A Brief Exposition of the Book of Ecclesiastes, Commentary on Ecclesiastes · Verses 12
Eccleſ. 2.3, to 11.
Verſe 3. I ſought in mine heart to give my ſelfe unto wine, (yet acquainting mine heart with wiſedome) and to lay hold on folly, till I might ſee what was that good for the ſons of men, which they ſhould doe under the Heaven all the dayes of their life.
4. I made me great works, I builded me houſes, I planted me vineyards.
5. I made me Gardens and Orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits.
6. I made mee pooles of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees.
7. I got me ſervants and maidens, and had ſervants born in my houſe: alſo I had great poſſeſſions of great and ſmall cattel, above all that were in Jeruſalem before me.
8. I gathered me alſo ſilver and gold, and the peculiar treaſure of Kings, and of the Provinces: I gat me men-ſingers, and women-ſingers, and the delights of the ſons of men, as muſicall inſtruments, and that of all ſorts.
9. So was I great, and enereaſed more then all that were before me in Jeruſalem: alſo my wiſdom remained with me.
10. And whatſoever mine eyes deſired, I kept not from them, I withheld not mine heart from any joy: for my heart rejoyced in all my labour; and this was my portion of all my labour.
11. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and behold, all was vanity and vexation of ſpirit, and there was no profit under the ſun.
DOct. 1. To give up a mans ſelf to ſeek his chief joys and happineſs in outward comforts and delights, is to take hold of folly.
Solomon here ſeeking to give himſelfe to wine and great buildings and planting, and gatherings of wealth and cattell, as alſo to great retinue and muſick, to ſee what was the chief good thing of the ſons of men, ſaith here of himſelf he layd hold on folly, verſ. 3.
Reaſon Theſe outward delights deeply taſted of do dull and ſtupifie our minds to the diſcerning and reliſhing heavenly and ſpirituall comforts. And what is folly elſe but Stupor ſenſus in judicando? Prov. 20.1. & 27.7. Hoſ. 4.11. Gen. 27.4. Iſaac his affecting Veniſon perverted his mind and will, to divert the bleſſings of God, and his own love from his better ſonne to prophane Eſau.
Feeding of ſweet meats does take away the taſte of our drink: ſo doe theſe outward delights fed upon, infatuate the ſoule, to the diſreliſhing of the water of life.
Ʋſe 1. To ſhew us how much more folly it is to give a mans ſelfe to ſeek pleaſure in unlawfull delights, as in drunkenneſſe, whoredome, Cards, Dice, Interludes, &c.
If all lawfull fruits taſted on doe not ſatisfie; how much leſſe will it ſatisfie us, or bleſſe us, to taſte of the forbidden fruit?
Ʋſe 2. To wean us from placing our chiefeſt contentmen… even in theſe lawfull profits and pleaſures. It is but folly to ſet …our hearts upon tranſitory ſenſuall bleſſings, which are but trifles in compariſon of Spirituall and Eternall bleſſings.
Ʋſe 3. To ſtir us up to lay hold of eternal life, the favour of God, the pardon of ſin, the grace of Gods ſpirit, the wayes of obedience to Gods Commandements. This is as true wiſdome, as the contrary is folly.
Ʋſe 4. To watch over our ſpirits, leaſt they grow unſavoury, the more we enjoy outward ſenſual contentments and delights.
Doct. 2. Wiſdome may be held with the large ſeeking after delight, in theſe outward things, but with much hazzard.
Solomon in the end almoſt loſt himſelf in theſe ſenſual delights.
Reaſ. 1. [Qui vadit per praecipitium, vergit in ruinam] He that walketh in the uttermoſt extent of the borders of his Chriſtian liberty, will ſoon degenerate, and fall into ſome licentiouſneſſe.
Reaſ 2. The body pampered with all contentments, kicketh againſt the ſpirit, Deut. 32, 15. 1 Cor. 9.37.
Ʋſe 1. To diſcourage us from making like tryal as Solomon here did, whether mans chiefe good might be found in outward pleaſures and profits. His wiſdome was much hazzarded in ſo doing, yea blemiſhed and Eclipſed; how much leſſe ſhall our leſſe wiſdome hold out in ſuch tryals?
Better is it for us to truſt and believe Solomons experience, then to try to our coſt and danger as he did.
Solomon himſelf led himſelf into temptation by this courſe: If we will not be warned by his fall, our danger will be the more deſperate.
Doct. 3. God alloweth us to rejoyce in theſe outward things (pleaſures or profits) though not to ſeek or place our happineſſe in them.
Reaſ. 1. It is the portion which God giveth a man of all his labour, Text, v. 1.10. and v. 24.26.
Reaſ. 2. It is a juſt ground, and good help and meanes to ſtir up our ſelves to the cheerful and thankful ſervice of God, Deut, 28.47.
Reaſ. 3. It doth good like a medicine, healing ſome bodily infirmities, and ſtrengthning to each good duty, and to freedome in it. Prov. 17, 22. Neh. 8.10.
Reaſ. 4. Hilaritas in Domino eſt indicium animi hene ſibi conſcij, godly cheerfulneſſe is a token of a good conſcience, Prov. 15.15.
Ʋſe 1. To teach us not to defraud our ſelves of ſuch lawful delights, as the Lord alloweth us, in the good things we enjoy: we ſhall do him and our ſelves alſo injury in ſo doing.
Doct. 4. He that ſhall take a juſt account and ſurvey of all the happineſſe he getteth by his worldly profits and pleaſurts, ſhall finde for his felicity, vanity; for tranquillity of minde, vexation of ſpirit: for advantage, no profit.
Reaſ. 1. Of Vanity.
1. God never ſowed mans happineſſe in thoſe outward things; how then ſhall we there reap it?
2. Gods curſe hath brought vanity upon the whole creature, and all the fruits of it, by reaſon of our ſin, Rom. 8, 20.
Reaſ. 2. Of vexation of ſpirit.
1. The deluſion of our hopes which we promiſed to our ſelves by theſe outward things, muſt needs vex us.
2. The diſtempering of our bodies, but eſpecially of our ſpirits by theſe ſenſual delights, muſt needs grieve a good ſpirit.
Reaſ. 3. Of no profit.
1. For in them we ſave not our ſouls but rather loſe them, Matth, 6.26.
Ʋſe 1. To teach men deſtitute of theſe things, not to think themſelves miſerable for want of them; for they that have them, are not thereby happy.
Ʋſe 2. To teach men that enjoy theſe things, not to preſume of more good to be found in them then there is in them; no happineſſe can be in them: ſeek that in better things; he that looketh not for much from the creature, ſhall never be much deceived.
If happineſſe could be found in outward worldly things, how could God be happy without the world, and before the world was made?