Vetse93. Thou thyself— hast dsrsed others.] thhp kalalta, thou hast spoken evil; hast vilified others. O, who is iree £rom evil speaking; from naoharitab^e speaking; from detailing their neighbour's fooha, from whispering, talebearing, and backbiting 1 Do not wonder if God, in his justiee, permit thee to be calumniated, seeing, thou hastso frequently calomaiated others. See my discourse on Psa. %w. |— 5.
Verse 9 3. All this have I proeed by wisdom] These rules I have laid down for my own conduct, and soagkt after more wisdom; but have fallen for sliofrt of what I wished to be.
Verse 24. That which is far off] Though thi wifedom that is essential to our salvation may be soea learned, through the teaching of the Spirit ef wisdooi, yet in wisdom itself there are extents ViA depths w\uck none oin Meh YHT fothom.
shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be
Verse 25. / applied mine kexiri] I cast aboat, YtUD sabbotkiy I made a circait; I 'circnmscribed the ground I was to. traverse; and all within my circle I was determined to know, and to investigate ^^ziA to seek otft unsd<m», and thQ reason of things. Has man reason and understanding t If so, then this is his work. God as much calls him to use these powers in this way, as to believd on the Lox\i Jesus that he may be saved; ai\d- he. that dees not, according to the Ineans in his power, is a slothful servant, from whom God may justly take away the misemployed or not iise4 talent, and punish him for his neglect.' Every doctrine of God is a subject both for reason an'd^faith to work on.
To know the toickedniss of folly ^ even of foolishness,and madnejs.] * "And my own heart, with scrutiny severe,
By far the harder task survey'd; intent / To trace that wisdom which from, heaven descends.
Verse 96. And I find more bitter than death the t^cman] After all his investigation of the wickedness ef folly % And the foolishness of madness^ he found no^ tLing. equally dangerous and ruinous with the blandishmenls of cunning women. When once the affections are entangled, escape without iruin is almost, impossible. • yVhoso pleaseth God] The man who walks with God, and he alone, shal^ escape this s^re evil: and even he thiatiears God, if he get with an artful woman, may be soon robbed of his strength, and become like other {oen. A bad or artful woman is represented as a company of hunters, with nets, gins, &c., to catch their prey. -
Verse 27. Counting erne 5y one] Ijuive gone over every particular. I have compared one thing with another; man with woman, his wisdom with her wiles;. his strength with her blandishments; his influence with her ascendahcy; his powers of reason with her arts ^d cunning: and in a thousand iaeii, I have found ens thoroughly upright man; but among one thousand women I have not found ens such. This is a lamentable account of the slaU of morals in Judea, in the days qf the wise King Solomon. Thank God! it would not be difficult to get a tiths of both in the anna waiim in the preaem day.
28 Which yet my soul seefcetb, but I find n6t: " one man among a thousand have I found; but a Woman among all those.have I not found.
. 29 Lox.thi^ only have I found, ■'that GUxl hath made mait upright; but ""they have sought out many p inventions..
The Targum gives this a curious tarn:t— " There is another thing which my sou] has sought, but could not find:.& man perfect -and innocent, and without corruption, from the days of Adam until Abraham the just was b<Hm; who was found faithful and upright among the thousand kings who came together to construct -the tower pf Babel: but a wHman like to Saraft among the wires of all those kings I have not found."
- Yerse 2^ Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright] Whatever evil may be now found, among men. and women, it is not of God.; for God made them all upright. This is a singular verse, and has been mopt variously translated: TWjf D'D"^ nu3Bfn HBTpD nom laf^ u'^m r«« o-n^xn asah
<<This have I found out, that the Lord nmde the first man upright before him^ anH innocent: but the serpent and Eve seduced him to eat of the fruit of the tree, which gave the power to those who ate of it to discern between good and evil; and was the cause that death came upon him, and all the inhabitants 6f, the earth; and they sought that they might find out many -stratagems to bring this eVil upon all the inhabitants ef the world."
I doubt much whether the word nustcrn ckishb&noik should be ^taken in a bad senaib. It may signify the whole of. human devices, imaginations, inoentionSf artifice, with all their products; arts, sciences, schemes, plans, and all that they have found out for the destruction or melioration of life. God has given msB wondrous faculties; and of them he has made strange uses, and sovereign abuses: and they have been, inf consequence, at one time his help, and at another his bane. This is the fair way of anderstaaiding tkit que^on. •
A wan^s wisdom makes his fact shirvs^ 1. Kings are to he greatly respecledi ^-4. Cf him who keeps U14 commandment; of the misery of man; of the certainty of deaths 6-8.. Of him that rutts another to kit own hurt, 0., The end of the wicked^ 10. Gqd*s longsuffering^ 11, 13. It shall he ill with wicked menj 13. Strange events ir^ the course of Providence, i4, 15. God^s works cannot he found out, 16, 17.
