Works of John Bunyan – The Greatness of The Soul, And Unspeakableness of the Loss Thereof; Who Has Christ as An Advocate 201.

 

by Thomas Sadler, oil on canvas, 1684

THIRDLY, And I shall come now to the third head, to wit, to show you who they are who have Jesus Christ as their Advocate.

In my handling of this head, I shall first show that the office of an advocate differs from that of a priest and how. Second, I shall show you how far Christ extends his office of advocateship in matters concerning the people of God—and then, third, I shall come more directly to show who they are that have Christ as their Advocate.

First, this office of Christ, as an Advocate, differs from that of a Priest. That he is a Priest, a Priest forever, I heartily acknowledge; but that his priesthood and advocateship should be one and the self-same office, I cannot believe.

1. Because they differ in name. We may as well say a father, as such, is a son, or that father and son are the self-same relation, as say a priest and an advocate, as to office, are but one and the same thing. They differ in name as much as priest and sacrifice do: a priest is one, and a sacrifice is another; and though Christ is Priest and Sacrifice too, yet, as a Priest, he is not a Sacrifice, nor, as a Sacrifice, a Priest.

2. As they differ in name, so they differ in the nature of office. A priest is to slay a sacrifice; an advocate is to plead a cause; a priest is to offer his sacrifice, to the end that, by the merit thereof, he may appease; an advocate is to plead according to law; a priest is to make intercession by virtue of his sacrifice; an advocate is to plead law because amends are made.

3. As they differ in name and nature, they also differ in extent. The priesthood of Christ extends itself to the whole of God’s elect, whether called or in their sins, but Christ, as Advocate, pleaded only for the children.

4. As they differ in name, nature, and extent, so do the people with whom they have to deal. We read nowhere that Christ, as Priest, has anything to do with the devil as an antagonist, but as an Advocate, he has.

5. As they differ in these, they differ in the matters about which they are employed. Christ, as Priest, concerns himself with every wry thought and, also, with the least imperfection or infirmity that attends to our most holy things; but Christ, as Advocate, does not do so, as I have already shown.

6. So that Christ, as Priest, goes before, and Christ, as an Advocate, comes after; Christ, as Priest, continually intercedes; Christ, as Advocate, in case of great transgressions, pleads: Christ, as Priest, has the need to act always, but Christ, as Advocate, sometimes only. Christ, as Priest, acts in times of peace; but Christ, as Advocate, in times of broils, turmoils, and sharp contentions; wherefore, Christ, as Advocate, is, as I may call him, a reserve, and his time is then to arise, to stand up and plead, when He is clothed with some filthy sin that of late they have fallen into, as David, Joshua, or Peter. When some such thing is committed by them, as ministereth to the enemy, a show of ground to question the truth of their grace; or when it is a question and to be debated, whether it can stand with the laws of heaven, with the merits of Christ, and with the honour of God, that such a one should be saved. Now let an advocate come forth; now let him have time to plead, for this is a fitting occasion for the saints’ Advocate to stand up to plead for the salvation of his people. But,