A66106:421
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. An earnest longing to be rid of, and free from this distress: as the hungry man longs that he may have some food; so doth the Sinner wish earnestly that his misery may be eased, the cause taken away, and the wrath of God impending, removed: he is fearfully amazed at the apprehensions of the anger of God, he cannot tell how to bear it, or to be able to endure it, and fain he would, if there were any possibility, be delivered, Isai. 33. 14. Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? although he doth not know whither to go in particular for a redress, yet in general he saith▪ Who shall show me good? yea he cannot satisfy himself, he is restless, his soul is disquieted and filled with tumultuations, these terrors make him afraid. 2. He makes him to find and discover that there is no relief to be had in any of these ways and courses which he hath been taking; and this makes his hunger to be the more distressing: when an hungry stomach meets with a well furnished Table, it is a pleasure to have a good appetite; but when ⟨p. 172⟩hunger and penury meet together, this is tormenting: When the cravings of the soul are insatiable, & there are no supplies to be gotten for it, this is terrible, such is the condition of the soul now, where it thought to have meat, there it can find nothing but husks, and that both,
2. An earnest longing to be rid of, and free from this distress: as the hungry man longs that he may have some food; so doth the Sinner wish earnestly that his misery may be eased, the cause taken away, and the wrath of God impending, removed: he is fearfully amazed at the apprehensions of the anger of God, he cannot tell how to bear it, or to be able to endure it, and fain he would, if there were any possibility, be delivered, Isai. 33. 14. Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? although he doth not know whither to go in particular for a redress, yet in general he saith▪ Who shall shew me good? yea he cannot satisfie himself, he is restless, his soul is disquieted and filled with tumultuations, these terrors make him afraid. 2. He makes him to find and discover that there is no relief to be had in any of these wayes and courses which he hath been taking; and this makes his hunger to be the more distrossing: when an hungry stomach meets with a well furnished Table, it is a pleasure to have a good appetite; but when ⟨p. 172⟩hunger and penury meet together, this is tormenting: When the cravings of the soul are insatiable, & there are no supplyes to be gotten for it, this is terrible, such is the condition of the soul now, where it thought to have meat, there it can find nothing but husks, and that both,
1. In the world, in which he formerly trusted, and in the enjoyment whereof he was wont to say to his soul, eat, drink, and be merry, for thou hast goods laid up for many years. This world cannot satisfy him now; it will not still the cry of Conscience, it will not comfort him against the anger of God, and fears of hell, Riches cannot profit him in the day of wrath. He cannot feed and refresh himself upon its fair promises, and glossing insinuations-It will not ease his troubled mind; but like Belshazzar, he cries out in the midst of his cups and companions; his hiding place of deceit is washed away, and he sees that the world is empty, and void, and wast, Nah. 1. 10.
1. In the world, in which he formerly trusted, and in the enjoyment whereof he was wont to say to his soul, eat, drink, and be merry, for thou hast goods laid up for many years. This world cannot satisfie him now; it will not still the cry of Conscience, it will not comfort him against the anger of God, and fears of hell, Riches cannot profit him in the day of wrath. He cannot feed and refresh himself upon its fair promises, and glossing insinuations-It will not ease his troubled mind; but like Belshazzar, he cryes out in the midst of his cups and companions; his hiding place of deceit is washt away, and he sees that the world is empty, and void, and wast, Nah. 1. 10.
2. In himself, and his own duties and righteousness: He was wont to please himself in them, and feed himself with vain hopes, thinking to appear with them, and hold up his head before God; but now he finds that these will not suffice, they cannot atone God, appease his anger, turn away his fury, or procure him happiness: They are unprofitable, he hath ⟨p. 173⟩now no more self-sufficiency, he cannot do what the Law requires, nor pay the debts he owes it, nor pick up any resolution out of his best services, Conscience now tells him all this is nothing, Num. 17. 12, 13.
