yea the wyser the holyer the more laborious a man is the lesse he preuayleth so that as well his wysdome as his righteousnes and workes are of no strength or force So that if neyther these nor any other thynges be of force then of necessitie must all thynges be vayne and forceles But here in the begynning must we roote out an errour and noysome opynion that many men haue namely that we thynke not Salomō to speake of the contempt of creatures which the scripture wyll not suffer to be contemned or condemned For all thynges which God created are very good and made for the vse of man which thyng Paule in playne wordes affirmeth 1. Tim. 4. saying Euery creature of God is good and nothyng is to be reiected that is receaued wyth thankes geeuyng For it is sanctified by the word of God by prayer It is therefore very foolyshly wyckedly done of some preachers to enuey agaynst glory power dignitie riches golde fame beuty women playnely condemning the creatures of god A Magistrate or officer is an ordinaunce of god Golde is good and ryches are the gyfte of god A womā is a good thing and made to be an helper vnto man For God made all thyngs to the ende they shoulde bee good and profitable some way to man. Therefore the creatures of God are not cōdemned by this booke but the naughty affection and desier of men which are not cōtented wyth these present creatures of God and the vse of them but are alway carefull how to heape vp ryches to get honour glory and great name as though they should alway lyue in thys world lothyng still their present state and condition and wyshing and aspyring to one thyng after an other For thys is a great vanitie and misery that a man should defraude and byguyle hymselfe of the vse of such pleasures as are before hym and vaynely to vexe and disquiet himselfe about thyngs he hath not These naughty affections I say and enterprises of men doth Salomon in thys booke condemne and not the creatures themselues For touching the vse of these creatures hee hymselfe sayth hereafter There is nothyng better then to be meary in thys life and to eate and drinke and man to reigne in his labour c. where he shoulde be founde vtterly agaynst hymselfe if he shoulde condemne the thynges and not rather the abuse of them which is onely in our affections Certayne foolishe men not perceiuyng these thyngs haue taught vs absurde opinions about the contempt and forsakyng of the worlde and haue themselues comitted many absurde thynges as we read in the liues of the fathers that there were some which would not looke vpon the Sunne beyng worthy doubtles to haue had their eyes put out and lyued most filthely and slouenly because they would seem religious which thing what we may iudge of it appeareth playnely by that is sayd before For it is but a sory contemnyng of the worlde to lyue solitarily and out of the company of men It is no contempt of golde to cast it away or to absteyne from touchyng of money as dyd the Franciscanes but he in deede contemneth it that vsing it euery day is not caryed away wyth the greedy desier of it Thys therfore is the principall thyng that they shoulde cōsider which will read thys booke of Salomō Farthermore this also is diligently to bee obserued that Salomon in this booke speaketh onely of mankynde and keepeth hymselfe within the bondes of mans nature that is of mans enterprises deuises desiers and counsayles least perhappes wee may imagine the same that the interpreters of this booke doe which thynke the knowledge of nature the studies of astronomy and all philosophy are here dispised as vayne and vnprofitable speculations whereas the commodities of these sciences are great and manifolde as dayly we see before our faces Besides that in searching out the groundes and causes of thynges naturall there is aswell great pleasure as profit And the holy Scripture proponeth diuers thynges to teach vs the properties and vertues of them such as is thys in the Psalme He maketh thee young and lusty like an Egle. Againe Like as the Egle that prouoketh her young ones to flye Againe As the hart desireth the water springs and soyle And Go sluggish body to the Emmet and Pismere Yea the scriptures are full of such metaphores and similitudes borowed of nature so that he that should take thē out of the holy Byble shoulde take therewith much lyght from it also To be plaine therfore the subiect and matter of the booke is that mankynde is so foolish that he desireth and searcheth after his owne wayes many thynges which he can not compasse and bryng to passe or if he bring them to passe he can not enioy them but possesseth them with care losse not thorough any fault in the thynges but by reason of his most foolishe affectiōs desiers Iulius Cesar was greatly occupyed to obteine the Empyre of the Romaynes but what perils trauels susteyned he before he could get it And hauing gottē it he was not yet quiet he had not bys whole wyshe but while he was carefully