Exposition Upon Ecclesiastes, Chapter 2 · Verse 16
Verſe 16. For there is no remembrance of the wiſe more then of the fool for ever; ſeeing that which now is, in the dayes to come ſhall all be forgotten; and how dieth the wiſe man? as the fool.
HE inlarges further the ground, whence theſe ſinful ſuggeſtions mentioned in the former verſe, had the riſe in his heart, namely the equality of events befalling the Morally Wiſe, and the Senſual Voluptuous Man, whereof he giveth here two inſtances, which have very uſeful Truths in them, though they do not bear the Concluſion which his corruption, while he was eſtranged from God, drew from them, to wit, The condemning of himſelf for the ſtudy of M… Wiſdom. The firſt inſtance is, That both thoſe ſorts of men formerly mentioned, and all their enterprizes for Happineſs, are equally obnoxious to Oblivion: Which is not to be underſtood of their future and etern… ſtate, wherein they ſhall be for ever remembred by a ſin perſuing God, for the continuance of their torment, who ſeek not their Happineſs in Reconciliation and Fellowſhip with him, through Chriſt; But it is to be underſtood of their remembrance, during the time of this Life, and among men like themſelves after they are gone: And is mainly intended againſt that ſort of Wiſe Men who do more ſtrongly affect the perpetuating of their Memories, and endeavour the ſame, by leaving behind them Monuments of their Wit, than Senſual Epicures, who care for nothing but the enjoyment of their preſent Pleaſures: And however ſome of this ſort of Wiſe-men, have been, and may be long, and much remembred among men, yet with the far greateſt part of them it is not ſo; for ordinarly others ariſe after them who darken their memory and eclipſe their eſteem: And the remembrance of all of them, being conſidered as they did affect and endeavour the perpetuating of it, viz. as ſome piece of their chief Happineſs, doth ſo periſh quite; and at leaſt they ſhall be all of them ſo diſgraced at the laſt day, that they ſhall thenceforth eternally loſe all their renown; And then this ſhall be fully verified of all the wicked, There ſhall be no remembrance of one of them, more than of another, unto all Eternity. And this inſtance as it is verified in time, He proves by the univerſal forgetfulneſs, wherein both the Perſons and Actions of the preſent Generation, will be buried in the future, Seeing that which now is (ſaith he) in the days to come ſhall all be forgotten, Which likewiſe is to be applyed only to the ſubject matter in hand, and in the ſenſe preſently mentioned, ſeeing the remembrance of God and his Works will be kept up in his Church while time endures, Pſal. 45.17. The next inſtance is, that this wiſe man he ſpeaks of, ſhall die like the fool, Which is held forth in a Queſtion, importing his admiration and indignation, (viz. while his Heart was eſtranged from the Lord) that it ſhould be ſo: Now this equality of theſe two ſorts of men, the Morally wiſe or ſober, and the Senſual fool, in reference to their Death, is not to be underſtood of the particular kinds of their Death, or the circumſtances thereof, which uſe to be various in differing perſons, but that all the Wiſdom of the former ſort, ſhall neither be able to prolong their Life, nor give them any more true Comfort in Death (ſeeing they have lived without the ſtudy of ſaving knowledge) than they have who never cared for ſuch Studies, as theſe have been raviſhed with. And though this Queſtion may be concerning the certainty and kind of Natural Death incident to the Godly Man as well as others, yet as to the quality of his Death, he doth not die as they do, for his Death is the beginning of his eternally bleſſed Life, and he ſhall live after his Death with God in everlaſting remembrance. But for theſe wiſe Men, and Fools here ſpoken of, every one dies as another, they are at Death equally ſeparated from their fancied Happineſs, and Death is to all of them the Port and Entrance into their Eternal Torment.
Hence Learn 1. Though the deſire of eſteem among men, eſpecially the continuance of it after death, be of it ſelf vain, Gal. 5.26. yet the Wiſeſt and Beſt of men deſtitute of ſaving Light and Grace, do ſtrongly incline to purſue it even as their Chief Happineſs, and can with more difficulty than any others be convinced of their Vanity in ſo doing; For it is this ſort of wiſe Men, that the Spirit of God here equals with the fool, and labours ſo much to convince of Vanity in counting themſelves more truly Happy than others, becauſe of their Wiſdom, while he ſaith, There is no remembrance of the Wiſe more then of the Fool for ever.
2. The more wit men employ in purſuing any thing as their Happineſs beſide Gods Favour, and the more earneſtly they purſue the ſame, the more will the Lord walk contrary to them, and ſet himſelf to blaſt their courſes for attaining to it, For the Spirit of God directs his Speech here mainly againſt theſe Wiſe men, who had much more to perpetuate their Memories by, and did more for that end, than theſe with whom he doth equal them: They are ſuch whom he here certifies of that which is very vexatious to them to conſider (as will appear by what Solomon ſaith in the following verſe of himſelf, while he had ſomewhat of their temper) There is no remembrance of the wiſe more then of the fool for ever.
3. The preſent Generation, and all that live in it, ſhould look upon themſelves, and all their outward Enjoyments, as not only fading, and of ſhort continuance, but as ſhortly to be quite forgotten, and ſhould apply the ſame conſideration to themſelves, and their particular Idols, in the enjoyment whereof they place their Happineſs, the more to wean their hearts from them, and not pleaſe themſelves with general acknowledgments of the Vanity, and fading nature of all things: For the Wiſe man makes this general conſideration a proof of that Particular, that both the Wiſe and the Fool ſhall be forgoteen, Seeing that which now is, in the dayes to come ſhall all be forgotten.
4. Though temporal Death abides the Godly as well as the Wicked, Heb. 9.27. yet there is a great difference, between the manner or qualities of the Death of the One, and the Other. The Death of the Godly wants the Sting, Cor. 15.55. It is their perfect liberation from Sin, Death and Miſery Philip. 1.23. their entrance into reſt, Iſa. 57.2. and their Coronation day, 2 Tim. 4.8. But the Death of the Wicked, is the day of their Execution, Pſal. 49▪ 14. and of their entrance into eternal Torments. Prov. 7.22.27. For, as if it were not to be queſtioned but that there is a vaſt difference between the Death of the Godly, and the Wicked, Solomon here, only equals the Death of one Wicked Man, with the Death of another, while he ſaith, How dies the wiſe man? as the fool.
5. How great difference ſoever there may be among wic… men, for outward reſpects during their Life, and at their Deat… alſo for the Circumſtances thereof. 2 Gen. 9 33.34. … La… 16.22. yet Death ſhall equal them all for the extremity of the… Miſery: The thoughts whereof ſhould provoke men to make it their great buſineſs how to difference themſelves in …me from the Wicked, by the ſerious ſtudy of Reconciliation with God … Chriſt, and living in his Fear and Obedience; for doubtle… … equality of theirs in reference to Death, is to be looked upon the commom Port, whereby both the Wiſe and Fools here ſpoken of enter into hell, How dies the Wiſe Man? as the Fool.