God into lasciviousness. But I speak not of these; these will
neither be ruled by grace nor reason. Grace would teach them, if
they know it, to deny ungodly courses; and so would reason too, if it
could truly sense the love of God; Titus ii. 11, 12; Rom. xi. 1.

Doth it look like what hath any coherence with reason or mercy, for a
man to abuse his friend? Because Christ died for men, shall I
therefore spit in his face? The bread and water that was given by
Elisha to his enemies, that came into the land of Israel to take him,
had so much influence upon their minds, though heathens, that they
returned to their homes without hurting him: yea, it kept them from
coming again in a hostile manner into the coasts of Israel; 2 Kings
vi. 19-23.

But to forbear to illustrate till anon. One reason why Christ Jesus
shews mercy to sinners, is, that he might obtain their love, that he
may remove their base affections from base objects to himself. Now,
if he loves to be loved a little, he loves to be loved much; but
there is not any that are capable of loving much, save those that
have much forgiven them. Hence it is said of Paul, that he laboured
more than them all; to wit, with a labour of love, because he had
been by sin more vile against Christ than they all; 1 Cor. xv. He it
was that persecuted the church of God, and wasted it; Gal. i. 13. He
of them all was the only raving bedlam against the saints: "And
being exceeding mad," says he, "against them, I persecuted them, even
to strange cities;" Acts xxvi. 11.

This raving bedlam, that once was so, is he that now says, I laboured
more than them all, more for Christ than them all.