Exposition of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 11
CHAP. XI.
V. 1. Cast thy Bread upon the Waters: for thou shalt find it, after many days.
HEre's an Admonition to the universal practice of Charity, in doing good to all, (but specially to the houshold of Faith, Gal. 6. 10.) As having a compassionate fellow-feeling with our fellow-Creatures and Brethren, in the same nature, by a free-hearted distribution of this World's goods. As contriving opportunities for the practice of this duty, has God given some, a super-abounding over-flow of such things, while others are destitute of the very necessaries of Life. To a faithful answering his design and our duty, herein, a Blessing is promised. He that hath pity on the Poor, lendeth to the Lord; and, that which he gives, will he repay; Prov. 19. 17. See also the contrary, threat'ned; Prov. 21. 13. Whoso stoppeth his Ears at the cry of the Poor, he also shall cry himself, and not be heard. As for the peculiar charity to the houshold of Faith, Christ's little ones, as his spiritual Disciples, this will not miss of the great reward; Mat. 10. 42. & 25. 34, — 40. But, we should extend our charity, also, to all; which, though it seem but as a casting our Bread upon the Waters, 'twill through God's promised Blessing, be found, again; Deut. 15. 10.
Vers. 2. Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for, thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the Earth.
The practice of the said duty towards others, is oft made a seedstime to ones-self, in such an unfore-known time of evil, wherein we may be reduc'd to the like want. Give, and it shall be given you. The same measure ye mete with, shall it be measur'd to you again; Luk. 6. 38. Such retaliation, in distress, will be comfortable, when the said duty has bin well perform'd, in prosperity. So much, of the literal sence of these two Verses. In the spiritual or mystical, what's casting Bread upon the Waters? Obedience to the Cross, the spiritual Law whereof calls for mystical charity, even the free giving up of all the Life, Riches and fading Glory, Wisdom and Strength of our own Spirit, so as to become poor and dead with Christ, there, in order to live and reign with …, in that life, he has rais'd our Nature into. Here's the recompence of such Love, Obedience, and Conformity to Christ; a quitting our perishing life, meats and riches, for his never-perishing. Christ himself was made poor in our Nature, as to the mortal, first-Creation … and State thereof, that, thro' his exemplary poverty he might make many (all followers of his suffering steps) rich in God, or in the everlasting righteous life of the second; 2 Cor. 8. 9. The kindly suffering of the natural, is the mystical seeds-time, that will bring in a blessed harvest to the spiritual Man, thro' an abounding fruitfulness in a newness of life; Psal. 126. 5, 6. Gal. 6. 7, 8. He that sow's to the flesh; builds his Faith, hope, and expectation, for Blessedness, on the corruptible life and fruitfulness of his but restor'd earthy natural state, will reap corruption, and eternal death. He that sows to the Spirit, shall, of the Spirit, reap Life everlasting. All, in spiritual life, principle and fruits, the mystical Births and Children therein, have Holiness to the Lord, written in all their fore-heads. The spirit of bondage, and her Sons, (all Fruits, Births or Works, producible or performable in the most restor'd righteous natural state or life of the Law) have, all of them, vanity and vexation to the Worker; enmity and rebellion against the Lord, writ out upon them. All the Children there, then, are Children of death. Except the … seed of God's left-hand planting, by a first-creation, die in us, (1 Cor. 15. 36, — 38. 1 Pet. 1. 23, — 25.) as obedient to the husbandry and plough of Christ's spiritual Cross; the incorruptible seed of an everlasting righteous life, of God's right-hand planting in us, has no room or way made, for a springing up into its own life, activity, and fruitfulness, under the powerful, quickning influence of the same Spirit of Christ, that destroys all our earthly life and fruit, the mystical … tree of good and evil, root and branch, tree and fruit. This spiritual Love or Charity, is the Saint to shew to Christ (as the full and right payment of all mystical tithes and offerings to the true Melchisedec or high-Priest of God) in a universal surrender of all changeable good things in his nature, for all unchangeable good things in his Spirit of Grace; as rais'd out of the death of his slain, sacrific'd Nature, into the life of the very Priest that slay's him. But, why should he be thus charitable and obedient to Christ? Because he know's not what evil may be, or come upon the earth (even on all that rebelliously remain in their earthly life) under final Wrath, in everlasting poverty, want and nakedness, as to any goodness, changeable or unchangeable. A being willingly made poor there, intitles to the true durable Riches, and secures from all want, for evermore, in eternal life.
