Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 5 · Ecclesiastes · Chapter 12
CHAP. XII.
REmember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth, whilst the evill dayes come not, nor the yeares draw nigh, wherein thou shalt say, I have no pleasure. Vers. 1.By evill dayes here are meant dayes of misery, when the body is decayed, and oppressed with many infirmities and diseases, which are so grievous to old age, that a man no more takes pleasure of his life, but had rather dye, and depart from it to be rid of them. If in youth this be not thought upon to stirre thee up now to feare God, and to fly sinnes incident especially to youth, but passest thy Note. time in vanity, pleasure, and reverge-taking, against which he gave warning before; thou shalt finde to thy cost, that thy youth is meere vanity, and when thou comest to judgement, thou shalt be found to be vaine and light. Now is the time, or it will never be, for it is the time here set by God, who will now be ready by his Spirit to help thee; but tarry thy owne time, thinking to doe it afterwards, and put thy Salvation upon a most dangerous adventure; as he that having a limited time to come in, and submit to his Prince, that hath been a Rebell, if he comes not in the time limited, is unlikely after this to finde mercy, but shall dye a cruel death; so he that cometh not in to God, by turning from his sinnes, in the time set by him, can have no hope after this time expired; his accustoming himselfe to sinne in youth, makes his conversion in old age impossible: As it is impossible to wash the black Moore white, or the spots of the Leopard away. Some indeed are called at Jer. 23. 13. Matth. 20.the eleventh houre of the day to labour in the Vine-yard; That is, in old age, but what is this to them that are called at the third, or sixth, and will not heare? it is spoken only for the comfort of such, as amongst whom the voyce of the Gospel cometh not, till they be old; as it was with Nicodemus, and Ananias, that was sent to Saul, who is said to have been an old Disciple, that is, called in his old Acts 9.age; they that are called then in youth, and charged to remember God now, and will not, have no pretext for their going on in sinne.
Whilst the Sun, the Light, the Moone, or the Stars be not darkned, nor the clouds returne after the raine. Here he goeth on more particularly, to describe Vers. 2.old age, and to shew how unfit it is for conversion, the Sun, Moone, and Starres, and all light is now darkned, he that turneth must have light from thence-forth to walke by in the streight and narrow way, but the aged, as the light of the world, are now darkned to them through the dimnesse of their sight, through the decaying of their sences, understanding, and memory, have the Preachers, the Lights of the world darkned unto them, they being not now able through deafnesse to heare, through blindnesse to read that, whereby they might be inlightned; Mat. 5. 14.or if they can, not be able so readily to remember, or understand, as in their younger time.
Jerom will have the darkning of the Sunne, Moone, and Starres, meant at the Hieron.last day, and the darkning by death; but because that, which is here said, is opposed to youth, and other parts of this description set forth men coutinuing still in this world, I rather hold, that this is spoken of old age, and so doe most Expositours; neither the clouds return after the raine; That is, cloudinesse to clearnesse of the Heaven againe, as is commonly done, but it still continueth darke and cloudy, as in time of raine; That is, it is thus to them that be aged, whose sight decayeth; the Sky, that after raine groweth cleare againe, becometh now also cloudy to them.
In the day, when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men bow themselves, and the grinders cease, because they are few, and the lookers Vers. 3.out at the windowes be darkned; By the keepers of the house, understand the armes, and hands, whereby the house of the body is defended, and maintained, for the body is called an house, 2 Cor. 5. and with the hands a man laboureth to keep it, and with the strength of his armes defends it, but when he is very aged, these Keepers shake through Palsies; the grinders be the teeth, which are then most of them gone out, and the lookers out at the windowes, the eyes, the dimnesse of the sight being hereby further set forth.
And the doores shall be shut in the street, when the sound of the grinding is Vers. 4.low, and he shall rise up at the voyce of the Bird, and all the daughters of Musick shall be brought low. By the doores understand with Lavater, and Bonaventure, Lavater. Bonavent.the lips, which through feeblenesse in old age are shut up, as it were in the streets, where others are heard speaking loud, they scarce walking out, when youthes are playing, and shouting, or crying out there one to another.
