The Book of Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon Paraphrased, Text and paraphrase 1 · Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
ARGUMENT.
In the eleven firſt Verſes he lays the foundation of his following Diſcourſes, and makes his way to the proof of what he intends (viz. That nothing here can make us ſolidly happy) by ſhewing how empty all things are; and how ſhort a time a man hath to poſſeſs them; and that while it laſts he can only enjoy the ſame empty things over and over again; till he be cloyed with them. And then v. 12. he enters into a particular conſideration of the inſufficiency of humane Wiſdom and knowledge alone, to give us full ſatisfaction: though this be one of the very beſt things wherein men place their felicity. Which Diſcourſe continues to the end of the Chapter.
1. THE words of the preacher, the Son of David King of Jeruſalem.
1. THeſe are the words of him, who thought the name of a Preacher, or Publick Inſtructer of Gods people (to whom he calls aloud in this Book, to mind what he ſaith concerning the ſupreme Good of Man) no leſs honourable, than that of the Son of King David: whom he ſucceeded in his Throne; and reigned after him in the holy City Jeruſalem. See Annot. [a]
2. Vanity of vanities, ſaith the preacher, vanity of vanities, all is vanity.
2. That Good of which you are all deſirous, is not there to be found where you ſeek it; for all things here below are ſo frail, ſo ſubject to change, and to vaniſh, that I have not words to expreſs how vain they are. This is the thing which the Preacher firſt undertakes to prove, That they are mere emptineſs, more vain than Vanity it ſelf; ſo full of trouble and care, as well as extremely unſtable, that to no purpoſe are all mens endeavours, who ſeek for ſatisfaction from them; eſpecially if they place their higheſt Good in them. See Annot. [b]
3. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the ſun?
3. For proof of this, let every man ſurvey himſelf; who conſiſts of body and of mind. And let him ask his mind, What great matter there remains, after all its cares for the things of this life? What contentment he, or any man elſe in all this World hath reaped by his toilſome labours, and anxious thoughts, wherewith he hath rackt himſelf both day and night? Which have often ended in diſappointment; and when he hath enjoyed his deſires, this very thing hath ſpoiled his pleaſures, that he could not long enjoy them. See Annot. [c]
4. One generation paſſeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.
4. For if they do not preſently leave him, he in a ſhort time muſt leave them: his Body (the other part of him) being made out of the Earth; and therefore how firm and ſolid ſoever it now ſeem, muſt be crumbled into Earth again. Which continues for ever, to receive back thoſe Bodies which come out of it: for no Generation can abide as the Earth doth; but follows the foregoing, as the next that come after ſhall follow it, unto their Graves. See Annot. [c]
5. The ſun alſo ariſeth, and the ſun goeth down and haſteth to his place where he aroſe.
5. Out of which they cannot return and ſtand up in their former places, as the Sun, that quickens all things, doth: which in a conſtant and regular courſe ariſeth, and makes not more ſpeed to go down, than it doth to appear the next morning, in the ſame Glory again. No; man dies, and appears here no more; though if he ſhould, it would be to dye again. See Annot. [d]
6. The wind goeth toward the South, and turneth about unto the North; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.
6. Nor is the annual courſe of the Sun leſs certain than its diurnal; but it comes back the next year at a fixed time, to the very ſame Point from whence it moved this. Nay, the Winds, as fickle and inconſtant as they are, whirling with a marvellous ſwiftneſs round the Earth, return at laſt to the ſame Quarter from whence they ſhifted (and ſome of them the very ſame months of the year) to fetch the ſame compaſs, and run the ſame round they did before.
7. All the rivers run into the ſea, yet the ſea is not full: unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
7. The like Circle there is in Watry Bodies, for the Torrents and Brooks, that the Rain makes, run into the Rivers, and ſo into the Sea, which nevertheleſs doth not ſwell beyond its Bounds, becauſe it reſtores all back again to their former places, by the Vapors which the Sun exhales, or by ſecret paſſages through the Earth: Whileſt poor Man alone (who is compounded of all theſe, of the Earth, the Air, the Water, and ſuch heat as the Sun adminiſters) paſſeth away and cometh to his place no more; but muſt be content to imitate theſe things, only in their reſtleſs agitations.
