ONE DESIGN TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS.

35

ing." How plain are the words! 'Christ, in saving me, has given to the world a pattern of his grace, that they might see and believe, and come and be saved; that they that are to be born hereafter might believe on Jesus Christ to life everlasting.

But what was Paul? Why, he tells you himself. 'I am, says he, "the chief of sinners."

I was, indeed, "a blasphemer, a persecutor, an injurious person;" but I obtained mercy.' 'Ay, that is well for you, Paul; but what advantage have we thereby?' Oh, very much, saith he; for, "for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first, Jesus Christ might show all long-suffering for a pattern to them which shall believe on him to life everlasting."

Thus, therefore, you see that this third reason is of strength, namely, that Jesus Christ would have mercy offered in the first place to the greatest sinners, because, by their forgiveness and salvation, others, hearing of it, will be encouraged the more to come to him for mercy.

It may well therefore be said to God, Thou delightest in mercy, and mercy pleases thee.

But who believes that this was God's design in showing mercy of old—namely, that we that come after might take courage to come to him for mercy; or that Jesus Christ would have mercy offered in the first place to the greatest sinners, to stir up others to come to him for life? This is not the manner of men, O God!

But David saw this betimes. Therefore he makes this one argument with God, that he would blot out his transgressions, that he would forgive his adultery, his murder, and horrible hypocrisy. Do it, O Lord, saith he, do it; restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and "then will I teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto thee." He knew that the conversion of sinners would be a work highly pleasing to God, as being that which he had designed before he made mountain or hill. Wherefore he comes, and

pleads thus, 'Save me, O Lord. If thou wilt but save me, I will fall in with thy design; I will help to bring what sinners to thee I can. And, O Lord, I am willing to be made a preacher myself, because I have been a horrible sinner: wherefore, if thou shalt forgive my great transgressions, I shall be a fit man to tell of thy wondrous grace to others. Yea, Lord, I dare promise, that if thou wilt have mercy upon me, it shall tend to the glory of thy grace, and also to the increase of thy kingdom; for I will tell it, and sinners will hear of it. And there is nothing so suiteth with the hearing sinner as mercy, and to be informed that God is willing to bestow it upon him. "I will teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto thee."

Nor will Christ Jesus miss of his design in proffering mercy in the first place to the greatest sinners. You know what work the Lord, by laying hold of the woman of Samaria, made among the people there. They knew that she was a town sinner, an adulteress, yea, one that after the most audacious manner lived in uncleanness with a man that was not her husband. But when she, from a turn upon her heart, went into the city, and said to her neighbors, "Come," O how they came! how they flocked out of the city to Jesus Christ! "Then they went out of the city, and came to him." "And many of the Samaritans (people perhaps as bad as herself) believed on him, for the saying of the woman, which testified, saying, He told me all that ever I did.” That word, "He told me all that ever I did," was a great argument with them; for by that they gathered, that though he knew her to be vile, yet he did not despise her, nor refuse to show how willing he was to communicate his grace unto her; and this fetched over, first her, and then them.

This woman, as I said, was a Samaritan sinner, a sinner of the worst complexion (for the Jews abhorred to have aught to do with them, ver. 9); wherefore none more fit

THE SAMARITAN WOMAN.

37

than she to be made one of the decoys of heaven, to bring others of these Samaritan wild-fowls under the net of the grace of Christ. And she did the work to purpose. Many, and many more of the Samaritans believed on him. Ver. 40-42. The heart of man though set on sin, will, when it comes once to a persuasion that God is willing to have mercy upon us, incline to come to Jesus Christ for life. Witness those turn-aways from God that you also read of in Jeremiah; for after they had heard three or four times over, that God had mercy for backsliders, they broke out, and said, "Behold, we come unto thee, for thou art the Lord our God." Or as those in Hosea did, "For in thee the fatherless find mercy."

Mercy, in the revelation thereof, is the only antidote against sin. It 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 favor 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 a 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 show them no favor, they fought like madmen; but when they saw one of their fellows taken, and received to favor, 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, that willingness in the heart of Christ to save sinners, which

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, as I said, that others might take heart and come to him, has given out a commandment, that mercy should in the first place be offered to the greatest sinners. 66 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 greatest 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 greatest sinners 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. 2 Sam. iii. 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. 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 headlong; and it was, surely, by casting him out of strong possessions, and by recovering 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 greatest 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.

THE WAY TO WEAKEN SATAN'S KINGDOM.

39

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 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, and as it were, eaten up with vermin. So, 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 neighbors 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 inquiringly 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 its 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.