THE

JERUSALEM SINNER SAVED.

CHAPTER I.

THE DOCTRINE OPENED AND PROVED.

BEGINNING AT JERUSALEM.-Luke xxiv. 47.

THE whole verse runs thus: "And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."

The words were spoken by Christ, after he rose from the dead. They are here rehearsed after a historical manner, but contain in them a formal commission, with a special clause therein. The commission is, as you see, for the preaching of the gospel, and is very distinctly inserted in the holy record by Matthew and Mark. "Go teach all nations," &c. "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Only this clause is in special. mentioned by Luke, who saith, that as Christ would have the doctrine of repentance and remission of sins preached in his name among all nations, so he would have the people of Jerusalem to have the first offer thereof. 'Preach it, saith Christ, in all the world; but begin at Jerusalem.'

The apostles then, though they had a commission so large

as to give them warrant to go and preach the gospel in all the world, yet by this clause were limited as to the beginning of their ministry: they were to begin this work at Jerusalem. "Beginning at Jerusalem."

Before I proceed to an observation upon the words, I must (but briefly) touch upon two things: namely,

I. Show you what Jerusalem now was.

II. Show you what it was to preach the gospel to them. I. For the first, Jerusalem is to be considered, either, 1. With respect to the descent of her people: or, 2. With respect of her preference and exaltation: or, 3. With respect to her present state, as to her decays.

1. As to her descent. She was from Abraham, from the sons of Jacob, a people that God singled out from the rest of the nations to set his love upon them.

She was the

2. As to her preference of exaltation. place of God's worship, and that city which had in her the special tokens and signs of God's favor and presence, above any other people in the world. Hence, the tribes went up to Jerusalem to worship. There were God's house, God's high-priest, God's sacrifices accepted, and God's eye, and God's heart perpetually. Psalm lxxvi. 1. 2; Psalm cxxii. ; 1 Kings ix. 3. But,

3. We are to consider Jerusalem also in her decays. For as she is so considered, she is the proper object of our text; as will be further showed by and by.

Jerusalem, as I told you, was the place and seat of God's worship; but now decayed, degenerated, and apostatized. The word, the rule of worship, was rejected of them, and in its place they had put and set up their own traditions; they had rejected also the most weighty ordinances, and put in the room thereof their own little things. Matt. xv.; Mark vii. Jerusalem was therefore now greatly backslidden, and become the place where truth and true religion were much defaced.

DREADFUL PRE-EMINENCE IN SIN.

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It was also now become the very sink of sin, and seat of hypocrisy, and the gulf where true religion was drowned. Here also now reigned presumption, that groundless confidence in God, which is the bane of souls. Amongst its rulers, doctors, and leaders, envy, malice, and blasphemy, vented themselves against the power of godliness, in all places where it was espied; as also against the promoters of it; yea, their Lord and Maker could not escape them.

In a word, Jerusalem was now become the shambles, the very slaughter-shop of saints. This was the place wherein the prophets, Christ, and his people, were most horribly persecuted and murdered. Yea, so hardened at this time was this Jerusalem in her sins, that she feared not to commit the biggest, and to bind herself by wish under the guilt and damning evil of it; saying, when she had murdered the Son of God, "His blood be on us and on our children."

And though Jesus Christ did, both by doctrine, miracles, and holiness of life, seek to put a stop to their villanies, yet they shut their eyes, stopped their ears, and rested not, till, as was hinted before, they had driven him out of the world. Yea, that they might, if possible, have extinguished his name, and exploded his doctrine out of the world, they, against all argument, and in despite of heaven, its mighty hand, and undeniable proof of his resurrection, did hire soldiers to invent a lie, saying, his disciples stole him away from the grave; on purpose that men might not count him the Saviour of the world, nor trust in him for the remission of sins.

They were, saith Paul, contrary to all men for they did not only shut up the door of life against themselves, but forbade that it should be opened to any else. "Forbidding us," saith he, "to preach to the Gentiles, that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway." Matt. xxiii. 35; xv. 7-9; Mark vii. 6-8; Matt. iii. 7-9; John viii. 33-41; Matt. xxvii. 18; Mark iii. 30; Luke vii. 31-34; Matt

xxiii. 37; Luke xiii. 33, 34; Psalm cvii. 23, 24; Matt. xxvii. 25; xxi. 33-39; 1 Thess. ii. 14-16; Acts vii. 51-60.

This is the city, and these are the people; this is their character, and these are their sins: nor can there be produced their parallel in all this world. Nay, what world, what people, what nation, for sin and transgression, could, or can be compared to Jerusalem? Especially if you join

to the matter of fact the light they sinned against, and the patience which they abused. Infinite was the wickedness upon this account which they committed.

After all their abusings of wise men, and prophets, God sent unto them John the Baptist, to reclaim them, and then his Son to redeem them; but they would be neither reclaimed nor redeemed, but persecuted both to the death. Nor did they, as I said, stop here; the holy apostles they afterwards persecuted also to death even so many as they could; the rest they drove from them unto the utmost

corners.

II. I come now to show you what it was to preach the gospel to them. It was, saith Luke, to preach to them "repentance and remission of sins" in Christ's name; or, as Mark has it, to bid them "repent and believe the gospel;" not that repentance is a cause of remission, but a sign of our hearty reception thereof. Repentance is therefore here put to intimate, that no pretended faith of the gospel is good that is not accompanied with it: and this he doth on purpose, because he would not have them deceive themselves. For with what faith can he expect remission of sins in the name of Christ, that is not heartily sorry for them? Or how shall a man be able to give to others a satisfactory account of his unfeigned subjection to the gospel, that yet abides in his impenitence?

Wherefore repentance is way of receiving the gospel.

here joined with faith in the Faith is that without which

it cannot be received at all; and repentance that without