Exposition of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 4 · Verse 4
Vers. IV. Again, I consider'd all travel, and every right work; that for this a Man is envied of his Neighbour: This is also vanity, and vexation of spirit.
Fallen Man is so brutishly wicked, as to envy and hate every right work, and worker, in the but restor'd Spirit and Life of his own nature, as condemning him, for the contrary. Some of them have affirm'd, God gave not Man Free-will, but with intent, that he may lawfully walk in the uncontrolled liberty thereof. And so, is it lawful to hate the righteous Life and Action of their own nature, in Legal Christianity, or Heathen Morality. Hence, Speak they evil of all that run not with them into the same excess of riot; 1 Pet. 4. 4. While such Brutes please themselves with (and promise others) such Liberty, they are the servants of (and will utterly perish in their own) corruption; 2 Pet. 2. 12. 19. Thus do they render the righteous works of restor'd nature, which yet are but vanity, vexation of spirit to the workers. And hence, does Satan puff up such persecuted conscientious workers, with a confident opinion, that they are Christ's true persecuted Gospel-Saints. Thus, does he play his game, so as to be a Winner, every way, in both these bussling worldly Combatants, corrupt and righteous; keeping them all in his differing snares, and at his beck, to let them both loose, as he sees occasion, against the spiritual Saint. One sort of them hates all that run not with them, into litteral uncleanesses, with greediness; the other, all that run not with them, into mystical uncleanness. The righteous first-covenant-professor, is the odious Butt, at which a profane party shoot their revengeful Arrows. And, they are at the same work, towards the spiritual Saint, Because his way's are of another fashion from (and better then) theirs. For this very cause, Cain kill'd Abel; 1 Jo. 3. 12. Cain, mystically wicked (the fixed Enemy of God, in the establish'd righteousness of man) a first-covenant Brother, murthered his natural Brother, as found a Second. The right work … here meant, is, what's done in the Spirit of Grace (not of Nature) that can never deceive, be deceived, sin, erre, or miscarry. All, done and said in this spirit, only, is pleasing to God; hateful to righteous men, in restor'd Nature, only. All, in the right, or constant, steddy spirit of everlasting Truth and Righteousness (and Works thereof) David pray'd for (Psal. 51. 10.) All, fix'd in the but starting, righteous natural spirit or principle of Life and Action, hate with a perfect hatred; as they, them; Psal. 139. 21, 22. Righteous first-covenant Brethren are the most fierce persecutors of the second; can't afford them a good word: sit and speak evil against them; Psal. 50. 20, 21. Such Crucified Christ. Profane persons hate all such right works, as are performable in renew'd naturals. But, all of both sorts, Profane and Professors, are against all spiritual Saints, Works, Things, and Truths. Many lesser Ruffles may the fix'd first-covenant righteons have, with the Profane party: but, they mortally envy and hate the spiritual Saint, with all his right works and words, as seventy times seven fold more abominable to them, than the profane party, with all their brutish vilenesses. Away with them, 'tis not fit they should live, say they; Masqu'd Papists, worse than bare-fac'd; or Mahumetans. Spiritual Saints, with their truly right works, are a thousand-fold more envied by sowre, leavened Legalists, then common sinners of the Gentiles, and their generally discernable wrong works. This has bin found, in all times and places, towards all true prophets, Christ himself, and Saints, before, and under Law and Gospel. Christ came to his own, in the first-covenant; and they blasphemed and Crucified him, for the Gospel-doctrin of the second. Never more, will the whole World be in an uproar, against Christ and his Saints, then when he is just at the Door, ready to come forth with them, to reign over all such enemies. What a universal surprize and amazement will this be, to them all, one and 'tother, Heathen and first-covenant people? As wondering at both their madnesses against Christ, in his first and second coming, the Psalmist ask's (Psal. 2. 1.) Why do the Heathen rage, and the People imagine a vain thing? What vain thing do they imagine, and tumultuously assemble (in a Union of their otherwise … minds) to do? to cast down Christ, God's supreamly anointed one; and Saints, Christ's anointed ones; vers. 2, 3. A likely Project, to thrive in! Do either or any of them, know what they do? The Mystical Kings, do, in some measure; the greater their madness: the litterai, less; the less their folly, though they also Rage, and Tumultuously Assemble, in this case. Both are guilty enough, to find a conclusion bad enough, to them all. Let the two earthen Pot-Sherds, corrupt and righteous, tugg and fight it out with one another. That's a lower trade of Sinning, in either. But, if they peece up, and joyntly fight against their maker, they are at the highest point of Folly and Madness. And then, highest wo to both and all. Isai. 45. 9. They contend against Almighty, and Irresistibly mighty, Divine and new-Creation Power. Is all this Hubbub, and Tumultuous Assembling of Mankind, with all their combined Counsels and Forces, against the insinite Divine Father, and his Divine and Creature-Son, like to Prosper? They'd break their Bands, and cast away their cords srom them. This is the Rebellious Design and Plot. They'l not be subject to; limited, or bound up by their Laws, or words of command. This is their desperate case, and Resolution.
