of polluted lippes and I dwell in the midst of people of polluted lippes Where God appeares vnto the Prophet and his maiesty being so perfect that it reflects vpon him whereby hee perceiues the more his owne vilenesse and pollution yea euen in his best parte as his lippes which had deliuered the message of God very faithfully So in truth when wee come to see the multitude of our sinnes and the hainousenes thereof wee shall bee made quickly low enough and bee forced to cry out with the prodigall childe I am not worthy to bee called thy sonne Sith it is so that true repentance makes vs see our owne vnworthines Vse 1 It serues first for reproofe of such persons which stand vpon theire owne worthines and goodnes they will say they hope they are in as good a case as the best of them all that mourne and confesse and keepe such a doe about repentance they stand vpon it that they deserue to be reckoned both with God and man as well as the best of them that go to sermons and they liue as wel as the best of them all and such speeches they are full of But these speeches argue that they haue not repented but are as yet vnder the power of sinne and in the ready way to damnation for all these are but pharisaicall conceipts for hee cryed out hee was not like other men extortioners vniust adulterers or euen as this publican c. but I doe this and this and thus boasting himselfe of his owne goodnes he shewed himselfe a most cursed person but the poore publican stood not vpon his owne worthines but runnes vnto God for mercy and hee is so ashamed that he could not look vp his eies to Heauen but smote his breast saying O Lord bee mercifull vnto mee a sinner I tell you this man departed to his house iustified rather then the other Thus wee see the estate of these boasters that stand vpon theire owne goodnesse and worthinesse whereas a poore sinner that feeles his sinne doth wonder at the goodnesse of God that should saue such a vile wretch as himselfe so far is hee from boasting in himselfe that he glorieth in God alone Secondly it serues for consolation vnto such which in truth can finde their sins out and thereby can perceiue their owne vnworthines they consider what they were before their calling and what they are since they see what originall sin hath brought vpon them blindnes darknes deadnes hardnes of heart in briefe a little diuell incarnate which makes the pore sinners to cry out that they are not worthy of the least of Gods mercies they cry out shame and confusion belongs to them and with the Church it is the Lords mercy wee are not confounded c. These may comfort themselues for it is a good argument that they haue repented and that they haue put on a great part of their wedding garment for this is a great part of a christians worthines to see his owne vnworthines and it is certaine if wee can bee base in our owne eies wee shall bee precious in Gods eies and those which see how vile sinne hath made them shall bee made excellent in the righteousnes of Christ These guests are the welcome guests vnto the Sacrament of the Lords supper for these are inuited Come vnto mee all that are heauy laden and I will ease you And so much in breife for the handling of this doctrine Then the father said vnto his seruants bring forth the best c. Now the father is so glad of the returne of his wandering childe that hee presently receiues him to fauour and hauing his fauours hee hath all his wants supplied From hence wee learne this doctrine Doct. 7 That when wee haue the fauour of God wee shall haue euery thing wee stand in neede of Nothing shall be wanting when wee haue Gods fauour Loue is bountifull and liberall cheifly in God This Dauid knew to bee the fountaine of all good when hee heard them cry out Who will shew vs any good but hee cries Psal 4 6.7 Lord lift vp the light of thy countenance vpon vs. Thou hast giuen me more ioy of heart then they haue had when their wheate and wine did abound Hee had more good by Gods fauour and countenance then the worldlings could haue in their greatest plenty of outward things This made the Church in captiuity bee so earnest in this petition that she repeats it thrice noting thereby the excellency of it Restore vs againe O God of hoasts Psal 80 and cause thy face to shine vpon vs and wee shall bee saued So that if God would looke vpō them with a gracious countenāce they should quickly haue a riddance of their miseries And this the Lord himselfe prescribes as a notable meanes to bring prosperity to soule body state c. 2. Chron 7.14 If my people vpon whom my name is called vpon doe humble themselues pray and seeke my face and turne from their wicked waies then will I heare in Heauen and bee mercifull to their sinne and will heale their land When they performe these duties as among the rest to get and obtaine my fauour then will I shew these mercies I will heare as a mercifull and heauenly Father to deliuer them from their troubles and bring them such comforts as they stand in neede of Vse 1 Sith it is so that Gods fauour will make supply of all such things as wee neede it serues to teach vs if wee would bee furnished throughly with all good things for our soules and bodies for this life and a better then let vs labour to get peace with God and to seeke his fauour before all things for it giues true interest to all things and it will bring all needefull things If a man haue the fauour but of an earthly Prince what outward thing can hee want If pore hee can make him rich if base yet hee will make him honorable if in debt hee will discharge it If this bee in a mortall man to him that hee doth fauour what may wee expect from the fauour of the King of Kings In his fauour there must needs bee life and prosperity If the fauor but of an heathenish King could promote Mordecai to such an outward honour and dignity from so base and deiected estate that hee must haue a royall robe and apparrell to bee cloathed withall a gallant steede and horse to bee mounted vpon and a crowne of gold vpon his head and no base personage to bring all these presents to Mordecai but by the hand of one of the Kings most noble Princes what shall wee haue wee may conclude that God doth fauour when Mordecai shall haue so much when an earthly King doth meane to honour It is certaine the King of Heauen will bee far more liberall and bountifull to his fauourites then an earthly Prince can possible bee for hee will put vpon them the royall robe of Christs righteousnes which is
