COURTEOUS READER,

Of all the excellent offices which God the Father has conferred on Jesus Christ our Lord, this of his being an Advocate with him for us is not the least, though (to the shame of saints it may be spoken) the blessed benefits thereof have not with that diligence and fervent desire been inquired after as they ought.

Christ as sacrifice, priest, and king, with the glories in, and that flow from, him as such, has, God be thanked, in this our day been much discovered by our seers, and as much rejoiced in by those who have believed their words; but as he is an advocate with the Father, an advocate for us, I fear the excellency of that doth still too much lie hid; though I am verily of opinion that the people of God in this age have as much need of the knowledge thereof, if not more need, than had their brethren that are gone before them.

These words, "if not more need," perhaps may seem to some to be somewhat out of joint; but let the godly-wise consider the decays that are among us as to the power of godliness, and what abundance of soul-miscarriages the generality of professors now stand guilty of, as also how diligent their great enemy is to accuse them at the bar of God for them, and I think they will conclude, that in so saying I indeed have said some truth. Wherefore, when I thought on this, and had somewhat considered also the transcendent excellency of the advocateship of this our Lord, and again, that but little of the glory thereof has by writing been in our day communicated to the church, I ventured to write what I have seen thereof, and do by what doth follow present it unto her for good.

I count not myself sufficient for this, or any other truth as it is in Jesus; but yet, I say, I have told you somewhat of it, according to the proportion of faith. And I believe some will thank God for what I here have said about it; but it will be chiefly those whose right and title |

to the kingdom of heaven and glory doth seem to themselves to be called in question by their enemy at the bar of the Judge of all.

These, I say, will read, and be glad to hear that they have an advocate at court that will stand up to plead for them, and that will yet secure to them a right to the heavenly kingdom. Wherefore, it is more particularly for those that at present, or that hereafter may be in this dreadful plight, that this my book is now made public; because it is, as I have shewed, for such that Jesus Christ is advocate with the Father.

Of the many and singular advantages, therefore, that such have by this their Advocate in his advocateship for them, this book gives some account; as, where he pleads, how he pleads, what he pleads, when he pleads, with whom he pleads, for whom he pleads, and how the enemy is put to shame and silence before their God and all the holy angels.

Here is also shewed to those herein concerned how they indeed may know that Jesus is their advocate; yea, and how their matters go before their God, the Judge; and particularly that they shall come off well at last, yea, though their cause (as it is theirs) is such, in justification of which themselves do not dare to shew their heads.

Nor have I left the dejected souls without directions how to entertain this Advocate to plead their cause; yea, I have also shewn that he will be with them named by him. Their comfort also is, that he never left a cause, nor a soul, for whom he undertook to be an advocate with God.

But, reader, I will no longer detain thee from the perusal of the discourse. Read and think; read, and compare what thou readest with the word of God. If thou findest any benefit by what thou readest, give the Father and his Son the glory; and also pray for me. If thou findest me short in this, or to exceed in that, impute all such things to my weakness, of which I am always full. Farewell. I am thine to serve thee what I may, JOHN BUNYAN.

THAT the apostle might obtain due regard from those to whom he wrote, touching the things about which he wrote, he tells them that he received not his message to them at second or third hand, but was himself an eye and ear witness thereof "That which was from the beginning, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the word of life, (for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us,) that which we have seen and heard, declare we unto you." Having thus told them of his ground for what he said, he proceeds to tell them also the matter contained in his errand-to wit, that he brought them news of eternal life, as freely offered in the word of the gospel to them; or rather, that the gospel which they had received would certainly usher them in at the gates of the kingdom of heaven, were their reception of it sincere and in truth-" For," saith he," then the blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God cleanseth you from all sin." Having thus far told them what was his errand, he sets upon an explication of what he had said, especially touching our being cleansed from all sin" Not," saith he, " from a being of sin; for should we say so, we should deceive ourselves," and should prove that we have no truth of God in us; but by cleansing, I mean a being delivered from all sin, so as that none at all shall have the dominion over you, to bring you down to hell; for that for the sake of the blood of Christ all trespasses are forgiven you.