2. In himself, and his own duties and righteousness: He was wont to please himself in them, and feed himself with vain hopes, thinking to appear with them, and hold up his head before God; but now he finds that these will not suffice, they cannot atone God, appease his anger, turn away his fury, or procure him happiness: They are unprofitable, he hath ⟨p. 173⟩now no more self-sufficiency, he cannot do what the Law requires, nor pay the debts he ows it, nor pick up any resolution out of his best services, Conscience now tells him all this is nothing, Num. 17. 12, 13.
3. He causeth him to draw this positive and sad conclusion, that in this condition he must certainly perish: He is now shaken out of all his vain hopes, fond expectations, wherewith he was wont to feed his fancy, and cherish his soul: There is now nothing but misery, hell and destruction in his eyes and thoughts: The Law is rigorous, and will be satisfied; God is holy and will be glorified; he is by this Law condemned, and hath no satisfaction to make to it; the world is a priceless thing, and if he had it, it would not be taken in exchange for a soul; and thus, between longing and despair he is ready to faint and die: This whole condition is amply described to us in apt and pertinent metaphors, Isa. 41. 17. The poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst.
2. Touching the necessity of the work in order to conversion, we may observe.
1. That conversion is the turning of a sinner from sin to God: Now Sin is properly the reliance of the creature upon something else which stands in competition with, and opposition to God, which therefore it must leave, or else it's ⟨p. 176⟩impossible that it should come to him: he that goes to one contrary, must in so doing go away from the other; the Apostle opposeth these two, 1 Tim. 6. 15. That they trust not in uncertain riches, but in the living God.
1. That conversion is the turning of a sinner from sin to God: Now Sin is properly the relyance of the creature upon something else which stands in competition with, and opposition to God, which thereforeit must leave, or else it's ⟨p. 176⟩impossible that it should come to him: he that goes to one contrary, must in so doing go away from the other; the Apostle opposeth these two, 1 Tim. 6. 15. That they trust not in uncertain riches, but in the living God.
2. In Conversion the spirit of God comes into the Soul, and fills it with his Grace; in order to which filling it is needful that the Soul be first emptied, for as long as a Man is full of himself, of the World, of his carnal hopes, of his legal righteousness, there is no room for the spirit of God, hence he comes to the poor and needy, Isai. 41. 17.
3. In active Conversion, there is a voluntary motion of the Soul: the will of man is that which doth first renounce Sin, Satan and World, and lay hold upon Christ; now a voluntary action is the action of a reasonable creature, applying himself to his object, not upon compulsion, nor by the force of instinct, but by the inclination of his own mind; so that as he doth it willingly, he also (and therefore) doth it rationally, or upon some apprehended grounds: and from this it will appear, how needful it is that a Sinner be made thus sensible in order to his Conversion: For,
1. Man by nature is a proud Creature, and loth to go or be beholden to any other as long as he hath any hopes to do well of himself: ⟨p. 177⟩This appeared before, in the consideration of the sordid course the needy Prodigal took to supply his want.
2. Man is naturally most opposite and contrary to God, and will not (be sure) come to him until he be driven: It is very evident, that he will try every way, turn every stone, use all means to do well otherwayes, before he will betake himself to God: the Prodigal will live meanly, fare hardly, scramble, and debase himself if that will do rather than return to his father's house: as long as a sinner hath any hopes that he can make a shift to keep up himself from sinking, he flies not unto God: (the Raven; if he can have carrion to light upon and feed of, returns not to the Ark:) for till now he hath no need of God: A man must: be sick before he will send for a Physician, and dangerously sick, heart sick, before he will send for one whom he hates, other Physicians must first fail him.
2. Man is naturally most opposite and contrary to God, and will not (be sure) come to him until he be driven: It is very evident, that he will try every way, turn every stone, use all means to do well otherwayes, before he will betake himselfe to God: the Prodigal will live meanly, fare hardly, scramble, and debase himself if that will do rather than return to his father's house: as long as a sinner hath any hopes that he can make a shift to keep up himself from sinking, he flyes not unto God: (the Raven; if he can have carrion to light upon and feed of, returns not to the Ark:) for till now he hath no need of God: A man must: be sick before he will send for a Physitian, and dangerously sick, heart sick, before he will send for one whom he hates, other Physitians must first fail him.