8. All things are full of labour, man cannot utter it: the eye is not ſatisfied with ſeeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
8. Which is another thing, that encreaſeth his trouble; that in this ſhort life, which he cannot live over again when it is done, he can neither be quiet, nor move with eaſe (as the things forenamed do) nor yet acquire ſatisfaction with his perpetual motion; but tires himſelf even in his pleaſures; and finds all ſort of buſineſs ſo laborious, that he himſelf is not able to tell how tedious it is; and after all is done, he is no better pleaſed than when he firſt begun. For the eye (for inſtance) and the ear, which are the nobleſt and moſt capacious ſenſes, having ſeen and heard all manner of things, are as deſirous of ſome new entertainment, as if they had enjoyed none at all, See Annot. [e]
9. The thing that hath been, it is that which ſhall be; and that which is done, is that which ſhall be done; and there is no new thing under the ſun.
9. But alaſs! the very ſame things (like the Sun, the Wind, and the Rivers) come about again; and we are cloyed with ſeeing and hearing what hath often preſented it ſelf unto us already, or, at leaſt, hath been in times before us, and will be again, in thoſe that ſucceed us: There is nothing done now, but (the perſons being changed) will be acted over again in future Ages; to whom the Sun can ſhew nothing but what we have ſeen in theſe days, and others have ſeen in the foregoing. And therefore it is vain for any man to expect that ſatisfaction now or in future times, which none have found ſince the World began: Men will always loath things preſent, as they have ever done; and long for thoſe which are a coming, which will ever give them the ſame ſatiety. See Annot. [f]
10. Is there any thing whereof it may be ſaid, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time which was before us.
10. Is any man able to contradict this and point us to the thing which is altogether new, and hath never been ſeen or heard before? It may appear perhaps ſo to him; but that is to be imputed merely to the ſhortneſs of humane life: which makes us ignorant of what hath paſſed in former Ages (ſave only in a few things, tranſmitted down to us by obſerving men.) For had we continued many Generations, that which now ſeems new and unuſual to us, would have appeared familiar and of great antiquity, as really it is.
11. There is no remembrance of former things; neither ſhall there be any remembrance of things that are to come, with thoſe that ſhall come after.
11. They that went before us indeed, might have regiſtred ſuch things; but as they obſerved little, ſo they have left the memory of leſs: nor will this Age, or thoſe that follow, be more careful; or if they ſhould, Poſterity will be as negligent as former Ages have been, in preſerving thoſe Records: For we differ nothing from our Forefathers, nor will the Ages to come excell this in which we live; but ſtill the vanity of man, and of all his projects and contrivances, will continue to the Worlds end.
12. ¶ I the preacher was king over Iſrael in Jeruſalem.
12. And let none imagine that I ſpeak this only as a Preacher, in a zealous paſſion, much leſs in a melancholy mood; but remember that I have long ſat upon a Throne, ruling over God's own peculiar people, in that City which is the very School of Wiſdom: where I wanted nothing either for the body or the mind; and had both opportunity and ability to make tryal of all things wherein men place their happineſs; and therefore may be believed, when I declare nothing but from my own experience. See Annot. [g]
13. And I gave my heart to ſeek and ſearch out by wiſdom, concerning all things that are done under heaven: this ſore travel hath God given to the ſons of man, to be exerciſed therewith.
