N00302:762
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.
4. Because God's design in the Salvation of a sinner is the manifestation of his Grace; ⟨p. 304⟩which grace discovers it self in showing him compassion. Now this grace of God hath described its subjects from eternity; and therein distinguishing Grace is made to appear, when it falls upon a subject that hath nothing in it to engage him, nor could of it self do any thing in the least to move him.
4. Because God's design in the Salvation of a sinner is the manifestation of his Grace; ⟨p. 304⟩which grace discovers it self in shewing him compassion. Now this grace of God hath described its subjects from eternity; and therein distinguishing Grace is made to appear, when it falls upon a subject that hath nothing in it to engage him, nor could of it self do any thing in the least to move him.
USE 1. Here we see how far the name and term of merit is a stranger from Gospel language; and what care we ought to take that we do not entertain any thoughts of it. God is no debtor to his creatures except voluntarily: as it was free to him to make them, so also to assign them their end and use: and it is certain that he designed or appointed no creature to any use, but withal completely furnished it for that end; and if, through its own default, that be lost, it can claim no restitution at Gods hands: hence let no man think that his misery should be a sufficient ground to engage Gods mercy to him; no nor his acknowledgement of his sin and misery neither: for if we stand at the tribunal of Justice (unto which merit is properly reckoned) it doth not deserve pardon for a delinquent to fall down at the Judges feet, confess his fault, and beg that it may be past by, and not imputed to him: if the Law condemns him, and he stands guilty before the Bar, it is only a free pardon that can acquit him. Now though an humane Judge ⟨p. 305⟩may be moved by the submiss and lamentable expressions of a justly condemned person; yet God is capable of no such impressions; but if he intends a soul good, he puts this very frame into him, and then accepts him in this way, though not for this carriage: but in all this there is not any room or occasion to speak of merit.
USE 1. Here we see how far the name and term of merit is a stranger from Gospel language; and what care we ought to take that we do not entertain any thoughts of it. God is no debter to his creatures except voluntarily: as it was free to him to make them, so also to assign them their end and use: and it is certain that he designed or appointed no creature to any use, but withal compleatly furnished it for that end; and if, through its own default, that be lost, it can claim no restitution at Gods hands: hence let no man think that his misery should be a sufficient ground to engage Gods mercy to him; no nor his acknowledgment of his sin and misery neither: for if we stand at the tribunal of Justice (unto which merit is properly reckoned) it doth not deserve pardon for a delinquent to fall down at the Judges feet, confess his fault, and beg that it may be past by, and not imputed to him: if the Law condemns him, and he stands guilty before the Bar, it is only a free pardon that can acquit him. Now though an humane Judge ⟨p. 305⟩may be moved by the submiss and lamentable expressions of a justly condemned person; yet God is capable of no such impressions; but if he intends a soul good, he puts this very frame into him, and then accepts him in this way, though not for this carriage: but in all this there is not any room or occasion to speak of merit.
USE 2. Learn hence also not to be discouraged from going to God in the sense of your own misery: Though you are altogether unworthy, and have nothing of your own to plead with him, which deserves to impetrate his mercy, yet you see here that his own compassion leads him to be merciful, and that the object which it hath chosen to express it self unto, is miserable sinners, such as are every way miserable; helpless and hopeless creatures: And if thou knowest, findest, and feelest thy self to be such an one, there is no reason to be discouraged; thou art one of such whom God hath chosen to express his compassion upon; and he who knows thy condition, if he will, can have mercy on thee: Such as are helpless, he is ready to help, Isa. 63.5.
USE, 3. It may be a ground of wonderful encouragement to poor sinners to go to God, and to wait upon him for mercy: to consider that God is a God of compassion, and that this compassion is the original of all the good ⟨p. 308⟩which the creature receives.
USE, 3. It may be a ground of wonderful encouragement to poor sinners to go to God, and to wait upon him for mercy: to consider that God is a God of compassion, and that this compassion is the originial of all the good ⟨p. 308⟩which the creature receives.
1. To consider that he is a God of compassion. We have heard, say they, That the Kings of Israel are merciful Kings. He is a God that delights to exalt and magnify himself by those titles of Merciful, Gracious, Compassionate, &c. His bowels stir towards, and he pities dying sinners, and therefore he comes •o their Graves and bids them live. The commendation of a pitiful and a compassionate nature in a prince, will bring in rebels apace, to come and throw themselves upon his mercy, & sue for a pardon; who if they knew him to be pitiless and inexorable, would run utmost adventures, as those that know they can but die, and can hope for no better by submission.
