c. Heb. 1.14 Vse 3. It is no unbeseeming Office for Kings to write good books or to publish their repentance after their publique sins Psal 51. Vse 4. To let us see what a benefit it is for a Minister or Magistrate to live amongst good people They mutually help one another to avoyd sin and to come out of it Vse 5. To adde still the more due respect to this book penned by a King and a King of the Church of God Vse 6. To teach Penitents not to affect the expression of Titles or stiles of honour at large Chap. 1. Vers 2. Vanity of vanities saith the Preacher vanity of vanities all is vanity VAnity of vanities c. The Logicall and Rhetoricall resolution of these words is delivered above in opening the first Use Doct. 1. All things under the Sunne whether creatures of God or labours of men are altogether vain to the attaining of true happinesse Or thus Are excessively diversly wonderfully vain The chiefe things which men seek for in this life are vain in a threefold respect 1. To finde the chiefe good in them 2. To satisfie the soule Esay 55.22 3. To make that good they are made for of themselves Psal 33.17 For the gathering of this point from the true meaning of the Text compare this place with Vers 3.14 and Chap. 2. vers 3. In this sense Paul calleth all things losse drosse dung Phil. 3 7 8. to wit not onely without Christ or in comparison of him but for the attainment of Christ or true happinesse The ground of this point may be most sitly shewed in opening the severall acceptions of vanity in the Scripture and observing how they all agree in all things in the world in this respect Vanity is put for 1. Unprofitablenesse as here vers 2 3. Mal. 3.14 which agreeth to worldly things Mat. 16.26 A man may have the whole world and lose his soule and then what profit did they yield him Prov. 11.4 2. Emptinesse Psal 2.1 1 Cor. 3.20 Vain that is void of substance and worth and sufficiency So Esay 36.5 to which also agreeth Esay 29.8 Esay 55.2 3. Lightnesse Psal 62.9 which is also true Deut. 32.47 The like may be said of all earthly things in this case 4. Falshood and lying Psal 12.2 4.2 which also holdeth here Psal 31.6 Jonah 2.8 5. Frustration or disappointment of the end Psal 127.1 2. Unlesse the Lord build and keep the house and City the builders and watchmans care wil fall short of the end they aime at and so the work is in vain James 1.26 1 Cor. 15.14 6. Frailty or inconstancy vanishing away as smoak Rom. 8.20 21. Psal 144.4 Esay 40.6 7 8. 7. Iniquity 2 Chron. 13.7 Prov. 12 11. 8. Folly Job 11.12 Prov. 12.11 Reasons of the vanity of those former ends 1. From the end for which God made them to wit for us not us for them 1 Cor. 3.22 2. From their condition they are corporall temporall and therefore cannot feed much lesse satisfie an eternall spirit Luke 12.19 20. 3. From the curse lying upon them since the fall Gen. 3.17 Reasons of the Repetition of this vanity and the Holy Ghosts manner of speech in expressing this vanity 1. To shew the excessivenesse of the vanity of these earthly things Vanity implieth they are not onely vain but exceedingly vaine as vain as vanity it selfe Vanity of vanities is in the Hebrew a Superlative form of speech to set forth the highest vanity as the Song of Songs the most excellent Song the King of Kings the Servant of Servants the chiefest King the most servile servant 2. To shew the multitude and variety of vanities heaped up in earthly things There is a rest as it were of vanity in them or as Sampson speaks in another case Judg. 15.16 heaps upon heaps 3. For admiration To shew the wonderfull and strange vanity of these things he breaketh forth into this Exclamation Oh vanity of vanities c. Vse 1. To shew us what a great change sinne maketh in the world it doth as it were blast the vertue and beauty of the creature Time was before sin entred when God saw all the creatures to be very good Gen. 1 31. Now after sinne had blown upon them he looked upon them again and all is vanity Such a change wil sin make in us and in our counsels and courses Vse 2. To shew us what a wofull change they make that fell their soules to commit sin for any earthly benefits which are but vanity Jonah 2.8 Esay 5.18 Temptations from earthly things may draw on sin like cart-ropes but they are the cart-ropes of vanity And so doe they that change the Ordinances of God for accommodations which are under the Sunne Vse 3. To shew us the vanity of men beyond all creatures Psal 119.89 He for whose sake all the rest became vain is much more vain himselfe Psalm 62.5 He is lighter then vanity Esay 40.17 Vse 4. To teach us not to set our hearts on earthly things Psalm 62.10 neither by 1. Coveting them before we have them Prov. 23.4 5. 2. Confidently trusting in them or proudly rejoycing in them when we have them Job 31.24 25. 