Secondly, The Occasion of his exercising of this Office of Advocate, is, as hath been 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. ⟨p. 22⟩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 Hittite, 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 Hypocrisy, in David •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. ⟨p. 23⟩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.
Secondly, The Occasion of his exercising of this Office of Advocate, is, as hath been 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. ⟨p. 22⟩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 Hittite, 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 •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. ⟨p. 23⟩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.
