A66106:424
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. 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.
USE, 2. For Exhortation, let it serve to call upon and invite every unregenerate sinner to serious and solemn consideration of this truth, viz. that he is perishing, starving, famishing, dying: It is the saddest sight in the world to see poor miserable men and women dying, and they ignorant; dropping every day into hell, because they have nothing to live upon, and yet not consider. If you ask me who is intended by this perishing Prodigal; I answer, if thou art unconverted thou art the ⟨p. 182⟩person; and that thou mayest be convinced of, and made to apprehend it, take into thought these things.
1. Thy poor soul must have something to live upon, or else it will perish everlastingly: This is a truth that man little thinks of, hence he cares only for his outward man; but it is evident, man is every way a dependent creature; if the soul have not spiritual food to live on, it must needs die: as the life is lost without food, so is the soul lost without Christ, hence called our life. Col. 3. 4.
1. Thy poor soul must have something to live upon, or else it will perish everlastingly: This is a truth that man little thinks of, hence he cares onoy for his outward man; but it is evident, man is every way a dependent creature; if the soul have not spiritual food to live on, it must needs dy: as the life is lost without food, so is the soul lost without Christ, hence called our life. Col. 3. 4.
2. Thou hast nothing in thy self to live upon, and therefore in thy self art certainly perishing: Such is the condition of every soul out of Christ, he is going to destruction: Look upon thy self and thou shalt find in thee all the symptoms of a perishing creature: all thou hadst to live upon is spent, or, I am sure, will be spent without thy profit: Original righteousness and holiness thou hast lost already, and thy vain and carnal hopes thou wilt lose sooner or latter: thou art a law breaker, art under the curse, sentenced to die everlastingly; God, in whose favour alone is life, is thy Enemy; the Law, in obedience to which thou mightest have lived, is broken by thee, and calls for thy destruction; thou hast nothing to redeem thee from the efficacy of it; thou hast no power to obey it, no price to satisfy with for thy violation ⟨p. 183⟩of it; thou hast lost the Image of God, thou hast lost the favour of God, thou hast lost strength to obey him, thou art fast bound in cords of vanity, Divine vengeance is pursuing hard after thee, the mouth of the pit is open to receive thee; and who then is ready to perish, if thou art not?
2. Thou hast nothing in thy self to live upon, and therefore in thy self art certainly perishing: Such is the condition of every soul out of Christ, he is going to destruction: Look upon thy self and thou shalt find in thee all the symptoms of a perishing creature: all thou hadst to live upon is spent, or, I am sure, will be spent without thy profit: Original righteousness and holiness thou hast lost already, and thy vain and carnal hopes thou wilt lose sooner or latter: thou art a law breaker, art under the curse, sentenced to dy everlastingly; God, in whose favour alone is life, is thy Enemy; the Law, in obedience to which thou mightest have lived, is broken by thee, and calls for thy destruction; thou hast nothing to redeem thee from the efficacy of it; thou hast no power to obey it, no price to satisfie with for thy violation ⟨p. 183⟩of it; thou hast lost the Image of God, thou hast lost the favour of God, thou hast lost strength to obey him, thou art fast bound in cords of vanity, Divine vengeance is pursuing hard after thee, the mouth of the pit is open to receive thee; and who then is ready to perish, if thou art not?
