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 21 › DOCT. The compassion of God is the only moving cause prompting him…: DOCT. The compassion of God is the only moving cause prompting him to show favour to a…Mercy Magnified ON A PENITENT Prodigal. › Sermon 21 › DOCT. The compassion of God is the only moving cause prompting him…: DOCT. The compassion of God is the only moving cause prompting him to shew favour to a…

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:743–758 of 949

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1. Grief; whereby the mind is moved and troubled at the creatures misery: the sight of it oppresseth the heart, when he sees it; he cannot tell how to bear the sight of it; hence also often proceed sighs and tears of pity over the object. Thus, God also (speaking in our dialect) seeing poor Sinners in their misery, expresseth himself like one whose heart is ready to burst, Hos. 11.8. How shall I give thee up? how shall I deliver thee? my heart is turned; my repentings are kindled. And after like manner, Jer. 31.20. in this grief also we are wont to be troubled at our selves if we have done any thing to bring the creature into such a miserable condition, and hence we relent, and repent; and so God also speaks of himself, in the forecited, Hos. 10.8.

:744p. 300¶2

2. Love; for without love there can be no compassion: hatred is inexorable; it• rejoiceth and triumpheth in the misery of its enemy; and the more miserable it sees him, the more it can rejoice in it: but compassion argues good will: hence God useth such expressions concerning Ephraim, Jer. 31. 10. Is Ephraim my dear Son? is he a pleasant Child? &c.

2. Love; for without love there can be no compassion: hatred is inexorable; it• rejoyceth and triumpheth in the misery of its enemy; and the more miserable it sees him, the more it can rejoyce in it: but compassion argues good will: hence God useth such expressions concerning Ephraim, Jer. 31. 10. Is Ephraim my dear Son? is he a pleasant Child? &c.

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