Exposition of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 5 · Verse 13 – Verse 16
Vers. XIII. There is a sore Evil, which I have seen under the Sun; namely, Riches kept for the Owners thereof, to their hurt.
This, with the Verse before, and four following, joyntly Character the folly and misery of the litteral and mystical covetous rich Man; the former, as a Type of the latter. One of them is fill'd with cares and solicitud's, about making provision for his bodily ease; the other is as busy, about provisions for his Soul's ease; Luk. 12. 16-19. Both of them trade but in perishing vanities. 'Tis but for perishing meats, that gratify the evill Lust's, the Belly, Desire or Appetite of a mortal, perishable Life of Body and Soul, these two sorts of foolish Labourers, Toil, and fill their Heads and Hearts, with vain, self-tormenting cares and solicitud's. All's but to compass and finger the vain Delights of the Sons of men. Nothing of the never-perishing Life and Meats of the Son of God, delights of the Sons of God, are admitted into their regard. God is not in all, or any of their thoughts Psal. 10. 4. Nothing of God's, Christ's new-creature Life, is sought after. They'l not come to him for it, nor regard it, when he comes and offers it to them; Ioh. 5. 40. How oft would I have gather'd you together, unto me, under my divine and Creature-wings, in this Life, and ye would not? Mat. 23. 37. Ye are all for your selves, your own Life; will have none of me, or mine. Then take your course; ye shall never have mine, at all; never enter into my rest: So will be left to your own desolate house, for ever; V. 38. The mystical rich man delightfully contemplat's the Beauty, Fruitfulness, and Riches of his own enlight'ned nature, and too oft arrivesat this highest point of Spiritual wickedness, as the result of his own wisdom, to strike up an everlasting-covenant-union with the Devil. He agrees to receive, by his transforming Hel-fire-Baptism, an advance of his own nature, out of a narrower changably evil humane capacity, into a wider and unchangably evil angelical. This, by suffering Satan to fill his Heart with his Spirit of unchangable enmity to God. This is the making man's mystical House or Barns, greater (Luk. 12. 18) the enlarging and heightning his natural capacity, by a kind of mystical death (through Satan's false cross-work, or counterfeit mortification, for the death of man's Spirit of nature) on his engagement by covenant, and satisfying assurance, that he will raise and catch him up, out of that mystical Grave, into his higher, wiser, stronger, more excellent and capacious angelical nature. Thus, by bargain, does he touch man's Spirit, with the transforming, alterative, assimilating touch of his, and translate him out of his narrower humane, into his larger angelical capacity, of the first-creation sort. Man rather chooses this heightning and enlargment, in his own way, and after his own heart (in the first-creation state of nature, which renders him a man after the Devil's own Heart, in unchangable enmity to God) then such destruction of his fleshly nature (or whole natural state and life, at best) as leaves him no hopes of ever finding himself in a single natural first-creation-life, more, for ever; but, in a spiritual and heavenly, by a new-creation, in the new & everlasting covenant Gospel-principle, God's Spirit of Grace and Truth. The assimilating, transformingwork of Christ's Spiritual Cross, or heavenly fire-baptism upon man, would translate him (if obediently submitting thereto, and compliant therewith) into the life of God's sacrificing Gospel high-Priest of our Profession, or of that very Spirit and fiery law of liberty (Deut. 33. 2. Jam. 1. 25) that puts his Law or lawless Spirit of bondage, enmity, and Death, to Death; with engagement, by Covenant, to raise it into the everlasting Life, and Glorious liberty of the Sons of God. Satan will Personate this very high Priest of God, and God himself; 2 Thes. 2. 4. And, he will transform his higher Angelical excellencies and capacity, into the likeness or neerest possible resemblance of Christ's new-creation Glories. This is the top-stone of his mystery of iniquity; the strongest delusion, by which this most subtle old Serpent, Dragon, and roaring Lion, deceives and devours men when and where God permitt's, for his own most wise and holy ends. Think, what this choice of man, under Gospel-conviction-Light, to joyn unchangably with the Devil, rather than with God, deservs. In order to secure their beloved natur's head, from the Gospel-Sword, and Fire of the Cross or Spirit of Christ, do men mount up into superiour first-creation strength, subtlety, and power, to oppose and fortify themselvs against Christ and God, that they may be deliver'd from the power of evil, even from the wrath of God; Hab. 2. 9. This is man's design, in his evil covetousness, to set his nest on high, amongst the evil angelical Rocks and Mountains, with a vain hope, to fight and make good his ground and standing there, against God himself. Most daring, foolish, presumptuous, self-destroying wickedness! Thus comes the mystical House of man's swept, garnish'd nature, but empty of the Gospel-Spirit of Christ, that's greater than Satan (after all cleansing from filth of flesh, and adorning with Spiritual, enlightning, excellent Gifts) to be re-entred and repossessed by him, in a sevenfold more dangerous manner, than before he was cast out of his changable corrupt state of nature; that is, unchangably. This is cleans'd, righteous man's latter end, worse than his beginning, in polluted nature, dead in trespasses … sins; but, recoverable and curable, by the redeemer; Mat. 12. 