Exposition Upon Ecclesiastes, Chapter 7 · Verse 29
Ver. 29. Lo this only have I found, that God hath made Man upright; but They have ſought out many Inventions:
HEre are the two laſt Branches of his ſucceſs in taking pains for knowledge, held forth in two Concluſions, drawn from the conſideration of Gods wiſe and holy Diſpenſations with Man, and Mans perverſe carriage toward God.
The firſt is that God made Man upright, this is the ſame with the expreſſion of making Man according to the Image of God, or as the word here ſignifies, Straight, that is, conform to the will of God, and indued with Original Righteouſneſs; So that his Majeſty is free of all the Sin and Miſery that is come upon Man: And while he ſaith he found this only, to wit, this which he Branches out here in two Concluſions, it is not to be underſtood as if he had found no other thing by his inquiry formerly mentioned, for he ſets down ſeveral things he had found before; But the meaning is, that theſe two ſerving moſt to juſtify God, and humble Man as the cauſe of his own Sin and Miſery, were the moſt ſatisfying conſiderations; Or this only he found farther (beſide what is formerly expreſt) fit to be Communicate as the reſult of his pains for Wiſdom ver. 25. Neither is this to be underſtood as if Solomon had now firſt of all found out theſe Truths here expreſt, ſeing they are plainly revealed by Moſes Gen. 5.1. And 6.5. And ſurely he was trained up in the Knowledge of them, but that he had gotten a new ſight of them, and had read them of new upon the Lords Diſpenſations with Man, and the bad meeting which Man gives to God.
The Second Concluſion is They have ſought out many Inventions, the meaning whereof is, that Adams Poſterity can do nothing now but deviſe and multiply Curious Artificial ways, as the word Inventions ſignifies for diſhonouring God, and making themſelves Miſerable: Now he changes the perſon here having ſpoken of Man in the ſingular number, he now ſpeaks of All Men in the Plural, whereof three Reaſons may be given. 1. Becauſe he would Caution what he ſpoke in the former Verſe, leſt any might think there were ſome degree of Original Perverſity, peculiar to the one Sexe, which the other hath not, therefore he charges this equally upon the whole Poſterity of Adam. 2. Becauſe he would have all looking upon Adam as comprehending all mankind, receiving and loſing what he had, not only for himſelf, but for all his Posterity. And … Becauſe all that are come of him, are but parts of him, and ſo, in the former part of the verſe, he ſpeaks of mankind in the Root, and that in Integrity, here he ſpeakes of the ſame both in the Root and Branches, as fallen and corrupt.
Hence Learn. 1. Theſe Truths which are plainly revealed in the Word, and which we have Learned from it before, we ſhould labour to find them out by our own Experience and Obſervation, as written and to be read upon the Lords Diſpenſations with Men, and their carriage toward him; when they are ſo found out they become very ſweet, they have a new Reliſh, and ſatisfaction to the Soul: For Solomon who probably, read theſe ſame things in the Scriptures formerly cited, concerning Mans primitive Integrity and Original Righteouſneſs wherein he was created, and concerning his fall, and corrupting of himſelf, doth here ſpeak of them as found out by him, upon that diligent ſearch of Wiſdom, and of the Wickedneſs of Folly and Madneſs, formerly mentioned, This only have I found, That God made Man upright, but They have ſought out many Inventions.
2. They that ſeriouſly conſider Gods Wiſdom in the courſe of his Providence, and the perverſe and mad Courſes that Men follow, will from the one find that God is to be juſtified as free of Mans Sin and Miſery, and ſo may be helped to aſſent to this Truth revealed in the Word, that God made Man upright at the firſt, ſeing they will find him incouraging Men to wel-doing, and frequently teſtifying his diſpleaſure againſt their Impiety. And from the other they may read, that Men only are to be blamed for all the Sin and Miſery that is come upon them, while they may be obſerved ordinarily Sinning againſt their light, and the checks of their Conſcience, and omitting much good which is in their power to do: For theſe two are here expreſt as Obſervations which Solomon made upon Gods wiſe way with Men, and Mens perverſe way before the Lord, This only have I found, that God made Man upright, but They have ſought out many Inventions.
3. That which we ſhould mainly aim at in our Obſervations of the Lords Diſpenſations, and Mens carriage before him, is to find cauſe of juſtifying and exalting God, and of condemning and debaſing Man: For ſaith Solomon, this Only, or Mainly have I found, That God made Man upright, but They have ſought out many Inventions.
4. When Man came firſt from the hand of him that formed him, there was no deformity in him, he was made Straight (as the word Ʋpright ſignifies) not only as to the ſtructure of his Body, whereby he excels other Creatures, and ſhould be taught to mind things Heavenly, and not to ly groveling like a beaſt upon the Earth, in ſenſual Pleaſures common to him with the beaſt, but mainly in reſpect of the conſtitution of his Soul, he was Ʋpright, his mind or thoughts and conceptions being clear, and his will and affections conform to the will of his Maker. The Lord hath done nothing ſince to deface that frame, Satan and Mens Corruption have done all that, ſo that God is free of all that ruine that is come upon Man: For God made Man upright.
5. Before renewing Grace make a change upon Men, they are not only prone to welcome and yeild to Temptations, when they are offered, and to follow the Sinful Inventions of others before them; but they are all of them very Ingenious and have much Art to deviſe new ways of Sinning againſt God, and covering the ſame with fair pretences, and are very active to put the ſame in Execution: For ſo doth Solomon here repreſent the temper of fallen Men, They have ſought out many Inventions.
6. There is not any of Adams Poſterity deſcended from him by ordinary Geneneration, who is free of this infection of Original Sin, the Virgine Mary is not excepted. The Second Adam only is free, who is not come of the firſt as others of his Poſterity are Luk. 1.35. For ſpeaking without exception of any he ſaith, They have ſought out many inventions.
7. The firſt Man Adam was a publick perſon repreſenting all that were to come of him ſee, Rom. 5.12 So that what he loſt was loſt to all his off-ſpring who are but parts of him, and that vitious frame of Spirit which he contracted is proprgat to all his Poſterity: For Solomon having ſaid Man, or (as it is in the Original) Adam was made upright, he changes the perſon, ſuppoſing all his Poſterity to have fallen in him, from that uprightneſs: They have ſought out many Inventions.