Exposition of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 4 · Verse 6 – Verse 7
Vers. VI. Better is a handful with quietness, than both the hands full, with travel and Vexation of spirit.
Here's the opposite state, to the mystical Fool. In effect, of the same significancy are these words of spiritual counsel from or by Solomon, as those of Christ himself; Mat. 5. 29, 30. 18. 8, 9. Mar. 9. 43. 47. The right …, Hand, and Foot of Man, offend themselves, oppose their own true intorest, in being offended at the Cross, that comes to cut them off, and cast them away, as dung and loss, for a more excellent life and way. The best light, wisdom, or understanding, the most righteous practice, or walking, signified by the right Eye, Hand, and Foot of Man (in his own nature, restored, by Law-conversion, to the first-covenant or first-creation sort of righteous Life, Discerning, Action, and Walking) are to be cut off, and cast away, by the kindly death-work of the Cross; or the demolishing, crucifying, mortifying operation of Christ's heavenly, Gospel-spirit, upon Man's righteous natural spirit, in the said Law-life; as Paul found and yielded to; Phil. 3. 6--11. He counted (and parted with) all, as loss and dung, to win Christ, in his spiritual Resurrection-Life. So only, can any be truly acceptable to God; or, bring forth fruits unto him, in a newness of Life. All the former state, to be quitted, is called (in Scripture) but oldness of Letter. In the best Life thereof, Man brings forth fruit, but to himself, for the enriching and adorning his own deceitful nature; not unto God, in his Gospel-spirit of Grace and Truth, in which only he can be rightly worshipped, to his wel-pleasing acceptation, and man's true advantage. All others worship they know not what; Joh. 4. 22--24. They know not what they do, or whither they go. The divine spirit of the Father, can be rightly worshipped in the Gospel-spirit of his Son, only. All that finally refuse to part with their natural, Law-spirit, and Life (by a holy death, under the spiritual Cross) never receive, or partake of Christ's Gospel-spirit of Life, in which, only, 'tis possible to worship God, aright, or do any thing well in his sight. The natural man, by Legal conversion, made wise, strong and honourable in Christ, by his first-covenant communications of Life and Light to him, hates Christ's Gospel-spirit with all the crucifying work and Cross-doctrine of death upon nature, corrupt or righteous; as Paul, once, did. Man hates that, which he undispensably needs; must submit to, and pass thorow; or never be saved. His restor'd natural right Eye, Hand, Foot, must off, and be cast away. This, Man stumbles (and is highly offended) at. He is ready to reckon such doctrin the damnablest …, heresy, madness, and blasphemy, that ever was broach'd or utter'd by man. The enlightned professing Jews reckon'd it so, when Christ himself preach'd it. Yea, his very Disciples stumbled sorely at it, and took it heavily; Mat. 16. 21, 22. Mar. 10. 23--26. John 16. 6. 20. Though he Preached his Resurrection, in the same breath with his Death (Mat. 17. 23.) still they were exceeding sorry. This would not do, no not so much as allay their grief. They knew not clearly what he said, or meant, by Death, or by Resurrection (Mar. 9. 31, 32.) and were afraid to ask him. What he Preach'd the Death and loss of, in himself and them, even of a first-covenant Life, they somewhat perceived, to their sorrow: But, as to the more excellent Life and Glory, he declar'd was to follow, to him and them (by way of Resurrection, out of the Death of their fading) this, they understood not; and so, got little or no relief, yet, by the bare tydings of it: But, enough, when they came to experience it; Act. 2. The Cross is a stumbling block to the righteous first-covenant Law-Jew (or Gentile, under the outward dispensation of Law and Gospel, and before either were written by the Pen-men thereof, in the Bible) and foolishness to the wise Greek, with all his moral Righteousness, and obedience to the common Light or Law of rational Nature, in Mankind; 1 Cor. 1. 23.
