A92856:710
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.
2. True Conversion is a very great and notable Change; 1there is no change, I think, in all the world of that height and depth as the conversion of a sinner. No not that from Grace to Glory; because it is but ab imperfecto, and this is à contrario. ⟨p. 305⟩The Scripture doth frequently parallel it even with those changes which are miraculous: When Christ made the blind to see, and the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak, and the dead to live, and dispossessed Devils; these were very great and notable changes, take them single and they were so. Now all these miracles are wrought in any one converted person; 'Tis called a Creation, a Resurrection, &c. because God puts out as much Power in the Conversion of a sinner, as he did in creating the World. It is the prime work of the Spirit of Christ, the top, the very highest; when any one man is converted, the blind is made to see, and the deaf is made to hear: (Isai. 29. 18. In that day shall the deaf hear the words of the Book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness,) and the dumb is made to speak, and the lame is made to leap: Isai. 35. 5. The eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. v. 6. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: Yea, and the dead is made to live; [This my Son was dead, and is alive again;] and so many sins as there are from which the heart is converted, of so many Devils is that heart dispossessed; thy filthiness was an unclean Devil, and thy persecution was a raging Devil; every sin that possessed thee was a strong Devil within thee: Oh, what a great change is it to behold a stone turned into flesh! and yet in Conversion, The heart of stone is turned into an heart of flesh, Ezek. 36. 26. What a change were it to see a stone changed into a Son of Abraham! and yet in Conversion a stony hearted sinner is changed into a Son of God; what a change were it to see darkness turned into light! yet in Conversion it is so; Ye were once darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord, Eph. 5. 8