a quickning and regenerating Word it carries Christ in it the Author of Life and the Apostle calls it the Ministration of Life And perhaps it hath been so to some poor man and woman and to some of thy children But O how long hast thou heard it how often hast thou come to this Bread of Life to these Waters of Life What! and yet dead in thy sins not yet quickned and made alive Why thou art a reproach to the Gospel and thy sins have not only given death to thy soul but death to the Gospel of Christ the Gospel is made by them a dead Letter it is not so in it self but thou hast made it so And how wilt thou answer God for killing thy soul and killing his Christ and killing his Gospel 2. Many have a name that they live but like the Angel of Many have a name to live and yet are dead the Church of Sardis they are dead Revel 3. 1. Oh Sirs Spiritual life the life of grace is a rare thing and a difficult thing Every man loves his life but few love this life No man hates his own life almost but most men hate this life of grace because it is destructive to this life of sin And many think they have it and others think so too and yet they have it not You know it is one thing to put Flowers upon a dead body and another thing to put life into a dead man It is one thing for the Sun to convey light another thing for the Sun to convey life I might shew you that mâ—n mistake spiritual life exceedingly Education in a person may lead him far and so may an enlightned and generous Conscience and so may restraining Grace and so may Art and so may the common gifts of the Spirit they may enable a man to strange conceptions and strange affections and strange actions and yet the man may be spiritually dead Not any of these flow from a gracious principle of spiritual life Why common Gifts may lead up the soul far and Education may lead to Duties much and Conscience may awe sin exceedingly and Art or Hypocrisie may counterfeit the very life of Grace as a Stage-player doth a King wonderfully O therefore look to it that you have more than a name of life that you live indeed 3. If you should deceive your selves and when you come to It would be very sad to be deceived in this die you find that you have been dead all your lives and never were spiritually made alive Oh! in what a condition will thy poor trembling soul be To die and see nothing but death I thought there was life in my heart and life in my strong faith and life in my troubles of spirit and life in my obedience but alas I never lived I never enjoyed Christ never enjoyed grace c. 4. If the Lord hath made thee alive from the dead I do not To be alive is cause of great joy know any man living on the earth that hath such cause of joy unspeakable and glorious I will mention but three particulars unto thee 1. Hereby thou mayest be assured of thy interest in the richest mercy and greatest love of God to thy poor soul Read but the Apostle in Ephes 2. 4. But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us v. 5. even when we were dead in sins hath quickned us 2. Thou mayest palpably discover the tokens and vertues of Jesus Christ upon thy soul the very Effigies of the saving works of Christ that which Paul so longed to know even the power of the death and of the resurrection of Christ Philip. 3. 10. In thy death to Sin and in thy life of Grace doth the power of Christs death and of Christs resurrection appear 3. Thou mayest certainly know that Heaven shall be the place of thy rest hereafter Spiritual life comes from Heaven and bends to Heaven and shall bring to Heaven It prepares for Heaven and it is a part of Heaven and it shall be perfected and filled up in Heaven O what things are these who would miss of these For Christs sake search throughly whether you be made alive Now me thinks I hear some soul secretly longing to know how it may be cleared unâ—o it That God hath quickned it from the Signs of spiritual life dead That as it was once dead yet it is now alive Sol. There are many things which may clearly declare it for indeed life is such an active thing especially spiritual life that it may easily appear sometimes or other to him who hath it 1. If sin be alive then thou art still dead and if sin be dead thou art certainly alive I will open both these parâ—s 1. If sin be alive then the man is dead for it is impossible that the If sin be alive the man is dead same man should be alive and dead under the same consideration Spiritual Life and spiritual Death are incompatible at the same time in the same subject And therefore if sin be alive questionless you are spiritually dead Now there are four things which manifest sin to be alive in any mans soul 1. The flaming bents and inâ—atiable desires of the heart after things forbidden in the Word Ephes 4. 19. we read of sin with greediness 2. The universal and easie authority law or command that it hath over the soul and body that it can use them in the service of lusts when and as it pleaseth Ephes 2. 2 3. 3. The joyfull contentation and satisfaction which the heart takes in evil things as we do in meat and drink 4. The customary trade and course of our life in sinfull ways a walking in them a living in them O if these be yet found in thee sin is alive still and thou art dead still 2. But if sin be dead thou art certainly alive If sin be dead thou art alive I confess sin may be restrained and a man not alive and sin may be troublesome in some respects and a man not yet alive But if it be dead the man is spiritually alive for sin in thee can never come to be dead but by spiritual life Now sin is dead in thee if thou canst find two things 1. If it hath lost thy affections If love to sin be gone and hatred of sin be come if delight in sin be quenched and sorrow for sin be implanted Oh Sirs the love of sin is the life of sin and if the hatred of sin doth live then the love of sin is dead 2. If it hath lost its Authority its free and uncontrolled power although it molests still and tempts still yet it rules not thou art not a slave to it and subject to it thou wilt not serve it obey it any longer If thou hast Christ for thy Lord the Law of Christ for thy Rule and Sin for thy Enemy thou art alive 2. A second sign of spiritual life is a spiritual sense