Vers. 3. If the Clouds be full of Rain, they empty themselves upon the Earth: and, if the Tree fall towards the South, or toward the North; in the place where the Tree falleth, there it shall be.
Man's natural spirit, how everfill'd with the fading life, riches, fruits, and products thereof, at best, must be emptied of, and lose all again, or never receives an everlasting life, with the never-perishing meats, fruits, riches, and clothing thereof; Mat. 16. 25. North and South, here, may signifie the first and second, or old and new-creation state. Man, in the first, corrupt or righteous, fall's toward the North, into a cold, barren, desolate, starveling condition, for ever: In the second, toward the South; has everlasting warmth and blessedness, under the joynt shinings forth of the Divine and Creature-Sun of … and everlasting Righteousness. As the Tree fall's, or Man dies, (in a six'd enmity to God; as establish'd in his own life, corrupt or righteous; or in a spiritual life of everlasting union with (and obedience) to God) there he shall be; in Hell, or Heaven. Cold comfort in the former; none at all, under the scorching flames of unquenchable Wrath, which will be found to make up to incorrigibly wicked Angels and Men, a state of eternal darkness and death.
Vers. 4. He that observeth the Wind, shall not sowe; and, he that regardeth the Clouds, shall not reap.
The slothful Man, that looks upon Winds and Clouds, that are nothing but uncertainty it-self, in their motions, omit's the diligent husbanding his Ground, and will not so sow, as to reap any true profit or advantage to himself. In the mystical sense; he that neglect's Christ's voice and convincing discoveries (not submitting to the spiritual husbandry of his Cross, on his earthy, natural state, to make way for the springing up of a spiritual Seed) and listen's to the stranger's voice, the uncertain words or reasonings of Nature, in himself or others (signified, here, by Winds and Clouds) for sparing that life, the true Shepherd call's for the surrender of, by death, in Sacrifice; he, and all that so do, will find no harvest of true joy and comfort, to be reap'd by them, at last.
Vers. 5. As thou knowest not what is the way of the Spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the Womb of her that is with Child: even so, thou knowest not the works of God, who maketh all.
In explaining his former words, Solomon here uses the hidden ways of God, in forming the fleshly body of Man, and uniting his immortal Spirit with it, in the Womb. These common things, in the first creation, (over-setting Man's understanding, as to the discerning, or giving any certain account of) are but typical to the yet far more mysterious and hidden things of Christ's new-creation-workmanship, in Saints. None know, by the utmost improvement and skill of their own understanding, how the Body, is form'd in the Womb of the literal Mother, or how the Spirit (that had its radical creation and existence, from the beginning, in the mystical Womb of the Parent of Spirits) comes, in its appointed time, to be united with its Body, in the Womb. And, how much shorter must Men come, of discerning the yet more undiscernable, mysterious works of God (who maketh all things, in both Creations or Worlds, Heb. 1. 2.) as forming and setting up his Spiritual, Heavenly, Eternal things, in Man, by his new-creation-workmanship? The effects of the literal Wind are seen, tho' not known whence it comes, or whither it goes; so are the effects of the new-creating Spirit of Christ, in, and upon all, born of it; Joh. 3. 8. As an irresistible Whirlwind, it tear's down the earthly building; and blow's up by the roots, the fleshly tree of a perishing life, in Saints; andthen, by the second, new-building-operation of it, does it make them new Vessels, fill them with new-Wine, even its own Spiritual, Kingdom-Life of everlasting Righteousness, thro' which, they become meet habitations of God; Ephes. 2. 22. Now, if Man be ignorant of his natural make, or how the distinct parts of his being are brought together, into a personal union in him, by a first-creation; much more, is he, of the abundantly more mysterious way and things of his new-creation birth.
Vers. 6. In the morning sowe thy Seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for, thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be a like good.
