unavoidable endless and unconceivable Misery was certainly infinite Compassion wonderfully great and beyond Comparison Fifthly The Consequence of God's forgiving Sinners is infinitely happier than that of the Forgiveness of the poor Debtor in the Parable He after his Lord 's loosing and forgiving him was out of Fear indeed of that sad Misfortune which otherwise must have faln upon him he enjoy'd his Liberty and that of his Wife and Children and continu'd still in Possession of what he had 'till he forfeited all again by his Cruelty to his Fellow-Servant which was no mean Comfort but then this was all We read of no new Favours conferr'd upon him or that he was entrusted with any more of his Lord's Revenue or the like But now the compassionate God has to Forgiveness of Sinners added innumerable and inestimable Faziours dignifi'd them with the Title of his Sons communicated to them fresh Assistances of his blessed Spirit to help and guide them in the Way to Happiness and promised them Crowns of eternal Glory and everlasting Inheritances in Heaven and an intimate Vision and Enjoyment of himself who is the Center of Felicity provided they continue sincerely obedient to him for the Time to come There is no Happiness which a rational Creature is capable of but God in his infinite Mercy freely and bountifully confers upon Man-kind now that his Compassions have reconciled them to him 1 Tim. 6.17 and in the Words of St. Paul He gives us richly all things to enjoy And for God not only to forgive obstinate Rebels against his divine Government to pass by their vile Ingratitude to him their greatest Benefactor and base Abuse of his Blessings to his Dishonour but to confer upon 'em Favours of the greatest Value to receive 'em into his own Bosom and make 'em Coheirs with his eternal Son and advance 'em to his heavenly Kingdom This is such an admirable Expression of the divine Goodness and Love of Mankind as could never proceed from any other but him who is Goodness it self In the last Place that which exalts the Compassion of God to the highest Degree and makes it indeed miraculous is the amazing Course he took thus to shew Mercy in the Pardon of Sinners and yet satisfie his Justice too The King in the Parable was at Liberty to dispose of his own as he pleased and he might have forgiven without further Regard to any thing of Justice in that Case a greater Debt if it had been owing to him But in the Case of God's forgiving Sinners it was otherwise God had before solemnly declar'd to our first Parents and very often afterwards that the Soul that sinned it should die and his Justice was concern'd to see that Sentence executed and in the Nature of the thing likewise 't was perfectly just that the Violaters of God's holy and good Commands ungrateful Rebels against their Creator and greatest Benefactor should receive a due Recompence for their Wickedness Now Justice is as essential to God as Mercy and though his infinite Goodness mov'd him to have Compassion upon Sinners yet his Justice pleaded for their Punishment Mercy would remit the Debt but Justice required Satisfaction A Difficulty this which mortal Wit could never solve But God who is infinitely wise as well as good and just that the Work of his Hands might not perish nor his Image and Likeness be for ever miserable and that his Justice likewise might be fully satisfyed contriv'd a wondrous Way for the Redemption of Sinners by freely forgiving 'em their vast Debt and yet making full Satisfaction to his Justice for the Sins of the whole World And that was by the Incarnation of his blessed Son and substituting him in our stead to suffer as the Representative of Mankind the Punishment due to their Iniquities and by his spotless Blood to make an universal Attonement and through the Merit of that his precious Sacrifice for what 's above the Merit of the Blood of the Son of God To purchase for them Pardon and Forgiveness the Love and Favour of God in this World and the eternal Enjoyment of him in the next And by this means as the Apostle expresses it Rom. 3.26 to declare his Righteousnes that he might be just and the Justifyer likewise of him that beleiveth in Jesus Thus Mercy and Truth are miraculously met together and Righteousness and Peace have kiss'd each other And for ever blessed be that infinitely wise and just Compassion which in so wondrous a Manner contriv'd the Forgiveness of our vast Debt and the Satisfaction of the divine Justice too What Love can be greater than this that God should send his eternal Son into the World to be the Propitiation for Sinners And that while we were Enemies Christ should dye for us and bear our Sins in his own Body on the Tree that through his Stripes we might be healed Wonderful art thou O Lord in thy Doings towards the Children of Men and thy Mercy is over all thy Works And O that our Hearts might be warm'd with the same divine Flame and we might love much to whom so much hath been forgiven And thus much for the first thing to be considered in this