Mercy Magnified, Sermon 11
SERMON XI.
2. VVE are to take a view of the things deliberated, which are two.
1. Motives and encouragements to return to his father, in the reſt of the verſe, 17. in the which we have both the motives themſelves, and the way in which they became beneficial to him. The general truth contained in theſe motives was before a matter of conviction to him, it was that which made him to be in want, but it wrought not kindly upon him, till he came, by ſerious conſideration, to apply it more cloſely to his own condition. Before I ſpeak to the motives themſelves, we may a little conſider how he came to improve them, intimated in that word, he ſaid: there is a ſpeech of the tongue, and a ſpeech of the heart: the young man had none to diſcourſe with in that far country, he therefore communes with his own heart: the meaning is, he pondered of the matter, conſidered and weighed in his mind, concluded of the truth, and made application of it to his own condition. Hence,
DOCT. Conſideration is the first ſtep towards converſion.
The firſt thing we find, this young man doth after he came to himſelf is, he begins to conſider, and diſcourſe with himſelf: he firſt ponders, then concludes, then acts. Converſion is properly the returning of a ſinner from ſin unto God, emblemed to us by the Prodigal's return from a far country, to his father's houſe: The ſinner, before converſion, was going away from God, now he is returning to him. Converſion is conſidered either paſſively or actively; the ſoul is ſaid to be paſſive in converſion, in as much as he can do nothing ſavingly, till he hath received a principle of ſaving grace: but ſtill we miſtake, if we think that Gods deals with men as with ſtocks and ſtones, and brute creatures: The will of man, whcih is the firſt mover in him, muſt not be forced, but led: The ſpirit, though he dealeth irreſiſtably, yet not violently with it; hence he doth not compel but perſwade: which perſwaſion is a rational conviction, whereby impreſſion is made upon the underſtanding, and will, the one being to ſee and approve, the other to embrace the object, which may be called active converſion; when the ſoul viewing and diſcerning the force of thoſe arguments uſed by the ſpirit, and imprinted upon him, turns from ſin to God: and thus, though the Spirit of God be the author or efficient of this work, yet he makes uſe of us in the working of it: This is that which I ſay begins at conſideration, and this will appear in a few things.
1: The natural mans ſinful way is right in his own eyes, unregenerate men, though fools themſelves, and fooliſh in all they do, yet think they are the only wiſe and prudent: They call evil good; i. e. they ſo judge of it. The Prodigal, in his vain humour, thought it the only happy life to get abroad into a far country, and riot it among ſtrangers, where he might live at large: Sinners think the way to hell a fair, large, broad, pleaſant way; here they promiſe themſelves to find pleaſures, profits, preferments; they ſee no hurt in their courſes, and can laugh at the wayes of God and godlineſs, as fooliſh and unprofitable. Of theſe the wiſe man ſpeaks, Prov. 14. 12. There is a way which ſeems right to a man, but the end thereof are the wayes of death. The truth is, the greateſt number of ſinners think they ſin with a great deal of reaſon.
2. Nay, the ſinner hath many ſtrong engagments lying upon him to follow his own wayes and courſes: his heart is naturally ſet upon them, ſin is connatural to him; he hath all his dependance for happineſs upon theſe deſigns. Ever ſince man went away from God, and forſook him, he hath had his dependance upon lying vanities, and in thoſe his hopes are laid up: Nay, there are many entiſing promiſes, fair words, and deceiving flatteries which draw his heart away; his luſts do as Prov. 7. 21. With much fair ſpeech ſhe cauſed him to yeild, with the flattery of her lips ſhe forced him. The carnal concupiſcences of the heart of man, are no otherwiſe to be ſatiated, but in the proſecution of their ſinful wayes.
