The preacher — Who was not only a king, but also a teacher of God's people: who having sinned grievously in the eyes of all the world, thought himself obliged to publish his repentance, and to give publick warning to all, to avoid those rocks upon which he had split.... [ Continue Reading ]
Vanity — Not only vain, but vanity in the abstract, which denotes extreme vanity. Saith — Upon deep consideration and long experience, and by Divine inspiration. This verse contains the general proposition, which he intends particularly to demonstrate in the following book. All — All worldly things.... [ Continue Reading ]
What profit — What real and abiding benefit? None at all. All is unprofitable as to the attainment of that happiness which all men are enquiring after. His labour — Heb. his toilsome labour, both of body and mind in the pursuit of riches, or pleasures, or other earthly things. Under the sun — In all... [ Continue Reading ]
Passeth — Men continue but for one, and that a short age, and then they leave all their possessions, and therefore they cannot be happy here, because happiness must needs be unchangeable and eternal; or else the certain knowledge of the approaching loss of all these things will rob a man of solid co... [ Continue Reading ]
The sun — The sun is in perpetual motion, rising, setting, and rising again, and so constantly repeating its course in all succeeding days, and years, and ages; and the like he observes concerning the winds and rivers, Ecclesiastes 1:6, and the design of these similitudes seem to be; to shew the van... [ Continue Reading ]
The wind — The wind also sometimes blows from one quarter of the world, and sometimes from another; successively returning to the same quarters in which it had formerly been.... [ Continue Reading ]
Is not full — So as to overflow the earth. Whereby also he intimates the emptiness of mens minds, notwithstanding all the abundance of creature comforts. Rivers come — Unto the earth in general, from whence they come or flow into the sea, and to which they return by the reflux of the sea. For he see... [ Continue Reading ]
All things — Not only the sun, and winds, and rivers, but all other creatures. Labour — They are in continual restlessness and change, never abiding in the same state. Is not satisfied — As there are many things in the world vexatious to men, so even those things which are comfortable, are not satis... [ Continue Reading ]
There is — There is nothing in the world but a continued and tiresome repetition of the same things. The nature and course of the beings and affairs of the world, and the tempers of men, are the same that they ever were and shall ever be; and therefore, because no man ever yet received satisfaction... [ Continue Reading ]
No remembrance — This seems to be added to prevent the objection, There are many inventions and enjoyments unknown to former ages. To this he answers, This objection is grounded only upon our ignorance of ancient times which if we exactly knew or remembered, we should easily find parallels to all pr... [ Continue Reading ]
I was king — Having asserted the vanity of all things in the general, he now comes to prove his assertion in those particulars wherein men commonly seek, and with greatest probability expect to find, true happiness. He begins with secular wisdom. And to shew how competent a judge he was of this matt... [ Continue Reading ]
I gave my heart — Which phrase denotes his serious and fixed purpose, and his great industry in it. To search — To seek diligently and accurately. By wisdom — By the help of that wisdom wherewith God had endowed me. Concerning — Concerning all the works of God and men in this lower world; the works... [ Continue Reading ]
Seen — Diligently observed. Vanity — Not only unsatisfying, but also an affliction or breaking to a man's spirit.... [ Continue Reading ]
Crooked — All our knowledge serves only to discover our miseries, but is utterly insufficient to remove them; it cannot rectify those disorders which are either in our own hearts and lives, or in the men and things of the world. Wanting — In our knowledge. Or, counted out to us from the treasures of... [ Continue Reading ]
Communed — I considered within myself. Great — In wisdom. Have gotten — As I had a large stock of wisdom infused into me by God, so I have greatly improved it by conversation, and study, and experience. Than all — Whether governors, or priests, or private persons. In Jerusalem — Which was then the m... [ Continue Reading ]
To know — That I might throughly understand the nature and difference of truth and error, of virtue and vice.... [ Continue Reading ]
Grief — Or, displeasure within himself, and against his present condition. Sorrow — Which he does many ways, because he gets his knowledge with hard and wearisome labour, both of mind and body, with the consumption of his spirits, and shortening of his life; because he is often deceived with knowled... [ Continue Reading ]