4. In Conversion there must be a whole reliance upon God, and that must presuppose an litter rejection of all other helps and props, Hos. 14 3. Ashur shall not save us, &c. Now man hath naturally such an opinion of himself, and of the creature, that till he be throughly convinced of its emptiness, he will not forsake it, and till that he cannot close truly with God, who will not be a divided trust, or part glory ⟨p. 178⟩with another, Isa. 42. 8.
USE, 1. For Information, here we see,
1. The reason why Jesus Christ and his salvation are no more welcome and acceptable to the most of men, and so why the work of conversion is so rare and infrequent even there where the Gospel comes with most clearness; it is because the most of men have yet something of their own to live upon; they have not spent all, they are not nipped with the famine. Though all natural men are prodigals, yet they have not as yet made away with their portion, they still have something to support them; they do not feel themselves poor perishing creatures; but are like Laodicea, Rev. 3. 17. Rich and want for nothing. Tell them of the riches of grace in Christ, the full supplies that are with him, that he hath where withal to satisfy the hungry soul, what care they? they need it not, the are not hungry and pinched; the most of the children of men think they can do sufficiently without Christ, therefore they say to him depart from us, Job 21. 14. The Gospel invitations are presented to poor, blind, sick, perishing sinners, and therefore men do not take it to themselves, they hope they are not such: and therefore, till we see men distressed, till we find them despairing, till we hear them crying out sensibly of their woeful misery, we must not expect they should do any other then ⟨p. 179⟩complement with Jesus Christ, and, with them that were invited to the Gospel feast, Mat. 22. to frame excuses, and use delays.
1. The reason why Jesus Christ and his salvation are no more welcome and acceptable to the most of men, and so why the work of conversion is so rare and infrequent even there where the Gospel comes with most clearness; it is because the most of men have yet something of their own to live upon; they have not spent all, they are not nipt with the famine. Though all natural men are prodigals, yet they have not as yet made away with their portion, they still have something to support them; they do not feel themselves poor perishing creatures; but are like Laodicea, Rev. 3. 17. Rich and want for nothing. Tell them of the riches of grace in Christ, the full fupplyes that are with him, that he hath where withal to satisfie the hungry soul, what care they? they need it not, the are not hungry and pincht; the most of the children of men think they can do sufficiently without Christ, therefore they say to him depart from us,
2. What need there is of preaching the Law, or legal truths in the days of the Gospel: It is true, Christ is the end of the Law, and Christ only ought to be preached: i. e. as the ultimate scope of all Divine truths: But, as the Law was of old, so it is still, a School-master to Christ, i. e. to make men see and feel their need of Christ: And truly, without it men will never give him that true welcome which he deserves in their souls: This is the right Glass in which man is made to see his own condition, and to understand his misery; this is it that discovers man to be a bank-rupt, the world an empty, hungry place; this displays man's sin, Gods Justice, and our own utter inability, and all this is the very ground-work of bringing us to feel our selves perishing: God will humble sinners before he will save them; he will make them come to Christ for need, and not in complement. They are therefore strangers from the methods of God's grace, that brand this with the aspersion of legal and opposite to the Gospel, whereas it is necessarily introductive.
2. What need there is of preaching the Law, or legal truths in the dayes of the Gospel: It is true, Christ is the end of the Law, and Christ only ought to be preached: i. e. as the ultimate scope of all Divine truths: But, as the Law was of old, so it is still, a School-master to Christ, i. e. to make men see and feel their need of Christ: And truly, without it men will never give him that true welcome which he deserves in their souls: This is the right Glass in which man is made to see his own condition, and to understand his misery; this is it that discovers man to be a bank-rupt, the world an empty, hungry place; this displayes man's sin, Gods Justice, and our own utter inability, and all this is the very ground-work of bringing us to feel our selves perishing: God will humble sinners before he will save them; he will make them come to Christ for need, and not in complement. They are therefore strangers from the methods of God's grace, that brand this with the aspersion of legal and opposite to the Gospel, whereas it is necessarily introductive.
