#4 Frequently and innumerably. 5 The time of his Life and Pro- ſperity. £ Whereby he implyes, both that good men mighs for a time ſuffer grievous things from ſuch wicked Tyrants, and thar it ſhould be very ill with the wicked, which is manifeſt from the con- trary courſe and condition of good and bad men, and which isexpreſ= ſed in the following words, Compare 2Pſal: 2: 12. u Or, at h:s preſence who ſtand in awe of God, and forbear and fear to fin out of a ſincere reſpe& and reverence to God.
13 But it ſhal notbe well * with the wicked, neither ſhal he prolong bis days y,which are as a ſhadow z; be- cauſe he feareth not before God a.
* 7, e,It ſhall go very 11] with him;great miſeries are prepared for him : which is a Figure of: uſed in Scripture,as hath been formerly and frequently obſerved, y To wit, very lopg, or for ever, as he
ECCLESI4S THE
defireth, z His life though it may be or ſeem to be longs yet in truth 1s bur a meer ſhadow, which wilt quickly vanifh and diſappear, and be as if it never had been,and many times like a ſhadow, when it is longeſt it 15 neareſr to abolition, a This is the puniſhment cf his wickedneſs and his caſting cf the fear ar.d tervice of God. For although the Lves of good men upon Earth are ſhort, as well as the lives of the wicked, yer their daysare not like a ſhadow, becauſe they are prolonged far beyond this mortal ſtate, even to all Ererni* a, and Death ir ſelf doth but open the way for them to an endleſs ife.
14 There is a vanity which is done þ uponthe earth, that chere be juſt z2e» unto whom it * hapneth accord- ding to the work c of the wicked: again,there be wick- ed men to whom it hapneth according to the work of the righteous 4: I ſaid, that this alſo is vanity e.
b Either by wicked Potenrates who do commonly advance unwor- thy men,and oppreſs Perſons of greateſt virtue and merit: Or,by
Gods Prov idence,who ſees it fit for many weighty Reaſons ſo to ma».
nag? the affairs ofthe preſent World. c7. e. The merit of their work. the work being oft pur for the recompenſe given or belonging to it, as Levt. 19, 13 Jeb 7:2, Pſal: rog. 2. The ſenſe is, Who meets with ſuch hard uſage as the worſt of men deſerve. 4 Who inſtead of thoſe juſt and dreadful puniſhments which they deſerve by the Laws of God and men,receive thoſe encouragements and rewards which are due to virtuous and worthy men. e This isa very unreaſonable and fooliſh thingy if it be confi iered without reſpe& unto another life as it is herey where Solomon is diſcourſing of the vanity of the preſent life. and of the impoſſibility of finding ſatisfaQion and hap- pineſs in it,
Is * ThenTI commended mirth,becaufſe a man hath no better thing under the ſun,than to eat,and to drink, and to be merry f : for that ſhall abide with him of his labour g. the days of his life, which God giveth him under the ſun. |
f This he ſpeaks, either 1. in the perſon of a ſenſual Man. Things being ſo,as was related,v, 14. it is beſt to give a Mans ſelf up to eating and drinpking,and all manner of carnal delights.Or, 2, in his o -n Name and Perſon. Upon theſe conſiderations I conclu« ded that it was mot adviſable for a Man not to perplex & torment himſelf wich che Thoughts of the ſeeming inequaliry of i)ivinePro- vidence and of the great diſorders which are in the World, or with cares and fezrs abour futureevents, or with infinite and inſatiable deſires of Worldly things,but quiztt!ly and chearfuily and thankfully to enjoy the comforts which God gives him. $ e on Eccleſ. 2, 24 & 3: 2, 13. g This isthe beſt advantage which he can make of this Worlds goods as to the preſent life,
16 When I applied mine heart to know wiſdom 5b, and to ſee the buſineſs z that is done upon the Earth
( for alſo there is that neither day nor night ſecth ſleep wich hiseyes &. )
þ This he ſeerns to add as the reaſon of that juggment which he had now paſſed, v. 15. becauſe he had diligently ſtudied wherein Mans Wiidom did confſiſt,and had obſerved the reſtieſſnheſs of mens m:;ds and bodies 1n other courſes, ; Either 1.To find out the work of God, as the next veiſe may ſeem to explain ir, and all the Mys ſteries of Gods Providence in the Government of this prefent and lower World. Or 2. To obſerve mens various deſigns and employ= ments, and their toilſome and unwearied tulinefſes or labours 2- bout worldly rhings- Which ſenſe ſeems beſt to agree, both with the uſe of this Hebrew word wh:ch 1s conſtantly uſed in this fenſe,in all the places of Scripture where it is, which are Eccleſ. 1.13, and 2. 23, 26. & 3-10, & 4+8- & 5: 2, 13-& 8.16. and never concerning the works of Ged; and with the foregoing and following words ag we ſhall ſee. k The ſenſe of the wordsthus tranſlated and pointed ſeems to be this, There is a certainMan whom it is needleſs to name ( which is a modeſt d-{ignation of hiinſelf.ilike that of St. Paul, > Cor.
i2, 2. Iknew a man inChrift, &c_ ) who ſtudied tho'e matters Day and Niyhrt,and therefore is very capable of paſſing a judgment about chem. But, with ſubmiſſion, there ſeems to be. no need of i Paren. theſis to cut off theſe words from the former, with whom they have a fit connex10n, For having now mentioned the buſmeſs which is done
or which Main doeth, «por Farth, he farther adds, as an evidence of Mans eagerneſs in purſuing his buſineſs, for even by Day and by Night he( to wit,the buſie Man, which is eafily und-:ſtood from the fore going clanie ) ſeeth no: ſleep with his eyes, 7. e. He grudgeth himſelf even neceflary refreſhments,and diſquiets himſelf with endleſs cares and labours, the fruir whereof he doth bur little enjoy; and there-
tore it is better to eat and drink, &c. as I now faid, v, 15. As for
thePhraſe of ſeeing ſleep 17 15 a figurative expreflion uſ:d in otherAu« thors, and 1s like that ot ſeeing acath, Pial., 8g. 48.
17 Then /I beheld all the work of God , that a man * cannot find out » the work the«t is done under the ſuns becauſe though a man iabour to ſeek zt out, yer he ſhal not find zs ; yea,farther, though a wiſe man
think to:know 3t,yert thall he not be able to find zr.