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
of Dauid and the inhabitants of Ierusalem the spirit of grace and prayers and they shall looke vpon mee Zach. 12.12 whom they haue pierced and they shall lament for him as one mourneth for his onely sonne whom c. This will make one turne to Christ when they see their sins so odious as to bee the speciall instruments to wound and kill the Lord of life and also when they doe consider that Christ gaue himselfe for them this infinite loue and mercie will mooue them to true repentance and godly sorrow It is not misery as can conuert one to God and turne one from ones sinne for then the diuels might haue bin conuerted before this time for they are in anguish and perpetuall misery and Iudas might haue repented for hee was sensible of horrour enough in his conscience but that rather did driue him from God because he could not apprehend the mercie and kindnesse of God The reasons to proue this doctrine are First because till such time one haue this perswasion one shall neuer come to Reason 1 true confession which is one part of sound repentance and one will neuer confesse ones sinnes without hope of mercie Secondly because it is vnpossible that one should pray aright without one haue this perswasion of mercie and therefore Christ sets downe this as the foundation of all true prayer Our father which art in Heauen For wee can neuer haue any comfort that our sinnes are pardoned till wee can boldly goe to him in assurance of mercie And though wee haue failed of our duties towards him yet hee will not faile of mercie to vs because hee is our Father Sith this is so that the perswasion of mercie is a speciall meanes to stirre vs vp to true and sound repentance it serues for a double reproofe of two sorts of people Vse 1 First of those impious beasts and monsters of the world that if one reproue them for their blasphemy swearing Sabboth-breaking drunkennesse filthines and such like sinnes they presently haue an answere for to cloake it and extenuate it oh but the Lord is mercifull but to whom to such as continue in this impiety no but doest thou abuse the mercie and long suffering of God that should leade thee to repentance and so thereby doest harden thy heart in impenitency and doest heape vp as a treasure vnto thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath that thus on earth adde drunkēnes to theft these abuse the name of God and it is more fearefull to abuse the Gospell then the lawe It were a sinne to breake the positiue lawe of a Prince but more if hee stampe vnder his feete the priuy seale of the Prince wherein his pardon is written thus disgracing mocking it and yet hope for mercie of him Wee would count it the part of a mad-man Such are the dealings of all such presumptuous wretches they breake the positiue lawes of the King of Heauen and earth and continue in the breach of the first and second table of the commaundements and not only so but abuse the priuie signet of God and hope for mercie notwithstanding their vngodlines but such must know that the Lord will not bee mercifull to such but contrariwise the wrath and seuerity of God For if a Father should vse all the duties of kindnes to his child and yet hee would bee very rebellious to his Father still and all because his Father is louing and kinde vnto him such a childe would be quickly censured to bee a very vngracious and wicked child how much more are such impious and in a high degree vngodly which dayly displease God blaspheme his name prophane his Sabbaths c. and all because God is mercifull and gracious But these make a contrary vse of the loue of God then the Prophet Zachary exhorts the faithfull vnto in the place before alleadged that they should looke vpon him whom they had pierced and lament but the wicked wretches looke vpon him and gnash their teeth at him and blaspheme his name and so are made impenitent Secondly it serues for reproofe of such whom God hath afflicted with many crosses and they see in themselues many sinnes and much corruption and then vpon this they sit themselues downe whyning and crying and neuer set forward one foote to goe to God for mercie and pardon of their sinnes and a remouing of the Crosse Thus they thinke there is lesse mercie in God then is in mā for if a godly parent though his childe haue played the vnthrift and rebellious childe yet if hee would come home with sorrow and humilitie and acknowledge his faults he will presently receiue him and shew him mercie and yet we cannot perswade our selues of the like successe with God Thus wee make Gods of our selues and make the mercifull God more cruell then man which is most fearefull once to thinke Can wee forgiue the faults and wrongs committed one to an other that haue but a drop of mercie in cōparison of that Ocean Sea of mercie and pitty in God and shall wee not bee fully assured wee shall