4th.—His murmuring: “Thou never gave me a kid”—that is, not the smallest remuneration for his long services. Here the pride of the heart is awfully manifested—wanting to bring in God a debtor to him for his paltry, ragged, rotten, worm-eaten cobweb righteousness. The grand design of grace is to humble the heart, and to cause us gratefully to acknowledge that all we have and all we are out of hell is favor and mercy indeed.
5.—His rebellion: “The father went out and intreated him, but he was angry and would not come in.” This refers to the ministry of the gospel and its external call, The Jews were first favored with it; but in the pride of their heart, they rejected it, and their ecclesiastical rulers would neither go into a profession of the Messiah nor let others, without much opposition; and so it is to this day in some places where the doctrine of free grace is preached. Pharisee preachers and people are angry at the doctrine; they will neither hear it themselves, though intreated to listen to sterling truth, but they persecute those that receive it; they have neither will nor desire—of course they have not the spirit of God who makes his people willing.
6th.—Notwithstanding his boasted perfection, holiness, morality, and long service, yet he was quite destitute of those things. The prodigal was blest with conviction of his danger, a deep sense of need, self despair, the spirit of power on his will, humble confession of sin, the spirit of adoption, the ring, the robe, the calf, the shoes, the music, and the holy company—he was a perfect stranger to these twelve blessings, that every believer, more or less, is led to enjoy.
7th.—His profound ignorance: he knew not what these things meant—a plain proof he had never been taught of God. The pharisees in our Lord’s day used sometimes to call the disciples aside to ask the meaning of our Lord’s words; and as they were present when the parables were delivered, this was aimed at them all the way through, under the figure of the elder son, and his boasting, pride, enmity and ignorance. To poor prodigals only it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom, but to such vaunters as these, it is not given.
8th.—His hatred: he hated all that was blessed, the truths of the gospel, the glory of grace in its sovereignty, freeness and power. This earthly being could not bear to see a servant reigning—a fool filled with meat—the odious married, and become heir to the blessings of the covenant; he hated his brother, nor would he own him in any sense but with contempt. Says, thy son, not my brother—and he that hateth his brother is a murderer; and we know that no such murderer hath eternal life.
These are the reasons why I am of opinion that the elder brother described by our Lord refers to all self-righteous persons.
The objections in general to this opinion are, because God calls him his son: so did Abraham call Dives, even in hell—son, thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things, and this son calls the Messiah Father—send a drop of water. All mankind are called sons by creation—have we not all one father? Hath not one God created us? The angels by creation are called sons—professors who turned apostates before the flood are called sons—and the whole body of Israel God denominated his sons—so that in a national way and in the same profession of the Jewish religion, the most precise and the most profane were brethren; but because some of the very worst amongst them were called by grace to the knowledge and profession of Christ, these angry brethren hated them and often disowned them. Another objection has been raised from the language of the father—son, thou art ever with me; so, in general, are all SUCH sons—always religious—always in a bustle about religion, though strangers to the power of it. The pharisees were always either in the temple, or private houses, or public streets, at their devotions. As it regards the external of ceremonies, here they were always encompassing God’s altar, visiting God’s house, or reading God’s word and the traditions of the elders. They were always with God, but God was not with them, for he despised their offerings and services. Read Isaiah i. 11 to 15, and Matthew xxiii. will fully explain this. Another objection: “All that I have is thine.”—This must be limited to bare external things; for he was quite destitute of the favors granted to his brother; but all ordinances, institutions and temporal blessings in the land of Canaan they had; and even Christ and the gospel were sent them, but they never rested till they had murdered the son of God and turned the gospel out of doors. So to this day the majority of Pharisees are mere easy professors, and in general opulent characters, who have their portion amongst the smooth stones of the brook, whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasures: for the earth he has given to the children of men.
Reader, what a mercy you are made to differ from such—OH, TO GRACE HOW GREAT A DEBTOR.
While thousands are at present crying out for more liberty to the catholics, it is very evident that very few persons know any thing of their sentiments. I present you, therefore, with a small piece of them, published some years ago in the Gospel Magazine; which, after reading, I think no grace-taught person will ever be anxious to see them possess more liberty than they do; but, with one heart and one voice, exclaim, in reference to the defender of the faith of protestants—God save the King.
The following Catholic Creed was published at Cologne, in the year 1714. It serves, with very little alteration, for all apostates. Not many years ago, it was signed by the son of a very opulent Calvinist merchant of Cologne, whom the monks of that city had made one of their proselytes. The reader will be astonished at the folly and blasphemy of its contents.