Meditations the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII.
Manifesting, That whenever men set their hearts upon the things of this world, God makes them all empty and unsatisfactory to them: The several ways God takes to bring this to pass: And what use we are to make hereof; from the same fourteenth Verse, And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty Famine in that Land, and he began to be in want.
I Have done with the first Doctrine from this Verse, scil. That great pain and sorrow do always follow the pleasures of sin. I next proceed to the second, which is this; Doct. 2 That when mens hearts go a whoring from God to the world, and the lusts of it, they meet with a famine or emptiness therein. That Scripture, Psal. 73.27. is express for it, and it's full of terrour; For so, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee. Where God is not, there is a Famine This far Countrey is this present evil World; and God and this World are at a great distance: Gal. 1.4.Know ye not, that the friendship of this world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. And in another place, James 4.4.If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him: for all that is in the world, the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father, but of the world. When earnal men court the vanities of the world, they bid defiance to God; and God will be avenged on them, in making the things of the world, which they so court, to be vanity and vexation of spirit to them. When mens minds go a whoring from God after the world, and the things of the world, they meet with a mighty Famine.
But the men of this world have their Portion in this world, Object. Psal. 17.14.and God fills them with his hid treasure; it may may be with silver, and gold, and other precious things digged out of the earth: And they have more than heart could wish; Psal. 73.7.more than they once imagined they should ever have had.
Suppose this, Answ. and yet there may be a famine in the heart and mind; Job 20.22.In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits. Esth. 5.11.So it was with Haman, Esth. 5. when he had told his wife and friends of the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, and all the things wherein the King had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the Princes— yet says he, All this availeth me nothing— So when Esau said to Jacob, I have enough Brother, Gen. 33.9.it was but a flourish; his heart said little enough.
2. God disables the Creature from satisfying any man, when he sets it in his heart instead of God. Jonas was exceeding glad of his gourd, i. e. Jonah 4.overmuch; and presently a worm is sent to wither it. Jer. 2.13.When men forsake the fountain of living waters, they hew them out broken Cisterns that can hold no water. There is a lie in them: Prov. 23.3.They are like salt meats, that increase a man's thirst. The more of the world, the more craving is the worldly heart: It is hydropical, still thirsting after something he hath not, or something more of what he hath.
Solomon is a famous instance in the case, and may be instar omnium, one for all. It is said of him, that when he was old, 1 Kings 11.4.his wives turned away his heart after other gods: And now he left God, as this Son did his Father's house, he went into a far Countrey; and setting his heart on the lusts of the world, he met with a mighty famine amongst all things under the Sun, or over all the face of the earth: He was King in Jerusalem, Gen. 41.5, 6.and he gave his heart to seek and search out by wisdom (i. e. carnal or earthly wisdom) concerning all things that are done under the heavens; i. e. to find out happiness; but he found this to be fore travel: Eccles. 1.12.—He tried all Creatures for satisfaction, but found it not; every Creature said, It is not in me. Job 28.14.In all his fulness his heart was empty; he met a mighty famine over all the world. None in all the world like him for parts and knowledge; he was the wonder of the world for these: They came from all parts of the earth, 1 Kings 4.34.even from all Kings of the earth, to hear of his wisdom. Aristotle, who by many is called Natures Secretary, was but a Novice to Solomon.
And beside his high and extraordinary parts, his riches were so vast, 2 Chro. 9.27.as that silver was plentiful as stones in Jerusalem. And he had sumptuous buildings, Eccles. 2. and he kept a sumptuous Court, 1 Kings 4. His Dominions were large and extensive; and his Kingdom exceeding great: And he gave his heart to mirth and pleasure; Eccles. 2.1.and whatsoever his eyes desired, he kept not from them; I withheld not my heart from any joy, v. 10. And yet this was the summa totalis, the sum of all, v. 11. Behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
Wherever Solomon looked for satisfaction and happiness out of God, he was failed in his expectation. As when Eve brought forth Cain, she thought she had born the promised Seed, Gen. 3. but she found herself utterly mistaken; and therefore names her next Son Abel, …e. vanity. But Solomon doubles it, after his enquiry for content in all things under the Sun; Eccles. 1.2.Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.
