9-11.

Hence you have a promise or two that speak concerning such kind of men, to encourage us to think that at least some of them shall come back to the Lord their G.o.d. "Shall they fall," saith he, "and not arise? Shall they turn away, and not return?" Jer. viii. 4. "And in that day I will a.s.semble her that halteth, and I will gather her that was driven out, and her that I have afflicted. And I will make her that halteth a remnant, and her that was cast off a strong nation; and the Lord shall reign over them in Mount Zion for ever." What we are to understand by her that halteth, is best expressed by the Prophet Elijah; Mic. iv. 6, 7; Zeph. iii. 19; 1 Kings xviii. 21.

I will conclude, then, that for them that have halted. or may halt, the Lord has mercy in the bank, and is willing to accept them if they return to him again.

Perhaps they may never be after that of any great esteem in the house of G.o.d, but if the Lord will admit them to favour and forgiveness: O exceeding and undeserved mercy! See Ezekiel xliv. 10-14.

Thou, then, that mayst be the man, remember this, that there is mercy also for thee. Return therefore to G.o.d, and to his Son, who hath yet in store for thee, and who will do thee good.

But perhaps thou wilt say, he doth not save all revolters, and, therefore, perhaps not me.

Answr. Art thou returning to G.o.d? If thou art returning, thou art the man; "Return ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings;" Jer. iii. 22.

Some, as I said, that revolt, are shot dead upon the place, and for them, who can help them? But for them that cry out of their wounds, it is a sign they are yet alive, and if they use the means in time, doubtless they may be healed.

Christ Jesus has bags of mercy that were never yet broken up or unsealed. Hence it is said, he has goodness laid up; things reserved in heaven for his. And if he breaks up one of these bags, who can tell what he can do!

Hence his love is said to be such as pa.s.seth knowledge, and that his riches are unsearchable. He has, no body knows what; for no body knows whom: he has by him in store for such as seem in the view of all men to be gone beyond recovery. For this the text is plain.

What man or angel could have thought that the Jerusalem sinners had been yet on this side of an impossibility of enjoying life and mercy?

Hadst thou seen their actions, and what horrible things they did to the Son of G.o.d; yea, how stoutly they backed what they did with resolves and endeavours to persevere, when they had killed his person, against his name and doctrine; and that there was not found among them all that while, as we read of, the least remorse or regret for these their doings; couldst thou have imagined that mercy would ever have took hold of them, at least so soon! Nay, that they should, of all the world, be counted those only meet to have it offered to them in the very first place! For so my text commands, saying, "Preach repentance and remission of sins among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."

I tell you the thing is a wonder, and must for ever stand for a wonder among the sons of men. It stands also for an everlasting invitation and allurement to the biggest sinners to come to Christ for mercy.

Now since, in the opinion of all men, the revolter is such a one; if he has, as I said before, any life in him, let him take encouragement to come again, that he may live by Christ.

Eleventhly, Would Jesus Christ have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners? Then let G.o.d's ministers tell them so.

There is an incidence in us, I know not how it doth come about, when we are converted, to contemn them that are left behind. Poor fools as we are, we forget that we ourselves were so; t.i.t. iii. 2, 3.

But would it not become us better, since we have tasted that the Lord is gracious, to carry it towards them so, that we may give them convincing ground to believe, that we have found that mercy which also sets open the door for them to come and partake with us.

Ministers, I say, should do thus, both by their doctrine, and in all other respects.

Austerity doth not become us, neither in doctrine nor in conversation. We ourselves live by grace; let us give as we receive, and labour to persuade our fellow-sinners which G.o.d has left behind us, to follow after, that they may partake with us of grace. We are saved by grace, let us live like them that are gracious. Let all our things (to the world) be done in charity towards them; pity them, pray for them, be familiar with them for their good. Let us lay aside our foolish, worldly, carnal grandeur; let us not walk the streets, and have such behaviours as signify we are scarce for touching of the poor ones that are left behind, no not with a pair of tongs. It becomes us not thus to do.

Remember your Lord, he was familiar with publicans and sinners to a proverb; "Behold a gluttonous man, and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners;" Matt. xi. 19. The first part, concerning his gluttonous eating and drinking, to be sure, was an horrible slander; but for the other, nothing was ever spoke truer of him by the world.

