Verse 7

VER. 7.

For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.

Sowing is a laborious work; and this idolatrous people were very laborious, took a great deal of pains about their false worship. Those that sow they must be abroad in the cold and wind; idolaters were willing to take pains and go through many difficulties for the furtherance of their false worship. Let not us be sluggish then in the true worship of our God, let us be willing to pass through many difficulties to further the service of our God.

Secondly, sowing is a labor without any present profit coming in by it, the benefit of the labor it lies in expectation for the future.

Idolaters are content to sow though they gain nothing by their labor, yet in expectation of somewhat hereafter. We are presently weary of a little labor except we find somewhat coming in presently, we cannot wait for the blessing of the former and latter rain upon our endeavours, we must be always reaping or else we are wearied and discouraged; idolaters would work hard though they get nothing for the present, how much more should we labor for God in expectation of the harvest that God has provided?

Thirdly, sowing it is a work for the maintaining of the succession of provision for one generation to another. Idolaters they labor to keep up their false worship for the posterity that is coming after; they are not content to enjoy it themselves all the while they live, but they take a course to have those they leave behind them to enjoy it when they are gone. Thus we should do, and great reason we have to do thus, in the true worship of God, not think it enough to enjoy it ourselves, but to take always that possibly we can that we may leave our posterity to enjoy it, that we may sow for posterity as well as for ourselves, that we may leave a stock of provision for our children afterwards. Through God's mercy our forefathers did so, and we have reaped the harvest of their seed, and through their endeavors we have enjoyed much of this worship of God, and the truths of God, let us likewise sow for those that are coming after.

Fourthly, sowing is a work that must be done in its season or it is in vain. Idolaters they will observe their seasons, their fit times for the furtherance of their false worship; much more should we do for the worship of God. We have had a fair season, and we have seemed to be very busy, the Lord grant we do not sow the wind, as it follows in the next words, They have sown to the wind: This is a proverbial speech that signifies, the taking a great deal of pains to little purpose: as a man that should go abroad in the fields, and spread his hands about and take pains, and yet has nothing but air in his hands. The wind is an empty creature in respect of things that are solid, therefore the Scripture does often make use of this creature to signify the vanity of the labors, the hopes, and endeavors of wicked men; you shall find these several expressions in Scripture tending to this purpose: as the laboring for the wind (Ecclesiastes 5:16), secondly, to feed upon the wind (Hosea 12:1), thirdly, to bring forth the wind (Isaiah 26:18), and fourthly, to inherit the wind (Proverbs 11:29), and fifthly, here in the text, sowing to the wind.

Many people do nothing all their lives' time but sow the wind, they labor and toil, but what comes of it? It is no good account that we can give to God of our time, to say, that we have taken a great deal of pains; we may take pains and yet sow the wind.

Who are those that sow the wind?

First, men that spend their thoughts and strength about things no way profitable to themselves or others, those sow the wind; those that do with a great deal of earnestness, do just nothing, or what they do is but a trifle; many scholars study night and day, they tire themselves with reading, and musing, and writing, and yet they are no way useful; either their studies have been in useless things, raking among rubbish and lumber, or else they know not how to make use of their reading and learning; and indeed it is a pitiful object to behold, to behold one that has been all his days a great student, and has beat his brains, and rose early, and gone to bed late, grudged the very time of his meat, and yet he is a useless man in the place where he is, he has no use at all of all his studies, he is of no service to church or commonwealth: here's a man that has all his days sown to the wind.

Secondly, all those who take pains and are at great cost in superstitious worship, all their intentions that they have to honor God they come to nothing, it's but a sowing to the wind; and this is that which is here especially meant, They sow the wind. All idolatrous worshippers that take much pains and are at great cost they do but sow the wind: how many Papists have we that dares not for their lives but rise at their hours that they have vowed, to rise at midnight to their beads, or very early, spend many hours every day at their beads, wear out their bodies by their fasting, by their watching, deny themselves the use of the creatures, wear sackcloth, lie very hard, tire their bodies by pilgrimage, forsake their revenues, that that their progenitors had left them, vow perpetual virginity, shut themselves up in cloisters, what a deal of labor and toil is here to the flesh, and all this with conscientiousness, all this with a desire to honor God, and to afflict themselves for their sins? And yet this not having warrant from God being a will-worship, all this is but sowing the wind, they lose all their labor, cost, and charge, and all their thoughts, and devotions they are all lost.

Thirdly, such as are formal in the true worship of God, as content themselves in the outward part of God's worship, having no power nor life of godliness in their service they perform: you have many that do things out of custom, content themselves in the deed done, dare not for their lives neglect prayer, not one morning nor evening, nor at other times, and are often with God's people in fasting, or coming to hear the Word; but yet all this while being but formal, they not having the life and power of godliness in these duties, they do but sow the wind, they lose all their labor, and when they shall come upon their sick-beds, and death-beds, and desire comfort from what they have done, they shall find nothing but the wind to feed upon, all will be turned into wind, and they will have no solid comfort for their souls to feed upon in the day of their distress.

Fourthly, those men sow the wind, who do all that they do out of vain glory, in hypocrisy, to set up themselves among others, spend a long time in prayer, has admirable gifts in prayer, sweat and spend their strength in prayer, but yet a principle of vain glory acting of them all this while; they have been sowing the wind all this time. Men that are public parted and do abundance of good in the Church of God, and in the commonwealth, but yet having a principle of self and vain glory that acts them, they lose all, they sow the wind all this while.

A fifth sort that sows the wind, are such, as leaves the rule of the Word, and carry on their actions altogether by the rules of carnal policy, thinking to do great things by the fetches, and reaches they have that way. Your carnal politicians that have the Word and worship of God as things under their feet, but that which their deep reaches are after, are some higher things; they sow the wind. And thus the people here at this time, it was carnal policy that carried them in that way they were in, and God calls it all, but sowing the wind; they thought they had framed to themselves a notable piece of work, but says God, It is but sowing the wind.

Sixthly, such as seek to shift for themselves by sinful ways when they are in any straits, such as go out of any lawful courses to help themselves out of trouble, these are they that sow the wind to themselves, there will nothing come of all the labor they take.

Now first, here the Church of God may have much comfort in this thing, that all idolaters, that all false worshipers, that all carnal politicians that are working against them, in all they do, they do but sow the wind, they can never prevail, be not afraid of them. The seed-time of our life is a seed-time for eternity: it's an evil and dangerous thing therefore now to sow the wind, to lose this seed-time, and to have nothing for our souls to feed upon to all eternity. Oh! how sad will it be when we are entering in upon eternity, then to see that we have all our life-time sown the wind? Did men consider of their actions, that their actions were seeds for eternity, certainly they would take more heed what they do. Men are very careful of their seed; what husbandman that is to sow his ground, would go into a market to buy chaff, to buy blasted stuff to be his seed; no, he would buy the greatest and plumpest corn of all to be his seed. So should we be careful of all our actions, for they are such seed as must bring forth a harvest of eternal happiness, or else eternal sorrow; and especially we had need look to our seed when God gives us a fair opportunity of sowing. All hypocrites and formalists, and false worshipers, they sow the wind, their actions are but as the wind: but the servants of God whose works come from faith, and are indeed godly, they sow to immortality and glory, their seed will bring forth a glorious harvest. I remember Luther, though he were a man that seemed to beat down works very much, yet he has this passage concerning works: Take works out of the cause of justification, and no man can too magnificently commend good works that come from faith. And speaking of a good work that comes from faith, it is more precious (says he) any one good work, it is a more precious thing than heaven and earth: yes, he himself that is no merit-monger yet he lifts up good works that come from faith, and says, the whole world is not sufficient reward for one good work that comes from faith. Indeed the works of the saints have a great deal of excellency in them, one gracious work has more of the glory of God in it than all the creation of heaven and earth besides. I say, the whole frame of heaven and earth has not so much of the glory of God in it as one good work that comes from the grace of God in the hearts of the saints; and my reason is this, because a good work that comes from the grace of God in the hearts of the saints, it is a reflection of spiritual life that is the very life of God, the Scripture calls it, the life of God, and the divine nature. Now, an action of spiritual life does more set out the glory of God than any glory that God has passively; as the glory that he has in the frame of the heavens and earth it is but a passive glory, but here the very glory of God is reflected upon his own face, it is a glory of spiritual life. A man does not account one so much honored in an image that is drawn of him, as when he sees his child to act as he himself does act, when his child shall present himself in doing that which he himself does do. Now all the frame of heaven and earth it is not so much as a picture, it is but as the foot-steps of God, and the back-parts of God; but in one gracious action of the saints there God sees his child act as himself does, he sees the workings of his own holiness and his own virtues; we show forth the virtues of him that has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. Ministers of all men they had need take heed they sow not the wind, God has made them seedsmen of that eternal seed of his Word, if they then either because they are loath to take pains, or to be at the charge for good seed, they sow husks and chaff, and bring merely empty words to their people; or if they do take pains enough, but bring their own fancies and counsels instead of the precious immortal seed of the Word, they do but sow the wind. The Seventy translate this that we have here, "Sow the wind," thus: They sow those things that are corrupted by the wind; those actions that pride corrupts, will never bring forth good fruit. It follows.