or trespasse and resolue to become an honest man I will pardon your fault and not onely so but you shall bee made a Iustice of peace or some great man hee would vpon this promise bee moued quickly to confesse his felony and forgoe his theft now the Iudge of all the world offers vs this large promise of mercie that if a sinner will truely and from his heart confesse his sinnes and resolue to leaue them hee shall haue pardon and not onely so but hee shall bee made a King and priest vnto God the Father and this preferment wee shall come vnto if wee come vnto God in a right manner Oh but how might I doe to come to bee perswaded of mercy if I come to God First pray vnto God that hee would giue vs his holy spirit which feales vnto our hearts this perswasion of mercy as the Apostle saith Gal. 4.6 Because wee are sonnes God hath sent forth the spirit of his Sonne into our hearts which cryeth Abba Father The spirit of Christ doth worke this assurance that God is our Father and vppon this assurance wee shall bee forced to cry Abba Father and going to our best Father wee may bee sure to finde mercie Secondly wee must offer vp our soules and bodies desire in all things to serue him to keepe all his commandements then we shall receiue mercy from God as that holy man Nehemiah saith O Lord I beseech thee let thine eare hearken to the praiers of thy seruant and to the prayers of thy seruants that desire to feare thy name So that if wee can but truely desire to repent and desire to keepe all Gods commaundements and desire to bewaile all our sinnes and to striue against all corruptions and it is certaine wee shall obtaine mercy at the hand of God For if a christian parent commaund his childe to doe a thing and if hee doe it willingly and cherefully and though hee doe it not so perfectly as the parent himselfe yet hee will take it in good parte because his child endeuoured to performe it as well as hee could how much more will God our heauenly Father accept of the poore desires and endeauours of his children when hee sees in them a willing desire to doe well But if our desires bee good and true then there is a vsing of all good meanes and ordinances to accomplish the thing desired or else it is but a slouthfull desire and it may not bee called truely a desire else but a lust but if wee desire to repent and to beleeue and also vse all good meanes to repent and beleeue and be humbled because we cannot repent and beleeue as wee should the Lord will haue mercy vpon such holy desires and accept the will for the deede And so much for the second doctrine And when he was yet a great way off his father saw him and had compassion and ran c. In all these words is set downe the affection and loue of the father vpon the resolution of his sonne the sonne was but comming but the father is running hee comes slowly for mercie but the father is ready and forward to shew mercy which shews the wonderfull readinesse of God to shew mercy to a penitent sinner that comes to God for mercy From hence wee learne this doctrine Doct. 3 That God is very ready to shew mercy vnto euery penitent sinner that comes to him with a broken and humble heart That a penitent sinner can noe sooner looke for mercy from God but hee is ready to shew mercy to them That God is more ready to shew mercy then penitent sinners can bee to seeke for mercy This wee see in a naturall father to his penitent childe here now a naturall parent hath made no such promise to shew mercy to his childe but our heauenly Father hath made a promise to euery penitent sinner to shew him mercy againe a naturall parent cannot shew mercy and kindnesse to his childe without great costs and labour but our heauenly Father hee can shew mercy without any trouble or charges for it is his name to bee mercifull Now if this bee in a naturall parent that he will shew mercy though hee haue not promised yea though it bee to his great cost and paines how much more will our heauenly Father shew mercy to his children sith hee hath promised and is both able and willing with ease to doe it If this bee in man which hath but a droppe of mercy in comparison of God what may a penitent soule expect at the hands of God who is infinite in mercy and pitty to his This doctrine may very fitly bee proued by the example of Gods dealing with Dauid that when he had committed two greeuous sinnes of adultery and murder and had almost slept a twelue moneth in them in so much that the Lord is faine to send a Herald of armes to him to awaken him out of his spirituall sleepe and to helpe him out of his sinnes and to bring him to repentance but the Prophet could no sooner remember his sinnes to him but hee doth imediatly confesse his sinne and hee no sooner acknowledge and confesse his sinnes 2. Sa. 12.13 but the Prophet Nathan by the mouth of the Lord doth pronounce his pardon yea before