Fellowship with God, Sermon 25
SERMON XXV·
1 Joh. 2.1.
—And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, &c.
IT is the natural office of the conscience to accuse a man in evil doing, as every man by sin is lyable to the judgment of the supream Court of Heaven, so he is likewise subject to the in…eriour Court of his own Conscience; for the most high God hath a Deputy within every mans breast, that not only is a Witness, but a Judge, to fasten an accusation, and pronounce a sentence upon him according to the L…w of God. And while it is so, that a man is accused in both Courts, at the supream Tribunal, and the lower House o… a mans own Conscience, when mans accuser is within him, and God his righteous Iudge above him, Who can come in to plead such a man… cause? A person self-condemned, who shall plead for his absolution? If he cannot but accuse himself, and stop his mouth, being guilty befor… God of the transgressions of all his Law, then what place for an advocate to excuse him, or defend his cause? And who is it that can enter in the lifts with God, who, because the supream and highest Judge, must be both Judge and Party? Where shall a dayes-man be found to lay hi… hands on both, and advocate the desperat▪ like cause of sinners? Truly here we had been at an eternal stand, and here had the businesse stuck for ever, for any thing that the Creation could imagine, had not the infinit grace and wisdome of Go… opened themselves to mankind, in opening▪ a door of hope to broken and out-law sinners; and behold, here is the provision is made for the sec…ity and salvation of lost souls, there is One able and mighty to save, a person found out fit for this advocation, who taketh the broken cause of sinners in hand, and pleads it out, and makes out Justice to be for them, and not against them, If any man sin, we have an advocate, &c.
There is one thing impo…ted, that sin maketh a man li…ble to a charge and accusation, and brings him under the hazard of judgment. Indeed, its hard …nough to endure an accusing c…nscience, and a spirit wounded with the apprehen…ion of wrath; When our Saviour would expresse great …liction, he doth it thu…, A man… enemies shall be those of his own house. If a domestick enemy be …o ill, what shall a bosome-enemy be, when a man… accuser is not only beside▪ him, but within him, not only in the house with him, but in the field too, carried about with him whithe…soever he goeth, so that he can have no retiring or withdrawing…place from it▪ Indeed, some poor soul… make a mad escape from under the challenge of their consciences, they get away from their keepers to more excesse in sin; or make some vain diversion to comp…ny▪ and other things o… the world, but the end thereof shall be more …itternesse, for that will not still sleep within them, but shall awake upon them with more terrou…, and one day put them in such a posture, that all the comforts of the world shall be but as a drop of water to a man in a burning fever, or as oyl to a flame. But, as I told you, that is not the greatest matter, to be self-accused, and self-condemned, if there were not a higher T…ibunal, which this processe originally flows from, one greater then the conscience, who speaks to us in his Word, and hath written his charge and sentence against us, and this is it which …ets the soul most on edge, and it is but the very apprehension of that higher judgment, which is the gall and wormwood, the po…on of these challenges in the conscience. I would desire you to look upon this, and consider that there is a sentence past in the Word of God upon all your actions, that the wrath of God is revealed in the Scriptures as due to you, however you may flatter your selves in your sins, and fancy an immunity from wrath, though you live in sin: I wish ye were once perswaded of this, that all sinners must once appear before Gods Tribunal, and hear the righteous sentence of the duenesse of punishment pronounced; I say, all must once appear, either to hear and believe it, or to see it executed; the wisdom of God requires, that all mens guilt, which is a transgression of the Law ▪ should once come to a judicial tryal, and decision by the Law; and either this must be done in your own consciences here, th…t ye may sist your selves before him, and take with your sins, and humble your selves in his sight, and then the matter is put over upon a Mediator, or else you must give him leave, nay, he will take leave to cite you to appear, to see the sentence executed, which was pronounced, since ye would not apply it to your own heart…. O, happy is that soul that anticipat… that great day of final judgment, by a previous self-judgment, and self-t…yal. Well then▪ hath the Scripture… included all under sin, that all men might be guilty, and every mouth stopt before God, Rom. 3.19. What shall we do then? Since righteousnesse and justice