Annotations on the book of Ecclesiastes

saving the beholding of them with their eyes?] He hath no advantage above others, save that he sees them eat that, the property whereof is his: and this is some good; for it is a more blessed thing to give, then to receive, Act. 20.35. or, he can only please ⟨p. 174⟩himself with looking on his land on moneys as his own, whereas the real benefit which they yield, doth accrue unto others as well as to himself. And if his eye have any advantage above his servants in this respect, Theirs have an advantage above his in another; for they are refreshed with sweet sleep, which his are usually deprived of.

saving the beholding of them with their eyes?] He hath no advantage above others, save that he sees them eat that, the property whereof is his: and this is some good; for it is a more blessed thing to give, then to receive, Act. 20.35. or, he can onely please ⟨p. 174⟩himself with looking on his land on moneys as his own, whereas the real benefit which they yield, doth accrue unto others as well as to himself. And if his eye have any advantage above his servants in this respect, Theirs have an advantage above his in another; for they are refreshed with sweet sleep, which his are usually deprived of.

V. 12. The s•eep of a labouring man] Or of a servant, or of him that tilleth the ground, or is conversant about any painful trade and work, Gen. 4.2. 2 Sam. 9.10. Prov. 12.11. Isa. 19.9,

is sweet] Whether he eat little or much: If he eat little, his labour causeth sweet sleep: If much, his healthiness and strength causing good concoction, doth not suffer his sleep to be disquieted with crude and offensive vapours. Besides labour taking up the mind, doth free it from those careful thoughts and covetings which are usually the hinderers of sweet sleep.

is sweet] Whether he eat little or much: If he eat little, his labour causeth sweet sleep: If much, his healthiness and strength causing good concoction, doth not suffer his sleep to be disquieted with crude and offensive vapours. Besides labour taking up the minde, doth free it from those careful thoughts and covetings which are usually the hinderers of sweet sleep.

V. 13. There is a sore evil which I have seen under the Sun] An evil that causeth Sickness, a very grievous and bitter evil. Or an Evil falling on men, Chap. 6.2.

riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt] Prov. 1.19. Either being unto them occasions of sin, & fuel of lust, causing pride, vanity, oppression, violence, gaming, gluttony, idleness, excess, Hab. 2.9, 10. Luke 12.15—21. 1 Tim. 6.9, 10. Luke 16.19. Deut. 6.11, 12. & 8.10, 11, 12. Prov. 30.9. Jam. 2.6, 7. & 5.3—6. or else exposing them unto envy and danger, to rapine and violence, Prov. 13.8. 2 Reg. 25.6, 7, 9, 12.

V. 14. But those riches perish by evil travel] Or, with much affliction. Either by their own improvidence, imprudence, luxury, &c. or by the fraud, circumvention and ⟨p. 176⟩violence of others, or by casualties and miscarriages in trading: or by some secret blast and curse from God, Prov. 23.5. and that after much travel and toil to get them, after much solicitude and anxious care to keep them, after much providence and tenderness towards his children to lay up for them.

V. 14. But those riches perish by evil travel] Or, with much affliction. Either by their own improvidence, imprudence, luxury, &c. or by the fraud, circumvention and ⟨p. 176⟩violence of others, or by casualties and miscarriages in trading: or by some secret blast and curse from God, Prov. 23.5. and that after much travel and toyl to get them, after much sollicitude and anxious care to keep them, after much providence and tenderness towards his children to lay up for them.

he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand] O•, in his power and possession, Dan. 2.38. Joh. 3.35. 1 Reg. 20.6. 1 Chr. 29.12. his hand, (i.) either the fathers, to to leave unto the son; or the sons, to inherit it after his father.

V. 15. As he came forth of his mothers womb, naked shall he return to go as he came] Though he could secure all his wealth from perishing, yet he himself must leave them, and go out of the World as naked as he came into it, And that which hath no power to free us from death, to comfort us in death, to go with us into another World after death, is no foundation of happiness or solid tranquillity, Job 1.21. Psal. 49.17. 1 Tim. 6.7. Luke 12.20, 21.

to go] (i.) To dye, Chap. 6.4. Job 16.22. Psal. 39.13. Phil. 1.23. Return, viz. to the Womb of the common mother, the earth, Job. 1.21. Eccles. 12.7.

and shall take nothing of his labour] That is, of his estate gotten by hard labour, Chap. ⟨p. 177⟩2.19. Prov. 5.10. Deut. 28.33. which he may carry away, or cause to go along with him, in his hand. He cannot carry so much as one handful of all that he hath with him.

V. 16. And this also is a sore evil] As before, vers. 13. That though his Riches haply are not kept for his hurt; nor do not perish in his time, yet they will not at all keep him from death, nor profit him in it. Riches will not profit in the day of wrath.

that in all points as he came, so shall he go] His death and his birth are over against one another in an exact proportion.

and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?] For that which will not stay, which cannot be held fast, which is emptiness and very vanity. So words of wind, are empty and vain words, Job 16.3. A man walking in wind, that is, a lying Prophet, Mic. 2.11. so to reap a whirlwind, Hos. 8.7. to fill the belly with the east wind. Job 15.2. to inherit wind, Prov. 11.29. to bring forth wind, Isa. 26.18. To feed upon wind, Hos. 12.1. To speak into the air, 1 Cor. 14.9. To beat the air, 1 Cor. 9.16. Are expressions of very vain and fruitless enterprises. Here money is compared to wind; The one hath wings to fly away with, Prov. 23.5. so hath the other, Psal. 104.3. The ⟨p. 178⟩one cannot be held, Prov. 30.4. neither can the other, 1 Cor. 7.31.

and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?] For that which will not stay, which cannot be held fast, which is emptiness and very vanity. So words of wind, are empty and vain words, Job 16.3. A man walking in wind, that is, a lying Prophet,

V. 17. All his days also he eateth in darkness, and hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.] Or, according to the words in their order, thus, Also all his days he eateth in darkness, and much sorrow, and his sickness, and wrath. A further vanity of Riches in the hands of a covetous worldling, he denies himself a full, free, and comfortable enjoyment of outward things, he cannot unbend himself from his •arking cares even when he goes to eat, but as he gets, so he useth and enjoyeth his wealth in darkness, i. e. (for the words following are Exegetical) in sorrow, and wrath, even unto very sickness.

V. 17. All his dayes also he eateth in darknesse, and hath much sorrow and wrath with his sicknesse.] Or, according to the words in their order, thus, Also all his dayes he eateth in darknesse, and much sorrow, and his sicknesse, and wrath. A further vanity of Riches in the hands of a covetous worldling, he denies himself a full, free, and comfortable enjoyment of outward things, he cannot unbend himself from his •arking cares even when he goes to eat, but as he gets, so he useth and enjoyeth his wealth in darkness, i. e. (for the words following are Exegetical) in sorrow, and wrath, even unto very sickness.

All his days he eateth in darkness] It may be understood either literally, that he doth so lengthen out his labour, and grudge to spare himself any times even of necessary refreshment, as that he deferreth eating till it be dark, and till he can work no longer. Or rather Metaphorically, he eateth without any pleasure, and with much trouble and anxiety of mind; so much darkness commonly importeth, Isa. 49.9, 10. & 50.10. Mic. 7.8.

All his dayes he eateth in darkness] It may be understood either literally, that he doth so lengthen out his labour, and grudge to spare himself any times even of necessary refreshment, as that he deferreth eating till it be dark, and till he can work no longer. Or rather Metaphorically, he eateth without any pleasure, and with much trouble and anxiety of minde; so much darkness commonly importeth, Isa. 49.9, 10. & 50.10. Mic. 7.8.