A certaine man had two Sonnes.

NOw to enter in­to the Parable,This man in the Pa­rable re­presēteth God. in it we haue three per­sons introduced with three seuerall actions. The Prodigall childe sinning, & repenting his father pitying, & pardoning him, his el­der brother grudging and mumuring. We haue first then to see who is meant by this man, & his two sons. This man in the Pa­rable [...]esents God [Page 28] the Father of our Lord Iesus, and our Father in him,We must beware that wee diminish not the maiesty of GOD in our thoughts, to thinke him like man. where we must bee ware to assigne vnto God with the Anthropo­morphits and Papists, any visible shape, though hee demitte himselfe to our capa­city, and shadow him­selfe like vnto vs: let vs not diminish in our hearts the glorie of his maiesty, as to fashion him in our i­magination to be like vnto vs. For God is no [...] as man. Eies, & eares, ielousie, anger, and [Page 29] repentance are ascri­bed vnto him. But hee hath not carnall eies, nor eares, to see and heare, as man doth. If he hath with such wonderfull wis­dome made some of his cretures that they are,Macar. h [...]m. 24. [...] incomprehensi­ble to man,H [...]m. 12. yea the very soule of man whereby he knoweth all other things, yet knoweth not its owne selfe in many things, how shall we know him that made it, or conceiue of him [Page 30] as he is, he beeing in himselfe infinite, in regard of his creatures incomprehensible, in regard of place, incir­cumscriptible, in re­gard of time euerla­sting, and shall wee then imagine him to be like one of vs.

The rea­son why he figures himselfe like a manBut why then will you say, is hee cal­led a man? doubtlesse for our comfort and instruction, because we cannot conceiue of his maiestie as hee is, hee speakes to vs of himselfe as we are, in­sinuating his loue to­wards [Page 31] vs. Among all creatures none more familiar to a man then a man, and among all men none more kind­lie and louing then a father; therfore when the Lord will signifie his loue, he shadowes himselfe vnto vs like a man, and such a man as is our father. And this is for our instru­ction, as oft as the Lord expresse [...] him­selfe vnder the name of a man, it is not be­cause he is so indeed, but because it is need­full for vs that so his [Page 32] maiesty should be ex­pressed. Looke then what goodnesse God hath created in man,Euery good and excellent thing in man is a witnesse of the in­compara­ble good­nesse and excellēcy of God and then goe vp, and consider by it what a good creatour is hee that made him. Hath man an eie to see, and an eare to heare; can man being an earthly father haue compas­sion on his children and prouide good things for them. Thē let vs gather with the Psalmist,Psal. 94. Vnderstundye vnwise, hee that made the eye, doth he not see, or hee that planted the [Page 33] eare doth hee not heare: and againe with our Sauiour,Mat. 7.11 If ye which are euill can giue to your children good gifts: Atheists are iniuri­ous to the Lord, for they doe not thinke him so good as themselus how much more shall your Father which is in hea­uen giue good things to them that aske him. But here is the fault, that as Anthropomorphites ascribe vnto God such a shape as themselues haue. So Atheists do abase his maiesty so farre, as to thinke hee is not so good as they are, he hath not such knowledge and pow­er as a man hath, [Page 34] other deny his proui­dence, and saie hee hath eies and seeth not, they deny his mercy, and distrust that hee will shew kindnesse, and com­passion to his owne,But makes him like an Idol of of the na­tions that hath eies and sees not. Psal. 115. they deny his iustice, whiles as they thinke hee will not punish transgressors, and so setting his maiestie lesse then one of them selues, they make him in their mind like the Idols of the Nations, that haue eies and see not, eares and heare not, hands and worke [Page 35] not, feet that walke not, and in a word, such a one as can nei­ther doe good nor e­uill: but their wicked­nesse shall reprooue them, and they shall finde the contrarie by mi­serable experience in the end. Thus haue wee seene for what cause it is that the Lord expresseth him­selfe vnto vs by the si­militude of a man.

Many waies hath God honoured the nature of man:Hovv god hath ho­noured mans na­ture, ap­peares 1 In creatiō First, in our creation that when hee made man [Page 36] hee beautifieth him with his image.2 In redem­ption. 3 In the word. Next in our redemption, wherein hee sheweth himselfe so enamou­red with the loue of man, as to marry our nature with his owne in the person of his Sonne Christ Iesus. And thirdly, in his word, that when hee speakes of himselfe he borrowes compari­sons from man to ex­presse himself; once he made man to his own similitude, but often describes himselfe ac­cording to mans simi­litude [Page 37] Plerunque a cor­poribus hominum in se similitudinem trahit De­us, And this serues,Gregor. mor. l. 32. shortly to make man ashamed, who spares not to dishonour his owne nature,Rom. 6. giuing the members of his body as weapons of vnrighte­ousnesse to sinne, subie­cting to Satans slaue­ry that nature, which God hath so highly honoured aboue the nature of Angels, and all other creatures whatsouer.

Had two sonnes.

The two sonnes in this Para­ble repre­sent, not Iewes and Gentiles.Hauing seene who is meant by this fa­ther in the parable, we come now to see who are his two sons. By the younger some vnderstand the Gen­tiles, and by the elder the Iewes. It is true indeede they are our elder brethren, and were in the couenant before vs, and shall a­gaine returne vnto it, we haue to pitie them and pray to God for them that hee would [Page 39] take the vaile from their eies, 2. Car. 3. and bring them home againe,Ioh. 10.16 that there may be one Sheepe­heard, and one sheepe­fold. But they cannot bee figured heere by this eldest sonne, be­cause they haue forsa­ken their fathers fami­lie, and are now stran­gers from the tents of Sem. Nether yet An­gels and men. Others againe by these two sonnes vnderstand elect an­gels and men, it is true also that they tri­umphant in heauen are our elder brethren called therfore by the [Page 40] Apostle The congrega­tion of the first borne. Heb. 12. Like as they againe call the Church mili­tant on earth their lit­tle sister. Cant. 8.8. But by this elder brother they cannot bee represen­ted, for they murmur no [...] at any compassi­on shewed vs, or lo­uing intertainement made to vs by our heauenly father, they grudge not,Nor yet Pharisees and Pub­licanes. but ra­ther reioyce at the conuersion of a sin­ner. There are yet the third who by this elder brother vnder­stand [Page 41] pharisees & iusti­ti [...]rs, by the younger publicans and sinners. Truth it is the Phari­sees grudging at Christ for his familiaritie with Publicans gaue him occasion to vtter this parable, and by it also hee conuinces them. But the do­ctrine herein deliuer­ed extendeth further, as now we shall heare.

These two sonnes then represent two sortes of Gods chil­dren in the militant Church:But the tvvo Sons represent sorts of Gods children vpon earth. some not only chosen but effe­ctually [Page 42] called by grace, and these are figurate by the elder sonne, some chosen, but yet not called nor renew­ed by grace, and these are figurate by the younger sonne.The [...]l­der sonne represents such as are chosen & called. The first sort of these will not go from their fa­ther, they resolue to abide in his house, and are willingly content to liue vnder their fa­thers gouernment & correction, their de­sire is with Dauid,Psal. 27. One thing haue I desired of [...] the Lord, and I still re­quire it, that I may dwell [Page 43] all my daies in his house, to behold his beauty.

Their resolution is with Iosua,Iosh. 24.17. Though all the world should forsake the Lord, I will worship him. And their prote­station is with Peter,Ioh. 6.68. whither shall we go from thee, thou hast the words of eternall life. I haue not said that these sort of men sinne not, if they fall, they fall in their Fathers floore, whose mercifull hand raiseth them vp again, but it is farre from them to professe a de­parture from him, & [Page 44] for such as these are in the Church we giu [...] thankes to God.

The yon­er son re­p [...]esents such as a [...]e cho­sen, but not yet called.As to the other re­presented by the younger sonne, they are Gods children in regard of election, but not yet called, no [...] sanctified by grace. These in their igno­rance care not to shake of the yoke and discipline of their Fa­ther, they will not abide with him, as they promised in baptisme to be ruled by him, and liue vn­der his commande­ment; [Page 45] but they will doe their owne will, walking after the ly­berty of their owne lusts with the wicked in the way of repro­bation, their heauen­ly father suffering thē with long patience to prooue their owne weakenesse,These are disobedi­ent chil­children till they be called. that his mercy may bee the more manifest to­wards them, when by his effectuall grace he cals them out of this snare of the deuill, as heere at length he did to this Prodigal child. And these in the [Page 46] Church whom all men may see like vn­to this yonger sonne in departing from God: wee pray the Lord they may also be like him in retur­ning: but alas, wee [...] haue many like the one, few like the o­ther. For which we may complaine with Augustine.Aug.In occulto est vnde gaudeam, in publico vnde torquear. The matter of our ioy in such as cleaue vnto the Lord for the most part is hidden in se­cret: but the matter [Page 47] of our griefe in such as depart from him is publike and mani­fest. Alwaies sure it is that they that liue most licentiously, if they be the elect chil­dren of God, shall once ere they die bee effectually called by grace, and so renewed and made obedient children vnto their heauenly father.This lear­neth vs to looke vvith pity to men in their sin, it may be they are our bre­thren in regard of election.

And this should learne vs compassion towards men in their sins, for thou knowest not, whether, if or not in Gods secret coun­sell [Page 48] he be an elect child of God, thy brother and an heire of grace with thee, who in re­gard of his present e­uil conuersation, liues as an enemy and a stranger from grace. Ananias feared Saint Paul, Act. 9.13.17. as an aduersarie, whom shortly after, he fauoured and em­braced as a brother; and many such no doubt there are in the Church, concerning whom the comman­dement is giuen.2. Tim. 15. In­struct with meekenesse them which are contrary [Page 49] minded, waiting if at a­ny time God will bring them out of the snare of the Deuill.

And the younger:

Wee haue first to consider this Parable according to the let­ter:This Pa­rable be­ing first conside­red according to the letter, teacheth vs. for it is certaine that our Sauiour bor­rowes no similitude from that which is not. Parabola enim de nullo non conuenit. It will let vs see that of­ten times good and godly fathers haue wicked & vngratious [Page 50] children.That good fa­thers of­tentimes haue euill children. Esa. 1. Seeing God who is the Father o [...] vs all, complaines o [...] it. I haue nourished an [...] brought vp children, bu [...] they haue rebelled agains [...] me. It becomes other fathers to beare this crosse the more pati­ently.

And all to declare that grace is Gods free gift & comes not by nature.Neither is it without cause, that oftentime [...] so it fals out, for if wise and godly fathers had alwaies wise and godly children, i [...] might bee thought grace were heritable flowing from nature not giuen of God frō [Page 51] aboue; but we see the contrary, as circum­cised parents begate vncircumcised chil­dren, so regenerate fathers, vnregenerate children. Adam hath a Cain, Noah a Cham, Abram an Ismael, Isaack an Esau, Ezechiah a Manasse. For god­ly fathers beget na­tural chil­dren not out of new grace but out of old nature The reason heereof is, that the goodnesse which is in man, he hath it not by nature, but by grace of regeneration and in begetting chil­dren according to na­ture, he communicats to them that which [Page 52] he hath of nature, not that which he hath a­boue nature by grace. Homo liberos gignit ex carne vetusta, Aug. cont. Pelag. lib. 2. ca. 9. & pecca­trice non ex spiritu, quo­circamini me mirum, si iustus iustos non gignat, sicut peccator peccatorē. A man begetteth chil­dren of sinfull flesh, not of the spirit. No maruel therefore that a righteous man be­gette not righteous children, as a sinneful man begetteth sin­ners. The Graines of wheat which are sow­en in the earth purged [Page 53] from all their super­fluities, hauing nei­ther stalke, nor eares, nor chaffe,This is cleared by simi­litudes. Aug. cont. In [...]ian. lib. 6. cap. 6. yet grow vp againe with them all, Quia purgatio illa, non natura contigit gra­nis, sed hominum arte. Because that purgati­of the corne is not made by nature, but by the arte of man. Cum autem frumenta non nascantur ab his principijs artis, & in­dustria, sed naturae, ne­cesse est vt nascentia se­quantur non rationem humanae industriae, sed naturae. Therefore is it [Page 54] they grow vp not such as the art and in­dustry of man hath made them, but such as they are by n [...]ture. Et sicut gignitur ex olea­stri semine oleaster, August. de nuptijs & concupis. lib. 2. c. 19 & ex oleae semine non nisi oleaster, Cum inter olea­strum & oleam pluri­mum distet, ita & de car­ne peccatoris, & de carne iusti vtrinque peccator, quam vis inter peccato­rem & iustum multum distet. And as the seed of the wilde Oliue bringeth out a wilde oliue, and the seede of the oliue brings out [Page 55] also a wilde oliue: al­beit betweene the oliue and the wilde oliue in themselues there is a great diffe­rence:No mat­ter of gloriation in flesh. euen so out of the flesh, both of iust men and sinners, sin­ners are begotten, al­beit in themselues great difference bee betweene the righte­ous and the sinner. That all matter of gloriation may be ta­ken from flesh, and he who glories may glo­rie in the Lord, boast as thou wilt of the priuiledges of nature, [Page 56] they are but the mat­ter of thy mourning. Comfort canst thou haue none, but in that which grace hath gi­uen thee aboue na­ture.

