{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_58539/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_58539","id":"gutenberg_58539","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/58539","summary":null,"tags":["Bible. Luke, XV -- Commentaries","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Catholic Church -- Controversial literature","Prodigal son (Parable) -- Commentaries"],"text":"Transcribed from the R. Weston edition [circa 1811\u20131826] by David Price,\nemail ccx074@pglaf.org\n\n                 [Picture: Public domain pamphlet cover]\n\n\n\n\n\n                                   THE\n                          _Elder Son explained_,\n                                 AND THE\n                          ROMISH CHURCH EXPOSED.\n\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n     _Eight reasons why I believe that he was not a saved Character_,\n\nVARIOUS have been the opinions of good men concerning the elder son: some\nsuppose it must mean the elect angels, who, though holy beings, yet were\nenvious of the high honors conferred on man who was so far beneath them.\nHe took not on him the nature of angels, but, as the son of God, he took\non him the seed of Abraham; and being found in fashion as a man, he\nhumbled himself to the death of the cross.  But to form such an opinion\nof the holy angels is quite absurd, seeing, that so far from envying what\ngrace has done for fallen man, they are represented as filled with joy.\nHence the prophet calls upon them to rejoice\u2014\u201cSing, O ye heavens! the\nLord hath redeemed his people\u201d\u2014and in their death and safe arrival to\nglory, the promise runs\u2014\u201cFor ye shall go out with joy and be led forth\nwith peace, the mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing,\n(the elect angels and the spirits of just men made perfect) and all the\ntrees shall clap their hands for joy\u201d\u2014God\u2019s called people upon the\nconversion and happy death of others\u2014how vast their joy at the\nincarnation of Christ, when they brought glad tidings of great joy; and\nafter delivering the glorious message, they returned singing glory to God\nin the highest.  Our dear Lord also assures us there is joy in the\npresence of the angels when sinners on earth repent.  And why?  As Mr.\nToplady says, \u201cTell me ye seraphs of light, tell me ye souls of just men\nmade perfect, why this exuberance of holy rapture on the real recovery of\na single sinner to God?\u201d  Because ye know, assuredly, that every true\nconversion is, first, a certain proof that the person converted is one of\nyour own elect number; and secondly, that he shall infallibly persevere\nand be brought to heaven.  Many more reasons might be assigned why the\nelect angels rejoice in the conversion of a sinner to God.  Other writers\nhave supposed that our Lord did not mean any particular person or\ncharacter, or order of beings, by the elder brother in this parable; but\nthis is most absurd, to suppose that our Lord should utter so many words,\nincluding eight verses, _about nobody_.  If the younger brother alludes\nto some order of beings, surely the description of the elder brother\ncannot be without meaning.  This however was the opinion of the late\nworthy John Bradford; but he is the only writer I hope that ever held\nsuch a weak idea.  Others have supposed, that the elder brother signifies\na believer truly converted, but very legal in mind\u2014one that has been kept\nfrom outward sin\u2014very precise and moral\u2014virtuous and consistent, yet\nenvious at the conduct of God our heavenly Father towards a most\ndesperate backslider.  This I acknowledge was my opinion for some years;\nbut in time I was led to see that this opinion was wrong, and that the\nprodigal son refers to the state of God\u2019s elect as fallen in Adam the\nfirst, and called, convinced, and effectually converted in Adam the\nsecond, by the Holy Spirit; and that the elder brother is an exhibition\nof the whole group of pharisees in every age and of every denomination.\nFor however moral a believer may be kept all his days, yet was there\never, is there now living, one child of God upon earth that ever could\nuse such language as this proud boaster is represented using.  \u201cLo, take\nnotice Lord, these many years have I served thee\u2014I never transgressed thy\ncommandment AT ANY TIME.\u201d  I say again, there NEVER was such a believer\nto be found that dare to make use of such arrogance and awful lies.  