And is this excuse to pass for currant hath not God dealt Answered with thee often didst not thou more often harden thine own heart willingly withdraw thy self and all out of a love to sin 2. Though thou couldst not convert thine own heart yet this thou mightest have done in the times of afflictions c. considered what might move the Lord thus to deal with thee all or some of the causes which thy own conscience did freely suggest and the ends which God pointed thee to to reform them And then to have gone to him by vehement prayer to convert thy heart from thy sins to teach it righteousness to submit to his instructions Thou mightst thus have gone to him who can convert and have waited on him in the means of conversion but thou didst nor desire after him nor delightedst to seek him c. 2. But What may we do to prevent this shuffling and assaying of means to support us in sinning when the Lord deals with us and Means to prevent this shuffling calls upon us for the leaving of sin Sol. I would commend these five Directions 1. Strive to be convinced of this That as long as the Course is a sinfull Course it Be convinced of this That a sinfull course cannot be a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 safe course can never be a safe Course We may weary our selves in the multitude of our imaginations and ways but run what course you please and pursue your own devices yet this ye shall reap of the Lord you shall lie down in your shame and sorrow you may run to new experiments but misery will follow your sins the next time as well as this and in every way as well as one way Your sins will find you out and as long as you carry your sins with you you cannot keep off calamities from you 2. Of necessity you must return or perish Your sinfull course is You must return or perish a by-path and leads to death It is sinfull and you know it and being sinfull it must be miserable To what end doth the Patient excuse the taking of the Receipt the wholsome Balm he must die if he doth not receive it So consider To what end do I thus vary my paths and shuffle and seek supports there is nothing strong enough to secure a sinner and let me sadly consider that I must one time or other leave these sinnings or else farewel my Soul and Salvation 3. It cannot but be best the sooner it is I must return or perish too soon I cannot return and the sooner the better A Our Return is best the sooner it is Best For Safety Souldier of a middle age a Counsellor of a grave age and a Penitent of a young age are still the best The work which must be done is best done when soonest Best for Safety for thy life is very uncertain and if thou doest not leave thy sins to day thou mayest be in Hell for ought thou knowest for thy sins to morrow For Acceptance the Lord likes it best when For Acceptance one word of Mercy can cause us to trust and one shaking of the Rod can cause us to tremble and when one command sufficeth to turn us when upon the first Arrest we give up our Weapons it pleaseth Soveraignty best For Quietness for we do hereby deliver not onely our Souls but Bodies also from many troubles For Quietness the sooner we do repent and plainly yield why Conscience speaks peace the sooner and God commands mercies the faster strong Sins breed long afflictions but give up the Sins and God gives up the Quarrel throw over Bichri's head to Joab and he will presently remove the siege If a man had health he might take sleep the better but as long as the body is diseased it is unquiet 4. Strive against those diverting Principles which do draw thee from the right and onely way and put thee on by-thoughts and Strive against diverting Principles as Presumption of Mercy Or of thy own Power by-paths and a vain assayment of means to support us As 1. Presumption either of Mercy though thou doest add drunkenness to thirst and still findest out thine own inventions or thine own Power Thou mayest be hindred of the time which thou doest project and mayest want strength to execute thy purposes For sinfull practises do altogether weaken our power whilest they delude us with a conceit of strength hereafter 2. Stoutness and pride of spirit Do not in a bravery of villany dispute with the Almighty Stoutness and pride of spirir God it may prove a sad Victory to thee that thou art able to reject good counsel and to quench all good motions 3. Delight Delight in sin in sin which drowns the errand of all afflictions c. 5. Beseech the Lord at the very first to circumcise the stubbornness Beseech the Lord to câ—rcumcise the stubbornness of your hearts of your hearts and to give you the understanding ear and the obedient spirit that when in the Word he calls upon you to turn from your sins your hearts may fall down and cry out O Lord turn me and when by afflictions he calls upon you to turn you may presently humble your hearts and cry out O Lord pardon me O Lord heal me O Lord turn and save me Let us all think of this