THEY ARE APT TO LOVE MOST..

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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 knew it, to deny ungodly courses; and so would reason too, if it could truly understand the love of God. Titus ii. 11, 12. Jude 4.

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 shows mercy to sinners, is, that he might obtain their love, that he might remove their base affections from base objects to himself. Now, if he loves to be loved

much; but there are not any

a little, he loves to be loved that are capable of loving much, save those that have much forgiven them. Hence, of Paul it is said, that he labored more than they all, namely, with a labor 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 exceedingly mad," says he, "against them, I persecuted them, even to strange cities." This raving bedlam, that once was so, is he that now says, 'I labored more than they all,' more for Christ than they 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 if he 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 labor; 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 labor 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. Acts ix. 1, 2. And yet Christ 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 bloodsucker, that I became a terror to all thereabout. Yea, Ananias (good man) made intercession to my Lord against me. Yet Christ 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 ix. 20, 21.

'Shall not this lay obligation upon me? Is not love of

PAUL'S KEEN SENSE OF MERCY.

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coals of juniper?

Can the waters

the greatest force to oblige? Is it not strong as death, cruel as the grave, and hotter than the Hath it not a most vehement flame? quench it? Can the floods drown it? 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?'

I am under the

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 labor, give 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 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 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 largest size. He knows that such will love him 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; 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

preachers, yea, had often entreated her with tears to do it, yet she could 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 had 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 patches, 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.

And

Now, at that time, saith my author, Jesus preached about the lost sheep, the lost groat, and the prodigal child. 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 STORY OF MARY'S CONVERSION.

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the joy of the neighbors, 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 she goes, first to her chamber, and there strips herself of her wanton attire: then falls upon her knees to ask of 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,