This done, he exhorts them to shun or fly sin, and not to consent to the motions, enticings, or allurements thereof, saying, "I write unto you, that you sin not." Let not forgiveness have so bad an effect upon you as to cause you to be remiss in Christian duties, or to tempt you to give way to evil. Shall we sin because we are forgiven? or shall we not much matter what manner of lives we live, because we are set free from the law of sin and death? God forbid. Let grace teach us another lesson, and lay other obligations upon our spirits. "My little children," saith he, "these things I write unto you, that you sin not.' What things? Why, tidings of pardon and salvation, and of that nearness to God to which you are brought by the precious blood of Christ. Now, lest also by this last exhortation he should yet be misunderstood, he adds, " And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." I say, he addeth this to prevent desponding in those weak and sensible Christians that are so quick of feeling and of

discerning the corruptions of their natures; for these cry out continually that there is nothing that they do but it is attended with sinful weaknesses. Wherefore in the words we are presented with two great truths—

1. With a supposition that men in Christ while in this world may sin-" If any man sin ;" any man; none are excluded; for all, or any one of the all of them that Christ hath redeemed and forgiven are incident to sin. By "may" I mean, not a toleration, but a possibility; for there is not a man, not a just man upon the earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not," Eccles. vii. 20; 1 Kings, viii. 46.

2. The other thing with which we are presented is, an advocate-" If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."

Now there lieth in these two truths two things to be inquired into, as, 1. What the apostle should here mean by sin. 2. And also what he here doth mean by an advocate-"If any man sin, we have an advocate."

There is ground to inquire after the first of these, because, though here he saith, they that sin have an advocate, yet in the very next chapter he saith, "Such are of the devil, have not seen God, neither know him, nor are of him."

There is ground also to inquire after the second, because an advocate is supposed in the text to be of use to them that sin-" If any man sin, we have an advocate."

1. For the first of these-to wit, what the apostle should here mean by sin-" If any man sin."

I answer, since there is a difference in the persons, there must be a difference in the sin. That there is a difference in the persons is shewed before; one is called a child of God, the other is said to be of the wicked one. Their sins differ also, in their degree at least; for no child of God sins to that degree as to make himself incapable of forgiveness-" For he that is born of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not," chap. v. 17, 18. Hence the apostle says, " There is a sin unto death," (Matt. xii. 32,) which is the sin from which he that is born of God is kept.

The sins therefore are thus distinguished: The sins of the people of God are said to be sins that men commit, the others are counted those which are the sins of devils.

First, The sins of God's people are said to be sins which men commit, and for which they have an advocate, though they who sin after the example of the wicked one have none.

"When a man or a woman," saith Moses, "shall commit a sin which men commit, they shall confess their sins, and an atonement shall be made for them," Num. v. 5-7. Mark, it is when they commit a sin which men commit; or, as Hosea has it, "When they transgress the commandment like Adam," Hosea, vi. 7. Now these are the sins under consideration by the apostle, and to deliver us from which "we have an advocate with the Father."

But for the sins mentioned in the third chapter, since the persons sinning go here under another character, they also must be of another stampto wit, a making head against the person, merits, and grace of Jesus Christ. These are the sins of devils in the world, and for these there is no remission. These they also that are of the wicked one commit, and therefore sin after the similitude of Satan, and so fall into the condemnation of the devil.

2. But what is it for Jesus to be an advocate for these? "If any man sin, we have an advocate."

An advocate is one who pleadeth for another at any bar, or before any court of judicature; but of this more in its place. So, then, we have in the text a Christian, as supposed, committing sin, and a declaration of an advocate prepared to plead for him-"If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father."

