Annotations on the book of Ecclesiastes

Vers. 1. All this I considered in mine heart] I gave all this to my heart. I laid it up in mine heart. It noteth special study and attention thereunto, Luke 2.51. & 21.14.

Vers. 1. ALl this I considered in mine heart] I gave all this to my heart. I laid it up in mine heart. It noteth special study and attention thereunto, Luke 2.51. & 21.14.

even to declare all this] To prove, examine, perfectly to understand, and clearly to manifest all this. The word signifies to purify and purge, because when a thing is soiled and defaced, it is the more difficultly known, 2 Cor. 3.16.17., 18.

even to declare all this] To prove, examine, perfectly to understand, and clearly to manifest all this. The word signifies to purifie and purge, because when a thing is soyled and defaced, it is the more difficultly known, 2 Cor. 3.16.17., 18.

That the Righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God] That the persons and works of the best and most prudent men are not in their own power or disposal but are guided by a Divine providence, and by a secret, invisible, and unpreventable direction from above, by him who worketh all things, by the counsel of his own Will: To ⟨p. 278⟩be in the hand of God, noteth, 1. Subjection to his power, Joh. 3.35. Matth. 28.18. Joh. 5.22. 2. Direction and guidance by his providence, Act. 4.28. Jer. 10.23. Prov. 16.9. & 20.24. Exod. 34.24. 3. Ruling by his powerful though sometimes secret and invisible Government. So the hand of the King, notes the command or order given by the King, 1 Chron 25.3. 4. Custody and protection from evil by his care Ester 2.3. Isa. 62.3. Joh. 10.28, 29. Our works are transient things, and as they come from us, seem to vanish away, and to be no more, they are quickly out of our hands: but they are always in Gods hands, and written in his book, he reserveth them unto the time of Retribution, and keepeth an exact Record and Register of them: So that no one of them shall be unrewarded, Heb. 6.10. Our persons, our times, our employments are in the hand of God, men cannot do to us, or dispose of us as they will,

V. 2. All things come alike unto all: and there is one event, &c.] Some would have these words, and so forward to vers. 13. to be the perverse judgement of the flesh, and the voice of Atheists and Epicures upon the doctrine of providence before observed: But we must remember, that Solomon speaketh ⟨p. 280⟩only of outward things, and the different administration of them: and of the remedies of vanity and vexation, in regard of our condition here under the Sun, restraining and limiting all the confused events of worldly things by the holy hand and wise providence of God: And all the precepts which might otherwise seem to savour of Sensuality and Epicurism by the fear of God, and honest labour in our vocations: which things being premised, all that is here set down, doth well consist with the will of God, and the scope of Solomon in this book, which is to set down such rules de Tranquillitate animi, as may make a man comfortably to digest the vanities of this life, and sweetly to pass over the time of his pilgrimage here.

V. 2. All things come alike unto all: and there is one event, &c.] Some would have these words, and so forward to vers. 13. to be the perverse judgement of the flesh, and the voice of Atheists and Epicures upon the doctrine of providence before observed: But we must remember, that Solomon speaketh ⟨p. 280⟩only of outward things, and the different administration of them: and of the remedies of vanity and vexation, in regard of our condition here under the Sun, restraining and limiting all the confused events of worldly things by the holy hand and wise providence of God: And all the precepts which might otherwise seem to savour of Sensuality and Epicurisme by the fear of God, and honest labour in our vocations: which things being premised, all that is here set down, doth well consist with the will of God, and the scope of Solomon in this book, which is to set down such rules de Tranquillitate animi, as may make a man comfortably to digest the vanities of this life, and sweetly to pass over the time of his pilgrimage here.

All things come alike to All] Omnia sicut omnibus: So Symmachus, [Greek or Hebrew], All alike unto All. This is the reason why we cannot judge of love or hatred by outward things: for albeit good things are promised unto good men, and evil things threatened unto evil men; yet God doth so proceed in the execution of these promises and threatenings, as that faith only can discover the difference; all things outwardly, and to the eye of sense appearing alike to all: As if the Lord had subjected all things to the ⟨p. 281⟩domination of Fortune, rather than of Justice; and that the events of the world, were all rather casual and contingent, than either predetermined by the counsel, or governed by the providence of God.

