Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 5 · Ecclesiastes · Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
THE words of the Preacher, the Sonne of David, King of Jerusalem. Salomon having falne so foulely, as hee Vers. 1.had done now, intituleth himselfe no more Salomon, the peaceable, but the gatherer, hereby intimating, what the Reader is to expect to finde in this Booke, viz. Collections of many cases, wherein men may thinke themselves happy for carnall and worldly pleasures, whereof they even take their fill, but they shall at length be found no substances, or durable things, but vaine shadowes upon which if ever they have their eyes opened to repent, they will be much ashamed, that they have so greatly doted, and if not, for laughing here, they shall weepe and howle hereafter without end.
But why doth he call himselfe King of Jerusalem, and not of Israel, over all which he reigned? Salonius answereth, because Jerusalem was the Metropolis of his Kingdome, where the Temple stood, built by him, whereby he had more Salon. in Eccles.glory, and of which he had more joy, then of any other thing in all his Dominions, but Verse 12. it seemeth rather to be so said, because he dwelt at Jerusalem.
Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, all is vanity; He doubleth the word, saith the same Authour, to make in us the deeper impression, that if all things Vers. 2.here be vaine vanities, we may not have our hearts set upon them, or thinke our selves happy in having them. Note.
Lavater makes an objection here, Salomon seemeth in thus saying to be contradictory to Moses, who saith, God saw all things that he had made, and they Lavater.were very good; and if so, how doth he call them vanities?
Sol. This was spoken before mans fall, but since man having sinned, for whom all things were made, they are all made subject to vanity, as the Apostle speaketh, and so there is no contradiction betwixt this our Preacher, Rom. 8. 20.and Moses. They are vaine now, because they are transitory, for heaven and earth, and all shall fade away at the day of judgement.2 Pet. 3.
2. Many things are now hurtfull, instead of sweet and wholesome influences, hurtfull and pestiferous, sometimes come from the very heavens, causing sicknesses and diseases, and much other hurt cometh to man from other things.
3. All things here below are corrupted and decay, and suffer for our sinnes, yea, the beasts of the field, the fowles of the aire, and fishes of the Sea, as the Prophets speake; and for sinne the earth beares briars and thornes, and is sometimes Hos. 4. 4. Ier. 10. 23. Gen. 3. Psal. 62. 9.barren yeelding no fruit. And as all these things are vaine, so and much more men, who by their sins are the cause hereof. This was of old implied in the name of Abel, which signifieth vanity, so called by his parents, both to shew the brevity of his life in this world, and to put his parents and us all in minde of the vanity and short continuance of this life.
Lastly, all things are said to be vanity, in comparison of God and his Word, which alone indure for ever, for the heavens are glorious to behold, and the heavenly Psal. 19.bodies, the Sunne, Moone, and Starres, being some glimpse of the glory of God, and they and the earth are of a long continuance in comparison of other Psal. 102.things, but if their continuance be compared unto God, they are vanity.
What profit hath a man of all his labour, that he taketh under the Sun? Vers. 3.Labour we must, till we returne to the dust from which we were taken, but the vanity Gen. 3.of this labour appeareth by this, that some by all their labour can scarce get them necessaries, and if any get abundance, they shall be soone taken away, and Luke 12.then whose shall these things be which they have gotten? as was said to the sensuall rich fool in the Gospel, he shal carry nothing with him but as he came naked, so hee 1 Tim. 6. 7.shall goe; and whether wise men or fooles, friends or enemies shall possesse it after Note. him, he knoweth not. But it is to be noted, that he saith, under the Sunne, according to Hugo Victorinus, who saith, That there is a labour, of which profit Hugo, Victorinus,cometh, but it is above the Sunne, the labour in exercises, and doing and suffering of those, that looke up yet higher to the Sonne of Righteousnesse, for this is labour in the Lord, of which the Apostle saith, Knowing that your labour is not 1 Cor. 15. 1 Tim. 4. 8.in vaine in the Lord; and having said, that bodily labour profiteth not, he addeth, But godlinesse is profitable to all things.
