Book II. C H R I S T AN A D V 0 C A T E. 395 mifcarry? What Caufe was loft when the Sinner did !incerely and in good earneft engage him? He carried the Caufe for poor Peter, to rhe preventing his utter Deftrucrion; he prevailed for the ProteEtion of God to the eleven Apoftles, that continued with him; he poevailed for the fending the Comforter, when he went away; he carried Paul and the fc1ffering Saints away Conquerorn; bath made us more thmt Co'rlquerors, Rom. viii. 38. He manages effeEtually all the Affairs of his Ele{t throughout all the Earth. A D V 0 C A T E. P A R A L L E L. XXV. .A good Advocate is conXXV. Jefus Chrift is greatly grieved, to fee cerned when a Caufe is lotl through Men mifearry in the great Caufe of rheir Souls the Clients fault, becaufe he would through their own Neglect, becaofe they did nor, not make ufe of an Advocate. they would not come to him, retain him, make ufe , of him, John iii. 40. He drew near the City, he beheld it, and wept over it. 0 J erufalem, that thou hadft known, even thou, in this thy Day, the Things that belong to thy Peace! But now they are hid from thine Eyes, Luke xix. 41, 42. Their Caufe was irrecoverably loft, becaufe they would not come unto him, Matt. xxiii. 37· XXVI. A good and wife Advo– cate will not undertake all Caufes; there are fome Caufes fo highly foul, that they are not in the leaft hopeful ; Matters are gone too far, and have ftayed too long, they are paLl remedy. XXVI. Jefus Chrift will not take the Names of fome into his Lips, he leaves them wholly to themfelves, to ftand or fall; faith of them, as once it was fa id of Ephraim, Let him alone, Hof iv. 17. Such are the hardened Hypocrites and Reprobates, horrible Apofbtes, the lllafphemers of the holy Ghofl:, of thefe it may truly be laid, as in Eccl. iv. 10. Wo unto him that is alone ; and they may fay of themfelves, '!'he Harveft is paft, the Summer is ended, and we are not faved, Jer. viii. 20. God hath fworn in his Wrath again!l fome, that they !lJall not enter into his Reft ; and Chri!l will neither plead nor pray for them ; he will take no foul Caufe into his pure Breaft, but clearly leaves them out of his Interceffion and Advocacy : I pray not for the World, &c. Johll xvii. 9· XXVII. A wife and honorable XXVII. The Lord Jefus is the wife(! and Advocate lieth fair for Preferment, moLl honorable Advocate that ever was, and there– 'Viz. in fome fpace of Time to be fore is the undoubted Heir to Preferment; yea, a Judge himfelf, when his \V0rk to the greatc!l ofPreferments, he being appointed and Bulinefs of Advocacy ceafthe Judge of all the World, by a former and un– eth. alterable Decree: Him bath God ordained to be the Judge of the ~dck and Dead, Acts x. 42. God judgetb no Man, but h11th committed all Judgment unto his Son, John v. 22. He bath appointed a Day, in which he will judge the World in Righteoufnefs, b)' that Man-<ohom he bath ordained, &c. Acts xvii. 3 I. ADVOCATE. I. AN Apvocate here below, is concerned but for a few Clients, cannot ferve many, much lefs all that need an Advocate to plead their Caufe for them. II. An Advocate here below, is but for a fhort flanding, comes in an Hour and goes out in an Hour, the EldeLl are but of Yefterday and of fmall Experience. Ill. An Advocate here below leaves his Clients doubtful, be– caufe they know not how a Caufe will go before Trial. D IS PAR IT Y. I. JESUS Chri!l is an Advocate for his whole Church, all may come and make ufe of him ; I pray not for thefe alone, but for all them that jhall believe on me through their Word, Jr;hn xvii. 20. Whofoever comes, none is refufed, that bath an Appeal to make to the great God, who is Judge of all the W01ld, &c. I!. But Chrifl: this great Advocate of Souls, who appertaineth to the high Court of !-leaven, is of long ftanding and great Experience, polfelfed the Place of an Advocate from the Fall; nothing can furpafs his Cognifancc, he ftood before the A.ntienc of Days, in the Days of Noah, Dmziel, Job, &c. . Ill. But Jefus Chri!l knowing all Things rdat– ing to the J uclgment-day, gives alfurancc to hi' Saints, before Trial, it f11all go well with them: He thatfeeth the Son and believeth in him (hath the Caufe) bath eternal Life, and jhall1Jevcr co;ne into Co11denmation, John v. 24- Rom. viii. 1.
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