Exposition of Proverbs 1-3, Expositions · Chapter 1 · Verse 31
Verſ. 31. Therefore ſhall they eat of the fruit of their owne way, and be filled with their owne devices.
The complaint was renewed in the two former verſes. The commination follows. The cauſe there, the effect here. In their miſery note,
1. The effect, in this verſ.
2. Another cauſe, v. 32. Seeing ye have ſuch an obſtinate minde, and hard heart, that ye would admit of no cure, what remains, but that you be filled with thoſe evils which your ſins have deſervedly brought upon you? God cleers his juſtice by a common proverb then in uſe. It is juſt that men ſhould eat out of their owne work, and reap what they ſow. This proverb by way of ſimilitude ſhews, that as it is juſt and equall that Planters or Plowmen ſhould eat of the fruit or grain which they have laboured for, or ſown; and if they have great encreaſe of fruit, or ſowne much corn, or taken much pains about either, that they ſhould be partakers of the labours of their hands plentiſully; ſo it is juſt with God, that theſe ſhould feel much ſorrow and confuſion, which their diſſolute lives, and froward hearts deſerve. They ſhall have plagues anſwerable to their fins, and bear the puniſhment of their evill counſels. For the words.
foreign, Therefore. So it is tranflated, Job 35.16. Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vain. And Prov. 6.34. Therefore he will not ſpare. Becauſe they were ſufficiently admoniſhed, yet would not hearken unto me, but followed their own luſts, and walked in vanity, they ſhall ſee what they ſhall get by it, when their ſins have brought irreparable loſſes upon them, when they ſhall be forſaken of me, as I was of them. As they have gone their owne wayes, ſo they ſhall ſuffer the wofull iſſue of them, becauſe they refuſed my counſels and corrections.
foreign, They ſhall eat. The word literally fignifies devouring of meat, as Exod. 34.28. He did neither eat bread, nor d…ink water. Metaphorically it fignifies devouring any thing elſe; even by ſenſeleſſe things, as by the fire, The fire of God hath conſumed the ſheep, Job 1.16. By the ſword, Shall the ſword devoure for ever? 2 Sam. 2.26. By the earth, The land eateth up the inhabitants thereof, Numb. 13.32. Alſo it is uſed for receiving things brought upon men by their own wayes, or procured by their works, be they good or bad. A man ſhall eat good by the fruit of his mouth, Prov. 13.2. Thou ſhalt eat the labour of thine hands, Pſal. 128.2. So here. They ſhal receive a juſt reward of their wickedneſſe. They ſhall eat as they baked, drink as they brewed. They that ſow the wind of iniquity, ſhall reap the whirlwind of miſery.
foreign, Of the fruit. Not part of it, as this particle is uſed of the fruit of the tree, ye ſhall not eat of it; Gen. 3.3. but feed upon it to the full, as follows in this verſ.
foreign, ſignifies, 1. The fruit of a tree. Of the fruit of the tree, Gen. 3.3.
2. That which proceeds from, or comes forth out of another thing, or is cauſed by it, be it good, as ch. 8.19. My fruit is better then gold. Give her of the fruit of her hands, ch. 31.31. Or be it bad, I will puniſh the fruit of the stout heart of the King of Aſſyria, Iſa. 10.12. I will bring evill upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, Jer. 6.19. And ſo here. They ſhall have evill fruit of evill wayes. They ſhall be abundantly puniſhed for forſaking my counſels, and following their owne. They ſhall be left to themſelves till they periſh, Pſalm 81.12.