1. To consider that he is a God of compassion. We have heard, say they, That the Kings of Israel are merciful Kings. He is a God that delights to exalt and magnifie himself by those titles of Merciful, Gracious, Compassionate, &c. His bowels stir towards, and he pitties dying sinners, and therefore he comes •o their Graves and bids them live. The commendation of a pitiful and a compassionate nature in a prince, wilbring in rebels apace, to come and throw themselv•s upon his mercy, & sue for a pardon; who if they knew him to be pityless and inexorable, would run utmost adventures, as those that know they can but dy, and can hope for no better by submission.
2. To consider that this compassion is the root and spring of the mercy he shows: Hence we may silence all uprising of heart, and discouraging temptations, and be animated to break through all. I can do nothing; but if I could, it would but obscure his compassion. Be encouraged, Satan presents God in arms against us, & tells us we must appease him with sacrifices of obedience, but God accepts of no sacrifice but that of Christ; he looks that his mercy alone should be sought unto; learn then to make heaven ring with thy cries; ask mercy, put God in mind of these Attributes, which he hath commended himself in, to the Children of ⟨p. 307⟩men, Exod. 34. 6,7. put that into every prayer to encourage thy hope, Psal. 86 •. Thou art good, and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. And Dan. 9. 9. To thee Lord our God belong mercies, and forgiveness.
2. To consider that this compassion is the root and spring of the mercy he shews: Hence we may silence all uprising of heart, and discouraging temptations, and be animated to break through all. I can do nothing; but if I could, it would but obscure his compassion. Be encouraged, Satan presents God in arms against us, & tells us we must appease him with sacrifices of obedience, but God accepts of no sacrifice but that of Christ; he looks that his mercy alone should be sought unto; learn then to make heaven ring with thy cries; ask mercy, put God in mind of these Attributes, which he hath commended himself in, to the Children of ⟨p. 307⟩men, Exod. 34. 6,7. put that into every prayer to encourage thy hope, Psal. 86 •. Thou art good, and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. And
USE, 4. For Exhortation to Believers: This truth tells you what is the work you have to do all your lives; viz. To adore, admire and magnify God's compassion, those wonderful bowels of mercy that have appeared in your delivery out of all that misery, into which Sin had cast you: This is the great subject which should take up the thoughts and words of the Saints, Grace, Grace; it should be the •oice with which the Temple should resound. Think therefore often with yourselves, where you once were, what was your former condition, who it was that transformed you, when it was that he looked upon, and had regard to you; what miserable sinners you were, and how near to the pit of eternal destruction. Follow this compassion up to the beginnings of its actings towards you; think not that it only met you as you were returning, but call to mind, that it came to your dungeon and lifted you out thence; that it followed you into your far Country and fetched you from among the swine, or else you had still been there, and perished for ever.
USE, 4. For Exhortation to Believers: This truth tells you what is the work you have to do all your lives; viz. To adore, admire and magnifie God's compassion, those wonderful bowels of mercy that have appeared in your delivery out of all that misery, into which Sin had cast you: This is the great subject which should take up the thoughts and words of the Saints, Grace, Grace; it should be the •oice with which the Temple should resound. Think therefore often with yourselves, where you once were, what was your former condition, who it was that transformed you, when it was that he looked upon, and had regard to you; what miserable sinners you were, and how near to the pit of eternal destruction. Follow this compassion up to the beginnings of its actings towards you; think not that it only met you as you were returning, but call to mind, that it came to your dungeon and lifted you out thence; that it followed you into your far Country and fetcht you from among the swine, or else you had still been there, and perished for ever.
Thus far we have considered the cause of of the Father's kind carriage to his son, the Effect follows in the carriage it self: his is expressed in three words: He ran, he fell upon his neck, and kissed him. All these acts refer to the work of Conversion, and serve to express what love God applies to the soul in this work: they show us how much of Divine affection breaths forth in the first act of special grace passing from God to a sinner: They carry in them the most Pathetical intimations of the greatest love; it being a custom among the ancients, especially in those countries, to discover the super-abundance of their overflowing affections in these kinds of gestures: one notes upon this ver. that although all Christs Parables are very moving to the affections, that none carry so much in them as this doth.
THus far we have considered the cause of of the Father's kind carriage to his son, the Effect follows in the carriage it self: his is expressed in three words: He ran, he fell upon his neck, and kissed him. All these acts refer to the work of Conversion, and serve to express what love God applyes to the soul in this work: they shew us how much of Divine affection breaths forth in the first act of special grace passing from God to a sinner: They carry in them the most Pathetical intimations of the greatest love; it being a custom among the ancients, especially in those countries, to discover the super-aboundance of their overflowing affections in these kinds of gestures: one notes upon this ver. that although all Christs Parables are very moving to the affections, that none carry so much in them as this doth.