3. More then this, he is deeply rooted in his way: He is practically fixt in it by cuſtom; it is the trade which he hath lived in all his dayes: He took to it naturally, learnt it readily, and hath lived in it long. Now cuſtom is a ſecond nature, and therefore of much difficulty to alter or remove: Mens eſſayes in it are like the waſhing of an Ethiopian to get off his blackneſs, as Jer. 13. 23. It is an hard matter to perſwade men to leave off old cuſtoms, though never ſo bad: but beſides this, he is alſo rooted in it by the approbation of his miſperſwaded judgment; it hath gotten room in his heart, and is high in his opinion, and that opinion is ſtrengthened by obſervation and experience: He hath found it a profitable way, as they, Jer. 44. 17 It hath been very pleaſant to him, Prov. 9. 17. Stollen waters are ſweet: Hence it muſt needs be exceeding difficult, if not impoſſible, to make him out of love with it, or think other than well of it: The covetous man finds a ſweetneſs in gain, the voluptuous man in his amorous embraces, the ambitious man in his adorations, &c.
4. Beſides this he hath taken up ſtrong prejudices againſt the way of converſion; and that partly through the contrariety of his heart and nature to it, in which there is a congenerate averſneſs to all which is good; and partly through the temptations and miſrepreſentations of Satan, who endeavours to exhibit it before his thoughts in the blackeſt and ouglieſt collours that may be; and that both againſt the beginning and progreſs of it; Godly ſorrow, mourning for ſin, forſaking of our evil wayes, turning into the ſtrict wayes of God, and living a life of Godlineſs; theſe are harſh leſſons, and hard ſayings, not readily entertained by a ſoul that loves jollity, and cares not to be moleſted: the thoughts of ſuch a work and way are frightful, and ſet him violently againſt converſion in the very firſt motions of it: Theſe are dull, dark, ſtrait, melancholick wayes; beſides the croſs and perſecution that is in them: Hence the natural man is perſwaded to think that there are none who live ſo miſerably and unhappily as the People of God, and if they ſhould be converted, farewel to joy and quiet, they muſt over after be men of ſorrows and contention, and good dayes muſt be at an end with them.
5. To true converſion is neceſſarily required the full and free conſent of the will: for God regardeth the heart, and judgeth of mens actions according as that is in them; ſo, the will is the regent in man, and the firſt mover to every action: If that be true in it, the work is real, if that be deceitful, the work is hypocritical: Converſion is a turning of the whole man from ſin unto God, it is a leaving off the old wayes of ſin, to take up a new life of holineſs; and how can this be done, ſo long as the heart loves to wander? beſides the will of man never ſtands neuter, though it may hault a while, till the underſtanding hath pondered and weighed things, yet it alwayes comes at length to a concluſion: Men will either love God or Sin, they will either ſerve God or Mammon: Man is a traveller, he will keep ſome way: Hence you ſhall find in the Scripture, that unconverſion is aſcribed to the will: Pſal. 81. 11. Iſrael would none of me. But when the will is turned the work is done, when the heart is given to God, all is his.
6. The Will will never be gained till all the forementioned obſtructions be taken away. For they are ſo many fortreſſes in which it ſerleth and ſecureth it ſelf: As long as the heart remaineth deceived, it is alſo unperſwadable, Iſa. 44. 20, A deceived heart hath turned him aſide, that he cannot deliver his ſoul. Whiles men call good evil, and evil good, whiles a mans own way is right, and pleaſant, and accuſtomed, and God's wayes are uneaſie and unprofitable, whiles he finds ſubſtance in a way of Sin, and fills his houſe with ſpoil, and he ſees no profit in praying to God and ſerving him, how can he deſire the knowledge of his wayes? Nay, he will ſay to the Almighty, depart, 44. 16, 17, 18. And till he finds Sin to be bitter, the way of it dangerous, the end death; till he grows weary of this way, and ſees the beauty in holineſs, he will never reject his old, and make choiſe of a new way.
