An exposition of Ecclesiastes, or, The preacher

Vers. 6. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to Sin; neither say thou before the Angel (70. before God) that it was an errour: where∣fore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?

The Spirit of man, at best, in its own life, is but flesh. The life, mind, will, desire, thought, wisdom, righteousness, glory, all the things thereof, are but sleshly, earthly, perishing vanities: Man, in all, altogether vanity; is possess'd of no goodness, but what's a fading flower; no beauty, no glory, but what will be consumed and done a∣way; Ps. 39. 5. and, 49. 14. Isa. 40. 6. Man, in all this, is the slesh, his mouth should not cause to sin. Mouth, as said, signifies all manner of expression of this slesh (〈◊〉〈◊〉 mind, or natural Spirit) inward or outward, in desire, thought, word, or action. If the in∣most mouth, bottom desire and thought of man, be found approving of (and consenting unto) the entering into a firm, unchangable union with the Devil (the striking up an everlasting covenant with him) then does it cause his flesh (or natural Spirit) to sin, unpardonably, a∣gainst the Spirit of Grace, the Gospel-Spirit, or Holy Ghost, in which, convincingly shew'd, he ought to enter into (or strike) a new and everlasting covenant with God. His knowing, wilful choice, is, rather to comply with the Devil (in a fond self-destroying love to himself, or his own life and nature) to be, by his most destructive workmanship, Baptized into his spirit of unchangable enmity to God, then by Christ's new-creation workmanship, baptized into his Gospel-spirit of unchangable union with God. What's the meet re∣compence of such errour? The same Tophet, punishment, lake of my∣stical

fire and brimstone (the litteral is but a Shadow of) un∣quenchable wrath, fiery indignation, the vengeance of eternal fire. In this and other variety of language, does the Holy Ghost or Spirit of truth, in the Scriptur's of truth, clothe the joynt everlasting tor∣ment and vexation of both. For, such a covenant with the Devil, is a covenant of oath, a swearing everlasting allegiance to him, and a taking also his oath of supreamacy, owning him as the supream ru∣ler and infallible dictatour, in Church and State, in the room of the holy ghost, or Christ in Spirit, and God most high, himself; 2 Thes. 2. 4. And so his bored Servants they are, for ever, whom they have sworn to obey for ever, on all accounts; and own for their Supream, Paramount-Ruler and guide, so as to place themselvs under his protection, wing, and conduct; Rom. 6. 16. They agree to O∣bey Sin and the Man of Sin, Satan, the unchangably sinning Spirit of Eternal Darkness and Death. Can this be lesse then the sin unto death, eternal death? They'l be sure of the portion, they have cho∣sen. They unchangably hate Christ's Gospel new-Creature Spirit of everlasting righteousness; chuse and love a Spirit of unchangable enmity to it, and death to themselvs; Prov. 8. 36. Can they miss of what they love, and have chosen? Rebellious Children are they. They take counsel; not of me saith the Lord; but, of the Devil. They cover with a covering; not of my Spirit, but the Devil's, for their clothing and protection. They are willing to be dress'd up in his fur∣niture and armour, to fight against God. All this, for this very end, that they may add sin to sin; unchangable enmity to God, the unpardon∣able sin, to the pardonable, changable state of enmity and death, they were born in. So, come they to a latter end, worse than their beginning, by their own choice; when offer'd a better end, then ever nature, in its beginning, at best, before the fall, amounted to, in the the changable, spotless life thereof. They are now, in a known, chosen confederacy with the Devil, for ever, against God, Christ, all Gospel-Saints and truths. They have greedily drunk down the poy∣son'd wine of the very Spirit of the old Serpent. Their wine is the poison of Dragons, the cruel venom of Asps; Deut. 32. 33. The poison of Asps is under their lips; Rom. 3. 13. They spit venom, breath out slaughter, against the Saints of the most high. They are establish'd by Satan; made men, fully after his own heart; So,

unchangable, irreconcileable, implacable enemies of all, after God's own heart; as Saul, to David. In these two fixed states, after God's or the Devil's own heart, will all men, in conclusion, be found, in heaven or hell; everlasting joy, or sorrow; under the final favour, or unquenchable wrath of God.

