A COMMENT VPON COHELETH OR ECCLESIASTES Framed for the instruction of PRINCE HENRI Our hope BY HVG BROVGHTON Anno 1605 A COMMENT VPON COHELETH OR ECCLESIASTES Framed for the instruction of PRINCE HENRI Our Hope By HVGH BROVGHTON Anno 1605. TO THE MOST NOBLE HENRY PRINCE OF great Britanie IN a former litle booke most noble Prince speaking Ebrew and Latin I shewed the Persons of Davids Familie the Kinges race and the Kinglier then the Kings the house of our Lord after the flesh a matter opened in few wordes yet mistaken in England and almost every where to the ruine of infinite millions who finding Christians vnable to settle their owne narration reiected all Christianitie That small worke I dispersed in many thousand copies by Sea and Lande over Europe and Asia where many haue thought the gift not meane Next knowledge of the Persones that sprang from Davids house the qualitie of the Kingdome perpetual Throne promised to David 2. Sam. 7. and 1. Chron. 17. and Psal 89. should be knowen To manifest that Salomon Davids sonne and a King that hath all Royalties of this world is chosen of God He telleth vpon his owne longue studie and experience that all thinges vnder the Sunne be vaine So that the Throne promised to David must be for the world to come which the man Gabriel that appeared to Daniel to tell our Lords death and to Marie for his birth doeth plainly expound what nature it hath that it is the Kingdome of Christ by suffrings bringing ioye The whole booke of Salomon herein spent with helpes to clearnes I ioyne to the former which if God will shal be accompanied with others as the argument calleth for explication Your graces most humble Hugh Broughton THE CHIEF MARK OF ALL The holy Scriptures SVNDRY wayes doth our heavenly father draw vs vnto the Kingdome of his sonne But Man created of God plain wil be searching out many conceites to his owne over throw by the sleight of Satan as the Angels that kept not their place fell to ruine They being created the first day hearing the voice of God which dwelleth in light that none can come too saw that the frame of the world was not for Spirites vse the Sphaeres in their wonderfull greatnes swiftenes the starres in theyr most beawtifull order the vapours windes cloudes in most wise peise the plantes foules fishes beastes all these benefite not the Angels But after the making of all these the holy trinity consulteth for making man in iustice plain holynes maketh his body of the earth that all thinges may serve his vse the starres the Elementes the plantes all live thinges And God doth breath into him a soule immortall full of life which might have kept the body allwayes alive sheweth vnto Angels mans wisdome in that he nameth all beastes with termes defining theyr nature maketh a woman outo ef his side giveth them dominion over the Earth and g tivth his Angels charge over them to attend vpon them to kepe them But one part mislikeh this charge by that rebellion extinguish their owne light lose their owne glory find misery vnrecoverable seke leave to try man whether he can be deceaved to cast of the obedience of God prevaileth bringeth them to death of the soule losse of that light which wold have kept the body alive for ever into sinne that draweth eternall woe vpon it And this disobedience being wroght quickly the first day of man brought all the world vnder corruption and greved still the holy spirit his Angels But then further counsell is shewed that the ETERNALL Son of God will take Humanity of Eves Sede and to him the world is subiectea till an vncorruptible new world be made But Satā withdrew belefe from this poinct rules as Prince of the darkenes of this world so as it is hard for Adams Sonnes borne in sinne blindnes extreme to hold this world cursed vvhich yet all serveth mans vse and to hope for a world vnvisible for the soule leaving this life of a new vvorld for the body soule Seing Adam cared not for Gods charge being yet in life Lordship beleeved not the word of him who spake all thinges had theyr beynge So the Sonnes of Adam will hardly beleve that the King of Glory must die to give life and to lighte Adam by faith to life and arise to raise Adam and leave this world to shew hope of an other world Experience teacheth vs how far this is from vs. To this none can come vnlesse the Father draw him Yet Gods grace in governement condemneth all for not layng hand vpon this grace and for not craving of grace truly so to doe Now to shew that by death life should come in Paradise a beast is killed and with the skinne our Parentes be clothed and fyer from Heaven burneth the carcase and the next day is appointed for a rest to meditate on this to whom able to governe the creature is subiected who by resting the Sabath in the graue vvhich fell out after 39 60. yeares fully endeth the Sabath rising vvith the light the first day brings light vnto the vvorld as in day for death his passion vvas fitted to Adams day time of fall sentence against him Thus redēption vvas taught anger by a curse