A Brief Exposition of the Book of Ecclesiastes, Commentary on Ecclesiastes · Verses 1 – Verses 2
¶ CHAP. 1. Ver. 1, 2.
Ver. 1. The words of the Preacher the ſonne of David, King in Jeruſalem.
2. Vanity of vanities, ſaith the Preacher, vanity of vanities, all is vanity.
THe chiefe good of the ſonnes of men, which the morall Philoſophers amongſt the Heathen ſought after, but found not, Solomon in this book truly and fully openeth to us. The Philoſophers being vain and wicked themſelves, how could they finde or teach the true chiefe good? but this wiſe and good King, upon his own experience, both found it himſelfe, and taught us to finde it after him.
The ſumme of his diſcourſe ſtandeth upon theſe two points: 1. That the chiefe good of the ſonnes of men is not to be found in all the creatures under the Sun, nor in mens labours and waies about them. For they are all vanity and vexation of Spirit. 2. That it is to be found in the feare of God and keeping his Commandements, Chap. 12. v. 13.
Theſe two verſes contain, Firſt, the Title of the book; wherein the book is ſet forth, 1. By the Authour: 2. And he by, 1. His condition, Coheleth. 2. His Linage, the ſonne of David. 3. By his Office, a King. 4. The place of his government, in Hieruſalem, v. 1.
Secondly, the Argument, or ſum of his diſcourſe, or at leaſt of the former part of it, v. 2. Wherein is ſet forth, 1. The condition of all things, by the Adjunct of vanity, all is vanity. And this vanity is amplified by many ornaments of Rhetorique:
1. An Hyperbole, vanity it ſelfe, for vaine.
2. Polyptoton, vanity of vanities.
3. Epizeuxis, the like ſound continued in the ſame ſentence, vanity of vanities.
4. Anadiploſis, (the ſame ſound repeated in the end of one ſentence, and the beginning of the other) vanity of vanities, vanity &c.
5. Epanalepſis, (the ſame ſound repeated in the beginning of the ſentence, and in the end, vanity &c. all is vanity.
6. Anaphora (the ſame ſound repeated in the beginning of the ſentences) vanity &c. vanity &c.
7. Epiſtrophe (the ſame ſound repeated in the end of the ſentences) of vanities &c. of vanities.
8. Epanodos (the ſame ſound repeated in the beginning and midſt, in the midſt and end) vanity, vanity, vanity.
9. Numerus Oratorius, t(he ſame number of ſyllables repeated in both ſentences) vanity of vanities, vanity of vanities.
10. Climax, (the ſame ſound continued and increaſed by degrees) vanity of vanities, vanity of vanities &c.
11. Paranomaſia, (the repeating of like ſounds, yet ſomewhat differing.)
2. This confirmed by the Teſtimony of Coheleth, ſaith the Preacher, verſ. 2.
Chap. 1. Verſ. 1, 2.
THe words of Coheleth] Solomon had four names. Solomon, Jedidiah, Lemuel, Coheleth, 2 Sam. 12.24, 25. Prov. 31.1, 4. and the Text. This name Coheleth is onelyonly given him in this Book, when after long experience of all earthly vanities, he in his old age ſpeaketh to wean his people from them, and teacheth them the feare of the Lord for their chiefe good.
It is a participle of a verb out of uſe in the Active voyce, yet in the Paſſive uſed to ſignifie, to be gathered, or aſſembled; whence foreign a Congregation; foreign then being a Noune or Participle of the Feminine gender, may imply to us theſe three things:
Firſt, Solomons gathering him ſelfe to the Church and Aſſembling therewith, when yet his wives, and many other Idolaters with them aſſembled to the Conventicles, and Synagogues of falſe gods.
Secondly, That in this true Church aſſembled, he was Anima concionans; in haec verba, he ſpake theſe words, or delivered them in the Congregation, by word or writing, as a teſtimony of his repentance: which may alſo further appeare if we conſider,
1. What he ſaith by his experience of the dangerouſneſſe of enticing women, even his own; and of his deliverance out of their hands, as being beloved of God, Eccleſ. 7.26, 27, 28.
2. The frame of the whole book which ſpeaketh ſadly of the bitterneſſe of all earthly vanities, after his long experience of all of them in his old age.
Thirdly, that he delivered theſe things from his heart and ſoule, not out of any policy of State, to ſatisfie the people. Pſal. 68.11. Eſay 40.9.
So the Feminine gender is expounded, Pſal. 16.2.
Ʋſe 1. To perſwade us of Solomons repentance after his fall. Such as think he fell finally and totally, are not onelyonly hereby refuted, but by all thoſe arguments which prove the perſeverance of the Saints, which are many and impregnable; And beſides by ſuch other arguments as more peculiarly concern Solomon himſelfe, as
1. Our Saviours teſtimony, that all the Prophets are in heaven, Luke 13.28.
Now Salomon was a Prophet, ſeeing the whole Scripture was penned by no other but Prophets and Apoſtles, 2 Pet. 1.19, 20, 21. Eph. 2.20.
