daily thundred upon plagu'd and chast'ned and the incorrigibly wicked gratified with more then heart can wish Psal. 73. 3 14. So happens it to the just according to the work of the wicked and to the wicked according to the work of the Righteous This puzzles and confounds the Saint is a wonder offence to him while he goes to work in the reasonings of his own Wisdom to judg of God's love or hatred by outward dispensations 〈◊〉 too painful or difficult yea impossible for them in that short-sighted Wisdom to interpret the Riddle Psal. 73. 16. Jer. 12. 1 2. They lay down a safe preliminary Truth as their firm perswasion that God is good to his true Israel and Righteous though they plead with him and expostulate the case with submission For outward flourish in this World see the case of Paul and Nero an eminent Apostle and a brutish Heathen Tyrant Paul wrought with his hands to supply his own and others Necessities Act. 20. 34. Nero a universal Emperour And at length also Paul must pass under his Sword out of the World as not fit to live in it Are not here amazing Prodigies uninterpretable Riddles to man's day or judgment Saints are therefore caution'd not to fret at or envy workers of Iniquity Psal. 37. 1. Why not Why because they shall soon be cut down like Grass and 〈◊〉 as the green Herb ver 2. What though they always prosper in this World and the truly Righteous be under continual crosses and disappointments Mark the end of both ver 35 38. This difference of outward dispensations to Saints and Sinners is one of the Vanities Solomon saw done upon the Earth that 's very hard to understand And in the mystical sence are these Words yet more true The wicked here is the cleans'd righteous natural Man in a resto'rd first-covenant life fix'd in unchangeable enmity to God and the second To these most criminal Sinners happens it in God's dealings with them as if they were his spiritual Favourites They thrive in that righteous Life prosper and flourish in the fruitfulness thereof after their own hearts These mystical rich ones reckon all their own this world and next too As to this they reckon it their right when able to take it or any part of it out of the hands of Heathen Magistrates As for the next they say of Christ and his followers come le ts kill them and the inheritance even the Kingdom of Heaven shall be ours Mat. 21. 38. and Luk. 20. 14. These are the most fastuous presumptuous insolent high-flown Luciferian sinners They set their mouth against the Heavens mouth it in blasphemous reproaches and great words against all Spiritual Saints and Heavenly Truths Psal. 73. 7 -9. Dan. 7. 25. Rev. 13. 5 6. They are possess'd of the highest delights of the Sons of men and perfectly hate and despise the Sons of God and their peculiar delights Christ's never perishing Meats and all words about them are an abomination to them They trample them under their seet in indignation Ezek. 34. 18 19. They push at and speak as 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 as they can in their oppressive practices against the poor and needy Sheep of Christ run down by the Cross as to all they flourish in v. 20 22. and 1 Cor. 4. 10. 13. God's afflicting Saints and crossing them is a dealing with them as Sons he is preparing for the Glory that excells while Bastards are fatting under his seeming favours and blessings for destruction Heb. 12. 5 -8. Rom. 8. 18. 2 Cor. 3. 10. ' Because Sentence against their evil doing is not speedily executed but in stead thereof such things as they desire are accumulated upon them they conclude themselves to be truly blessed as the only Righteous under God's final approbation and acceptance Psal. 49. 18 19. On the contrary as to the righteous natural state of their own Spirits Saints do seem with Job and Christ himself to be abandon'd and forsaken of God Mat. 27. 46. In their impoverish'd spirits are they rendered spectacles of scorn and wonder to the whole world of fixed natural Angels and Men 1 Cor. 4. 9. Thus all natural beholders and their own natural man judge of them But God has quite other thoughts of them which all these natural Judges are ignorant of He esteems one broken-spirited Saint beyond millions of his fat flourishing natural enemies Isa. 66. 1 2. He forsakes them in a life they can never please him in that with everlasting Mercy he may have compassion on them Isa. 54. 7 8. and shew them the highest favour in the gift of a life they can never displease him in This was evident in the result of all Job's trials and sufferings by which brought to be an object of God's everlasting delight Vers. 15. Then I commended Mirth because a man hath no better thing under the Sun then to eat and to drink and to be merry for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life which God giveth him under the Sun In the literal sense here 's an account of the greatest blessing relating to outward things viz. a contented mind in every providential Dispensation of God to a man He eats drinks and is merry free from carking sollicitudes about to morrow in a quiet dependance on God's Provision Mat. 6. 