And this leads me first to inquire into what by these words the apostle must of necessity presuppose. For making use here of the similitude or office of an advocate, thereby to shew the preservation of a sinning Christian, he must,

1. Suppose that God as judge is now upon this throne of his judgment; for an advocate is to plead at a bar before a court of judicature. Thus it is among men; and forasmuch as our Lord Jesus is said to be "an advocate with the Father," it is clear that there is a throne of judgment also. This the prophet Micaiah affirms, saying, "I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on the right hand and on the left," (1 Kings, xxii. 19, 20,) sitting upon a throne for judgment; for from the Lord, as then sitting upon the throne, proceeded the sentence against King Ahab, that he should go and fall at Ramoth-gilead; and he did go, and did fall there, as the award or fruit of that judgment. That is the first.

2. The text also supposing that the saints as well as sinners are concerned at that bar, for the apostle saith plainly "that there we have an advocate." And the saints are concerned at that bar, because they transgress as well as others, and because the law is against the sin of saints as well as against the sins of other men. If the saints were not capable of committing sin, what need would they have of an advocate? (1 Chron. xxi. 3-6; 1 Sam. xii. 13, 14;) yea, though they did sin, yet if they were by Christ so set free from the law as that it could by no means take cognizance of their sins, what need would they have of an advocate? None at all. If there be twenty places where there are assizes kept in this land, yet if I have offended no law, what need have I of an advocate? especially if the judge be just, and knows me altogether, as the

God of heaven does. But here is a Judge that is just, and here is an Advocate also, an Advocate for the children, an Advocate to plead; for an advocate as such is not of use but before a bar to plead; therefore here is an offence, and so a law broken by the saints as well as others. That is the second thing.

3. As the text supposeth that there is a judge, and crimes of saints, so it supposeth that there is an accuser, one that will carefully gather up the faults of good men, and that will plead them at this bar against them. Hence we read of "the accuser of the brethren, that accuseth them before God day and night," (Rev. xii. 10-12 ;) for Satan doth not only tempt the godly man to sin, but, having prevailed with him, and made him guilty, packs away to the court, to God the judge of all, and there addresses himself to accuse that man, and to lay to his charge the heinousness of his offence, pleading against him the law that he has broken, the light against which he did it, and the like. But now, for the relief and support of such poor people, the apostle by the text presents them with an advocate-that is, with one to plead for them, while Satan pleads against them; with one that pleads for pardon, while Satan, by accusing, seeks to pull judgment and vengeance upon our heads. "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." That is the third thing.

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4. As the apostle supposeth a judge, crimes, and an accuser, so he also supposeth that those herein concerned- to wit, the sinning childrenneither can nor dare attempt to appear at this bar themselves to plead their own cause before this Judge and against this accuser; for if they could or durst do this, what need they have an advocate? for an advocate is of use to them whose cause themselves neither can nor dare appear to plead. Thus Job prayed for an advocate to plead his cause with God, (Job, xvi. 20, 21;) and David cries out, Enter not into judgment with thy servant, O God, for in thy sight shall no man living be justified," Psalm exliii. 1-3. Wherefore it is evident that saints neither can nor dare venture to plead their cause. Alas! the Judge is the Almighty and Eternal God; the law broken is the holy and perfect rule of God, in itself a consuming fire. The sin is so odious, and a thing so abominable, that it is enough to make all the angels blush to hear it but so much as once mentioned in so holy a place as that is where this great God doth sit to judge. This sin now hangs about the neck of him that hath committed it; yea, it covereth him as doth a mantle. The adversary is bold, cunning, and audacious, and can word a thousand of us into an utter silence in less than half a quarter of an hour. What, then, should the sinner, if he could come there, do at this bar to plead? Nothing; nothing for his own advantage. But now comes in his mercy-he has an advocate to plead his cause-"If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." That is the fourth thing. But again,

5. The apostle also supposeth by the text that there is an aptness in Christians when they have sinned, to forget that they "have an advocate with the Father;" wherefore this is written

to put them in remembrance-"If any man sin, (let him remember) we have an advocate." We can think of all other things well enoughnamely, that God is a just judge, that the law is perfectly holy, that my sin is a horrible and abominable thing, and that I am certainly thereof accused before God by Satan.

