Ecclesiastes 7

Ecclesiastes 7:1

A good name] Solomon in this Chapter proceeds to many other particular meanes and remedies for healing the vanities and vexations of this life; and procuring tranquility and peace of minde, in the midst of them. Yet here and there he doth intermix some more vanities and vexations. The first meanes and remedy here is a Good Name. or Fame. The first letter of the Hebrew word for Good, is here greater then ordinary; to intimate belike the great and extraordinary goodnesse of a good name. Which is better to a man, to his conscience, and soul, then a precious ointment is to his body. It refresheth, and cheereth, and comforteth the soul and conscience, in the very midst of all wrongs and sufferings; and specially at the hour of death; and remaines fresh after the body rots in the grave.

They leave their names for a blessing, and are had in everlasting remembrance; whereas the memory of the wicked shall rot, Job XVIII. 17. Prov. X. 17. and they leave their names as a curse, and a stinking snuff behinde them, Esay LXV. 15. yea, in this life this fattens the bones, Prov. XV. 30. And procures reverence and esteeme in the consciences of others. And is rather to be chosen then all riches, Prov.

XXII. 1. Herein the Hebrew is a Paranomasia of the words 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 And the same is in Cant. I. 3.

and the day of death] To such a man of a good name: or to any man, relation being had to the many vanities and vexations of this life, Job XIV. 1. Life begins with crying: 2 Nondum loquitur infans, & tamen sic prophetat. And Lawyers define life by crying, without which they are counted still-borne. 3 Now that day that delivers a man from them, is better then that which lets in, and puts a man in possession of them. Which makes Solomon here prefer his coffin before his cradle.

to the house of mourning] So wise men do, And fools they are that do the contrary, verse 4. This is better for the living, as the former for the dead.

for this is the end of all men] Here is the reason, men will so fall into deep and due consideration of their own dying life, as Job XXX. 33. Psal. XXXIX. 4, 5. and XC. 12. that life is but to lie a dying, and so be weined from the vaine jollities of this life, and wrought to humiliation, mortification, and preparation for a better life. From which, Feasting calls us off. See Josh. XXIII. 14. Heb. IX. 2. And againe, Amos VI. 3,—6. Deut. VIII. 12,—14. Esay XXII. 12, 13, 14. and chap. V. 12.

Ecclesiastes 7:3

Sorrow is better] James IV. 9 Luke VI. 21. 25. Matth. V. 4. yet this is a Paradox to the world, which is alwayes set upon the merry pin, to be as merry Greeks: to eat and drink, and laugh, and play, and labours to banish all sorrow away, as the bane of their life.

sadnesse of the countenance] In our selves, by grave thoughts, and sad and serious meditations and considerations: or, of a sower and severe, yet sure friend.

the heart is made better] The better part is bettered: the inward man is amended; by abandoning those loose noisome and destructive vanities and jollities of laughter; and of penitential humiliation, compunction, contrition, of mortality, death & judgment. These sorrowful tears have much joy in them, they wash away the filth of sin; & as sweet April showers they bring on amaine the May-flowers of Grace, and Glorie. And therefore, where ever the body is, upon several occasions, yet the heart of the wise is here, he numbereth the dayes of his life, and the dayes of darknesse, Psal. XC. 12. Eccles. XI. 8.

And where ever the body is, yet the heart of fooles is on effuse mirth, runs a madding; the way to rejoyce in a thing of nought, Amos VI. 13. is on foolish follies, in the filth and froth whereof is bred and fed that woful worme that never dies, Job XXI. 12, 13. Yet their laughter is indeed but the hypocrisie of mirth, as the crackling of thornes under a pot, a sudden blaze soone gone, as sudden lightning, which yet is followed with the rending and roaring of thunder-claps, Luke VI. 25. Psalme CXVIII. 12.

Ecclesiastes 7:5

The rebuke of the wise] Prov. XIII. 18. and chap. XV. 31, 32.—ch. XXVII. 6. Psal CXLI. 5. An enemie in this case many times proves a good and useful Informer, though a bad Judge.

Ecclesiastes 7:6

Crackling of thornes] Psal. LVIII. 9. Ovid. Trist. l. 5. Elog. 8. Flammáque de stipula nostra, brevisque fuit. Prov. XIV. 13.

