influence upon their minds, though heathens, that they returned to
their homes without hurting him; yea, it kept them from coming again in
a hostile manner into the coasts of Israel (2 Kings 6:19-23).

But to forbear to illustrate, till anon. One reason why Christ Jesus
shows mercy to sinners, is, that he might obtain their love, that he
may remove their base affections from base objects to himself. Now, if
he loves to be loved a little, he loves to be loved much; but there is
not any that are capable of loving much, save those that have much
forgiven them. Hence it is said of Paul, that he laboured more than
them all; to wit, with a labour of love, because he had been by sin
more vile against Christ than they all (1 Cor 15). He it was that
‘persecuted the church of God, and wasted it’ (Gal 1:13). He of them
all was the only raving bedlam against the saints. ‘And being exceeding
mad,’ says he, ‘against them, I persecuted them even unto strange
cities’ (Acts 26:11). This raving bedlam, that once was so, is he that
now says, I laboured more than them all, more for Christ than them all.
But Paul, what moved thee thus to do? The love of Christ, says he. It
was not I, but the grace of God that was with me. As who should say, O
grace! It was such grace to save me! It was such marvellous grace for
God to look down from heaven upon me, and that secured me from the
wrath to come, that I am captivated with the sense of the riches of it.
Hence I act, hence I labour; for how can I otherwise do, since God not
only separated me from my sins and companions, but separated all the
powers of my soul and body to his service? I am, therefore, prompted on
by this exceeding love to labour as I have done; yet not I, but the
grace of God with me. Oh! I shall never forget his love, nor the
circumstances under which I was, when his love laid hold upon me. I was
going to Damascus with letters from the high-priest, to make havoc of
God’s people there, as I had made havoc of them in other places. These
bloody letters were not imposed upon me. I went to the high-priest and
desired them of him, and yet he saved me! (Acts 9:1,2). I was one of
the men, of the chief men, that had a hand in the blood of his martyr
Stephen; yet he had mercy upon me! When I was at Damascus, I stunk19 so
horribly like a blood-sucker, that I became a terror to all thereabout.
Yea, Ananias, good man, made intercession to my Lord against me; yet he
would have mercy upon me, yea, joined mercy to mercy, until he had made
me a monument of grace. He made a saint of me, and persuaded me that my
transgressions were forgiven me.

When I began to preach, those that heard me were amazed, and said, ‘Is
not this he that destroyed them that called on this name in Jerusalem,
and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound to the
high-priest?’ Hell doth know that I was a sinner; heaven doth know that
I was a sinner; the world also knows that I was a sinner, a sinner of
the greatest size; but I obtained mercy (Acts 9:20,21). Shall not this
lay obligation upon me? Is not love of the greatest force to oblige? Is
it not strong as death, cruel as the grave, and hotter than the coals
of juniper? Hath it not a most vehement flame? Can the waters quench
it? can the floods drown it? I a m under the force of it, and this is
my continual cry, What shall I render to the Lord for all the benefits
which he has bestowed upon me?

Aye, Paul! this is something; thou speakest like a man, like a man
affected, and carried away with the love and grace of God. Now, this
sense, and this affection, and this labour, giveth to Christ the love
that he looks for. But he might have converted twenty little sinners,
and yet not found, for grace bestowed, so much love in them all. I
wonder how far a man might go among the converted sinners of the
smaller size, before he could find one that so much as looked anything
this way ward. Where is he that is thus under pangs of love for the
grace bestowed upon him by Jesus Christ? Excepting only some few, you
may walk to the world’s end, and find none. But, as I said, some there
are, and so there have been in every age of the church, great sinners,
that have had much forgiven them; and they love much upon this account.
Jesus Christ, therefore, knows what he doth, when he lays hold on the
hearts of sinners of the biggest size. He knows that such an one will
love more than many that have not sinned half their sins.

I will tell you a story that I have read of Martha and Mary; the name
of the book I have forgot; I mean of the book in which I found the
relation; but the thing was thus:—

Martha, saith my author, was a very holy woman, much like Lazarus, her
brother; but Mary was a loose and wanton creature; Martha did seldom
miss good sermons and lectures, when she could come at them in
Jerusalem; but Mary would frequent the house of sports, and the company
of the vilest of men for lust. And though Martha had often desired that
her sister would go with her to hear her preachers, yea, had often
entreated her with tears to do it, yet could she never prevail; for
still Mary would make her excuse, or reject her with disdain, for her
zeal and preciseness in religion.

After Martha had waited long, tried many ways to bring her sister to
good, and all proved ineffectual, at last she comes upon her thus:
‘Sister,’ quoth she, ‘I pray thee go with me to the temple today, to
hear one preach a sermon.’ ‘What kind of preacher is he?’ said she.
Martha replied, ‘It is one Jesus of Nazareth; he is the handsomest man
that ever you saw with your eyes. Oh! he shines in beauty, and is a
most excellent preacher.’

Now, what does Mary, after a little pause, but goes up into her
chamber, and, with her pins and her clouts,20 decks up herself as fine
as her fingers could make her. This done, away she goes, not with her
sister Martha, but as much unobserved as she could, to the sermon, or
rather to see the preacher.

The hour and preacher being come, and she having observed whereabout
the preacher would stand, goes and sets herself so in the temple, that
she might be sure to have the full view of this excellent person. So he
comes in, and she looks, and the first glimpse of his person pleased
her. Well, Jesus addresseth himself to his sermon, and she looks
earnestly on him.

Now, at that time, saith my author, Jesus preached about the lost
sheep, the lost groat, and the prodigal child. And when he came to show
what care the shepherd took for one lost sheep, and how the woman swept
to find her piece which was lost, and what joy there was at their
finding, she began to be taken by the ears, and forgot what she came
about, musing what the preacher would make of it. But when he came to
the application, and showed, that by the lost sheep, was meant a great
sinner; by the shepherd’s care, was meant God’s love for great sinners;
and that by the joy of the neighbours, was showed what joy there was
among the angels in heaven over one great sinner that repenteth; she
began to be taken by the heart. And as he spake these last words, she
thought he pitched his innocent eyes just upon her, and looked as if he
spake what was now said to her: wherefore her heart began to tremble,
being shaken with affection and fear; then her eyes ran down with tears
apace; wherefore she was forced to hide her face with her handkerchief,
and so sat sobbing and crying all the rest of the sermon.

Sermon being done, up she gets, and away she goes, and withal inquired
where this Jesus the preacher dined that day? and one told her, At the
house of Simon the Pharisee. So away goes she, first to her chamber,
and there strips herself of her wanton attire; then falls upon her
knees to ask God forgiveness for all her wicked life. This done, in a
modest dress she goes to Simon’s house, where she finds Jesus sat at
dinner. So she gets behind him, and weeps, and drops her tears upon his
feet like rain, and washes them, and wipes them with the hair of her
head. She also kissed his feet with her lips, and anointed them with
ointment. When Simon the Pharisee perceived what the woman did, and
being ignorant of what it was to be forgiven much (for he never was
forgiven more than fifty pence), he began to think within himself, that
he had been mistaken about Jesus Christ, because he suffered such a
sinner as this woman was, to touch him. Surely, quoth he, this man, if
he were a prophet, would not let this woman come near him, for she is a
town-sinner; so ignorant are all self-righteous men of the way of
Christ with sinners. But, lest Mary should be discouraged with some
clownish carriage of this Pharisee, and so desert her good beginnings,
and her new steps which she now had begun to take towards eternal life,
Jesus began thus with Simon: ‘Simon,’ saith he, ‘I have somewhat to say
unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. There was,’ said Jesus, ‘a
certain creditor which had two debtors; the one owed five hundred
pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he
frankly forgave them both. Tell me, therefore, which of them will love
him most? Simon answered, and said, I suppose that he, to whom he
forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. And he
turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I
entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet; but she
hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her
head. Thou gavest me no kiss; but this woman, since the time I came in,
hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not
anoint, but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore,
I say unto her, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved
much; but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he
said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven’(Luke 7:36-48).

Thus you have the story. If I come short in any circumstance, I beg
pardon of those that can correct me. It is three or four and twenty
years since I saw the book; yet I have, as far as my memory will admit,
given you the relation of the matter. However, Luke, as you see, doth
here present you with the substance of the whole.21

Alas! Christ Jesus has but little thanks for the saving of little
sinners. ‘To whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.’ He gets
not water for his feet, by his saving of such sinners. There are
abundance of dry-eyed Christians in the world, and abundance of
dry-eyed duties too; duties that never were wetted with the tears of
contrition and repentance, nor ever sweetened with the great sinner’s
box of ointment. And the reason is, such sinners have not great sins to
be saved from; or, if they have, they look upon them in the diminishing
glass of the holy law of God.22 But, I rather believe, that the
professors of our days want a due sense of what they are; for, verily,
for the generality of them, both before and since conversion, they have
been sinners of a lusty size. But if their eyes be holden, if
convictions are not shown, if their knowledge of their sins is but like
to the eye-sight in twilight; the heart cannot be affected with that
grace that has laid hold on the man; and so Christ Jesus sows much, and
has little coming in. Wherefore his way is ofttimes to step out of the
way, to Jericho, to Samaria, to the country of the Gadarenes, to the
coasts of Tyre and Sidon, and also to Mount Calvary, that he may lay
hold of such kind of sinners as will love him to his liking (Luke
19:1-11; John 4:3-11; Mark 5:1-20; Matt 15:21-29; Luke 23:33-43).

But thus much for the sixth reason, why Christ Jesus would have mercy
offered, in the first place, to the biggest sinners, to wit, because
such sinners, when converted, are apt to love him most. The Jerusalem
sinners were they that outstripped, when they were converted, in some
things, all the churches of the Gentiles. They ‘were of one heart, and
of one soul: neither said any of them that aught of the things which he
possessed was his own.’ ‘Neither was there any among them that lacked:
for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and
brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at
the apostles’ feet,’ &c. (Acts 4:32,35). Now, show me such another
pattern, if you can. But why did these do thus? Oh! they were Jerusalem
sinners. These were the men that, but a little before, had killed the
Prince of life; and those to whom he did, that notwithstanding, send
the first offer of grace and mercy. And the sense of this took them up
betwixt the earth and the heaven, and carried them on in such ways and
methods as could never be trodden by any since. They talk of the church
of Rome, and set her, in her primitive state, as a pattern and mother
of churches; when the truth is, they were the Jerusalem sinners, when
converts, that out-did all the churches that ever were.

Seventh, Christ Jesus would have mercy offered, in the first place, to
the biggest sinners, because grace, when it is received by such, finds
matter to kindle upon more freely than it finds in other sinners.

Great sinners are like the dry wood, or like great candles, which burn
best and shine with biggest light. I lay not this down, as I did those
reasons before, to show, that when great sinners are converted, they
will be encouragement to others, though that is true; but to show, that
Christ has a delight to see grace, the grace we receive, to shine. We
love to see things that bear a good gloss; yea, we choose to buy such
kind of matter to work upon, as will, if wrought up to what we intend,
cast that lustre that we desire. Candles that burn not bright, we like
not; wood that is green will rather smother, and sputter, and smoke,
and crack, and flounce, than cast a brave light and a pleasant heat;
wherefore great folks care not much, not so much, for such kind of
things, as for them that will better answer their ends.

Hence Christ desires the biggest sinner; in him there is matter to work
by, to wit, a great deal of sin; for as by the tallow of the candle,
the first takes occasion to burn the brighter; so, by the sin of the
soul, grace takes occasion to shine the clearer. Little candles shine
but little, for there wanteth matter for the fire to work upon; but in
the great sinner, here is more matter for grace to work by. Faith
shines, when it worketh towards Christ, through the sides of many and
great transgressions, and so does love, for that much is forgiven. And
what matter can be found in the soul for humility to work by so well,
as by a sight that I have been and am an abominable sinner? And the
same is to be said of patience, meekness, gentleness, self-denial, or
of any other grace. Grace takes occasion, by the vileness of the man,
to shine the more; even as by the ruggedness of a very strong distemper
or disease, the virtue of the medicine is best made manifest. ‘Where
sin abounded, grace did much more abound’ (Rom 5:20). A black string
makes the neck look whiter; great sins make grace burn clear. Some say,
when grace and a good nature meet together, they do make shining
Christians; but I say, when grace and a great sinner meet, and when
grace shall subdue that great sinner to itself, and shall operate after
its kind in the soul of that great sinner, then we have a shining
Christian; witness all those of whom mention was made before.

Abraham was among the idolaters when in the land of Assyria, and served
idols, with his kindred, on the other side of the flood (Josh 24:2; Gen
11:31). But who, when called, was there in the world, in whom grace
shone so bright as in him? The Thessalonians were idolaters before the
Word of God came to them; but when they had received it, they became
examples to all that did believe in Macedonia and Achaia (1 Thess
1:6-10).

God the Father, and Jesus Christ his Son, are for having things seen;
for having the Word of life held forth. They light not a candle that it
might be put under a bushel, or under a bed, but on a candlestick, that
all that come in may see the light (Matt 5:15; Mark 4:21; Luke 8:16;
11:33). and, I say, as I said before, in whom is it, light, like so to
shine, as in the souls of great sinners?

When the Jewish Pharisees dallied with the gospel, Christ threatened to
take it from them, and to give it to the barbarous heathens and
idolaters. Why so? For they, saith he, will bring forth the fruits
thereof in their season. 23 ‘Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of
God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the
fruits thereof’ (Matt 21:43).