is against us, who can plead for us? It would seem, that there could be no relaxing, no repealing, no dispensing with this Law, at least, that, i… there be any thing of that kind, that righteousnesse and judgment can have no hand in it▪ Yet, behold what follows, We have an advocate, &c. And an Advocate his office is, to sue out the Cliants right, from principles of Justice, elsewhere Christ hath the office of a Iudge, here is an Advocate for the party, and both of these may have a comfortable con…ideration: Ioh. 5.22. The Father judgeth none, but hath committed all judgment to the Son. And yet, here we have an Advocate with the Father, and that is, with the Father as Judge: these do not crosse one another, but to make out our abundant consolation, that one intire office of our Saviour is represented under all these various … suited to our capacity; A Judge he is, yea, his Tribunal is the highest and …upream, from which there is no appeal, the ultimat decision lyes here of all capital, or soul ca…es or causes. It is true, the Father doth not wholly divest himself of Judgment and Authority, in the matters of life and death, for the Gospel is his contrivance, as it was the Sons, but Christ is, as it were, substituted his Vicegerent, in the administration of the second Covenant. You read of a preparatory Tribunal erected in the Word by God the Creator, that is, of the Law, which condems us. Now, such is the mercy and grace, and free love of God, that he hath relaxed that sentence, as to the persons, he hath not taken that advantage which in Justice he had against us, but upon some valuable considerations hath committed to the Son a royal power of prescribing new Laws of life and death, and new terms of salvation, and Christ, having at his Fathers will, satisfied the Law, in what it did threaten us, he is, as it were, in compensation of such a great service, made Lord and King both of the dea… and living, Rom. 14.9. And all things in Heaven and earth are given to him, Mat. 18.29. Joh. 13▪ 3. And therefore, what ever soul is agrieved under the accusation and charge of the Law, hath liberty, yea, and is called to it, of duty, to appeal unto this new erected Tribunal where Christ sits to dispense life, according to the terms of grace; and he may be sure, the Father, will not judge him …co…ding to the Law, if t…e Son absolve him in the Gospel.
Now, with this it consists, that he who hath all final judgment in hi… hand, yet he is ou… advocate in another conside…ation; as we consider God the …ther sitting upon the Tribunal o… Justice, and p…oceeding acco…ding to the te…ms and …enor o… hi… fi…s… Law, o… Covenant of life an… death; then Christ come… in, with hi… advocation for poor sinners, and sustain… their persons, and maintains their cause, even from the p…inciples of Justice▪ he presents his satis…acto…y …c…ifice, and pleads that we are not to be charged with that punishment that he hath suffe…ed, b…cause he hath indeed fulfi…led our legal righteousness, and by this means, the Laws mo…th i… sto…t, which h…d stopt our mouth, and the …inner i… …, who was …ound guilty. Thu…, you see the salvation and absolution of believers, is wonde…fully …cu…ed▪ …or the…e is a sentence …or it, in the Co…t of the Gospel, pronounced by the S…, but l…st▪ you think he should usu…p such an absolute power, then hear, that he i… an advo…ate to plead out the equity and justice of it, be…o…e the very Tribunal of the Law, that the Law it s…lf being the …ule, the Father himself who made the Law being the Judge, the poor soul that flyes unto him as a …e…uge, may be saved, since what is craved of us, it gets in him, and is as fully satisfied that way, as it could have be…n by us: therefore, that same righteousnesse which bids condemn the sinner, commands to save the believer in Christ, though a sinner. What shall a …oul then …ea…, who shall condemn? it is Christ that justifieth, …or he is Judge of li…e and death, and that is much; but it is the Father that justifieth, and that is more; whatsoever Tribunal you be cited unto, you may be sure; Is it the Gospel? then the Son is Judge. Is it the …aw? then the Son is advocate. He will not only give li…e him…el…, but see that his Father do it, and wa…and you from all back-haza…ds. Nay, be…ore the matter shall misgive, as he comes down from off the Throne, to stand at the Bar and plead for sinners, who devolve themselves upon him, so he will not spare, if need require, to degrade him…el… fu…ther (if I may so say) and of an advocate become a supplicant. And truly he ceased not in the dayes of his flesh to pray for us, with strong cryes and tears, Heb. 7. And now he lives still to make intercession for us. He can turn from the plea of justice, to the intercession and supplication of mercy, and if st…ict justice will not help him, yet grace and savour, he is sure will not disappoint him.
