ven inflames love in saints, so the absence of God from hell enrageth enmity in the devils and damned spirits.

(5.) All thy enmity will certainly be charged upon thee one day. There is a time when all thy acts of enmity shall be set in order before thee. I will set them in order before thee, Psal. 50. 21. This is to be understood more militari, when sin shall be set in rank and file, in bloody array against thy soul. Or more forensi, when they shall be set in order as so many indictments for thy rebellion and treason. What sadness will seize upon thee at the last, when God shall fix upon thee out of the crowd, and point at thee: But those my enemies which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me, Luke 19. 27. How solemnly will he execute every enemy at the last! they shall be brought out shackled one by one, and Christ will sit and behold it. Lo here is one of my enemies, I have found him out for all his fair hopes of escape. When men and angels shall say, Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; this is the man that set up other gods in his heart; that was such a fool as to think his pleasure, riches, strength, honour, to be his god. Ah, fool with a witness, to think that a god could be of thy own making!

THE

CHIEF SINNERS

OBJECTS OF THE.

CHOICEST MERCY.

1 Tim. 1. 15.

THIS IS A FAITHFUL SAYING. AND WORTHY OF ALL ACCEPTATION, THAT CHRIST JESUS CAME INTO THE ́ WORLD TO SAVE SINNERS, OF WHOM I AM CHIEF.

PART I.

THE CHIEF OF SINNERS SAVED.

Invitations given to such-Scripture instances of salration extended to such-Adam--Abraham-Manasseh-Aggravations of Manasseh's sin--The descent of Christ according to the flesh-Objects of his attention when on earth-Mary Magdalen-The Canaanitish woman-The commission he gave to his apostles -How illustrated-The operations of the Spirit in the salvation of the chief of sinners-Some out of the worst of families-Under some of the worst of vices-Great sins made subservient to conversionWhy the chief of sinners are chosen, and then left so long in sin-The insufficiency of nature to work salvation-Evidence of this-Man's subjection under sin His love of sin.

I. Obs. THE salvation of sinners was the main design of Christ's coming into the world. II. God often makes the chiefest sinners objects of his choicest mercy.

For the last, that God doth so, Observe,

1. God hath formerly made invitations to such. See what a black generation they were, Isa. 1. by the scroll of their sins. They were rebels, and rebels against him that had nursed them. I have nourished

and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me, ver. 2 And in this respect worse than the beasts they were masters of; the stupid ox, and the dull ass, outstripped them in ingenuity. The or knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib; but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider, ver. 3. He calls upon heaven and earth to judge between them, ver. 2. He appeals to men and angels, as a jury to give their verdict, whether these, people had not been the most disingenuous and ungrateful people in the world. Or if by heavens and earth be meant Magistrates and people, as in the prophetic style they are usually taken, God then appeals to themselves, to let their own natural consciences, and the common ingenuity their sins had left them, to judge between them. He comes to charge them, laden with iniquity, ver. 4. They had such great weights lying upon them, that they were not able to stir; or laden with it, as some crabtree is with sour fruit. They had sprouted from a wicked stock; they had corrupted one another by their society and example, as rotten apples putrify the sound ones that lie near them.

They had been incorrigible under judgments; God had used the rod again, and again; but being there was no reformation, he was even weary of whipping them any longer; Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more, ver. 5. They were also so universally infected, that there was no sound part about them, but running sores all over, both head and heart were infected; corrupt notions in the one, and corrupt affections in the other. Or if you take it prophetically, head signifies the chief magistrate; heart, the judges; feet the common people. The fire, which had burnt their cities, had not consumed their lusts, and dried up their sins; Your country is desolate, your cities are burnt with fire, your land strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers, ver. 7. And had it not been for a small remnant, they had been as bad as Sodom and

も

***Scripture Examples.

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Gomorrah, ver. 9. Their services were polluted, vain, and an abomination to him, ver. 13. A trouble to him, his soul hated them, he was tired with them, ver. 14, for they came with their bloody murderous hands into God's presence.

Yet though he justly charged them with these horrid crimes, he gives them assurance of entertainment if they would return to him; Come now, and let us reason together, ver. 18. He would condescend to debate the case with them, when one would have thought he should have said, I'll have nothing to do with such a crew as they; God loves to discourse with men about this argument of pardon; and he loves that men should hear him speak concerning it. He would dispute them out of their sins, into good and right apprehensions of his mercy. So, Turn ye unto him from whom the children of Israel have deeply rẻvolted, Isa. 31.6. Revolted, there is their sin; deep ly, there's the aggravation of it; and being also children of Israel, a people of much mercy, and miracles, there's another aggravation; yet turn unto him against whom you have thus sinned. The great objection of a penitent is, I have sinned, and I know not whether God will receive me: consider, God knows thy sin better than thou dost, yet he kindly calls to thee, and promiseth thee as good a reception as if thou hadst never sinned.

So, They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? Shall not that land be greatly polluted? But thou hast played the harlot with many lovers, yet return again to me, saith the Lord, Jer. 3. 1. Though thou hast been a common adulteress, and made all comers, every idol welcome, and been in league with many sins; yet upon thy return I'll own thee; and these are God's warrants for encouragement.

2. God hath given examples of it in scripture. Adam the ringleader of all rebellions of mankind in the world, had the promise of the seed of the woman to

break the serpent's head made to him; and in the genealogy of Christ, is called the Son of God, Luke S. 38, not only in respect of creation, for so the devil is the Son of God; but in a nearer relation. Yet all that deluge of wickedness which has overflowed the world since the fall, sprung out of his loins. Nay, Abraham the father of the faithful, was probably an idolater in Ur of the Chaldees, and a worshipper of the sun, and fire, as his fathers were, Jos. 24. 2, yet God makes a particular covenant with this man, presents him with a richer act of grace than any in the world besides him had, even that the Messiah, the great Redeemer of the world, should come from his seed; this man is set up as the pattern of faith to others, and his bosom seems to be a great receptacle of saints in glory, Luke 16. 22, 23. Israel's sins were as a thick cloud, yet this powerful sun did melt them; I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions, and as a cloud thy sins, Isa. 44. 22. A sullen gloomy morning often ends in a well. complexioned noon. Manasseh is an eminent example of this doctrine. His story, 2 Chron. 33, represents him as a black devil, if all the aggravations of his sin be considered.

1. It was against knowledge. He had a pious education under a religious father; an education usually leaves some tinctures and impressions of religion. No doubt but the instructions his father Hezekiah had taught him, and the exemplary holiness he had seen in him, were sometimes awakened in his memory, and recoiled upon his conscience.

2. His place and station, a king; sins of kings are like their robes, more scarlet and crimson than the sins of a peasant. Their example usually infects their subjects. As they are not without their attendance in their progresses, and recreations, so neither

in their vices and virtues.

3. Restoration of idolatry. Had he found the worship of the host of heaven derived to him by suc