Annotations on the book of Ecclesiastes

they have all one breath] They draw in and out the same air; by the same kind of vital organs, mans breath is in his nostrils, as the breath of beasts, Isa. 2.22. Job 27.3, 4. Gen. 2.7. He speaks not of the soul of man, but of Animal and vital breath, which is common to both, Ezek. 37.5.10. So we read of the common provisions which God makes in regard of this life, for beasts, birds, fishes, and men, and the common fate which attends them all, Psal. 104.11, 12, 14, 15, 21, 23, 27—30.

so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast] In outward respects, without piety to raise him above a mere corporal and sensual use of them: nay in many outward things beasts have the preeminence, some more strength, others more agility; some more ⟨p. 119⟩exquisite senses, others longer life, most more healthy, more hardy, able to work more, able to bear and endure more, then man.

so that a man hath no preheminence above a beast] In outward respects, without piety to raise him above a mere corporal and sensual use of them: nay in many outward things beasts have the preheminence, some more strength, others more agility; some more ⟨p. 119⟩exquisite senses, others longer life, most more healthy, more hardy, able to work more, able to bear and endure more, then man.

for all is vanity] All equally vain and mortal.

V. 21. Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast which goeth downward to the earth?] It is true indeed there is a future happiness belonging unto men who have immortal souls, which beasts have no right unto, nor are capable of; The soul of the one goes upward, Chap. 12.7. Luk. 18.22. Act. 7.59. whereas the souls of beasts perish. But no man can by sense discern the ascent of the one, or the descent of the other; and Solomon speaks not of mans ⟨p. 120⟩future celestial happiness in this Book, but of the vanity of all outward things, without true piety, to satisfy the heart of man while he is under the Sun. As for the other celestial happiness, it cannot be discerned by a natural disquisition, but is revealed in the word unto a few, 1 Cor. 2.9—11.

V. 21. Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast which goeth downward to the earth?] It is true indeed there is a future happiness belonging unto men who have immortal souls, which beasts have no right unto, nor are capable of; The soul of the one goes upward, Chap. 12.7. Luk. 18.22. Act. 7.59. whereas the souls of beasts perish. But no man can by sense discern the ascent of the one, or the descent of the other; and Solomon speaks not of mans ⟨p. 120⟩future celestial happiness in this Book, but of the vanity of all outward things, without true piety, to satisfie the heart of man while he is under the Sun. As for the other celestial happiness, it cannot be discerned by a natural disquisition, but is revealed in the word unto a few, 1 Cor. 2.9—11.

V. 22. Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, then that a man should rejoice in his own works] He repeats his former conclusion, Chap. 2.23. & 3.13. from these vanities, since there is so little difference in outward things between a man and a beast; therefore to remedy this vanity, he is in the fear of God, while he liveth, to enjoy with cheerfulness and contentment his own labours; for that only which he so doth enjoy, is his own portion: and not to trouble himself with thoughts or cares for the future, since being gone, he hath no more share in them, nor knowledge of them.

V. 22. Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, then that a man should rejoyce in his own works] He repeats his former conclusion, Chap. 2.23. & 3.13. from these vanities, since there is so little difference in outward things between a man and a beast; therefore to remedy this vanity, he is in the fear of God, while he liveth, to enjoy with cheerfulness and contentment his own labours; for that only which he so doth enjoy, is his own portion: and not to trouble himself with thoughts or cares for the future, since being gone, he hath no more share in them, nor knowledge of them.

for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?] If he h•ard them up for others, and use them not himself, what good will he have of them when he is gone? Who can foretell him what use shall be made of them, what good shall be done with them; therefore let him take comfort of them himself before he die, Chap. 5.18.

CHAP. IV.

Having showed the vanity of oppression, and injustice in those who are in place of power and judgement, who carry themselves like beasts to their brethren, and must themselves die like beasts, un-desired, un-lamented. He showeth further in this Chapter divers other vanities, which are consequents upon oppression, and misgovernment; both in persons oppressed, whose life is a weariness to them, Verse 1, 2, 3. and in other men; who thereby are subject to be envied for their industry and prosperity, Verse 4. and thereupon some foolishly give over all employments, Verse 5, 6. Others scrape together what they can get, and live privately alone, out of the eye of the world, and from being observed, Verse 8. and thereupon he returneth to show the vanity even of the greatest power, when it thus oppresseth the people, Vers. 13, 14. yea, the most regular power, through the mutability of the affections of the people, Verse 15, 16.

HAving shewed the vanity of oppression, and injustice in those who are in place of power and judgement, who carry themselves like beasts to their brethren, and must themselves die like beasts, un-desired, un-lamented. He sheweth further in this Chapter divers other vanities, which are consequents upon oppression, and misgovernment; both in persons oppressed, whose life is a weariness to them, Verse 1, 2, 3. and in other men; who thereby are subject to be envied for their industry and prosperity, Verse 4. and thereupon some foolishly give over all imployments, Verse 5, 6. Others scrape together what they can get, and live privately alone, out of the eye of the world, and from being observed, Verse 8. and thereupon he returneth to shew the vanity even of the greatest power, when it thus oppresseth the people, Vers. 13, 14. yea, the most regular power, through the mutability of the affections of the people, Verse 15, 16.

