Mercy Magnified, Sermon 7
SERMON VIII.
Verſ. 15.
And he went and joyned himſelf to a Citizen in that Country, and he ſent him into his fields to feed ſwine.
2. VVE are now to conſider of the ſordid courſe which the young man took for his relief, expreſſed in theſe words. When once he felt his want, he ſat not ſtill: Senſe of miſery will readily drive the creature to ſeek ſupply: and ſo far he did well: God would not have awakened ſinners to ſit ſtill: but yet he takes a very wrong courſe, and therein he diſcovered his folly: As good ſit ſtill as riſe to fall. The courſe which he took is here expreſt emphatically, and ſet forth notably; in two things doth the miſery appear which he brought upon himſelf by this courſe. 1. The ſervitude or ſlavery which he voluntarily put himſelf upon, illuſtrated and aggravated in two circumſtances. 1. It was his own act, He went and joyned. 2. It was to one of that Country, to a ſtranger.
2. The ignoble and ſordid manner of life which he was put to, to feed ſwine, which was among the Jews accounted the baſeſt life of all, men of that occupation were contemned, none would have any communion with them: Shepherds were of good account, but Swineherds were not admitted to the ſociety of men.
That by this Citizen, Satan is to be underſtood, is the received interpretation, and his ſetting him to keep ſwine, intimates the contemptible employment and ſervice which he occupieth ſinners about. We may gather up the ſubſtance of this verſ. into a few brief notes.
DOCT. I Thoſe that will not ſerve God, ſhall ſerve a worſe Maſter.
The Prodigal was weary of his Father's Government, and what comes of it? he is fain to put himſelf under the Government of a ſtranger: Man was not made for ſovereignty, but for ſervice, and properly for the ſervice of God; if therefore he ſhake off this ſervice God righteouſly provides him cruel and Tyrannical Lords, that ſhal bear rule over him, 2 Chron. 12. 8.
USE, This may teach us to beware how we count the ſervice of God irkſome and tedious. If Chriſt's eaſie yoke will not be born, but we will pluck out our necks, and draw back our ſhoulders, Satan's iron yoke ſhall be prepared for us, and then we ſhall ſooner or later know the difference.
DOCT. II. Man when convinced of his miſery, had rather take any courſe to redreſs it, than go to God for his help.
He will firſt try all wayes to repair his loſs, and quite weary himſelf out in ſo doing; he had rather to enſlave himſelf to Satan than become Chriſts freeman. And the Reaſon of this is,
1. Negatively.
1. Not becauſe there is indeed any help to be had elſewhere, for indeed there is none▪ Mans miſery is ſuch as the whole creation cannot repair it, it's vain to look any where for ſalvation, Jer. 3. 23. Man may try many concluſions, but it is a certain truth before he tryes that he ſhall be wholly diſappointed, they who forſake God, followes lies.
2. Nor becauſe there is not help to be had with God for ſuch: Fallen, back-ſlidden, wandring Prodigals may have hope with him in returning, Hoſ. 13. 9. Oh Iſrael thou haſt deſtroyed thy ſelf, but in me is thy help. Hence the following invitation, Chap. 14. 1. The Prodigal when he came home found it ſo. God is both able and willing, hence he never caſts off a true penitent, but alwayes gave to ſuch the beſt welcome.
2. Affirmatively.
1. From the pride of heart which is in natural men: There is a proud ſhame (as I may call it) when a man knowing that he hath ill deſerved at the hands of God, and greatly provoked him to anger by ſinful departing from him, whereby he hath become his own undoer, is now aſhamed to come in God's ſight, ſuch was in our firſt Parents upon their Apoſtacy, Gen. 3. 10. Man is aſhamed, i. e. in truth he is too proud to take that ſhame to himſelf, which he muſt, if ever he hope to find acceptance.
2. Becauſe his former Conviction hath not taken away all his hopes; nay, although he feels his miſery, & is convinced that the worlds help fails him, and will not ſupply him voluntarily, yet he hopes that he may do ſomething whereby he may help himſelf. The young man thought if he could but put himſelf out to ſervice, he might be in a way to earn a living; ſo convinced ſinners hope they may, by their own pains taking, get ſome eaſe, ſome relief; and if they can but make any ſhift to ſilence conſcience, or cheat their own ſouls, ſo that their preſent terrors need not to make them afraid, they are ſatisfied.
