Jerusalem Sinner Saved; or, Good News for the Vilest of Men , livre ebook

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pubOne.info present you this new edition. First, Would Jesus Christ have mercy offered in the first place to the biggest sinners? then this shews us how to make a right judgment of the heart of Christ to men. Indeed we have advantage to guess at the goodness of his heart, by many things; as by his taking our nature upon him, his dying for us, his sending his word and ministers to us, and all that we might be saved. But this of beginning to offer mercy to Jerusalem, is that which heightens all the rest; for this doth not only confirm to us, that love was the cause of his dying for us, but it shews us yet more the depth of that love. He might have died for us, and yet have extended the benefit of his death to a few, as one might call them, of the best conditioned sinners, to those who, though they were weak, and could not but sin, yet made not a trade of sinning; to those that sinned not lavishingly. There are in the world, as one may call them, the moderate sinners; the sinners that mix righteousness with their pollutions; the sinners that though they be sinners, do what on their part lies (some that are blind would think so) that they might be saved

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Publié par	Pub One Info
Date de parution	06 novembre 2010
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9782819947165
Langue	English

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THE APPLICATION.
First, Would Jesus Christ have mercy offered in thefirst place to the biggest sinners? then this shews us how to makea right judgment of the heart of Christ to men. Indeed we haveadvantage to guess at the goodness of his heart, by many things; asby his taking our nature upon him, his dying for us, his sendinghis word and ministers to us, and all that we might be saved. Butthis of beginning to offer mercy to Jerusalem, is that whichheightens all the rest; for this doth not only confirm to us, thatlove was the cause of his dying for us, but it shews us yet morethe depth of that love. He might have died for us, and yet haveextended the benefit of his death to a few, as one might call them,of the best conditioned sinners, to those who, though they wereweak, and could not but sin, yet made not a trade of sinning; tothose that sinned not lavishingly. There are in the world, as onemay call them, the moderate sinners; the sinners that mixrighteousness with their pollutions; the sinners that though theybe sinners, do what on their part lies (some that are blind wouldthink so) that they might be saved. I say, it had been love, greatlove, if he had died for none but such, and sent his love to such:but that he should send out conditions of peace to the biggest ofsinners; yea, that they should be offered to them first of all;(for so he means when he says, “Begin at Jerusalem; ”) this iswonderful! this shews his heart to purpose, as also the heart ofGod his Father, who sent him to do thus.
There is nothing more incident to men that are awakein their souls, than to have wrong thoughts of God; thoughts thatare narrow, and that pinch and pen up his mercy to scanty andbeggarly conclusions, and rigid legal conditions; supposing that itis rude, and an intrenching upon his majesty, to come ourselves, orto invite others, until we have scraped and washed, and rubbed offas much of our dirt from us as we think is convenient, to make ussomewhat orderly and handsome in his sight. Such never knew whatthese words meant, “Begin at Jerusalem:” yea, such in their heartshave compared the Father and his Son to niggardly rich men, whosemoney comes from them like drops of blood. True, says such, God hasmercy, but he is loath to part with it; you must please him well,if you get any from him; he is not so free as many suppose, nor ishe so willing to save as some pretended gospellers imagine. But Iask such, if the Father and Son be not unspeakably free to shewmercy, why was this clause put into our commission to preach thegospel? Yea, why did he say, “Begin at Jerusalem:” for when men,through the weakness of their wits, have attempted to shew otherreasons why they should have the first proffer of mercy; yet I canprove (by many undeniable reasons) that they of Jerusalem (to whomthe apostles made the first offer, according as they werecommanded) were the biggest sinners that ever did breathe upon theface of God's earth, (set the unpardonable sin aside), upon whichmy doctrine stands like a rock, that Jesus the Son of God wouldhave mercy in the first place offered to the biggest sinners: andif this doth not shew the heart of the Father and the Son to beinfinitely free in bestowing forgiveness of sins, I confess myselfmistaken.
Neither is there, set this aside, another argumentlike it, to shew us the willingness of Christ to save sinners; for,as was said before, all the rest of the signs of Christ'smercifulness might have been limited to sinners that are so and soqualified; but when he says, “Begin at Jerusalem, ” the line isstretched out to the utmost: no man can imagine beyond it; and itis folly here to pinch and pare, to narrow, and seek to bring itwithin scanty bounds; for he plainly saith, “Begin at Jerusalem, ”the biggest sinner is the biggest sinner; the biggest is theJerusalem sinner.
It is true, he saith, that repentance and remissionof sins must go together, but yet remission is sent to the chief,the Jerusalem sinner; nor doth repentance lessen at all theJerusalem sinner's crimes; it diminisheth none of his sins, norcauses that there should be so much as half a one the fewer: itonly puts a stop to the Jerusalem sinner's course, and makes himwilling to be saved freely by grace; and for time to come to begoverned by that blessed word that has brought the tidings of goodthings to him.