And herein God was merciful to Solomon, in that he would let him find no rest to his Soul out of God; as God said to Israel when their hearts went a whoring from him; Deut. 28.65.Thou shalt find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot find rest amongst those Nations where the Lord shall scatter thee.
If a wounded man find a weed in the field that will give him ease, he'l not go to the Chirurgion: And so if a natural man's heart can find satisfaction in any thing of this world, he will not go to God. Whilst the Prodigal could make any shift, he had no thoughts on his Fathers house.
1. Now the Lord disables the whole Creation from giving satisfaction to men, sometimes by removing them from their place. Isa. 38.8.As he made the Sun go back ten degrees by the shadow on Ahaz his Dial: So does he by mens Creature enjoyments on which their hearts are set; Psal. 18.Lovers and friends hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness. God often cuts down the Tree, Lam. 4.20.under whose shade a man reckons upon it to find refreshing. This was Job's case, Job 19. from the thirteenth Verse to the twentieth; He hath put my brethren far from me, and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me.—My breath is strange to my wife. — And it was David's case at Ziklag; 1 Sam. 30.6.his followers, who had stood by him in that distress, talked of stoning him.
2. Sometimes, though the Lord lets a man's Creature comforts remain with him, yet he locks up their vertue; so that though he have their presence, yet he hath not their influence; as he shut the heavens in Elias his time, James 5.17.that it rained not for the space of three years and six months. As the Lord doth sometimes shut up the nocent and destructive power of the Creature from his servants; as he did that of the fire from the three young men, Dan. 3. Dan 6. Acts 28.and of the Lions from Daniel, and of the Viper from Paul: So he often shuts up the cheering and gladding power of the Creatures from men that have them in abundance. Manna may seem but light and loathsome meat to Israel.
3. God doth often disable the faculties in men for taking any comfort in whatsoever they possess. Man's faculties are frequently vitiated, like the mouth and palate in a Fever, that cannot relish the best drink. The light of the Sun hurts a weak eye. Gen. 21.19.Hagar saw not the Well of water when her Son was ready to die for thirst, till God opened her eyes. And the Preacher speaks his own experience in this case; Eccles. 6.1, 2.There is an evil which I have seen under the Sun, and it is common among men: A man to whom God hath given riches and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof. What's the most pleasant Instrument, where there is not Art to use it? No man hath the Key of the Creatures influence, that opens and shuts at pleasure, but God, himself.
Application.
1. This Doctrine serves for Caution to all: Take heed you leave not your Father's house, to go into this far Countrey: if you do, you are sure to meet with a mighty famine; Isa. 44.20.you'l find you feed on Ashes. God will let a man find no content in any thing, that finds it not in him, or seeks it not there. God hath made the whole Creation too narrow for the soul of man, much more for the hearts of Saints. If your heart settle and fix on any Creature, you will find it will pinch you, as a narrow shoe doth the foot.
The soul of man is from God; Gen. 2.7.God breathed into man the breath of life, and he became a living soul. And so the soul that came from God, Eccles. 12.7. Hos. 3.3.is for God, and not for another. God is for the soul, and the soul for God. Lam. 3.24. Prov. 23.26.The Lord is my portion, saith my soul. And saith the Lord, My son, give me thy heart. Man was made in the image of God, that nothing but God should satisfie man. God was satisfied with himself, when there was nothing else besides himself; and man should be satisfied with God alone; I am God Alsufficient.
It's said God rested not till he had made man; nor should man rest till he enjoy God; nay, man cannot. A man may say, as he did Luke 12. Soul, take thine ease, thou hast much goods laid up for many years: I, but God will call him fool for it.
