N00302:148
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 teacher of a church in Boston in New-England. ; [Two lines from Luke]
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.
Reas. 1. From the natural rebellion and enmity of the heart of man against God: Men hate God, they abhor his holiness, his Laws disrelish their carnal aims and ends, cross and ⟨p. 57⟩contradict their natural desires and concupiscences; his promises savour not with them, his threatenings irritate and provoke them: the sum is, proud and sinful man would be at the greatest possible freedom to take his own course without any control; and knowing how contrary Gods Government is to his wicked will, how opposite Gods grace is to his impiety, hence he desires to be from under it: Men cannot so quietly and securely sin whiles God is near them: The Prodigal knew that if he dwelt near his Father, he must expect to be disturbed by wholesome counsels and admonitions, and that would mar a great deal of his mirth, he should not with so much liberty and content follow his mad courses.
Reas. 1. From the natural rebellion and enmity of the heart of man against God: Men hate God, they abhorre his holiness, his Laws disrelish their carnal aims and ends, cross and ⟨p. 57⟩contradict their natural desires and concupiscences; his promises savour not with them, his threatnings irritate and provoke them: the summe is, proud and sinful man would be at the greatest possible freedom to take his own course without any controle; and knowing how contrary Gods Government is to his wicked will, how opposite Gods grace is to his impiety, hence he desires to be from under it: Men cannot so quietly and securely sin whiles God is near them: The Prodigal knew that if he dwelt near his Father, he must expect to be disturbed by wholsom counsels and admonitions, and that would mar a great deal of his mi•th, he should not with so much liberty and content follow his mad courses.
Reas. 2. From the natural tendency there is for the sinful heart of man to be strengthened in this rebellion by outward prosperity: When men have their Portion large and great, they hope they can now vie it with God: the Prodigal had no more use or need of his father, now he had his Portion, and therefore as long as that lasted he regarded not to come at him: If God speak to back-slidden Judah in her prosperity, She will not hear: prosperity makes men proud, Psal. 73.5,6. They are not in trouble as other men, therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain. Men can now do well enough without God, yea best when he is furthest off ⟨p. 58⟩from them; and they must be reduced to an afflicted and distressed condition before they will think of a return, Hos. 5. 15. We hear nothing of the Prodigals returning to his Father, till his folly had laded him with insupportable misery.
Reas. 2. From the natural tendency there is for the sinful heart of man to be strengthned in this rebellion by outward prosperity: When men have their Portion large and great, they hope they can now vye it with God: the Prodigal had no more use or need of his father, now he had his Portion, and therefore as long as that lasted he regarded not to come at him: If God speak to back-slidden Judah in her prosperity, She will not hear: prosperity makes men proud, Psal. 73.5,6. They are not in trouble as other men, therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain. Men can now do well enough without God, yea best when he is furthest off ⟨p. 58⟩from them; and they must be reduced to an afflicted and distressed condition before they will think of a return, Hos. 5. 15. We hear nothing of the Prodigals returning to his Father, till his folly had laded him with insupportable misery.
USE. 1. This serves to discover the great wickedness, and horrid ingratitude of the Children of men, that strengthen themselves in rebellion by that which should soften and break their hearts. That those cords of kindness by which God would bind & engage their souls to love him, must be turned into cords of vanity to bind their hearts more strong in rebellion against him. It is a very sore charge which God draws up against Judah, to the observation of which, as a thing most unreasonable, and horrible, he calls heaven and earth as witnesses, Isa. 1. 2. I have nourished and brought up Children, and they have rebelled against me. How righteour is the condemnation of sinners, that God's kindness should set their hearts more against him, that goodness should engender hatred? This is a strange Antiperistasis. Let it then convince us what wicked hearts we have naturally, and humble us before God, that it should be so.
USE. 2. It plainly discovers to us that the conversion of a sinner is not of himself, nor from any leading motion or inclination of his ⟨p. 59⟩own heart: for the very Bias of a mans heart doth naturally draw him to turn away from God, yea to run as far from him as possibly he can, and he would never return any more, if God did not draw him by his Almighty power: There must be the irresistible attraction of the Spirit of God to incline the soul to seek him, before it will look after him: If all Gods outward favours make him worse, there is no hope till there be something inward to change his heart, that he will ever be better: Wonder not then if we see men growing worse under the best of means and outward mercies, for the sinful nature of man takes advantage by these things to be so; but let us pray earnestly to God for the pouring out of his spirit and work by his power.