This Universal Conspiracy (to be remarkably the case, in the last, beyond all former times) is, on the very account, here declar'd, their incorrigible envy at (or Enmity to) God's Divine and new-creature-Spirit of Grace, with all the right words, works or fruits thereof, in true Saints, which offer to lay Bands on all their unruly Wills. This, they'l not endure, but labour (might and main) to shake them off, and cast them away from them. This is that, which corrupt and righteous humane (with Evil Angelical) nature, make head against God, Christ, and Saints, about. The two-edged Spiritual Sword, in all these hands, speaks death to nature, in them all. Therefore, they all fight against it. But this will, in Love or Wrath, perform the whole Will and Counsel of God (as to the death of nature) on every Angel and Man, good and bad; Isai. 1. 19, 20. and 55. 11. 2 Cor. 2. 15, 16. Christ, in that Spirit, wherein any can (or ever could) be saved, is the stumbling-Stone, and rock of Offence (the only Rock of Defence to Saints) to the numerous Troops of innumerable evil Angels and Men, that Build on the Sandy, fallible Principles of nature, for Salvation. They utterly defy all the words of the Builders on the Rock, that speak nothing but War and Death to them, attempting to set Fire on their House. Guess, who, of the Earthy party, are like to take this, most heavily, at Christ's and his Saints hands, as offring to take down a beautiful Church-building, with pretence to set up a better, unchangably glorious. That Mystical Temple of his Body, or whole natural State, that, Christ said was to be pull'd down (So as not to have one stone of it left upon another) and in which, he Refus'd, at the Jews desire, to be their King, saying, he'd build it up into another, more glorious Temple-State, in which he would be a King; this was the very ground of the Professing Jews proceeding against him, to the death. He has built up our nature, in himself, by way of Resurrection, into a new-Creation Temple of the Living God, for evermore. His Doctrin of the Cross upon them, and Practice of it upon our nature in himself, did the Professing Jews and their Teachers, Priests, Scribs, Pharises, &c. call Blasphemy or evil-speaking against the first-Creation. Temple, and Life of the Law, as no State of true Salvation. This, they reckon'd an Evil, Hurtful, or false speaking, that is, Blasphemy. And in saying so, they Blasphem'd or spoke (and did) evil and hurtful things, Maliciously, of, and against him, and all his Gospel-Truths. First-Covenant Brethren hate the very Gospel-Principle, and all the Right Works and Words of Christ and Saints, therein. For which of my good works do ye stone me? Said Christ. Not for any good work, but for Blasphemy; replied the Jews. Jo. 10. 32, 33. What must Steven, or any Servant expect, if the Lord were thus handled? See (Act. 7. 51-60.) with the ground; Act. 6. 9-14. A first-Covenant People, among the Gentiles, under Gospel, do the same things (to their Spiritual Brethren, as the Jews, under the dispensation of the Law) in the self-same Law-Principle and Life, the very leaven of the Pharisees. But, these disturbers of Gods true Israel, in both, will be cut off; Gal. 5. 12. They labour to keep off all true Gospel-Doctrin from all hearing, as the most abominable Heresy; and Preachers of it, not fit to live; Act. 22. 22. and 24. 