A Brief Exposition of the Book of Ecclesiastes, Commentary on Ecclesiastes · Verses 33 – Verses 34
Eccleſ. 5.18, 19, 20.
18. Behold that which I have ſeene: it is good and comely for one to eate and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the Sun, all the daies of his life which God giveth him: for it is his portion.
19. Every man alſo to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat therof, and to take his portion, and to rejoyce in his labours; this is the gift of God.
20. For he ſhall not much remember the daies of his life: becauſe God anſwereth him in the joy of his heart.
SOlomon having ſhewed in the former verſes, the abuſe of wealth by coverouſneſſe, in theſe words he ſheweth a contrary good uſe of wealth. Firſt, in good men, verſe 18. Secondly, In all men, verſe 19. In good men he ſaith it is comely and beautiful to eat, drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour all the dayes of his life, which God giveth him, verſe 18.
Reaſon hereof he giveth, Firſt, from the condition of his eſtate, and of this uſe of it; it is his portion, verſe 18. Secondly, From the quiet paſſing away of his time without ſad remembrances of it, for he ſhall not much remember the dayes of his life; the reaſon whereof he giveth from Gods anſwering his heart in comfort, verſe 20. In all men to whom God hath given wealth, it is a gift of God, 1. To have power to eate of it; 2. To take his portion. 3. To rejoyce in his labour, verſe 19.
Doct. To eate and drinke, and to enjoy the good of a mans labour, it is comely in a good man, and it is the gift of God in any man, Eccleſ. 2.26, & 3, 12, 13, & 2, 24.
Reaſons to confirme it, 1. From Solomons experience; behold I have ſeen it (or found it) verſe 18.
Reaſon 2. From the evil diſeaſe and vanity that lyeth upon a man, when he is denyed the power to make uſe of it, Eccleſ. 6.2.
Reaſ. 3. From the Condition of mens Eſtates in this world. It is their portion, v. 18. both to good men, v. 18. and to evil men. Pſal. 17.14. As a Portion, 1. It furniſheth us with neceſſaries, expediences, delights, 2. It maketh up croſſes and loſſes. 3. It maketh Proviſion for after times, yea for another world, 1 Tim. 6.17, 18, 19.
Ʋſe 4. It is the Fruit or end, or good of his labour, v. 18.
Ʋſe 5. From the ſhortneſſe of the dayes of a mans life, v. 18. He that reſerveth the uſe of all till old age, may die before he come to uſe it at all; Or elſe be then unable to uſe it, 2 Sam. 19.35.
Reaſon 6. From the joy and comfort, wherein God anſwereth a good mans heart, in enjoying the good of his labour, verſe 20. Now to enjoy the good of it, implyeth, Firſt, the reaping of the fat and ſweet of it our ſelves: Secondly, to impart the good of it unto others alſo, Eccleſ. 3.12, 13. Iſai. 64.5.
Reaſon 7. From the little thought or remembrance which ſuch a good man takes how his time ſpendeth, verſe 20. For he doth not much remember the dayes of his life, which is an effect of the former joy; which is as oyle to the wheels and ſo make our time to paſſe eaſily, all the dayes of the afflicted are evil, Prov. 15.15. and he takes ſad thoughts and remembrance of the revolution of times, Job 7.3, 4. If an evil man take as little thought and remembrance of his time it is not comely for him; It becommeth him not, Job 21.13.
Ʋſe 1. To teach good men, yea to encourage them, to enjoy the good of their eſtates; It is comely for them, Pſal. 33.1. Not ſo for a wicked man, Prov. 26, 1, & 19, 10. All the former reaſons of the doctrine are as motives to the uſe.
Ʋſe 2. To teach all men, that any good which they enjoy from the creature, is the gift of God, and therefore they to look to God to enjoy the giver as well as his gift.
Ʋſe 3. To teach men to give themſelves to labour, elſe how ſhall they enjoy the good of their labour?
Ʋſe 4. To teach us to number our life by dayes, verſe 18. Gen. 47.9.
Ʋſe 5. To reckon our life and all the dayes of them as Gods gift, verſe 18. Lament. 3.22.