USE. 2. It plainly discovers to us that the conversion of a sinner is not of himself, nor from any leading motion or inclination of his ⟨p. 59⟩own heart: for the very Bias of a mans heart doth naturally draw him to turn away from God, yea to run as far from him as possibly he can, and he would never return any more, if God did not draw him by his Almighty power: There must be the irresistable attraction of the Spirit of God to encline the soul to seek him, before it will look after him: If all Gods outward favours make him worse, there is no hope till there be something inward to change his heart, that he will ever be better: Wonder not then if we see men growing worse under the best of means and outward mercies, for the sinful nature of man takes advantage by these things to be so; but let us pray earnestly to God for the pouring out of his spirit and workby his power.
USE, 3. To teach us that it is sometimes a great favour of God to withhold from men the enjoyment of a great Portion of outward blessings, or take them away from them: Augustin's Periissem, nisi Periissem is observable; whither would some men have gone, how far had they run away from God, had he not laid chains of affliction upon them, and bound them in fetters? David was going astray before he was afflicted, and how far might he have gone if God had let him alone? think not your selves then to be hardly dealt withal, because you are held under the restraints of Providence, ⟨p. 60⟩the day may come when you may bless God for it.
USE, 4. For trial; It may put us upon it to examine our selves, and see what improvement we make of those blessings and favours which God indulgeth us with. Much of our true spiritual condition is to be known by this: Have you Gods blessing? have you parts, or worldly comforts? and do they make you weary of Gods ways, more careless of his fear, and more secure in sinning? these are the notes and characters of a Prodigal, only a rebellious Child will do so: But if Gods favours are thankfully received, and his cords of love engage your hearts to love him and to study his fear; if they make you more to delight in his ways, and diligent in his service; if they oblige you to improve them to his glory, this is indeed a fruit of his spirit & grace in the soul, and to be acknowledged as an evidence that his spirit dwells in you. They only are godly men who do carefully honour God with all his gifts; and if you so do, you shall be acknowledged by God, and he will never repent of what he hath done for and bestowed upon you.
USE, 4. For tryal; It may put us upon it to examine our selves, and see what improvement we make of those blessings and favours which God indulgeth us with. Much of our true spiritual condition is to be known by this: Have you Gods blessing? have you parts, or worldly comforts? and do they make you weary of Gods wayes, more careless of his fear, and more secure in sinning? these are the notes and characters of a Prodigal, only a rebellious Child will do so: But if Gods favours are thankfully received, and his cords of love engage your hearts to love him and to study his fear; if they make you more to delight in his wayes, and diligent in his service; if they oblige you to improve them to his glory, this is indeed a fruit of his spirit & grace in the soul, and to be acknowledged as an evidence that his spirit dwels in you. They only are godly men who do carefully honour God with all his gifts; and if you so do, you shall be acknowledged by God, and he will never repent of what he hath done for and bestowed upon you.
WE have thus heard of the place whither the young son carried his estate, telling us that wicked men love to have the greatest advantage to sin without any restraint: We might also have taken notice of the comparison which is used in the text to illustrate his Apostasy, viz. a journey, he took his journey: or went a Pilgrimage: whence we may take notice of this.
WE have thus heard of the place whither the young son carried his estate, telling us that wicked men love to have the greatest advantage to sin without any restraint: We might also have taken notice of the comparison which is used in the text to illustrate his Apostasie, viz. a journey, he took his journey: or went a Pilgrimage: whence we may take notice of this.
Men conversing in the region of sin are upon a Journey, every step they take sets them at a farther distance from God: Wickedness grows upon men by degrees, there are few men that commence high profane per saltum: from but a visible and sober profession to the top of wickedness there are divers steps a man hath to take, he must first leave a great deal behind him before he arrives at it: he must root out the efficacy of good education, he must suppress the activity of a stirring conscience, ⟨p. 62⟩he must put off and get rid of his accustomed modesty, he must lay by the awe and dread of Gods Judgments; and all this requires time, and travail, and pains: it will cost a man something to be flagitiously wicked, that hath been formerly professedly religious: you may see this exemplified in Saul and others.
Men conversing in the region of sin are upon a Journey, every step they take sets them at a farther distance from God: Wickedness growes upon men by degrees, there are few men that commence high prophane per saltum: from but a visible and sober profession to the top of wickedness there are divers steps a man hath to take, he must first leave a great deal behind him before he arrives at it: he must root out the efficacy of good education, he must suppress the activity of a stirring conscience, ⟨p. 62⟩he must put off and get rid of his accustomed modesty, he must lay by the aw and dread of Gods Judgments; and all this requires time, and travail, and pains: it will cost a man something to be flagitiously wicked, that hath been formerly professedly religious: you may see this exemplified in Saul and others.
