The Christian Governor in the Commonwealth and Private Families, Exposition 2 · Part 4
Vers. 16.And hee would hauehave filled his belly with the huskes, that the Swine ate, but … man gaue them to him.
IN this verse, and the next, wee hauehave two fore-runners of this young mans repentance, which we may cal occasions, or dores into it. The first, is the extreame necessitie that hee was in, vvith the reason thereof, in this verse: the second is his comming to himselfe, by a better looking into himselfe, and wiser consideration of his wayes in himselfe in the 17. verse. His extreame necescitie and hard hunger is testified in these words, Hee would hauehave filled his belly with the huskes which the Swine did eate: and the word intimates, that he faine or gladly would hauehave done so. The reason is added, for, no man gaue vntounto him: that is, no mans eye did pittie him, and no mans hand did minister to him. Hee that (not long before) filled his belly with such costly Dishes, & Fare, is now (for a iust recompence of so intollerable care for, and louelove of the belly) sent to the Hogges…rogh, there …o feede more coursely vponupon husk…s, with which (yet) he would hauehave fi…d his belly, but could not.
The point here taught,Doctr. is: it is a iust thing, that they should feele want and great want, vvho make it their chiefe exercise and happinesse to fare curiously, and to pamper flesh. They, whose God is their belly, Phil. 3.19. must looke to fall into necessitie, when they will needes offer all to such a Bel of vittailes, or greedy deuourer, Hystory of Bell, vers. 3. Adam, hauing eaten of the forbidden tree of pleasure, vvas (vvith the losse of that and all the other pleasant trees, full of delight, and excellent variety) sent forth of the garden, in great miserie, to till the earth, which, by the meanes of sinne, brought forth nothing but thistles, and thornes, and such vvofull bread, Gen. 3.17.18.23. Nabuchodonoser, vvho, was so proud that hee cared not for God, feeding without feare, was driuen from men, or being king of Men, to feede with beasts, or to feede like a beast, till a seuenth of times passed ouer him: that is, he was so long neglected, and became so long wilde, that they deposed him from gouernement, and banished him from Men: & from a Princes diet and state, sent him to a very homely Table, to feede there, Dan. 4.30.31. So, that rich man vvho was not content to fare well at times, but fared well and delicately eueryevery day, hauing his Table full of Dishes, and his Cellar full of Wines, was brought to that beggarly necessitie, by his store abused, that in hel-torments he could not hauehave a drop of water to coole the heate of his tongue in such flames, Luke 16.19.24. Sodome, by fulnesse of bread, of a Land of Corne, became a Land of Salt and Brimstone, Deut. 29 23. or Land mixed with Clouds of Pitch, and heapes of Ashes, 2 Esar. 2.9. It is right therefore that they should come to want, who hauehave surfetted with fulnes. The reasons are:
First, it is profitable for the children of God to feele want where they hauehave made waste; that, schooled with the pinches of a lower estate, they may learne hereafter to follow temperance, and to flie excesse. And, it is necessary for the children of destruction to be brought by the paine of want, to a sence of their wantonnesse, that they may see (for their greater condemnation) in what they hauehave sinned, Iohn 9.41.
Secondly, it is iust that the abuse of a good thing should be punished with the absence and losse of that good thing which is so abused: but this our being (all) for the belly, to pamper it, what is it but to abuse vntounto sin those good things, which, for such abuse, may iustly be taken from vsus! Lam. 4.5. compared with Am. 6.4.6.
Thirdly, of such curious and daintie feeders, it is true that we read, Psal. 69.22. Their table is a snare vntounto them, and their prosperitie their ruine. There is a table that deceaueth others. Of this it is said, Prou. 23.3. their daintie meates are deceitfull meate. But this table, running ouer with excesse, deceaueth those who prepare it (not for strength and honest delight) but for laughter and drunkennesse, Eccl. 10.17.19. for, it bringeth those by a secret waste and iust punishment, to vnrecouerable miserie, that maintaine it.
Vses.
This serueth (first) perfectly to awakenVse vsus from the sleepe of those lusts vvhichwhich are about meates and drinkes, that wee be sober, and no longer drunken in them. For, to sacrifice to our bellies, is to sacrifice to beggarie, and to feede them is to feede pouertie, Prou. 23.21. So, too eagerly to desire the Pottage so red; what is it but to thinke the time long, till, vvith Es…u, wee hauehave eaten and drunken away our Birth-right? Gen. 25.30.34. Moreouer, this large fulnesse and filling vvith meates and drinkes, without repentance, what doth it but make our condemnation more iust, and open the mouth of the creature more wide against vsus, to accuse vsus to God, when he shall open that Asses mouth? Numb. 22.28.
