Mercy Magnified, Sermon 10
SERMON X.
Verſ. 17.
And when he came to himſelf, he ſaid how many hired Servants of my Fathers have bread enough and to ſpare, and I periſh with hunger?
THe firſt part of the Parable, containing the Prodigal's departure from his Father, with the effects following thereupon, hath been briefly handled: The ſecond part containing his return to his Father, with the motives to, and manner of it, is next to be conſidered, and is deſcribed from verſe, 17. to 20. The prime and general intent whereof is to expreſs the ordinary way and manner of the converſion of a ſinner unto God: In which there are two things to be obſerved.
1. A ſolemn and ſerious deliberation with himſelf, verſ. 17, 18, 19.
2. His puting of this deliberation in execution, verſ. 20. begin.
1. In his deliberation we may conſider, 1. The ſeaſon or occaſion of it, verſe, 17. When he came to himſelf. 2. The things deliberated by him, which are, 1. Motives and encouragments to his return, verſe, 17. 2. A ſtrong concluſion or firm reſolution built upon thoſe arguments, verſ, 18, 19. I ſhall begin with the firſt, viz.
1. The ſeaſon or occaſion of this deliberation, in theſe words, When he came to himſelf: This is the proper Engliſh of the words: Piſcator renders it, quum in ſe deſcendiſſet; when he deſcended into himſelf: i. e. by ſerious reflection and conſideration, how profuſely he had waſted his Patrimony, and what miſerable exigencies he had brought himſelf to: Beza reads it, quum ad ſe rediiſſet; when he had returned to himſelf: in which ſenſe the generality of Interpreters underſtand it, as intimating that he had been all this while not himſelf, or beſides himſelf, by which phraſe we expreſs a mad man, or one diſtracted; one that hath not the uſe of his reaſon: And the phraſe, ad ſe redire, or to come to ones ſelf, is among the Latines uſed to expreſs a recovery from a frenzy, and reſtoring a man to his right mind. Hence,
DOCT. I. The natural man, whiles he is wandring from God, is beſide himſelf.
As long as a man ſeeks happineſs and ſoulſatisfaction any where elſe but in God, he is ſpiritually diſtracted, out of his wits, a meer mad-man: Hence the Scripture call every natural man, a fool, Pſal. 14. 1. a mad-man, Eccl. 9. 3. one that is without knowledge, Jer. 4. 22. It is the natural, habitual, and hereditary diſtemper of all Adam's poſterity. Man got a fall in the Cradle of his infancy, which hath not only lamed his feet, but crazed his brain, which crazineſs runs in the blood, and is propagated to his Children. Folly, dotage, and madneſs, are but the divers degrees of one diſtemper and are indifferently uſed in Scripture to hold forth the ſame thing. Now the evidence of the Doctrine will appear, when we have conſidered what are the ſymptoms and notes whereby a fool and frantick are to be known, and have ſeen the like to be in the unregenerate and ſecure ſinner, and they are ſuch as theſe.
1. An ignorant preferring of the worſt things before the beſt: becauſe he knows not the worth of things, but follows his own fancy, therefore his bauble is of greateſt worth and excellency: If things ſhine, and make a fair ſhew, they are the things in his account: He judgeth of things not by their worth, but by appearance: Such are unregenerate men, the little things, the trifles of this world, the ſhining glories of it, only win credit with them, and they incomparably preferr them to the glory of another world: A little earthly pel… is better than all the treaſures of Heaven, a little frothy pleaſure is more worth than everlaſting joyes, the worlds applauſe out-weighs the Crown of Glory in their eſteem: They call good evil, they ſee no excellency in God and his wayes, Iſa. 5. 20. Job 21. 13, 14.
2. In the choiſe which they make: And this follows upon the former: a crazed underſtanding, accompanied with a perverted will, makes a mad-man. It was a rule of old to try a fool by his choiſe, preſenting him ſome gay nothing, and ſome other thing of worth: Thus every unregenerate man ſitting under the Goſpel, hath Heaven and Earth ſet before him, fading vanities and everlaſting mercies; and he chuſeth theſe poor things, and leaves thoſe other, he runs away with the world, and the contemptible things of it, and ſcorns the proffers of Grace and Glory, chuſeth a lump of earth rather than a Crown of Stars: The great things of the Law are counted ſtrange things; the little things of the world are excellent things, Iſa. 66: 3: They have choſen their own wayes.
