3. Which is principally to be confidered, for the full clearing of this difficulty; this paffage of our Saviour is to be understood as spoken very much after the manner of men, and suitably to the nature of human paffions,. and the ufual occafions of moving them. We are apt to be exceedingly affected with the obtaining of what we did not hope for, and much more with regaining of what we looked upon as loft and defperate. Whatever be the reafon of it, fuch is the nature of man, that we are not fo fenfibly moved at the continuance of a good which we have long poffeffed, as at the recovery of it after it was loft, and gone from us. And the reasons of a judicious value and esteem of a fettled pleasure and contentment are one thing, and the causes of sudden joy and transport another. A continued courfe of goodnefs may in itself be more valuable; and yet repentance, after a great fall, and long wanderings, may be much more moving and furprifing: for where things are conftant, and keep in the fame tenor, they are not apt, in their nature, to give any new and fudden occafion of joy. And this is the reafon given in the parable of the prodigal fon; where the father tells his eldest son, who was fo offended at the joyful reception and welcome of his prodigal brother, that he had been always with him, and all that he had was his that is, he was fenfible of his conftant duty and obedience, than which nothing could have been more acceptable; and that it had not, nor fhould not lofe its reward: but the return of his other fon, after he had given over all hopes of him, and looked upon his cafe as defperate, this was a marvellous furprife, and a happiness beyond expectation; which is the proper and natural caufe of joy and gladnefs: and therefore he tells him, that, upon fuch an occafion, it was meet that we should make merry, and be glad; for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; was loft, and is found. His elder fon's continuance in his duty, was the enjoyment of what he always had; but the return of his prodigal fon, was the retrieving of what he had given up for loft, and a kind of refurrection from the dead. And thus our bleffed Saviour, to encourage the repentance of finners, represents God after the manner of men; as if our heavenly Father did conceive fuch a joy upon the re

pentance

pentance of a finner, as earthly parents are wont to do upon the return of a wild and extravagant fon, to him felf and his duty.

. Having thus, as briefly and clearly as I could, explained the feveral difficulties in the text, I fhall now deduce fome inferences from it; and so conclude:

1. That the bleffed fpirits above have fome knowledge of the affairs of men here below; because they are faid to rejoice at the converfion of a finner. This is fpoken more particularly of the angels; as appears by compa ring what is more generally faid in the text, that there is joy in heaven, with what is more particularly expreffed. in the 10th verfe, that there is joy in the prefence of the angels, over one finner that repenteth. Now, whether the angels come to this knowledge by virtue of their miniftry here below for the good of the elect, and so, in their continual intercourfe between heaven and earth, bring to their fellow-fervants in heaven the joyful news of the repentance of finners upon earth; or whether God be pleafed from time to time to reveal it to them, as a thing extremely welcome and delightful to good. fpirits, and tending to the increase of their happiness; as it is not very material to inquire, fo perhaps impoffible for us to determine.

However, it cannot from hence be concluded, that the angels or faints in heaven have fuch an univerfal know. ledge of our condition and affairs, as to be a reasonable ground and warrant to us to pray to them, yea, or to defire them to pray for us; no, though this were done without any folemn circumstances of invocation: for they may very well know fome things concerning us, wherein their own comfort and happiness is likewife concerned, and yet be ignorant of all the reft of our affairs. This one thing we are fure they know, because our Saviour. hath told us fo; but we are fure of no more. And there is neither equal reafon for their knowledge of our other concernments, nor is there any reve lation in fcripture to that purpose.

12. If God, and the bleffed fpirits above, rejoice at the converfion of a finner, fo fhould we too; and not fret and murmur, as the Pharifees here did. This is the tem per of the devil, and of very bad men, to regret and

envy the good and happiness of others. For it is reafon. able to believe, that proportionable to the joy that is in heaven at the repentance of a finner, is the grief and vexation of the devil and his inftruments, of evil spirits and wicked men. And as the devil delights in destroying fouls, and goes about like a roaring lion feeking whom he may devour; fo, no doubt, he is in great rage, and gnafheth out of very difcontent, when at any time he is fruftrated of his hopes, and the prey, which he thought himself fure of, is fnatched out of his jaws. And thus we fee it is with bad men: they do perfecute those that forfake them and their wicked ways, and refuse to go along with them to the fame excess of riot.

And this is no where more visible, than among thofe of the church of Rome. How full of wrath and indignation are they against those who, out of pure conviction of the errors and corruptions of their church, come over to ours? How do they perfecute them with flanders and reproaches, and with all the effects of hatred and malice? So that many times they can scarce refrain from doing them a real mifchief, even where it is dangerous to themselves to attempt it; as if they envied them the grace of God, and the opportunity of being faved.

