Mercy magnified on a penitent prodigal, or, A brief discourse

USE, 2. This discovereth their vain and presumptuous hopes, who live and lie in sin, and yet expect to be saved: and yet there are a great many of these; they boast of their hopes, and yet tarry in their far country, live among the swine, and feed upon husks, they are far from God, and will not return to him by Repentance; they hold their vain courses, and approve not of the ways of holiness; these certainly forsake their own mercies, and will be found among the dead and not among the living: had not the Prodigal resolved to rise and return, he had perished, and so must all these, Psal. 73. 27. They that are far from thee, shall perish.

USE, 2. This discovereth their vain and presumptuous hopes, who live and ly in sin, and yet expect to be saved: and yet there are a great many of these; they boast of their hopes, and yet tarry in their far country, live among the swine, and feed upon husks, they are far from God, and will not return to him by Repentance; they hold their vain courses, and approve not of the wayes of holiness; these certainly forsake their own mercies, and will be found among the dead and not among the living: had not the Prodigal resolved to rise and return, he had perished, and so must all these, Psal. 73. 27. They that are far from thee, shall perish.

USE, 3. For Examination; it may put us upon it by this Rule to try our hopes of Salvation, whither they be rightly grounded, and hopes that shall not perish: Thou art by nature a Child of wrath; thou hast been a poor Prodigal, hast destroyed thy self, and in this state there is nothing but misery to be expected, Rom. 3. 16. Destruction and misery are in all their ways. In God only is help, and that is only to be had in going to him, and thou canst not go to him, except thou risest and forsakest thy vain and carnal trust in lying vanities: Where art thou? what hast thou done? art thou pursuing lies? art thou sitting still and despairing? or art thou going upon thy return to God? art thou yet deliberating, or art thou resolved? art thou consulting with flesh and blood? or hast thou said resolutely I will arise and go to my father? If thou art in the full purpose of thy heart set against sin, and for the glory of God, resolving by his grace so to do, it is well; this is accepted of God, and he that gives to will, will also give to do: But if it be not so, what is thy hope built upon? what are thy comforts but delusions? what are thy assurances but undoing deceit?