N00302:433
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.
USE, 1. For Information, here we see,
1. The reason why Jesus Christ and his salvation are no more welcome and acceptable to the most of men, and so why the work of conversion is so rare and infrequent even there where the Gospel comes with most clearness; it is because the most of men have yet something of then own to live upon; they have not spent all, they are not nipped with the famine. Though all natural men are prodigals, yet they have not as yet made away with their portion, they still have something to support them; they do not feel themselves poor perishing creatures; but are like Laodicea, Rev. 3.17. Rich and want for nothing. Tell them of the riches of grace in Christ, the full supplies that are with him, that he hath wherewithal to satisfy the hungry soul, what care they? they need it not, the are not hungry and pinched; the most of the children of men think they can do sufficiently without Christ, therefore they say to him depart from us, Job 21. 14. The Gospel invitations are presented to poor, blind, sick, perishing sinners, and therefore men do not take it to themselves, they hope they are not such: and therefore, till we see men distressed, till we find them despairing, till we hear them crying out sensibly of their woeful misery, we must not expect they should do any other then ⟨p. 179⟩complement with Jesus Christ, and, with them that were invited to the Gospel feast, Mat. 22. to frame excuses, and use delays.
1. The reason why Jesus Christ and his salvation are no more welcome and acceptable to the most of men, and so why the work of conversion is so rare and infrequent even there where the Gospel comes with most clearness; it is because the most of men have yet something of then own to live upon; they have not spent all, they are not nipt with the famine. Though all natural men are prodigals, yet they have not as yet made away with their portion, they still have something to support them; they do not feel themselves poor perishing creatures; but are like Laodicea,