Stand not ih an evil thing; for ^'c^ m* he doetb whatsoever pleaseth Ante L^ynip.
^ I counsel thee to keep the- king's commandment, ^ and that in regard of the oath of God. -
: d^Be not hasty to go out of his sight:
Verse 1. Who khoweth the interpre'tation] ^Vt pesher^ a- p^reChaldee word, found nowhere else in tbe Bib)e but in the Chaldee parts of Daniel.^ ^ A man's wisdom maketh his face to shine. '^ E^eijr state of the heart shines thrbugh the countenance; but th'ere 18 such an evidence. of the contented, happyjpuire,^ benevolent state of the soul in the /ace of a trulj.pious man, that it must be observed, and cannot be mistaken. In the Hebrew the former clause of this vel«e ends the preceding^ chapter.' ^Who has ever been deceived in the appearance of the face that belonged to a sa^ vage heart ^1 Those who represent, by painting, or otherwise, a wise man, with a gravely sour face, striking awe and forbidding approach, have either mistaken the man, or are; unacquainted with «ome essentia principles of their art.
. The boldness of his face shall he changed.] In- «tead of iOVf* yeshunne, which signifies shiJl be hated, many of Kennicolt^s and De Ro^si*^ MS$. have Wflf'* yeshunneh, shall be changed or doubled. Hence the Terse might be read; ** The wisdom ef a man shall il<» laminate his face; and the strength of his countenance shall be doubled." He shall speak with full confidence and conviction on a subject which he perfectly understands, and all will feel the weight of his obser- Tations.
Vers© 2. To keep the king^p commandment] This sentence would. be better translated, / keep the mouth of the king; 1 take gorod heed not to meddle with stale secrets; and if I know, to hide them.- Or, I am obedient to the commands of the laws; I feel myself bound by whatever the king has decreed.
In regard of the oath of God.] You have sworn obedience to him \ keep your oath, for the engagement was made in the presence of God. It appears that the Jewish princes and ehieft took an oath of fidelity to theu: kings. This appears to have been done to Vavid, 2 3am. v. 1-3; lo Joash, 2 Kings xi. 17; and to Solomon^ I Chron. xxiz. 94.
A Where the word of a king' is, there is power: and 'who may say unto him, What doest thou.?
6 Whoso keepfeth the commandment » shall feel no evil thing: and a wise niln's heait disceineth both time and judgpient.
6 Because ^ to every purpose there is time
Verse 3. Be not hasty] I consider the &a(L Jive verses here as directions to courtiers » and the more immediate servants of kings.
'5e steadily faithful to your soveireigi>. Do not stand in an evil thing. If you have done wrong, do not iendeavour to vindicate yourself before him; if is of no ude;.his poWer is absolute^ aiid he will do what he pleases.' He will Hake his oivn view of the sobjeet, and he will retain it. The iangiiage of a de^tie sovereign was ever Jhis, Sic vdo, sic'jubeo, stat pro ratione voluntas; " I wiTl this. I command that. No hesitation! My will is law!'' Therefore it is added here, Where the word of a king is, there is power — influence, authority, and *the sWord., And who may say unto him, ivhether he acts' right or wrong, What doest thout r^T, 4. No wonder in each govemmenu •there are so inany revolutions; but thej are revohttons withotit amendment, as it is one tyrant rising up to destroy another, who, when seatM in aathority, acts in the way ef his predecessor; till another, like himself, do to«him-aB he has done to the former. In our country, after a long trial, we find that a mired monarohy is Ihe safest, best, and most nsefol fona of government: we have had. It is true, unprincipled ministers, who wished to turn our lOnited into an absolute monarchy; and.they were always ready lo state that an absolute monarchy was best.- - Granted; provided the monairch be as wise, as* holyt and as powerful as God!
Vetse 5. Both time and judgment.] It ia a matter of great importance to be able to discern whkn and HOW both to speak and act; but when time and manner are both determined, the matter comes next. What shall / speak J What shall I dof When, hew, and what, answer to time, manner, and. matter. To discern all these, aai act soitablyv is s^leison for a philosopher, and a study fo a Christian.
Terse 6. 3> every fltrpose there is time] ysn chaphets, eveiy volition, every.thing that depends on the wiU ofmf^ SDobas generally the opporimutytQ
8 * There is no man that hath power " oyer the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no " discharge. in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.
