Meditations the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
Wherein is shewed, That God gives to every man a Portion to be improved: together with the Reasons for his so doing, from that particular Clause of the 12th. Verse,
And he divided his Living unto them.
HAVING done with the two general Doctrines from this first part of the Parable, I shall now proceed to those which result from the several Clauses thereof; beginning with that in the end of the 12th. Verse, wherein the Father of these two Sons acts his first part, viz.
And he divided unto them his living.
The Greek word foreign signifies life; it is translated so in 1 Tim. 2.2. foreign.— that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life— Sometimes the word signifieth livelyhood, or living or estate, Luke 8.43 —which had spent all her living upon Physicians, or all her livelyhood or estate: foreign.So that this Father divided his estate or goods to them; he gave them their portions. Now the Doctrine from the words is this:
Doctrine. That God gives men, even natural and sinful men, a portion, and leaves them to improve it.
The Father gave his younger Son a portion, and left him to husband it. The wicked and slothful servant had a Talent put into his hands by his Lord: Matth. 25.15. Eph. 4.Christ giveth gifts to men to improve, even to the rebellious, Psal. 68.18.
The Heathen have their Talents: First, They have the light of Nature within them; they have a natural Divinity, whereby they know God, and much good and evil: foreign, Common parts. Rom. 2.14, 15.— having not the Law, do by nature the things contained in the Law: They have excusing and accusing Consciences.
And Secondly, they have the light of the Creature without them, by which they may feel after God, Acts 17.27. — that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him. As we know the presence of the Soul in the Body by feeling the Pulse, so may, and so have the Heathens perceived God by their inspection into the Creation: Rom. 1.20.So saith the Apostle, The invisible things of him (i. e. of God) from the Creation of the World are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal Power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse. But now to Christians, who live in the Climate of the Gospel, God gives another greater light than those of Nature and the Creature, scil. the light of the holy Scriptures, and the offers of Christ and Salvation by him; the convictions also, and motions of the Spirit: The Spirit of God strives with men long, Gen. 6.though not always. Besides, the Scripture holds forth to Christians the example of Christ, and of former Saints.
And the Spirit also works in many men gifts and common grace, in some more, in some less. Judas had gifts as well as the rest of the Disciples; so had those that prophecied in Christ's Name, Matth. 7.22.and in his Name cast out Devils—. Prov. 7.16.Every man hath a price put into his hand, even the fool. God gives the worst of men among us a Portion to improve, and leaves them to husband their Talents.
And first, men themselves would have it so, Reason 1 as we see in this younger Son: Men love to have it so, Jer. 5.31.as the Lord said of the Jews: Natural men think they can shift sufficiently for themselves; they are full of self-projects, and self-confidence withal: I will pull down my barns and build bigger; Luke 12.16.and I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years, take thine ease — Such self-confident Creatures were those Is. 56.12. To morrow shall be as this day, and more abundant. Eph. 2.12.Many men can live in the World without God; this is their conceit.
Yea, better men than these mentioned have been prone to self-conceit, and self-confidence; not only Peter, but James and John: Matth. 20.22.They asked Jesus to sit one at his right hand, and the other at his left— Jesus asked them, Are ye able to drink of the Cup that I shall drink of? They say unto him, we are able. But alas, as they knew not what they asked, so they knew not what they answered; for when Jesus Christ was to drink the Cup, these two Disciples left him as well as the rest.
We may see self-conceit in the very Nature of man, if we observe Children when they first find their feet, they phancy they can go of themselves, and venture, though they get falls.
2. As men love to have it so, scil. that God should give them their Portions, and leave them to themselves to husband it; so God will have it so, and that for divers Reasons.
1. To justifie himself when he judgeth and condemneth men. God gives every man more than he useth well: We need not go to God's decree of Reprobation to justifie his damning men; we do not find that God will judge man by his decrees; he will not say, Thou art damned, because I reprobated thee, but because thou hast not lived up to thy light, nor improv'd thy talent, thy knowledge, thy conscience, thy opportunities, and many helps.
