N00302:164
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.
It is not only a wast, but a riotous wast, which is the worst sort of unthriftiness in the world: We may take up the Explication of the Doctrine in a few Propositions.
1. The common favours of God are unregenerate mens substance: their wit, their health, their wealth, their privileges, &c. are their portion, which they have in hand: I mean,
1. The common favours of God are unregenerate mens substance: their wit, their health, their wealth, their priviledges, &c. are their portion, which they have in hand: I mean,
1. They are that which they place their dependence upon, the things in the improvement of which they hope to get their living; they place their confidence and trust in them, Pro. 10. 15. The rich mans wealth is his strong City. They have nothing else that their heart relies upon, they call them their goods, because they expect to have their whole good from them, they take up their rest and content under the shadow of these things.
1. They are that which they place their dependance upon, the things in the improvement of which they hope to get their living; they place their confidence and trust in them, Pro. 10. 15. The rich mans wealth is his strong City. They have nothing else that their heart relyes upon, they call them their goods, because they expect to have their whole good from them, they take up their rest and content under the shadow of these things.
2. They are the Talents which God hath lent them to improve for his Glory, and for their souls good: God hath put them in their hands with a command that they should trade them for him, and in his service: The Lord expected that Belshazzar should have glorified him with his Power, and Kingdom, and great glory which he had advanced him to, Dan. 5.23. He counts that men have by these things an advantage in their hands to do him service, that they have a price, and if they are not wise in the improvement thereof, for the exaltation of his name, he reckons it for an unexcusable transgression, Rom. 2. begin.
2. Ungodly or unregenerate men do spend all these upon their lusts. This is the nature and guise of every man in whom the fear of God is not, not to honour him, but to sacrifice them to his fleshly desires: What else did degenerate Israel do with God's favours? Hos. 2.8. For she did not know that I gave her the […] &c. which they prepared for Baal. An […] Reason of this is, because, as men place their happiness in satisfaction, so the natural mans satisfaction consists in giving content to the carnal demands of his own mind; if these be not satisfied he is discontent: sin hath so blinded the eyes, & deluded the judgment of fallen man, that, till Grace comes in to inform him better, he knows no blessedness but in pampering and ⟨p. 66⟩cherishing the craving concupiscence of his soul: The rich man, Luk. 12. placeth his whole happiness in his souls ease, and that by giving himself full scope to eat, drink, and be merry; and that is a real description of the frame and opinion of every son and daughter of Adam, before the work of conversion passeth upon them.
2. Ungodly or unregenerate men do spend all these upon their lusts. This is the nature and guize of every man in whom the fear of God is not, not to honour him, but to sacrifice them to his fleshly desires: What else did degenerate Israel do with God's favours? Hos. 2.8. For she did not know that I gave her the 〈…〉 &c. which they prepared for Baal. An 〈…〉 Reason of this is, because, as men place their happiness in satisfaction, so the natural mans satisfaction consists in giving content to the carnal demands of his own mind; if these be not satisfied he is discontent: sin hath so blinded the eyes, & deluded the judgment of fallen man, that, till Grace comes in to inform him better, he knows no blessedness but in pampering and ⟨p. 66⟩cherishing the craving concupiscence of his soul: The rich man, Luk. 12
3. For a man thus to do with the favours of God, is to wast and spend his substance most unprofitably. When a man useth his wit, wealth &c. to maintain his pride, his sensuality, to encourage him in profaneness, &c. this is to play the greatest spend-thrift. for,
3. For a man thus to do with the favours of God, is to wast and spend his substance most unprofitably. When a man useth his wit, wealth &c. to maintain his pride, his sensuality, to encourage him in prophaness, &c. this is to play the greatest spend-thrift. for,
1. Man's great business which he hath in this life to trade for, is happiness: It is that which every man ought to aim at, and is indeed the thing which all the Children of men do propound to themselves, Psal. 4.6. Many there be that do say, who will show us good? They differ indeed in the way and means (and there are almost as many courses taken to obtain it as there are men that seek it) yet all naturally agree in this one end; viz. that they may do and be well: and the right improving of suitable means to this end, is the great thing wherein man's wisdom […] properly consist: If a man misseth of happiness in the end, all the labour that he hath been at here in this world is lost, this is the very thing which the ⟨p. 67⟩wise man so often, in the book of Ecclesiastes calleth Vanity, which is nothing else but a mans losing his propounded end, viz. his ultimate end, i. e. Blessedness: tis only the loss of this which can prove a man to have lived in vain, and spent his time, and cost, and care unprofitably.
