Exposition of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 4 · Verse 11
Vers. XI. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but, how can one be warm alone?
The natural man of the Saint, receives light and warmth from the spiritual, as fast as baptiz'd, transform'd, and rais'd into a marriage-union with it, in its Life, and so made an equal yoke-fellow to it, under Christ's most easy and delightful yoke, or government, over both. As fast as the natural and spiritual man of the Saint, come to a right conjugal union, as of twain made one new man, the whole Saint and Christ do lye in the intimate imbraces of conjugal love, with mutual delight and satisfaction in one another, for ever. A most comfortable spiritual warmth, and cherishing influence from Christ, does the Saint find in this mystical marriage-union with him, figured by the litteral; Eph. 5. 22-32. Christ and the Saint are one spirit; as man and wife, one flesh. 1 Cor. 6. 16, 17. Christ is head to all saints, and every saint: They, members of his mystical body, slesh and …. So, is Christ's spiritual state of life and headship, and saints relation to him therein, expressed in the very words of the figurative litteral headship and relation of the man to the woman. The marriage-union of the saint with Christ, and their mutual love therein, is indissoluble and everlasting, because founded in a spirit of everlasting righteousness, and love. Saints are everlastingly subject, and most delightfully obedient to him: and he, most delightfully kind to them, beyond all words, for ever.
God, having, from Everlasting, set up his Creature-Son, the Spiritual or second Adam, Creator of the first (the natural state was first in Creatures, Angels and Men; afterward, that which is spiritual, in the Life of the Creator) he judg'd meet he should have a Wife, as is figured in what he saw meet, for the first Adam, who had a litteral Woman, taken, and form'd out of his own Body; Gen. 2. 20--24. This Wife, taken out of Christ, Spirit of his Spirit, is, from the borrowed Language of the Litteral, said to be Bone of his bone, and slesh of his slesh. The insinite divine King, that set up his Creature-Son from Everlasting, did, from the said everlasting, appoint a Marriage for him, and a Wedding-feast, to which all Men and Angels have been invited. But abundance of both, refuse to come. For, through their willful folly, are they found unchangable haters of the Bridegroom, Bride, and Feast; all the diet, the never perishing meats, at the heavenly Table and Marriage Supper of the Lamb, in the Kingdom of his Father. All the proud, huffing, self-exalting party of Angels and Men, drive another Trade; are at their worldly Farming, and Merchandise, labouring for, feeding on, and wholly delighting themselvs in a Life, a Belly and Meats, desires, and desirables, that will all perish and be destroy'd, in God's final wrath upon such wicked wilfull abusers of all given them, in the first-creation, against God and all his things, in the second. But, all such Men and Angels, as submit to the death of the first, for the Life of God in the second, will be admitted in their true Wedding Garment (the everclean Linnen, the everlasting Righteousness of true Saint-ship) to the Marriage-Supper; Rev. 19. 7-9.
Those Men, that gladly answer the Lord's Heavenly Call of them to the said marriage Supper (out of the Life of their own nature, the Mystical Land of their Nativity, and Fathers House, the Image of the earthy, or first Adam, in order to receive the impress'd Image, and Indeleble Character of the Heavenly, 1 Cor. 15. 49.) are the Mystical Poor, Maim'd, Halt, and Blind (Luk. 14. 21.) that have bin content to have the right Eye (or best understanding and light of their own nature) pluck'd out, cut off, and cast away from them; and so, their right Hand, and Foot (or best Power of working and walking, in a sutableness to that Light, or dictat's and ruling Power of that understanding) cut off. Their Obediently Sacrific'd, Slain, Crucified earthly nature is rais'd into the Everlasting righteous Heavenly Life of Christ, God's and their Sacrificing High-Priest, in which they are fitted to enter into the Kingdom of God, and drink Wine with Christ, for ever, therein. All, whose Palate and Appetites are tuned, only, for Perishing Meats (first-Creation diet, Satan's and …'s Morsel) do slight the true Manna, as Light, contemptible Bread, Typed by the Rebellious Israelit's slighting and loathing the Litteral; Num. 21. 5. They are directly of Satan's temper and palate; savour only the first-creation things of Man (or Angel) not new-Creation things of Christ and God; Mat. 16. 23. Neither did the infinite Divine Father need a Creature-Son; nor that Son, a Wife, as properly any gain or advantage to either. To be sure, pure Divinity is infinitely blessed in it self, above all possibility of Addition or Diminution, by any thing that ever Angels or Men can be, do, or say, to Eternity. And, as for the advantages of the Spiritual Marriage-Union with his Creature-Son, they do all redound to his Mystical Spouses, Elect Angels and Men. For the accomplishing of God's designs of love to his Creatures, his infinito Wisdom saw it meet, his Son should have a certain number of them (though comparatively with them that Perish, in the broad way, few, yet, an Innumerable Multitude Rev. 7. 9.) as an Aggregate Body, or one Mystical Woman and Spouse, in general, who lies warm in the … of the Heavenly Creature-Son: as he, in the bosome of the infinite Divine Father. But, besides this General, has Christ a Select number out of the Elect, which make up the peculiar Spouse and Bride, the Lamb's Wife; Rev. 21. 9. But, natural Man and Angel, chusing to abide single and alone, in their own nature, not only vastly distant from; but in unchangable Enmity to both Divine-Father, and Creature-Son, will find themselvs in a cold, starvling condition, for ever, in Eternal Death, destitute of all comforting warmth, under the Tormenting, Scorching heat of God's fiery Indignation upon them, for ever. On the other hand, Saints have the heat and Comforting warmth of their Divine Lord and Creature-Husband, as Scituated under the direct, strong, and cleer Beamings forth of the Divine and new-Creature Suns of infinite, and Everlasting Righteousness, upon them, as the highest Satisfaction imaginable, to them, for evermore. By personal Union with the Creature-Son, that's in personal Union with the Divine Father, come they fully to enjoy the unsearchable Riches of their Husband's Glorious person, his conjunctive Divine and Creature-Glories, with everlasting safety, and Comfort, Joy unspeakable and full of Glory. Through the Transcendent cherishing influence and warmth of the Divine and everlasting Creature-Sun, in Christ's person, will they bring forth the fruits of his spirit, offer up the Spiritual Sacrifices of Praise and Thanks-giving, acceptable to God, by Jesus Christ, for evermore. There's no durable warmth, or Comfort from Christ, to be had, in a first-Covenant Marriage-Union with him. He will die or depart from them, as to that fading warmth, as known by them, only, after the Flesh; and rendring them, for a season, beautiful and fruitful in their own nature, will, and way. So, if not Married to him, in spirit; or in that Spiritual Life, into which rais'd out of the death of our nature, we shall find cold comfort at last; yea, none; yea, and unutterably Tormenting heat, or flaming Vengeance upon us, for ever.