Parable namely the glorious Example of Forgiveness that God has set us in his dealing thus mercifully with us miserable Sinners who lay under a vast Debt to the divine Justice and had nothing to pay and how infinitely this Compassion of God to Sinners exceeds the greatest and most generous Expression of Forgiveness that can be shewn by one Man to another 'T is greater than the King 's forgiving Ten Thousand Talents to his poor Servant in the Parable because he entreated him and had nothing to pay I proceed now to the second General to be consider'd in this Parable which is God's great Displeasure against those that will not imitate this his compassionate Example in forgiving such as have been injurious to them but like that wicked Servant to whom the King had been so gracious rigidly requiring full Satisfaction for little Trifles and Punctilios As he no sooner out of the Presence of his compassionate Lord but took his Fellow-Servant by the Throat who ow'd him an Hundred Pence and though intreated to have Patience as earnestly as he had but just before intreated his offended Lord yet without the least Pity threw him into Prison till he should pay the Debt The Consequence of such a revengeful Temper will be like that of this cruel Servant who was not only severely rebuked for his Wickedness but had the Pardon his Lord gave him recalled and was deliver'd over to the Tormentors till he should pay the uttermost Farthing So likewise shall my heavenly Father do unto you says our Lord if ye from your Hearts forgive not every one his Brother their Trespasses And under this General there are likewise as was said Three Particulars to be considered First What it is to forgive one another as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven us
Wrongs how great soever to be submitted to and put up in Silence by Christians by Vertue of the Command of forgiving Injuries 't would be to betray the Sheep to the Wolves to expose the Disciples of Christ to the Malice of all the wicked World which is not consistent with the Wisdom and Goodness of the great Shepherd of the Sheep Christ Jesus And St. Paul says expresly He that provideth not for his own House i. e. for the comfortable Subsistence of his Family has deny'd the Faith and is worse than an Infidel i. e. Acts contrary to the Obligations both of Nature and Religion But he will soon ruin instead of supporting his Family who suffers ill Men without Interruption to make what Havock they please of his Person Reputation or Estate But now as for smaller Injuries in any of these Respects such as make no great Alteration in our Circumstances and may be born without any great Inconvenience these are to be pass'd by and the Injury forgiven according to the Measures before described And 't is observable that the Instances our Saviour makes use of in this Matter are of the lesser Sort of Injuries such as a Blow on the Cheek the taking away of a Garment and the like and 't was for being rigorous about a few Pence that the King in the Parable was so wroth with his Servant And rather than a Christian should embroil himself in Law-Suits and run the Hazard of losing the Ornament of a meek and quiet Spirit for such small Matters he should suffer a Repetition of such Injuries And indeed as Religion is in all Respects the greatest Prudence so particularly in forbidding litigious Quarrels unless a Man's whole Interest or at least a great Part of it be at Stake for Law is now become a boundless Ocean and generally very rough and Stormy and swells Men's Passions to an exorbitant Height and shipwrecks their Charity as well as their Estates And as to those greater Injuries our Saviour mentions Mat. 5.44 of Men's being our Enemies profess'd and hating and cursing and despitefully using and persecuting us Neither he nor his Apostles there or any where else forbid Christians endeavouring in a legal Manner to secure and defend themselves and recover their own but only not to return Evil for Evil and to be so far from Purposes of Revenge or retaliating such Injuries as rather to love and bless and pray for and do good to upon Occasion those that deal so maliciously by them and to manage the Suit or Contention with them with Charity having no Rancour or Malice in their Hearts against the Person of their Adversary That is in short our holy Religion does oblige us in lesser Injuries intirely both to pass by the Offence and forgive the Offender according to the Measures before described but in greater Injuries of any Sort where Ruin or insupportable Damage will follow though it permits nay obliges to endeavour a legal Reparation and so not to forgive the Offence yet Christians must as intirely and according to the same Measures forgive the Offender as in the smallest Instances of Wrong And by this Means they will become the Children of their heavenly Father who though in infinite Mercy he forgave the World of Sinners and moreover bestowed on them richly all things to enjoy yet in the Person of his blessed Son