Parents should take heed that in their ovvn default children bee not crosses vnto thē 1. Sam. 3.13.Onely let parents take heede that in their owne default their children be­come not crosses vnto them. Iustly was Ado­nijah a scourge to Da­uid in his olde daies, because he would not displease him from his youth.1. King. 1.6 And Ophni and Phinees a crosse to their father Eli, be­cause [Page 57] he suffered thē to run into a slander. A threefold dutie therefore,A three­fold dutie parents owe to their chil­dren. should fa­thers discharge to their children; first, by a godly life giue them good example,1 First, to giue them good ex­ample. doe not that which thou wouldest not wish thy children to follow; it is an euill great enough that thou hast deriued sin vnto them by propa­gation, let them not also draw it from thee by imitation. Second­ly, haue a care of their education, Ephes. 6.4. to bring them [Page 58] vp in the information of the Lord. Foolishnesse is bound in the heart of a childe, Pro. 22.15 but the rod of correction driues it a­way. 2. Secondly to haue a care of their edu­cation. Nazian. orat. 48. in Iulian. Nazian records, that the Lacedaemoni­ans learned their chil­dren to excell in forti­tude, and tollerance of sorrowes by fre­quent beating them. Licurgus taught the Spartans what power was in good educati­on. Whē of two dogs procreat of the same parents by his paines he made the one a hound for the fields, [Page 59] the other, not so trai­ned vp, remaining but a curre for the kitchin. And Socrates was wont to say that many children, for want of good educa­tion were like vnto couragious horses,st who for lacke of go­uernment become no better then Asses. It is a shame for Christi­ans to come behinde Ethnickes in this du­ty. And yet that edu­cation will not alway doe it is euident in Isaac and Ismael, both brought vp in the [Page 60] house of Abram; yea in Iacob and Esau both gotten of one father borne of one mother, that lay together in one belly, their edu­cation was alike, their dispotition vnlike.Thirdly, to be in­stant in praier to God for them. Therfore besides the ordinary meanes of information and cor­rection, the last duty fathers ought to their children is earnest praier vnto God for them: euen as Iob e­uery morning sacri­fised for his children, that GOD would frame their hearts to [Page 61] his holy loue and o­bedience, that the corruption of nature which in the first ge­neration they com­municate to their children, may be ta­ken away, and they by the grace of rege­neration sanctified and renewed vnto his holy image.

Hauing noted these things in the parable,Children in grie­uing their Parents prepare griefes for them­selues. according to the let­ter in the point of the father: two things also occurre to bee marked in the part of the sonne: first, his [Page 62] vile ingratitude to his Father, that vpon no necessity, onely to the end he might follow his owne will and en­ioy the perishing pleasures of his sinfull lusts, he forsakes him. And that all children may learne to flee this fault: let them marke that because this young man became a crosse to his father, he becoms at length a crosse also to himself.Children cannot re­quite the good they haue of their pa­rents.

It is the first dutie of godlinesse in chil­dren (said Cyrill) to be thankfull to their [Page 63] parents, to wait vpon them, serue thē, cōfort thē, especially in their old age, Quamvis enim illis plurima eiusmodire­diderimus, rursus tamen eos generare non possu­mus, for albeit in some things we may be able to requite them,Cyrill. [...]at. 7. as Io­seph being fed 17. yers by his father Iacob in Canaan fed his father againe other 17. yeres in Aegypt;Gen▪ 47. yet are we neuer able to beget them againe,Nazian. ad Vitalia­num filios suos auer­santem. Ab illis primam viuendi causam accepimus, adeo vt pa­rentes velut dij quidam [Page 64] sint, hoc est liberis vice Dei, hos Deus increatus & immortalis, nobis creratos & mortales deos de­dit, vt homines honore afficeret. For pa­rents are as little Gods vn­to their children. For vnder God we haue our be­ing of them, he who is the father immortall and increated, for the honouring of man­kind hath communi­cated his name to mortall and created creatures, to make them also fathers and begetters of others, thus are they to their children like little gods, or in God his [Page 65] steed, which as it should waken in fa­thers a care to be an­swerable to there name and place, in wise and louing dea­ling with their chil­dren; so warnes it children of that loue, thankefulnesse and o­bedience, they ought euery way vnto their parents.

But such is the ini­quitie of this age,The vn­righteous dealing of Children with their parents in this age. that many parents would willingly bee content to forgo all the good they may haue by their children, vpon [Page 66] condition they were quit of their euil. This prodigall child failed in omissiō of his duty, his fault was in the de­sertiō of his father, we heare not that other waies he did him any euill, or was vnreue­rent toward him ei­ther in word or deed, like vnnaturall chil­dren now, who are not ashamed to be mockers, cursers, and oppressors of their parents. A fearefull impietie, a beastly stu­piditie, doubtlesse a forerunner of great [Page 67] wrath to fall vpon these, who fall into such sins. There was infirmities in Noah, when Cham mocked his wickednesse, but did he not for that in­curre the curse? and thinkest thou that the faults of thy parents shall excuse thine vn­naturall contempt of them?The fear­ful punishment of vndutifull children to their parents. Wilt thou look into the law, thou shalt see an heauy pe­naltie laid on euery iniurie, that either by word or deed thou dost to thy father.Ex [...]. 21.17 He that curseth his father [Page 68] or his mother shall die the death. Eu. 21.15 He that smi­teth his father or his mother shall die the death. Yee shall feare euery man his father and his mother. Leu. 19.3 If any man haue a sonne which is stubborne and disobedi­ent, who will not hearken to the voice of his fa­ther, nor the voice of his mother, Deut. 21.18. &c. Then all the men of the citie shal stone him with stones vnto death. De. 27.16 Cursed be he that curseth his father, or his mother. Pro. 30. 17. The eie that mocketh his father, & de­spiseth the instruction of [Page 69] his mother, let the ra­uens of the valley picke it out, and the young Ea­gles eat it.

And if we shal come downe lower to looke into nature, we shall finde this vile ingrati­tude condemned by her decree also, Filius cum patre quoquo modo ne expostulet, Nazian. senten. Natures decree, cōdemns such impiety. cum hoc lex interdicat, tum ante le­ges ipsa natura. Let not a sonne any man­ner of way contend with his father, seeing this is forbidden by the Law, and by na­ture it selfe, before [Page 70] any Law was giuen, The young Ciconia (supposed by some to be the Storke) which lappeth her wings a­bout her parents whē thorow age they be­come naked, spoi­led of their owne feathers, feedes them, and carries them from place to place vpon their winges; may condemne,Basil. hex. hom 8. said Basil, the barbarous inhu­manity of vnnaturall children, who eithe [...] will forsake their pa­rents in time of age, or then abide with [Page 71] them onely to op­presse them, pulling from them their fea­thers, that is, the meanes of their life, to make vp them­selues, these are not men, but beastly crea­tures like Lions,Hom 9. and vipers which are borne to the destru­ction of their parents. Let these bee out of doubt, that with the same measure it shall bee measured againe vnto them, if a worse doe not ouertake them.

The other thing to [Page 72] be marked heere is,Why this sonne is called the younger sonne. that this childe who here casts off his fa­thers yoke is called the younger. Doth learne vs that as Satan hath his tentations for euery age: So the age whereupon hee workes most busilie, and preuailes most mightily is youth.Satan hath ten­tations meet for euery age of man. The affections then being strongest, are impatient of correcti­on, they will not sub­mit their shoulders to the yoke of God,Ier. 2.24 but like wilde shee Asses they snuffe vp the [Page 73] winde, and despise the hunter. Therefore said Nazian. Nazien, o­rat. 46 in Ecclesiast. Amb. li. de viduis. Inuentutis assecla est stultitia, as a Page followes his ma­ster: so folly followes youth. Vicina lapsibus est adolescentia. It is the age whereunto men are neerest and most ready to fall. In the Lawe God required vnto himselfe the first fruits,Leu. 2.14. Wheate beaten out of the greene eares, to signifie, that God will be serued with the first fruits of our green and flourishing age:Youth should be consecrat vnto God but alas, men re­member [Page 74] not how far they dishonour the Lord, when their yong and lusty yeres they will giue vnto Sathan, promising their old, whithered and decrepit age, as good enough to serue the Lord. Such ini­quity many times is repaied with a pro­portionable plague, that because they will not giue there young yeares vnto the Lord, he will not accept the seruice of their old age, but cuts them a­way, (yea, which is [Page 75] most fearefull in their sinnes) and lets them neuer come to the honour of a hoarie head.

Sometimes it falles out that yonger men are the Nazarites of God, A great blessing when younger ones are Gods Na­zarites. Amos 2. Lam. 3.27 and a great bles­sing where so it is; for it is good for a man to beare the yoke in his youth. Then may a man see youth beau­tified with great gra­ces, with Chastity like Iosephs, with tempe­rance like that of Da­niel, who was not de­lighted with the [Page 76] Kings delicates, with ripe vnderstanding, and knowledge (a rare grace in young yeares) like Samuel or Salomon; But alas, how small is the num­ber of Gods Nazarits, purer then the snow, Sam. 4.7. whiter then the milke, who separate them­selues from all filthy­nesse of the flesh and spirit, 2. Cor. 7.1. that they may adhere vnto the Lord in regard of these whom iustly I may call Satans Nazarites, But many of them may bee iustly ter­med Sa­tans Na­zarites. who deuiding them­selues from God doe [Page 77] in most execrable maner deuote them­selues to Satan by drunkennesse, harla­try, and deboshing in all kind of impie­tie.

Now,Somtime also aged men in yeares are found young in manners. as these lusts of the flesh are noy some in youth, so al­so in old age, it is a double sin and shame both, wher men with grouth in yeres, haue made no grouth in knowledge and god­linesse, be what they will in regard of their yeares, if they be not Morum grādaeuitate ma­turi, [Page 78] aged in manners,Gregor, Mor. li 19 Philo. Bern. in Can.ser. 44. they are, Longaeui pue­ri, they are but old children, in aquibus nul­lus succus virilis sapien­tiae, maturitatis & forti­ [...]udinis, in whom there is no sappe of manly wisdome, maturity, nor strength.Athan. in ep.ad Tim. Carnali­bus desiderijs etiam se­nex ad inuentlem redit aetatem, for by carnall desires an aged man shews himselfe to be but foolish and yong, such were these elder men that first vainely tempted Susa [...] to sin, and then wrong­fully [Page 79] accused her,Ignat. ad Magnesia­nos. Ca. niciem vanam habentes, let such aged men know that in this Pa­rable, they are also fi­gured by the yonger sonne,These are vvorse then this yong for­ [...]ome childe and much more miserable then he, that where he in his younger yeres re­turned to the Lord, they in their old daies are yet vnder the ser­uitude of sinne, cary­ing in a weak and im­potent body, strong affections wickedly inclined vnto euill, wherein if they dye as they were borne, [Page 80] and ly downe in the graue, their bones being full of the sinnes of their youth, Iob 20.11. It had beene better for them they had neuer been born.

But now leauing the letter,The para­rable cō ­sidered according to the sense, lets vs see our manifold faults, whereun­to man by nature is subject Ephes. 2. we come to search the sense of the Parable. This Prodi­gal childe is proposed to vs as a type of all the Children of disobe­dience, that in him we may see what are the sins by which a man deuides himself from God, and drawes vp­on himselfe perdition vnlesse he returne a­gaine [Page 81] by vnfained re­pentance.

First,I Ignorāce of God maketh a man to dissteeme of God. then in that he is called a young man, there is noted in him want of know­ledge and experience as the ground and fountaine of all his folly, he knew not as yet what his father was worth vnto him. And therefore hee is not afraid to forsake him. This is to teach vs that none forsakes the LORD, but such as doe knowe him not, and vn­derstands not that in [Page 82] so doing, they forsake their owne mercy. Ionas 2.8. My people perisheth for want of knowledge, saith the Lord: and againe, they are a nation void of counsell, neither is their any vnderstanding in them.Deut. 32. 28.29.Oh that they were wise, then they should vnderstand this, they would consider their la­ter end. And our Saui­our when hee came neere Ierusalem, wept for it, and said,Luk. 19. 42. Oh if thou hadst knowne, at the least in this thy day these things which be­long to thy peace. All [Page 83] these cōplaints make cleere vnto vs that it is only the ignorance of God which makes men to despise him & cast of his yoke.No other­wise thē beasts disesteem of most pretious things, because they know them not. As beasts that know not the valew of pearles care not to trample them vnder their feet, or as young children laugh at the death of their parents, because they know not for the present, what they loose thereby, but afterward re­member it with griefe, so blinded man without re­morse [Page 84] runnes away from God, not know­ing what hee lost by departing from the Lord, for hee is light, and they goe into vt­ter darkenesse that goe from him: he is life, and they are but dead who abide not in fellowship with him.Ps. 73.27. For lo, they that withdraw themselues from thee shall perish, thou destroiest all them that goe a whoring from thee. Gen. 3.7. But afterward, When their eies are ope­ned, they shall know that they are naked, and that [Page 85] it was an euill and a bitter thing that they did forsake the Lord. Ier. 2.9. But such as haue felt the sweetnesse of the Lord, and Tasteed how gratious he is, the more they know him,Such as know the Lord can not bee cōte [...]t to liue with­out the Lord. 2, K. 2.6. the better they loue him; and the neerer their soules cleaue vnto him without separation, as Ehsha said to Elijah, as the Lord liueth, and thy soule liueth I will not leaue thee, so they went both together: so spea­keth vnto the Lord e­uery soule that knows the Lord.