There is a divine contexture of justice and mercy, in the businesse of mans redemption, and there is nothing so much declare… in…init wisdom, as the m…thod, order, and frame of it. Mercy might have been shewed to sinners, in gracious and …ee pardon of their sins, and dispensing with the punishment due to their persons, yet the Lords justice and …a…th…ulnesse in that fi…st commination, might be wronged and disappointed by it, if no satisfaction should be made for such infinit offences, i… the Law were wholly made void, both to the punishment, as also to the pe…son: There…ore, in the infinit deeps of Gods wisdome there was a way …ound out to declare both mercy and justi…e, to make both to shine glo…iously in this wo…k, and indeed, that is the great wonder of men and Angels, such a conjunction, or constellation of divine attributes in one work. And in…eed, it is only the most happy and …avourable aspect, that we can behold the divine M…jesty into; The P…almist, Psal. 85. expects muc… good from this conjunction o… the Celestial Att…ibutes, and prognosticks salvation to be near hand, and all good thing…, as the immediat effect of it. There is a meeting there, as it were, of some hon…urable personages, vers. 10, 11. as are in Heaven; the meeting is strange, if you consider the parties, mercy and truth, righteousnesse and peace, i… mercy and peace had met thus …i…ndly, it had been lesse wonder, but it would seem, that righteousness and truth should stand off, or meet only to reason and dispute the businesse with me…cy: But here is the wonder, mercy and truth meets in a …iendly manner, and kisseth one another, ther's a perfect agreement and harmony amongst them, about this matter of our sa…vation; The…e was a kind of pa…ting at mans fall, but they met again at Christs birth; here is the uniting principle, truth springing out of the earth, because he who is the truth & the life, was to …pring out of the earth, therefore righteousnesse will look down from Heaven, and countenance the businesse, and this will make all of them meet with a loving salutation.
Now, as this was the contexture of divine attributes in the businesse of redemption, so our Lord and Saviour taketh upon him divers names, offices, and exercises, different functions for us, because he knoweth that his Father may justly exact of man personal satisfaction, and hath him at this disadvantage, and that he might have re…used to have accepted any other satisfaction from another person, there…ore, he puts on the habit and …orm of a supplicant, and intercessour for us, and so, while he was in the flesh, he ceased not to offer up prayers and supplications with strong cryes and tears, and h… is said still to make intercession for us …as he learned obedience, though a Son, so he learned to be a humble supplicant, though equal with God; because our claim depends wholly on grace, he came off the bench, and stood at the bar, not only pleading, but praying for us, intreating savour and mercy to us; and then, he personats an Advocate in another consideration, and pleads upon termes of justice, that we be pardoned, because his Father once having accepted him in our stead he gave a satisfaction in value equal to our debt, and pe…formed all that we were personally bond to, so then, you may unde…stand, how it is, pa…tly an act of j…stice, partly an act of me…cy, in God to …o…give …in to believers, though indeed mercy and grace is the predominant ingredient, because love and grace was the very fi…t rise, and spring of sending a Saviour and Redeemer, and so the original of that very pu…chase and prize, He freely sent his Son, and freely accepted him in our stead; but once standing in our …oo…, justice craves that no more be exacted of u…, since he hath done the businesse himself.
A sinner stands accused in his own Conscience, and before God ▪ therefore, to the end that we get no wrong, there is a twofold Advocate given us, one in the E…rth, in our Consciences, another in the Heavens with God▪ Christ is gone up to the highest T…ibunal, where the cause receives a definitive sentence, and there he manageth it above, so that though Satan should obtrude upon a poor soul, a w…ong sentence in its own con…cience, an… bring down a false and counte…feit Act, as it were, extracted out of the Register of H…ven, whereby to deceive the poor soul, …nd con…emn it in it self; yet there is no hazard above, he dare not appear there, be…ore the highest Court, for he hath already succumb'd on …, when Christ was here, the Prince of the worl… was judged and cast out, and so he will never once put in an accusation into Heaven, because he knoweth our …aith…ul Advocate … n…thing can passe without hi… know…edge and consent. And this is a great com…o…t, that all infe…iour sentences in thy perplexed con…ci…n…e, which Satan through violence hath imposed upon thee▪ are r…inded above in the highe… Court, and shall no… stand to thy prejudi…, whoever th… …e that desires to …orsake sin, and come to Iesus Christ.
