But what need I give you an instance of poor me. I will come to Manasseh the king. So long as he was a ringleading sinner, the great idolater, and 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 were 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. 2 Chron. xxxiii. 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.

This, therefore, is another reason why Jesus would have mercy offered in the first place to the greatest 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 suppression 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 advantage to persuade the greatest sinner to come to Christ, according to my text, and their commissions. "Beginning at Jerusalem."

CHAPTER III.

REASONS CONTINUED.

FIFTHLY, Jesus Christ would have mercy offered, in the first place, to the greatest 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.

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When the churches that were in Judea, (saith Paul,) 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." "Glorified God." How is that? Why, they praised him, and took courage to believe the more in the merey of God; for that he had mercy on such a great sinner as I. 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.

1. For the first. The greatest 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 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 thou not know, that thou hast sinned beyond the reach of grace, and dost thou 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? It is 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 as 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 then? 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 from rejecting 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 his grace, (says the other,) for then I hope there is favor 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 by, and wonder.

2. And as for the secrets of Satan, such as are sugges

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HELP FOR THE TEMPTED.

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tions 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 greatest 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 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 to 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 greatest 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 them 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.

No man,

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. 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 greatest 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 greatest 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 greatest 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." 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