on them. Now, the biggest sinners cannot be saved but by abundance
of grace; it is not a little that will save great sinners; Rom. v.
17. And I say again, since the Lord Jesus mounts thus high at the
first, and sends to the Jerusalem sinners, that they may come first
to partake of his mercy, it follows, that either he has unsearchable
riches of grace and worth in himself, or else he must straiten his
hand, or his grace and merits will be spent before the world is at an
end. But let it be believed, as surely as spoken, he is still as
full as ever. He is not a jot the poorer for all the forgivenesses
that he has given away to great sinners. Also he is still as free as
at first; for he never yet called back this word, Begin at the
Jerusalem sinners. And, as I said before, since his grace is
extended according to the worth of his merits, I conclude, that there
is the same virtue in his merits to save now, as there was at the
very beginning.

Oh! the riches of the grace of Christ! Oh! the riches of the blood
of Christ!

Thirdly, Would Jesus Christ have mercy offered in the first place to
the biggest sinners, then here is encouragement for you that think,
for wicked hearts and lives, you have not your fellows in the world,
yet to come to him.

There is a people that therefore fear lest they should be rejected of
Jesus Christ, because of the greatness of their sins; when, as you
see here, such are sent to, sent to by Jesus Christ to come to him
for mercy, "Begin at Jerusalem." Never did one thing answer another
more fitly in this world, than this text fitteth such kind of
sinners. As face answereth face in a glass, so this text answereth