Annotations on the book of Ecclesiastes

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.

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.

This covetous wretch is here described, 1. By his solitariness, he lives all alone, he cannot endure two months in a house.

2. By his excessive labour; there is no end of all his labour: He toils infinitely, and without measure, Isa. 2.7. Job. 22.5. Some by labour, understand wealth gotten by labour. He hath a vast estate, and yet is as greedy as if he had nothing.

2. By his excessive labour; there is no end of all his labour: He toyls infinitely, and without measure, Isa. 2.7. Job. 22.5. Some by labour, understand wealth gotten by labour. He hath a vast estate, and yet is as greedy as if he had nothing.

3. By his insatiable desires, neither is his eye satisfied with riches] He hath enough for his back, his belly, his calling, the decency of his state and condition, but he hath not enough for his eye. Though he can but see it, and have no use of it, yet he is displeased that he sees no more. The eye is the instrument of coveting, 1 Joh. 2.16. Josh. 7.21. Chap. 1.8. & 2.10. A covetous man, though he have as much as his eye can see, yet he would have more still, Isa. 5.8. Hab. 2.5. Prov. 30.15. Job 40.23, 24.

4. By his folly and inconsiderateness, he doth not weigh with himself the absurdity of his so living, he still goes out of himself in labour after riches, but never comes to himself, to ⟨p. 133⟩reason and argue the case, or to call himself to an account of his doings, Jer. 8.6. Luke 15.17. Ps. 4.5.