Exposition of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 5 · Verse 8
Vers. 8. If thou seest the Oppression of the Poor, and violent perverting of Judgment and Justice in a Province, marvel not at the matter (Heb. will or purpose) for he that is higher then the highest, regardeth; and there be higher than they.
Her's encouragement to right Fearers, true Believers and beloveds of God, that have abandon'd their own first-creation Life of vanity and enmity, for his new-creation Spirit of Truth and Love. In this, are they too hard for all Enemies. For, the Almighty Divine, and irrisistibly mighty new-creation Spirit of Christ and God, are on their Side; as also, the Angels of his Power, who in their Spiritual, new-covenant Life of everlasting Righteousness and Truth, transcendently excell, in strength, all first-creation Evil Angelical or humane, invisible or visible Principalities & Powers, that are against the Saints of the most high. Saints, then, are sufficiently furnish'd, under the great Captain of their Salvation, to deal with, and be more then Conquerors over all Enemies, all worldly Powers of Darkness, and Gates of Hell. Muster they never so strong; Bluster, Storm, and Look as big as they can, Saints Infallibly see and know where they shall have them, in conclusion, for ever; even, under their feet, as the necks of the five Kings of Canaan were put under the feet of Josua's Captains; Jos. 10. 24. Those Kings were a Type of all first-Creation Powers, fix'd in Opposition to the second. Spiritual Israelites know how to demean themselvs under all Oppressours, the great mystical Goliah, the Devil, with his whole Army of Philistines, evil Angels and men. They have so learnt Christ in their Spiritual man, which no Enemies can touch; that they fear not them that can but kill the Body, or whole natural man, as to a first-covenant, first-creation Life of vanity; and have no more that they can do. They know their great Captain, Christ himself, turns all Injuries, done to their Body, or natural man, to their great advantage, as hastning the Death of what's to die in them; and so, compleating their conformity with himself, therein; the consequent whereof, will be a compleating them in his resurrection-Life, that's above all Enemies and Deaths. Their Way of ascending into his all-conquering Spiritual Life, is the Death of their natural State. They overcome by such Death of what can die, as found in a state, that can never die, the certain result and issue of such a Holy obedient Death. This way, the Captain of our Salvation overcame; Heb. 2. 10. And, his good and faithfull Souldiers must fight, as they have him for an example, and not look for a final, absolute Conquest, any other Way, than he obtained it. Satan and his Party seem to conquer, by killing the natural man or Body of Christ and Saints; who finally conquer them all, by being so killed. They fight with exceedingly differing Weapons; Enemies, with Weak and Carnal; Saints and their Captain-General, with Spiritual and Mighty, through God, for pulling down all their Strong Holds, and laying them all in the Dust. Another Riddle. Enemies fight against the Spirit of God, or Spiritual man, in Saints, but can hit or touch only their natural, which their own Spiritual is fighting against, in their own persons. So, though they have Perfectly contrary designes, Christ, Saints, and all Enemies, what'ere they strike at, they all hit only flesh and Blood, which cannot enter into the Kingdom of God, but lets or hinders the Saint's fully entring, till it be fully destroyed. By suffering Devils and men, seemingly to overcome him and his Saints, as bringing death on their natural man, do Christ and they overcome them all, in their Spiritual, which is greater then they: and which they can never touch; V. 14. 1 Joh. 4. 4. and 5. 18. Satan's Battels against (and seeming Conquests over) Saints (the few that are saved, Christs little flock) are performed with a confused noise, and Garments rolled in Blood. Christ's and Saints victory over them, is with burning and fewel of Fire, by which the … of and by the Lord, will be the many that perish; Isai. 9. 5. and 66. 16. Enemies kill Saint's Body's, but they'l kill their Spirits, Souls, and Bodies, for ever, in that Spirit they aimed at, to kill, but could never touch. It will touch them, to purpose, at last. But, Who are the Oppressours, here? What, the Oppression? Who, the Oppressed, in the Province of this World, Satan's universal Monarchy, through a violent perverting of Judgment and Justice? Much has been said … these queries, on Vers. 1. of Chap. 4. Evil Angels and Men, are the invisible and visible Principalities and Powers, that set themselvs to oppress the Saints of the most High (the Poor and Needy, as to the Treasures of their inward natural Man, their Spirit; and oft, outward also) as the Signal Tormenters of such Dwellers upon the Earth, or fixed Inhabitants of the Earthy, first-Creation State of Nature, evill Angels and Men; disturbers of the Peace of their Joynt worldly Dominion, and tyranical Domination, therein. For, they declare all that worldly Life and Strength, they trust in, for Happiness, to be but a Bubble, a Dream, a fading Flower, insignificant as to true happiness; a fix'd confidence, therein, unchangable enmity to God, and certain Damnation to themselvs. Can the Rulers of this World, visible or invisible, bear such Doctrine, concerning that State, they set up in, for Salvation? Though Devils more fully know the Truth thereof; will men (under their strong delusions, pleasing themselvs to think their sandy Foundation'd Church-building, good, and their matters right with God, as therein doing him service) let the true Saint's contrary, spiritual, true Gospel-Doctrine, passe uncontrol'd, or the Preachers and Owners of such Doctrine, unpunished? Never look for't. And, least of all, in these last, and worst of Times; in which, the Scripture proclaim's, and warn's, this Oppression will rise to a higher pitch, than in all former Ages of this World, under Satan, the Prince and God, the Moloch, and Baal, or King and Lord thereof; King of Kings, and of all the Children of Pride, all proud self-exalters, in this World; as Christ, King of all Spiritual Kings, and meek subjected Children of his Kingdom, in the next. Satan, the permitted God and Prince of this, when he know's he hath but a short time to Reign (his Kingdom drawing near a Period) will more outragiously and Subtly then ever, lay about him, to hinder and prevent the Dawnings, and commencing of Christ's; Rev. 12. 