Here's a confirmation of the said spiritual Truth. In the morning (or, under Christ's first and earliest spiritual Convictions, and Revelations or Discoveries of himself to thee, in his spiritual Life) sow thy Seed; or, readily use all diligence to make way for Christ's speedy influencing and quickning up his own Incorruptible Seed of Spiritual Life in thee. Let not thy earthy, natural, carnal mind, be hard'ned against Christ, but break, and kindly melt away under him; that what hinders, being removed, his spiritual Seed may spring up, in thee. This, done by us, is call'd our sowing that spiritual Seed, as the works wrought in the quickned up life thereof, are called our works in God, and God's in us, (Isa. 26. 12. Joh. 3. 31.) works of Grace, in the second-Covenant life; not of Nature, in the first. And, in the evening, withhold not thine hand, or natural spirit, from sacrifice. For, this is it, hinders the spiritual Seed from springing up, towards an hopeful Harvest. And so, will the evening state of darkness and death to Nature, be turn'd into an everlasting morning-light and life, in the spirit of Grace. For, thou knowest not, &c. Man's receiving spiritual Light, by which, Christ, in his spiritual life, is shew'd and offer'd him, is call'd a beginning in the Spirit, a partaking of the Holy Ghost, and tasting of the good (living) Word of God; Gal. 3. 3. Heb. 6. 4, 5. Then is he upon his trial, for Eternal Life or Death, as obedient or disobedient to the said spiritual Light. And accordingly, will he be evil or good, barren or fruitful to God. Delivering up the natural spirit, to death, is the only way to its becoming fruitful to God, in a newness of life; Rom. 6. 4. & 7. 4. So, as rais'd into the life of the spiritual Man, do both the natural and spiritual become a like good, in a life of everlasting Righteousness. While Man is doubtful, under the darkning, demolishing death-work of the Spirit or Cross of Christ, on his Nature, what will be the issue, (as Job for some time, was) whether everlasting blessedness or misery; the Light or Voice of the Spirit, listen'd to, will inform, that both will prosper, and be a like good, both natural and spiritual Man, thro' the death and resurrection of the former into the quicken'd up life of the latter. So, there will be a joynt birth of life, springing up in the whole person of the Saint, from the quickned spiritual Seed, and both crucified and quicken'd earthly. But, spiritual Light resisted, and life rejected, Man's earthly state, however righteous, becomes that cursed mystical Earth, whose end is to be burn'd; Heb. 6. 7, 8.
Vers. 7. Truly, the Light is sweet; and, a pleasant thing it is, for the eyes to behold the Sun.
The light of the literal Sun, is pleasant to the bodily eye: But the days of darkness will be many, after Man is cut off, by the death of the body, from such sight and pleasure. The certain foresight of this, can't but much allay his present delight. In mystery, Christ is the Sun, or original of all …-creation intellectual light and life. By his shining into Man, does he render him wise, strong, and honourable in his own restor'd nature. So becomes Man joyful and fruitful therein. Yet, all this light, life, and joy therein, will pass away, also; as well as that of the bodily state. And, the succeeding days of darkness will be many, even to all eternity, as to those that never submit to the way of coming to experience Christ, in an higher and better light and life, shew'd and offer'd them. The cross of Christ, in love or wrath, seizes and takes away all fading first-creation light or goodness, from every Angel and Man, good or bad. This Solomon farther declares,
Vers. 8. But, if a Man live many years, and rejoyce in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for, they shall be many. All that cometh, is vanity.
Let a Man live never so long in the light and joy of a first-Covenant state, under the mystical first-creation Sun, or first-Covenant spirit and communications from Christ, or shinings forth upon his Tabernacle, there; (Job 29. 2, -4.) he must consider and remember, that all this will be gone, and everlasting darkness succeed, if Christ be not receiv'd in that spiritual life, which will scituate him under his beamings forth, as a Divine and spiritual new-creation Sun of infinite, eternal and everlasting Righteousness, Light, Brightness, and Glory.
Vers. 9. Rejoyce, O young Man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but, know thou, that for all these things, God will bring thee into judgment.
