Mercy magnified on a penitent prodigal, or A brief discourse, wherein Christs parable of…

Religion is to an unregenerate man nothing but a pander to his lusts: As long as men hope they can get any thing to further their worldly interest, they can be (with Jehu) zealous for God: Jehu could destroy Ahab's wicked house, and plead prescription from God for so doing, as though he was afraid to come a whit short of the command and threatening: but now when he hath what he would, all the competitors for the Crown are by this means removed ⟨p. 43⟩out of the way, now he grows cold in Religion at once, and Gods precepts neglected, a further reformation refused, Jeroboam's politic sin adhered to: and if we observe, we shall find that many there are who for by-ends make fair pretences, and are huge sticklers for God and his ways for a while, who, when once they have gotten some worldly advantage or advancements by it, of a sudden they become other men.

Religion is to an unregenerate man nothing but a pander to his lusts: As long as men hope they can get any thing to further their worldly interest, they can be (with Jehu) zealous for God: Jehu could destroy Ahab's wicked house, and plead prescription from God for so doing, as though he was afraid to come a whit short of the command and threatning: but now when he hath what he would, all the competitours for the Crown are by this means removed ⟨p. 43⟩out of the way, now he grows cold in Religion at once, and Gods precepts neglected, a further reformation refused, Jeroboam's politick sin adhered to: and if we observe, we shall find that many there are who for by-ends make fair pretences, and are huge sticklers for God and his wayes for a while, who, when once they have gotten some worldly advantage or advancements by it, of a sudden they become other men.

Reas. Because the most Religious natural men have chosen the service of God, not as their end, but only as a medium to attain some other end by: Now a mean is useful but in order to the end for which it is used, but the end is good for it self: Religion was appointed to be mans end, who was designed by the will of God, for his Glory: But carnal men have gotten some other end, which they think better than that which God hath appointed them, and finding (many times) that Religion is a needful step thereunto, they use it as a man doth a Ladder to climb upon, but when they are gotten up it is now of no more service to them, and now Religion is as easily thrown off again as ever it was taken up: It was an imputation which Satan would have cast upon Job, but the event proved it evidently a slander, after he had been upon the greatest trial, that he did not serve God for nought but it will be found a