Mercy Magnified, Sermon 22
SERMON XXII.
THus far we have conſidered the cauſe of of the Father's kind carriage to his ſon, the Effect follows in the carriage it ſelf: his is expreſſed in three words: He ran, he fell upon his neck, and kiſſed him. All theſe acts refer to the work of Converſion and ſerve to expreſs what love God applyes to the ſoul in this work: they ſhew us how much of Divine affection breaths forth in the firſt act of ſpecial grace pasſing from God to a ſinner: They carry in them the moſt Pathetical intimations of the greateſt love; it being a cuſtom among the ancients, eſpecially in thoſe countries, to diſcover the ſuperaboundance of their overflowing affections in theſe kinds of geſtures: one notes upon this ver. that although all Chriſts Parables are very moving to the affections, that none carry ſo much in them as this doth.
[He ran] Love is active, it cannot ſtand ſtill, nor yet go ſoftly, where it ſeeth its object to ſtand in need of ſpeedy ſuccour; it ſhakes off all ſloth, and rather ſeems to fly on wings than go.
[He fell on his neck] God takes the ſinner in his arms, falls upon him: i. e. with his diſtinguiſhing Grace.
[And kiſſed him] Kisſing was uſed among other things to expreſs. 1. Intimacy and peculiar affection, and then eſpecially, when dear friends meet, after long abſence; thus Moſes and Aaron, Exod. 4. 27. 2. Reconciliation, after ſome diſtance, by reaſon of injuries and provocations, thus David kiſſeth Abſolom, 2 Sam. 14. ult.
DOCT. God manifeſts his choice and incomparable love to a ſinner, then when he converts him to himſelf.
Here it is that God's ſpecial grace is made to appear, and ſuch love as all compariſons are but dark ſhadows and reſemblances of. God indeed ſhews a great deed of common favour to the world, the goodnesſs they …ſt of is called his hid treaſures: But all this fall; incomparably ſhort of that which he confers upon an elect perſon in his converſion. This love of God was from eternity, ſealed up in his own breaſt: It began generally to be publiſhed and made known in the world, as ſoon as man had by his fall brought ruine and miſery upon himſelf, and his progeny; as was whiſpered in that firſt Goſpel promiſe, Gen. 3. 15. He ſhall break thy head. And more abundantly ſhone forth when the Lord Jeſus Chriſt had laid down his life at the foot of Juſtice: but theſe were more general demonſtrations of it. It more eſpecially and particularly firſt begins to appear to the ſinner himſelf, then when he is regenerated, and eternal life begun in him. The manner and nature of this work, was then opened when we conſidered the Prodigal's return; that which is here to be obſerved, is the greatneſs of this love, and how or wherein it expreſſeth its ſelf, according to the ſpiritual meaning of theſe phraſes. I might here expatiate, but I ſhall confine this diſcourſe to the words in our text, by a reduction of them to a ſpiritual ſenſe.
1. The firſt expreſſion of this love is, in that he ra… to him; herein is intimated a twofold declaration of divine love; one poſitive, the other comparative.
1. Poſitive, It points out God's coming to the ſinner where he is, to beſtow his grace upon him. The ſinner could never have gone to God, he therefore cometh to him: He was a great way off, and could come no nearer: The rock of his ſalvation is higher than he is. Though as to rational and common actions, man is capable of uſing means, yet as to ſpiritual life-actions, he is void of a principle of them: like Lazarus, he is both dead, and bound in his grave cloths: God therefore by his ſpirit comes to his graves ſide, to his pits mouth, where he is periſhing, and thence he fetcheth him,: and is not this wonderful love? Had not God come hither, the ſinner neither could nor would ever have come to him: that is Emphaticall, Zech. 9. 11. I have ſent forth my Priſoners out of the pit where there is no water.
2. Comparative; he not only comes, but he comes in haſt, to the help of the poor dying creature, Bis dat, qui citò dat. Running is a note of ſpeed, and ſignifies a great commotion of the affections: God makes great haſt to bring relief to a periſhing ſinner. The Heathen painted love with wings, noting the ſwiftneſs of this affection in its actions. Here therefore God's wonderful love to a ſinner manifeſts it-ſelf, in that he comes to him unſent for, and brings his grace, when it was unſought, Iſa. 63. 1.
