,transcribed from the ,r4 ,weston       
edition circa #ahaa-ahbf by ,david      
,price1  email ccx#jgdpglaf4org         
,picture3 ,public domain pamphlet cover 
,,the                            ,elder 
,son explained1                         
,,and ,,the                             
,,romish ,,church ,,exposed4            
99 99 99 99 99         ,eight reasons   
why ,i believe that he was not a saved  
,character1    ,,various have been the  
opinions of good men concerning the     
elder son3 some  suppose it must mean   
the elect angels1 who1 though holy      
beings1 yet were  envious of the high   
honors conferred on man who was so far  
beneath them4  ,he took not on him the  
nature of angels1 but1 as the son of    
,god1 he took  on him the seed of       
,abraham2 and being found in fashion as 
a man1 he  humbled himself to the death 
of the cross4  ,but to form such an     
opinion  of the holy angels is quite    
absurd1 seeing1 that so far from envying
 what  grace has done for fallen man1   

they are represented as filled with joy4
  ,hence the prophet calls upon them to 
rejoice--8,sing1 ,o ye heavens6 the     
,lord hath redeemed his people0--and in 
their death and safe arrival to  glory1 
the promise runs--8,for ye shall go out 
with joy and be led forth  with peace1  
the mountains and the hills shall break 
forth into singing1  7the elect angels  
and the spirits of just men made        
perfect7 and all the  trees shall clap  
their hands for joy0--,god's called     
people upon the  conversion and happy   
death of others--how vast their joy at  
the  incarnation of ,christ1 when they  
brought glad tidings of great joy2 and  
after delivering the glorious message1  
they returned singing glory to ,god  in 
the highest4  ,our dear ,lord also      
assures us there is joy in the  presence
 of the angels when sinners on earth    
repent4  ,and why8  ,as ,mr4  ,toplady  
says1 8,tell me ye seraphs of light1    
tell me ye souls of just men  made      
perfect1 why this exuberance of holy    

rapture on the real recovery of  a      
single sinner to ,god80  ,because ye    
know1 assuredly1 that every true        
conversion is1 first1 a certain proof   
that the person converted is one of     
your own elect number2 and secondly1    
that he shall infallibly persevere  and 
be brought to heaven4  ,many more       
reasons might be assigned why the  elect
 angels rejoice in the conversion of a  
sinner to ,god4  ,other writers  have   
supposed that our ,lord did not mean any
 particular person or  character1 or    
order of beings1 by the elder brother in
 this parable2 but  this is most absurd1
 to suppose that our ,lord should utter 
so many words1  including eight verses1 
about nobody4  ,if the younger brother  
alludes  to some order of beings1 surely
 the description of the elder brother   
cannot be without meaning4  ,this       
however was the opinion of the late     
worthy ,john ,bradford2 but he is the   
only writer ,i hope that ever held  such
 a weak idea4  ,others have supposed1   

that the elder brother signifies  a     
believer truly converted1 but very legal
 in mind--one that has been kept  from  
outward sin--very precise and           
moral--virtuous and consistent1 yet     
envious at the conduct of ,god our      
heavenly ,father towards a most         
desperate backslider4  ,this ,i         
acknowledge was my opinion for some     
years2  but in time ,i was led to see   
that this opinion was wrong1 and that   
the  prodigal son refers to the state of
 ,god's elect as fallen in ,adam the    
first1 and called1 convinced1 and       
effectually converted in ,adam the      
second1 by the ,holy ,spirit2 and that  
the elder brother is an exhibition  of  
the whole group of pharisees in every   
age and of every denomination4  ,for    
however moral a believer may be kept all
 his days1 yet was there  ever1 is there
 now living1 one child of ,god upon     
earth that ever could  use such language
 as this proud boaster is represented   
using4  8,lo1 take  notice ,lord1 these 

many years have ,i served thee--,i never
 transgressed thy  commandment ,,at     
,,any ,,time40  ,i say again1 there     
,,never was such a believer  to be found
 that dare to make use of such arrogance
 and awful lies4  ,none  but the        
,god-man ,mediator has a right to such  
language--,he never  transgressed the   
commandments of ,god at any time1 but   
fulfilled all  righteousness for the    
justification of his church1 which is   
the best and  first robe that clothed   
the repenting prodigal4  ,the saints of 
,god1 as  recorded in the word of ,god1 
have at times made use of very          
passionate  language under pinching     
trials1 and when falsely accused have   
vindicated  themselves from cruel       
aspersions2 they have also appealed to  
,god of the  sincerity of the heart1    
made so by grace2 but all boasting is   
for ever  excluded in the religion of   
free grace4  ,god has declared the lofty
 looks  of man shall be humbled1 and the
 haughtiness of man shall be brought    