When David had a Kingdom, or a promise of it, this would not satisfie him without God. Psal. 42.1.As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. It is God alone that can give a man his hearts desire: Psal. 37.4.Delight thy self in the Lord, and he shall give thee thy hearts desire. O Israel, open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. Psal. 81.10. Isa. 65.13.Behold, my servants shall eat; but ye shall be hungry. This is the difference betwixt those that enjoy God, and other men.
Nature in man must have bread, but grace in man must have God. Give a gracious soul all the world, and take away God, and you give him stones for bread. He says as Micha, Judges 18.24. Ye have taken away my gods, and what have I more? In thee are all my springs, saith the holy Psalmist. Psal. 87. ult.A godly man can no more live without God, as many do, Eph. 2.12. than a fish can live out of the water.
Quest. But hath not godliness the promise of the life that now is? 1 Tim. 4.8. And he tells the Saints, 1 Cor. 3.21—that all things are theirs; even the world, and things present—
Answ. I; but not to set their hearts on. These things must keep in the Suburbs of your heart, Prov. 23.26. Eph. 3.16.but not come into them. The heart is God's place, and Christ's place. 1 Cor. 7.31.Saints may use this world, but not abuse it; which they do, when they set their hearts on it. You may desire the things of this world, but not lust after them, as Israel did after flesh. Your lustings after them will make you lean or thin from day to day, 2 Sam. 13.4.as Amnon's lusting after Tamar did; and make you surfeit of them when you have them, as the people did of their flesh.Num. 6.11.
While the humours of the body keep within their measure, the body hath an encrease or good temperament; but if they get into the excess, some sickness commonly follows: So is it with the soul, while affections keep their stint to these outward things, what you have you'l enjoy comfortably; God adds no sorrow with them; Prov. 10.22. Eccles. 2.24.but gives you power to eat—and to see good in your labour and portion here. And as you'l have comfort in what you have; so what you have not, you will feel no need of it.
But if affections run out, and exceed their bounds, instead of satisfaction, and enough, you'l find a famine and dearth in your selves. And therefore when your hearts are settling here, say to them, Mich. 2.10.Arise, this is not your rest. When men seek for rest in a Countrey far from God, they will be like the unclean spirit, which walketh through dry places, Matth. 12.43.seeking rest, and findeth none.
Quest. But are godly persons in danger of this, to let their minds go astray to these outward things?
Answ. Yes; they may enter into this temptation. Christ's Disciples hanker'd after great things in this world; their thoughts were busied about an earthly Kingdom, both before Christ's death, and after his resurrection. Mark 10.33, 35—James and John made their requests for the greatest places there, even when he had been telling them of his sufferings at hand. And after his Resurrection, all his Disciples jointly asked the question, Lord, Acts 1.6.wilt thou at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel.
The world may steal away a godly man's heart from God; 2 Sam. 15.as Absolom did the peoples from David. Gen. 34.When Dinah went to see the daughters of the Land, she was defiled by Shechem: and so if Christians do not over-see their hearts, they will be gadding to change their way, Jer. 2.36.like the Jews; and now it's ten to one the world defiles and deflowrs their hearts. Our blessed Saviour saw it needful to Caution his Disciples to take heed lest their hearts be overcharged with the cares of this world. Luke 21.34.They had in them that foreign, that common poyson of nature, which, when abetted by Satan's temptations, may draw our hearts, as well as theirs, to court the world and the lusts of it; The lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eye, and the pride of life.1 John 2.16.
We know how righteous Noah was thus overtaken after the flood; Gen. 9. Gen. 19.and Lot, when out of Sodom. And it was after he had spoken of these days of Noah, that Christ gave that Caution to his Disciples. So much for this Doctrine from the fourteenth Verse, viz. That when mens hearts go a whoring from God to the world, and the lusts of it, they meet with a famine or emptiness therein.