Meditations the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Chapter 25
CHAP. XXV.
Sheweth, The Property of Natural men, in chusing to sit down with any base things in the world for ease, rather than they will go to God for it. From the same part of the sixteenth Verse, And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks which the Swine did eat.
THERE is a second Doctrine contained in this first part of the sixteenth Verse. For, whereas it is said, that he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the Swine did eat, this shews us, the property of Natural men, when troubled in Conscience for sin, is, Doctr. 2 That they would sit down with any base things in the world for ease, rather than go to God for it.
Something of this was spoken on the fifteenth Verse; I shall not add much.
When Cain's Conscience vexed him, he humbled not himself to God, but quarell'd with him; Behold, Gen. 4.14.thou hast driven me this day from the face of the earth—and every one that findeth me shall slay me. And when God put him besides this fear, in v. 15. Whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him; yet he applied not himself humbly to God, but went out from the presence of the Lord, v. 16. And what went he out for? for rest: Matth. 12.He traverst the world for it, as that unclean Spirit did; and he seats himself in the most pleasant place he could find on earth, on the East of Eden. Eden was called The Garden of God. Gen. 4.16. Ezek. 28.There he built a City, and called it after the name of his son Enoch; and all this to charm his vexed spirit.
Thus when the evil Spirit was upon Saul, he sought not to God, 1 Sam. 16.23.but for sweet Musick; and indeed the requisiteness of the pain puts them upon any thing next for present ease. The terrours of God on the Conscience of a sinner, are worse than the sits of the stone, or any other tormenting Disease: They are sparkles of hell fire.
But yet the main Reason, why men in pains of Conscience for sin make any diversions from God for quiet and ease, is, because men naturally are unwilling to come to God; they are unacquainted with him, Eph. 2.12.being, as it were, without God in the world. They know the world better than God. And
Again, their estrangedness from God makes them afraid of him; Gen. 3.10.as Adam when he had sinned was. As stout as many sinners seem to be for a time; yet the time will come, that it will be with such sinners as with the sinners of Zion, Isa. 33.14. The sinners of Zion are afraid; who amongst us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? Kings, and great men, and rich men, and the chief Captains, and the mighty men, will hide themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the Mountains, and say to them, fall on us, Rev. 6.15, 16.and hide us— It is, or shall be with guilty Consciences, as it is with the Devils, James 2.19.who believe and tremble.
Ʋses.
1. This shews us what enemies Conscience-smitten sinners are to their own Conversion; they had rather stay in a far Countrey, than return to their Father's House. The Elect themselves, if they might have their own way, would be content to remain in a state of Nature with any peace they could get; the practice of this Prodigal, as the Representative of sinners, shews it
2. Let no man troubled in Conscience for sin, think of getting any peace that will be to any purpose, but what they get from God, and his Word. The grieved Conscience, that has peace any other way, is but as a broken bone ill set, the pains must be repeated in setting again. Your peace is not right, till your trouble send you to God, and his Gospel grace in Christ.
Observe what the Lord said in Ephraim's Case, Hos. 13.13. He is an unwise son, for he should not have stayed long in the place of the breaking forth of children. Such is the folly of poor convinced sinners, as to check their repentance towards God, when God is as it were in travail of their new birth. But happy are broken sinners, when they come to that in Hos. 14.3. Ashur shall not save us, we will not ride upon horses (i. e.) into Egypt for help; —for in thee, O God, the fatherless findeth mercy. Such poor souls City of Refuge is that glorious and gracious Name of God, which he proclaimed before Moses; Exod. 34.6.The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin. Men and Angels cannot imagine a better course for sinners troubled in Conscience to take, than to resolve as those Lepers did; 2 Kings 7.4.Why sit we here till we die? If we say, we will enter into the City, the famine is there, and we shall die there; if we sit still here, we die also: Now therefore come, and let us fall into the host of the Syrians; if they save us alive, we shall live, and if they kill us, we shall but die.
Why thus do you reason, and resolve when under the apprehension of your lost condition; if we flie to any Refuge but to God, we shall die; and if we sit still in our sinful state, we shall assuredly die; Therefore I will go to God, 2 Sam. 24.I'le fall into his hands, as David said in his great strait; if he save me, I shall live; if not, I shall but die. O poor sinner, venter on God in Christ: Thou hast heard he is a merciful God, as Benhadad's Captains said to him of the Kings of Israel; We have heard that the Kings of Israel are merciful Kings, let us put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the King of Israel, peradventure he will save thy life.
Why so let the self-convinced and condemned sinner go with such self-abasing and self-judging to God, and cast himself upon his mercy and free grace in in Jesus Christ: O resolve on this way; and say as Esther, I will go to God, and if I perish, Psal. 3. ult. Jonah 2.9.I perish: Salvation is of the Lord. So much for the second Doctrine from the first part of the sixteenth Verse.