Annotations on the book of Ecclesiastes

to beat down, and to build] Jer. 1.10. & 18.7. & 31.28. Isa. 5.2, 5.

V. 4. A time to weep] viz. From the Lord; for he speaketh all along of the providence of God, in whose hand all our times both of sorrow and of joy are, Psal. 80.5. Ruth 1.20, 21.

and a time to laugh] Psal. 126.1.2. Gen. 21.6.

to dance] i. e. greatly to rejoice, and express joy in the outward behaviour, 2 Sam. 6.14. Act. 3.8.

to daunce] i. e. greatly to rejoyce, and express joy in the outward behaviour, 2 Sam. 6.14. Act. 3.8.

5. A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather them together] Some by this, understand the erecting of trophies over conquered enemies, as Josh. 8.29. 2 Sam. 18.17, 18. Zach. 9.16. Others, the demolishing or erecting of buildings, all ordered by Gods providence, Luke 13.4. Judg. 9.53. Lam. 2.2, 5, 7, 8, 9. & 4.1. Zach. 5.4. Mic. 1.6. 2 Reg. 3.25. Mar. 13.1, 2.

to embrace, and to abstain from embracing] 1 Cor. 7.5.

V. 6. to get] Prov. 10.6.

to cast away] Either out of necessity, as Jon. 1.5. Act. 27.18, 38. or out of charity, Prov. 11.24. Eccles. 11.1. or out of special duty to God, Heb. 10.34. Matth. 10.37.38, 39. and 19.29.

V. 7. To rent] As the custom was in mourning, Job. 1.20. Joel 2 19.

V. 7. To rent] As the custome was in mourning, Job. 1.20. Joel 2 19.

to speak, to keep silence] According to difference of seasons, Prov. 26.4, 5. & 25.11. Amos 5.13.

V. 8. A time of war] 2 Sam. 11.1.

Thus Solomon by an Induction of divers particulars, and those very various, and each by way of Antithesis with his contrary joined to him, some natural actions, some civil, some domestical, some vicious, some virtuous, some serious and solemn, others light and ludicrous, some wise, some passionate; by all these he assureth us, that there is a holy and wise work of God in predefining, ordering, limiting, tempering, disposing of all these and the like affairs of men, and so qualifying in the life of a man one contrary with another, and balancing prosperity and adversity by each other, that in every condition a good man may find cause of praising God, and of trusting in him, and of exercising this tranquility and contentment of mind, even in contrary conditions because ⟨p. 101⟩the holy hand of God is in the one, as well as in the other, Job. 1.21. Phil. 4.11, 12.

Thus Solomon by an Induction of divers particulars, and those very various, and each by way of Antithesis with his contrary joyned to him, some natural actions, some civil, some domestical, some vitious, some vertuous, some serious and solemn, others light and ludicrous, some wise, some passionate; by all these he assureth us, that there is a holy and wise work of God in predefining, ordering, limiting, tempering, disposing of all these and the like affairs of men, and so qualifying in the life of a man one contrary with another, and ballancing prosperity and adversity by each other, that in every condition a good man may find cause of praising God, and of trusting in him, and of exercising this tranquility and contentment of mind, even in contrary conditions because ⟨p. 101⟩the holy hand of God is in the one, as well as in the other, Job. 1.21. Phil. 4.11, 12.

V. 9. What profit hath he that worketh, in that wherein he laboureth? As Chap. 1.3. Matth. 6.27. In vain is it for a man by any anxious toil to go about to effect any thing according to his own will, if the counsel and providence of God be against it. When he builds, God may pull down, or put in some accident and casual event which shall divert, or undo all: Yet he doth not intend to restrain men from needful Labour in their Callings; but from trusting in or building on their Labours, and fretting if such fruits follow not thereupon as they intended and expected; but patiently to submit to the holy Will of God, unto whom it belongeth to dispose of our persons, of our liberties as it pleaseth him. Whence observe, That carking and caring is indeed a striving with the irresistible providence of God, which no labour of ours can alter, or bend to our wills, Isa. 45.9. Jon. 4.1, 8, 9. as on the other side, glorying of our own strength and wisdom, is a robbing him of his honour, Deut. 8.17, 18. Habak, 1.16. Labour is subordinate unto providence, but must never strive with it. There is no profit to any m•n in his Labour, without Gods blessing, ⟨p. 102⟩which therefore he must pray for, and rejoice in, without fruitless anxiety for the future.

