two h_ Some that are his Children by Regeneration = 0 Creation : he having given them that believe, a Right to be calls} = Sons of God, Fohn 1. 12. Others, that are his Sons by Creation ons The latter are here repreſented under the notion of a Tounger 0 This younger Son 15 repreſented, as diffatisfied with living in his Fa thers Houſe, defiring his portion, &'c, All Men and Women by Nature were equally the Sons of God, being all in Adam who was f All men ſwerved from him, in Adam all ſinned, all dyed ws ſome again by Grace are returned to their Fathers Hiufe, Oths: challenge a Relation to God, as his Creatures, but are not of their a thers Houſe, but defire only a portion of the good things of this Life, Some deſire Honours, ſome Riches, all of them Life a y Health, G&yc. God, like a liberal Father, gives ſome of thete = things to one, others to another ; to ſome more than one king = ther, whatever they have of this Nature is from him who maketh his Sun to ſhine, and his Rain to fall upon the Juſt ang Try Wicked Men when they are thus furniſhed by God, quickly take Help Fourney into a far Country, are more alienated and eſtranged from God by lewd and wicked praftices, than they were by Nature Wast their Sub$ance, the Health of their Bodies, their time of Life, their Eſtates, their great and honourable Capacities, by giving yp themſelves to lewd and riotous kinds of Life, to the high dhe. nour of Almighty God. It pleaſeth God by his Providence, ſome. times to bring theſe men into ſtraights z when they are fo brought they will take any baſe ſordid Courſe to relieve themſelves ; rather than they will think of returning to their Heavenly Father, of ther. ſelves they will rather chuſe to ſerve Swine. But if they be ſuch x belong to God s ElcQtion of Grace, the Providence of God will ne: leave them : though there be little Food for a Soul in the Hubs of ſenſible Satisfations 3 yet they ſhall not have a Belly full of them, God will bring them off from fatisfa&tion in any thing, and mike every Condition uneaſfie to them.
17 And when he came to himſelf, he ſaid, How mar hired ſervants of my fachers have bread enough and 9 ſpare, and | periſh with hunger !
18 1 will arife, and go to my father, and will fay mnt him, Father, I have ſinned againſt heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy for:
make me as one of thy hired 1ſervants.
Every Sinner is beſides himſelf. His Reaſon Iacqueys to his Luſt and Paſſion ; he is governed by Appetite, and that rageth in him, while his underſtanding is blind, and cannot diſcern betwixt G04and Evil and when he hath in any meaſure diſcerned any thing, his Will is ſtubborn and chuſeth the Evil. Converſion is but the return of a Soul to it ſelf. The firſt thoughts of which Converſion ariſe from a Souls Confideration, what a poor miſerable Creature it is, ready to perith for ever, whiles never a poor Soul belonging to God, no not the meaneſt ſervant in his Family, wanteth any good thing that is neceſſary for him. Theſe things increaſe in a Soul thoughts of returning to his Heavenly Father, through the Operation of the Holy Spirit of God. (For of our ſelves we are not ſufficient ſo much # to think one g20d thought.)
20 And he arofe, and came to his father. But * when ** he was yet a great way off, his father ſaw him, and ”y had compaſſion, and ran, and fel! on his neck, and kifed ' him,
The way of a Sinners returning to God muſt be by ariſing, going to the Father, conteſſing his Sins with the aggravations of them, diſclaiming any Goodneſs, any Righteouſneſs 1n himſelf, humbling himſelf ro God's Footſtool, [7 will ariſe, (faith the Prodigal ) and go to my Father, and ſay unto him, Father I have ſinned againſt Hea- ven, and before thee, and am no mcre worthy to be called thy Sm. mah? me as one of thy hired Servants. And he aroſe and came to his Father. ] He aroje from the ſleep, and bed of fin, and came unto bs Father. We arc not here told by whoſe ſtrength, or in whoſe affitance he aroſe, and came, We muſt remember that our Saviour is here re- preſenting a ſpiritual Notion, by an ordinary humane Aion ; now Men have an innate power to natural Motions, tho' not to ſpiritual Attions.. We are elſewhere told, That no Man cometh to the Fa- ther, but by Chriſt, nor doth any Man come unto the Son, but he whm the Father draweth. Every one as he is taught of the Father, comet? unto the Son and again, that tho' we be ſaved by Faith, yet it #18 of our ſelves, it is the Gift of God, and Phil. 1. 29. It # givent0# on the behalf of Chriſt to believe. Theſe are. but ſeveral Expreſſions ſignifying by the tender affeRions, and gracious reception of Earth- Iy Parents of a returning prodigal Son, the exceeding readineſs of our Heavenly Father to receive penitent ſinners ; he 1s fo far from diſcouraging great ſinners from taking up thoughts of returning vn9 him, that he cheriſheth the Embryoes of ſuch Reſolutions, 7 jor (faith the Pſalmiſt) I will confeſs my Tranſzreſſions unto the Lord, 4 thou forgaveſt the Iniquity of my Sin, Pal. 32. 5. God ſeeth tne firſt good motions, and ſtirrings of our Hearts, towards him, and he needs muſt do ſo, for he ſtirreth them up in us. There's pig ſacred fire upon our Altar, but firſt cometh down from ench whiles yet the Soul is far off from believing, and cloſing wit! Chril actually, and hath but ſome thoughts of that tendency, God _ upon it, incourageth ir, meeteth 1t as it were half-way 3 and 11 _ if he did not, our Goodneſs would be but like a Morning eh which would quickly paſs away, our firſt Inclinations would peril. like an untimely Birth before it had ſeen the Light.
21 And the ſon ſaid unto him, Father, I have hs againſt heaven, and in thy ſight, and am no more Wor'®) to be called thy ſon.
-— Now the good Thoughts and Reſolutions of the S1nncr +a _— Aion, and the firſt. ot it is an Expreſſion of his Convittions, = Humiliation by an humble Confeſſion of his fins, with th-1r bye] vations, as committed againſt God, and tht in the tight 0 Name and this God, his FatPer ; his unworthineſs ſo much 2s of the ? "
Chap, Xj
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With apait Cont! lipnit Ing © lis R with Mirth fir th Temp
came
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28
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| hap. XV-
' he was loſt, and is found,