their Representative he severely express'd his Displeasure against their Sins that they might be deter'd from persisting in them afresh to the Ruin of their immortal Souls Besides those Injuries that terminate upon a Man's self and his own Concerns there are others done to our Neighbour and the Publick which must not be pass'd by without animadverting upon them according to their Deserts As for Instance if a bloody Villain murders a Man's Friend or Neighbour or Relation and he knows who is the Murderer it may be he only in this Case whatever Inclination he may have to conceal it whether out of natural Compassion or Unwillingness to be the Occasion of the Man's Execution since nothing can recall the murder'd Person to Life and the Murderer may live to repent or the like Because he is a Member of Society and obliged as much as in him lies to promote its Safety and Happiness which by such Villains is much disturb'd and lessen'd and would be ruin'd should such Men pass unpunish'd 't is his Duty to endeavour by all lawful Means to bring so heinous an Offender to condign Punishment that so corrupt a Member being cut off from the Community the Health of the whole may be better secur'd And so in all Cases of the like Nature Always remembring that if any thing of private Revenge be intermix'd it pollutes the Action and makes the Man doubly guilty of Malice and Hypocrisy What has been hitherto said concerning the Limits of forgiving Injuries concerns Men only as private Persons As for Magistrates and Governours they being constituted by God to be a Terror to evil doers Rom. 13.3 4. to be Revengers to execute Wrath upon them and to praise and encourage those only that do well the Measure of their Forgiveness of publick Injuries is the publick Good so far as is consistent with their Obligations as Magistrates as is conducive to the common Weal according to the Judgment of Prudence and unprejudic'd Reason they may and do well to incline to Lenity and Compassion but a foolish and a mercenary Pity is a betraying their Trust a bearing the Sword in vain and such Magistrates instead of being Fathers of their Country are indeed the Perfidious Destroyers of it And thus much for the Nature of christian Forgiveness of Injuries in Imitation of the divine Pattern God has set us with its general Limits As for the great Obligation we have to copy after this admirable Pattern of our merciful heavenly Father it is twofold 1 With Respect to God 2 to our Selves First With Respect to God our Obligation to forgive one another as he has forgiven us is very great because 't is what he has declared will be highly pleasing to him as a Resemblance of that Perfection of his Nature which he seems most of all to take Delight in For so Exod. 33.19 when Moses desired to see his Glory he told him he would make all his Goodness pass before him and Chap. 34.6 The Lord passed by before him and proclaimed The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering abundant in Goodness and Truth keeping Mercy for Thousands forgiving Iniquity Transgression and Sin And accordingly St. John gives the Definition of him God is Love Now certainly those that have receiv'd such infinite Favours from this good God and have been forgiven so vast a Debt as we sinners have have the greatest Reason in the World to endeavour to the utmost of their Power to please this their greatest Benefactor in every thing And nothing being more pleasing to him than to see the Image and Reflection of his
Malice and Revenge Wherefore to conclude this Parable If we are touch'd with a due Sense of the wondrous Compassion of God to us miserable Sinners in forgiving us the vast Debt we had contracted to the divine Justice by Reason of our Sins and which 't was impossible for us ever to have discharg'd our selves whereby we are deliver'd from the intolerable and endless Punishment of them and moreover made Sons of God and Heirs of celestial Glory If we are duly touch'd with a Sense of this infinite Goodness of God to us which to effect was the Endeavour of the first Part of this Discourse let us express our deep Resentment of his gracious Forgiveness of us by imitating so excellent an Example and forgiving one another Let us consider the great Happiness that both here and hereafter will attend the Performance of this Duty and reflect upon the endless Misery that will closely follow the contrary We must forgive if we would be forgiven we must shew Mercy and Compassion to our Brethren that offend us if we hope to find any at the Hands of God And let us remember that how sweet soever we may fancy Revenge to be now we shall find the Consequence of it if not speedily repented of to be eternal Damnation From which sad Condition and that hellish Temper that will bring us to it let us pray earnestly that the good Lord would deliver us through Jesus Christ our merciful Saviour The PRAYER I. O Holy and most merciful King of Heaven who hast forgiven a World of miserable Wretches an infinite Debt and deliver'd those