None\nbut the God-man Mediator has a right to such language\u2014He never\ntransgressed the commandments of God at any time, but fulfilled all\nrighteousness for the justification of his church, which is the best and\nfirst robe that clothed the repenting prodigal.  The saints of God, as\nrecorded in the word of God, have at times made use of very passionate\nlanguage under pinching trials, and when falsely accused have vindicated\nthemselves from cruel aspersions; they have also appealed to God of the\nsincerity of the heart, made so by grace; but all boasting is for ever\nexcluded in the religion of free grace.  God has declared the lofty looks\nof man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of man shall be brought low,\nand the Lord alone shall be exalted.  This must be the case with every\nman in this world, or else where God is he never can come: except a man\nbe born again he cannot enter into the kingdom of God, neither the\nliberty of the gospel here, nor the mysteries of grace, nor eternal\nglory.  It is very evident that this poor creature, bragging and boasting\nof his goodness, never had been through the needle\u2019s-eye of\nregeneration\u2014that camel had never been reduced small enough for that, and\nof course unfit for communion with God upon earth or in heaven.  I beg my\nreader will once more attentively read the Saviour\u2019s account of this\nambitious, arrogant, envious, lying, ignorant, self-righteous boaster.\n\n    Luke xxv. ver. 25 to the end.\u2014Now his elder son was in the field: and\n    as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing.\n    And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.\n    And he said unto him, thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed\n    the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.  And he\n    was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and\n    intreated him.  And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many\n    years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy\n    commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make\n    merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which\n    hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the\n    fatted calf.  And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and\n    all that I have is thine.  It was meet that we should make merry, and\n    be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was\n    lost, and is found.\n\nUpon the serious attentive reading of these words, who can doubt that it\nis an highly-finished portrait of a pharisee\u2019s heart and conduct.  This I\nbelieve is the general opinion of the most sound divines; but the very\nbest treatise I ever met with was written by Mr. David Fenner, of the\nAlbany Road, Camberwell.  After I had been through several lectures upon\nthe subject of these brothers, I was afterwards much pleased, satisfied,\ninstructed and confirmed by reading that treatise; and my reader will see\nthe reasons why these best of writers consider the elder brother a rigid\npharisee.\n\n1st.\u2014His situation: he was in the field, not in the spiritual church of\nGod, but in the same place the poor prodigal was when he was sent to feed\nswine, working at the law with the rest of the swinish multitude, who can\nfeed upon nothing else but their own fancied goodness; but whether they\nmade a parson of him to feed the rest with such rubbish as is the case\nnow aday, I cannot tell.\n\n2nd.\u2014The awful falsehood, \u201cI never transgressed thy commandment at any\ntime.\u201d  This is giving the lie to God\u2019s word, which reveals the sinful\nstate and wretched depravity of every man in heart, lip, and life.\nEveryman by nature is a God-hater\u2014his carnal mind is enmity against God.\nThere is not a grace-taught person in this world that ever dare to use\nsuch arrogant lying language.\n\n3rd.\u2014His boasting and impudent demand of God\u2019s attention to his\nservice\u2014\u201cLo, take notice how many years I have served thee.\u201d\u2014An awful\nproof he had never been in the stripping room\u2014in the element of free\ngrace all boasting is excluded.  But this is not the only place where the\nSaviour has exposed such PROUD BOASTERS.  Many will say to me in that\nday, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied, preached in thy name, and in thy\nname done many wonderful works as the ground of our acceptance?  Mind,\nthe Saviour does not say they did so, but this is their plea and boast.