3. They are indiſcreet and inconſiderate in all they do; fools deliberate not of their actions; they neither ask a reaſon, nor ponder of the event, but go headlong and precipitant into all, Pro. 27. 12. The ſimple paſson: juſt ſo do unregenerate men; they ponder not any of their paths, but are led blindfold after their luſts, Iſa. 1. 3. Iſrael doth not know, my People doth not conſider. Hence that expoſtulation, Deut. 32. 29. They never ask that queſtion, what they are doing, or whether their wayes are tending, Pro. 7. 22, 33. He goeth after her,—as a bird haſteth to the ſnare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.
4. They are very bold and hardy, they fear no dangers that are before them, and will therefore run themſelves upon any miſchief: If their way be through fire and water, they are not daunted at it, hence our proverb, foolhardy. So are ſinners; warnings, threatnings, terrours of the Almighty fright them not; though the ſword of Divine vengeance hang over their heads, though God's judgments are abroad in the world, and their wicked companions are ſwept away thereby, yet ſtill they hold on their courſe, hence compared to the horſe, Jer. 8: 6: Every one turneth to his courſe, as the horſe ruſheth into the battle. Of whoſe raſhneſs ſee, Job 39. 21: &c.
5. They are incapable of receiving counſel, or being convinced of their fooliſh and mad wayes: There is no perſwading a fool or madman with reaſon, for wiſdom and counſel is out of his reach: If you fetch all the Topicks in Logick, and all the Tropes and figures in Rhetorick, you may move a ſtone ſooner than him from his notions: Thus unregenerate men are unteachable; you may teach an Ox and an Aſs ſooner, Iſa. 1: 3: Tell them of the evil of their wayes, the unreaſonableneſs of their courſes, bring the witneſs of natural conſcience, the teſtimony of reaſon, the light of Scripture, and all will not move or perſwade them: Plead, intreat, woo, ſollicit by all that can be ſaid or thought of, ſurdo canis. They are deaf adders, Pſal. 58: 4, 5: Which will not hearken to the voice of charmes, charming never ſo wiſely.
6. They are eaſily cheated and impoſed upon: though they will not hear reaſon, yet they are readily begulled and abuſed by fair and fallacious pretences, they may be cogged to give all they have away for a trifle: Truly thus doth Satan, that great jugler, abuſe unregenerate men, he leads them about at his pleaſure, rooks them out of all that is good, perſwades them to neglect God's day of grace, turn their backs upon heaven, deſpiſe a Saviour, trample upon the pearl of price, and all for the ſake of a few fading, periſhing ſhews of carnal content, and vain delight: Thus he beguiled our firſt Parents with an Apple, and daily gulls multitudes of ſinners, with rattles, and noiſes, and poor empty gay things to the eternal loſs of their ſouls.
7. They miſchief themſelves and all they come near when let looſe, and left to themſelves: It is a property of madneſs to be miſchievous: Fools throw fire-brands and ſay they are in ſport: Thus unregenerate men delight in nothing but miſchief, undoing their own ſouls, and the ſouls of all they have to do with as much as in them lyes; they run themſelves to everlaſting ruine and deſtruction, and draw as many after them as they can, they will entiſe, allure, perſwade others to be their companions, Pro. 1. 10. Caſt in thy lot with us.
8. They are moſt angry at thoſe that endeavour to do them the moſt good: He that binds or ſtops a mad-man, though he loveth him, yet he vexeth him: he accounts them for his greateſt enemies that would give him any hinderance in his mad pranks; it is as ſafe meeting a Bear robbed of her whelps, as ſtanding in his way: Thus unrenewed men cannot bear to be told of their wayes and courſes, they will count a Paul their enemy if he tells them the truth; endeavour never ſo gently and compaſſionatly to perſwade them that they are going away from good, and bringing miſchief upon their own heads, it is theway to be hated, back-bitten, reviled, and ſpitefully uſed by them: Ahab hates Micajah, and thinks he never propheſies good to him: And takes Elijah to be the troubler of Iſrael, becauſe he reproved his wicked courſes.
9. Correction or puniſhment will not reclaim them, and bring them to better frame, but rather make them more mad, Pro. 17. 10. A reproof enters more into a wiſe man than an hundred ſtripes into a fool. An hundred, nay, if it were a thouſand, his folly would remain with him; yea, you may ſeparate his ſoul from his body, but not him from his folly; although you reduce him to atomes, yet his fooliſhneſs abides ſtill, Prov. 27. 22. Thus are unregenerate men ſo rivetted to their ſin, it is ſo intrinſecally ſeated in them, and diffuſed through them, that all the awful judgments of God make no impreſſion upon them to reclaim them; God may ſmite till he is weary of ſmiting, but they are as bad as ever and worſe, Iſa. 1. 5. Why ſhould ye be ſmitten any more, ye will revolt more and more: Like Ahaz, in their affliction they will ſin more than ever.