All things come alike to All] Omnia sicut omnibus: So Symmachus, 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, All alike unto All. This is the reason why we cannot judge of love or hatred by outward things: for albeit good things are promised unto good men, and evil things threatned unto evil men; yet God doth so proceed in the execution of these promises and threatnings, as that faith only can discover the difference; all things outwardly, and to the eye of sense appearing alike to all: As if the Lord had subjected all things to the ⟨p. 281⟩domination of Fortune, rather than of Justice; and that the events of the world, were all rather casual and contingent, than either predetermined by the counsel, or governed by the providence of God.

one event to the righteous and to the wicked, &c.] Moses dyes in the wilderness, as well as those that murmured. Josiah in the wars as well as Ahab. Is Abraham rich? so is Nabal: Is Solomon wise? so is Ahithophel: Is Joseph honoured by Pharaoh? so is Doeg by Saul. And usually, as to outward things, the advantage is on the side of the worst men, Ps. 73.12, 13. Mal. 3.15.

one event to the righteous and to the wicked, &c.] Moses dyes in the wilderness, as well as those that murmured. Josiah in the wars as well as Ahab. Is Abraham rich? so is Nabal: Is Solomon wise? so is Achitophel: Is Joseph honoured by Pharoah? so is Doeg by Saul. And usually, as to outward things, the advantage is on the side of the worst men, Ps. 73.12, 13. Mal. 3.15.

to the righteous and the wicked,] In regard of their spiritual state and condition towards God. Not that any man is perfectly righteous in this life, Chap. 7.2•. but inchoatly by the first fruits of the Spirit. Comparatively, in opposition to the wicked. Evangelically, by sincere dispositions of heart, and by the ordinary prevalency and dominion of grace.

to the clean and unclean] Between whom great difference was to be made, Ezek. 22.26.

to him that sacrificeth, and him that sacrificeth not] That carefully observeth, or profanely neglecteth the worship of God; as we see in the examples of Jeroboam and Jehu.

to him that sacrificeth, and him that sacrificeth not] That carefully observeth, or prophanely neglecteth the worship of God; as we see in the examples of Jeroboam and Jehu.

as is the good, so is the sinner] The doubling of the prefix Caph, noteth an equal comparison, and absolute similitude between the things compared, Gen. 18.25. & 44.18. Isa. 24.2. 1 Reg. 22.4.

and he that sweareth] Namely, falsely or rashly, without truth, or judgement, or righteousness.

and he that sweareth] Namely, falsly or rashly, without truth, or judgement, or righteousness.

as he that feareth an oath] The character of a godly man, who doth so reverence the great name of God, Deut. 28.58. that by the fear thereof, he is kept from swearing rashly by it, and when he is called to swear, doth it with an awful regard towards that glorious and fearful Name.

V. 3. This is an evil amongst all things that are done, &c.] When I consider the course of providence, I found this to be one of the most grievous things which happeneth under the Sun, That all things, the same equal events, both in life & death, do happen not only to the just and the unjust, but even to the maddest and most desperate of sinners, who all their life long do give up themselves unto all excess of wickedness.

V. 3. This is an evil amongst all things that are done, &c.] When I consider the course of providence, I found this to be one of the most grievous things which hapneth under the Sun, That all things, the same equal events, both in life & death, do happen not only to the just and the unjust, but even to the maddest and most desperate of sinners, who all their life long do give up themselves unto all excess of wickedness.

This is an evil among all things] It is not evil in regard of God, who doth all in a most wise and holy manner: but evil, that is, grievous and troublesome unto man to behold, ⟨p. 283⟩a great temptation unto him to consider, that just and wise men should be exposed to the self-same miseries, with fools and ungodly.

an evil amongst all things] Or, above all other evils: So some render it, hoc pessimum, this is the worst of evils. As the Superlative is often expressed by an Adjective, governing an Ablative case with the Preposition Caph: Examples whereof, the Learned give in, 1 Sam. 17.12. Prov. 30.30. Cant. 1.8. Luke 1.28. Jer. 49.15.