You know that the Lord is displeased with us and we have hitherto hardened our hearts against the Lord God hath dealt with us once twice often in publick in private ways and still we seek our own ways delude the work of Repentance set nothing to heart nor repent of our evil doings I I. Now I proceed to the Second thing which is The final The final disappointment of all the Prodigals designs Doct. 2. Nothing shall avail the shuffling sinner till he return but God will disappoint all his pâ—ojects Some things premised This is meantâ— of a sinner whom God intends to convert disappointment of the Prodigals assays and designs in these words And no man gave unto him Whence I observe That nothing shall avail the shuffling sinner until he doth turn from his sins but God will disappoint all his projects batter down all his confidences frustrate all his expectations drive him out of all his harbours and overthrow all the means and ways which he flies unto Before I confirm this Assertion let me premise a few particulars that so you may rightly conceive the scope of it Thus then 1. I intend the Assertion of a sinner whom God doth intend to convert others he may leave to prosper in their imaginations For you see it raised from the disappointment of a Prodigal one whose conversion at length attended his manifold afflictions and as manifold contrivances to keep up his sinfull conversation though such a person knows not it nor thinks on it yet God is secretly against him and thrusts him off from all the Cities of Refuge
immediately go before and ordinarily usher in Conversion so it is sad and bitter and sharp for there the law imprints a sense of sin and of wrath and a spirit of bondage to fear the Needle pricks and the Sword cuts and wounds and the Hammer bruiseth and the Plough rents and tears 2. Formaliter as it is a perfective change and alteration even from hell to heaven from basest lusts to sweetest holiness and thus it is at the least a fundamental radical and virtual joy 3. Consequenter For the Crop and present harvest which results out of Conversion thus it is the Musick after the tuning of the strings the fruit of righteousness is peace so the fruit of conversion is joy and delight There are three things unto which I desire to speak about this point 1. That upon Conversion the condition becomes very joyful and pleasant quod sit 2. What kind of joy and pleasure Conversion doth bring quale sit 3. Reasons why so cur sit and then the useful Application Quest 1. For the first of these that Conversion doth bring the soul into a very joyful condition Sol. There are four things which demonstrate the quod sit of The quod sit demonstrated this 1. Many pregnant places of Scripture Psal 52. 11. Shout for joy all ye that arâ— upright in heart Psal 132. 9. By Scripture Let thy Saints shout for joy Isai 35. 10. The ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads they shall obtain joy and gladness and sorrow and sighing shall flee away Isai 65. 13. Behold my servants shall rejoyce but ye shall be ashamed v. 14. Behold my servants shall sing for joy of heart but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart Isai 61. 10. I will greatly rejoyce in the Lord my soul shall be joyful in my God Rom. 14. 17. The Kingdome of God consists in righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost Prov. 3. 17. Her wayes are wayes of pleasantness and all her paths are peace 2. Many pregnant testimonies and instances By Instances When Zacheus was converted he came down joyfully and received Christ Luke 19. 6 9. When the three thousand were converted there ensued singular gladness and joy Acts 2. 41. When the Eunuch was converted he went home rejoycing Act. 8. 39. When those in Samaria were converted the Text saith There was great joy in that City Acts 8. 5 6. When the Jailor was converted He rejoyced believing in God with all his house Acts 16. 34. When they to whom Peter wrote were converted they did rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of Glory 1 Pet. 1. 8. 3. The many Comparisons by which converting grace is expressed By Comparisons doth confirm it that it makes the souls condition very joyful and delightful The estate of grace is set forth by all the things which are esteemed pleasant and delightful and joyful Men take Delight and Joy in Honour Beauty Strength Youth Riches Pearls and Jewels in Birth in Wisdome and Knowledg in Springs Orchards Spices Perfumes Buildings Victories Life Duration Friends Why when converting grace is conveyed into the heart the man now is honourable and of high dignity now the beauties of Christ are on his soul all his graces are more precious then Pearls and Gold and Silver he is rich in spiritual treasures he is one born of the Spirit of God never truly knowing and wise till now c. Nay grace is phrased by such things which yield a general and universal contentment and delight to the whole man It is sometimes called Light which is pleasant to the eye Oyntment which is pleasant to the smell Wine which is pleasant to the tast Musick or the joyful sound which is pleasant to the ear Nay yet again it is sometimes called Truth and that is pleasant to the understanding Goodness and that is pleasant to the will a Kingdome and that is pleasant to desire an Inheritance and that is pleasant to hope Communion and that is pleasant to love a Possession and and that is pleasant to joy a Victory and that is pleasant to hatred a Security and that is pleasant to fear Heaven the Kingdome of Heaven and that is pleasantness itself and all this even under fears and combates when at the first and weakest and lowest Nay yet once more it is set out by all the occasions and by all the times of joy to the birth of a man-child for joy that a man-child is born said Christ A converted man is a new-born To the day of Marriage which some call the only day of joy a converted man is marryed to Christ To a Feast Isai 25. 