Ʋſe 6. To teach us the way to paſſe away our dayes comfortably, is to be good, and to enjoy the good of our labours, receiving the good of our labours, doing good to others. In this way God anſwereth in joy our hearts, and we paſſe away our times without ſad remembrances, v. 20.
Eccleſ. 6.1, 2.
Verſ. 1. There is an evil which I have ſeen under the Sun, and it is common among men.
2. A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth and honour, ſo that he wanteth nothing for his ſoul of all that he deſireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a ſtranger eateth it: This is vanity, and it is an evil diſeaſe.
IN this Chapter Solomon declareth the vanity. Firſt, Of humane Satiety or Proſperity in outward things, vere 1, 2. Secondly, Of long life and ſtore of children, verſe 3. to 6. Thirdly, Of labour, verſe 7, 8. &c. In theſe two verſes Solomon ſetteth forth the vanity of ſuch outward good things, wherewith men are moſt taken, to wit, Riches, Wealth, Honour; and theſe amplified, 1. By their abundance even unto Satiety, ſo that a man wanteth nothing of all that he deſireth. 2. By the evil God inflicteth upon it; God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a ſtranger eateth it. 3. By the Adjuncts of this eſtate four-fold; Firſt, It is an evil. Secondly, It is common amongſt men under the Sun, verſe 1. Thirdly, It is a vanity: Fourthly, It is an evil diſeaſe, verſe 2. Riches, Wealth, and Honour, are expreſſed by God himſelfe in the ſame termes, 2 Chron. 1.11. Riches differ from wealth: riches expreſſing Revenues of the field, or Cattel which are Titheable; for it is a word in the Hebrew which differeth in a prick only from Tenths or Tithes. Wealth,] in the Original is ſuch Treaſure of Silver, Gold, Jewels, and Houſholdſtuffe which are not Tytheable. God giveth him not power to eat thereof] a Metaphor and a Synecdoche in eating, put for enjoying the ſweetneſſe of them: one kinde of enjoying put for all. For honour cannot properly be eaten, but the ſweet of them may be enjoyed.
Doct. 1. It is a vanity and an evil, even an evil diſeaſe, an evil diſeaſe common amongſt men every where, that a man receiveth from God Riches and Honour of all ſorts, even to the ſatisfaction of his ſoul, and yet God giveth him not power to enjoy the good of it, but leaveth it to a ſtranger.
Reaſon 1. From the unlawful getting of Riches or Honour, by Oppreſſion, Deceit, Ambition, or the like, Prov. 28.8, & 13, 22. Job 27.13, 16, 17.
Reaſon 2. From the ſatisfaction of their hearts in it: which Acquieſcency in the creature is an Idolatry which the Lord will curſe. Luke 12, 19, 20.
Reaſon 3. From want of prayer to God, for a comfortable uſe of the bleſſings we doe enjoy, Jam, 4.3.
Reaſon 4. From the abuſe of the creatures upon our luſts, Jam. 4.3. Job 20.22.
God taketh away from a man the power to enjoy the ſweet and good of it, many wayes; As Firſt, by Sickneſſe of body, Job 21.25. Secondly, By ſcruple of conſcience (as Acts 10.13, 14.) Thirdly, By inordinate affection to ſome trifle, for want of which all is leſſe comfortable, Heſt. 5.11, 12, 13. Fourthly, By Covetouſneſſe, Eccleſ. 4, 8. Fifthly, By ſome ſtaine of folly in a great perſon, which blaſteth all his honour, Eccleſ. 10.1.
Ʋſe 1. To teach us that all Riches, Wealth, and Honour, and all the enjoyment of that good and ſweet thereof, are from the Lord, 1 Chron. 29.12.
Ʋſe 2. To aske of him therefore what we want, either of theſe things, or of the good of them.
Ʋſe 3. To remove theſe evils out of Gods ſight, for which he is wont to deny men the good of the gifts we doe enjoy.
Ʋſe 4. To bleſſe the Lord who giveth us any good things, and power to enjoy the good and ſweet of them.