Exposition Upon Ecclesiastes, Chapter 2 · Verse 18, 19
Verſe 18. Yea I hated all my labour, which I had taken under the Sun; becauſe I ſhould leave it unto the man that ſhall be after me.
19. And who knows whether he ſhall be a wiſe man or a fool? yet ſhall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have ſhewed my ſelf wiſe under the Sun. This is alſo vanity.
THeſe words contain Firſt, The third effect of Solomons diſappointment of his deſired ſatisfaction by all his Courſes, during his eſtrangement from the Lord, and that is, The hatred of all his labour, which is not to be underſtood of that Holy Indignation 2 Cor. 7.11. which no doubt Solomon now being a penitent had, at the ſinfulneſs of his former ways, ſeeing this hatred flowed from ſuch grounds as are here expreſſed, and is Cenſured by him as Vanity; Nor is his hating of his labour ſet down to condemn mens diligence in any lawful calling, which every man ſhould love, 2 Theſſ. 3.10. but to ſhow what a ſinful frame of ſpirit he had, while he thought upon his diſappointment of contentment in his earthly delights, and wanted as yet the wonted preſence of the Lords Spirit, which he had when he wrote this Book, and to ſhow how juſtly the Lord correct… the Spirits of his own People with Hatred or Loathing (as the word ſignifies) of theſe things wherein they have ſought Contentment beſide himſelf. Next. There are in the Words, the cauſes or grounds which were in his heart at that time prevalent to produce that ſinful Diſtemper: As 1. He conſidered that he behoved to part with all theſe things. 2. That he behoved to leave them to ſome other, ver. 18. 3. That it was not allowed him to know whether his Heir ſhould prove Wiſe or Fooliſh. 4. That whatever he were, he ſhould be abſolute Maſter of all that he had. 5. He conſidered that he had taken exceeding much pains. And 6. That he had manifeſted much Prudence and Skill in conquiſhing and managing thoſe great things: all which conſiderations did highten this ſinful Diſtemper, the hatred of his Labour. Whereupon Thirdly, he ſets down his Cenſure, That all this is Vanity, which is not to be applyed to the neceſſity of mens leaving their Subſtance behind them at death to an Heir, unknown for his future Diſpoſition and Carriage, ſeeing that is an ordinary event of Providence, but it is to be applyed to the whole caſe here mentioned, to wit, His hatred of his Labour upon ſuch grounds as are here expreſt, and to mens placing Happineſs in ſuch things, as they muſt leave behind them. As if he had ſaid, this is a vain or ſinful frame of Spirit, and unſuteable for a truly wiſe Child of God, to hate his Labour, or vex his Spirit upon ſuch a ground.
Hence Learn. 1. When men exceſſively love and delight in any Created thing, The Lord is thereby juſtly provoked to turn that Love into hatred, and indignation: and in much Wiſdom and Mercy doth he ſo, ſeeing they will not take off their affections from theſe things, till they be made odious to them; nor will they till then place them where they ſhould be: For Solomon who doubtleſs was ſinfully taken up with delight in his Labours during his diſtance from the Lord, ſaith now, Yea I hated all my labour.
2. It is not the unworthineſs of earthly Delights in compariſon of Heavenly and Spiritual, which doth ordinarly at the firſt draw mens hearts from them, and make them have indignation at them, but rather the conſideration of a neceſſity of parting with them, whereof the Lord in Wiſdom and Mercy makes good uſe. Firſt, to diſingage mens hearts from them, becauſe they ſee they muſt leave them, and then to move them to ſeek after better, and that upon more ſpiritual and approven grounds: For, therefore Solomon hates all his labour, becauſe he ſees he muſt eave it. Yea I hated all my labour, becauſe I ſhould leave it.
3. While men are hotly perſuing their Idols, theſe conſiderations which are moſt common and obvious to men, will be hid from them, or not ſo conſidered by them, as to have any ſutable effect upon them: For this conſideration, That he ſhould leave all to one after him, is a thing that ordinarly none are ignorant of, and yet Solomon hath not thought upon it, while he was ſo much delighted with his Enjoyments: And therefore when he thinks ſeriouſly of it, It not only marrs his delight, but makes him hate all theſe things he loved before, I hated all my labour, becauſe I ſhould leave it to the man that ſhall be after me.
4. There is ſo much ſelf-love in all men naturally, and ſo little love to the Glory of God, and the good of others, that if the Heart be left to its own perverſeneſs, it would rather choice that any gift it hath formerly received from God, and found ſweetneſs and comfort in, and now miſſes it, ſhould periſh and go to nothing, than that others ſhould enjoy it, or themſelves have no Comfort of it: For, this even Solomon declares to have been a part of the ground of this ſinful diſtemper of his ſpirit, That he hated all his Labour, becauſe (ſaith he) I ſhould leave it to the man that ſhall be after me.
