is of a thawing nature; it will loose the heart that is frozen up in sin;
yea, it will make the unwilling willing to come to Jesus Christ for life.
Wherefore, do you think, was it that Jesus Christ told the adulterous
woman, and that before so many sinners, that he had not condemned her,
but to allure her, with them there present, to hope to find favour at his
hands? (As he also saith in another place, “I came not to judge, but to
save the world.”) For might they not thence most rationally conclude,
that if Jesus Christ had rather save than damn an harlot, there was
encouragement for them to come to him for mercy.
I heard once a story from a soldier, who with his company had laid siege
against a fort, that so long as the besieged were persuaded their foes
would shew them no favour, they fought like madmen; but when they saw one
of their fellows taken, and received to favour, they all came tumbling
down from their fortress, and delivered themselves into their enemies’
hands.
I am persuaded, did men believe that there is that grace and willingness
in the heart of Christ to save sinners, as the word imports there is,
they would come tumbling into his arms: but Satan has blinded their
minds, that they cannot see this thing. Howbeit, the Lord Jesus has, as
I said, that others might take heart and come to him, given out a
commandment, that mercy should in the first place be offered to the
biggest sinners. “Begin,” saith he, “at Jerusalem.” And thus I end the
third reason.
_Fourthly_, Jesus Christ would have mercy offered in the first place to
the biggest sinners, because that is the way, if they receive it, most to
weaken the kingdom of Satan, and to keep it lowest in every age of the
world. The biggest sinners, they are Satan’s colonels and captains, the
leaders of his people, and they that most stoutly make head against the
Son of God. Wherefore let these first be conquered, and his kingdom will
be weak. When Ishbosheth had lost his Abner, his kingdom was made weak:
nor did he sit but tottering then upon his throne. So when Satan loseth
his strong men, them that are mighty to work iniquity, and dexterous to
manage others in the same, then is his kingdom weak; 2 Sam. iii.
Therefore, I say, Christ doth offer mercy in the first place to such, the
more to weaken his kingdom. Christ Jesus was glad to see Satan fall like
lightning from heaven, that is, suddenly or head long; and it was,
surely, by casting of him out of strong possessions, and by recovering of
some notorious sinners out of his clutches; Luke x. 17–19.
Samson, when he would pull down the Philistines temple, took hold of the
two main pillars of it, and breaking them, down came the house. Christ
came to destroy the works of the devil, and to destroy by converting
grace, as well as by redeeming blood. Now sin swarms, and lieth by
legions, and whole armies, in the souls of the biggest sinners, as in
garrisons: wherefore the way, the most direct way to destroy it, is first
to deal with such sinners by the word of his gospel, and by the merits of
his passion.
For example, though I shall give you but a homely one: suppose a family
to be troubled with vermin, and one or two of the family to be in chief
the breeders, the way, the quickest way to clear that family, or at least
to weaken the so swarming of those vermin, is, in the first place, to
sweeten the skin, head, and clothes of the chief breeders; and then,
though all the family should be apt to breed them, the number of them,
and so the greatness of that plague there, will be the more impaired.
Why, there are some people that are in chief the devil’s sin-breeders in
the towns and places where they live. The place, town, or family where
they live, must needs be horribly verminous, as it were, eaten up with
vermin. Now, let the Lord Jesus, in the first place, cleanse these great
breeders, and there will be given a nip to those swarms of sins that used
to be committed in such places throughout the town, house, or family,
where such sin-breeding persons used to be.
I speak by experience: I was one of these verminous ones, one of these
great sin-breeders; I infected all the youth of the town where I was
born, with all manner of youthful vanities. The neighbours counted me
so; my practice proved me so: wherefore Christ Jesus took me first, and
taking me first, the contagion was much allayed all the town over. When
God made me sigh, they would hearken, and enquiringly say, What is the
matter with John? They also gave their various opinions of me: but, as I
said, sin cooled, and failed, as to his full career. When I went out to
seek the bread of life, some of them would follow, and the rest be put
into a muse at home. Yea, almost the town, at first, at times would go
out to hear at the place where I found good; yea, young and old for a
while had some reformation on them; also some of them, perceiving that
God had mercy upon me, came crying to him for mercy too.
