the Sea How commeth it then to passe that in so many hundreth and thousands of yeres the sea is not filled This is his reason by which he proueth that they do returne againe into their owne place and do not abide in the sea for if they did abide there the sea would be filled They be drawen vp by the sunne into the clowdes and so life is a vapor that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth The Prophet Dauid vseth a comparison beyonde all these Psal 62â— For he compareth the state of man yea euen of princes with vanitie it selfe and maketh it the lighter These be his words The sonnes of base persons are vanitie the sonnes of nobles are deceite If they be put together in the ballance they will ascende aboue vanitie Put all men in one ballance and vanitie in the other and they will goe vpwarde and be found the lighter For the heauier end of the ballance goeth down ward and the lighter ascendeth How commeth it to passe then that men yea such as should be wise and in déede doe take themselues of all other to be the wisest are so be witched and blinded that they make so great account of their estate in this present life as if it were all in al They thinke there is profite and commoditie of their labours and that great no man can perswade them to the contrarie Alas what should I say here I may well lament and bewayle our miserable blindnes I knowe not how to cure it There be so many thinges that doe deceiue it is almost without end Let it be that this worde of the Lord be receiued man is mortall he hath but his generation he passeth away as a shadow and neuer returneth againe his estate and condition is so vaine and transitorie that compared with other creatures he is farre inferior Yet this conclusion will not be receiued therefore their remaineth no profite vnto man of all his trauaile wherin he trauaileth vnder the sunne for this sticketh fast in the hart Although the daies of man vpon the earth be but as a vapor that appeareth for a short time and then vanisheth yea howsoeuer he passe away and returne no more and is inferiour to other creatures yet he receiueth very great profite by his laboures and that many waies He hath to féed and clothe himselfe withall and to serue other necessarie vses He commeth to haue countenance in the world of worship and honour his valiant acts and wisdome shall be renowmed vnto all posteritie He doth conuey ouer his honour and possessions vnto his sonne who is as déere vnto him as his owne soule He shall florish and prosper in the world He shall continue the name countenance of his father are not these great commodities and worth the trauailing for I answer that these had néed be worth somewhat for in déede they be the things for which many thousands doo sell there soules and bodies to the Deuil They be those rocks against which men doo runne and make shipwracke of faith and a good conscience so drowne themselues in perdition and destruction The wise men of the worlde are poisoned and killed with these baites The Deuil deth suggest them and mans blind hart receiueth them euen against the truth For let vs looke well into the matter and we shall find that there is nothing in all these but méere deceit the truth of this sentence shall continue firme that there is no profite vnto a man of all his labours wherein he laboureth vnder the Sunne Touching the first there is some present commoditie in déede obteined by mans labour for he eateth of the labour of his handes he hath to clothe himselfe withall Men are commanded to labour for that purpose this beyng Gods ordinance In the sweat of thy browes thou shalt eat bread Genes 3. Moreouer by their industrie and labour men doo prouide somewhat to leaue vnto their children as nature bindeth them the Scripture pronounceth such as doo not this to be worse then infidels Neuerthelesse here is nothing to contrary that which Solomon teacheth that there is no profite to a man of all his sore trauaile For he vseth a worde which signifieth a profite that doth remaine and continue or sticke by a man All present commodities are vaine yea most vaine because they continue not with menne Againe here is nothing to driue men froÌ„ labour diligence about earthly things but to moderate mens laboures and to correct immoderate vaine care which draweth men from the studie of better things It is the same doctrine which Christ teacheth Iohn 6. Labour not for the meat that perisheth but for the meat that indureth vnto eternall life And which S. Paule exhorteth vnto 1. Cor. 7. Let him that bieth be as though he possessed not for y e fashion of this world passeth away I may say further that to haue riches honors be good benefites in this respect also that by theÌ„ men are the more inabled to doo good and so to be rich in good workes But as worldly men doo account and as they doo couet them there is