God reaps not where he sows not, Matth. 25.24.as foolish man is apt to charge him. Men will be damn'd for misusing their Portion God hath given them: the light, the means, the mercies, the afflictions, the Ordinances, and the examples God hath given and set before them to improve.
God will not need to condemn the Heathen for not believing in Christ, negative unbelief; i. e. unbelief for want of means damns not; but they will be damned for misusing the light of Nature, and the light of the Creature, that would have taught them more of God and themselves than they would learn: Rom. 1.20, 21.They are without excuse, saith the Apostle, because when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations.
Indeed evil and slothful Christians will be damned for not coming home to Christ, and for not walking up to the Profession of Christ they have made, because they walk not in those Duties of Holiness the Gospel discovers to them: These men will be speechless at the Sentence of Damnation which the Lord Jesus will pass on them, as he was in Matthew 22.12. Their own Consciences cannot but concurr with Sentence of Judgment; Qui tacet, consentire videtur.they will be speechless; they will be foreign, Tit. 3.11. self-judged and self-condemned. They will not chat at God then, as they often do now. Rom. 9.19, 20.Who hath resisted his will? Nay, but O man, who art thou that repliest against God, or answerest against, or chattest with God?
2. God doth give all men, the worst of men, their Portion, or Talents to improve, to glorifie his free Grace, and that two ways:
1. In entertaining such as have abused their Stock put into their hands, as the Father did by his Prodigal Son, and as the Housholder did by those that came into his work but at the eleventh hour. Sins against light and goodness, when pardoned, are great illustrations of free Grace: That woman loved much when much was forgiven her. Luke 7.O when a Saul obtains mercy, after he hath been a blasphemer and a persecutor, after he hath turned the edge of all his learning, parts, gifts, and interest against the Name of Jesus Christ, and so farr vitiated and debauched his Conscience, as to do all this under pretence of Conscience; as he himself said, Acts 26.9.I verily thought with my self, that I ought to do many things contrary to the Name of Jesus of Nazareth.
I say, for such a man, after such base abuse of his Talents, to be received to Grace and Mercy, But I obtained mercy, 1 Tim. 1.this must needs exalt the free Grace of God in the hearts of such as have so abused his Grace: For God might have said to such a man as to the wicked and slothful Servant, Cast ye him into outer darkness: Matth. 25.30.There is desert enough for it, but free Grace over-rules the Case.
2. God does it, that he may glorifie his free Grace in a free choice of the objects of his Grace; for all men in themselves are alike indisposed to honour God with their Portion he gives them. As we are all alike by Nature the children of wrath, Eph. 2.3. Tit. 3.3.so we are all by Nature foolish, and disobedient, serving divers lusts. All by Nature refuse and resist Grace. Now God takes whom he pleaseth out of their own hands and power into his, to be under his Discipline: Psal. 51.He made David to know wisdom in the hidden parts; but did not so by Saul, —Thou hast hid these things (saith our Lord Jesus to his Father, Matth. 11.75.and that with thanks) from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Matth. 13.11.And to you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not.
That Question of the Apostle in 1 Cor. 4.7. supposeth this, Who made thee to differ from another? Indeed if the Question be asked a Jesuit or Remonstrant, he will Answer, I my self made me to differ; but it's a proud Answer: For it is plain, the Apostle asked not this Question to puff up man, but to humble him, and to exalt God, as appeareth by the following Question; And what hast thou that thou didst not receive? and then, Why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? It's evident St. Paul's scope was that which is the scope of the Gospel, to exclude boasting: It is likely that Paul directed his Question to those Theologi gloriae, as Luther used to call the vain-glorious and self-ascribing Preachers at Corinth, Acts 8.who would seem to be some great ones, as Simon did in Acts 8.
In the Creation all was a confused Chaos till the Spirit moved on the face of the Waters, Gen. 1.and then there was a distinction of Creatures: So all men by Nature are a confused mass, all in darkness, and disobedience, and abusers of our Portions, turning our Talents against God who gives them, Exod. 32.3, 4.as the Children of Israel made an Idol of the golden Earrings of the Egyptians which God had given them.