who had nothing to pay from the extremest and eternal Misery and hast commanded that in Return we do to others as thou hast done to us I who am a happy Sharer in thy wondrous Compassion do praise thee from the Bottom of my Soul and earnestly entreat the Assistance of thy Grace that I may never be wanting in a sincere and chearful Imitation of thy blessed Example but delight to copy after so lovely an Original and freely and intirely forgive nay love and do good to my most inveterate Enemies And since thou lov'dst us first and didst prevent us with the Riches of thy Goodness O that I could in this resemble thee too and even court my Injurers to Peace and Reconciliation and with a Christian Bravery of Spirit offer them that forgiveness which they will not ask This is indeed a hard Saying to my deprav'd Nature and Revenge seems sweeter far to Flesh and Blood and though my Reason I confess is satisfyed of the great Excellency of the Performance yet my Passions I must with Shame own likewise run violently the contrary Way and bear me down with their rapid Course Thy Aid I therefore beg Almighty God and that thy Spirit may enable me to stem this dangerous Current and strenuously to resist and master all Motions to revenge remembring that this is the Condition of my open Forgiveness at thy Hands and that Judgment without Mercy shall be my Portion if I shew no Mercy II. Convince me daily more and more of my base Ingratitude to thee and inhumane Barbarity to my Brethren in bearing Malice and Rancour for trifling Injuries such as are the greatest we can offer to each other in Compare with what thy Mercy hath forgiven us And do thou O meekest Jesus sweeten our Tempers and turn all Bitterness of Spirit into Love and mutual Endeavours to promote each others Happiness and may we all conspire in offering up our joint Praises to our merciful God who has remitted to every one of us infinitely more than Ten Thousand Talents O that this thy Mercy may be imprinted in lively and everlasting Characters upon my Soul so as powerfully to incline me to transcribe it in my Intercourse with Men Then shall I experience the blessed Influence this thy Commandment will have upon my Happiness even here and in the most acceptable Manner express my Thankfulness for thy Pity shew'd to me and at last by bearing this thy Badge upon my Soul be own'd by thee as thy true Disciple and receiv'd into the Joy of thee our dearest Lord. Which grant O most compassionate Jesus for thine own Mercies Sake Amen Amen PARABLE V. Of a King that made a Marriage for his Son Matth. xxii 2 3. Luk. xiv 18 19 20. Matth. xxii 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14. The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a certain King Mat. 22.2 that made a Marriage for his Son And sent forth his Servants to call them that were bidden to the Wedding And they would not come And they all with one consent began to make Excuse Luk. 14.18 The first said unto him I have bought a Piece of Ground and I must needs go and see it I pray thee have me excused And another said I have bought five Yoke of Oxen and I go to prove them I pray thee have me excused And another said I have married a Wife and therefore I cannot come Again he sent forth other Servants Mat. 22.4 saying Tell them which are bidden Behold I have prepared my Dinner my Oxen and my Fatlings are killed and all things are ready come unto the Marriage But they made light of it and went their Ways one to his Farm another to his Merchandise And the Remnant took his Servants and entreated them spitefully and slew them But when the King heard thereof he was wroth And he sent forth his Armies and destroyed those Murderers and burnt up their City Then saith he to his Servants the Wedding is ready but those that were bidden were not worthy Go ye therefore into the High-ways and as many as ye shall find bid to the Marriage So those Servants went out into the High-ways and gathered together all as many as they found both bad and good and the Wedding was furnish'd with Guests And when the King came in to see the Guests he saw there a Man that had not on a wedding Garment And he saith unto him Friend how camest thou in hither not having a wedding Garment And he was speechless Then said the King to the Servants Bind him Hand and Foot and take him away and cast him into outer Darkness There shall be weeping and gnashing of Teeth For many are called but few are chosen THIS Parable I suppose was in its first Intention design'd to reprove the hardned Infidelity of the Jews their obstinately rejecting the Mercy of God to them in Christ Jesus and their vile Ingratitude to him for his peculiar Care of them in so ordering it that the Gospel should be first preach'd to them to which Purpose also was spoken the Parable of the wicked Husbandmen in Mat. 21.33 which for its great Affinity to the first Part of this Parable and intire Relation to the Jews I thought fit to pass by and it was likewise intended to shew God's great Anger against them for that their Stubbornness and malicious Treatment of
