[1.] From the quality of the person, observe that God shows wonderful mercy to penitent sinners, if they return to him, and believe in him.
[2.] From her faith, observe that true faith, wherever it is, will show itself by some eminent and notable effects.
[3.] From the benefit, observe that the rewards of true faith are excellent and glorious.
Doct. 1. That God is ready to show wonderful mercy to penitent sinners, if they return to him, and believe in him, how great soever their sins have been before. Rahab the harlot is an instance. She had been a gentile, and lived an unclean life, yet when she owned the true God she is pardoned, and placed in the catalogue of God's worthies who are eminent for faith. There are many such instances given us in scripture ; not to lessen the nature of their sins, but to amplify God's grace. In John iv. we have an instance of the woman of Samaria ; she was a vile woman ; for (ver. 18) Christ tells her, ' Thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband;' yet afterwards she was a notable means of promoting the faith of Christ. Former sins will not hinder their acceptance with God who seriously come to seek grace. The same also may be observed in another woman ' which washed Christ's feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head,' Luke vii. 38. The woman was a heathen, and one that had lived in a sinful course, but she then relented, and lets fall drops of tears plentifully upon Christ's feet, which tears were the effects of sorrow and love ; and because she wept much and loved much, it argued a great expression of gratitude from her, because of the great mercy showed to her in the pardon of her sins : ver. 47, ' Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.' The throne of grace is open for all sinners; it admits of no exception of persons. ' Turn and live,' is the great tenor of the gospel : Ezek. xviii. 33, ' I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God; wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye;' Ezek. xxxiii. 11, 'As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn fi-om his way and live : turn ye, turn ye, from your evil ways ; for why will ye die, 0 house of Israel ? ' And publicans and harlots, though infamous amongst men, yet they are not excluded, but accepted with God if they turn from their evil course. Nay, many times they enter into the kingdom of God before self-justiciaries: Mat. xxi. 31, 'The publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before yon.' For there is nothing that lies so cross to the spirit of the gospel a.s
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34 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. [SeR. LXV.
self-righteousness. Now, when people pride and please themselves in an external righteousness, there is more hope of a publican than of them. Clirist invites and calls such, and we must not keep them oft": Mat. ix. 13, 'I came not to call tile righteous, but sinners to repent- ance.' But we must remember two cautions —
1. That they must break off the course of their sins. For our commission is this (and we cannot speak comfortably to you upon any other terms), ' Turn and live.' We call them not to confidence while they live in their sins, but to repentance, that they may break off the course of their sins. To tell them of trusting in God's mercy while they remain in their wickedness is a vile flattery, and the worst sort of flattery ; but to invite them to repentance is charity. See Isa. Iv, 7, ' Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon ;' and Dan. iv. 27, ' Break oft" thy sins by righteousness, and thy iniquities by showing mercy to the poor.' He speaks this to a cruel oppressing king, Nebuchadnezzar, who had troubled all the world by his ambi- tion, that he would let go his captives, and behave himself more righteously, restore the prey inijustly taken for the enlarging his empire and territory. And so I may say to all sinners ; if their faith be unfeigned, if their repentence be serious and sincere, there are hopes of mercy for them, not otherwise.
2. There is another caution, and that is, to be as eminent in their repentance as they have been in their sins ; so was Eahab, so was that gentile woman that came to wash Christ's feet, so was the woman of Samaria. The apostle requires it as an equitable proposal to all converts : Kom. vi. 19, ' I speak after the manner of men, because of the infirmity of your flesh ;' that is, which men will judge to be equal ; that which, if you have but reason and conscience within you, you cannot but judge reasonable. I know how bad yon are, and you cannot yield God such entire obedience as he doth require and as he doth deserve, and I have regard to the infirmity of your flesh ; but 'as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity ; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness ; ' be as eminent in your sanctification as formerly you have been in serving your base lusts and vile affections ; serve God as well as you have served the devil ; and as you have been guilty of such foul sins as render you infamous among men, so serve God now exemplarily. It is equitable you should be as eminent in holiness as yon have been in sins and wickedness.