43:& Book. IV. Looking tmto 1efrts, him fti!!, therefore my bowels 11re troubled f~r him, I willfurely have mercy upon him faith the Lwd. --4· Hu Father r•m: "there is much in this, As, r. It had been mercy though his Fatfier had ftood frill, till his Son had come. 2. What a mc:rcy is this, that his Father will gp, and give his Son the meeting .< 3. But above a-ll, oh what abundant mercy call we this, that the Father will not go, but r.· · a ? !Jfhe w_oul? needs meet his Son; might he not have walked towards h1m m a fofc flow pace? 0 no, if a • !inner will but come, or creep towards Chrift,mercy will not go a foot-pace, bti't run to meet him; bowels full of mercy out-pace bowels pi nched with hunger; Gods mercy is over all his works · and fo it is over all our ne~ds, and over all our (innes. 5. He ran: anJ fell on hu tlrc/z_; ( i.) he hugged, and embraced him; 0 wonder l who would not have been loath to have touc1Jed him ? was he not in his loathfome ftinking raggs? fmelt he not of the hoggs and fwine he lately kept .< would not fome dainty ftomacks have been ready to have caft all up upon fuch embracements? we fee mercy is not nice, when I paJTed by (faith God) I Jaw thee E:z.tk l6. 6. polluted in thy orvn blood, and I faid tmto thee when thou waft in thy blood, live; yea, I (aid unto thee when thou waft in thy blood, live; that very time of her blood, was .the time of love; then the 8 Lord jpread hi& Spirit over her,and coveredher n11k!dne«e, andfiware ver. . JJ' unto her, 11nd entred into tt Covenant with mr, and /be became bis. 6. He ran; and fell on his neck, and kj}Ted hirn; who would have brooked a perfon in fo filthy a pickle? what ? kilfe thofe lips that have been fo lately lapping in the hogs-trough? thofe lips that had fo often kilfed thofe bafe, and beggarly, and abominable harlots? one would think he lbould rather have kicked, then kiffed him: there is a paffage fomewhat like this, ana Efau ~ttn to Gen. 33· 4 • meet 'facob, and he embraced him, andfell on hi& nee~, (md kiffed him; before be had thought to have killed him, but now he kiifed him; its not tO tell how deare the Father was to his prodigal fofi, wben he r11n, and fell M his nec/z_, and embraced, and kiJTed him. The fcope of the parable is this, that Chrift is willing and glad E:z:z.ek. 33 ,IJ.to receivefinners: turney, turneye, fromyour evil wayes for why willye dye 0 houf~ of lfrael! 2. Chrift manifeils this willingneffe in his prad:ife really, among!l: many inilances I lhall infift only on one, a notable iQLukq 6 , 37 , france of this yeare: one of the Pharife~s named Simon i~~~~~
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