[Page 86] This is e­uident in elect An­gels.One example of this wee haue in the elect angels they are neuer wearie to behold his excellent maiesty they find euer new matter of ioy in his face when they come foorth as his messengers to exe­cute his will vpon the creatures, they come so to vs, that they de­part not from him,Gregor. M [...]ral. nunquam sie for as exe­ [...]nt vt interne contem­plationis gaudijs priuen­tur, for they are ful of eies before and be­hind, they neuer so looke to the creature, [Page 87] that they lose sight of their Lord the Crea­tor, In men also cal­led and sanctified by grace. & so it is with his saints on earth, thogh they bee farre from that perfection, yet prease they to it by daily imitation, that the will of God may bee done on earth by them as it is done in heauen by the holy Angels, euery one of them resolues for himselfe.Psal. 73. 28.25. It is good for me to draw neere vn­to God, whom haue I in heauen but thee, and I haue desired none in earth with thee, yea in comparison of the [Page 88] Lord all things seeme as dung vnto them,Phil. 3.8. Math. 13. 44. he is that precious trea­sure, they who once haue found him are content to sell all that they haue to the end they may enioy him.

2 Vpon ig­norance follow [...]s rebellion whereby mā s [...]aks of Gods yoke and vsurps his glory.Secondly, in this Prodigall child is no­ted heere, that natural rebellion which is in all men, that they will not submit themselus to the will of God their heauenly father, but will follow their owne wils, for in this onely stands the que­stion betweene God [Page 89] and man, Whose will should be done, where God with all reason craues that his holy will may be done, man against all reason preferres his will to the will of God. It is the onely glory of al­mighty God, and his proper priuiledge, which hee will not giue vnto an other, that hee is supreme ruler and gouernour of all, ha­uing none aboue him, onely apostat Angell and man vsurps his glory, for man not content to haue all [Page 92] al the cretures of God subiect vnto him, re­fuse also to be subiect vnto God, and doth what he can to set his throne aboue the throne of God, and to subdue the will of God vnto his own.

This is that per­uerse imi­tation of GOD, which Sa­tan taught our first parents.Vnto this rebellion Sathan was the first tempter of man pro­mising to make him equall with God, which he no lesse foo­lishly then wickedly vsu [...]ped,A [...]gus. d v [...]rb d. m Peruersa e­nim haec imitatio dei, vt quemad [...]odum de [...]s non habet alium à quo for­metur, & regatur, it a & homo velit sua vti pote­state: for this is a per­uerse imitation of God, that as hee hath none aboue him who made him and rules him: so man also will haue none aboue him this is not the right way to be like to him, but a pert aspiring to that which he should not,Man vsur­ping more then God gaue him, lost that which he had, but attained not to more. and neuer shall be able to attaine vn­to. By this presump­tion man was not ad­uanced to a better, but in most miserable manner abased to a [Page 92] worse estate, seeking more dignity then he had, he obtained not that which he sought but lost that which he had, for euery crea­ture,Bern. de subiect. u [...]s [...]re vo­luntaris. velit, nolit subiect a est creatori, whether it will, or will not, must be subiect to the crea­tor.Aug de Corrept. & gra. 14. Et de his qui faci­unt quae non vult faci [...] ipse quae vult, and o [...] them who doe that which he will not, the Lord doth that which hee will, the pride of man may empaire [...] himselfe, but cannot preiudge the priui­ledge [Page 93] of the almighty, Woe bee to him that con­tends with his maker, Es [...] 45.9. wo to euery wil which is against Gods will, for it shall neuer ob­taine that which it willeth, but shall for euer sustaine that which it will not. As we pray,3 With these two is conioi­ned hy­pocrisie, man in word cals God his father when no such thought is in his heart. so let vs pra­ctise that Gods will may be done, and not our owne.

The third euill no­ted heere in this Pro­digall, is his hipocrisie he cals him in word Father, but in deed did not so account of [Page 94] him, he caried not to­ward him the heart o [...] achilde, this is a part of that poison,Pisid. [...] where with Satan hath infe­cted our nature. C [...] deciperet, consiliarium se [...] exhibebat, & s [...]laba [...] amicum, [...] cō ­ming to our parents of purpose to be a de­ceiuer,Satan a notable distem­bler. he shewed him selfe as if hee were a counsellor, a deadly enemy, yet professing friendship; hee hath spou [...]ed this poison o [...] hypocrisie into our first Fathers to couer their wickednes with [Page 95] faire shewes and sen­siue, Omnem illorum po­steritatem haereditarium hoc virus infecit. Ber. in C [...]t. S [...]rm. 82. This heritable poison hath poisoned all their po­sterity. Quem enim da­bis de filijs Adam, qui quod est, non dico velit, sed vel patiatur se vide­ri. Whom will ye get among all the sonnes of Adam, who wil­lingly desires,By hypo­crisie man couers the [...]u [...] which he hath, and simu­late [...] the good which he hath not. yea or can suffer himselfe to be known for such as he is.

And this euil of hi­pocrisie is then worst, when not onely men [Page 96] by it will couer the e­uill which they haue not.Bet. in C [...]t. ser. 66. Boni videri, non esse muli non videri, sed esse volunt, they wil be euill, and yet will not seeme to be euill, they will not be good and godly, and yet will make a shew as if they were good and god­ly. But bee not dec [...]iued, Gen. 27. God will not bee mocked. Rebecca in subtil man­ner decked vp Iacob vn­der Esau his apparell, and Isaac being olde [...] and dimme of sight, misknew him. Now Satan more cunning­lie [Page 97] buske vp Esau vn­der Iacobs apparell. O how this leauen of of hypocrisie hath sowred the whole masse of mankinde,But by no shadow of dissimulation can the Lord be decei­ued. the world is full of carnall men walking vnder the couering of Christians; they haue reiected the yoke of God, walking after their owne lusts, and yet with this for­lorne childe they will come and call God their father being in­deed but counterfets, they looke as if they were Christians, but [Page 98] is our Lord like Isaac, weake of sight to mis­take them; No, no, they may mourne and shed many teares they may confesse their sinnes, they may put on sack cloth, they may offer sacrifice: So Esau mourned, so Iudas confessed, so A­chab humbled him­selfe in dust, so Cain sacrificed, but by none of these shewes will the Lord be de­ceiued.

Hipocrits cōuinced by their owne words.Out of thine owne mouth shalt thou bee iudged, ô hipocrite. [Page 99] For if I be your Father (as thou callest mee) where is my honour, Malac. 1. and if I be your Master, wher is my feare:1. Pet. 1.17. and a­gaine, If ye call him fa­ther, who without re­spect of persons iudgeth euery man according to his works, passe the time of your dwelling heere in feare: But thy works conuince thy tongue of a lie; thou callest him Father, but doest not resemble his i­mage: shall we thinke that God begetteth children to an other image then his owne. [Page 100] Yea, beside the euill of a wicked conuersa­tion, the very shew of a good profession shall also improue thee:A meet question for hypo­crites. for tell me (hy­pocrite) why wilt thou not hee in­deede, which in shewe thou wouldst seeme to be, if it bee a good thing to ap­peare to be godly, is it not better to bee godly indeed? and if thou thinke shame to appeare to be of an e­uill life, shouldst thou not much more think shame to bee euill in­deed. [Page 101] Thus as the fish Sepia is bewraied by the blacke colour which she casteth out to couer her: sō is the hypocrite conuinced by the very shew of godlines, vnderwhich hee hoped to haue lurked.

And truly,The iust and pro­portional punish­ment of hypocrits. most iust and fearefull is that recompence, wherewith God pai­eth home such hy­pocrites; for as they take the name of God in their mouth, when the loue and reue­rence of God is not [Page 102] in their hearts, so shal not they bee in the heart of God, Esa. 62.3. as Dauid was, nor grauen on the palmes of his hand, as his Church is,1. Sam. 13.14. Nor written in the beoke of life, as his elect are, but God shall haue them in his mouth,Ps. 69.28. like luke-warme Lao­dicaeans to spew them out of it;Reuel. 3. their doome is set downe by Iere­my, Will yee steale, Ier. 7.9. mur­ther, and commit adul­tery, and sweare falsly, and burne incense vnto Baal, and walke after other Gods whom yee [Page 103] knowe not. And come and stand before mee in this house wher my name is called vpon before your eies, and therefore will cast you out of my sight.

The fourth euill pointed out heere in him is a great pre­sumption [...],Man is so presumpteous by nature, as to make God a debtor vnto him. giue me the portion of goods that befals me. Men not regenerate by grace make the Lord a debtor to them, not content to receiue good things from the Lord, they challenge, Patris bona [Page 104] quasi sibi debita, their fathers goods as debts dew to them for their merits, and good deseruings.Doctrine of merit is learned in the Scoole of Nature. Of the which it is eui­dent that the doctrine of merite is learned out of the schoole of nature, wherein all proud Iust [...]tiars what euer shew of externall pietie they haue, are but condisciples with this forlorne childe, for if the Lord should giue vnto man the portion that is due vnto him,Psa. 11.6. then hee should raine sire and [Page 105] brimstone vpon him, for that is the portion of his cuppe. Thou art neuer able to recompence the Lord for the good hee hath giuen thee already, and how then shalt thou de­serue that which hee hath promised. Is there any comparison betweene that which thou giuest the Lord, and that which thou gettest from him: for from thee that hast no more he will gra­tiously accept the sa­crifice of one cuppe­full of cold water, or a [Page 206] tribute of teares,No pro­portion betvveene our work and the Lords re­vvard. and shalt thou for this brag of thy merit, and make him a deb­tor to thee of eternal life. Si quis a diebus A­dami vsque ad consum­mationem saeculi, Macar. hom. 15. viueret, & fortiter contra Satanam pugnaret, non posset tamen, tantam gloriam promereri, qua­to minus qui tam breui tempore militat. If a man should liue from the daies of Adam to the end of the world, and strongly fight a­gainst Satan, yet were he not able to merit [Page 207] so great a glory, farre lesse are we able to do it, who so short a space are militant on earth.The va­nity of such as trust in their me­rits, is dis­couered. Ber. in an­nunt. Mar. Serm. 1.

Our reioicing saith the Apostle is the te­stimony of our con­science; this testimo­nie, saith Bernard, consisteth in these three. Necesse enim pri­mo omniū credere quod remissionem peccatorum habere non potes, nisi per indulgentiam Dei. For first of all, thou must beleeue that thou canst not obtaine re­mission of sinnes ex­cept [Page 108] onely by the in­dulgence and mercy of God,. Deinde quod nihil prorsus habere que­as operis boni, nisi & hoc dederit ipse. Secondly, that thou art not able to do any good work except God giue it vnto thee. For wee are not of our selues suffici­ent to thinke a good thought Postremo, 2. Cor. 3.5 quod aeternam vitam nullus potest operibus promereri nisi gratis, detur & illa. And last, that no man is able by good works to merit eternal life, it is the free gift of God. [Page 109] If we do any good, let vs say with the Apostle Not I but the grace of God in me. If we get any good, ascribe it not to our merits but let the praise of it al­way be returned to his mercies.

Fiftly,5 Man na­turally esteemes more of the com­fort of the crea­ture, then fauour of the crea­tour. that he seeks a portion of his fa­thers goods, but not his fathers fauour & blessing, represents to vs, the earthly minds of naturalists, who preferre the gifts of God to God himselfe. all creatures that the Lord made, he made [Page 110] them for man, and man for himselfe; but this is a fearefull con­tempt of God, and vile disestimation of his maiesty, when the creature which God hath subiected vnto man in the heart of man is preferred vnto God, and better loued then God himselfe,Gen. 3 [...] as Euah for the loue of an apple lost the loue of the Lord;Ge. 25.32. and E­sau for a messe of pot­tage sould his birth­right which hath an­nexed the blessing, and the Gadarans, [Page 111] counted their swnine more precious then the Sonne of God Christ Iesus.

It is written of them who tame the Tigre,The folly of man in so doing declared by an ex­ample. that when they haue taken away the yong one, knowing that incontinent they will bee pursued by the old, they set looking glasses in the way by which they flie, wher­unto when the olde Tigresse comes, and seeth some represen­tation of themse [...]ues, lingreth about them a good space, decei­ued [Page 112] by the shaddow and deteined in a vain hope to recouer their young againe, and in the meane time the hunter most speedily posts away with his pray.

So dealeth Satan with the men of this world, hee castes be­fore them the deceit­full baites of worldlie pleasures and profits, beeing indeed no o­ther thing but sha­dowes and represen­tations of good; yet are men so delighted with these that they [Page 113] dote about them, ha­uing no care to pur­sue their enemy for recouerie of that image of God which Satan hath sto­len from them. Not without a sore and vnrecouerable losse to themselues.Aug. epist. 162. Pittifull blindnes so to loue the world that for it a man should lose him­selfe. Cum vsque adeo hominibus charus est hic mundus, vt sibi ipsis vilescant, When this world is so much esteemed of man, that to obtaine it, hee debaseth, yea he loseth himselfe, li­uing like a drudge of the earth, and a vile [Page 114] slaue to euery crea­ture, hauing a reaso­nable soule captiued vnder subiection to vnreasonable crea­tures. A most pitti­full estate,Chris [...]an Mat. hō. 9. [...], then the which to speake with Chrysostom, what can befall more sham­full and vnhonoura­ble to man, for if wee ouercome not sensi­ble things, how shall wee encounter with insensible enemies, [...] or how shall wee sub­due principalities, [Page 115] powers, and spirituall wickednesse.