busied to clyme yet higher hee perished most miserably The same cōmeth to passe in all worldly affaires whē we haue greatest wealth straight way we lyke not with it If we want lacke we are neuer quiet at rest for desire of it This vice of mans nature and inclination saw that heathē writers For thus sayth Ouide That lawfull is we loth and like the thinges we are forbid to doe That foloweth vs we flee and seeke to follow that that flees vs fro Againe The present state doth no man please Vpon his owne to liue at ease This is the vanitie of mans hart neuer to be content with Gods present blessings but to despise them seeking still one thyng after other neuer content till he haue gotten his desire and hauyng once gotten it nothing regarding it but still deuising some other wayes Therfore to repeat againe my saying the scope and end of this booke is to teach vs to vse Gods present benefits creatures which he boūtifully bestoweth vpon vs with thākesgeuing without carefulnes hereafter to the entent our hart may be quiet setled and merry beyng content wyth Gods worde and workyng So in the chapiters folowing he exhorteth vs to eate and drinke with the wife of thy youth not to want oyle for our head but to haue our garments white according to the saying of Christ Sufficient to the day is the trauell and care therof And as Paul saith taking no thought for the fleshe to fulfill the lustes of it And if a man woulde followe this trade hys mynde would still be quietly setled and God would aboundantly prouide vs of all thynges And now men vexe and disquiet themselues with two mischiefes namely while they depriue themselues of the vse of thynges present and trouble
AN EXPOSITION OF SAlomons Booke called Ecclesiastes or the Preacher ☞ Seetle and allowed AT LONDON Printed by Iohn Daye dwellyng ouer Aldersgate An. 1573. ¶ Cum gratia Priuilegio Regia Maiestatis ⧠An admonition to the Reader DAuid that notable king and excellēt Prophet feeling in the course of this life the comfort and direction of the eternall word of almightie God professeth openly in that his Octonary Psalme these wordes Lucerna pedibus meis verbum tuum O Domine lumen semitis meis Thy word O Lord is a lanterne to my feete and a light vnto my pathes Dauid well perceiuyng the corruptiō of his nature the blindnes of his vnderstandyng could not but acknowledge in that his long meditation the necessitie that he espied in the Scripture of God for where he sawe his wyt to weake to comprise the merueylous workes of God aswell in his creation as in his redemption which he saw in spirit before could not well atteyne the life that he most ioyed in in this trāsitory world except his vnderstandyng should be illightened and his whole state of life truely gouerned by the lanterne and light of Gods word He was no phantasticall reader of his word he ioyed not rather to be a student or a talker then a worker but effectually framed all his senses to sauour and knowe the will of God and to folow the same His spirit was altogither set to vertue which entent whosoeuer doth not folow he doth as a man by the testimony of S. Iames which delighteth to behold his naturall countenaunce in the glasse and is not carefull so to impresse the same in his remembraunce thereby to wype away the spottes of his face for whosoeuer doth not thus earnestly tary in the lawe of perfect libertie he deceiueth him self endeth in vanitie For it is he onely that is blessed in his act that doth persist in his law applying the vnderstandyng therof to heale his owne infirmities and to be able to be a light vnto others as we haue great cause to thāke the goodnes of almighty God for deuising of such a rule of Scripture to be lead by and as we be bounde to magnifie almighty God by his holy spirit to rayse vp such his welbeloued seruaūtes to call vpon vs and to bryng vs to the knowledge of hym selfe whereby we might be thākefull so is the daūger very great to all such as couer this his light vnder a bushell that deteyne this precious iewell vnder vnrighteousnesse of life The worlde was neuer more full of the certaine knowledge of God then it is at this day but almighty God was neuer more dishonoured then he is at this day by many that professe by theyr knowledge to be leaders to the blind instructours of the ignoraunt hauyng the fourme of right vnderstandyng by the law of God. Why therfore doest thou sayth S. Paule Teach other and teachest not thy selfe and so blasphemest the worde of almighty God before them that know not the power therof whose condemnation if they repent not shal be the greater We haue much delight now a dayes to know many thynges but litle lust we haue to lyue after our knowledge it is not he that heareth the worde of God that shall be partaker of Christes blessing but he that doth the word not he that hath right vnderstandyng of his will but he that is earnestly giuen to expresse his will in his secret thought betwixt God and hym