Meditations the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Chapter 23
CHAP. XXIII.
Wherein is shewed, That the things of this World, which natural men's hearts, for the satisfaction of their lusts, would feed upon, are, in the judgment of our Saviour Christ, no better than Husks and Swinesmeat. In what respect they are so, exemplified in two Particulars; from the first part of the Sixteenth Verse, And he would fain have filled his belly with the Husks which the Swine did eat.
I HAVE already represented to you
1. The Prodigal's Misery, from Verse the fourteenth; And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that Land, and he began to be in want.
2. The Course he took for his Relief, from Verse the fifteenth; And he went and joyned himself to a Citizen of that Countrey; and he sent him into his fields to feed Swine.
3. I come now, in the last place, to shew the Ineffectualness of that Course in order to his Relief, from the sixteenth Verse; And he would fain have filled his belly with the Husks which the Swine did eat, and no man gave unto him.
In the former Verse the Prodigal found imployment in his strait, such as it was, he was sent into the field to feed Swine; but yet he got not a subsistance by it. He had work, but no wages; not so much as bread to eat. His work was to feed Swine, and he would have been content to feed with them, if he might have had it. He would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the Swine did eat, but no man gave unto him.
So that this Verse sets forth the insufficiency and ineffectualness of the Prodigal's course he steer'd to supply and relieve himself in his extream straits. He was content with worse imployment than the Gibeonites, Josh. 9.5, 21.who were made hewers of wood, and drawers of water to all the Congregation of Israel. This was a worthy service towards the Prodigal's feeding Swine: And their mouldy bread, old garments, and old shoes and clouted, were brave clothes and diet towards the Prodigal's feeding on Swines-meat, the husks that they did eat and feed on, and glad too.
Quest. But what were these husks?
Answ. It's plain they were Swines-meat. And these foreign, here called husks, as some of the Learned observe, were Egyptian figs; a course unwholesome fruit, not fit for man's meat, but Swines. And Pliny saith, the rind of them was that which was eaten, and therefore they are called husks. They were a little sweet, but very hard of concoction, and the juyce very unwholesome. Yet this Prodigal wished for these Egyptian figs, these husks that were Swines meat, as the Israelites did for the Leeks, and Garlick, and Onions of Egypt; But no man gave unto him, (i.e.) he could not get enough to fill his belly: He still missed of content and satisfaction.
For the spiritual meaning, it shews us, as I before hinted, the ineffectualness of this mans course, who is the Representative of all natural mens seeking relief in Conscience-straits and troubles, when they come to be convinced sinners. And the words hold forth four things.
1. That the things of this World, which natural mens hearts would feed on for content, and satisfaction of their lusts, are but Husks and Swines meat without God. As Swine in the fifteenth Verse signifie worldly and sensual men, that live upon their lusts; so these Husks, or Swines meat, signifie the things of the World, the lusts of the flesh, 1 John 2.16.the lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life, which carnal mens souls seeks after.
2. Whereas it is said, that he would fain have filled his belly with the Husks that the Swine did eat; it shews the property of natural men in Conscience-straits, viz. That they would sit down with the basest things of this World with ease, rather than return to God.
3. Whereas it's said, and no man gave him; it shews, that nothing shall be able to give a sinners troubled Conscience relief and comfort, nothing of this World, when God means to bring him home to himself.
4. That the lowest step of a sinners misery is not to see and feel himself in a sinful and dangerous state; but to see himself without remedy, and to find all refuges to fail him. Of these in their Order.
Doctr. That the things of this World, on which a natural man's heart would feed without God, and in which he would satisfie himself, if he could, are but trash, or, as here they are called, Husks and Swines meat.
What the World counted the Apostles of Jesus Christ, foreign and foreign signifie the filth of filth.filth and refuse, 1 Cor. 4.13. and the Chaldeans the Jews in their Captivity, Lam. 3.45. offscouring and refuse: why thus the Holy Ghost makes no more of the things of this World, when the heart is set on them instead of God, but Husks or Swines meat. Look upon the best of this World, and it is no better to a sinner of a troubled Conscience, being in fear of Gods wrath.
Power, parts, riches, honour, pleasure, all these in conjunction availed not Haman, Esth. 5.when his spirit was perplexed; nor Ahitophel, nor Saul, nor Judas, nor Cain, when an evil Spirit vexed them. Samuel calls them vain things that cannot profit, 1 Sam. 12.21.because they are vain. God calls them so, and men who have made trial of them, have found them so. Let Solomon speak for all; he found all vanity of vanities, yea, and vexation of spirit; nothing, and worse than nothing, Eccles. 1.2.
And the Devil himself thinks them so; and therefore he would have given all the Kingdoms of the World, had it been in his power, Matth. 4.for one bow of Jesus his knee. And though he use honour, and pleasure, and silver, and gold, as baits to tempt men to sin, yet he values them not himself.
A House full of silver and gold, Num. 22.18.as Balaam said to the Servants of Balak, are but trifles to the Devil, saving as they are bait and temptation to men to sin. What is a flie or a worm to a man, but as they are his baits to catch fish?
And at last the men of this world find the things of this world lighter than vanity, as the Psalmist saith of men of high degree; Psal. 62.9. Prov. 11.4. Zeph. 1.18.Riches profit not in the day of wrath. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath.
And the things of the world, to which men grip'd in Conscience for sin, and with fear of wrath, are wont to go for ease, are but husks and trash in this Case, in a double comparison.
