A66106:281
Mercy magnified on a penitent prodigal, or, A brief discourse wherein Christs parable of the lost son found is opened and applied as it was delivered in sundry sermons / by Samuel Willard ...
printed by Samuel Green for Samuel Philips, 1684
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
2. He is ready and forward to do all Satan's commands, let them be what they will; he refuseth none, though never so base; if he sends him into the field to keep swine, he goes readily, and willingly about his business, so sordid and slavish a spirit hath he gotten.
2. He is ready and forward to do all Satans commands, let them be what they will; he refuseth none, though never so base; if he sends him into the field to keep swine, he goes readily, and willingly about his business, so sordid and slavish a spirit hath he gotten.
3. He is devoted to his own lust; for Satan rules in the unregenerate, by leading them after the lusts of their own hearts, which are also in the Scripture, called the lusts of Satan, because he busily sets them on work, and serves himself and his own ends by them.
4. Here he hath his whole dependence or reliance for relief, this is the utmost essay he hath to make, it is his last shift, and if this course fails him he is undone: As a servant expects (at least) food and raiment for his work, so the sinner hopes to get quiet and settlement in the service of Satan. Now the reason why men do thus often times, after they have been convinced of misery, lies here, because ⟨p. 115⟩this conviction doth not so properly put man upon it to get rid of sin, but to get his terrors removed, to get off his fears; and now Satan persuades him with many wiles to yield to him, and he will effect it, but how poorly he performs it for them, we shall soon hear.
4. Here he hath his whole dependance or relyance for relief, this is the utmost essay he hath to make, it is his last shift, and if this course fails him he is undone: As a servant expects (at least) food and rayment for his work, so the sinner hopes to get quiet and settlement in the service of Satan. Now the reason why men do thus often times, after they have been convinced of misery, lyes here, because ⟨p. 115⟩this conviction doth not so properly put man upon it to get rid of sin, but to get his terrors removed, to get off his fears; and now Satan perswades him with many wiles to yield to him, and he will effect it, but how poorly he performs it for them, we shall soon hear.
USE. Hence we may learn what to judge of all those who are remaining in a state of nature; they are in most servile slavish condition, and let every unregenerate man lay it to heart, consider therefore.
1. Whom it is that you are enslaved to, it is Satan himself, he is that Citizen the Prodigal bound himself under.
2. What a manner of bondage you are in, viz.
1. It is necessary; I mean that which you have made so by your folly, for your natural condition leads you to it uncontrollably, and Satan hath gotten the possession of your wills, and all your faculties; and hence natural men are said to he led about by him at his will, 2 Tim. 2. 26.
1. It is necessary; I mean that which you have made so by your folly, for your natural conditon leads you to it uncontrolably, and Satan hath gotten the possession of your wills, and all your faculties; and hence natural men are said to he led about by him at his will, 2 Tim. 2. 26.
2. It is your own doing and choice: thou wentest and joinedst thy self to him, hoping so to advance and meliorate thy condition, but all to no purpose, as will anon appear; and let this humble thee, to think that thou hast given Satan that possession of thy heart, that thou hast indented with him, and joined thy self to ⟨p. 116⟩him: Learn hence also that thou canst not lay the blame of thy misery upon any but thy self; it is the course thou hast deliberately taken to rid thy self of misery by, but will be found a delusive project, and that which will involve thee in the greatest distress. Ah, what poor shifts are they which wretched sinners are driven to, when God makes them know themselves miserable, but reveals not to their souls the only way to recover out of it.
2. It is your own doing and choice: thou wentest and joynedst thy self to him, hoping so to advance and meliorate thy condition, but all to no purpose, as will anon appear; and let this humble thee, to think that thou hast given Satan that possession of thy heart, that thou hast indented with him, and joyned thy self to ⟨p. 116⟩him: Learn hence also that thou canst not lay the blame of thy misery upon any but thy self; it is the course thou hast deliberately taken to rid thy self of misery by, but will be found a delusive project, and that which will involve thee in the greatest distress. Ah, what poor shifts are they which wretched sinners are driven to, when God makes them know themselves miserable, but reveals not to their souls the only way to recover out of it.