USE, 1. Here we have one reaſon why it is oftentimes ſo long after notable convictions of miſery, before many are truly brought home to God: why the convinced ſinner hath many courſes to try, he ſets his wit and invention to work, and though he hath loſt his eſtate, loſt the worlds favour, yet he hath his fingers ends; if he have it not in himſelf, yet notwithſtanding he may earn it by his induſtry: Proud man is loth to come upon his knees, he is not willing to turn beggar; he may be ſtung with Conviction, and yet not killed with deſpair, he may be at ſome loſs, and not a loſt creature in his own apprehenſion; he hath ſome hopes that he may ſhift, and if he can catch at any ſtraw, he will not ſwim to the Ark; nay, never expect as long as men have any project of their own, that ever they will come to God. And hence the Scripture ſpeaks of going from mountain to hill, Jer. 50. 6.
USE, 2. To teach us what is to be done to and with ſuch as are under theſe convictions; they are not yet fit for Chriſt, nor perſwadable to go to him; no, but they muſt be yet driven farther; they muſt have their hands knockt off from every hold, and yet fall into the ocean of diſtreſs, before they will look to the Temple: our endeavouring therefore, and our prayers muſt be, that they may be ſhaken out of all: a deſpairing ſoul is, though a ſad, yet an encouraging ſight, there is then hope, Iſa. 41. 17.
USE, 3. It may teach us to pitty the empty deſigns that many are driving, after that they have had conviction of their miſery: Some there be that ſeek to repair it by their reformation, others to forget it by involving themſelves in vain and ſecular buſineſs, and many there be that would ſooth themſelves up with a general notion of God's mercy, and by theſe and the like fancies, poor miſerable man takes paines to make themſelves more miſerable, for all this that they do is to no purpoſe, Jer. 46. 11.
DOCT. III The folly of ſinful man brings him into a ſtate of neceſſary and voluntary bondage.
The Prodigal binds himſelf out for a ſervant. The two terms uſed in the Doctrine may ſeem contradictory, but they are not: His bondage is neceſſary; when he had ſpent all, and there was no friend to relieve him, what could he now do? he ſaw no other way, but either he muſt bind himſelf out or ſtarve. The curſe that fell upon Cham literally, fell upon all mankind ſpiritually: This ſervitude is therefore neceſſary, becauſe, being a part of the curſe, it falls upon the natural man undoubtedly, being ae puniſhment inflicted upon man by God for ſin, Joh. 8. 3. Whoſoever committeth ſin, is the ſervant of ſin. And ye it is.
2. Voluntary; men give themſelves up to this ſlavery; they will do it, Joh. 8. 44. You are of your father the Devil, and the luſts of your father ye will do. This bondage is man's own choice: Had this ſon been willing to return to his father, the neceſſity had been taken away; but men give themſelves up to ſatan; and the ground of this lyes in the very nature of ſin, which is a relinquiſhing of the ſervice of God and enſlaving a man's ſelf to ſatan. Now this bondage is not bodily ſo much as ſpiritual; it is an enſlaving or binding of the ſoul to his ſervice, and conſiſts in theſe things.
1. He is now at Satan's beck, and ready to hearken to, and attend every hint from him, to come and go at his pleaſure; he hath given him the lordſhip of his ſoul, and bids him to take him under his government; hence he is ſaid to rule in the Children of diſobedience, Eph. 2. 2.
2. He is ready and forward to do all Satans commands, let them be what they will; he refuſeth none, though never ſo baſe; if he ſends him into the field to keep ſwine, he goes readily, and willingly about his buſineſs, ſo ſordid and ſlaviſh a ſpirit hath he gotten.
3. He is devoted to his own luſt; for Satan rules in the unregenerate, by leading them after the luſts of their own hearts, which are alſo in the Scripture, called the luſts of Satan, becauſe he buſily ſets them on work, and ſerves himſelf and his own ends by them.