alone could save them and took no Care of good Works How came you in hither How came you into this Society of Christians not having on the Wedding Garment What will they be able to say in their Excuse Will they not be like him in the Parable confounded and ashamed and utterly speechless What will they have to plead in Bar of that dire Sentence which will then be past upon them bind them Hand and Foot and take them away c. certainly nothing but with inexpressible Horror and Despair and Self-Condemnation must submit to their sad Punishment From all this there is in the last Place this general Observation drawn that many are call'd but few chosen The plain Meaning of which I suppose to be this That though the Gospel is preach'd to Myriads of People and all that hear of it are invited alike to embrace it and 't is God's good Pleasure that all should be sav'd and come to the Knowledg of the Truth Yet the most will make a very ill Use of their Liberty of Choice and many utterly reject this Invitation and more though they do embrace it yet become never the better for it by not leading their Lives agreeably to their holy Profession And by this means among the many that are call'd there will be but few that will approve themselves to God as elect or choice and right good Christians and but few consequently that will enter into the eternal Joy of their Lord according to what our Lord said in another Place strait is the Gate and narrow is the Way that leadeth unto Life and few there be that find it Wherefore to conclude this Parable As we have all of us been call'd and invited to a sincere Faith in and intire Obedience to the holy Jesus and do make open Profession of such Faith and Shew of such Obedience it concerns us as much as our Souls are worth and as we would avoid that outer Darkness where is eternal weeping and gnashing of Teeth to take all possible Care that our Faith be so sincere and lively as to produce good Works such as may make our Calling and Election sure Not to rest contented with the Form of Godliness or outward Profession of Christianity but to endeavour after the Power of it and lead our Lives according to our Belief to imitate our Lord's most blessed Example and obey all his holy Precepts and submit to the Disposals of his Providence chearfully and bear unspotted Love and Fidelity to him through the whole Course of our Lives And by this means shall we be reckon'd among his choice Jewels elect and precious and be receiv'd into the nearest and dearest and even an inseparable Relation to him and when this Life 's at an End be conducted by his Angels into his glorious Presence there to share in his Happiness to eternal Ages The PRAYER MOST blessed God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who in infinite Mercy and amazing Condescension hast invited me miserable Creature though poor and maim'd halt and blind and destitute of every thing that may recommend me to thee except it be my Wretchedness to the most intimate Union with thy glorious Son and as the Bride of that divine Bridegroom to enjoy his Love and be blessed with his tenderest Regard his Protection and Desence and to partake of his Honour and Glory and Happiness How can I enough praise and magnifie this thy wondrous Goodness And with what Transports of Joy should I embrace so inestimable a Favour But I alas stupid as I am and bewitch'd with the Cares and Business and Gain and Pleasures of this World have hitherto stood in the Way of my own Happiness and disregarded this gracious Offer and preferr'd every thing before this spiritual Marriage with the Son of God or at best have deferr'd it still till another Time provoking thereby most justly thy Wrath and Indignation against me and deserving to be for ever excluded thy blessed Presence as infinitely unworthy But now O Lord I do earnestly repent and am heartily sorry for so ungratefully sliting such infinite Mercy The Remembrance of this Vileness is grievous unto me the Burden of it is intollerable and with the utmost Earnestness of a troubled Spirit I beg thy heavenly Aid that now without the least Delay I may chearfully embrace the blessed Invitations of the Gospel and love and honour the Messengers which bring me those glad Tidings and since my Maker is my Husband be always mindful of my Duty to him and bear him unspotted Fidelity and Love be his intirely and for ever submit without Reserve to his heavenly Government reverence his Authority and glorifie him with my Body and my Spirit which are his And grant O merciful God I humbly intreat thee that the Spirit of Infidelity may never possess my Soul lest I totally reject this blessed Invitation or having embrac'd it and enter'd into so near a Relation to my Saviour again divorce my self from him by entertaining strange and forbidden Loves And since I am so highly honour'd by the Son of God O may I always be careful to preserve the Dignity of so high a Calling and not debase my self