Exposition of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 7 · Verse 24 – Verse 25
Vers. 24. That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out?
How should the shallow, weak-sighted, low, earthly wisdom of Man, ever find out the exceeding deep, high, remote, divine and creature-things of the wisdom of God, that are all spiritual, heavenly, and from above? Gospel-things and Truths, mysteries of the Kingdom of God, lie in a depth unfathomable; at a distance, never to be reach'd by the utmost line of natural, first-creation understanding. They are spiritually …, (1 Cor. 2. 14.) Or by new-creation understanding, only. Man, in his best wisdom, bid's at an absolute impossibility. Brute beasts, in meer sensual life, may as well, if not better, bid at the rational things of Man, as of nearer kin to their things, (all of the first-creation sort, natural) then the spiritual things of God, are, to the natural Man and his rational, intellectual things. And, when Man has thus presumptuously pitch'd upon things, beyond the reach of his own wisdom, he is ready to complain of, and dispute against God, that he has reserv'd things of highest concern to him, out of his sight; all spiritual, heavenly, new-creation things, Wisdom, Life and all, in which found; Rom. 10. 6, 7. This does Man, in stead of yielding to the terms of receiving that wisdom (wherein he might reach, see or know all things) the loss of his own; Life, and all. All spiritual things or truths are hidden, seal'd up mysteries, from the most soaring, searching capacity of man, in first-creation wisdom. The Scriptures are a Book seal'd, as to all the spiritual truths thereof, from the highest wisdom of Man; Isa. 29. 11. The professing learned Jews; yea, the very Apostles knew not what to make of Christ's Gospel-words, New-covenant doctrine, while they were but in old or first-Covenant Wisdom. The Bread I give, is my flesh, says Christ. How can this be? say the Jews; Joh. 6. 51, 52. A hard saying, who can hear (or understand) it? say his very Disciples; ver. 60. So, when he spoke of his Sufferings, and Resurrection; a little while, and ye shall not see me, viz. as a fleshly Bridegroom; again, a little while, and ye shall see, and know me, viz. as a spiritual one, in my Resurrection-Life (Act. 2. 1, — 4.) which was the promise of the Father, Act. 1. 4. What's this, he says? say his Disciples. We cannot tell what he says, or means; Joh. 16. 16, -18. Such mysterious things or words, do absolutly non-plus Man's. wisdom. It knows not what in the world, to make of them. Hence, man thinks, or says in his heart, Who shall ascend to Heaven, to bring down Christ to me, in that new-creation Life and Wisdom, you talk of, that's above my understanding, and out of the reach of my Wisdom? Vain Man suspects not his own wisdom, as to its sufficiency, for the reaching any thing that concerns him; and so, concludes, all the spiritual, heavenly Truths and mysteries, the Saint speaks of, are just nothing. So, all the spiritual sense of Scripture, all Gospel-Truth is rejected, to a tittle. The death and loss of that first-covenant life, wisdom, and all the things thereof, for the Life, Wisdom, and things of God, in the second, is the only way for man to understand all the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, the whole counsel of God, the methods of his Wisdom, and contrivances of his infinite Understanding, about the Salvation of his Creatures. The death of Man's Law-spirit of nature, at best, and resurrection into Christ's Gospel-Spirit of Grace, is the only way, by which he can enter into, or so much as see the Kingdom of God, and things thereof; Joh. 3. 3, 5. The loss of a first-covenant Wisdom, Life and all; the becoming a Fool there, with Paul, a no-body, is the only way to that Wisdom, wherein to see and know all things; 1 Cor. 3. 18. & 4. 10. Solomon then, charges himself with that foolish thought (many are guilty of, who are far inferiour to what he had bin in that natural wisdom) wherein he said, I will be wise, or shall find this Wisdom of mine, able to reach and comprehend all things. By Spiritual Wisdom, that can so do, does he discover and judg the former over-weening thought of his natural, that never could. 'Tis in spiritual, new-Creation life and wisdom, Man or Angel, ever could, can, or will truly see their eternal concerns, or be saved. Man's wisdom is bounded with first-Creation-vanities, perishing shadows, only, for object. Here's his walk, to and fro, in the Earth, among earthly shadows of heavenly, substantial things.
Vers. 25. I applied mine heart, to know, and to search, and to seek out Wisdom, and the reason of things; and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness.
Solomon, here, by way of confirmation to what he had said (v. 24.) offers his own certain experience of the utter impossibility of reaching and discerning new-creation Life, Wisdom, and things of God, in the single first-creation life and understanding of Man. Few, if any, travel and reach so far, in this Wisdom, as he had, through a super-eminency therein. And, as to the insufficiency of his own wisdom, however great (1 King 4. 29, — 34.) For directing his steps, and ordering his conversation aright, before God; this did sufficiently appear, by his falling again, under the prevailing lusts and vile affections of the very corrupt spirit of Nature, in him. He did set his heart, to experience the wickedness of Folly, even of foolishness and madness, in direct opposition to his own wisdom and rational Light. He gave up himself to all extravagancies, in brutish pleasures. And, he found such wickedness, folly; and such foolishness, downright madness. He walk'd contrary to all Light or Wisdom of Man, in Heathen, first-Covenant Jew or Christian. He fed, with the Prodigal, on husks (among Satan's Swine, the common herd of brutified sinners, literal Sodom, Egypt and Babylon) the lowest part of the dust of this world (things below the Serpent's own angelical belly, desire, appetite, or palate; affording only such pleasure, as is common to brute Beasts. At this low rate, was Solomon wallowing with the Sow in the mire. Yet, under all this madness and folly, that his own wisdom hinder'd not his falling into, lay there an incorruptible Seed of Spiritual Life and Wisdom in him, that lifted him up (Eccl. 4. 10.) out of all his extravagant madnesses. It put forth it self, thro' Christ's powerfully influencing it; lifted up its own head, into the exercise of a prevailing authority and ruling power, and so, his whole man, out of the dark Dungeon and deep pit of miery filth and corruption, into the marvellous Light and glorious Liberty of the Sons of God, yea, the topheight of a supreamly double-portion'd spousal Saint. Thus did God favour this Jedid-jah, or beloved of the Lord (as by the Prophet Nathan, he named him, at his birth) this Solomon (or Son of Peace) as his Father David named him, 2 Sam. 12. 24, 25. The Lord raised him up, from feeding on the lowest dust in Satan's kingdom of darkness and death, to feed on the highest never-perishing meats, divine and creature glories, in his Kingdom of marvelous Light. By this most transcendent change, from a most polluted Beast, in the first creation, to the highest rank of Saints in the second, was he enabled to give a true account of the single first-creation Spirit of Nature, in all the several parts, states, conditions, and dimensions thereof, from first to last, as having fully experienc'd it, in all its wisdom and folly, all the pleasures and contentments of it, whether in the corrupt or enlightned state thereof. As the result of all his Observations and Experiences, he declares it, in general, to be the Woman, he describes and character's.