Equity and Juftice of it, before the very Tribunal of the Law, that the Law itself being the Rule, the Father himself who made the Law being the Judge, the poor Soul that flies unto him as a Refuge may be faved, fince what it craved of us it gets in him, and is as fully fatisfied that Way, as it could have been by us: Therefore, that fame Righteoufnefs which bids condemn the Sinner, commands to fave the Believer in Chrift, tho' a Sinner. What hall a Soul then fear? who fball condemn? it is Cbrift that juftifieth, for he is Judge of Life and Death, and that is much; but it is the Father that juftifieth, and that is more: Whatfoever Tribunal you be cited unto, you may be fure. Is it the Gofpel? then the Son is Judge: Is it the Law? then the Son is Advocate. He will not only give Life himself, but fee that his Father do it, and warrand you from all Back-hazards. Nay, before the Matter fhall mifgive, as he comes down from off the Throne, to ftand at the Bar and plead for Sinners, who devolve themselves upon him, fo he will not fpare, if Need require, to degrade him

felf further (if I may fo fay) and of an Advocate become a Supplicant. And truly he ceafed not in the Days of his Flesh to pray for us, with ftrong Cries and Tears, Heb. vii. And now be lives ftill to make Interceffion for us. can turn from the Plea of Juftice, to the Interceffion and Supplication of Mercy, and if ftrict Justice will not help him, yet Grace and Favour he is fure will not difappoint him.

There is a divine Contexture of Juftice and Mercy in the Business of Man's Redemption; and there is nothing fo much declares infinite Wisdom, as the Method, Order, and Frame of it. Mercy might have been fhewed to Sinners, in gracious and free Pardon of their Sins, and difpenfing with the Punishment due to their Perfons, yet the Lord's Juftice and Faithfulness in that firft Commination, might be wronged and difappointed by it, if no Satisfaction fhould be made for fuch infinite Offences, if the Law were wholly made void both to the Punishment, as alfo to the Perfon: Therefore, in the infinite Deeps of God's Wisdom there was a Way found out to declare both Mercy and Justice, to make both to thine gloriously in this Work; and indeed that is the great Wonder of Men and Angels, fuch a Conjunction, or Conftellation of divine Attributes in one Work. And indeed, it is only the most happy and favourable Afpect that we can behold the divine Majefly into. The Pfalmift, Pfal. lxxxv. expects much good from this Conjunction of the celestial Attributes, and prognofticks Salvation to be near Hand, and all good Things, as the immediare Effect of it. There is a Meeting there, as it were, of fome honourable Perfonages, Verse 10, 11. as are in Heaven: The Meeting is ftrange,

if you confider the Parties, Mercy and Truth, Righteousness and Peace; if Mercy and Peace had met thus friendly, it had been lefs Wonder; but it would feem that Righteousness and Truth should stand off, or meet only to reafon and difpute the Business with Mercy: But here is the Wonder, Mercy and Truth meets in a friendly Manner, and kiffeth one another. There's a perfect Agreement and Harmony amongst them, about this There was a Matter of our Salvation. Kind of parting at Man's Fall, but they met again at Chrift's Birth; Here is the uniting Principle, Truth springing out of the Earth, because he who is the Truth and the Life, was to fpring out of the Earth, therefore Righteoufnefs will look down from Heaven, and countenance the Business, and this will make all of them to meet with a loving Salutation.

Now, as this was the Contexture of the divine Attributes in the Business of Redemption; fo our Lord and Saviour taketh upon him divers Names, Offices, and Exercises, different Functions for us, because he knoweth that his Father may justly exact of Man personal Satisfaction, and hath him at this Difadvantage, and that he might have refused to have accept ed any other Satisfaction from another Perfon; therefore he puts on the Habit and Form of a Supplicant and Interceffor for us; and fo, while he was in the Flesh, be ceafed not to offer up Prayers and Supplications with frong Cries and Tears; and he is faid ftill to make Interceffion for us; as be learned Obedience, tho' a Son, fo be learned to be a bumble Supplicant, tho' equal with God; because our Claim depends wholly on Grace, he came off the Bench, and ftood at the Bar, not only pleading but praying for us, intreating Favour and

A Sinner stands accused in his own Confcience, and before God: Therefore, to the End that we get no Wrong, there is a twofold Advocate given us, one in the Earth, in our Confciences, another in the Heavens with God. Chrift is gone up to the bighest Tribunal, where the Cause receives a definitive Sentence, and there he manageth it above; so that the' Satan should obtrude upon a poor Soul a wrong Sentence in its own Confcience, and bring... down a falfe and counterfeit Act, as it were, extracted out of the Register of Heaven, whereby to deceive the poor. Soul, and condemn it in itself; yet there. is no Hazard above; he dare not appear. there, before the higheft Court, for he hath already fuccumb'd on Earth. When Chrift was here, the Prince of the World was judged and caft out, and fo he will never once put in an Accufati- · on into Heaven, because he knoweth our i faithful Advocate is there, where nothing

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