A66106:371
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.
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.
2. Faith, which is wrought in conversion, is grounded upon knowledge, Psal. 9. 10. God dealeth with his creatures according to the manner of their being and acting: Faith is a choosing, and so a closing with God; but every choice ariseth from a rational and convincing discovery of the suitableness of the object chosen, and preference which it is conceived to deserve above others: now this discovery is made to the understanding, which is the eye of the mind whereby it seeth and judgeth of things. Hence,
2. Faith, which is wrought in conversion, is grounded upon knowledge, Psal. 9. 10. God dealeth with his creatures according to the manner of their being and acting: Faith is a chusing, and so a closing with God; but every choise ariseth from a rational and convincing discovery of the sutablenese of the object chosen, and preference which it is conceived to deserve above others: now this discovery is made to the understanding, which is the eye of the mind whereby it seeth and judgeth of things. Hence,
3. It is impossible that the heart of man, which is naturally glued to the vanities of the world, and hath been deeply settled in his high opinion of it, should ever be made to renounce, cast off, and utterly to refuse to have any ⟨p. 150⟩thing more to do with them, or to place any more confidence in them, and make choice of God in Christ, and prefer him above all, till he be throughly enlightened in, and fully persuaded of his own misery, the creatures emptiness, and the glorious fullness that there is in God: The things which he hath so loved must appear to be evil, and the God. whom he hath forsaken must appear to be good: an unknown evil is not forsaken; an unknown good is not chosen: Hence the absence of saving knowledge is the ground of destruction. Hos. 4. 6. Hence conversion it self is often Synecdochically, called knowledge, and understanding, because that is a main ingredient in it: And then a man begins to come to himself, when he becomes to have a discerning of the truth of things.
3. It is impossible that the heart of man, which is naturally glewed to the vanities of the world, and hath been deeply setled in his high opinion of it, should ever be made to renounce, cast off, and utterly to refuse to have any ⟨p. 150⟩thing more to do with them, or to place any more confidence in them, and make choice of God in Christ, and preferr him above all, till he be throughly enlightned in, and fully perswaded of his own misery, the creatures emptiness, and the glorious fulness that there is in God: The things which he hath so loved must appear to be evil, and the God. whom he hath forsaken must appear to be good: an unknown evil is not forsaken; an unknown good is not chosen: Hence the absence of saving knowledge is the ground of destruction. Hos. 4. 6. Hence conversion it self is often Synechdochically, called knowledge, and understanding, because that is a main ingredient in it: And then a man begins to come to himself, when he becomes to have a discerning of the truth of things.
USE, 1. Here we have a rule directing us what course to take for the conversion of sinners; we must imitate God in this, if ever we would do sinners any good; we must endeavour their conviction; we must first deal with their understandings; to raise the affections, without informing the mind, is a fruitless unprofitable labour, and serves but to make zeal without knowledge: Man must firs see before he will repent of his evil; he must first know if ever he will love God, Psal. 9. 10.
USE, 1. Here we have a rule directing us what course to take for the conversion of sinners; we must imitate God in this, if ever we would do sinners any good; we must endeavour their conviction; we must first deal with their understandings; to raise the affections, without informing the mind, is a fruitlesse unprofitable labour, and serves but to make zeal without knowledge: Man must firs see before he will repent of his evil; he must first know if ever he will love God, Psal. 9. 10.
USE, 2. It tells us that there are great hopes ⟨p. 151⟩of men when they begin to come to themselves: If God begins once to cure men of their frenzy, to take them off their wild opinions, and vain conceits of happiness, in the profits, pleasures, and honours of this world, to make them see the emptiness of these things, and their own misery for want of a better stay to trust to, these are in an hopeful way to conversion. hence,
USE, 3. To teach us what to pray for in behalf of unregenerate sinners: i. e. that they may come to themselves: that their eyes may be opened, that God will illuminate their understandings, and give them to see things in their nature, truths in their plainness: It may be they may think you beside your selves for so doing, but it's the greatest love you can show them, and the blessing which they nextly stand in need of. Would God be pleased but to settle mens minds, and open their eyes, we should soon hear them cry out of their own madness and folly, and condemn their prodigality and riot, and be earnestly enquiring after God and Christ, and seeking something better than the world affords, to save their sinking souls from perdition, Act. 2. 37.
USE, 3. To teach us what to pray for in behalf of unregenerate sinners: i. e. that they may come to themselves: that their eyes may be opened, that God will illuminate their understandings, and give them to see things in their nature, truths in their plainness: It may be they may think you beside your selves for so doing, but it's the greatest love you can shew them, and the blessing which they nextly stand in need of. Would God be pleased but to settle mens mindes, and open their eyes, we should soon hear them cry out of their own madness and folly, and condemn their prodigality and riot, and be earnestly enquiring after God and Christ, and seeking something better than the world affords, to save their sinking souls from perdition, Act. 2. 37.