I have often marvelled at our youth, and said in my heart, What should
be the reason that they should be so generally at this day debauched as
they are? For they are now profane to amazement; and sometimes I have
thought one thing, and sometimes another; that is, why God should
suffer it so to be? At last I have thought of this: How if the God,
whose ways are past finding out, should suffer it so to be now, that he
might make of some of them the more glorious saints hereafter. I know
sin is of the devil, but it cannot work in the world without
permission: and if it happens to be as I have thought, it will not be
the first time that God the Lord hath caught Satan in his own design.
For my part, I believe that the time is at hand, that we shall see
better saints in the world than has been seen in it this many a day.
And this vileness, that at present does so much swallow up our youth,
is one cause of my thinking so; for out of them, for from among them,
when God sets to his hand, as of old, you shall see what penitent ones,
what trembling ones, and what admirers of grace, will be found to
profess the gospel to the glory of God by Christ.

Alas! we are a company of worn-out Christians; our moon is in the wane;
we are much more black than white, more dark than light; we shine but a
little; grace in the most of us is decayed. But I say, when they of
these debauched ones that are to be saved shall be brought in—when
these that look more like devils than men shall be converted to Christ
(and I believe several of them will), then will Christ be exalted,
grace adored, the Word prized, Zion’s path better trodden, and men in
the pursuit of their own salvation, to the amazement of them that are
left behind.

Just before Christ came into the flesh, the world was degenerated as it
is now: the generality of the men in Jerusalem were become either high
and famous for hypocrisy, or filthy, base in their lives. The devil
also was broke loose in hideous manner, and had taken possession of
many: yea, I believe, that there was never generation before nor since,
that could produce so many possessed with devils, deformed, lame,
blind, and infected with monstrous diseases, as that generation could.
But what was the reason thereof, I mean the reason from God? Why,
one—and we may sum up more in that answer that Christ gave to his
disciples concerning him that was born blind—was, that ‘the works of
God should be made manifest’ in them, and ‘that the Son of God might be
glorified thereby’ (John 9:2,3; 11:4).

Now, if these devils and diseases, as they possessed men then, were to
make way and work for an approaching to Christ in person, and for the
declaring of his power, why may we not think that now, even now also,
he is ready to come, by his Spirit in the gospel, to heal many of the
debaucheries of our age? I cannot believe that grace will take them
all, for there are but few that are saved; but yet it will take some,
even some of the worst of men, and make blessed ones of them. But, O
how these ringleaders in vice will then shine in virtue! They will be
the very pillars in churches, they will be as an ensign in the land.
‘The Lord their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his
people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an
ensign upon his land’ (Zech 9:16). But who are these? Even idolatrous
Ephraim, and backsliding Judah (verse 13).

I know there is ground to fear, that the iniquity of this generation
will be pursued with heavy judgments; but that will not hinder that we
have supposed. God took him a glorious church out of bloody Jerusalem,
yea, out of the chief of the sinners there, and left the rest to be
taken and spoiled, and sold, thirty for a penny, in the nations where
they were captives. The gospel working gloriously in a place, to the
seizing upon many of the ringleading sinners thereof, promiseth no
security to the rest, but rather threateneth them with the heaviest and
smartest judgments; as in the instance now given, we have a full
demonstration; but in defending, the Lord will defend his people; and
in saving, he will save his inheritance.

Nor does this speak any great comfort to a decayed and backsliding sort
of Christian; for the next time God rides post with his gospel, he will
leave such Christians behind him. But, I say, Christ is resolved to set
up his light in the world; yea, he is delighted to see his graces
shine; and therefore he commands that his gospel should, to that end,
be offered, in the first place, to the biggest sinners; for by great
sins it shineth most; therefore he saith, ‘Begin at Jerusalem.’

Eighth, and lastly, Christ Jesus will have mercy to be offered, in the
first place, to the biggest sinners, for that by that means the
impenitent that are left behind will be, at the judgment, the more left
withoutexcuse.

God’s Word has two edges; it can cut back-stroke and fore-stroke. If it
doth thee no good, it will do thee hurt; it is ‘the savour of life unto
life’ to those that receive it, but of ‘death unto death’ to them that
refuse it (2 Cor 2:15,16). But this is not all; the tender of grace to
the biggest sinners, in the first place, will not only leave the rest,
or those that refuse it, in a deplorable condition, but will also stop
their mouths, and cut off all pretence to excuse at that day. ‘If I had
not come and spoken unto them,’ saith Christ, ‘they had not had sin;
but now they have no cloke for their sin’—for their sin of persevering
in impenitence (John 15:22). But what did he speak to them? Why, even
that which I have told you; to wit, That he has in special a delight in
saving the biggest sinners. He spake this in the way of his doctrine;
he spake this in the way of his practice, even to the pouring out of
his last breath before them (Luke 23:34).

Now, since this is so, what can the condemned at the judgment say for
themselves, why sentence of death should not be passed upon them? I
say, what excuse can they make for themselves, when they shall be asked
why they did not in the day of salvation come to Christ to be saved?
Will they have ground to say to the Lord, Thou wast only for saving of
little sinners; and, therefore, because they were great ones, they
durst not come unto him; or that thou hadst not compassion for the
biggest sinners, therefore I died in despair? Will these be excuses for
them, as the case now standeth with them? Is there not everywhere in
God’s Book a flat contradiction to this, in multitudes of promises, of
invitations, of examples, and the like? Alas! alas! there will then be
there millions of souls to confute this plea; ready, I say, to stand
up, and say, ‘O! deceived world, heaven swarms with such as were, when
they were in the world, to the full as bad as you!’ Now, this will kill
all plea or excuse, why they should not perish in their sins; yea, the
text says they shall see them there. ‘There shall be weeping-when ye
shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the
kingdom of heaven, and you yourselves thrust out. And they shall come
from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the
south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God’ (Luke 13:28,29). Out
of which company, it is easy to pick such as sometimes were as bad
people as any [that] now breathe on the face of [the] earth. What think
you of the first man, by whose sins there are millions now in hell? And
so I may say, What think you of ten thousand more besides?

But if the Word will not stifle and gag them up—I speak now for
amplification’s sake—the view of those who are saved shall. There comes
an incestuous person to the bar, and pleads, That the bigness of his
sins was a bar to his receiving the promise. But will not his mouth be
stopped as to that, when Lot, and the incestuous Corinthians, shall be
set before him (Gen 19:33-37; 1 Cor 5:1,2).

There comes a thief, and says, Lord, my sin of thefts, I thought, was
such as could not be pardoned by thee! But when he shall see the thief
that was saved on the cross stand by, as clothed with beauteous glory,
what further can he be able to object? Yea, the Lord will produce ten
thousand of his saints at his coming, who shall after this manner
‘execute judgment upon all, and so convince all that are ungodly among
them—of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken
against him’ (Jude 15). And these are hard speeches against him, to say
that he was not able or willing to save men, because of the greatness
of their sins, or to say that they were discouraged by his Word from
repentance, because of the heinousness of their offences. These things,
I say, shall then be confuted. He comes with ten thousand of his saints
to confute them, and to stop their mouths from making objections
against their own eternal damnation.

Here is Adam, the destroyer of the world; here is Lot, that lay with
both his daughters; here is Abraham, that was sometime an idolater; and
Jacob, that was a supplanter; and Reuben, that lay with his father’s
concubine; and Judah, that lay with his daughter-in-law; and Levi and
Simeon, that wickedly slew the Shechemites; and Aaron, that made an
idol to be worshipped, and that proclaimed a religious feast unto it.
Here is also Rahab the harlot, and Bathsheba, that bare a bastard to
David. Here is Solomon, that great backslider; and Manasseh, that man
of blood and a witch. Time would fail to tell you of the woman of
Canaan’s daughter, of Mary Magdalene, of Matthew the publican, and of
Gideon and Samson, and many thousands more.

Alas! alas! I say, what will these sinners do, that have, through their
unbelief, eclipsed the glorious largeness of the mercy of God, and gave
way to despair of salvation, because of the bigness of their sins? For
all these, though now glorious saints in light, were sometimes sinners
of the biggest size, who had sins that were of a notorious hue; yet
now, I say, they are in their shining and heavenly robes before the
throne of God and of the Lamb, blessing for ever and ever that Son of
God for their salvation, who died for them upon the tree; admiring that
ever it should come into their hearts once to think of coming to God by
Christ; but above all, blessing God for granting of them light to see
those encouragements in his Testament; without which, without doubt,
they had been daunted, and sunk down under guilt of sin and despair, as
their fellow-sinners have done. But now they also are witnesses for
God, and for his grace, against an unbelieving world; for, as I said,
they shall come to convince the world of their speeches, their hard and
unbelieving words, that they have spoken concerning the mercy of God,
and the merits of the passion of his blessed Son, Jesus Christ.

But will it not, think you, strangely put to silence all such thoughts,
and words, and reasons of the ungodly before the bar of God? Doubtless
it will; yea, and will send them away from his presence also, with the
greatest guilt that possibly can fasten upon the consciences of men.

For what will sting like this?—‘I have, through mine own foolish,
narrow, unworthy, undervaluing thoughts, of the love and ability of
Christ to save me, brought myself to everlasting ruin. It is true, I
was a horrible sinner; not one in a hundred did live so vile a life as
I. But this should not have kept me from closing with Jesus Christ. I
see now that there are abundance in glory that once were as bad as I
have been; but they were saved by faith, and I am damned by unbelief.
Wretch that I am! why did not I give glory to the redeeming blood of
Jesus? Why did I not humbly cast my soul at his blessed footstool for
mercy? Why did I judge of his ability to save me by the voice of my
shallow reason, and the voice of a guilty conscience? Why betook not I
myself to the holy Word of God? Why did I not read and pray that I
might understand, since now I perceive that God said then, He giveth
liberally to them that pray, and upbraideth not’ (James 1:5).

It is rational to think, that by such cogitations as these, the
unbelieving world will be torn in pieces before the judgment of Christ;
especially those that have lived where they did or might have heard the
gospel of the grace of God. Oh! that saying, ‘It shall be more
tolerable for Sodom at the judgment than for them,’ will be better
understood (Luke 10:8-12). This reason, therefore, standeth fast;
namely, that Christ, by offering mercy, in the first place, to the
biggest sinners now, will stop all the mouths of the impenitent at the
day of judgment, and cut off all excuse that shall be attempted to be
made, from the thoughts of the greatness of their sins, why they came
not to him.

I have often thought of the day of judgment, and how God will deal with
sinners at that day; and I believe it will be managed with that
sweetness, with that equitableness, with that excellent righteousness,
as to every sin, and circumstance and aggravation thereof, that men
that are damned, shall, before the judgment is over, receive such
conviction of the righteous judgment of God upon them, and of their
deserts of hell-fire, that they shall in themselves conclude, that
there is all the reason in the world that they should be shut out of
heaven, and go to hell-fire: ‘These shall go away into everlasting
punishment’ (Matt 25:46).24

Only this will tear [them,] that they have missed of mercy and glory,
and obtained everlasting damnation, through their unbelief; but it will
tear but themselves, but their own souls; they will gnash upon
themselves, for that mercy was offered to the chief of them in the
first place, and yet they were damned for rejecting of it; they were
damned for forsaking what they had a propriety in; for forsaking their
own mercy.

And thus much for the reasons. Second, I will conclude with a word of
application.

THE APPLICATION.

First, Would Jesus Christ have mercy offered, in the first place, to
the biggest sinners? Then this shows us how to make a right judgment of
the heart of Christ to men. Indeed, we have advantage to guess at the
goodness of his heart by many things; as by his taking our nature upon
him, his dying for us, his sending his Word and ministers to us, and
all that we might be saved. But this of beginning to offer mercy to
Jerusalem, is that which heightens all the rest; for this doth not only
confirm to us, that love was the use of his dying for us, but it shows
us yet more the depth of that love. He might have died for us, and yet
have extended the benefit of his death to a few, as one might call
them, of the best-conditioned sinners, to those who, though they were
weak, and so could not but sin, yet made not a trade of sinning; to
those that sinned not lavishingly. There are in the world, as one may
call them, the moderate sinners; the sinners that mix righteousness
with their pollutions; the sinners that, though they be sinners, do
what on their part lies—some that are blind would think so—that they
might be saved. I say, it had been love, great love, if he had died for
none but such, and sent his love to such; but that he should send out
conditions of peace to the biggest of sinners; yea, that they should be
offered to them first of all; (for so he means when he says, ‘Begin at
Jerusalem’;) this is wonderful! this shows his heart to purpose, as
also the heart of God his Father, who sent him to do thus.

There is nothing more incident to men that are awake in their souls,
than to have wrong thoughts of God—thoughts that are narrow, and that
pinch and pen up his mercy to scanty and beggarly conclusions, and
rigid legal conditions; supposing that it is rude, and an intrenching
upon his majesty to come ourselves, or to invite others, until we have
scraped and washed, and rubbed off as much of our dirt from us as we
think is convenient, to make us somewhat orderly and handsome in his
sight.25 Such never knew what these words meant, ‘Begin at Jerusalem.’
Yea, such in their hearts have compared the Father and his Son to
niggardly rich men, whose money comes from them like drops of blood.
True, say such, God has mercy, but he is loath to part with it; you
must please him well, if you get any from him; he is not so free as
many suppose, nor is he so willing to save as some pretended gospellers
imagine. But I ask such, if the Father and Son be not unspeakably free
to show mercy, why was this clause put into our commission to preach
the gospel? Yea, why did he say, ‘Begin at Jerusalem’: for when men,
through the weakness of their wits, have attempted to show other
reasons why they would have the first proffer of mercy; yet I can
prove, by many undeniable reasons, that they of Jerusalem, to whom the
apostles made the first offer, according as they were commanded, were
the biggest sinners that ever did breathe upon the face of God’s earth
(set the unpardonable sin aside); upon which [fact] my doctrine stands
like a rock, that Jesus the Son of God would have mercy, in the first
place, offered to the biggest sinners. And if this doth not show the
heart of the Father and the Son to be infinitely free in bestowing
forgiveness of sins, I confess myself mistaken.

