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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.
1. The root of this Humility, and that which influenceth each part of it, is a deep sense and apprehension of his own vileness. The Spirit of God gives him to see, find and ⟨p. 235⟩feel himself to be a vile creature: this is Job's Confession, Job 40.4. I am vile, the word signifies contemptible, or worthy of no esteem: he finds and confesseth himself every way vile.
1. Vile as he is a Man, a piece of Clay, a little dust of the Balance. God made man so as that he might ever see cause to have low and little thoughts of himself, Gen. 2.7. his body a lump of dirt, his breath a blast, himself a Brother of worms: God must stoop to take notice of man in his greatest excellency; hence the Psalmist thinks of it with admiration, Psal. 8.4. What is man, that thou art mindful of him?
1. Vile as he is a Man, a piece of Clay, a little dust of the Ballance. God made man so as that he might ever see cause to have low and little thoughts of himself, Gen. 2.7. his body a lump of dirt, his breath a blast, himself a Brother of worms: God must stoop to take notice of man in his greatest excellency; hence the Psalmist thinks of it with admiration, Psal. 8.4. What is man, that thou art mindful of him?
2. Much more, because he is a sinful creature: the sense and apprehension of his own Sin, renders him unspeakably abominable in his own eyes: he sees Sin to be a vile thing, & himself, being a Sinner, to be defiled with it. Sin is not only vile in it self, but it renders every one so that is polluted by it: the best of creatures are vile, if compared with God, but sinful Man much more, Job 11. 14,15,16. this hath rendered Man loathsome to God, whose pure eye hates Sin; and shall render him so to himself, when God shall do him good, Ezek. 36.31. this hath pulled off his Scarlet, and thrown him upon a Dung hill: this hath defaced his beauty, and covered him with deformity; degraded his Glory, and filed him with Ignominy; yea, ⟨p. 236⟩overspread him with wounds, ulcers, and putrefying sores; so that now he can see nothing in himself that might attract love, but justly cause loathing.
2. Much more, because he is a sinful creature: the sence and apprehension of his own Sin, renders him unspeakably abominable in his own eyes: he sees Sin to be a vile thing, & himself, being a Sinner, to be defiled with it. Sin is not only vile in it self, but it renders every one so that is polluted by it: the best of creatures are vile, if compared with God, but sinful Man much more, Job 11. 14,15,16. this hath rendred Man loathsome to God, whose pure eye hates Sin; and shall render him so to himself, when God shall do him good, Ezek. 36.31. this hath pulled off his Scarlet, and thrown him upon a Dung hill: this hath defaced his beauty, and covered him with deformity; degraded his Glory, and filed him with Ignominy; yea, ⟨p. 236⟩overspread him with wounds, ulcers, and putrifying sores; so that now he can see nothing in himself that might attract love, but justly cause loathing.
3. Vile in all that he doth: Such as is the principle, such are the acts: Like tree, like fruits, Mat. 7. 16. see Job 14. 4. If he look on none but his best actions that he doth, yet here he seeth his own filthiness so deriving it self into them, that he cannot place any esteem upon them, but declare them vile things, Isa. 64.6. Filthy rags. Filthy; the word is variously translated, and by all to set out loathsome vileness. The like you have of Paul, Phil. 3.8. dung. The truly humbled soul sees no excellency in himself, which he can call his own, nor any thing done by him which is not polluted. So Paul, Rom. 7.18. In my flesh dwells no good thing. So that he dares not put his actions upon the trial, but deprecates it, as David, Psal. 14. 3. 2. Enter not into Judgment with thy servant. This is the root of Humility.
3. Vile in all that he doth: Such as is the principle, such are the acts: Like tree, like fruits, Mat. 7. 16. see Job 14. 4. If he look on none but his best actions that he doth, yet here he seeth his own filthiness so deriving it self into them, that he cannot place any esteem upon them, but declare them vile things, Isa. 64.6. Filthy rags. Filthy; the word is variously translated, and by all to set out loathsome vileness. The like you have of Paul,
2. The fruit that proceeds from this root, is the debasing of him in his own esteem, and firstly, the sensible acknowledging his unworthiness of mercy, and defect of misery.
1. His unworthiness of any mercy: the Prodigal confesseth that he deserveth no kindness from his father; so doth the truly humbled soul see that he deserves nothing at the hands of God. In particular▪
1. He acknowledgeth that he is unworthy of the least outward mercy, so far from being worthy to be treated as a son, as not to deserve to be treated as a creature: and here he acknowledgeth,
1. That he is unworthy of his life, that he is a Child of wrath by nature, and doth not deserve that God should suffer him to breath in his world, it is a great kindness that he is not consumed, and destroyed from off the face of the earth, and turned down into the pit long before this, Lam. 3. •2.
