Exposition of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 7 · Verse 13
Vers. 13. Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?
Consider well the life and state of Men and Angels, as the first-creation Workmanship of God's hand; and you'l find it crooked; first, comparatively. To the second make of them, by his new-creating Workmanship, all the fading goodness, Life, Wisdom, Glory, and Righteousness of the first are as nothing; no Glory, 2 Cor. 3. 10. If the Glory and other things of Man, in the first, be not only presumptuously compared with, but preferr'd and exalted into a jusling competition with, and opposition to the Life, Glory, Wisdom, Righteousness, Works, Fruits and things of God, offer'd them, by a new and second Creation; this renders all such things, worse then nothing. Yea, if this be finally, wilfully and conclusively done; the Glory, Wisdom, Light, Life, Righteousness, all things of Man, are turn'd into unspeakable shame, utmost folly and highest wickedness, to which belong utter Darkness and eternal Death. The corruptible seed (1 Pet. 1. 23.) of God's left-hand planting, in Man's or Angel's natural, first-creation-make and state, at its utmost growth, flourish and fruitfulness, amounts but to a fading flower. Man, in all, at best, is altogether Vanity. This fleshly state of Life, was figur'd by the tree of good and evil, before the fall. Since the fall, 'tis always evil, root and branch, tree and fruit; silth of … or spirit are found in all its operations, fruits, products, or performances, root and branch. When Paul was eminent in the restor'd righteous law-life of Man, how fiercely did he persecute the Gospel or new-Creature life of Christ, in himself and Saints? That was filth of Spirit, enmity and despite to the very Gospel-spirit of Grace, in which any can be saved; 'twas a sinning against the holy Ghost; but, ignorantly. When done knowingly, and so, wilfully, tis the presumptuous, unpardonable Sin unto Death.
God made Man upright, set up in him a first-Covenant-life, perfect in its kind; but, fallible, corruptible, changeable, loseable, as all mankind have sadly experienc'd, by the first error of humane nature, at best, in the first Man. Now, what is corruptible, God calls corruption. The natural seed of a first-Covenant life, cast into Man, in his natural, first-creation make and fashion of being, was sown in corruption, dishonour, weakness. By the obedient death of Man, therein, 'tis rais'd in Incorruption, Glory, Power; a spiritual body, or man. His whole Body, Soul and Spirit, is fill'd and clothed with a Spiritual Life, Glory, and everlasting Righteousness. Flesh and blood (the comprehensive character of all, Man or Angel were possess'd of, by the first creation,) cannot inherit the Kingdom of God: neither doth Corruption inherit Incorruption; or attain the incorruptible Inheritance, 1 Pet. 1. 4. Nor Man nor Angel, in innocency, had any such thing as eternal Life, or everlasting Righteousness, actually, about them or in them, that qualifies any for entrance into the Kingdom of God. Man and Angel then, set up by God's left-hand, as we may say, in a first-Creation-state, if they knowingly and wilfully set up for themselves, there, in enmity to God and the second, they will be found those lustful Goats (that through inordinate love to, evil covetousness and lust after their own fading life and things thereof, so as to hate and reject God's, by a new and second Creation) at Christ's left hand, sever'd from his obedient spiritual Sheep on his right, and forc'd to receive the meet recompence of their error, the vengeance of eternal fire; Mat. 25. 33, -46. Jude 7. By chusing their corruption, or natural state, before God's Incorruption, or incorruptible spiritual Life, will they utterly perish in their own Corruption; 2 Pet. 2. 12. The question here, then, amounts unto this. Who can make the natural or first-Creation state of Man, straight (or, unsubjected to change and miscarriage) that God, in the above-said sence, has made crooked, liable or subject to both? This question imports an utter impossibility of making it straight; Eccle. 1. 15. Tis therefore, peerless folly and madness in Man or Angel, to attempt it; or, to establish themselves in it, for happiness. There's no way possible for either, to be happy, but by the death and loss of all their own, there, for God's own, which they can only arrive at and attain, by the death of their spirit of nature, and so, a resurrection into the life of his spirit of Grace. God positively requires both and all of them, to part with their crooked changeable, first-creation thing or things, for his unchangeably straight and incorruptibly perfect new-creation life, and things. However straight the former appear in Mans day or discerning; in the Light and Judgment of his Wisdom; in God's, tis crooked; and so, declar'd, for Man to take notice of. Man ought to consider the whole work of God, from first to last, beginning to the end; his beginning with him, in a first creation, and ending or finishing Workmanship upon him, in and by a second. Men ought also to listen to his whole counsel and instruction; to his convincing discoveries and revelations of the second and more excellent state they are offer'd, by a new Creation, and the way of attaining it. The death of their crooked state, is the undispensable means and way of being exalted into God's straight. Their crooked, set up in unchangeable enmity to his straight, is certain damnation to them. They ought to believe God's own report and declaration of their crooked natural state, and look after his straight spiritual Life, and State, in a Spirit that can never sin; 1 Joh. 3. 9. They ought not to stick at any cost, or loss, they can be at, for Truth, (Prov. 23. 23. & Luk. 14. 28.) or for the life of God's new-creature-spirit of Truth, and everlasting Righteousness.