9 All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time wherein one man ruleth over smother to his own hurt.
10 And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they weriB forgotten in the city where they had so done: this is also vanity. -' '
11 ^ Because sentence against an evil work
do whatever he purposes; and as his purposes are frequently evil, hj/s acts are so Too; andin consequeace his misery is great.
Verse 8. There iis no man that hath power over the spirii to retain the spirit] The ChfJdee has, " There 18 no man who can rule over the spirit of the breath, sa as to prevef^ the animal 4ife from leaving the body of man.'^ Others translate to (his sense: '* jio man hath power ov^r the toind. to restrain the wind; and none- has power -over death to -restrain him; and when & man engages as a soldier, he cannot be discharged from the war till it is ended; and by wickedness no man shall be delivered frotn any evil.*' Taking it in this way, these are maxims which contain self-evident truths. Others suppose the verse to refer to the king who tyrannizes over and oppresses his people. He shall sdso account to God for his actions; he shall die, and he cannot prevent it; and when he is judged, his wickedness cannot deliver him.
Verse 9. One man ruleth over another to Ms oum hurt.] This may be spoken of rule^ genenlly, who, insteafl oi feedings fleece the flock; tyrants' and oppressors, who come to an untimely end by their mismanagement of the offices of the state. All these things relate to 'Asiatic despots, and^ have ever been more^ applicable to them than to any other sovereigns in the world. They were despotic; they still are so.
Verse lO. Who had come and gone from the place of the holy] The place of the holy is the sacred office wiiich they held; anointed.either as kings or priests to Grod; and, not having fulfilled the holy office in ^ holy way, have been carried to iSbekgjf^es^iihxmX lamenUh iioh, and lie among the dead fvShoat imembrance.
Verse 11. Because senitm^ ^^tflfi pH^gamt a Divine decree or declaration* This JAvr Hehew, but H men Chaldee word, and oocun^nja the later is not* executed speedily, there- ^B^c^^oTr^* fere the heart of the sons of Ante- 1, oiymp. men is fully set in them to do evil. Ante U. c. dr.
a hundred times, arid Ihs.days be prolonged, yet surely I know that *iit shall be well with them that fear God, vvhich fear before him:
13 But it shaH not be well with the v^icked, neither shaQ he prolong his days, whtjch are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.
14 T^ere is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just, men, unto whoni it 'happeneth according to the work of the. wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom, it happeneth according to the work of the rightecus': I said that this also i^ vanity.
1 6 ■ Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than toeat, and to drink; and tobenaerry; for that shall abide with
books.of the Bihle-^Estlier, Ezra, and Daniel, and nowhere else but in this place^ Because God does not immediately punish everjrdeftoquency, men think he disregards evil acts; and therefore they are emboldened to sin on. So this Ipngsuffering of.God, which leadeth to repentance, is 'abused so ^ to lead to farther crimes! When men sin against the jremedy of their s^vation, how can they escape perdition? < *
Verse 18. Though a sinner do evil a hundred Umes] If Gqd bear so long with a transgressor, wait— ing in his longsnffering.for him to repent and turn to him, surely he will be peculiarly kind to them that/ear him, and endeavour to walk uprightly before him.
Verse 13. But it shall not be well with the ipicked].Let not the long-spared i^nper presume that, because sentence is not speedily executed on. his evil worlu, and he is suffered to go on to hie hundredth transgress sum, God has forgotten to punish. "Sqi.he fearetk not before Goiji; and therefore he shall not iHtimately. escape. * ' •►
Verse 16. Then I commended mirth] These are some more of the cavils of the infidel olQectof: ** Since virtue is frequently under oppression, and vice triumphs nn health, and rolls in wealth* I see plaiiily that we should not tronble ourselveg about future things; and 'therefore should be governed fay the maxim, Bdi, bibe, lude. Poit m&rtem mldla vo* iupias,''
6 For the living Jinow. that they shall, die: but ^ the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; fop * 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.
7 Go thy- way> ' eat diy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy work*. ^ ^^'
8 Let thy garments, be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.
9. « Live joyfully with the wife^hom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he Ifath given thee Hinder the sun, all the d^cys of thy Tanity: - ^ fcMr that is thy portion in' ^A». life, and in: thy labour "vdiich thou takest, imder the sun. 10 Whatsoever thy hand findetK to do, do
Verse: 4. For to liim that is^ joined to ail the living there is hope] While a man lives he hopes to amende and h0 hopes to have a hetter loP; and thus life is qwnt, hoping to grow better^ and hoping to get thore.. The Vulgate has, *< There is none that dialT live ^ways, nor has any hope of snch a thing." Perhaps the best translation is the following: '* What, therefore, is to be chosen? In him tbat is living there is hope." Then choose, that eternal life which thou hopest to possess....