4. Here he hath his whole dependance or relyance for relief, this is the utmoſt eſſay he hath to make, it is his laſt ſhift, and if this courſe fails him he is undone: As a ſervant expects (at leaſt) food and rayment for his work, ſo the ſinner hopes to get quiet and ſettlement in the ſervice of Satan. Now the reaſon why men do thus often times, after they have been convinced of miſery, lyes here, becauſe this conviction doth not ſo properly put man upon it to get rid of ſin, but to get his terrors removed, to get off his fears; and now Satan perſwades him with many wiles to yield to him, and he will effect it, but how poorly he performs it for them, we ſhall ſoon hear.
USE. Hence we may learn what to judge of all thoſe who are remaining in a ſtate of nature; they are in moſt ſervile ſlaviſh condition, and let every unregenerate man lay it to heart, conſider therefore.
1. Whom it is that you are enſlaved to, it is Satan himſelf, he is that Citizen the Prodigal bound himſelf under.
2. What a manner of bondage you are in, viz.
1. It is neceſſary; I mean that which you have made ſo by your folly, for your natural conditon leads you to it uncontrolably, and Satan hath gotten the poſſeſſion of your wills, and all your faculties; and hence natural men are ſaid to he led about by him at his will, 2 Tim. 2. 26.
2. It is your own doing and choice: thou wenteſt and joynedſt thy ſelf to him, hoping ſo to advance and meliorate thy condition, but all to no purpoſe, as will anon appear; and let this humble thee, to think that thou haſt given Satan that poſſeſſion of thy heart, that thou haſt indented with him, and joyned thy ſelf to him: Learn hence alſo that thou canſt not lay the blame of thy miſery upon any but thy ſelf; it is the courſe thou haſt deliberately taken to rid thy ſelf of miſery by, but will be found a deluſive project, and that which will involve thee in the greateſt diſtreſs. Ah, what poor ſhifts are they which wretched ſinners are driven to, when God makes them know themſelves miſerable, but reveals not to their ſouls the only way to recover out of it.
DOCT. IV. Satan expoſeth his Vaſſals to all mean, ignoble, and ſordid ſervices.
This our Saviour aims at, by the Citizens ſetting him to keep ſwine: Swine were of old by the Ceremonial Law reckoned among unclean beaſts, and ſtill they are of brutes the moſt bruitiſh: A ſwineherd among men is accounted the moſt low, ſordid and contemptible employment: Such and ſo vile; yea, and incomparably more baſe are thoſe ſervices which Satan Imployes wicked men about; we may conceive of this, if we conſider what it is he puts them upon doing: It is called in the Scripture, a fulfilling of his luſts, Joh. 8. 44. and thoſe are vile luſts ſo called, Rom. 1. 26. If we ſhould examine in particular, what it is that wicked men do, in obedience to Satans will, we ſhall find it all to be filthy and ſwiniſh: What is the drunkards employment, but ſwilling himſelf, and turning his body into a living cask, and ſo loſing that little of man which he had in him, and wholly becomes a beaſt? What doth the lewd and voluptuous man follow, but the giving ſcope to his luſtfull humour, and ſo throws himſelf into the perpetration of thoſe baſe and obſcene actions of which it is a ſhame to make any mention? As for the Epicure, Philoſophy it ſelf calls him not a ſwine-herd, but a very ſwine: Epicuri de grige porcum. And in truth all luſts are bruitiſh; it hath its ſeat in the ſenſitive part of man, and its higheſt aſpirings are but to give content to the body and ſenſes, with a total neglect of the ſoul. Let us but conſider what man was made for, viz. the ſervice of God, thoſe high and noble employments which Angels delight in, and account their glory, and then look and ſee what a world of men are doing, one courting his pleaſures, another chaſing after honours, a third heaping up wealth, a fourth ſtudying his revenge, &c. unto any of which (in a true judgment) keeping of ſwine is a noble and honourable imployment: And yet theſe are the things with which Satan ſeeks to divert men, and in the purſuit after which he makes them to hope that they ſhall get a living in this famine.
