Exposition of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 7 · Verse 16
Vers. 16. Be not righteous over-much, neither make thy-self over-wise: why shouldst thou destroy thy felf? (Heb. be desolate?)
Man is righteous over-much, or long, in the first-Covenant, when he over-much values it, and lay's to great a stress upon it; when he trusts, rest's in, and builds upon the changeable, fallible principles thereof, for Salvation. On this mistake, he refuses Christ's heavenly call to him, to come up, out of the life and image of the earthy, into his heavenly; out of the perishing life, wisdom, and righteousness of man, in the first-covenant principle, into the everlasting Life, Wisdom and Righteousness of God, in the second. An overvalue for, and unwarrantable security in the first, endangers man's shutting the door of his heart, and deafning his ear to Christ, against his gracious offer of (and invitation into) the second. So, by preferring the Law-righteousness of man, to the Gospel-life and righteousness of Christ and God, do men destroy themselves; bring the desolating, final judgments of God, upon their guilty heads. This get they, by being over-much righteous, and over-wise, as putting a value upon such righteousness and wisdom of their own nature, above what is written of it (1 Cor. 4. 6.) in God's Oracles of Truth. Job, while yet much in the dark, as to what God was about to do with him, said, tho' he were perfect, yet would he not know his own soul, but despise even his righteous life; Job 9. 21. The professing Jews blasphem'd and crucified Christ; Paul breathed out threatnings and slaughters against the Disciples of the Lord, from a fond conceit, over-value for, and … in the restor'd life of the first Covenant, and the wisdom and righteousness of man, therein, so as to prefer it to the everlasting Life, Wisdom, and Righteousness of God, in the second. This …, when Paul was happily deliver'd from, he found his Jewish professing Brethren, still in, Rom. 10. 1, - 3. They were ignorant of God's Gospel Righteousness, in the second; and so, zealous for their own Law-righteousness, in the first. While thus ignorant, as he, once; and so, pardonable and curable, he earnestly pray'd they might so accept of, and receive his Gospel-instructions, that they might be saved. He had greater love and better desires for them, than they yet knew how to have, for themselves. He compassionatly bemoans (and laments over) …, on the same account, Christ himself did; Mat. 23. 37, 38. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, &c. Behold, your house is left unto you, desolate. Here's the temper of the mystical earthly Jerusalem professor, in all times and places, under Law or Gospel. They have bin, all along, generation after generation, found in a posture of … towards all right words, brought to them in Christ's Gospel-spirit of true …, declaring the death of nature in the first-Covenant, undispensably necessary to their sinding eternal life, in the second. The final refusal of the Lord's Counsel, herein, will render their first-Covenant house of feasting, eternally desolate. This twofold errour, one the certain consequent of the other, even, the placing Salvation in the first, and finally rejecting the life of God, in the second, is certain Damnation. Man, establish'd in his own righteousness, as a state of Salvation, is the unchangeable enemy of God, Christ, all spiritual Saints, and Gospel-…. This unlawful use of the Law, or their own Law-life, against Christ's everlasting Gospel-life, amounts to that love of the World (or of themselves, in their worldly, first-creation, Law-life of Nature) that's enmity to God and his Gospel-spirit of Grace. This is spiritual and most criminal adultery; Jam. 4. 4. Law-life, thus abused, is the leaven of the Pharisees, a root of bitternesses against the Gospel-life and Truths of Christ, with mystically profane Esau; Heb. 12. 15, 16. Such wilful opposing (instead of obedient submitting to) God's Righteousness (Rom. 10. 3. and Jam. 4. 7.) keep's Men from ever entering into God's Righteousness. David the Type, and Christ the Truth, intercede against such incorrigible enemies; Let … not come into thy righteousness; Psal. 69. 27. Let their habitation be desolate; ver. 25.
'Be not then righteous over-much, or over-long, by over-much valuing, and over long staying in that first-Covenant life, place, or state; whence (by the death and loss of all thou art there possess'd of) the true spiritual Children of Christ break forth, into the new-creature-life of God; Hos. 13. 13. Be not over-pleas'd (transported and delighted) with the fading righteous life of thy own nature, so as to be leaven'd and sowr'd into a bitter enmity against that spiritual life of Christ, in which alone, any can be saved. Prefer not thy mortal, to Gods immortal righteous life. Why shouldst thou destroy thy self? or be …, and undone for ever? This, by turning all the fading Life, Righteousness, Wisdom, Beauty, and Glory, by Christ himself, set up in, and put upon thee, into a perfect abomination to him, and cause of final desolation to thy self.