ht, and then the matter is put over upon a
Mediator, or else you must give him leave, nay he will take leave to cite
you to appear, to see the sentence executed which was pronounced, since ye
would not apply it to your own hearts. O! happy is that soul that
anticipates that great day of final judgment, by a previous self judgment
and self trial. Well, then, hath the scriptures included all under sin,
that all men might be guilty and every mouth stopped before God, Rom. iii.
19. What shall we do then? Since righteousness and justice is against us,
who can plead for us? It would seem that there could be no relaxing, no
repealing, no dispensing with this law at least that if there be anything
of that kind, that righteousness and judgment can have no hand in it. Yet,
behold, what follows, "we have an advocate," &c. And an advocate's office
is to sue out the client's right, from principles of justice. Elsewhere
Christ hath the office of a Judge, here he is an advocate for the party,
and both of these may have a comfortable consideration, John v. 22. "The
Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment to the Son." And
yet, here we have an advocate with the Father, and that is, with the
Father as judge. These do not cross one another, but make out our abundant
consolation, that one entire office of our Saviour is represented under
all these various notions suited to our capacity. A Judge he is yea, his
tribunal is the highest and supreme, from which there is no appeal, the
ultimate decision lies here of all capital or soul cases and causes. It is
true, the Father doth not wholly divest himself of judgment and authority
in the matters of life and death, for the gospel is his contrivance, as it
was the Son's, but Christ is, as it were, substituted his vicegerent, in
the administration of the second covenant. You read of a preparatory
tribunal erected in the word by God the Creator, that is, of the law which
condemns us. Now, such is the mercy and grace, and free love of God, that
he hath relaxed that sentence as to the persons. He hath not taken that
advantage which in justice he had against us, but upon some valuable
considerations hath committed to the Son a royal power of prescribing new
laws of life and death, and new terms of salvation, and Christ having, at
his Fathers will, satisfied the law, in what it did threaten us, he is, as
it were, in compensation of such a great service, made Lord and King "both
of the dead a