Neither is there, set this aside, another argument like it, to show us
the willingness of Christ to save sinners; for, as was said before, all
the rest of the signs of Christ’s mercifulness might have been limited
to sinners that are so and so qualified; but when he says, ‘Begin at
Jerusalem,’ the line is stretched out to the utmost; no man can imagine
beyond it; and it is folly here to pinch and spare, to narrow, and seek
to bring it within scanty bounds; for he plainly saith, ‘Begin at
Jerusalem,’ the biggest sinner is the biggest sinner; the biggest is
the Jerusalem sinner.

It is true, he saith, that repentance and remission of sins must go
together, but yet remission is sent to the chief, the Jerusalem sinner;
nor doth repentance lessen at all the Jerusalem sinner’s crimes; it
diminisheth none of his sins, nor causes that there should be so much
as half an one the fewer; it only puts a stop to the Jerusalem sinner’s
course, and makes him willing to be saved freely by grace; and for time
to come to be governed by that blessed word that has brought the
tidings of good things to him. Besides, no man shows himself willing to
be saved that repenteth not of his deeds; for he that goes on still in
his trespasses, declares that he is resolved to pursue his own
damnation further.

Learn then to judge of the largeness of God’s heart, and of the heart
of his Son Jesus Christ, by the Word; judge not thereof by feeling, nor
by the reports of thy conscience; conscience is ofttimes here befooled,
and made to go quite beside the Word. It was judging without the Word
that made David say, I am cast off from God’s eyes, and ‘shall perish
one day by the hand of Saul’ (Psa 31:22; 1 Sam 27:1). The Word had told
him another thing; namely, that he should be king in his stead. Our
text says also, that Jesus Christ bids preachers, in their preaching
repentance and remission of sins, begin first at Jerusalem; thereby
declaring most truly the infinite largeness of the merciful heart of
God and his Son, to the sinful children of men. Judge thou, I say,
therefore, of the goodness of the heart of God and his Son, by this
text, and by others of the same import; so shalt thou not dishonour the
grace of God, nor needlessly fright thyself, nor give away thy faith,
nor gratify the devil, nor lose the benefit of God’s Word. I speak now
to weak believers.

Second, Would Jesus Christ have mercy offered, in the first place, to
the biggest sinners, to the Jerusalem sinners? Then, by this also, you
must learn to judge of the sufficiency of the merits of Christ; not
that the merits of Christ can be comprehended, for that they are beyond
the conceptions of the whole world, being called ‘the unsearchable
riches of Christ’; but yet they may be apprehended to a considerable
degree. Now, the way to apprehend them most, is, to consider what
offers, after his resurrection, he makes of his grace to sinners; for
to be sure he will not offer beyond the virtue of his merits; because,
as grace is the cause of his merits, so his merits are the basis and
bounds upon and by which his grace stands good, and is let out to
sinners. Doth he then command that his mercy should be offered, in the
first place, to the biggest sinners? It declares, that there is a
sufficiency in his blood to save the biggest sinners. ‘The blood of
Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin.’ And again, ‘Be it known unto you,
therefore, men and brethren, that through this man [this man’s merits]
is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins; and by him all that
believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be
justified by the law of Moses’ (Acts 13:38).

Observe, then, thy rule to make judgment of the sufficiency of the
blessed merits of thy Saviour. If he had not been able to have
reconciled the biggest sinners to his Father by his blood, he would not
have sent to them, have sent to them in the first place, the doctrine
of remission of sins; for remission of sins is through faith in his
blood. We are justified freely by the grace of God, through the
redemption that is in the blood of Christ. Upon the square, as I may
call it, of the worthiness of the blood of Christ, grace acts, and
offers forgiveness of sin to men (Eph 1:7; 2:13,14; Col 1:20-22).
Hence, therefore, we must gather, that the blood of Christ is of
infinite value, for that he offereth mercy to the biggest of sinners.
Nay, further, since he offereth mercy, in the first place, to the
biggest sinners, considering also, that this first act of his is that
which the world will take notice of, and expect it should be continued
unto the end. Also it is a disparagement to a man that seeks his own
glory in what he undertakes, to do that for a spurt, which he cannot
continue and hold out in. This is our Lord’s own argument, He began to
build, saith he, but was not able to finish (Luke 14:30).

Shouldst thou hear a man say, I am resolved to be kind to the poor, and
should begin with giving handfuls of guineas, you would conclude, that
either he is wonderful rich, or must straiten his hand, or will soon be
at the bottom of his riches. Why, this is the case: Christ, at his
resurrection, gave it out that he would be good to the world; and first
sends to the biggest sinners, with an intent to have mercy on them.
Now, the biggest sinners cannot be saved but by abundance of grace; it
is not a little that will save great sinners (Rom 5:17). And I say
again, since the Lord Jesus mounts thus high at the first, and sends to
the Jerusalem sinners, that they may come first to partake of his
mercy, it follows, that either he has unsearchable riches of grace and
worth in himself, or else he must straiten his hand, or his grace and
merits will be spent before the world is at an end. But let it be
believed, as surely as spoken, he is still as full as ever. He is not a
jot the poorer for all the forgiveness that he has given away to great
sinners. Also he is still as free as at first; for he never yet called
back this word, Begin at the Jerusalem sinners. And, as I said, since
his grace is extended according to the worth of his merits. I conclude,
that there is the same virtue in his merits to save now, as there was
at the very beginning, Oh! the riches of the grace of Christ! Oh! the
riches of the blood of Christ!

Third, Would Jesus Christ have mercy offered in the first place to the
biggest sinners? Then here is encouragement for you that think, for
wicked hearts and lives, you have not your fellows in the world, yet to
come to him.

There is a people that therefore fear lest they should be rejected of
Jesus Christ, because of the greatness of their sins; when, as you see
here, such are sent to, sent to by Jesus Christ, to come to him for
mercy: ‘Begin at Jerusalem.’ Never did one thing answer another more
fitly in this world, than this text fitteth such a kind of sinners. As
face answereth face in a glass, so this text answereth the necessities
of such sinners. What can a man say more, but that he stands in the
rank of the biggest sinners? let him stretch himself whither he can,
and think of himself to the utmost, he can but conclude himself to be
one of the biggest sinners. And what then? Why, the text meets him in
the very face, and saith, Christ offereth mercy to the biggest sinners,
to the very Jerusalem sinners. What more can be objected? Nay, he doth
not only offer to such his mercy, but to them it is commanded to be
offered in the first place: ‘Begin at Jerusalem.’ ‘Preach repentance
and remission of sins among all nations: beginning at Jerusalem.’ Is
not here encouragement for those that think, for wicked hearts and
lives, they have not their fellows in the world?

Objection. But I have a heart as hard as a rock.

Answer. Well, but this doth but prove thee a biggest sinner.

Objection. But my heart continually frets against the Lord.

Answer. Well, this doth but prove thee a biggest sinner.

Objection. But I have been desperate in sinful courses.

Answer. Well, stand thou with the number of the biggest sinners.

Objection. But my gray head is found in the way of wickedness.

Answer. Well, thou art in the rank of the biggest sinners.

Objection. But I have not only a base heart, but I have lived a
debauched life.

Answer. Stand thou also among those that are called the biggest
sinners. And what then? Why, the text swoops you all; you cannot object
yourselves beyond the text. It has a particular message to the biggest
sinners. I say, it swoops you all.26

Objection. But I am a reprobate.

Answer. Now thou talkest like a fool, and meddlest with what thou
understandest not: no sin, but the sin of final impenitence, can prove
a man a reprobate; and I am sure thou hast not arrived as yet unto
that; therefore thou understandest not what thou sayest, and makest
groundless conclusions against thyself. Say thou art a sinner, and I
will hold with thee; say thou art a great sinner, and I will say so
too; yea, say thou art one of the biggest sinners, and spare not; for
the text yet is beyond thee, is yet betwixt hell and thee; ‘Begin at
Jerusalem’ has yet a smile upon thee; and thou talkest as if thou wast
a reprobate, and that the greatness of thy sins do prove thee so to be,
when yet they of Jerusalem were not such, whose sins, I dare say, were
such, both for bigness and heinousness, as thou art not capable of
committing beyond them; unless now, after thou hast received conviction
that the Lord Jesus is the only Saviour of the world, thou shouldst
wickedly and despitefully turn thyself from him, and conclude he is not
to be trusted to for life, and so crucify him for a cheat afresh. This,
I must confess, will bring a man under the black rod, and set him in
danger of eternal damnation (Heb 6:7,8; 10:8,9). This is trampling
under foot the Son of God, and counting his blood an unholy thing. This
did they of Jerusalem; but they did it ignorantly in unbelief, and so
were yet capable of mercy; but to do this against professed light, and
to stand to it, puts a man beyond the text indeed (Acts 3:14-17; 1 Tim
1:13).

But I say, what is this to him that would fain be saved by Christ? His
sins did, as to greatness, never yet reach to the nature of the sins
that the sinners intended by the text had made themselves guilty of. He
that would be saved by Christ, has an honourable esteem of him; but
they of Jerusalem preferred a murderer before him; and as for him, they
cried, Away, away with him, it is not fit that he should live. Perhaps
thou wilt object, That thyself hast a thousand times preferred a
stinking lust before him: I answer, Be it so; it is but what is common
to men to do; nor doth the Lord Jesus make such a foolish life a bar to
thee, to forbid thy coming to him, or a bond to his grace, that it
might be kept from thee; but admits of thy repentance, and offereth
himself unto thee freely, as thou standest among the Jerusalem sinners.

Take therefore encouragement, man; mercy is, by the text, held forth to
the biggest sinners; yea, put thyself into the number of the worst, by
reckoning that thou mayest be one of the first, and mayest not be put
off till the biggest sinners are served; for the biggest sinners are
first invited; consequently, if they come, they are like to be the
first that shall be served. It was so with Jerusalem; Jerusalem sinners
were they that were first invited, and those of them that came
first—and there came three thousand of them the first day they were
invited; how many came afterwards none can tell—they were first served.

Put in thy name, man, among the biggest, lest thou art made to wait
till they are served. You have some men that think themselves very
cunning, because they put up their names in their prayers among them
that feign it, saying, God, I thank thee I am not so bad as the worst.
But believe it, if they be saved at all, they shall be saved in the
last place. The first in their own eyes shall be served last; and the
last or worst shall be first. The text insinuates it, ‘Begin at
Jerusalem’; and reason backs it, for they have most need. Behold ye,
therefore, how God’s ways are above ours; we are for serving the worst
last, God is for serving the worst first. The man at the pool, that to
my thinking was longest in his disease, and most helpless as to his
cure, was first healed; yea, he only was healed; for we read that
Christ healed him, but we read not then that he healed one more there!
(John 5:1-10). Wherefore, if thou wouldst soonest be served, put in thy
name among the very worst of sinners. Say, when thou art upon thy
knees, Lord, here is a Jerusalem sinner! a sinner of the biggest size!
one whose burden is of the greatest bulk and heaviest weight! one that
cannot stand long without sinking into hell, without thy supporting
hand! ‘Be not thou far from me, O Lord! O my strength, haste thee to
help me!’ (Psa 22:19).

I say, put in thy name with Magdalene, with Manasseh, that thou mayest
fare as the Magdalene and the Manasseh sinners do. The man in the
gospel made the desperate condition of his child an argument with
Christ to haste his cure: ‘Sire, come down,’ saith he, ‘ere my child
die’ (John 4:49), and Christ regarded his haste, saying, ‘Go thy way;
thy son liveth’ (verse 50). Haste requires haste. David was for speed;
‘Deliver me speedily’; ‘Hear me speedily’; ‘Answer me speedily’ (Psa
31:2; 69:17; 102:2). But why speedily? I am in ‘the net’; ‘I am in
trouble’; ‘My days are consumed like smoke’ (Psa 31:4; 69:17; 102:3).
Deep calleth unto deep, necessity calls for help; great necessity for
present help. Wherefore, I say, be ruled by me in this matter; feign
not thyself another man, if thou hast been a filthy sinner, but go in
thy colours to Jesus Christ, and put thyself among the most vile, and
let him alone to ‘put thee among the children’ (Jer 3:19). Confess all
that thou knowest of thyself; I know thou wilt find it hard work to do
thus: especially if thy mind be legal; but do it, lest thou stay and be
deferred with the little sinners, until the great ones have had their
alms. What do you think David intended when he said, his wounds stunk
and were corrupted, but to hasten God to have mercy upon him, and not
to defer his cure? ‘Lord,’ says he, ‘I am troubled; I am bowed down
greatly; I go mourning all the day long.’ ‘I am feeble and sore broken:
I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart’ (Psa 38:3-8).
David knew what he did by all this; he knew that his making the worst
of his case, was the way to speedy help, and that a feigning and
dissembling the matter with God, was the next way to a demur as to his
forgiveness.