This our Saviour aims at, by the Citizens setting him to keep swine: Swine were of old by the Ceremonial Law reckoned among unclean beasts, and still they are of brutes the most brutish: A swineherd among men is accounted the most low, sordid and contemptible employment: Such and so vile; yea, and incomparably more base are those services which Satan Employs wicked men about; we may conceive of this, if we consider what it is he puts them upon doing: It is called in the Scripture, a fulfilling of his lusts, Joh. 8. 44. and those are vile lusts so called, Rom. 1. 26. If we should examine in particular, what it is that wicked men do, in obedience to Satan's will, we shall find it all to be filthy and swinish: ⟨p. 117⟩What is the drunkards employment, but swilling himself, and turning his body into a living cask, and so losing that little of man which he had in him, and wholly becomes a beast? What doth the lewd and voluptuous man follow, but the giving scope to his lustful humour, and so throws himself into the perpetration of those base and obscene actions of which it is a shame to make any mention? As for the Epicure, Philosophy it self calls him not a swine-herd, but a very swine: Epicuri de grige porcum. And in truth all lusts are brutish; it hath its seat in the sensitive part of man, and its highest aspirings are but to give content to the body and senses, with a total neglect of the soul. Let us but consider what man was made for, viz. the service of God, those high and noble employments which Angels delight in, and account their glory, and then look and see what a world of men are doing, one courting his pleasures, another chasing after honours, a third heaping up wealth, a fourth studying his revenge, &c. unto any of which (in a true judgment) keeping of swine is a noble and honourable employment: And yet these are the things with which Satan seeks to divert men, and in the pursuit after which he makes them to hope that they shall get a living in this famine.
This our Saviour aims at, by the Citizens setting him to keep swine: Swine were of old by the Ceremonial Law reckoned among unclean beasts, and still they are of brutes the most bruitish: A swineherd among men is accounted the most low, sordid and contemptible employment: Such and so vile; yea, and incomparably more base are those services which Satan Imployes wicked men about; we may conceive of this, if we consider what it is he puts them upon doing: It is called in the Scripture, a fulfilling of his lusts,
Reas. From the malice which Satan bears against ⟨p. 118⟩the Children of men: Who can▪ expect favour or fidelity from an enemy? It is true, Satan promiseth men fair, and pretends to be a sure friend in a time of need, and makes them believe he proffers to do them a kindness, and thus with many fair words and deceivable, he draws them after him; but in truth, he hates the whole race of mankind, and all his contrivance is •o compass their utter and unavoidable ruin: He undid himself (as is thought by divers judicious) that he might undo man, and having by this horrid attempt of his lost his own felicity, without any the least glimmering hope of any retrieval for ever, how is it possible we should believe that he can study man's welfare,? And the truth is, Satan's Kingdom is most properly a Tyranny, and it comes to pass through the righteous judgment of God: Satan being, of a fellow-servant, risen to be a master, and man having forsaken God, and joined himself to him, choosing rather to be at his courtesy, than under God's directions, the Devil now in stead of a subject makes of him a slave.
Reas. From the malice which Satan bears against ⟨p. 118⟩the Children of men: Who can▪ expect favour or fidelity from an enemy? It is true, Satan promiseth men fair, and pretends to be a sure friend in a time of need, and makes them believe he proffers to do them a kindness, and thus with many fair words and deceivable, he draws them after him; but in truth, he hates the whole race of mankind, and all his contrivance is •o compass their utter and unavoidable ruine: He undid himself (as is thought by divers judicious) that he might undo man, and having by this horrid attempt of his lost his own felicity, without any the least glimmering hope of any retrival for ever, how is it possible we should believe that he can study man's welfare,? And the truth is, Satan's Kingdom is most properly a Tyranny, and it comes to pass through the righteous judgment of God: Satan being, of a fellow-servant, risen to be a master, and man having forsaken God, and joyned himself to him, chusing rather to be at his courteousie, than under God's directions, the Devil now in stead of a subject makes of him a slave.
USE, 1. See from whence we are fallen by sin, and learn to be ashamed of our selves: Every unregenerate man hath reason to hide his head with shame: If one of his fathers family had come to this young man, as he followed his swine, ragged and tattered, and put ⟨p. 119⟩him in mind of his former condition, how tenderly he was brought up by the care of a loving father, &c. how think you would he have looked? would he not have hid his head in some bush? what blushing and stupefaction would he have been seized withal? Why this is the very condition of all men out of Christ: Remember therefore what you once were, look back to your former state, when you were favourites of God, adorned with his Image, shining with his Graces, and dwelling in his Paradise, living in good fashion, and fitted for the best and most honourable employment: But how are you now changed into a company of swine-herds; yea, rather into mere swine? and that which makes it the more wonderful, is that we see men are proud of this employment.
USE, 1. See from whence we are fallen by sin, and learn to be ashamed of our selves: Every unregenerate man hath reason to hide his head with shame: If one of his fathers family had come to this young man, as he followed his swine, ragged and tattered, and put ⟨p. 119⟩him in mind of his former condition, how tenderly he was brought up by the care of a loving father, &c. how think you would he have lookt? would he not have hid his head in some bush? what blushing and stupefaction would he have been siezed withal? Why this is the very conditon of all men out of Christ: Remember therefore what you once were, look back to your former state, when you were favourites of God, adorned with his Image, shining with his Graces, and dwelling in his Paradise, living in good fashion, and fitted for the best and most honourable employment: But how are you now changed into a company of swine-herds; yea, rather into meer swine? and that which makes it the more wonderful, is that we see men are proud of this employment.
