Exposition Upon Ecclesiastes, Chapter 2 · Verse 10, 11
Verſ, 10. And whatſoever mine Eyes deſired, I kept not from them, I withheld not my Heart from any joy: for my Heart rejoyced in all my Labour, and this was my Portion of all my Labour.
11. Then I looked on all the Works that my Hands had wrought, and on the Labour that I had Laboured to do: and behold, all was Vanity, and vexation of Spirit: and there was no profit under the Sun.
SOlomon goes on to deſcribe further the frame of Spirit he had under his Eſtrangement from the Lord, and the Senſe he had thereof, being now a Penitent. And Firſt he returns again to ſhow how fully bent he was to purſue his ſenſual Pleaſures, and this he holds forth in two Expreſſions, The one is, That whatever his Eyes deſired, he did not keep from them, By his Eyes he means mainly the Affections of his Soul, which are uſually ſo expreſt in Scripture, eſpecially when Luſt or Deſire is attributed to them, 1 Joh. 2.16. Becauſe theſe take in Objects to the Affections, Job. 31.1. And do in ſome ſort bewray the tendency of the Affections toward theſe Objects, 2 Pet: 2.14. And ſo the Eyes of the Body are here alſo comprehended; Theſe he confeſſes he did not ſeparate, or put far away from (as the Word ſignifies) theſe Objects to which they were of themſelves ſtrongly inclined, as he ſhould have done, Job. 31.1, By the exerciſe of holy reaſon, and Grace which he had in the habit. The other expreſſion is That he with-held not his Heart from any joy, Which adds to the former, that as he did not ſeparate his Eyes, or Affections from the Objects which proved a ſnare to him, ſo he did not put a Bridle, or Reſtraint (as the Word tranſlated With-held ſignifies) of the Fear of God and Thoughts of his Love upon his Affections; nor did he prohibite them, which is the chief ſignification of the Word, by his reaſon, to ingage deeply in the Love of theſe Delights, however lawful in themſelves▪ Now theſe expreſſions cannot be underſtood as holding forth no more than the uſe of his lawful Liberty in injoying his allowed Comforts, ſeeing the plain and literal Senſe of them is ſo far from what is commended of that ſort in other Scriptures, ſuch as the making a Covenant with the Eyes, as Job did, and praying to turn them away from beholding Vanity as David did Pſal. 119.37. And ſo unlike to that command which doubtleſs had been oft preſt upon Solomon, to rejoyce in trembling: Beſides, if what he took had been allowed liberty, and joy of the right ſtamp, whereof he here ſpeaks, he could not have paſt ſuch a cenſure, as he doth in the following words, upon his perſuit thereof: And therefore muſt be underſtood of the ſinful exceſs of his Affections pouring themſelves out upon creature Comforts. Secondly, He giveth two reaſons why he took this Liberty to himſelf, which then had been prevalent with him, but now did increaſe his Grief, that they ſhould have been ſo: The 1. is, That his Heart rejoyced in his Labour, The meaning whereof is, becauſe he found ſuch ſtrength of Body, and of his natural Spirit, that his very pains and toil (as the word Labour ſignifies) were pleaſant to him, therefore he took this Liberty. The 2. is, That this was his Portion, which is not to be underſtood, as if God had allowed him to ſatisfy himſelf with theſe earthly injoyments, without Fellowſhip with himſelf, but that he did ſatisfy himſelf too much with the ſame, during the time of his diſtance from the Lord, as if they had been his Portion, which he might indeed have taken as a Portion ſufficient to encourage him in ſeeking a better, ver. 10. Thirdly, He paſſeth Cenſure upon the whole, to wit, all his earthly Injoyments, and his Delight in them, as hath been explained, and that his cenſure may have the more weight, he ſhowes it was paſt, after he had turned his Face about, as the Word ſignifies, that is, after ſerious reflection, as a Penitent, both upon all the Works he had done, and upon what he intended to do, but got not accompliſhed: And this he doth in three Branches. 1. That he had met with nothing, but emptineſs, or diſappointment of any true ſatisfaction, which is Vanity. 2. That his Spirit was eaten up, or gnawn away with the tormenting challenges of his Conſcience, for pouring out his delight ſo much upon theſe things: This is the vexation, he ſpeaks of. And 3. That there was no profit in all theſe things, or his Delight in them: the Original bears, he found nothing remaining over and above, that is, nothing beſides diſappointment and vexation. Hence we may Learn 1. When the Lord is not made the Prime Delight of the Souls of men, as he alone deſerves to be Cant. 2.3. there is nothing that can be repreſented to them as deſirable, or pleaſant, but they are ready to give up themſelves to it, ſo that they have his reſtraining Grace to thank, that they are keept back from the moſt hainous Wickedneſs; for, now while Solomon is not delighting in keeping Fellowſhip with God, his affections are let looſe, and not kept back from any thing they incline to, and his Heart is not with-held by him, from any thing he apprehended would make him joyful: And therefore he had not himſelf to thank, that he fell not (though his falls were very hainous) to Witchcraft and Perſecution, as Manaſſeh did, ſeeing he ſpeaks this truly of himſelf, Whatſoever my Eyes deſired, I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy. 2. A true Penitent will not only reflect with grief upon his former practices in themſelves ſinful, but likewiſe and mainly, upon the exceſs and impetuous violence of his Heart and Affections, going after things in themſelves lawful, not only will he ſo look upon what he hath given his Heart to, and fix'd his Eyes upon; but alſo upon what he did not keep his Eyes, nor with-held his Heart from, though otherwayes he hath been