I have one thing more to offer for thy encouragement, who deemest
thyself one of the biggest sinners; and that is, thou art as it were
called by thy name, in the first place, to come in for mercy. Thou man
of Jerusalem, hearken to thy call; men do so in courts of judicature,
and presently cry out, ‘Here, Sire’; and then they shoulder and crowd,
and say, ‘Pray give way, I am called into the court.’ Why, this is thy
case, thou great, thou Jerusalem sinner; be of good cheer, he calleth
thee (Mark 10:46-49). Why sittest thou still? arise: why standest thou
still? come, man, thy call should give thee authority to come. ‘Begin
at Jerusalem,’ is thy call and authority to come; wherefore up and
shoulder it, man; say, ‘Stand away, devil, Christ calls me; stand away
unbelief, Christ calls me; stand away, all ye my discouraging
apprehensions, for my Saviour calls me to him to receive of his mercy.’
Men will do thus, as I said, in courts below; and why shouldst not thou
approach thus to the court above? The Jerusalem sinner is first in
thought, first in commission, first in the record of names; and
therefore should give attendance, with the expectation that he is first
to receive mercy of God.

Is not this an encouragement to the biggest sinners to make their
application to Christ for mercy? ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and
are heavy laden,’ doth also confirm this thing; that is, that the
biggest sinner, and he that has the biggest burden, is he who is first
invited. Christ pointeth over the heads of thousands, as he sits on the
throne of grace, directly to such a man; and says, ‘Bring in hither the
maimed, the halt, and the blind; let the Jerusalem sinner that stands
there behind come to me.’ Wherefore, since Christ says, ‘Come,’ to
thee, let the angels make a lane, and let all men give place, that the
Jerusalem sinner may come to Jesus Christ for mercy.

Fourth, Would Jesus Christ have mercy offered, in the first place, to
the biggest sinners? Then come, thou profane wretch, and let me a
little enter into an argument with thee. Why wilt thou not come to
Jesus Christ, since thou art a Jerusalem sinner? How canst thou find in
thy heart to set thyself against grace, against such grace as offereth
mercy to thee? What spirit possesseth thee, and holds thee back from a
sincere closure with thy Saviour? Behold, God groaningly complains of
thee, saying, ‘But Israel would none of me.’ ‘When I called, none did
answer’ (Psa 81:11; Isa 66:4).

Shall God enter this complaint against thee? Why dost thou put him off?
Why dost thou stop thine ear? Canst thou defend thyself? When thou art
called to an account for thy neglects of so great salvation, what canst
thou answer? or dost thou think that thou shalt escape the judgment?
(Heb 2:3). No more such Christs! There will be no more such Christs,
sinner! Oh, put not the day, the day of grace, away from thee! if it be
once gone, it will never come again, sinner.

But what is it that has got thy heart, and that keeps it from thy
Saviour? ‘Who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? who among
the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord?’ (Psa 89:6). Hast
thou, thinkest thou, found anything so good as Jesus Christ? Is there
any among thy sins, thy companions, and foolish delights, that, like
Christ, can help thee in the day of thy distress? Behold, the greatness
of thy sins cannot hinder; let not the stubbornness of thy heart hinder
thee, sinner.

Objection. I am ashamed.

Answer. Oh! don’t be ashamed to be saved, sinner.

Objection. But my old companions will mock me.

Answer. Oh! don’t be mocked out of eternal life, sinner.

Thy stubbornness affects, afflicts the heart of thy Saviour. Carest
thou not for this? Of old, ‘he beheld the city, and wept over it.’
Canst thou hear this, and not be concerned? (Luke 19:41,42). Shall
Christ weep to see thy soul going on to destruction, and will though
sport thyself in that way? Yea, shall Christ, that can be eternally
happy without thee, be more afflicted at the thoughts of the loss of
thy soul, than thyself, who art certainly eternally miserable if thou
neglectest to come to him. Those things that keep thee and thy Saviour,
on thy part, asunder, are but bubbles; the least prick of an affliction
will let out, as to thee, what now thou thinkest is worth the venture
of heaven to enjoy.

Hast thou not reason? Canst thou not so much as once soberly think of
thy dying hour, or of whither thy sinful life will drive thee then?
Hast thou no conscience? or having one, is it rocked so fast asleep by
sin, or made so weary with an unsuccessful calling upon thee, that it
is laid down, and cares for thee no more? Poor man! thy state is to be
lamented. Hast no judgment? Art not able to conclude, that to be saved
is better than to burn in hell? and that eternal life with God’s
favour, is better than a temporal life in God’s displeasure? Hast no
affection but what is brutish? what, none at all? No affection for the
God that made thee? What! none for his loving Son that has showed his
love, and died for thee? Is not heaven worth thy affection? O poor man!
which is strongest, thinkest thou, God or thee? If thou art not able to
overcome him, thou art a fool for standing out against him (Matt
5:25,26). ‘It is a fearful thing to fall into the hand of the living
God’ (Heb 10:29-31). He will gripe hard; his fist is stronger than a
lion’s paw; take heed of him, he will be angry if you despise his Son;
and will you stand guilty in your trespasses, when he offereth you his
grace and favour? (Exo 34:6,7).

Now we come to the text, ‘Beginning at Jerusalem.’ This text, though it
be now one of the brightest stars that shineth in the Bible, because
there is in it, as full, if not the fullest offer of grace that can be
imagined, to the sons of men; yet, to them that shall perish from under
this word, even this text will be to such one of the hottest coals in
hell. This text, therefore, will save thee or sink thee: there is no
shifting of it; if it saves thee, it will set thee high; if it sinks
thee, it will set thee low.

But, I say, why so unconcerned? Hast no soul? or dost think thou mayest
lose thy soul, and save thyself? Is it not pity, had it otherwise been
the will of God, that ever thou wast made a man, for that thou settest
so little by thy soul? Sinner, take the invitation; thou art called
upon to come to Christ: nor art thou called upon but by order from the
Son of God, though thou shouldst happen to come of the biggest sinners;
for he has bid us offer mercy, as to all the world in general, so, in
the first place, to the sinners of Jerusalem, or to the biggest
sinners.

Fifth, Would Jesus Christ have mercy offered, in the first place, to
the biggest sinners? Then, this shows how unreasonable a thing it is
for men to despair of mercy; for those that presume, I shall say
something to them afterward.

I now speak to them that despair. There are four sorts of despair.
There is the despair of devils; there is the despair of souls in hell;
there is the despair that is grounded upon men’s deficiency; and there
is the despair that they are perplexed with that are willing to be
saved, but are too strongly borne down with the burden of their sins.

The despair of devils, the damned’s despair, and that despair that a
man has of attaining of life because of his own deficiency, are all
reasonable. Why should not devils and damned souls despair? yea, why
should not man despair of getting to heaven by his own abilities? I,
therefore, am concerned only with the fourth sort of despair, to wit,
with the despair of those that would be saved, but are too strongly
borne down with the burden of their sins. I say, therefore, to thee
that art thus, And why despair? Thy despair, if it was reasonable,
should flow from thee, because found in the land that is beyond the
grave; or because thou certainly knowest that Christ will not, or
cannot save thee.

But, for the first, thou art yet in the land of the living; and, for
the second, thou hast ground to believe the quite contrary; Christ is
able to save to the uttermost them that come to God by him; and if he
were not willing, he would not have commanded that mercy, in the first
place, should be offered to the biggest sinners. Besides, he hath said,
‘And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the
water of life freely’; that is, with all my heart. What ground now is
here for despair? If thou sayest, The number and burden of my sins; I
answer, Nay; that is rather a ground for faith; because such an one,
above all others, is invited by Christ to come unto him, yea, promised
rest and forgiveness if they come (Matt 11:28). What ground then to
despair? Verily, none at all. Thy despair, then, is a thing
unreasonable, and without footing in the Word.

But I have no experience of God’s love; God hath given me no comfort,
or ground of hope, though I have waited upon him for it many a day.
Thou hast e xperience of God’s love, for that he has opened thine eyes
to see thy sins: and for that he has given thee desires to be saved by
Jesus Christ. For by thy sense of sin thou art made to see thy poverty
of spirit, and that has laid under thee a sure ground to hope that
heaven shall be thine hereafter.

Also thy desires to be saved by Christ, has put thee under another
promise, so there is two to hold thee up in hope, though thy present
burden be never so heavy (Matt 5:3,6). As for what thou sayest as to
God’s silence to thee, perhaps he has spoken to thee once or twice
already, but thou hast not perceived it (Job 33:14,15). However, thou
hast Christ crucified set forth before thine eyes in the Bible, and an
invitation to come unto him, though thou be a Jerusalem sinner, though
thou be a biggest sinner; and so no ground to despair. What if God will
be silent to thee, is that ground of despair? Not at all, so long as
there is a promise in the Bible, that God will in no wise cast away the
coming sinner, and so long as he invites the Jerusalem sinner to come
unto him (John 6:37).

Build not, therefore, despair upon these things; they are no sufficient
foundation for it, such plenty of promises being in the Bible, and such
a discovery of his mercy to great sinners of old; especially since we
have withal a clause in the commission given to ministers to preach,
that they should begin with the Jerusalem sinners in their offering of
mercy to the world. Besides, God says, ‘They that wait upon the Lord
shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like
eagles’; but, perhaps, it may be long first. I waited long, saith
David, and did seek the Lord; and, at length, his cry was heard:
wherefore he bids his soul wait on God, and says, For it is good so to
do before thy saints (Psa 40:1; 62:5; 52:9).

And what if thou waitest upon God all thy days? Is it below thee? And
what if God will cross his book, and blot out the handwriting that is
against thee, and not let thee know it as yet? Is it fit to say unto
God, Thou art hard-hearted? Despair not; thou hast no ground to
despair, so long as thou livest in this world. ’Tis a sin to begin to
despair before one sets his foot over the threshold of hell-gates. For
them that are there, let them despair and spare not; but as for thee,
thou hast no ground to do it. What! despair of bread in a land that is
full of corn! despair of mercy when our God is full of mercy! despair
of mercy, when God goes about, by his ministers, beseeching of sinners
to be reconciled unto him! (2 Cor 5:18-20). Thou scrupulous fool, where
canst thou find that God was ever false to his promise, or that he ever
deceived the soul that ventured itself upon him? He often calls upon
sinners to trust him, though they walk in darkness, and have no light
(Isa 50:10). They have his promise and oath for their salvation, that
flee for refuge to the hope set before them (Heb 6:17,18).

Despair! when we have a God of mercy, and a redeeming Christ alive! For
shame, forbear; let them despair that dwell where there is no God, and
that are confined to those chambers of death which can be reached by no
redemption. A living man despair when he is chid for murmuring and
complaining! (Lam 3:39). Oh! so long as we are where promises swarm,
where mercy is proclaimed, where grace reigns, and where Jerusalem
sinners are privileged with the first offer of mercy, it is a base
thing to despair. Despair undervalues the promise, undervalues the
invitation, undervalues the proffer of grace. Despair undervalues the
ability of God the Father, and the redeeming blood of Christ his Son.
Oh unreasonable despair! Despair makes man God’s judge; it is a
controller of the promise, a contradictor of Christ in his large offers
of mercy: and one that undertakes to make unbelief the great manager of
our reason and judgment, in determining about what God can and will do
for sinners. Despair! It is the devil’s fellow, the devil’s master;
yea, the chains with which he is captivated and held under darkness for
ever: and to give way thereto in a land, in a state and time that flows
with milk and honey, is an uncomely thing.

I would say to my soul, ‘O my soul! this is not the place of despair;
this is not the time to despair in; as long as mine eyes can find a
promise in the Bible, as long as there is the least mention of grace,
as long as there is a moment left me of breath or life in this world,
so long will I wait or look for mercy, so long will I fight against
unbelief and despair.’ This is the way to honour God and Christ; this
is the way to set the crown on the promise; this is the way to welcome
the invitation and inviter; and this is the way to thrust thyself under
the shelter and protection of the word of grace. Never despair so long
as our text is alive, for that doth sound it out—that mercy by Christ
is offered, in the first place, to the biggest sinner.

Despair is an unprofitable thing; it will make a man weary of waiting
upon God (2 Kings 6:33). It will make a man forsake God, and seek his
heaven in the good things of this world (Gen 4:13-18). It will make a
man his own tormentor, and flounce and fling like ‘a wild bull in a
net’ (Isa 51:20). Despair! it drives a man to the study of his own
ruin, and brings him at last to be his own executioner (2 Sam 17:23;
Matt 27:3-5).

Besides, I am persuaded also, that despair is the cause that there are
so many that would fain be Atheists in the world. For, because, they
have entertained a conceit that God will never be merciful to them,
therefore they labour to persuade themselves that there is no God at
all, as if their misbelief would kill God, or cause him to cease to be.
A poor shift for an immortal soul, for a soul who liketh not to retain
God in its knowledge! If this be the best that despair can do, let it
go, man, and betake thyself to faith, to prayer, to wait for God, and
to hope, in despite of ten thousand doubts. And for thy encouragement,
take yet, as an addition to what has already been said, the following
Scripture: ‘The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those
that hope in his mercy’ (Psa 147:11). Whence note, They fear not God,
that hope not in his mercy; also, God is angry with them that hope not
in his mercy; for he only taketh pleasure in them that hope. ‘He that
believeth,’ or ‘hath received his testimony, hath set to his seal that
God is true’ (John 3:33). But he that receiveth it not, ‘hath made him
a liar,’ and that is a very unworthy thing (1 John 5:10,11). ‘Let the
wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let
him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our
God, for he will abundantly’ multiply ‘pardon’ (Isa 55:7). Perhaps thou
art weary of thy ways, but art not weary of thy thoughts; of thy
unbelieving and despairing thoughts; now, God also would have thee cast
away these thoughts, as such which he deserveth not at thy hands; for
‘he will have mercy upon thee, and he will abundantly pardon.’