6. Every dish is filled with mercy To a Coronation day which was a day of gladness of heart to Solomon Cant. 3. 11. There is a crown of life for every converted soul To the time of Harvest when the Husbandman reaps with joy Isai 9. 3. To the returns of Merchants upon the increase of Wine and Oyle Psal 4. To a ransome and release from bondage and captivity a converted man is set at liberty he is a freeman in Christ 4. Consider Conversion in the Causes of it or in the very By the Causes of it Nature of it or in the Acts flowing from it certainly by all of them you may be induced to believe that it makes the Condition joyful and pleasant 1. The Causes of it which are four 1. The Radical cause Why Conversion drops out of the Eternal Love of God to a mans soul Behold what manner of Love 1 Jo. 3. 1. as many as were ordained to eternal life believed Acts. 13. 2. The Meritorious cause Who loved us and gave himself for us Gal. 2. It is one part of Christs purchase he merited Grace and Glory for his 3. The Efficient cause immediately efficient it is the first breath of Gods sanctifying Spirit the Spirit of true Comfort and Joy 4. The Instrumental cause the word which is called sweet and sweeter then the Hony and the breasts of Consolation is the instrument of Conversion Jam. 1. 2. It s owne Nature Converting Grace hath three things intrinsecal unto it 1. Goodness it is By the Nature of it good and it only makes us good Now Goodness is the foundation of Delight Nothing is truly pleasant but what is truly good 2. Suteableness There is nothing so suteable either to the nature of the soul or end of the soul as true Grace 3. Perfection it is the Glory of the Soul 3. The acts flowing from it If the acts flowing from Conversion be such as God himself takes delight in He takes delight By the acts flowâ—ng from it in the prayer of his servants in the broken hearts of his servants in the Faith and in the Fear and in the Hope of his servants all their services are a sweet savour unto him as Noahs sacrifice was Surely then Conversion is able to make the converted
but the real cause of his sinning is his own will for he loves Darkness rather then Light and had rather serve his Lusts then God he makes choice of them before God as the multitude did of Barrabas before Christ and when Life and Death God and Sin are propounded yea and that with the true rewards from the one and severe wrath from the other yet he like Issachar bowes down under the burthen and loves rest he had rather go on in his sins and will not leave them And therefore we alone are guilty of our own bloud God is innocent as well as just our condemnation is but a due guerdon or paiment for our own voluntary departings from God A third moral Observation is this that The pleasures of sinning will quickly end and the end of them is extreme misery The Prodigal Doct. 3. The pleasures of sin will quickly end in misery here will be gone he must have pleasure his Fathers house was too strict well he begins his â—iotous living but then you read that he quickly consumed and wasted all his substance and brought himself into such extreme necessities that he became a servant to the swine and fain would have fed his belly with the husks which they left but none gave unto him This point I intend more fully to press which contains in it two branches 1. That the pleasures of sinning are but short 2. That though delights and pleasures begin a sinfull course yet extreme necessity and misery or streights do end it 1. The pleasures and delights of sinning are but short The riotous life of the Prodigal was a present consumption of his estate The pleasures of sin are but short The pleasure of sin is like a Candle which in the very burning and lighting burns and consumes away It is in Scripture compared to the crackling of thorns which is but a speedy blaze and to the Lightning which is but a glance and a flash and away and to a season the pleasures of sin for a season Heb. 11. which is a very inch of time a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a little article of time for though time be long yet a season is but a short space In Job the pleasure of sin is compared to a sweet morsel a morsel is no great quantity and though it be sweet yet it slips quickly away from the tongue and palate And the Apostle compares it to a bait wherewith a fish is taken the fish looks on and nibbles a little and takes it down and then away goes the bait Cain pleased himself a while but not long for the sin of murther presently pursued and cried against him And Adam before him had but one taste of the forbidden tree it quickly set his teeth on edge Gehazi's gold and garments and Achan's wedge as they were stoln waters and though sweet yet short So was it with Ahab he got Naboths vineyard sinfully but he scarce ever enjoyed it he met with a mighty curse from God presently upon him But here observe that the pleasures of sin may be said to be In respect of estimation short 1. In respect of estimation when the hearts of men judge of them as false unlawfull and short Thus Moses esteemed of them and therefore refused the pleasures of sin which were but for a season 2. In respect of duration For if Life itself be not long In respect of