Balaam, though he prophecied, as did alſo Saul, yet neither of them were Prophets, a ſpirit of prophecy reſted not upon them. Ioſ. 13.22.
2. He is ſaid to be loved of God, and therefore by Gods own appointment to be named Jedidiah, 2 Sam. 12.25.
Now Gods love is the pledge, as of Jacobs election, Rom. 9.13. ſo of Solomons; God is not wont to give names to things but according as he findeth them, or purpoſeth to make them; Whom he loveth, he loveth to the end, John 13.1. To ſay that was onelyonly meant in regard of not taking the Kingdom from him, and his Poſterity, as he did from Saul, is to wreſt the Text, which promiſeth
1. That he will be a father to him.
2. For his perſon, that he will not take his mercy from him.
3. For his kingdom, that it ſhall not be taken away.
Ʋſe 2. To teach us to accept this book with greater reſpect. The Sunne never ſhineth more gloriouſly then when it breaketh forth out of ſome dark cloud: nor the graces of Gods Spirit, then when they have over-wreſted ſome cloud of Temptations and ſinnes, and break forth into Repentance. So was it with David alſo in Pſalm 51.
The ſonne of David] which he mentioneth in ſundry reſpects.
Firſt, it is honourable to be the ſonne of a Prince, Eccleſ. 10.17.
Secondly, it procureth the more reverence, a Prophet to be the ſonne of a Prophet.
Thirdly, It is comfortable to be the ſonne of a man after Gods own heart, for the Covenants ſake, Gen. 17.7. and eſpecially of David, for the promiſe ſake made to him, and to his ſeed after him, 2 Chro. 7.11, to 15.
Ʋſe 1. To procure reverent acceptance of the Doctrine of this book for the Penmans ſake. For though it little skilleth what the pen be, of a Gooſe or Swans quil, or Ravens, yet when God delighteth to uſe ſuch an inſtrument, ſo richly adorned with many priviledges, it challengeth from us the more due reſpect. It is a book written by the eldeſt ſonne of Wiſdome.
Ʋſe 2. To teach parents that ſend their children to the Univerſity, to ſeek to excell in eminency of grace, and love amongſt men. It will adde ſome luſtre and credit to their childrens miniſtery, as Zachary and Elizabeths godlineſſe (Luke 1.6.) did to John Baptiſt, and Davids to Solomons.
King in Jeruſalem] King as having ſoveraigne power of life and death; to whom it belonged to be as a head to counſell, and direct, and rule the people; to be alſo as a ſhepherd to feed the people with wholſome lawes and inſtitutions, and examples of good life, and to drive them from feeding in unwholſome Paſtures upon unſavory vanities.
In Jeruſalem] the City of God, the mother Church of Iſrael, then a faithfull City, full of faithfull and good people, though afterwards an harlot.
He doth not ſay, King of Iſrael, as Prov. 1.1. but in Jeruſalem: intimating that his converſing in this faithfull City, amongſt ſo many good people, was ſome means the ſooner to bring him to a ſight of his ſinne, and to enditing and penning theſe words, which ſhew his repentance.
It could not be but that Solomon muſt needs read in the countenances of his people, when he came abroad to Church and Judgement-ſeat, and heare likewiſe by intelligence of his wiſe Counſellors, how much the Citizens of Jeruſalem were grieved with his building Idolatrous Temples, and tolerating falſe worſhip in them: The which might well provoke him to a more ſerious ſight of his ſin, and to make mention of the City in the words that ſhew his repentance. Beſides, in a Penitentiall diſcourſe, the full latitude of titles is unſeaſonable.
Ʋſe 1 To ſhew us that God uſeth inſtruments of all ſorts in penning the Scriptures, as wel ſome Kings, (as David and Solomon) as ſome Fiſhermen, (as amongſt the Apoſtles) and Herdſmen, (as Amos,) and Prieſts (as Jeremy:) that all ſorts might meet with ſtyle and phraſe of ſpeech meet for them.
Ʋſe 2. That it is no diſgrace to any man, or to any mans children, to be Preachers; Solomon and David, both Kings and both Prophets; yea Solomon ſtudying to teach the people knowledge, Eccleſ. 12.9.10. The Angels, higher then the higheſt men, are all miniſtring ſpirits, &c. Heb. 1.14.
Ʋſe 3. It is no unbeſeeming Office for Kings to write good books, or to publiſh their repentance after their publique ſins, Pſal. 51.
Ʋſe 4. To let us ſee what a benefit it is for a Miniſter or Magiſtrate to live amongſt good people; They mutually help one another to avoyd ſin, and to come out of it.
Ʋſe 5. To adde ſtill the more due reſpect to this book, penned by a King, and a King of the Church of God.
Ʋſe 6. To teach Penitents, not to affect the expreſſion of Titles or ſtiles of honour at large.