[He ran] Love is active, it cannot stand still, nor yet go softly, where it seeth its object to stand in need of speedy succour; it ⟨p. 306⟩shakes off all sloth, and rather seems to fly on wings than go.
[He fell on his neck] God takes the sinner in his arms, falls upon him: i. e. with his distinguishing Grace.
[And kissed him] Kissing was used among other things to express. 1. Intimacy and peculiar affection, and then especially, when dear friends meet, after long absence; thus Moses and Aaron, Exod. 4. 27. 2. Reconciliation, after some distance, by reason of injuries and provocations, thus David kisseth Absalom, 2 Sam. 14. ult.
[And kissed him] Kissing was used among other things to express. 1. Intimacy and peculiar affection, and then especially, when dear friends meet, after long absence; thus Moses and Aaron, Exod. 4. 27. 2. Reconciliation, after some distance, by reason of injuries and provocations, thus David kisseth Absolom, 2 Sam. 14. ult.
Here it is that God's special grace is made to appear, and such love as all comparisons are but dark shadows and resemblances of. God indeed shows a great deed of common favour to the world, the goodness they taste of is called his hid treasures: But all this falls incomparably short of that which he confers upon an elect person in his conversion. This love of God was from eternity, sealed up in his own breast: It began generally to be published and made known in the world, as soon as man had by his fall brought ruin and misery upon himself, ⟨p. 310⟩and his progeny; as was whispered in that first Gospel promise, Gen. 3. 15. He shall break thy head. And more abundantly shone forth when the Lord Jesus Christ had laid down his life at the foot of Justice: but these were more general demonstrations of it. It more especially and particularly first begins to appear to the sinner himself, then when he is regenerated, and eternal life begun in him. The manner and nature of this work, was then opened when we considered the Prodigal's return; that which is here to be observed, is the greatness of this love, and how or wherein it expresseth its self, according to the spiritual meaning of these phrases. I might here expatiate, but I shall confine this discourse to the words in our text, by a reduction of them to a spiritual sense.
Here it is that God's special grace is made to appear, and such love as all comparisons are but dark shadows and resemblances of. God indeed shews a great deed of common favour to the world, the goodness they tast of is called his hid treasures: But all this falls incomparably short of that which he confers upon an elect person in his conversion. This love of God was from eternity, sealed up in his own breast: It began generally to be published and made known in the world, as soon as man had by his fall brought ruine and misery upon himself, ⟨p. 310⟩and his progeny; as was whispered in that first Gospel promise, Gen. 3. 15. He shall break thy head. And more abundantly shone forth when the Lord Jesus Christ had laid down his life at the foot of Justice: but these were more general demonstrations of it. It more especially and particularly first begins to appear to the sinner himself, then when he is regenerated, and eternal life begun in him. The manner and nature of this work, was then opened when we considered the Prodigal's return; that which is here to be observed, is the greatness of this love, and how or wherein it expresseth its self, according to the spiritual meaning of these phrases. I might here expatiate, but I shall confine this discourse to the words in our text, by a reduction of them to a spiritual sense.
1. The first expression of this love is, in that he ran to him; herein is intimated a twofold declaration of divine love; one positive, the other comparative.
1. Positive, It points out God's coming to the sinner where he is, to bestow his grace upon him. The sinner could never have gone to God, he therefore cometh to him: He was a great way off, and could come no nearer: The rock of his salvation is higher than he is. Though as to rational and common actions, man is capable of using means, yet as to spiritual ⟨p. 311⟩life-actions, he is void of a principle of them: like Lazarus, he is both dead, and bound in his grave cloths: God therefore by his spirit comes to his graves side, to his pits mouth, where he is perishing, and thence he fetcheth him,: and is not this wonderful love? Had not God come hither, the sinner neither could nor would ever have come to him: that is Emphatical, Zech. 9. 11. I have sent forth my Prisoners out of the pit where there is no water.
1. Positive, It points out God's coming to the sinner where he is, to bestow his grace upon him. The sinner could never have gone to God, he therefore cometh to him: He was a great way off, and could come no nearer: The rock of his salvation is higher than he is. Though as to rational and common actions, man is capable of using means, yet as to spiritual ⟨p. 311⟩life-actions, he is void of a principle of them: like Lazarus, he is both dead, and bound in his grave cloths: God therefore by his spirit comes to his graves side, to his pits mouth, where he is perishing, and thence he fetcheth him,: and is not this wonderful love? Had not God come hither, the sinner neither could nor would ever have come to him: that is Emphaticall, Zech. 9. 11. I have sent forth my Prisoners out of the pit where there is no water.