by low sunk brutish Actions but as befits the spiritual Spouse of Christ be cloath'd with the wedding Garment of sincere Purity and Holiness that so I may never be separated from my dearest Lord but ever enjoy the unconceivable Happiness of his heavenly Kingdom Which grant O merciful Father for the Sake of that blessed Jesus Amen Amen PARABLE VI. Of the Ten Virgins Matth. xxv 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13. Then shall the Kingdom of Heaven be likened unto Ten Virgins which took their Lamps and went forth to meet the Bridegroom And five of them were wise and five were foolish They that were foolish took their Lamps and took no Oil with them But the wise took Oil in their Vessels with their Lamps While the Bridegroom tarried they all slumbered and slept And at Midnight there was a Cry made Behold the Bridegroom cometh go ye out to meet him Then all those Virgins arose and trimmed their Lamps And the foolish said unto the wise Give us of your Oil for our Lamps are gone out But the wise answer'd saying not so lest there be not enough for us and you but go ye rather to them that sell and buy for your selves And while they went to buy the Bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with him to the Marriage and the Door was shut Afterwards came also the other Virgins saying Lord Lord open to us But he answer'd and said verily I say unto you I know you not Watch therefore for ye know neither the Day nor the Hour wherein the Son of Man cometh THough the first Intention of this Parable as may be probably collected from the foregoing Chapter which is a Description of the sad State that was e'er long to overtake Jerusalem for the Jews
cultivated us by his Blessed Son and his Servants the Apostles and their Successors the Bishops and other Inferiour Ministers of his Kingdom O that Men would therefore praise the Lord for his Goodness and declare the Wonders that he doth for the Children of Men Psal 107.8 The third thing this Parable informs us of is God's Long-Suffering towards Sinners and that though he does indeed expect the Fruits of Righteousness from those that are planted in his Spiritual Vineyard the Christian Church yet he expects it with much Patience and Forbearance and is not so extremely rigid as to punish for the first Disappointment he meets with but waits still further to see if Time will work Amendment And this is express'd in the Parable by the Lord of the Vineyard his coming three Years seeking Fruit on his Fig. Tree and still finding none Of this Long-Suffering and Forbearance of God every Sinner that is yet alive is an Argument Which of the best of us have not been less fruitful than we ought to have been and then God may with the greatest Reason expect from us considering the Means of Improvement that we have enjoy'd and this not only for three Years but for three many times repeated How many have been wholly unfruitful and that for Scores of Years notwithstanding all the Care and Cultivation of God's Ministers and have been all the while in the Service of the great Adversary of God and Man doing Despight to the Holy Spirit Slaves to their vile Passions and Lusts without Thought of Religion and without God in the World And yet through God's Infinite Mercy and Long-Suffering are repriev'd from Destruction and still in Possibility of Salvation upon their intire Repentance and bringing forth Fruits meet for it for the Future As many Years as a Sinner has liv'd since he could discern between Good and Evil so long has God expected Fruit from him and so often been disappointed and so long patiently forborn him and considering how hateful Sin is to God how highly provoking it is for his Creatures that have receiv'd their Being from him and all the Blessings they have since enjoy'd nay for whom his only Son in wondrous Love shed his most Precious Blood that he might purchase to himself a peculiar People zealous of good Works and who have been so long planted in his Vineyard and dress'd with the greatest Publick Care and Tenderness so that nothing on God's Side is wanting to their Happiness considering how provoking 't is for Creatures under such strong Obligations to serve and obey him to the utmost of their Powers obstinately and continually for so many Years to rebel against him 'T is indeed a Miracle of Divine Forbearance that any wilsul Sinner is on this Side Hell But to our unspeakable Comfort and our unspeakable Shame too so it is and still this is the Voice of the Father of Compassions Turn ye turn ye from your evil Ways for why will ye die O House of Israel 'T is indeed of the Lord's Mercies only that we are not consum'd and because his Compassions fail not but are new every Morning but though to him belong Mercies and Forgivenesses yet to us nothing but Shame and Confusion of Face who have turn'd our Backs so long upon such Infinite Long-Suffering and Forbearance and have resus'd to be intreated to our Happiness But let us not be deceiv'd God's Spirit will not always in this