1. To begin at the time when this entertainment or treaty was, it is expressed by the circumstance of place, at such time as he was at a great distance from him: the right meaning of which Phrase is of weight to be understood, for the confirming of the forementioned Doctrine of Repentance. Some understand it to be spoken by way of anticipation, and that this part of the Parable doth not follow the foregoing in order of time; but that as in the second part he had described the Sons repentance in the order and method of it as it was done by him; so in this third part, setting forth the Grace of God, by the Fathers entertainment, he begins it at the first discoveries of it, and that before (being the leading cause of) his Repentance, q. d. before he could rise & come to his Father, he came to himself Others suppose the order of time is here observed, and so account that here are the beginnings of saving Grace, and so put over the former to preparatory work, q. d. whiles he was resolving, and practising to use means with a preparatory hope, God comes in with saving Grace. But I close rather with the first of these: for doubtless this arising and going, must express true Repentance; and the expression in our Text discovers the preventing Grace of God, and shows the original of his favour to be of himself, and the beginning of ⟨p. 287⟩the application of it to be before any Repentance of ours: we might be ready to think that the Sons Repentance was that which moved his Fathers bowels, and his acknowledgement had broken his heart: Our Saviour tells is no, God comes first, his Bowels out-run our Repentings. Hence,
1. To begin at the time when this entertainment or treaty was, it is expressed by the circumstance of place, at such time as he was at a great distance from him: the right meaning of which Phrase is of weight to be understood, for the confirming of the forementioned Doctrine of Repentance. Some understand it to be spoken by way of anticipation, and that this part of the Parable doth not follow the foregoing in order of time; but that as in the second part he had described the Sons repentance in the order and method of it as it was done by him; so in this third part, setting forth the Grace of God, by the Fathers entertainment, he begins it at the first discoveries of it, and that before (being the leading cause of) his Repentance, q. d. before he could rise & come to his Father, he came to himself Others suppose the order of time is here observed, and so account that here are the beginnings of saving Grace, and so put over the former to preparatory work, q. d. whiles he was resolving, and practising to use means with a preparatory hope, God comes in with saving Grace. But I close rather with the first of these: for doubtless this arising and going, must express true Repentance; and the expression in our Text discovers the preventing Grace of God, and shews the original of his favour to be of himself, and the beginning of ⟨p. 287⟩the application of it to be before any Repentance of ours: we might be ready to think that the Sons Repentance was that which mored his Fathers bowels, and his acknowledgement had broken his heart: Our Saviour tells is no, God comes first, his Bowels out-run our Repentings. Hence,