Reaſ. From the malice which Satan bears againſt the Children of men: Who can▪ expect favour or fidelity from an enemy? It is true, Satan promiſeth men fair, and pretends to be a ſure friend in a time of need, and makes them believe he proffers to do them a kindneſs, and thus with many fair words and deceivable, he draws them after him; but in truth, he hates the whole race of mankind, and all his contrivance is …o compaſs their utter and unavoidable ruine: He undid himſelf (as is thought by divers judicious) that he might undo man, and having by this horrid attempt of his loſt his own felicity, without any the leaſt glimmering hope of any retrival for ever, how is it poſſible we ſhould believe that he can ſtudy man's welfare,? And the truth is, Satan's Kingdom is moſt properly a Tyranny, and it comes to paſs through the righteous judgment of God: Satan being, of a fellow-ſervant, riſen to be a maſter, and man having forſaken God, and joyned himſelf to him, chuſing rather to be at his courteouſie, than under God's directions, the Devil now in ſtead of a ſubject makes of him a ſlave.
USE, 1. See from whence we are fallen by ſin, and learn to be aſhamed of our ſelves: Every unregenerate man hath reaſon to hide his head with ſhame: If one of his fathers family had come to this young man, as he followed his ſwine, ragged and tattered, and put him in mind of his former condition, how tenderly he was brought up by the care of a loving father, &c. how think you would he have lookt? would he not have hid his head in ſome buſh? what bluſhing and ſtupefaction would he have been ſiezed withal? Why this is the very conditon of all men out of Chriſt: Remember therefore what you once were, look back to your former ſtate, when you were favourites of God, adorned with his Image, ſhining with his Graces, and dwelling in his Paradiſe, living in good faſhion, and fitted for the beſt and moſt honourable employment: But how are you now changed into a company of ſwine-herds; yea, rather into meer ſwine? and that which makes it the more wonderful, is that we ſee men are proud of this employment.
USE, 2. Here we ſee a reaſon why it often fall out that men, after terrible awakenings, and convictions of wrath and miſery, grow more looſe, more vain, more addicted to folly and vanity than before: It ſhews us that they have been uſing of fooliſh courſes, they have gone to Satan for advice, and not to the Spirit of God; and the truth is, Satan is now more buſie, and urgent with the ſoul to hearken to him, and if it do, this is that which alwayes comes of it. Satan evermore directeth men to ſome ignoble courſe or other; ſends Cain to build Cities, that the noiſe of the hammers and and axes may ſilence or drown the voice of Conſcience, ſets the drunkard to his cups, the wanton to his harlots, the vain man to his merry company, &c. and God often permits this, to the end that his Elect may be the more convinced of their own folly and impotency, and of the wonderful riches of his grace in bringing of them home: And as long as men will afford an ear to Satan, it is not to be hoped that ever they ſhould do better. Let us therefore pity ſuch poor ſouls, and yet let us hope and pray for them: Conviction may be a ſeed of converſion, and though God ſuffer it to dy, and ſeem to be utterly loſt, in its good time, it may revive again to efficacy, after they have unprofitably made themſelves the Devils drudges, and wearied themſelves in their way; they may be taken in their months, Jer. 2. 24.
USE, 3. To awaken poor enſlaved ſinners to think, and ſeriouſly to conſider of their miſerable and ignoble drudgery: Hadſt thou one ſpark of that noble ſpirit of man in his creation, left in thee, thou wouldſt rather chuſe to dy, than live in ſuch a ſervice: Art thou poor and famiſhing? and doſt thou think Satan can relieve thee? Alas, the beſt that he can promiſe thee is but that poor world, where thou haſt once already found there is a famine, he doth but paint it over in new colours to cheat thee: And for it thou muſt keep ſwine, be a drudge to the vileſt of his luſts, and he will never give thee any better preferment; nay, his very deſign is to make thee a miſerable ſlave here, that. thou maiſt be a damned wretch hereafter. Stay then and conſider before thou goeſt and joyneſt thy ſelf to him; what canſt thou promiſe thy ſelf at his hands, who never did any thing but undo all thoſe that have placed themſelves under him, and put their truſt in him? God is a better Maſter, and if thou wilt come to him, he will give thee a better ſervice, an high-calling; he will give thee a clean and not a dirty ſervice, thou ſhalt be a freeman and no longer a ſlave, it ſhall be a Glory for thee to ſerve him, the ſervice it ſelf ſhall be thy honour and felicity, and in the end of it, thou ſhalt be advanced to a throne and a Crown.