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be saved.' The errand of his first coming was to offer salvation to the lost world, and not only to offer it, but to purchase it for them : John xii. 47, ' I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.' All these places show that at his first coming he laid aside the quality of a judge, and took the office of a saviour and a mediator ; as a prophet, to reveal the way of salvation ; as a priest, to procure it for us by the merit of his sacrifice ; as a king, powerfully to bring us to the enjoy- ment of it. He did not come down to punish the ungodly world ; as Gen. xviii. 21, ' I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it which is come up unto me ; ' and so to put an end to transgression. But he would come with an offer of peace and salvation, and during this whole dispensation leaves room for faith and repentance. Seventhly, when he was upon earth, you find him conversing with sinners, as the physician with the sick, to heal their souls ; and when the pharisees excepted against this familiarity, as if it were against decency that so great a prophet should converse with the poorest and worst, he showeth it was needful for their cure. When they objected, Luke xv. 2, 'This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them,' he defendeth himself by the parable of the lost sheep, and lost groat, and lost son. So here, when they murmur at him for being Zaccheus' guest, he pleadeth his commission and great errand into the world. So when a woman that was a sinner washed his feet with her tears, he preferreth her before Simon a pharisee, Luke vii. 44-47. He pleadeth his being a physician of souls when he sat at meat with Matthew a publican. Mat. ix. 12. So those that would have the adul- teress stoned, he said to them, John viii. 7, ' He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her.' He spake many par- ables against those that were conceited of their righteousness and de- spised sinners, Luke xviii. 9 ; the parable of the two sons. Mat. xxi. 28-31. Now all these show that his great work was to bring lost sinners to repentance, that they might be saved. Eighthly, after he had offered himself through the eternal Spirit, that he might purge our consciences from dead works, he went to heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God, that he might powerfully apply his salvation. Therefore it is said, Acts v. 31, * Him hath God exalted with his right hand, to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins.' So that still he is upon the saving dispensation till he come to judgment ; then all are in termino, in their final estate, where they shall remain for ever. Ninthly, the ministry and gospel was appointed to give notice of this : 1 John iv. 14, * And we have seen, and do tes- tify, that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.' Well, then, if Christ had not been willing to save us, he would never have laid down his life to open a way for our salvation, nor would he have Bent his ambassadors to pray and beseech us to accept of his help.
Use 1. Information.
1. How contrary to the temper of Christ they are who are careless of souls. We should learn of Christ to be diligent and industrious, to reduce the meanest person upon earth that is in a course of any danger of ruin to the soul. Surely this care of seeking and searching out and reducing sinners to repentance should be imitated of all. These words are spoken by Christ upon another occasion, why his little ones should
164 SERMONS UPON LUKE XIX. 10.
not be despised : Mat. xviii. 11, ' For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.' He came to redeem the meanest believer. Now his little ones are despised by laying stumbling-blocks in their way, or neglecting the means by which they may be reduced to God, as if their souls were not worth the looking after. Hath the minister no poor ignorant creature to instruct ? or the father of the family no children or servants to bring home to God ? Or the good christian no brothers, nor sisters, nor neighbours, who walk in a soul-destroying course ? How can we think ourselves to belong to Christ when we are so unlike him ? Oh ! seek and save that which is lost; do what you can to pluck them out of the fire ; they are lost and undone for ever if they continue in their carnal and flesh-pleasing course. Be they never so mean, you must seek to save them, for you must not have the faith of our Lord Jesus Ohrist in respect of persons.
2. How much they obstruct the end of Christ's coming who hinder the salvation of lost souls, either by depriving them of the means of grace, as the pharisees, who ' would neither enter into the kingdom of God themselves, nor suffer them that were entering to go in,' Mat. xxiii. 13 ; but seek all means to divert them ; or else by clogging his grace with unnecessary conditions or preparations, and so shut up the way to the city of refuge, which was to be smoothed or made plain, Deut. xix. 2, 3, that nothing might hinder him that fled thither, no stop, nor stumbling-block, no hill, nor dale, nor river without convenient passage. It is enough they are sensible that they are lost creatures. And it is not the deepness of the wound is to be regarded, but the soundness of the cure : they have a sense of sin and misery, Christ seeketh such to save and cure. Some exclude all conditions and means ; he must look to nothing in himself to make out his claim, but only to Christ's blood shed for the expiation of his sins. Alas ! Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost, not only as a priest, but as a prophet and as a king ; not only to die for sins, but to call us to repentance, and to work it in us by his Spirit. He findeth us lost sinners, but he doth not leave us so. And conversion is a part of his salvation, as well as redemption. He saveth us by renewing God's image in us, as well as procuring his favour for us. To be saved from our sins is salvation, Mat. i. 21 ; to be regenerated is salvation, as well as to be reconciled to God ; and so the scripture speaketh of it.