Annotations on the book of Ecclesiastes

gave my heart] See vers. 13. The more wise any man is, the more he laboureth to grow in wisdom.

to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly] Chap. 7.25. Hereby he understands moral, political, and practical knowledge, in order to its better government, to observe the difference between wise and virtuous, and between foolish and wicked actions: the word rendered folly, is in this only place written with the letter [Greek or Hebrew] Sin, in all others with the letter [Greek or Hebrew] Samech, and so may be here rendered either folly, or prudence. And this he found to be vexation of spirit, or feeding on wind; observing how short men came of the one, and how much the other did abound. Or finding by his own experience, that neither the perfection of moral wisdom, so far as it is acquirable by humane diligence, nor yet the pleasures and delights of vicious and foolish could quiet and settle the heart of man, 1 Cor. 1.20. Eccles. 11.8, 9. A bare speculative knowledge of good, and an experimental ⟨p. 46⟩presumptuous knowledge of evil, such as Adams was in eating the forbidden fruit, are so far from making men happy, that they increase their misery.

to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly] Chap. 7.25. Hereby he understands moral, political, and practical knowledge, in order to its better government, to observe the difference between wise and vertuous, and between foolish and wicked actions: the word rendred folly, is in this onely place written with the letter 〈non-Latin alphabet〉 Sin, in all others with the letter 〈non-Latin alphabet〉 Samech, and so may be here rendred either folly, or prudence. And this he found to be vexation of spirit, or feeding on wind; observing how short men came of the one, and how much the other did abound. Or finding by his own experience, that neither the perfection of moral wisdome, so far as it is acquirable by humane diligence, nor yet the pleasures and delights of vitious and foolish could quiet and settle the heart of man, 1 Cor. 1.20. Eccles. 11.8, 9. A bare speculative knowledge of good, and an experimental

But here Solomon may seem to have committed an error against the moral wisdom which he here professed to enquire after, namely, in speaking of much so his own eminency in gifts beyond other men, Joh. 8.13. He doth it not falsely, arrogantly, nor proudly and vain-gloriously, to magnify himself, but humbly, in acknowledging Gods gifts, and necessarily to discover thereby the truth of that doctrine he was now teaching the Church by his own experience: and so it is lawful to make mention of Gods gifts and graces bestowed on us, as the Apostle doth, 1 Cor. 14.18. & 15.10. 2 Cor. 11, 5, 6.

But here Solomon may seem to have committed an errour against the moral wisdome which he here professed to enquire after, namely, in speaking of much so his own eminency in gifts beyond other men, Joh. 8.13. He doth it not falsly, arrogantly, nor proudly and vain-gloriously, to magnifie himself, but humbly, in acknowledging Gods gifts, and necessarily to discover thereby the truth of that doctrine he was now teaching the Church by his own experience: and so it is lawful to make mention of Gods gifts and graces bestowed on us, as the Apostle doth, 1 Cor. 14.18. & 15.10. 2 Cor. 11, 5, 6.

is much grief] Or, anger, or indignation. Whence the Chaldee Paraphrase, The more knowledge any man hath, without repentance, the more wrath is upon him from the Lord, as Luke 12.47. But the meaning, according ⟨p. 47⟩to the scope of the context, is, That abundance of wisdom is always accompanied with a proportion of trouble and perturbation of mind; as indignation, to see how little fruit, and how much disappointment a man doth meet with in it, and how little account is made of it in the World, as Eccles. 9. Grief and discontent, when the more wisdom a man hath, the more ignorance he doth discover in himself, and the more pains he must take to go on unto more knowledge yet unattained; and yet still find his crookedness of mind, and manifold defects uncorrected, unsupplied; fear of losing, and forgetting what with so great pains had been gotten. Some begin the next Chapter with these words, and so make them a transition to the next endeavour of Solomon, to find out happiness in some other thing; and so the sense runs thus; Forasmuch as in much wisdom there is much grief, &c. and this was not the way to attain true happiness and content to toil and weary out my self with pain, sorrow of mind and body in the attaining of wisdom: Therefore I said in my heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, &c. Yet the purpose of the Wise man is not to deter men from so noble a labour as the study of wisdom and learning, but to raise up to the study of heavenly Wisdom, and ⟨p. 48⟩the fear of God, whereby their other knowledge would be sanctified, sweetened, and made excellently useful and comfortable to them.

is much grief] Or, anger, or indignation. Whence the Chaldee Paraphrase, The more knowledge any man hath, without repentance, the more wrath is upon him from the Lord, as Luke 12.47. But the meaning, according ⟨p. 47⟩to the scope of the context, is, That abundance of wisdome is alwaies accompanied with a proportion of trouble and perturbation of mind; as indignation, to see how little fruit, and how much disappointment a man doth meet with in it, and how little accompt is made of it in the World, as

CHAP. II.