\nSo also the pharisee that went up into the temple to pray; (Luke xviii)\nbut there is not a word of prayer in all he said\u2014but with a heart full of\npride and a mouth full of lies he arrogantly addressed God\u2014at the same\ntime told seven lies in his presence.\n\n4th.\u2014His murmuring: \u201cThou never gave me a kid\u201d\u2014that is, not the smallest\nremuneration for his long services.  Here the pride of the heart is\nawfully manifested\u2014wanting to bring in God a debtor to him for his\npaltry, ragged, rotten, worm-eaten cobweb righteousness.  The grand\ndesign of grace is to humble the heart, and to cause us gratefully to\nacknowledge that all we have and all we are out of hell is favor and\nmercy indeed.\n\n5.\u2014His rebellion: \u201cThe father went out and intreated him, but he was\nangry and would not come in.\u201d  This refers to the ministry of the gospel\nand its external call, The Jews were first favored with it; but in the\npride of their heart, they rejected it, and their ecclesiastical rulers\nwould neither go into a profession of the Messiah nor let others, without\nmuch opposition; and so it is to this day in some places where the\ndoctrine of free grace is preached.  Pharisee preachers and people are\nangry at the doctrine; they will neither hear it themselves, though\nintreated to listen to sterling truth, but they persecute those that\nreceive it; they have neither will nor desire\u2014of course they have not the\nspirit of God who makes his people willing.\n\n6th.\u2014Notwithstanding his boasted perfection, holiness, morality, and long\nservice, yet he was quite destitute of those things.  The prodigal was\nblest with conviction of his danger, a deep sense of need, self despair,\nthe spirit of power on his will, humble confession of sin, the spirit of\nadoption, the ring, the robe, the calf, the shoes, the music, and the\nholy company\u2014he was a perfect stranger to these twelve blessings, that\nevery believer, more or less, is led to enjoy.\n\n7th.\u2014His profound ignorance: he knew not what these things meant\u2014a plain\nproof he had never been taught of God.  The pharisees in our Lord\u2019s day\nused sometimes to call the disciples aside to ask the meaning of our\nLord\u2019s words; and as they were present when the parables were delivered,\nthis was aimed at them all the way through, under the figure of the elder\nson, and his boasting, pride, enmity and ignorance.  To poor prodigals\nonly it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom, but to such\nvaunters as these, it is not given.\n\n8th.\u2014His hatred: he hated all that was blessed, the truths of the gospel,\nthe glory of grace in its sovereignty, freeness and power.  This earthly\nbeing could not bear to see a servant reigning\u2014a fool filled with\nmeat\u2014the odious married, and become heir to the blessings of the\ncovenant; he hated his brother, nor would he own him in any sense but\nwith contempt.  Says, thy son, not my brother\u2014and he that hateth his\nbrother is a murderer; and we know that no such murderer hath eternal\nlife.\n\nThese are the reasons why I am of opinion that the elder brother\ndescribed by our Lord refers to all self-righteous persons.\n\nThe objections in general to this opinion are, because God calls him his\nson: so did Abraham call Dives, even in hell\u2014son, thou in thy life time\nreceivedst thy good things, and this son calls the Messiah Father\u2014send a\ndrop of water.  All mankind are called sons by creation\u2014have we not all\none father?  Hath not one God created us?  The angels by creation are\ncalled sons\u2014professors who turned apostates before the flood are called\nsons\u2014and the whole body of Israel God denominated his sons\u2014so that in a\nnational way and in the same profession of the Jewish religion, the most\nprecise and the most profane were brethren; but because some of the very\nworst amongst them were called by grace to the knowledge and profession\nof Christ, these angry brethren hated them and often disowned them.\nAnother objection has been raised from the language of the father\u2014son,\nthou art ever with me; so, in general, are all SUCH sons\u2014always\nreligious\u2014always in a bustle about religion, though strangers to the\npower of it.  The pharisees were always either in the temple, or private\nhouses, or public streets, at their devotions.  As it regards the\nexternal of ceremonies, here they were always encompassing God\u2019s altar,\nvisiting God\u2019s house, or reading God\u2019s word and the traditions of the\nelders.  