can pass without his Knowledge and Confent. And this is a great Comfort that all inferior Sentences in thy perplexed Confcience, which Satan, thro' Violence, hath impofed upon thee, are refcinded above in the higheft Court, and fhall not ftand to thy Prejudice, whoever thou be that defires to forfake Sin, and come to Jefus Chrift. advocates for us in our Confciences, Jobn xiv. and xv. 26. inλnt, it is rendered here Advocate, there Comforter; both fuit well, and may be conjoined in one, and given to both, for both are comfortable Advocates, Christ with the Father, and the Spirit with us. Chrift is gone above for it, and he fent the Spirit in his Stead. As God hath a Deputy-judge in Man, that is, Man's Confcience, fo the Son our Advocate with God, hath a Deputy-advocate to plead the Caufe in our Confcience; and this he doth, partly by opening up the Scriptures to us, and making us understand the Way of Salvation in them, partly manifefting his own Works, and God's Gifts in us, by a fuperadded Light of Te ftimony, and partly by comforting us against all outward and inward Sorrows. Sometimes he pleads with the Soul against Satan, not guilty, for Satan is a flanderous and a falfe Accufer, and cares not calumniari fortiter ut aliquid bæreat, to calumniate ftoutly, and he knoweth fomething will stick. He will not only object known Sins and Tranfgreffions of the Law, but his Manner is, to cast a Mift upon the Eye of the Soul, and darken all its Graces, and then he brings forth his Procefs, that they have no Grace, no Faith in Chrift, no Love to God, no Sorrow for Sin: In fuch a Cafe 'tis the Spirit's Office to plead it out to our Confciences, that we are not totally guilty, as we are charged; and this is not fo much a clearing of ourfelves, as a Vindication of the free Gifts But how doth Chrift plead? Can he plead us not guilty? Can he excufe, or defend our Sins? No, that is not the Way; that Accufation of the Word and Law against us is confeffed, is proven, all is undeniably clear; but he pleads fatisfied, tho' guilty; he prefents his fatisfactory Sacrifice, and the Savour of that perfumes Heaven, and pacifieth all. He fhews God's Bond, and Discharge of the Receipt of the Sum of our Debt, and thus is he cleared, and we abfolved. Therefore I defire you, whoever you are that are challenged for Sin, and the Tranfgreffion of the Law, if ye would have a folid Way of Satisfaction and Peace to your Confciences, take with your Guiltinefs; plead not not guilty; do not excufe, or extenuate, but aggravate your Guilt; nay, in this you may help Satan, accufe yourselves, and fay, that you know more Evit in yourselves than he doth, and open that up before God; but in the mean Time confider how it is managed above; plead thou al fo, fatisfied in Chrift, tho' guilty; and fo thou may fay to thy Accufer, if thou haft any Thing to object against me, why I may not be faved, tho' a Sinner, thou must go up to the higheft Tribunal to proof God, which ly under his Afperfion pone it, thou must come before my Judge and Advocate above; but, forafmuch as thou doft not appear there, it is but a, Lie, and a murdering Lie. Now, this is the Way that the Spirit and Reproach. Indeed, if there be a great Stress here, and for wife Reasons the Spirit forbear to plead out this Point, but leave a poor Soul to puddle it out a lone, and fcrape its Evidences together in the Dark: I fay, if thou find this too hard for thee to plead not guilty, then my Advice is, that ye wave and fufpend that Question, yield it not wholly, but rather leave it entire, and do as if it were not. Suppofe that Article and Point were gained against thee, what would thou do next? Certainly, thou muft fay, I would then feek Grace and Faith from Him who giveth liberally, I would then labour to receive Chrift in the Promises; I fay, do that now, and thou taketh a fhort and compendious Way to win thy Caufe, and overcome Satan; let that be thy Study, and he hath done with it. But in any Challenge about the Tranfgreffion of the Law, or Defert of eternal Wrath, the Spirit, muft not plead not guilty, for thou must confefs that, but in as far as he driveth at a further Conclufion, to drive thee away from Hope and Confidence, to Defpondency of Spirit, in fo far the Spirit clears up unto the Confcience that this doth no ways follow from that Confeffion of Guiltinefs, fince there is a Saviour that hath fatisfied for it, and invites all to come and accept him for their Lord and Saviour. SERMO N. XXVI. We have an Advocate with the Father, 1 John ii. 1. Jefus Chrift the Righteous. THERE is no Settlement to the Spirit of a Sinner that is once touched with the Senfe of his Sins, and Apprehenfion of the Juftice and Wrath of God, but in fome clear and diftinct Understanding the Grounds of