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

1. In respect of his special and spiritual grace; and the both in regard of the first gift of saving grace, and progress of it.

1. In respect of the first gift of saving grace; let the constant remembrance of it serve to make and keep you humble. And therefore remember: 1. Who thou wast to whom God brought this grace? Ezek. 16. begin. One in thy blood. 2. That thou didst nothing to the working of this great work, Eph. 2. 9. Not of your selves. 3. How much thou didst to obstruct it; how often thou didst resist God's calls and counsels, wert obstinate, rebellious, not hearkening to his Spirit, shutting thine eyes, stopping thy ears, rising up against reproofs, &c. God often came to thee, and entreated thee, but thou hadst no mind to hear him, but didst all thou couldst to have undone ⟨p. 264⟩thy soul. 4. The patience which the great God used with thee; how long he waited upon thee, pitying thine obstinacy, bewailing the hardness of thy heart, and would not let thee alone, though many a time thou baddest him depart from thee. 5. Much meditate upon the distinguishing grace which was revealed in thy conversion. 1. How few are saved, and that thou shouldest be one of them. 2. That thou art no better than they, hast nothing more to commend thee to God than Cain or Judas had; nothing out of God could move him. 3. Thou didst many ways more dishonour God before thy conversion than any of them did; that young man, Mat. 19. might shame thee. 4. That the same means which hardened others converted thee. And when thou hast laid all these things together, put thy mouth in the dust, and let God's converting grace make thee nothing in thine own eyes: and let this grace never be forgotten, but always magnified by thee: only by humility is converting grace glorified.