Mercy Magnified, Sermon 5
SERMON V.
VVE have thus heard of the place whither the young ſon carried his eſtate, telling us that wicked men love to have the greateſt advantage to ſin without any reſtraint: We might alſo have taken notice of the compariſon which is uſed in the text to illuſtrate his Apoſtaſie, viz. a journey, he took his journey: or went a Pilgrimage: whence we may take notice of this.
DOCT. That wicked men grow to the height of prophaneſs by degrees.
Men converſing in the region of ſin are upon a Journey, every ſtep they take ſets them at a farther diſtance from God: Wickedneſs growes upon men by degrees, there are few men that commence high prophane per ſaltum: from but a viſible and ſober profeſſion to the top of wickedneſs there are divers ſteps a man hath to take, he muſt firſt leave a great deal behind him before he arrives at it: he muſt root out the efficacy of good education, he muſt ſuppreſs the activity of a ſtirring conſcience, he muſt put off and get rid of his accuſtom… modeſty, he muſt lay by the aw and dread: Gods Judgments; and all this requires time and travail, and pains: it will coſt a man ſome thing to be flagitiouſly wicked, that hath been formerly profeſſedly religious: you may ſee the exemplified in Saul and others.
USE, 1. This may tell us one Reaſon wh… men, though groſly degenerated, are yet … hard to be convinced of their wickedneſs they fell into it gradually, and by conſequence inſenſibly: Apoſtaſie comes fair and ſoftly, and men take no notice of it, but think themſelves as good as ever.
USE, 2. It may be a warning to men, eſpecially young men, to beware of the firſt ſtep of ſin: carefully avoid the firſt temptation of giving way to looſe and vain courſes▪ You may think to ſtop at pleaſure, but it a cheat, and if you are drawn in, you there by ſtep into a way which leads far from God and will, in a while, arrive to ſuch an high degree of prophaneſs, as you would at preſent abominate the very thought of, if wonderful mercy do not hedge up your way, and give check to your progreſs.
2. But I paſs to the next particular, o… the conſideration of the improvident and unfrugal expenſe which the young man imployed his Eſtate in; And there he waſted his ſubſtance with riotous living. In which take notice: 1. What he did with his Eſtate, He wasted it: 2. What it was he waſted, his ſubſtance: 3. Where he waſted it, there, viz. in that far Country: 4. how he conſumed it, in riotous living.
[He waſted] The word [foreign] ſignifies the moſt prodigal and unprofitable throwing away of a thing that can be: Beza thinks it to be a Metaphor from a whirlwind, that ſcatters and throws the chaff hither and thither: it intimates ſuch an expenſe as knowes no meaſure, nor regards any end or uſe, minds neither how much is, nor for what it is laid out.
[His ſubſtance] The word ſignifies either ones being, or that which ſhould uphold ones being, in which latter ſenſe it is here intended: It was that which he ſhould have improved for his livelyhood, for his comfort, which was given him to improve, and trade with for the upholding his life.
[In riotous living] The word ſignifies all manner of intemperance, laſeiviouſneſs, prodigality, all the wayes which profuſe men can take to bring to nought that which they do enjoy: It ſignifies both exceſs in experiences, and exceſs in delights; and therefore it is variouſly tranſlated [Profuſely, Prodigally, Luxuriouſly, Lewdly, Ungraciouſly] The word [foreign] according to its derivation, intimates, a reſerving of nothing, but making all fly, as our vulgar expreſſion is; under which is ſhadowed to us the courſe which every ungodly man take with, and the uſe unto which he puts all God's favours. Hence,
DOCT. Unregenerate men are the greateſt ſpend-thrifts; for they unprofitably waſt all their ſubſtance upon their luſts.
It is not only a waſt, but a riotous waſt, which is the worſt ſort of unthriftineſs in the world: We may take up the Explication of the Doctrine in a few Propoſitions.
1. The common favours of God are unregenerate mens ſubſtance: their wit, their health, their wealth, their priviledges, &c. are their portion, which they have in hand: I mean,
1. They are that which they place their dependance upon, the things in the improvement of which they hope to get their living; they place their confidence and truſt in them, Pro. 10. 15. The rich mans wealth is his ſtrong City. They have nothing elſe that their heart relyes upon, they call them their goods, becauſe they expect to have their whole good from them, they take up their reſt and content under the ſhadow of theſe things.