Some thinke (but they be carnall and not spirituall that so thinke) that there is no good thing to a man vnderunder the Sun, saue to eate, and drinke, and to reioyce in his dayes, Eccles. 8.15. But when Ammons heart is merry, being oppressed with meates or drunken with wine wherein is excesse, what saith Absalom to his Seruants? Smite Ammon, kill him, feare not for hauehave not I commanded? 2 Sam. 13.28. This Ammon is eueryevery liberall drinker, and large eater, and this Absalom the Purueyor for eueryevery such excesse, who by his Seruants, Drunkennesse and Gluttonie, (which preuaile too much, specially at Feasts) waiteth, or rather lyeth in wayte, for such as feede without feare, and drinke withou… reason, to smite them to destruction: as if hee should say to this cup of wine, and that dish of meate, (fayre to the eye, and good to the taste) Smite Ammon, smite, and kill him, and feare not, that is, smite with death, and to second death, the soule of the eater in excesse, and drunken vvith excesse: Leade the foole to the stockes: bring him to the house where the dead are, Prou. 9.18. fire him with anger, and burne him with euill desires: Let his eyes looke vponupon the strange woman, and his heart meditate of lewd things, Prou. 23.33. for, hauehave not I commanded? or, may not I command? Thus, or little better dealeth the Absalom of excesse vvith all his desperate guests, specially with hopeles Drunkards.
And therefore the Prophet Ioel, when hee would stirre vp to attention the deafest hearers, and furthest from hearing, doth direct his speech to Drunkards, saying; Awake yee Drunkards and howle, Ioel 1.5. as if drunkards were a *A figure of part for the whole.Sinecdoche of all impenitent and senslesse sinners. And, indeede, of all wanderers from the Lord, they goe furthest from him, and of all impenitent sinners are (hardliest) conuerted to him. For, the nature of drinke in excesse, is by his fuming power, and while it is in and wit out, to make man as vnreasonable as a beast,August. and as senslesse as a blocke.
As (therefore) raine of long continuance doth so turne the ground into mire and plash, that no good tillage can be made, nor good husbandry done vponupon it while it remaineth so: So, that drinking which is in excesse, doth so wash the braine, and turne the body, with all the senses and powers of soule and body, into such a plash and difficultie of spirituall tillage, that it is to small or no purpose, for the Lords faithfull Ministers (which are his Husbandmen) to put the Plough of Admonition into a Soule so pusled with Drunkennesse, so mired with it, so a-sleepe in it, till that sinne be repented of and left by a sober soule.
If (then) eating and drinking in excesse, cast men (wholy) into such a long and deepe sleepe of the forgetfulnesse of God and all goodnesse: if it bring men into danger, oftentimes, to destruction: if it waste the substance, and (which is worse) consume the body: and not so onelyonly, but if (to proceede from vvorse to worst) it most dangerously worke vponupon, and oftentimes manifestly preuaile against the soule, it is time for such sinners to awake out of such a sleepe, and to open their eyes that they sleepe not in death. Rom. 13.11.13. 1 Thes 5.6.7.
A terrour to all daintie seeders and intemperate drinkers.Vse 2. For, right it is, that the Lord should cut that cup from the drunkards mouth, that so seldome departeth from it, I…el 1.5. and turne that bread into bread of grauell, which delicate feeders, by abuse, hauehave (so wantonly) made the bread of lust; and take away those fat things and excellent things, which they made their Idols, whose soules lusted after them, Ap…c. 18.7. being louers of pleasures more then louers of God, 2 Tim. 3.4.
It were no great matter for a poore man, that hath alwayes fared hard to beare an hard estate: but it (needes) must be grieuous and bitter to another man, one that hath fared of the best eueryevery day, to be brought from his cups of wine to a cup of small drinke, from his fat morsels to a dry morsell, and from the finest bread to the coursest browne bread: yet this may be their portion of misery from God, if a worse thing come not to them, who hauehave sed Lust (not necessitie) vvith the sacrifices of eating and drinking; for, to morrow they shall dye, 1 Cor. 15.32. or, as if tomorrow they should dye. Christ (the truth) speaking of such, saith; They shall hunger that are now full, and waile and weepe that now laugh, Luke 6.25. His meaning is, they who now make it their exercise to eate, and their trade to follow Drunkennesse, drinking others drunken, and themselues, artificially, drunken and sober againe, shall come to great misery; and they who reioyce in their dayes shall weepe in their end; and who now hauehave their pleasures, hereafter suffer paine; being here comforted as Diues, and hereafter tormented as Diues was. Lu. 16.25.
Salomon speaking of these outward things (which wise men regard not, and fooles abuse) calleth them not onelyonly by a phrase of passiue imperfection, Vanitie, Eccles. 1.2. that is, things that hauehave a weaknesse of being in themselues, but Vexation of spirit, verse 14. that is, things (though nothing in themselues) yet able to inflict vexation and sorrow vponupon the soules of all that abuse them.
How (then) can the Gallants of our time thinke to auoid this vexation of spirit, for a iust reward of their Luxury and Riot, who doe nothing but poure out themselues to these vaine things? How can they but drinke themselues out of all, who drinke so much, and so continually day and night? and leape at a crust, who feede so chargeably, so delicately, and so daily vponupon the soft crumme? So much for the first occasion of this yong mans repentance; or dore into it, the necessitie that hee was in; the second followeth.