A Brief Exposition of the Book of Ecclesiastes, Commentary on Ecclesiastes · Verses 8
Eccleſ. 1.12, 13, 14, 15.
12. I the Preacher was King over Iſrael in Ieruſalem.
13. And I gave my heart to ſeek and ſearch out by wiſdom, concerning all things which are done under Heaven: this ſore travel hath God given to the ſons of man, to be exerciſed therewith.
14. I have ſeen all the works that are done under the ſun, and behold, all is vanity and vexation of ſpirit.
15. That which is crooked cannot be made ſtraight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbred.
NOw followeth in theſe verſes the ſecond Argument, whereby Solomon proveth the vanity and unprofitableneſſe of the ſtudy and knowledge of Gods works in nature to the attainment of happineſſe thereby; taken from his own experience. Where obſerve.
Firſt, his ſtudy of the creatures; and that ſet forth.
1. By the opportunity he had thereto; he was then King over Iſrael in Hieruſalem, verſ. 12.
It was not when he was a child, but when a King, and endued with extraordinary wiſdom; yea, a King of a wiſe people, Deut. 4.6. and in Hieruſalem the Oracle of wiſdom.
2. By the diligence he uſed therein; ſeen
1. In the ſubject he employed in the ſtudy, his heart; I gave my heart to it.
2. In the act, ſeeking, ſearching.
3. In the inſtrument or guide he uſed, By wiſdom.
4. In the object he was converſant about in thoſe ſtudies, I gave my heart to ſeek and ſearch out by wiſdom concerning all things that are done under heaven, (to wit) all the works of God in nature.
3. By the Calling he had thereto, verſ. 13.
Secondly, his verdict or ſentence of all upon his ſtudy and ſearch, All is vanity, verſ. 14.
Thirdly, the reaſon of ſuch his ſentence; the inſufficiency of ſuch knowledge to ſtreighten things crooked, or to ſupply defects.
Doctr. 1. To ſtudy the nature and courſe, and uſe of all Gods works, is a duty impoſed by God upon all ſorts of men; from the King that ſitteth upon the Throne to the Artificer.
This ſore travel hath God given to the ſonnes of men, even to Kings alſo, verſ. 12, 13. Prov. 25.2.
Reaſ. 1. Gods glory which is ſeen in the creatures, Pſalm 19.1. & 145, 10. Rom. 1.20. It is a diſgrace to a good workman not to look at his work, but to ſleight it.
Reaſ. 2. Our own benefit; both of body for health, as in the knowledge of many medicinall things; and of ſoule for Inſtruction, which may be learned from the creatures; and of the eſtate for gain, when we know the worth and uſe of each thing.
Ʋſe 1. To reprove the ſtreight-heartedneſſe of moſt, who ſtudy no further the creatures, then for neceſſity or paſtime. The Gentleman onelyonly obſerveth ſo much of the nature of Dogs, and Haukes, and Pheſants, and Partridges, &c. as ſerveth for his game. The Tradeſman looketh onelyonly at the nature and uſe of ſuch things as whereby he getteth his living, whether Sheep, Beaſts, Skins, Wool, Spices, Fiſhes, Foule, &c.
But ſtudying the nature of all things, which by obſervation and conference men might learn one of another, would enlarge our hearts to God, and our skil to uſefulneſſe to our ſelves and others.
Rich men have more means, and poor men more vacancy to ſeek and get this knowledge; how juſtly then are both reproved for wanting heart to it? Prov. 17.16. Yea Schollers here are not to be excuſed, who ſtudy onelyonly ſome generall cauſes and properties of the creatures, as the principles of naturall bodies, their motion, time, place, meaſure, &c. but neglect to apply their ſtudies to the nature and uſe of all things under heaven.
Doctr. 2. Thoſe buſineſſes which God ſetteth us about, we are to ſet our hearts and beſt endeavours upon them. God laid this ſore travel upon men, and Solomon gave his heart to ſeek and ſearch, &c.
Reaſ. 1. Gods wholy we are, and therfore to employ our whole ſelves at his appointment.
Reaſ. 2. His bleſſing is upon the Induſtrious; his curſe upon the negligent, Prov. 10.4. Ier. 48.10.
Reaſ. 3. All the opportunity we have of taking paines to any profitable uſe, is in this life, Eccleſ. 9, 10. Time ſpendeth faſt, and ſhould be redeemed, Epheſ. 5.15, 16.
Ʋſe. To reprove ſlackneſſe and idleneſſe in any Calling; whether the ſtudy of nature or other. It is not for men to ſay they have nothing to doe, or to ſtand idle, becauſe no man hath hired them, Matth, 20:6, 7. Behold a world of creatures for thee to ſtudy upon. If God lay a ſore travaile upon the ſonnes of men, it is not for Kings to neglect it, but even they to give their hearts this way.
