Annotations on the book of Ecclesiastes

It is good and comely] Good and comfortable to a man himself. Comely, decent, honourable, and of good report toward others. Or, there is a good which is also comely. Or, it is good, yea, it is comely. Or, Behold I have seen that which is good, that which is comely. The like manner of expression, 1 Sam. 15.20. Psal. 10.6. Teaching us in our conversation, 1. To look unto that which is good in it self, and then to that which is decent towards the world, Phil. 4.8.

that a man eat and drink, and enjoy good of all his labour] Or? In all his labours, to sweeten his labours with a comfortable fruition of the fruit of them. Of all his labours; so the Preposition [Greek or Hebrew] is used, to signify as much as Ex or De, Exod. 12.43.

that a man eat and drink, and enjoy good of all his labour] Or? In all his labours, to sweeten his labours with a comfortable fruition of the fruit of them. Of all his labours; so the Preposition 〈non-Latin alphabet〉 is used, to signifie as much as Ex or De, Exod. 12.43.

all the days of his life which God giveth him] When God gives life, we should not deny the comforts of it to ourselves.

all the dayes of his life which God giveth him] When God gives life, we should not deny the comforts of it to ourselves.

V. 19. Every man also to whom God hath given, &c.] Here is only a further insisting on the same argument; as Chap. 2.24. & 3.13. & 6.2. He shows, 1. That God gives us our wealth, Deut. 8.18. 2. That he gives us dominion over our wealth, that we may not be captivated unto it; every man is a slave to his estate further then God sets them free. 3. Wherein this power stands; 1. in using it, to eat thereof; 2. in using it proportionable to his condition; or as Divines speak, Secundum decentiam statuti, to take his portion: 3. To use it with fruition and cheerfulness, to rejoice in it, 1 Tim. 6.17. 4. Not to let his joy swallow ⟨p. 182⟩up his duty, nor his delight his labour, but to sweeten his labour with joy, and to moderate his joy with labour, Eph. 4.28. 5. To use, and to enjoy his own, the fruit of his own labour, not to be burdensome or injurious unto others, 2 Thess. 3.12.

V. 19. Every man also to whom God hath given, &c.] Here is onely a further insisting on the same argument; as Chap. 2.24. & 3.13. & 6.2. He shews, 1. That God gives us our wealth, Deut. 8.18. 2. That he gives us dominion over our wealth, that we may not be captivated unto it; every man is a slave to his estate further then God sets them free. 3. Wherein this power stands; 1. in using it, to eat thereof; 2. in using it proportionable to his condition; or as Divines speak, Secundum decentiam statuti, to take his portion: 3. To use it with fruition and cheerfulnesse, to rejoyce in it, 1 Tim. 6.17. 4. Not to let his joy swallow ⟨p. 182⟩up his duty, nor his delight his labour, but to sweeten his labour with joy, and to moderate his joy with labour, Eph. 4.28

V. 20. For he shall not much remember the days of his life] Some make the sense to be thus, Although he give not much, or although it be not much which God hath given, (which sense the distinguishing Accent doth somewhat favour) yet he shall remember, that all his life long, God sweeteneth that little unto him with the joy of his heart: And a little with joy and cheerfulness, and Gods blessing, is better then much riches of the ungodly, Psal. 37.16. Prov. 17.1. Luk. 12.15. Prov. 15.17. Dan. 1.15. But our Translation preferreth another sense, which seems most consonant to the drift of the place, He that in this manner, doth cheerfully enjoy the blessings which God gives him, shall not, with much sorrow or weariness, remember the troubles of his life; neither shall his labour be very irksome or grievous unto him, because the Lord doth answer him, or doth proportionably unto his labours, return comfort to him in the joy of his heart, in the joyful and contented fruition of them.

V. 20. For he shall not much remember the dayes of his life] Some make the sense to be thus, Although he give not much, or although it be not much which God hath given, (which sense the distinguishing Accent doth somewhat favour) yet he shall remember, that all his life long, God sweetneth that little unto him with the joy of his heart: And a little with joy and cheerfulness, and Gods blessing, is better then much riches of the ungodly, Psal. 37.16. Prov. 17.1. Luk. 12.15. Prov. 15.17. Dan. 1.15. But our Translation preferreth another sense, which seems most consonant to the drift of the place, He that in this manner, doth cheerfully enjoy the blessings which God gives him, shall not, with much sorrow or weariness, remember the troubles of his life; neither shall his labour be very irksome or grievous unto him, because the Lord doth answer him, or doth proportionably unto his labors, return comfort to him in the joy of his heart, in the joyful and contented fruition of them.

because God answereth him in the joy of his heart] Answereth all his labour with joy, giveth him such joy of heart, as is a full compensation for all his labour. As money is said to answer unto all things, in a proportionable value to them all, Eccl. 10.19. so shall his joy bear a full value to all the labour which was taken for it. Other expositions there are, but this is most genuine and natural.

