on in the Judge, if he were not so disposed, as to make some
candid interpretation upon it, and in some manner to relax the sentence,
as to our personal suffering, we could never stand before him, nor needed
any advocate appear for us. But here is the great comfort,--he is Christ's
Father and our Father, so himself told us, (John xx. 17,) "I go to my
Father and your Father, and my God and your God." And therefore we may be
persuaded that he will not take advantage, even in that which he hath in
justice, of us, and though we be apprehensive of his anger, in our
failings and offences, and this makes us often to be both afraid and
ashamed to come to him, measuring him after the manner of men, who are
soon angry, and often implacably angry. We imagine that he cannot but
repel and put back our petitions, and therefore we have not the boldness
to offer them, yet he ceaseth not to be our Father and Christ's Father.
And if ye would have the character of a father, look (Jer. xxxi. 18,) how
he stands affected towards ashamed and confounded Ephraim, how his bowels
move, and his compassions yearn towards him as his pleasant child. The
truth is, in such a case, in which we are captives against our will, and
stumble against our purpose, he pities us as a father doth his children,
knowing that we are but dust and grass, Psal. ciii. 13-17. See the
excellent and sweet application of this relation by the Psalmist--if it
stir him, it stirs up rather the affection of pity, than the passion of
anger. He pities his poor child, when he cries out of violence and
oppression; and therefore, there are great hopes that our advocate Jesus
Christ shall prevail in his suits for us, because he, with whom he
deals,--the Father,--loves him, and loves us, and will not stand upon strict
terms of justice, but rather attemper all with mercy and love. He will
certainly hear his well beloved Son, for in him he is well pleased, his
soul rests and takes complacency in him, and for his sake he adopts us to
be his children, and therefore he will both hear him in our behalf, and
our prayers too, for his name's sake.

But this is superadded to qualify our advocate,--he is the Christ of God,
anointed for this very purpose, and so hath a fair and lawful calling to
this office. He takes not this honour to himself, but was called thereto
of his Father, Heb. v. 4. As he did not make himself a priest, so he did
not intrude upon the advocateship, "but he that said, Thou art