pronounced to come by the flood Novv Cains murther of Abel sheweth what poyson Satan breathed into Eves soule to beare such a sonne further Cains sonnes appeare bad in making Gods of starres made to serve man defying their Lord that made the world for them deifiing the creatures to lose the creatour and creatures vvhen the flood vvashed their bodies away and their soules ascend to Gods Throne to have from it before it eternall flames Yet then Christ shevved in Noah how all beastes Elementes heavens obeyed him Againe they are told that Christ shall arise from Sem to be a King of iustice peace And that when the heathen receave the promesse Iapheth his sonnes shall have the chiefest continuance of grace And Noes families be named the Prophetes shew their nationes stories with Gods people That matter is expounded by the Prophetes speaking still of the first families But now they make the sad blessing a skoph and build a proud tower for worship to starres Then GOD devided all their tongues that they should no more heare his truth to plead foolishly against it And two thousand yeares all Heathen estranged from GOD perished for ever ever And in short speches to Abraham he foretelleth that of him one shall come that shall bless all nationess sheweth his death recouery from death in Isaak offred neare death but only by Gods voice reserved as by a resurrection that Iacobs sonnes should not worship starres above or any thing on earth they are starres in Iosephs dreame precious stones
hope for a pompous belly blessing in this cursed earth In due tyme our Lord cometh to have his tabernacle in vs for which his tabernacle or temple the world was made obedient vnto man And though Moses tabernacle were most diligently thrise described furnished with all dignity of matter forme yet God did sone leave it in smalle regard likewise Salomons temple Yet against S. Stephens doctrine Act. 7. to this day Israel hopeth for a temple of stone city to be built on mount Syon in Chanaan But our Lord leaveth this world to sit on Davids throne for ever Iewes perish in their lyes and blindnes for our Lords brightnes foure Evangelistes tell that one telleth how the Apostles taught that to the heathen holy Epistles comment vpon all Moses to teach Israell the golden building how their Thalmudicall is straw in all hope of Policy good on Earth And when Ierusalem is destroyed to force an end of Moses Ceremonies then more fully the nature of Davids throne is opened by Gracious Iohn in obscure Patmos He sheweth how all the goodly Iewels vsed through Moyses and the Prophetes tend hither how the knowledge of Christ practised openly rightly by his servantes maketh the heavenly Ierusalem the holy Iewes a ey-expectation But this should have two hinderances one by the prophane Caesares whom the Lord wold pay for their partes that all their world should be altered the other by Christianes falling away as Ismael Ephraim did So Mackmad of Ismael sone withdrew all the coÌ„treys of Daniels Image to their old Arabique infidelitie and Christ leaveth them to eternall blindnes as he did the old builders of Babel Also the city that crucified Christ setteth vp an earthly pompe with corruption of all holy truth cariage in hope of life by the waters of Scripture out of which he that is not borne againe by the Spirit can never enter into the Kingdome of heaven Yet against this Pompe Christ ruleth his common weales in perpetuall expectation of the Eternall Throne to be fully manifested And this summe doth the holy Bible afforde Which he that beareth in mynd shall soner see the driefte of every particular Booke And now Ecclesiastes will shew how this world can have no good Kingdome wher all kind of Sortes flow with vanities and vexation of Spirit But to consider his book with more clearnesse of light his kindred life a popular spech of his royall and most witty closse spech divinity chief poinctes yet resisted of his nation these are to be layd forth somwhat familiarly for the help of the vnacquainted with such matters AN ABRIDGEMENT OF SALOMONS LIFE DAVID had sonnes by many vvives The King and his brother Nathan tvvo more named in 1 Chr. 3. 5. by the daughter of Ammiel besides the first borne that sone died That his vvife vvas called Bath-Suagh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Daughter of nobility God closly disposing tongues to that vvhich in story should be most famous After Vrias the faithfull Hettean died for his people the cities of his God by good Davids vvicked sleight and David had made that Psalme of repeÌ„tance to the coÌ„fort of all that should by faith find justice David conforted Bath suagh and svvare that Salomon should reigne called her Bathshebagh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 daughter of Oth. And he savv further that Salomons house vvold not be vpright vvith God but vvold overthrovv the temple nation Lev. 26. and Deut. 28. and that Nathans prophecy should come of Salomons next brother called him Nathan that his name should abridge