An exposition with practical observations continued upon the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters…

It is a great evil when we cannot enjoy the thing we labour for.

It is a great evill when we cannot enjoy the thing we labour for.

What greater disappointment to the husband-man; then to deprive him of his harvest. Poets have sung this in mournful verse. And we find this threatened in the law, as the very sting of those ¹evils, which should come upon a disobedient people, Deut. 28. 33. The fruit of thy land and all thy labours, shall a Nation which thou knowest not, eat up; All thy labours, that is, The fruits for which thou hast laboured, shall be eaten up by strangers. And (Levit. 26. 16.) Ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. The slothful man resteth not that which he took in hunting, so we translate, Prov. 12. 26. But it seems not so proper to the sense of this proverb. A slothful man is not usually a hunter, That sport requires an active spirit. And usually men that are slow at work, are quick at meat, and will not loose their venison for the roasting. Therefore more properly (I conceive with others) to the original, and fully to the point in hand, it may be translated thus, Deceit or the deceitful man shall not roast his hunting, or▪ that which he hath taken in hunting. That is, he shall ²not take pleasure in that, which he hath got by extreme pains (as all hunters do) or by craft and stealth, as some hunters do. Somewhat comes between his mouth and his morsel, his cup and lip, either he cannot get his meat to his table, or he rises hungry from it. Therefore Solomon puts a great blessing in this, when a man enjoyeth his labour,