By a phrase like this it is said of Christ, he shall not cry, nor lift up his voyce in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low; this may either be applied to Vox est sonus lingua gutture labijs, & dentibus prolatus.the same, the voyce is low, which is uttered by the tongue, throat, lips, and teeth; for as the lips, so the teeth, which are grinders, move in speaking. Jerom and Albinus will have their keeping within meant, causing the doores to be shut, and not walking abroad now in the streets, as in former times; he is said to rise up at the voyce of the Bird, because he is very wakey, and sleepeth now but a little, and Cald. Paraphrast. Hieron.the noyse of the Cock-crowing awaketh him, and the daughters of Musick be the Organs of singing, which now faile in him, or make so low a sound, that his musicke is scarce heard. Some expound it of his not delighting in musick.
When they shall be afraid of that which is high, and feare shall be in the way, Vers. 5.and the Almond-tree shall flourish, and the Gras-hopper shall be a burthen, and desire shall faile, &c. old men are afraid of that which is high, when they feare to goe up to high places, to looke downe from thence, lest they should be made dizzie, and they feare in the way, left they should stumble and fall through their weaknesse, and want of sight, to keep them from going into mischiefe.
The Almond Trees flourishing, and blowing white, setteth forth grey haires, on his head, and beard; the vulgar for these words, the Grashopper shall be a burthen, hath, the Grashopper shall be fatted; and Jerom hereby understands the ankles swelled with the Gout, because the word rendred Grashopper, signifieth also talus, the ankle, for the Gout is a grievous paine to men in old age; but why foreign should be rendred fatned, I see no reason, for it signifieth burthened; and if the translation Grashopper be held, the sence will be good thus, his crookednesse in his backe, like the Grashoppers, wil be a burthen to him.
Some expound it of every little thing making a noyse, although but small; and when he is come to this lust and pleasure, that way ceaseth, and he dyeth; that is, his going to his long home, which now followeth, and the mourners goe about Jer. 22. 18.the streets, as the manner is at great Funerals; contrary to which it is said of Jehoiakim, that they should not lament or mourne for him.
Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowle broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountaine, or the wheele at the cisterne. By the silver cord Vers. 6.most probably is meant the Spina dorsi, or pith in the backe bone, which looketh white; by the golden bowle, the filme about the Braine, which is according to some, of a yellow colour, according to others not, but called golden for the preciousnesse in death both these are dissolved; by the pitcher broken at the fountaine, the Liver decaying, which is a fountaine of bloud; the wheele at the cisterne, the heart compared to a cisterne, because as water through a Pipe runneth into a cisterne, so the bloud in great danger runneth thither, and the life, that is alwayes turning round like a wheele from the earth, and having fetcht a circuit here a while, returning to the earth againe; or the living man is as this wheele in respect of his body, as vers. 7.
Dust returneth to the dust, and the Spirit to God that gave it. Here drawing Vers. 7.to an end of this tract, he speakes againe as he began, Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.
Moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge, he gave good heed, and sought out, &c. Here the example of Salomon is Vers. 8. Vers. 9.commended, to the imitation of all wise and learned Preachers, for why else doth he say thus of himselfe, but to stirre up all the wise to doe likewise? for certainly being so humbled, as he was for his foule falling, he spake it not in vaine-glory, and therefore to whet on others to use their talents of learning, and knowledge, and to improve them for the instruction of Gods people, by preaching and writing, as where necessity of the Church requireth, and to this end we must study to finde out that which may give light, and not to set forth any thing pertaining to instruction in godlinesse, in word, or writing confusedly, but in order holding us to a Note. method in all things that we teach, whereby our Hearers or Readers may be the most benefited; neither is it enough for the Learned, that they have attained to such a measure of knowledge as they have, but they must still labour to increase it, for even inspired men, Salomon, and Paul did thus, as may be gathered from that which Paul speaketh of himselfe to Timothy, saying Bring the bookes with thee, and especially the Parchments, for what would he doe with bookes, but read, and study upon them?