the Prophecy Bath shebagh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 also hath her honour from God Prov. 31. Being an holy teacher of holy truth and joying that Christ should come of her as of Thamar Rachab and Ruth the Moabite and not also of Roboams mother the Ammonite nor of any King aftervvardes SalomoÌ„ vvas borne about the time that Adoniah defloured Thamar as the story shevveth and is cast by the Rabbines and Grekes to be tvvelve yeres old vvhen David dieth His Father and his mother and the Prophet Nathan instructed him in the vvayes of God he craved vvisdome of God and had it above all Kinges and the more he increased in vvisdome he taught the people knovvledge and fitted many Proverbes Three bookes he left The Songe of Songes shevving the ioy of the Church that truly folovveth Christ and the Proverbes vvarning much the Tribes that they vvill fall avvay from God In the same booke he joineth the vvordes of Agur Ben Iakeh a vvise Prophet of his time vvho in fevv vvordes taught much of mans corruptioÌ„ and spake of God to dvvell in Christ named â—thiel and Vcal that is vvith me God euen the Mighty And Koheleth in his third book The K. had fovver names Salomon and Iedidiah 1 King 12. Lemoel Prov. 31. and Koheleth Eccl. 1. The notation of the last should here be opened 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cahal the verb is Gather and the novvne Ecclesia a company gathered to one assembly as the 600000. vvhich at once denyed God Num. 13. called there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ghedah elsvvhere often 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cahal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Synagogue or Ecclesia Of Gathering the best thing that is vvisdome he is called Koheleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aben Ezr. Ecclesiast 1. That is He is called Koheleth by the terme of wisdome which was gathered in him finding by experience that all thinges vnder the sunne are vaine common vveales full of folly madnes that men should look to the Kingdome of Christ in heaven The LXX made a nevv terme of their ovvne Ecclesiastes a vvise Doctor And this book commenteth vpon Nathans Prophecy cited afore and teacheth closly that many Kinges of his posterity by foolishnes vvold breake the hedge that Serpentes should bite them vvold speak great vvordes as did Roboam so foolish as one that knevv not the vvay to the city And he himselfe vvas entangled by his vvives to build Idolea for them But he proclameth their vvickednes and hovv Iedidiah the beloved of God vvas delivered from them None should doubt but that he is in the Kingdome of heaven seing all the Prophetes be there Luc. 13. and he spent all his life to teach the vanities of this vvorld His posterity ended in Iechonias and the Ievves misse of all the Prophetes meaning vvhich say that Messias should come of Iechonias vvho left no child naturally Iere. 22. But sonnes to his Kingdome many 1 Chr. 3. Salathiel of Nathan Mat. 1. Luc. 3. This poinct should specially be noted of Christianes The Ievves vse all endevour to overthrovv S. Luk for our Lords Kindred mightily labour to prove that Salathiel vvas naturall sonne to Iechonias and not onely S. to the Kingdome as troupes of others 1 Chr. 3. but properly sonne as any other to his father in private spech And as they look for
to aske vvhy vvere the former dayes better then these VVisdome is good vvith vvelth vvhile men liue Both bring a sheltre But vvisdome is the better it saueth him that hath it And here vvisdome shevveth it selfe euen in hamblenes not hoping to streighten that vvhich God hath made croked rejoyce vvith the rejoycing and vvepe vvith the vveping dayes God hath so set one by the other that none can finde fault The just perisheth in too straite justice the toylesome holdeth one long in his toyle Be not toylsome to much nor too vvise and play not the foole it vvill bring death before the ordinarie course It is good to kepe betvvixt both as they that feare God vvill VVisdome vvill strengthen more then ten rulers though in many thinges all stumble And this poinct of vvisdome hath great vse not to regard all evel tongues for all speak evell of others the tōgue cā not be bridled This Kohe leth tried sought still to find reasons for all cariages But that vvas far off Novv the far off and the depe vvho can find out But in trying the madnes of folk Koheleth found by his thousand vvives that an evell vvomā vvas bitterer then death This he found examining one thing by an other to find out devises But this he could not find out though in men one of a thousand Koheleth vvold find out the subtilest devises yet of a subtile vvomans devises in all that number he could not They made him build houses to strange Gods vvhervpon the Kingdome first rented aftervvardes perished And this Koheleth found generally true that God made Adam plain but they found out many invētiones And so doe their children in all folly And vvho is as the vvise man vvho is like him that