low1  and the ,lord alone shall be      
exalted4  ,this must be the case with   
every  man in this world1 or else where 
,god is he never can come3 except a man 
be born again he cannot enter into the  
kingdom of ,god1 neither the  liberty of
 the gospel here1 nor the mysteries of  
grace1 nor eternal  glory4  ,it is very 
evident that this poor creature1        
bragging and boasting  of his goodness1 
never had been through the needle's-eye 
of  regeneration--that camel had never  
been reduced small enough for that1 and 
of course unfit for communion with ,god 
upon earth or in heaven4  ,i beg my     
reader will once more attentively read  
the ,saviour's account of this          
ambitious1 arrogant1 envious1 lying1    
ignorant1 self-righteous boaster4       
,luke xxv4 ver4 #be to the end4--,now   
his elder son was in the field3 and     
as he came and drew nigh to the house1  
he heard music and dancing4      ,and he
 called one of the servants1 and asked  
what these things meant4      ,and he   

said unto him1 thy brother is come2 and 
thy father hath killed      the fatted  
calf1 because he hath received him safe 
and sound4  ,and he      was angry1 and 
would not go in3 therefore came his     
father out1 and      intreated him4     
,and he answering said to his father1   
,lo1 these many      years do ,i serve  
thee1 neither transgressed ,i at any    
time thy      commandment3 and yet thou 
never gavest me a kid1 that ,i might    
make      merry with my friends3 ,but as
 soon as this thy son was come1 which   
hath devoured thy living with harlots1  
thou hast killed for him the      fatted
 calf4  ,and he said unto him1 ,son1    
thou art ever with me1 and      all that
 ,i have is thine4  ,it was meet that we
 should make merry1 and      be glad3   
for this thy brother was dead1 and is   
alive again2 and was      lost1 and is  
found4    ,upon the serious attentive   
reading of these words1 who can doubt   
that it  is an highly-finished portrait 
of a pharisee's heart and conduct4      

,this ,i  believe is the general opinion
 of the most sound divines2 but the very
  best treatise ,i ever met with was    
written by ,mr4 ,david ,fenner1 of the  
,albany ,road1 ,camberwell4  ,after ,i  
had been through several lectures upon  
the subject of these brothers1 ,i was   
afterwards much pleased1 satisfied1     
instructed and confirmed by reading that
 treatise2 and my reader will see  the  
reasons why these best of writers       
consider the elder brother a rigid      
pharisee4    #ast4--,his situation3 he  
was in the field1 not in the spiritual  
church of  ,god1 but in the same place  
the poor prodigal was when he was sent  
to feed  swine1 working at the law with 
the rest of the swinish multitude1 who  
can  feed upon nothing else but their   
own fancied goodness2 but whether they  
made a parson of him to feed the rest   
with such rubbish as is the case  now   
aday1 ,i cannot tell4    #bnd4--,the    
awful falsehood1 8,i never transgressed 
thy commandment at any  time40  ,this is

 giving the lie to ,god's word1 which   
reveals the sinful  state and wretched  
depravity of every man in heart1 lip1   
and life4  ,everyman by nature is a     
,god-hater--his carnal mind is enmity   
against ,god4  ,there is not a          
grace-taught person in this world that  
ever dare to use  such arrogant lying   
language4    #crd4--,his boasting and   
impudent demand of ,god's attention to  
his  service--8,lo1 take notice how many
 years ,i have served thee40--,an awful 
proof he had never been in the stripping
 room--in the element of free  grace all
 boasting is excluded4  ,but this is not
 the only place where the  ,saviour has 
exposed such ,,proud ,,boasters4  ,many 
will say to me in that  day1 ,lord1     
,lord1 have we not prophesied1 preached 
in thy name1 and in thy  name done many 
wonderful works as the ground of our    
acceptance8  ,mind1  the ,saviour does  
not say they did so1 but this is their  
plea and boast4  ,so also the pharisee  
that went up into the temple to pray2   

7,luke xviii7  but there is not a word  
of prayer in all he said--but with a    
heart full of  pride and a mouth full of
 lies he arrogantly addressed ,god--at  
the same  time told seven lies in his   
presence4    #dth4--,his murmuring3     
8,thou never gave me a kid0--that is1   
not the smallest  remuneration for his  
long services4  ,here the pride of the  
heart is  awfully manifested--wanting to
 bring in ,god a debtor to him for his  
paltry1 ragged1 rotten1 worm-eaten      
cobweb righteousness4  ,the grand       
design of grace is to humble the heart1 
and to cause us gratefully to           
acknowledge that all we have and all we 
are out of hell is favor and  mercy     
indeed4    #e4--;,his rebellion3 8,the  
father went out and intreated him1 but  
he was  angry and would not come in40   
,this refers to the ministry of the     
gospel  and its external call1 ,the     
,jews were first favored with it2 but in
 the  pride of their heart1 they        
rejected it1 and their ecclesiastical   

rulers  would neither go into a         
profession of the ,messiah nor let      
others1 without  much opposition2 and so
 it is to this day in some places where 
the  doctrine of free grace is preached4
  ,pharisee preachers and people are    
angry at the doctrine2 they will neither
 hear it themselves1 though  intreated  
to listen to sterling truth1 but they   
persecute those that  receive it2 they  
have neither will nor desire--of course 
they have not the  spirit of ,god who   
makes his people willing4               
#fth4--,notwithstanding his boasted     
perfection1 holiness1 morality1 and long
  service1 yet he was quite destitute of
 those things4  ,the prodigal was  blest
 with conviction of his danger1 a deep  
sense of need1 self despair1  the spirit
 of power on his will1 humble confession
 of sin1 the spirit of  adoption1 the   
ring1 the robe1 the calf1 the shoes1 the
 music1 and the  holy company--he was a 
perfect stranger to these twelve        
blessings1 that  every believer1 more or

 less1 is led to enjoy4    #gth4--,his  
profound ignorance3 he knew not what    
these things meant--a plain  proof he   
had never been taught of ,god4  ,the    
pharisees in our ,lord's day  used      
sometimes to call the disciples aside to
 ask the meaning of our  ,lord's words2 
and as they were present when the       
parables were delivered1  this was aimed
 at them all the way through1 under the 
figure of the elder  son1 and his       
boasting1 pride1 enmity and ignorance4  
,to poor prodigals  only it is given to 
know the mysteries of the kingdom1 but  
to such  vaunters as these1 it is not   
given4    #hth4--,his hatred3 he hated  
all that was blessed1 the truths of the 
gospel1  the glory of grace in its      
sovereignty1 freeness and power4  ,this 
earthly  being could not bear to see a  
servant reigning--a fool filled with    
meat--the odious married1 and become    
heir to the blessings of the  covenant2 
he hated his brother1 nor would he own  
him in any sense but  with contempt4    

,says1 thy son1 not my brother--and he  
that hateth his  brother is a murderer2 
and we know that no such murderer hath  
eternal  life4    ,these are the reasons
 why ,i am of opinion that the elder    
brother  described by our ,lord refers  
to all self-righteous persons4    ,the  
objections in general to this opinion   
are1 because ,god calls him his  son3 so
 did ,abraham call ,dives1 even in      
hell--son1 thou in thy life time        
receivedst thy good things1 and this son
 calls the ,messiah ,father--send a     
drop of water4  ,all mankind are called 
sons by creation--have we not all  one  
father8  ,hath not one ,god created us8 
,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 religion1 the most       
precise and the most profane were       
brethren2 but because some of the very  

worst amongst them were called by grace 
to the knowledge and profession  of     
,christ1 these angry brethren hated them
 and often disowned them4  ,another     
objection has been raised from the      
language of the father--son1  thou art  
ever with me2 so1 in general1 are all   
,,such sons--always  religious--always  
in a bustle about religion1 though      
strangers to the  power of it4  ,the    
pharisees were always either in the     
temple1 or private  houses1 or public   
streets1 at their devotions4  ,as it    
regards the  external of ceremonies1    
here they were always encompassing      
,god's altar1  visiting ,god's house1 or
 reading ,god's word and the traditions 
of the  elders4  ,they were always with 
,god1 but ,god was not with them1 for he
  despised their offerings and services4
  ,read ,isaiah i4 #aa to #ae1 and      
,matthew xxiii4 will fully explain this4
  ,another objection3 8,all that ,i     
have is thine40--,this must be limited  
to bare external things2 for he was     

quite destitute of the favors granted to
 his brother2 but all ordinances1       
institutions and temporal blessings in  
the land of ,canaan they had2 and  even 
,christ and the gospel were sent them1  
but they never rested till  they had    
murdered the son of ,god and turned the 
gospel out of doors4  ,so  to this day  
the majority of ,pharisees are mere easy
 professors1 and in  general opulent    
characters1 who have their portion      
amongst the smooth  stones of the brook1
 whose belly thou fillest with thy hid  
treasures3 for  the earth he has given  
to the children of men4    ,reader1 what
 a mercy you are made to differ from    
such--,,oh1 ,,to ,,grace ,,how  ,,great 
,a ,,debtor4                            
99 99 99 99 99    ,while thousands are  
at present crying out for more liberty  
to the  catholics1 it is very evident   
that very few persons know any thing of 
their sentiments4  ,i present you1      
therefore1 with a small piece of them1  
published some years ago in the ,gospel 

,magazine2 which1 after reading1 ,i     
think no grace-taught person will ever  
be anxious to see them possess  more    
liberty than they do2 but1 with one     
heart and one voice1 exclaim1 in        
reference to the defender of the faith  
of protestants--,god save the ,king4    
,the following ,catholic ,creed was     
published at ,cologne1 in the year      
#agad4  ,it serves1 with very little    
alteration1 for all apostates4  ,not    
many  years ago1 it was signed by the   
son of a very opulent ,calvinist        
merchant  of ,cologne1 whom the monks of
 that city had made one of their        
proselytes4  ,the reader will be        
astonished at the folly and blasphemy of
 its contents4          ,,the ,,roman   
,,catholic ,,creed4      ,i believe and 
confess1 that1 through the peculiar care
 of this ,christian  magistracy1 and    
wise government of ,cologne1 and the    
active industry and  assistance of the  
holy ,augustin fathers1 ,i have been    
entirely brought  over from my heretical

 life and religion1 to the true church  
of ,rome1 the  only one in which        
salvation can be obtained2 and ,i do    
publicly declare1  to the whole world1  
that ,i embrace this faith freely and   
without  compulsion4    8,i confess and 
believe1 that the ,pope is ,christ's    
vicar1 and has full  power to forgive   
the sins of all mankind1 according to   
his own will and  pleasure1 either to   
save1 to let them perish1 or to         
excommunicate them1  if he thinks fit4  
8,i confess the ,pope to be the supreme 
head of the church1 and that he can     
never do wrong4    8,i also confess1    
that whatever the ,pope establishes1    
whether in the ,holy  ,scriptures or    
not1 whatever he shall please to ordain1
 is the truth1  divine and genuine2     
that1 consequently1 every inferior      
person should  esteem them equal to the 
commandments of ,god4    8,i do confess1
 that the most holy ,pope should be     
adored by every one1  with divine       
honors1 and that every one should bow   

the knee to him as to  ,christ himself4 
8,i confess and declare1 that the ,pope 
should be honored by all men1 in  all   
things1 as the most holy father2 and    
moreover1 that those heretics  who live 
contrary to his ordinances1 should not  
only be exterminated ,,by  ,,fire and   
,,sword1 without exception1 and without 
the least mercy1 but also  that their   
bodies and souls should be delivered up 
to ,satan4    8,i confess1 that the     
reading of the ,holy ,scriptures is the 
source of all  sects and parties1 as    
also absolute blasphemy4    8,i confess1
 that to invoke the saints1 worship the 
holy father1 and bow  the knee to them1 
make pilgrimages to their tombs1 clothe 
them1 and burn  lights before them1 is  
godly1 holy and useful4    8,i confess1 
that a priest is much greater than the  
mother of ,god3 ,mary  only bore the    
,lord ,christ1 and never conceived      
again2 but a ,romish priest  offers1 and
 forms the ,lord ,christ1 not only as   
often as he wishes1 but in  any manner  

he pleases2 yea1 he feeds upon him while
 he chews his bread4    8,i confess1    
that it is proper to read masses1 to    
give alms1 and to pray  for the dead4   
8,i confess1 that the ,pope of ,rome has
 power to alter the ,holy ,scripture1   
to augment or diminish it1 according to 
his own pleasure4    8,i confess1 that  
the soul will be purified by purgatory  
after death1 and  that its deliverance  
from thence is partly effected by the   
sacrifice of  the mass offered up by the
 priest4    8,i acknowledge1 that to    
receive the holy eucharist in one kind1 
is good  and salutary2 but1 to receive  
it in both kinds1 is heretical and      
damnable4    8,i acknowledge1 that those
 who receive the holy communion in one  
kind1  enjoy and eat the whole of       
,christ1 both body and blood1 and also  
his  godhead and his bones4    8,i      
acknowledge1 that there are seven true  
and effectual sacraments4    8,i        
acknowledge1 that ,god is honored by    
representations of him1 and may1  by    

means of them1 be known of men4    8,i  
acknowledge1 that the ,holy ,virgin     
,mary is queen of heaven1 and  governs1 
together with the ,son2 and that1       
according to her will1 the ,son  is     
obliged to act in all things4    8,i    
acknowledge1 that the ,holy ,virgin     
,mary should be esteemed1 both by men   
and angels1 higher than ,christ1 the    
,son of ,god himself4    8,i            
acknowledge1 that the bones of the      
saints are possessed of great  virtues1 
on which account they ought to be       
honored by men1 and have  chapels built 
for them4    8,i acknowledge1 that the  
,roman ,catholic faith is unadulterated1
 godly1  saving1 and true2 but that the 
,protestant1 which ,i1 of my own accord1
  have abjured1 is false1 erroneous1    
blasphemous1 accursed1 heretical1       
hurtful2 that the ,protestant religion  
is seditious1 abominable1 forged  and   
devised4  ,since the ,roman ,catholic   
religion is1 therefore1  throughout1    
good and salutary1 ,i curse all those   

who taught me these  abominable heresies
 in both kinds2 ,i curse my parents who 
educated me in  the heretical faith2    
and1 ,i also curse those who made the   
,roman ,catholic  faith so dubious and  
suspicious to me1 as well as those who  
gave me to  drink of the accursed cup2  
yes1 ,i curse myself1 and think myself  
accursed1 because ,i made myself a      
partaker of this accursed heretical     
cup1 #aa of which it did not become me  
to drink4    8,i acknowledge that the   
,holy ,scripture is imperfect1 and is a 
dead  letter1 as long as it is not      
explained by the ,pope of ,rome2 and    
that the  common people ought not to be 
allowed to read it4    8,i acknowledge1 
that a requiem1 sung by a ,romish       
priest1 is more useful  than a hundred  
sermons2 and1 on that account1 ,i curse 
all those books  which ,i have read1 in 
which that heretical and blasphemous    
doctrine is  contained2 ,i also curse   
all the works which ,i read whilst ,i   
lived in this  heretical faith4    8,all

 this ,i do1 with a sincere mind1       
confirm1 as a public retraction of  the 
heretical doctrine1 in the presence of  
the reverend father ,w4 and the  other  
fathers of the convent of -- and to the 
whole ,roman ,catholic church1  male and
 female1 that in these1 and similar     
articles1 is the true church4           
8,moreover1 ,i promise1 that ,i will    
never more1 through my whole life1      
return to this heretical doctrine of the
 sacrament in both kinds1  although it  
should be allowable to do so4  ,i also  
promise1 that as long  as ,i have a drop
 of blood in my body1 ,i will not       
educate any child of  mine in that      
accursed faith1 nor will ,i consent he  
or she should be  brought up therein by 
others1 which ,i herewith promise4      
8,i also swear1 that ,i will help to    
persecute this accursed heretical       
doctrine1 secretly and openly1 with     
words and works1 the sword even not     
excepted4    8,lastly1 ,i swear before  
,god1 the angels1 and before all the    

congregation  present1 that if any      
alteration should take place either in  
church or  state1 ,i never will become  
an apostate from the ,roman ,catholic   
and godly  church1 either through fear  
or favor1 and return again to this      
accursed  heresy1 nor will ,i receive   
the same4    8,as a confirmation of my  
oath1 ,i at the same time receive the   
holy  communion3 and ,i cause also this1
 my confession1 written and subscribed  
with my own hand1 to be made public in  
print1 and the original thereof to  be  
preserved in the holy archives of the   
church of --40  ,rather1  synagogue of  
,satan4        ,should all the forms    
which men devise         ,assault my    
faith with treach'rous art1      ,i'd   
call them vanity and lies1         ,and 
bind the ,gospel to my heart4           
99 99 99 99 99                          
,,finis4                                
99 99 99 99 99                          
99 99 99 99 99    ,r4 ,,weston1         
,printer1  ,crosby-row1 ,southwark4     

,,footnotes4      #aa  ,wine at the     
,sacrament1 which is forbid the people4