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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01719	Eight sermons, vpon the first foure chapters, and part of the fift, of Ecclesiastes Preached at Mauldon, by G. Giffard.	Gifford, George, d. 1620.	1589 (1589)	STC 11853; ESTC S114031	104,274	286

TO THE RIGHT Honourable and vertuous Lady the Lady Anne Countesse of Warwike OVr Lord master Right Honourable foretelling the state of the worlde in the latter dayes ●ith it shall bee as it was in the ●ime of Noe. They eat they drāke ●●ey maried wiues gaue in ma●iage vnto the day that Noe wēt into the Arke and the flood came and destroyed them Likewise also as it was in the daies of Lot they eat they drancke they bought they sold they planted they builte But in the day that Lot went out of Sodome it rained fire and brimstone from Heauen and destroyed them all This prophecie must needs be fulfilled and in the one part it is already in our eies For mens harts were neuer more generally and of all sortes set vpon riches and pleasures then now towarde the comming of Christ to make the dissolution I holde it therefore the dutie of all Gods faithfull messengers most instantly to warne their Christian people to beware least they also bee carried awaye with the streame of this common infection Hereby was I moued to make speciall choyse of the Booke called Ecclesiastes for to expound the same vnto that people which I teach being wholly framed for the purpose to drawe men from the vanities of this world It was set forth by that noble king Solomon who was the wisest the richest and highest in royaltie honour vnder the Heauens He made the greatest triall and had the deepest experience in all the chiefe and moste precious things of this world He was ledde also by a higher spirite then his owne being a worthy Prophete of God After I had finished this booke and my Sermons noted by one that did write I was requested to pervse to perfect them in some better sort for the Printe Which as leasure serued I haue performed in one part If that weake measure of giftes which the Lord hath bestowed vpon me bring any good by this trauaile vnto the Churche I shall be glad and ready to bestow some paines if it please God about the rest I am bold to offer this vnto your Ladyship as a token of a dutifull and thankefull minde for so honorable fauours as I haue receyued frō the right Honourable my Lord the Earle of Warwike and from your Honour I am also encouraged herevnto with this that your Ladyship hath long time continued an earnest louer and zealous professor of the glorious Gospell of Iesus Christ My earnest prayer is that God will continue and increase the same with all heauenly giftes and vertues of his holy spirite to the glory of his most holy name the good of his Church and your owne eternall ioye Amen Your H. most dutifull to commaund George Gyffard The first Sermon Ecclesiastes Chap. 1. THe wordes of Ecclesiastes the sonne of Dauid king in Ierusalem 2 Vanitie of vanities saith Ecclesiastes vanitie of vanities all is ●…itie 3 What profit remayneth to a man all his labour in which he laboureth ●…der the sunne 4 One generation passeth away and other commeth but the earth abi●…th for euer 5 The Sunne ariseth the Sunne go●… downe and hasteth againe to the ●ace where it did rise 6 The wind goeth toward the South compasseth about toward the North. Compassing compassing goeth the winde and the winde returneth by his circuites 7 All flouds runne into the sea yet the sea is not filled whether the flouds runne from thence they speedelie returne to goe 8 All things are weary man is not able to vtter it the eye is not satisfied with seeing neither is the care filled with hearing 9 That which hath been is the same that shalbe and that which hath beene done is the same that shall be done neither is there any thing new vnder the sunne 10 Is there any thing of which it is said behold this this is new it hath been in the ages that were before vs. 11 There is no remembrance of former things also of later thinges which shall be there shall be no remembrance with those that come after Ecclesiastes Chap. 1. THe wordes of Ecclesiastes c. This Inscription of the booke sheweth whose doing it was when it is said they be the words of Ecclesiastes the sonne of Dauid king in Ierusalem this was king Solomon They be his wordes and his writing Hée set it foorth for an instruction of Gods people in all ages If any will obiect that here is no proper name mentioned and all the kinges of Iuda were the sons of Dauid why might not this Ecclesiastes bée Ezechia Iehosaphat or some other of the godly kinges before or after them I answere that the sonne of Dauid which wrote this booke was he that did excell in wisedome all that were before him in Ierusalem as it is expressed in the 16. vers● of this Chapter and therefore could b● no other but Solomon For of him God saith 2. Chro. 1. Because thou hast asked wisdome wisdome is granted vnto thée and riches and honour so that there hath not béene the like among the kinges tha● haue béene before thée neither after thée shall there be the like It may be demaunded why he doeth not as in the Prouerbes in the Song of Songes which hée made of Christ and his Church call himselfe by his vsual● name Solomon by which hee was be● knowen but doeth take a strange name not vsed elswhere in all the Scriptures For through this booke hée calleth himselfe in Hebrewe Koheleth In déed this is somewhat to be stood vpon and I will briefly shewe you the reason of it which is to be gathered from the signification o● the word The Gréekes did translate this word Koheleth Ecclesiastes and that is in ou● English tongue a Preacher and therefore we say in our translation the words ●f the Preacher and so it should be the ●ame of an office or function if we take ●t in that sence But we neuer finde any Prophet Priest or Teacher in all the whole Bible called Koheleth doubt●esse if he had meant to call himselfe a ●reacher he would haue said The words ●f Kohel rather than Koheleth which is ●n the Feminine gender Kahal is an assemblie congregation of people or the Church Koheleth might ●ery well carie this signification to be one that doeth gather the same together or that doeth speake in the assemblie but that he vseth as I said the Feminine gender and therefore it carieth the most ●itte sence that he calleth himselfe an Ecclesiasticall person not as we call them Ecclesiasticall which beare office in the Church-matters but a person that is of the Church or a soule vnited to y e church or speaking in the church Whereby we may perceiue that this name is a nots for euer of his repentance how that hée forsooke the euil into which he had fallen and turned againe to the Lord his God For the holie Scripture doth testifie that Solomon did marrie outlandish women which were Idolaters they drew away his