Both these sorts of Wise and Righteous Men (bidding at, and fondly pleasing themselves with a hope of true Salvation, in their several way's) do stand, as with Drawn Swords, in the Armour of Man, on Satan's side, to bid defiance to this seemingly Bug-bear Doctrin of the Cross, upon all they are Possess'd of, and trust in. They decry it, as the highest Blasphemy and Folly, Imaginable. They warn others, by no means to regard a word of it, in Preaching, or Books. As for the Brutified, Immorral Heathens, the far greater party of Mankind, walking (and allowing themselvs) in the Abominations of Litteral Sodom, Egypt, and Babylon, hating all Righteousness (God's and Man's too; Man's in Moral Heathenism, or legal Christianity) they little regard the Doctrin of the Cross, on one or 'tother. The hopeful Party of Mankind, in Moral, or Legal, first-Covenant Righteousness, that have something (considerable, as they reckon) to lose, by the Cross, these are ready to fight against it; as Paul found and told the Philippians, even Weeping, Phil. 3. 18. But, Jews or Gentiles, that answer Christ's Heavenly call (into the death of their fading earthly State, however good in its kind) in Obedience to the Cross, as the only pass into the Everlasting Life of the Crucifying High-Priest of their Gospel-Profession (Heb. 3. 1.) they find the said Cross, the Power and Wisdom of God, to, and in them; 1. Cor. 1. 24. This they receive, in lieu of the form of Godliness and Wisdom of Man, as made Wise, Strong, and Honourable in Christ, by First-Covenant Artainments in him, and Union with him; 1 Cor. 4. 10. Others chuse rather to keep their first-Covenant-State, Whole, Unmaim'd, Unbroken, or Uncrucified, and so, to go with their whole Body or …, their own two Eyes, Hands, and Feet, to Hell; then …, and Crucisied, in Conformity to the Lamb Slain (and his true Saints, that suffer with him) to Heaven. What if one Man had all the single, first-Creation Glories, Excellencies, Riches, Wisdom, and Power of all Men and Angels, and lose his own Soul, what's he the better? Where's his gain? Mat. 16. 26. All, Man gets, by pitying and sparing himself, in this case, is the loss of all his own fading goodness, and the positive Inflictions of final Wrath upon his whole being, for ever. Sad gains! Beware then of Satan's most destructive, … Counsel, for sparing righteous, first-Covenant-self, in Enmity to God, and his Everlasting Creature-Life and Righteousness, offered in the second. If Satan could make an Apostle his SpokesMan, for this, to Christ himself; guess at your danger of being Beguiled by the same old subtil Serpent, that so Beguiled Eve, at first; and a World, since. Take heed of following this Enemie's pleasing Counsel and Example, and so, of Rejecting Christ's. The highest Glories (tallest Cedars) in the first-Creation-State of Angel or Man, are fading flowers, perishing vanities. Look about you, and consider what ye lay hold on, or trust in, for happiness. The same death of nature (that qualified the slain Lamb, to open the Sealed Book of the Mind and Visions of God) can qualify any followers of him, to read it, when open'd. Till they have a spiritual understanding, read while they will, the main Scope and Intent of the Author, God himself, is not seen, or taken out. The Scriptur's (that are a Transcript or Copy of that whole Mind and Counsel of God, about the Salvation of Angels and Men, that's Engraven in the Gospel-Spirit of Christ, the Original Book and Living Word of God) are a Book Sealed up, from Learned; and more, from Unlearned Man; all, destitute of Spiritual Wisdom. See, else; Isai. 29. 11, 12. 1 Cor. 2. 14. But, after all that can be said, still, still, the Cross is a Stumbling-block, and Foolishness, (and the truly Obedient followers of Christ, under it, are highly offensive) to Moral Heathen, or Legal Christian, in the flourish and Wisdom of their unbroken naturalls. They are what, and where they were; say or warn the Spiritual Seer, what or while he will, or can. The more will be their sorrow, for such destructive Self-Love and Pity. They loath God, and he them; Zec. 11. 