hee did aske it the Prophet tels him the Lord hath put away thy sinne thou shalt not die This also we may see proued in that Psalme which is intituled Dauids learning wherin the Prophet confesseth when I held my tongue my bones consumed and when I roared all the day That is as long as I did dissemble and seemed to cloake and hide my faults I was plagued and tormented so that roared like an vnreasonable beast through paine then I acknowledged my sinne vnto thee neither hid I mine iniquities for I thought I will confesse against my selfe Psal 32.45 my wickednesse vnto the Lord and thou forgaue the punishment of my sinne Thus wee see hee could no sooner confesse but hee had pardon both from the guilt and punishment of his sinne and hee could no sooner seeke for mercy but hee obtained mercy at Gods hands Also the Prophet Isay shewes the mcreie of God vnto true repentant sinners where hee saith Isay 64.5 Thou diddest meete him that reioyced in thee and did iustly they remembred thee in thy waies behold thou art angry for wee haue sinned yet in them is continuance and wee shall be saued where the Prophet speakes of the Lord after the manner of men that he is ready to meete them halfe way as it were that set themselues in truth and vprightnesse to confesse their sinnes and meete him by repentance hee will meete them swiftly though they come but softly and though they come heauily yet they shall depart ioyfully And the same Prophet saith in the next chapter of the Lord before they call I will answere Isay 65.24 and whiles they speake I will heare This wee may see in
THE PENITENT SINNERS ENTERTAINEMENT Set foorth by Mr. IOHN HILL Student in Diuinitie and now Preacher of Gods Word at Dublin in IRELAND AT LONDON Printed by IOHN BEALE for IONAS MAN 1614. TO THE VVORshipfull and vertuous Gentlewomen M is TEMPERANCE CREW wife to Mr. Thomas Crew and M is Mary Blinco wife to Mr. Iohn Blinco I. H. desireth all grace and peace vnfainedly to bee multiplied c. GOdly and christian gentlewomen whom I loue in the truth 2. Ioh. 1. I hope I may speake of you as did that worthy Apostle of the elect lady who by the fruits of her piety and godlines manifested her election so you by the loue you beare towards God his ordinances and seruants doe declare euidently 1. Ioh. 3.14 your translation from death to life and by your vertuous and holie liues you demonstrate freedome from sin which are of euerlasting life I haue made bolde Christian Gentlewomen to patronize this small worke vnder your fauours in token of thankefulnes for your many fauours I haue receiued from you not doubting but small things of this nature will bee much respected and willingly receiued both in respect of your owne priuate gaine as also the profit benefit which the whole Church of God may reap gather frō it Now if you or the rest of the body of Christ shall receiue any benefit by it for the furthering of that worke of repentanee and sanctification of life giue God the glory and praise And so J humbly take my leaue commending you to the prouidence of God and the word of his grace Act. 20.32 which is able to build further and to giue you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified Steane this 20. of Aprill 1612. Yours in all christian duties to commaund IOHN HILL THE PENITENT SINNERS ENTERTAINEMENT LVKE 15.20 21 22 c. So he arose and came to his Father and when he was yet a great way off his Father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his necke c. IN all this parable of a godly and religious father and a stubborne and impious sonne is prefigured and set downe the vnspeakeable loue and compassion of God our heauenly father to all his children in Iesus Christ which haue beene rebellious and disobedient before their calling In these words are set down two things viz. First the duties of a penitent sinner Secondly the promotion that the penitent person comes vnto In the dueties of the penitent person there are two things to be considered First a perswasion of mercy sure confidence of obteining compassion if he did returne implied in the word Father as if he should haue said truth it is O Father as my life works haue beene toward thee I doe not deserue to be thy son as in the words following may appeare but yet neuer the lesse I am perswaded that though I haue failed of my duty towards thee yet thou wilt not faile of thy loue to me although there be no desert of mercy in me yet I know there is cōpassion for seeking for with thee and this is the first ground the penitent person laies to obtaine mercie Secondly the penitent person confesseth his sinne whereby he had offended his father for there must be a confession that as the childe is to be well perswaded of the loue of his father so hee must be ill perswaded of himselfe in respect of his sinne and therefore he saith I haue sinned against heauen and before thee that is against the God of heauen and against thee my naturall father and so I haue broken both the tables of the commandements And he confesseth also he was not worthie to be called a sonne to so godly a father or to receiue mercie that was so full of impietie making himselfe vile and base in his owne eyes that he might be highly esteemed in his Fathers eies which is the first part Now for the second part of this text which is the promotion the penitent sinner shall be exalted vnto set downe in the 22. 