But the children of God,It is farre otherwise with the godly. illuminate with his light renewed by his grace, hauing there eies opened in a part to see that high prise of the calling of God, Phi. 3.13. and the riches of that glorious inheritance prepared for the Saints. beginnes to account with the Apostle the most excellent things of this world to bee but [...] dung in re­spect of our Lord Ie­sus Christ, and haue a ready answer to giue [Page 116] their aduersarie when he tempts them with the loue of the world, what is it thou canst offer to me compara­ble to that which thou wouldest steale from me. When wee come to age of per­fect men we laugh at those things we were wont to doe when we were children.As they grow in the knowledge of Christ: so they increase in a con­tempt of the world They build to themselues in the streets houses of shels, stones, clay, and such like, wherein they delight for a time, no lesse then wiser and more anci­ent [Page 117] men doe, in the building of their sum­ptuous Palaces, but they rush to the ground as soone as they are raised, yea, albeit they could con­tinue, yet are they vn­profitable, and when we come to riper vn­derstanding, wee set light by them as chil­dish trifles of no im­portance: so is it with the childe of God as he growes in the age of Christ, he growes also in a contempt of the world, and all the perishing pleasures [Page 118] thereof hee will haue nothing for his porti­on that cannot conti­nue with him, all the works of God cannot content him, the de­sire of the soule is vp­on the Lord, to enioy him.

And truly happy is that soule,The soule of the godly cōpared to Iacobs tabernacle Ambr de sugasaeculi cap. 5. which is like vnto the house of Iacob. Beata anima quae est instar domus Iacobi, in qua nulla simulachra, nulla effigies vanitatis. Wherein there is no image, no representa­tion of vanity. For doubtlesse it is a mise­rable [Page 119] thing so to bee bewitched with the shadowes of good, that we lose the substance. Fugiamus hine vbi nihil est, vbi inane est omne quod magnisi­cum putatur. Let vs flie from this world, wherein there is no­thing but vanity, yea that which is most magnificke after triall is found most impo­tent.Ibid. Nihil siquidem a somni vanitate dissert rerum praesentium sigu­ra, siue illae tristes sint, siue prosperae. The most excellent shews [Page 120] of this life are but dreames, which may affect for a time, but doe vanish so soone as the man awaketh,Exhorta­tion to a contempt of this word. let such as know no better, and haue no hope, but in this pre­sent life reioice in that which they haue, let vs endeauour to that which is to come. Oh (saith Dauid) if I had the wing of a Doue, Ps. 55.6. then would I flee away and rest. So long as we a­bide fixed in our affe­ction to the earth wee shall finde no rest. All the workes done vnder [Page 121] the Sunne, Eccl. 1.14. (said Salo­mon) are but vanity & vexation of spirit. Hee searched all, he found them so, what then? Let vs goe aboue the Sunne, let vs flie vp­ward towards the Lord, let vs goe vp after the Eagle, who hath ascended on high, Can. 2.10. he calles and cries vp­on vs to follow him. Arise my loue, my f [...]ire one, and come thy way. Why linger we? what should we doe heere. Now the Lord, who calles vs, draw vs, that wee may runne after [Page 122] him, so shall we finde ioy and peace, and rest vnto our soules.

So he deuided vnto them his substance.

Why the Lord suf­fers for a time his children to follow their own will.That the Father heere in this Parable giueth to his childe that which he seeketh and lets him goe his way, figures vnto vs how God for a time leaues his children to themselues, suffering them to doe what they will, not of pur­pose to let them pe­rish in sinne; but that [Page 123] by the experience of the bitter fruit of sin, hee may draw them out of their sinnes, and make them the more humble in thē ­selues when they look to their former folly, and the more thanke­full to God who of his mercy hath reco­uered them. Seeing earthly parents will not giue a Scorpion to their children whē they seeke bread, shal wee thinke our hea­uenly father will doe it? No indeed, If hee permit them to fall [Page 124] into sinne, it is for a respect which God hath to good, which out of euill hee can worke to his owne glory and their salua­tion. Potentius & me­lius esse iudicans etiam de malis benefacere, Aug. de ciuit. Dei lib. 22, c. 1. quā mala esse non sinere. For so wonderfully wise and good is our God that euen by sinne he can destroy sinne in his owne, as by the bussets of Satan hee subdued pride in the Apostle Saint Paul. Ephes. 2.3. Thus the Apostle considering how hee [Page 125] had his conuersation in time past in fulfilling the lusts of his flesh, To wit, that after their con­uersation they may know how much they are bound to his grace. no lesse then other children of disobedience and wrath; and that he was a blas­phemer, & a persecutor, and an oppressor, doth so much the more magnifie the Lord who receiued him to mercy, whose grace was exceeding aboun­dant toward him with faith and loue in Christ Iesus. 1. Tim. 1. 13.14. For in this that elect men before their calling, walke with the reprobate in the course of disobedi­ence, [Page 126] it manifestly ap­peares that it is not by nature, but by grace that they are saued, and the Lord in making a difference by his grace, where there was no diffe­rence by nature, vin­dicates vnto himselfe the praise and glory of saluation in all such as are saued.

For in re­spect of nature there is no difference bevveene the elect &c repro [...] bate, till grace mak it.And this grace of God declared vpon his owne shal the bet­ter appeare if we con­sider the elect and reprobate to bee like vnto two men, wal­king [Page 127] in one way, with one mind, of one pur­pose to one proposed end, and God sudden­ly comes in and sun­dres them, causing the one to come back againe, letting the o­ther goe forward till he fall into the pit: so in his iust iudgements hee giues the wicked vp to their own harts desire,Rom. 1.26. he lets thē ful­fill the cup and mea­sure of their iniquity: he lets down the loose reines vnto them, and suffers them without controlment to doe [Page 128] what they will. Then man commits sinne with greedinesse,Eph. 4.19. and drinkes in iniquity like water,Iob 15.16. making out a iust ditty of his own damnation.Aug. Mar. epist. 5. Peccata cum impunita dimittit Deus, tunc punit infe­stius. When the Lord lets sinne be vnpuni­shed, then hee puni­sheth most seuerely. Vides quia tunc magis irascitur Deus, cum non irascitur. God is then most angrie when he he is not angry. Let vs say with Bernard, Miserceor diā hanc nolo, Ber▪ in Cāt. Se [...]m. 42. [Page 129] such a mercy I will not haue: or rather, from such a misery the Lord deliuer vs, that he neuer suffer vs to go on in the course of our sinnes till wee perish.

So not long after.

This younger son as yee see,Man left to him­selfe can­not stand long. beeing left vnto himselfe, incon­tinent manifests his owne weakenesse, and in him all of vs may see what a fearefull thing it is to be forsa­ken of God and left [Page 130] vnto our selues, for then quickly wee be­come a prey vnto our enemy. As a staffe if a man takes his hand from it, fals incontinent to the ground: so man if he bee not sustained by grace, cannot stand in a good estate. All the benefites which God created for A­dam in sixe daies, hee lost them in six hours.Proofe of this in A­dam, his fall should make vs humble. Augustine and Theo­philact thinkes that he fell the sixth houre. Thomas Aquinas that he fel the ninth houre [Page 131] others the twelfe, most of all agree that hee fell the same day hee was made. What cause then hath his sinfull posterity to distrust themselues & to pray earnestly with Dauid. Direct me in the path of thy Com­m [...]ndements, Psal. 119. stablish me that I may liue, and let no iniquity haue domini­on ouer me.

When he had gathe­red all.

This is also a point of the cursed corrup­tion [Page 132] of our nature [...] that when God is best vnto man,Man cō ­monly is most vn­dutifull to God, whē that is most beneficial to him. then man is worst, and most vn­thankfull to his God. For this, the Lord complained on the I­sraelites, That as they encreased, H [...]s. 4.7. they sinned. As Pharao when the plague was vpon him spake,Gen. 9.27. and looked somewhat like a peni­tent man, but beeing releeued of it, like iron taken out of the fire, returned to his won­ted hardnesse, so na­turall men when they are pinched and strai­ted [Page 133] with pouerty, sickenesse, or any o­ther sort of affliction they make then some shew of godlinesse, but when God chan­ges there estate and giues them prosperi­tie and health, it be­comes their ruine.Pro. 1.32. the prosperity of fooles destroies them: and their table becomes a snare vnto them: Psa. 69.22 as is daily seene by lamentable experience, for then are the hearts of men, most empty of thank­fulnesse, and their mouths most filled [Page 134] with the blasphemies of Gods name when their tables and their stomacks are most re­plenished with Gods benefits, most like this forlorne sonne, who then went away from his father, when his father was most beneficiall to him and had giuen him his portion.

He tooke his iourney in­to a farre Countrey.

What is meant by t [...]e farre Countrey in this parableWe haue here, first, to consider what is this far country: and [Page 135] next, how this Prodi­gall childe went vnto it. This country is said to be farre, not in regard of the distance of place: the Lord measures the earth in his fist, and no part of it is farther from the Lord then an o­ther.Psa. 46.12 Dauid knewe this,Ps. 139.7 and therfore said he,Euery part of the vvorld is a like neere to the Lord. Where away shall I slie from the presence of of the Lord. Ionas at the first considered it not in the darkened cogitations of his minde, hee tooke his iourney from Ioppe to [Page 136] Tarsus, thinking so to flie from the presence of the Lord, but hee found himselfe decei­ued, for euen in the Sea did God erect a tribunall for iudge­ment, and made him there to finde the pre­sence of the Lord, where he looked least for it.Gen. 4.16. Cain also went out from the presence of the Lord, but goe where he would God sate in his consci­ence.This farre countrey is not to be estimat by distāce of place.

This farre country then is to be estimate by the distance of [Page 137] man his will and asse­ctions from the Lord, this is,Ber. parab. de prod. Longinqua regio dissimilitudinis, for then is a man farthest from God, when hee is most vnlike vnto God: so the Lord himselfe expounds it. What iniquity haue your Fathers found in mee, Ier. 2.5. that they are gone farre from me, walking after vanity, and are become vaine. And the Apo­stle to the Ephesians, But by distance of affecti­on from the Lord. comparing their for­mer estate by nature with that which now they were renewed [Page 138] by grace he saith. Yee which once were farre off, are now made neere by the bloud of Iesus Christ. Whereof we see it is sin that makes vs to bee farre from the Lord, grace a­gaine that bringeth vs neere vnto him. O­therwise Satan is not neerer the Lord in the aire, then in the helles, and the wicked no neerer the Lord in the Temple, then in the tents of wicked­nesse: so no longin­quity nor distance of place, maketh men [Page 139] further from him.

The superstition of will-worshippers bindes the Lord to particular places at the pleasure of their conception,No place makes a man nee­rer the Lord then another. but it is not so.Aug. ad frat. her. Ser. 27. Locus non fa­cit sanctos, sed operatio sancta, & locum sancti­ficat & nos, peccauit an­gelus in Caelo, peccauit Adam in Paradiso, si lo­cus hominem beare pos­sit, nec homo, nec ange­lus dignitate sua corruis­sent. It is not the place which sanctifies men, but men by holy ex­ercises, sanctifie both [Page 140] the place and them­selues, the Angels sinned in heauen, A­dam sinned in Para­dise, if the place might haue blessed the crea­ture, neither man nor Angell should haue fallen from their dig­nity. To this purpose Gregorie Nyssen dispu­ting the question,Pilgri­mage to Ierusalem for sancti­fication is but a su­perstious conceit. whether pilgrimage to Ierusalem sanctifie a man or not? answe­red it doth not. Ma­ny reasons he giueth, among which this is one,Greg. Nis­sen. Loci mutatione ad deum non acceditur, sed [Page 141] vbi locorum fueris, ad te veniet dom [...]nus, si modo tale in vene­rit animae tuae diuer­rium vt possit in te inhabitare dominus. By the change of place men come not vnto God, but in what place soeuer thou bee God shall come vnto thee, if so be the harbour of thy soule bee such that God may dwell in it.Not war­ranted by the iour­ney of Gregorie Niss [...]n to Ierusalem. And it beeing obie­cted vnto him, that himselfe had iournied to Ierusalem, hee an­swereth, and telleth [Page 142] them how, and vpon what occasion, not to acquire any sanctity by so doing, but that at the will of the Em­perour Theodose and vpon his charges hee went to reforme the Churches of Arabia, and thereafter com­posed a scisme that had entered in Ierusa­lems Church, but wherewithall he pro­tests. Nec hoc itinere im­minuta est, fides nostra, nec aucta. That by this iourney, neither was his faith empaired, nor augmented. For [Page 143] I beleeued said he the incarnation of Christ before I saw Bethleem, and the resurrection of Christ, before the sight of the sepulchre, his ascention also be­fore that I saw the mount of Oliues.

To returne then,They are neerest the Lord, who are likest vn­to him, & bee the contrary. this countrey farre from God, is not to be estimate by the e­leuation of the Pole, or our distance from it, which way the di­stance of people from people are measured on earth, but by the disposition of our [Page 144] harts, as they are in si­militude with God: so are wee accounted farre or neere vnto the Lord, and here­by shall wee try it. Things that are farre off were they neuer so precious, and ex­cellent, either else we see them not at all, or then they seeme farre lesse to vs then they are. The Sunne is ma­ny times more then the earth, yet doe we account it lesse then our selues. The reason is that it is farre from vs when men trauaile [Page 145] so farre to the South, How a man may discerne whether hee bee neere or farre frō the Lord, by two tokens. that the North pole in there sight comes neere to the earth, & at length the sight thereof is intercepted from them by the earth, it is a sure argu­ment they are farre from it: euen so whē men esteeme the in­comprehensible ma­iesty of God who by infinite degrees surmounts the beuty of the Sunne to bee but small in their eies, or when in their ima­gination they drawe down the Lord to assi­late, [Page 146] or compare him to any thing in earth,1 Such as are neere him, e­steeme him a great God. or when in their affe­ctions the earth coms in betweene their soules and the sight of the Lord, and the loue of the earth pre­uailes, it is an argu­ment such miserable soules are farre from the Lord.

