Works of John Bunyan: The Greatness of The Soul And Unspeakableness of the Loss Thereof; Who Has Christ as An Advocate? 205.

 

(2.) Wouldst thou know whether Jesus Christ is your advocate? Then I ask again, Hast thou revealed thy cause unto him?-I say, Hast thou revealed thy cause unto him? For he that goes to law for his right must not only go to a lawyer and say, Sir, I am in trouble and am to have a trial at law with my enemy, pray to undertake my cause; but he must also reveal to his lawyer his cause. He must go to him and tell him what matters, how things stand, where the shoe pinches, and so on. Thus did the church of old, and thus doth every true Christian now; for though nothing can be hidden from him, yet he will have things out of thine own mouth; he will have thee to reveal thy matters unto him (Matt 20:32). “O Lord of hosts,” said Jeremiah, “that judges righteously, that tries the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them; for unto thee have I revealed my cause” (Jer 11:20). And again, “But, O Lord of hosts, that tries the righteous and sees the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them; for unto thee have I opened my cause” (Jer 20:12). Seest thou here, how saints of old were wont to do? How did they not only generally entreat Christ to plead their cause but, in a particular way, go to him and reveal or open their cause to him?

O! It is excellent to behold how some sinners will do this when they get Christ and themselves in a closet alone, when they, upon their bare knees, are pouring out of their souls before him, or, like the woman in the gospel, telling him all the truth (Mark 5). O! saith the soul, Lord, I have come to thee upon an earnest business; I am arrested by Satan; the bailiff was my own conscience, and I am like to be accused before the judgment seat of God. My salvation lies at stake; I am questioned for my interest in heaven; I am afraid of the judge; my heart condemns me (I John 3:20). My enemy is subtle and wanted not malice to prosecute me to death and then to hell. Also, Lord, I am sensible that the law is against me, for indeed I have horribly sinned, and thus and thus have I done. Here I lie open to law, and there I lie open to law; here I have given the adversary advantage, and there he will surely have a hand against me. Lord, I am distressed; undertake for me! And there are some things that you must be acquainted with about the Advocate before you venture to go thus far with him. (a.) Thou must know him to be a friend, and not an enemy, unto whom thou opens thy heart; and until thou comes to know that Christ is a friend to thee, or to souls in thy condition, thou wilt never reveal thy cause unto him, not thy whole cause unto him. And it is from this that so many that have soul causes hourly depending before the throne of God, and that are in danger every day of eternal damnation, forbear to entertain Jesus Christ for their Advocate, and so wickedly conceal their matters from him; but “he that hides his sins shall not prosper” (Prov 28:13)