The real Christian, or, A treatise of effectual calling wherein the work of God…

Object. But it is to be found in patterns of Gospel-Conversion, as in Luke 15.19. Where the Prodigal professeth he was not worthy to be called a son, make me a hired servant.

Answ. Very good; this is the Text Mr. Hooker grounds all his discourse and doctrine upon; let us therefore examine it: Who is meant here by the Prodigal, I shall not insist upon; whether one that is a Child of God, but hath apostatized from God, and is now returning home to his Father again, as some Divines, and I think Mr. An. Burges somewhere so expounds it: or whether those Publicans and Sinners in the first verse, at whom the Pharisees quarrelled: ⟨p. 139⟩I am sure it cannot be meant, as one of the Ministers in London of late times (whose name I spare) but if he be living he hath cause to be humbled for his blasphemous interpretation, to make Christ this Prodigal, and so tortured the whole Parable most abominably, as one of his own Parish, who heard him, and laboured to justify him, told me. But I will not labour in this; only if the first be meant, then Mr. Hooker's notion fails; for if a Child of God, then he had faith, and was before prepared, though now he apostatized wretchedly: but I will yield it, to be meant of a sinners first coming home to God; and for the preparatory works they are very plain; only for coming to Christ, or to God by a Mediator, there is nothing of that; what our nature is while under the power of sin, how delirant, mad, (when he came to himself.) the shifts the Soul will make before it will come home to God, feed on husks with the Hogs, till ready to starve, before it will come home: meditation, or consideration of his Fathers house, resolutions to return, confessions, humblings, self-judgings, these things are clear; in his self-judgings let us observe what he saith, and how Mr. Hooker paraphraseth upon it. I am not worthy to be called thy son, make me as one of thy hired servants: upon which Mr. Hooker thus, p. 79. He is content to be at his Fathers disposing; he doth not seek to be his own carver, and say, if I may be my Fathers Steward, &c. then I will go home: no, if I can but get into my Fathers house, though it were to be a drudge in the kitchen, I will dye rather then go away any more. So again, p. 98. He doth not say, if I may have half the rule in the family, I am content to live with you; no now he is content to be any thing, if he can but get into his Fathers house, &c. This is the sum, and upon this he grounds his Doctrine. Very good: