Exposition Upon Ecclesiastes, Chapter 2 · Verse 17
Verſ. 17. Therefore I hated life, becauſe the work that is wrought under the Sun, is grievous to me; For all is Vanity, and vexation of Spirit.
THis Verſe contains another effect which Solomon's diſappointment of ſatisfaction by his Study of Natural and Moral Wiſdom, and his heaping up of all earthly Delights, had upon his Heart, while it was yet deſtitute of that ſpecial preſence of the Spirit, which ſometimes he had, and the ſame is alſo the effect of his obſerving the equality of events, which befall the Wiſe and Fooliſh formerly mentioned: to wit, that he hated (or as the Word ſignifies, Loathed and Deſpiſed) Life. The Word tranſlated Life, is Plural in the Original; Importing, that he hated all ſorts or ways of living imaginable in this World: Which is not to be underſtood of his hating his natural Life, ſo far as to be willing to lay it down for God, when he ſhould call for it, nor of his undervaluing of it comparatively, in reſpect of that better Life, which made Paul long to be diſſolved, Philip. 1.21. both which are commendable. But this hatred of his Life, is to be taken for ſome ſuch ſinful Diſtemper of Spirit as hath been found in ſome of the Saints, ſuch as Elija, 1. King. 19.4. Jo…. 3.3. and Jonah 4.3. which the Lord made uſe of to correct and humble his Spirit. And that this hatred of his Life is thus to be taken, will appear by conſidering the reaſons which were prevalent with him for producing of it. The Firſt is, That all the Works under the Sun, were grievous to him, ſo did the Lord imbitter theſe things reckoned out toward the beginning of the Chapter (wherein he too much delighted) that he might bring him to Repentance; If he had not taken too much pleaſure in theſe Works, they had not now been ſo grievous to him, nor would he have hated his Life: Becauſe they were ſo. The Second which is alſo the cauſe of the former, is, That he found emptineſs of ſatisfaction, and nothing but a gnawing of Spirit to be the reſult of all theſe courſes in order to Happineſs, which he had taken during his eſtrangement from the Lord.
From this we may learn 1. How ſoon and eaſily the Lord who only hath dominion over the Spirits of men, can make a change upon them; and make him who lately had a pleaſant Life, and rejoyced in all his Works, hate his Life, and find all his Works grievous to him: For, Solomon, who in the 10 ver. of this Chapter ſaith, He rejoyced in all his labour, Is now brought to ſay, I hated life, becauſe the work that is wrought under the Sun is grievous to me.
2. So hardly are the deareſt of Gods Saints reclaimed from perſuing Earthly Delights, when once they have given up themſelves thereunto, that neither the voice of the Word, which Solomon wanted not all his time, nor the voice of Conſcience, together with the ſweet motions and ſuggeſtions of the Spirit of God, which is vouchſafed ſometimes upon the Saints under their deep Security, Cant. 5.2. are ſufficient to awake them, or reclaim them, until the Lord ſend bitterneſs upon their Spirits, and upon all their Idols wherein they delight, with which alſo the work of His Spirit muſt concur, Hoſ. 2.14. For, before Solomon be brought to Repentance, his Life muſt be made bitter to him, and all the Works under the Sun grievous, that he may think of turning to his firſt Love, that he may loath to feed on Husks, and long for Bread in his Fathers Houſe: I hated Life, becauſe the work that is wrought under the Sun is grievous to me.
3. So dangerous a thing is it, for them that have once been near God, to ſuffer themſelves to be divorced from him, for any other Lover, that they who do ſo, will readily upon a very ſmall occaſion▪ hate that which they did moſt eſteem, yea even their Own Life; For Solomon having forſaken the Lord, for baſe and unworthy Delights, finds them all grievous to him, and his Own Life a burden alſo, and this is occaſioned mainly by his conſidering the equality of events befalling the Wiſe and the Fool formerly mentioned; Therefore I hated Life, &c.
4. As it is ordinary for the Children of the Lord, under their more moderate, and gentle exerciſes, to loath and weary of one ſort of Life in the World, apprehending in the mean time, another deſirable, and ſuch as would give them eaſe, Pſal. 55.6. So the deareſt of them may be ſo hardly exerciſed for their humbling and reclaiming, that all imaginable ways of living in this World will be hateful, and all works that can be thought upon grievous to them; for, the Word here tranſlated Life, is in the Original in the Plural Number, and the work that is wrought indefinitly expreſt, importing every kind of Work grievous, and every way of Living Hateful, Therefore I hated Life, becauſe the work that is wrought under the Sun is grievous to me.
