Annotations on the book of Ecclesiastes

This is a vanity, and an evil disease] Not only a fruitless thing, but a very grievous trouble, when a man by sordid thoughts, baseness of spirit, unquiet and incessant cares, greedy desires, distrustful jealousies, anxious fears, thronging employments, keeps himself from taking any delight in his abundance, and pierceth himself through with divers sorrows, 1 Tim. 6.10.

This is a vanity, and an evil disease] Not onely a fruitlesse thing, but a very grievous trouble, when a man by sordid thoughts, baseness of spirit, unquiet and incessant cares, greedy desires, distrustful jealousies, anxious fears, thronging imployments, keeps himself from taking any delight in his abundance, and pierceth himself through with divers sorrows, 1 Tim. 6.10.

V. 3. If a man beget an hundred children] He spake before of one, who had none to succeed him in his estate, but a stranger; here, he shows the misery of a covetous person to be as great, though he have many children, and live many years. These be greater blessings in themselves, Psalm 127.3, 4.5. therefore children were called the glory of their Parents, Hos. 9.11. Job 5.25, 26. ⟨p. 189⟩Psal. 21.5. & 128.6. But covetousness takes away the comfort of them.

V. 3. If a man beget an hundred children] He spake before of one, who had none to succeed him in his estate, but a stranger; here, he shews the misery of a covetous person to be as great, though he have many children, and live many years. These be greater blessings in themselves, Psalm 127.3, 4.5. therefore children were called the glory of their Parents, Hos. 9.11. Job 5.25, 26. ⟨p. 189⟩Psal. 21.5. & 128.6. But covetousnesse takes away the comfort of them.

an hundred children] Very many,; a certain number for an uncertain; as 1 Cor. 14.19. Prov. 17.10. 1. Sam 18.7.

and his soul be not filled with good] Or, satisfied with good. Either in regard of his own insatiable desires, or of some curse of God, mixing bitterness therewith; as Chap. 5.10. Job 9.25. By his soul, is meant [Greek or Hebrew], his appetite and desires; as Gen. 34.8. 1. Sam. 20.4. Psal. 103.6. Others, understand this of the vanity of children and old age without riches, when a man is so poor, that he hath nothing to satisfy nature while he lives, and cannot leave enough to bury him when he is dead Which sense is touched at in the Contents of the Chapter, in our English Bibles.

and his soul be not filled with good] Or, satisfied with good. Either in regard of his own insatiable desires, or of some curse of God, mixing biternesse therewith; as Chap. 5.10. Job 9.25. By his soul, is meant 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, his appetite and desires; as Gen. 34.8. 1. Sam. 20.4. Psal. 103.6. Others, understand this of the vanity of children and old age without riches, when a man is so poor, that he hath nothing to satisfie nature while he lives, and cannot leave enough to bury him when he is dead Which sense is touched at in the Contents of the Chapter, in our English Bibles.

and also that he have no burial] Either through cruelty of murderers & spoilers, or through neglect of heirs and successors, who deny him an honourable interment. It is a part of humane misery to be without burial, Deut. 28.26. 1 Re•. 14.11, 13. 2 Reg. 9.37. Isai. 14 20. Jer. 8.2 & 16.4. & 22.19. 2 Chron. 21.19.

and also that he have no burial] Either through cruelty of mur•herers & spoylers, or through neglect of heirs and successors, who deny him an honourable interment. It is a part of humane misery to be without burial, Deut. 28.26. 1 Re•. 14.11, 13. 2 Reg. 9.37. Isai. 14 20. Jer. 8.2 & 16.4. & 22.19. 2 Chron. 21.19.

I say, that an untimely birth is better then he] In regard of outward respects, never to have felt good or evil, not to be born at all, or to be born and die at once, then to live long in misery, and then dye without love or honour from any. Hereby is noted the base condition of such a person, who is worse then an untimely birth, which hath not had the ordinary comfort of the meanest living creatures, to see the Sun, Job 3.10, 11, 12, 16. Psal. 58.8.

V. 4. For he cometh in with vanity] (i.) He is born, Job 1.21. Josh. 1.9. To no purpose. That which never comes to perfection, but melteth and vanisheth away as soon as it is born, is born in vain.

and departeth in darkness] Or, into darkness, or, obscurely without any notice. A Periphrasis of death, Eccl. 11.8.

and departeth in darknesse] Or, into darknesse, or, obscurely without any notice. A Periphrasis of death, Eccl. 11.8.

his name shall be covered with darkness] (i.) Shall utterly be forgotten; there shall never be any mention of him.

his name shall be covered with darknesse] (i.) Shall utterly be forgotten; there shall never be any mention of him.

V. 5. hath not seen the Sun] Job 3.16. Hath not felt any worldly delight, and therefore is not affected with the loss o• it.

nor known] Hath had no use, either o• sense or reason, and so cannot compare the evil of loss with the good of fruition.

this hath more rest then the other] For he rests immediately from the womb, whereas a covetous man lives a toilsome and unquiet life, and then parts with all, unwillingly, into the condition of the abortive.

this hath more rest then the other] For he rests immediately from the wom•, whereas a covetous man lives a toylsome and unquiet life, and then parts with all, unwillingly, into the condition of the abortive.

V. 6. Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told] Whereas it might be objected, that the one hath lived a long life, and that alone is a blessing; and therefore in that respect, he is to be preferred before an untimely birth. He answereth, That long life, without seeing good, doth but lengthen out misery; It is not the life, but the good, which makes a solid difference, Psal. 34.12. else the evil of the day, Matth. 6.34. makes day and life it self undesirable, Job 3.20—23 & 7.1, 2.

Do not all go to one place] As well he that lives longest, as he that never saw the Sun: and though one never saw the Sun, yet if the other never saw good, but only wearies himself with sorrows and vanity, and goes to the same dust; what difference is there between them?

Do not all go to one place] As well he that lives longest, as he that never saw the Sun: and though one never saw the Sun, yet if the other never saw good, but only wea•ies himself with sorrowes and vanity, and goes to the same dust; what difference is there between them?

V. 7. All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled] For his mouth; For his bodily sustenance, and the services of life. Here is first a Metonymy of the subject, the mouth for the nourishment which is put into it: and then a Synecdoche, ⟨p. 192⟩of the part for the whole; food being, though the principal, yet but one part of mans necessary provision; all which the Apostle compriseth in food and raiment, 1 Tim. 6.8. All the real fruit which any man can reap of all his worldly labours, is to have his daily bread, the bread of his allowance, or food convenient for him, Prov. 30.8. Things simply necessary for life, and things secondarily necessary for the decency of his condition, and proportion of his quality and degree in the world.

V. 7. All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled] For his mouth; For his bodily sustenance, and the services of life. Here is first a Metonymie of the subject, the mouth for the nour•shment which is put into it: and then a Synecdoche, ⟨p. 192⟩of the part for the whole; food being, though the principal, yet but one part of mans necessary provision; all which the Apostle comprizeth in food and rayment, 1 Tim. 6.8. All the real fruit which any man can reap of all his worldly labours, is to have his daily bread, the bread of his allowance, or food convenient for him, Prov. 30.8. Things simply necessary for life, and things secundarily necessary for the decency of his condition, and proportion of his quality and degree in the world.