But whea these come to be a little settled, they are prepared for helping others, and are great comforts unto them.  Their great sins give great encouragement to the devil to assault them; and by these temptations Christ takes advantage to make them the more helpful to the churches.

The biggest sinner, when he is converted and comes into the church, says to them all by his very coming in, “Behold me, all you that are men and women of a low and timorous spirit, you whose hearts are narrow—­for that you have never had the advantage to know, because your sins are few, the largeness of the grace of God—­behold, I say, in me the exceeding riches of his grace.  I am a pattern set forth before your faces, on whom you may look and take heart.”  Christ Jesus makes of the biggest sinners bearers and supporters to the rest.

Christ saved the thief, to encourage thieves to come to him for mercy; he saved Magdalen, to encourage other Magdalens to come to him for mercy; he saved Saul, to encourage Sauls to come to him for mercy; and this Paul himself doth say:  “For this cause,” saith he, “I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.”

When Christ was crucified and hanged up between the earth and heavens, there were two thieves crucified with him; and behold, he lays hold of one of them and will have him away with him to glory.  Was not this a strange act and a display of unthought of grace?  Were there none but thieves there, or were the rest of that company out of his reach?  Could he not, think you, have stooped from the cross to the ground, and have laid hold of some honester man, if he would?  Yes, doubtless.  O, but then he would not have displayed his grace, nor have so pursued his own designs, namely, to get himself a praise and a name; but now he has done it to purpose.  For who that shall read this story but must confess that the Son of God is full of grace? for a proof of the riches thereof he left behind him, when upon the cross he took the thief away with him to glory.

I have one thing more to offer for thy encouragement, who deemest thyself one of the biggest sinners; and that is, thou art as it were called by thy name, in the first place to come in for mercy.  Thou man of Jerusalem, Luke 24:47, hearken to thy call:  men do so in courts of judicature, and presently cry out, “Here, sir;” and then shoulder and crowd, and say, “Pray give way, I am called into the court.”  Why, this is thy case, thou great, thou Jerusalem sinner; be of good cheer, he calleth thee.  Why sittest thou still?  Arise.  Why standest thou still?  Come, man, thy call should give thee authority to corne.  “Begin at Jerusalem,” is thy call and authority to come; wherefore up and shoulder it, man; say, “Stand away, devil, Christ calls me; stand away, unbelief, Christ calls me; stand away, all ye discouraging apprehensions, for my Saviour calls me to him to receive of his mercy.”  Men will do thus, as I said, in courts below; and why shouldst not thou approach thus to the courts above?  The Jerusalem sinner is first in thought, first in commission, first in the record of names; and therefore should give attendance with expectation that he is first to receive mercy of God.