But what need I give you an instance of poor I; I will come to Manasseh
the king. So long as he was a ring-leading sinner, the great idolater,
the chief for devilism, the whole land flowed with wickedness; for he
“made them to sin,” and do worse than the heathen that dwelt round about
them, or that was cast out from before them: but when God converted him,
the whole land was reformed. Down went the groves, the idols, and altars
of Baal, and up went true religion in much of the power and purity of it.
You will say, The king reformed by power. I answer, doubtless, and by
example too; for people observe their leaders; as their fathers did, so
did they; 2 Chron. xxxiii. 2.
This, therefore, is another reason why Jesus would have mercy offered in
the first place to the biggest sinners, because that is the best way, if
they receive it, most to weaken the kingdom of Satan, and to keep it poor
and low.
And do you not think now, that if God would but take hold of the hearts
of some of the most notorious in your town, in your family, or country,
that this thing would be verified before your faces? It would, it would,
to the joy of you that are godly, to the making of hell to sigh, to the
great suppressing of sin, the glory of Christ, and the joy of the angels
of God. And ministers should, therefore, that this work might go on,
take advantages to persuade with the biggest sinners to come into Christ,
according to my text, and their commissions; “Beginning at Jerusalem.”
_Fifthly_, Jesus Christ would have mercy offered, in the first place, to
the biggest sinners; because such, when converted, are usually the best
helps in the church against temptations, and fittest for the support of
the feeble-minded there. Hence, usually, you have some such in the first
plantation of churches, or quickly upon it. Churches would do but
sorrily, if Christ Jesus did not put such converts among them: they are
the monuments and mirrors of mercy. The very sight of such a sinner in
God’s house, yea, the very thought of him, where the sight of him cannot
be had, is ofttimes greatly for the help of the faith of the feeble.
“When the churches (said Paul) that were in Judea, heard this concerning
me, that he which persecuted them in time past, now preached the faith
which once he destroyed, they glorified God in me;” Gal. i. 20–24.
“Glorified God.” How is that? Why, they praised him, and took courage
to believe the more in the mercy of God; for that he had had mercy on
such a great sinner as he. They glorified God “in me;” they wondered
that grace should be so rich, as to take hold of such a wretch as I was;
and for my sake believed in Christ the more.
There are two things that great sinners are acquainted with, when they
come to divulge them to the saints, that are a great relief to their
faith.
1. The contests that they usually have with the devil at their parting
with him.
2. Their knowledge of his secrets in his workings.
For the _first_, The biggest sinners have usually great contests with the
devil at their partings; and this is an help to saints: for ordinary
saints find afterwards what the vile ones find at first, but when at the
opening of hearts, the one finds himself to be as the other, the one is a
comfort to the other. The lesser sort of sinners find but little of
this, till after they have been some time in profession; but the vile man
meets with his at the beginning. Wherefore he, when the other is down,
is ready to tell that he has met with the same before; for, I say, he has
had it before. Satan is loath to part with a great sinner. What my true
servant (quoth he), my old servant, wilt thou forsake me now? having so
often sold thyself to me to work wickedness, wilt thou forsake me now?
Thou horrible wretch, dost not know, that thou hast sinned thyself beyond
the reach of grace, and dost think to find mercy now? Art not thou a
murderer, a thief, a harlot, a witch, a sinner of the greatest size, and
dost thou look for mercy now? Dost thou think that Christ will foul his
fingers with thee?
’Tis enough to make angels blush, saith Satan, to see so vile a one knock
at heaven-gates for mercy, and wilt thou be so abominably bold to do it?
Thus Satan dealt with me, says the great sinner, when at first I came to
Jesus Christ. And what did you reply? saith the tempted. Why, I granted
the whole charge to be true, says the other. And what, did you despair,
or how? No, saith he, I said, I am Magdalen, I am Zaccheus, I am the
thief, I am the harlot, I am the publican, I am the prodigal, and one of
Christ’s murderers: yea, worse than any of these; and yet God was so far
off from rejecting of me (as I found afterwards), that there was music
and dancing in his house for me, and for joy that I was come home unto
him. O blessed be God for grace (says the other), for then I hope there
is favour for me. Yea, as I told you, such a one is a continual
spectacle in the church, for every one to behold God’s grace and wonder
by.
_Secondly_, And as for the secrets of Satan, such as are suggestions to
question the being of God, the truth of his word, and to be annoyed with
devilish blasphemies; none more acquainted with these than the biggest
sinners at their conversion; wherefore thus also they are prepared to be
helps in the church to relieve and comfort the other.