Looke then if your eies bee set to behold him; and if yee can say with the Prophet Dauid. I set the Lord alwaies in my sight, Psal. 16. looke how your affe­ctions account of him [Page 147] Is he your light, your life, your ioy, your portion? is the delight of your soule vppon him?2 They feel his effe­ctual ver­tue in themselus is againe the power of his vertue effectuall in you, that as the sunne ascen­ding brings a florish­ing spring, so by it ye finde a reuiuing of your hearts to his ho­ly loue, the dead win­ter, the cold season, the hard, frostie and bar­ren heart goes away, and the soule warmed with the loue of God, beginnes to budde, to florish and bring out [Page 148] fruit. Then may ye haue this comfort [...] that the Lord hath drawne neere vnto you, and ye also are become neere vnto the Lord.

Not by their feet but by af­fections goe men from the Lord.And this also serues to cleere the second point proposed by vs. How is it that a man goes, or com­meth to the Lord, to wit, non pedibus, sed affectibus, not by feete of the body, but by affections of the soule. So this young man Egressus de paradiso bo­nae conscientiae, Ber. parab. de prod. per cam­pos [Page 149] licentiae, per nemora luxuriae, per paludes car­nalis concupiscentiae, per fluctus secularium cura­rum caepit vagari. De­parting out of the Paradise of a good conscience, goeth a wandring through the fields of liberty, through the woods of luxurie, through the lakes of carnall cōcupiscence, throgh the flouds of worldly cares, Not resting in one sinne, but from one falling into an o­ther. Erranti enim nul­lus terminus. It is much [Page 150] easier to stop the be­ginnings of sin, then to stay the course of it if it once breake forth.Nazian. Orat. Sicut lapidē initio inhibe re facilius est, quā motū retorquere. 7 Multipli­cation of sinnes is like mul­tiplicatiō of steps which at length make a long iourney. As it is lesse labour to stay a stone before it be mooued, then turne it backe a­gaine when it is in the tumbling. Thus then goeth a man away further and further from the Lord by multiplication of his sinnes, as a man by multiplication of his steps goeth a fur­ther away from the [Page 151] place wherein he was. It should therefore be our first care to bee­ware of the begin­nings of sinne, and the next to beeware we multiply not our sinne, least by so do­ing we go farre from the Lord.

And there he wasted all his goods.

There is the fruit of his departure from his father.The fruit of a mans departure from God. A man that will forsake the Lord, and refuse to bee go­uerned by him, can [Page 152] neither keepe himselfe nor yet the good things which God hath giuen him. The seruice of sinne is a costly seruice, all the portion of goods thou hast, is not suffi­cient for it. Sinne is a profused and vnthrif­tie spending of al that God hath giuen thee, yea of thy body and soule also at the length. Vnto euery man God hath giuen his owne portion of gifts, of body and minde, of these also which are externall, [Page 153] prophanely called by Ethniques, Fortunae bo­na, wilt thou abide with the Lord, and serue him, hee shall teach thee to vse his gifts,The ser­uice of sinne is very coastly and ex­pensiue. to his glory and thy good; for the seruice of the Lord is easie, honorable, pro­fitable, nothing is wa­sted, nothing is lost, that thou spendest in it. But if thou wilt forsake the Lord, ex­perience shall prooue that no good thing hee hath giuen thee, will bide with thee. Thy yeares goe away [Page 154] in vanity, the strength of thy body cōsumed in the way of iniqui­ty, thy quicke ingenie, thy memory, and all the gifts of the minde are spent, without any fruit to thy selfe, or to others, for the pre­sent time, or the time to come. Thus all be­ing wasted thou shalt in the end bee asha­med of thy selfe when thou lookest backe to thy former waies.

That which mē gather wickedly shall be scattered vainly.The word our Sa­uiour heere vseth, [...] signifieth to scatter, there is not [Page 155] long (ye see) between his gathering and his scattering in the be­ginning of this verse, he gathereth his por­tion, and in the end thereof he scatters it, that which men ga­ther with offence of God shall not faile to be scattered ere it bee long. Carnal couetous­nesse made Iudas take from the high Priest thirty peeces of siluer, the wages of iniquity, to betray Christ; but a tormenting consci­ence forced him shortly to cast it backe a­gaine. [Page 156] No better shall it be with them, who gather where they should not, They shall vomit their substance, Iob 20.15. euen as a stomacke casteth out that dis­dainfully which wic­kedly & superfluous­ly men haue ingested into it.Though there were none but them­selues to doe it. Worldlings may enlarge their de­sire as the bel and death which cannot bee sa­tisfied, but against them shall the parable be taken vp,Abac. 2. Ho, he that increaseth that which is not his? how long? and he that loadneth himselfe [Page 157] with thicke clay. Shall they not rise vp suddenly that shall bite thee? and awake that shall stirre thee, and thou shalt bee their prey? Yea truly, though there were no Chaldean, nor Sabae­an, no oppressour, no robber to doe it, thy owne hand shall scat­ter that which thou hast wickedly gathe­red.

It is lamentable to see the vaine security of worldlings,World­lings de­light in aboun­dance of wealth as if their life were in it. they delight in aboun­dance, as if their life were in it; when they [Page 158] haue, they looke ne­uer to want; when they die, they dis­pone with confidence as if their decrees were certaine, and God would not re­uoke them. In their legacies they leaue their soules vnto God and their goods vnto men, as best pleaseth them. But consider not with what war­rant they doe this. For as to the first,How foo­lish they are in ma­king their legacies how canst thou be as­sured that GOD in death will receiue thy spirit: seeing thou in [Page 159] thy life would neuer giue him the reasona­ble seruice thereof. And as to the second, how oft is it seen that God annuls the de­crees concerning the distribution of their goods: that either their portion peri­sheth before them­selues, or soone after them, and what they leaue vnto one, God disposeth it to an o­ther, crossing them in the same thing wher­they offended him, that as they gathered not according to [Page 160] Gods will, so God scatters and distributs it not according to their will.

Vers. 14
Now when he had spent all.

After the descriptiō of his sin followes a descrip­tion of mercy.Hitherto wee haue heard his sinne descri­bed, and the degrees thereof. Now follow­eth a description of that miserable estate whereunto his sinne carrieh him.

Spent all.

Hee sought a por­tion of his fathers goodes,3. sorts of goods bestovved by God vpon men. hee sought not his fathers fa­uour and blessing. Now all is spent. There are two sorts of goods that God di­stributes to men: the one I call his mouea­bles: the other I call, the goodes of the permanent inhe­ritance. The first sort he giues indifferently to all men: The se­cond sort he reserues [Page 162] for his own children, and there is the diffe­rence betweene the earthly and heauen­portion, the one is spended by vsing, the more ye take of it, the lesse ye haue, they re­fresh not vs vnlesse they bee diminished in themselues, if wee be increased by them, they are empaired by vs:Spirituall goods of the best sort can not bee spent. but the goods of our heauenly inheri­tance are not spended by vsing, the more we vse them, the more wee are increased by them, and the more [Page 163] also are they increa­sed by vs, by frequent praier wee learne to pray more feruently, from the beginning of faith we make pro­gresse to the fulnesse of faith, our light, our loue, our life, once be­gunne haue their own increasings till they come to perfection, but they can neuer be lost nor wasted by v­sing. It cannot bee good for vs to rest in that which decaies by seruing vs: if we loue eternity, and seeke to be blessed for euer, let [Page 164] vs weane our hearts from perishing things and make choise of that portion which endureth for euer.

There arose a dearth.

Pleasures of sinne ends in most fear­ful paines. The ende of sinfull pleasures is paine, the wealth of worldlings ends in feareful want. As the image which Nabuchadnezer saw in his dreame, had an head of gold, but feet of clay: so the glori­ous shew of this mi­serable life of sinneful men concludes with [Page 165] shame. The plenty which Egypt had in seuen yeares was ea­ten vp by the seuen yeres of famine fol­lowing it. The plea­sant riuer of Iorden is at length swallowed vp by the salt Sea or loach of Sodome. It shalbe executed vpon all the wicked which theatned against cur­sed Babel. The apples after which thy soule lusted, Reu. 18.14. all the fat and ex­cellent things are depar­ted from thee, and thou shalt finde them no more. There the wine shall drie [Page 166] vp and the Figge tree shall decay, Ioel. 2.12. the Pome­granate, the Palme tree, and the Aple tree, all the trees of the field shall wither away from the sonnes of men. Then shall arise a dearth & fearefull famine to them, when all the obiects of their sinfull delights shal be taken from them.The pre­sent paine of the godly end in plea­sures. Oh that men were wise to think vpon their end, how comfortlesse will their state bee, who because they will not comfort themselues in God shall at length [Page 197] be banished from the presence of his glory, and depriued of the comfort of all his cre­tures. It is farre o­therwise with the godly, their murning shall end in comfort. the end of their la­bour is rest, their light and momentany af­flictions shall be swal­lowed vp by that eter­nal weight of glory, let vs neuer drinke with the wicked in the cup of their sinfull plea­sures, the dregs there­of is intollerable bit­ternesse.Psalm. Waters of a [Page 168] full cup are wrong vn­to them for the present, but want and feareful famine shall ouertake them. Not so much as a droppe of water shall be giuen them to comfort them, and let vs neuer refuse to beare the rebuke of Christ, Heb. 13.13 the end wher­of is ioy vnspeakeable and glorious. 1. Pet. 1.

He began to be in neces­sitie.

Comfort of the Creatures now blinds the vvic­ked that cannot they see their misery.This man was mi­serable before, but he felt not his misery till [Page 169] now. And in him we see an image of worldlings, who al­beit they be most mi­serable in regard they are strangers from the life of God, yet doe they not know their misery, till through the want of earthly comforts they be re­dacted to necessitie. So long as they enioy Gods creatures, they feele not what losse it is to want himselfe the vaine shew of the creaturs so bewitches them, that they are not touched with the [Page 170] misery of their feare­full deuorcemēt from God; and this is the very cause why re­probate men ordai­ned to wrath, who in hell shall mourne continually (where shal be weeping and gnashing of teeth,) Math. 22. doe vpon earth spend their daies in laughing and vaine reioieing. The reason, I say, is part­ly because the iudge­ment due to their sins is restrained from them by the patience of God, the viall of his wrath is not as yet [Page 171] poured out vpon thē,But their eies shall be opened when the obiect of their plea­sures shall be taken from thē. & partly, because the vse of his creatures which belongs not to them, is of his good­nesse licentiate to them, but when the obiects of these plea­sures shall bee taken from them, when the earth shall refuse to beare them, and the Sunne shall no more shine vpon them, when all the creatures shal forsake them, and none of them render either comfort, or seruice to them; then shall they be in neces­sitie, [Page 172] and then wofull misery shall be mani­fested to them.

And of this,And this they may learne if they could marke it by pre­sent ex­perience. some taste wicked men may haue out of their pre­sent experience, if they could obserue it. For in the middest of their worldly plea­sures, when by eating and drinking they are filling their bellies, when the harmony of musicke delights their eares, and the company of solatious friendes refresheth them: euen then, faith Salomon, Pro. 14.13 In laughing [Page 173] their heart is sorrowfull: yet doth not the ter­our of an euill consci­cience trouble them, vnlesse God intend it against them, as hee did against Beltazar, Dan. 5.6. But when company is gone, and they are solitary, when lights are put out and they left in darkenes, when Musicall instuments are silent, then con­science beginnes to speake, Nunquam enim conscientia oculatior, quā in tenebris. For con­science seeth best in darkenesse, and speaks [Page 174] most lowdly in sii­lence, then their in­ward feares procee­ding from her iust ac­cusations forewarnes them of a more feare­full estate abiding them if they could consider it.

Vers. 15.
Then hee went and claue to a Citizen of that coun­trey.

They who vvill not serue the Lord shal serue a vvorse master.He refused to serue his Father, and now he is forced to serue a worse master. This is it which the Lord [Page 175] threatned to his peo­ple Israel, Psal. 137. I will put your necke vnder the yoake of the King of Babel, And yee shall know what difference there is be­tween my seruice and the seruice of other Kings, and Lords of the earth, and so in­deed they found it, when they were cari­ed into captiuity, and sate mourning at the riuers of Babel, they remem­bred what a sweete liberty they had lost, when sitting peacea­bly in Sion they were [Page 176] wont to sing the prai­ses of the liuing God. And let it stand for a warning to vs that we cast not off the yoke of the Lord our God: for if we refuse to serue the Lord we shall be compelled to serue others, whose wages shall bee found vngratious at the length. O quam mul­tos dominos habet ille, Ambros. qui vnum non habet. O how many masters hath that man, who hath not God for his master.