A living dog is better than a dead lion] I suppose this was a proverb. The smallest measure of animal' existence is better than the largest of dead matter. The' poorest living peasaat is infinitely above Alextoderthe Great.... ' '
Verse ^. The living know thai they shall die] This is so self-evid^t that none can doubt it; alid therefore all that have this conviction should prepSkre fbr death and eternal blessednesff..
But the dead know not any thing] Cut off from Itfe, they know nothing of what passes under the sun. Their day of probation is ended, and therefore they can have no farther reward in living a holy life; nor can they be liable to ^y farther punishment for crimes in a state of probation, that being ended.
Verse 6. Also their love^ and their hatred] It isevideni that he speaks here o( the ignorance, want of power, &c., of the dead, in reference only to this life.- And though they have no more a portion under the sun, y^ he 4oes not intimate that they havapi<P vm^- where else. A man threatens to conquer iji||dom8, Sic. He dies; what are his Mreo/j/ "
Verse 7, Oo thy way^ eat thy bread with joy] Do not vex and perplex yourselves with the dispensationiB and mysteries of Providence; enjoy the^ Uessiiigs which God has given you, and live to hier glory; and then Ood will, aficept your works.
Verse 8. Let thy garments bie. dway^ white] The Jews wore white garments on festal occasional w^ emblems of joy and innofMite. Be. always pure^aad always happy. The inldMiaits of India are all dressed in clean tphite cotton, and to this is the allusion in the text.
Tkd Targum wys: *' At all times let thy garments he iMAdd and pure fnmi the stain of sin. Acquire a good name, which is likened to the oil of anointings that Uessings maybe eaUed down upon thy ite^d] and goodness not foru^ thee/'
Verse 9. Live joyfully with the wife whom thou' lovest] Marry' prudently, keep faithfully attached to the wife thou hast chosen, and rejoice in the labour of thy hands. ' ' •*
Some understand this as the words of the libertine objector: ** Live joyfully, with the woman *whom thoo lovest best.^* But this does* not comport so well with the scope of the place.
- 1. What is necessary to be done in this life, in reference to another? 1. Turn from sin. 2. Repent. 3. Frequent the ordinances of God, and associate with the upright. 4. Read the Scriphires. 6. Pray for pardon.' 6. Believe on the Lord Jesus, that thoa m^yest obtain it. 7. Look for the gift of ihe Holy Spirit. 8t' Bring forth in their seasona the fruits of it —(1) Repentance; (9) Faith; and (3)^e Holy Spirit. 9. Live to get good. 10. And to do good. 1 1. And refer every purpose and' act to the eternal world.
n. fTmo- should these be done % With thy might, 1: Be fully convinced of the necessity of the^ things. 3. Be; determined to act according to this convlotio«. 3. Then act with all thy strength; put forth all thy poDrer'in avoiding evil,, repeiljpg of sin,.&c., &c, ni. Ythy should this be done t 1. Because thou ix% a dying man. S. Thou art gmiig into the^rave.'. 3. Whentkpi leavest this life, thy state of probation, with aU its advantages, is eternally ended. 4. If thou die in. sin, where God is thoti shalt never come. For, 1. There is no work by which thou mayest profit; '9. No device by which thou mayest escape puniateM; 3^ No knowledge of any means of help; ahd, 4. 'Wh wis^ dofh — restoration of the soul to the favour and image of God, m that gta»ewhitker thou goest, TMIfore, work while it is 6dM to-day.
the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to
t)ie strong, neither yet bread to the wise,.nor
yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet
favour to men of skill; but time and chance
12 For ^ man also knoweth not his, time: as
Verse 11. The race is not io the smfi\ It is not by swiftnescr, nor by strength and Talour, that races are gained and.battles vfon, God causes the Icmte often to take the.ftrey^ the prize; and so works that the -^weak overthrow the strong;, therefore, no man shouldconfide in himself. All things are under the government, and at the disposal of God..
Happeneth to them all.] Every man has what may. be called time and space to act in, and dpportunittf to r do a particular work. But ^n this time and opportunity there is incidemt, vrhat may ^o/Z in f and. occurrence, what may meet and frustrate an attempt. These things should be wisely weighed, and seriously balanced; for those /ottf things belong to every human action. While you have time,- seek an opportunity to do what is right; but calculate on hinderances and oppositions, because time and opportunity have their incident aqd occurrence.. Covercfo/e translates this verse well: ** I sawe that in runnynge, it helpeih not to be swift; in batayll, it helpeth not to be stronge; to fedynge, it helpetfi not to be wyse; to riches, it help- •tfa not to b^ sutyll; to be had in favoure, it helpeth not to be connynge; but that all lyeth in time and fortune."
