A66106:374
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.
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.
3. More then this, he is deeply rooted in his way: He is practically sixth in it by custom; it is the trade which he hath lived in all his days: He took to it naturally, learnt it readily, and hath lived in it long. Now custom is a second nature, and therefore of much difficulty to alter or remove: Mens essays in it are like the washing of an Ethiopian to get off his blackness, as Jer. 13. 23. It is an hard matter to persuade men to leave off old customs, though never so bad: but besides this, he is also rooted in it by the approbation of his mispersuaded judgment; it hath gotten room in his heart, and is high in his opinion, and that opinion is strengthened by observation and experience: He hath found it a profitable way, as they, Jer. 44. 17 It hath been very pleasant to him, Prov. 9. 17. Stolen waters are sweet: Hence it must needs be exceeding difficult, if not impossible, to ⟨p. 156⟩make him out of love with it, or think other than well of it: The covetous man finds a sweetness in gain, the voluptuous man in his amorous embraces, the ambitious man in his adorations, &c.
3. More then this, he is deeply rooted in his way: He is practically fixt in it by custom; it is the trade which he hath lived in all his dayes: He took to it naturally, learnt it readily, and hath lived in it long. Now custom is a second nature, and therefore of much difficulty to alter or remove: Mens essayes in it are like the washing of an Ethiopian to get off his blackness, as Jer. 13. 23. It is an hard matter to perswade men to leave off old customs, though never so bad: but besides this, he is also rooted in it by the approbation of his misperswaded judgment; it hath gotten room in his heart, and is high in his opinion, and that opinion is strengthened by observation and experience: He hath found it a profitable way, as they, Jer. 44. 17 It hath been very pleasant to him,
4. Besides this he hath taken up strong prejudices against the way of conversion; and that partly through the contrariety of his heart and nature to it, in which there is a congenerate averseness to all which is good; and partly through the temptations and misrepresentations of Satan, who endeavours to exhibit it before his thoughts in the blackest and ugliest colours that may be; and that both against the beginning and progress of it; Godly sorrow, mourning for sin, forsaking of our evil ways, turning into the strict ways of God, and living a life of Godliness; these are harsh lessons, and hard sayings, not readily entertained by a soul that loves jollity, and cares not to be molested: the thoughts of such a work and way are frightful, and set him violently against conversion in the very first motions of it: These are dull, dark, strait, melancholic ways; besides the cross and persecution that is in them: Hence the natural man is persuaded to think that there are none who live so miserably and unhappily as the People of God, and if they should be converted, farewell to joy and quiet, they must over after be men of sorrows ⟨p. 157⟩and contention, and good days must be at an end with them.
4. Besides this he hath taken up strong prejudices against the way of conversion; and that partly through the contrariety of his heart and nature to it, in which there is a congenerate aversness to all which is good; and partly through the temptations and misrepresentations of Satan, who endeavours to exhibit it before his thoughts in the blackest and ougliest collours that may be; and that both against the beginning and progress of it; Godly sorrow, mourning for sin, forsaking of our evil wayes, turning into the strict wayes of God, and living a life of Godliness; these are harsh lessons, and hard sayings, not readily entertained by a soul that loves jollity, and cares not to be molested: the thoughts of such a work and way are frightful, and set him violently against conversion in the very first motions of it: These are dull, dark, strait, melancholick wayes; besides the cross and persecution that is in them: Hence the natural man is perswaded to think that there are none who live so miserably and unhappily as the People of God, and if they should be converted, farewel to joy and quiet, they must over after be men of sorrows ⟨p. 157⟩and contention, and good dayes must be at an end with them.
5. To true conversion is necessarily required the full and free consent of the will: for God regardeth the heart, and judgeth of mens actions according as that is in them; so, the will is the regent in man, and the first mover to every action: If that be true in it, the work is real, if that be deceitful, the work is hypocritical: Conversion is a turning of the whole man from sin unto God, it is a leaving off the old ways of sin, to take up a new life of holiness; and how can this be done, so long as the heart loves to wander? besides the will of man never stands neuter, though it may halt a while, till the understanding hath pondered and weighed things, yet it always comes at length to a conclusion: Men will either love God or Sin, they will either serve God or Mammon: Man is a traveller, he will keep some way: Hence you shall find in the Scripture, that unconversion is ascribed to the will: Psal. 81. 11. Israel would none of me. But when the will is turned the work is done, when the heart is given to God, all is his.
5. To true conversion is necessarily required the full and free consent of the will: for God regardeth the heart, and judgeth of mens actions according as that is in them; so, the will is the regent in man, and the first mover to every action: If that be true in it, the work is real, if that be deceitful, the work is hypocritical: Conversion is a turning of the whole man from sin unto God, it is a leaving off the old wayes of sin, to take up a new life of holiness; and how can this be done, so long as the heart loves to wander? besides the will of man never stands neuter, though it may hault a while, till the understanding hath pondered and weighed things, yet it alwayes comes at length to a conclusion: Men will either love God or Sin, they will either serve God or Mammon: Man is a traveller, he will keep some way: Hence you shall find in the Scripture, that unconversion is ascribed to the will: Psal. 81. 11. Israel would none of me. But when the will is turned the work is done, when the heart is given to God, all is his.