25 c. And this sets up any Man in an equality with those that have the greatest abundance of this worlds outward Goods in case they also be found in a like dependance on and quiet resignation to God's providential Provisions else abundantly above them Such a contented mind resigned to God in a mean outward condition is beyond the greatest Possessions without it But in the mystical sense a much deeper Truth is here signified The Mirth Solomon commends in eating and drinking then which there 's no better thing can fall to Man's lot under the Sun relates to the peculiar delights of the Sons of God things eternal things of God Neither the sensual 〈◊〉 nor the mystical rich first-Covenant Professor will have any cause to triumph when they hear the true Interpretation of these Words For 't is an eating and drinking at Christ's heavenly Table a feeding on his never-perishing Meats his Divine and Creature-Glories suted to the Belly or Desire Appetite and Palate of the true Saint's spiritual never-perishing Life that 's here chiesly meant And so the Mirth in such eating and drinking amounts to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and glorious Such eating and drinking and being merry is the best thing any Man can find under the Sun All other Joy but in the Lord is delusive sinful and destructive There 's no right using this World's Vanities but as not abusing them 1 Cor. 7. 31. no 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 or taking in the usual Nourishments of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with gladness and singleness of heart but as rightly praising and 〈◊〉 in the Lord Act. 2. 46 47 or doing all to the glory of God 1 Cor. 10. 31. Where spiritual
that doth truth cometh to the light that his deeds may be manifest that they are wrought in God Jo. 3. 21. Deeds wrought by God in Man and Man in God Thus God Judges of and calls such works the Labours of Man in Christ's Gospel-Life See what is said in this case on Ch. 2. 24. and v. 12 13 of this Chap. Solomon does not here countenance Man's rejoycing in such Labours of his own Spirit as he reckon's vain in themselves and unprofitable to himself Ch. 1. 3. as to any final good to him therein or by Nothing short of the new-Creature-State and Man's Labours therein signify any thing towards eternal Life Gal. 6. 15. Neither Circumcision nor Uncircumcision righteous or corrupt nature or any thing done by Man in either can be of any avail or 〈◊〉 thereunto So have we found out these works of Man he is to 〈◊〉 in done in that Life which is his peculiar portion and new-Creation Birth-right gift from God If works wrought in Man's own spirit will and way were meant t' would be a Flat contradiction to the main scope of this whole book which Proclaim 's the absolute Vanity and insignificancy of all first-Creation Life and things at best as to Man's pleasing God or finding true blessedness for himself Such works are meant as Man may ought will cannot but rejoyce in with Joy unspeakable and Glorious Here 's Man 's inward Summum bonum a Life wherein he can do all things after God's own Heart Steddily Infallibly Eternally and so enjoy the transcendently yet higher Summum bonum without him the Divine Glory in Favour and Love shining upon him for ever First-Covenant Divines as well as Evil Angels and Heathen Philosophers place Man's Summum bonum in but first-Creation excellencies whatever other title they give it within the compass of natural Objects and in the activity of their natural State that 's a fading flower altogether Vanity The Spirit of truth by its Penmen acquaints us with other matters for hapiness another Life other excellencies objects and works Man is capable to be found in the possession and exercise of The spiritual Man's Joy and delight meets and center 's in the same works or things with God's True Saints are in a Union with his Divine Spirit in Will Understanding Desire Thought Love and Hatred They love what he loves with a perfect love Hate what and whom he hates with a perfect hatred Ps. 139. 21 22. All Man's Labours are vain in his own Spirit of Vanity Not so in the Lord 1 Cor. 15. 58. Paul rejoyc'd in that Gospel-Life he had by the Faith of the Son of God Gal. 2. 20. and his Labours therein but found his Law-Life and best works therein Dung when touching the Righteousness which is the Law or to be found in that Law-State blameless Philip. 3. 6. Enmity to God Tinctur's Sullies and desiles all that Life and Works at best with filth of Spirit T. For who shall bring him to see what shall be after him If Man Submit not to God's terms for receiving his new-Creation-Life who can bring him to see what shall be after him Either what will become of good or Evil Angels or Men in Eternal Life or Death after their fading Life of Vanity with all the things thereof is over and gone These grand and most concerning futurities things no natural Eye Heart or Understanding can see or imagine on all hands the things provided in Heaven for those that truly fear God or in Hell for incorrigible haters of him lie quite out of the reach of Man or Angel in their natural first-Creation State of Enmity and Vanity Darkness and Death The Spiritual Man in the true Preaching Spirit of Prophecy discern's or judges all things 1 Cor. 2. 