knovveth the nature of matters VVisdome lighteth the face of a man and the hardenes of his face vvilbe changed As vnlernednes bredeth boldnes and judgement lothnes to be medling And it avoideth the calamities that come from governoures oppression Herein visdome vvold kepe the Kinges lavves in the Lord and not resist auctority for he earieth not the svvord in vain But he that doth vvell shall have praise of the King But here men brede them selves much sorovv not knovving vvhat vvill befall them And this vanitie is comon that men consider not rulers nor subiectes hovv sodenly death vnexorable against vvhich ther is no striving ceaseth vpon men By vvant of vvisdome herein men vvilbe ruling men to their ovvne harme In that case Koheleth savv the vvicked buried vvhen they vvent avvay and passed from the holy place of judgement vvere forgottē in the citie vvher they had so done And this vanitie might teach that no throneacceptable vnto God can be found in this vvorld But by not knovving Gods dealing herein men fill this vvorld vvith vanity Because judgemēt is not shevved quickly vpon evel vvorkes mens hartes be fully caried to doe mischief But the vvise Koheleth vvould tell though the vvicked doe vvickedly an hundreth fould and live long yet it shal be vvell vvith the Godly not vvith the vvicked vvhose dayes are but a shadovv An other secret government of God teacheth the vanity of this life that the just are plagued and the vvicked prosper This teacheth that ther is an other vvorld of recompense as in the Parable of Lazarus and Dives In this diversity quiet enioyng of the present vvelth is all that a man can have of his travell And for mans busines restles and slepelesse not the vvisest can see the reason of Gods vvorkes By outvvard prosperity the just and vnjust are not discovered often tymes Hence Epicures exhort one an other vvith longe orationes to present pleasures vvhile not the svvift have the gool nor the valiant the victory nor the vvise the bread nor the cunning favour but a tyme and occurrant befalleth all And men knovv no more their time then fish or foule that be caught in a net and snare VVithout speciall vvisdome this vvill not be shunned VVisdome is soone contemned This example may be pregnant A litle citie besieged of a great King by a poore mans vvisdome hath ben saved But that poore man is soone forgotten yet vvisdome is better then strength though the vvisdome of the poore is contemned his vvordes are not heard The vvordes of the vvise in quietnes are heard more then the cries of Lordes over fooles VVisdome is better then armour of vvarre and one that misseth of it as a Lord over fooles vvill lose much good As one dead flye putrifieth much precious oinctement so a little folly marreth a man precious for vvisdome glory VVisdome is rare and to have the hart on the right hand But to have the hart on the left hand that is comon to the foole vvhose hart faileth in the plain vvay and he telleth all that he is a foole And in such a vvorld vvhat study of the Lavv can brede a blessed throne on earth The Spirit of rulers often riseth against a dutifull subiect as did Salomons against Ieroboam he left his place and fled to Egipt and became the ruine of Salomons throne Here a soft cure might have delayed much sinne An other evel is great and comon appearing notably in the vnlavvfull kingdome of Ephraim The fooles of the ten tribes vvere set on high and false Prophetes and the truly rich sate dovvne lovv Servantes sate on horseback Princes vvalked vpon the ground This people might knovv that great is the vanity of governements here Roboam in Iuda likevvise payd the price of that extolling foolish yonge men and contemning old sages And King Ioas most notably yelding from his rich counsellers to the foolish Idoleservers And his grandfather Ioram greatly vvanted vvisdome that lost all Edoms subjection and advaunced fooles to kill his ovvne bovvels and to dye by torment of bovvels And as Saul by folly hoping to defeate David digged a pit vvhich him self fell into So King Ochozias joyning vvith Israel brake an hedge that the Serpent Iehu stange him And of all Kinges vvanting vvisdome and of all in high place and of ill bent avvay from God these Proverbes vvilbe verified he that removeth stones vvilbe greved by them and he that cleaveth vvood shal be indangered by it yf the iron be blunt and a man vvhett not the edge but be vehemēt in strength vehemency in a blunt cause vvill cause dāger VVisdome from Gods vvordes of right vvill only bring good successe teaching to bevvare of Satans deceites vvher a sting at the first is past cure All the Kings of Israel folovved Ieroboams vvorshipping of calves being so sttong at the first vvithout vsing holy aduise that aftervvardes ther could be no vse of enchanters All the Prophetes vvarninges vvere nothinge all that Ionas vvhale and Nineuie taught all that Osec Amos Esai and Micha told vvroght litle good As deaf adders they stopped their eares and vvold not heare the voice of any inchanter Yet