Surely oppression] Chap. IV. 1. and chap. V. 8. Deut. XXVIII. 29, 33. Psal. CXIX. 134. Jer. VI. 6. and chap. XXII. 17. Ezek. XXII. 29.

maketh a wise man mad] To see it in the world upon others; to undergo it himself. No man is so wise, but he is sometimes over-borne with passions and rage, and indignation.

a gift] Job XV. 34. Psal. XXVI. 10. Prov. XVII. 23. and the Observations upon it. Deut. XVI. 19. Exod. XXIII. 8.

Ecclesiastes 7:8

Better is the end] This maxime holds in many things; where the beginning is difficult, the end sweet. James V. 11. Psal. XXXVII. 37. Many graces run in the race of a Christian course: only perseverance to the end gaineth the prize, crownes the enterprize and action, Matth. X. 22.

Heb. III. 6. Apoc. II. 10, 26. Many seeme to set out for heaven with much eagernesse; as Orpah from Moab; but returne back; put their hand to the plough, but after look back, as Lots wife; run well, but after fall off, Gal. V. 7. leave their first love, Apoc.

II. 4. begin in the spirit, and end in the flesh. But better they had never known the way of righteousnesse, &c. 2 Pet. II. 20, 21. Heb. X. 26. 27, 38, 39. Some here understand the end of angry contention.

For so the Hebrew word sometimes signifies, as Prov. XVII. 9. And so the sense wil best agree with that which followeth.

the patient] Prov. XIV. 29. and XV. 18. 1 Thes. V. 14. James V. 7, 8, 11. Heb. XII. 1. And patient therefore under oppression, waiting on God till he bring both ends together, not looking only on 〈◊〉 present face of things; but hoping and expecting that they which sowe in reares, may reap in joy, Psal. LXXIII. 17, 18. Esay X. 12, 24, 25, 26. 2 Sam XVI. 11, 12. Habak. II. v. 3, .

the proud in spirit] Exod. V. 2. Prov. XIII. 10.

Ecclesiastes 7:9

angry] Psal. XXXVII. 8. Anger is an evil counsellor, hasty to prevent reason. The angry man is like him that casteth firebrands, like that demoniak, Marke II. 3. Prov. XIV. 17. and XVI. 32.

resteth] It may rush in and be as a passinger, for a while, for a fit; in a wise man, as in David, 1 Sam. XXV. 21, 22. and in the Disciples, Luke IX. 54, 55. But it resteth, remaineth, lodgeth, as an inmate abideth, domineereth only in the bosome and breast of fools, is there as in its proper place. Yet in some cases anger is just, and a dutie, Ephes. IV. 26. Mark III. 5. But the sunne must never go down upon our wrath. We must not then hastily be angry, as to murmur at Gods Providence, when things go not as we could wish, when we see Oppression prevailing, Psal. XXXVII. 1 Prov. XXIII. 17, 18. and XXIV. 19. We must be slow to anger, James I. 19, 20. Prov. XIX. 11. and chap. XV. 18. Tit. I. 7.

Ecclesiastes 7:10

That the former dayes] And yet this hath been a continual complaint in all dayes and ages; and specialy by them that would be thought wise and good, Matth. XXIII. 30. And yet the dayes are the worse because these men themselves are no better, Acts VII. 51. Truth is, some dayes and ages are worse then others: And we should be sensible of, and sorry for the evil of our dayes; yet not be unmindful of the good things of our present dayes that we do enjoy; much lesse repine at Gods Providence in the ordering of the times; a thing we are too prone to, and the thing here checked: but our wisdome should be to leave Gods work to himself; and for us to serve God in our generation, and walk with God, as Noah did in the worst of times; every one to amend one, and so the dayes would be better, Ephes. V. 15, 16.

Ecclesiastes 7:11

Wisdome] Good without it; but better with it, Prov. XIV. 24. and such to Gods glory, and the good of himself and others, Prov. III. 9. Luke XVI. 9. 1 Tim. VI. 11, 18, 19. The poor mans wisdome is oft despised, chap. IX. 15, 16.

Ecclesiastes 7:12

A defence] Both, good and useful: But Wisdome the more excellent, Job XXVIII. 15. Prov. VIII. and XVI. 16.

giveth life] Prov. III. 16. and IX. 11. Whereas riches cannot, Psal. XLIX. 6,—9. but sometimes taketh away the life of the owners thereof, Prov. I. 19.