10. Folly and madneſs diſcovers it ſelf in all they do: A wiſe word or action may ſteal unawares from them, but this is the tract of their life, you may read it in the tenor of their courſe: ſo ſpiritual madneſs is in all that unconverted men do; what is the life of the proud and ambitious, but a pleaſing and priding themſelves in a gay Coat, an handful of dirt, a cap and a knee, an empty title? which is meer foolery. How looks the covetous man, who like a boy ſpends his time in rolling up a great ſnow ball, which melts before the ſun? What but madneſs are all the actions of the voluptuous, who put off man, and put on beaſt, being brutiſh in all their proſecutions? what doth the paſſionate man, but ſcatter coals, and throw about fire-brands, as if he had nothing elſe to do, but ſet the world in a flame?
USE, 1. It may teach us not to wonder at all the exorbitancies and confuſions which we ſee acted in the world: when fools and madmen have gotten the reins in their necks, and act all their own pleaſure without any control, what better can be expected? The workers of iniquity all of them have no knowledge, no marvel then that they act ſo fooliſhly: Nay, much rather have we cauſe to wonder at the power and wiſdom of God, that ſo wiſely orders, and powerfully manageth this great Bedlam, as to carry on his own ends and deſigns in it without control or let, cauſing even the folly of men to pay tribute to his wiſdom.
USE, 2. Here we ſee a reaſon why the means of Grace, where they are never ſo powerfully diſpenſed, are yet ſo ineffectual to the converſion of ſinners: why convictions faſten not, threatnings take not place, promiſes allure not the Children of men, but they continue ſenſleſs under all: the wiſe man gives the reaſon of it, Prov. 24. 7. Wiſdom is too high for a fool. The ſaving knowledge and ſpiritual improvment of theſe things is out of their reach: It is labour loſt to go about to inſtruct a man that is beſide himſelf: hence it is not in the power of means to work it; none but God, who can reſtore loſt man to his wits again, and bring him to himſelf, is able to give efficacy to any endeavours of this nature, and till then, line upon line, and precept upon precept, are but as ſo much water ſpilt upon a rock.
USE, 3. It may alſo teach us how to carry it towards unregenerate ſinners in their unregeneracy, viz. as we would do to a man that is beſide himſelf: i. e. Firſt, pity and pray for them; we are not wont to be enraged at a frantick, though he play mad tricks, becauſe we know it comes from his diſtemper: Thus our Saviour, Luk. 23. 34. Father forgive them, they know not what they do: And ſo Stephen, Act 7. 60. Lay not this ſin to their charge. They need your pity and prayers who can do nothing for themſelves. 2. Be not afraid to anger them, ſo you may but do them good: Think it not hard to be ſcorned, reviled, when you rebuke and entreat them: Alas, if we ſhould ſay or do nothing to them but what they like, we ſhould let them undo and deſtroy themſelves, and become guilty of their blood. 3. Chuſe them not for your counſellors and companions: Who would account it his commendation or profit, to aſſociate with a fool, or make himſelf the intimate of one that is out of his wits? None but fools delight in fools.
USE. 4. It may exhort the people of God, (true Believers) to great thankfulneſs to God for his wonderful love to you, that you are by his grace reſtored to a ſound mind: as, when we look upon one that is diſtracted, and ſee what ſtrange, imprudent, miſguided, fooliſh actions he performs, it is a leſſon to all that look on, ſhewing them how deeply they are bound to thank God, and how much they ow him for their wits and underſtandings: ſo when we ſee what mad courſes prodigal ſinners drive, how they are carried head-long after their own luſts; go from God, ſpend all in riot, enſlave themſelves to Satan, and waſt away their time in the midſt of reſtleſs and unſatisfying vanities, neither knowing nor regarding an higher happineſs; labouring for husks, and not filling of themſelves, and yet preſuming that they are in a way to do well; Oh, how ſhould you acknowledge that Grace, from whence you have received more noble principles, and are diſpoſed to higher imployments? That he hath given you a judgment and ſpirit of diſcerning between good and evil; eſpecially remembring that you had been once of that ſociety, and had lived in their Bedlam ſtill, if he who alone is the great Phyſitian of ſouls, had not applyed his grace, and ſo cured you of this diſtemper.