Neither say before the Angel, 'twas an errour. This Angel is Christ, the supream Apostle, or Messenger of God's Covenant, the living Creature-word and book of God, which is God (Jo. 1. 1) So the Septuagint render it; neither say before God, it was an errour; and therefore, why should he be angry &c.? To what porpose is it, for any to pretend ignorance (as having done all this, by a mistake, and surprize) before this Angel, or word of God, that's of an all-penetrat∣ing sight, so as infallibly to discern and discover the bottom-thoughts and intents of all hearts? Heb. 4. 12, 13. He will undeniably evi∣dence, all this wickedness to have bin wilfully and knowingly done, against his cleer declarations of the mind of God to them, and most faithfull warnings of them, to the contrary; and of the unspeakable danger thereof. No good words, fair speeches, plausible pretences, whereby they have deceiv'd their fellow-creatur's, will signify any thing, towards their defence, or excuse, before this infallible Angel's judgment-seat. He will silence and stop every mouth of iniquity, and fill all that have thus caused their flesh to sin, thereby, with ever∣lasting shame and confusion of face. Peter, in the Holy Ghost, or that Spirit of this Angel, Christ, wherein he will judg the world, detected the falshood of Ananias and Saphira, and executed God's sentence of death upon them, as having suffer'd Satan to fill their hearts; their undeniable guilt; Act. 5. 1-10. Such Spots are not the Spots of God's Children. They are never guilty of unpardonable Sins. And then, do those, guilty of such errours, think to get any thing, by 〈◊〉〈◊〉, why should God be angry and destroy our works? Or, Solomon in the Spirit of God, asks them, why should God be angry at thy voice (or mouth, that hath agreed with Satan, to cause thy flesh or whole man to sin, 〈◊〉〈◊〉) and so, destroy the Work of thine hands? But let this Question be put by whom it will; the Works which have been wrought in a Spirit of unchangable enmity to God, will be 〈◊〉〈◊〉. If put, by the Holy Ghost, in Solomon, 'tis by way of coun∣sel, to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 such madness in Men, whereby to receive such a Spi∣rit

of unchangable enmity into them (for the principle of all their Desires, Thoughts, and Works) as will most certainly expose them and all such Works, to be burnt up and destroyed, for ever. They have done all such wicked Works, and the leading wicked Work, to all the rest (in receiving the Devil's Spirit of unchangable enmi∣ty, for their working Active Principle) before the said Angel, or under his convincing Spiritual Light, and cleer discoveries of himself to them, in his Spiritual Life of Truth, wherein alone they can be Saved. He will, at last, undeniably convince them, that they were convinced and fairly warn'd of all these things, before-hand, in his gracious exhibitings and offers of himself to them; doing all they could desire he should do, for preventing such a self-ruining, wilfull, unpardonable errour. All has been done by them, against the known commands of his Spiritual law. And will they say, it was an errour? a mistake, of meer ignorance? And so, think to prevail with this An∣gel, to plead for their Pardon? Alas, Alas! He will make them see it most Just, for him to intercede against them, as his and his Father's incorrigible, wilfull Enemies; and to say to his mighty Angels, slay these mine Enemies before my face (Luke 19. 27.) that would not, I should Reign over them, but the Devil. God, or this Angel, is most Justly angry at their Voice, or Mouth, by which they have chosen (and declared their consent, for) unchangable union with the Devil, rather then with him. And he will destroy all the works of their Hands, that, in such union, they have done against him, in whatever nearest resemblance of his Gospel-Spirit and Truths (by the trans∣forming Arts and Skill of their Master-Workman) purposely to ex∣press their utmost Malice against him, thereby.