Confolation in the Gospel, and the Method of Salvation revealed in it. There is no folid Peacegiving Answer to the Challenges of the Law, and thy own Confcience, but in the Advocation of Jefus Chrift, the Saviour of Sinners; and therefore the Apoftle propones it here for the Comfort of Believers, who are incident to be furprized thro' the Suddennefs of Sin, and often deceived by the Subtilty of Satan, whofe Soul's Defires, and fincere Endeavours are, to be kept from Iniquity; and therefore they are made to groan within themfelves, and fometimes fadly to conclude against themselves, upon the prevailing of Sin. Here is the Cordial, I fay, he prefents to them Jefus Chrift ftanding before the Bar of Heaven, and pleading his Satisfaction in the Name of fuch Souls, and fo fuiting forth an Exemption and Discharge for them from their Sins; fo he prefents us with the moft comfortable Afpect, Chrift ftanding between us and Justice, the Mediator interpofed between us and the Father, fo there can come no Harm to fuch poor Sinners, Sinners, except it come through his Sides first, and no Sentence can pass against them, unless he fuccumb in his righteous Cause in Heaven. The Strength of Chrift's Advocation for Believers confifts partly in his Qualification for the Office, partly in the Ground and Foundation of his Caufe. His Qualification we have in this Verle, the Ground and Foundation of his Plead ing in the next Verse, in that he is a Propitiation for our Sins, and upon this very Ground his Advocation is both just and effectual. imagine that he cannot but repel and put back our Petitions, and therefore we have not the Boldness to offer them; yet he ceaseth not to be our Father and Chrift's Father; and if ye would have the Character of a Father, look Jer. xxxi. 18. how he ftands affected towards afhamed and confounded Ephraim, how bis Bowels move, and bis Companions yearn towards him, as his pleasant Child. The Truth is, in fuch a Cafe in which we are Captives against our Will, and ftumble against our Purpose, be pities us as a Father duth his Children, knowing that we are but Duft and Grafs, Pfal. ciii. 13, 14, 15, 16. 17. See the excellent and fweet Application of this Relation, by the Pfalmift, if it ftir him, it ftirs up rather the Affection of Pity, than the Paffion of Anger: He pities his poor Child, when he cries out of Violence and Oppreffion. And therefore, there is great Hopes that our Advocate Fefus Chrift fhall prevail in his Suits for us,becaufe he, with whom he deals, the Father, he loves him, and loves us, and will not ftand upon ftrict Terms of Ju Every Word holds out fome Fitnefs, and therefore every Word drops out Confolation to a troubled Soul. [With the Father,] fpeaks out the Relation he and we stand in to the Judge; he hath not to do with an auftere and rigid Judge, that is implacable and unfatisfiable, who will needs adhere peremptorily to the Letter of the Law, for then we should be all undone. If there were not fome paternal Affection, and fatherly Clemency and Moderation in the Judge, if he were not fo difpofed, as to make fome candid Inter pretation upon it, and in fome Manneritice, but rather attemper all with Mercy to relax the Sentence, as to our perfonal Suffering, we could never ftand before him, nor needed any Advocate appear for us: But here is the great Comfort, he is Chrift's Father and our Father, fo himself told us, John xx. 17. Igo to my Father and your Father, and my God and your God. And therefore we may be perfuaded that he will not take Advantage, even that he hath in Juftice of us, and tho' we be apprehenfive of his Anger, in our Failings and Offences, and this makes us often to be both afraid and ashamed to come to him, measuring him after the Manner of Men, who are foon angry, and often implacably angry; we and Love. He will certainly hear his well beloved Son, for in him he is well pleased; bis Soul refts and takes Com placency in him, and for his Sake he adopts us to be his Children; and therefore he will both hear him in our Behalf, and our Prayers too, for his Name's. Sake. But this is fuperadded to qualify our Advocate, be is the Chrift of God, anointed for this very Purpose, and fo hath a fair and lawful Calling to this Office, be takes not this Honour to himself, but was called thereto of his Father, Heb. v. 4. As he did not make himself a Prief, fo he did not intrude upon the our Cause, as really as if it were bis own, Ifa. xlii. 1, 6. which expreffeth to us the admirable Harmony and Confent of Heaven to the Salvation of as many as make Chrift their Refuge, and desire not to live in Sin; tho' they be often foiled, yes their is no Hazard of the Fail Advocate hath both excellent Skill, and undoubtable Authority. Advocate bip, but be that faid, Thou | art my Son, called