Now, why should we lay hands cross on this text: that is, choose good victuals, and love the sweet wine better than the salvation of the poor publican? Why not familiar with sinners, provided we hate their spots and blemishes, and seek that they may be healed of them?

Why not fellowly with our carnal neighbours? If we do take occasion to do so, that we may drop, and be yet distilling some good doctrine upon their souls? Why not go to the poor man's house, and give him a penny, and a Scripture to think upon? Why not send for the poor to fetch away at least the fragments of thy table, that the bowels of thy fellow-sinner may be refreshed as well as thine?

Ministers should be exemplary; but I am an inferior man, and must take heed of too much meddling. But might I, I would meddle with them, with their wives, and with their children too. I mean not this of all, but of them that deserve it, though I may not name them.

But, I say, let ministers follow the steps of their blessed Lord, who by word and deed shewed his love to the salvation of the world, in such a carriage as declared him to prefer their salvation before his own private concern, For we are commanded to follow his steps, "who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth."

And as I have said concerning ministers, so I say to all the brethren, carry it so, that all the world may see, that indeed you are the sons of love.

Love your Saviour; yea, shew one to another that you love him, not only by a seeming love of affection, but with the love of duty.

Practical love is best. Many love Christ with nothing but the lick of the tongue. Alas! Christ Jesus the Lord must not be put off thus: "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them," saith he, "he it is that loveth me;" John xiv. 21.

Practical love, which stands in self-denial, in charity to my neighbour, and a patient enduring of affliction for his name; this is counted love.

Right love to Christ is that which carries in it a provoking argument to others of the brethren; Heb. x. 24.

Should a man ask me how he should know that he loveth the children of G.o.d? The best answer I could give him, would be in the words of the Apostle John; "By this," saith he, "we know we love the children of G.o.d, when we love G.o.d, and keep his commandments;" 1 John, v. 2.

Love to G.o.d and Christ is then shewn when we are tender of his name; and then we shew ourselves tender of his name when we are afraid to break any the least of his commandments. And when we are here, then do we shew our love to our brother also.

Now, we have obligation sufficient thus to do, for that our Lord loved us, and gave himself for us, to deliver us from death, that we might live through him.

The world, when they hear the doctrine that I have a.s.serted and handled in this little book; to wit, that Jesus Christ would have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners, will be apt, because themselves are unbelievers, to think that this is a doctrine that leads to looseness, and that gives liberty to the flesh; but if you that believe love your brethren and your neighbours truly, and as you should, you will put to silence the ignorance of such foolish men, and stop their mouths from speaking evil of you.

And, I say, let the love of Christ constrain us to this. Who deserveth our heart, our mouth, our life, our goods, so much as Jesus Christ, who has bought us to himself by his blood, to this very end, that we should be a peculiar people, zealous of good works?

There is nothing more seemly in the world, than to see a Christian walk as becomes the Gospel; nor any thing more unbecoming a reasonable creature, than to hear a man say, I believe in Christ, and yet see in his life debauchery and profaneness. Might I, such men should be counted the basest of men; such men should be counted by all unworthy of the name of a Christian, and should be shunned by every good man, as such who are the very plague of profession.

For so it is written, we should carry it towards them. Whoso have a form of G.o.dliness, and deny the power thereof, from such we must turn away.

It has ofttimes come into my mind to ask, by what means it is that the gospel profession should be so tainted with loose and carnal gospellers? and I could never arrive to better satisfaction in the matter than this,--such men are made professors by the devil, and so by him put among the rest of the G.o.dly. A certain man had a fruitless fig-tree planted in his vineyard; but by whom was it planted there? Even by him that sowed the tares, his own children, among the wheat; Luke xiii. 6; Matt. xiii. 37-40. And that was the devil. But why doth the devil do thus? Not of love to them, but to make of them offences and stumblingblocks to others. For he knows that a loose professor in the church does more mischief to religion than ten can do to it that are in the world.