CHAP. VI.

IN this Chapter is continued a further description of the common vanity of riches, in the hands of a covetous person. He is here set forth,

First, By the good things which he hath; 1. Riches in abundance, riches and wealth. 2. Honour, and both to the uttermost of his desires, vers. 2. 3. Many Children. 4. Many years, a great old age, vers. 3, 6.

Secondly, By his misery, which makes all that vain unto him. 1. God gives him not power to enjoy it. 2. A stranger eateth it. 3. His Soul is not filled with good. 4. He hath no burial, vers. 2, 3.

Thirdly, the censure of all this: 1. Absolutely, 2. Comparatively. Absolutely; It is first, an evil; secondly, a common evil; ⟨p. 184⟩thirdly, a vanity; fourthly, a disease, vers. 1, 2. Comparatively, an untimely birth, o• abortive is better; For, 1. He is born dead, and so free from sense of miseries, which the other discruciated himself withal. 2. He departs in darkness, without the loss of light and comfort, which the other denies unto himself. 3. His name is covered in darkness, the others name is odious, vers. 4. 4. He hath not seen the Sun, nor known any thing: the other hath indeed seen the Sun, but hath seen no good, nor known any thing but sorrow and vexation, and at last goes to the same place, vers. 5, 6. This vanity he furthers opens:

First, By the narrow use of Riches, and all the labour conversant about them; it terminates in the body; it cannot satiate the mind nor appetite; that is, if evil and covetous, insatiable; if wise and prudent, above satisfaction by these things, vers. 7. That they cannot satisfy the mind, appears, because then wise men might find out some more good in them then fools; but the wisest can have no more out of them, then for their mouths, and so have fools, and the poorest men that know how to live, as well as the richest, vers. 8.

First, By the narrow use of Riches, and all the labour conversant about them; it terminates in the body; it cannot satiate the minde nor appetite; that is, if evil and covetous, insatiable; if wise and prudent, above satisfaction by these things, vers. 7. That they cannot satisfie the minde, appears, because then wise men might find out some more good in them then fools; but the wisest can have no more out of them, then for their mouths, and so have fools, and the poorest men that know how to live, as well as the richest, vers. 8.

Secondly, By the vanity of wandering and endless desires; the wise, the foolish, the ⟨p. 185⟩rich, the poor have things present and necessary, so long as they live, they have enough to that use; and this is a real fruit, much better, then to let the heart wander and weary it self in endless desires, vers. 9.

Secondly, By the vanity of wandring and endlesse desires; the wise, the foolish, the ⟨p. 185⟩rich, the poor have things present and necessary, so long as they live, they have enough to that use; and this is a real fruit, much better, then to let the heart wander and weary it self in endless desires, vers. 9.

Thirdly, By the impossibility of mending a mans condition by these things, or of raising him above the state of mortality and infirmity. A man will be but a man how rich soever he be, and all his wealth will not guard him against the evils incident to humanity, vers. 10. He will be still never the better by such things, as do but increase vanity, vers. 11.

Fourthly, By the ignorance of man to make the best use of things, and to resolve himself, whether a great, or a moderate estate be better for him; especially considering the shortness of his life, and the ignorance of what will become of his Estate or Family after he is gone, vers. 12. Thus we may connex the two last Verses, with the Argument of those before: or rather we may take them for a general conclusion of all the precedent vanities, since so many things there are which increase vanity, what is man the better for them, vers. 11. For first, amongst them all, he can hardly know what is good for himself. 2. If he do, he can enjoy that good but a little while, his very life (the best outward ⟨p. 186⟩blessing he hath) is vain, and but a shadow 3. When his life is over, he shall be never the better for any thing which comes after him. 4. Neither can he please himself with the fore-sight of what shall be after him, because he cannot tell it to himself, neither can any man else declare it to him.

Fourthly, By the ignorance of man to make the best use of things, and to resolve himself, whether a great, or a moderate estate be better for him; especially considering the shortnesse of his life, and the ignorance of what will become of his Estate or Family after he is gone, vers. 12. Thus we may connex the two last Verses, with the Argument of those before: or rather we may take them for a general conclusion of all the precedent vanities, since so many things there are which increase vanity, what is man the better for them, vers. 11. For first, amongst them all, he can hardly know what is good for himself. 2. If he do, he can enjoy that good but a little while, his very life (the best outward ⟨p. 186⟩blessing he hath) is vain, and but a shadow 3. When his life is over, he shall be never the better for any thing which comes after him. 4. Neither can he please himself with the fore-sight of what shall be after him, because he cannot tell it to himself, neither can any man else declare it to him.