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as to this life, he will most certainly be greatly rewarded in another. And on the

other fide, when a man does what in him lies to fruftrate and disappoint the great end of creation, by imploying that power and those abilities he is poffeffed of in disturbing and hindering the common tranquillity, and viciously and wickedly contributes greatly to the unhappiness and mifery of others, fuch an one muft, in the nature of the thing, render himself greatly difpleafing to God, and worthy of the divine correction; and therefore we may be affured that God will call him to an account for his behaviour, and punish him as he justly deserves, if his repentance and reformation does not prevent And it is the equity and fuitableness of fuch a conduct, upon which the certainty of a future judgment and retribution is grounded. God will most certainly call men to an account, and reward or punish them in another world, according to their behaviour in this; because it is fuitable and proper, it is highly juft and reasonable that he fhould do fo.

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Vref. 17, 18, 19. And when he came to himfelf, be faid, How many hired fervants of my fathers have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arife," and go to my father, and fay unto him, Father, I have finned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy fon: make me as one of thy hired fervants. As a vicious courfe of life naturally leads to, and is often

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attended with great unhappiness in this world: fo that unhappiness, fometimes, has a proper effect upon the finner, by leading him to ferious reflection and confideration. When the prodigal had brought himself to poverty and want, by his profligate life, he then came to himself; or he then behaved like himself; viz. like a man, by making not his appetites or his paffions, but his reasoning faculty the director and guide both of his judgment and practice. Hitherto he had acted the part of a brute, rather than a man, by fuffering his appetites and paffions to have the rule over him; but when he came to himself, when his reasoning faculty affumed its office, then the cafe was otherwife; then both his judgment and practice took a quite different turn. When the prodigal was brought to reflect seriously upon, and to confider fairly and impartially the ftate of his own cafe, then he not only perceived that he had juftly merited his father's difpleafure; but he also perceived what was proper to be done in order to recommend himself to his father's mercy, viz. to repent of his evil ways, to humble himself to his father, and return again to his duty. As a vicious courfe of life juftly exposes a man to the displeasure of Almighty God, and to future punishment in another world: fo in this branch of the parable is fet forth the fure and only way by which a wicked man may efcape it, viz. by repentance and reformation of his evil ways. For

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as God will not be difpleafed with any of his creatures upon any other account, or from any other motion, than their having behaved ill, than their being perfonally and in themfelves the fuitable and proper objects of his difplcafure: fo he will not remove his ditpleasure from fuch a creature, and receive him into favour upon any other account, or from any other motive, than that creature's being fo perfonally changed, as to cease to be the proper object of his refentment, and becomes the fuitable and proper object of his mercy and forgivenefs, of his approbation and affection. And when fuch a change is wrought, then God will moft certainly remove his displeasure from that creature, and receive him into favour, because it is right and fit, it is fuitable and proper, that he fhould do fo. Thefe are truths, of which it is here hinted, that they are taught in the fchool of reafon. When the prodigal came to himself, then, he faid, How many hired fervants of my fathers, have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with bunger! I will arife, and go to my fa ther, and will fay unto him, Father, I have finned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy fon: make me as one of thy hired fervants.

Verf. 20, 24. And be arofe, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father Jaw him, and had compaffion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kiffed him. And the fon faid unto him, Fa

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ther, I have finned against heaven, and in thy fight, and am no more worthy to be called thy fon. But his father faid to his fervants, bring forth the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his band, and fhoes on his feet, and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat and be merry. For this my fon was dead, and is alive again; and was loft, and is found. And they began to be merry. In these verses it is intended to be fhewn, not only that God will pardon and receive to favour true penitents, (and that this is a matter of pleafure and fatisfaction to him, if may fo fpeak,) but also what is the ground or reafon upon which he acts in fo doing. The prodigal refolved, not only to return back to his father, and confequently to his duty; but he alfo put his refolution in prac tice, and this evinced the truth and valuable nefs of his repentance. Many wicked men, when groaning under the burden of fome heavy affliction, or under the fear and apprehenfion of death, fo far repent, as to be forry that they have, by their paft behaviour, brought thofe evils upon themfelves, and make fair promises of living virtuously for time to come; but when the affliction is removed, or the grounds of their fear cease, then they return to their wicked courses, like the dog to his vomit, and as the fow that is wafhed, to her wallowing in the mire. This is the cafe, when mens repentance, when their profeffions and promifes of amendC ment,

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ment, fpring only from what they either feel or fear; and not from a through conviction of the wrongness and viciousness of their paft actions, and from a change of difpofition consequent upon it. This is fuch repentance, as will be repented of; because it does not render men the proper objects of God's mercy and grace, and therefore it will prove infufficient for that purpose. But when a wicked man, is fo convinced of the evil of his ways, as that in confequence of fuch conviction, he becomes a new creature, he puts away the evil of his doings, and brings forth fruit fuitable to, and worthy of fuch a change; then God mercifully forgives his paft offences, receives him into favour, rejoices over him, and behaves towards him, as if he had never tranfgreffed. This is fet forth by the father's feeing the prodigal afar off, by his having compaffion, running to meet him, falling upon his neck, and kiffing him, ordering his fervants to deck, and entertain him in the best manner, and rejoicing with them at his fon's return. And the fole ground or reafon upon which God acts in the prefent cafe, is here declared to be the perfonal change that is wrought in the finner. When men, in the general courfe of their lives, act contrary to that rule of action which they ought in reafon to be governed by, and by their vicious actions render themfelves common enemies to the common good, and thereby dif appoint the gracious purpofe of their kind Creator

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