Was it not, think you, the devil that stirred up the damsel that you read of in Acts xvi., to cry out, "These are the servants of the most high G.o.d, that shew unto us the way of salvation!" Yes it was, as is evident, for Paul was grieved to hear it. But why did the devil stir up her to cry so? but because that was the way to blemish the Gospel, and to make the world think that it came from the same hand as did her soothsaying and witchery; verse l6-18; "Holiness, O Lord, becomes thy house for ever."

Let, therefore, whoever they be that profess the name of Christ, take heed that they scandal not that profession which they make of him, since he has so graciously offered us, as we are sinners of the biggest size, in the first place, his grace to save us.

Having thus far spoken of the riches of the grace of Christ, and of the freeness of his heart to embrace the Jerusalem sinners, it may not be amiss to give you yet, as a caution, an intimation of one thing, namely, that this grace and freeness of his heart is limited to time and day; the which, whoso overstandeth, shall perish notwithstanding.

For as a king, who, of grace, sendeth out to his rebellious people an offer of pardon, if they accept thereof by such a day, yet beheadeth or hangeth those that come not in for mercy until the day or time be past; so Christ Jesus has set the sinner a day, a day of salvation, an acceptable time; but he who standeth out, or goeth on in rebellion beyond that time, is like to come off with the loss of his soul; 2 Cor. vi. 2; Heb. iii. 13, 16, 17, 18, 19; chap. iv. 7; Luke xix. 41, 42.

Since, therefore, things are thus, it may be convenient here to touch a little upon these particulars.

First, That this day, or time thus limited, when it is considered with reference to this or that man, is ofttimes undiscerned by the person concerned therein, and always is kept secret as to the shutting up thereof.

And this, in the wisdom of G.o.d, is thus to the end; no man, when called upon, should put off turning to G.o.d to another time. Now, and to-day, is that and only that which is revealed in holy writ; Psal.

1. 22; Eccles. xii. 1; Heb. iii. 13, 16.

And this shews us the desperate hazards which those men run, who when invitation or conviction attends them, put off turning to G.o.d to be saved till another, and, as they think, a more fit season and time.

For many, by so doing, defer this to do till the day of G.o.d's patience and long-suffering is ended; and then, for their prayers and cries after mercy, they receive nothing but mocks, and are laughed at by the G.o.d of heaven; Prov. i. 20-30; Isaiah lxv. 12-16; chap. lxvi.

4; Zech. xii. 11-13.

Secondly, Another thing to be considered is this, viz. that the day of G.o.d's grace with some men begins sooner, and also sooner ends than it doth with others. Those at the first hour of the day, had their call sooner than they who were called upon to turn to G.o.d at the sixth hour of the day; yea, and they who were hired at the third hour, had their call sooner than they who were called at the eleventh; Matt. xx. 1-6.

1. The day of G.o.d's patience began with Ishmael, and also ended before he was twenty years old. At thirteen years of age he was circ.u.mcised; the next year after Isaac was born; and then Ishmael was fourteen years old. Now that day that Isaac was weaned, that day was Ishmael rejected; and suppose that Isaac was three years old before he was weaned, that was but the seventeenth year of Ishmael; wherefore the day of G.o.d's grace was ended with him betimes; Gen.

xvii. 24, 25; chap. xxi. 2-11; Gal. iv. 30.

2. Cain's day ended with him betimes; for after G.o.d had rejected him, he lived to beget many children, and build a city, and to do many other things. But alas! all that while he was a fugitive and a vagabond. Nor carried he any thing with him after the day of his rejection was come, but this doleful language in his conscience, "From G.o.d's face shall I be hid;" Gen. iv. 10-15.

3. Esau, through his extravagancies would needs go to sell his birth-right, not fearing (as other confident fools) but that yet the blessing would still be his, after which he lived many years; but all of them under the wrath of G.o.d, as was, when time came, made appear to his destruction; for "When he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears;" Heb. xii. 14-16.

Many instances might be given as to such tokens of the displeasure of G.o.d against such as fool away, as the wise man has it, the prize which is put into their hand; Prov. xvii. 16.

Let these things, therefore, be a further caution to those that sit under the glorious sound of the Gospel, and hear of the riches of the grace of G.o.d in Christ to poor sinners.