selfe in his wordes and deedes of lyfe to the institution and example of others It shal not be asked at that dreadful day when we shall come to make our aunswere to almighty God how much we haue learned how oft we haue read how much we do know but how well we haue liued what workes we haue expressed to testifie with vs of our inwarde regeneration of our inwarde fayth that he might be thereby glorified And for this intent that we should be instructed in our true dueties to god and our neighbour amōgest many workes bookes to teach vs the same none is more apt then this booke of Salomon which we haue in hand none is more fit then this which setteth out the vanitie of our corrupt affections no author more liuely no writer is more apt to teach all maner of persons aswell publike as priuate to rule thēselue a right in this miserable vale of our corruptible lyfe thē is the author of this doctrine cōteined in this booke For whosoeuer will endeuour hym selfe to apply his wyt and his vnderstandyng to the counsell of this worke shall soone perceyue the corruption of this world and the vanitie of their owne nature and in all his trauayles what soeuer state of lyfe hee leades shall see by this lanterne how to step forth frōm fayth to fayth frō vertue to vertue frō charitie to charitie in cōclusion shal finde all thynges mere vayne and vanitie nothing permanent nothyng durable nothyng allowable but the knowledge of almighty God and the feare of his holy name to whom be all honour and glorye for euermore Amen ⧠The Preface vppon the booke of Salomon called the Preacher BEcause this booke hath beene obscurely darckly translated out of the Hebrew tounge euery learned mā hath greedyly gone aboute to expoūde and declare it eche man labouryng to frame diuerse of the sayinges therin to his owne profession or rather opinion whether for that their curiositie was delighted in straūge obscure and vnwonted matters or els for that in such obscure and darke writyngs it is easie for a man to fayne what hee phansieth and supposeth For the Philosophers haue thought that which Salomon sayth euen in the very begynnyng hath appertained to them namely that all thynges are difficulte man is not able to vtter them with tounge as though Salomon ment some kinde of vayne speculation in Philosophie Some other being offended with this saying of Salomon As the beast dyeth so dyeth the man and they haue both one end and lyfe haue demed that he was an Epicure or spake in the person of the Epicures But none haue more daungerously misused the same thē the Schooles of the diuines who haue wrested this place No man knoweth whether he be worthy of hatred or loue to the cōscience toward God and so much haue wrested the same that they haue vtterly slaughtered the consciences of all mē and put out the most certaine sayth in Christ teachyng beatyng into most miserable harts nothing more deuoutly thē that we ought to doubt to be vncertaine of the loue grace of God toward vs lyued we neuer so inculpable So great was the darkenes more the that of Egypt that by reason of this saying of Salomō yea rather through theyr owne errours builded vpon his saying they saw now no more the writynges of the Apostles and Euangelistes which do declare by so many miracles Scriptures and Argumentes that Christ is our mediatour and the authour
Thou art a preacher or minister of the word of God continue in reading the Scripture and in teaching be not drawen to any other trade before the Lord draw thée For whatsoeuer the Lord doth not say or commaūde profiteth not which thing he proueth by his owne experience saying I sawe the swifte preuayled not by running and many strong men which yet lost the victory I sawe also many notable wyse mē haue litle successe many diligent and good gouernours which litle preuayled It lies not in the person how industrious or witty soeuer he be Many tymes the strong are ouercōmed in warre of the weake and many tymes great hostes are slayne by small number of men because the matter consisteth not in strength So Troye was a most impregnable thing wāting neyther strēgth nor power and yet was it subdued and ouerthrowen For the tyme was come that God had ordeyned it should so be By the lyke reason in the yeares passed the Emperour tooke and vanquished the kyng of Fraunce notwithstanding he farre passed him in strēgth of mē Where he saith that running helpeth not the swifte it is an Hebrew phrase for with them to rūne is to beare office as Paul to the Corinthians So runne I not as at an vncertaine thing Agayne I haue fynished my course To be had in fauour it helpeth not to be cunning THat is many are skilfull in artes good learning and yet they are not regarded no man séeth to them or taketh care for them So with vs the worde is plentifull there are many good wyttes and yet we can not bring all men to the fayth and yet not withstanding we must not leaue of from preaching the Gospell For God