Lastly, because Salomon calleth himselfe a Preacher, because he wrot so many good Proverbs, and Sentences for instruction, although he never went up into a Pulpit, as Ezra a Priest, to preach; that writing is a preaching, as well as publick speaking, and it is a farre more durable preaching; for thus Moses, so long agoe dead, yet preacheth, as may be gathered from the words in the Parable of Dives and Lazarus, where it is said, They have Moses and the Prophets, let Luke 16.them heare them; therefore they still teach to be heard, when they are read, as it is elsewhere expresly said of Moses, he is preached, when he is read in their Sinagogues Acts 15.every Sabbath day. But let not this be taken as spoken in favour of writing, and not preaching in the Congregation, if he be a preacher by calling, for he ought to doe that specially, much lesse in favour of such idle Ministers, as will not take the paines to doe any thing, but read other mens writings, as any one that hath learned to read english may doe.
And that which was written was upright, even words of truth; which is Vers. 10.true not only of Salomons words, but of all things contained in the Canonicall Scriptures.
The words of the wise are like goads, or nailes fastned by the Masters of Vers. 11.the assembly, which are given from one shepheard. Here by two comparisons Divine instructions are set forth, according to their efficacy in the hearts of the Hearers with whom they take; 1. They are compared to Goads, whereby Oxen are pricked on to draw, so by propounding Gods promises and threatnings, and exhortations made hereupon, men are pricked on to the workes of God, which otherwise they would never doe. 2. To Nailes, which being sharpe also are driven into Boards, or other things, and by this meanes they are firmly fastened; so by these the good Hearers of the Word are fastened in Grace, and fall not therefrom, their hearts are also peirced as by a sword, making them full of sorrow for their sinnes, to repentance unto salvation, never to be repented of. And these Goads and Nailes they have from one Shepheard Christ Jesus, who saith, that he is the Heb. 4. 12. Joh. 10.true Shepheard, for no teaching is thus penetrative, or efficacious to stirre up to worke the workes of God, unlesse the Lord putteth to his power, according to that, Paul planteth, and Apollo watereth, but God giveth the blessing; without 1 Cor. 3.which neither is he any thing that planteth, nor he that watereth. Moreover, hereby is intimated, that Preachers have their faculty of teaching from him, and not of themselves, for which he saith, Without me yee can doe nothing, and that the true Preachers of the Word teach not their owne phantasies, or any thing diverse from his word, but that only.
And further by these (my sonne) be admonished: of making many bookes Vers. 12.there is no end, and much study is a wearinesse of the flesh. Seeing the words of the wise, which they have from God, be so peircing and efficacious, let them enter into thy heart, whosoever thou art that readest, or hearest them set forth by vocall preaching, and doe accordingly; for many busie themselves in writing Bookes, wherein they set forth errours to seduce thee, or full of thorny questions, exercising mens heads much, but to little purpose, as many writings of the Schoole-men doe, and some write Bookes of vaine things, invented to draw the Reader to spend his time in them; thus neglecting to read the Word, and the explanations hereof, whereby they doe but weary themselves without profit; for it is not to be conceived, that it is spoken against much reading, and writing, for edification in knowledge and grace, because even Kings are commanded to read thus continually; for Deut. 17. Vers. 13. Vers. 14.this must be done, that we may learne to feare God and to keep his Commandements alwayes, which is the whole duty of man, and that upon paine of being severely judged, if we doe not, but sin here against, although never so secretly, yea, if but in our thoughts.
Here endeth the Booke of Ecclesiastes.
A THEREE-FOLD COMMENTARY upon the most excellent Song of Salomon.
The First, by way of Exposition, making all things obscure, more and more cleare to the understanding of every intelligent Reader.
The Second, by way of Paraphrase, in Meeter.
The Third, by way of observation, for the further edification of the Reader in the knowledge, and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
A WORKE, By the reading and serious consideration whereof, the Soule not given over to a reprobate sence, cannot but be ravished with the Love of Christ, and joy of the Holy Ghost, and moved to repent of Sin, and so elevated to things above, as to set light by afflications, or pleasures, or profits here below.
BY JOHN MAYER, Doctor in Divinity.
LONDON: Printed for Robert Ibbitson, and Thomas Roycroft. 1652.