2. The next expreſſion of his love is, He fell upon his neck. When men embraced each other in one anothers arms, they were ſaid to fall upon one anothers necks: It notes embracing: And this ſerves to expreſs the favour which God takes a ſinner into: It holds out that union which in converſion is made between Chriſt and the ſoul: They which were at a great diſtance are now made near. God doth not only come and do ſomething for his relief, but he takes him into his arms; and now thoſe that were enemies, are in mutual embraces: Such were the greeting between Jacob and Eſau, Gen. 33. 4. Each doth now, as it were, breath himſelf into the others boſom; they exchange ſouls, manifeſting by dumb ſigns, that love which is too great for words to expreſs, ſo that by this expreſſion we are taught.
1. That God gives himſelf to the ſinner to be his, and takes him to himſelf, makes himſelf to be his portion, and bequeaths himſelf to him, and receives him into arms of mercy, making him his peculiar treaſure and jewel.
2. That he now infuſeth his grace into his ſoul, by breathing ſpiritual life into him: He falls upon him with his ſpirit and grace, and layes the foundation of ſpiritual life in him, by putting a principle of it into his ſoul, quickening him who was dead.
3. He kiſſed him; this is the laſt thing in the act; and here is great favour indeed, that when he might have killed him he kiſſeth him; this word hath divorſe expreſſions of love contained under it.
1. God now opens and reveals that ſecret and everlaſting love of his to his ſoul, kiſſing was an outward act to intimate an inward affection: Men often did it diſſemblingly, but God alwayes doth it really: Now God begins to give the ſoul to perceive what was his purpoſe of good will to him from eternity, what were his ancient thoughts about him; this is a viſible confirmation of that ſecret love.
2. God now reveals that he is fully reconciled to, and at peace with him; that all former diſtances and alienations of heart are wholly taken away; he is no more angry, nor will any more condemn him. David kiſſed Abſolom to let him underſtand he was now reconciled. God never kiſſeth and killeth, as Joah. dealt with Amaſa: his heart alwayes goes out with his promiſe. It is a juſtifying kiſs, intimating that this ſoul ſhall never more have any more cauſe to fear the ſuffering the puniſhment of his ſins, or being expoſed to condemnation.
3. The father by this manifeſtly takes his ſon into the ſtate of a ſon: It is a kiſs of Adoption; David thus acknowledged Abſolom: The ſinner had made himſelf an abject, God now reſtores him again to that inheritance which he had rooted himſelf out of: he is thus taken again into his fathers houſe, and made to enjoy the priviledge of a Child.
4. God by this draws out the love of the ſoul to him: breaks his heart, and wins him to himſelf: By this teſtification of his love he attracts a reciprocal love from the ſinner; makes him now to chuſe God and give himſelf up to him, put himſelf into his hands, and devote himſelf to his ſervice, for all this preſently follows, verſ. 21. Thus it is a ſanctifying kiſs.
5. All this is done to reſtore comfort to the ſoul: Senſe of his ſin, and the great wrong that he had done to his father, by ſo vilely leaving him, and profuſely ſpending his eſtate, had filled him with ſorrow and bitterneſs; his Father now kiſſeth him to comfort him: They are called the kiſſes of the mouth, Can. 1. 2. which are given in the application of the promiſes to the ſoul, and enabling of him to cloſe with them, ſuck the ſweet out of them, and draw to his conſolation the good that is in them: and thus it is alſo a glorifying kiſs. Put altogether and it telleth us what a wonderful declaration of God's love it is that comes into the ſoul at the hour of Converſion.
USE 1. For Information.
1. We hence learn that the ſoul is paſſive in vocation: I do not mean as it is a Rational, but as it is a ſpiritual Agent. If God had not come to the ſinner, he had never come to God, nor could he have done it: As well might the widows ſon lying upon the bier, and carrying to the grave, have fetcht back his departed ſoul as a ſinner dead in treſpaſſes and ſins, recover the loſt Image of God. Hither every Regenerate man ows his ſpiritual original, viz. Not to the ſtrength of his nature, or flexibility of his will, but to God, who came to him there where he lay a dying, and whence he was not able ſo much as to lift up his eyes towards heaven, without God put the ability into him by reviving Grace. And this proclaims the wonderful conceſcendency of the great God to undone men and women, in that he is not only ready and willing to receive them when they come to him, but he runs forth to meet them, and to do them good: The condition that all men are lying in, at ſuch time as he ſpeaks that happy word to them, live; tends mightily to enhaunce or illuſtrate the unſpeakable kindneſs, of God, and hence deſerves an ingemitiation, Ezek. 16. 5, 6. None eye pitied thee, thou waſt cast into the open field; I ſaid unto thee when thou waſt in thy blood, live; yea, I ſaid unto thee, when thou waſt in thy blood, live.