But now wee haue [Page 177] to see who this is that here is stiled a Citizen, Citizens of the country far from God, are Satan and the repro­bates. the farre countrey as we heard, is the regi­on of sinne: this Citi­zen represens as Am­brose expounds it. The prince of darknesse, with his cursed confede­rats, reprobate angels and men, they are cal­led Citizens in the kingdome of sinne, because not onely haue they sinned, but they abide and con­tinue in sinne, they dwell in it, and wil not come out of it. These are the two fearefull [Page 178] sinnes of apostate An­gels; Presumption,2. feareful sinnes of Apostate Angels. and Obstinacy, by presumption they fel, obstinacy holds them impenitent, that they cannot rise, yea they haue not so much as a desire of reconciliati­on, but are obdurat in a perpetuall rebellion against God, despi­sing mercy, because they know they shall neuer obtain it, trem­bling at iudgement, which they knowe they cannot eschew. Therefore they are not called soiourners, [Page 179] or pilgrimes in that countrey, which is farre from God, but citizens, because they make perpetuall resi­dēce in it. A most cur­sed and vnhappy con­dition, Peccare huma­num est, perseuerare in peccato diabolicum. To sinne is common to all men, to perseuere in sinne is a property of Deuils and repro­bates.

To cleare this,Two ci­ties Ieru­salem and Babel cō ­pared to­gether. let vs compare these two Cities and there inha­bitants together, Ieru­salem and Babel; for [Page] vnder one of these two societies, is com­prehended the whole masse of mankinde. Citizens in the one are all the elect of God, Citizens in the other, are the repro­bate. And yet it is to be marked,Citizens of Ierusa­lem, are somtimes also in Babel, but trari [...] not in it. that some­times the Citizens of Ierusalem are found in the streets of Babel, the elect for a time may walk in the way of the wicked, so Paul in the way of Idolatry, Da­uid in the way of adul­tery, Noah in the way of drunkennesse, Lot [Page 181] in the way of incest; but they are in it as soiourners, not as ci­tizens, they dwell not in Babel, but at the voice of the Lord come out of it, and are drawne home to Ierusalem.

Sometime againe,Babels Ci­tizens are sometime also in Ie­rusalem, but tarry not in it. ye shall see many ci­tizens of Babel wal­king in the streets of Ierusalem, wicked and impenitent men ma­king a shew, as if they were religious; but their heart is not vp­right before God.2. Tim. 3.5. Ha­uing a shew of godlinesse [Page 182] they deny the power ther­of. They taste of the powers of the life to come,Heb. 6.5. by the hearing of the word, but di­gest it not in their hearts by faith, their soules feed not vpon it, they are like the Corne that gowes vp in the blade, but comes neuer to the fruit, because it tooke no roote. These are not citizens in Ieru­salem, but soiourners; they are carried out of it like chaffe, with euery kind of vanity, their goodnes vanish­eth [Page 183] like the morning dew, they are weary at length of Ierusalem, 2. Pet. 2.22. and goe home againe to Babel, like dogges returning to their vo­mit and swine to their puddle againe.

And he sent him to his Farme to feed swine.

In this part of the Parable is figured vn­to vs,How Satan abasheth his cap­tiues to most vile seruitude. how the seruice wherein Satan im­ploies his miserable captiues is vile and vnhonest. What ba­ser imploiment can [Page 184] be, then to take the sonne of a freeman borne vnto honour, and make him a swine heard? for the sow is a filthy and vnhonest beast, that likes the puddle better then the palace, and counts more of the dung then of the most pre­cious pearles; and yet this is Satans dealing with all these wret­ches, that come vn­der his commande­ment, hee waltereth them in the depth of filthy and vncleane cogitations and affe­ctions, [Page 185] hee plungeth them in the stinking puddle and mire of sinne,An image thereof thereo [...] in Israels bondage vnder Pharao. abusing them farre worse then Pha­rao did the Israelites of God; for he oppressed their bodies compel­ling them to worke in bricke and clay, an vnseemely seruitude indeede for so hono­rable a people, yet he could not detaine their mindes from sighing and crying to God for the bondage. But Satan oppresseth his captiues in such sort that they haue no [Page 186] minde of God, no thought of liberty, no wearinesse of the bondage, no desire of any heauēly or excel­lent thing is in them, they are beastly in all their motions, affecti­ons, and actions. O fearfull exchange that a man once made to the image of God, and to rule all the crea­tures of God should so farre mismake him­selfe, as to become a companion to the beasts, and a slaue vn­to Satan.

And hee would faine haue filled his belly with the huskes.

This now is the high­est degree of his mise­rie that hauing offe­red to serue in the most vile seruitude,Satan his best deli­cates are shadowes without substance. he cannot get meate for his seruice; yea not so much as the huskes of acornes to fill his belly with­all. The word [...], signifieth a little horne, as also the skin or codde, or hull, within which is the [Page 188] kirnell. Now so great was this mans penu­ry, that not onely hee could not get the kir­nell of any fruite whereupon he might sustaine his miserable life, but could not get so much as the huske or shell wherewith to fill his belly. By this kinde of speech the Lord will let vs see, that the best delicates which Satan hath to giue his captiues are shadows without substance, husks with­out kernels, burdena­ble, when they are ea­ten, [Page 189] no way profita­ble but as to inward pleasure, solide ioy, or any thing that is truly good, Satan hath it not to giue.

Hee is but a iugler and a false deceiuer,What a iugler and deceiuer Satan is. promising much whē hee tempts, perfor­ming nothing. O pi­tifull blindnesse that our soules should bee deceiued with such a seducer, and that o­ther mens losse can­not learne vs to be­come wise. He promi­sed much to Adam & Euah, Yee shall bee as [Page 190] Gods. But what got they. He bewitched this prodigall childe with great hopes, but they euanished and proued vaine; and still hee abuseth the world after the same manner. Euer from the beginning hee hath prooued a lier, yet men will credit him, he is [...] an alluring Serpent, and that in most mi­serable manner. It is true which Pisida saith of him,Pisid. [...]. [...], he allures vs to serue him for [Page 191] nothing, without gi­uing any kinde of good vnto vs.

For if a man shall cast his eies on the multitude,How mi­serably Satan in­tertaines his guests. what shall ye see? Doe they not dote after Satans al­lurements:Psal. 4. like Israel doting after Ashur & Aegypt, louing lies and following vanities? Some deceiued one way, and some ano­ther, but all deligh­ting in things that profit not. Natura­lists write that the Chamelion a little spot­ted beast, neither eats [Page 192] nor drinkes but liues on the ayre. The Os­trich eateth yron and is able to digest it. The Viper liues on ve­nemous things. The Sow on filth, and vile vncleanesse. No bet­ter, yea, not so good as these are Satans banqueters, some hee feeds as he did Ephra­im with the wind. Hos. 12. Some hee feeds like the Cha­melion, some like the Os­strich, and some as the Viper, &c. Men vaine glorious who waxe proud in them­selues for the blast of another mans breath Others, like the Os­trich whose hearts ar [...] delighted with their [Page 193] treasures of siluer and gold, as if it were a portion meet for the soule of man: but they cannot digest it. They shall vomit the sub­stance, Iob 20.15 which they haue deuoured. Some againe are worse, who with the Viper, liue vpon hatred, enuie, malici­ousnesse, louing all such things as may destroy. These also are Satans delicats which nourishe not, but rent, and consume the belly which re­ceiues them. But most part of his misera­ble [Page 194] guestes feede like the sow, they hanch vp all sort of vnclean­nesse with greedinesse they take it for food, but death is in their pot. 2. Ki. 4.20

Cyp. 8.2. epist. 2. The svvetnesse of sin is sen­sible but the poisō secret. Malorum blandienti­um virus occultum est & arridentis nequiliae facies laeta instar veneni poculum esse videtur, quod sumitur, vbi epota­ueris pernicies hausta grassatur. The poison of slartering sinne is secret, the face of it smiling, it seemes to be a cup of pleasant drinke, but when it is [Page 195] drunke out it de­stroieth.I [...]b. 20.12 Wickednesse was sweet in his mouth, he sauoured it, and would not forsake it, but the gall of Aspes was in the middest of him.

But this doth more augment their misery that by no seruice of Satan can they finde satisfaction to them­selues,The more a man seru [...]s the pleasures of sinne, the lesse is he satiate with thē. euen when they enioy the ob­iects of their sinnes, yet haue they not their desired ioy and contentmēt, He would faine haue filled his belly with the huskes, and hee [Page 196] could not, saith the pa­rable. What then? can not the hunger of sinne, begotten satis­fie? No doubtlesse, no more then the graue, or the fire, or the barren wombe, giue them as ye please still they cal for more. Will couetousnesse, will concupisence say ho, it is enough? No, though thou couldst liue Methusalems daies, & hadst the strength of all bodies into one bodie, the more thou serue the pleasures of sinne, the lesse shalt [Page 197] thou bee satiate by them. O miserable ser­uitude, wherein doe what thou wilt, an in­satiable hunger still oppresseth thee. Eue­ry wicked man by vnhappy experience shall at length prooue in himself, that which now he heares in this Prodigall.

Vers. 17.
Then hee came to himselfe a­gaine:

Now followeth theThe re­pentance of the Prodigal. second & most com­fortable part of the [Page 198] Prodigall, wherein is set downe how this Prodigall sonne re­turneth home againe to his Father, we haue all beene like him in wandring, happy are they who are also like him in returning.A man in his sinnes is as a mad man or one out of his vvits. The word whereby his re­pentance is expressed is worthy obseruation, [...] hee came to himselfe. What was he then be­fore, when hee was in his sinnes? Nought else, but a man out of himselfe, out of his wits, as repentance in [Page 199] the Scriptures is fre­quently described to bee a returning vnto God: so also a retur­ning to our selues, re­turne to your minde O transgressors, [...]sa 46.8. Gregor. M [...]r [...]l. l. 2 When he r [...]pents he comes to himselfe againe. in true repentance. Electorum corda ad [...]eredeunt, the hearts of the elect re­turne to themselues, for a man going from the Lord goeth also from himselfe, if hee grieues the Lord, hee hurts himselfe in for­getting and forsaking the Lord, hee forgets and forsakes himselfe also, and is but like a [Page 200] mad man, a phrentike a possessed man with vncouth furies, with vncleane spirits: hee is not (as our prouerb is) his owne man, this should waken in vs a pitty and commise­ration of men wal­king in their sinnes, euen to pray to God for them as our Saui­our and Saint Stephen did for the persecu­ting Iewes. Father for­giue them, Lu 23 34. Act. 7.60. for they know not what they are doing. The Lord open their eies to see it.

And he said:

Before his resolution, the motiues of his re­solution are set down, and these are two:The tvvo eies of a penitent sinner, the one seeth mi­sery, the other mercy. First, the sense of his owne misery, next the hope and trust of mer­cy in his father. These are the two eies of a penitent sinner: one whereby he seeth his miserie, and that cha­seth him out of him­selfe: another where­by hee seeth Gods mercy, and that ma­keth him bold to [Page 202] come to the Lord, hee can not taste the sweet­nesse of Gods mercy, who in some measure is not first touched with the sense of his misery: indeed mise­rie may bee felt with­out mercy, but not mercy without some sense of misery: some thinke themselus [...]re of mercy, th [...]t were neuer humbled with the sense of misery, these are deceiued by presumption: others againe, feeles their mi­sery and see no mer­cy, and these if they [Page 203] abide, so fall in despe­ration.

This esperance of mercy is nourished in his heart by consi­deration of his fa­thers liberall dealing,Esperance of mercy is [...]orish­ed by ex­amples of mercy shewed vnto o­thers. euen towards hired seruants, which ma­keth him confident to looke for goodnesse toward himselfe that was his sonne: How many hired seruants in my fathers house hath bread enough. This house of his father re­presents the Church of God, Eph. 3. this is The family of God, distinguished [Page 204] in two houses: in the vpper house there are none but the sonnes of God, in the lower house, besides sonnes, there are also hired seruants, which shall not abid in the house foreuer and euer, vn­to these the Lord is good and gratious, how much more vn­to his owne children. He that maketh his Sunne to shine, Math. 6. and the raine to fall on the vniust, he that cloatheth the Lillies of the field, and feedeth the foules of heauen, will he not be [Page 205] fauourable to his owne.Seeing the Lord is good to his ser­uants in generall, much more vvill hee bee good to his chil­dren. Are not ye much better then they? But to goe further, the mercy of God which hee sheweth to his children, is not onely to comfort them who receiue it, but to con­uert and confirme o­thers also. It is true of all his mercies, which Saint Paul speakes of the mercies shewed himselfe: they are exemplar mercies, e­uery time that Gods shewes mercie, there is a boxe of precious ointment powred out [Page 206] not only for the good of him vpon whom it descends, but that the sweet smell thereof may allure others to come and get the like.C [...]m. 1.2. In all the Gospel [...]e reade not of one that went cō ­fortl [...]sse from Christ. Thy name is as an oint­ment powred out, there­fore the Virgins loue thee. Let vs goe then to the Poole of Bethesda there wee shall see a great multitude of all sorts of diseased men, made whol by the wa­ters of Siloā, Io [...]. 5.1. all of thē allure vs, & assure vs, that if wee will doe as they haue done, wee shall be healed as they [Page 207] were, whatsoeuer be our di [...]ease. Looke all the hystory of the Gospel we shall not finde one touched with a sense of their misery that came to Christ, and went away comfort­lesse. The lepers, the lu­naticks, the Adulterers, the Demoniacks, the Pa­raliticks, the Publicans, and all sort of misera­ble sinners, stand vp as a clowde of witnes­ses to confirme thee, that if thou wilt also returne to the Lord and seeke mercy, thou shalt finde it.