duration the pleasures of sin must needs be short It is true that as long as the impenitent soul hath a being the guilt of his sin shall have a being and consistence in the soul but at the utmost sinful pleasures extend not beyond our life their date then of necessity must be expired though usually they are extinguished or interrupted before and life is a very short tale hour moment 3. In comparison In comparison with eternity with eternity though a man should live in the pleasures of sin 20 40 60 years yet what is that space of time to an eternity of sorrows and bitterness Compare the longest time with eternity it is scarce a considerable moment But you may demand Why should the pleasures of sin be so short Sol. Nay Reasons of it you might rather demand Why they should be at all for indeed real pleasure cannot arise out of sinful acts yet a carnal and sensual pleasure there is which is nevertheless short Because 1. Sin is never so pleasant but it breeds that which is Sin is never so pleasant but it breeds that which is unpleasant unpleasant nay the more pleasure we find in it the more displeasure it works like a draught of beer which the more fully and pleasantly drops down the more danger is added to the patient So is it with sin it seems a delightful thing to you to follow your lusts your evil waies but the more you sin the more you increase your guilt and guilt is but a sword to cut the throat of your sinful pleasures It is like sweet poison which goes down easily and delightfully but it will suddenly disturb and crack the body 2. God hath cursed the waies of sin and therefore though they God hath cursed the ways of sin seem pleasant for a while yet that shall not be long he hath hedged it with thorns threatned all evil miserable and judicial evil against it And look as when a good man earnestly presses God upon his promises his sorrowes shall not stay long but sighs and tears shall flie away So when a wicked man provoketh God by his sinnings his pleasures shall be short for the Lord will perform his threatnings against him 3. The pleasures of sin must necessarily be short because conscience Conscience cannot be long quiet cannot be long quiet If you should wound and wound a man he will begin to feel and to complain even your pleasant sinnings are the most grievous woundings of conscience and conscience will not bear it will awake with blood trickling and will be revenged of you with most bitter expostulations severe accusations unsufferable gnawings and then where are the pleasures of your sins Who can stand before envy said Solomon so against conscience the wounds thereof yea and her woundings by it who can bear thy delights will sink and flie off yea thy heart will fail thee utterly when conscience ariseth to accuse and condemn thy sinful pleasures 4. They raise up manifold afflictions and calamities which shorten our pleasures and delights They raise up manifold afflictions But I proceed to the opening of the second branch viz. the endings of sin That though a sinful course may begin in many Sin will end in many miseries pleasures yet it shall end in many miseries extremities and straits There are diverse sorts of ending of things some end by way of annihilation as the souls of the beasts they shall cease to be they are resolved into nothing some end by way of perfection as the souls and waies of
father saw him and had compassion on him When Ephraim repented and returned and lamented why the Lord saith My bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy on him So here the father not only sees but compassionates q. d. Look the poor child is at length come back he hath smarted enough he shall be welcom I will forgive him all 3. His gracious Acceptation expressed in three particulars One of speedy readiness The father ran Mercy must speed to embrace a penitent Swift are the feet of mercy to a returning sinner A second of wonderful tenderness The father fell on his neck How open are the arms of mercy to take a penitent sinner into the bosom Mercy hath not onely feet to meet us but arms also to clasp and receive us if we be penitent A third of strong affectionateness His Father kissed him God hath not onely arms but lips he hath not naked mercies for a penitent opening themselves in manifold promises onely but also sugred mercies mercie sealed with the kisses of his lips with a sweet testimony that he doth accept of and is reconciled to a penitent and returning soul 2. Some things on the Childs part which is the real acting of his former resolution in an actual confession vers 21. And here observe a strange interruption on his fathers part 1. He staies not to hear all the confession and petition intended though he have purposed to have said more and make me as one of thy hired servants Why the father stops him prevents him we propose a method many times but God suddenly comes in with his mercies 2. He cannot confess so much but the father though not in words yet really doth much more Fetch forth saith he 1. The best roâ—e 2. The pretious ring and 3. The comely shoo 's We can bring nothing to God but yet he can find enough for the whole soul And 4. The fatted Calf Ah! how infinitely different is the penitent condition from the impenitent Now the child hath garments hath ornaments hath necessaries hath comfortables when we once truly turn to God we shall find no lack there is a complete happiness now come to this returning son who adventured on the gracious disposition of his father and there is a great gladness now in the father for the penitential returning of his son Our