She did not know, saith the Lord, that I gave her Corn and Wine and Oyl, Hos. 2.8.and multiplied her Silver and Gold which they prepared for Baal, or wherewith they made Baal. Such abusers are men of their Parts and Portions he gives them, until he changes their hearts, and giveth them another spirit. Philemon 11. Heins. & Sculto. in loc.All are like Onesimus before his Conversion, unprofitable Servants, contrary to his Name, which signifieth useful or profitable; but when Onesimus was Converted, then he answered his Name to purpose; Now profitable to thee and to me, Philem. 11. vers. Colos. 4.9.He became both a faithful Servant and a faithful Brother: So contrary are men in a state of Grace to what they were in their Natural state.
Quest. But whence is this Change?
Answ. Not of man himself, but of God: He that made the old Creature makes the new. It is not the spirit of man that produces Regeneration, but the Spirit of God; John 3.Except a man be born again of the Spirit—. All Converts to a state of Grace, are begotten and born of God: He that is begotten of God, John 1.3. —and born of God, are usual expressions with St. John.
3. God gives men a Portion, and leaves them to husband it, that he may humble them in the sense and proof of their own weakness and impotency, and make them look for help from Grace: God will have men humbled, not only for sin, but also for their impotency to get Grace.
There must be in men a double self-despair; one in regard of sin and guilt; Rom. 3.19.All the world must become guilty before God: And another in regard of self-impotency to get Grace when they feel they need it. Sense of sin will make a man seek Grace; and sense of impotency will make him seek it of God: Many have the first self-despair, but want the second; for though they are out of hope in regard of their sins, yet not as to their own conceited self-sufficiency to repent and turn to God.
Here lieth the reason of many mens not repenting and turning from sin to God, their thoughts of their Can when they will. Josh. 24.19, 21Joshua told the people, Ye cannot serve the Lord, for he is an holy God: The people reply, Nay, but we will serve the Lord. Men commonly cheat themselves with self-conceit and considence in the power of their own wills.
Alas, God must not only give men power to seek Grace, but power to accept of it when he gives it, and power to use it when they have it. Hos. 5.5.Ephraim had been brisk enough in self-dependence; his pride did testifie to his face: Jer. 31.18.yet at length Ephraim crieth out, Turn thou me, O Lord, and I shall be turned. You that have Grace know, that not only the gift of Grace, but the use of Grace also is of God: Work out your salvation with fear and trembling; Phil. 2.12, 13.for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
The Spirit of God must help godly mens infirmities in prayer, Rom. 8.26. teach them what to say when brought before Rulers for Christ his sake, Matth. 10.19, 20. Thou hast wrought all our works for us, Isa. 26.12. If God did not do thus for his own people, 2 Chro. 32.31.they would manage a state of of grace but ill. When Hezekiah was left to himself but in one point, he miscarried sadly: And therefore it is not ordinary for God to leave his people to themselves; he did Hezekiah, yet but in one single case, to find him matter of humbling in himself, as he had had matter of glorying in God. And
We all may see our own insufficiency in him, 2 Cor. 3.5.even in common actions; yea, to a good thought, we are like young Writers who must have their Hand and Pen guided, else they make bad Letters. Had not Jesus Christ prayed for Peter's faith, Luke 22.32.it had failed him; and it's thus with every Grace and all Duties: John 15.5.And therefore little Grace acted with great dependance on Christ, will do more than a greater measure of Grace, but less dependance on Christ's assistance.
St. Paul ascribes not only the dignity of his Apostleship to God, but all his actual service therein; By the grace of God I am what I am. 1 Cor. 15.10.I laboured more abundantly than they all; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me: Not to the Grace of God in me, but with me: He refers the honour of the Case, not to inherent, but assisting Grace.
This is the reason why men receive not Grace, because they trust to their own purposes and endeavours above their allowance: And this is the reason why many, who have received Grace, do not increase and grow in Grace as some others do, because they live not dependingly enough on assisting Grace.