‘O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have
spoken!’ (Luke 24:25). Mark you, here, slowness to believe is a piece
of folly. Ay! but sayest thou, I do believe some, and I believe what
can make against me. Ay, but sinner, Christ Jesus here calls thee fool
for not believing all. Believe all, and despair if thou canst! He that
believes all, believes that text that saith, Christ would have mercy
preached first to the Jerusalem sinners. He that believeth all,
believeth all the promises and consolations of the Word; and the
promises and consolations of the Word weigh heavier than do all the
curses and threatenings of the law; and mercy rejoiceth against
judgment. Wherefore believe all, and mercy will, to thy conscience,
weigh judgment down, and so minister comfort to thy soul. The Lord take
the yoke from off thy jaws, since he has set meat before thee (Hosea
11:4). And help thee to remember that he is pleased, in the first
place, to offer mercy to the biggest sinners.

Sixth, Since Jesus Christ would have mercy offered, in the first place,
to the biggest sinners, let souls see that they lay right hold thereof,
lest they, notwithstanding, indeed, come short thereof. Faith only
knows how to deal with mercy; wherefore, put not in the place thereof
presumption. I have observed, that, as there are herbs and flowers in
our gardens, so there are their counterfeits in the field; only they
are distinguished from the other by the name of wild ones. Why, there
is faith, and wild faith; and wild faith is this presumption. I call it
wild faith, because God never placed it in his garden—his church; ’tis
only to be found in the field—the world. I also call it wild faith,
because it only grows up and is nourished where other wild notions
abound. Wherefore, take heed of this, and all may be well; for this
presumptuousness is a very heinous thing in the eyes of God. ‘The
soul,’ saith he, ‘that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born
in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the Lord; and that
soul shall be cut off from among his people’ (Num 15:30).

The thoughts of this made David tremble, and pray that God would hold
him back from presumptuous sins, and not suffer them to have dominion
over him (Psa 19:13). Now, this presumption, then, puts itself in the
place of faith, when it tampereth with the promise for life, while the
soul is a stranger to repentance. Wherefore, you have in the text, to
prevent doing thus, both repentance and remission of sins to be offered
to Jerusalem; not remission without repentance, for all that repent not
shall perish, let them presume on grace and the promise while they will
(Luke 13:1-3).

Presumption, then, is that which severeth faith and repentance;
concluding that the soul shall be saved by grace, though the man was
never made sorry for his sins, nor the love of the heart turned
therefrom. This is to be self-willed, as Peter has it; and this is a
despising the Word of the Lord, for that has put repentance and faith
together (Mark 1:15). And ‘because he hath despised the Word of the
Lord, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut
off: his iniquity shall be upon him’ (Num 15:31). Let such, therefore,
look to it who yet are, and abide, in their sins; for such, if they
hope, as they are, to be saved, presume upon the grace of God.27
Wherefore, presumption and not hearkening to God’s Word are put
together (Deu 17:12).

Again, THEN men presume, when they are resolved to abide in their sins,
and yet expect to be saved by God’s grace through Christ. This is as
much as to say, God liketh of sin as well as I do, and careth not how
men live, if so be they lean upon his Son. Of this sort are they ‘that
build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity’; that ‘judge for
reward, and—teach for hire, and—divine for money, and lean upon the
Lord’ (Micah 3:10,11). This is doing things, with an high hand, against
the Lord our God, and a taking him, as it were, at the catch.28 This
is, as we say among men, to seek to put a trick upon God; as if he had
not sufficiently fortified his proposals of grace, by his holy Word,
against all such kind of fools as these. But look to it! Such will be
found at the day of God, not among that great company of Jerusalem
sinners that shall be saved by grace, but among those that have been
the great abusers of the grace of God in the world. Those that say, Let
us sin that grace may abound, and let us do evil that good may come,
their damnation is just. And if so, they are a great way off of that
salvation that is, by Jesus Christ, presented to the Jerusalem sinners.

I have, therefore, these things to propound to that Jerusalem sinner
that would know, if he may be so bold [as] to venture himself upon this
grace. 1. Dost thou see thy sins? 2. Art thou weary of them? 3. Wouldst
thou, with all thy heart, be saved by Jesus Christ? I dare say no less;
I dare say no more. But if it be truly thus with thee, how great soever
thy sins have been, how bad soever thou feelest thy heart, how far
soever thou art from thinking that God has mercy for thee, thou art the
man, the Jerusalem sinner, that the Word of God has conquered, and to
whom it offereth free remission of sins, by the redemption that is in
Jesus Christ.

When the jailor cried out, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ the
answer was, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be
saved.’ He that sees his sins aright, is brought to his wit’s end by
them; and he that is so, is willing to part from them, and to be saved
by the grace of God. If this be thy case, fear not, give no way to
despair; thou presumest not, if thou believest to life everlasting in
Jesus Christ; yea, Christ is prepared for such as thou art. Therefore,
take good courage, and believe. The design of Satan is, to tell the
presumptuous that their presuming on mercy is good; but to persuade the
believer, that his believing is impudent, bold dealing with God. I
never heard a presumptuous man, in my life, say that he was afraid that
he presumed; but I have heard many an honest humble soul say, that they
have been afraid that their faith has been presumption. Why should
Satan molest those whose ways he knows will bring them to him? And who
can think that he should be quiet, when men take the right course to
escape his hellish snares? This, therefore, is the reason why the truly
humbled is opposed, while the presumptuous goes on by wind and tide.
The truly humble, Satan hates; but he laughs to see the foolery of the
other.

Does thy hand and heart tremble? Upon thee the promise smiles. ‘To this
man will I look,’ says God, ‘even to him that is poor and of a contrite
spirit, and trembleth at my word’ (Isa 66:2). What, therefore, I have
said of presumption, concerns not the humble in spirit at all. I
therefore am for gathering up the stones, and for taking the
stumbling-blocks out of the way of God’s people; and forewarning of
them, that they lay the stumbling-block of their iniquity before their
faces; and [of those] that are for presuming upon God’s mercy; and let
them look to themselves (Eze 14:6-8).

Also, our text stands firm as ever it did, and our observation is still
of force, that Jesus Christ would have mercy offered, in the first
place, to the biggest sinners. So them, let none despair, let none
presume; let none despair that are sorry for their sins, and would be
saved by Jesus Christ; let none presume that abide in the liking of
their sins, though they seem to know the exceeding grace of Christ; for
though the door stands wide open for the reception of the penitent, yet
it is fast29 enough barred and bolted against the presumptuous sinner.
Be not deceived, God is not mocked; whatsoever a man sows, that he
shall reap. It cannot be that God should be wheedled out of his mercy,
or prevailed upon by lips of dissimulation; he knows them that trust on
him, and that sincerely come to him, by Christ, for mercy (Nahum 1:7).

It is, then, not the abundance of sins committed, but the not coming
heartily to God, by Christ, for mercy, that shuts men out of doors. And
though their not coming heartily may be said to be but a sin, yet it is
such a sin as causeth that all thy other sins abide upon thee
unforgiven. God complains of this. ‘They have not cried unto me with
their heart—they return, but not to the most High.’ They turned
‘feignedly’ (Jer 3:10; Hosea 7:14,16). Thus doing, his soul hates
[them]; but the penitent, humble, broken-hearted sinner, be his
transgressions red as scarlet, red like crimson, in number as the sand;
though his transgressions cry to heaven against him for vengeance, and
seem there to cry louder than do his prayers, or tears, or groans for
mercy; yet he is safe. To this man God will look (Isa 1:18; 66:2).

Seventh, Would Jesus Christ have mercy offered, in the first place, to
the biggest sinners? Then here is ground for those that, as to
practice, have not been such, to come to him for mercy.

Although there is no sin little of itself, because it is a
contradiction of the nature and majesty of God, yet we must admit of
divers numbers, and, also, of aggravations. Two sins are not so many as
three; nor are three that are done in ignorance so big as one that is
done against light, against knowledge and conscience. Also, there is
the child in sin, and a man in sin that has his hairs gray and his skin
wrinkled for very age. And we must put a difference betwixt these
sinners also; for can it be that a child of seven, or ten, or sixteen
years old, should be such a sinner—a sinner so vile in the eyes of the
law as he is who has walked according to the course of this world,
forty, fifty, sixty, or seventy years? Now, the youth, this stripling,
though he is a sinner, is but a little sinner, when compared with such.
Now, I say, if there be room for the first sort, for those of the
biggest size, certainly there is room for the lesser size. If there be
a door wide enough for a giant to go in at, there is certainly room for
a dwarf. If Christ Jesus has grace enough to save great sinners, he has
surely grace enough to save little ones. If he can forgive five hundred
pence, for certain he can forgive fifty (Luke 7:41,42).

But you said before, that the little sinners must stand by until the
great ones have received their grace, and that is discouraging! I
answer, there are two sorts of little sinners—such as are so, and such
as feign themselves so. There are those that feign themselves so, that
I intended there, and not those that are, indeed, comparatively so.
Such as feign themselves so, may wait long enough before they obtain
forgiveness.

But again, a sinner may be comparatively a little sinner, and sensibly
a great one. There are, then, two sorts of greatness in sin—greatness
by reason of number; greatness by reason of thoroughness of conviction
of the horrible nature of sin. In this last sense, he that has but one
sin, if such an one could be found, may, in his own eyes, find himself
the biggest sinner in the world. Let this man or this child, therefore,
put himself among the great sinners, and plead with God as great
sinners do, and expect to be saved with the great sinners, and as soon
and as heartily as they. Yea, a little sinner, that, comparatively, is
truly so, if he shall graciously give way to conviction, and shall, in
God’s light, diligently weigh the horrible nature of his own sin, may
yet sooner obtain forgiveness for them at the hands of the heavenly
Father, than he that has ten times his sins, and so cause to cry ten
times harder to God for mercy.

For the grievousness of the cry is a great thing with God; for if he
will hear the widow, if she cries at all, how much more if she cries
most grievously? (Exo 22:22,23). It is not the number, but the true
sense of the abominable nature of sin, that makes the cry for pardon
lamentable. 30 He, as I said, that has many sins, may not cry so loud
in the ears of God as he that has far fewer; he, in our present sense,
that is in his own eyes the biggest sinner, is he that soonest findeth
mercy. The offer, then, is to the biggest sinner; to the biggest sinner
first, and the mercy is first obtained by him that first confesseth
himself to be such an one.

There are men that strive at the throne of grace for mercy, by pleading
the greatness of their necessity. Now their plea, as to the prevalency
of it, lieth not in their counting up of the number, but in the sense
of the greatness of their sins, and in the vehemency of their cry for
pardon. And it is observable, that though the birthright was Reuben’s,
and, for his foolishness, given to the sons of Joseph, yet Judah
prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the Messiah (1 Chron
5:1,2). There is a heavenly subtilty to be managed in this matter. ‘Thy
brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing.’ The
blessing belonged to Esau, but Jacob by his diligence made it his own
(Gen 27:35). The offer is to the biggest sinner, to the biggest sinner
first; but if he forbear to cry, the sinner that is a sinner less by
far than he, both as to number and the nature of transgression, may get
the blessing first, if he shall have grace to bestir himself well; for
the loudest cry is heard furthest, and the most lamentable pierces
soonest.

I therefore urge this head, not because I would have little sinners go
and tell God that they are little sinners, thereby to think to obtain
his mercy; for, verily, so they are never like to have it; for such
words declare, that such an one hath no true sense at all of the nature
of his sins. Sin, as I said, in the nature of it, is horrible, though
it be but one single sin as to act; yea, though it be but a sinful
thought; and so worthily calls for the damnation of the soul. The
comparison, then, of little and great sinners, is to go for good sense
among men. But to plead the fewness of thy sins, or the comparative
harmlessness of their quantity before God, argueth no sound knowledge
of the nature of thy sin, and so no true sense of the nature or need of
mercy.

Little sinner! when therefore thou goest to God, though thou knowest in
thy conscience that thou, as to acts, art no thief, no murderer, no
whore, no liar, no false swearer, or the like, and in reason must needs
understand that thus thou art not so profanely vile as others; yet when
thou goest to God for mercy, know no man’s sins but thine own, make
mention of no man’s sins but thine own. Also labour not to lessen thy
own, but magnify and greaten them by all just circumstances, and be as
if there was never a sinner in the world but thyself. Also cry out, as
if thou wast but the only undone man; and that is the way to obtain
God’s mercy.

It is one of the comeliest sights in the world to see a little sinner
commenting upon the greatness of his sins, multiplying and multiplying
them to himself, till he makes them in his own eyes bigger and higher
than he seeth any other man’s sins to be in the world; and as base a
thing it is to see a man do otherwise, and as basely will come on it
(Luke 18:10-14). As, therefore, I said to the great sinner before, let
him take heed lest he presume; I say now to the little sinner, let him
take heed that he do not dissemble; for there is as great an aptness in
the little sinner to dissemble, as there is in the great one. ‘He that
hideth his sins shall not prosper,’31 be he a sinner little or great
(Prov 28:13).

Eighth, Would Jesus Christ have mercy offered, in the first place, to
the biggest sinners? Then this shows the true cause why Satan makes
such head as he doth against him.