heart so that he sinned and fell grieuously He was reproued of God for it as we read 1. Kings 11. He made this booke to remayne as a publike record of his returne and therfore he is Koheleth a person or a soule reconciled to God and to his Church In this sence we may call him Ecclesiastes I know it will be replied by some that the word of God doth not any where testifie that Solomon euer repented after his great fall but leaueth it in doubt and to proue his repentance by this one title by which hee doeth name himselfe is but a weake reason For let the signification of the name be certaine yet is it vncertaine whether he wrote this booke after his fall To this I answere that he did write it after the long triall and experience which he had made in all things vnder the sunne and no doubt after his fall For touching his repentance although it be not said any where in these expresse words Solomon repented yet may it bée proued by necessarie consequence out of the scriptures that he did vnfaynedly repent I reason thus He was one of Gods elect therefore he returned to his God by true repentance séeing it is vnpossible that the elect should perish Math. 24. To proue that he was Gods elect I first alledge that which was said to Dauid at his birth 2. Sam. 12. which Nehemiah doeth speake of him Chap. 13. Nathan the Prophet was sent to Dauid from the Lord willing him to call his name Iedediah tendring this cause that God loued him Nehemiah speaking of the fall of Solomon saith yet he was beloued of his God grounding vpon those wordes of Nathan What a spéech were this to say hée was beloued of his God if he were not gods elect Doeth the Scripture euer speake so of any reprobate God saith by the prophet Malachie Chap. 1. Iacob haue I loued and Esau haue I hated Saint Paul hereupon doeth argue Rom. 9. and proue that God hath chosen Iacob And why may we not reason thus vpon these words the Lorde loueth him hée was beloued of his God therfore he was Gods elect Then the Scripture leaueth not his repentance in doubt I will not stand vpon this that hée was a figure of Christ Psal 45. That hee was an excellent Prophet opening high misteries of Christ and his Church but I will come to that which is written of him 1. Chro. 17. where God saith to Dauid I will be his father and he shall be my sonne and I will not take away my mercie from him as I did from him that was before thée Some wil say this is spokē of Christ for the title is too high for any Angell Heb. 1. I answere that God said of Dauid thou art my sonne but yet as he was the Figure of Christ Psal 2. and so her● of Solomon For this cānot be denied that the Lord speaketh it of that sonne of Dauid which should build the materiall Temple which Dauid had in purpose for to build and God said of this man I will be his father and he shall be my sonne and I will not take my mercie from him If God did not take his mercie from him then he repented When heir Solomon was dead his way is ioyned with the way of Dauid his father For Rehoboā his sonne did wel thrée yeres and those thrée yeres he is saide to haue walked in the way of Dauid and Solomon 2. Chron. 11. Solomons beginning was good and so was his ende or els hee shoulde not be coupled with Dauid And thus we sée he was Gods elect and therefore repented and became Koheleth So that we hold for certaintie that this name which he geueth himself and this booke are for publike note and record of his repentance and reconciliation to God and his Church Thus much of the Anthor of this booke and for what cause he calleth himselfe by this vnusuall name Now we must obserue to what end he made it or what was his chiefe purpose and intent in writing which in few wordes I may say was this euen to instruct men how to come vnto the true blessednesse A worthy worke and most profitable vnto al that thirst and long for saluation The whole worke consisteth of two partes For he draweth men first frō the wrong way Those that set their hearts vpon the riches the honors the pleasures and the wisdome vnder the sunne to séeke any felicitie or good in them are in a wrong way From this he persuadeth then he setteth forth the right way vnto blessednesse which is in the true worship and feare of God Hereunto he mooueth very carefully We must note that he beginneth with the vanitie and miserie of all thinges vnder the Sunne because no man can worship God a right or feare him in truth vntil he haue learned to renounce the world Marke well what our Lord saith No man can serue two Masters ye can not serue God and Mammon Math. 6. No man can loue God which loueth the world For thus it is plainely said Loue not the world● neither the things of the worlde if any man loue the world the loue of the Father is not in him For whatsoeuer is in the world as the lust of the flesh the lust of the eies and the pride of life is not of the father but is of the world 1. Ioh. 2. The loue of the world is enmitie against God so that he which will be a fréend of the world maketh himselfe the enemie of God Iam. 4. In the same place also wee learne that such as loue the worlde committe who redome against God for he calleth them adulterers and adulteresses It is because mans heart and soule ought to be maried to God and to be kept chast and pure vnto him for the lone now when it doth giue away y e loue vnto the world and doth imbrace it as a sweete Ladie in which it doth delight it committeth spirituall whoredome For the same cause the holy Ghost calleth the couetous man an Idolater Ephes 5. His harte should be set vpon God and it is set vpon the world he should trust in the liuing God and he doth trust in riches What is this but to set vp an Idoll The cares also of this world and the deceitfulnesse of riches are thornes which choake the good séede of life Math. 13. Plow vp your fallow and so we not among the thornes saith God vnto his people Ierem. 4. By all these places we may sée how necessarie it is that before Solomon do come to teach men where they shall séeke true blessednes he emptieth their harts of the loue and care of earthly things and this is that I said ●he draweth men first from the wrong way How well he doth performe this we shall vnderstande if the Lord do giue vs eares to heare Vanitie of vanities saith Ecclesiastes vanitie of vanities