[Page 208] Crosses chase men to the Lord.The other motiue of his repentance, is the sense of his pre­sent miserie, in these words, And I die of hunger. It is the wis­dome of God by crosses to correct our corruption, Es [...]. 28.19 feare or trou­ble shall make you to vnderstand the hearing. What they cannot learne by the word, he causeth them to learne it by affliction. When all these things shall come vpon thee, Deu [...]. 30.1 then shalt thou turne in thy heart and returne vnto the Lord thy God. [Page 209] It is a great blessing of God,Happy thing where crosses become correcti­ons. when his crosses beecome cor­rections. Corrigunt, maketh a man better then he was, and cha­seth him homeward towards the Lord. It is needfull, it is profi­table for vs to drinke of this cup. I ne­uer knew any that learned true religion without some grie­uous affliction, in­ward or outward. A sore famine sent the Lord vpon Canaan in the daies of Iacob, Gen. 41. was it because hee loued [Page 210] not Iacob?Exod. 1. No, but that he might chase him to Ioseph. Sore af­fliction laid he on Ia­cobs children in Aegypt by the hands of Pha­r [...], was it because he loued them not? No, but that he might make them weary of Aegypt, and draw thē to Canaan againe. Ma­nasse his bonds, M [...]ri­am her leprosse, Pauls blindnesse, the Prodi­gall his pouerty, a­mong many moe may witnesse what great good GOD workes by his crosse. [Page 211] in the hearts of his children.

Therefore the Pro­phet Dauid said,Psal. 119. It was good for me that I haue beene afflicted. And good were it for im­penitent wanton ones that God would make them beare the yoake in their youth, Ier. Lam. 3.27. and would doe to them as hee promiseth to doe to his Church, that is by his rods bring her home againe to him­selfe. I will stop thy way with thorn [...]s, Hos 2.6.7 and make an hedge that she shall not finde her pathes, though [Page 212] shee follow after her lo­uers, The feli­citie of men pros­pering in their sins is great infelicitie. yet shall shee not come neere them, then shee shall say, I will goe and returne to my first husband for I was better then, then now. The fe­licity of men prospe­ring in their sinnes is great infelicity.Aug. Nihil infaelicius faelicitate pec­cantium: therefore said Nazianzen peccatum fructum esse stultae sa­nitatis. Nazian. orat. 27. d [...] Pauper. That sinne is the fruit of vnhappy health, and that holy sicknes is to be prefer­red vnto it, & the same is to be thought of [Page 213] all other crosses, be­ing sanctified to our vse.

Vers. 18.
I will rise and goe to my Fa­ther, and I will say.

These being his motiues;As sinne is a falling so repen­tance is a rising. now follow­eth his resolution, wherein, first wee see that true repentauce is a rising, we fall by sinne, we rise. by re­pentance, in the god­ly there is a death, and a resurrection, and an ascention, euen [Page 212] while they liue in the body,Repen­tance is a [...] death [...] resur­rection and first ascention by the first death sinne dies in them. By the first re­surrection they arise from their sinnes, by the first ascention they go vp after their Lord, though they walke vpon earth. They haue their conuer­sation in heauen, Phil. 3.20. and their affections are set on these things which are aboue at the right hand of God. Col. 3. Blessed is he that hath part in the first resurrection, for vp­on him the second death shal haue no power. [Page 213] If the soule, while it is in the body rise not out of the graue of sinne, sure it is the bo­dy shall neuer rise out of the earth, but to shame and confusion. Awake therefore, Eph. 5.14. thou that sleepest, and stand vp from the dead, and Christ shall giue thee light.

But we must knowRepen­tance is a worke of diuine power. that this rising of a sinner from his sinnes is not a worke that can be wrought by the power of na­ture, the second re­surrection will bee [Page 216] wroght by the migh­ty power of God, and much more the first,Ber. annūt. Mariae serm. 1. It inno­cent A­dam stood not, how shall sinful Adam rise of him­selfe. Si stare perse non potuit humana natura adhuc integra, multo mi­nus per se resurgere po­testiam corrupta. Euery man by nature is a vessell replenished, & loadned heauy with sinne, not vnlike that Ephah wherein wic­kednesse was coue­red,Zach. 5.6. and prest downe with a talent of lead, how shall he thē rise if grace come not from aboue to remoue the talent: he cannot so [Page 217] much as lift vp the head, no more then that man diseased of the Palsey till the Sa­uiour come and giue the command, and with the command, grace.Iob. 5.8. The work of repen­tance no lesse mi­raculous then the raising of the dead. Arise and walke. Lazarus was dead but foure daies, he stunke already, but should haue lien still till hee had rotted, if Iesus had not stood ouer his graue, and called vpon him, and no better is it with vs, we are dead in sinne, till the Lord quicken vs. Vtinam ad hoc monu­mentum [Page 218] meum digneris accedere domine Iesu voca me de monumento huius corporis, Ambr. de paenit. li. 2. cap 7. si illa­chrymaueris prome, sal­uus ero. It was the de­sire of Ambrose allu­ding to Lazarus his resurrection, & shold be ours also: Oh Lord Iesus that thou woul­dest draw neere this sepulchre of mine, that thou wouldest raise me out of the graue of this body, and command me to come out, that my cogitations and affe­ctions he not inclosed [Page 219] in darkenesse, but I may see thy light, and being set at liberty may walke after thee.

And goe to my father.

He sinned by going from his father,Penitent men keep a course plaine contrarie to that which they kept while they wal­ked in their sin. when he repents he returnes to his father againe, this repentance hath a course plaine con­trary to that, which men kept, while they walked in their sinnes. So Chrysostome allu­ding to the doings of wise men, who went home an other way, [Page 220] then the way they came to the field: ob­serues it in al penitent men, they come home to the Lord an other way then they went from him. Hast thou gone from the Lord by the way of anger, or hatred, re­turne againe by the way of meekenesse, and loue. Hast thou sinned by intempe­rance, amend by ab­stinence. Wentst thou astray by the way of concupiscence, re­turne by continence. Hast thou sinned by [Page 221] couetousnesse, taking from thy neighbour what thou shouldest not, make restitution with Zaccheus. Luk. 19.8 This is that effect of re­pentance, which Saint Paul calleth reuenge, 2. Cor. 7.11 When a man grieued in himselfe, for that hee hath grieued the Lord, resolues to bee reuenged on his sins, by following a course plaine contrary vnto them.

Againe,No rest for a sin­ner till he returne to the Lord. we see here, goe a sinner where he will, he can neuer find rest and contentment [Page 222] till he come home to God his heauenly Fa­ther. Seeke it as thou wilt in the creature thou shalt neuer find it. God made all his creatures for man, but man he made for him­selfe, and he is con­tent, all that is his bee thine prouiding thou wilt be his. All things are yours, 1. Cor. 3. 22. things present and things to come, and yee are Christs, and Christ is Gods. God calleth vppon vs to come to himselfe. My Son giue me thine heart. Come vnto me, Math. 11. I will re­fresh [Page 223] you. Iiuery creature in their kind sends vs to the creator. Psal. 4. And euery creature in their kinde sends man backe vnto the Lord, this is their voice, Why wander yee in vanity. Why follow ye after lies: for your sinnes we our selues are subiect to vanity, Rom. 8. seeke not your good in vs, seeke it in him that made vs, by your restitution to his fa­uour, Wee looke for de­liuerance from this bon­dage of corruption, Rom. 8.21 in to the glorious liberty of the Sonnes of God. By your going a who­ring after vs yee may [Page 224] increase bondage, and ours also but cannot procure to your selfe wished contentment. All that euer tasted the pleasure of the creature before vs,All that euer haue sought pleasure in the cre­ture wit­nesseth to vs that it a vame thing to doe so. witnesse the same vn­to vs. But alas, so foo­lish is man that hee dreames of a possibi­litie to finde content­ment for himselfe, wher neuer one could find it before him, he regards not the testi­mony of others; hee will not be taught of any, till experience the the Schoolema­ster [Page 225] of fooles teach him, and then though hee were ten times more wise and weal­thie then euer Salomon was, and would lay downe his head and his heart to seeke de­sired comfort in the creature, yet shall hee be forced to acknow­ledge, that All the la­bour vnder the Sunne is but vanity and vexation of Spirit:Eccles. 1. there is a short abridgement of our life.Iob. Eccles. 64. Man commeth into vanity and goeth in­to darkenesse: it is no better if we doe no [Page 226] more but follow the course of nature: let vs therefore go aboue the Sunne, seeke rest, ioy, and contentment in our God in whom onely it is to bee found.

And I will say:

Both ver­tues and vices goe together in bands. When hee was in the way of his sinnes, he went from one sin to another, till hee came ad profunaum, to the deepth of sinne. Now when hee comes to the way of repentance: [Page 227] repentance: yee see from one grace hee proceeds and steppes forward to an other;As [...]irtues ioyn [...], one w [...]th ano­ther a­mong the [...]dues, So vices. for both vertues and vices haue their owne fellowship. Vices are linked together like the links of a chaine, any one of them pre­uailing ouer a misera­ble man deliuers him to another. Ope vi­caria fugitiuum seruum vitia ret nent. Thus is hee carried as a cap­t [...]ue from hand to hand in that cursed fellowship, till hee come to their com­mon [Page 228] master the prince of darkenesse. Vertues also and gra­ces haue their owne society, and a man comming in amongst them is sent from one of them to an other, till he be deliuered in­to the hands of their Lord and master Ie­sus Christ; for no vertue nor vice is soli­tary, but haue euer some of their owne kind in company with them.They who seek from the LORD should offer vnto him.

As he resolueth to rise and returne to his father: so hee fore­thinkes [Page 229] what to say, when he comes tea­ching vs not to ap­peare before the Lord without reuerend preparation. Resolue what thou hast to say, what to seeke, what to offer before thou come to him. If thou seeke and haue nothing to offer, it is a token thou seekest thy selfe and not the Lord. If thou offer o­ther things to the Lord, but not thy selfe,Eccl. 4 17. thou offerest The sacrifice of sooles, for it is thy selfe the Lord [Page 230] doth seeke, and he of­fereth himselfe to thee againe, if thou seeke anything from him, and offer not thy selfe vnto him, thou shalt lose thy selfe, thou shalt not obtaine what thon seekest, neither yet shalt thou enioy him.

Two sa­crifices which this peni­tent pro­d [...]g [...]ll of­fieth to the Lord.This Prodigall pre­pares a twofold sacri­fice: first the sacri­fice of confession of his sinnes, doubtlesse from a heart truly pe­nitent.Psal. 51. The sacrifices of God are a contrite spirit a broken heart the [Page 231] Lord despiseth not. Next, the sacrifice of oblation of himselfe, he offereth his seruice vnto the Lord. Make me as one of thy ser­uants.

The care­lesnesse of profes­sors in this age whē they appeare before God, re­proned. But in this the care­lesse negligence of men of this age is ex­ceeding great, they pray, but without preparation, neither considering them­selues how they are, as Abraham said,Gen. 19. but dust and ashes: Yea, viler then the earth, in asmuch as they are vncleane, through [Page 232] their sinnes, neither yet, what a great ma­iesty the Lord is, be­fore whom they ap­peare: they forethink not what they haue to seeke, neither prouide they a sacri­fice to offer, they en­ter into Gods house, as if it were a priuate house, forgetting Sa­lomons precept.Eccl. 4.17. Take heede vnto thy feete when thou entrest into the house of God. The Courts of the Lord, and a common cau­sey are a like vnto them, yea euen vpon [Page 233] most solemne daies, neither are they san­ctified to offer praier, praise, seruice, which God craues, neither yet are they ready to receiue mercy, and peace which God of­fers; they come with­out preparation, they sit without sense or deuotion, they goe a­way without answer or edification. But as those beasts which entred vncleane into the Arke, went out vncleane: so come they to the house of GOD vnpe­nitent, [Page 234] and goeth out vnpenitent.

Such as will not confesse their sins are Satans Secreta­ries.Some will not con­fesse their sinnes at al, but hide them as A­chan did the accur­sed thing, vnder the earth in his tent: these may be called Satans Secretaries, by so do­ing they deminish not the knowledge of God, but debarre themselues from the mercy of God, while they seeke to Conceale the iniquity of their bo­some as Adam did, they doe but reueale their own shame, and [Page 235] hasten the declaration of Gods iudgement vpon them.Pro. 29.13 Hee that hideth his sins shall not prosper. Ier. 2.35. Behold I will enter in iudgement with thee, because thou saiest, Cousessi­on of sin without amend­ment, is professiō. I haue not sinned. O­thers againe, confesse their sinnes, but yet continue in their sins, not like this Prodigal, I will rise and say I haue sinned: these men will say, they haue sinned, but will not rise out of their sinnes, such a confession is but a profession of sinne, which will neuer ob­taine [Page 236] mercy, it may wel increase guilt, and draw on the greater damnation.

I haue sinned against heauen, and before thee.

Penitent sinners il­luminate with the light of faith,How the godly amplifie their sins. amplifie their sinnes two man­ner of waies: First, that their sinnes are done against God: next, that they are done before GOD. Dauid in his confessi­on,Psal 51. as likewise the [Page 237] Prodigall here ioines, both these two toge­ther.Euery sin is against God, but not done in the sight of God, in respect of the commit­ter. Euery sinne is against God, but euery sin is not done in the sight of God (I meane in respect of the sinner,) for there are many that sinne, and yet know not that they sinne as Turks in their adul­tery, Pagans in Idola­try, simple Papists in their cruelty, when they are persecuting sincere worshippers, they thinke they are doing good seruice vnto God. But such [Page 238] as haue the light shi­ning vnto them, who knowe the will of GOD, and yet will doe against it, they sinne not onely a­gainst God, but be­fore him and in his sight. And this shews the greatnesse of sins,The greatnesse of sinne commit­ted now vnder this clere light of the Gospel. which are now com­mitted vnder this cleare light of the Euangell, they are not done in the night but in the day; not onely against the Lord, but before him, vnder his eye, and in his very face [Page 239] hee is a bold theese that will steale, and the Iudge looking vpon him, hee is a shamelesse Adulterer that seeketh not the twilight, but will worke villeny in the noone tide of the day, and men behol­ding him. He that knoweth his Masters wil and doth it not, shall haue double stripes;, saith our Sauiour. What then? hee that doth not onely leaue his Masters will vndone, though he know it, but also doth direct­ly [Page 240] against him, shall he not haue triple stroakes? And which is worst of all, hee that transgresseth his masters will, and his Master looking vpon him, are not quadru­ple plagues due vnto him. From such high high impiety, and proud rebellion, the Lord deliuer vs.