2. They are the Talents which God hath ſent them to improve for his Glory, and for their ſouls good: God hath put them in their hands with a command that they ſhould trade them for him, and in his ſervice: The Lord expected that Belſhazzar ſhould have glorified him with his Power, and Kingdom, and great glory which he had advanced him to, Dan. 5. 23. He counts that men have by theſe things an advantage in their hands to do him ſervice, that they have a price, and if they are not wiſe in the improvement thereof, for the exaltation of his name, he reckons it for an unexcuſable tranſgreſſion, Rom. 2. begin.
2. Ungodly or unregenerate men do ſpend all theſe upon their luſts. This is the nature and guize of every man in whom the fear of God is not, not to honour him, but to ſacrifice them to his fleſhly deſires: What elſe did degenerate Iſrael do with God's favours? Hoſ. 2. 8. For ſhe did not know that I gave her the Corn, &c. which they prepared for Baal. And the Reaſon of this is, becauſe, as men place their happineſs in ſatisfaction, ſo the natural mans ſatisfaction conſiſts in giving content to the carnal demands of his own mind; if theſe be not ſatisfied he is diſcontent: ſin hath ſo blinded the eyes, & deluded the judgment of fallen man, that, till Grace comes in to inform him better, he knows no bleſſedneſs but in pampering and cheriſhing the craving concupiſcence of his ſoul: The rich man, Luk. 12. placeth his whole happineſs in his ſouls eaſe, and that by giving himſelf full ſcope to eat, drink, and be merry; and that is a real deſcription of the frame and opinion of every ſon and daughter of Adam, before the work of converſion paſſeth upon them.
3. For a man thus to do with the favours of God, is to waſt and ſpend his ſubſtance moſt unprofitably. When a man uſeth his wit, wealth &c. to maintain his pride, his ſenſuality, to encourage him in prophaneſs, &c. this is to play the greateſt ſpend-thrift, for.
1. Man's great buſineſs which he hath in this life to trade for, is happineſs: It is that which every man ought to aim at, and is indeed the thing which all the Children of men do propound to themſelves, Pſal. 4. 6. Many there be that do ſay, who will ſhew us good? They differ indeed in the way and means (and there are almoſt as many courſes taken to obtain it as there are men that ſeek it) yet all naturally agree in this one end, viz. that they may do and be well: and the right improving of ſutable means to this end, is the great thing where in man's wiſdom doth moſt properly conſiſt: If a man miſſeth of happineſs in the end, all the labour that he hath been at here in this world is loſt, this is the very thing which the wiſe man ſo often, in the book of Eccleſiaſtes calleth Vanity, which is nothing elſe but a mans loſing his propounded end, viz. his ultimate end, i. e. Bleſſedneſs: tis only the loſs of this which can prove a man to have lived in vain, and ſpent his time, and coſt, and care unprofitably.
2. The only way for us to improve the favours of Gods unto the enjoyment of happineſs, is in the ſervice of God. As happineſs is our ſubjective, ſo is the Glory of God our objective end; and God hath tyed theſe together ſo inſeparably, that man cannot poſſibly make a ſeparation of them, without his unſpeakable loſs: The way to Glory is to glorifie God, our glorifying of him is to be expreſt in our improving of his bounty, to us aright, in honouring of him; thoſe that honour him, he will honour. There is nothing we can do ſincerely for God, but it redounds to our well-being; parts, power, priviledges, and all other creature enjoyments uſed for God, do help forward our everlaſting ſalvation. Hence
3. All is utterly loſt which is laid out upon our luſts: whatſoever men uſe to the ſervice of their own deſires ultimately, it's abuſed, it is waſted in riot, it is groſly thrown away. For,
1. God is hereby diſhonoured, and ſo greatly provoked againſt us. It is the higheſt affront which we can offer to God to ſerve his enemies with his favours, and hither do all the corrupt inclinations of our hearts lead, ſo much as we allow to them, ſo much we rob God of, we take it from him when we give it to them, and this he will not bear at our hands: it is the great quarrel which God hath with the world of ſinful men, that he is forgotten and diſregarded while they ſeek and ſerve themſelves, Hoſ. 1. 16, 17.
