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

Name: Mercy magnified on a penitent prodigal, or A brief discourse, wherein Christs parable of…
Author: Samuel Willard

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]

Samuel Willard 1640–1707printed by Samuel Green for Samuel Philips, 1684

[6], 391, [1] p. ; 15 cm. · 87k words · Evans 379 · Wing W2285

Title page typeset from the transcription.

Mercy Magnified ON A PENITENT Prodigal. › Sermon 13 › DOCT. The consideration of Divine sufficiency and bounty, are great…: DOCT. The consideration of Divine sufficiency and bounty, are great encouragements to th…Mercy Magnified ON A PENITENT Prodigal. › Sermon 13 › DOCT. The consideration of Divine sufficiency and bounty, are great…: DOCT. The consideration of Divine sufficiency and bounty, are great encouragments to th…

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.

[ Earlier:458–473 of 949

:458p. 191

Answ. Here is the only Rational encouragement of an humbled sinner: He can find none with looking elsewhere: if he look upon the world he sees nothing but famine; if upon himself, he hath spent all, and is utterly undone, it is only in God that he can expect to find any relief. Now the Soul is not first made to believe, and then see the reason of it, but the spirit of God draws the soul to believe, by making it see the excellency of the object, and so persuading it; he is first made to see the ground of hope, and then to follow, as the Prodigal here. Now both of these Attributes are full of encouragement.

Answ. Here is the only Rational encouragment of an humbled sinner: He can find none with looking elsewhere: if he look upon the world he sees nothing but famine; if upon himself, he hath spent all, and is utterly undone, it is only in God that he can expect to find any relief. Now the Soul is not first made to believe, and then see the reason of it, but the spirit of God draws the soul to believe, by making it see the excellency of the object, and so perswading it; he is first made to see the ground of hope, and then to follow, as the Prodigal here. Now both of these Attributes are full of encouragement.

:459p. 191–192¶1

1. The sufficiency of God; it cannot but animate the Prodigal, to think that there is bread enough and to spare in his fathers house: Starving beggars are not wont to ask relief of beggars like themselves, but they go to the rich: Men account it vain to ask an alms where they know there is nothing to be had; but where they understand there is enough, they will be very importunate, because they know such an one can, if the hath an heart to it, do them a kindness: So, here the soul discovers ⟨p. 192⟩a possibility that he may have succour, because God is able; there is all fullness in him, he can save him from hell, and wrath, and misery, and bestow life and salvation upon him if he sees meet: When Jacob heard there was bread in Egypt, he said to his Sons, Why do you sit still and look one on another, and die? So, when a soul hears there is all Grace with God, it prompts him to say, why do I tarry here then, and perish? God therefore thus propounds himself to destroyed Israel,

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