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

When a Man's Cause is good, it will sufficiently plead for it self, yea and for its Master too: specially when it is made appear so to be, before a Just and Righteous Judge. Here therefore needs no Advocate, the Judge himself will pronounce him righteous. This is evidently seen in Job, Thou movest me against him (this said God to Satan) to destroy him without a Cause, Job 2.3. Thus far Job's Cause was good, wherefore he did not need an Advocate; his Cause pleaded for its self, and for its owner also. But if it was to plead ⟨p. 25⟩good Causes for which Christ is appointed Advocate, then the Apostle should have written thus: If any Man be righteous, we have an Advocate with the Father. Indeed I never heard but one in all my Life preach from this Text, and he, when he came to handle the Cause for which he was to plead, pretended it must be good, and therefore said to the People see that your Cause be good, else Christ will not undertake it. But when I heard it, Lord, thought I, if this be true, what shall I do, and what will become of all this People; yea and of this Preacher too? Besides, I saw that by the Text, the Apostle supposeth an other Cause, a Cause bad, exceeding bad, if Sin can make it so. (And this was one Cause why I undertook this work.)

When we speak of a Cause, we speak not of a Person simply as so considered: For, as I said before, Person and Cause must be distinguished. Nor can the person make the Cause good, but as he regulates his Action by the Word of God: If then a good, a righteous man doth what the Law condemns, that thing is bad; and if he be indicted for so doing, he is indicted for a bad Cause; and he that will be his Advocate, must be concerned in, and about a bad Matter, and how he will bring his Client off, therein doth lie the Mystery.