THE NECESSITY OF HAVING CHRIST FOR OUR ADVOCATE
Second. There is a a matter of law to be objected to, and that is both against God and us; at least, there seems to be so, because of the sanction that God has put upon the law and also because we have sinned against it. God has said, "In the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die"; and, "the soul that sinneth, it shall die." God also stands still upon the vindication of his justice, he also saves sinners. Now, in comes our accuser, and chargeth us of sin, of being guilty of sin, because we have transgressed the law. God also will not be put out of his way, or steps of grace, to save us he will say, he is just and righteous still. Ay, but these are but say-so's.
How shall this be proved? Why, now, here is room for an advocate that can plead to matter of law, that can preserve the sanction of the law in the salvation of the sinner-"He will magnify the law and make it honorable" (Isa 42:21). The margin saith, "and make him honorable"—that is, he shall save the sinner, and preserve the holiness of the law, and the honor of his God. But who is this that can do this? "It is the servant of God," saith the prophet (Isa 42:1, 13), "the Lord, a man of war."
But how can this be done by him? The answer is, It shall be done, "for God is well pleased for his righteousness' sake"; for it is by that he magnifies the law and makes his Father honourable-that is, he, as a public person, comes into the world under the law, fulfills it, and having so done, he gives that righteousness away, for he, as to his own person, never had need thereof; I say, he gives that righteousness to those that have need, to those that have none of their own, that righteousness might be imputed to them.
This righteousness, then, he presenteth to God for us, and God, for this righteousness' sake, is well pleased that we should be saved, and for it can save us, and secure his honor, and preserve the law in its sanction. And this Christ pleaded against Satan as an Advocate with the Father for us, by which he vindicates his Father's justice, holds the child of God, notwithstanding his sins, in a state of justification, and utterly overthrows and confounds the devil.
For Christ, in pleading thus, appeals to the law itself if he has not done it justice, saying, "Most mighty law, what command of thine have I not fulfilled? What demand of yours have I not fully answered? Where is that jot or title of the law that can object against my doings for want of satisfaction?" Here the law is mute; it speaker speaks word by way of the least complaint but rather testifies of this righteousness that it is good and holy (Rom 3:22, 23; 5:15–19). Now, then, since Christ did this as a public person, it follows that others must be justified thereby, for that was the end and reason of Christ's taking on him to do the righteousness of the law. Nor can the law object against the equity of this dispensation of heaven; for why might not God, who gave the law his being and his sanction, dispose as he pleases of the righteousness which it commends? Besides, if men be made righteous, they are so; and if by a righteousness which the law commendeth, how can fault be found with them by the law? Nay, it is "witnessed by the law and the prophets," who consent that it should be unto all, and upon all them that believe, for their justification (Rom 3:20,21).
And that the mighty God suffereth the prince of the devils to do with the law what he can, against this most wholesome and godly doctrine; it is to show the truth, goodness, and permanency thereof; for this is as who should say, Devil, do thy worst! When the law is in the hand of an easy pleader, though the cause that he pleadeth be good, a crafty opposer may overthrow the right; but here is the salvation of the children in debate, whether it can stand with law and justice; the opposer of this is the devil, his argument against it is the law; he that defends the doctrine is Christ the Advocate, who, in his plea, must justify the justice of God, defend the holiness of the law, and save the sinner from all the arguments, pleas, stops and demurs that Satan can put in against it. And this he must do fairly, righteously, simply, pleading the voice of the self-same law for the justification of what he stands for, which Satan pleads against it; for though it is by the new law that our salvation comes, yet by the old law is the new law approved of and the way of salvation thereby by it consented to.
This shows, therefore, that Christ is not ashamed to own the way of our justification and salvation—no, not before men and devils. It also shows that he is resolved to dispute and plead for the same, though the devil himself will oppose it. And since our adversary pretends a plea in law against it, there should indeed be an open hearing before the Judge of all about it; but, forasmuch as we neither can nor dare appear to plead for ourselves, our good God has thought fit we should do it by an advocate: "We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." This, therefore, is the second thing that shows the need that we have for an Advocate-to wit, our adversary pretends that he has a plea in law against us and that by law we should be otherwise disposed of than to be made possessors of the heavenly kingdom. But,
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