Doctr. 3. Such as ſpeak by experience, ſpeak with authority. As Solomon here, verſ. 14. Acts 4.20.
Three things give authority to ſpeech:
1. Experience.
2. A good calling from God, Amos 7.10, to 17.
3. The Spirit of God, and we ſpeaking in the evidence of it, 1 Cor. 2.4. Acts 8, 13. Matth. 7.29.
Ʋſe 1. To teach young men who want experience, to be the more modeſt in ſpeech, Job 32.6, 7.
Ʋſe 2. To Teach Miniſters eſpecially to know by experience the power of the Goſpel, and grace of God in themſelves, and then teach it to others.
Doctr. 4. They that have beſt experience of the knowledge of the creature, finde both the creatures and the knowledge of them vain and unprofitable to the attainment of happineſſe, yea tending rather to the vexation of the ſpirit, verſ. 14.
For the Philoſophers by the wiſdome gathered from the creatures, knew not God in the wiſdom of God, that is in Chriſt, in whom alone our happineſſe is, 1 Cor. 20.21.
Unprofitable to happineſſe, but rather yielding vexation.
1 Becauſe they lead us not to happineſſe.
2 There lieth a curſe upon the creature ever ſince the fall, Gen. 3.17. Rom. 8.20.
3 Becauſe of the difficulty of the ſearching out of many ſecrets in nature, as the cauſe of the Seas flowing, the motion of the Moon, the Loadſtones drawing of Iron, and looking towards the North-pole, ſundry Sympathies, & Antipathies of the creatures: It is ſaid by ſome to be the death of Ariſtotle that he could not comprehend the cauſe of Euripus ſeven times ebbing and flowing in a day: Becauſe I cannot comprehend thee (ſaith he) thou ſhalt comprehend me; and ſo is ſaid to have thrown himſelfe into it.
4 Becauſe the ſtudy of nature healeth not the ſinfull defects of nature in our own ſpirits, which is the reaſon Solomon rendreth, verſ 15.
Ʋſe 1. To teach Scholers and other Students of nature, ſo to ſtudy it, as not to place felicity in the creatures, or in the knowledge of them; They are vain and vexing if uſed to that end. Solomon doth not bring a cauſleſſe evill report upon the world, as the ſpies did upon Canaan.
Object. But doe not many Schollers acknowledge they finde great contentment, yea ſweetneſſe in the ſtudy and knowledge of the creatures?
Anſw. 1. True, they may, if they uſe the creatures and the knowledge of them not to finde happineſſe in them, but to thoſe other ends for which God made them, mentioned in Doct. 1. pag. 23.
2. Though many think themſelves happy by ſuch ſpeculations, it is becauſe they caſt not up their accounts, as Solomon here doth, to ſee what true Reformation of their own perverſneſſe, or ſupply of their defects they have found thereby.
Ʋſe 2. To teach all men, neither to ſatisfie themſelves in ſuch things as reach not to the healing the crookedneſſe of their natures; nor to the ſupplying of the defects thereof. How vain then are they that ſee not the vanity of wealth, honour, pleaſure, all earthly things, which are all of them ſhort herein?
Doct. 5. The crooked perverſeneſſe, and ſinfull defects of our nature, are not healed by the knowledge of Gods works in nature:
A threefold crookedneſſe is in our nature.
1. We act not from a right principle, from God in Chriſt, but from our ſelves.
2. We act not by a right Rule, Gods will and word.
3. For a right end, Gods honour; but our own ends.
Defects alſo Innumerable, Firſt, in gifts, Secondly, in Acts; as in Thoughts, Words, and Works.
Hence the Philoſophers themſelves, as vicious as others in pride and vainglory, in wantonneſſe, in covetouſneſſe, in flattery, &c.
Yea they are more averſe and backward to embrace the Goſpel then the common ſort, Acts 17.18, 32.
1 Naturall bodies cannot reach to the healing of our ſoules.
2 The vertue of the creatures is finite, as themſelves be; but it requireth an infinite power, even a new creation, to heale our crookedneſſe, and to ſupply our defects, Pſalm 51.10.
Ʋſe 1. To ſhew us the depth of our corruption; no creature is able to make our crooked ſpirits ſtreight, or to ſupply our defects, which are innumerable.
Ʋſe 2. To ſtir us up to the knowledge of Chriſt, whom to know, is eternall life, John 17.3. He rectifies our crookedneſſe, and ſupplies all our defects. John 1.16.