1. In comparison of the Soul of man. And
2. In comparison of the Grace of God.
1. In comparison of the Soul of every man, and that in a double respect.
1. As to the great disproportion between the Soul of man and the things of this world. Man's Soul is of divine extraction; it is the off-spring of God; Acts 17.28. Gen. 2.7.God breathed into man the breath of life, and he became a living Soul. And therefore something Divine must sustain the Soul.
But all the things of this world are of an earthly original, all came out of the Chaos, as man's body did, which was formed of the dust of the ground: So that that which feeds the Body will not feed the Soul. And however the more choice things of the world, as honours, riches, pleasures, make a fair shew, and a goodly appearance; yet it is but to the phansie or sensual faculties: As it was said of King Agrippa and Berenice, Acts 25.23. foreign.came into the place of Judicature with great pomp; or as it is in the Greek, with great phantasie. Now if the greatest of these outward things cannot satisfie the Soul of man, much less can they satisfie the troubled Conscience of a convinced sinner.
2. And again it is considerable, That the greatest things of this world, and the greatest share of them, have been, and are bestowed on Reprobates, and such as God hates; Mal. 1.3.as he said of Esau, I hated Esau; I rejected him, Acts 14.16.left him to himself, and his own lusts and ways, as he did the Nations or Gentiles in times past; Heb. 12.he left Esau to be prophane Esau.
Yet God gave to Esau large earthly possessions: Behold, Gen. 27.39.thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above; and thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck. So he did within an hundred and twenty years, 2 Kings 8.20. and so continued for Eight hundred years and above; yet Esau was hated of God.
Now things that are given even to Reprobates as their Portion in this life, Psal. 17.they can have no relieving and refreshing influence on afflicted Consciences, and poor Souls under the sense of God's wrath. That which gives any ease or true lasting rest to a sinners perplexed Conscience, must be that which can bring a sinner near to God, and into his saving favour again; and nothing but the blood of Jesus Christ can do this: But now in Christ Jesus, Eph. 2.13.Ye who were sometimes far off are made nigh, through the blood of Christ.
The union of the Body and Soul of a man is by his own blood; but that which unites a man to God again, is the Blood of Jesus Christ.
Though straw and hay nourish a Beast, yet it will not nourish a man, unless God give a man the heart of a Beast, as he did Nebuchadnezzar, Dan. 4.
So the things of this world may nourish the lusts of worldly men, but they cannot relieve a Soul that hungers and thirsts after the pardon of sin, and peace of Conscience; they are altogether useless to a sinner in his spiritual misery; they can neither ease the pains, nor supply the needs of such a Soul. For that pain is from the sense of the displeasure and wrath of God; And what can worldly things do in the asswaging of this pain?
If a perplexed sinner go for ease to any thing of this world, he does as Saul, 1 Sam. 28.when he went to the Witch to resolve him in his present straits; or as Israel, when in their sickness, they sent to the Assyrian; and as Judah, when they felt their wound, Hos. 5.13.sent to King Jareb: These could not heal them.
Quest. But have not some men ease in ther gripes of Conscience by their recourse to the things of this world? Gen. 4.17.As it may be Cain had by building a City; so some by Dogs, and Hawks, and Horses, and other sensual pleasures, as Lewes Cardinal of Aquitan: Some in taking up their minds and thoughts on their riches and grandure in this world, as that man our Saviour spake of, who said to his Soul, Soul, Luke 12.19.thou hast much goods laid up for many years, take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
Answ. I answer, such men may have some ease for the present, as an aking tooth by the use of some Medicines, but no Cure. These things may cast a sinners Conscience into a sleep or stumber, as rocking does a Child that cries; I but Conscience will waken again, and in greater pain. The wrath of God felt in a sinners Conscience, is too great a wound for so weak a Plaister as the world to cure. The things of this world may suit well with worldly mens lusts, and evil concupiscence; as some women find pleasure sometimes in eating trash, and children in eating coles and dirt; but it puts them to pain afterwards. As Eve did in eating the forbidden fruit; it agreed well with her Lust, but it did not so with her Conscience. Those things that please mens Lusts, do after grieve and trouble their Consciences.
2. The things of this world are but trash to a troubled Conscience for sin, in respect of Grace: Its Grace that relieves the Conscience in trouble; the free Grace of God in Christ towards lost sinners. O when the wounded spirit comes to see, that where sin abounds, Rom. 5.20.grace doth much more abound; this is a healing Plaister for a sinners sore within.
And men may take notice of the vast difference betwixt the things of this world and grace, not only towards, but in a man.
1. The best things of this world are but of short continuance; 1 Cor. 7.31.the fashion of the world passeth away: But Grace is of an eternal nature, it is glory begun; and Conscience in man is an immortal faculty, it never dieth. And so Conscience must have ease and peace by that which is immortal like it self; and the best of this world is not so.
2. Eccles. 9.1.None of the things of this world can evidence God's love to a man, or a man's conversion to God. No man's Election or Calling can be evidenced to him by any thing of this world. The Apostle cautions rich men, 1 Tim. 6.17.that they trust not in uncertain riches; some render it, to the unevidence of riches. They can give no certain evidence of a man's state towards God. When a rich man falls into trouble of Conscience, his silver and gold, and lordships, are miserable Comforters; these cannot scatter his fears, nor answer his doubts, nor give any ease to his perplexed Soul.