15. and can declare Infallibly what all Men and Angels will come to as finally Obedient or Disobedient to God's term's of receiving Eternal Life He knowing the Terrours of the Lord 2 Cor. 5. 11. and what a fearful thing it is to fall into the hands or under the final Wrath of the Living God does Might and Main Labour in the Spirit of Christ to warn and caution Men as to the only way of entring into the Joy and escaping the Wrath of the Lord the Wrath to come By refusing so great Salvation as God offers them come they to Eternal Death Want and Vexation of Spirit Prov. 8. 34-36 They 'l want every thing that 's good and have every thing that 's evil in and upon them in Extreamity for ever unchangable Wickedness in them and positive Inflictions of God's Wrath as Punishment upon them without any Interruption or Relief Luk. 16. 24 25. to Eternity They have chosen rather in the declar'd known causes and way thereto to be Vessels of Dishonour and Everlasting Contempt then on God's term's to be made Vessels of Glory Honour Immortality and Eternal Life By Enmity to God's Divine and New-Creature Holy Ghosts or Spirits do they bring siery Indignation on their unpardonably guilty heads Heb. 10. 26 27. Ro. 2. 6-10 These great things that will be found and felt hereafter do evidence the great weight of these Words of Solomon and grand concern of Men to be circumspect in taking the true meaning of them Who but the awak'ned Spiritual Saint can foresee and tell the unutterable Confusions final Refusers of God's Counsel will be found in for ever The Cares and Pleasures of this Life choke Mens understandings as to any right and hearty enquiry after their grand concerns in the next The Noble Bereans did set themselvs to search the Scriptures for the Gospel-Kingdom and Righteousness of God Who does so now Those that in this World seek not the Kingdom and Righteousness of God in the next Mat. 6. 33. will never find it let them flatter themselvs in their Loose Negligent Inadvertent course while they will The most trifling outward Vanities of this World do universally amuse and take up Peoples time and thought so as to detain them in a deep oscitancy and regardlesness as to the unutterable Woes prepar'd in Tophet for Incorrigible sinners or unspeakable Joys in the Kingdom of God for Spiritual Saints Believe not your own Thoughts O ye Sons of Men about Salvation Lean not to your own Understandings Conferr not with Flesh and Blood Regard not the Voice of Strangers the Words of Man's Wisdom about it CHAP. IV. Vers. I. So I returned and considered all the Oppressions that are done under the Sun And behold the tears of such as were oppressed and they had no Comforter And on the side of their Oppressors there was power but they had no Comforter I Returned Heb. was Converted from my fallible wisdom to see the Affairs of Mankind in the infallible wisdom of God particularly to consider duely the manifold Oppressions under the Sun Even himself through his vastly expensive extravagancies had given occasion to his oppressed Subjects to bespeak his soolish Son 〈◊〉 after his Decease on this wise
their own Hence such enlight'ned Professors with their Teachers and Rulers not knowing Christ nor the voices of Moses and their own Prophets which were read and expounded every Sabbath day became the unhappy fulfillers of them only in contradicting blaspheming and crucifying him for witnessing asserting and declaring the very spiritual Truths and Mysteries of Mose's and the Prophet's Writings concerning himself or his mysterious wonderful all-comprehensive Person Act. 13. 27. What then is such a Man like to arrive at or come to as to the doing himself or other's good in the way of Salvation that understands not one tittle of the saving or spiritual sense of any Scripture What amount all such a Man 's reading study labour preachings writings books or whatever he can say or do thro' his whole life in but that Law-wisdom that 's the very black and thick darkning Vail upon him keeping him under a perfect impossibility of ever finding out any one spiritual Mystery or Truth in all Scripture No man in that foolish-wisdom ever receives the spiritual or Gospel-Testimony of any Scripture Joh. 3. 32. A becoming a Fool as to that Wisdom is undispensably necessary in the methods and contrivements of God's Wisdom to a becoming wise unto Salvation that is spiritually wise in God so as to understand all things 1 Cor. 1. 20. 2. 14 15. 3. 18 19. 4. 10. None of the divine and spiritual Things or Mysteries of God the Father and of Christ the Son Col. 2. 2. 〈◊〉 conceiveth perceiveth receiveth any Man save in spiritual Light or new-creature Understanding for they can only be spiritually discern'd 1 Cor. 2. 