no good in them at all for if a mans substance be increased neuer so much hée shall carie none of it away with him his pompe saith the Prophet shall not descend with him into the graue Psalm 49. Shée doth often and vsually follow and accompany vnto the graues mouth but then returneth taketh her leaue Well his sonne he is now aloft this is as good to the father as if he had it himselfe Yea we sée many a miser labour like an horse and almost sterue himselfe to make his sonne rich hée continueth the name the lands and the houses haue the name set â—pon them What a goodly matter is â—his no doubt this séemeth a goodly matâ—er yea so goodly that it costeth as I haue â—aid many a soule The worldlings â—pare no trauaile to come to this Looke whatsoeuer standeth in their way to let â—hey will tread it downe if they can yea â—uen Gods truth all equitie faith and â—onestie This is the vaine glorie which the Prophet derideth Psal 49. Their minde â—s saith he that their houses may be for â—uer their habitations from generation â—o generation they call their names vpoÌ„â—heir landes But man is in honour and shall not continue he is like the beastes that perish This their way is their hope and their children approue their wordes They shall lie as beastes in the graue death shall be their shéepeheard This I say is it which God speaketh touching the vayne glory of blinde worldlings which doo more earnestly bende their minde to haue an house and glory in the earth to all posteritie then to séeke to know god aright to glory in him to magnifie set vp his honor and so to be glorified in the heauens for euer to haue their house or name coÌ„tinued is but an earthly commodity should not
waies but chiefly in death their dignitie doth vanish and they differ not from the beasts that perish as I alledged before Psalm 49. Therefore he saith the condition of the children of men and the condition of the beasts is euen as one condition to them as the one dieth so dieth y e other for they haue all one breath and there is no excellency of man aboue the beast for al is vanitie All go to one place saith he all was of the dust and all shall returne to the dust Thus we sée hée proueth them notwithstanding their dignitie to be as the beasts because the euent falleth out to be all one no difference at all appearing To day a iudge a ruler a mightie king to morrow all one in condition with the vilest beast Both die alike age or some sicknesse or hurt doeth cause the bodie to pine and languish strength faileth they abhorre meate and yéeld vp the breath The same also is a like for both haue nostrels to draw in the aire both man and beast gaspe and yéeld vp the same after one sorte the beast doeth rotte and turne to dust so doth the man for both were made of the dust and both returne to the dust In all these here is as he saith no excellencie of man aboue the beast for all is vanitie Thus we sée man is in honour but doth not coÌ„tinue he is like the beasts that perish The holy Scripture when it will abate mans high stomake doeth put him in mind that his breath is in his nostrels he is but dust and shall die and returne to dust Now because this foolish vaine glory that men haue in themselues and in the vanities of this world cleaueth so fast Solomon vrgeth the matter very sore when he maketh no difference at al nor no excellencie of man aboue the beast Let men consider well of this and it must néedes make them lesse estéeme the glorie of this worlde Now if they haue riches and be a steppe or two in honour aboue other it fareth with them as if they were of an other kindred yea as if they were petie gods But if it could enter into their mind to thinke I haue honour and dignitie and glorie here in the world I am set vp aboue the common sort but shal this differeÌ„ce betwéene me and them continue Surelie no I shall be made equall with the basest men yea which is more I shall differ nothing at all from the vilest beast I shall haue no excellencie aboue a dogge His breath is as my breath we draw in all one aire Hée and I shall yéeld it foorth a like I shall die as hée dieth My carcasse is now deintily ledde lieth softe is decked with rich apparell and is honoured It shall bée as vile and as rotten and lothsome as his wée both returne to dust that bodie which now is honoured within few dayes if a man come to it he must stoppe his nose Why doo I then séeke to glorifie my selfe in this vaine estate â— Why doo I not tread downe these vanities and séeke the glorie that is of God I say if wée could with this noble King enter throughly into such considerations the vayne worlde shoulde not so bewitch vs and carrie vs from God For who is so foolishe to labour moste for that which within a short time can not make him differre from the bruite beastes But it may be obiected that this is hard to say there is no