Ecclesiastes 7:13

Consider the work of God] See, view, and ponder the work of God, his over-ruling hand and Providence in all the affairs of the world. When thou art apt to complaine of the times, and oppressions therein, and the crooked courses and crosses thereof, look up above the creatures, and all second causes, and acknowledge and acquiesce in Gods wisdome and justice, infinite above ours, who would not suffer or permit such things to prevaile, if he were not so wise and powerful as to bring good out of evil, light out of darknesse, order out of confusion, and to make all serve unto his own glory. He can use crooked tooles to make streight work. And we cannot set things streight, or make the man streight that is borne crooked, we cannot amend things amisse, nor rectifie what he hath made crooked, Job XXXIV. 12. His purposes must stand, and cannot be altered or resisted, Esay XIV. 24, 27. Job IX. 12.

This consideration wrought upon Aaron, Levit. X. 3. upon Eli, 1 Sam. III. 18. upon David, 2. Sam. XV. 26. Iohn XVIII. 11.

See Iob IX. 4. we must make our own burden lighter by our patient bearing it.

Ecclesiastes 7:14

In the day of prosperity] Enjoy it, with a chearful and thankful heart: and be mindful that the more wages requires the more work.

but in the day of adversity consider] God intermingles both, like checker-work. As the Physician ministers sometimes Corrasives, sometimes Cordials, sometimes lets blood, even to swooning, sometimes useth Restoratives. We should consider this, Lam. III. 28. 33, 40. Heb. XII. 3,—12. Mic. VI. 9. Psal. XCIV. 12.

hath set the one] That we should not either surfet in prosperity, or despond in adversity, Lam. III. 38. Esay XLV. 7.

finde nothing after him] What shall after befal him; whether prosperity or adversity: or nothing better for him, and his advantage, then what God hath ordered and done.

Ecclesiastes 7:15

All things have I seene] He confirmeth the former point of Gods dark and wonderful Providence, as aforesaid, by his own observation and experience in his life-time, Esay XLV. 15.

There is a just man] As Abel, Zacharias, Naboth, Stephen, and Martyrs all, Matth. V. 10. Hab. I. 13. See 2 Kings XXII. 20. Esay LVII. 1.

a wicked man] Job XXI. 7. Jer. XII. 1, 2. This is a sore stumbling block even to good and wise men. But it should teach them, and all, That there is a just and righteous day of doome to come, Acts XVII. 31. Rom. II. 5. And if wicked men live long, thereby they aggravate their sinne; and God so shewes his patience; and makes their judgement the more heavie, and to appear the more conspicuous.

Ecclesiastes 7:16

Be not righteous over-much] Not in it self, and in truth; but in thine own conceit; we must moderate our zeale with prudence, Matth. X. 16. not make our selves over-wise, to do a thing conscienciously, scrupulously, upon opinion of dutie, when indeed there was no necessity so to do; and so to make sinne where God hath made none. And thus all will-worshippers are all over-religious, over-wise, or over-weening, too too well conceited of their own religion, wisdome and worth. See Rom XI. 20.

destroy thy self] By the former means involve thy self in much unnecessary trouble and danger; which otherwise thou mightest and wouldest fairly avoid.

over-much wicked] Not allowing any degree of wickednesse. But cautioning most against the most excessive ranck, the superfluity of naughtinesse, James I. 21. When we run to the excesse of riot in sinne, 1 Pet. IV. 4. And being past feeling, give our selves over to it, to work it with greedinesse, Ephes. IV. 19. doing wickedly with both hands earnestly, Mic. VII. 3. Jer. VIII. 6.

before thy time] Wasting thy body by such sinning; or exposing thy self to the stroak of humane justice; or divine extraordinary vengeance upon such exorbitant outragious sinners.

Ecclesiastes 7:18

Take hold of this] That thou be not over-much wicked. And from this, That thou be not righteous over-much. But hold the golden mean, and mediocrity, keep constantly to duty, not turning aside to the right hand, or to the left, and yet wisely declining danger. For those that turne aside to crooked wayes, the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity, Psal. CXXV. 5. as malefactors to execution. When he that feareth God shall come forth of them all, those dangers all that extremes do usualy bring men to; be freed, or pulled as a firebrand out of the fire, Zech. III. 2. Psal. XXXIV. 9,—16.

