Exposition of Ecclesiastes, Preface
❧The Preface vppon the booke of Salomon, called the Preacher.
BEcauſe this booke hath beene obſcurely & darckly tranſlated out of the Hebrew tounge,He blameth the abuſing of this booke. eueryevery learned mā hath greedyly gone aboute to expoūde and declare it, eche man labouryng to frame diuerſe of the ſayinges therin to his owne profeſſion, or rather opinion whether for that their curioſitie was delighted in ſtraūge, obſcure and vnwonted matters: or els for that in ſuch obſcure and darke writyngs, it is eaſie for a man to fayne what hee phanſieth and ſuppoſeth. For the Philoſophers hauehave thought, that which Salomon ſayth euen in the very begynnyng, hath appertained to them, namely, that all thynges are difficulte, man is not able to vtter them with tounge, as though Salomon ment ſome kinde of vayne ſpeculation in Philoſophie.
Some other being offended with this ſaying of Salomon: As the beaſt dyeth ſo dyeth the man, and they hauehave both one end and lyfe: hauehave demed that he was an Epicure, or ſpake in the perſon of the Epicures. But none hauehave more daungerouſly miſuſed the ſame,The errour of the Schoolemē, in this booke. thē the Schooles of the diuines, who hauehave wreſted this place: No man knoweth whether he be worthy of hatred or louelove to the cōſcience toward God, and ſo much hauehave wreſted the ſame, that they hauehave vtterly ſlaughtered the conſciences of all mē, and put out the moſt certaine ſayth in Chriſt, teachyng & beatyng into moſt miſerable harts,The doctrine of doubtyng, tooke begynnyng of this booke. nothing more deuoutly thē yt we ought to doubt & to be vncertaine, of the louelove, & grace of God toward vsus, lyued we neuer ſo inculpable.
So great was the darkenes more the that of Egypt, that by reaſon of this ſaying of Salomō, yea rather through theyr owne errours builded vponupon his ſaying, they ſaw now no more the writynges of the Apoſtles and Euangeliſtes, which do declare by ſo many miracles Scriptures and Argumentes, that Chriſt is our mediatour, and the authour of the moſt vndoubted grace and ſaluation, that God hath prohibited and geuen freely to vsus. And no leſſe hurt hauehave diuers of the holy and notable fathers and Doctours in the Church done by miſunderſtādyng of the ſame booke,The errour of holy fathers, in miſunderſtādyng of this booke. who hauehave thought that Salomon had taught vsus herein the cōtempt of the world (as they call it) that is to ſay of the creatures, that God hath made and ordeined. Amongeſt whom S. Hierome is one which by hys Commētary writtē vponupon this booke allured his beloued Bleſilla to become a Nunne. From hēce hath flowed and rūne ouer all the church lyke a flud or inundatiō all that diuinitie of ye religious houſes or monaſteries,The begynnyng of Monkiſhe lyfe. where they taught that it was the duty of a chriſtiane to forſake the gouernaunce of hys houſe, to giuegive vp his office, yea to leaue the Byſhoplyke or rather Apoſtolike miniſtery, to get them into the wildernes, to ſeparate them from all company, to lyue in quyete and ſilence, ſaying that mē could not lyue in the world and ſerue God: as though Salomon counted mariage, gouernance of kingdoms, bearing of office & miniſtery of the word vanity, all which in this booke hee meruelouſly extolleth & calleth ye gifts of God.Errour of the interpretours. And whereas Salomō declareth that men thē ſelues, or rather their coūſels & deuiſes, are vanities, theſe men peruertyng all thyngs, call the things thē ſelues vayne, and ſuppoſe that they & their deuiſes are ſounde & good, ſmothly dreamyng all thynges contrary to Salomons meanyng. And to be ſhort, they hauehave drawen vsus out of this moſt goodly and profitable booke nothyng but monſters, and of moſt fine and pure gold hauehave made abhominable Idoles.
Wherefore the rather to diſcouer this darkenes, and to aboliſh theſe filthy Idoles, I hauehave ſuffered theſe annotations of myne, noted and written, by other as I ſpake them, and framed after this order of ſpeach, (for my ſelfe by reaſon of much buſineſſe could write no ſufficient and full Commentary vponupon the booke) to be publiſhed. Which annotations albeit they are but ſlender and litle, yet may they to them that hauehave no better, or which hauehave been ſeduced heretofore with falſe gloſes (as I hauehave been) geue occaſion as vntounto wiſe men, to become the better and finde out and deuiſe better matter. Surely a very ſmall taſt of this booke was to me a great pleaſure, after I was weryed in the ſame all my lyfe long, and had in vayne vexed and corrupted my ſelfe, with wicked opinions agaynſt the fayth in Chriſt. Wherfore I giuegive moſt harty thankes, to ye father of mercies, which hath renewed this latter age with ſo many reuelations and ſo great light.