USE, 1. This may tell us one Reason why men, though grossly degenerated, are yet so hard to be convinced of their wickedness: they fell into it gradually, and by consequence insensibly: Apostasy comes fair and softly, and men take no notice of it, but think themselves as good as ever.
USE, 1. This may tell us one Reason why men, though grosly degenerated, are yet so hard to be convinced of their wickedness: they fell into it gradually, and by consequence insensibly: Apostasie comes fair and softly, and men take no notice of it, but think themselves as good as ever.
USE, 2. It may be a warning to men, especially young men, to beware of the first steps of sin: carefully avoid the first temptations of giving way to loose and vain courses: You may think to stop at pleasure, but it is a cheat, and if you are drawn in, you thereby step into a way which leads far from God, and will, in a while, arrive to such an high degree of profaneness, as you would at present abominate the very thought of, if wonderful mercy do not hedge up your way, and give check to your progress.
USE, 2. It may be a warning to men, especially young men, to beware of the first steps of sin: carefully avoid the first temptations of giving way to loose and vain courses: You may think to stop at pleasure, but it is a cheat, and if you are drawn in, you thereby step into a way which leads far from God, and will, in a while, arrive to such an high degree of prophaness, as you would at present abominate the very thought of, if wonderful mercy do not hedge up your way, and give check to your progress.
2. But I pass to the next particular, or the consideration of the improvident and unfrugal expense which the young man employed his Estate in; And there he wasted his substance ⟨p. 63⟩with riotous living. In which take notice: 1. What he did with his Estate, He wasted it: 2. What it was he wasted, his substance: 3. Where he wasted it, there, viz. in that far Country: 4. how he consumed it, in riotous living.
2. But I pass to the next particular, or the consideration of the improvident and unfrugal expense which the young man imployed his Estate in; And there he wasted his substance ⟨p. 63⟩with riotous living. In which take notice: 1. What he did with his Estate, He wasted it: 2. What it was he wasted, his substance: 3. Where he wasted it, there, viz. in that far Country: 4. how he consumed it, in riotous living.
[He wasted] The word [[Greek or Hebrew]] signifies the most prodigal and unprofitable throwing away of a thing that can be: Beza thinks it to be a Metaphor from a whirlwind, that scatters and throws the chaff hither and thither: it intimates such an expense as knows no measure, nor regards any end or use, minds neither how much is, nor for what it is laid out.
[He wasted] The word [〈non-Latin alphabet〉] signifies the most prodigal and unprofitable throwing away of a thing that can be: Beza thinks it to be a Metaphor from a whirlwind, that scatters and throws the chaff hither and thither: it intimates such an expense as knowes no measure, nor regards any end or use, minds neither how much is, nor for what it is laid out.
[His substance] The word signifies either ones being, or that which should uphold ones being, in which latter sense it is here intended: It was that which he should have improved for his livelihood, for his comfort, which was given him to improve, and trade with for the upholding his life.
[His substance] The word signifies either ones being, or that which should uphold ones being, in which latter sense it is here intended: It was that which he should have improved for his livelyhood, for his comfort, which was given him to improve, and trade with for the upholding his life.
[In riotous living] The word signifies all manner of intemperance, lasciviousness, prodigality, all the ways which profuse men can take to bring to nought that which they do enjoy: It signifies both excess in experiences, and excess in delights; and therefore it is variously translated [Profusely, Prodigally, Luxuriously, Lewdly, Ungraciously] The word [[Greek or Hebrew]] ⟨p. 64⟩according to its derivation, intimates, a rese•• ing of nothing, but making all fly, as our vulgar expression is; under which is shadowed to us the course which every ungodly man takes with, and the use unto which he puts all God's favours. Hence,
[In riotous living] The word signifies all manner of intemperance, lasciviousness, prodigality, all the wayes which profuse men can take to bring to nought that which they do enjoy: It signifies both excess in experiences, and excess in delights; and therefore it is variously translated [Profusely, Prodigally, Luxuriously, Lewdly, Ungraciously] The word [〈non-Latin alphabet〉] ⟨p. 64⟩according to its derivation, intimates, a rese•• ing of nothing, but making all fly, as our vulgar expression is; under which is shadowed to us the course which every ungodly man takes with, and the use unto which he puts all God's favours. Hence,