USE, 2. Here we see a reason why it often fall out that men, after terrible awakenings, and convictions of wrath and misery, grow more loose, more vain, more addicted to folly and vanity than before: It shows us that they have been using of foolish courses, they have gone to Satan for advice, and not to the Spirit of God; and the truth is, Satan is now more busy, and urgent with the soul to hearken to him, and if it do, this is that which always comes of it. Satan evermore directeth men to some ignoble course or other; sends Cain to ⟨p. 120⟩build Cities, that the noise of the hammers and and axes may silence or drown the voice of Conscience, sets the drunkard to his cups, the wanton to his harlots, the vain man to his merry company, &c. and God often permits this, to the end that his Elect may be the more convinced of their own folly and impotency, and of the wonderful riches of his grace in bringing of them home: And as long as men will afford an ear to Satan, it is not to be hoped that ever they should do better. Let us therefore pity such poor souls, and yet let us hope and pray for them: Conviction may be a seed of conversion, and though God suffer it to die, and seem to be utterly lost, in its good time, it may revive again to efficacy, after they have unprofitably made themselves the Devils drudges, and wearied themselves in their way; they may be taken in their months, Jer. 2. 24.
USE, 2. Here we see a reason why it often fall out that men, after terrible awakenings, and convictions of wrath and misery, grow more loose, more vain, more addicted to folly and vanity than before: It shews us that they have been using of foolish courses, they have gone to Satan for advice, and not to the Spirit of God; and the truth is, Satan is now more busie, and urgent with the soul to hearken to him, and if it do, this is that which alwayes comes of it. Satan evermore directeth men to some ignoble course or other; sends Cain to ⟨p. 120⟩build Cities, that the noise of the hammers and and axes may silence or drown the voice of Conscience, sets the drunkard to his cups, the wanton to his harlots, the vain man to his merry company, &c. and God often permits this, to the end that his Elect may be the more convinced of their own folly and impotency, and of the wonderful riches of his grace in bringing of them home: And as long as men will afford an ear to Satan, it is not to be hoped that ever they should do better. Let us therefore pity such poor souls, and yet let us hope and pray for them: Conviction may be a seed of conversion, and though God suffer it to dy, and seem to be utterly lost, in its good time, it may revive again to efficacy, after they have unprofitably made themselves the Devils drudges, and wearied themselves in their way; they may be taken in their months,
USE, 3. To awaken poor enslaved sinners to think, and seriously to consider of their miserable and ignoble drudgery: Hadst thou one spark of that noble spirit of man in his creation, left in thee, thou wouldst rather choose to die, than live in such a service: Art thou poor and famishing? and dost thou think Satan can relieve thee? Alas, the best that he can promise thee is but that poor world, where thou hast once already found there is a famine, he ⟨p. 121⟩doth but paint it over in new colours to cheat thee: And for it thou must keep swine, be a drudge to the vilest of his lusts, and he will never give thee any better preferment; nay, his very design is to make thee a miserable slave here, that. thou mayest be a damned wretch hereafter. Stay then and consider before thou goest and joinest thy self to him; what canst thou promise thy self at his hands, who never did any thing but undo all those that have placed themselves under him, and put their trust in him? God is a better Master, and if thou wilt come to him, he will give thee a better service, an high-calling; he will give thee a clean and not a dirty service, thou shalt be a freeman and no longer a slave, it shall be a Glory for thee to serve him, the service it self shall be thy honour and felicity, and in the end of it, thou shalt be advanced to a throne and a Crown.
USE, 3. To awaken poor enslaved sinners to think, and seriously to consider of their miserable and ignoble drudgery: Hadst thou one spark of that noble spirit of man in his creation, left in thee, thou wouldst rather chuse to dy, than live in such a service: Art thou poor and famishing? and dost thou think Satan can relieve thee? Alas, the best that he can promise thee is but that poor world, where thou hast once already found there is a famine, he ⟨p. 121⟩doth but paint it over in new colours to cheat thee: And for it thou must keep swine, be a drudge to the vilest of his lusts, and he will never give thee any better preferment; nay, his very design is to make thee a miserable slave here, that. thou maist be a damned wretch hereafter. Stay then and consider before thou goest and joynest thy self to him; what canst thou promise thy self at his hands, who never did any thing but undo all those that have placed themselves under him, and put their trust in him? God is a better Master, and if thou wilt come to him, he will give thee a better service, an high-calling; he will give thee a clean and not a dirty service, thou shalt be a freeman and no longer a slave, it shall be a Glory for thee to serve him, the service it self shall be thy honour and felicity, and in the end of it, thou shalt be advanced to a throne and a Crown.
Vers. 16. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat; and no man gave unto him.
Vers. 16. And he would fain have filled his belly with the huskes that the swine did eat; and no man gave unto him.
