A66106:359
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.
3. They are indiscreet and inconsiderate in all they do; fools deliberate not of their actions; they neither ask a reason, nor ponder of the event, but go headlong and precipitant into all, Pro. 27. 12. The simple pass on: just so do unregenerate men; they ponder not any of their paths, but are led blindfold after their lusts, Isa. 1. 3. Israel doth not know, my People doth not consider. Hence that expostulation, Deut. 32. 29. They never ask that question, what they are doing, or whether their ways are tending, Pro. 7. 22, 33. He goeth after her,—as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.
3. They are indiscreet and inconsiderate in all they do; fools deliberate not of their actions; they neither ask a reason, nor ponder of the event, but go headlong and precipitant into all, Pro. 27. 12. The simple passon: just so do unregenerate men; they ponder not any of their paths, but are led blindfold after their lusts, Isa. 1. 3. Israel doth not know, my People doth not consider. Hence that expostulation, Deut. 32. 29. They never ask that question, what they are doing, or whether their wayes are tending, Pro. 7. 22, 33. He goeth after her,—as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.
4. They are very bold and hardy, they fear no dangers that are before them, and will therefore run themselves upon any mischief: If their way be through fire and water, they are not daunted at it, hence our proverb, foolhardy. So are sinners; warnings, threatenings, terrors of the Almighty fright them not; though the sword of Divine vengeance hang over their heads, though God's judgments are abroad in the world, and their wicked companions are swept away thereby, yet still they hold on their course, hence compared to the horse, Jer. 8: 6: Every one turneth to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle. Of whose rashness see, Job 39. 21: &c.
4. They are very bold and hardy, they fear no dangers that are before them, and will therefore run themselves upon any mischief: If their way be through fire and water, they are not daunted at it, hence our proverb, foolhardy. So are sinners; warnings, threatnings, terrours of the Almighty fright them not; though the sword of Divine vengeance hang over their heads, though God's judgments are abroad in the world, and their wicked companions are swept away thereby, yet still they hold on their course, hence compared to the horse, Jer. 8: 6: Every one turneth to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle. Of whose rashness see, Job 39. 21: &c.
5. They are incapable of receiving counsel, ⟨p. 142⟩or being convinced of their foolish and mad ways: There is no persuading a fool or madman with reason, for wisdom and counsel is out of his reach: If you fetch all the Topics in Logic, and all the Tropes and figures in Rhetoric, you may move a stone sooner than him from his notions: Thus unregenerate men are unteachable; you may teach an Ox and an Ass sooner, Isa. 1: 3: Tell them of the evil of their ways, the unreasonableness of their courses, bring the witness of natural conscience, the testimony of reason, the light of Scripture, and all will not move or persuade them: Plead, entreat, woo, solicit by all that can be said or thought of, surdo canis. They are deaf adders, Psal. 58: 4, 5: Which will not hearken to the voice of charms, charming never so wisely.
5. They are incapable of receiving counsel, ⟨p. 142⟩or being convinced of their foolish and mad wayes: There is no perswading a fool or madman with reason, for wisdom and counsel is out of his reach: If you fetch all the Topicks in Logick, and all the Tropes and figures in Rhetorick, you may move a stone sooner than him from his notions: Thus unregenerate men are unteachable; you may teach an Ox and an Ass sooner, Isa. 1: 3: Tell them of the evil of their wayes, the unreasonableness of their courses, bring the witness of natural conscience, the testimony of reason, the light of Scripture, and all will not move or perswade them: Plead, intreat, woo, sollicit by all that can be said or thought of, surdo canis. They are deaf adders, Psal. 58: 4, 5: Which will not hearken to the voice of charmes, charming never so wisely.
6. They are easily cheated and imposed upon: though they will not hear reason, yet they are readily beguiled and abused by fair and fallacious pretences, they may be cogged to give all they have away for a trifle: Truly thus doth Satan, that great juggler, abuse unregenerate men, he leads them about at his pleasure, rooks them out of all that is good, persuades them to neglect God's day of grace, turn their backs upon heaven, despise a Saviour, trample upon the pearl of price, and all for the sake of a few fading, perishing shows of carnal content, ⟨p. 143⟩and vain delight: Thus he beguiled our first Parents with an Apple, and daily gulls multitudes of sinners, with rattles, and noises, and poor empty gay things to the eternal loss of their souls.