One generation passeth, and another cometh, but the earth abideth for Vers. 4.ever. A generation is a certaine period of time, during which a man commonly liveth, that is, as is said, Psal. 90. seventy yeares, or eighty, or a hundred; the meaning is plaine, all the men of one time dye within the compasse of so many yeares, a hundred at the most, and another generation cometh to inhabit the earth after them, and so it is from one generation to another, as long as the world lasteth. As Xerxes is said to have wept, when he beheld his huge Army of sixteen hundred thousand men, considering that within an hundred yeares they should be all dead and gone.
But the earth indureth for ever; that is, saith Salonius, because that although Salonius.it shall be burnt with fire at the day of judgement, yet this shall be but to purifying, it being then changed to better, of which opinion also many others be, drawing that Rom. 8. The creature it selfe shall be brought into the glorious liberty of the sonnes of God, to this, and the proving hereof. But touching the meaning of that place, I have spoken enough here upon. And this being so understood, as they would have it, is contradictory to Psal. 102. where the Heavens and the Earth are opposed to God in respect of Eternity, They shall all waxe old as a garment, and as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed, but thou continuest ever, &c. For here a change to the better cannot be meant, but a change to corruption and annihilation, because it is opposed to the Eternity of God, as it could not be, if after a little purging by fire it should still remaine ever in a more glorious manner. In saying then that the earth indureth for ever, he meaneth nothing else, but whereas men and other living creatures have but their termes, and having acted their parts upon the earth, as a stage, dye and passe away, the earth it selfe stands still generation after generation, as long as there shall be any such intercourse of things here: And therefore it is said, foreign in saeculum, and not in saeculum saeculorum, for ever and ever; for this word, as I have elsewhere shewed, according to Jerome and Augustine, signifyeth a certaine long period of time, unto which no man knoweth, how long it shall be, but God onelyonly: of the passing away both of heaven and earth, our Lord saith, Heaven Matth. 5.and earth shall passe away, but one jot or tittle of the Law shall not passe, see 2 Pet. 3.
Now for the coherence of these words, and those Verse 3. with Verse 2. there is generally set forth the vanity of all things in this world, Verse 3, 4. This is more particularly declared, 1 In respect of mens workes and gettings by all their industry, Verse 3. 2 In respect of the short continuance of men here.
Now Vers. 5. it is further added in way of demonstration by another particular, The Sunne ariseth, and the Sunne goeth downe, and hasteth to the place where he rose; this rising, and daily setting of the Sunne, is thought by some, to bee spoken of, as a demonstration of our mortality, who rise, as it were, when we come into the world, but set, when we dye, going under the earth, and now not seene, as the Sunne is not, after that it is gone downe. The Sunne shining also, we have light and comfort, here below, but this is soone gone againe, and turned into darknesse, and therefore this is but a vaine and transitory thing also.
That a mans coming into the world, is set forth by the Sunnes rising, and his growth, to some height of honour here, and by the going down thereof, his departing; hence the common saying which we have of Kings and Princes, the one waxing old, the other newly come into the world in comparison; and in flourishing youth sheweth, Omnes respiciunt solem orientem, nemo occidentem, All men looke at the Sunne rising, but none at its going downe. Some apply both this, and that of verse 4. spiritually, one generation of the Jewes, and Idolaters passeth away, and another of Christians cometh; and the Sunne riseth, saith Olympiodorus, when the Olympiodor.Sonne of God came into the world, and tooke our nature upon him, and setteth, or goeth downe at his death; or it riseth, when grace cometh into the heart, and goeth down, when we dive more deeply into the profound mysteries of the Word: But because it is spoken to illustrate the matter of vanity, if any application be made spiritually, it must rather be thus, one generation of good and zealous Christians passeth away, and another of luke-warme, worldly and heretical cometh; and the light of the Gospel ariseth to the great rejoycing of all men, but after a while it goeth downe in mens estimations, who are towards it, as the Israelites towards Manna in the wildernesse, first admiring and praising, then loathing it, as too light a kinde of food.