The Father and the Holy Spirit are well spoken of by all deluders and
deceived persons; Christ only is the rock of offence. ‘Behold, I lay in
Zion a stumbling-stone and rock of offence’ (Rom 9:33). Not that Satan
careth for the Father or the Spirit more than he careth for the Son;
but he can let men alone with their notions of the Father and the
Spirit, for he knows they shall never enjoy the Father or the Spirit,
if indeed they receive not the merits of the Son. ‘He that hath the
Son, hath life; he that hath not the Son of God hath not life,’ however
they may boast themselves of the Father and the Spirit (1 John 5:12).
Again, ‘Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of
Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he
hath both the Father and the Son’ (2 John 9). Christ, and Christ only,
is he that can make us capable to enjoy God with life and joy to all
eternity. Hence he calls himself the way to the Father, the true and
living way (John 14:6). For we cannot come to the Father but by him
(Heb 10:19,20). Satan knows this, therefore he hates him. Deluded
persons are ignorant of this, and therefore, they are so led up and
down by Satan by the nose as they are.

There are many things by which Satan has taken occasion to greaten his
rage against Jesus Christ. As, first, His love to man, and then, the
many expressions of that love. He hath taken man’s nature upon him; he
hath in that nature fulfilled the law to bring in righteousness for
man; and hath spilt his blood for the reconciling of man to God; he
hath broke the neck of death, put away sin, destroyed the works of the
devil, and got into his own hands the keys of death; and all these are
heinous things to Satan. He cannot abide Christ for this. Besides, He
hath eternal life in himself, and that to bestow upon us; and we in all
likelihood are to possess the very places from which the Satans by
transgression fell, if not places more glorious. Wherefore he must
needs be angry. And is it not a vexatious thing to him, that we should
be admitted to the throne of grace by Christ, while he stands bound
over in chains of darkness, to answer for his rebellions against God
and his Son, at the terrible day of judgment. Yea, we poor dust and
ashes must become his judges, and triumph over him for ever: and all
this long32 of Jesus Christ; for he is the meritorious cause of all
this.

Now though Satan seeks to be revenged for this, yet he knows it is in
vain to attack the person of Christ; He [Christ] has overcome him;
therefore he [Satan] tampers with a company of silly men; that he may
vilify him by them. And they, bold fools as they are, will not spare to
spit in his face. They will rail at his person, and deny the very being
of it; they will rail at his blood, and deny the merit and worth of it.
They will deny the very end why he accomplished the law, and by jiggs,
and tricks, and quirks, which he helpeth them to, they set up fond
names and images in his place, and give the glory of a Saviour to them.
Thus Satan worketh under the name of Christ; and his ministers under
the name of the ministers of righteousness.

And by his wiles and stratagems he undoes a world of men; but there is
a seed, and they shall serve him, and it shall be counted to the Lord
for a generation. These shall see their sins, and that Christ is the
way to happiness. These shall venture themselves, both body and soul,
upon his worthiness. All this Satan knows, and therefore his rage is
kindled the more. Wherefore, according to his ability and allowance, he
assaulteth, tempteth, abuseth, and stirs up what he can to be hurtful
to these poor people, that he may, while his time shall last, make it
as hard and difficult for them to go to eternal glory as he can.
Ofttimes he abuses them with wrong apprehensions of God, and with wrong
apprehensions of Christ. He also casts them into the mire, to the
reproach of religion, the shame of their brethren, the derision of the
world, and dishonour of God. He holds our hands while the world buffets
us; he puts bear-skins upon us, and then sets the dogs at us. He
bedaubeth us with his own foam, and then tempts us to believe that that
bedaubing comes from ourselves.33

Oh! the rage and the roaring of this lion, and the hatred that he
manifests against the Lord Jesus, and against them that are purchased
with his blood! But yet, in the midst of all this, the Lord Jesus sends
forth his herald to proclaim in the nations his love to the world, and
to invite them to come in to him for life. Yea, his invitation is so
large, that it offereth his mercy in the first place to the biggest
sinners of every age, which augments the devil’s rage the more.
Wherefore, as I said before, fret he, fume he, the Lord Jesus will
‘divide the spoil’ with this great one; yea, he shall divide the spoil
with the strong, ‘because he hath poured out his soul unto death, and
he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors’ (Isa 53:12).

Ninth, Would Jesus Christ have mercy offered, in the first place, to
the biggest sinners? Let the tempted harp upon this string for their
help and consolation.

The tempted, wherever he dwells, always thinks himself the biggest
sinner, one most unworthy of eternal life. This is Satan’s master
argument; thou art a horrible sinner, a hypocrite, one that has a
profane heart, and one that is an utter stranger to a work of grace. I
say this is his maul, his club, 34 his masterpiece; he doth with this
as some do with their most enchanting songs, sings them everywhere. I
believe there are but few saints in the world that have not had this
temptation sounding in their ears. But were they but aware, Satan by
all this does but drive them to the gap out at which they should go,
and so escape his roaring. Saith he, thou art a great sinner, a
horrible sinner, a profane-hearted wretch, one that cannot be matched
for a vile one in the country. And all this while Christ says to his
ministers, offer mercy, in the first place, to the biggest sinners. So
that this temptation drives thee directly into the arms of Jesus
Christ.

Were therefore the tempted but aware, he might say, ‘Ay, Satan, so I
am, I am a sinner of the biggest size, and therefore have most need of
Jesus Christ; yea, because I am such a wretch, therefore Jesus Christ
calls me; yea, he calls me first; the first proffer of the gospel is to
be made to the Jerusalem sinner; I am he, wherefore stand back, Satan;
make a lane, my right is first to come to Jesus Christ.’ This now would
be like for like. This would foil the devil; this would make him say, I
must not deal with this man thus; for then I put a sword into his hand
to cut off my head.

And this is the meaning of Peter, when he saith, ‘Resist him steadfast
in the faith’ (1 Peter 5:9). And of Paul, when he saith, ‘Take the
shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery
darts of the wicked’ (Eph 6:16). Wherefore is it said, Begin at
Jerusalem, if the Jerusalem sinner is not to have the benefit of it?
And if I am to have the benefit of it, let me call it to mind when
Satan haunts me with continual remembrance of my sins, of my Jerusalem
sins. Satan and my conscience say I am the biggest sinner:—Christ
offereth mercy, in the first place, to the biggest sinners! Nor is the
manner of the offer other but such as suiteth with my mind. I am sorry
for my sin; yea, sorry at my heart that ever sinful thought did enter,
or find the least entertainment in my wicked mind: and might I obtain
my wish, I would never more that my heart should be a place for ought
but the grace, and spirit, and faith of the Lord Jesus. I speak not
this to lessen my wickedness; I would not for all the world but be
placed by mine own conscience in the very front of the biggest sinners,
that I might be one of the first that are beckoned, by the gracious
hand of Jesus the Saviour, to come to him for mercy.

Well, sinner, thou now speakest like a Christian; but say thus, in a
strong spirit, in the hour of temptation, and then thou wilt, to thy
commendation and comfort, quit thyself well. This improving of Christ,
in dark hours, is the life, though the hardest part of our
Christianity. We should neither stop at darkness nor at the raging of
our lusts, but go on in a way of venturing, and casting the whole of
our affairs for the next world at the foot of Jesus Christ. This is the
way to make the darkness light, and also to allay the raging of
corruption.

The first time the Passover was eaten was in the night; and when Israel
took courage to go forward, though the sea stood in their way like a
devouring gulf, and the host of the Egyptians follow them at the heels;
yet the sea gives place, and their enemies were as still as a stone
till they were gone over (Exo 12:8; 14:13,14,21,22; 15:16).

There is nothing like faith to help at a pinch; faith dissolves doubts
as the sun drives away the mists. And that you may not be put out, know
your time, as I said, of believing is always. There are times when some
graces may be out of use, but there is no time wherein faith can be
said to be so. Wherefore, faith must be always in exercise. Faith is
the eye, is the mouth, is the hand, and one of these is of use all day
long. Faith is to see, to receive, to work, or to eat; and a Christian
should be seeing, or receiving, or working, or feeding all day long.
Let it rain, let it blow, let it thunder, let it lighten, a Christian
must still believe. At ‘what time,’ said the good man, ‘I am afraid, I
will trust in thee’ (Psa 56:2,3).

Nor can we have a better encouragement to do this than is, by the text,
set before us; even an open heart for a Jerusalem sinner. And if for a
Jerusalem sinner to come, then for such an one when come. If for such
an one to be saved, then for such an one that is saved. If for such an
one to be pardoned his great transgressions, then for such an one who
is pardoned these to come daily to Jesus Christ too, to be cleansed and
set free from his common infirmities, and from the iniquities of his
holy things. Therefore, let the poor sinner that would be saved labour
for skill to make the best improvement of the grace of Christ to help
him against the temptations of the devil and his sins.

Tenth, Would Jesus Christ have mercy offered, in the first place, to
the biggest sinners? Let those men consider this that have, or may, in
a day of trial, spoken or done what their profession or conscience told
them they should not, and that have the guilt and burden thereof upon
their consciences.

Whether a thing be wrong or right, guilt may pursue him that doth
contrary to his conscience. But suppose a man should deny his God, or
his Christ, or relinquish a good profession, and be under the real
guilt thereof, shall he, therefore, conclude he is gone for ever? Let
him come again with Peter’s tears, and no doubt but he shall obtain
Peter’s forgiveness; for the text includes the biggest sinners. And it
is observable, that before this clause was put into this commission,
Peter was pardoned his horrible revolt from his Master. He that
revolteth in the day of trial, if he is not shot quite dead upon the
place, but is sensible of his wound, and calls out for a chirurgeon,
shall find his Lord at hand to pour wine and oil into his wounds, that
he may again be healed, and to encourage him to think that there may be
mercy for him; besides what we find recorded of Peter, you read in the
Acts, some were, through the violence of their trials, compelled to
blaspheme, and yet are called saints (Acts 26:9-11).

Hence you have a promise or two that speak concerning such kind of men,
to encourage us to think that, at least, some of them shall come back
to the Lord their God. ‘Shall they fall,’ saith he, ‘and not arise?
Shall he turn away, and not return?’ (Jer 8:4). ‘and in that day will I
assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out,
and her that I have afflicted. And I will make her that halted a
remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation; and the Lord
shall reign over them in Mount Zion—for ever.’ What we are to
understand by her that halteth, is best expressed by the prophet Elijah
(Micah 4:6,7; Zeph 3:19; 1 Kings 18:21).

I will conclude, then, that for them that have halted, or may halt, the
Lord has mercy in the bank,35 and is willing to accept them if they
return to him again. Perhaps they may never be after that of any great
esteem in the house of God, but if the Lord will admit them to favour
and forgiveness—O exceeding and undeserved mercy! (See Ezekiel
44:10-14). Thou, then, that mayest be the man, remember this, that
there is mercy also for thee. Return, therefore, to God, and to his
Son, who hath yet in store for thee, and who will do thee good.

But, perhaps, thou wilt say, He doth not save all revolters, and,
therefore, perhaps not me. Answer. Art thou returning to God? If thou
art returning, thou art the man; ‘Return, ye backsliding children, and
I will heal your backslidings’ (Jer 3:22).

Some, as I said, that revolt, are shot dead upon the place; and for
them, who can help them? But for them that cry out of their wounds it
is a sign that they are yet alive, and, if they use the means in time,
doubtless they may be healed.

Christ Jesus has bags of mercy that were never yet broken up or
unsealed. Hence it is said, he has goodness laid up; things reserved in
heaven for his. And if he breaks up one of these bags, who can tell
what he can do? Hence his love is said to be such as passeth knowledge,
and that his riches are unsearchable. He has, nobody knows what; for
nobody knows who! He has by him, in store, for such as seem, in the
view of all men, to be gone beyond recovery. For this, the text is
plain. What man or angel could have thought that the Jerusalem sinners
had been yet on this side of an impossibility of enjoying life and
mercy? Hadst thou seen their actions, and what horrible things they did
to the Son of God; yea, how stoutly they backed what they did with
resolves and endeavours to persevere, when they had killed his person,
against his name and doctrine; and that there was not found among them
all that while, as we read of, the least remorse or regret for these
their doings; couldest though have imagined that mercy would ever have
took hold of them, at least so soon! Nay, that they should, of all the
world, be counted those only meet to have it offered to them in the
very first place! For so my text commands, saying, Preach repentance
and remission of sins among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

I tell you the thing is a wonder, and must for ever stand for a wonder
among the sons of men. It stands, also, for an everlasting invitation
and allurement to the biggest sinners to come to Christ for mercy. Now
since, in the opinion of all men, the revolter is such an one; if he
has, as I said before, any life in him, let him take encouragement to
come again, that he may live by Christ.

Eleventh, Would Jesus Christ have mercy offered, in the first place, to
the biggest sinners? Then let God’s ministers tell them so. There is an
incidence36 in us, I know not how it doth come about, when we are
converted, to contemn them that are left behind. Poor fools as we are,
we forget that we ourselves were so (Titus 3:2,3).

But would it not become us better, since we have tasted that the Lord
is gracious, to carry it towards them so, that we may give them
convincing ground to believe that we have found that mercy which also
sets open the door for them to come and partake with us. Ministers, I
say, should do thus, both by their doctrine, and in all other respects.
Austerity doth not become us, neither in doctrine nor in
conversation.37 We ourselves live by grace; let us give as we receive,
and labour to persuade our fellow-sinners, which God has left behind
us, to follow after, that they may partake with us of grace. We are
saved by grace; let us live like them that are gracious. Let all our
things, to the world, be done in charity towards them; pity them, pray
for them, be familiar with them, for their good. Let us lay aside our
foolish, worldly, carnal grandeur; let us not walk the streets, and
have such behaviours as signify we are scarce for touching of the poor
ones that are left behind; no, not with a pair of tongs. It becomes not
ministers thus to do.

[A gentle reproof.]