23. verses rendering a reason wherfore the father did thus promote him The promotion set downe is this the father seeing his riotous and vnthriftie sonne returne home with a broken and humble heart and with a resolution to become a new man and rather desiring his fathers loue then his goods he presently offers himselfe to his childe before he could aske for his needs he commaunds his seruants to bring forth such things as his penitent sonne wanted and to giue it before he did craue it for the father seeing his sonne so well clothed with humilitie and with godly remorse for his former life within he wil not reiect him though he came poore and ragged outward but cals for the best robe to couer him The comparison is taken from a King and a princelike childe whose manner was to weare robes and before the sonne could aske for apparrell which he stoode in neede of the father giues him a robe to put on for seeing he had made himselfe base in his owne eyes he would cloath him royally that hee might seeme precious in his fathers eyes And put a ring on his hand that is hee would not only giue him things for necessity but also to adorne beautifie him as the Apostle saith vpon our vncomely parts he will put more comelinesse on And shooes on his feete And whereas he came barefooted to his father he commaunds shooes to be put on his feete to keepe and preserue them from thornes and stones that might annoy hurt thē And bring the fatte calfe c And whereas he came with a languishing stomacke for want of meate for before he had beene feeding amongst swine now he will refresh him with a tender calfe with pleasant and comfortable meate And let vs eat be merie Here is cause of mirth reioycing on both sides First on the fathers side that had lost an vntowardly sonne and now had found an obedient sonne that went from him dead in his sinnes and returned quickned vnto the life of grace that departed impenitent and returned humbled in all which there was cause of mirth and this cause the father renders himselfe to his eldest sonne for my sonne was dead and is now aliue he was lost but is now found c. Secondly there was cause of reioycing in the sonne because he went from his father a dead man and now he comes to his father a liuing man he went from him stubborne proude disobedient he returnes meeke penitent and obedient in truth he departed from him a childe of Belia◠and returnes to him the childe of God in all which there was great cause of ioy on both sides And so much for the somme and order of these words The drift of the parable is that if a godly father had a stubborne and vngodly sonne that had departed from him and spent his portion amongst ryotous and lewd companions yet if
good reasons to keepe him from sinne as appeareth I haue made a couenant with mine eies Iob 31.1 2 3. why should I thinke on a maide and what portion should I haue of God from aboue and what inheritance from the almighty from on high is there not destruction to the wicked and strange punishmēt to the workers of iniquity Why doth Iob bee so diligent in watching ouer his senses lest hee should offend His reason is if hee should not haue regard to them hee knew that the Lord would not regard him and if hee should haue let loose his eies to behold wantonnes hee knew hee should quickly loose the fauour of God and letting his eies take their liberty hee should suddenly haue tasted some miserie for hee knew there were strange punishments for the workers of iniquity Oh but who takes notice of ones thoughts and lookes I may let my eies to take their liberty and no man can perceiue it nay but Iob makes answere Doth not God behold my waies and tell all my steppes And although man cannot take notice of my lustfull heart and eies yet the allseeing God doth behold it and considers my steppes Which made him not so much as wrong his poorest seruant hee kept for saith he If I did contemne the iudgment of my seruant and of my maide when they did contend with me 13.19 ver what then shall I doe when God standeth vp and when hee shall visite me what shal I answer And the reason why Iob durst not bee froward with his seruants because saith hee Hee that made mee in the wombe hath hee not made him As if hee should haue said it may bee my seruant may bee as dearely beloued of God as I my selfe and hee may bee an heire