A brief exposition with practical observations upon the whole book of Ecclesiastes by that…A briefe exposition with practicall observations upon the whole book of Ecclesiastes by that…

Eccles. 3.18. to 23. 18. I said in mine heart, concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. 19. For that which befalleth the sons of men, befalleth beasts, even one thing befalleth them: as the one dyeth, so dyeth the other; yea, they have all one breath, so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. 20. All go unto one place, all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. 21. Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? 22. Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better then that a man should rejoice in his own works: for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?

Eccles. 3.18. to 23. 18. I said in mine heart, concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. 19. For that which befalleth the sons of men, befalleth beasts, even one thing befalleth them: as the one dyeth, so dyeth the other; yea, they have all one breath, so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. 20. All go unto one place, all are of the dust, and all turne to dust againe. 21. Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? 22. Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better then that a man should rejoyce in his own workes: for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?

Solomon having observed a vanity that befalleth the estates of men, First, by the overruling providence of ⟨p. 71⟩God, limiting all their changes, verse 1. to 14. Secondly, By the hand and government of Courts of Justice over other men, verse 16.17. Least this should reflect any dishonour upon the providence of God, whereby he governeth all things in the world wisely, righteously, holily: He taketh up and giveth himself and others a two-fold satisfaction in this point, from a two-fold meditation. 1. From the order of which God will take to redress all the iniquities of Courts of Justice, both in this and in another world, verse 17. 2. From the end which God aimeth at in leaving Courts of Justice to such iniquity, which is double, First, God doth it to try them; Secondly, He doth it to let them see, They are as beasts one to another, verse 18. And to convince them the more of this latter, that men be but beasts, he argueth it not only from their usage of one another as beasts, but from sundry events common to them with beasts; that which befalleth the sons of men, befalleth the beasts, to both alike. Which he argueth, First, for their bodies in three particulars: 1. In the likeness of their deaths, as one dyeth, so dyeth the other. 2. In the likeness of their breath, they have all one breath, verse 19. 3. In their burial and resolution of their bodies; all turn to the dust as they came from it. Secondly, For the soul or spirit of man which goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward, this difference is not known or acknowledged, discerned, or considered by men generally, to wit, not by natural men at all, verse 21. From whence he taketh this Corollary, That seeing a man can take so little comfort or contentment in the estate or course of other men, therefore so to live as a man may rejoice in his own works, verse 22. which he proveth First, from the propriety he hath in that course, it is his portion. Secondly, From the impossibility to know what shall be after him, verse 22. or from his uncertainty of future events. To gather up all the points here delivered into a narrow room, all may be comprised in one note of doctrine; the reasons thereof and the uses thereof also, let us handle them.