condition is best and God is most pleased when we turn penitents vers 21 22. Let us eat and be merry for this my son was dead and is alive again he was lost and is found Thus briefly have you the sense of the Parable with a division of the chief heads thereof I will nov proceed to pick out the moral observations which are couched in it they may be reduced to three general head 1. A Sinners digression or aversion from God 2. A Penitents regression or conversion unto God 3. A Penitents acceptation and favorable entertainment with God In the first you see the sinners going from God to misery In the second you see him returning unto himself by true penitency In the third you see God returning to him in mercy In the first you see him losing himself in the second you see him finding himself in the third you see God finding of him Sin loses us repentance finds us and then God owns us I begin with the Sinners dâ—gression or aversion from God which is set forth unto us in v. 12 13 14 15 16. under the similitude of a young man who would have all in his own hands and so he left his Father took his pleasure in Travels soon consumed all and shortly brought himself to extreme necessity and misery This is the literal part of the Parable But the Moral part comprehends if I mistake not these Propositions That Sin is a departing from God The young Prodigal he must leave his Father he must be D. 1. Sin is a departing from God gone what doth it imply but the sinner is a departer Sinning is a departing we leave God when we betake our selves to a course of sinning Thus is it stiled in Scripture Esai 1. 4. Ah sinfull Nation a people laden with iniquity a seed of evil doers children that are corrupters they have forsaken the Lord they have gone away backward Here sin is called a forsaking the Lord and a going away and a revolting ye will revolt more and more which is a falling off untrustily from God Jer. 2. 14. They have forsaken me the fountain of living waters Heb. 3. 12. An evil he art of unbelief in departing from the living God There is a two-fold Departing One is real when he turns away from the place or presence of another as Jonathan arose A two-fold departing Real and departed from his father Saul Thus no man can depart from God for he being omnipresent is with us in every place Another is moral which is when the heart or soul departs and thus the sinner departs from God when his soul and affections leave him Moral and cleave to sin And it cannot be but that sinning should be such a departing for as much as God and sin are most contrary so that the soul cannot enjoy them both if you will love and follow your sins you must leave God and if you will love and follow the Lord you must leave your sins for what communion can there be betwixt light and darkness God and sin The Use of this may inform us of the madness and folly of a sinner He will live in such or such a sin and with greediness he Vse See the folly of the sinner follows the inticements thereof Well! thou enjoyest thy sin but consider that thou losest thy God and what doest thou get in all thy delights which are but lying vanities whilest thou forsakest the God of thy mercies Thy exchange is miserable to leave a God and embrace a sin to depart from the chiefest good and happiness and to make choice of the basest objects of sin which is worse then hell it self A second moral observation is this that A sinner doth voluntarily of his own accord depart from God Here the Prodigal D. 2. A sinner doth voluntarily depart from God makes choice of his own way and course and desires to be left to himself and to take his own course God compels no man to a sinfull course nor is he the cause thereof nor can Satan compel the heart A man in this regard is said to tempt and entice himself and with Ahab to sell himself to work wickedness And therefore The sinner is utterly inexcusable before God Vse Therefore the sinner is inexcusable his mouth is for ever stopped his sin and perdition is of himself God is cleared in Judgment who punishes the wicked who is the actor contriver and sole cause of his own sinnings Take any sinner who delights himself in a way of wickedness why he is voluntary in it 'T is true in dispute he pretends an insufficiency or inability
c. At a Funeral Feast there is no mirth because the Master of the house is dead Ah weep over thy Father over thy Son the Master of the house is dead his precious soul is dead Thy pity can do a dead body no good but it may do a dead soul some good especially if you take in the next Duty which is 3. Pray for the dead I mean not in the Popish sense they Pray for the Dead you know pray for souls departed supposing them to be in Purgatory where the pains as they say are intollerable equal to them in Hell and the souls are deprived of the vision of God and therefore their Priests and others often pray for them and upon the Graves they inscribe Pray for the soul of such a one and on his soul Jesu have mercy But this is a wicked superstition We acknowledge no Purgatory and no need of Prayers for souls departed yet we hold Prayers requisite for one another whiles we are upon the earth And because some are dead whiles they live O pray to the Lord for them Lord Jesu have mercy upon the soul of my Husband Child Wife O convert them quicken them from the dead suffer them not their poor souls to die for ever When Steven was to die he prayed for those that were spiritually dead When Christ was dying he also prayed for them And Monica the Mother of Austin prayed for him and all of them were heard Object But I have prayed