1. Man's great business which he hath in this life to trade for, is happiness: It is that which every man ought to aim at, and is indeed the thing which all the Children of men do propound to themselves, Psal. 4.6. Many there be that do say, who will shew us good? They differ indeed in the way and means (and there are almost as many courses taken to obtain it as there are men that seek it) yet all naturally agree in this one end; viz. that they may do and be well: and the right improving of sutable means to this end, is the great thing wherei• man's wisdom 〈…〉 properly consist: If a man misseth of happiness in the end, all the labour that he hath been at here in this world is lost, this is the very thing which the ⟨p. 67⟩wise man so often, in the book of Ec•lesiastes calleth Vanity, which is nothing else but a mans losing his propounded end, viz. his ultimate end, i. e. Blessedness: tis only the loss of this which can prove a man to have lived in vain, and spent his time, and cost, and care unprofitably.
2. The only way for us to improve the favours of Gods unto the enjoyment of happiness, is in the service of God. As happiness is our subjective, so is the Glory of God our objective end; and God hath tied these together so inseparably, that man cannot possibly make a separation of them, without his unspeakable loss: The way to Glory is to glorify God, our glorifying of him is to be expressed in our improving of his bounty, to us aright, in honouring of him; those that honour him, he will honour. There is nothing we can do sincerely for God, but it redounds to our well-being; parts, power, privileges, and all other creature enjoyments used for God, do help forward our everlasting salvation. Hence
2. The only way for us to improve the favours of Gods unto the enjoyment of happiness, is in the service of God. As happiness is our subjective, so is the Glory of God our objective end; and God hath tyed these together so inseparably, that man cannot possibly make a separation of them, without his unspeakable loss: The way to Glory is to glorifie God, our glorifying of him is to be exprest in our improving of his bounty, to us aright, in honouring of him; those that honour him, he will honour. There is nothing we can do sincerely for God, but it redounds to our well-being; parts, power, priviledges, and all other creature enjoyments used for God, do help forward our everlasting salvation. Hence
3. All is utterly lost which is laid out upon our lusts: whatsoever men use to the service of their own desires ultimately, it's abused; it is wasted in riot, it is grossly thrown away. For,
3. All is utterly lost which is laid out upon our lusts: whatsoever men use to the service of their own desires ultimately, it's abused; it is wasted in riot, it is grosly thrown away. For,
1. God is hereby dishonoured, and so greatly provoked against us. It is the highest affront which we can offer to God to serve his enemies ⟨p. 68⟩with his favours, and hither do all the corrupt inclinations of our hearts lead, so much as we allow to them, so much we rob God of, we take it from him when we give it to them, and this he will not bear at our hands: it is the great quarrel which God hath with the world of sinful men, that he is forgotten and disregarded while they seek and serve themselves, Hos. 1. 16, 17.