7. The way wherein the ſpirit of God worketh this conviction, is by bringing man under ſerious conſiderations; nor is it to be expected other wayes to be effected, for,
1. There is no truth any further affects us, or moves with us, than as it is applyed particularly to our minds and conſciences. The truths of the word of God are ever the ſame, for they are everlaſting truths: It was ever a truth, that the wayes of Sin lead to that chambers of death, that they are bitterneſs in the latter end; that the wayes of wiſdom are wayes of pleaſantneſs, and their latter end is peace: but theſe are general truths, and the reaſon why men practice not accordingly, is becauſe they never applyed theſe truths to themſelves, or compared their wayes by them; hence that complaint, Iſa. 1. 3. My People doth not conſider. And hence that is the firſt direction of the Prophet, Hag. 1. 5. Now therefore, thus ſaith the Lord, conſider your wayes.
2. This particular application of the truth to our ſelves, is the work of conſideration; this lets in the firſt diſtinct light into the ſoul, whereby it is made privy to its own ſtate, and ſtirred up to ſeek the bettering of it: Conſideration then may be thus deſcribed, It is a deliberate pondering of ſuch things as nearly concern us, giving credit to them, and drawing uſeful practical concluſions from them. All this is implyed in the word, He ſaid: Conſideration is an inward diſcourſe, or ratiocination: but more particularly.
1. The act it ſelf is a deliberate pondering in the mind: called Communing with the heart, Pſal 4. 4. The mind of man is naturally roving, conſideration fixeth it; it is compared to chewing the cud, wherein the food is turned over and over: It is a looking upon, and into a thing with diligent inſpection, it is called, a laying a thing to heart, Iſa. 42. 25. which is a cloſe and ſerious minding and weighing it.
2. The matter which it is converſant about, is ſuch things as nearly concern us: It is every ones work to look to the concerns of his own ſoul; if thou be wiſe, be wiſe for thy ſelf. Our converſion is not advanced in being buſy in other mens matters, but in our own, thy wayes, and thy doings, is that which the Scripture directs us to be thinking of.
3. That which gives weight to theſe things within us, is that we give credit to them; If we do not believe the things, they will be of no moment in our conſideration; many a man hears weighty and ſeaſonable truths ſpoken in the ordinances, but he believes them not, and ſo rejecteth them: Truth muſt be believed before it can be improved: Hence that Pſal 106. 24. They deſpiſed the pleaſant land: they believed not his word.
4. The improvment of it, is to draw uſeful practical concluſions from it. All truths lead to practice; and that conſideration that iſſues not here is fruitleſs: The work of consideration is to ſay, what have I done, or what have I to do, if theſe things be thus or ſo? Now, till the ſoul comes unto this, it is not ſo much as in the way to conversion; for, though the ſpirit draws, yet the ſoul follows, and that not as a blind or dead thing, but as it is affected or perſwaded by the efficacy of that which leads it ſweetly after, and whereof it can give an account, and render a reaſon for what it doth: Thus Lydia's heart was touched, and ſhe hearkned &c, Thus the Prodigal, comes to himſelf, and then he reaſons within himſelf.
USE, 1. For Information; we may hence learn.
1. The reaſon why there are ſo many under the cleareſt Goſpel diſpenſations, that live and ly in Sin: It is not for want of light, for Scripture truths are written with Sun-beams; it is not for want of evidence, for they are full of demonſtration; it is not becauſe men are not concerned in them, for their everlaſting concerns are therein contained; but it is for want of due conſideration: Men come and go, they hear the Word, the moſt pertinent and profitable truths; but few make perſonal application; few enter into their own ſouls and debate the matter with themſelves: It is God's complaint, Jer. 8. 6. No man repented of his wickedneſs, ſaying, what have I done? Men ruſh into the wayes of Sin, and are bold and fearleſs, though God ſeeth and threatens, and why? Becauſe they do not conſider of this, Hoſ. 7. 2. They conſider not in their hearts, that I remember all their wickedneſs. Jeruſalem is obſtinate, till ſhe be ruined, and why? ſee, Lam. 1. 9. She remembreth not her laſt end, therefore ſhe came down wonderfully The young fool followeth his harlots, till a dart ſtriketh through his liver, and how is this? Prov. 7. 25. He knoweth not that it is for his life: The ſons and daughters of men are wilfully blind, becauſe they ſhut their eyes, and will not receive counſel. If men would look into their ſinful wayes, and compare them by the word of God, they might find enough to terrifie and fright them therefrom; but they cannot abide to think of it: If they would enquire into the wayes of God, they might diſcover the purity and pleaſantneſs of them; but they will not ſuffer their thoughts to dwel there: Hence they are called ſottiſh children: Nay, if the ſpirit of God begin to touch and prick them, they are never well till they have baniſhed all the thoughts of ſeriouſneſs, or ſenſe of regret; hence they are compared to men that are drunk and aſleep, that cannot abide to be awakened, and if they are made to rub their eyes, they ſoon fall aſleep again: Hence alſo it is that they cannot endure ſoulſearching truths, leſt they ſhould be diſquieted; and thus men go on till they drop into hell for want of conſideration.