Verse 12: As the hi¥ds that are caught\ Man acts 80 heedlessly, notwithstanding all his wisdom, and all his warnings, that he is often taken, as a^^ is, 'by the baited hook; and the bird by the baited snare. And thus, an evil time, like the toar^, gin, trap, hook, falleth suddenly upon them; and they are 'taken in a molt inent, and have no means of esCeping. How frequently ilo we see these compi^iBons illustrated!
Verse 14. There was a litHe city^ and few men within it] Here is another proof of Uie vanity of sublunary things'; the ingratitude of men, and ^e tittle compensation that genuine, merit receives. The little histoiy mentioned here inay have either been ^fact, or intetied as an- instructive fable. K little city, with few to defend it, being besieged by a great king and a powQcfiil army, was delivtsred by the cunning and address of a poor ioise man; and afterwards his townsmen forgot- their obligation to him.
Those who spiritualize this pai^sage, making the title city the Church, the few men the Apostles, the great king the Deyil, and the poor wise man Jesus t* Gbrist, abuse the textJ the fishes tjbiat are taken in an b'^^^ evil net, and as the birds that are Antei. oijmf. caught in. the snare; so are the 4xtt«'u.c!cir. sons of men ^ Snared in an evil ^^
13 This wisdoth have I seen also under the sun, and it- seefhed great unto me:
14 ™ TTiere toas a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against ic^and besieged it, and built gireat bulwaiki against it-:. '-
cityia the human body; few men in it, few good affections, tO'Wprk righteousness; the greai king, eril concupiscence, wblch,.iike a strong*. and powerfol kio^ enters into the body to oppress it, and 5eaieges d» heart so as to cause it to -err ', buHt great- hutwerks against t^— ^yil concupiscence builds hia throne ia it wheresoever lie wills, and causes it to decline from tlie ways that are *right before God; that it maj be takea in the greatest nets of hell,' that he may bom it serea times, because of its sins. But there is found in it e poor vjisi man-^9, ^ood, wise, and holy affection, which prevails over the evil principle, and snatches the boHy front the judgment of hell, by the streagth.of its wisdom. \T^t,r after this delivers^icc^ the man iii not. xemember^ what • the good prini^ple had done for him; but siald irt his heart, I ain inneceni,*' &o.
What a wond^fol text has this been in the hands of many a modern Tqrgumist; and with what force -have the JTeaeAonsanj preached Christ crucified ttom it*
Such, a jiiassage as this receives a fine illustratioa from the case of Archimedes saving the city of Syracuse from all the Roman forces'besieging it by sea and land. Jle destroyed their ships by his burning-glasses, lifted up their galleys out of the water by his machines, dashing some to pieces, and sinking others. One man's wisdom here prevailed for a long tisoe against the most powerful exertions of a mighty nation. In this case, wisdom fat exceeded strength. ' But was not Syracuse taken, notwithstanding the exertions of this poor wise man ^ Nq. But it was betrayed by the baseness ofMericus, a Spaniard, one of the Syracusan generals.- He delivered the whole district he commanded into the hands of MarceUus, the Roman consul, Ar^imedes having defeated every attempt made by the Romans, either by sea or land: yet he com«» manded no company of men, made no eoiiies, bat confounded and destroyed them by his machines. Thia happened about 208 years before Christ, and nearly about the time in which those who do not consider Solomon-as the author suppbse this book to have been written., This wise man was no/ remembered; he was slain by a Roman soldier, while deeply engaged in demonstrating a new proUean, in order to his fiirtber operations against the enttaies of his ootmtry. See Plutarch^ and the historians of this Syracusan war. ' When Alexander the Great was about to destroy the city Lampsacus, his old master Anaximenes eame out to meet him. Alexander, auspectiag hie teigi^
1 5 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that s^me poor man* 16 "Then said I, Wisdom is better than
that hh would intei^ede for the city, belDg determined to destroy it, swore that he would not grant him any thing he should ask. Then said Anaximenes, ^* I desire that you 5£^/ destroy this oity.'^ Alexander xe-. spected his oath, and the city was spared. Thus; says Valerius Maximus, the narrator, (lib. vy. c. iii.>No. 4; Extern.,) by this sudden turn of sagacity* this ancient ai^d noble city was preserved tiom the destniction by which it was threatened. ** Haec velocitas sagacitatis oppidum vetu^ta habilitate inclytmxr exitio, cuidestinatom erat, subtraxit.". >
* A sti^tagem of Jaddua^ the high priest^ was the means of pr^sewing Jerusalem from being destroyed by Alexander, who, incensed because they ^ad assisted the inhabitants of Gaza when he besieged it, as soon as he had reduced it, marched against Jerusalem, with the determination to raze it to the;ground; but Jaddua and his priests in their sacerdotal robes, meeting him on the- way, he wsLs so struck with their appearance that he not 6nly prostrated himself ' before the high priest, and spared the city, but;il8b granted it, some remarkable privileges. But the case of Archirhedes and Syracuse is the most striking and appropriMe in all its parts. * That of Ana^cimenea and Lamp-
17 The words of wise men arc heard in quiet, more than the..^ ery of "him-that Tuleth among fools.-
sacus is also highly illustrative of the. maxim of the wise inan: *' Wisdom is better than strength."
