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

USE 2. Here we also see a reason why unconverted men wonder when they hear the People of God speak of their joys and comforts; whereas they look upon them as sorrowful and miserable men, and think them mad to please themselves with phantasms and dreams; whereas their own blindness and ignorance is the cause of their admiration. Felix thinks Paul ⟨p. 360⟩is distracted, whereas he himself is distempered; Hence let not the People of God judge themselves by, or think worse of themselves for worldly mens opinion concerning them.

USE 2. Here we also see a reason why unconverted men wonder when they hear the People of God speak of their joyes and comforts; whereas they look upon them as sorrowful and miserable men, and think them mad to please themselves with phantasms and dreams; whereas their own blindness and ignorance is the cause of their admiration. Foelix thinks Paul ⟨p. 360⟩is distracted, whereas he himself is distempered; Hence let not the People of God judge themselves by, or think worse of themselves for worldly mens opinion concerning them.

USE, 3. If Hypocrites may not feast it with the People of God here, much less shall they do it in the Kingdom of Glory: If they may not partake with them in the feast of Tabernacles, much less in their consummation: How miserable a thing then is it to be a professor and no more? to how wood and draw water with the Gibeonites? to do the drudgery of the Law, but not to partake of the joys of the Gospel? a legal li•e is a life of much business, but of no comfort; there are many terrors which may oppress the conscience for defaults, and much labour in striving to attain an unattainable legal perfection; but no true joys, which can only flow from the sense of God's love and pardon in Jesus Christ; beware than of Hypocrisy.

USE, 3. If Hypocrites may not feast it with the People of God here, much less shal they do it in the Kingdom of Glory: If they may not partake with them in the feast of Tabernacles, much less in their consummation: How miserable a thing then is it to be a professor and no more? to how wood and draw water with the Gibeonites? to do the drudgery of the Law, but not to partake of the joyes of the Gospel? a legal lie is a life of much business, but of no comfort; there are many terrours which may oppress the conscience for defaults, and much labour in striving to attain an unattainable legal perfection; but no true joyes, which can only flow from the sense of God's love and pardon in Jesus Christ; beware than of Hypocrisie.