of Heauen as well as I at least wise I know wee are both his workemanship and therefore I dare not vexe and iniure him The whole chapter doth run vpon such arguments and reasons The third thing to make one constant is when the Lord hath put into our mindes good motions that wee delay not but presently and quickly put them in practise and bring it forth into action as the prodigall childe here did for immediately as soone as this came into his minde I will rise and goe to my Father hee delaied not but rose and came to his father So the prophet Dauid did finding himselfe out of the way Psal 119.60 hee saith I made hast and delaied not to keepe thy commandements Whiles the wound is greene it is best to goe to the Surgeon and wee haue an old prouerbe It is good striking whiles the iron is hot so when God puts into our hearts good affections let vs quickly put them in practise whiles hee warmes vs with the word Sacraments let vs not delay but speedily put it in action and whiles hee speakes by afflictions let vs resolue vppon a holy conuersation Now many when they come to the word and hearing of such duties which they ought to practise as for prayer to be performed of euery one at the lest both morning and euening the heart is presently affected with it and resolue to practise it but so soone as they are gone out of the Church they defer the putting the duty in practise by and by and so those motions die before they come forth into action and all because they doe not speedily goe about the worke for as fier without supplie of fuell will quickly bee extinguished euen so the delaying of putting these good resolutions and desires in practise doe quickly goe out and it leaues such a deadnes and hardnes of heart and makes one more duller to euery good dutie wherefore whiles the heart is warme with any good motion let vs spedily put it in practise Fourthly to the end wee may haue all our purposes and desires come to actions and true endeauours wee must take heed of bad company for they will quickly quench the good motions of the spirit that they may neuer come forth to actions for if this prodigall childe should vpon this determination haue gone and told his companions of this his resolutiō they would haue quickly disswaded him from his purpose but hee neuer goes to them to take their aduise but of himselfe resolues and doeth And this the Apostle Peter exhorts the new conuerts vnto saying Act. 2.40 Saue your selues from this froward generation then they should bee sure to hold out and not bee peruerted nor our mindes altered changed And so much for the first doctrine So hee arose and came to his father and said to him Father c. In this confession which the prodigall childe doth make hee begins with that which brought him home euen the true consideration that he had a Father and the perswasion of mercie if hee did returne was it as brought him home and so to repentance From hence ariseth plainely this doctrine That the perswasion of mercie is a speciall Doct. 2 meanes to worke true repentance and sound reformation in vs no better a motiue to driue vs to true repentance then the perswasion of mercie from God for if this prodigal childe should haue had this conceit to haue come into his braine I will goe home but my father will hit mee in the teeth of my sinne and former behauiour towards him or that it may bee hee will whippe mee out of his doores or commit mee to the house of correction and such like hee would neuer haue returned home but rather haue ended his life amongst the swine then to haue gone to such a cruell Father but the perswasion of mercie driues him home For proofe of this doctrine the holy Ghost by the author to the Hebrues saith For hee that cometh to God must beleeue that God is and that hee is a rewarder of them that seeke him hee that will come to God and seeke him indeede must bee perswaded to finde him in mercy and that he will bestow his loue and fauour vpon him for it is the perswasion of good successe that makes one goe to God and therefore the Prophet saith Psal 130.4 That mercie is with thee that thou mightest bee feared as if hee should haue said I should neuer haue reuerenced thy name but that there is hope of mercie and grace from thee Therefore the diuels hauing no hope of mercie they doe not nor cannot feare the Lord. Wherefore let vs set downe this as a maine conclusion that if wee cannot haue mercie from heauen wee shall haue mercie from no place The Apostle Paul doth vrge the mercie of God Rom. 12.1 to the Romans as a forcible argument to serue God I beseech you bretheren by the mercies of God that you giue vp your bodies a liuing sacrifice holy and acceptable to God which is your reasonable seruice of God where the mercies of God are a speciall motiue to stirre them vp to serue God Also the prophet Zacharie saith I will power vpon the howse