The wind goeth towards the South, and turneth about to the North, it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth againe according to his Vers. 6.circuits. Here by the wind which is Heb. foreign Lactantius, saith Lavater, understandeth Lavater.the Sunne also, hitherto spoken of, which for the exceeding swift motion in going about the whole world in foure and twenty houres, is called here a Spirit, and the going of it to the South, and then to the North returning againe, and the circular motion thereof at the end of the yeare coming to the place, where it was at the beginning, seemeth to make for this understanding, as if here were described the course of the whole yeare; for the Sunne coming into the Tropick of Cancer, goeth to the North, and then returning to the Tropick of Capricome to the South, so making Summer and Winter; and this truly hath a circular motion, and comes at the end of the yeare, to be where it was at the beginning againe, which cannot be said touching the wind. But for so much as the Sunne is no where set forth by this word foreign, but the wind, and the wind also whirleth about, and bloweth sometime Southward, and sometime Northward, and from other quarters of the heaven, thus going round, till it comes againe to the same point where it blew at the first, it is rather to be understood as spoken of the wind.
After which, the Rivers are in like manner spoken of, going into the Sea, and returning, and yet not filling it, as a fifth particular instance: which is understood by Vers. 7.some, of waters running from the Sea in veines within the earth, which coming out againe in springs supply the Rivers with waters; by others, of waters exhaled by the heat of the Sunne out of the Sea in vapours, whereof the clouds are ingendered, from whence raine comes downe againe, and filleth the Rivers; I take it to be meant, not of one, but both these wayes. But whereunto all this tendeth I have partly said before in speaking of the Sunnes rising and going downe, viz. to shew, that these things being so moveable, and alwayes passing, we that are poore men, wormes in comparison, might not looke for any durable estate here, but to count our living a continuall passing on to the earth againe, from whence wee were taken, and therefore as they that doe but passe through a place, set not their hearts upon it, but onelyonly make use of it for the present, so should we doe of the things of this world; or as Lavater also hath it, the Sunne, the Wind, and Lavater.the Rivers are thus spoken of to aggravate the vanity of mens lives, because these have their courses, and after going to such and such places they are not extinct, but returne againe, the Sunne after the going downe to shine the next morning, the Wind having gone from one part, and blowne to another, returneth thither againe, and the Waters likewise; but a man going downe into the grave, riseth againe no more, to live here as formerly he did, how be it he shall at the last day arise and come to judgement. And to these may bee added another comparison, upon which Job toucheth, with a Tree, which being cut downe, springeth up Job. 19.againe.
All things are full of labour, man cannot utter it, the eye is not satisfied with Vers. 8.seeing, nor the eare with hearing. Here is another argument brought to prove the vanity of all things here, there is no true felicity, but vanity, because this world can afford no contentation, but there is labour in seeking by seeing and hearing to come to knowledge, wherein one Philosopher Herillus held that felicity consisted. But against this is Salomon here, because that in seeing, and reading, and hearing all that we can to increase knowledge, there is no satisfaction, therefore no felicity; because there be many things still unknowne in this world, by him that cometh to the highest pitch of learning; there be many mysticall things in nature which no man can pry into, and therefore much more in divine things; for which cause Pythagoras, who was accounted so wise, being asked, whom he professed himselfe to be, answered, a Philosopher, that is, a lover of wisdome, and that hee thought no man to be wise, but God onelyonly; and Socrates professed, that he knew Lavater.this, that he knew nothing: and from Pythagoras, for that his saying, came the name Philosophus.
Thus Jerome, Olympiodorus, and Victorinus also expound it of knowledge, with which a man cannot be satisfied here, either with things naturall, or morall, Hieron. Olympio. Victor.saith Jerome, of things humane or divine, saith Olympiodorus, either in regard of the externall shew, or the internall, either by the outward sense, or inward Note. comprehension of the understanding to conceive, or to utter them; and therefore we ought not to rest in these worldly things, but to seeke after those, that the eye hath not seene, nor the eare heard, nor have entred into the heart of man to conceive, as the Apostle saith.1 Cor. 2 9.
