Annotations on the book of Ecclesiastes

to seek out wisdom and the reason of things.] The curious art and subtle contrivances of things: the same word is used, vers. 27, 29. Chap. 9.10. 2 Chron. 26.15. whereby we are taught in the disquisition of knowledge, especially that which is spiritual, not to content our selves with a superficial show, but to get rooted and grounded principles, that we may be able with full assurance to give a reason of the hope which is in us, 1 Pet. 3.15. and to have a distinct comprehension of the truth, that we may be rooted and fixed on it, Eph. 3.16, 17, 18. & 4.14. and give a clear and deliberate Judgement upon it.

to seek out wisdome and the reason of things.] The curious art and subtil contrivances of things: the same word is used, vers. 27, 29. Chap. 9.10. 2 Chron. 26.15. whereby we are taught in the disquisition of knowledge, especially that which is spiritual, not to content our selves with a superficial shew, but to get rooted and grounded principles, that we may be able with full assurance to give a reason of the hope which is in us, 1 Pet. 3.15. and to have a distinct comprehension of the truth, that we may be rooted and fixed on it, Eph. 3.16, 17, 18. & 4.14. and give a clear and deliberate Judgement upon it.

I, and my heart] That is, I did heartily and seriously seek out. The copulative Vau, doth either import a preposition, I with my heart did search, as 1 Sam. 14.19. or a more clear explication; I, that is, my heart: so the learned conceive that copula many times to signify as much as, That is, as Gen. 35.12. 1 Chron. 21.12. 2 Sam. 17.12. 1 Sam. 17.40. & 28.3.

I, and my heart] That is, I did heartily and seriously seek out. The copulative Vau, doth either import a preposition, I with my heart did search, as 1 Sam. 14.19. or a more clear explication; I, that is, my heart: so the learned conceive that copula many times to signifie as much as, That is, as Gen. 35.12. 1 Chron. 21.12. 2 Sam. 17.12. 1 Sam. 17.40. & 28.3.

And to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness] Or, the foolishness of madness: as the Apostles expression is [Greek or Hebrew], a sinning sin, Rom. 7.13. so here the Wise man expresseth the desperate wickedness and folly of corrupt hearts: by wickedness of folly, and foolishness of madness, thereby signifying the vast and deep corruption and deceit which is in the heart of man. The knowledge whereof he did search after, that he might be the better able to convince and to dissect the consciences of others, 1 Cor. 14.24, 25. Heb. 4.12. Ezek. 14.5. Isa. 49.2. Ps. 45.5. Rev. 1.16. only his study is in this order, first he searcheth and seeketh out wisdom, as an antidote against the danger of his second studies, to discover the wickedness, folly, and madness of sensual pleasures. And therefore we shall observe, that in the particular wickedness which he specifieth in the next verse, namely, the enticements of a whorish woman, he doth often premise the Commendations of wisdom, and the study of that, as an effectual prevention of that mischief, Prov. 2.10—19. & 5.1, 2, 3. & 6.6, 20—24. Prov. 7.4, 5. & 9.10—13.

And to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness] Or, the foolishness of madness: as the Apostles expression is 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, a sinning sin,

They are more bitter than death] More pernicious, and bring more heavy miseries with them. We read of the bitterness of death, 1 Sam. 15.32. and of a worse bitterness, the end of a strange woman is bitter as ⟨p. 243⟩wormwood, and her steps take hold on hell, Prov. 5.4, 5. Death may be sweetened and sanctified, made a welcome and desirable thing to a believer, 1 Cor. 15.55. Phil. 1.23. Luke 2.29, 30. But the bitterness of hell is incurable; death may be honourable, to dye in a good cause, in a good old age, to go to the grave in peace, lamented, desired, with the sweet savour of an holy life, and many good works to follow one, Rev. 14.13. Phil. 1.21. Ps. 116.16. But to consume and putrefy alive, under a Tabes of impure l•sts, to perish, as Tiberius did at Capreae, quotidie perire me sentio, to shipwreck a mans honour, ruin his estate, shorten his years, consume his flesh, put a hell into his conscience, to bury his name, his substance, his soul, his carcass, in the bosom of an Harlot; this is a bitterness beyond that of death, Prov. 5.9, 10, 11. & 6.26, 33. & 9.16, 17, 18.

They are more bitter than death] More pernitious, and bring more heavy miseries with them. We read of the bitterness of death,

who so pleaseth God, shall escape from her, but the sinner shall be taken by her] Here is intimated the great wrath of God against this sin. It is a sin which he useth to give over reprobates, and those whom he in special manner hateth, unto; a sin which few repent of, to take hold of the paths of life again, Prov. 2.19. & 22.14. Amos 7.17. Rom. 1.24—28. Eph. 4.18, 19. A man is not ⟨p. 244⟩preserved from the power of this temptation by his own wisdom or strength, but only by the supernatural grace of God.

who so pleaseth God, shall escape from her, but the sinner shall be taken by her] Here is intimated the great wrath of God against this sin. It is a sin which he useth to give over reprobates, and those whom he in special manner hateth, unto; a sin which few repent of, to take hold of the paths of life again, Prov. 2.19. & 22.14. Amos 7.17. Rom. 1.24—28. Eph. 4.18, 19. A man is not ⟨p. 244⟩preserved from the power of this temptation by his own wisdome or strength, but only by the supernatural grace of God.

