A Brief Exposition of the Book of Ecclesiastes, Commentary on Ecclesiastes · Verses 20
Eccleſ. 3.12, 13.
Verſe 12. I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoyce, and to doe good in his life.
13. And alſo that every man ſhould eat and drink, and enioy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.
I Know Good (that is, the Good of man) is not in them. Theſe words containe in them the ſecond profitable obſervation which Solomon hath made of the variety of the changes of our creature-comforts and diſcomforts, and employments about them; to wit, that the good of man is not to be found in changes of creature-conditions, and employments or labours about them, but to enjoy the good of them, and to doe good with them; which he amplifieth by a twofold Argument or Reaſon.
Reaſ. 1. From his own certain judgement or experience of them, I know that good is not in them, v. 12.
Reaſ. 2. From the proper cauſe of any good or comfort that a man can either take himſelfe or give to others by the creatures, or by his labour about them, it is the gift of God, verſe 13.
Doct. The good of man is not to be found in the creatures, but it is from the gift of God, to doe good with them, or to enjoy the good of them. His meaning is not that there is no good in the creature; for that were contrary to Gen. 1.31. But that 1. The chiefe good of man is not in them. 2. That it is not in themſelves to miniſter their own good to us without the gift of God, Job 28.2, to 12, &c. to the end of the Chap. Eccleſ. 2.24.
Reaſ. 1. From the end of all the creatures, and of all their changes about man, and of our labours about them, they are all for us as their end, Pſalm 115.16. Gen. 1.26. Deut. 4.19. And therefore our good cannot lie in them, but their good rather lieth in us.
Reaſon 2. From our forfeiture of the good that is in them by the Fall, that now the good in which they were created 1. Is much impaired. 2. Is not yielded to us without a renewed gift from God, Gen. 3.17, 18, 19. Which curſe is encreaſed by actual ſinne, Gen. 4.12. Iſay 7.23, 24. Levit. 26.18, 19, 20. Haggai 1.6. & 2.16, 17. 3. From the emptineſſe of our hearts to doe any good, or to make any good uſe of what changes befall us, Hoſ. 14.8. John 15.5. 2 Cor. 3.5, 4. From the Prerogative of Chriſt, as to teach us to profit Iſay 48.17. God in Covenant, the Holy One of Iſrael, our Redeemer.
Ʋſe 1. To ſet before us the frame of the ſpirit of a chriſtian penitent ſoul; It knoweth his good is not in the creature, nor in any creature-comfort, nor in any creature-changes, nor in any creature-labours.
Ʋſe 2. To look for no more from the creatures then is in them, and that way wherein we may get it out of them. Chiefe good is not in them; nor can they yield that good which is in them but by the gift of God: With the gift of God, and by it, you may eat, and drink, and rejoyce in the enjoyment of the good of your labours, and doe good to others in your life time by the creatures.
Ʋſe 3. To move men to repentance that have reſtrained the good of the creatures form themſelves, Exod. 22.22, 23, 24. Jer. 5.24, 25.
Ʋſe 4. To ſeek and expect the good of any creature, or of our labour about it, by Prayer and Faith in the blood of Chriſt, Matth. 6.11. 1 Tim. 4.3, 4, 5.
Ʋſe 5. To ſtir up ſuch to thankfulneſs as both take good and doe good by all the changes that paſſe over them: It is God that worketh the power of the will to will, and the power of the whole man to do; and therfore we are to fear before him, Phil. 2.12, 13. Elſe a wiſe man may act fooliſhly, and a ſtrong man weakly, in many faire opportunities.