The thing that hath beene, it is that which shall be, and that which is done, Vers. 9.is that which shall be done, and there is no new thing under the Sunne. Vers. 10. Is there any thing of which it may be said, it is new? Having shewed before, that the Sunne moves continually alike, and the wind from time to time blows variously, sometime from the South, and sometimes from the North, and from other parts, and the rivers come and goe into the Sea: Now he hereupon concludeth that thus it shall be to the worlds end, the course of nature in these great things is most notable throughout the whole world, being alwayes alike, and no new way to bee expected of inlightening and darkening the earth, or the blowing of the winds, or the running of the waters: and as herein, so in that which was before spoken, one generation passing, and another coming, and the succeeding generations acting over againe the good or the evill, which preceding generations having before acted, although happily coming to more perfection in either, the wicked growing more wicked then their forefathers, and the ingenious more witty to invent things not invented before, and the godly reforming things in the worship of God and doctrine, which have beene corrupted before, and some after them againe depraving and corrupting all more and more, for such, and so great wickednesses have not beene formerly acted, as now. Some things have been invented either bad or good, which were not before, as Gunpowder, and Printing, and many Manufactures, arguing rare skill, and devillish plots, and devices, to subvert States and Kingdomes, that never were before. But it is said, that this is so under the Sunne, that there is no new thing; Touching Metaphysicall, and super-humane things, it is not so, for touching these, the Lord saith, I will make a Esa. 65. Ierem. 30.new heaven, and a new earth, and a woman, saith Jeremy, shall compasse a man, which is also another new thing, and never done before, or after; And I will, saith the Lord, make a new Covenant. It cannot from that, which is here said, be gathered, which some Philosophers have held, that after the revolution of many thousands of yeares, all the same things shall be acted over againe as they were before; and after another space of time consisting of the like number of yeares, they shall be done againe; and after that in another, and a fourth for ever and ever, as Plato who would have this great space of time to be fifteen thousand yeares, and some say six and thirty thousand yeares, some nine and forty thousand yeares, and some put other summes, but these are vaine conjectures, and false, and without ground here. Where, as long as this world indureth, it is onelyonly averred, that there shall be a vicissitude and intercourse of things naturall, they that are now, shall also be in another generation, and in another after that, the Sunne shall so goe his circuit, &c. as was before said; and for so much as this is brought as an argument to prove the vanity and variablenesse of all these things, it cannot be hence inferred that it shall for ever and ever be so, but rather on the contrary side, the Almighty, who setteth them into these courses for the good of man, being by man extreamly offended, will at length dissolve all, and then there shall be no such revolutions any more; Note. which should make us to looke upon this world, as vaine, and therefore not to set our hearts upon it, or upon the things thereof, but upon the things of a better world above, the Son, which is indeed everlasting.
There is no remembrance of former things, neither shall there be any remembrance of things to come hereafter, with those that shall come. This Verse, as Vers. 11.the two former, further proveth the imperfection of our knowledge whilst wee live here, for it must needs be yeelded to be very imperfect, which extendeth not to things done many hundred years ago, as no mans knowledge doth, that liveth now, neither shall any mans doe, if the world still continueth long; for the Generation to come after, shall no more know the things done in the next Generation to us, then we who now live know the things that were done long before our time. But this is not to be understood of such things, as are committed to writing, and the writings still remaine, but either of those that are not, or if they be, they perish and are lost, and so no memoriall of them remaineth, wherein the holy Scriptures are singular above all other writings, in that they have beene in all times, and are preserved not onelyonly from perishing, but from corruption through the malice of men who have beene enemies hereunto through so many Ages, as none other bookes have beene, those of Moses being the most ancient of them all; which is an evident proofe, that God hath a singular care over them, as Writings that come from himselfe, and the inspiration of his Spirit, as St. Paul teacheth, saying, The whole Scripture is given by the inspiration of God; and therefore to be made truly 2 Tim. 3. 16.wise, let us attend to them, this being not otherwise to be found, but we must needs Note. labour with great ignorance all our dayes.
