Exposition Upon Ecclesiastes, Chapter 7 · Verse 26
Ver. 26. And I find more bitter than Death, the Woman whoſe Heart is Snares and Nets, and her Hands as Bands: whoſe pleaſeth God ſhall eſcape from her, but the Sinner ſhall be taken by her.
THis Wiſe Man having regrated the imperfection of his Knowledge, notwithſtanding of his moſt ſerious inquiry after it, formerly mentioned, he doth here and in the following words give inſtances of ſome ſucceſs he had of his pains.
The Firſt is, concerning the Evil of ſinful Pleaſures, particularly the ſatisfying of the Luſts of the Fleſh: And in ſetting forth this, he doth Firſt deſcribe a Whoriſh Woman from two things: The 1. is, That her Heart is Snares and Nets, the meaning whereof is, That her Heart being under the power of her Luſts, doth catch every Temptation to that Sin of Uncleanneſs, which is explained by that Expreſſion Pſ. 41.6. The Heart gathers iniquity to it ſelf; And likeways that her Heart is full of ſubtile Plots and Inſinuations to inſnare Men, and draw them to her deſires, as Fowlers and Fiſhers have their Nets and Baits, to entangle Birds and Fiſhes, which are the Metaphores in the Words. 2. That her Hands are as Bands; whereby are meant her powerful Stratagems to hold Men faſt Slaves to her, and their own Luſts.
Next, He giveth ſome Arguments to deterr the Hearts of all from being entangled with Temptations of this ſort. 1. That he himſelf had found in his own experience, and did in part yet feel the bitterneſs of giving way to that Sin of Impurity, which is ſo Bitter that Temporal Death is to be preferred to the baſe Slavery of it: By which it ſeems very clear, not only that Solomon was a true Penitent, but that this Book hath been written after, and in teſtimony of his Repentance, ſeing at the writting hereof his Uncleanneſs was ſo bitter to him, that he cannot expreſs it, but by calling it more grievous than Death it ſelf, to wit, Temporal Death, which only deprives Men of their Natural Life, and the Comforts of it, but theſe ſinful Pleaſures deprive them of Spiritual Life, and the Comforts of Communion with God. 2. That the Man who is Favoured of God in a ſpecial way, ſhall eſcape ſuch Temptations, that is, either he ſhall not be entangled with them, or ſhall be mercifully reſcued from them, and conſequently as himſelf expreſſes this ſame purpoſe, Prov. 22 14. they muſt be Abhorred of God who are given up to them. 3. That this Sin of Uncleanneſs is often the puniſhment of other Sins, The Sinner (ſaith he) ſhall be taken by her: By the Sinner is not meant every one that deſerves that Name, for then all ſhould be taken: but by the Sinner (as is uſual in Scripture when that Name is oppoſed to the Godly, or the upright Perſon) is meant, One given up, or giving himſelf up to Sin, and making a Trade of living in it, ſuch a Man is juſtly left to fall into this moſt bitter, and abominable Sin of Uncleanneſs.
Hence Learn 1. Whatever diſſatisfaction ſincere Students of Saving Knowledge, may have with their meaſure, they ſhall be ſure to find ſucceſs in that which tends moſt to their true Happineſs, and to the preventing of their Eternal Ruine: For Solomon having regrated his ſhort-coming in the ſtudy of Wiſdom before, cannot but acknowledge that he was not altogether unſuccesful, And I find more bitter, &c.
2. To feel experimentally the bitterneſs of Sin, and to have a lively repreſentation of the hazard of living in it, is not the leaſt part of the ſucceſs of Mens pains for Saving Knowledge: For without this they can know nothing Savingly: Therefore this is one Inſtance which Solomon expreſſeth as a Bleſſed Fruit of his pains, that he found ſinful Pleaſures, More bitter than Death:
3. However Sinners apprehend much pleaſure in Sin, when they commit it; yet there is a woful Sting afterward, and much Bitterneſs in the latter end of it, every Penitent finds it in mercy ſo Bitter to him when his Conſcience is wakened, that he would rather venture upon Temporal Death, than enjoy his ſinful Pleaſures again: And impenitent Sinners find it ſo in Wrath here ſometimes, by the Stings of an accuſing Conſcience, eſpecially while Poverty, Diſgrace, and loathſome Diſeaſes making their Lives Bitter, are upon them, Prov. 5.11. and always at Death, and after it to Eternity, Eccleſ. 12.1. &c. So that all that ever took pleaſure in Sin, ſhall be forced to ſpeak this Language one time or other, I find it more bitter than Death.
4. When Sinners are left to the power of their Luſts, they are very ſtudious to enſnare others, thoſe that are weakeſt before Temptations, are often ſtrongeſt to enſnare, and hold others faſt in the Snare with them, and they are plagued with ſubtility of Wit for that end: For the whoriſh Womans Heart and Hand go together, her Heart is Snares and Nets, and her Hands Bands.
5. As the Temptations to the Sin of Uncleannſs, eſpecially from laſcivious and light Women, are ſubtile and not eaſily diſcerned; ſo when Men are once entangled in that Sin, they are often made abſolute Slaves to it, and held faſt in it, it is not an eaſie matter to reclaim any ſuch, only God's Wiſdom muſt diſcover the Net and the Snare, and His Power muſt looſe the Bands: For as her Heart is Snares and Nets, which are ſet ſo as they are not ſeen, ſo her Hands are as Bands.
6. If Men intangled with the pleaſures of Sin, eſpecially the baſe Bewitching inticements of Whoriſh Women, could look right upon their own caſe, they would ſee themſelves like ſilly Birds or Fiſhes deprived of their true liberty, and Caught in the Devils Net to be preyed upon, but ſuch Slaves think their Bondage, Liberty: For her heart is Snares and Nets, and her hands Bands.
7. As it is a great ſign of Gods ſpecial Favour and delight in a perſon to be kept from ſinful Snares, or to be liberat after they are intangled with them, ſo the beſt way to be kept free of them, or to eſcape from them, is to make the pleaſure of God our Pleaſure: So ſhould Men find as much true Pleaſure in Gods Service and Communion with him, as would make ſinful pleaſures loathſome to them; For ſaith he, whoſe pleaſeth God (the Words ſignifie either one Favoured by and pleaſing to God, or one that ſtudies to pleaſe him) ſhall eſcape from her.
8. It is not ſo much Mens natural diſpoſition to Chaſtity, their Education, fear of Shame, or Cenſure, their own Vows, Reſolutions, or Croſſes, as it is Gods taking Pleaſure in them, and his ſetting them in the way that pleaſes Him, to which their Preſervation or Deliverance from Temptations is to be attributed: For (ſaith he) Whoſe pleaſeth God ſhall eſcape from her.
9. Thoſe who habituat themſelves to other Sins (ſuppoſe them leſs, and more ſecret) and make a Trade of Living in them, are ordinarily given up to thoſe more groſs diſgraceful and vile Sins of Fornication, Whoredom and the like: For the Sinner who (as was cleared in the Expoſition) is one, giving, up himſelf to a Trade of Sinning ſhall be taken by her.