Verse 19.
And am no more worthy to be called thy Sonne make me as one of thy hired seruants.

When hee had the place and honour of a Sonne he set lightly by it,The worth of Gods be­nefits is not kno­wen till we want them. he abused it, now is hee faine to seeke the roome of a seruant. The worth and value of Gods benefites are not knowne till men want them, and be touched with a sense of their misery, then the least [Page 242] of his mercies are e­steemed great mercies euen to be a Doore kee­per in Gods house, or to haue the place of a seruant in it,Math. 25. or to haue the benefit of little dogs to eate of the crumbes of bread that fall from the ta­ble of his children: so thought Dauid, so this Prodigall, so the Cananitish woman, whē they were humbled It is greater wisdome to ponder the good­nesse of God in time, that we may esteeme of it, and be thankeful [Page 243] to God for it, hee made vs his sonnes by the first creation, wee become his enemies by our transgression, we lost all the holi­nesse of our nature, all the happinesse of our state by our own folly. If we had di­ed in that estate wee should haue accoun­ted the vse of water a great benefit: yea, greater then we doe the abundance of all his creatures, which now of his goodnesse, hee communicates. But the Lord had [Page 244] mercy vpon vs,Miserable is man for that hee lost his first grace, more mi­serable, if now he despise grace of­fered a­gaine. Ioh. 15.15 1. Ioh. 3. and hath restored vs, not to the place of ser­uants onely. Hence­foorth I call you not ser­uants, but to the dig­nity of sinnes. Behold what a loue the Father hath shewed, you that yee should bee called his sonnes: so that now we are aduanced to a greater, surer, and more enduring ho­nour, then that which we had by our first creation, shall we not feare to hazard it a­gaine by walking af­ter our sinnes, if wee [Page 245] doe so, the second er­rour shall bee worse then the first: Mise­rable is man already by his first fall, more miserable shall he be by the second, if hee despise the grace of the Gospell, and tram­ple the bloud of the new Couenant vnder his feet, Heb. 10.27 what remaines but a fearefull looking for of iudgement, and violent fire. Let vs take heed in time, and learne to be wise by this Pro­digall child, when we heare him glad to get the roome of a ser­uant, [Page 246] shall not we re­ioice in our God, who hath giuen vs the place of his children. Lord make vs thank­full for it, and giue vs grace to Walke wor­thy our heauenly voca­tion, Eph. 4.1. that in our life we may expresse our vertue,Col. 1.13. who hath Translated vs out of darkenesse into maruel­lous light.

VERSE 20.

The god­lie as they are bles­sed with grace to begin, so also to perseuere.As hee concluded before, so he perfor­meth now. In the [Page 247] godly, resolutions are first, but actions fol­low. In the wicked sometimes there are resolutions to amend their liues, but no ex­ecution followeth, their motions of re­pentance are like to the Morning dew, or the false conception of a woman, which commeth neuer to the birth: but the Lord blesseth his own children, both with the first and latter raine; that is grace to beginne well, and grace to perseuere [Page 248] vnto the ende.

And when hee was yet a farre off.

A i [...]isull meeting between a mercifull God and a misera­ble sinnerNow followeth the last part of this Para­rable: figuring vnto vs how gratious the Lord is, how ready to shew mercy to poore sinners, when­soeuer they repent of their sinnes, and re­turne vnto him. Here then is a ioyfull mee­ting betweene a mer­cifull God, and a mi­serable sinner. Bles­sed is the soule (saith [Page 249] Bernard) wherein mercy & truth meet together and euery one of them kisses one another: Here is truth in the prodigal child, no guile, Psal. 32 no deceit in him, simply and sin­cerely hee confesseth his sinne, and the Lord who loueth truth in the inward affections, meets him with mercy.How far the louing affection of God tovvards vs, excee­deth ours towards him.

But howsoeuer these two meet toge­ther, yet you see there is no comparison be­tweene them in the measure of their af­fections, [Page 250] the one would fainer shew mercy, then the o­ther would haue it, the childe is not so willing to returne as the father is ioyfull to receiue. He ariseth, and is comming, but the father seeth him a farre off, and runnes, he falleth on his necke and kisseth him. Non Pari vbertate s [...]uune,Ber. in Cāt. Serm. 8.amans, & amor, spon­sus & spon [...]a; creator; & creatura; non magis quam sitiens, & fons. As there is great dif­ference betweene the [Page 251] flowing of the Ocean and the flowing of a little riuer:No lesse then the­flowing of the [...] ceedes cean, ex­the run­ning of a riuer. and as there is great oddes betweene that which the thirsty man drinkes, and that which the foun­taine hath to giue him: so is there be­tweene the creature louing GOD, and GOD who is loue it selfe. What then? shal we not loue him, because we cannot e­qual him in loue? shal wee not goe to him, because we cannot go so fast as he commeth [Page 252] to vs. No, no, Nam etsi minus diligit crea­tura, quia minor est, Ibid. ta­men si tota diligis, ni­hil deest vbi totum est. For albeit the loue of the creature bee lesse, because it selfe is lesse: yet if wee loue him with our whole hearts, nothing is lacking where the whole is.

The very beginning of our conuersiō is accep­table to the Lord.And most comfor­table is it that hee saith, when hee was yet a farre off, he had compassion vpon h [...]m, he had not yet come, he had fallen [Page 253] downe, he had not confessed, and yet the Father sheweth mercy vpon him. See then how the very first motions of re­pentance, if they bee vnfeined, euen the beginnings of our conuersion, if they be from the heart are acceptable to GOD, He bruseth not the bru­sed reed,Esa 42 3 M [...]. 12.20.hee quencheth not the smoaking flaxe. Though our repen­tance be but in a be­ginning, yet if it bee true, God will meete it with mercy, there [Page 254] is the nature of Gods compassions.Dan. 9. In the beginning of Daniel his supplication God sent him an answere, and at the beginning of our turnings to God,Esa. 65.1. God turnes vn­to vs. I haue been sound of them that sought mee not saith the Lord, will he then hide his face from them that seeke him.Rom. 5.9.10. If when we were sinners, Christ died for vs, much more beeing now iustified by his bloud: shall wee bee sa­ued from wrath through him, and if when wee [Page 255] were enemies, wee were reconciled to God: much more beeing reconciled, we shall bee saued by his life. If he ranne to this childe when he was a farre off, will he not embrace his chil­dren that are come neere vnto him.

Non persuadet nudo verbo, B [...]sil. de Paenit. sed & exemplo. Hee will assure vs of mercy, not by his na­ked word onely, but by example also.Ier. 7.8. I wil speake against a Nation to destroy it, but if this Nation turne from their wickednesse, I will re­pent [Page 256] of the plague that I thought to bring vpon them. The Lord perswads vs of mer­cy. What can bee more cleare, will we turne from our sinnes God will turne from his iudgements.1 By his word. Nei­ther is there any place here to speake of the greatnesse of our sins, as though they were not curable by his mercies.Esa. 1.28. Though your sinnes were as Crimson they shall be made white as snow, though they were red like Scarlet, they shall bee made as woll. Howsoeuer thou haue done them, and [Page 257] made them many and great, and they are double dipped: wilt thou repent, the strength of his mer­cy shall vndoe them, shall change them, and make them,2 By his worke. as if they had neuer beene done. And if yet thou beleeue him not whē he speakes, at least be­leeue him when hee sweares.Ezech. 33.11. As I liue, saith the Lord, I desire not the death of a sinner, but that he should turne and liue. Basil. Ibid Estne Deus cum iur at indignus cui creda­tur? Is not the Lord [Page 258] when he sweares wor­thy to bee credited. But:3 By the ex­ample of his mercy shevved to others. if neither his word, nor his oath can mooue thee, yet looke to his workes, and for them beleeue his word. Were not the Niuiuites spared when they repented. Was not Achab spa­red when hee was humbled. Who euer turned to the Lord, and found not the Lord turning to him. When the Lea­per cried, If thou wilt thou canst make mee cleane: The Lord Ie­sus [Page 259] answered, I will, be thou cleane. Math. 8. When the Centurion besought him to come to his house, and heale his seruant.Luk. 7. Iesus answe­red I wil come and heale him. There is a cloud of witnesses, all pro­uing this one point. Quidenim? forte pec­casti in saeculo nunquid amplius Paulo?Bern. in festo Pet. & Paul. Quod si in ipsa religione, nunquid plus Petro. For why? hast thou sinned be­fore thy calling, so did Saint Peter, and though thy sinnes were greater then [Page 260] theirs, yet are they not so great as his mercy, who hath promised to pardon. Thus then in this Prodigall child, haue we not onely mercy shewed to himselfe, but exemplar mercy, proposed to all such, as repenting of their sinnes returne vnto him.

His Father saw him.

Albeit this be [...] put heere in the last roome, yet is it to be referred to the first [Page 261] time of his conuersi­on. The Lord looked vpon him as he loo­ked to Peter, after he had denied him, hee made him to goe out and weepe bitterly for his sinnes; grace was sent with the looke. This is the looke of Gods face, that Dauid praies for Looke vpon me and bee mercifull vnto mee, Psa. 25.15 as thou doest vnto those that feare thy name. And it is this looke that brought home againe the Prodigall childe, for as the I­mage [Page 262] which the glasse represents, lifts not vp the eies till hee that lookes into it lift vp his eies first: So man who is the I­mage of God, cannot lift vp his eies vnto heauen till God first looke down with the eies of mercy vpon him. And therefore Bernard expounding this Parable of the forlorn [...] Sonne, ha­uing declared the depth of the misery wherein to hee had fal­le [...] by falling from his father. Hee de­scribes [Page 263] the beginning and progresse of his restitution and home comming vnto the Lord, for so saith hee Et vbi nunc est pater ille, Bern. para­bol. de filio Regis. potentissimus, dulcissi­mus, & liberalissimus, nunquid potest obliui [...]ci filium vterisui? Absit, absit. And where now is the most powerful, sweete, and liberall fa­ther, can hee forget his childe, the fruit of his wombe? No, no, Non obliuiscitur, ed miseretur, dolet & conqueritur de absentia & perditione silij sui. [Page 264] He forgets not, but hee hath compassion, he mourneth and la­menteth for the want and losse of his sonne: yea, he sends out his seruants to seeke him. The first seruant, is Feare, which follow­ing and finding the Kings sonne in most miserable case, beates him, and prickes him with terrors [...] chase him to his [...]ather. But the second ser­uant, Hope, comming foorth to seeke him, findes him rather hurt, then helped by [Page 265] feare, cast downe, not raised vp: therefore hope puts her hand louingly vnder his head, and raiseth him out of despaire; it wipes away the dung from his eies, & then beginnes to see, O how many hired seruants in my fathers house haue bread enough, and I die for hunger. Arise, saith Hope, Goe home to thy Father, I haue brought thee heere, The horse of desire. Thus is he no sooner mounted vppon the Horse of desire, but [Page] incontinent, wisdome cometh with the bri­dle of discretion. Goe not, saith he, too fast, lest the Kings Sonne fall into the hands of his enemies, hold you in the high way, for the enemies are not in the path way, but in the by rodes lur­king in ambushment. Then came in the va­lien [...] warriour Forti­titude, and he draw­ing out the sword of gladnesse and ioy, be not troubled, saith he, they are moe with vs then with them. [...] [Page 269] are signified by these but the riches of Gods manifold mer­cies, whereby he sup­plies all our wants, fulfilleth all our ne­cessities, for their con­fimation in the state of grace, that once are conuerted to it. And it is to be noted, that all these good things are taken out of our fathers treasure, they are giuen vs freely, we haue them not of our selues. The third per­fiting grace is figured here that being taken in into his Fathers [Page] house, he is set downe to a banquet, they are meery together, repe­senting the mutuall ioy, that is betweene God and his children, the Lord reioicing in the conuersion of a sinner, and the sinner reioycing in the sal­uation of his God.

See what a diffe­rence is here between his former estate whē he went from his fa­ther, and the estate whereunto hee is ad­uanced now after his returning. How farre is his satisfaction a­boue [Page] his desire, hee sought but the roome of a seruant, and he is honoured with the dignity of a sonne; the mourning weede is taken from him and he is made to reioice, in steed of his former scarsity, wealth, and abundance of al good things is giuen vnto him. As men see it in the Parable, so is it to be wished, they wold proue it in the pra­ctise. If they would forsake the pleasures of sinne, and come and taste how graciou [...] [Page 272] the Lord is, they should see the one are but huskes of Acornes, meeter for beasts then for men, and are no way to bee ma [...]ched with the delicates of GOD, whereby he refresheth his chil­dren.

The Lord worke this change in vs, that as we haue wandred with this Prodigall, we may repent and returne with him, and the Lord who hath giuen vs the begin­ning of conuersion, confirme vs more