2. That he is unworthy of livelihood: he cannot challenge, as a debt from God, so much as the least bit of bread, or draught of water, but if he do bestow it upon him, it is a condescending favour, Gen. 32. 10.
2. That he is unworthy of livelyhood: he cannot challenge, as a debt from God, so much as the least bit of bread, or draught of water, but if he do bestow it upon him, it is a condescending favour, Gen. 32. 10.
3. Unworthy that God should condescend to step aside to do him the least courtesy at all; that he should visit him with any mercy, Matt. 8. 8. Hence he wonders at all, saith, as David, Who am I? or as Mephibofheth, 2 Sam. 9. 8. What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am? The ungrateful sinner is quarrelling with God, let him show him never so much kindness; but the humble sinner wonders at God, let him show him never so ⟨p. 238⟩little kindness, because he judgeth that none can be little to such a worthless creature as he.
3. Unworthy that God should condescend to step aside to do him the least courteousie at all; that he should visit him with any mercy, Matt. 8. 8. Hence he wonders at all, saith, as David, Who am I? or as Mephibofheth, 2 Sam. 9. 8. What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am? The ungrateful sinner is quarrelling with God, let him shew him never so much kindness; but the humble sinner wonders at God, let him shew him never so ⟨p. 238⟩little kindness, because he judgeth that none can be little to such a worthless creature as he.
2. He acknowledgeth that he is much more unworthy that God should pardon his Sin, and take him among the number of his Children, that he should relieve his famishing Soul, and bestow his Grace upon him: it is such a thing that he dareth hardly speak of, Luk. 18. 14. when Paul speaks of his calling to the Ministry, how doth he set it forth? see Eph. 3. 18. To me, who am less than the least of all Saints: how much more may every one say so of his Conversion? he will acknowledge, that if God refuse to come and save him, he doth him no wrong, Rom. 9.19,20. if he do it, it is mere Grace, Eph. 2.8.
2. He acknowledgeth that he is much more unworthy that God should pardon his Sin, and take him among the number of his Children, that he should relieve his famishing Soul, and bestow his Grace upon him: it is such a thing that he dareth hardly speak of, Luk. 18. 14. when Paul speaks of his calling to the Ministry, how doth he set it forth? see Eph. 3. 18. To me, who am less than the least of all Saints: how much more may every one say so of his Conversion? he will acknowledge, that if God refuse to come and save him, he doth him no wrong, Rom. 9.19,20. if he do it, it is meer Grace, Eph. 2.8.
2. He acknowledgeth his worthiness of all misery: that he is not only undeserving, but ill-deserving; that he hath not only forfeited all mercies, but procured to himself all woes; is not only unprofitable, but is also a great provocation to God. In particular,
1. He acknowledgeth that all the sorrows and sufferings of this life, are not only his desert, but less than his desert, Ezra 9.13. Job 11.6. He will not only justify Gods anger, but magnify his mercy in all the sorrows that befall him here in this World, Lam. 3.22. if God take away his Estate, comforts of his life, strip him naked of all, yet naked as he is, he chargeth not ⟨p. 239⟩God, but blesseth him, Job 1.20,21,22. the threatenings of God are just, his executions of them righteous, and his moderation of them merciful.
1. He acknowledgeth that all the sorrows and sufferings of this life, are not only his desert, but less than his desert, Ezar 9.13. Job 11.6. He will not only justifie Gods anger, but magnifie his mercy in all the sorrows that befal him here in this World, Lam. 3.22. if God take away his Estate, comforts of his life, strip him naked of all, yet naked as he is, he chargeth not ⟨p. 239⟩God, but blesseth him, Job 1.20,21,22. the threatnings of God are just, his executions of them righteous, and his moderation of them merciful.
2. That the utmost of the wrath and curse of God is duly and truly his merit: that he hath done things worthy of Death, and that it belongs to him as his wages, Rom. 8. ult. Dan. 9. 8. he sees Hell to be a place proper for him, and confesseth that it is mere patience that hath hitherto kept him out of it, else he had been there ere this: he sees weight enough in his Sin, to sink him down into the nethermost Hell, and that he is not there as well as others, undergoing endless, easeless, remediless torments, is not because he is better, but because God is more merciful to him.
Now when the humbled Soul is thus made sensible of his own worthlessness, hereupon these further fruits of it discover themselves.
1. He is really taken off from all confidence in himself: he now dares to rest no longer upon any thing that is his, whether of nature or grace, to give him favour with God, and plead for him in his presence. He now dares not to rely upon his duties, though done with never so much seriousness and sincerity; no, they are Loss, Dung, Rags to him; they are not to be trusted in, or accounted of.