but yet no good comes of it Sol. Pray still as long as there is life and as long as there is prayer there is hope It will be an excellent comfort to thee and eternal happiness to thy friend if thou canst at length by thy prayers prevail with God to deliver that one soul from death Use the means by wâ—ich you may be quickned 4. If the Lord hath opened any of your eyes but to see what your spiritual condition is that you are yet in your graves yet dead in treâ—passes and sâ—â—s my advice unto you is this Go use the means by which your dead souls may be quickned Object Why but this is ridiculous to bid a dead man do work go stir do any thing Sol. I answer 1. There is a difference twixt a man corporally dead and a man spiritually dead The former can do no action whatsoever neither spiritual nor civil nor natural the latter though he can do nothing in spirituals yet for the other he may and can 2. You must distinguish twixt a spiritual action and an action which brings to a spiritual means He cannot convert his own heart yet he hath power to hear the Word which can 'T is true that a wicked unconverted man cannot exert any one spiritual action nevertheless he hath liberty and power to go to Church and hear a Sermon Why use this power and this liberty to come to the Pool where the Angel stirs to come to the Ordinances where God is pleased to quicken and raise the dead 3. When thou art under a spiritual Ordinance thou art under the voice of Christ himself who hath said That the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and live And truly let me tell thee That the Voice of Jesus Christ in his Word hath not only a power to find a lost man but also to quicken a dead man I have finished the first Proposition out of these words viz. Luk. 15. 24. That the unconverted man is a dead man I now proceed to the second which is this That every converted man is a living man When the sinner Doct. 2. Every converted man is a living man is converted he is then made alive Conversion is a Sinners Life So the Text This my son is alive again It is reported of Similis Captain of the Guard to the Emperour Adrian that he retired from the Court into the Countrey seven years before his death and caused this to be written on his Tomb Hiâ— jacet Similis cuâ—us aet as multoruâ— annorum â—uit ipse septem duntaxat annos vixit For so many years only was he converted We count the length of our lives from the time of our birth and we must count the life of our souls from the time of our new birth said Hierom. It is frequent in Scripture to stile converted persons living persons or persons made alive Rom. 6. 13. Yield your selves unto God as those that are alive from the dead Chap. 8. v. 10. If Christ be in you the spirit is life because of righteousness Gal. 2. 20. I live saith Paul Col. 2. 13. You who were dead in your sins hath he quickned For the advantagious discussion of this Point I shall briefly open unto you 1. What Life that is which the converted sinner attains unto 2. How it may appear that he is invested with such a Life and why 3. Then the useful Application of all this unto our selves 1. What Life that is wherewith the converted man is invested What is the life of a converted sinner A four-fold life Natural Sol. I speak only of that Life incident unto man which is four-fold 1. Life natural which is a power to move and act I count not my life dear unto me said Paul Act. 20. 24. All that a man hath he will give for his life Job 1. This is the Life of Nature and every man good or bad enjoys it 2. Life connatural which is a prosperous fruition of our Lives Life connatural with peace contentment and comfortable successes in the external matters and affairs of our life This also is possibly incident to all sorts of men 3. Preternatural which is a death Preternatural rather than a life A sinfull life a life acted under the power and motion of sinfull lusts I was alive once said Paul Rom. 7. In this respect wicked and ungodly men only are alive 4. Supernatural Supernatural a divine life a new life a life in Christ and from Christ and to Christ Of which there are two parts and they are proper only to converted persons 1. There is the Life of Grace which they enjoy in this world 2. There is the Life of Glory which they enjoy in the world to come called often in Scripture eternal life The Text speaks of the first of these The The life of Grace is The life of Justification converted sinner is invested with the Life of Grace And this again is branched into the life of 1. Justification for when a sinner is justified he is then in the condition of life The unjustified man is a dead man for he lies under the sentence of death and the justified man is a living man he is passed from death to life the Lord takes off the sentence of eternal death from him He shall not die for the sins which he hath committed for I have pardoned all his sins and now he shall live and not die saith the Lord. 2. Sanctification
