books before all men: "So mightily grew the word of God, and
prevailed."

Thus, therefore, you see why Christ will have mercy offered in the
first place to the biggest sinners; they have most need thereof; and
this is the most ready way to extol his name that rideth upon the
heavens to our help. But,

Thirdly, Christ Jesus would have mercy offered in the first place to
the biggest sinners, because by their forgiveness and salvation,
others hearing of it, will be encouraged the more to come to him for
life.

For the physician, by curing the most desperate at the first, doth
not only get himself a name, but begets encouragement in the minds of
other diseased folk to come to him for help. Hence you read of our
Lord, that after, through his tender mercy, he had cured many of
great diseases, his fame was spread abroad, "They brought unto him
all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments,
and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were
lunatic, and those that had the palsy, and he healed them. And there
followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and Decapolis,
and Jerusalem, and Judea, and from beyond Jordan;" Matt. iv. 24, 25.

See here, he first by working gets himself a fame, a name, and
renown, and now men take encouragement, and bring from all quarters
their diseased to him, being helped, by what they had heard, to
believe that their diseased should be healed.

Now, as he did with those outward cures, so he does in the proffers