Meditations the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
Wherein Application is made of the foregoing Doctrine, in two Ʋses.
HAving given you the Reasons of the Doctrine, and the Demonstrations of its undoubted truth, I shall next proceed to apply it.
And it may serve for Exhortation to all manner of sinners upon return, or not upon return to God; Ʋse 1 O take heed of sin with impenitency and unbelief: If you die in your sins, it will lie upon your selves; God will clear himself, that he removed blocks out of your way, and answered all your Objections.
You say, you dare not come into God's sight, because you have been such vile sinners: But this is with Cain to go out of the presence of the Lord, Gen. 4. which was both his sin and judgment. It is at best sinful modesty for sinners to say so, or think so; but it is ordinarily rather the pride of their heart, than poverty of spirit. Despairing sinners are taught of the Devil to say and think their iniquity is greater then can, 2 Cor. 2.11.or that it may be forgiven. This is one of Satan's foreign, his Sophistical reasonings; he would have had the sorrowful incestuous person to have been swallowed up of overmuch sorrow, v. 7. Satan prevails upon many troubled Consciences, to think every one doth but flatter them, that seeks to take them off from their despairing reasonings.
Some sinners are so critical in their coming to God, that God may say to them in this point, as he did to Ephraim and Judah in another, Hos. 6.4. O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? Some would be humbled above God's measure, before they will come to him; and some under: Some would come to God with their sins, and some with hell in their souls: And thus who knows how many are damned by their own proud will, or wild humor. When a sinner is come to himself, and feels he is lost, and come out of himself, Heb. 7.25.as to any succour there, now is the sinners time to come to God in Christ, or come unto God by Christ; and when he comes, God will fall on his neck, and kiss him, as the Father on his prodigal returning Son; he is sure of welcome, if he now return.
It matters not out of what Countrey thou comest; how far distant thou hast been from God; though thou hast kept Swine as the Prodigal did; been the Devil's drudge; been a drunkard, a swearer, a very vicious person; hast sinned such sins as the Devil himself sins not, yet hath tempted thee to sin, and thy base nature joyned with him in the temptation; yet still I say, if thou returnest to God, he'll receive thee; yet remember his words to Israel, Psalm 95. To day if ye will hear his voice, Heb. 4.7.harden not your heart: for as the Apostle to the Hebrews saith, he limiteth a certain day.
O quash not motions, no not this days motions to return to God; the Devil may discourage thee from them, but God will not. When the Shepherd found his lost sheep, he did not throw his hook at it; but laid it on his shoulder, and brought it home: when God meets with a returning sinner, he doth not speak in passion and wrath to him, as Ahab did to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? but as tenderly as Jesus did to Peter the first time he met him after he denied him.
And though a sinner have not legs of his own to return; yet if there be a mind to it, John 5.as there was in the impotent man to go into the Pool, he shall go upon the legs of God's grace, Heb. 13.20.as that impotent man did: God hath laid help on one that is mighty, even Jesus the great Shepherd of the sheep. Luke 19.10.He is come to seek and to save that which is lost.
O then let the gracious dealing of God with this Prodigal invite thee, who art yet at a distance ftom God, now to return: This is much in God's mouth; Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die? Ez. 33.11. Jer. 3.2.Yet return again unto me, saith the Lord. Such mercy and pity as this should be a Loadstone to thy heart; thy heart should be broken or melted, Luke 7.as that sinful womans was, in the thoughts of the possibility of being pardoned and accepted of God. No sinning Angels sure had such mercy as this; O despise not such mercy, neglect not so free salvation.
But do you preach mercy to impenitent and hardened sinners? Answ. Yes, inviting mercy; Quest. Answ. Christ himself did so; he came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance: Indeed he calls them to mercy by the way of repentance; Matth. 11.28.Come unto me all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest: the invitation is to the worst of sinners, sensible of sin as a burthen. It is true, there is no mercy for any sinner without repentance, and there is mercy for great sinners with it. A sinner must come to himself before he come to God, as the Prodigal did before he came to his Father, v. 17.
As for measures of conviction and humiliation, take heed of the Devil's trap and snare here: Now thou art off of the danger of presumption, he plays his game of despair; but let this over-rule the Case, when it comes to be thine, That he hath the happiest measure of conviction and humiliation for sin, whose conviction and humiliation brings him out of himself to Christ.
But sense of sin, and sorrow for sin there must be: If the Prodigal had not come to himself, when pinched with want, and thought his Father's house, and any service there, a better condition than the far Countrey; his Father had not had compassion on him. If any sinner will still be what he is, and do not repent, that he may return, he hath nothing to do with those parts of God's Name, Merciful and gracious, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; but that close of God's Name, And will by no means clear the guilty.
For what would sinners have of God? to be saved in their sins? It's not possible; God sent his Son Jesus to save his people from their sins, Matth. 2.21.and to turn them from their iniquity, Acts 3.26. If God should save a sinner in his sins, this is mercy that would overthrow his truth and justice: God will stand to his word, and receive thee graciously if thou repentest and returnest; but withal he must stand to his word, and save thee in a Scripture way, and in a way agreeable to all his Attributes, which is by the way of repentance and returning to him. When sinners cannot rest in a state of sin, nor in a state of self-righteousness, but they see they must come to Christ for rest, he will bid these sinners welcome.
Quest. Quest. But is it in a convinced sinners power to return to God? The Scripture saith, Jer. 10.23.The way of man is not in himself; nor is it in man that walketh to direct his own steps. I Answer, Answ. That though the act of a sinners returning be in God's power, and not his own; as it's said of times and seasons, Acts 1. yet the sinner may seek it of God; Turn thou me, O Lord, and I shall be turned, said Ephraim, Jer. 31.18. Though it be God's work, yet he works it in the way of means, which sinners may and must use.