These things, I say, we readily think of, and forget them not. Our conscience puts us in mind of these, our guilt puts us in mind of these, the devil puts us in mind of these, and our reason and sense hold the knowledge and remembrance of these close to us. All that we forget is, that we have an advocate, "an advocate with the Father"—that is, one that is appointed to take in hand in open court, before all the angels of heaven, my cause, and to plead it by such law and arguments as will certainly fetch me off, though I am clothed with filthy garments; but this, I say, we are apt to forget, as Job when he said, "O that one might plead for a man with God as one pleads for his neighbour," Job, xvi. 21. Such an one Job had, but he had almost at this time forgotten it; as he seems to intimate also where he wisheth for a daysman that might lay his hand upon them both, Job, ix. 33. But our mercy is, we have one to plead our cause, "an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous," who will not suffer our soul to be spilt and spoiled before the throne, but will surely plead our cause.

6. Another thing that the apostle would have us learn from the words is this, that to remember and to believe 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 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 encouraging him so 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 that has sinned against this accuser, and prevaileth for ever 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 strength ened, 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 be 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 so 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, though I have done as David, as Solomon, as Peter, or the like? It must be answered, Yes. The openness of the term 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's wisdom and worth, able to bring you off, to the comfort of your souls.

Let me, therefore, for a conclusion as to this give you an exhortation to believe, to hope, and expect, that though you have sinned, (for now I speak to the fallen saint,) that Jesus Christ will make a good end with thee-"Trust," I say, "in him, and he shall bring it to pass." I know I put thee upon a hard and difficult task for believing and expecting good, when thy guilty conscience doth nothing but clog, burden, and terrify thee with the justice of God, the greatness of thy sins, and that burning torments is hard and sweating work. But it must be; the text calls for it, thy case calls for it, and thou must do it, if thou wouldst glorify Christ; and this is the way to hasten the issue of thy cause in hand, for believing daunts the devil, pleaseth Christ, and will help thee beforehand to sing that song of the church, saying, “O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life," Lam. iii. 55-59. Yea, believe, and hear thy pleading Lord say to thee, "Thus saith thy Lord the Lord, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again," Isaiah, li. 20-22. I am not here discoursing of the sweetness of Christ's nature, but of the excellency of his offices, and of his office of advocateship in particular, which, as a lawyer for his client, he is to execute in the presence of God for us. Love may be where there is no office, and so where no power is to do us good; but now, when love and office shall meet, they

will surely both combine in Christ to do the fallen Christian good. But of his love we have treated elsewhere; we will here discourse of the office of this loving one. And for thy further information, let me tell thee that God thy father counteth that thou wilt be, when compared with his law, but a poor one all thy days; yea, the apostle tells thee so, in that he saith there is an advocate provided for thee. When a father provides crutches for his child, he doth as good as say, I count that my child will be yet infirm; and when God shall provide an advocate, he doth as good as say, My people are subject to infirmities. Do not, therefore, think of thyself above what, by plain texts, and fair inferences drawn from Christ's offices, thou art bound to think. What doth it bespeak concerning thee that "Christ is always a priest in heaven, and there ever lives to make intercession for thee" (Heb. vii. 24) but this, that thou art at the best in thyself, yea, and in thy best exercising of all thy graces too, but a poor, pitiful, sorry, sinful man; a man that would, when yet most holy, be certainly cast away, did not thy high priest take away for thee the iniquity of thy holy things. The age we live in is a wanton age; the godly are not so humble, and low, and base in their own eyes as they should, though their daily experience calls it, and the priesthood of Jesus Christ too.