The title of this booke.Therfore we will more aptely call this booke of the Preacher, the politikes, or Oeconomikes of Salomon, (not for yt he giueth any rules or preceptes how to gouerne any Cities, or to rule any families (for that doth the law of nature or reaſon of man abundantly perfourme. Wherunto all thynges in the world are ſubiect. Gen. 1. which hath bene alway the fountaine, Iudge and end, & muſt ſo remaine of all lawes aſwell ciuile as domeſticall) but for that it giueth counſell to men in aduerſitie whether they be publike or priuate perſons, inſtructyng their myndes & ſtrengthenyng them to patience, by bearyng of miſfortunes which many wayes fall out in ſuch caſes, as the bookes of the holy hyſtories and all Poetes fables do declare, ſuch as are Hercules trauelles, the monſters that Vliſſes & others ouercame, the Beare, the Liō, and Goliath that Dauid vanquiſhed. He that in theſe pointes is ignoraunt, at length falleth downe being tyred, and great is his fall, as was the fall of Timon, Demoſthenes, Cicero, and diuerſe lyke. Through the impatiencie hereof hauehave heretikes alſo ſtyrred vp ſects in ye Church becauſe ſuch was the naughtynes of men, that they forſooke their miniſtery. As it is commonly ſayd Deſperation maketh Monkes. For it is true that the wiſe mā ſayth:He meaneth Plato. Office and authoritie ſheweth what a man is. But in deede, onles we hauehave ſome Salomon to exhorte and comforte vsus, office and authoritie, ouerwhelmeth, caſteth downe, and vndoth a man.
I commende therfore to the godly brethren this my Salomon, rather pointed at, and but touched, then fully declared. And I wiſh that ſome good and learned man of a more abundaunt ſpirit, and happyer vayne then I am would ſtand vp, expound and beautifie this booke according to the worthynes therof, to the prayſe of God and commēdation of his creatures, to whom be glory for euer, through Ieſus Chriſt our Lord. Amen.
The Argument vponupon Salomons booke called the Preacher.
The obſcuritie or hardnes of this booke.THis booke is one of the moſt difficulte bookes of the whole Scripture, whiche no man hath hetherto fully attayned vntounto, yea it hath been depraued with the vnworthy commentaryes of diuerſe men: in ſo much that it is a more trouble to purge ye author therof from the dreames wherewith they hauehave defaced it, then to reſtore the true ſenſe therof agayn. And two cauſes there hauehave been,Two cauſes why it is ſo obſcure. why it hath been more hard to vnderſtand then other. One was, for that they perceaued not the intent and meanyng of the author, which thyng as in eueryevery kynde of writyng, ſo chiefly in this, and in all others, it had been requiſite, they had kept and folowed. The other was by reaſon they were ignoraunt in the Hebrew toung, & in the auctors peculiar phraſe, whiche many tymes ſwarueth from the common phraſe of ſpeach, and differeth much from the cuſtome of our tounge.The vſe of this booke. Hereby it came to paſſe, that the booke which for many cauſes was worthy to be had in all mēs hādes, and ſpecially to be knowen to all gouernours of common weales (for in it was moſt liuely ſet forth and in no place like, the adminiſtration of affaires aſwell publike as priuate) hath hetherto been depriued of his name and dignitie, miſerably vnregarded and neglected, ſo that to this day, we hauehave had neither vſe nor commoditie of it. So much hath the raſhnes and ignoraunce of ſome men been able to do. Wherfore our firſt labour ſhalbe to hold faſt the certeine ſcope & intēt of the booke, what it requireth and whereto it tendeth. For if we hereof be ignoraunt, it ſhall be impoſſible to vnderſtand the ſtyle and phraſe in the ſame.
The meaning therefore and ſumme of thys booke is,The Argumēt and intent of this booke. that Salomon wyll hauehave vsus to be quieted and ſetled in our mynde, that in all occurrē ces and chaunces of thys lyfe, we ſhould liue cō tented wyth our preſent eſtate, wythout care & deſire of thynges to come, as Paul ſayth: liuing wythout carefulnes, becauſe vayne is the deſire of future thyngs. Salomon gathereth by a certayne perpetuall and cōtynued induction of particular thynges, that mens deuiſes and enterpriſes are friuolous and vayne, ſo that of particulars, makyng a generall concluſion, he prooueth that all mens deuiſes are vayne. For he ſayth yt: to get lyuyng & riches, it helpeth not to be wiſe, to runne faſt, it auayleth not to be ſwift, to gette the victory, it booteth not to be ſtrong: yea, the wyſer, the holyer, the more laborious a man is, the leſſe he preuayleth: ſo that as well his wyſdome as his righteouſnes and workes are of no ſtrength or force. So that if neyther theſe nor any other thynges be of force, then of neceſſitie muſt all thynges be vayne and forceles.