Of their owne way. See on verſ. 15. They have promiſed themſelves much pleaſant fruit out of their evill wayes, but they ſhall finde themſelves deceived in the end, and finde bitter and deceitfull fruit far other then they expected. They ſhall bring deſtruction upon themſelves by following their owne counſels, that would not be ſaved by following mine.
foreign, And be filled. The word properly ſignifies to be ſatisfied. In ſatisfaction there are two things, fulneſſe and content. Therefore the word (eſpecially when it is applyed to evil things) fignifies fulneſſe alone; for no man is content with miſery, but he may be as full of it to his endleſſe ſorrow, as they are of good things, who are fully ſatisfied with them. They ſhall be as full of thoſe evils, their ſins bring upon them, as a man well filled is of meat. They deſpiſed the pleaſant fruits of wiſdome, and ſhall feed on the bitter fruits of ſin.
With their owne devices, foreign. It ſignifies devices, counſels, or conſultations. Though they could never make an end of inventing and practifing evill, yet they ſhall be ſquatted at laſt, and ſurcharged with the evill effects thereof.
Figures. Eat, Receive. A Metaphor from Meats.
Fruit, Effect. A Metaphor from Trees.
Way, Practice. A Metaphor from Travellers.
Be filled, Hebr. ſatisfied. A figure of the effect for the cauſe.
Devices, for evill devices. A figure of the generall for the ſpeciall. As, Iſa. 1.8. They ſhall be as wool. That is, as white wool.
Here are two ſimilitudes to ſet out theſe mens miſeries. The firſt is taken from Eating. The ſecond from Fulneſſe.
In the firſt note,
1. The word of coherence, Therefore.
2. The perſons, they.
3. The act, ſhall eat.
4. The object, of the fruit of their owne way.
In the ſecond note,
1. The act, Be filled.
2. The object, with their owne devices.
1. Doct. Sins bring miſeries upon men. Ye have plowed wickedneſſe, ye have reaped iniquity, ye have eaten the fruit of lies, Hoſ. 10.13. He that ſoweth iniquity ſhall reap vanity, Pr. 22.8. And that,
1. In a morall way, when God puniſheth men according to their ſins. The Iſraelites are ſlain, while the meat which they Iuſted for, was in their mouths, Numb. 11.33. What more juſt, then that men ſhould reap that they ſow?
2. In a phyſicall or naturall way. And that,
1. When fins breed diſeaſes, as drunkenneſſe breeds dropſies; gluttony, ſurfets; wantonneſſe, foul diſeaſes.
2. When God leaves men to their owne fooliſh courſes, which ruine them.
Ʋſe 1. Let no man accuſe God or others for his troubles or condemnation. His own ſins bring them upon him. Nemo laeditur niſi a ſeipſo: No man is hurt but by himſelf. Qui nolunt regi à prudentia Dei, neceſſe eſt, ut regantur ab imprudentia ſua, & in multos errores, mala, damna labantur: They that will not be ruled by Gods prudence, muſt of neceſſity be ruled by their owne imprudence, and fall into many errors, miſchiefs, damages.
2. When troubles come upon us, let us look back to our fins, yea to the fins of our youth, that we may be humbled for them, as David was, Pſal. 25.7. Remember not the ſins of my youth. And Job, ch. 13.26. Thou makeſt me to poſſeſſe the iniquities of my youth. Harveſt follows long after ſeed-time. So may miſery after ſin.
The ſins mentioned before were not about matters of Juſtice, or Morality, but of Religion.
2. Doct. Sins in matter of Religion bring heavy judgements on men, yea on whole Nations. How coſtly was Idolatry in the Judges dayes? It made Gods people ſlaves to Canaanites, and many othe adverſaries. What coſt Jeroboam's Calves, Ahab's Baal, Iſraelites Idolatry? Loſſe of the Kingdome, and Captivity, 1 King. 17. The like effect had Judas ſlighting Gods Prophets, 2 Chr. 36. The ſeven golden candleſticks were ruined by impiety, Rev. 2. & 3.
Reaſon. 1. Becauſe duties of Religion more neerly concern Gods glory, therefore ſuch ſins more highly offend him, as being not againſt his image onelyonly, but againſt himſelf, not mediately, but immediately.