haue pardon and forgiuenes of sinnes if wee come to him by repentance Let vs not dishonour God so highly to make God lesse mercifull then mortall man for man hath made no promise to remit the wrongs and iniuries offered to him but God hath bound himselfe by couenant yea by oath to pardon the sinnes and offences committed against him Againe man cannot forgiue all wrongs perfectly but hee would haue some stirrings and motions in his minde against the party but if wee had all the sinnes of Cain Saul and Iudas yet if wee could come to God with faith in his mercie and godly sorrow and repentance for our sinnes hee would receiue vs to mercie and giue vs a generall pardon of all our sinnes and seale it with the blood of the euerlasting couenant Wherefore let vs no longer looke vpon the greatnes of our sinnes but vpon the mercie of God which exceeds our sinnes nor on the greatnesse of our crosses but vpon the infinitenesse of gods compassion and kindnesse and let vs resort to him in hope of mercie The second vse serues for instruction vnto euery one that whatsoeuer our crosses bee or how many soeuer our sins bee or how great soeuer our offences be yet let vs haue a resolution to goe to God and wee shall finde mercie for wee are in this case fit subiects for his mercy to worke vpon for mercy pleaseth him he is greatly pleased to shew mercy to such Let vs conclude before hand that if we resolue to bee true vpright christians thē we may boldly call God Father if wee can perswade our selues wee are his children wee may beleeue wee shall finde mercie at his hands Wherefore let vs confesse our sins and leaue our sins and wee shall finde mercie For if a Iudge of an Assize should say to a felon or some malefactor in the Gaole If you will confesse your theft
wretched creature to come to the feast of God that before was eating with swine hee now comes to feast with God the whole Trinity before to feede vpon swinish meate and now to eate no worse then the body and blood of Christ by faith in the Sacrament and to afford vs these benefits First thereby to bee purged from our sinnes through the blood of Iesus Christ And secondly to receiue strength and increase of graces as faith repentance loue and other sauing graces more And not only spirituall gifts but also temporall for body state name and euery thing that is needefull for vs in euery point according to the couenant which the Lord hath made in Ezechiel 36.25 c. And if wee can come to the Sacrament with true feeling and seeing the want of grace and also being pained with carrying such a loade of sinne wee may bee assured to bee disburdened of the one and our want supplied in the other and so wee shall bee made fit guests for the Lords supper Vse 1 Sith it is so that whoso euer doth come to God with true repentance and resolution to cleaue fast vnto him shall haue as much as hee stands in neede of it serues for encouragement to poore penitent sinners that haue committed many and great sinnes that they should come to God and make their mone vnto him that hee would vouchsafe to pardone all their sinnes and giue them such graces whereby they may be assured of his fauour for certainely if wee come with repentance and resolue to become new men and to sticke close vnto him wee may expect to receiue at his hands euery thing which wee stand in neede of Others must bee intreated before they wil doe any thing but God will giue before wee aske yea hee will meete a penitent sinner halfe way if they will but looke towards him hee will runne towards them with mercy Oh but I neuer looke to liue in credit againe and to haue a merry day my miseries are so many indeede if you purpose to keepe your sinnes you must bee sure to keepe your sorrowes but if you will come to true repentance and seeke vnto God he can and will supplie all your wants and whatsoeuer crosses and losses you haue sustained hee is able to make vp your broken estate heale your name and set you in as great prosperity againe as euer you inioied for he makes poore makes rich and prosperity comes from him and he giues to all and hits none in the teeth God hath in his wardrobe all kindes of apparrell ready made if wee seeke vnto him And there is no soule so thirsty after the graces of God but if wee come in humility to him he will giue thē the sweete graces of his spirit to quench them wherefore let vs put out all carnall doubts and worldly cares and set our selues to performe our duties and wee vndoubtedly be perswaded to finde his mercies For hee that bids vs forgiue our bretheren seauenty times seauen times if they seeke vnto vs much more will God forgiue vs all our sinnes whatsoeuer bee they neuer so many nor neuer so great if wee seeke vnto him by true repentance and acknowledgment of them with griefe and sorrow If hee would seeke Paul when hee was going to Damascus to persecute the members of Christ and shew him mercy how much more will hee shew compassion to such which now haue desisted from persecuting of the Sains and committing of other sinnes and labour to seeke God by true repentance and a full resolution to serue him in truth And to conclude if God would call for Adam when hee ranne from from him to hide himselfe and all to giue him the pardon of his sinne which hee vnhappily had committed how much more will hee giue all things vnto them both temporall and spirituall which with an honest heart seeke vnto him by true repentance and godly sorrow for their sinnes for if hee bee so ready to shew mercie to such which neuer seeeke for it hee will bee more ready to giue mercy to such as in truth performe this doctrine The time being past let vs here make an end for this time FINIS