Verse IG*. TAe poor man^s wisdom is despised^ and his words are not heard J\ 1 cannot help pursuing thit illustration a little farther. The solHier who fojmd Archimedes busily employed in drawing figures upon the sand, pat toliim.some impertinent question!, withal rudely obtruding himself OIL hiq opi9rations« Tawhom this wondeiful mathematician replied, " Stand pff, soldie/, and do not spoil my. diagram;" on which the bloody savage struck' him dead! '. * '^
Verse 17. The words of wise men are heard in qitiei^ In the tumult of war the words of. Archimedes were not heard; and his life was lost..
Yerse 18. Wisdom is better than weapons of war] So proTed in the ca^e of ilrcAtm«<2M..
* Destroyeth much good] Such as were the life and skillof the. Syrs^usan mathematician.;One sinner has often injured the work of God; one stumbling-block has sometimes destrayed a jrevival of religion. Sin acts like a fennent;, whatever comes in contact with it» it assimilates to itadf.
Observations on wisdom and folly ^ 1-3. Concerning right conduct towards rulers, 4. worthlessness exalted, 5^7. Of him wha digs a pit an4 removes a landmark,' 8, 9. and experience, 10. Of ^ the babbler and M« /oa/,.ll-i5.- The infant kingi 16. court, 17. Of slothfulne^s, 18. Of feasting^ 19. Speak not evil of the king, 20.
T^EAD •flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.
Verse 1. Dead flies] Anj putrefaction spoils per-% fhm^; and so a foolish act ruins the character of him who has the reputation ojf being wise and good. Alas! alas! in an unguarded moment how many have tarnished the reputation which they were many years in acquiring! Hence, no man can be said to hb safe, till he is takea to the paradise of God.
Verse 2. A wise man's heart is at his right hand] As the right hand is ordinarily the best exercised, strongestt and most ready, and the left the contrary, they show, t. The command which the wise man his over his own mind, ^feelings, passions, &c., and the prudence \nth which he aots. And, 3. The want of prudence and maiia(sement in the fool, who has no restraint on his paasiMis, and no rule or guard upon his tongue. The Yight hand and the left are used in • Scripture to express good and evil. The wise man ]» always employed in dciog good; the f(>ol, in. nonsense or evil.
Verse 3. When — a fod walketh by the way] Id jererj act of hSSt an^ in every eompti^ he freqaenta^ 831 ^ T
, Ante I. OWmp. that he 15 a ipol. AntTu. c/cir. 4 If the spirit of the ruler rise ^**' up against thee, ** leave not thy.
place; for * yielding pacifieth great offence^.
5 There is an evil wJdch I have seen under the sun, as an error which |)roceedeth ^from
6 'Folly is set ^in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.
7 I have seen -servants > upon horses^ and.princes walking as servants upon the earth.
.the irreligions man shows what he is. Vanity, nonsense^ and wickedness are his themes: so that in efleet he saith to evefy one that he in a fool.
Verse 4. ffthe spirit of the ruler rise up agauUt thee] If the kingf get incensed Against thee.
Leme not thy. place] Humble thyself before hin^, that is thy place and duty; for yielding \q him, an^ not standing stoutly in thy defence, pacifieth ^eo/ offences: and then, when his anger is appeased, he will hear any, thing in thy justification, if thou have any* thing to offer. This is good advice to acAi/J-in reference to his fkirejits^ and to an inferiojr of any kind in reference to his superiors.
Several of the fathers understood tfiis differently. If the spirit of the ru/cr^— the influence of Satan — hath psen up against and prevailed oter thee, to bring thee some sin^ leave not thy place-^o not despair of 's mercy; humble thyself before him, and seek parllRDugh (he Son of his love, and this will be marpe, a remedy or cure even fox O'Sna a^KDH \aim gedoHm^ great errors or -sins. All this is true in itself j whether found in this text or not.
