N00302:405
Mercy magnified on a penitent prodigal, or A brief discourse, wherein Christs parable of…
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. Know and assure your selves that you are labouring under dangerous mistakes: you think you are safe and all is well, but you are under the wrath of God, and condemnation of hell: You think your way is your wisdom, but this way, and this thought is your folly: you conceive a way of sin to be a gainful trade, but you shall find it the greatest loss, when you shall know that •t hath lost your souls; you account ⟨p. 166⟩God's ways, those ways of holiness to be unprofitable, but it is nothing so; and if you would rightly consider, you should find all these to be great and gross delusions, and very dangerous for they are undoing: It's certain that on these principles you must needs perish for ever.
2. Know and assure your selves that you are labouring under dangerous mistakes: you think you are safe and all is well, but you are under the wrath of God, and condemnation of hell: You think your way is your wisdom, but this way, and this thought is your folly: you conceive a way of sin to be a gainful trade, but you shall find it the greatest loss, when you shall know that •t hath lost your souls; you account ⟨p. 166⟩God's wayes, those wayes of holiness to be unprofitable, but it is nothing so; and if you would rightly consider, you should find all these to be great and gross delusions, and very dangerous for they are undoing: It's certain that on these principles you must needs perish for ever.
3. Seriously consider, that there is yet hope that you might do well: Though you are in the way to destruction, yet there is an opportunity to withdraw your foot, and take hold of the way of life: This the poor Prodigal found though he had run far; and indeed there is nothing that hinders your conversion and salvation but your ignorance, inadvertency, and thence proceeding obstinacy and wilfulness; all that obstructs is in your selves: There are better ways than those you are going in, think of them: The wise woman considers a field and buys it, the wise Merchant considers a Pearl of great price, and purchaseth it: What if you part with all for it? it will recompense all your cost.