V. 9. What profit hath he that worketh, in that wherein he laboureth? As Chap. 1.3. Matth. 6.27. In vain is it for a man by any anxious toyl to go about to effect any thing according to his own will, if the counsel and providence of God be against it. When he builds, God may pull down, or put in some accident and casual event which shall divert, or undo all: Yet he doth not intend to restrain men from needfull Labour in their Callings; but from trusting in or building on their Labours, and fretting if such fruits follow not thereupon as they intended and expected; but patiently to submit to the holy Will of God, unto whom it belongeth to dispose of our persons, of our liberties as it pleaseth him. Whence observe, That carking and caring is indeed a striving with the irresistable providence of God, which no labour of ours can alter, or bend to our wills,

V. 10. I have seen the travel] Chap. 1.13. men might be apt to think when they see so many turns and changes in the world, that all things are carried by a blind and rash disorder, casually and uncertainly, as it falls out, without any beauty or order in them. To this he answers, That it is God who hath given unto men this travel to exercise themselves in various and contrary employments, passions, events, and that he doth, though we do not suddenly observe it, direct them all unto a beautiful issue: all these contraries work together for good, Rom. 8.28. Again, men might think on the other hand, If man have indeed no profit of all his labour, but when all is done, God alone orders the Event, then to what end should he weary himself in so fruitless an employment? To this also there is an answer in these words; God hath given to man his work, which he is to undertake in obedience to Gods command: and God doth usually dispense his mercies unto us in the use of means, and by a blessing on our labours, Prov. 10.4, 22. Joh. 21.3, 6. Act. 27.22, 31. And though Labour do not effect what we expected from it, but Gods providence ⟨p. 103⟩should (as sometimes it doth) act contrary to, or diversly from our endeavours, yet this good there is in honest Labour alone, and this End God hath in requiring it of us, we are Exercised therein, and so kept from idleness, and the evil effects which would follow thereupon. Labour is not only a duty, but in this respect beneficial, (even when it miscarrieth as to the principal end aimed at in it) that the heart is thereby kept in that station and order wherein God did originally set it, Gen. 3.17, 18, 19.

V. 10. I have seen the travel] Chap. 1.13. men might be apt to think when they see so many turns and changes in the world, that all things are carried by a blind and rash disorder, casually and uncertainly, as it falls out, without any beauty or order in them. To this he answers, That it is God who hath given unto men this travel to exercise themselves in various and contrary imployments, passions, events, and that he doth, though we do not suddenly observe it, direct them all unto a beautifull issue: all these contraries work together for good,

V. 11. He hath made every thing beautiful in his time, or in the time and proper season thereof.] This is a further commendation of the wise providence of God in the government of the world, and all the events which happen in it, to the end that men may with more quietness and contentment acquiesce therein. We might be apt to stumble and be offended at the seeming confusions which are in the world, and the great uncertainty of affairs therein. But howsoever it seem so unto us, who are not able to put together all the pieces of Gods providence, nor to foresee that frame and feature which he will form them unto at the last, yet this is certain, that as in the work of Creation all things were very good, Gen. 1.31. So in the work of Gubernation and ⟨p. 104⟩Providence, All things will at last appear to be very beautiful, and those things which seemed but as confused heaps when they lay asunder, will when Gods whole work is done, (Isa. 10.12.) and they are all put together, appear to have been full of order, and decorum: as beauty in the body ariseth out of an equal temperament of contraries together, and so in a curious piece of hanging various colours wisely mixed, make an elegant piece: and letters which in the Printers boxes seem all confused, and signify nothing: yet being set together by an exquisite Copy, they afford us a learned and elaborate work; as we see in the History of Joseph and his brethren, of Davids troubles and Kingdom: of Mordecai, Esther, and Haman, of the Jews crucifying of Christ, &c.

V. 11. He hath made every thing beautifull in his time, or in the time and proper season thereof.] This is a further commendation of the wise providence of God in the government of the world, and all the events which happen in it, to the end that men may with more quietness and contentment acquiesce therein. We might be apt to stumble and be offended at the seeming confusions which are in the world, and the great uncertainty of affairs therein. But howsoever it seem so unto us, who are not able to put together all the pieces of Gods providence, nor to foresee that frame and feature which he will form them unto at the last, yet this is certain, that as in the w•rk of Creation all things were very good,