6. They are easily cheated and imposed upon: though they will not hear reason, yet they are readily begulled and abused by fair and fallacious pretences, they may be cogged to give all they have away for a trifle: Truly thus doth Satan, that great jugler, abuse unregenerate men, he leads them about at his pleasure, rooks them out of all that is good, perswades them to neglect God's day of grace, turn their backs upon heaven, despise a Saviour, trample upon the pearl of price, and all for the sake of a few fading, perishing shews of carnal content, ⟨p. 143⟩and vain delight: Thus he beguiled our first Parents with an Apple, and daily gulls multitudes of sinners, with rattles, and noises, and poor empty gay things to the eternal loss of their souls.
7. They mischief themselves and all they come near when let loose, and left to themselves: It is a property of madness to be mischievous: Fools throw fire-brands and say they are in sport: Thus unregenerate men delight in nothing but mischief, undoing their own souls, and the souls of all they have to do with as much as in them lies; they run themselves to everlasting ruin and destruction, and draw as many after them as they can, they will entice, allure, persuade others to be their companions, Pro. 1. 10. Cast in thy lot with us.
7. They mischief themselves and all they come near when let loose, and left to themselves: It is a property of madness to be mischievous: Fools throw fire-brands and say they are in sport: Thus unregenerate men delight in nothing but mischief, undoing their own souls, and the souls of all they have to do with as much as in them lyes; they run themselves to everlasting ruine and destruction, and draw as many after them as they can, they will entise, allure, perswade others to be their companions, Pro. 1. 10. Cast in thy lot with us.
8. They are most angry at those that endeavour to do them the most good: He that binds or stops a mad-man, though he loveth him, yet he vexeth him: he accounts them for his greatest enemies that would give him any hinderance in his mad pranks; it is as safe meeting a Bear robbed of her whelps, as standing in his way: Thus unrenewed men cannot bear to be told of their ways and courses, they will count a Paul their enemy if he tells them the truth; endeavour never so gently and compassionately to persuade them that they are going away from good, and bringing mischief upon their ⟨p. 144⟩own heads, it is the way to be hated, back-bitten, reviled, and spitefully used by them: Ahab hates Micajah, and thinks he never prophesies good to him: And takes Elijah to be the troubler of Israel, because he reproved his wicked courses.
8. They are most angry at those that endeavour to do them the most good: He that binds or stops a mad-man, though he loveth him, yet he vexeth him: he accounts them for his greatest enemies that would give him any hinderance in his mad pranks; it is as safe meeting a Bear robbed of her whelps, as standing in his way: Thus unrenewed men cannot bear to be told of their wayes and courses, they will count a Paul their enemy if he tells them the truth; endeavour never so gently and compassionatly to perswade them that they are going away from good, and bringing mischief upon their ⟨p. 144⟩own heads, it is theway to be hated, back-bitten, reviled, and spitefully used by them: Ahab hates Micajah, and thinks he never prophesies good to him: And takes Elijah to be the troubler of Israel, because he reproved his wicked courses.
9. Correction or punishment will not reclaim them, and bring them to better frame, but rather make them more mad, Pro. 17. 10. A reproof enters more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool. An hundred, nay, if it were a thousand, his folly would remain with him; yea, you may separate his soul from his body, but not him from his folly; although you reduce him to atoms, yet his foolishness abides still, Prov. 27. 22. Thus are unregenerate men so riveted to their sin, it is so intrinsically seated in them, and diffused through them, that all the awful judgments of God make no impression upon them to reclaim them; God may smite till he is weary of smiting, but they are as bad as ever and worse, Isa. 1. 5. Why should ye be smitten any more, ye will revolt more and more: Like Ahaz, in their affliction they will sin more than ever.
9. Correction or punishment will not reclaim them, and bring them to better frame, but rather make them more mad, Pro. 17. 10. A reproof enters more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool. An hundred, nay, if it were a thousand, his folly would remain with him; yea, you may separate his soul from his body, but not him from his folly; although you reduce him to atomes, yet his foolishness abides still, Prov. 27. 22. Thus are unregenerate men so rivetted to their sin, it is so intrinsecally seated in them, and diffused through them, that all the awful judgments of God make no impression upon them to reclaim them; God may smite till he is weary of smiting, but they are as bad as ever and worse, Isa. 1. 5. Why should ye be smitten any more, ye will revolt more and more: Like Ahaz, in their affliction they will sin more than ever.