8. Who can help them? All, offended at the Cross of Christ, become an offence to Christ. Where are they then? who will be found uppermost? Have they an arm like God? Can they thunder with a voice like him? Job. 40. 9. If flesh, Holy Flesh, that can't Inherit the Kingdom (1 Cor. 15. 50.) be kept up; and that Holy Spirit, in which Men can, be rejected) where will they be? On supposal, a Man should violently crow'd into the Kingdom, in Holy Flesh, and sit at Christ's Wedding Supper; still, what the better? Bind him, hand and Foot, say's Christ, and cast him into outer darkness, where shall be Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth. Why? Because he has not the Spiritual Wedding Garment of Everlasting Righteousness, but of the filthy ragged Righteousness of his own nature, kept up and held fast, in direct Enmity to (and Rebellion against) God. The Man, so handled, will be Speechles; he'l see, he has nothing to say for himself; Mat. 22. 11-13. The hating the fading Life of our own nature, that's, at best, altogether Vanity, is a requisite qualification of all true Disciples; Luk. 14. 26. Jo. 12. 25. Loving our own, loses us Christ's Eternal Life: Hating our own, is the only way to get it. A fix'd self-Love, in corrupt or Righteous nature, is Eternal Damnation. 'Tis unchangable Enmity to God. And what think you, then? Better is one handful with quietness, then both hands full, with Travel and Vexation of Spirit. Better is it, to go to Heaven, with one Eye, Hand, or Foot; then to Hell, by keeping both, and all. Better, go Slain to Heaven, then alive to Hell. Better, die under Christ's Sacrificing hand or Cross, then be catch'd alive in Satan's Snare, a first-covenant Righteous Life; the very Snare, by and in which he takes Men, at his Will (2 Tim. 2. 26.) and so, fixes them with himself, in Enmity to God, and the second. Better, go Poor, Halt, Maim'd, Crucified, to Heaven, with Christ; then Rich, Wise, Full, Strong, and Honourable (in the fading natural Glory of a first-Covenant Life, turn'd into unchangable enmity to God) with the Devil, to the lake of fire and brimstone, prepared, of old, for both; even all incorrigibly wicked Angels and Men. The Spiritual, … Eye or understanding, set up in the … natural Man of the Saint, is that single, Chast, Dove-like Eye (Mat. 6. 22.) that fills the … Body, or Man, full of Light. This is the Eye, or …, by which, Man understands all things (1 Cor. 2. 15.) not that Eye, that turns and looks both way's, to good and Evil; and that good, it regards, but fading. 'Tis Man's unexcusable Folly, to … the … … and Labour of his own Spirit, to his Vexation and Everlasting Destruction; rather then quit that, for God's, and unspeakable, everlasting Joy and Blessedness. But, notwithstanding all the known advantages (of quitting all evil, with the Life of his own will, for all good, in the Life of God's) Man will on, in his own self-chosen way and course, come what will. Man's one handful (in quietness and final Peace with God, in his Gospel-Spirit of truth) is transcendently better then both his Hands full of such Riches, in his own Law-Spirit of nature, as are Vanity, and will prove Eternal Vexation of Spirit, to him. Mystical as well as Litteral Riches, the Laodicean Treasures of nature, in but a first-Covenant Righteous Life, are heap'd up with Disquietment, kept with Anxiety and fear of loosing, from the known, self-Evidencing Perishableness thereof; So that Men are in continual Bondage, all the days of their Life therein, through fear of the Death and loss of all. Ps. 39. 6. Heb. 2. 15. Out of this Life, and Spirit of Bondage, are true Saints brought into the Glorious liberty of the Sons of God; made truly Rich, Wise, Strong and …, in his new-Covenant Spirit of Everlasting Life and …. Amidst all Jollity in the first-covenant House of Feasting, Men can't but with (Job 3. 25.) have a Secret, bottom-fear of losing all, from the Perishing nature of all, therein. All there, is gotten, and kept, with sore Travel, and Vexation; and then, leaves a Man (after all his Labour, Sorrow, and …, Anxiety, and disquietment) in Eternal Vexation of Spirit.
Vers. VII. Then I returned, and I saw Vanity under the Sun.
What Vanity? This.