A Brief Exposition of the Book of Ecclesiastes, Commentary on Ecclesiastes · Verse 14
Eccleſ. 7.29.
29. Loe, this onelyonly have I found, that God hath made man upright: but they have ſought out many inventions.
IN this verſe we have ſet downe the third experiment or event which Solomon found upon taking account of his own wickedneſſe and folly, to wit, the righteouſneſſe of God in his work about man, but mans perverſe ſubtilty in inventing wayes of backſliding (or Apoſtacy from God.)
Queſt: 1. How doth he ſay he found this only, ſeeing he found two other things before? Firſt, The bitterneſſe of wicked women, verſe 26. Secondly, The ſcarcity of good men and greater ſcarcity of good women, verſe 18.
Anſw, By OnelyOnly is meant chiefly, as Ioſh. 1.7, 8. Gal. 2.10. Prov. 4.3. (with 1 Chron. 3.5.) Cant. 6, 9.
Queſt. 2. How is God ſaid to make man Righteous?
Anſw. Righteous, Firſt, In his firſt Creation, Gen. 1.26, 27. Secondly, His own children (ſuch as himſelfe and his father before him) in their regeneration, Jer. 2.21.
Queſt. What is meant by inventions and mans ſeeking them out?
Anſw. Inventions are tranſlated engines, 2 Chron. 26.25. as ſlings to offend the enemy, and Bulwarkes to defend our ſelves. Seeking our theſe argueth a perverſe diligence to deal ſubtilly in inventing wayes of corrupting our ſelves.
Doctr. 1. A penitent ſoul taking good account of his wickedneſſe and folly, ſhall evidently and eminently finde the righteouſneſſe of God in all his worke upon us, and the perverſneſſe and ſubtilty of our inventions to corrupt our ſelves even from our firſt Parents to this day. Evidently] for loe or behold ſaith he. Eminently] for, ſaith he, this onelyonly or chiefely, or eminently, have I found. Inventions] He meaneth no profitable inventions for the good of our ſelves or others, as Arts, or Manufactors or occupations: but ſuch inventions whereby we ſeek to ſtart away from God, and to corrupt our ſelves. As ſome horſes put into a good Paſtute, yet will ſeek round about the ſenſe to finde a gap to range out. Thus Moſes taught backſliding Iſrael (Deut. 31.19) to ſee Gods righteouſneſſe, Deut. 32.4. Their own perverſneſſe, Deut. 32.5, 15. Neh. 9.33. Job 33.27, 28. God made Adam righteous at firſt, Gen. 1, 26, 27. To wit, Firſt, In knowledge, Coloſ. 3.10. giving him a right underſtanding of things. Secondly, In holineſſe and righteouſneſſe ſetting his heart and affections upon their proper objects, Eph. 4.24. Right] Firſt, As ſutable to the righteous Law of God which is a ſtraight and right Rule, Pſal. 19.8. As ſetting the inferiour parts of the ſoul and whole man in a right order to the ſuperiour; will to the judgement or conſcience, affections to the will, Prov. 16.32. outward members to both, Rom. 6.13. all to God, Rom. 6.13. all which are now diſordered and perverted, Pſal. 125.4, 5. Thirdly, As being in a ſtate well pleaſing to God, right in Gods ſight, 2 Chron, 29.2.
Reaſon of God ſo making us at firſt. The juſtice and holineſſe of God required it of himſelfe, that if he create man to a ſpiritual and ſupernatural end (to wit, fellowſhip with himſelfe) and require of him obedience to a ſpiritual and holy law to lead him to that end, that then he ſhould lift him up above his reaſon to an holy eſtate, by original righteouſneſſe, otherwiſe from his firſt creation he had been made ſinful and crooked.
Reaſon of reforming man to a ſtate of righteouſneſſe, The praiſe of the glory of his grace and mercy in Chriſt Jeſus, Eph, 2.4, 5.
Reaſons of man ſeeking inventions. 1. From the liberty of will God left man unto, 2 Chron. 32.31.