2. Here we ſee that in Regeneration the whole body of graces are brought into the ſoul at once and together. In effectual vocation the ſoul receives Chriſt himſelf, and that not only relatively, by receiving his perſon into ſuch relations wherby he becomes his Redeemer and Saviour, applyes his righteouſneſs to him for Juſtification, and by marrying him, admits him among the Adopted Children of God; but alſo really, by the communication of his graces, and filling him with his ſpirit: He falls upon his neck and kiſſeth him; all grace is communicated in this act: and there is great reaſon for it, for Chriſt in giving of himſelf to the ſoul becomes its life, Gal. 2. 20. Chriſt lives in me. And Chriſt thus becomes his ſpiritual life, not only by changing his relative ſtate from what it was, but eſpecially (life being a principle of operation) by putting this new principle into him, in which are contained all ſuch habits and diſpoſitions as are requiſite to fit him to live ſpiritually: i. e. the habits of all graces, for all flow from one and the ſame principle, viz. ſpiritual life.
3. As a conſectary from the former, we hence ſee that at the inſtant of effectual vocation, the ſoul is made partaker in every grace; Juſtification and Adoption fully, Sanctification and Glorification inchoatively, and in their degrees: theſe come all together and inſeparable, and are made over to the ſoul in the inſtant in which God converts him: For when God gives Chriſt, he gives all things with him; Rom. 8. 32. Yea, he gives him to be all to us, 1 Cor. 1. 30. He is made of God to us, Wiſdom, Righteouſneſs, Sanctification, and Redemption There is a ſucceſſion of theſe Graces, 1. Doctrinally, they are to be handled orderly, methodically, and diſtinctly, in the opening of the Doctrines of the Goſpel. 2. In the apprehenſion of a Believer, who doth not immediatly diſcern all of them. 3. In order of nature and conſequence: But in time they are contemporary: and the reaſon is, becauſe the whole Covenant is ſealed up in Converſion, and all that is contained in it; i. e. all grace.
4. We here ſee the Reaſon of the ſudden and ſtrange alteration which we may ſometimes ſee wrought in a ſinner: one whom the other day we ſaw bleeding to death in his ſins, rotting in his grave, ſpending all in riot, ſlighting all counſels and perſwaſions, going in the ways of deſtruction; now changed and become another man, all new in him: yea, one that was wounded under amazement and terrours of conſcience, deſpairing and dying under convictions; now rejoycing and raviſhed with the experience of the love of God. Theſe are ſtrange alterations, but not to be misbelieved, if we conſider the haſt that God makes to find out, and take into his arms dying ſinners, and the raviſhing embraces he affords them. When God comes, he runs; he may delay a while, and let the ſinner run himſelf out, and not come preſently to convert him; but when he doth come, he comes without delay, nothing ſtops him, Hab. 2. 2. Cant. 2. 8.
USE 2. For Exhortation to the regenerate, or ſuch as have been converted unto God; meditate much upon, and labour to be deeply affected with the diſcoveries of God's wonderful love to you: Think often.
1. What haſt he made: I was dying, deſpairing, hopeleſs; but he ſpeedily came, and put under an everlaſting arm: or ever I was aware, &c.
2. With what ardour of affection he fell upon thy neck: Oh remember thoſe embraces; how he took thee up in his arms, an unworthy, filthy, polluted armful; how kind were thoſe claſpings which encircled thee? thoſe embraces which took thee out of thy pit.
3. How he kiſſed thee; breathing his ſoul into thee, and filling thee with his love; pardoning all thy ſins, taking thee to be his ſon again, influencing thee with his grace, in thy far Country ſpeaking comfortably to thee. Oh! love the Lord all ye his Saints, and let your hearts boil over in ardent affections to him.