THE WORK OF JESUS CHRIST AS AN ADVOCATE.
"AND IF ANY MAN SIN, WE HAVE AN ADVOCATE WITH THE FATHER, JESUS
CHRIST THE RIGHTEOUS."—-I JOHN 2:1.
Another thing that the apostle would have us learn from the words is that remembering and believing that Jesus Christ is an Advocate for us when we have sinned is the next way to support and strengthen our faith and hope. Faith and hope are very apt to faint when our sins in their guilt do return upon us; nor is there any more proper way to relieve our souls than to understand that the Son of God is our Advocate in heaven. True, Christ died for our sins as a sacrifice, and as a priest, he sprinkleth with his blood the mercy-seat; ay, but here is one that has sinned after profession of faith, that has sinned grievously, so grievously that his sins are come up before God; yea, are at his bar pleaded against him by the accuser of the brethren, by the enemy of the godly. What shall he do now? Why, let him believe in Christ. Believe, that is true; but how now must he conceive in his mind of Christ for the encouragement of him to do? Why, let him call to mind that Jesus Christ is an Advocate with the Father, and as such he meeteth the accuser at the bar of God, pleads for this man who has sinned against this accuser, and prevails forever against him. Here now, though Satan be turned lawyer, though he accuseth, yea, though his charge against us is true (for suppose that we have sinned), "yet our Advocate is with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." Thus is faith encouraged, thus is hope strengthened, and thus is the spirit of the sinking Christian revived and made to wait for a good deliverance from a bad cause and a cunning adversary, especially if you consider,
7. That the apostle doth also further suppose by the text that Jesus Christ, as Advocate, if he will but plead our cause, let that be never so black, is able to bring us off, even before God's judgment seat, to our joy, and the confounding of our adversary; for when he saith, "We have an Advocate," he speaks nothing if he means not thus. But he doth mean thus; he must mean thus because he seeketh here to comfort and support the fallen. "Has any man sinned? We have an Advocate." But what of that, if yet he is unable to fetch us off when charged for sin at the bar and before the face of a righteous judge?
But he is able to do this. The apostle says so, in that, he supposes a man has sinned, as any man among the godly ever did; for we may understand it; and if he giveth us not leave to understand it so, he saith nothing to the purpose neither, for it will be objected by some-But can he fetch me off. However, I have done as David, as Solomon, as Peter, or the like? It must be answered, Yes. The openness of the terms ANY MAN, the indefiniteness of the word SIN, doth naturally allow us to take him in the largest sense; besides, he brings in this saying as the chief, most apt, and fittest to relieve one crushed down to death and hell by the guilt of sin and a wounded conscience.
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 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, in interest with God, his wisdom and worth, able to bring you off, to the comforting of your souls
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