The advocateship of Jesus Christ clearly explained, and largely improved, for the benefit of…

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 ⟨p. 153⟩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. 'Tis 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 Unbelief 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 and stumbleth thereat. And says Christ, because I tell you the truth, ye lieve me not,