11 14. All the mysterious Truths or Things of God engraven in the creature-spirit of Christ the living Word or Book of God or signified in the Transcript or Copy thereof his written Oracles or Scriptures of Truth the holy Bible or Book of God are perfectly shut up from and therefore as perfectly shut out by Man 's wisdom in all his pretended Divinity-preachings and Writings under the disguising title of a Minister of the Gospel Of whose Gospel Christ's A likely matter The dark Law-vail is upon his heart as to all Christ's Gospel-matters No humane improvements of that Wisdom by cultivating Educationarts or means possible signify any thing save a being more confident and strongly arm'd to fight Satan's Battels against Christ's Gospel in defence of that he preach'd at first to Eve How dark and ignorant were the wise and learned Jewish Teachers as to all the things in Christ's Gospel-ministry or teaching which ignorant unlearned Act. 4. 13. Fishermen and Women under the teaching-Influence of Christ by which a spiritual Understanding was waken'd and set up in them cleerly understood Solomon therefore advises Men to cease from the unprofitable Mercenary trading labour of their own Understanding unprofitable save only for the gratifying their worldly Interest by bringing in rewards and honour from Man to them as ever they hope to make any right work on 't at preaching and interpreting the Scriptures They must wait for the Inspirations of the Almighty to give or set up in them a spiritual Understanding Job 32. 8. Otherwise preach and write while they will the 〈◊〉 Scripture as to the whole counsel of God or spiritual saving Sense Truths and Mysteries thereof is a Book seal'd to them Isa. 29. 11. Neither learned nor unlearned ver 12. as to the Wisdom of Man can 〈◊〉 or understand it So all man's Toil and Study in his own tossing rolling fluctuating spirit under the mystical wind or inspiration of the very spirit of the Devil must needs be unprofitable as to his own or others true Blessedness and very wearisom to his flesh or whole man in his but restor'd natural State a fleshly first-covenant Law-life Righteousness and Wisdom He and his blind Followers will meet with final disappointment as to all their self-pleasing hopes and expectations therein After all their confident preaching hearing labouring and walking in their own spirit in the light of the kindled fire or Law-zeal thereof and compassing themselves about with the sparks Works or best Fruits perform'd or produced by them therein will they be all forc'd to lie down for ever in Sorrow under Wrath Isa. 50. 11. He that quit's all that old name and life they trust in and trusts wholly in the new life or name of the Lord is sure to meet with a perfectly contrary issue reward in a state of eternal Blessedness ver 10. Those that find themselves weary and heavy laden in this unprofitable toilsom course in their own Wisdom which is but bodily exercise or exercise of the vile natural body and state of life 1 Tim. 4. 8. Phil. 3. 21. 1 Cor. 15. 44 45. Must and will come to Christ for spiritual Life and Understanding who will make way for the springing up of the incorruptible Seed thereof where it is by renting the fleshly Law-vail and pulling down the earthen Partition-wall between them and him in his spiritual Gospel-life by the demolishing Work of his Cross. So alone can they come to see and enjoy him with all his divine heavenly spiritual Things and Truths as their true Rest and Blessedness for ever Mat. 11. 28 30. Never had Christ's Gospel in primitive Gospel-times at best any national reception or owning and countenance Constantine's owning and embodying it with the Laws of the Empire so as to bring it under the Erastian protection and guardianship of the civil Magistrate was the foundation of Antichristianism 'T is more then sorely and dangerously suspitious that all variety of humane Undertakers at Gospel-preaching that can thereby find a worldly self-interest gratified in accumulated worldly Honours and Riches will at bottom be found Satan's Gospel-ministers and Apostles 2 Cor. 11. 13 15. Mat. 24. 24. And herein the grossest idolatrous pretenders to Christ's Gospel 〈◊〉 best and the more refined still worse and worse yet all get something whereas Paul worth millions of them labour'd with his hands to supply his own and other's wants Act. 20. 34. under the God of this World whose interest they most certainly carry on and serve against Christ and his Gospel in all their clashing varieties think or say what they will Vers. 13. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter Fear God and keep his Commandments for this is the whole duty of Man Man ought so to fear God as to be found a right keeper of his Commands This is Man under a double obligation for as the work of God's hands 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and as redeem'd out of the Fall since Yea all imaginable ties and obligations are upon him for performing this result and total sum of all instruction and Duty Fear God and keep his Commandments These Commands joyn'd with the true fear of God were most exactly kept and observ'd by Christ himself even his Father's Commands for his and his followers laying down the fading Law-life of Nature that they may take it up again in