I the Preacher was King over Israel in Jerusalem, I gave my heart to search and seeke out wisdome, concerning all things that are done under the Vers. 12.heaven, &c. Now Ecclesiastes proveth by his owne experience, that all things in this world are vanity, and to purchase the more credit to this his testimony, hee telleth, That he was the King, so famous in Scripture for desiring onelyonly wisdome of God, and obtaining it above all other men, as is expressed verse 16. all Kings that were before him. He then, that is Salomon, declaring by his owne experience the truth of that which was before said, and having proved it by an high induction of many particulars, under which all other things are comprehended, what doubt can any more be made hereof?
But why doth he say, I was King over Israel, as speaking of a thing past?
Sol. He meaneth nothing else, but that he was King, when he gave his minde so greatly to the getting of wisdome, and obtained it, and lived in great pompe and Kingly glory, having about him all worldly comforts, although now for his foule sinning, hee accounted himselfe base and abject, which argueth his great penitency. The Hebrewes in their Sedar Olum say, that he spake thus in regard Rabbini.of his being carried away now from his Kingdome, into the wildernesse by the evill spirit Asmodai, but this is a Rabbinicall invention without ground. Some, because he had now given over his Kingdome to his sonne, and this is contrary to the sacred History. Some, because he had laid away his Kingly robes, and was come Carthus. Hugo. Victorinus.downe from his Throne, and lay repentantly now in dust and ashes, not accounting himselfe worthy to be King any longer, which doth not disagree from the first
For the next words, wherein he saith, that he gave himselfe to finde out the Vers. 13.knowledge of all things under the Sunne, This sore travell hath God given to the sonnes of men: Hereby he meaneth, that when he had attained so great knowledge, yet hereby he could not finde out all things, and therefore neither can any other man ever attaine unto it, as saith the Caldeo Paraphrast, although some Cald. Paraph. Hugo, Victorinus, Olympiod.Expositors picke out somewhat hence, for which to taxe Salomon for pride and arrogancy; saying, that this sore fruitlesse labour was by God laid upon him for a punishment, as the Gentiles are said, for their doings to have been given over to a reprobate sense. But because it is not unlawfull to goe as farre as a man can, in knowing naturall things, I see no reason, why they should censure Salomon for Rom. 1.this, but rather he hereby sheweth in his owne example, who had so extraordinary indowments, that to endeavour to know all things is but vaine, and lost labour to any man.
That which is crooked cannot be made streight, and that which is wanting Vers. 15.cannot be numbred. The Vulg. It is hard to make it streight; but Heb. it is, It cannot. Here is another argument of the vanity of all things here, it is refered by some to men thus, he that is perverse cannot be brought from this his perversnesse to live righteously, and therefore the labour that others bestow upon him for this end is vaine, as was said before in Proverbs, Bray a foole in a mortar, and his folly will not depart from him; and according to this, such as are wanting, that is in wisdome and knowledge, having but shallow and weake braines cannot be made wise, and so brought into the number of the wise. By others it is referred to States and Commonwealths, they being corrupted or disordered, are very hardly brought to rights againe, yea, men cannot doe, and a Kingdome, from which part is fallen away, cannot be compleated againe, as it proved by experience in Salomons Kingdome, the number of the twelve Tribes could never after the division, in Rehoboams time, be made up againe. And so it is in all other naturall things, a crooked body of man, a crooked tree, a crooked member cannot be made streight by any man, and any defect in the members requisite to perfection, if one be borne without an arm, or finger, or hand, &c. it cannot be supplied, therefore mens labours are vaine.
