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

Further, methinks by these words, the Apostle seems to triumph in his Christ: Saying, my Brethren, I would have you study to be holy: but if your Adversary the Devil, should get the Advantage of you, and ⟨p. 14⟩besmear you with the filth of Sin, you have yet, besides all that you have heard already, an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. Who is as to his Person, interest with God, his Wisdom, and Worth, able to bring you off to the comforting of your Souls.

Let me therefore for a Conclusion, as to this, give you an exhortation to believe, to hope and expect that though you have sinned (for I now speak to the fallen Saint) that Jesus Christ will make a good end with thee; trust I say in him, and he shall bring it to pass. I know I put thee upon a hard and difficult task, for believing, and expecting Good; when my guilty Conscience doth nothing but clog, burden, and terrify me with the Justice of God, the Greatness of my Sins, and the burning Torments is hard and Sweating work. But it must be, the Text calls for it, thy case calls for it, and thou must do it, if thou wouldst glorify Christ. And this is the way to hasten the issue of thy Cause in Hand, for believing daunts the Devil, pleaseth Christ, and will help, thee before-hand, to sing that Song of the Church, saying, O Lord, thou hast pleaded the Causes of my Soul, thou hast redeemed my Life, Lam. 3.55, 56, 57, 58, 59. Yea, believe, and hear thy pleading Lord say to thee, Thus saith the ⟨p. 15⟩Lord, the Lord and thy God, that pleadeth the Cause of his People, Behold, I have taken out of thy Hand the Cup of trembling, even the dregs of the Cup of my Fury, thou shalt no more drink it again, Isa. 51.20, 21, 22. I am not here discoursing of the sweetness of Christ's Nature, but of the Excellency of his Offices, and of his Office of Advocateship in particular, which as a Lawyer for his Client, he is to execute in the Presence of God for us. Love may be where there is no Office, and so where no Power is to do us good: but now, when Love and Office shall meet, they will surely both combine in Christ to do the fallen Christian good. But of his Love we have treated elsewhere; we will here discourse of the Office of this loving One. And for thy further Information, let me tell thee, That God thy Father, counteth that thou wilt be, when compared with his Law, but a poor one all thy Days. Yea, the Apostle tells thee so, in that he saith, there is an Advocate provided for thee. When a Father provides Crutches for his Child, he doth as good as say, I count that my Child will be yet Infirm. And when God shall provide an Advocate, he doth as good as say, my People are subject to Infirmities: Do not therefore think of thy self above what by plain Texts, and fair Inferences, drawn from Christ's Offices,