But here in the begynning muſt we roote out an errour and noyſome opynion that many men hauehave, namely,The errour of them cō futed which condemne Gods creatures. that we thynke not Salomō to ſpeake of the contempt of creatures which the ſcripture wyll not ſuffer to be contemned or condemned. For all thynges which God created are very good, and made for the vſe of man, which thyng, Paule in playne wordes affirmeth. 1.The creatures of God are good. Tim. 4. ſaying: EueryEvery creature of God is good, and nothyng is to be reiected, that is receaued wyth thankes geeuyng. For it is ſanctified by the word of God, & by prayer. It is therefore very foolyſhly & wyckedly done of ſome preachers, to enuey agaynſt glory, power, dignitie, riches, golde, fame, beuty, women, playnely condemning the creatures of God. A Magiſtrate or officer, is an ordinaunce of God. Golde is good, and ryches are the gyfte of God. A womā is a good thing, and made to be an helper vntounto man. For God made all thyngs, to the ende they ſhoulde bee good and profitable ſome way to man.The abuſe of Gods creatures, & naughty affections of men are condemned in this booke. Therefore the creatures of God are not cōdemned by this booke, but the naughty affection and deſier of men, which are not cō tented wyth theſe preſent creatures of God, and the vſe of them, but are alway carefull how to heape vp ryches, to get honour, glory, and great name, as though they ſhould alway lyue in thys world, lothyng ſtill their preſent ſtate and condition, and wyſhing, and aſpyring to one thyng after an other. For thys is a great vanitie and miſery, that a man ſhould defraude and byguyle hymſelfe of the vſe of ſuch pleaſures as are before hym, and vaynely to vexe and diſquiet himſelfe about thyngs he hath not. Theſe naughty affections (I ſay) and enterpriſes of men doth Salomon in thys booke condemne, and not the creatures themſelues: For touching the vſe of theſe creatures, hee hymſelfe ſayth hereafter: There is nothyng better then to be meary in thys life, and to eate and drinke, and man to reigne in his labour. &c. where he ſhoulde be founde vtterly agaynſt hymſelfe, if he ſhoulde condemne the thynges, and not rather the abuſe of them, which is onelyonly in our affections.The errour of them that vnderſtand not this booke. Certayne fooliſhe men, not perceiuyng theſe thyngs, hauehave taught vsus abſurde opinions about the contempt and forſakyng of the worlde, and hauehave themſelues comitted many abſurde thynges, as we read in the liues of the fathers, yt there were ſome which would not looke vponupon the Sunne, (beyng worthy doubtles to hauehave had their eyes put out) and lyued moſt filthely and ſlouenly, becauſe they would ſeem religious: which thing what we may iudge of it, appeareth playnely by that is ſayd before. For it is but a ſory contemnyng of the worlde, to lyue ſolitarily, and out of the company of men. It is no contempt of golde to caſt it away, or to abſteyne from touchyng of money, as dyd the Franciſcanes: but he in deede contemneth it that vſing it eueryevery day, is not caryed away wyth the greedy deſier of it. Thys therfore is the principall thyng that they ſhoulde cōſider which will read thys booke of Salomō.
Farthermore,What thyngs Salomon condemneth in this booke. this alſo is diligently to bee obſerued, that Salomon in this booke ſpeaketh onelyonly of mankynde, and keepeth hymſelfe within the bondes of mans nature, that is, of mans enterpriſes, deuiſes, deſiers, and counſayles, leaſt perhappes wee may imagine the ſame that the interpreters of this booke doe, which thynke the knowledge of nature, the ſtudies of aſtronomy and all philoſophy, are here diſpiſed, as vayne and vnprofitable ſpeculations, whereas the commodities of theſe ſciences are great and manifolde, as dayly we ſee before our faces. Beſides that in ſearching out the groundes and cauſes of thynges naturall, there is aſwell great pleaſure as profit. And the holy Scripture proponeth diuers thynges, to teach vsus the properties and vertues of them, ſuch as is thys in the Pſalme: He maketh thee young and luſty like an Egle. Againe: Like as the Egle that prouoketh her young ones to flye. Againe: As the hart deſireth the water ſprings and ſoyle. And: Go ſluggiſh body to the Emmet and Piſmere. Yea the ſcriptures are full of ſuch metaphores and ſimilitudes borowed of nature, ſo that he that ſhould take thē out of the holy Byble, ſhoulde take therewith much lyght from it alſo.
