Hawker's Poor man's commentary
Ecclesiastes 9:18
REFLECTIONS
READER! amidst many blessed meditations, which this chapter leads to, let us seek for grace from God the Spirit to derive improvements from the sweet view here opened to our souls concerning the Person, worth, wisdom, love, and salvation of the Lord Jesus.
The church of God is, indeed, like the little city here spoken of; for though beautiful, like Mount Zion, and the joy of the whole earth, yet compared to the world's wide wilderness it is but little, and as this scripture saith, hath few men in it. Oh! how may the people of God in the present hour mourn over the languishing state of Zion! Oh! how doth the enemy now scoff, saying, Is this Zion whom no man looketh after! And this is not all: for even Zion, though small, and her citizens few in number, yet a great king is come up against her. Jehovah, King of kings, and Lord of lords, hath a controversy with Zion, by reason of her rebellion and sin. And He hath besieged Zion with his law and justice He hath thrown up bulwarks against Zion, so that she is dreadfully beset with the arrows of his broken law, and the curses which must ultimately fall upon everyone that sinneth. And, as if this was not sufficiently alarming, the great enemy of souls, as the accuser of the brethren, throws in his fiery darts, and threatens instant destruction.
Reader! in this representation, (for it ceaseth to be a parable being really and literally the case) whither shall we look, or to whom shall we come, for help? Who can deliver the sinners in Zion from the wrath to come? There is one, indeed, mighty to save; but he is a poor man, though a wise one. Shall we look to him? Yes, precious Jesus! let every eye be directed to thee. Thou wert rich, indeed, Lord, yet we know, for our sakes thou becamest poor, that we through thy poverty might be made rich. And thou art wise, also; for in thee are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Here, Lord, I behold thee in this two-fold character. Poor thou art, indeed, for poverty suited thee when the Godhead condescended to become man. And wise thou must be, for in the moment thou didst assume the manhood, thou wert and still art the only wise God. Such a Redeemer became suited, and thou wert found altogether formed for the purpose. Hence, blessed Jesus, it is thou, and thou alone, who wert equal, by thy wisdom, to deliver the city - And thou hast delivered it, and redeemed us to God by thy blood. Hail! holy, glorious, triumphant Lord! let every knee bow before thee, and every tongue confess that thou art Christ, to the glory of God the Father.
One humble boon I present before thee, Lord, this day! Oh! grant that both he that writes, and he that reads, may rejoice in the blessing granted forever! Grant, Lord, that we may not be among the ungrateful number of them that forget thee! Lord Jesus, forbid it. Shall we ever forget thee? Shall not the remembrance of thee be the first, and last, and everlasting object of remembrance, in our whole souls? Forget thee! Let every thought be done away in eternal oblivion, before that Jesus be forgotten. As long as memory can hold a place in our poor mind, let the name of Jesus, never, never be worn out. Let us, gracious Lord, at thy board, and table, continually celebrate, in the memorials of bread and wine, thy blessed memory. And, when at the last, the heart strings of these dying bodies give way, still may the name and blessedness of Jesus remain, and the last words of our trembling lips be in concord with the first of our eternal song; to Jesus, the Lamb slain, as the Redeemer of his people, his beloved city, be praise, love, and thanksgiving forevermore.