2. WE are to take a view of the things deliberated, which are two.
2. VVE are to take a view of the things deliberated, which are two.
1. Motives and encouragements to return to his father, in the rest of the verse, 17. in the which we have both the motives themselves, and the way in which they became beneficial to him. The general truth contained in these motives was before a matter of conviction to him, it was that which made him to be in want, but it wrought not kindly upon him, till he came, by serious consideration, to apply it more closely to his own condition. Before I speak to the motives themselves, we may a little consider how he came to improve them, intimated in that word, he said: there is a speech of the tongue, and a speech of the heart: the young man had none to discourse with in that far country, he therefore communes with his own heart: the meaning is, he pondered of the matter, considered and weighed in his mind, concluded of the truth, and made application of it to his own condition. Hence,
The first thing we find, this young man doth after he came to himself is, he begins to consider, and discourse with himself: he first ponders, then concludes, then acts. Conversion is properly the returning of a sinner from sin unto God, emblemed to us by the Prodigal's return from a far country, to his father's house: The sinner, before conversion, was going away from God, now he is returning to him. Conversion is considered either passively or actively; the soul is said to be passive in conversion, in as much as he can do nothing savingly, till he hath received a principle of saving grace: but still we mistake, if we think that Gods deals with men as with stocks and stones, and brute creatures: The will of man, which is the first mover in him, must not be forced, but led: The spirit, though he dealeth irresistibly, yet not violently with it; hence he doth not compel but persuade: which persuasion is a rational conviction, whereby impression is made upon the understanding, and will, the one being to see and approve, the other to embrace the object, which may be called active conversion; when the soul viewing and discerning the force of those arguments used by the ⟨p. 154⟩spirit, and imprinted upon him, turns from sin to God: and thus, though the Spirit of God be the author or efficient of this work, yet he makes use of us in the working of it: This is that which I say begins at consideration, and this will appear in a few things.
The first thing we find, this young man doth after he came to himself is, he begins to consider, and discourse with himself: he first ponders, then concludes, then acts. Conversion is properly the returning of a sinner from sin unto God, emblemed to us by the Prodigal's return from a far country, to his father's house: The sinner, before conversion, was going away from God, now he is returning to him. Conversion is considered either passively or actively; the soul is said to be passive in conversion, in as much as he can do nothing savingly, till he hath received a principle of saving grace: but still we mistake, if we think that Gods deals with men as with stocks and stones, and brute creatures: The will of man, whcih is the first mover in him, must not be forced, but led: The spirit, though he dealeth irresistably, yet not violently with it; hence he doth not compel but perswade: which perswasion is a rational conviction, whereby impression is made upon the understanding, and will, the one being to see and approve, the other to embrace the object, which may be called active conversion; when the soul viewing and discerning the force of those arguments used by the
1: The natural mans sinful way is right in his own eyes, unregenerate men, though fools themselves, and foolish in all they do, yet think they are the only wise and prudent: They call evil good; i. e. they so judge of it. The Prodigal, in his vain humour, thought it the only happy life to get abroad into a far country, and riot it among strangers, where he might live at large: Sinners think the way to hell a fair, large, broad, pleasant way; here they promise themselves to find pleasures, profits, preferments; they see no hurt in their courses, and can laugh at the ways of God and godliness, as foolish and unprofitable. Of these the wise man speaks, Prov. 14. 12. There is a way which seems right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. The truth is, the greatest number of sinners think they sin with a great deal of reason.
1: The natural mans sinful way is right in his own eyes, unregenerate men, though fools themselves, and foolish in all they do, yet think they are the only wise and prudent: They call evil good; i. e. they so judge of it. The Prodigal, in his vain humour, thought it the only happy life to get abroad into a far country, and riot it among strangers, where he might live at large: Sinners think the way to hell a fair, large, broad, pleasant way; here they promise themselves to find pleasures, profits, preferments; they see no hurt in their courses, and can laugh at the wayes of God and godliness, as foolish and unprofitable. Of these the wise man speaks, Prov. 14. 12. There is a way which seems right to a man, but the end thereof are the wayes of death. The truth is, the greatest number of sinners think they sin with a great deal of reason.
2. Nay, the sinner hath many strong engagements lying upon him to follow his own ways and courses: his heart is naturally set upon them, sin is connatural to him; he hath all his dependence for happiness upon these designs. ⟨p. 155⟩Ever since man went away from God, and forsook him, he hath had his dependence upon lying vanities, and in those his hopes are laid up: Nay, there are many enticing promises, fair words, and deceiving flatteries which draw his heart away; his lusts do as Prov. 7. 21. With much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattery of her lips she forced him. The carnal concupiscences of the heart of man, are no otherwise to be satiated, but in the prosecution of their sinful ways.
2. Nay, the sinner hath many strong engagments lying upon him to follow his own wayes and courses: his heart is naturally set upon them, sin is connatural to him; he hath all his dependance for happiness upon these designs. ⟨p. 155⟩Ever since man went away from God, and forsook him, he hath had his dependance upon lying vanities, and in those his hopes are laid up: Nay, there are many entising promises, fair words, and deceiving flatteries which draw his heart away; his lusts do as Prov. 7. 21. With much fair speech she caused him to yeild, with the flattery of her lips she forced him. The carnal concupiscences of the heart of man, are no otherwise to be satiated, but in the prosecution of their sinful wayes.