14. Law-circumcision for cutting off Filth of Flesh, they prefer to the true Spiritual Gospel-circumcision, that cutts of Holy Flesh, restor'd, righteous nature, from which, filth of Spirit, or Enmity to God's Gospel-Spirit, is inseperable. For this, Murdering-minded Cain's, Envy, Mortally Hate and kill Spiritual Abels, from first to last. This is their evil work, in Enmity to God, and the Power of Godliness, under the form thereof, and Righteousness of Man. Their envy, in this case, is called Murder, though they be not furnish'd always for the ouvert act, on Saints Bodies. They Breath out Threatnings and Slaughters, against Christ's Spiritual Disciples; and so, against himself, his new name and Life. Why Persecutest thou me? said he, to Paul. Here's the Butt, all their Revengful Arrows, even bitter Words, are Shot …. They are six'd, with their Father, the Devil, in the first-Creation; and so, in unchangable Enmity to God, and the second; Jo. 8. 44. They Mortally hate that, which is Eternal Life. How then should they have it, abiding in them? 1 Jo. 3. 15. Joseph's Brethren, Paul and other unawak'ned Spiritual Saints, have, amongst others, said, lets kill these Dreamers (so call they, the most awak'ned true Prophets and Saints) and see, what all their Dreams, or aery Notions, will come to; Gen. 37. 19, 20. But, the guilt of the convinced … (in Christ's Vineyard, that saw him, and his Saints, the true Heirs, and said lets kill them, that the Inheritance may be ours) is of another hiew. All such knowing, wilful Sinners against the Holy Ghost, or Gospel-Spirit of true Saintship, are unpardonable. True Saints are a wonder, even in Israel, a first-Covenant People of God; hatred, in that House of God; Hos. 9. 7, 8. They are a Spectacle of Scorn and Derision, in their Marr'd naturals, to the World, all Angels and Men, in the Flourish and Glory of a fix'd worldly Spirit; 1 Cor. 4. 8. 13. Such despisers of true Saints, Wonder, and Perish. They will in no wise, believe, though a Man declare it to them; Act. 13. 41. They persist in a wilful Enmity, against Spiritual Conviction-Light. These Hypocritical Sinners in Zion-light (Justling out, and killing those, they know to be the true Spiritual Heirs) when sorely Oppress'd by Heathen-Rulers, beyond hope of Visible help, will pitch, for relief, on Christ's appearing for them. And, his appearing will be a thousand-fold more Amazing and Tormenting to them, then all Oppressions they groan under, from their Brutish Egyptian Task-Masters. His day will be darkness, and not light, to them; the most sad, gloomy day, that ever befel them; Amos 5. 18-20. They'l be found in unchangable Enmity to the very Spirit and Light of that day.
The true Saint, then, we see, is called to, and required, patiently to pass thorow all sorts of Oppression, from Devils, and from the corrupt and enlight'ned Spirit of nature, in other Men, and in himself. All desires, thoughts, and motions of his own nature, are constant fighters against his Spiritual Mind; 1 Pet. 2. 11. and Ro. 7. No treating about Peace. They are always for War; Ps. 120. 7. Gal. 5. 17. As true Souldiers of Christ, therefore, are we to fight down, and Crucify our Flesh, with the Affections and Lusts, that War against our Souls. On the death of all Enemies within, will Saints be compleated in a ResurrectionLife; and therein, become more then Conquerors of all Enviers of their right works, and words. But, till this, all along their Warfare in the Mortal Body, their Envious first-Covenant Brethren and Neighbours, labour to make their Travel, under the pangs of Mystical death, to appear a sore vexation of Spirit. But the downfal, weeping, and tears of the natural or Old Man, is the ready and only Road to the everlasting Harvest-Joy of the new; Ps. 126. 5, 6. Saints, aware of this, ought with Paul, to Glory and Rejoyce in nothing, save the Cross (or Spirit) of Christ; Gal. 6. 14.