3. Griefe when we part from them Job 1.21 Vse 5. To exhort us to lay up better treasure then these earthly vanities Matth. 6.19 20. Vse 6. For a sign of triall of our repentance such as see nothing but glory and goodlinesse in these outward things Satan hath bewitched them Mat. 4 8. But such as see the extream vanity of them have repented with Solomon here Vse 7. To teach us It is no vanity to teach the vanity of the creatures in Rhetorical elegancies here are many Tropes of Rhetorick used so Rom. 12.5 With these Cautions 1. That the Rhetorick be suitable to the matter grave and holy else its bastard Rhetorick 2. That it set forward the end of the discourse to wit to affect the heart with the sense of the matter in hand Eccles 1.2 3 to 11. Vers 2. Vanity of vanities saith the Preacher vanity of vanities all is vanity IN that Solomon sets the seale of his testimony to the vanity of all these earthly things after the long triall of them observe this Doctr. They that have had most triall of all earthly comforts are most ready and best able to avouch the vanity of them Who could haste more to outward things then Solomon and yet more confident in avouching the vanity of them Reason 1. Experience is a divine testimony as being taken from the work of God in the events of things comming to passe by providence Reason 2. Experience is of great authority with men as being an argument more sensible and lesse subject to ignorance or errour Vse To shew us a broad difference of earthly things from spiritual and heavenly earthly things seem goodly and glorious till we have them and good triall of them and afterwards we find them altogether vanity But heavenly things seem vanity till we
evil disease verse 2. Riches Wealth and Honour are expressed by God himselfe in the same termes 2 Chron. 1.11 Riches differ from wealth riches expressing Revenues of the field or Cattel which are Titheable for it is a word in the Hebrew which differeth in a prick only from Tenths or Tithes Wealth in the Original is such Treasure of Silver Gold Jewels and Housholdstuffe which are not Tytheable God giveth him not power to eat thereof a Metaphor and a Synecdoche in eating put for enjoying the sweetnesse of them one kinde of enjoying put for all For honour cannot properly be eaten but the sweet of them may be enjoyed Doct. 1. It is a vanity and an evil even an evil disease an evil disease common amongst men every where that a man receiveth from God Riches and Honour of all sorts even to the satisfaction of his soul and yet God giveth him not power to enjoy the good of it but leaveth it to a stranger Reason 1. From the unlawful getting of Riches or Honour by Oppression Deceit Ambition or the like Prov. 28.8 13 22. Job 27.13 16 17. Reason 2. From the satisfaction of their hearts in it which Acquiescency in the creature is an Idolatry which the Lord will curse Luke 12 19 20. Reason 3. From want of prayer to God for a comfortable use of the blessings we doe enjoy Jam 4.3 Reason 4. From the abuse of the creatures upon our lusts Jam. 4.3 Job 20.22 God taketh away from a man the power to enjoy the sweet and good of it many wayes As First by Sicknesse of body Job 21.25 Secondly By scruple of conscience as Acts 10.13 14. Thirdly By inordinate affection to some trifle for want of which all is lesse comfortable Hest 5.11 12 13. Fourthly By Covetousnesse Eccles 4 8. Fifthly By some staine of folly in a great person which blasteth all his honour Eccles 10.1 Vse 1. To teach us that all Riches Wealth and Honour and all the enjoyment of that good and sweet thereof are from the Lord 1 Chron. 29.12 Vse 2. To aske of him therefore what we want either of these things or of the good of them Vse 3. To remove these evils out of Gods sight for which he is wont to deny men the good of the gifts we doe enjoy Vse 4. To blesse the Lord who giveth us any good things and power to enjoy the good and sweet of them Eccles 6.3 4 5 6. 3. If a man beget an hundred children and live many yeeres so that the dayes of his yeeres be many and his soul be not filled with good and also that he have no burial I say that an untimely birth is better then he 4. For he commeth in with vanity and departeth in darknesse and his name shall be covered with darknesse 5. Moreover he hath not seen the Sun nor known any thing this hath more rest then the other 6. Yea though he live a thousand yeares twice told yet hath he seen no good Do not all goe to one place IN these verses Solomon declareth the vanity of two other earthly comforts 1. Store of children 2. Long life which may be accompanied and clogged with great vanity in case two other benefits be wanting First the soul to enjoy good Secondly The body to enjoy Burial which misery and vanity he setteth forth by a comparison with an abortive a Pari à minore equal in five respects 1. Of comming into the world with vanity verse 4. 2. Of seeing no good verse 6. 