Annotations on the book of Ecclesiastes

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 Isa. 64.4. Gen. 26.18. Rom. 10.20

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,

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.

Here then we may observe, 1. The sad condition of men under the power of oppressors, when they have not so much abatement of their Misery as to be pitied. 2. The cruelty of powerful oppressors, which debtors others from compassionating those whom they oppress. 3. The dangerous temptation which oppression exposeth men unto, even to be weary of life, as we see in the case of Job, Jonah, Elijah, and others. 4. The inconvenience in cases of difficulty, which relate any way to conscience, to consult with carnal reason, which will easily lead us into extremes.

Here then we may observe, 1. The sad condition of men under the power of oppressors, when they have not so much abatement of their Misery as to be pitied. 2. The cruelty of powerfull oppressors, which deterrs others from compassionating those whom they oppress. 3. The dangerous temptation which oppression exposeth men unto, even to be weary of life, as we see in the case of Job, Jonah, Eliah, and others. 4. The inconvenience in cases of difficulty, which relate any way to conscience, to consult with carnal reason, which will easily lead us into extreams.

V. 4. Again, I considered all travel and every right work] Here he proceedeth to another vanity, arising out of the former of oppression and misgovernment, under which men usually are discouraged from all ingenious and useful undertakings, from all noble enterprises of any sort, by reason of the envy and danger, which, partly through the jealousies of superiors, partly through the malignancy and evil eye of equals, or inferiors, they are by their eminency and industry exposed unto. By every right work, we are to understand not so much works done in integrity towards God, as the ingenious and accurate works of humane issue, done by the wisdom and practic cunning of Artificers in any kind; such as the wisdom of Bezaleel, Exod. 31.3, 4. and Hiram, 1 Reg. 7.14.

V. 4. Again, I considered all travel and every right work] Here he proceedeth to another vanity, arising out of the former of oppression and misgovernment, under which men usually are discouraged from all ingenious and usefull undertakings, from all noble enterprizes of any sort, by reason of the envy and danger, which, partly through the jealousies of superiours, partly through the malignancy and evil eye of equals, or inferiours, they are by their eminency and industry exposed unto. By every right work, we are to understand not so much works done in integrity towards God, as the ingenious and accurate works of humane issue, done by the wisdom and practick cunning of Artificers in any kind; such as the wisdom of Bezaleel, Exod. 31.3, 4. and Hiram, 1 Reg. 7.14.

that for this a man is envied of his neighbour] That the more he deserves for his industry, and ingeniousness of invention, the more he is exposed to envy and danger; envy being like those moths and cankers which usually feed on the richest garments, as we see in many examples, Gen. 4.5. Numb. 11.27—29. 1 Sam. 18.7, 8. Gen. 26.12—14. & 37.8. 1 Sam. 17.28. Dan. 6.3, 4, &c. And this is a great vanity and disappointment, when that from ⟨p. 128⟩whence a man might have expected credit and thanks from the world, shall procure him hatred and danger, and must needs thereupon be a great disquieting of heart, and discouragement against so fruitless endeavours, Prov. 37.4. Psal. 73.12, 13.

that for this a man is envied of his neighbour] That the more he deserves for his industry, and ingeniousness of invention, the more he is exposed to envie and danger; envie being like those moths and cankers which usually feed on the richest garments, as we see in many examples, Gen. 4.5. Numb. 11.27—29. 1 Sam. 18.7, 8. Gen. 26.12—14. & 37.8. 1 Sam. 17.28

V. 5. The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh] This is one fruit of this danger and envy, taken up by foolish and slothful men, they refuse to take pains, and rather choose to be poor then to be envied. Here is the character of an idle person, 1. He is a fool, to make so absurd an inference, that for fear of envy and trouble, will not only neglect duty, but undo himself. 2. He foldeth his hands; puts himself into a posture of idleness, composeth himself to do nothing. Labour requireth the stretching forth of the hands, Prov. 31.19. Laziness wraps them up in one another, Prov. 6.9, 10. & 26.14. & 19.24. 3. He eateth his own flesh; bringeth himself to extreme poverty, contracteth weakness in his body, enfeebleth his mind, wasteth his stock, consumeth his family, bringeth the curse of beggary upon himself and his. For as the diligent hand maketh rich, Prov. 13.11. So the slack hand maketh poor, Prov. 10.4. He thinks it a part of wisdom to spare his pains, ⟨p. 129⟩and sit quiet; and because he cannot attain so much dexterity and skill as a other man, therefore enviously to sit down and gnaw his own flesh, either with hunger or indignation, Prov. 26.16. Whereas indeed he is a fool, (i. e.) 1. A wicked man, in neglecting the duty of labour, which he oweth to himself, to his family, to his generation, and whereunto by the ordinance of God he is appointed, Gen. 3.19. Tit. 3.14. 1 Thess. 3.10, 11. 2. An absurd man, to reason himself into contempt and beggary, and to be cruel to himself, because he is fretted at other men,

V. 6. Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with trouble and vexation of spirit] This may be here taken, either as Solomon's own words, and then to import a seasonable remedy against the evils here spoken of, viz. envy, idleness, and covetousness, namely, sweet contentment with a competent estate, rather than vexation with a greater, Prov. 15.16, 17. & 17.1. Ps. 37.16. Luk. 12.15. Or rather as the words of the sluggard, and then they are his apology for his laziness: If he strive to excel in his profession, he shall many ways disquiet himself, ⟨p. 130⟩he cannot do it without much travel, nor after all that travel be free from much envy & danger. And therefore he rather chooseth a smaller portion, with more ease and contentment. In which, there is a great deal of false arguing; 1. It is false, when he calleth his slothful and idle way of living, rest or quietness. For true tranquility of mind is the consequent of a fruitful conversation, Ps. 119.165. bodily rest a fruit of honest labour, Ps. 127.2. Eccl. 5.12.2. It is false, when he calleth industry in a mans course of life, vexation of spirit, whereas honest labour taketh off the heart from many vain thoughts and desires, which would more sorely vex it. 3. It is a great profaneness to palliate his own sin, under the name of rest and quietness of spirit, and under the protection of Gods own truth to find an hiding place for his brutishness and sensuality; as Saul pretended sacrifice to excuse rebellion, 1 Sam. 15.15. 2 Sam. 15.7, 8. Prov. 7.14, 15

and discontent will make men as anxious, as froward, as impatient under a small estate, as craving, hoarding, coveting under a greater, Prov. 30.9. Ps. 59.15. The words of this verse are proverbial, the former part, by the word handful, expressing a little estate; as Ps. 72.16. Ezek. 13.19. The other, by hands full, a greater and more plentiful, gotten with all the strength and labour of the whole man, Mic. 7.3.

V. 7. vanity under the Sun] Another vanity, and quite contrary to the former; as fools when they avoid one extreme, fall into the other.

V. 8. There is one alone, &c.] One, (i. e.) one by himself; as Gen. 19.9. and not a second; that is, either no companion, or member in his family to provide for, or no heir to succeed him in his estate; none for whom he can say, It is this man for whom I labour. See v. 15.

neither child nor brother] His labour is not founded in any natural love of those for whom he is bound to provide, 1 Tim. 5.8. Gen. 47.12. Prov. 17.17. but merely on the inordinate love of riches themselves.

neither child nor brother] His labour is not founded in any natural love of those for whom he is bound to provide, 1 Tim. 5.8. Gen. 47.12. Prov. 17.17. but meerly on the inordinate love of riches themselves.