hindered, and will mourn for the ſame; for, ſo doth Solomon regrate here, as the ground of the vexation of his heart, that Whatever his Eyes deſired, he kept not from them, nor with-held his Heart from any joy: Though it is very probable, that there were ſome things his Eyes deſired, that were kept from them, and ſome Joyes from which his Heart was with-held. 3. So ſtrong is the baiſs of a mans heart eſtranged from God, after ſenſual Delights, and ſo aſſiduous and importunate Suiters of them, are his Affections, that except theſe things that are ſinful, or may prove occaſions of ſin to him, be either ſeparate from him, and ſo put without his reach, or the forcible reſtraint of Love to Chriſt vouchſafed in that caſe, come in upon his Heart, and ſweeten it more than it can apprehend any delight beſide could do, 2 Cor. 5.14. Or the powerful apprehenſion of Terror from the Lord, if he ſhould medle with ſinful pleaſures, Job 31.23. the Heart and Affections, will run forth exceſſively upon them; ſo that whoever would be kept from ſin, muſt carefully watch againſt all occaſions of ſining: For Solomon here regrats that he did not ſeparate theſe Delights from his Eyes, and that he did not bridle his Heart from them, as the Word ſignifies, importing hereby what he ſhould have done, if ſo be he would have kept himſelf free of theſe things, which afterward proved vexation of Spirit to him, and Whatever mine eyes deſired, I kept not from them, I with-held not my Heart from any joy. 4. The wiſe Lord, who meaſures out to ſome of his Children that are deareſt to him, ſuch a bitter cup, that they have ſeldom, or never ſenſible Pleaſure in what they do or enjoy in this World, and this even while they are walking with him, and far from delighting in things ſinful, Job. 21.25. Pſal. 88.15. ſees it fit to let others of his people, while they are preſuing things ſinful, or things lawful in a ſinful way, taſte largely of Joy and Contentment, and have their Hearts up in their way, not becauſe he thinks little of their Sins, But that by his Indulgence, he may haſten their Repentance, or (if they do not make this uſe thereof) increaſe the bitterneſs of their exerciſe afterward, for their further Humiliation: for, ſo was it with Solomon while he was giving his Heart, and Affections their own ſway, in the purſuance of theſe Delights which afterward proved vexation to him; I with-held not my Heart from any joy, and even then (ſaith he) my Heart rejoyced in all my Labour. 5. So ſtrong is the deluſion of that Heart, which is left deſtitute, of the gracious and lively Operations of the Spirit of Chriſt, and is purſuing earthly delights, that even theſe exerciſes and courſes for attaining its Idols, which are really painful and ſpending, both of Body and Spirit, will ſeem joyful and pleaſant to it. How may this condemn them who account any pains in Chriſt's Service, which is true Pleaſure Prov. 3.17. a wearineſs Mal:, 1.13. for, Solomon ſinfully purſuing earthly delights, ſaith, My Heart rejoyced in all my Labour, the Word ſignifies Toil and Pains even unto wearineſs. 6. Though men oftentimes think it a good enough Warrand to hold on in their ſinful way, that their Heart prompts them ſo to do, and that they can take joy in their way, yet when the Lord awakes the Conſcience, it will appear to be ſo far from a Warrand of their way, that it will increaſe their grief, that they ſhould not only have followed their ſinful wayes, but likewiſe ſhould have had Hearts to rejoyce ſo much in them; for, Solomon gives this for a reaſon prevailing with him under his diſtance from the Lord, to give up himſelf to his earthly Pleaſures, but now aggravating his guilt, and his grief, That his Heart rejoced in all his Labour. 7, Although there be nothing leſs allowed to Believers for their Portion, than the Lord himſelf, his Favour and Fellowſhip, which alone is able to ſatisfy them, Pſal. 16.5, 6. yet when his Spirit is withdrawn from them, they will ſeek after, and ſatisfy themſelves with the periſhing delights of this earth as their portion for the time, which will exceedingly augment their grief, when the Lord reclaims them, for this other reaſon is a part of that which Solomon found now to be vexation of Spirit to him, that he had looked upon his earthly injoyments, and his joy in them, as his portion; And this (ſaith he) was my Portion of all my Labour. 8. As men deſerted of God go on in their own wayes, and never turn their face, ſeriouſly to reflect upon what they have done, ſo, when his Spirit whom they have grieved, is pleaſed to return again, they will make it their exerciſe, to look back upon what they have done, comparing it with the Rule, that they may find matter of Humiliation from it, for, ſo is it here with this penitent, then I looked, or (as the Word is in the Original) I turned my face, importing he had before this time, gone on and never looked back) upon all the Works that my hands had wrought. 9. When a Prodigal Child of God is come to himſelf, he will ſee and be very deſirous that others ſhould ſee, that every thing he hath ſought after as his Portion, hath been empty and void of any true ſatisfaction, that every thing he hath poured out the delight of his Heart upon, beſide the Lord, and Fellowſhip with him, hath but eaten up his Spirit, and left him nothing there but the gnawing worm of an accuſing Conſcience, ſo that he hath nothing of true profit remaining; nay, nothing at all, beſide that diſappointment and vexation: And if it be thus with men purſuing exceſſively pleaſures in themſelves lawful, how much more with theſe who purſue things ſinful? For, this is penitent Solomon's Cenſure and Judgement paſt upon all his earthly Pleaſures, which he calls all to conſider: Behold all is vanity and vexation of Spirit, and there is no profit under the Sun.