2. Man's happiness and everlasting wellbeing is no way promoted or furthered by it. A man is never the nearer happiness by all that he bestows upon himself, he may bless himself, and others may bless him, Psal. 49. 18. But he is not in the way to true blessedness: He may swim in pleasure boast himself in his delicacy, and count himself an happy man, but he is not nearer Heaven and Glory. Nay,
3. Hereby he obstructs and woefully hinders his own salvation; in stead of helping it forward, it is the great obstacle to it; it sets him further off from true good: When once the Prodigal is gotten into his far Country, and is now fallen to wasting his Estate in riot, he is in the most hopeless condition of all. A sinner settled in any course of sin, is most unlikely to return to God, whiles he is gratifying his lust, and tasteth a great deal of sweetness in his beloved sin, now he cannot endure so much as ⟨p. 69⟩to think of the state of his soul, & thus his heart is hardened; he is in his heaven already, & regards not any other, his stakes are pitched down, and his pleasant ditty is, Soul take thine ease: Every sacrifice offered to his lusts sets God further from him, and him at a greater distance from God; nay, his account is increased, and his reckoning will be so much the more dreadful; what he thought should have done him good, doth him the greatest hurt; treasures of wrath are heaped up, out of the treasures of abused goodness, and all that which is so abused for the gratifying of his lusts, is turned into so much fuel for hell: And therefore may all that which is used in a way of sin be well called wasting and spending, Jam. 4. 3. Ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
3. Hereby he obstructs and wofully hinders his own salvation; in stead of helping it foreward, it is the great obstacle to it; it sets him further off from true good: When once the Prodigal is gotten into his far Country, and is now fallen to wasting his Estate in riot, he is in the most hopeless condition of all. A sinner setled in any course of sin, is most unlikely to return to God, whiles he is gratifying his lust, and tasteth a great deal of sweetness in his beloved sin, now he cannot endure so much as ⟨p. 69⟩to think of the state of his soul, & thus his heart is hardned; he is in his heaven already, & regards not any other, his stakes are pitched down, and his pleasant ditty is, Soul take thine ease: Every sacrifice offered to his lusts sets God further from him, and him at a greater distance from God; nay, his account is increased, and his reckoning will be so much the more dreadful; what he thought should have done him good, doth him the greatest hurt; treasures of wrath are heaped up, out of the treasures of abused goodness, and all that which is so abused for the gratifying of his lusts, is turned into so much fewel for hell: And therefore may all that which is used in a way of sin be well called wasting and spending,
USE, 1. For Information, learn we hence,
1. What man is like to come to if once he be separated from Gods gracious presence. If God leave men, they wast all: That every unregenerate man is not as vile and profligate as ever any was, is of God's restraining grace; if be but withdraw, and that man be left to himself, all goes to rack; let God do never so much for him, put never so fair a price into his hands, he but abuseth and squandereth it all away: It is therefore a dreadful judgment of God for any man to be left to himself: See, Psal. 81. 12. Rom. 1. 16. Every distance that ⟨p. 70⟩man stands at from God, is one step to his ruin and undoing.
1. What man is like to come to if once he be separated from Gods gracious presence. If God leave men, they wast all: That every unregenerate man is not as vile and profligate as ever any was, is of God's restraining grace; if be but withdraw, and that man be left to himself, all goes to rack; let God do never so much for him, put never so fair a price into his hands, he but abuseth and squandereth it all away: It is therefore a dreadful judgment of God for any man to be left to himself: See, Psal. 81. 12. Rom. 1. 16. Every distance that ⟨p. 70⟩man stands at from God, is one step to his ruine and undoing.
2. That every natural man is a very fool: For what is folly if this be not, for a man to wast away his substance unprofitably, to spend away profusely what he should have improved for his eternal benefit and good? How well might this young man have lived if he had traded with his Stock, & improved it in a way of commerce? whereas by living on it, & laying it out lavish he wasteth all: And what might many men do for their souls, had they the prudence to trade with their Stock in heavens market, and exchange their outward blessings for spiritual benefits? but herein lies their folly, the young man thought his Estate would bear him out, thus men outwardly favoured of God, think they may live as they list, and this their way is their folly.
2. That every natural man is a very fool: For what is folly if this be not, for a man to wast away his substance unprofitably, to spend away profusely what he should have improved for his eternal benefit and good? How well might this young man have lived if he had traded with his Stock, & improved it in a way of commerce? whereas by living on it, & laying it out lavish he wasteth all: And what might many men do for their souls, had they the prudence to trade with their Stock in heavens market, and exchange their outward blessings for spiritual benefits? but herein lyes their folly, the young man thought his Estate would bear him out, thus men outwardly favoured of God, think they may live as they list, and this their way is their folly.