3. Of departing in darknesse and obscurity verse 4. 4. Of Oblivion of both verse 4.5 Of going both to one place verse 6. The vanity of the Abortive lesse in respect First He hath not seen the Sun Secondly He hath not known any thing to grieve him Thirdly He hath more rest then the other verse 5. Doct. 1. An old Father of many children and many years if his soul want goodnesse and his body Burial an Abortive or untimely birth is as good yea better then he As good in respect 1. Of their entrance into the world they both came in with vanity that is to no end not simply and altogether For God hath wise and good ends of sending them both into the world but in regard of themselves and other men 2. Of their seeing no good in life time verse 6. 3. Of their departure out of the world they both depart in darknesse First of obscurity Secondly of misery 4. They both are covered with darknesse of oblivion yea sometime the name of the wicked shall rot when the other is not blemished Prov. 10.7 5. Of the same place whereto they both goe to the earth from whence they came and the wicked man to a worse place Acts 1.25 The Abortive better in respect First He never saw the Sun so he never saw outward good things which might trouble him to lose Secondly He never knew any thing good or evil so that his reckoning is more easie and his present griefes lesse Thirdly He enjoyeth more test from evils both in this and in the other world verse 5. Reason 1. From the overpoysing vanity of those two wants First of burial Secondly of souls want of goodnesse To extinguish the comforts of 1. Store of children 2. Long life Want of burial First leaveth the body as dung to rot and stink upon the face of the earth a thing y◠Dishonourable to the dead 2. Loathsome to the living Psal 83.10 2 Kings 9.38 37. Jer. 21 18 19. Secondly leaveth the body without pledge of resurrection the body buried is Corn sown 1 Cor 15.36 The souls want of goodnesse 1. Is as a dead carcase stinking above ground Psal 14.3 2. Leaveth it to more putrefaction by longer lying above ground yea the more inexcusable in impenitency Rev. 2.21 3. Procureth a greater damnation for living so long with so many children and for want of goodnesse doth neither good to himselfe nor them Vse 1. To take off men from blessing themselves in store of children and long life Rehoboam had store of children Sons 28 Daughters 60. yet his soul empty of goodnesse 2 Chron. 11.21 with 12.14 Ahab had 70 sons 2 Kings 10.1 yet they all dyed a violent death verse 6 7. and their fathers blood dogs did eate 1 Kings 22 38. And though his carcase sound burial yet not so Jezabel 2 Kings 9.34 to 37. Vse 2. To moderate the griefe of such as want children or have Abortives so their soules want not goodnesse nor their bodies burial they are better then these in the Text. Vse 3. To look at Abortion as a vanity and misery to the creature and so at want of burial It is a Stoical Apathy to despise want of burial Facilis jactura Sepulchri Caelo tegitur qui non habet urnam Solomons Porch and Venus Porch are not of equal dimensions And if Abortion be a vanity and misery then avoid such sins as make us like them As First Malignancy against Gods people joyned with
the living know that they shall die but the dead know not any thing neither have they any more a reward for the memory of them is forgotten 6. Also their love and their hatred and their envy is now perished neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the Sun THe forth thing that Solomon observed and thought it meet to declare from the promiscuous events of all alike unto all is the evil of it especially the evil effect of it in the hearts of the sons of men Coherence see in v. 1 2. Doct. Amongst all the evils that are done under the Sun this equality of events to all sorts of men alike It silleth the hearts of men with evil and madnesse all their life time even to their death v. 3. As who should say this maketh them live an ill life and die an ill death yea live madly and die madly Moses and Aaron were as wel excluded from Canaan as the unbelieving and murmuring Israelites Josiah was as wel slain by an Arrow in battel against his enemies as Ahab Nebuchadnezzar is said to have lived forty yeers in a victorious raigne as well as David See many more such like instances in verse 1. Doct. 3. This is an evil first Afflictive both to good men Psalm 73.21 and to evil men Psalm 112.10 Secondly Corruptive it filleth the hearts of men with first Evil of wickednesse or sin secondly Madnesse v. 3. First evil of sin The ground of this evil imagination springeth occasionally from these promiscuous events as conceiving they flow from the not guidance of them by providence 1. Evil imaginations in particular that the basest life here is better then the best life hereafter confirmed by a Proverb A living Dog is better