2 A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth a, | To That which hath been is named already 6, and it 56 21:12 honour *, ſo that he wanterh nothing for his ſoul | is known thar it is man#: neither may he contend with Feed. but frangere mem ins hls i Feng. # Tipo s dbi apeaotat whe ks kh ah LH a4 ] - . F- , a al ON=s T5 Fay as — d; x TOC OT TORO I09 LEIOeE TAE cerning the vanity and wandring of inſariable defires;or as a further rh wage | inſtance of rhe vanity of all thingsin this Life, That which hath beers a All ſorts of Riches, as Gold and Silver, Cattel and Lands, &. ( or, is,for the Hebrew verb may be rendred either way,to wit, Man þ Which he doth,or can reaſonably defire. c Eirher becauſe they are | conſidered with all his endowments and enjoyrrents, whether he be ſuddenly taken away from him by the Hand & Curieot God,and gi- wiſe or fooliſh rich or poor, Man, who is the chief of all viſible and ven to others:or becauſe God gives him uP to a baſe & covetous mind ſublunary bezings, for whom they all were made ) #s named alres "% which is both a fin and a plague. d 5. e. Any conſiderable part of it; | tg wit,by God, who, preſently after his Creation, gave him the fol- whereas the Stranger eareth not thereof, bur is, 5. e. all of it; de® |1ywing name. ro ſignifie what his nature & condition was or w ould voureth ir all inan inſtant. + ; be. Heb. What ir ches which bith been or it it it, or beth bien nomed al= 3 1f a man beger an hundred children e, and live ma- Ir | |
; ready. Others underſtand it thus All rhe ſeveral conditions which ny years f,to that the days g of his years be many, and | men have had or ſhal have in the Wor'd, Riches or Pove |
,&c. are 9 his foul be not filled with good þ, and * alſo har he pore mane, :: c. LR or prangt by Goth unchangeabe MS . .. . ountej,and INVIRCIDIC T7 rOVICENCE; DUX Though Thrs be true, it leems Jer have no burial s, I ſay, that an * untimely birth & nor to ſuirſs well with the following dre” pk a g 3:16, better than he- | | tation doth. #7 This is certain and manifeſt, that that beeing, which
:58.8, e i:e, Very many Children,to whom he intends to leave his Eſtate. | makes all this noiſe and ſtir id rhe world, howſoever magnified by. f Which is the chief thing thar he deſires, and which giveth him | themſelves, and ſometimes adored by Flarterers, and-howſoever dif- opportunity of increaſing his Eſtate vaſtly. g He ſairh days becauſe | ferenced from, or advanced above others, by Wiſdom, or . Riches,
the Years of mens life are but fcw, þ Hath not a conrenced mind | or the like,is but a Man, 4. e. s mean,earthly mortal and rhiſerable
and comfortable enjoyment of his Eſtate whilſt he lives, s And if | Creature, as his.very. name ſignifies, which God gave him for this ve+ after his Death he hath either none, or a mean and diſhonourable.| ry end, that he might be always ſenſible of his vain, afid baſe, anf Burial, becauſe his ſordid and coverous carriage made him hateful | miſcrable eſtare in this wor!d, & therefore never expe ſatisfation
ap4d contemptible to all Perſons, his Chilaren and Heirs not excepted [or happineſs in it, &i.e, With Loladghny God,with whom Met: are
I Ts SL 4 very
have net : for our portion is appointed us,and we our ſelves are vain; and - other things do but increaſe our vanity, 9 —-
12, Here is an evil which I have ſeen under the ſun,
——_
"Ia; 10;
be -4
Chap. VII. ECCLES
art to confend upen every ſlight occaſion, and a they ore ready to very OX for this Vanity ,and Mortality,and Mi- ſery of Mankind, although they brought it upon themſelves by their own ſins. So this is ſeaſonably added to prevent the abuſe of the foregoing paſlage/ : Th 11 Scing there be many things that increaſe vanity /;
what 5: man the better mz ?
I This ſeems to be added as a concluſion of the Diſputation ma- naged in all the foregoing Chapters, ſcing not only Man is a vain Creature in himſelf,as harh been now 191d, but there are alſo many 0» ; ther things in the world, which inſtead of removing or diminiſhing, ' as might be expe&ed,do but increaſe this vanity,as Wiſdom,Pleaſure, : Power, Wealth, andthe like, the vanity ofall which hath been fully ; and particularly declared. Seing even the good things of this Life bring ſo much Toil, and Cares, and Fears. &'c. with them. m To wit, by all that he can either deſire or enjoy here: Hence it is ev1- | dent,that all theſe things cannot make him happyy bur that he muſt ſeek ſor happineſs elſewhere. —
12 For who knoweth what is good for man » in ?his
lice, þ all the days of his vainlife o which he ſpendeth as * a ſhadow p ? for who can tell a man what ſhal be
+ Heb: the number-of the days 0 eo .
x ca M afrer him under the ſun 9? | : | »Pſ-:10211 # No mancertainly knows what is beſt for him here, whether to & 109:23: be highor low, rich or poor, b*cauſe thoſe great things which men & 144:4: generally deſire & purſue,are very frequently the occaſions of Mens Ch:8:13: utter Ruine,as hath been noted again and again in this Book. s Life Jam;4:14. it fe'f which is the foungaticn of all mens Comforts andEnjoyments Z here, isa vain, and uncerrtain, and tranſitory thing, and therefore all things which depend upon it muſt needs be ſo roo. p Which whilft it abides, hath nothing real, and ſolid, or ſubſtantial in it». and doth ſpeedily paſs away, and leaves no ſign behind ir. q And 2s No man can be happy with theſe things whileſt he liveth and en- joyeth them, ſo hecan have no content in Jeaving them to others, becauſe he knoweth not either who ſhal poſſeſs them, or how the future owners wil uſe or ahuſe them. or what miſchief they may do; by them either to others, or even to themſelves,
} A P- VIE ' A gotd name deſirable : and the houſe of Mourzing and Rebuke better than | bs | Songs and Laughter, 1--=6. Exhortations to Patience and Perſeverance,