2. The reaſon why Satan, eſpecially under powerful means, ſo much endeavours to keep men from conſideration, and to divert their minds from pondering the truth; why, if he ſees a ſoul once come to this, he is afraid that he ſhall loſe him: Nothing more afrights this politick enemy, than to ſee ſouls begin to be ſerious: he knows his kingdom is maintained by fallacies, kept up by darkneſs; hence when a beam of light flaſheth upon any conſcience, he labours to extinguiſh it, by drawing the mind off; and therefore in the houſe of God, and in the diſpenſation of the Ordinances, he ſeeks to ſtop their ears, divert their thoughts, occupy them ſome other way; ſome he lulls aſleep, others he invites to private diſcourſe, to others he preſents ſome object on which their eyes may be fixed, and he fills others with fancies, which occaſion roving thoughts, that they may not attend: And if any are touched by the word, and begin to be affected, he hurries them away, not to their cloſets, but either to their vain company, or ſecular buſineſs; he finds ſomething or other to employ their minds, and fill them with diverſion, that ſo (if poſſible) they may not have no more ſerious thoughts of thoſe matters: This is Emblematized to us, by our Saviour, in the high way ground, thoſe fowles of the heaven which pick up the ſeed, are Satan; and by thoſe means it is that he keeps up his authority in the hearts of men.
3. The reaſon why worldly occaſions or delights, are to carnal hearts ſo great an obſtruction to their converſion; why they choak good thoughts, good motions, and this is diſcovered in the thorny ground: Cares and deceitfulneſs of the world are theſe thornes; alas! men have ſo much to do in the world, that it is a wonder if they do not (with thoſe ghueſts, Mat. 22.) deſire to be excuſed from coming at the Ordinances; but if they do in complement attend them, yet they have no time or leiſure to improve what they hear, by conſideration: Men have ſo much to do here in this world, that they cannot find a convenient time to think of the affairs of their ſouls: The clamour of outward buſineſs, ſpeaks ſo much that they have no time to ſay a ſerious word to themſelves about eternity and the things of another world: they are alwayes in a crowd and hurry, and there is no room for meditation; one hath his Shop to look after, another his Ship to fit out, lawful things, and duties in their time and place; but it is great pity that there ſhould be no thoughts mean while of thoſe greater matters: And hence no wonder that our Saviour ſpeaks of it as a difficult, and miraculous thing for a rich man to be converted, becauſe his mind is ſo taken up, his heart ſo fixed, his thoughts ſo occupied here, that he hears not the trumpet ſound, nor takes the alarum of the word, nor ever ſo much as ſeriouſly thinks of an after ſtate, and how much he is concerned in it.
USE, 2. For a word of Counſel and Exhortation unto ſinners: Oh, be perſwaded as you love your ſouls, and deſire their good, as ever you would be converted and healed, that you would be intreated to call your hearts to an account, and put your ſelves upon ſerious and ſolemn conſideration; conſider your ſtate, your wayes, your end, and for Motive.