They were always with God, but God was not with them, for he\ndespised their offerings and services.  Read Isaiah i. 11 to 15, and\nMatthew xxiii. will fully explain this.  Another objection: \u201cAll that I\nhave is thine.\u201d\u2014This must be limited to bare external things; for he was\nquite destitute of the favors granted to his brother; but all ordinances,\ninstitutions and temporal blessings in the land of Canaan they had; and\neven Christ and the gospel were sent them, but they never rested till\nthey had murdered the son of God and turned the gospel out of doors.  So\nto this day the majority of Pharisees are mere easy professors, and in\ngeneral opulent characters, who have their portion amongst the smooth\nstones of the brook, whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasures: for\nthe earth he has given to the children of men.\n\nReader, what a mercy you are made to differ from such\u2014OH, TO GRACE HOW\nGREAT A DEBTOR.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nWhile thousands are at present crying out for more liberty to the\ncatholics, it is very evident that very few persons know any thing of\ntheir sentiments.  I present you, therefore, with a small piece of them,\npublished some years ago in the Gospel Magazine; which, after reading, I\nthink no grace-taught person will ever be anxious to see them possess\nmore liberty than they do; but, with one heart and one voice, exclaim, in\nreference to the defender of the faith of protestants\u2014God save the King.\n\nThe following Catholic Creed was published at Cologne, in the year 1714.\nIt serves, with very little alteration, for all apostates.  Not many\nyears ago, it was signed by the son of a very opulent Calvinist merchant\nof Cologne, whom the monks of that city had made one of their proselytes.\nThe reader will be astonished at the folly and blasphemy of its contents.\n\n\n\n\nTHE ROMAN CATHOLIC CREED.\n\n\nI believe and confess, that, through the peculiar care of this Christian\nmagistracy, and wise government of Cologne, and the active industry and\nassistance of the holy Augustin fathers, I have been entirely brought\nover from my heretical life and religion, to the true church of Rome, the\nonly one in which salvation can be obtained; and I do publicly declare,\nto the whole world, that I embrace this faith freely and without\ncompulsion.\n\n\u201cI confess and believe, that the Pope is Christ\u2019s vicar, and has full\npower to forgive the sins of all mankind, according to his own will and\npleasure, either to save, to let them perish, or to excommunicate them,\nif he thinks fit.\n\n\u201cI confess the Pope to be the supreme head of the church, and that he can\nnever do wrong.\n\n\u201cI also confess, that whatever the Pope establishes, whether in the Holy\nScriptures or not, whatever he shall please to ordain, is the truth,\ndivine and genuine; that, consequently, every inferior person should\nesteem them equal to the commandments of God.\n\n\u201cI do confess, that the most holy Pope should be adored by every one,\nwith divine honors, and that every one should bow the knee to him as to\nChrist himself.\n\n\u201cI confess and declare, that the Pope should be honored by all men, in\nall things, as the most holy father; and moreover, that those heretics\nwho live contrary to his ordinances, should not only be exterminated BY\nFIRE and SWORD, without exception, and without the least mercy, but also\nthat their bodies and souls should be delivered up to Satan.\n\n\u201cI confess, that the reading of the Holy Scriptures is the source of all\nsects and parties, as also absolute blasphemy.\n\n\u201cI confess, that to invoke the saints, worship the holy father, and bow\nthe knee to them, make pilgrimages to their tombs, clothe them, and burn\nlights before them, is godly, holy and useful.\n\n\u201cI confess, that a priest is much greater than the mother of God: Mary\nonly bore the Lord Christ, and never conceived again; but a Romish priest\noffers, and forms the Lord Christ, not only as often as he wishes, but in\nany manner he pleases; yea, he feeds upon him while he chews his bread.\n\n\u201cI confess, that it is proper to read masses, to give alms, and to pray\nfor the dead.\n\n\u201cI confess, that the Pope of Rome has power to alter the Holy Scripture,\nto augment or diminish it, according to his own pleasure.\n\n\u201cI confess, that the soul will be purified by purgatory after death, and\nthat its deliverance from thence is partly effected by the sacrifice of\nthe mass offered up by the priest.