12. He will then enrage his visible Powers in this World, against Saints, to the causing such a time of Trouble to them, as never was, or shall be; Mat. 24. 21. As certain Tokens of Satan's expiring Reign; and so, of the approaching of Christ's, the Love and Practice of all sorts of Iniquity (litteral and mystical) will abound; and of all sorts of goodness, decline and decay. By both these, will the Devil most dext'rously serve his designs, as to all sorts of Oppression, by the violent perverting of Judgment and Justice, towards the Poor of Christ's Flock, stripp'd of all natural Power or Relief, visible or invisible. He will use a prophane Party, to destroy the common Rights and Properties of men, on civil accounts. And he, will use first-Covenant, Law-Brethren, as by him turn'd into gospel-wolv's (and yet dress'dup by him, in Sheeps-cloathing, Spiritual appearances) to worry and hunt true Spiritual Gospel-Breth'ren, in the second, to Death. But Saints are fore-warn'd of all this, as to what they are to expect, in the worst of times; Mat. 24. 25. Joh. 16. 4. All's by God's permission, and under his over-ruling Power. They ought not therefore, to marvel or be dismay'd at the matter, or will and purpose of God, herein, which is wholly for their Good. Be not dismay'd; for, he, or they, that is (or, that are) higher than the highest (the Holy Angels) do regard, see and take notice of all, as Standers by and Lookers on, til fully impowr'd and comission'd to come forth, in the effectual Preaching of the everlasting Gospel, to Saints; and pouring forth the Vials of Wrath, on their Enemies. And, Christ and God, yet unspeakably, infinitely higher than the Holy Angels, sit, as 'twere, silent, but exactly regarding and observing the injurious demeanour of Enemies, towards his Saints; together with Saints dutiful and quiet demeanour, under such Injuries, and worst Occurrents.
The spiritual Gospel-life of Christ, in Elect Angels (yea and in Saints, too) render's them as much higher then all evil first-creation Powers, Angels or Men; as the Heavens, then the Earth. And, though the Good Angels come not forth, in their immediately preparatory dispensation to Christ's second comming, till peculiarly commission'd for such blessed work, in the last and worst of times, when enemies are grown most rampant and confident; yet, mean while (even all along this World) are they (and have they bin) sent by Christ, as ministring spirits, keepers, and guardians to blessed Saints on earth, heirs of salvation, surrounded with enemies, on all hands, in this scrambling, confounded world of cunning Devils, and ignorant men; ignorant, as to all Gospel, saving truths, abundance of them not knowing, or very little thinking what they are doing, as even Paul once, Act. 26. 9. Luk. 23. 34. Act. 13. 27. They protected Eliah, from the king's 3 Captains and their fifties; Elisha, in Dothan, from the Syrian Army; and Hezekiah &c. from the Assyrian Army, before Jerusalem; as Isaiah prophesied, 2 Kings. 19. 20. 35. By the decrees of Christ's spiritual Angelical Watchers over, and observers of all men, good and bad (as Hesiod say's) will the great Tree of all oppressing Worldly Monarchies, be cut down, when ripe for the Sicle; Dan. 4. 17. Mat. 13. 39-42. Rev. 14. 19, 20. That Devils are not ignorant of Holy Angels Guardianship over Saints, appears by Satan's quoting (Psal. 91. 11, 12) to Christ himself, Mat. 4. 6. They keep Saints, also, as the natural man of Christ himself in flesh, from being induced by tempting Devils (by the contrary workings of flesh and Blood in themselvs, or persecuting-work of enemies, without doores) to stumble or be finally and unpardonably Offended at (and so, found offenders of) Christ, the corner-stone and foundation of the new-creation building on the Rock, as coming on flesh and blood (or their natural man) with mystical fire, and a flaming twoedged sword, to kill, slay, and offer it up, in sacrifice, to God. In the close of this world, will they poure down the wrath of God, gradually, on the several parts or branches of Satan's universal Empire, or worldly dominion, till all be laid in the Dust, under Christ's, theirs, and his Saints feet; Rev. 16. Saints, waiting, in a lively hope, for this, ought to possess their Souls in faith and patience, and not marvel or be dismayed (seeing cleerly the mind, will, purpose, and method of God's wisdom, in all) at the most daring, presumptuous practicers of highest wickedness against God or them. They are sure of advantage, by all they can do against them, now. And, they are sure of having them under their feet, hereafter, for ever. What would they have, or can they wish more, in this point? God is for them, who can be against them? They must needs be more then conquerers. If this threefold Cord will hold (conjunctive divine and new-creature power, in Christ; the conjunctive, personally united new-creature power, in Christ and Elect Angels, and Saints also, for their security against all worldly Powers) all's safe.