Works of John Bunyan – The Greatness of The Soul, And Unspeakableness 0f the Loss Thereof; How Christ Manages The Office Of An Advocate.130

 

THE PRIVILEGES OF THOSE WHO HAVE CHRIST FOR AN ADVOCATE

Ninth Privilege. Another privilege that they have who have Jesus Christ as their Advocate is this, he is such one that will not, by bribes, by flattery, or fair pretenses, be turned aside from pursuing his client's business. This was the fault of lawyers in old times—that they would wrest judgment for a bribe. Hence the Holy One complained, that a bribe was used to blind the eyes of the wise and pervert the judgment of the righteous (I Sam 12:3; Amos 5:12; Deut 16:19).

There are three things in judgment that a lawyer must take heed of: one is the nature of the offense, the other is the meaning and intendment of the law-makers, and a third is to plead for them in danger, without respect to affection or reward; and this is the excellency of our Advocate, he will not, cannot be biased to turn aside from doing judgment. And this the apostle intends when he calls our Advocate "Jesus Christ the righteous." "We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous," or, as another prophet calls him, "the just Lord—one that will not do iniquity"—that is, no unrighteousness in judgment (Zeph 3:5). He will not be provoked to do it, neither by the continual solicitations of your enemy nor by your continual provocations, whereby, because of your infirm condition, you often tempt him to do it. And remember that thy Advocate pleads by the new covenant, and thine adversary accuses by the old; and again, remember that the new covenant is better and more richly provided with grounds of pleading for our pardon and salvation than the old can be with grounds for a charge to be brought in by the devil against us, suppose our sin be never so heinous. It is a better covenant, established upon better promises.

Now, put these two together: namely, that Jesus Christ is righteous, and will not swerve in judgment; also, that he pleads for us by the new law, with which Satan hath nothing to do, nor, had he, can he by it bring in a plea against us, because that law, in the very body of it, consists in free promises of giving grace unto us, and of everlasting forgiveness of our sin (Jer 31:31–34; Eze 36:25–30; Heb 8:8–13) O children, your Advocate will stick to the law, to the new law, to the new and everlasting covenant, and will not admit that anything should be pleaded by our foe that is inconsistent with the promise of the gift of grace and of the remission of all sin. Therefore, this is another privilege that they are made partakers of who have Jesus Christ as their Advocate. He is just, righteous, and "Jesus Christ the righteous"; he will not be turned aside to judge awry, either of the crime or the law, for favor or affection. Nor is there any sin but what is pardonable committed by those who have chosen Jesus Christ to be their Advocate.