2. Man's happineſs and everlaſting wellbeing is no way promoted or furthered by it. A man is never the nearer happineſs by all that he beſtows upon himſelf, he may bleſs himſelf, and others may bleſs him, Pſal. 49. 18. But he is not in the way to true bleſſedneſs: He may ſwim in pleaſure boaſt himſelf in his delicacy, and count himſelf an happy man, but he is not nearer Heaven and Glory. Nay,
3. Hereby he obſtructs and wofully hinders his own ſalvation; in ſtead of helping it foreward, it is the great obſtacle to it; it ſets him further off from true good: When once the Prodigal is gotten into his far Country, and is now fallen to waſting his Eſtate in riot, he is in the moſt hopeleſs condition of all. A ſinner ſetled in any courſe of ſin, is moſt unlikely to return to God, whiles he is gratifying his luſt, and taſteth a great deal of ſweetneſs in his beloved ſin, now he cannot endure ſo much as to think of the ſtate of his ſoul, & thus his heart is hardned; he is in his heaven already, & regards not any other, his ſtakes are pitched down, and his pleaſant ditty is, Soul take thine eaſe: Every ſacrifice offered to his luſts ſets God further from him, and him at a greater diſtance from God; nay, his account is increaſed, and his reckoning will be ſo much the more dreadful; what he thought ſhould have done him good, doth him the greateſt hurt; treaſures of wrath are heaped up, out of the treaſures of abuſed goodneſs, and all that which is ſo abuſed for the gratifying of his luſts, is turned into ſo much fewel for hell: And therefore may all that which is uſed in a way of ſin be well called waſting and ſpending, Jam. 4. 3. Ye ask amiſs, that ye may conſume it upon your luſts.
USE, 1. For Information, learn we hence,
1. What man is like to come to if once he be ſeparated from Gods gracious preſence. If God leave men, they waſt all: That every unregenerate man is not as vile and profligate as ever any was, is of God's reſtraining grace; if he but withdraw, and that man be left to himſelf, all goes to rack; let God do never ſo much for him, put never ſo fair a price into his hands, he but abuſeth and ſquandereth it all away: It is therefore a dreadful judgment of God for any man to be left to himſelf: See, Pſal. 81. 12. Rom. 1. 16. Every diſtance that man ſtands at from God, is one ſtep to his ruine and undoing.
2. That every natural man is a very fool: For what is folly if this be not, for a man to waſt away his ſubſtance unprofitably, to ſpend away profuſely what he ſhould have improved for his eternal benefit and good? How well might this young man have lived if he had traded with his Stock, & improved it in a way of commerce? whereas by living on it, & laying it out laviſh he waſteth all: And what might many men do for their ſouls, had they the prudence to trade with their Stock in heavens market, and exchange their outward bleſſings for ſpiritual benefits? but herein lyes their folly, the young man thought his Eſtate would bear him out, thus men outwardly favoured of God, think they may live as they liſt, and this their way is their folly.
3 That every unregenerate man is in the high road way to miſery. The young man while he lives high upon his Stock, is bringing it apace to that bottom, it is waſting. The common favours of God are of a ſpending nature, and, if laid out upon mens luſts, will quickly be gone, and come to nothing: There is nothing but ſaving grace that will encreaſe by the expence, every thing elſe wears out and decayes: If you ſee a man giving up the rains to his corruptions, and pleaſing himſelf in his vain and profligate courſes, you may eaſily read that man's miſery in his life.
4. That man himſelf is the blameable cauſe of his own undoing. The young man may thank himſelf if he hath nothing left him to live upon, his own prodigal waſting brought his Eſtate to ruine. I am far from their opinion, who think that a natural man, by his improvement of his beſt gifts, abilities, opportunities, can lay any engagement upon God to give him ſaving grace; but this is certain, that God will charge upon ſinful man every abuſe of any part of his goodneſs, and this ſhall leave him without excuſe: that men ſpend their time, and ſtrength, and eſtates in the ſervice of ſin, ſhal bring them under great condemnationin the laſt day, Hoſ. 13. 9. Oh Iſrael, thou haſt deſtroyed thy ſelf. Though fallen man cannot of himſelf ſave himſelf, yet it is his own folly that undoeth him: If men had uſed what they had to Gods glory, they might have done well, that they have done otherwiſe is of their own ſinful inclination: If men would yeild themſelves up to the guidance of God's holy ſpirit, they might obtain eternal life; if they will (with the younger Son) get away from God, and follow their own corrupt genius, and by ſo doing they undo and ruine themſelves for ever, let them thank their own fooliſhneſs.
USE, 2. For expoſtulation with unregenerate men, and thoſe eſpecially upon whom God hath beſtowed much of his common bounty; I would plead with ſuch as theſe in the words of the Prophet, Iſa. 55. 2. Wherefore do you ſpend your money for that which is not bread? See and be convinced of your deſperate folly and madneſs: God hath given you underſtanding, health, ſtrength, comforts of this life, the Goſpel of grace, and the means of ſpiritual good; why do you ſpend all this in riot, lay out all in that which will do you no good at all? wherefore is all this waſt? but more particularly.