Being disappointed in his expectation from the knowledge of the Creature, he now resolveth to search what good may be found in the use and fruition of it, and so sets himself to try what content either sensual, or rational pleasures could bring to the heart; which he doth, from vers. 1. to ver. 12. and finding that he had changed for the worse, he goes back again to the consideration of wisdom and madness, and finding as much disappointment the second time, as he had done the first, vers. 12—23. He concludeth, that there is no comfort nor tranquility to be found in the use of Creatures, till by the favour of God it be sweetened unto us, Vers. 24, 25, 26.

BEing disappointed in his expectation from the knowledge of the Creature, he now resolveth to search what good may be found in the use and fruition of it, and so sets himself to try what content either sensual, or rational pleasures could bring to the heart; which he doth, from vers. 1. to ver. 12. and finding that he had changed for the worse, he goes back again to the consideration of wisdome and madnesse, and finding as much disappointment the second time, as he had done the first, vers. 12—23. He concludeth, that there is no comfort nor tranquility to be found in the use of Creatures, till by the favour of God it be sweetned unto us, Vers. 24, 25, 26.

Vers. 1. I Said in my heart] I purposed Within my self, and did resolve with intimate affection to try what pleasures would do, Chap. 1.16. Luke 12.19.

Go to now] It is an adverbial form of exhorting ⟨p. 49⟩and quickening his heart unto such a course.

I will prove thee with mirth] Or, by mirth, as by the instrument of enquiring after happiness, Judg. 6.39. 1 King. 10.1. I will make trial another way whether pleasures will content thee, Psal. 26.2. the word being derivable from another root, admits of another sense, but to the same purpose, I will pour out my self in delights, or I will abound in delights. Pleasures do melt and pour out the soul; hence Reuben is said to be unstable as waters, Gen. 49.4. Ezek. 16.15. Lusts have a greediness and excess in them, Eph. 4.19. I will wholly give my self, my heart shall flow forth into delights, I will fully gratify my senses, and indulge my fancy in all pleasing things.

I will prove thee with mirth] Or, by mirth, as by the instrument of enquiring after happinesse, Judg. 6.39. 1 King. 10.1. I will make tryal another way whether pleasures will content thee, Psal. 26.2. the word being deriveable from another root, admits of another sense, but to the same purpose, I will pour out my self in delights, or I will abound in delights. Pleasures do melt and pour out the soul; hence Reuben is said to be unstable as waters, Gen. 49.4. Ezek. 16.15. Lusts have a greediness and excess in them, Eph. 4.19. I will wholly give my self, my heart shall flow forth into delights, I will fully gratifie my senses, and indulge my fancy in all pleasing things.

therefore enjoy pleasure] Or, see good. To see, is to enjoy, Isa. 53.11. Psal. 34.8. & 4.6. Live plentifully, indulge to thy self all delights, restrain not thy self from any desire of thine eyes.

V. 2. I said of laughter] By laughter, he meaneth any excess of joy, and merriment, when the heart is so full, that it cannot contain its delight within, but it breaketh forth into the face, voice, and outward behaviour, Gen. 21.6. Psal. 126.2. Luke 6.21.

or I said to laughter, Thou art mad] By a Prosopopoeia. Excess of joy transporteth the mind, and as it were displaceth reason, argues much levity, vanity, incomposedness of judgment. True joy is a severe and serious thing, keeps the heart always in a stayed and fixed condition, but the joy which breaks forth into laughter, is like the crackling of thorns, Eccl. 7.6. and hath a sorrow at the bottom of it: as a mad-man, the more merry he is, is the more miserable, Prov. 14.13. Jam. 4.9.

