Exposition Upon Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3 · Verse 21
Ver. 21. Who knoweth the ſpirit of man that goeth upward, and the ſpirit of the beaſt that goeth downward to the earth?
Solomon having ſhown ſuch Reſemblances between Man and the Beaſt, as may ſerve to diſſuade Man from ſatisfying himſelf with the Beaſts Happineſs, and may prove him very Brutiſh if he do; he comes now to ſhow wherein Man hath the preeminency, and this is mainly in reſpect of his ſpirit, which goes upward. Whereby is chiefly meant the Immortality of Mans Soul; ſeeing he ſpeaks of the ſtate of it, after the Body is gone to the Duſt, as is clear by the Words immediatly preceeding, and by the parrallel place Eccleſ. 12.7. And though the expreſſion ſeems mainly to reſpect the Souls of the Godly, that by Aſcending Aſcend (as the Original bears) yet may it be taken in Reference to the Souls of the Wicked alſo; Not as if they went up to Heaven, but in ſo far as after Death, they muſt ſiſt themſelves before their Maker and Judge, to be diſpoſed of according to His pleaſure, Who though He be every where preſent, yet it is often ſet forth in Scripture as above us in the higheſt Heaven: And becauſe the ſpirits of the Godly do really by Aſcending Aſcend (as a ſpark of fire riſeth upward) toward Him who is in the high and Holy place As for the Spirit of the Beaſts, which is nothing elſe but their Breath, as the Word often ſignifies, their vital or Animal Powers, it is ſaid to go downward, not as if it did ſubſiſt, or remain after it leaves the body, but having ſpoken of the going downward of the Body, and the periſhing of it he is directed to ſet forth the periſhing of their Spirits, ſuch as they are, by their going downward in oppoſition to the ſubſtance and Elevation of the Spirits of Men, which he ſets forth by their going upward; And this difference between the Spirit of Man and Beaſt, he ſets forth in a Queſtion, Who knows the ſpirit of man that goes upward, and the ſpirit &c.
Not as if he doubted if it were ſo, or as if it could not be known; For ſuch Queſtions in Scripture are uſed of ſuch things as may be, and are by ſome certainly known, though conſidered by few, Pſal. 90.11. And ſo by the Queſtion he regrates Mens Ignorance of this truth, and that few do ſeriouſly conſider it, which is both another evidence of their Brutiſhneſs, that they conſider the future ſtate of their Souls as little as the Beaſts do, and likewiſe one chief cauſe, why they provide ſo litle for it.
Hence Learn. 1. The Spirits of Men are Immortal, and after ſeparation from the Body have a ſubſiſtence; For, having told that Mens Bodies return to the Duſt, as the Beaſts do, he ſpeaks of their Spirits, as yet exiſting, and moving upward, who knows the ſpirit of man that goes upward.
2. God who is the Father of Spirits Heb. 12.9. in regard He doth create and immediatly infuſe them into the Body Zech. 12.1. And orders all their motions while they Act therein Prov. 21.1. Hath alſo the abſolute dominion and diſpoſal of of them at His pleaſure, after their ſeparation from the Body and they muſt ſiſt themſelves immediatly before Him, to be diſpoſed of as He ſhall think fit; For which cauſe it is that the Spirits of good and bad are ſaid to go upward.
3. As there are but few of thoſe who have Immortal Souls within them, and ſo have power to reflect upon them, that ever do ſeriouſly conſider either the nature or future eſtate of their Souls, or the neceſſity of their appearance before the Judge; ſo their not conſidering hereof, is both an evidence of their Brutiſhneſs, and the cauſe why they choiſe not things of a higher nature for their Happineſs, than Beaſts take pleaſure in. And why they carrie one toward another, as Beaſts do, by their oppreſſion, for this queſtion imports the thing known or conſidered by few, and the ſame to be the evidence of mens Brutiſhneſs, and oppreſſion, who knows the ſpirit of man that goeth upward.
4. It is the conſideration of the Immortality of the Soul, of the Lords Dominion over it, and eſpecially of the joyfull motion of the Souls of the Godly at death, toward God, and Bleſſedneſs with Him, that draws men to live in the fear of God, and makes them affraid to hazard the loſs of their Souls, by provocking Him to whom they muſt go to be diſpoſed of as he pleaſes; For, as a mean to reſtrain men from theſe wicked courſes formerly ſpoken of, he here leads them to thoughts of this, That their ſpirits go upward.
5. Mens ignorance, and inconſideration of the nature and future eſtate of their own Souls, is a thing to be ſadly regrated by them that know and conſider the ſame; They cannot but pity ſuch, and bewail ſo great an evil, as the cauſe of many others; For, ſo doth the Wiſe-man here ſadly regrate mens Ignorance and Inconſideration of this, Who knows the ſpirit of man that go's upward.
6. The Beaſts are not made for any further, or higher end, than to be uſeful and ſervicable to Man, in ſerving his Maker, to which man ſhould be ingaged by the conſideration of his preeminency above the Beaſts, and of the ſervice he hath of them, after which there is no more of them; For when that is done The ſpirit of the Beaſt goeth downward, or goes to nothing, as their Bodies,
7. Men may go to their Beaſts, and learn that which may be duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page uſeful for their Souls, and ſhould be minded by them not to choiſe ſenſual pleaſures for their Happineſs, ſeeing there is a difference between the future ſtate of the one and the other The ſpirit of man goeth upward, and the ſpirit of the Beaſt downward