1. See and be convinced that whatſoever you gratifie any ſinful luſt withal, is meer riot; all is loſt that luſt gains: The covetous man boaſts that he is no Prodigal, he ſaves, whiles the other ſpends, he layes up whiles the other layes out, and doth not lay out unneceſſarily; but know it, whiles you are feeding your covetous humors, and ſatisfying that eager deſire, and greedineſs of gain, you do but conſume it. The voluptuous man thinks nothing is ill ſpent that may afford his ſenſual part any ſatisfaction, and whereof he may taſte the ſweet: but know it, a life of pleaſure is but death, 1 Tim. 5. 6. She that liveth in pleaſure, is dead while ſhe liveth. The ambitious man reckons it a glorious purchaſe, if with all his wit, policy, and advantage, he may obtain favour and eſteem, applauſe and credit among men; but what hath he bought for his mony but ſmoak, and the Eaſt wind? We may ſay the like of every other luſt. There is no purchaſe but that of Salvation, but is dearly bought with the expenſe of our precious time, thoughts and care; all this ſets you further from heaven and glory, and if you could purchaſe the whole world at the hazard, much more than with the ſale and loſs of your ſouls, you would deſervedly procure the name of ſhamful unthrifts.
2. Seriouſly ponder and conſider with your ſelves what theſe courſes will lead unto: Remember therefore that your times and advantages are given you to trade for eternity withal, whereas that is nothing which you are now taking care for leſs than that: Are you not building a rotten fabrick that will tumble down on your heads? Are you not laying a ſandy foundation which will be waſht away with the flood? and then what will become of all your expenſe? What emolument, what comfort will you get by all? Do not theſe wayes make you forgetful of Eternity? Do they not harden your hearts from the fear of God? and what but miſery will be the fruit of ſuch things? Think what an exchange you are making, what it is you part with, and for what; it's Heavens Glory, the love of God, everlaſting bleſſedneſs which is ſet before you, and all things are to encourage you to embrace and make ſure of it; this you part with, this you ſell, this you put away from you for Eſau's meſs of Pottage.
3. Conſider what is the reaſon of all this, how it comes to paſs that you are in a way to ſuch a loſs; is it not becauſe (with the Prodigal) you are gone from God, and gotten into a ſtrange Country? there be waſted his ſubſtance; If you had kept with God, you might have done well enough: the very root of man's miſery is departure from God, thence all his lewd and riotous courſes derive their original: Let it then ſerve to convince you that you are at a diſtance from him.
4. Learn hence to account your ſelves truly miſerable, ſo long as you remain in this ſeparation from God; and let it be an awakening conſideration to drive you to be diligent in ſeeking after, and ſerious in returning to him: Know then, that all God's Talents muſt be reckoned for; what you waſt away riotouſly, God will call you to a ſtrict account of it, and wo will be to him in the great day of Judgement, that hath thrown away God's favours upon his own luſts: If the man that hid his Talent in a napkin was ſo ſeverely dealt withal, what then will be done to him that cannot ſay here is thine own, but ſhall be enforced to this confeſſion, I nouriſhed my pride with thy favours, I ſought mine own credit by the parts and underſtanding which thou gaveſt to me, I cheriſhed mine own applauſe by the honour and power which thou didſt afford me among men, I fed my luſts with the creature comfort I enjoyed, my viſible priviledges and Churchmemberſhip made me ſecure and careleſs of my ſoul, I boaſted my ſelf in my wiſdom, ſtrength riches, Goſpel-favours, and did not ſeek to make my boaſt in God alone; will not this be a ſad and doleful account? What need have we then to be now very ſollicious in endeavouring to get our account cleared, whiles, in way of true Repentance we may obtain this favour through the blood of Jeſus Chriſt, and, whiles we have time and opportunity, to get into a better way of improving our ſelves? Could men but lay out that time, and ſtrength, and heart for God, which they do upon their luſts, that would turn to their account, and that which is now juſtly accounted waſt, would be found to be the beſt thrift: this would be the way to be happy in another world; then ſhould we have a Portion to live on, when the fooliſh worldling hath ſpent his, we ſhould never be brought to want: Beg then of God to grant you this wiſdom, and labour with ſo much the more diligence to redeem the loſs that you have already ſuſtained, who have hitherto been ſpending away ſo much without profit, knowing that if you waſt and expend all now upon the vanities of this life, and the carnal delights of the preſent time, you will have nothing to live upon in the dayes of eternity, and then your preſent waſtfulneſs, will be (too late) found to have laid that unhappy foundation of your utter and eternal undoing.