Ecclesiastes 7:19

Wisdome strengtheneth] Chap. IX. 14, 16. Prov. III. 21,—26. and Chap. XXI. 22. and XXIV. 5. Thus prudence excelleth pussance, 2 Sam. XX. 16,—22. Cedant arma togae.

Ecclesiastes 7:20

Not a just man] This is reserved for the state of Perfection in Heaven, Heb. XII. 23. Here we sinne, yea even in doing of good; our best actions, even in holy duties, are stained with imperfections and corruptions, come short of what God by vertue of our creation, and his most righteous Law doth most justly require at our hands. Our whole hearts and souls now though we give them to God, yet are not those but much unlike those which God at first gave us. Pelagians and Papists are proud Justiciaries, Prov. XX. 9. 1 Kings VIII. 46. James III. 2. 1 John I. 8. Nemo semper sapit.

Ecclesiastes 7:21

No heed unto all words] That are spoken of thee, and against thee: heed not to know them all; or knowing all, lay them not to heart, to disquiet thee, or revenge them. In a brave composednesse, with silence and patience set thy self above the reach and trouble of them: yet so, as thou be not wanting to the clearing of thy good name. See 1 Sam. XXV. 25. and X. 27. Prov. XIX. 11. 2 Sam. XVI. 10, 11.

lest thou hear] Though they lest should, 1 Pet. II. 18. yet sometimes it falls out so, Job XXXI. 31. Yea, the abjects teared Davids name, and ceased not, Psal. XXXV. 15. Yet see Jobs minde and moderation in this case, chap. XXXI. 13, 14, 15.

Ecclesiastes 7:22

Thy own heart] The power of conscience, the conscience of our own guiltinesse should meeken us towards others that do amisse, Gal. VI. 1, 2. Tit. III. 2, 3. Matth. VII. 1,—5.

Ecclesiastes 7:23

I will bewise] Solomon had many extraordinary means, and used all endeavours to get and increase in wisdome; yet after all that, he found it farre from him, and he farre fromit. It surpasseth the sublimest understanding of man Job XXVIII. 12,—21. and chap. XXXVIII. Rom. XI. 33, 34.

Ecclesiastes 7:24

Exceeding deep] As what not? even in things Natural, and the works of creation; much more profound, abstruse, mysterious, and mystical in things supernatural in Gods works of Providence, and mans Redemption, 1 Pet. I. 12 Iob XI. 6,—10. Psal. CXXXIX. 6. This the cause why he was so farre from Wisdome.

Ecclesiastes 7:25

And to know the wickednesse of folly] The vast, and deep, and desperate corruption of mans heart; yea, the sinfulnesse of sin, Rom. VII. 13. For Contraries do best set off, and illustrate the one the other. And this he did, that he might the better anatomize and dissect both wisdome and wickednesse to his own conscience, and to the consciences of others. See 1 Cor. XIV. 24. 25. Ezek. XIV. 5.

Ecclesiastes 7:26

The woman whose heart is snares] One instance of his discoverie; a bitter sweet, Prov V. 4. & II. 16. & VI. 26. IX. 17. This Solomon found most woful experience; and here penitently proclaims it.

her bands as bands] So Dalilah to Samson. So Prov. XVII. 22.

escape-from her] As Ioseph did; not by his own strength, but the supernatural power of Gods grace. See Prov. V. 8.

but the sinner] Prov. XXII, 14. II. 19. Her steps take hold of hell, Prov. V. 5. and IX. 11.

Ecclesiastes 7:27

This] Mentioned, ver. 26. and 28.

one by one] In his diligent search.

Ecclesiastes 7:28

Among all those] Thousand, 1 Kings XI. 3. Yet most evidently, many good women there have been, and are. But in respect of the discovery of hearts and natures, whether in good or evil, it is harder to finde out throughly the perfect disposition of a woman, and their deep sleights, then of men. For whoredome taketh away the heart of a man, Hos. IV. 11. Prov. V. 6. and chap. VII. 21, 22.

Ecclesiastes 7:29

That God hath made man upright] In his creation, Gen. I. 27. Ephes. IV. 27.

but they] Here he discovers the Original and fountain of all these evils and follies, not to be from God; but from themselves, and their Fall in Adam. So that man now is of another make; whole evil is in man, and whole man is in evil.

sought out] B Satans guiles, and their own deceived hearts.

many inventions] Many, and mighty; to be like to Angels, to God, Gen. III. 5, 22 many shifts to palliate their sins, and sinful courses.