Manner strive with us and he that still despises the Riches of this his Goodness Rom. 2.4 5 8. and is not by it led to Repentance but after his Hardness and Impenitent Heart treasureth up to himself Wrath against the Day of Wrath and Revelation of the Righteous Judgment of God who will render to every Man according to his Deeds Indignation and Wrath Tribulation and Anguish shall at length as slowly as it moves certainly overtake him and crush him into Ruine For so in the next Place we are told in this Parable That when the Lord of the Vineyard had long expected Fruit from his Fig Tree and still found none he said Cut it down why cumbereth it the Ground And indeed God's Forbearance and Long-Suffering of Sinners is so far from being an Encouragement to them to go on still in their Wickedness that if they rightly consider it 't is a prevailing Motive to a speedy and sincere Repentance For Forbearance does imply a preceding Guilt and Obnoxiousness to Punishment which though respited for a Time is not wholly remitted but if it be ineffectual to the Reformation of the Sinner will be at length pour'd down in full Measure upon his Head And therefore when a wicked Man reflects upon his evil Course of Life and withall sees himself as yet forborn by the offended Majesty of Heaven and that he lives as securely as better Men if his Lusts have not quite blinded his Reason he must needs conclude that this Forbearance of so Just and Holy a God who infinitely hates Iniquity and is resolv'd to punish it and has declar'd that he will not finally spare the guilty is only in order to his Amendment that so he may have Time to review the Actions of his past Life and attend to the Miserable Consequences of them and so be inclin'd to return to that Obedience to God which hitherto he has so shamefully neglected because if he still persists in his Rebellion against his Maker and is Incorrigible Mercy shall be turn'd into Judgment Destruction shall overtake him like an armed Man and he shall not escape The Divine Justice in this Case may be compar'd to the Course of a River it may be damm'd up and its Progress hindred for a Time but unless its Stream be diverted some other Way 't will swell till at last it bear down the Obstacle and rush on with greater Violence for being interrupted in its Way So here the great Benignity and Compassion of God's Nature may sometimes interpose between the Stroke of Justice and the wretched Offender to see if he will repent and do no more wickedly that so the Divine Nemesis may steer another Course but if all this prove at length to no Purpose if the Man refuse to return and seek after God he will whet his Sword and make ready his Arrows against the Face of him Vengeance shall then have its free Course and Torrents of God's enflam'd Anger shall overwhelm his Soul for ever There are many Places in Scripture to this Purpose and which are so obvious to every Attentive Reader that they need not be here recited And truly irreclaimable Sinners are so great a Dishonour to God and Disparagement to Religion and like a Contagious Pest to Society that they deserve to be remov'd to a Place more proper for them the Habitations of the Devil and his Angels But still the Compassionate Jesus is our Intercessor and when after God's long abus'd Forbearance Justice is ready to strike he pleads in Vertue of his Blood for a
to his Heavenly Father what rejoycing is there With what endearing Kindness does the Divine Goodness entertain a miserable self-condemn'd Wretch that sees his Error is asham'd and griev'd for it and returns with hearty Purpose to obey him better 'T is represented in the Parable by the highest Expressions of Joy that were in those Eastern Countries the Prodigal's Father ran to meet him fell on his Neck and kissed him commanded the best Robe to be put on him and a Ring on his Hand and Shooes on his Feet and made merry with Feasting and Musick and Dancing One would have thought his wild Extravagancy should have met with rougher Entertainment at least at first Interview and Reproof have been given to his Folly which brought him to so much Misery But his Father's Compassion was above his Anger and because he whom he thought was dead and lost was alive again and found he forgot all Resentment and embraced him with Tenderness and Endearment And thus it is with God when he sees a Returning Sinner Though the Sinner has indeed deserved nothing but the Expresses of his Wrath and Indignation and to be for ever rejected by him yet he who gives freely to every man and upbraideth not and whose Mercy is over all his Works will not break the bruised Reed nor quench the smoaking Flax but in infinite Goodness not only give Admittance to but receive with joy his Returning Prodigals And how can we enough praise and admire these Wonders of the Divine Compassion and Love to poor miserable and polluted Creatures 'T is an Abyss that can never be fathom'd our Thoughts are lost and swallow'd up in the Contemplation of it and silent Admiration