USE, 5. It may alſo ſerve for a word of conviction to ſuch as are in their natural eſtate, let ſuch be perſwaded that they are beſide themſelves. Were you but willing to conſider of it, there is enough to make it evident: 1. In your departing from God, and bidding him to go away from you, who only can make you happy, and who can make you miſerable: You forſake the fountain of living water. 2. In your reſolutely continuing in a courſe of ſin; which is nothing leſs than running upon a ſwords point, and expoſing of your ſelves to fearful plagues. 3. In placing your hope and confidence in the creature, which is empty and deceitful, a broken ciſtern in which is no water, Jer. 2. 13. 4. In laying all out upon your luſts, which fight againſt your ſouls, and are but ſed and nouriſhed to your utter undoing. But I paſs.
DOCT. II. God, in order to the converſion of a ſinner, firſt works upon the underſtanding.
The firſt ſtep to true converſion is Divine Illumination. The Prodigal, before he thinks of returning to his Father, firſt comes to himſelf: The ground of this is in three things.
1. Man is a reaſonable Creature, and a cauſe by counſel of his own actions: The underſtanding in man is the light in him, by which he regulates all his wayes, and as he ſeeth ſo he practiſeth. The reaſon why ſinful men place their hopes in periſhing things, is becauſe they call evil good: This therefore is a main part of man's miſery, that his underſtanding is perverted, Pſal. 53. 2, 4.
2. Faith, which is wrought in converſion, is grounded upon knowledge, Pſal. 9. 10. God dealeth with his creatures according to the manner of their being and acting: Faith is a chuſing, and ſo a cloſing with God; but every choiſe ariſeth from a rational and convincing diſcovery of the ſutableneſe of the object choſen, and preference which it is conceived to deſerve above others: now this diſcovery is made to the underſtanding, which is the eye of the mind whereby it ſeeth and judgeth of things. Hence,
3. It is impoſſible that the heart of man, which is naturally glewed to the vanities of the world, and hath been deeply ſetled in his high opinion of it, ſhould ever be made to renounce, caſt off, and utterly to refuſe to have any thing more to do with them, or to place any more confidence in them, and make choice of God in Chriſt, and preferr him above all, till he be throughly enlightned in, and fully perſwaded of his own miſery, the creatures emptineſs, and the glorious fulneſs that there is in God: The things which he hath ſo loved muſt appear to be evil, and the God. whom he hath forſaken muſt appear to be good: an unknown evil is not forſaken; an unknown good is not choſen: Hence the abſence of ſaving knowledge is the ground of deſtruction. Hoſ. 4. 6. Hence converſion it ſelf is often Synechdochically, called knowledge, and underſtanding, becauſe that is a main ingredient in it: And then a man begins to come to himſelf, when he becomes to have a diſcerning of the truth of things.
USE, 1. Here we have a rule directing us what courſe to take for the converſion of ſinners; we muſt imitate God in this, if ever we would do ſinners any good; we muſt endeavour their conviction; we muſt firſt deal with their underſtandings; to raiſe the affections, without informing the mind, is a fruitleſſe unprofitable labour, and ſerves but to make zeal without knowledge: Man muſt firſ ſee before he will repent of his evil; he muſt firſt know if ever he will love God, Pſal. 9. 10.
USE, 2. It tells us that there are great hopes of men when they begin to come to themſelves: If God begins once to cure men of their frenzy, to take them off their wild opinions, and vain conceits of happineſs, in the profits, pleaſures, and honours of this world, to make them ſee the emptineſs of theſe things, and their own miſery for want of a better ſtay to truſt to, theſe are in an hopeful way to converſion. hence,
USE, 3. To teach us what to pray for in behalf of unregenerate ſinners: i. e. that they may come to themſelves: that their eyes may be opened, that God will illuminate their underſtandings, and give them to ſee things in their nature, truths in their plainneſs: It may be they may think you beſide your ſelves for ſo doing, but it's the greateſt love you can ſhew them, and the bleſſing which they nextly ſtand in need of. Would God be pleaſed but to ſettle mens mindes, and open their eyes, we ſhould ſoon hear them cry out of their own madneſs and folly, and condemn their prodigality and riot, and be earneſtly enquiring after God and Chriſt, and ſeeking ſomething better than the world affords, to ſave their ſinking ſouls from perdition, Act. 2. 37.