3. The usefulness of affliction in order to the conversion of sinners, and the reason why God is many times pleased to lay these chains upon ⟨p. 180⟩them; why they are very suitable for the helping forward this great affair in the soul: Hence when God would do Ephraim good, he afflicts him, Hos. 5. 15. with 6. 1. and see for this also, Job 37. 16. &c. Man is high minded, and self-conceited, when he hath his health, strength, wealth and honour in the world; he is too good to be spoken to: but affliction depresseth him, it helps to bore his ear, it puts him upon consideration, which we heard is the first step to conversion: Affliction is a School in which a sinner is set to study, here is his folly and vain trust anatomized; here his misery begins to appear, and he finds how he hath deceived his own soul. Not that affliction of and by it self will open a blind eye, or soften an hard heart: There are many that are hardened, and made worse by it, but when God is pleased to set in with it, it hath that in it which is of use to help man to see something of himself: Be not then angry with afflictions.
3. The usefulness of affliction in order to the conversion of sinners, and the reason why God is many times pleased to lay these chains upon ⟨p. 180⟩them; why they are very sutable for the helping forward this great affair in the soul: Hence when God would do Ephraim good, he afflicts him, Hos. 5. 15. with 6. 1. and see for this also, Job 37. 16. &c. Man is high minded, and self-conceited, when he hath his health, strength, wealth and honour in the world; he is too good to be spoken to: but affliction depresseth him, it helps to bore his ear, it puts him upon consideration, which we heard is the first step to conversion: Affliction is a School in which a sinner is set to study, here is his folly and vain trust anatomized; here his misery begins to appear, and he finds how he hath deceived his own soul. Not that affliction of and by it self will open a blind eye, or soften an hard heart: There are many that are hardned, and made worse by it, but when God is pleased to set in with it, it hath that in it which is of use to help man to see something of himself: Be not then angry with afflictions.
4. That a soul sensible of, groaning under, and ready to die by reason of the oppression of his spiritual distress and want, is not far from the Kingdom of Heaven: I know their is a despair through the weight of horror, that sets a soul further from good, and drives him to hell with violence, such was Cain's and Judas's. And truly, separate this state from the sweet invitations ⟨p. 181⟩of the Gospel, and it is the clearest Emblem of hell upon earth that can be: But yet in the Gospel-way Christ is near to such a soul to tender himself to him, Isa. 4. 17. Yea his special invitations are to such, and all encouragement is set before them, Isa. 55. 1. Ho, every one that thirsteth, come to the waters. Mat. 11. 28. Come to me ye that are weary and heavy laden. Rev. 22. 17. Let him that is athirst come. Till it comes to this, our hopes for man are built but upon general propositions, God may call them, it is possible, because they live under the Gospel, and under the means, &c. But now there is hope that God is doing the work: And, as when the pain of a travelling woman increaseth, there is expectation that she will ere long be delivered, so these cries give encouragement, that it will not be long ere Christ be formed in such a soul.
4. That a soul sensible of, groaning under, and ready to dy by reason of the oppression of his spiritual distress and want, is not far from the Kingdom of Heaven: I know their is a despair through the weight of horrour, that sets a soul further from good, and drives him to hell with violence, such was Cain's and Judas's. And truly, separate this state from the sweet invitations ⟨p. 181⟩of the Gospel, and it is the clearest Emblem of hell upon earth that can be: But yet in the Gospel-way Christ is near to such a soul to tender himself to him, Isa. 4. 17. Yea his special invitations are to such, and all encouragement is set before them, Isa. 55. 1. Ho, every one that thirsteth, come to the waters.