Vepe 6. An drrqr which proceedeth from iJie ruler] What this error, in the ruler is, the two fol-
Sung verses point out:. it is simply this — an injudius distributibn of offices, and raising people to places of trust and confidence, who are destitute of merits are neither of name nor family to excite public confidence, and ate without jM-0»p«rty; so that they have no stake »n the country,. Slid their only solicitude must naturally he to enrich themselves, and provide for* their poor relatives. This is frequent in the governments of the. world; and favouritism has often brought prosperous nations to the brink of ruin. Folly was set in digmty; the man of property, sensei and name; in a low place. Servants^^m^niaX men, rode upon horsesT^^LTned every thing with a high «nd proud hand; and princes, — «-the nobles of the people, were obliged to walk by their sides, and often from the state of things to* be> come in effect their servants. This was often the case' ia ^is country, during the reign of Thomas d Becket, and Cardinal Woolsey, These insolent men lorded it cnrer the whole nation; and the people and their gently were raised or depressed aocovding as their piide
10 If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to mcfine strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.'
1 1 Surely the serpent will bite ^ without enchantment i and a ^ babbler is no better. -
12 ^ The words of a wise mstn's mouth are * griicious; but ► the hp of a fool will swallow up liimself.
and caprice willed. And, through this kind of erroxt, not only a few sovereigns have had mostuncemfortaUi^ and troublesbnie reigns, but some haf^ even lost their lives. ' / '
Verse 8. Whoso breaketh a^hedgc, a serpent skeU bite him.] While spoiling his neighbour's property, be himself may come to greater mischief: while ^ulliag out the sticks, he may be (nt by a serpent, who has his nest there. Some have suppoi^ that VTil nachath here means a^Aom; perhaps, from the similaiity of its prick to the 8eq>ent's siing: He who forces Ids way through a hedge will be pricked by the tboma.
Verse ^ 9. Whoso ^ removeth stonesr] This vene teaches care and caution. Whoever /mZft dpwnut old building is likely to be hurt by the stones f and in cleaving wood many accidents occui; for want of soffiscient-caution«
Verse 10. If the iron he bluntj It the axe have lost its edge, and the owner do not sharpen it, he moat apply the more strength to make it cut: but the wis^ dom that is profitable to direct wffl teach him, that he should iohet his ore, aod spare his strength. Thus, without wisdom and understanding we cannot go profitably through the meanest concerns in life.
'Verse 11. The serpent will bite without enchants ment] \ffnh nSd belo tachash, without hissing. As a snake may bite before it hiss, so also will the babUer, talkative person,' or calutnuiateif; Without directly speaking evil, he insiouatto, by innuendoes, things injurious to the reputation qf his neighbonr. StU t^ tVtiix bfte fn sClenct, notl^Cjig Usst t|«K |t ^t| t^t prfbds hacttbftetti — Old. MS. BiUeu «< A babbler of his tongue is no better than a serpent that styngeth without hyssynge. " — CoVerdalb! The moral of this saying is simply this: A calumniator is ae dangerous as a pois(Stious serpent; and fronta the enTcnomed tongue of slander and detraction noinan is safe. The comparing the serpent, ert^ nachash, to a babbler, has something singuldr in it. I have already si^posed that the creature- mentioned, Gen. iii. 1, was oif the genus \fimia. This has been ridiculed, 6ut not dis* proved.
Verse 1-2. The words of a wise man^s mouth] Every thing that proceeds front him is decent and
. 1 3 The beginning of the words of hi& mouth is foolishness: and the end of ^ his talk if naischievous madness.
14 'A fool also 'is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and ^ what shall be after him, who can tell him?
15 The labour of the foolish weareth every one of them, "because he know elh not' how to go to the city.. * •
^ 1 6 * Wo to thee, O land, when ihy king is a. child,. and thy princes eat in the morning!
17 Blessed. ari thou, O land, when thy king4vyx)icej is the son of nobles, and ^ thy princes eat in
18 By much slothfulness the Ante"lJ. o.' ^.
orderly; creditable to himself, and acceptable, to thoee who hear him. But the lips qf thefooly which speak ^ery thing at random, and have no understanding to guide them, are not only not pleasant to others, but bflen destructive to himself.
