Mercy magnified on a penitent prodigal, or, A brief discourse

2. They are the Talents which God hath sent them to improve for his Glory, and for their souls good: God hath put them in their hands with a command that they should trade them for him, and in his service: The Lord expected that Belshazzar should have glorified him with his Power, and Kingdom, and great glory which he had advanced him to, Dan. 5. 23. He counts that men have by these things an advantage in their hands to do him service, that they have a price, and if they are not wise in the improvement thereof, for the exaltation of his name, he reckons it for an unexcusable transgression, Rom. 2. begin.

2. Ungodly or unregenerate men do spend all these upon their lusts. This is the nature and guise of every man in whom the fear of God is not, not to honour him, but to sacrifice them to his fleshly desires: What else did degenerate Israel do with God's favours? Hos. 2. 8. For she did not know that I gave her the Corn, &c. which they prepared for Baal. And the Reason of this is, because, as men place their happiness in satisfaction, so the natural mans satisfaction consists in giving content to the carnal demands of his own mind; if these be not satisfied he is discontent: sin hath so blinded the eyes, & deluded the judgment of fallen man, that, till Grace comes in to inform him better, he knows no blessedness but in pampering and ⟨p. 66⟩cherishing the craving concupiscence of his soul: The rich man, Luk. 12. placeth his whole happiness in his souls ease, and that by giving himself full scope to eat, drink, and be merry; and that is a real description of the frame and opinion of every son and daughter of Adam, before the work of conversion passeth upon them.