5. Even theſe who have greateſt inſight in all ſorts of Science, cannot know what their neareſt Relations▪ their Children, Heirs, or Succeſſors will prove. There may be fair, and promiſing appearance of good in ſome, while they are under good Education and Example, and w…nt the free uſe of what they have a right unto, who may afterward prove very bad, 2 King. 12 2. And in others, the…e may be great appearance of much Miſchief, whom notwithſtanding Gods powerful Grace may change, Act ….…. &c. And the Lord ſees it fit to hide from men, the future diſpoſition, and carriage of thoſe who ſhall be after them, that their Children, or apparent Heirs, may be the daily remembrancers of their Ignorance, and that they may be incited to the mo…e Pain… … D…ty toward ſuch, and be the more earneſt with God for his direction, how to diſpoſe of what they have to leave behind them: For here Solomon, a very ſharp-ſighted man in other things, could not know, and ſuppoſes others to know no more than He, what his Heir or Succeſſor ſhould be; while he ſaith, He muſt leave his labour to the man that ſhall be after him, and who knows whether he ſhall be a Wiſe man or a fool.
6. Great Eſtates lawfully Conqueſt, and wiſely managed, may fall into the hands of theſe who will fooliſhly and ſinfully diſpoſe of them: Whereupon all men ſhould read the vanity of things earthly, and never feed themſelves with fancies that what they leave, ſhall be wiſely managed after them, which (though they were ſure of it) could give them no true comfort, except they uſe what they have well for their own time: For, Solomon ſuppoſes here that his great Eſtate might fall into the hands of a fool, as indeed it fell out, for one part of it went to Rehoboam, another to Jeroboam, and a few years after his Death, the great part of his Treaſures and Riches to S…ſhak, all of whom were fool… in Gods ſight, whatever they were in the Eyes of the World, Who knows (ſaith he) whether he ſhall be a wiſe man or a fool.
7. So ready is every man naturally to Idolize his own wit, that what One hath never ſo wiſely contrived and framed, anothe… will affect to put in a new Mou…, that it may be ſaid to be his, and he may have the praiſe of it: And the other who framed it wiſely at firſt, will readily vex himſelf to think that wh…t he hath ſhown ſo much wit about, ſhould be diſpoſed otherwiſe than he deſigned: For, here Solomon (now being a Penit…) confeſſe… hi…ſelf to have …, (while he was …ſtrang… from the Lord) vexed to think that after hi… Death, …nother ſho…d put his wiſe Contrivances in a …ow …, and likewiſe ſuppoſes his Succeſſor (whatever he ſhould be) ready to do the ſame. I hated all my Labour, becauſe I ſhould leave it to hi… th… ſhall be after me, and who kn…ws, &c. and … …e ſhall have … (as the word is) Maſtery … all my l… … diſpoſ… of it as his pleaſure.
8. The clearer grounds men have that theſe who are to be their Heirs or Succeſſors ſhall prove truly wiſe, and ſo improve what they leave to them for the honour of God, the more willingly and chearfully ſhould they part with what they have: And this ſhould make theſe who are apparent Heirs, or in expectation to ſucceed to others in great poſſeſſions, ſo to carry themſelves as they may be a Comfort, not a Vexation to theſe dying perſons from whom they are to receive ſome Worldly portion; For, Solomons indignation at all his Labour, becauſe he knew not whether he ſhould be a wiſe man … a fool who ſhould injoy the fruit of it, Imports that if he had known he ſhould prove wiſe, he had not been ſo much vexed to think of leaving all to him.
9. That which doth ſo ſtrictly tye the hearts of men to their earthly enjoyments, that they are vexed to think of a ſeparation from them, Is that they look upon them as the fruit of their own pains only, and the product of their own wit, and conſider not their dependence upon him who gave them all freely, and may take all back again when he will: For, Solomon hates his Labour when he thinks of leaving it, becauſe he looks on it as his Labour, wherein he had taken great pains, (as the Word tranſlated Labour ſignifies) and wherein he had manifeſted ſo much of his skill, my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have ſhown my ſelf wiſe under the Sun.
10. It is a great folly in men, to place and ſeek their Happineſs in things they muſt leave behind them, and cannot carry with them through death, when they will have moſt need of comfort, and to neglect the ſeeking of it, in the ſtudy of reconciliation and fellowſhip with God in Chriſt▪ who would go thorow the valley of the ſhaddow of death with them, Pſal. 23.4. and in his fear and obedience which will in the Gracious reward thereof follow them, and be with them after their death, when all other things will leave them Rev▪ 14.1… ▪ For this cenſure may ſafely be …pplyed to mens ſeeking their Happineſs in the in…oyme… of theſe things they muſt leave behind the… this alſo is vanity.
11. As it is a ſinful Vanity in men to place their Happineſs, in things they muſt leave they know not to whom, ſo it is no leſs Vanity to vex themſelves concerning the diſpoſal of what they have after them. If they have gotten their Poſſeſſions by unlawful means, they ſhould Repent and Mourn for the ſame before the Lord, and while they injoy them ſhould Labour to uſe them aright, they ſhould ſee to the education of theſe who are their apparent Heirs, and ſeek the Lords Councel in declaring their laſt will, even concerning their outward Eſtates, not vexing themſelves becauſe they muſt leave them, and are uncertain how they ſhall be uſed after them: For, it is the whole caſe here, mentioned in theſe two Verſes, viz. the hatred of his Labour, for the Reaſons here expreſt, that Solomon cenſures while he ſaith This alſo is vanity.