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it, which may fufficiently explain the Nature of it to us. And I draw them all from the Epiftle to the Hebrews, where this Point is largely treated of.

First of all, That the Advocatefhip of our Saviour only refpects God; and it confifts in this, that he doth continually commend us and our Affairs to his heavenly Father. He it our Advocate with the Father, as St. John 1 John 2. ftiles him.

2dly, This Advocate fhip of his, this Interceffion for us, is not in an humble fupplicatory way, but with Power and neverfailing Efficacy: So that whatever he reprefents to God as his Defire on our behalf, he certainly and effectually obtains for us.

3dly, This Advocateship of Christ, and the Efficacy of it, hath its Foundation principally in the Virtue and Merits of that Sacrifice of himself, which he offered to God upon the Cross.

4thly, This Advocatefhip of Chrift, is the very fame thing with his everlasting Priesthood. Chrift is therefore our HighPrieft, because he is our Patron with God, and continually intercedes with him on our behalf: This being the Notion of a Priest. Whether his offering up himfelf upon the Crofs at Jerufalem was an Act of his Priefthood, or rather a Confecration to it, I will not now difpute; but he became a HighPrieft after the Order of Melchifedeck, (which is the Notion of his Priefthood that St. Paul D 2 all

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all along pursues in his Epiftle to the Hebrews) when, after he was raised from the Dead, he entered into the Holy of Holies, with that Body of his that had been offered on the Cross, and fat down on God's Right Hand, and became our Patron, our Advocate, our Interceffor with God for ever. At the fame Time indeed he became our King too; for then he had all Power given him in Heaven and in Earth. But there is this Difference between thefe two Offices, that the one of them refpects God, the other respects us. As our Prieft, he intercedes with God for us. As our King, he employs that Power, which he hath received from God, in the governing us.

5thly and laftly, Chrift being thus our High-Prieft, our Advocate with God, it follows, that all our Prayers to God ought to be put up in his Name; fince it is he that presents them to God, it is he through Eph. 2. whom we have access to the Father. It is for his Sake, and upon his Account, that they are at any Time effectual. All the Returns of our Prayers, and all the Bleffings we receive from God's Hands, are owing to the Virtue of our Saviour's Interceffion and Advocateship.

This is a full and plain Account of our Saviour's Advocatefhip. And by these Particulars we may eafily difcern in how dif ferent a Sense the fame Office is given to the Holy

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Holy Ghoft; which is the other thing I come to speak to.

2. The Advocateship of the Holy Ghost, as I faid before, is not in Heaven, but in the World: Doth not so much respect God, as the World, and the Devil. His Office is in the place of Chrift to plead the Cause of the Church againft its Enemies; to be its Patron and Defender upon Earth, and to manage the Affairs of it fo, that it may be victorious in this World over all its Oppofers. Under this Notion of an Advocate he is plainly represented in John 16. v. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. a Paffage which I before referred to, but shall now explain more fully, because it is an exprefs Declaration of the Advocateship of the Holy Spirit, and a clear Account of the Effects that fhould enfue upon his Defcent on the Apostles, as the Patron of the Chriftian Caufe. Neverthelefs I tell you the Truth, fays our Lord to his Difciples, It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter Advocate will not come to you: But if I depart I will fend him unto you, and when he is come he will reprove the World of Sin, and of Righteousness, and of Judgment. Of Sin, because they believe not on me: Of Righteouf nefs, because I go to my Father, and ye jee me no more: Of Judgment, because the Prince of this World is judged. Now we fhall have a very eafy Admiffion into the Sense of this difficult Paffage, as it hath been usually

accounted, if we tranflate Tapaλnt, Advocate, instead of Comforter, and exeges Tüv nboμv, convince the World, as it is in the Margin, instead of reprove the World, as our Tranflators have render'd it in the Text. That there is good Ground for the former Alteration, appears not only from what hath been faid upon my firft Head, by way of Criticism upon the Word TapanλNT &, but from the Acts attributed to him in this Place, for reproving or convincing the World of Sin, and Righteousness, and Judgment, are the proper Acts or Offices of an Advocate, but by no means of a Comforter. And that we have fufficient Authority for the latter Alteration is evident from a parallel Flace to v.46. this in the eighth Chapter of this Gospel, τίς ἐξ ὑμῶν ἐλέγχει, or as fone Copies read it intygu; which of you convinceth me of Sin, that is, which of you can fhew me that I am guilty of Sin in teaching and in acting as I do? And befides, tho' it may be good Sense to say that the Holy Ghost shall reprove the World of Sin, yet that Term is not applicable to the two Inftances that follow; for it is not Senfe to fay, he shall reprove the World of Righteousness, or of Judgment. Another Paffage there is in Tit. 1. 9. which will fhew us the full Import of λé in this Place. There it is faid, that a Bifhop hould be qualified not only to exhort, but allo ἐλέγχειν τὲς ἀντιλέγοντας, to convince the

Gainfayers; to juftify the things of Christ against all Oppofers.

This then certainly is the Senfe of the Word in this Paffage that we are upon, viz. that when the Holy Ghoft, the Advocate for Chriftians, is come, he will convince the World, he will justify the Cause of Chrift to the World, both in point of Sin, in point of Righteoufnefs, and in point of Judgment. The Office of an Advocate is to defend and make good the Caufe he hath undertaken. So the Holy Ghost, having, as an Advocate efpoufed the Caufe of Chrift, he will maintain it, and justify it against all Oppofi

tion.

As to the three particular Inftances in which he will justify it, we now come to give an Account.

And here, in the first place, let us confider what this Cause of Christ was, that this Advocate undertook to juftify and defend. The Caufe of Jefus Chrift was plainly this: God fent him into the World as the great Prophet, who was to declare his Will to Mankind, in order to their Salvation. But he was looked upon by the Jews, as a falfe Prophet, as an Impoftor and Deceiver: And inftead of giving him that Entertainment and Reception that was due to him, they crucified and flew him. All which was brought to pass by the Contrivance and Inftigation of the Devil, the Prince of this World, who having long ufurped an Empire

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