DISCOURSE IV. 113 thorns .a crown of glory: See the man whom ye have scorned and reproached at the head of millions of angels, and adored by ten thousand times ten thousand saints, while wicked princes and captains, armies and nations of sinners wait their doom from his mouth, nor dare hope for a word of his mercy. O make haste and come and be reconciled to him, and to God by him, that ye may belong to that blessed assembly, that ye may bear a part in the triumphs of that day, and that Christ may be glorified in your recovery from the very borders of damnation. This thought leads me to the next use. IL This discourse gives " rich encouragement to the greatest sinners to hope for mercy, and to the weakest saints to . hope for victory and salvation." Such sort of subjects of the grace of Christ shall yield him some of the brightest rays of glory at the last day. Yet, sinners let me charge you here, never to hope for this happiness without solemn repentance, and an entire change of heart unto holiness, for an unholy soul would be a fearful blemish in that assembly, and a disgrace to our Lord Jesus. Christians, I would charge you also, never to hope for the happiness of this day without battle and conquest, for all the members of that assembly must be overcomers: But where there is a hearty desire and longing after grace and salvation, let not the worst of sinners despair, nor the weakest believer let go his hope, for it is such as you and I are, in whom Christ will be magnified in that day. Believe this, O thou humbled and convinced sinner, who complainest thy heart is hard, though thou wouldest fain repent and mourn ; whe fearest the bonds of thy corruptions are so strong, that they shall never be broken, believe that the sove- reign grace of Christ has designed to exalt itself in the sanctifi- cation of such unholy souls as thou art, and in melting such hard hearts as thine. And thou, poor trembling soul, that wouldest fain trust in a Saviour, but art afraid, because of the greatness of thy guilt, and thy abounding iniquities, believe this, that where sin has abounded, grace has much more abounded; Rom. y. 20. It is from the bringing such sinners, as thou art to heaven, that the choicest revenues of glory shall arise to our Lord Jesus Christ, and thy acclamations of joy and honour to the Saviour shall perhaps be loudest in that day, when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and admired in all them that believe. Read the 1 Tim. i. 13, 14. and see there what an account the great apostle gives of his own conversion ; I was a blas- phemer and a persecutor, and injurious, yet I obtained mercy ; and the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with felts and love, which is in Jesus Christ. Now I am sent to publish and preach to blasphemers and persecutors, that this is a faith VOL. vu. H
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