\n\n\u201cI acknowledge, that to receive the holy eucharist in one kind, is good\nand salutary; but, to receive it in both kinds, is heretical and\ndamnable.\n\n\u201cI acknowledge, that those who receive the holy communion in one kind,\nenjoy and eat the whole of Christ, both body and blood, and also his\ngodhead and his bones.\n\n\u201cI acknowledge, that there are seven true and effectual sacraments.\n\n\u201cI acknowledge, that God is honored by representations of him, and may,\nby means of them, be known of men.\n\n\u201cI acknowledge, that the Holy Virgin Mary is queen of heaven, and\ngoverns, together with the Son; and that, according to her will, the Son\nis obliged to act in all things.\n\n\u201cI acknowledge, that the Holy Virgin Mary should be esteemed, both by men\nand angels, higher than Christ, the Son of God himself.\n\n\u201cI acknowledge, that the bones of the saints are possessed of great\nvirtues, on which account they ought to be honored by men, and have\nchapels built for them.\n\n\u201cI acknowledge, that the Roman Catholic faith is unadulterated, godly,\nsaving, and true; but that the Protestant, which I, of my own accord,\nhave abjured, is false, erroneous, blasphemous, accursed, heretical,\nhurtful; that the Protestant religion is seditious, abominable, forged\nand devised.  Since the Roman Catholic religion is, therefore,\nthroughout, good and salutary, I curse all those who taught me these\nabominable heresies in both kinds; I curse my parents who educated me in\nthe heretical faith; and, I also curse those who made the Roman Catholic\nfaith so dubious and suspicious to me, as well as those who gave me to\ndrink of the accursed cup; yes, I curse myself, and think myself\naccursed, because I made myself a partaker of this accursed heretical\ncup, {11} of which it did not become me to drink.\n\n\u201cI acknowledge that the Holy Scripture is imperfect, and is a dead\nletter, as long as it is not explained by the Pope of Rome; and that the\ncommon people ought not to be allowed to read it.\n\n\u201cI acknowledge, that a requiem, sung by a Romish priest, is more useful\nthan a hundred sermons; and, on that account, I curse all those books\nwhich I have read, in which that heretical and blasphemous doctrine is\ncontained; I also curse all the works which I read whilst I lived in this\nheretical faith.\n\n\u201cAll this I do, with a sincere mind, confirm, as a public retraction of\nthe heretical doctrine, in the presence of the reverend father W. and the\nother fathers of the convent of \u2014 and to the whole Roman Catholic church,\nmale and female, that in these, and similar articles, is the true church.\n\n\u201cMoreover, I promise, that I will never more, through my whole life,\nreturn to this heretical doctrine of the sacrament in both kinds,\nalthough it should be allowable to do so.  I also promise, that as long\nas I have a drop of blood in my body, I will not educate any child of\nmine in that accursed faith, nor will I consent he or she should be\nbrought up therein by others, which I herewith promise.\n\n\u201cI also swear, that I will help to persecute this accursed heretical\ndoctrine, secretly and openly, with words and works, the sword even not\nexcepted.\n\n\u201cLastly, I swear before God, the angels, and before all the congregation\npresent, that if any alteration should take place either in church or\nstate, I never will become an apostate from the Roman Catholic and godly\nchurch, either through fear or favor, and return again to this accursed\nheresy, nor will I receive the same.\n\n\u201cAs a confirmation of my oath, I at the same time receive the holy\ncommunion: and I cause also this, my confession, written and subscribed\nwith my own hand, to be made public in print, and the original thereof to\nbe preserved in the holy archives of the church of \u2014.\u201d  [Rather,\nsynagogue of Satan.]\n\n    Should all the forms which men devise\n       Assault my faith with treach\u2019rous art,\n    I\u2019d call them vanity and lies,\n       And bind the Gospel to my heart.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                                  FINIS.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nR. WESTON, Printer,\nCrosby-row, Southwark.\n\n\n\n\nFOOTNOTES.\n\n\n{11}  Wine at the Sacrament, which is forbid the people.","title":"The Elder Son Explained, and the Romish Church Exposed","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":3716}