N00302:793
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.
USE. 2. For Exhortation to the regenerate, or such as have been converted unto God; meditate much upon, and labour to be deeply affected with the discoveries of God's wonderful love to you: Think often.
1. What hast he made: I was dying, despairing, hopeless; but he speedily came, and put under an everlasting arm: or ever I was aware, &c.
2. With what ardour of affection he fell upon thy neck: Oh remember those embraces; how he took thee up in his arms, an unworthy, filthy, polluted armful; how kind were those claspings which encircled thee? those embraces which took thee out of thy pit.
3. How he kissed thee; breathing his soul into thee, and filling thee with his love; pardoning all thy sins, taking thee to be his son again, influencing thee with his grace, in thy far Country speaking comfortably to thee. Oh! love the Lord all ye his Saints, and let your hearts boil over in ardent affections to him.
Vers. 21. And the Son said unto him, Father I have finned against heaven, and in thy fight, and am no more worthy to be called thy Son.
WE now come to observe the Son's deportment to his Father; or how he carried it under these large and liberal expressions of his love to him; and that is, with all humble and penitent carriage. The blotting out and pardoning of his sins, doth not blot them out of his remembrance, or make him ever the less apprehensive of his unworthiness; no, but it draws out his humble and penitent confession. This acknowledgement, is the same for substance which he had resolved upon, vers. 18, 19. He purposed, if ever he could meet his father, thus he would say; he now not only sees him, but finds himself in his embraces, and here he pours out his soul to him. There is only the last clause omitted, ⟨p. 320⟩and why omitted is not essential to enquire; divers reasons are given, and that which seems most probable, is that his father's kind carriage, and abundant expression of his love, had left him no room for it, because he now found himself accepted in quality of a son. The particular meaning of these words, as they express the nature of true repentance hath been spoken to from, vers. 18, 19. That which we have now to consider, is only his expressing of them at this time, viz. after his father had shown himself, fully reconciled, and so signally testified it in his carriage to him. Hence,
WE now come to observe the Son's deportment to his Father; or how he carried it under these large and liberal expressions of his love to him; and that is, with all humble and penitent carriage. The blotting out and pardoning of his sins, doth not blot them out of his remembrance, or make him ever the less apprehensive of his unworthiness; no, but it draws out his humble and penitent confession. This acknowledgment, is the same for substance which he had resolved upon, vers. 18, 19. He purposed, if ever he could meet his father, thus he would say; he now not only sees him, but finds himself in his embraces, and here he poures out his soul to him. There is only the last clause omitted, ⟨p. 320⟩and why omitted is not essential to enquire; divers reasons are given, and that which seems most probable, is that his father's kind carriage, and abundant expression of his love, had left him no room for it, because he now found himself accepted in quality of a son. The particular meaning of these words, as they express the nature of true repentance hath been spoken to from, vers. 18, 19. That which we have now to consider, is only his expressing of them at this time, viz. after his father had shewn himself, fully reconciled, and so signally testified it in his carriage to him. Hence,
God's pardoning and accepting Grace, sensibly apprehended, will make a soul more to loth his sins, accuse himself of them, and be ashamed at them. Though whiles God is kindling these resolves, he comes in with them and brings his Salvation, yet this shall not extinguish those resolutions, but help them. This is the season to express and act, Godly sorrow, humiliation and repentance. We have David in this for an excellent example; whom when ⟨image ?⟩[…] ⟨p. 337⟩none but free Citizens were to wear rings: others, for his ennoblement, among the Oriental nations, none but the Nobility had this privilege: others for the seal of the spirit: The Wedding Ring was given as a ratification of Marriage; so now the union between Christ and the soul is sealed and confirmed.
God's pardoning and accepting Grace, sensibly apprehended, will make a soul more to loth his sins, accuse himself of them, and be ashamed at them. Though whiles God is kindling these resolves, he comes in with them and brings his Salvation, yet this shall not extinguish those resolutions, but help them. This is the season to express and act, Godly sorrow, humiliation and repentance. We have David in this for an excellent example; whom when ⟨image ?⟩〈…〉 ⟨p. 337⟩none but free Citizens were to wear rings: others, for his ennoblement, among the Oriental nations, none but the Nobility had this priviledge: others for the seal of the spirit: The Wedding Ring was given as a ratification of Marriage; so now the union between Christ and the soul is sealed and confirmed.
3. Shoes are put upon his feet: The feet are the affections, shoes are both for Ornament, and for saying the feet from harm: These shoes are the preparation of the Gospel, of peace, Eph. 6. 15. The soul is adorned with sanctifying grace, and the affections preserved from being gravelled, and galled with the pebbles of carnal desires.
4. The fatted Calf is killed [Gr. the fatted Calf, sacrifice it] This intends Christ, and may bear some respect to the Sacrament of the Supper: the soul is now spiritually fit for it, and to be invited to it. In sum, the best preparation is made, the soul is feasted: i. e. Divine love is shed abroad, Rom. 5. 5. God gives him all his favours in titles and communicates of them to him, according to that measure which is best for him; and so much (at least) of Divine light is irradiated upon him, as enables him to rely upon Christ alone for life, and hope in his Grace. This must needs be a joyful day; for,
4. The fatted Calf is killed [Gr. the fatted Calf, sacrifice it] This intends Christ, and may bear some respect to the Sacrament of the Supper: the soul is now spiritually fit for it, and to be invited to it. In summe, the best preparation is made, the soul is feasted: i. e. Divine love is shed abroad, Rom. 5. 5. God gives him all his favours in titles and communicates of them to him, according to that measure which is best for him; and so much (at least) of Divine light is irradiated upon him, as enables him to rely upon Christ alone for life, and hope in his Grace. This must needs be a joyful day; for,
1. It is the day of Jubilee, which was always ⟨p. 338⟩joyful: Now the servant of sin goes out free; he that had before bound himself to a stranger, to Satan and his lusts, is set at liberty.
1. It is the day of Jubile, which was alwayes ⟨p. 338⟩joyful: Now the servant of sin goes out free; he that had before bound himself to a stranger, to Satan and his lusts, is set at liberty.
2. It is his Wedding day: which is always celebrated with symptoms of joy; more especially, when a Beggar is married to a Prince; when a condemned prisoner of Justice is honourably espoused, to the eternal Son of God.
2. It is his Wedding day: which is alwayes celebrated with symptomes of joy; more especially, when a Beggar is married to a Prince; when a condemned prisoner of Justice is honourably espoused, to the eternal Son of God.
3. It is his Birth day; the day wherein he was new born: his Resurrection day in which he riseth out of his grave, vers. 24. He was dead and is now alive. And that is a blessed day, Rev. 20. 6. Blessed is he that hath part in the first Resurrection.
4. It is the day of his Adoption; the day wherein the King of Glory entitles him his son, gives him a new Name, and seals up to him an irreversible deed of conveyance, wherein he confirms him in title to an inheritance worth many Worlds.
USE, 1: For Information.
