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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.
2. Thou hast nothing with thee which can help thee out of this cursed condition, all the Portion of God's common favours which thou enjoyest, will not redeem thee out of the hands of wrath, they cannot afford thy soul one drop of relief or supply; nay, all thy natural and providential enjoyments are themselves under a curse as they are thine, Rom. 8. 20.
2. Thou hast nothing with thee which can help thee out of this cursed condition, all the Portion of God's common favours which thou enjoyest, will not redeem thee out of the hands of wrath, they cannot afford thy soul one drop of relief or supply; nay, all thy naturall and providential enjoyments are themselves under a curse as they are thine, Rom. 8. 20.
3. Thou hast by a vain and sinful life, abused all the favours of God, and thereby made thy accounts the greater; thy condemnation is augmented: thou hast laid out all upon sin, and that is the worst sort of spending that can be, for thou art by it not only made poor, but greatly in debt also, and God will call thee to an account for all his goodness, and thy riot will inflame thy reckoning.
3. Thou hast by a vain and sinful life, abused all the favours of God, and thereby made thy accounts the greater; thy condemnation is augmented: thou hast laid out all upon sin, and that is the worst sort of spending that can be, for thou art by it not only made poor, but greatly in debt also, and God will call thee to an account for all his goodness, and thy riot will enflame thy reckoning.
4. Thou hast been in vain seeking thy Salvation among creatures; the world thou goest to is under the curse too for man's sin, and can yield thee nothing but briars, and thorns, ⟨p. 106⟩which will scratch and wound, but not relieve thee: They are but the shadow of a bramble, which will but mischief him that betakes himself thither for shelter: nothing but what will reconcile thee to God, and bring thee in to his favour, give thee a part in Christ, pay all thy debts, and save thy soul from hell, will do thee any good, and this thou canst not find here.
4. Thou hast been in vain seeking thy Salvation among creatures; the world thou goest to is under the curse too for man's sin, and can yeeld thee nothing but briars, and thorns, ⟨p. 106⟩which will scratch and wound, but not relieve thee: They are but the shadow of a bramble, which will but mischief him that betakes himself thither for shelter: nothing but what will reconcile thee to God, and bring thee in to his favour, give thee a part in Christ, pay all thy debts, and save thy soul from hell, will do thee any good, and this thou canst not find here.
5. Death and Judgment and Hell are coming upon thee: Thou art a mortal creature, thy day is coming, and may be nearer than thou art aware of; thou must ere long go down to the pit, and then Judgment calls thee to an account, and if thou art not better bestead, hell receives thee for ever, from whence all thy vain trust shall not be able to deliver thee, Isa. 28. 17,18. Know then and consider that it is an evil thing and a bitter, that thou hast gone so far away from the living God, Jer. 2. 19. Thou thinkest thou wantest for nothing, but I can assure thee that thou art oppressed with every want: There is a great deal goes to the eternal life of a soul, and thou hast none of it; thou wantest the love of God, which is better than life; thou wantest grace which is indeed the inward principle of life in the soul; thou wantest the promise which is the support of the soul here in this life; yea, what is it thou wantest not? Oh that thou knewest it! ⟨p. 107⟩thou wouldest not then be so secure and contented, thou wouldest bestir thy self, and seek for some remedy: Thou shalt find these words to be realities one day, God grant thou mayest be persuaded of them, and so persuaded as not to rest content till thou hast gotten good security about them: Wert thou but once stirred up to make inquiry, there is hope that God would of his rich mercy, in his own time point thee to the right way: This is certain there is no expectation that thou shouldest ever return to God, except thou first begin to be in want.
5. Death and Judgment and Hell are coming upon thee: Thou art a mortal creature, thy day is coming, and may be nearer than thou art aware of; thou must ere long go down to the pit, and then Judgment calls thee to an account, and if thou art not better bestead, hell receives thee for ever, from whence all thy vain trust shall not be able to deliver thee,
Vers. 15. And he went and joined himself to a Citizen in that Country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
Vers. 15. And he went and joyned himself to a Citizen in that Country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
2. WE are now to consider of the sordid course which the young man took for his relief, expressed in these words. ⟨p. 108⟩When once he felt his want, he sat not still: Sense of misery will readily drive the creature to seek supply: and so far he did well: God would not have awakened sinners to sit still: but yet he takes a very wrong course, and therein he discovered his folly: As good sit still as rise to fall. The course which he took is here expressed emphatically, and set forth notably; in two things doth the misery appear which he brought upon himself by this course.
2. WE are now to consider of the sordid course which the young man took for his relief, expressed in these words. ⟨p. 108⟩When once he felt his want, he sat not still: Sense of misery will readily drive the creature to seek supply: and so far he did well: God would not have awakened sinners to sit still: but yet he takes a very wrong course, and therein he discovered his folly: As good sit still as rise to fall. The course which he took is here exprest emphatically, and set forth notably; in two things doth the misery appear which he brought upon himself by this course.
1. The servitude or slavery which he voluntarily put himself upon, illustrated and aggravated in two circumstances. 1. It was his own act, He went and joined. 2. It was to one of that Country, to a stranger.
1. The servitude or slavery which he voluntarily put himself upon, illustrated and aggravated in two circumstances. 1. It was his own act, He went and joyned. 2. It was to one of that Country, to a stranger.
2. The ignoble and sordid manner of life which he was put to, to feed swine, which was among the Jews accounted the basest life of all, men of that occupation were contemned, none would have any communion with them: Shepherds were of good account, but Swineherds were not admitted to the society of men.
That by this Citizen, Satan is to be understood, is the received interpretation, and his setting him to keep swine, intimates the contemptible employment and service which he occupieth sinners about. We may gather up the substance of this vers. into a few brief notes.
That by this Citizen, Satan is to be understood, is the received interpretation, and his setting him to keep swine, intimates the contemptible employment and service which he occup•eth sinners about. We may gather up the substance of this vers. into a few brief notes.
The Prodigal was weary of his Father's Government, and what comes of it? he is fain to put himself under the Government of a stranger: Man was not made for sovereignty, but for service, and properly for the service of God; if therefore he shake off this service God righteously provides him cruel and Tyrannical Lords, that shall bear rule over him, 2. Chron. 12. 8.
The Prodigal was weary of his Father's Government, and what comes of it? he is fain to put himself under the Goverment of a stranger: Man was not made for sovereignty, but for service, and properly for the service of God; if therefore he shake off this service God righteously provides him cruel and Tyrannical Lords, that shal bear rule over him, 2. Chron. 12. 8.
USE, This may teach us to beware how we count the service of God irksome and tedious. If Christ's easy yoke will not be born, but we will pluck out our necks, and draw back our shoulders, Satan's iron yoke shall be prepared for us, and then we shall sooner or later know the difference.
USE, This may teach us to beware how we count the service of God irksome and tedious. If Christ's easie yoke will not be born, but we will pluck out our necks, and draw back our shoulders, Satan's iron yoke shall be prepared for us, and then we shall sooner or later know the difference.
He will first try all ways to repair his loss, and quite weary himself out in so doing; he had rather to enslave himself to Satan than become Christs freeman. And the Reason of this is.
He will first try all wayes to repair his loss, and quite weary himself out in so doing; he had rather to enslave himself to Satan than become Christs freeman. And the Reason of this is.
1. Negatively.