excellencie at all of man aboue the beast when death commeth séeing the beast doeth wholy pearish but man hath a soule which doth not die but liueth though the bodie turne to dust This obiection doeth Solomon preuent when he saith who knoweth the spirit of man that it goeth vpward and the spirit of the beast that it goeth down ward to the earth As if he should say though it be most certaine that man hath a spirite which dieth not with the bodie but returneth to God that gaue it as he speaketh afterward in the last chapter of this booke and that the beast hath no other spirit or soul but such as dieth with the bodie yet this maketh no difference betwéene them touching this presentâ— worlde For whereby can any man gather in the death of maÌ„ that he differeth or hath an excellencie aboue the beast I there be it doeth not appeare neithâ—â— doeth it therefore touch the state of the world Such as die in the Lord are blesed and doo in that respect farre excell the beast But touching this world about the vanitie and miserie wherof Solomon disputeth there is no difference nor excellencie nor priuiledge aboue the beast For the men which haue imbraced this present world they haue a soule in deede that liueth but it were a thousand times better for them if they had not but did wholy perish as the beastes Here is no colour of matter in this sentence to vphold the wicked opinion of those detestable monsters which denis the immortalitie of the soule When they alleadge this saying of Solomon yée sée it is but wrested Againe here is no cause to moue vs for feare least we should strengthen that wicked opinion to take it that Solomon doeth here shew what hée iudged by humane wisdome for humane reason hath not so iudged that men differ nothing at all from beasts after death The humane reason is so blinde that it will not bée brought to make such a proofe as this that man doeth not differ from the beast because all is vanitie as we see he saith a litle before in this discourse I say therefore it is out of all doubt a matter propouÌ„ded by Solomon through the due contemplation wherof the proud and loftie mind of man may be brought downe that he may thirst for a better estate and séeke it that he may lesse regard these transitorie things in which his condition doeth fall out very soone to be all one with the beastes And here we may remember by the way how abiect and base the proud mindes of men be which know not God They be as loftie in conceit as if all fortitude and magnanimitie were in them yea they would séeme to be gloriouse and yet looke well vpon the matter and yée shall sée they haue bowed downe themselues to a base condition when their heart is set vpon earthly glorie which can not long lift them vp aboue the beast In déede this is the valiant mind to dispise to tread downe the vaine pomye of this world to estéeme basely of things transitorie to long for that blessed estate in which there shall no basenes approch And in which it shall not be saide man is in honour and shal not continue he is like the beastes that pearish If the sonnes of great Princes which are borne to honor and dignitie should be so basely minded as to let goe all regarde of their birth and place and choose rather to be shepheards or Plowmen it would be wondered at
continuall vexation of minde and no good remayneth What shal we thinke then of such as get their goods vnlawfully Manie doe scrape and catch on all sides so they may lay holde they care not how whether it be by violence or by fraude Yea they pluck it euē from the poore and néedie from the fatherles from the widow for such wretched men there be many in these daies Now beside all such miseries and sorrowes as he hath spoken of accursed are such riches yea the heauie curse of God hangeth ouer those men which clime to wealth and honour that way For sake it people forsake it deale vprightly euerie man with his neighbor If ye haue either house or land y t commeth not rightlie or any goods euill gotten restore all to the true owners Wilt thou appeare before thy iudge or darest thou come into his presence to holde vp giltie handes Wilt thou damne thine owne soule for a little worldly wealth For how wilt thou escape damnatiō if thou hast hidden stolne gooddes among thy stuffe If thou hast not repented how wilt thou be saued If thou reserue that which thou knowest to bee none of thine how doost thou repent At this I cānot but wonder how men dare when they die make gifte to their children of euill gotten goods I doe not maruaile to see men deceiue and defraude one another while they liue The nature of man is so licourish of gaine and the deuill leadeth men on in a forgetfulnesse that they shal euer be brought to make any reckoning Againe they be so afraide that they shall want to serue their necessities before they die But when they lie sicke and can