Page:Cry to the whole earth; a sermon preached by the Reverend Mr. John Welch.pdf/4

 is ſaid to love his whole family, and here he is ſaid to come unto them; for whom he loveth he cannot but viſit, like the friends of Job, Job ii. that came to comfort him in his adverſity. Yea, and the greater love that Chriſt bears unto any, the oftener he will reſort unto them; yea, he will come and dwell with them, John xiv. 25. Like Jacob, that came down into Egypt, Gen. xlvii. to his beloved ſon Joſeph, and dwelt in Goſhen. But Chriſt is yet more kind than Jacob was; for he came not till he was ſent for with horſes and chariots: but Chriſt he came of his own accord to his beloved family. Thus doth he always prevent us with his manifold bleſſings. Before he was deſired, he came into the world; he called his apoſtles before they came unto him; and before he was invited he came into this noble houſe.

O happy houſe that entertained ſuch a gueſt; but thrice happy inhabitants to whom ſuch a gueſt would vouchſafe to come. When he came unto the ſwiniſh Gadarenes, they deſired him to depart out of their coaſts, Luke viii. preferring their ſwine above their Saviour: But this godly family gladly received him into their houſe, preferred their God before their gold, and their ſoul's health before their worldly wealth. They received him into their houſes, who had not a houſe of his own to put his head into, Mat. viii. 16. wherein their hoſpitality is commended, and ſhall moſt certainly be rewarded at that moſt dreadful day, Mat. xxv. For with theſe and ſuch like works of mercy, the Lord ſhall anſwer the ſentence of judgment, which is to be denounced againſt the wicked, that never exerciſed theſe works of mercy. Let us therefore learn by their example to be harbourers, and given to hoſpitality, which is ſo often commended to us in the ſcriptures, and ſhall be ſo richly rewarded at the