or I said to laughter, Thou art mad] By a Prosopopoeia. Excess of joy transporteth the mind, and as it were displaceth reason, argues much levity, vanity, incomposedness of judgment. True joy is a severe and serious thing, keeps the heart alwayes in a stayed and fixed condition, but the joy which breaks forth into laughter, is like the crackling of thorns, Eccl. 7.6. and hath a sorrow at the bottom of it: as a mad-man, the more merry he is, is the more miserable, Prov. 14.13. Jam. 4.9.

and of mirth, what doth it?] What good or profit bringeth it with it? Job 35.6, 7. Matth. 20.32. The interrogation bids a challenge to all the masters of mirth, that were to produce any one satisfactory fruit which it affordeth. Thus we see by the example of Solomon, that the heart cannot stay long on any one enquiry wherein it meeteth with dis-satisfaction, but it quickly hasteneth unto another, as a Bee flieth from flower to flower, when there is not enough in one to satiate it, as a sick man that removes from one bed, couch, chamber, unto another for ease, and finds none, Isaiah 57.10. Jer. 2.23, 36. 2. That in such kind of changes usually the heart goeth from better to worse, […] here Solomon from wisdom to pleasure• 3. Here is observable the nature of sensual ⟨p. 51⟩mirth, it tends towards excess, and so towards undecency and madness: for here is not condemned moderate, but excessive pleasure, when a man gives up his heart to it, and makes it the business of his life.

and of mirth, what doth it?] What good or profit bringeth it with it? Job 35.6, 7. Matth. 20.32. The interrogation bids a challenge to all the masters of mirth, that were to produce any one satisfactory fruit which it affordeth. Thus we see by the example of Solomon, that the heart cannot stay long on any one enquiry wherein it meeteth with dis-satisfaction, but it quickly hasteneth unto another, as a Bee flyeth from flower to flower, when there is not enough in one to satiate it, as a sick man that removes from one bed, couch, chamber, unto another for ease, and finds none, Esay 57.10. Jer. 2.23, 36. 2. That in such kind of changes usually the heart goeth from better to worse, 〈…〉 here Solomon from wisdome to pleasure• 3. Here is observable the nature of sensua

V. 3. I sought in my heart] Upon serious deliberation, and further exploration of that good which men may in this life attain unto, finding that neither wisdom alone, nor pleasures alone, could bring me unto it, I purposed to temper them together; and since I found that wisdom and knowledge was accompanied with grief and sorrow, I intended to mitigate those griefs with bodily delights: and yet so, as that my wisdom might restrain those delights from any excess, and from disabling me in the duties which I owed to God or men.

V. 3. I sought in my heart] Upon serious deliberation, and further exploration of that good which men may in this life attain unto, finding that neither wisdome alone, nor pleasures alone, could bring me unto it, I purposed to temper them together; and since I found that wisdome and knowledge was accompanied with grief and sorrow, I intended to mitigate those griefs with bodily delights: and yet so, as that my wisdom might restrain those delights from any excess, and from disabling me in the duties which I owed to God or men.

to give my self unto wine] To draw my flesh with wine. Or, to draw forth my flesh unto wine. Abstinence doth shrink and contract the body, and keep it under, 1. Cor. 9.27. Dan. 1.10. feasting and mirth doth draw it forth, Psal. 73.7. That leanness or wasting of body which by hard studies I had contracted, I now purposed by more delicacy of living, and indulgence to draw forth into freshness, fullness and beauty again. Or, to draw with wine, to spend more time in feasting, banqueting, and delights then formerly ⟨p. 52⟩I had done. So drawing signifies sometimes continuance and prolongation of a business, Psal. 85.5. Isai. 13.22. Ezek. 12.28. So the glutton, Luk. 16.19.

to give my self unto wine] To draw my flesh with wine. Or, to draw forth my flesh unto wine. Abstinence doth shrink and contract the body, and keep it under, 1. Cor. 9.27. Dan. 1.10. feasting and mirth doth draw it forth, Psal. 73.7. That leannesse or wasting of body which by hard studies I had contracted, I now purposed by more delicacy of living, and indulgence to draw forth into freshness, fulness and beauty again. Or, to draw with wine, to spend more time in feasting, banqueting, and delights then formerly ⟨p. 52⟩I had done. So drawing signifies sometimes continuance and prolongation of a business,