The Jerusalem Sinner Saved; or Good News for the Vilest of Men by John Bunyan 1689

than this,—such men are made professors by the devil, and so by him
put among the rest of the godly. A certain man had a fruitless fig-tree
planted in his vineyard; but by whom was it planted there? Even by
him that sowed the tares, his own children, among the wheat; Luke xiii.
6; Matt. xiii. 37–40. And that was the devil. But why doth the devil do
thus? Not of love to them, but to make of them offense and stumblingblocks
to others. For he knows that a loose professor in the church does
more mischief to religion than ten can do to it that are in the world.
Was it not, think you, the devil that stirred up the damsel that you read
of in Acts xvi., to cry out, “These are the servants of the most high God,
that shew unto us the way of salvation!” Yes it was, as is evident, for
Paul was grieved to hear it. But why did the devil stir up her to cry so?
but because that was the way to blemish the Gospel, and to make the
world think that it came from the same hand as did her soothsaying
and witchery; verse 16–18; “Holiness, O Lord, becomes thy house for
ever.”
Let, therefore, whoever they be that profess the name of Christ, take
heed that they scandal not that profession which they make of him,
since he has so graciously offered us, as we are sinners of the biggest
size, in the first place, his grace to save us.
Having thus far spoken of the riches of the grace of Christ, and of the
freeness of his heart to embrace the Jerusalem sinners, it may not be
amiss to give you yet, as a caution, an intimation of one thing, namely,
that this grace and freeness of his heart is limited to time and day; the
which, whoso overstandeth, shall perish notwithstanding.
For as a king, who, of grace, sendeth out to his rebellious people an offer
of pardon, if they accept thereof by such a day, yet beheadeth or
hangeth those that come not in for mercy until the day or time be past;
so Christ Jesus has set the sinner a day, a day of salvation, an acceptable
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