Reaſon 2. From the forwardneſſe not to reſt ſatisfied in the condition God hath provided for him: but he would he active to improve his condition by his own wit and ſtrength. Adam and all his poſterity made righteous, ſought out many inventions to fall off from God. Eve, and by her perſwaſion, Adam invented a way to get wiſdome in the knowledge of good and evil, Gen. 2.6. Solomons wives invented many wiles to draw him to tolerate them in the liberty of their Religion. Solemon himſelfe invented many devices how to ſatisfie himſelfe in ſatisfying them. Conſcience is tender, Faith is the gift of God: His Father David compelled no Pagans to circumciſion. His Subjects invented many ſhifts, to put off from themſelves the faithfulneſſe of an wholſome advertiſement to Solomon. The common people put it off to the Nobles, the Nobles to the Prieſts, the Prieſts to the Prophets, the Prophets excuſed themſelves by the Kings tranſcendent wiſedom above them, Eccleſ. 8.1. So David before him, ſought many inventions to cloak his ſin with Bathſhebah.
Reaſon of finding this as chiefly grievous to a penitent ſoul, From the proper nature of repentance, which is deeplyeſt Affected with ſin as it is Firſt, Moſt diſhonourable to God. Secondly, Moſt injurious to the grace of Chriſt, contrary to meanes and mercies, and pernitious to the Church of Chriſt. Thirdly, Committed with the greateſt perverſneſſe and fooliſh ſubtilty of our own hearts.
Ʋſe 1. To refute the Popiſh doctrine that original righteouſneſſe in Adam by Creation was wholly ſupernatural and given by free grace. But then Adam had been right without it, in which he was not, but right by it. It was indeed, Firſt, Supernatural, as not flowing from the principles of nature; a man is a perfect man without it for ſubſtance. Secondly, As not deſerved by men who had done neither good nor evil.
Secondly, Natural, as due, Firſt, to the purity of Gods nature to make us ſo perfect. Secondly, To the integrity of mans nature, without which he was not ſo perfect in qualities as were meet for Gods pure nature to make. The Papiſts herein extol the freeneſſe of grace to Adam, not to magnifie the grace of God, but to derogate from the grace of Chriſt. For if nature were entire and perfect without Gods Image, then the want of it in corrupt nature is no ſin but natural to man; And ſo original ſin depraving nature, and requiring neceſſity of a new birth in Chriſt, is no ſin, but ſutable to right nature; and ſo original ſin is no ſin, not only after baptiſme, but even before baptiſme. But concupiſcence is not of Gods worke in nature, 1 John 2.16.
Object. Concupiſcence and Rebellion of the lower parts of the ſoul againſt the higher is natural. For the man being made of a body and a ſoul, muſt needs be carried both to ſpiritual and ſenſual objects. And ſo this Rebellion and ſtirring of the one part againſt the other, will be found to ariſe from the principles of pure nature.
Anſw. The body may affect ſenſual objects, and the ſoul ſpiritual, and both without ſin, in ſubordination of ſenſual things to ſpiritual, and of both to God.
Ʋſe 2. To teach us a true ſign of repentance, never to blame God for our falls, but our own perverſe ſubtilty. God made us right, and the regenerate twice right: and his work hath been upright to us-ward, in leaving us to our falls: we provoked him to it by our ſelfefulneſſe. But it is wee that have perverted our wayes, and took paines, (ſought out devices) and cunning inventions to doe wickedly. Yea, this finding out our own perverſe ſubtilty in ſeeking out inventions to depart from God, and deceive our ſelves, ſhould more deeply affect us and afflict us, then all other evils beſides; This bringing forth moſt diſhonour to God, Injury and abuſe to the gifts and graces of Chriſt, and corruption of nature to ripeneſſe and perfection.
Ʋſe 3. To teach us to loath all evil inventions, Rom. 1.30. Its a fruit of a reprobate minde, verſe 28. with 30. ſuch are inventors of Faſhions, Oathes, Luſts, and Torments.
Ʋſe 4. To exhort us not to thinke our ſelves right till we attaine that eſtate wherein God made us at firſt: and that with greater contentment in it, then he took; leaſt we ſeek as he did many inventions.