When a sinner is sanctified Of Sanctification Which may be considered In the cause of it he is then made alive At this I suppose the Text doth principally aim This Life is considerable 1. In the Cause of it which is no other but the Spirit of Jesus Christ who unites Christ and the Soul together and upon this union the Soul is quickned with the life of Christ I live by the faith of the Son of God Gal. 2. 20. 2. In the Nature of it it is a novum spirituale esse which doth regenerate the man and as it were create him In the nature of it again The Scripture stiles this quality a new creature and the new man It is an holy living principle In a word this life is nothing else but the Grace of the Spirit regenerating and renewing the whole soul of a sinner It is saving light set up in the Mind and saving wisdome set up in the Judgment and saving grace set up in the Will and Affections which alter the old sinfull nature in man and are a new spiritual inclination to matters that are spiritual yea and a new spiritual ability or power in the whole soul of man to work that is spiritual Whereas the Understanding could not know the things of God now it is enabled to know them and to admire them and to study them whereas the Will was both unable to good and unwilling to good and only set on what was evil now being quickned by Grace it is drawn off from that affectionate inclination to evil and it is bent and inclined and in some measure enabled to desire Christ to love Jesus Christ to fear God to obey God and to walk with God And when this comes into the heart of a sinner he is said to be alive again Shall I draw out my thoughts of this Subject more clearly unto When a sinner is made alive Jesus Christ applies himself unto the soul and breaths into it the breath of life you Take me then thus When any sinner is made spiritually alive 1. Jesus Christ applies himself to the Soul and he breaths into it the Spirit of Life He doth with a poor dead soul much like as Eliah did with the Shunamites dead child who lay upon the child and put his mouth upon the childs mouth and his eyes upon the childs eyes and his hands upon the childs hands and he stretched himself upon the child and the flesh of the child waxed warm So the Lord Jesus applies himself by his Spirit to the soul of a sinner to all the soul of a sinner and works mightily in it producing knowledge in a blind mind and feeling in an hard heart and faith in an unbelieving spirit and all his Graces in the whole Soul 2. Which gracious principles He puts in living principles are all of them living principles and alter all the soul and incline it spiritually So that the man who cared not for God nor Christ nor Grace nor holy Duties heretofore now his soul bends to these and he minds these and he is never better than when he is thinking of God and mourning for his sins and thirsting for Christ and praying to God and hearing of the Word of God this is his desire and this is his delight 3. There is a power in these principles of spiritual life A power There is power of spiritual life in these principles against his sins so that now he can hate them and say What have I to do any more with Idols Get ye hence And a power in his affections so that now he is able to love God above all and able to fear God and not displease him willingly And a power in his will so that now he is able to come to Christ and cleave to Christ as his onely happiness And a power to spiritual actions so that he is now able to hear and understand to pray and wrestle to pray and believe to believe and repent Quest 2. How it may be evidenced that the converted man is How this may be evidenced thus made spiritually alive Sol. Thus 1. Every converted man hath a living union with Jesus Christ he is brought into He hath a living union with Christ fellowship with Christ Now Jesus Christ is a living Head and all his members are living Members 1 Joh. 5. 12. He that hath the Son hath life And Joh. 6. 51. I am the living bread if any man eat of this bread he shall live for ever 〈◊〉 2. All true grace is of a living nature False grace is a dead thing it True grace is of a living nature hath no life and can give no life but true grace is living True â—aith is a living faith I live by the faith of the Son of God Gal. 2. 20. And true hope is a living hope 1 Pet. 1. 3. God hath begotten us to a lively hope 3. Every converted man is the child of the living God he is born of the Spirit who is the Spirit of life He is a child of the living God God is not the God of the dead but of the living and God as a Father never begets any dead Children All his children are begot after his own image they are partakers of the Divine nature and that is a living nature 〈◊〉 4. The converted man lives the rest He lives the rest of his life to God of his life unto God 1. Pet. 3. 2. None of us liveth to himself for whether we live we live unto the Lord Rom. 14. 8. Can he possibly live unto the Lord until he be made alive by the Lord What glory can God get by the life of a dead sinner The living the living he shall praise thee as I do this day said Hezâ—kiah Isa 38. 19. God must have much glory from the converted man not only passive glory on him this he hath on wicked men but active glory from him glory from his believing and glory from his obedience which cannot be unless he be made alive spiritually alive The Use of this Doctrine shall be to draw you into a searching acquaintance with your spiritual condition There is not Vse Trial of our selves about our spiritual life a business which can possibly concern you more nearly than this Whether you be children of Death or of Life Whether yet dead in sins or quickned by the life of grace Can it be said of us as here of the Prodigal This my Son was dead but is alive So we were sometimes disobedient ignorant proud vile serving divers lusts but after that the grace of God hath appeared we are alive we have put off those lusts and have other Principles other Natures other Lives Let me offer unto you four Motives to try your souls about their spiritual Motives to this Trial. Life 1. You have enjoyed the means of Life The Gospel is often You have enjoied the means of life called the Word of Life