Meditations the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Chapter 12
CHAP. XII.
Wherein is shewed, How inclinable man is by nature to go farther and farther from God; from the following Clause,
And took his journey into a far Countrey.
IN this course of the Prodigal, who herein is the Representative, as it were, of natural men, we may observe two Doctrines; the first (whereof in this Chapter) is this,
Doct. 1 That man by nature would go farther and farther from God; he would get to the utmost point of distance from him.
This Prodigal did not only leave his Father's House, but went into a far Countrey. Psal. 73.27.Ungodly men love to be far from God, that they may sin their fill. As a godly man goes from grace to grace, so an ungodly man from sin to sin. As it is their Judgment to do so; Add iniquity to their iniquity, Psal. 69.27. Jer. 9.3.so it is their choice; They go from evil to evil. The Ephesians, before their Conversion, Eph. 2.were afar of, and without God in the world. Gen. 3.When Adam was fallen from his innocency, he got as far from God as he could. Psal. 10.4.Natural men shove God out of their thoughts as much as they can.
It is true, all natural men are not at an equal distance from God actually, though all are by nature inclined to be at the farthest point: There are degrees in a natural state, as there are in a spiritual. Our Lord Jesus told him that answered him so discreetly, Mark 12.34.That he was not far from the Kingdom of God. Some men are utter strangers to Christ; others are bordering on Conversion; yet still in their natural state; as the Israelites were at the borders of Canaan, when yet they entred not in.
Quest. But what is the nearest or least point of distance from Christ, in a natural condition; and what is the farthest?
Answ. When men like Christ, but not at his terms, yet are troubled the terms are so hard that they cannot yield to them: When Jesus told that man in Mark 10.21. That he must sell all, and follow him, it is said the man was sad at that saying, and went away grieved — v. 22. This man was bordering upon Christ, but left him.
So when men make a profession of Christ, John 2.23, 24.and yet their hearts are not right towards him; they are near Christ, but not near enough, they are not in him: Many believed on his Name, but Jesus did not commit himself unto them, for he knew what was in man.
Thou art near in their mouths, Jer. 12.2. Isa. 29.13.and far from their reins, saith Jeremiah to the Lord. And again, natural men may be near God, as in profession, so in priviledges: Judas was one of Christ's Disciples, one of the Twelve: And the people of Israel were a people near unto God. Psal. 148.14.This is the nearest point of distance from God.
But then secondly for the farthest point of distance; and this is, when men live as it were without God in the world; Eph. 2.12.live in sin without sense of it, and sin with greediness; it is meat and drink to them to sin, John 4.34.as it was to Jesus Christ to do his Father's will; They drink iniquity like water, Job 15.16. and who being past feeling; whose sense of feeling, as to any evil in sin, is gone; They give themseves over to work wickedness: 1 Kings 22.20Ahab sold himself, but some give themselves to sin. Eph. 4.19.These are Candidates at least in Atheism. Psal. 94.5.They say the Lord shall not see: Psal. 50.21. Psal. 36.2. Psal. 14.1.And they think that God is such an one as themselves: and thus they flatter themselves in their own eyes; they half think there is no God, and altogether wish it. Few men indeed are always or altogether Atheists: The Devil can never be an Atheist, being always under the sense of God's wrath; but he tempts men to be Atheists, and prevails very far, yet not to the full.
They lie, saith the Philosopher, Seneca.that say they hold there is no God; for though they say so to others by day, yet they say otherwise to themselves by night: these are the men that keep at the farthest point of distance from God, which was this Prodigals case; he went from his Fathers House into a far Countrey.
Quest. But how can any man be far from God, since God is every where? Psal. 139 7.Whither shall I go from thy Spirit, or whither shall I flee from thy presence? And it's said in Job, Job 34.22.There is no darkness where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. And saith the Apostle, Acts 17.27.God is not far from every one of us, either Christians or Gentiles.
Answ. There is a three-fold distance.
1. Of place; so no man can be at a distance from God; Psal. 139.8.If I ascend into heaven, thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there.
2. There is a distance of nature, which is where there are opposite natures and dispositions: and so many, if not most men, are at a great distance from God; there is nothing of the Divine nature in them, they have different minds and wills from God's. God wills this or that; and they will the contrary. Many men make God's affirmative Commands negative, and his negative Commands affirmative.
Jeremiah told those Jews in Jer. 44.16. that they should not go into Egypt; and they replied, As to the words of the Lord thou hast spoken to us, we will not hearken to thee.
3. There is a distance as to grace and favour; and so God may be said to be far from men in his special grace; as when men have not the grace of God in them, nor the love of God, nor acquaintance and communion with God; God may be said to be far from them.