43-45. In this desperate and most deplorable condition, did Christ find and declare the self-confident righteous. Scribs, Pharisees, and professing Jews (who asserted themselvs to be true Children of Abram; yea, and of God himself, as born of God; Joh. 8. 39. 41.) to be of their Father the Devil, as born of him, and walking, acting, and speaking in his very murdering, lying Spirit of unchangable enmity to God, as the very principle of their life, desire, thought and action; V. 44. Man's Body or natural state, given up to be burn'd (not in the true Fire of that Gospel-Spirit that's called Charity or Love (1 Cor. 13. 3.) but in the false Fire of Satan's Spirit of unchangable enmity to God) profits him nothing; but indeed, becom's the highest, and utmost imaginable disadvantage to him. It renders him a fix'd Temple of the very Spirit of the Devil; as the true Saint, of God's. This abundance of mystical first-creation Riches, men singer, by advance into evil angelical excellencies, superiour to meer humane, will not suffer them to sleep, being for ever excluded God's Rest, the new-creation Spirit of Christ. They must lie down for ever, with their Father, the Devil, and his Angels, under wrath, in eternal vexation of Spirit. But, the mystical poor Labourer, that sets his hand to the Plow of the Cross, to turn up the very Root or natural principle of all mystical first-creation riches or fruits, will have sweet sleep, rest and peace with God, for evermore. He cast's away, and willingly parts with all the riches, as dung (that the other cumbers himself with) and all desires after them, or care and solicitud's about them. Who has the better on't? the rich, Christ pronounces wo, to (Luk. 6. 24.) or the poor in Spirit, whose is the Kingdom of Heaven? Mat. 5. 3. The more speedily the fleshly Tree, with all the fruits and riches, produced in and by it, is dayly dying and withering away, under the Cross; at the farther distance is the true Saint from the danger, the covetous rich naturalist is involv'd (and in a perillous tendency towards an unalterable fixure) in, by not submitting to God's sentence of Death upon nature at best (as Paul did, 2 Cor. 1. 9.) so, as to have it speedily executed, upon them. This exposes men to Satan's fixing, or setting their Hearts in them, to do evil (Ec. 8. 11.) in unchangable enmity to God, with him. So, all their heap'd up riches are kept (by, and) for the owners thereof, to their own hurt. Hurt? yes, to purpose, their eternal ruine. He that incorrigibly loves (and dotes upon) such riches, hates Christ and his true life and riches; so, loves Death; Prov. 8. 36. Had the young man listned to Christ, and quitted the fading earthly life and riches of his own nature, for his heavenly, he had found that eternal Life, he enquir'd after. But, quitting Christ's faithfull Command, and gracious Offer (all, for his unspeakable advantage, if complied with) in case he finally persisted therein, what, less than eternal Death, could befall him? Mat. 19. 16-22.
Vers. XIV. But, those riches perish by evil travel (Heb. in the evil use (or employment) of them) and, he begetteth a Son, and there is nothing in his hand.
Litteral riches, got by evil travel (and, as ill us'd) are, by the just hand of God, oft taken away, again. Man set's himself, to build Castles in the Air, or leave house and land to his Posterity, called after his own name; and all comes to nothing. The Son begotten by him, and left behind him, bring's his matters to such pass, that nothing remain's to him, or is left in his hand. As for the deceas'd Father, he could carry nothing of such riches away with him.; Psal. 49. 17. Job. 21. 13. -21. What a dismal issue is here, of all vain travel, relating to the outward pelf of this World? and, the same issue come all the mystical rich man's labours, to, as has been above evidenc'd, abundantly. He trades but in (a higher sort of) perishing vanities, with the litteral. Both of them, as they came naked, in Body and Soul, into the World; so do they march out of it, again, after a long travel, and trading in a scene of perishing shadows; as follow's.
Vers. XV. As he came forth of his Mothers Womb, naked shall he return, to go as he came; and, shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.
No comfort, or benefit, for ever, will remain to either of the said evill Labourers and Abusers of litteral or mystical perishing worldly riches; Psal. 39. 5, 6. and 49. 11-20. They carry nothing away, to stand them in any stead, in a resurrection of damnation, for the second Child, that shall stand up in an immortal being of Body, Soul, and Spirit, in lieu of their mortal Life of all, in this World; Eccl. 4. 15.
Vers. XVI. And, this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the Wind?
Man, wholly destitute of the Life, Riches, and Glory of the World to come, labour's in Sin, Vanity, and Darkness, all along his day, in this. He has nothing but a delusive, transient jollity in things that perish in the using. Belly and Meats, Desires and Desirables; all, vanity. God will destroy one and t'other. All's but a passant wind, he labours about. And all his false joy, lead's directly to eternal sorrow, that he's to lie down in, under wrath.