2. Inter hominem et didbolum, between man and the devil : he is called avTiSiKos, the adversary, 1 Peter v. 8, ' Your adversary the devil like a roaring lion walketh about continually seeking whom he may devour ; ' and such an adversary as hath law of his side, and by law would carry it against all the children of fallen Adam, if there were not a new court erected, where grace taketh the throne. So Rev. xii. 10, he is called ' the accuser of the brethren ; ' but it is our comfort that as there is an accuser, so there is an advocate : 1 John ii. 1, ' If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, who also is the propitiation for our sins/ We shall do well to put our cause into his hands, and then it cannot miscarry. Satan will not be more ready to accuse than Christ to plead for us ; and he hath a greater interest in the court of heaven than our adversary hath, stronger arguments to plead, merits to represent ; therefore make him your attorney, to appear in court for you.
3. Inter hominem et Deum. God hath a controversy with us about the breach of his law, and our undutiful carriage to him. Now you can never reason it out with God. It was Job's presumption to think that he could order his cause before him : Job xxiii. 3-5, ' Oh that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his seat ! I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments : I would know the words which he would answer me ; and understand what he would say unto me.' No ; there is no trusting to the equity of our cause, or hope to clear ourselves before God's judgment-seat.
VER. 154.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 137
We have no way left but submitting and humbling ourselves, and suing out our pardon in a broken-hearted manner ; no way but yield- ing to the justice of the first covenant, and putting in the plea of favour and grace according to the second : Ps. cxxx. 3, 4, ' If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquity, 0 Lord, who can stand ? but there is forgive- ness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.' If you deny or excuse sin, you stick to the first covenant, and plead innocency, and then God will deal with you according to the tenor of strict justice ; but if you humbly confess sin, and acknowledge your guiltiness and shame, then you may plead mercy. Justice dealeth with the innocent, mercy with the guilty.
"We speak now of the first, of the strife between men and men, or the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, who do not only oppress them by violence, but seem to have a plea against them in law, because of the seeming justice of their quarrel, and the calumnies and slauders wherewith they burden their cause. Therefore David beggeth God to plead his cause for him ; and elsewhere, that God would stand by him, not only as a champion and second, but as a patron and advo- cate : Ps. xxxv. 1, ' Plead my cause against them that strive with me ; fight against them that fight against me ; ' as they allege false things against him, and condemn him as being in an evil cause and evil way ; so plead my cause against them that strive with me ; as they opposed him with violence, so fight against them that fight against me.
In this point —
1. The nature of God's pleading our cause.
2. The necessity of it.
3. What hopes there are that he will plead the cause of his people. First, The nature of this pleading would first be explained ; and
here —
1. In what quality God pleadeth for us. In all judicial proceedings there are the principal contending persons, and those are called ultor et reus, the plaintiff and defendant ; and the manner of proceeding in judgment is, that the plaintiff bringeth forth his bill, and the defen- dant his answer. But besides these principal contending persons, there are the witnesses, the advocate, the judge. Now, in some sense God might be all these, testis, advocatus, et judex, without any wrong and injustice. Our witness to attest for us, as he knoweth all things, and knoweth our hearts ; for as such do the saints often appeal to him. Our advocate to plead for us, for he is tender of the credit of his peo- ple, and hath undertaken to preserve them from the strife of tongues : Ps. xxxi. 20, ' Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of men, thou shalt keep them secretly in thy pavilion from the strife of tongues.' As a judge to give sentence in our behalf, or such a decree whereby the adversary may be convinced of our right- eous cause, and our innocency cleared ; and all this may be called God's pleading, either as testis, advocatus, or judex. But I rather confine it to the last. God's pleading is rather as a judge; not as advocatus, but as patronus ; that is a more proper and honourable name. Zonaras tells us that the Komans called their patrons to£? K-rjhe/xoviKov'i ; and it was enacted in the law of the twelve tables, si patronus clienti fraudem fecerit, sacer esto. If any man had deceived