But how doth Ch…ist plead? can he plead us not guilty? can he excuse, or de…end our sins? no, that is not the way, that accusation of the Word and Law against us is con…essed, is proven, all is …ndenyably clear; but he pleads satisfied, though guilty; he presents his satisfactory sacrifice, and the favour of that, perfumes Heaven, and pacifieth all: he shewes Gods bond, and discharge of the recept of the sum of our d…bt, and thus, is he cleared, and we absolved. Therefore, I desire you, whoever you are that are challenged fo… sin, and the transgression of the Law, if ye would have a solid way of satisfaction, and peace to your consciences, take with your guiltinesse, plead no…, not guilty, do no… excuse, or extenuat, but aggravat your guilt; nay, in this you may help Satan, accuse your selves, and say, that you know more evil in your selves, then he doth, and open that up before God, but in the mean time▪ consider how it is managed above, plead thou also, sati…fied in Christ, though guilty; and so, thou may say to thy accuser, if thou hast any thing to object against me, w…y I may not be saved, thoug… a sinner, thou must go up to the highest Tribunal to propone it, thou must come before my Judge and Advocate above, but for as much, as thou dost not …ppear there, it is but a lie, and a murdering lie.
Now, this is the way, that the Spirit advocats for us in our Consciences, Iohn 14 and 15.26. foreign it is rendered here Advocate, the…e Comforter; both suit well, and may be conjoyned in one, and given to both, for both a…e comfortable Advocats, Christ with the Father, and the Spirit with us; Christ is gone above for it, and he sent the Spirit in his stead, as God hath … deputy-judge in man, that is, m…n… Conscience, so the Son our Advocate with God, hath … deputy-advocate to plead the cause in our Conscience, and this he doth, partly by opening up the Scripture… to us, and making us understand the way of Salvation in them, partly manifesting his own works▪ and Gods gifts in us, by a super-added light of testimony, 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 slanderous and false accuser, and cares not calumniari fortiter ut aliquid hareat, to calumniat stoutly, and he knoweth something will stick. He will not only object known sins and transgressions of the Law, but his manne… is, to cast … mist upon the eye of the soul, and darken all its graces, and then …e brings …o…th his processe, that they have no grace, no …aith in Christ, no love to God, no sor…ow fo… sin; in such a ca…e, its the Spirits office, to plead it out to our conscience…, that we a…e not totally guilty as we are charged, and this is not so much a clearing of our selves, as a vindication of the free gifts of God, which ly under his aspe…sion and reproach. Indeed, if there be a great stresse here, and for wise reasons the Spirit forbear to plead out this point, but leave a poor soul to puddle it out alone, and scrape its evidences together in the da…k, I say, if thou find this too ha…d for thee to plead, not guilty, then my advice is, that ye wave and suspend that question, yeeld it not wholly, but rather leave it intire, and do as if it were not: suppose that article and point were gained against thee, what would thou do next? Certainly, thou must say, I would then seek grace and faith from Him who giveth liberally, I would then labour to receive Christ in the promises, I say, do that now, and thou taketh a short and compendious way, to win thy cause, and overcome Satan; let that be thy study, and he hath done with it.
But in any challenge about the trangression of the Law, or desert of eternal wrath, the Spirit must not plead, not guilty, for thou must confesse that, but in as far as he driveth at a further conclusion, to drive thee away from hope and confidence, to despondency of spirit, in so far the Spirit clear… up unto the conscience that this doth no wayes …ollow, …rom that confession of guiltinesse, since there is a Saviour that hath satisfied for it, and invites all to come and accept him for their Lord and Saviour.