I might also here tell you of the contests and battles that such are
engaged in, wherein they find the besettings of Satan, above any other of
the saints. At which times Satan assaults the soul with darkness, fears,
frightful thoughts of apparitions; now they sweat, pant, cry out, and
struggle for life.
The angels now come down to behold the sight, and rejoice to see a bit of
dust and ashes to overcome principalities and powers, and might, and
dominions. But, as I said when these come a little to be settled, they
are prepared for helping others, and are great comforts unto them. Their
great sins give great encouragement to the devil to assault them; and by
these temptations Christ takes advantage to make them the more helpful to
the churches.
The biggest sinner, when he is converted, and comes into the church, says
to them all, by his very coming in, Behold me, all you that are men and
women of a low and timorous spirit, you whose hearts are narrow, for that
you never had the advantage to know, because your sins are few, the
largeness of the grace of God. Behold, I say, in me, the exceeding
riches of his grace! I am a pattern set forth before your faces, on whom
you may look and take heart. This, I say, the great sinner can say, to
the exceeding comfort of all the rest.
Wherefore, as I have hinted before, when God intends to stock a place
with saints, and to make that place excellently to flourish with the
riches of his grace, he usually begins with the conversion of some of the
most notorious thereabouts, and lays them as an example to allure others,
and to build up when they are converted.
It was Paul that must go to the Gentiles, because Paul was the most
outrageous of all the apostles, in the time of his unregeneracy. Yea,
Peter must be he, that after his horrible fall, was thought fittest, when
recovered again, to comfort and strengthen his brethren. See Luke xxii.
31, 32.
Some must be pillars in God’s house; and if they be pillars of cedar,
they must stand while they are stout and sturdy sticks in the forest,
before they are cut down, and planted or placed there.
No man, when he buildeth his house, makes the principal parts thereof of
weak or feeble timber; for how could such bear up the rest? but of great
and able wood. Christ Jesus also goeth this way to work; he makes of the
biggest sinners bearers and supporters to the rest. This then, may serve
for another reason, why Jesus Christ gives out in commandment, that mercy
should, in the first place, be offered to the biggest sinners: because
such, when converted, are usually the best helps in the church against
temptations, and fittest for the support of the feeble-minded there.
_Sixthly_, Another reason why Jesus Christ would have mercy offered in
the first place to the biggest sinners, is, because they, when converted,
are apt to love him most.
This agrees both with Scripture and reason. Scripture says so: “To whom
much is forgiven, the same loveth much. To whom little is forgiven, the
same loveth little;” Luke vii. 47. Reason says so: for as it would be
the unreasonablest thing in the world to render hatred for love, and
contempt for forgiveness; so it would be as ridiculous to think, that the
reception of a little kindness should lay the same obligations upon the
heart to love, as the reception of a great deal. I would not disparage
the love of Christ; I know the least drachm of it, when it reaches to
forgiveness, is great above all the world; but comparatively, there are
greater extensions of the love of Christ to one than to another. He that
has most sin, if forgiven, is partaker of the greatest love, of the
greatest forgiveness.
I know also, that there are some, that from this very doctrine say, “Let
us do evil that good may come;” and that turn the grace of our God into
lasciviousness. But I speak not of these; these will neither be ruled by
grace nor reason. Grace would teach them, if they know it, to deny
ungodly courses; and so would reason too, if it could truly sense the
love of God; Titus ii. 11, 12; Rom. xi. 1.
Doth it look like what hath any coherence with reason or mercy, for a man
to abuse his friend? Because Christ died for men, shall I therefore spit
in his face? The bread and water that was given by Elisha to his
enemies, that came into the land of Israel to take him, had so much
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 vi. 19–23.
But to forbear to illustrate till anon. One reason why Christ Jesus
shews 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. xv. He it was that persecuted the church of
God, and wasted it; Gal. i. 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 to strange cities;” Acts xxvi. 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 havock of God’s people there, as I
had made havock of them in other places. These bloody letters were not
imposed upon me. I went to the high-priest and desired them of him; Acts
ix. 1, 2; and yet he saved me! 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 on
me! When I was at Damascus, I stunk 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; 1 Tim i. 15, 16.
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 am 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?
Ay, 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 one could find one that so much as looked any thing
this wayward. 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 has 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 to-day, 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, 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 shew 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 shewed, 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 shewed 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 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 thy 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 thee, 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 vii. 36–50.
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.