him to it. If a Man had never fo great Ability to plead in the Law, yet, except he be licentiate and graduate, he may not take upon him to plead a Caufe. But our Lord Jesus hath both Skill and Authority, he hath both the Ability and the Office, was not a Self-ing of their Cause above, because our intruder or Ufurper, but the Council of Heaven did ficentiate him, and graduate him for the whole Office of Mediatorfbip: In which there is the greatest Stay and Support for a finking Soul, to know that all this Frame and Fabrick of the Gospel was contrived by God the Father, and that he is Master-builder in it; fince it is fo, there can nothing controul it or fhake it, fince it is the very Will of God, with whom we have to do, that a Mediator should stand between him and us: And fince he hath fuch a Mind to clear poor Souls, that he freely chufeth and giveth them an able Advocate, it is a great Token that he hath a Mind to fave as many as come and submit to him, and that he is ready to pardon, when he prepares fo fit an Advocate for us, and hath not left us alone to plead our own Cause. But the anointing of Chrift for it, implies both Juvaus and suav, potentiam & poteftatem, the Gifts for it as well as the Authority, and the Ability as well as the Office; for God hath fingularly qualified him for it, given bim the Spirit above Meafure, Ifa. Ixi. 1. He received Gifts not only to diftribute to Men, but to exercife for Men, and their Advan tage, Pfal. Ixviii. 18. And therefore the Father feems to interefs himself in the Cause as it were his own, he furnish: eth our Advocate, as if it were to plead the Cause of his own Justice against us, be upholds and Arengthens Chrift in Yea, he is fo fully qualified for this, that he is called Jefus the Saviour, he is fuch an Advocate, that he faves all he pleads for. The beft Advocate may lofe the Caufe, either thro' the Weakness of itself, or the Iniquity of the Judge, but he is the Advocate and the Saviour, that never fuccumbed in his Undertaking for any Soul, be their Sins never fo hainous, their Accufation never so just and true, their Accufer never fo powerful, yet they who put their Cause in his Hand, who flee in hither for Refuge, being wearied of the Bondage of Sin and Satan, he hath fuch a Prevalency with the Father, that their Caufe cannot mifcarry; even when Justice itself feems to be the oppofite Party, yet he hath such marvelous Success in his Office, that Juftice fball rather meet amicably with Mercy and Peace, and falute them kindly, Pfal. lxxxv. 10, 11. as being fatisfied by him, than he come fhort in his Undertaking. But there is another perfonal Qualification needful, or all should be in vain, Jefus the Righteous. If he were not righteous in himself, he had need of an Advocate for himself, and might not plead for Sinners; but he is Righteous and Holy, no Guile found in bis Mouth, without Sin, an unblameable and unspotted High Priest, elfe be could not mediate for others, and fuck an Advocate too, elfe he could not 000 plead pleaded, that our Caufe is exactly conformable to the Covenant of Works; we cannot, nor Chrift in our Name, plead any Thing from that, which holds forth nothing but perfonal Obedience, or elfe perfonal Satisfaction. But yet, our Cause may be found to be Righteous, in relation to the fecond Covenant, and the Rule and Terms of it, in as far as God hath revealed his Acceptance of a Surety in our Stead, and hath difpenfed with the Riour of the Law, according to that new Law of Grace and Righteousness contempered together. The Caufe of defperate loft Sinner may fuftain before the righteous Judge; and it is upon this new Account that he pleads for us, because he hath fatisfied in our Stead; and now it is as righteous. and equitable with God, to fhew Mercy and Forgiveness to believing Sinners, as it is to reveal Wrath and Anger against impenitent plead for others, Heb. vii. 26. As Now, if he be fo righteous a Perfon, Sinners. I know there will be fome fecret Whifperings in your Hearts upon the Hearing of this, Oh! 'tis true, 'tis a moft comfortable Thing for them whofe Advocate he is; there is no Fear of the Miscarrying of their Caufe above; but as for me, I know not if he be an Advocate for me, whether I may come into that Sentence, We bave an Advocate, &c. I confefs it is true, he is not an Advocate for every one, for while he was here, be prayed not for the World, but them that were given bim out of the World, John xvii. much more will he not plead for the World, when he is above. He is rather witneffing against the unbelieving World. But yet, I believe his Advocation is not reftrained only to them that actually believe, as neither his Supplication was, John xvii. But as he prayed for them who fhould hereafter believe, fo he ftill pieads |