But above all, the advocateship of Jesus Christ declares us to be sorry creatures, for that office does, as it were, predict that some time or other we shall basely fall, and by falling be undone, if the Lord Jesus stand not up to plead. And as it shews this concerning us, so it shews concerning God that he will not lightly or easily lose his people. He has provided well for us-blood to wash us in; a priest to pray for us, that we may be made to persevere; and, in case we foully fall, an advocate to plead our cause, and to recover us from under, and out of all, the danger that by sin and Satan we at any time may be brought into.

But having thus briefly passed through that in the text which I think the apostle must necessarily presuppose, I shall now endeavour to enter into the bowels of it, and see what, in a more particular manner, shall be found therein. And, for my more profitable doing of this work, I shall choose to observe this method in my discourse1. I shall shew you more particularly of this advocate's office, or what and wherein Christ's office as advocate doth lie. 2. After that, I shall also shew you how Jesus Christ doth manage this office of an advocate. 3. I shall also then shew you who they are that have Jesus Christ for their advocate. 4. I shall also shew you what excellent privileges they have who have Jesus Christ for their advocate. 5. And to silence cavillers, I shall also shew the necessity of this office of Jesus Christ. 6. I shall come to answer some objections; and, lastly, To the use and application.

First, To begin with the first of these namely, to shew you more particularly of Christ's office as an advocate, and wherein it lieth; the which I shall do these three ways

1. Touch again upon the nature of this office;

and then, 2. Treat of the order and place that it hath among the offices; and 3. Treat of the occasion of the execution of this office.

1. To touch upon the nature of this office. It is that which empowereth a man to plead for a man, or one man to plead for another, not in common discourses, and upon common occasions, as any man may do, but at a bar, or before a court of judicature, where a man is accused or impeached by his enemy; I say, this advocate's office is such, both here and in the kingdom of heaven. An advocate is as one of our attorneys, at least in the general, who pleads according to law and justice for one or other that is in trouble by reason of some miscarriage, or of the naughty temper of some that are about him, who trouble, and vex, and labour to bring him in danger of the law. This is the nature of this office, as I said, on earth; and this is the office that Christ executes in heaven. Wherefore he saith, "If any man sin, we have an advocate;" one to stand up for him, and to plead for his deliverance before the bar of God, Joel, iii. 2; Isaiah, lxvi. 16; Ezek. xxxix. 22; Jer. ii.

For though in some places of scripture Christ is said to plead for his with men, and that by terrible arguments, as by fire, and sword, and famine, and pestilence, yet this is not intended by this text; for the apostle here saith, he is an advocate with the Father, or before the Father, to plead for those that there (or that to the Father's face) shall be accused for their transgressions: "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous." So, then, this is the employ of Jesus Christ as he is for us an advocate. He has undertaken to stand up for his people at God's bar, and before that great court there to plead, by the law and justice of heaven, for their deliverance, when for their faults they are accused, indicted, or impeached by their adversary.

2. And now to treat of the order or place that this office of Christ hath among the rest of his offices, which he doth execute for us while we are here in a state of imperfection; and I think it is an office that is to come behind as a reserve, or for a help at last, when all other means shall seem to fail. Men do not use to go to law upon every occasion; or if they do, the wisdom of the judge, the jury, and the court will not admit that every brangle [dispute] and foolish quarrel shall come before them; but an advocate doth then come into place, and then to the exercise of his office, when a cause is counted worthy to be taken notice of by the judge and by the court. Wherefore he, I say, comes in the last place, as a reserve, or help at last, to plead; and by pleading, to set that right by law which would otherwise have caused an inlet to more doubts and further dangers.

Christ as priest doth always works of service for us, because in our most spiritual things there may faults and spots be found, and these he taketh away of course by the exercise of that office, for he always wears that plate of gold upon his forehead before the Father whereon is written, "Holiness to the Lord." But now, besides these common infirmities, there are faults that are highly gross and foul, that oft are found in the skirts of the children of God. Now these