raigneth euen in weakenes he shall gouerne our doinges bring them to passe The Lorde is able to kindle a greate fyer flame so we will preserue sparcles We are also meruelously troubled and vexed in our myndes about getting our liuing One because he would be rich becōmeth a Printer and loe he consumeth that he hath It is not therefore sufficient to be wise and industrious For many singular wyttes and excellent artificers are vtterly despised This is it he sayth The Successe of all thinges dependeth on fortune THat is I cā not determine or apoint what successe I shall haue when I haue donne all I can Doo thou onely that is thy duetye God shall finde a tyme to vse thy labour We cā not iudge of these thinges we must labour but appointe no ende and effect of our woorking Man knoweth not his tyme but as the fyshes which are takē with the angle as birdes that are catched with springesse so are they snared in the perelous tyme when it cometh svddenly vpon them VNderstand this tyme to be not onely the very end of life but euery hower and occasion as if he should say Thou must labour although thou know not what will followe thereof Therfore applie thy selfe to learning and if God so appoint he will giue thy study fruite and successe The lyke we must do in all other trades exercises of lyfe labouring and commytting all successe vnto god For the tyme of successe is not reuealed to vs. And as fishes c. WYth two feate similitudes he proueth that most tymes matters fall out cōtrary to our deuises and wéening the fishe is desirous of meate deuoureth the hooke The byrdes lykewise without all feare goe on féeding and thinke no thing of the grynne and sodenly they are caught So we when we haue chosen and hoped for that we thinke good are deceaued And when we thinke euil is toward then goodnes is at hand And we rushe in to those thinges which afterwarde we can not get out of in such a wyse as we perceaue not how we be circumuented And all this commeth to passe because we knowe not the tyme and hower So that experience teacheth vs how thinges are not ordered by our deuises but most tymes against them And hence procedeth the saying of misfortunat folke I thought not it would haue so fallen out This wisdome also haue I seene vnvnder the Sunne and me thought it a great thinge There was a lyttle Citie and a fewe men within it So there came a great kinge and beseeged it made great fortes against it and in the Citie there was found a pore mā but wise which through his wisdōe deliuered the Citie Yet was there no body that had any respecte vnto such a simple man Then sayde I wysedome is better then strength Neuertheles a poore mās wysdome is despised his wordes are not heard I suppose that this is set after his cōclusion in stead of an example whereby he declareth all that he hath sayde before It is a generall example the lyke whereof is foūde in many histories For thus in the ix Chapter of the Iudges a woman deliuered the Citie saying Abimelech the king with a peece of a mylstone He calleth it great wysedome because indeede that wisedome of gouernaunce is very greate that delyuereth a litle Citie of small force frō valyaunt enemyes But to forget this wisedome and so great benefites as most times it happeneth is greate vnthankfulnes Thus Themistocles employed many benefites vpon his Countrey men but he founde greate ingratitude for the same Thus Dauid benifited all Israell so did Salomon But afterward forgetting so great benefites tenne of the Trybes forsooke the house of Dauid Wherefore to pleasure and benefit the worlde is nought els but to lose our benefites and to cast golde into durt and Pearles before hogges The best is therefore to be mery and to labour for the tyme present casting of all care of things to come For it were better that my benefites perished then I to perish with my benefit also as sayth Phaedria in the comedye entituled Eunuchus And no man remembred the man. IN déede the wyse mans wordes were heard while he gaue good counsell but that done he was by and by forgotten The tenth Chapiter The wordes of the wyse are more heard in quietnes then the crye of him that ruleth among fooles THe effect of this place is to comfort and exhort them which are troubled with worldly affaiers next to rebuke those which are a let and hindraunce that wise and godly mens counsels goe not forward as he beganne with the example of a poore man that wisely brought a great matter to passe but assoone as the benefite was past it was forgotten For all present estate of men as was sayde before is despised Therfore Salomō perceauing this matter sayth weary not your selues you cā bring the world to none other passe nor yet the men therein If matters procéede according to your good deuise commytte them vnto God. The wordes of the wyse are hearde in quietnes c. THe wordes of the wise are not regarded therefore they are compelled to harken to the wordes of a foolishe ruler The crying of a