Commentary Upon Genesis 1-3, Book 3 · Chapter 3 · Verse 18
VERSE 18.
THornes alſo and thiſtles ſhall it bring forth unto thee] And other unprofitable and hurtful weeds, inſtead of uſeful and profitable food, which Job accounts an heavy curſe, Job 31.40. He means, that of it ſelf the earth ſhould bring forth only ſuch fruits, as experience ſhews us thoſe grounds do that are unmanured, Prov. 24.30. which the Lord threatens ſhould be the condition of his own land, when it ſhould be emptied of inhabitants, Eſay 7.23, 25. So that if the earth yield any good and profitable food; man muſt get it by hard labour. A puniſhment anſwerable to his ſin; that as he had brought forth unto God rebellion, inſtead of the fruits of obedience, and holineſſe, ſo the earth ſhould yield him thornes and thiſtles inſtead of food.
And thou ſhalt eat the herb of the field] Not of Paradiſe from whence he was to be caſt out. The ſame grant which God had given man before, Gen. 1.29. being forfeited by Adams rebellion, is here renewed by promiſe, as it is likewiſe to Noah, after the flood, with ſome farther enlargement, Gen. 9.3.
1. OBSERVE, Thornes and thiſtles, and all unprofitable weeds, are the effect of Gods curſe upon man for ſinne.
Obſerve. 1 SO Job wiſhes it might come on him as a curſe, if he had walked wickedly, Job 31.40. It is the judgement which God threatens to bring upon his vineyard, by which he ſhadows out the ſtate of his people, Iſa. 5.6. and in expreſſe termes, upon the very land on which his rebellious people dwelt, Iſa 7.23. Reaſon
1. Seeing all creatures are his ſervants, as David calls them, Pſal. 119.91. he can bring them up, and plant them where he pleaſeth, who doth whatſoever he will in heaven and earth, Pſal. 135.6.
2. Neither can God in reſpect to his own honour, do leſſe injuſtice, then to withhold his bleſſing from the creatures, that ſhould be for our ſervice, as we with-hold from him, our ſervice of obedience, which we owe him by our Covenant.
Now if we compare this curſe, which God layes upon the earth for Adams ſake, with the ſin for which he inflicts it; we have a fair ground from thence to
2 OBSERVE, As we are more or leſſe ſerviceable unto God, ſo we may expect that the creature ſhall be more or leſſe ſerviceable unto us.
Obſerve 2 OF this we have ground to aſſure our ſelves upon Gods own Decree, Deut. 28. Lev. 26. if we lay the bleſſings, and curſes there promiſed and denounced, to the duties and ſins there commanded, and forbidden; See Pſal. 81.13, 16. Reaſon
1. Gods bleſſing upon the creatures, is that only by which they are made uſeful unto us; now God in juſtice can do no leſs, then recompence all men according to their deeds, Iſa. 59.17, 18. Pſal. 62.12. and that not only in that great day of judgement; but even at preſent, and in outward things: that men may ſee and acknowledge it, as Pſalm. 58.11.
2. Neither is there a meanes more effectual to prevaile with men in general, to walk in a courſe of obedience, then when they finde all the creatures againſt them in a courſe of rebellion.
Let it be one; though not the chief, of our motives to look carefully to our wayes, if we hope to have any comfort in any thing that we enjoy, or ſucceſſe in any thing we take in hand. It is a motive by which Eliphaz perſwades Job to make his peace with God, that the creatures ſhould be at peace with him, Job 5.23, 24. It is true, that the love of Chriſt ſhould conſtraine a godly man and his authority over his own creatures, eſpecially his redeemed; yea, and his own Covenant ſhould compel him to walk in obedience, notwithſtanding even the beſt need encouragements, by experience, and that even in outward things, to hold on in that courſe, which they finde ſo profitable to them every way.
It is obſervable, that although Adam by his rebellion had forfeited that grant of God, in which he beſtowed on him the herb of the field for his food, yet he is pleaſed here to renew it unto him, although with ſome abatement. Whence
3 OBSERVE, God makes good his promiſes, by which he hath engaged himſelfe unto us, though we faile in our Covenant by which we are engaged unto him.