Remember your Lord, he was familiar with publicans and sinners to a
proverb: ‘Behold a man gluttonous, and a wine-bibber, a friend of
publicans and sinners’ (Matt 11:19). The first part, concerning his
gluttonous eating and drinking, to be sure, was an horrible slander;
but for the other, nothing was ever spoke truer of him by the world.
Now, why should we lay hands cross on this text; that is, choose good
victuals, and love the sweet wine better than the salvation of the poor
publican? Why not familiar with sinners, provided we hate their spots
and blemishes, and seek that they may be healed of them? Why not
fellowly with our carnal neighbours? If we do take occasion to do so,
that we may drop, and be yet distilling some good doctrine upon their
souls? Why not go to the poor man’s house, and give him a penny, and a
Scripture to think upon? Why not send for the poor to fetch away, at
least, the fragments of thy table, that the bowels of thy fellow-sinner
may be refreshed as well as thine?

Ministers should be exemplary; but I am an inferior man, and must take
heed of too much meddling. But might I, I would meddle with them, with
their wives, and with their children too. I mean not this of all, but
of them that deserve it, though I may not name them. But, I say, let
ministers follow the steps of their blessed Lord, who, by word and
deed, showed his love to the salvation of the world, in such a carriage
as declared him to prefer their salvation before his own private
concern. For we are commanded to follow his steps, ‘who did no sin,
neither was guile found in his mouth.’

And as I have said concerning ministers, so I say to all the brethren,
Carry it so, that all the world may see, that indeed you are the sons
of love. Love your Saviour; yea, show one to another that you love him,
not only by a seeming love of affection, but with the love of duty.
Practical love is best.38 Many love Christ with nothing but the lick of
the tongue. Alas! Christ Jesus the Lord must not be put off thus; ‘He
that hath my commandments, and keepeth them,’ saith he, ‘he it is that
loveth me’ (John 14:21). Practical love, which stands in self-denial,
in charity to my neighbour, and a patient enduring of affliction for
his name; this is counted love. Right love to Christ is that which
carries in it a provoking argument to others of the brethren (Heb
10:24). Should a man ask me how he should know that he loveth the
children of God? the best answer I could give him, would be in the
words of the apostle John; ‘By this,’ saith he, ‘we know that we love
the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments’ (1
John 5:2). Love to God and Christ is then shown, when we are tender of
his name; and then we show ourselves tender of his name, when we are
afraid to break any, the least of his commandments. And when we are
here, then do we show our love to our brother also.

[The Conclusion.]

Now, we have obligation sufficient thus to do, for that our Lord loved
us, and gave himself for us, to deliver us from death, that we might
live through him. The world, when they hear the doctrine that I have
asserted and handled in this little book; to wit, that Jesus Christ
would have mercy offered, in the first place, to the biggest sinners,
will be apt, because themselves are unbelievers, to think that this is
a doctrine that leads to looseness, and that gives liberty to the
flesh; but if you that believe love your brethren and your neighbours
truly, and as you should, you will put to silence the ignorance of such
foolish men, and stop their mouths from speaking evil of you. And, I
say, let the love of Christ constrain us to this. Who deserveth our
heart, our mouth, our life, our goods, so much as Jesus Christ, who has
bought us to himself by his blood, to this very end, that we should be
a peculiar people, zealous of good works?

There is nothing more seemly in the world than to see a Christian walk
as becomes the gospel; nor anything more unbecoming a reasonable
creature, than to hear a man say, ‘I believe in Christ,’ and yet see in
his life debauchery and profaneness. Might I, such men should be
counted the basest of men; such men should be counted by all unworthy
of the name of a Christian, and should be shunned by every good man, as
such who are the very plague of profession. For so it is written, we
should carry it towards them. Whoso have a form of godliness, and deny
the power thereof, from such we must turn away.

It has ofttimes come into my mind to ask, By what means it is that the
gospel profession should be so tainted39 with loose and carnal
gospellers? and I could never arrive to better satisfaction in the
matter than this—such men are made professors by the devil, and so by
him put among the rest of the godly. A certain man had a fruitless fig
tree planted in his vineyard; but by whom was it planted there? even by
him that sowed the tares, his own children, among the wheat (Luke 13:6;
Matt 13:37-40). And that was the devil. But why doth the devil do thus?
Not of love to them, but to make of them offences and stumbling-blocks
to others. For he knows that a loose professor in the church does more
mischief to religion than ten can do to it that are in the world. Was
it not, think you, the devil that stirred up the damsel that you read
of in Acts 16 to cry out, ‘These men are the servants of the most high
God, which show unto us the way of salvation?’ Yes it was, as is
evident, for Paul was grieved to hear it. But why did the devil stir up
her to cry so, but because that was the way to blemish the gospel, and
to make the world think that it came from the same hand as did her
soothsaying and witchery? (verse 16-18). ‘Holiness, O Lord, becomes thy
house for ever.’ Let, therefore, whoever they be that profess the name
of Christ, take heed that they scandal not that profession which they
make of him, since he has so graciously offered us, as we are sinners
of the biggest size, in the first place, his grace to save us.

[Answers to Objections.]

Having thus far spoken of the riches of the grace of Christ, and of the
freeness of his heart to embrace the Jerusalem sinners, it may not be
amiss to give you yet, as a caution, an intimation of one thing,
namely, that this grace and freeness of his heart, is limited to time
and day; the which, whoso overstandeth, shall perish notwithstanding.
For, as a king, who, of grace, sendeth out to his rebellious people an
offer of pardon, if they accept thereof by such a day, yet beheadeth or
hangeth those that come not in for mercy until the day or time be past;
so Christ Jesus has set the sinner a day, a day of salvation, an
acceptable time; but he who standeth out, or goeth on in rebellion
beyond that time, is like to come off with the loss of his soul (2 Cor
6:2; Heb 3:13-19; 4:7; Luke 19:41,42). Since, therefore, things are
thus, it may be convenient here to touch a little upon these
particulars.

First, That this day, or time thus limited, when it is considered with
reference to this or that man, is ofttimes undiscerned by the person
concerned therein, and always is kept secret as to the shutting up
thereof.

And this, in the wisdom of God is thus, to the end no man, when called
upon, should put off turning to God to another time. Now, and TODAY, is
that and only that which is revealed in holy Writ (Psa 50:22; Eccl
12:1; Heb 3:13,15). And this shows us the desperate hazards which those
men run, who, when invitation or conviction attends them, put off
turning to God to be saved till another, and, as they think, a more fit
season and time. For many, by so doing, defer this to do till the day
of God’s patience and long-suffering is ended; and then, for their
prayers and cries after mercy, they receive nothing but mocks, and are
laughed at by the God of heaven (Prov 1:20-30; Isa 65:12-16; 66:4; Zech
7:11-13).

Secondly, Another thing to be considered is this, namely, That the day
of God’s grace with some men begins sooner, and also sooner ends, than
it doth with others. Those at the first hour of the day, had their call
sooner than they who were called upon to turn to God at the sixth hour
of the day; yea, and they who were hired at the third hour, had their
call sooner than they who were called at the eleventh (Matt 20:1-6).

1. The day of God’s patience began with Ishmael, and also ended before
he was twenty years old. At thirteen years of age he was circumcised;
the next year after, Isaac was born; and then Ishmael was fourteen
years old. Now, that day that Isaac was weaned, that day was Ishmael
rejected; and suppose that Isaac was three years old before he was
weaned, that was but the seventeenth year of Ishmael; wherefore the day
of God’s grace was ended with him betimes (Gen 17:25; 21:2-11; Gal
4:30).

2. Cain’s day ended with him betimes; for, after God had rejected him,
he lived to beget many children, and build a city, and to do many other
things. But, alas! all that while he was a fugitive and a vagabond. Nor
carried he anything with him after the day of his rejection was come,
but this doleful language in his conscience. ‘From God’s face shall I
be hid’ (Gen 4:10-15).

3. Esau, through his extravagancies, would needs go sell his
birthright, not fearing, as other confident fools, but that yet the
blessing would still be his. After which, he lived many years; but all
of them under the wrath of God, as was, when time came, made to appear
to his destruction; for, ‘when he would have inherited the blessing, he
was rejected, for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it
carefully with tears’ (Heb 12:16,17).

Many instances might be given as to such tokens of the displeasure of
God against such as fool away, as the wise man has it, the prize which
is put into their hand (Prov 17:16).

Let these things, therefore, be a further caution to those that sit
under the glorious sound of the gospel, and hear of the riches of the
grace of God in Christ to poor sinners. To slight grace, to despise
mercy, and to stop the ear when God speaks, when he speaks such great
things, so much to our profit, is a great provocation. He offereth, he
calls, he woos, he invites, he prays, he beseeches us in this day of
his grace to be reconciled to him; yea, and has provided for us the
means of reconciliation himself. Now, this despised must needs be
provoking; and it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the
living God.

Objection. But some man may say unto me, ‘Fain I would be saved, fain I
would be saved by Christ; but I fear this day of grace is past, and
that I shall perish, notwithstanding the exceeding riches of the grace
of God.’

Answer. To this doubt I would answer several things. 1. With respect to
this day. 2. With respect to thy desires. 3. With respect to thy fears.

1. With respect to this day; that is, whether it be ended with a man or
no.

(1.) Art thou jogged, and shaken, and molested at the hearing of the
Word? Is thy conscience awakened and convinced then, that thou art at
present in a perishing state, and that thou hast need to cry to God for
mercy? This is a hopeful sign that this day of grace is not past with
thee. For, usually, they that are past grace, are also, in their
conscience, ‘past feeling,’ b eing ‘seared with a hot iron’ (Eph
4:18,19; 1 Tim 4:1,2). Consequently, those past grace must be such as
are denied the awakening fruits of the Word preached. The dead that
hear, says Christ, shall live; at least wise,40 Christ has not quite
done with them; the day of God’s patience is not at an end with them
(John 5:25).

(2.) Is there, in thy more retired condition, arguings, strugglings,
and strivings with thy spirit to persuade thee of the vanity of what
vain things thou lovest, and to win thee in thy soul to a choice of
Christ Jesus and his heavenly things? Take heed and rebel not, for the
day of God’s grace and patience will not be past with thee till he
saith, his ‘Spirit shall strive no more’ with thee; for then the woe
comes, when he shall depart from them; and when he says to the means of
grace, Let them alone (Hosea 4:17; 9:12).

(3.) Art thou visited in the night seasons with dreams about thy state,
and that thou art in danger of being lost? Hast thou heart-shaken
apprehensions when deep sleep is upon thee, of hell, death, and
judgment to come? These are signs that God has not wholly left thee, or
cast thee behind his back for ever. ‘For God speaketh once, yea twice,
yet man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when
deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; then he
openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction, that he may
withdraw man from his purpose,’ his sinful purposes, ‘and hide pride
from man’ (Job 33:14-17). All this while God has not left the sinner,
nor is come to the end of his patience towards him, but stands, at
least, with the door of grace ajar in his hand, as being loath, as yet,
to bolt it against him.

(4.) Art thou followed with affliction, and dost thou hear God’s angry
voice in thy afflictions? Doth he send with the affliction an
interpreter, to show thee thy vileness; and why, or wherefore, that
hand of God is upon thee, and upon what thou hast; to wit, that it is
for thy sinning against him, and that thou mightest be turned to him?
If so, thy summer is not quite ended; thy harvest is not yet quite over
and gone. Take heed, stand out no longer, lest he cause darkness, and
lest thy feet stumble upon the dark mountains; and lest, while you look
for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross
darkness (Jer 8:20; 13:15-17).

(5.) Art thou crossed, disappointed, and waylaid, and overthrown in all
thy foolish ways and doings? This is a sign God has not quite left
thee, but that he still waits upon thee to turn thee. Consider, I say,
has he made a hedge and a wall to stop thee? Has he crossed thee in all
thou puttest thy hand unto? Take it as a call to turn to him; for, by
his thus doing, he shows he has a mind to give thee a better portion.
For usually, when God gives up men, and resolves to let them alone in
the broad way, he gives them rope, and lets them have their desires in
all hurtful things (Hosea 2:6-15; Psa 73:3-13; Rom 11:9). Therefore
take heed to this also, that thou strive not against this hand of God;
but betake thyself to a serious inquiry into the causes of this hand of
God upon thee, and incline to think, it is because the Lord would have
thee look to that, which is better than what thou wouldst satisfy
thyself withal. When God had a mind to make the prodigal go home to his
father, he sent a famine upon him, and denied him a bellyful of the
husks which the swine did eat. And observe it, now he was in a strait,
he betook him to consideration of the good that there was in his
father’s house; yea, he resolved to go home to his father, and his
father dealt well with him; he received him with music and dancing,
because he had received him safe and sound (Luke 15:14-32).

(6.) Hast thou any enticing touches of the Word of God upon thy mind?
Doth, as it were, some holy word of God give a glance upon thee, cast a
smile upon thee, let fall, though it be but one drop of its savour upon
thy spirit; yea, though it stays but one moment with thee? O then the
day of grace is not past! The gate of heaven is not shut! nor God’s
heart and bowels withdrawn from thee as yet. Take heed, therefore, and
beware that thou make much of the heavenly gift, and of that good word
of God of the which he has made thee taste. Beware, I say, and take
heed; there may be a falling away for all this; but, I say, as yet God
has not left thee, as yet he has not cast thee off (Heb 6:1-9).