10. Folly and madness discovers it self in all they do: A wise word or action may steal unawares from them, but this is the tract of their life, you may read it in the tenor of their course: so spiritual madness is in all that unconverted men do; what is the life of the proud ⟨p. 145⟩and ambitious, but a pleasing and priding themselves in a gay Coat, an handful of dirt, a cap and a knee, an empty title? which is mere foolery. How looks the covetous man, who like a boy spends his time in rolling up a great snow ball, which melts before the sun? What but madness are all the actions of the voluptuous, who put off man, and put on beast, being brutish in all their prosecutions? what doth the passionate man, but scatter coals, and throw about fire-brands, as if he had nothing else to do, but set the world in a flame?
10. Folly and madness discovers it self in all they do: A wise word or action may steal unawares from them, but this is the tract of their life, you may read it in the tenor of their course: so spiritual madness is in all that unconverted men do; what is the life of the proud ⟨p. 145⟩and ambitious, but a pleasing and priding themselves in a gay Coat, an handful of dirt, a cap and a knee, an empty title? which is meer foolery. How looks the covetous man, who like a boy spends his time in rolling up a great snow ball, which melts before the sun? What but madness are all the actions of the voluptuous, who put off man, and put on beast, being brutish in all their prosecutions? what doth the passionate man, but scatter coals, and throw about fire-brands, as if he had nothing else to do, but set the world in a flame?
USE, 1. It may teach us not to wonder at all the exorbitancies and confusions which we see acted in the world: when fools and madmen have gotten the reins in their necks, and act all their own pleasure without any control, what better can be expected? The workers of iniquity all of them have no knowledge, no marvel then that they act so foolishly: Nay, much rather have we cause to wonder at the power and wisdom of God, that so wisely orders, and powerfully manageth this great Bedlam, as to carry on his own ends and designs in it without control or let, causing even the folly of men to pay tribute to his wisdom.
USE, 2. Here we see a reason why the means of Grace, where they are never so powerfully dispensed, are yet so ineffectual to the conversion of sinners: why convictions fasten ⟨p. 146⟩not, threatenings take not place, promises allure not the Children of men, but they continue senseless under all: the wise man gives the reason of it, Prov. 24. 7. Wisdom is too high for a fool. The saving knowledge and spiritual improvement of these things is out of their reach: It is labour lost to go about to instruct a man that is beside himself: hence it is not in the power of means to work it; none but God, who can restore lost man to his wits again, and bring him to himself, is able to give efficacy to any endeavours of this nature, and till then, line upon line, and precept upon precept, are but as so much water spilt upon a rock.
USE, 2. Here we see a reason why the means of Grace, where they are never so powerfully dispensed, are yet so ineffectual to the conversion of sinners: why convictions fasten ⟨p. 146⟩not, threatnings take not place, promises allure not the Children of men, but they continue sensless under all: the wise man gives the reason of it, Prov. 24. 7. Wisdom is too high for a fool. The saving knowledge and spiritual improvment of these things is out of their reach: It is labour lost to go about to instruct a man that is beside himself: hence it is not in the power of means to work it; none but God, who can restore lost man to his wits again, and bring him to himself, is able to give efficacy to any endeavours of this nature, and till then, line upon line, and precept upon precept, are but as so much water spilt upon a rock.
USE, 3. It may also teach us how to carry it towards unregenerate sinners in their unregeneracy, viz. as we would do to a man that is beside himself: i. e. First, pity and pray for them; we are not wont to be enraged at a frantic, though he play mad tricks, because we know it comes from his distemper: Thus our Saviour, Luk. 23. 34. Father forgive them, they know not what they do: And so Stephen, Act 7. 60. Lay not this sin to their charge. They need your pity and prayers who can do nothing for themselves. 2. Be not afraid to anger them, so you may but do them good: Think it not hard to be scorned, reviled, when you rebuke and entreat them: Alas, if we should say or do nothing to them but what they ⟨p. 147⟩like, we should let them undo and destroy themselves, and become guilty of their blood. 3. Choose them not for your counsellors and companions: Who would account it his commendation or profit, to associate with a fool, or make himself the intimate of one that is out of his wits? None but fools delight in fools.
USE, 3. It may also teach us how to carry it towards unregenerate sinners in their unregeneracy, viz. as we would do to a man that is beside himself: i. e. First, pity and pray for them; we are not wont to be enraged at a frantick, though he play mad tricks, because we know it comes from his distemper: Thus our Saviour, Luk. 23. 34. Father forgive them, they know not what they do: And so Stephen, Act 7. 60. Lay not this sin to their charge. They need your pity and prayers who can do nothing for themselves. 2. Be not afraid to anger them, so you may but do them good: Think it not hard to be scorned, reviled, when you rebuke and entreat them: Alas, if we should say or do nothing to them but what they ⟨p. 147⟩like, we should let them undo and destroy themselves, and become guilty of their blood. 3. Chuse them not for your counsellors and companions: Who would account it his commendation or profit, to associate with a fool, or make himself the intimate of one that is out of his wits? None but fools delight in fools.