Obſerve 3 SEe Pſal. 78.37, 38. and 89.32, 33, 34. 2 Tim. 2.13. Reaſon
1. Gods promiſes are founded upon his own goodneſſe, and truth which cannot faile, Pſal. 119.89, 90, 160.
2. God knew before-hand what we are, even before he engaged himſelf unto us; See Pſal. 103.13, 14.
3. And if he ſhould take advantage of every forfeiture; he muſt neceſſarily undo his children, who treſpaſſe daily againſt him.
4. And hath therefore given his ſon Chriſt to take away our ſins; if we hold faſt the Covenant, and do not wickedly depart from it though we faile many wayes, 1 Joh. 2.1, 2.
1. Let this kinde dealing of God with us, be an encouragement unto us, to go on cheerfully in his ſervice, being ſo good a maſter, nay more kinde then a tender father, Pſal. 103.13. Iſa 49.15. (howſoever wicked men blaſphemouſly traduce and ſlander him, Mat. 25.24.) and whoſe ſervice we finde ſo eaſie, 1 John 5.3. Honourable and fruitful every way, See Rom. 6.21, 22. both at preſent, and hereafter; howſoever wicked men, who are haters of God, would perſwade the world, that there is nothing to be gained by it, Job 21.15.
2. And let us deale with our brethren as God deales with us. 1. Look upon their errors and failings with compaſſion, as the Lord looks upon ours, as Chriſt repreſents it in that parable, Mat. 18.23. and thereupon continue our love towards them, and care of their good, if they fail in their duties towards us.
Notwithſtanding if we compare this renewed grant, with that firſt grant, which God makes unto Adam, Gen. 1.29. we ſhall finde that although the ſame be granted in ſubſtance, yet it is with a great abatement, in the extent of it. There he grants him all herbs and fruits upon the face of the earth, within which, Paradiſe muſt be neceſſarily included; here he grants only the herb of the field, he meanes without Paradiſe, out of which Paradiſe is excluded, from whence he was now to be caſt out; Now although Paradiſe was but a ſmal ſpot of ground, in compariſon of the world, yet weighing the variety and choiceneſſe of the fruits thereof, the loſſe was very great, in compariſon of that which was now left unto him. Whence
4 OBSERVE, Though God when he pardons our ſinne, reſtores us his bleſſings which we forfeited thereby, yet we enjoy them with ſome diminution and abatement.
Obſerve. 4 IN outward bleſſings God indeed hath reſtored us our lives, but not that perfect conſtitution of body that Adam enjoyed before his fall: which freed him from ſickneſſes and infirmities. We are reſtored to the dominion of the creatures, but thoſe ſubject to vanity, Rom. 8.20. neither ſo fully ſubmitting, nor ſo uſeful and ſerviceable unto us, as they were in their firſt Creation. In the inward man it appeares much more evidently; we are indeed renewed in knowledge, after the image of him that created us, Col. 3.10. but that is in part only, 1 Cor. 13.12. whence Agur complaines of himſelf, that he was even bruitiſh, Prov. 30.2. And our new man is created after God in righteouſneſſe and holineſſe; but ſo imperfect, and with ſuch a mixture of corruption, that Saint Paul complaines, that he carried about him a body of death, Rom. 7.24. ſo that we have all of us juſt cauſe to acknowledge that we are all as an unclean thing, Iſa. 64.6. Reaſon,
1. It was needful to have every way ſome continual remembrance of ſin, that we might be the more abaſed in our ſelves, and more ſenſible of Gods mercy, both in ſupporting us in our weakneſſe, and pardoning us in our failings.
2. It is beſides for Gods honour, that there ſhould remaine ſome monument both of his juſtice and mercy.
Let it then move every one of us, to make uſe of the ſickneſſes, and diſtempers of the body; of the unſerviceableneſſe of the creatures, much more of the ſtirring of luſts within us, rebelling againſt the law of our mindes, and leading us captive unto ſin, yea, of the blindneſſe and ignorance of our hearts, to bring our ſelves to greater deteſtation of ſin, a more careful watch over our own hearts, that we may avoid or ſuppreſſe all motions thereunto, a greater abaſement and humbling of ourſelvs in the ſight of God, that we may work out our ſalvation with feare and trembling, and laſtly may be ſtirred up to a more earneſt longing after heaven, where ſin being removed from us, we ſhall enjoy all things in their full perfection.