A92856:554
The parable of the prodigal. Containing, The riotous prodigal, or The sinners aversion from…
The parable of the prodigal. Containing, The riotous prodigal, or The sinners aversion from God. Returning prodigal, or The penitents conversion to God. Prodigals acceptation, or Favourable entertainment with God. Delivered in divers sermons on Luke 15. from vers. 11. to vers. 24. By that faithful servant of Jesus Christ Obadiah Sedgwick, B.D. Perfected by himself, and perused by those whom he entrusted with the publishing of his works.The parable of the prodigal. Containing, The riotous prodigal, or The sinners aversion from God. Returning prodigal, or The penitents conversion to God. Prodigals acceptation, or Favourable entertainment with God. Delivered in divers sermons on Luke 15. from vers. 11. to vers. 24. By that faithfull servant of Jesus Christ Obadiah Sedgwick, B.D. Perfected by himself, and perused by those whom he intrusted with the publishing of his works.
London: printed by D. Maxwel for Sa. Gellibrand, 1660
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 main Use which I will make of this assertion, is, To try our selves, whether we have this precious Ring of Faith, (a Ring 1more precious than that of Gold,) put on our fingers, yea, or no. It is as necessary a demur as ever you were put unto all your days, whether you consider, 1. The paucity of true believers. All men have not faith, saith the Apostle: All men? nay, very few; Who hath believed our report? said the Prophet: We preach, we offer Christ unto you, we beseech you to accept of the Lord of Life, to give up your hearts and lives unto him; but who believes our report? We tell you that Christ is better than all the world, his blood is better than sin, it's better to love and serve him than world or sin; but who believes our report? Men care not to know the excellencies of Christ, they prize him not, they care not to hear him speak in his Ordinances, they will in no wise consent and yield to his terms and conditions. 2. The Utility 2of it. To the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, if we come without our Wedding-Ring, it will be as sad a day to us, as to him who came without his Wedding Garment. We do not only receive no good at the Sacrament; for we have neither hand nor mouth to take and eat, if we have not Faith; not title at all to the intrinsical benefits by Christ, if we have not faith in him. Nay, we occasion much evil and Judgment upon our selves, we adventure to eat and drink our own damnation, not discerning the 3Lords body: And righteously may the Lord judge us for coming to his Sacrament without Faith, for as much as in so doing, we do not only presume against an express prohibition that we should hold off, but also we do (at the least interpretatively) assay to make God a Liar, and a favourer of all villainy, as if he would put his Seal of Pardon and mercy, and for all the good of his Covenant in Christ, to a wicked, impenitent, and unbelieving sinner. 3. The Hypocrisy of our hearts, so apt to deceive themselves with shadows in stead of substances, not 4considering, that Satan can delude a man with the show of any grace. Every Ring is not a Ring of Gold; nor is every Faith a precious and unfeigned Faith: There is a thing called Presumption, which is bold enough, but it is not Faith; and there is Knowledge of Christ, as revealed in the Word, which a man may have, and utter too, and yet not have Faith;