A Brief Exposition of the Book of Ecclesiastes, Commentary on Ecclesiastes · Verse 28
Eccleſ. 12.1.
1 Remember now thy Creator in the daies of thy youth, while the evil daies come not, nor the yeers draw nigh, when thou ſhalt ſay, I have no pleaſure in them.
SOlomon to reſtraine children and youth from the vanities of their Age, propounded to them a double Antidote: Firſt, The knowledge of Gods approaching Judgement, whereto he will bring them for all the evils of their youth, Chap. 11. verſe 9. whence he inferred two Corollaries; 1. An exhortation to put away youthful paſſions and luſts. 2. The vanity of childhood and youth, Chap. 11. v 10. Secondly, The remembrance of their Creators in the dayes of their youth, Chap. 12.1. The copulative And, implyeth a connexion upon the former, as the Addition of another remedy like the former.
Doctr. 1. The remembrance of our Creator in the dayes of our youth, is a Soveraigne remedy againſt the vanities both of youth and Age. It is a remedy againſt the vanities of youth before ſpoken of; and the words following, [Before the evil dayes come, &c.] argue it is a remedy againſt the weariſome vanities of old Age, Remember words of ſenſe in the Hebrew Tongue are to be underſtood with Affection and Action, by reaſon of the combination and concatenation of all the faculties of the ſoul in pure nature, like as of links in a chaine, draw one and draw all, breake one and breake all, Luke 23.42. 1 Sam. 1.19. Pſal. 106, 4, 7. Heb. 13.3. Rev. 2.5. Remembrance of God implyeth and inferreth, 1. Turning to him, Pſal. 22.27. 2. Truſt and joy in him, Iſai. 51.13. 3. Service and obedience to him, Deut. 8.11.19. Pſal. 9.17. Judg. 3.7. 4. Thankfulneſſe to him, Deut. 8.18.
Thy Creator] Setteth forth God as the Author and fountaine of all our being out of nothing. Which argueth God to be, 1. The end of all our being, Prov. 16.4. 2. Our preſerver and Governour, Iſai. 40.26. 3, Our owner and poſſeſſour, and Lord, Iſai. 43.1. 4. Intimately acquainted with all our wayes, Pſal. 33.15. 5. Unwilling, yea diſdaining to have his worke deformed or corrupted, Deut. 32.5, 6. 6. Able eaſily to deſtroy us, Pſal. 104.29, 30.
Creators] Implyeth more Creators then one, all the three perſons concurring in the worke, Gen. 1.26.
Remember Jeſus Chriſt your Redeemer; 1. As one that dyed and roſe againe for us, 2 Tim. 2.8. 2. And without whom we are ſtrangers from God, Eph, 2.12▪ 3. In whom we become new creatures, 2 Cor. 5.17. 4. And through whom the Father is well pleaſed with you, Matth. 3.17.
Remember the holy Ghoſt, Firſt, Who uniteth us to Chriſt, 1 Cor. 6, 17. and without whom we are carnal and ſenſual, Jude 19. John 3.6. Secondly, Who ſanctifieth us to God, and that in a Creating way, Pſal. 51.10, 11. Mortifying our paſſions and luſts, Rom. 8, 13. Quickning us to righteouſneſſe. Thirdly, Who pacifieth and comforteth our conſciences, John 14.16, 17. and that in a creating way, Pſal. 31.12.
Reaſon 1. From the vanity of youth and Age without this remembrance of our Creators, Text. Eccleſ. 12.1, with Chap. 11.9.
Reaſon 2. From the benefit of this yoke upon Youth, Lament. 3.27, to 30.
Reaſon 3. From the ſanctification of the whole lumpe of our life, by the ſanctifying of theſe firſt fruits, Rom. 11.16.
Ʋſe 1. To reprove forgetfulneſſe of our Creator in this time of youth. It cauſeth old age to periſh in ſuch, to be good for nothing, Job 30.1, 2, 3 Youth and childhood is the ſeed time of grace and all goodneſſe. If in the ſpring no ſeed be ſowne, or none but Cockel and Darnel, and ſuch weeds, what hope of Harveſt? Iſai. 17.10, 11. From a threefold cauſe of difficulty, 1. Cuſtome in ſin, Jer. 13.29. 2. Satans long poſſeſſion, Mark 9.21, 29. 3. Gods rejection, Prov. 1.24. to 28.
Ʋſe 2. To exhort children and youth to heed this counſell. As the people ſaid to the blind man, Ariſe, he calleth thee, Mark 10.49. ſo here. God accepteth the firſt ripe fruits Micah 7.1. He taketh it then ſo kindly, that he wil after paſs by many backſlidings, Jer. 2.2. with ch, 3, 1, 2, 3. It is the ornament of youth, of young men, of maids, Jer. 2.32.
Means by which God uſeth to heale ſuch. Firſt, attention to the word, Pſal. 119.9. Prov. 8.34. Secondly, mourning for ſtubbornneſs, and prayer for converting grace, Jer. 31.18, 19. Thirdly, abandoning of bad company, Pſal. 119.115. Fourthly, Reforming known evils upon reproofe, Prov. 1.23.