USE. 4. It may exhort the people of God, (true Believers) to great thankfulness to God for his wonderful love to you, that you are by his grace restored to a sound mind: as, when we look upon one that is distracted, and see what strange, imprudent, misguided, foolish actions he performs, it is a lesson to all that look on, showing them how deeply they are bound to thank God, and how much they owe him for their wits and understandings: so when we see what mad courses prodigal sinners drive, how they are carried head-long after their own lusts; go from God, spend all in riot, enslave themselves to Satan, and wast away their time in the midst of restless and unsatisfying vanities, neither knowing nor regarding an higher happiness; labouring for husks, and not filling of themselves, and yet presuming that they are in a way to do well; Oh, how should you acknowledge that Grace, from whence you have received more noble principles, and are disposed to higher employments? ⟨p. 148⟩That he hath given you a judgment and spirit of discerning between good and evil; especially remembering that you had been once of that society, and had lived in their Bedlam still, if he who alone is the great Physician of souls, had not applied his grace, and so cured you of this distemper.
USE. 4. It may exhort the people of God, (true Believers) to great thankfulness to God for his wonderful love to you, that you are by his grace restored to a sound mind: as, when we look upon one that is distracted, and see what strange, imprudent, misguided, foolish actions he performs, it is a lesson to all that look on, shewing them how deeply they are bound to thank God, and how much they ow him for their wits and understandings: so when we see what mad courses prodigal sinners drive, how they are carried head-long after their own lusts; go from God, spend all in riot, enslave themselves to Satan, and wast away their time in the midst of restless and unsatisfying vanities, neither knowing nor regarding an higher happiness; labouring for husks, and not filling of themselves, and yet presuming that they are in a way to do well; Oh, how should you acknowledge that Grace, from whence you have received more noble principles, and are disposed to higher imployments? ⟨p. 148⟩That he hath given you a judgment and spirit of discerning between good and evil; especially remembring that you had been once of that society, and had lived in their Bedlam still, if he who alone is the great Physitian of souls, had not applyed his grace, and so cured you of this distemper.
USE, 5. It may also serve for a word of conviction to such as are in their natural estate, let such be persuaded that they are beside themselves. Were you but willing to consider of it, there is enough to make it evident: 1. In your departing from God, and bidding him to go away from you, who only can make you happy, and who can make you miserable: You forsake the fountain of living water. 2. In your resolutely continuing in a course of sin; which is nothing less than running upon a swords point, and exposing of your selves to fearful plagues. 3. In placing your hope and confidence in the creature, which is empty and deceitful, a broken cistern in which is no water, Jer. 2. 13. 4. In laying all out upon your lusts, which fight against your souls, and are but fed and nourished to your utter undoing. But I pass.
USE, 5. It may also serve for a word of conviction to such as are in their natural estate, let such be perswaded that they are beside themselves. Were you but willing to consider of it, there is enough to make it evident: 1. In your departing from God, and bidding him to go away from you, who only can make you happy, and who can make you miserable: You forsake the fountain of living water. 2. In your resolutely continuing in a course of sin; which is nothing less than running upon a swords point, and exposing of your selves to fearful plagues. 3. In placing your hope and confidence in the creature, which is empty and deceitful, a broken cistern in which is no water, Jer. 2. 13. 4. In laying all out upon your lusts, which fight against your souls, and are but sed and nourished to your utter undoing. But I pass.
The first step to true conversion is Divine Illumination. The Prodigal, before he thinks of returning to his Father, first comes to himself: The ground of this is in three things.
1. Man is a reasonable Creature, and a cause by counsel of his own actions: The understanding in man is the light in him, by which he regulates all his ways, and as he seeth so he practiseth. The reason why sinful men place their hopes in perishing things, is because they call evil good: This therefore is a main part of man's misery, that his understanding is perverted, Psal. 53. 2, 4.
1. Man is a reasonable Creature, and a cause by counsel of his own actions: The understanding in man is the light in him, by which he regulates all his wayes, and as he seeth so he practiseth. The reason why sinful men place their hopes in perishing things, is because they call evil good: This therefore is a main part of man's misery, that his understanding is perverted, Psal. 53. 2, 4.