Solomon, here, farther confirms his needful Caution, for duly remembring the many days of darkness, that will succeed in the room of all fading first-creation light, literal or mystical; and all delight, or rejoycing therein: Know, that for all this, God will bring thee into judgment. This word is directed to two sorts of People; such as live wholly in the corrupt spirit of nature, gratifying only their bodily life, lust, eye, and other senses, with the visible objects and comforts of this world, represented by the light of the literal Sun. After the largest experience hereof, he bids them, at their peril, go on; but, be sure, God will bring them into judgment, for all such things. And, his judgment on them, will bring those days of darkness upon them, which will be many, even eternal darkness and death. But, the young man, here, chiefly meant, is Man, in the youthful flourish of his own restor'd nature, and fruitful exercise of it, in a first-Covenant life. If he refuse to part with all this, under the Cross, to live and walk with God (under the yet more excellent new-creation Spirit of Christ, or mystical Sun of everlasting Righteousness) eternal darkness and death will come upon him, also, in conclusion, as well as on the other. When such provoke God, to give them up to their own self-chosen way (so that he'l no longer deal with them, in Mercy, or wait to be gracious to them; but swear in Wrath, they shall never enter into his rest) they have nothing certain, to expect, but fiery indignation, for ever, (Heb. 10. 26, 27) which will turn all their light, life, and comforts, into unchangeable darkness and death.
Vers. 10. Therefore remove Sorrow (Heb. anger) from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh; for Child-hood and Youth are vanity.
To prevent the said sad Judgment, Solomon advises Man, to remove Sorrow or Anger from his heart, under, and against the death-work of the Cross, upon nature. Be not offended or griev'd at this dispensation of God, which is the only way, in the methods of his Wisdom, for Salvation. Put away such Sorrow or Anger, and be quietly, yea, gladly, with Paul (Gal. 16. 14.) obedient thereto, as the only way to everlasting Joy. Joh. 16. 21, 22. The pangs of Death to the natural Spirit, figur'd by the Woman in travel, will vanish, on the birth of the spiritual Manchild in it, and its quickning up into the new life of the said Child, the true manly new-Creation life of Christ and God. Our natural man, under the Cross, ought to put away Sorrow and Anger, not reckoning its present sufferings fit to be compar'd with the joy of spiritual life, set before us, the exceeding weight of Glory, that is to follow. Thus did Christ himself, and Paul reckon; Heb. 12. 2. Rom. 8. 18. 2 Cor. 4. 17. All struggling, Sorrow, and Anger, under the Cross, makes it more uneasie. Obediently submit to Christ, herein, and his Yoke will be found easie; and Burthen, light. Mat. 11. 28, — 30. Those that learn of him, will be meek, lowly, and quietly submit to his Cross, and Father's Will and Command, therein, as he did. 'Tis the rebellious … mind, that's troubled, cries out, and is angry and offended at this dispensation, as unwilling to submit to this spiritual Law of the Cross; is ready to say to Christ, for this spiritual, as Zipporah to Moses for the literal circumcision, a bloody Husband art thou unto me. Exod. 4. 25, 26. t. For, Childhood and Youth are vanity. All the time of Man's non-age, in first-Creation life, at best, the mind is carnal or …, which is enmity to God (Rom. 8. 7.) as found in a contrariety to the spiritual Law and mind of Christ. Hence, man's whole work, desire, thought, design, and counsels therein, are nothing but folly and vanity. In the but restor'd first-Covenant righteous life of the Law, and utmost youthful Vigour, Activity, Flourish, and Fruitfulness thereof, is even the true Saint, but as a Servant, in Child-hood, non-age and minority, ignorant of any such life he has the incorruptible seed of in him, wherein to be Heir of all; Gal. 4. 1. All, Job, Paul, or any Saint has had, but in that restor'd Spirit of bondage or of the Law, has bin found Vanity; and they themselves, at best, therein, altogether vanity; Psal. 39. 5. Such Childhood and Youth are vanity it self; has nothing but vanity in it. Its Life, Works, Fruits, Wisdom, Righteousness, are nothing but vanishing shadows of the Creature-life, Wisdom, Righteousness, and things of God.