I gave my heart to know wisdome, and madnesse, and folly, I perceived that Vers. 17, 18.this also is vexation of spirit. Vers. 18. For in much wisdome there is much griefe, and he that increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow. Of his seeking wisdome see before Vers. 13. but now he addeth also madnesse and folly; Heb. The knowledge of madnesse and folly: For by contraries the excellency of the one above the other is the better discerned; he that knoweth the madnesse and foolishnesse Lavater.of Hereticks, and wicked persons, is the better fenced against these evills, which he that knoweth it not, is ready to runne into; but the end of his saying thus here, is to shew, that although wisdome and knowledge be more excellent by farre, then folly and ignorance, yet even in wisdome there is this vanity, that a man getteth vexation and griefe hereby, and so all things here are vanity.
But how, or in what sense is it said, There is much griefe in much wisdome, and knowledge increasing, sorrow increaseth?
Sol. This is not meant of Divine wisdome, which is the same with the feare of God, for although this be not attained without much toyle and labour in reading and studying, as every true student findeth by experience, and knowing men seeing how short they come of that which they ought to bee, and how little they know in comparison of that they should, and that knowing, and not doing accordingly, as was the case of Salomon, makes their estate worse, because Hee that knoweth his Masters will, and doth it not, shall be beaten with many stripes; they have great sorrow, and the more by reason of their knowledge, either coming short of that they should doe, when they doe their best, or ungraciously falling from the good way, wherein they have gone. But this is not the griefe here meant to be counted vanity, for it is a blessed sorrow and mourning to mourne thus, and so pronounced by Christ, Blessed are they that mourne, for they shall Matth. 5.be comforted; and godly sorrow, saith the Apostle, causeth repontance to salvation never to be repented of. And therefore here is no discouragement from 2 Cor. 7. 10.labouring to get this knowledge, but rather incouragement, for so much as it is but Note. a sowing in teares, to reape in joy; whereas he that is destitute of this knowledge, is without this godly griefe, and therefore although he laugheth, and is merry for a time, woe is to him, for he shall waile and weepe; he laugheth, and is without griefe for a moment, but he shall weepe for evermore: For all other knowledge, naturall, or politicall, without this, he increaseth sorrow onelyonly, that increaseth it, both because the knowledge of the causes of naturall things, or of morall, is not acquired without great study and labour, and there is much vexation of spirit, for that a man cannot attaine to the knowledge of many things, when he hath toyled all that he can, and the more knowledge a man hath either of these wayes, the more sorrow and trouble, because he can never be quiet; but for his eminency herein, either he is troubled by the seeking of many unto him, he being thus put to more labour and imployment, or he laboureth the more by writing to communicate his knowledge to others; or lastly, he hath sorrow by suffering, because that contrary to his knowledge, he will not humour those that be in authority, or comply, but speake against them, by which meanes he is put to much sorrow; whereas ignorant persons that are wildable to any thing, because they know nothing to the contrary, escape these dangers: But yet there is a greater cause of griefe then all this, to men that have these knowledges, but want saving knowledge, which is to come, for their finall perdition with their knowledge, yea, although they know divine things also, but live not accordingly, for of this the more a man hath, the more tormenting griefe he shall have in the world to come, as hath beene touched before.
Hugo, Victorinus and some others thinke that Salomon in saying, that hee gave his minde to wisdome and madnesse, and folly, meaneth, that hee Hugo, Victor.sought not so much for divine wisdome, but for humane, that excelling this way he might have the greater glory, for withall he gave himselfe to mad and foolish wayes. And they take that also, which was spoken Verse 16. of his being wiser then any that were before him, as coming from pride and vaine-glory. But this is not probable, for so much as the wisdome of which hee speaketh in the Proverbs, and so highly extolleth, is Divine wisdome; and in seeking to God for wisdome, he propounded this as his end, that he might know how to judge wisely, and to goe in and out before that mighty people; therefore certainly he gave not his minde then to folly and wickednesse, for this no way pertaineth either to such walking or judging.