sée no remedie but death knowing they must come to iudgement and would faine be saued and therefore doo crie for mercie I saie it is verie strange that they will then depart and carrie the stolen goods before the iudge and damne their owne soules For many a one doth remember euen at that time this same house or such a péece of land is none of mine My father gatte it and held it vnlawfullie in my knowledge it is such a mans if he had his right I remember I did deceiue many and oppressed them I haue hindred them for to enrich my selfe I haue taken vnlawfull gaine I haue griped the poore that sold for néed I haue sold them hard peniworthes Well God haue mercie vpon mée I will not restore it I will giue it to mine heire How horrible is the estate of these men How wretched are they which grow great and féede vpon bryberie it is best to kéepe thy hands vnspotted from one penie of wrong gottē goods but if thou hast dealt vniustly repent restore it leaue it not behind thée among thy substance when thou goest to iudgement For the iudge will send to thy tent and fetch it and lay it before thée thou shalt be found guiltie and not able to answere Thus I conclude then there is no good remaineth to a man of al his works wherein he hath dealt wisely vprightly though his goods so gotten be manie his honour great yet after al his sorrowfull daies he must forgoe all an other must haue that which he hath trauailed in those goods and honours euill gotten are much worse Vpon occasion of these former reasons he doth repeat againe what is all the good which a man can haue of his laboures that is to eat and drinke and to delight his soule with the profit of al his labour He saith before in this chapter that hée withheld his heart from no ioy and that was his portion of all his labour He had nothing else And now he telleth that it is al which any man can haue by his trauaile For by eating and drinking and delighting his soule he meaneth all the vse of mans works and of his riches Let a man take part of them while he liueth and vse them in such sort as that his sorrowes and dexations may be mitigated We may not take it that he stirreth men vp here vnto excesse vnto gluttonie and drunkennesse or to become belligods and Epicures Neither is it his mind to shew here what the flesh iudgeth for the next words doo shew that he speaketh of a good thing For else how should it be said I law that this is of the hand of God it is Gods gift vnto a man when he can eat and drinke and delight his soule with the good of his trauaile Yee haue séene before how he condemned eating and drinking and pleasures when a man doth power forth him selfe vnto thē riotously they make men mad to become beasts But God hath made ordeined many things not only to serue necessitie but also for pleasure delight of his children which they be to vse moderately and wisely They differ much from the carnal man For he doth delight his soule in eating and drinking forgetting God and drowned in these things But they solace themselues so in these thinges that their hartes delight is not drawen from God For they beholde his blessing fauour and good will in the creatures of which they take their part And this in déed is of the hand of God The delight which the Epicure hath in filling his belly is nothing beyng cōpared with this It is but as the beasts doo God must be our delight we may not delight in the creatures further then thus that he hath giuen them vs as our portion here Wée reioyce in the Lord when wée reioyce in them so The other sort are far from this For they doo delight themselues and imagine that they take their part as Solomon saith but if the remēbrance of God come in the way all is marred their pleasure is in vanities and sinnes Do but speake of death of the day of iudgement or of Gods displeasure against sinners they take it euill and be angrie They say it is no time nor place to speak of such matters they came to be merie Kuffians and riotous beasts solace themselues and are merie but yet it cōmeth not nigh this gift of God This is in no mans power but where the giuer doth bestow it Some man hath great plentie and doeth grudge at his owne bellie this man is miserable couetous if clay would nourish him he would eate it to spare his substance yea he would eat worse for need Another hath aboundance and saith to his soul eate drinke and be merrie thou hast goods inough laide vp for many yeres Why doeth not this man right He is couetous and stayeth vpon the riches he delighteth in them Read the 12. Chapter of S. Luke and there ye shall sée how our Souiour setteth him out pulling downe his barnes building greater This then is Gods gift with peace of conscience with ioy in God for a man to take his part and to delight himselfe in his labours This is not in euery man which hath riches For if a man stay vpon them their