1. Conſider, your miſery is not leſs, but your danger is greater, becauſe you do not mind it. Naturaliſts tell us of a great (but fooliſh) creature, which, when danger is near it, thruſts its head into a buſh, and preſumes, becauſe ſhe ſeeth not, ſhe is ſecure: Juſt thus it is with poor ſinners, when God threatens wrath, and declares Judgment againſt them, they ſhut their eyes, or ſtop their ears, will not mind it, and now they think all is ſafe: But know it aſſuredly that God will be as good as his word, and what he hath ſpoken ſhall come to paſs, Whether you will hear, or whether you will forbear: He that ſleeps at the top of a Maſt, is not in leſs, but more danger of being thrown into the Sea and drowned, becauſe he is aſleep: And be ſure, hell will be no whit eaſier to bear, becauſe you drop into it unawares.
2. Know and aſſure your ſelves that you are labouring under dangerous miſtakes: you think you are ſafe and all is well, but you are under the wrath of God, and condemnation of hell: You think your way is your wiſdom, but this way, and this thought is your folly: you conceive a way of ſin to be a gainful trade, but you ſhall find it the greateſt loſs, when you ſhall know that it hath loſt your ſouls; you account God's wayes, thoſe wayes of holineſs to be unprofitable, but it is nothing ſo; and if you would rightly conſider, you ſhould find all theſe to be great and groſs deluſions, and very dangerous, for they are undoing: It's certain that on theſe principles you muſt needs periſh for ever.
3. Seriouſly conſider, that there is yet hope that you might do well: Though you are in the way to deſtruction, yet there is an opportunity to withdraw your foot, and take hold of the way of life: This the poor Prodigal found though he had run far; and indeed there is nothing that hinders your converſion and ſalvation but your ignorance, inadvertency, and thence proceeding obſtinacy and wilfulneſs; all that obſtructs is in your ſelves: There are better wayes than thoſe you are going in, think of them: The wiſe woman conſiders a field and buyes it, the wiſe Merchant conſiders a Pearl of great price, and purchaſeth it: What if you part with all for it? it will recompence all your coſt.
4. It is great raſhneſs in you either to commend the wayes of Sin, or condemn the wayes of Godlineſs, before you have well conſidered of both: Why ſhould you take up things upon truſt? Why ſhould you ſay of Godlineſs, This way is every where evil ſpoken of? How know you but that it is done injuriouſly, and by ſuch who do as little know, and have as little conſidered of it as you have done? The Apoſtles counſel is to prove all things, and hold faſt that which is good: Prove them by conſideration, hear what each can ſay for themſelves; what God hath to ſay for his wayes, as well as the pleading of Sin and Satan for theirs.
5. Think, it will ſhortly be too late to conſider to any comfort or profit: They that will not conſider now, ſhall conſider at the laſt, Jer. 23. 20. But it will be a ſad conſideration, when all the fruit thou canſt reap, by thy reflections, will be only the accuſations of Conſcience, retorting thy incurable and irreparable follies upon thee; when its beſt language ſhall be to upbraid thee with precipitancy, and tell thee thou wouldeſt have thine own wayes in deſpite of admonitions, warnings, counſels; thou waſt told of this, what would be the end of theſe wayes; how undoing 2 courſe thou waſt taking; thou waſt entreated to be a little ſerious, and open thine ear to inſtruction, thou waſt proffered better things; thou mighteſt eaſily have ſeen, plainly have diſcovered, and ſo prevented that which now thou feeleſt; they were words of weight which were ſpoken to thee, but thou wouldeſt not hear, nor conſider, and art therefore juſtly fallen into that pit from whence there is no recovery, and drowned in that deſtruction, from which thou mighteſt have been delivered: And is it not better to conſider now, than to deferr it till then? If now thou wilt conſider, it may tend to life, and the ſaving of thy ſoul, and ſo prove thy happineſs; but aſſure thy ſelf, hells conſiderations will be torments, and fiery reflections; yea, that eating worm that dies not, but ſhall pray upon the ſoul for ever: Be wiſe then in time. The matter of this conſideration is the next thing to be taken notice of, in the following words of our Text.