2. With respect to thy desires, what are they? Wouldst thou be saved?
Wouldst thou be saved with a thorough salvation? Wouldst thou be saved
from guilt and filth too? Wouldst thou be the servant of thy Saviour?
Art thou indeed weary of the service of thy old master the devil, sin,
and the world? And have these desires put thy soul to the flight? Hast
thou, through desires, betaken thyself to thy heels? Dost fly to him
that is a Saviour from the wrath to come, for life? If these be thy
desires, and if they be unfeigned, fear not! Thou are one of those
runaways which God has commanded our Lord to receive, and not to send
thee back to the devil thy master again, but to give thee a place in
his house, even the place which liketh thee best. ‘Thou shalt not
deliver unto his master,’ says he, ‘the servant which is escaped from
his master unto thee. He shall dwell with thee, even among you, in that
place which he shall choose in one of thy gates, where it liketh him
best: thou shalt not oppress him’ (Deu 23:15,16).

This is a command to the church, consequently to the Head of the
church; for all commands from God come to her through her Head. Whence
I conclude, that as Israel of old was to receive the runaway servant
who escaped from a heathen master to them, and should not dare to send
him back to his master again; so Christ’s church now, and consequently
Christ himself, may not, will not, refuse that soul that has made his
escape from sin, Satan, the world, and hell, unto him, but will
certainly let him dwell in his house, among his saints, in that place
which he shall choose, even where it liketh him best. For he says, in
another place, ‘And him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out.’
In no wise, let his crimes be what they will, either for nature,
multitude, or the attendance of aggravating circumstances. Wherefore,
if thy desires be firm, sound, and unfeigned to become the saved of
Christ, and his servant, fear not, he will not, he will in no wise put
thee away, or turn thee over to thy old master again.

3. As to thy fears, whatever they are, let that be supposed which is
supposed before, and they are groundless, and so of no weight.

Objection. But I am afraid I am not [of the] elect, or chosen to
salvation, though you called me fool a little before for so fearing.

Answer. Though election is, in order, before calling, as to God, yet
the knowledge of calling must go before the belief of my election, as
to myself. Wherefore, souls that doubt of the truth of their effectual
calling, do but plunge themselves into a deeper labyrinth of confusion
that concern themselves with their election; I mean, while they labour
to know it before they prove their calling. ‘Make your calling, and so
your election sure’ (2 Peter 1:4-10).

Wherefore, at present, lay the thoughts of thy election by, and ask
thyself these questions: Do I see my lost condition? Do I see salvation
is nowhere but in Christ? Would I share in this salvation by faith in
him? And would I, as was said before, be thoroughly saved, to wit, from
the filth as from the guilt? Do I love Christ, his Father, his saints,
his words, and ways? This is the way to prove we are elect. Wherefore,
sinner, when Satan, or thine own heart, seeks to puzzle thee with
election, say thou, I cannot attend to talk of this point now, but stay
till I know that I am called of God to the fellowship of his Son, and
then I will show you that I am elect, and that my name is written in
the book of life.

If poor distressed souls would observe this order, they might save
themselves the trouble of an unprofitable labour under these
unseasonable and soul-sinking doubts. 41

Let us, therefore, upon the sight of our wretchedness, fly and
venturously leap into the arms of Christ, which are now as open to
receive us into his bosom as they were when nailed to the cross. This
is coming to Christ for life aright; this is right running away from
thy [old] master to him, as was said before. And for this we have
multitudes of Scriptures to support, encourage, and comfort us in our
so doing.

But now, let him that doth thus be sure to look for it, for Satan will
be with him tomorrow, to see if he can get him again to his old
service; and if he cannot do that, then will he enter into dispute with
him, to wit, about whether he be elect to life, and called indeed to
partake of this Christ, to whom he is fled for succour, or whether he
comes to him of his own presumptuous mind. Therefore we are bid, as to
come, so to arm ourselves with that armour which God has provided; that
we may resist, quench, stand against, and withstand all the fiery darts
of the devil (Eph 6:11-18). If, therefore, thou findest Satan in this
order to march against thee, remember that thou hadst this item about
it; and betake thyself to faith and good courage, and be sober, and
hope to the end.

Objection. But how if I should have sinned the sin unpardonable, or
that called the sin against the Holy Ghost?

Answer. If thou hast, thou art lost for ever; but yet before it is
concluded by thee that thou hast so sinned, know that they that would
be saved by Jesus Christ, through faith in his blood, cannot be counted
for such.

1. Because of the promise, for that must not be frustrate: and that
says, ‘And him that cometh to Christ, he will in no wise cast out.’ And
again, ‘Whoso will, let him take of the water of life freely’ (John
6:37; Rev 21:6; 22:17).

But, I say, how can these Scriptures be fulfilled, if he that would
indeed be saved, as before said, has sinned the sin unpardonable? The
Scripture must not be made void, nor their truth be cast to the ground.
Here is a promise, and here is a sinner; a promise that says he shall
not be cast out that comes; and the sinner comes, wherefore he must be
received: consequently, he that comes to Christ for life, has not,
cannot have sinned that sin for which there is no forgiveness. And this
might suffice for an answer to any coming soul, that fears, though he
comes, that he has sinned the sin against the Holy Ghost.

2. But, again, he that has sinned the sin against the Holy Ghost cannot
come, has no heart to come, can by no means be made willing to come to
Jesus Christ for life; for that he has received such an opinion of him,
and of his things, as deters and holds him back.

(1.) He counteth this blessed person, this Son of God, a magician, a
conjuror, a witch, or one that did, when he was in the world, what he
did, by the power and spirit of the devil (Matt 9:34; 12:24,25,&c.;
Mark 3:22-30). Now he that has this opinion of this Jesus, cannot be
willing to cast himself at his feet for life, or to come to him as the
only way to God and to salvation. And hence it is said again, that such
an one puts him to open shame, and treadeth him under foot; that is, by
contemning, reproaching, vilifying, and despising of him, as if he were
the vilest one, or the greatest cheat in the world; and has, therefore,
as to his esteem of him, called him accursed, crucified him to himself,
or counted him one hanged, as one of the worst of malefactors (Heb 6:6;
10:29; 1 Cor 12:3).

(2.) His blood, which is the meritorious cause of man’s redemption,
even the blood of the everlasting covenant, he counteth ‘an unholy
thing,’ or that which has no more virtue in it to save a soul from sin
than has the blood of a dog (Heb 10:29).42 For when the apostle says,
‘he counts it an unholy thing,’ he means, he makes it of less value
than that of a sheep or cow, which were clean according to the law;
and, therefore, must mean, that his blood was of no more worth to him,
in his account, than was the blood of a dog, an ass, or a swine, which
always was, as to sacrifices, rejected by the God of heaven, as unholy
or unclean. Now he who has no better esteem of Jesus Christ, and of his
death and blood, will not be persuaded to come to him for life, or to
trust in him for salvation.

(3.) But further, all this must be done against manifest tokens to
prove the contrary, or after the shining of gospel light upon the soul,
or some considerable profession of him as the Messiah, or that he was
the Saviour of the world.

(a.) It must be done against manifest tokens to prove the contrary; and
thus the reprobate Jews committed it when they saw the works of God,
which put forth themselves in him, and called them the works of the
devil and Beelzebub.

(b.) It must be done against some shining light of the gospel upon
them. And thus it was with Judas, and with those who, after they were
enlightened, and had tasted, and had felt something of the powers of
the world to come, fell away from the faith of him, and put him to open
shame and disgrace (Heb 6:5,6).

(c.) It must also be done after, and in opposition to one’s own open
profession of him. For if, after they have escaped the pollution of the
world, through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they
are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with
them than the beginning; for it had been better for them not to have
know the way of righteousness, than after they have known it, to turn
from the holy commandment, which is the word of faith delivered unto
them.

(d.) All this must be done openly, before witnesses, in the face,
sight, and view of the world, by word and act. This is the sin that is
unpardonable; and he that hath thus done, can never, it is impossible
he ever should, be renewed again to repentance, and that for a double
reason; first, such an one doth say, he will not; and [second] of him
God says, he shall not have the benefit of salvation by him.

Objection. But if this be the sin unpardonable, why is it called the
sin against the Holy Ghost, and not rather the sin against the Son of
God?

Answer. It is called ‘the sin against the Holy Ghost,’ because such
count the works he did, which were done by the Spirit of God, the works
of the spirit of the devil. Also because all such as so reject Christ
Jesus the Lord, they do it in despite of that testimony which the Holy
Ghost has given of him in the holy Scriptures; for the Scriptures are
the breathings of the Holy Ghost, as in all other things, so in that
testimony they bear of the person, of the works, sufferings,
resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ.

Sinner, this is the sin against the Holy Ghost. What sayest thou? Hast
thou committed it? Nay, I know thou hast not, if thou wouldst be saved
by Christ. Yea, it is impossible that thou shouldst have done it, if
indeed thou wouldst be saved by him. No man can desire to be saved by
him, who he yet judgeth to be an impostor, a magician, a witch. No man
can hope for redemption by that blood which he yet counteth an unholy
thing. Nor will God ever suffer such an one to repent, who has, after
light and profession of him, thus horribly, and devil-like, contemned
and trampled upon him.

True, words, and wars, and blasphemies, against this Son of man, are
pardonable; but then they must be done ‘ignorantly, and in unbelief.’
Also, all blasphemous thoughts are likewise such as may be passed by,
if the soul afflicted with them, indeed is sorry for them (1 Tim
1:13-15; Mark 3:28).

All but this, sinner, all but this! If God had said, he will forgive
one sin, it had been undeserved grace; but when he says he will pardon
all but one, this is grace to the height. Nor is that one unpardonable
otherwise, but because the Saviour that should save them is rejected
and put away. Jacob’s ladder; Christ is Jacob’s ladder that reacheth up
to heaven; and he that refuseth to go by this ladder thither, will
scarce by other means get up so high. There is none other name given
under heaven, among men, whereby we must be saved. There is none other
sacrifice for sin than this; he also, and he only, is the Mediator that
reconcileth men to God. And, sinner, if thou wouldst be saved by him,
his benefits are thine; yea, though thou art a great and Jerusalem
transgressor.43

FOOTNOTES:

1 Having preached many times, and from various texts, upon this
subject, the whole substance of many sermons is here published.—Ed.

2 The Jews, and their sacred city, are standing monuments of God’s
dreadful vengeance against unbelief in rejecting the Lord Christ, in
whom alone is salvation. The Lord give us grace to prize and improve
gospel privileges, lest we also be cut off, through unbelief.—Mason.

3 The higher a people rise under the means, the lower will be their
fall if they slight them. O highly-favoured England! Tyre and Sidon,
Sodom and Gomorrah, will have a milder hell than thy carnal,
hypocritical, Christless children.—Mason.

4 All the objections are on the sinner’s side, through unbelief. Christ
answers them all in one word, ‘Whosoever will, let him come and take of
the water of life freely’; and, ‘Whosoever cometh, I will in no wise
cast out.’ Lord, put forth thy power, and give the will.—Mason.

5 In this quotation, Bunyan has followed the reading in the Genevan or
Puritan version.—Ed.

6 An arrow, dipped in the blood of Jesus, will subdue the most obdurate
heart it reaches, even those bitter enemies to Christ, the
priests.—Mason.

7 This quotation is from the Genevan or Puritan version—Ed.

8 ‘Death was swallowing of them down.’ How very striking and full of
truth is this expression! For, in proportion as the sinner violates the
Divine law, so he rushes into the jaws of death and destruction.
Obedience to the Divine law preserves health, bestows happiness, and
prolongs life.—Ed.

9 ‘Rowl in his bowels’; intense affection: see Philemon 12.—Ed.

10 ‘Wheals’; pimples, or small swellings filled with matter.—Ed.

11 ‘As physicians do’ can now hardly be understood. In Bunyan’s days,
all physicians put forth their bills of ‘wonderful cures.’—Ed.

12 ‘Hedge-creepers’; footpads.—Ed.

13 O sinner, beseech the Lord to enable you to welcome the grace that
is welcoming you; then you shall find it, in the Lord’s time, that you
shall be made as kindly welcome as ever a sinner was that is now a
glorified saint.—Mason.

14 This idea is most ingeniously and admirably displayed in Bunyan’s
beautiful allegory, ‘The Holy War.’—Ed.

15 ‘A muse’; deep thought. Vulgo` vocatum, ‘a brown study.’ Bunyan used
this word in the same sense in the first edition of ‘The Pilgrim’s
Progress,’ at the Interpreter’s house: ‘Now was Christian somewhat in a
muse.’ It was afterwards altered, but not improved, by substituting the
words, ‘in a maze.’—Ed.

16 Among all the wondrous sights that angels witness, one gives them
peculiar joy—it is the poor penitent prodigal returning to God, Luke
15:10.—Ed.

17 This was printed in the first edition, ‘the biggest sin.’—Ed.

18 How strongly does this dialogue bring to our recollection that
between Christian and Apollyon in the ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress?’—Ed.

19 ‘I stunck,’ in the original edition, probably meant, ‘I stuck’; but
all the later editions have, ‘I stunk.’—Ed.

20 ‘Clouts’; patches, Joshua 9:5

21 I cannot discover in what book Bunyan read this legend; it is not in
the “Golden Legend,” or any of my monkish authors. It was a generally
received opinion, among the ancients, that Mary Magdalene was sister to
Lazarus; but the means of her conversion is not known. The story here
related is possible, and even probable; but it has no foundation in the
inspired writings, nor in ancient authors.—Ed.

22 Thus Zaccheus said: ‘Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to
the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man, by false
accusation, I restore fourfold.’ The law of God requires us,
dim-sighted as we are, to see our sins in their real magnitude, but the
perversity of man turns the telescope to diminish them.—Ed.

23 ‘The friends thereof in their reason’ were the words used in the
first three editions by Bunyan. After his decease, they were altered,
in 1697, in a second third edition, and this correction has been
continued in every subsequent impression.—Ed.