13. And being thus inſtructed with all the helps and aſſiſtances, that the power of ſuch a King could afford, I applied my mind, in the firſt place, and ſet my Wits to work with all imaginable care and diligence, to ſearch into the nature of all Creatures here below; thinking I ſhould be happy, if I could but find out the cauſes, beginnings and progreſſes of things; eſpecially the counſels, contrivances and endeavours of Mankind, with the events of all their actions. But, alas! I ſoon found that this was a tedious buſineſs, in which when I had travelled a great way, I met with ſmall ſatisfaction; nay, found it to be the torture of the mind, unto which God hath condemned mankind, as a puniſhment for their vain curioſity, and groſs negligence of heavenly Wiſdom. See Annot. [h]
14. I have ſeen all the works that are done under the ſun, and behold all is vanity and vexation of ſpirit.
14. And having now finiſhed theſe Studies, and taken a ſerious view of all that falls within the compaſs of humane knowledge, I cannot ſay that they have given me any ſolid contentment; for we can know but little, and what we do know of natural things doth us ſmall ſervice: it puffs us up indeed like Wind, but gives no nouriſhment; it fills us with Notions, but of little or no uſe; and therefore vexes us at laſt, and breaks our heart to conſider that we have ſpent ſo much time and ſo many thoughts, which have even eaten up our Spirits, to ſo little purpoſe. See Annot. [i]
15. That which is crooked cannot be made ſtraight: and that which is wanting, cannot be numbred.
15. For as there are inexplicable difficulties in all ſorts of knowledge, of which no man can give an account; ſo, with all our ſtudy, we cannot get skill enough, either to prevent misfortunes, or to remove out of the way that which croſſeth our deſigns, much leſs to alter the nature of things (no, not ſo much as in our own Conſtitutions) nor to redreſs the diſorders in Government: the defects in which, and in all other things and conditions, we are ſo far from being able to ſupply, that we cannot number them; and yet the folly of Mankind repreſents every thing to their deſires, as if it were completely good, and wanted nothing to make one happy. See Annot. [k]
16. I communed with mine own heart, Saying, Lo, I am come to great eſtate, and have gotten more wiſdom than all they that have been before me in Jeruſalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wiſdom and knowledge.
16. I my ſelf ſtill perſiſted in my reach after knowledge, though I found it ſo painful and ſo unſatisfactory: thinking within my ſelf, that there was this Good at leaſt in it, that it had gotten me a very great Name, and raiſed me ſo high in all mens opinion, that I was noted for the wiſeſt perſon that had ever been in theſe Parts of the World, there being no ſort of knowledge, wherewith my mind was not ſtored in great abundance. See Annot. [l]
17. And I gave my heart to know wiſdom, and to know madneſs and folly: I perceived that this alſo is vexation of ſpirit.
17. And, as the nature of all knowledge is to excite a thirſt after more, this made me apply my mind more earneſtly to comprehend, not only the greateſt but, the meaneſt matters; to mark, for inſtance, the actions and occupations of mad men and Fools, as well as the motions of wiſer perſons: but I perceived, that to be pleaſed merely with fame was to live upon Air; and it was an afflicting thought to obſerve, how little the moſt of the World (tho' they thought themſelves very wiſe) differed from Lunaticks and diſtracted Folk. See Annot. [m]
18. For in much wiſdom is much grief: and he that increaſeth knowledge, increaſeth ſorrow.
18. So that, though knowledge be the moſt excellent of all other Earthly Goods, being the Ornament of the mind which is the beſt part of us, yet this alſo is inſufficient for our happineſs: becauſe, after it hath coſt a man infinite pains (and ſometimes exhauſted his ſpirits, and made him melancholy and moroſe, nay thrown him into many Diſeaſes) to acquire that little Wiſdom he can attain; which raiſes alſo more doubts than it can reſolve, and meets with troubleſome oppoſition from various Opinions that claſh againſt it; it cannot but fill him with indignation to find folly generally applauded more than his wiſdom; and grieve his very ſoul to ſee that it is dangerous for a man to know more than his Neighbours; and that he is ſo far from being able to remedy what is amiſs, that he is hated if he endeavour it; and rewarded with reproaches for his care of the publick good. See Annot. [n]