and Jacob, that was a supplanter, and Reuben, that lay with his
father's concubine, and Judah that lay with his daughter-in-law, and
Levi and Simeon that wickedly slew thee Shechemites, and Aaron that
great backslider, and Manassah that man of blood and that made an
idol to be worshipped, and that proclaimed a religious feast unto it.
Here is also Rachab the harlot, and Bathsheba that bare a bastard to
David. Here is Solomon a witch. Time would fail me to tell you of
the woman of Canaan's daughter, Magdalen, of Matthew the publican,
and of Gideon and Sampson, and many thousands more.

Alas! alas! I say, what will these sinners do, that have, through
their unbelief, eclipsed the glorious largeness of the mercy of God,
and gave way to despair of salvation, because of the bigness of their
sins?

For all these, though now glorious saints in light, were sometimes
sinners of the biggest size, who had sins that were of a notorious
hue; yet now, I say, they are in their shining and heavenly robes
before the throne of God and of the Lamb, blessing for ever and ever
that Son of God for their salvation, who died for them upon the tree;
admiring that ever it should come into their hearts once to think of
coming to God by Christ; but above all, blessing God for granting of
them light to see those encouragements in his testament; without
which, without doubt, they had been daunted and sunk down under guilt
of sin and despair, as their fellow-sinners have done.

But now they also are witnesses for God, and for his grace against an
unbelieving world; for, as I said, they shall come to convince the
world of their speeches, their hard and unbelieving words, that they
have spoken concerning the mercy of God, and the merits of the