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

2. Because the same means may have been formerly used with this person, and yet did not gain their effect: It may be he had heard the same thing many a time, and his judgment assented to it to be truth, but yet he regarded it not, nor was affected with it: yea, possibly he had had it more urged, with more strength of argument, and pressed with more morally persuasive motives by others, but yet it never gained upon or got within him till now; and why now rather than at any other time? there was as much to have driven if home before; it must needs therefore proceed from ⟨p. 98⟩the power of the Holy Ghost working when he sees meet. But,

2. Because the same means may have been formerly used with this person, and yet did not gain their effect: It may be he had heard the same thing many a time, and his judgment assented to it to be truth, but yet he regarded it not, nor was affected with it: yea, possibly he had had it more urged, with more strength of argument, and pressed with more morally perswasive motives by others, but yet it never gained upon or got within him till now; and why now rather than at any other time? there was as much to have driven if home before; it must needs therefore proceed from ⟨p. 98⟩the power of the Holy Ghost working when he sees meet. But,

2. If we speak of the means by which it is wrought, I answer, God's spirit doth it sometimes by the ministry of the Word, sometimes by the concurrence of wisely ordered Providences, speaking in them to the soul; and it is a very frequent thing for God to back the Word in his providence for the bringing of a sinner under the power of this conviction: yea, providence sometimes begins and gives a general conviction, the Word then sets in and more particularly points out his condition: Providence many times tells a man that he is miserable, and then the Word comes and tells him how he came to be so: More particularly.