A Brief Exposition of the Book of Ecclesiastes, Commentary on Ecclesiastes · Verses 4
Eccleſ. 1.2, 3, to 11.
Verſ. 2. Vanity of vanities, ſaith the Preacher, vanity of vanities, all is vanity.
IN that Solomon ſets the ſeale of his teſtimony to the vanity of all theſe earthly things, after the long triall of them, obſerve this:
Doctr. They that have had moſt triall of all earthly comforts, are moſt ready and beſt able to avouch the vanity of them.
Who could haſte more to outward things, then Solomon; and yet more confident in avouching the vanity of them?
Reaſon 1. Experience is a divine teſtimony, as being taken from the work of God in the events of things comming to paſſe by providence.
Reaſon 2. Experience is of great authority with men, as being an argument more ſenſible, and leſſe ſubject to ignorance or errour.
Ʋſe. To ſhew us a broad difference of earthly things from ſpiritual and heavenly; earthly things ſeem goodly and glorious, till we have them and good triall of them, and afterwards we find them altogether vanity: But heavenly things ſeem vanity till we have them, and good triall of them, then ſeem they excellent and divine; no gain, no glory, no comfort like to that which they yeeld.
Before we leave this verſe, let us remove a falſe Collection which one maketh from this word: That Reading is Preaching, becauſe Solomon calleth his book (though read) the Preacher.
But for Anſwer, conſider, 1. Solomon doth not call his book, but himſelfe the Preacher.
2. He might from hence collect, that the Preacher may deliver his Sermon by writing, and ſo that writing may be preaching; but that reading therefore is preaching, followeth not. For in writing a Miniſter may and doth make uſe of ſpirituall gifts requiſite in a Prophet or Preacher, to the exerciſe of his miniſtery, 1 Cor. 14.1. but not ſo in reading; which even a School-boy may perform, that never attained any ſpirituall gift at all.
Verſ. 3. What profit hath a man of all the labour which he hath under the Sun?
Labour under the Sun] is labour taken about the creatures, or things under the Sun; For the labour a man taketh for the favour of God, the fellowſhip of the Blood and Spirit of Chriſt, &c. is labour for things above the Sun. Whence ſuch are ſaid to converſe in heaven, Phil. 3.20. and to walk with God, Gen. 5.24.
What profit] To wit, towards the attaining of true happineſſe; otherwiſe, in all labour there is ſome profit towards the helping of our earthly eſtates, Prov. 14.23.
This verſe is an foreign or dwelling upon the former concluſion, of the vantity of all things delivered in the former verſe, and here repeated in other words more plainly.
Doctr. All the labour a man taketh (whether of mind or body) about the creatures under the Sun, is altogether unprofitable towards the attainment of true happineſs, Chap. 2.22. & 3.9.
Reaſons from the diſproportion of theſe creatures to our happineſſe.
Reaſ. 1. All theſe creatures are under the Sun; but our happineſſe is above it. Now as water can never aſcend higher, nor carry any other thing higher then the fountain from whence it came; ſo neither can things below the Sun carry us up to a condition above the Sun.
2. Theſe creatures are temporall, our happineſſe eternall, 2 Cor. 4.17, 18.
3. Theſe things are changeable and unſetled, but our happineſſe unchangeable.
Ʋſe 1. To wean us from immoderate labour after theſe things which cannot profit; It many times falleth out that thoſe things which we labour moſt to avoid, are the moſt behovefull to attainment of happineſſe: as Afflictions, Pſal. 119.67, 71.
Ʋſe 2. To ſtir up to labour principally for heavenly bleſſings, things above the Sun, Eſay 55.1, 2, 3. 1 Cor. 15.58.