Besides, no man shews himself willing to be savedthat repenteth not of his deeds; for he that goes on still in histrespasses, declares that he is resolved to pursue his owndamnation further.
Learn then to judge of the largeness of God's heart,and of the heart of his Son Jesus Christ, by the word; judge notthereof by feeling, nor by the reports of thy conscience;conscience is oftentimes here befooled and made to go quite besidethe word. It was judging without the word that made David say, I amcast off from God's eyes, and shall perish one day by the hand ofSaul; Psalm xxxi. 22; 1 Sam. xxvii. 1.
The word had told him another thing; namely, that heshould be king in his stead. Our text says also, that Jesus Christbids preachers, in their preaching repentance and remission ofsins, begin first at Jerusalem, thereby declaring most truly theinfinite largeness of the merciful heart of God and his Son, to thesinful children of men.
Judge thou, I say, therefore, of the goodness of theheart of God and his Son, by this text, and by others of the sameimport; so shalt thou not dishonour the grace of God, norneedlessly fright thyself, nor give away thy faith, nor gratify thedevil, nor lose the benefit of his word. I speak now to weakbelievers.
Secondly, Would Jesus Christ have mercy offered inthe first place to the biggest sinners, to the Jerusalem sinners?then, by this also, you must learn to judge of the sufficiency ofthe merits of Christ; not that the merits of Christ can becomprehended, for that they are beyond the conceptions of the wholeworld, being called the unsearchable riches of Christ; but yet theymay be apprehended to a considerable degree. Now, the way toapprehend them most, is, to consider what offers, after hisresurrection, he makes of his grace to sinners; for to be sure hewill not offer beyond the virtue of his merits; because, as graceis the cause of his merits, so his merits are the basis and boundsupon and by which his grace stands good, and is let out tosinners.
Doth he then command that his mercy should beoffered in the first place to the biggest sinners? It declares,that there is sufficiency in his blood to save the biggest sinners.The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin. And again, “Be itknown unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man(this man's merits) is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:and by him all that believe are justified from all things, fromwhich ye could not be justified by the law of Moses; ” Acts xiii.38.
Observe then thy rule to make judgment of thesufficiency of the blessed merits of thy Saviour. If he had notbeen able to have reconciled the biggest sinners to his Father byhis blood, he would not have sent to them, have sent to them in thefirst place, the doctrine of remission of sins; for remission ofsins is through faith in his blood. We are justified freely by thegrace of God, through the redemption that is in the blood ofChrist. Upon the square, as I may call it, of the worthiness of theblood of Christ, grace acts, and offers forgiveness of sin to men;Eph. i. 7; chap. ii. 13, 14; Col. i. 20-22.
Hence, therefore, we must gather, that the blood ofChrist is of infinite value, for that he offereth mercy to thebiggest of sinners. Nay, further, since he offereth mercy in thefirst place to the biggest sinners, considering also, that thisfirst act of his is that which the world will take notice of andexpect it should be continued unto thee end. Also it is adisparagement to a man that seeks his own glory in what heundertakes, to do that for a sport, which he cannot continue andhold out in. This is our Lord's own argument, “He began to build, ”saith he, “but was not able to finish; ” Luke xiv. 28.
Shouldst thou hear a man say, I am resolved to bekind to the poor, and should begin with giving handfuls of guineas,you would conclude, that either he is wonderful rich, or muststraiten his hand, or will soon be at the bottom of his riches.Why, this is the case: Christ, at his resurrection, gave it outthat he would be good to the world; and first sends to the biggestsinners, with an intent to have mercy on them. Now, the biggestsinners cannot be saved but by abundance of grace; it is not alittle that will save great sinners; Rom. v. 17. And I say again,since the Lord Jesus mounts thus high at the first, and sends tothe Jerusalem sinners, that they may come first to partake of hismercy, it follows, that either he has unsearchable riches of graceand worth in himself, or else he must straiten his hand, or hisgrace and merits will be spent before the world is at an end. Butlet it be believed, as surely as spoken, he is still as full asever. He is not a jot the poorer for all the forgivenesses that hehas given away to great sinners. Also he is still as free as atfirst; for he never yet called back this word, Begin at theJerusalem sinners. And, as I said before, since his grace isextended according to the worth of his merits, I conclude, thatthere is the same virtue in his merits to save now, as there was atthe very beginning.
Oh! the riches of the grace of Christ! Oh! theriches of the blood of Christ!
Thirdly, Would Jesus Christ have mercy offered inthe first place to the biggest sinners, then here is encouragementfor you that think, for wicked hearts and lives, you have not yourfellows in the world, yet to come to him.
There is a people that therefore fear lest theyshould be rejected of Jesus Christ, because of the greatness oftheir sins; when, as you see here, such are sent to, sent to byJesus Christ to come to him for mercy, “Begin at Jerusalem. ” Neverdid one thing answer