2. Becauſe Gods honour is of more weight then mans good; for God is far greater then man, and we far more engaged to him, then to any man.
Ʋſe 1. It diſcovers how different mens judgements are now adayes from Gods, how little love they have to God, how much ſelf-love, that would have the leaſt ſin againſt man puniſhed by the Magiſtrate, but not the greateſt againſt God. They are like the Turks, who whip men for ſpeaking againſt God, and kill them for ſpeaking againſt Mahomet, ſaying, God can revenge himſelf, Mahomet cannot.
2. Take heed of impiety. Morall men may condemn injuſtice more, but God condemns impiety moſt.
3. Doct. Conſtant and continuall evils come on ſinners. See variety of judgements one in the neck of another, Lev. 26.18, &c. Gods hand is ſtill ſtretched out againſt them, Iſa. 9.12, 17, 21.
Reaſon. 1. Becauſe evill men are conſtant in ſin. Now evil of ſin is not barren. It breeds evil of puniſhment. Rarò antecedentem ſceleſtum deſeruit pede paena claud…: Sin was never ſo quick-footed, nor puniſhment ſo lame, but that the latter could overtake the former.
2. God is conſtant in juſtice. If they ſin ſtill, he wil puniſh ſtill. A thief muſt be puniſhed the ſecond and third time, as well as the firſt.
Ʋſe. It ſhews us, that fools and wicked men are not in vain confounded in this Book of the Proverbs, and the words promiſcuouſly uſed. What are they but fools that heap ſorrows on their heads, by continuance in ſin, and will not give over till they periſh eternally?
4. Doct. Wicked men drive a trade of ſinning. They walk, ſtand, fit in wicked wayes, Pſal. 1.1. They commit ſin daily, as working in a ſhop, 1 Joh. 3.8.
Reaſon. In a trade are two things conſiderable. Conſtant labour, and expectation of gain. Walking for health is no trade, nor expectation of gifts is no trade. A wicked man labours conſtantly in ſin. He may ſtumble on a good action, as a good man on a bad, but his head and heart both labour in ſin. Gain he looks for from it. His Motto is, Dulcis …dor lucri è re qualibet: Gold ſmels well, though raked out of a dunghill. He can gain by wantonneſſe, oppreſſion, lying, flattery, &c.
Ʋſe. Here is an help to judge of our eſtate. Is our way a way of ſin, or of goodneſſe? We muſt not try our ſelves by one act, either to cleer our ſelves for one good act, or to condemne our ſelves for one bad one. Our courſe of life muſt cleer or condemne us.
5. Doct. Abundance of troubles ſhall come upon wicked men. The back-ſlider in heart ſhall be filled with his owne wayes, Prov. 14.14. Many ſorrows ſhall be to the wicked, Pſal. 32.10.
Reaſon 1. Their fins bring on them ſtore of ſpirituall evils, as ſhame, grief, deſpair, wherewith the mind is overburdened, as the flomach overpreſt with meat, and made fick of a ſurfet.
2. Bodily evils, as diſeaſes, pains, &c.
3. Their ill life brings an ill death, violent or deſpairing.
4. Wicked men cannot be filled with ſin here, but they muſt be filled with miſery in hell. A way of ſin here, and a way of eternal ſorrow there.
Ʋſe. It declares to us what is the portion of ſinners. They take great content in ſinfull wayes, as if they were the onelyonly free and happy men; but their end will be miſery.
6. Doct. Ungodly men have many devices to undoe themſelves. So Achitophel and Judas were wiſe enough to hang themſelves.
Reaſon 1. Becauſe God overpowers them in their owne way, and beats them at their owne weapons, and takes them in their ſubtilty. He countermines, and voyds their mines. He taketh the wiſe in their owne craftineſſe, 1 Cor. 3.19.
2. Becauſe their Wiſdome is imperfect. They know not how to prevent all dangers.
Ʋſe. See the miſery of wicked men. Their wittends to ſelf-deſtruction.