5. So wedded are all men naturally to their Own Will, and and eſpecially men of greateſt Spirits, that while Chriſts ſanctifying Spirit is not ſwaying their Will to the right art, they will rather deſire not to be at all, or to be in another World, though they want not their own fears that it ſhall not fare well with them there, than to be diſappointed of what they have deſigned as a piece of Happineſs to themſelves in this World; whereof among Wicked Men Achitophel is an inſtance, and among the Godly (beſide others) Solomon here, who now with grief relates what was the ſinful frame of his Spirit (while the Lords Spirit was withdrawn) upon occaſion of the diſappointment of his ſinful deſires, which was of it ſelf a great Mercy to him, I hated life (ſaith he) becauſe the work that is done under the Sun is grievous to me.
6. Even theſe who have the Seeds of ſaving Grace in them, and have had great familiarity with the Lord, while the ſpecial operations of his Spirit are ſuſpended, will readily run from one extream to another, From exceſs of Sinful Delight, to exceſs of Anxiety and Sinful Vexation, and this rather becauſe of Diſappointment of their Sinful Deſires, than becauſe of Gods being Diſhonoured by them; For, thus was it with Solomon in ſuch a caſe, who ſhould have hated his ſinful courſes, But (ſaith he) I hated Life becauſe the work that is wrought under the Sun was grievous to me.
7. The nearer Communion with the Lord, and the greater ſweetneſs therein, ſinners have had, and have undervalued, and the more they have been thereafter raviſhed with Sinful Delights, they may expect to have their Spirits the more imbittered, and all their former Delights made ſo much the more grievous to them, before they attain to their wonted ſweetneſs in Communion with God, See Pſal. 32.4. Cant. 5.7. For, ſo was it with Solomon here, who hated his Life, and found all the works wrought under the Sun grievous to him.
8. When the Lord makes the Life of any of his People bitter to them, and other things grievous, while they are living at a diſtance from him, they ſhould be ſo far from taking it as a token of his wrath, and purpoſe to deſtroy them, that upon the contrary, they ſhould take it for an evidence of his preparing them for a renewed manifeſtation of his favour after he hath humbled them: And upon the other hand, when they find their Hearts raviſhed with delight in any thing under the Sun, more than with delight in God, they ſhould take that for a clear ſign of his diſpleaſure, and ſhould fear to be given up to rejoice in their way till they periſh▪ For, Solomon ſets down this effect which his diſappointment of deſired ſatisfaction in other things had upon him, as that which was become a mean of his ſecond converſion, and ſo ſpoke Love and mercy in God to him, even this, That He hated life, becauſe the works wrought under the ſun were grievous to him.
9. How bitter ſoever the lives of Gods People may be, and how grievous ſoever all things under the Sun may ſeem to them, yet the Lord ſtill keeps them from the hight, and outmoſt of deſpare, and doth undoubtedly make all of them. Repent of any motion or interpriſe that way, and doth bring ſome of them, who have been far on toward deſpair, back again to proclaime their own ſin, for the warning of others, and his mercy in reclaiming them, to his praiſe; For, here Solomon is not left to deſtroy his Life, though he hated it, but is preſerved, and reclaimed, to ſhow how ſad and ſinful a caſe he was in, while his Conſcience was awake, to tell him of his diſappointment of deſired ſatisfaction, and he as yet not reſtored to his wonted peace and Familiarity with God. I hated life becauſe all the works under the ſun were grievous, for all is vanity and vexation of ſpirit.
10 While men are at a diſtance from the Lord, and his Spirit withdrawn from them, they will readily draw Poiſon from theſe very ſame conſiderations which have been of excellent uſe to them while they were near him, and had the gracious preſence of his ſpirit: For this makes Solomon eſtranged from God hate his life, that all things are vanity and vexation of ſpirit, and yet the ſame makes him while he is near to him, put on, and commend to others a better purpoſe Eccleſ. 12.13. I hated life for all is vanity.
11. The Children of the Lord will not weary to view often theſe Truths, whereof they have found the benefit or comfort in their own experience, nor will it be grievous to them to ſpeak again and again of them, ſee Philip. 3.1. knowing that they may yet prove profitable or comfortable to themſelves and others; For which cauſe it is that Solomon repeats here, what he hath often aſſerted before, only here he brings it in as a ground formerly miſtaken by him, whereupon he hated his life, and ſo makes uſe of it now to increaſe his Humiliation, for all is vanity and vexation of ſpirit.