V. 27.28. Behold, this I have found, (saith the Preacher,) &c.] This, which he had spoken of, vers. 26. or which followeth, vers. 28.

saith the Preacher] This added, 1. To give credit from his wisdom and experience to what he here affirms: especially having made so distinct and accurate an inquiry, weighing and comparing one by one, to find out the account, and to come to a determinate and clear judgement in the case, and to make a certain conclusion. 2. To testify to the Church his repentance. This have I found, saith the soul, which, by sound repentance, is returned unto the Congregation of Saints, which was before ensnared in the nets and bands of seducing women, and that upon serious & sad recollected thoughts, which he hath not yet given over, but doth insist upon the same penitent inquiry still.

saith the Preacher] This added, 1. To give credit from his wisdome and experience to what he here affirms: especially having made so distinct and accurate an inquiry, weighing and comparing one by one, to find out the account, and to come to a determinate and clear judgement in the case, and to make a certain conclusion. 2. To testifie to the Church his repentance. This have I found, saith the soul, which, by sound repentance, is returned unto the Congregation of Saints, which was before ensnared in the nets and bands of seducing women, and that upon serious & sad recollected thoughts, which he hath not yet given over, but doth insist upon the same penitent inquiry still.

one man amongst a thousand have I found, but a woman amongst all those have I not found] The meaning is not to condemn one sex rather than the other; for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God, Rom. 3.23.) and Solomon had known good and wise women, as well as men, Prov. 18. ⟨p. 245⟩22. & 19.14. Prov. 12.4. & 31.10—30. But he speaketh here of his observation, according to his former sensual conversation with wanton women, which seems to be the reason of the number here mentioned: for Solomon had a thousand wives and concubines, all strange women of the neighbour wicked nations, which turned away his heart from the Lord unto idols. Amongst all these thousand, Solomon had not found one good one, 1 Reg. 11.1—9 Or the subtle counsels of one man, amongst many, may more easily be discerned, than of any harlot, because their flatteries and dalliances do steal away the heart, and put out the eyes and judgement, and infatuate a man so, that he can look no further than the present delights wherewith they do bewitch him, Hos. 4.11. Judg. 16.17—21. Prov. 7.21, 22. & 5.6.

one man amongst a thousand have I found, but a woman amongst all those have I not found] The meaning is not to condemn one sexe rather than the other; for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God, Rom. 3.23.) and Solomon had known good and wise women, as well as men,

V. 29. Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright, but they have sought out many inventions,] This only: He could not discover all the streams of wickedness and folly amongst men: but the original and fountain of them all he doth discover, namely, the corruption of the heart of man by the fall; this he found, that their wickedness was not from God, nor by creation, but from themselves, and their willing ⟨p. 246⟩entertainment of the temptation of the serpent. Some more subtly expound these words, as a confirmation of the former: God made Adam Right, and so he continued so long as he was alone: but when the Woman was given unto him, she tempted him, and then they sought out many inventions. Because the woman was first in the transgression, 1 Tim. 2.14. But here he speaketh of both Sexes together under the name of man, and showeth, that they were made without any of this sinful and subtle wisdom, after the Image of God, endowed with divine wisdom to discern the way unto true happiness, and with perfect ability to pursue the same, Gen. 1.26. Col. 3.10. But though he were made upright, yet he was as a creature, mutable, & so subject to be overcome by temptation, and accordingly he did easily admit of the temptation of Satan, and sought out many inventions of his own, did not content himself with that way to happiness which God had prescribed, but fancied to himself an higher perfection, and yielded to follow those new ways unto blessedness, which Satan and his own deceived heart, did suggest unto him, and so fell from his primitive honour, and became like the Beasts that perish, and contracted a bottomless and unsearchable depth of sinful deceit, which none but God can ⟨p. 247⟩throughly search and discover, Jer. 17.9. Isa. 57.10. Jer. 2.23, 24

and so relateth to the temptation of the Serpent, Ye shall be like unto Gods, you shall be advanced into a nobler and more honourable condition, then now you are in, Gen. 3.5. these thoughts, being suggested by Satan, they ambitiously entertained, and so fell from their primitive perfection.

CHAP. VIII.