And that a sinner does not return to God, it lies not so much in his Cannot, as in his Will not: Jer. 8.5.They refuse to return.
Object. I but God hears not sinners; Object. to what purpose is it then for such to pray that God will turn them? Answ. It's true for sinners that do, John 9.Answ. and would live in sin, God regards not their prayers: But if thou comest to God affected with thy sinful state, God will regard thy prayers, Psal. 66.18.though thou art not yet in a state of grace: It was Manasseh his case, and is indeed the case of most Converts: There are some things in those that are not yet converted, that are in order to their Conversion. Thy sense of thy distance from God, and desire of a return, why this is a less grace that makes way for a greater. This in answer to that Objection.
O then, if the power of returning to God be in God's hand, sit not still, but seek it there. When all the Corn in Egypt was in Joseph's Garners, should a poor Egyptian say, He had none, I have none, Joseph hath all at his disposing, so that I may sit still and starve? No; but therefore I'le go where it is to be had. This is thy case who wouldst return to God, but hast not power; Resolve, I'le go to him that has.
Object. Object. I, but I am not certain that God will part with power of returning to me; He hardens whom he will, Rom. 9.18. leaves to their hardness of heart, and so to their impotency and weakness. Answ. Answ. But this is one of the Devil's suggestions to poor sinners, who have but the thoughts of returning to God; and so let such look on it.
Why will not you do in this case, as the Lepers did in theirs? 2 Kings 7.If we sit still we die, if we go in to the Syrians we shall but die, it may be they may save us alive: and dare not you venture your souls on God, as well as those Lepers their lives on the Syrians.
Nineveh fell to prayer and fasting as well as they could, to prevent being destroyed, after sentence was pronounced upon them; Jonah 3.9.And what was their encouragement? It may be, or who knoweth, or who can tell, if the Lord will turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?
Now there is no sinner, that hath a mind to return to God, but he hath as much encouragement to beg grace of him to return.
Suppose there were but a possibility of thy returning to God in the use of God's means for it, why this is a mercy that the Angels which sinned never had since they sinned; they have no possibility of making peace with God: I but thou hast more than a possibility; there is probability to encourage thee. A sinner is in a probable way, whilst he seeks grace in the means of grace, as the impotent man was of Cure, while he lay by the Pool, John 5. And above this, though God be free in dealing forth his grace; and hath mercy on whom he will have mercy; and is gracious to whom he will be gracious, Exod. 33.19. yet God hath left thee good assurance, if thou keep in the way of his instituted means for the conversion of sinners; Ask and ye shall have, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you, Mark 7.7. I said not to the seed of Jacob, seek ye me in vain, Isa. 49.19.
So that although the sense of thy lost condition, which is coming to thy self, as this Prodigal did; and thy thoughts and mindfulness of thy return to God, like the Prodigal to his Father; I say, though these be not thy return, yet they are in order to it; this is, as I said, less grace, to make way for greater. They are those that like their distance from God in their state of sin, that are likely to perish in that state; This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, John 3.19.
But if God have given thee the will to return to him, he will give thee to do it; and in thy return thou wilt be graciously received, as the repenting, returning Prodigal was by his Father; for he was the representation of sinners in the case.
Secondly, Ʋse 2 If God will graciously receive a repenting and returning sinner, then surely he will do so by a returning Saint: Saints are subject to relapses and backslidings; the promise of Cure supposes the Distemper: I will heal their backslidings: Hos. 14.4.the like in Jer. 3.12. Return thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord, and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon thee; for I am merciful saith the Lord, and will not keep anger for ever; only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast scattered thy ways to strangers—
Nay, above this, relapsing Saints have not only a promise of a gracious reception upon their return; but they have a promise, Jer. 57.17, 18.that they shall return to their vigour in grace; He went on frowardly in the way of his heart; I have seen his ways, and will heal him. Luke 22.61.Peter rose from his fall presently; at a look of Jesus he got up again. And it is notable what tender care our Lord Jesus took so soon as he was risen, that Peter should be comforted in his sorrow for his fall, lest he should be swallowed up of overmuch sorrow, which is a design of Satans in the case, 2 Cor. 2.11.
And therefore Christ dispatched an Angel to Peter, Mark 16.to acquaint him with his being risen again. And Jesus himself appeared to Peter first of all the Disciples, 2 Cor. 15.5.when he was risen from the dead.
But my Brethren, I beseech you consider this, That it is better to prevent a disease, than to be healed of it: for the prevention of relapses prevents much pain and grief of Soul. O then let Christians be watchful to prevent distances between God and them; and you that have made such, in leaving your first Love, Rev. 2.4. Jer. 2.2.and have receded from the kindness of your youth, and have abated of your former humble and close walking with God, your former delight and power in prayer— O bethink your selves of coming to your selves, and of your returning to God, in holy and humble converse with him.
Till then your bones continue out of joint, as David's were, Psal. 22.14.and the pain in setting them is to come; and though they be set, yet you may halt of them ever after, Gen. 32.as Jacob did upon the blow the Angel gave him on his thigh; yet this is better than not to return to your former lively and active state in grace.
O therefore, ye backsliding Christians, resolve as she did Hos. 2.7. I will go and return to my first husband, for then it was better with me than now: and your returning must be with melting hearts; They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them. Backsliding Christians should grieve and trouble more at their parting with God, than Micah did, when his Idols were taken away; Judg. 18.24.Ye have taken away my Gods, and what have I more? take heed of parting with God. And thus much for the general Scope and Doctrine of the Parable, viz. That God doth very graciously receive returning sinners.