then a dead Lyon v. 4. And this they hold forth in four instances First in stay and provision of supply The living have something to trust unto see the Hebrew v. 4. The dead have neither friends nor money nor strength c. Secondly In knowledge even of some suture things The living know that they shall die the dead know nothing at all v. 5. Thirdly In rewards The dead have no more a reward no not so much as a memoriall of their good deeds whilst they lived v. 5. But the living meet with some reward here Eccles 4.9 Hest 6.3 10. Ezek. 29.19 Fourthly In the enjoyment of the objects of their affections v. 6. their love and their hatred and envy is now perished viz. They have neither affections nor objects of them left nor any portion in things here below beyond which they look not v. 6. Hence the most famous of the Heathens have preferred the meanest life on earth above all the hopes they had of another world Homer reporteth of his Achilles He had rather be a servant to a poor Countrey clown here then to be a King to all the soules departed So Mecaenas in Seneca had rather live in many diseases then dye It is another evil imagination to think God like wicked men to wit in liking wel of them Psalm 50.21 2 Evil Resolutions Eccles 8.11 1 Cor. 15.32 Isai 56.12 3. Evil speeches and practises Isai 10.11 Job 3.1 c. Mens hearts are also said to be filled with madnesse as well as with wickednesse by occasion of like events to all In that they break forth First To outragious violence in sin Psal 73.5 6. Secondly To foolish vain-glorious boasting in sin The Hebrew word commeth of a root that signifieth to praise or glory Isai 3 9. And filled they be with wickednesse and madnesse from this occasion all their life time even to death Job 21.13 Psal 55.19 Vse 1. To shew a great difference between the righteous and the wicked The hope of the wicked is only in this life verse 4. Job 8.13 14. But the righteous hath his chiefe hope and trust in another 1 Cor. 15.19 Prov. 14.32 The wicked had rather live a dogs life here then hazard his estate in another world If he hasten his death it is through Satans efficiency the righteous longeth for dissolution Phil. 1.23 The wicked knoweth little of any future thing but that he shall dye verse 5. The godly knoweth that when he dyeth he shall see God shall be like him c. Job 19.25 26 27. 1 John 32. The wicked shall have reward in everlasting fire Psal 9.17 but at best themselves look for none The godly shall have a reward in eternal glory Isai 49.4 The wicked shall never exercise their love any more after this life nor shall ever meet with any thing lovely verse 6. Though they shall not employ their hatred or envy about earthly things here yet they shall both hate God and envy the happinesse of his Saints But the righteous shall abound in love to God and in Gods love to them Psal 16.11 We shall abound also in mutual love to all the Saints and Angels the greatest strangers there will love us better then our best friends here Psal 17.15 Our hatred will not be wanting against Satan and wicked persecutors Rev. 6.10 Our zeal also shall then abound that which is here translated envy signifieth also Zeal Isai 37.32 The wicked have no portion but in this life Psal 17.14 The portion of our inheritance is after this life 1 Pet. 1.4 5. Vse 2. Not to misconstrue Gods dealings with our selves or others It is a root of Atheisme and will make us worse then the devils For they believe there is a God and tremble James 2.19 Vse 3. To teach us not to rest in a carnal condition it leaveth us without knowledge without reward and without portion Eccles 9.7 to 10. 7. Goe thy way eat thy bread with joy and drinke thy wine with a merry heart for God now accepteth thy workes 8. Let thy garments be alwayes white and let thy head lacke no ointment 9. Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the dayes of the life of thy vanity which he hath given thee under the Sun all the dayes of thy vanity for that is thy portion in this life and in thy labour which thou takest under the Sun 10. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to doe doe it with thy might for there is no worke nor device nor knowledge nor wisdome in the grave whither thou goest SOlomon having in the former verses declared four observations which he gathered from Gods dispensing like events to all He now giveth some practical directions from the same ground First That a man should take all the good which the providence of God putteth into his hand verse 7.8 9. Secondly That he should doe all the good which God putteth into his hand to doe verse 10. 1. The good which he directeth a man to take is in the enjoyment of the comfortable use of all the blessings which God giveth him in this life Which blessings are chiefly five First Meat or Bread It to be eaten with joy verse 7. Secondly Wine It to