3

I know it is too natural to thofe of all communions, to be eager and fierce against thofe that defert them and yet, fuppofing they had the truth certainly on their fide, which they cannot all have, I fee no great reafon for this temper and carriage; for why fhould I caft away my patience, and my charity, becaufe another man hath made fhipwreck of his faith? But I do not remember any where among mankind to have obferved a more implacable malice, a more fincere and hearty ill-will, than they of the church of Rome do conftantly exprefs towards thofe that forfake them: nay, though they give never fo modest and reasonable an account of their change, and behave themfelves toward their old friends with all the kindnefs and compaffion in the world; yet their hatred and indignation against them runs fo high, that one may plainly fee, they would fooner forgive a man the greateft fins that human nature can be guilty of, and the breach of all the ten commandments, than

this

this one crime of leaving their church; that is, in truth of growing wifer and better.

3. The confideration of what hath been faid, fhould mightily inflame our zeal, and quicken our industry and diligence for the converfion of finners for if the converfion of one foul be worth fo much labour and pains, and matter of fuch joy to the bleffed God and good fpr. rits, what pains fhould not we take, in fo corrupt and degenerate an age as this of ours; where impenitent finners do fo much abound, and the juft are almost failed from among the children of men?

Our bleffed Saviour indeed, according to the extraordi nary decency of all his parables, puts the cafe very charitably, and lays the fuppofition quite on the other fide. If there were but one finner in the world, or but one of a hundred; yet we fhould very zealously intend, and with all our might, the reduction of this one loft fheep;* and should never be at reft, till this fingle wandering foul were found, and faved. But God knows this is not our cafe, but quite otherwife; which fhould quicken our endeavours fo much the more, and make us beftir ourfelves to the utmoft; having always in our minds that admirable faying of St James, He that converteth a finner from the error of his ways, shall fave a foul from death. He that knows the value of an immortal foul, and how fearful a thing it is to perifh everlastingly, can think no pains too much to take to fave a foul from death.

4. Laftly, What an argument and encouragement is here to repentance, even to the greatest of finners? They, I am fure, ftand moft in need of it: and though they of all others have the leaft reafon to look for mercy; yet they fhall not be refused: though they be like the publi cans and Heathens among the Jews, who were. not only reputed, but many times really were. the worst of men; though, like the prodigal fon here in the parable, they have run away from their father, and wafted their cftate in lewd and riotous courfes; yet, whenever they come to themselves, and are willing to return to their father, to acknowledge their folly, and repent of it, he is ready to receive them; nay much more ready to receive them, than they can be to come to him. For when the prodigal was but coming towards his father, and was

yet

yet afar off, the father runs to meet him, and embraceth him with as much kindness as if he had never offended him, and entertains him with more joy than if he had always continued with him.

How does the great God condefcend to encourage our repentance, representing himself and all the bleffed company of heaven as tranfported with joy at the converfion of a finner, and almost setting a greater value upon repentance, than even upon innocence itfelf? And if our heavenly Father, who hath been fo infinitely offended, and fo highly provoked by us beyond all patience, be fo ready, fo forward, fo glad to receive us, and there be no hindrance, no difficulty, no difcouragement on his part; is it poffible, after all this, that we can be fuch fools, and fuch enemies to ourselves, as to be backward to our own happiness! All of us, the best of us, have too much caufe for repentance; and I fear too many of us ftand in need of that repentance intended by our Saviour in the text, which confifts in the change of our whole lives.

But I will not upbraid you with your faults; having no defign to provoke, but only to perfuade men. I leave it to every one's confcience, to tell him how great a finner, how grievous an offender he hath been. God knows, we take no pleasure in mentioning the fins of men, but only in their amendment; and we would, if it were poffible, even without minding them how bad they have been, perfuade and encourage them to be better.

It is but a small confideration, to tell you how much it would cheer and comfort our hearts, and quicken our zeal and industry for the falvation of fouls, to see some fruit of our labours; that all our pains are not lost, and that all the good counsel that is from hence tendered to you, is not like rain falling upon the rocks, and fhowers upon the fands.

But I have much greater confiderations to offer to you; that your repentance will at one rejoice the heart of God, and angels, and men; that it is a returning to a right mind, and the reftoring of you to yourselves, to the eafe and peace of your own confciences, and to a capacity of being everlaftingly happy; that it is to take pity

upon