or his Christ, or relinquish a good profession, and be under the real
guilt thereof; shall he therefore conclude he is gone for ever? Let
him come again with Peter's tears, and no doubt he shall obtain
Peter's forgiveness. For the text includes the biggest sinners.

And it is observable, that before this clause was put into this
commission, Peter was pardoned his horrible revolt from his Master.
He that revolteth in the day of trial, if he is not shot quite dead
upon the place, but is sensible of his wound, and calls out for a
surgeon, shall find his Lord at hand to pour wine and oil into his
wounds, that he may again be healed, and to encourage him to think
that there may be mercy for him: besides what we find recorded of
Peter, you read in the Acts, some were, through the violence of their
trials, compelled to blaspheme, and yet are called saints; Acts xxvi.
9-11.

Hence you have a promise or two that speak concerning such kind of
men, to encourage us to think that at least some of them shall come
back to the Lord their God. "Shall they fall," saith he, "and not
arise? Shall they turn away, and not return?" Jer. viii. 4. "And in
that day I will assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that
was driven out, and her that I have afflicted. And I will make her
that halteth a remnant, and her that was cast off a strong nation;
and the Lord shall reign over them in Mount Zion for ever." What we
are to understand by her that halteth, is best expressed by the
Prophet Elijah; Mic. iv. 6, 7; Zeph. iii. 19; 1 Kings xviii. 21.

I will conclude, then, that for them that have halted. or may halt,
the Lord has mercy in the bank, and is willing to accept them if they
return to him again.