What the matter and content of this booke is.To be plaine therfore, the ſubiect and matter of the booke is, that mankynde is ſo fooliſh, that he deſireth and ſearcheth after his owne wayes many thynges which he can not compaſſe and bryng to paſſe, or if he bring them to paſſe, he can not enioy them, but poſſeſſeth them with care & loſſe, not thorough any fault in the thynges, but by reaſon of his moſt fooliſhe affectiōs & deſiers. Iulius Ceſar was greatly occupyed to obteine the Empyre of ye Romaynes, but what perils & trauels ſuſteyned he before he could get it?What the affectiōs of man are. And hauing gottē it, he was not yet quiet, he had not bys whole wyſhe, but while he was carefully buſied to clyme yet higher, hee periſhed moſt miſerably. The ſame cōmeth to paſſe in all worldly affaires, whē we hauehave greateſt wealth, ſtraight way, we lyke not with it. If we want & lacke, we are neuer quiet & at reſt for deſire of it. This vice of mans nature and inclination ſaw yt heathē writers. For thus ſayth Ouide:
That lawfull is, we loth, and like
the thinges we are forbid to doe:
That foloweth vsus, we flee, and ſeeke
to follow that, that flees vsus fro.
Againe:
The preſent ſtate doth no man pleaſe,
VponUpon his owne to liue at eaſe.
This is the vanitie of mans hart,The doctrine of this booke is, to vſe our goods with thankes geuyng. neuer to be content with Gods preſent bleſſings, but to deſpiſe them, ſeeking ſtill one thyng after other, neuer content till he hauehave gotten his deſire: and hauyng once gotten it, nothing regarding it, but ſtill deuiſing ſome other wayes.
Therfore to repeat againe my ſaying, ye ſcope and end of this booke is to teach vsus to vſe Gods preſent benefits & creatures which he boūtifully beſtoweth vponupon vsus with thākeſgeuing, without carefulnes, & hereafter, to the entent our hart may be quiet ſetled, and merry, beyng content wyth Gods worde and workyng. So in ye chapiters folowing, he exhorteth vsus, to eate and drinke with the wife of thy youth, & not to want oyle for our head, but to hauehave our garments white, according to ye ſaying of Chriſt: Sufficient to the day is the trauell and care therof. And as Paul ſaith: taking no thought for the fleſhe, to fulfill the luſtes of it. And if a man woulde followe this trade, hys mynde would ſtill be quietly ſetled, and God would aboundantly prouide vsus of all thynges. And now men vexe and diſquiet themſelues with two miſchiefes, namely, while they depriue themſelues of the vſe of thynges preſent, and trouble & vexe thēſelues with care of things abſent. Or if they hauehave any vſe of their goods, it is but bitter & vnpleaſaunt. Cicero that great eloquent man, had beene maruelous happy, if he had knowen well how to hauehave vſed this quietnes, but the miſerable man deſirous ſtill of higher aduauncement, & to ſet forward his owne wayes & deuiſes, depriued himſelfe of many great bēnefites, and was the cauſe of his owne calamitie and deſtruction. Well,S. Augustines ſaying. therfore doth S. Auguſtine ſay: Thou haſt appointed (O lord) that that man, which is not contented with his owne eſtate and cō dition, ſhal hauehave a vexed & troubled minde, for his puniſhment.
The corruption of mās nature and miſerie of mans affections.And if a man would compare the goodes that he hath, with the euils, that he hath not, he ſhould at length perceaue, what a treaſure of goodes he poſſeſſed. He that hath his eye ſight cleare and good, maketh no great accompt therof, nor is not much delighted with Gods benefits, but if he wanted eyes, he would giuegive all the goodes he had to hauehave them. Thus fare we in health, & all other lyke thynges. If God would giuegive me the eloquēce that Cicero had, the power of Ceſar, the wiſedome of Salomon, yet ſhould I not be contented. Bycauſe we alwayes ſeeke after yt we hauehave not. If we lack a wife we ſeeke for one. When we hauehave her, we lothe and deſpiſe her. We be all together lyke vntounto quickeſiluer, which in no place can ſtand ſtill in reſt. So inconſtant is the mynde of mā, being therfore vnworthy to enioy any one of Gods benefites.
What thinges are reprehended in this booke.Agaynſt this wretched affections of mā doth Salomon in this booke inuey, reprouyng the inconſtancie & vanitie of mās hart which enioyeth neither his goodes preſent, nor yet them to come, bycauſe he doth not acknowledge the benefites he hath receaued, nor geeueth thankes to God for them, and vaynely ſeeketh after the thyngs he hath not, which is as one ſhould hang betwene heauen and earth.