Vers. 1. SO I returned, and considered all the oppressions, &c.] Returned and considered, (i. e.) considered again; the verb is put for the adverb, as is usual in Scripture, in verbs which signify repeating, or iterating of an action; as Gen. 25.1. Abraham added and took a wife, (i. e.) took another wife, or married again. Psal. 106.13. They made haste and forgot, (i. e.) They soon forgot: Hos. 9.9. They were profound, and corrupted themselves, (i. e.) They deeply corrupted themselves: So Isa. 64.4. Gen. 26.18. Rom. 10.20. Psal. 6.10. He had considered violence and injustice in the seat of judgement, before Chap. 3.16. and had showed the vanity of that, and yet notwithstanding that a good man should endeavour to rejoice in his labours. But when he looks on it again, he finds instead of rejoicing, nothing but the tears of oppressed men, without strength in themselves, without comfort from others, which must needs render their live• very grievous and irksome to them.

Vers. 1. SO I returned, and considered all the oppressions, &c.] Returned and considered, (i. e.) considered again; the verb is put for the adverb, as is usual in Scripture, in verbs which signifie repeating, or iterating of an action; as Gen. 25.1. Abraham added and took a wife, (i. e.) took another wife, or married again. Psal. 106.13. They made haste and forgat, (i. e.) They soon forgat: Hos. 9.9. They were profound, and corrupted themselves, (i. e.) They deeply corrupted themselves: So

all the oppressions] It importeth, either violent, or fraudulent detaining of mens goods or rights […] them, Jer. 22.3. Luk. 3.14. and 19.8. 1 Thess. 4.6. Jerem. 5.26, 27.

all the oppressions] It importeth, either violent, or fraudulent detaining of mens goods or rights 〈…〉 them, Jer. 22.3. Luk. 3.14. and 19.8. 1 Thess. 4.6. Jerem. 5.26, 27.

and behold the tears of such as were oppressed] The greatness of this evil is set forth, 1. By the grief of such poor oppressed persons, it squeezed forth tears out of their eyes, Lam. 1.2. 2. By their helplessness, they had no comforter: It is some ease of a man in sorrow, to see others pity him, and a great aggravation of misery to be without a comforter, when a mans adversaries are so powerful, so malicious and cruel, that others are afraid, so much as to pity him, Job. 6.14, 15. and 19.21. 3. By their impotency to escape from the hand of their oppressors. So much is implied in the next words, which way ever we read them, whether so, as to repeat the negative of the former clause with the later, which is usual, Psal. 1.5. Job 30.20, 25. & 31.20. thus, And no power from the hand of their oppressors, namely, to escape from them. They have no power but to weep, none to help themselves. Or else, as we read it, On the side of their oppressors there is power, so much as to keep others from comforting them. So the word hand, is sometimes rendered by the word side, Psal. 140.6. Prov. 8.3. The doubling of that clause, notes the sadness of their condition; as Job calls once and again for pity, Job 19.21.

and behold the tears of such as were oppressed] The greatness of this evil is set forth, 1. By the grief of such poor oppressed persons, it squeezed forth tears out of their eyes, Lam. 1.2. 2. By their helplesness, they had no comforter: It is some ease of a man in sorrow, to see others pity him, and a great aggravation of misery to be without a comforter, when a mans adversaries are so powerfull, so malicious and cruel, that others are affraid, so much as to pity him,

V. 2. Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead, &c.] I esteemed the dead more happy. The dead which are already dead; this is emphatical; our mortality, makes us, as it were, dead while we live, much more our lusts, Matth. 8.22. Eph. 2.1. 1 Tim. 5.6. Rev. 3.1. Prov. 9.18. There are dead men that are yet living, and dead men that are already dead. Men are said to be dead likewise that are in any desperate condition, under any invincible calamity, as Jews in Babylon, Isa. 26.19. Ezek. 37.11, 12, 13. 1 Cor. 15.31. 2 Cor. 1.9, 10. Oppression is, in the Scripture account, a killing, a devouring of poor men, eating them up, gnawing their bones, Hab. 1.13. Psal. 10.8—10. & 14.4. Zeph. 3.3. Ezek. 22.27. Mic. 3.2. 3. Psal. 8.3, 4, 5. The emphasis then of the place is this, I esteemed those more happy who are already quite dead, then those who do thus continually die, and languish away under the cruelties of their oppressors. This may seem to be spoken after the judgement of the flesh, because grievous miseries and oppressions make men weary of their life, and choose rather to die. Death is a haven to such a soul after shipwreck,

more then the living who are yet alive] By the living who are yet alive, he seems to mean those poor men, who languish and pine away under their oppressions, of whom we can say only, as we do of a man ready to die, He is yet alive, his breath is not quite gone, he doth live, and that is all; as Luk. 10.30. He doth not simply prefer death before life; but the ease and quietness of death, before the miseries and sufferings of a dying life, Job. 3.17.18, 19.

V. 3. Yea, better is he then both they, &c.] He speaketh only according to the judgment ⟨p. 126⟩of sense, and with relation to the greatness of outward miseries, which he, who is yet unborn, hath not seen in others, or felt in himself, Job. 3.10. & 10.18, 19.

seen the evil] To see good is to enjoy it, Chap. 2.24. To see evil is to have experience of it, and to suffer it; in which sense the Serpent told Eve, that her eyes should be opened to know good by the loss, and evil by the danger of it, Gen 3.5. and this kind of not being, or not having been born, though it cannot reasonably or piously be preferred before a sorrowful life, which will consist with the fear of God, yet it may, before a cursed condition, which sinks a man under the wrath of God, Matth. 26.24.

seen the evil] To see good is to enjoy it, Chap. 2.24. To see evil is to have experience of it, and to suffer it; in which sense the Serpent told Eve, that her eyes should be opened to know good by the loss, and evil by the danger of it, Gen 3.5. and this kind of not being, or not having been born, though it cannot reasonably or piously be preferred before a sorrowfull life, which will consist with the fear of God, yet it may, before a cursed condition, which sinks a man under the wrath of God, Matth. 26.24.