The presence of God with men must be measured by his grace and spirit in them; and not by his common favours, as riches, power, natural parts, means of grace, Psal. 17.17.yea common grace: for heathens may have some of these, and hypocrites may have others, and yet both at a distance from God, as to saving grace; God cannot say of them as of Abraham, Isa. 41.8.Abraham my friend, my familiar. A blind man may be near the Sun, and yet be said to be afar off, because he wants the light of it; so it is with many men who live in the light of the Gospel, and yet are far from God as to any saving knowledge of him in Christ. A man may be your next Neighbour, and yet be as far from kindred, as the farthest in the Town.
The Lord judges men near to him, or afar off, by their hearts; Heb. 3.12.Take heed lest there be in any of you an heart of unbelief to depart from the living God. An Hypocrite may be nearer God's people in outside similitude, than a Publican. As a painted Pot on the wall is nearer a Pot in outward similitude than a piece of Clay under your feet, and yet in fitness the Clay is nearer, because it is apter to be made a Pot; so an humble Publican and Sinner is nearer coming into the Kingdom of God than a proud Pharisee or Hypocrite, because his heart is more tender, and humbled under the sense of sin and wrath: Mark 21.31.The Publicans and the Harlots go into the Kingdom of God before you.
Now the reason of mens going from God as far as they can, i. e. by nature, Reas. is the enmity that is in man's sinful nature to God; though God become nigh to our nature in his Sons assuming of it, yet naturally we keep at the greatest distance from his nature, i. e. from his holiness and purity: Rom. 8.7.The carnal mind is enmity against God; it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can be.
The Greek word signifies the best of a natural man is cross to God; foreign.the more wisdom and wit a natural man hath, the more crosly he acts towards God. This enmity in man to God came in with his fall from God: Before Adam hid not himself from God, but was the friend of God by nature; his first nature, as Abraham was by grace; he could lean on God's bosome as the beloved Disciple did on Jesus; James 2.23.2 Pet. 1.4. Gen. 1.he had the rays of the Divine nature in him, as men in a state of grace have; God made him to his own likeness, but when he fell from his innocency, his enmity against God came in.
A natural man cannot subject himself to the will of God, nor does he love the likeness of God; he is a lover of his own lusts more than of God. … Tim. 3.4.The Psalmist speaks of haters of God, Psal. 81.15. and so doth the Apostle, Rom. 1.30. They care not for acquaintance with God, verse 28. yea, there are men that could wish there were no God.
Application.
1. This is useful to examination, to try our selves, whether we be near God, or gone far from him: And trial in this case is of great concernment to us; for we may be near to God outwardly, and in a profession of him, yet inwardly be at a distance from him; as those Jews were in Isa. 29.13. This people draw near me with their mouths, and with their lips honour me, but have removed their heart far from me. Heb. 3.12.We must estimate our nearness to, or distance from God, by our hearts. Therefore
1. Is God great or small, high or low, in our hearts account, in himself, and his word, and his works, especially as he is a holy God? If God be not much in our thoughts, Psal. 104.34.and dear in our thoughts, as to David, it's a sign that we are far from God. Out of mind out of sight. What's the reason that the Stars seem so little to us, that are such great Bodies in themselves, but because they are at a great distance from us, and we from them? so God is a great God, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises; Exod. 15. Psal. 63.3.his loving kindness better than life it self. And if he be not so in our thoughts, and to our hearts, it argues we are far from him; for were we nigh him, the pleasures, the profits, the honours of the world would be but trifles to us; these would be far from our hearts if God was near them. I have rejoyced in the way of thy testimonies as much, Psal. 119.127.and doubtless more, than in all riches: I love thy Commandments above gold, yea above fine gold.
2. We may know our distance from God by the chilness and coldness of our minds and affections in his service and ways. As in Winter, when we are at a farther distance from the Sun, days art short, and nights long, we are cold, and it is a dead season with all things: Why so when we are dull and deadhearted in holy imployments, and walk dully as to acts of grace and comfort, it signifies that we are at a distance from God, and he from us, as to his gracious and quickning presence.
3. Men may be known to be far from God by their secure sinning, and sinning without sense. The holy Apostle gives three signs of men that are greatly remote from God, and they are desperate signs. Eph. 4.18, 15.1. Their gross ignorance of God: 2. Their sinning without feeling: 3. Their sinning with greediness: Having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts, who being past feeling, have given themselves over to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
When men sin with greediness, it's a sign they are past feeling, and when they are past feeling, it's a sign they know not God, and this is a sign, they are alienated from the life of God, and so are at the greatest point of distance from him.
O that men could bewail this cursed disposition, to be willing to be strangers to God, and to be as far from him as they can; they will go from God to the Devil as Saul did: 1 Sam. 28.Many men fly from God, as from a Lion, and fly to Satan, who is indeed a roaring Lion, 1 Pet. 5.8.seeking whom he may devour.