The wise man proceedeth in this Chapter, to give further precepts touching tranquillity of life. And they are, 1. Practical prudence with the fear of God, which stamp a kind of majesty and lustre on the face of a man, and make him to be had in reverence ⟨p. 248⟩of others, vers. 1. 2. Obedience to Magistrates, without hastily attempting, or obstinately persisting in any rebellious design it being in their power, as they please, to avenge themselves upon us, vers. 2.3, 4, 5. 3. Preparedness of heart to bear inevitable evils, by a prudent observation of times, and judging of what is in a concurrence, of such and such circumstances fittest to be done, and where things are dark and undiscernible, to dispose our hearts quietly to yield to the providence of God, vers. 6, 7, 8. 4. Because it is a very great temptation unto disquietness and impatience of spirit, when a man liveth under wicked Rulers, against whose cruelty▪ all a mans wisdom and meekness can hardly be security enough: He therefore, 1. observeth the providence of God in this particular, vers. 9, 10. 2. the reason of that insolence and excess of evil in the lives of such men, vers. 11. 3. the grounds o• comfort unto good men in this temptation▪ and of terrors and restraint upon evil men, notwithstanding their present power and prosperity, vers. 12.13. Laying down a general proposition concerning Gods providence in the affairs of this life, whereunto good men should submit. vers. 14. 5▪

THe wise man proceedeth in this Chapter, to give further precepts touching tranquillity of life. And they are, 1. Practical prudence with the fear of God, which stamp a kind of majesty and lustre on the face of a man, and make him to be had in reverence ⟨p. 248⟩of others, vers. 1. 2. Obedience to Magistrates, without hastily attempting, or obstinately persisting in any rebellious design it being in their power, as they please, to avenge themselves upon us, vers. 2.3, 4, 5. 3. Preparednesse of heart to bear inevitable evils, by a prudent observation of times, and judging of what is in a concurrence, of such and such circumstances fittest to be done, and where things are dark and undiscernable, to dispose our hearts quietly to yield to the providence of God, vers. 6, 7, 8. 4. Because it is a very great temptation unto disquietnesse and impatiency of spirit, when a man liveth under wicked Rulers, against whose cruelty all a mans wisdome and meeknesse can hardly be security enough: He therefore, 1. observeth the providence of God in this particular, vers. 9, 10. 2. the reason of that insolence and excess of evil in the lives of such men, vers. 11. 3. the grounds o comfort unto good men in this temptation and of terrours and restraint upon evil men, notwithstanding their present power and prosperity, vers. 12.13. Laying down a general proposition concerning Gods providence in the affairs of this life, whereunto good men should submit. vers. 14. 5

A cheerful enjoyment of outward and present ⟨p. 249⟩blessings, without anxious solicitude for the future, vers. 15. 6. A patient resting in the providence of God, admiring his works, and adoring the unsearchableness of his counsels; whose judgements, though they may be secret, yet they cannot be unrighteous, vers. 16, 17.

A cheerfull enjoyment of outward and present ⟨p. 249⟩blessings, without anxious sollicitude for the future, vers. 15. 6. A patient resting in the providence of God, admiring his works, and adoring the unsearchablenesse of his counsels; whose judgements, though they may be secret, yet they cannot be unrighteous, vers. 16, 17.

Vers. 1. W Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing?] He had set his heart to seek out wisdom and folly, Chap. 7.25. And having there handled the later of these two, as the use of the Scripture many times is, when two members or branches of a subject are proposed, to handle the later first, and then to resume the former. Behold how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity, Psal. 133.1. Pleasant as the precious ointment of Aaron, vers. 2. Good and profitable, as the dew of Hermon, vers. 3. Isa. 56.3, 4, 6.) he doth here return to the former member, showing the excellency of wisdom, whereunto no other is to be compared. The prefix Caph may be understood, either as a note of similitude, Who is as the wise man? (i.) None is to be compared to him: And so it may be understood as spoken of himself, Who hath attained a greater ⟨p. 250⟩measure of wisdom then I have? who yet with my utmost studies have not been able to find out the perfection of it. Chap. 7.23, 24. Or it may be taken pro not a veritatis, and so the sense to be, that no man can attain unto perfect wisdom, as vers. 16, 17.

Vers. 1. W Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing?] He had set his heart to seek out wisdome and folly, Chap. 7.25. And having there handled the later of these two, as the use of the Scripture many times is, when two members or branches of a subject are proposed, to handle the later first, and then to resume the former. Behold how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity, Psal. 133.1. Pleasant as the pretious oynment of Aaron, vers. 2. Good and profitable, as the dew of Hermon, vers. 3. Isa. 56.3, 4, 6.) he doth here return to the former member, shewing the excellency of wisdome, whereunto no other is to be compared. The prefix Caph may be understood, either as a note of similitude, Who is as the wise man? (i.) None is to be compared to him: And so it may be understood as spoken of himself, Who hath attained a greater ⟨p. 250⟩

and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing?] Here are two sorts of wise men noted unto us, 1. He that is wise in himself: 2. He that is able to teach others wisdom. Or, who is able truly to judg of all affairs, and rightly to discern what in every case is to be done, or left undone? Dan. 2.4, 5, 7. & 4.3.16.