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.