does best express that which no Words can reach And now for a Conclusion of the whole Since Vice and a Lawless Course of Living is the Parent of so much Misery and has so many ill Consequences closely attending it even in this World and is as the most extravagant so the most unhappy Prodigality and since the Miseries of a wicked Life here are but the Beginnings of unconceivable and eternal Sorrows hereafter and since there is but one Cure for this great Evil and nothing but sincere Repentance will save us from Destruction and since God is so infinitely good as greatly to desire we would Repent and return to our Obedience to him and affords us all possible Helps in order to it and greatly rejoyces to see a Sinner penitent and receives him with the highest Expressions of Tenderness and Love since all this is so let us put off no longer what if we would be happy must be done at last but with the greatest Thankfulness embrace the inestimable Favour of being again receiv'd into the Arms of our merciful God and Saviour Let us immediately turn from every Evil Way and that we may do so effectually let us lay to heart how vexatious and full of Shame and utterly unprofitable a wicked Course of Life is and how full of Pleasure and unspeakable Delight it is to advance from Grace to Grace and to perfect Holiness in the fear of God And having resolv'd well and fully purposed our Return to the wise and good Government of our Heavenly Father without Delay do as we have resolv'd and arise and go to our Father and say with all Humility and Confusion of Face and sincere Contrition Father I have sinned against Heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy Son and he whose Compassions never fail will embrace us with the Arms of his Mercy and forget our former Provocations and take us to his Favour and Protection in this World and at length make us Partakers of the Joys of his Heavenly Kingdom where there shall be Rejoycing in his Presence for our Happiness and Salvation Because we were dead but are alive again were lost but are found The PRAYER I. ALmighty and most merciful Saviour whose Government is directed by infinite Wisdom and proceeds in infinite Goodness so that happy are they in whose Hearts are thy Ways and that turn not aside from thy Commandments I confess with Shame and Confusion of Face and I hope with a truly humble penitent and obedient Heart that my vile Extravagancy and Impatience of thy blessed Restraint and Foolish Desire of Liberty and following the Byass of my own brutish Inclinations has hitherto been too notorious and sad have been the Consequences of my Departure from thee I have prodigally wasted thy Divine Grace and turn'd it into Wantonness I have squander'd away my Time in Vanity and Folly which is the only Opportunity of securing my Salvation and without Infinite Mercy have forfeited my Reversion of my Heavenly Inheritance and all this for what is below the Affections of a Rational Creature and indeed as I have found by a costly Experience no other than Vanity and Vexation of Spirit And just it is thou should'st withdraw thy Grace which I have so slighted and abused and leave my Soul to starve and famish and dayly draw nearer and nearer to Eternal Death But thou O Father of Mercies whose Compassions fail not and who desirest not the Death of a Sinner but rather that he should repent and live look graciously upon thy Returning Prodigal II. I now am sadly sensible of my deplorable Condition and beg importunately that I may so effectually hearken to the inward Shame and Remorse that now I feel for my past inexcusable Madness and Folly as that I may immediately return to my Obedience to thee my infinitely wise and indulgent Parent who art ready I know to stretch out thy Arms to receive me and to whose preventing Grace I owe these pious Resolutions of humbling my self before thee Father I have sinned against Heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy Son make me but as one of thy meanest Servants I am now fully sensible that one Day in thy Courts is better than a Thousand and had rather be a Door-keeper in the House of my God than to dwell in the Tents of Ungodliness O continue to strengthen these good Affections in me and send out thy Light and thy Truth even thy Blessed Spirit that he may conduct me to thy Dwelling-Place and secure my Retreat from the Kingdom of Darkness O may I never defer what if I would be happy must be done at last but instantly Return to thee O Father of Compassions Then shall I experience the happy Exchange of Misery and Shame for Joy unspeakable and full of Glory and instead of being the Triumph of Malicious Fiends in Hell occasion extraordinary Joy in the Presence of thee my God and thy Holy Angels because I was dead but am alive again was lost but am found O Blessed God verifie this Bliss upon me for thy Mercies sake in Jesus our Redeemer Amen PARABLE XII Of the Rich Man and Lazarus Luke xvi 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31. There was a certain