Verse 14. A man canriot tell what shall h].A foolish^ babbling man will talk on every subject, though he cau say as. tittle on the past, as he can on the future.. '
Verse 15. He know^th not how to go to.the €itp.] I suppose this to be a proverb: " He knows nothing; he does not know his way to the next vHlage.^' He may labour; but for i^ant of judgment he weahesr himself to no purpose. * •'
.Verse M. Wo to thee,.0 land, when thy J^ngia a child] Minorities are, in general,. v€ry ptejudicial to a state. Regents eithet disagree, and foment civil wars; or oppress the people. ■ Various discordapt interests are raised up in a state during' a minority; and the young king, having been undet' the tutelage ef in— tereated men, acts partially and injuriously M) the interests of the people when he. comes io the throne;.and this produces popular discontent, and a trouble i^ign. • Thy princes eat in the tnomingf] They do noliiing in order; turn night into day, 'and day into. night; sleep when they should wake, and wake when they should slecfp; attending to'ore to chamberings.and banquetings, than to the concerns of the state. *
Verse 47. When thy king is. the son of nohles] Tlof ekevdepuv^ the son of freemen v persons well a6- quaipted with the principles of civil liberty, and who nlle according top i)\Qm.—^Septuagint, Such a one as comes. to the throne in a legitimate way, from An ancient regal family, whose right to the throne is incontestable. It requires such a long time to establish it regal right, that the state is in continual dinger from pretenders and usurpers, where the king is not the son of nobles.
And thy princes eat in due season] All persons in places of trust for the public weal, from the king to the lowest public functionary,^ should know, that the public are exceedingly scandsdized at repeated accounts of' ente^nmems, wjiere irregularity prevails, much idleness- of the hands the house droppeih through.
19 A feast is made for laughter, and ^ wine 'maketh merry: but money answereth iSL things.
20 3^ Curse not ihe king>.no, not in thy ' thot^ht; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the
, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter. *
iQoney is expended, and no good doner.These things arjB drawn intQ precedent, and quoted tocountenanca debauch in the inferior classes. The natural dlviinon of the day for necessary repasts is, Brkakfast, eighty or half after-; Dinner, -one, or half. after; SuppiSy -eight, or half after. And these, or even earlier hours, were formerly observed in these countries. - Then we ^ad scarcely any -such thing vlb gout, and no nervous disorders,'. '
• In ancient nations tHe custom was to eat but ones f and then' about mid-day. *
Vense 18. By much slothfulness] This is remarkably the case in some countries. Houses are not re^ paired till they almost fall about thenars of the inhabitants. We havd- an adage that -applies to all sndi cases: " A stitch in time saves Jiinc." - - ^
Verse 19. Afeastismadefor'laughter] Tbgll^ ject of it is to producq merriment, t6 banish < concern of every kind. But who are they • who i and frequent such places 4 Epicures and generaUy; such as those of whom Horace speaks: Nbs numems sumds, et frugds consumere iKL Epist, lib. i., ep. 3, vef. 97. <* ThosQ whose names sfaiid as- indications of men^ fP^ fueless many; and who appear to be bom only to consume the produce of the soiL" But money -answereth' all] This saying has prevailed everywhere.
Verse 20. Curse'not the king] Danot permit thyself even to think evil of the king; lest Uiy tongue al some time give veni to thy thoughts, and so thou be chargeable with treason.
For a bird of the air shall carry the vpice] Does 833 r^ 1^
he refer here to such fowls' as the carrier pigeon^ Which were oflen used to carry letters under their wings to a great distance, and bring back answers? The Targum turns it curiously: <' Do not ^>eak evO of the king in thy oonscience, nor in the secret of thy heart, nor in the most hidden place in thy hquse, curse not a wise man; for Riuiel calls daily from heaven upon Mount Horeb, and his voice goes through the whole world; and Elijah^ the ^eat priest, goes, flying through the air like a winged eagle,' and publishes th^
Civil government is so peculiarly of God» that he will have it supported for the benefit of mankind; and those who attempt to disturb it are generally marked, by his strong disapprobation. And though there have been multitudes of treasons hatched ig the deepest secrecy; yet, through the providence ofGrod, they have been discovered in the most singuUir maimer. This shows (Grod's care for, government.
(Sine alms to ally 1-4. The vodrks of Qod unknoton to many 5.. Diligence necessary t 6. Prosperity fre^ quently succeeded hy adversity, 7^8.^ " There wUl be a day'ofjudgrhent, ^,10.
4 He that, observeth the wind ^^
\acir:m!' QAST thy bjead •upon «the iAte L dlymp. waters: ''^ for lliou shalt find
and also to eight; ^ for thou khowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.. 3 If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves uipon the eaHh: and if jlhe tree fall
VersQ 1. Cast thy bread upon the waters'] An allusion to the sowing of rice; which waa sown upon mnddy ground, or. ground covered with water, and trodden in by the feet of cattle: it thus took root, and grew, and vi2A^ found after many days in a plentiful hMfrtst. Give alms to the poor, and it will be as seed pUfm in good ground. God will cause.thee afterwards /yj»ceive it with abundant increase. The Targum Coiderstands it of jgiving bread to poor sailors. The Vulgate 2xA my old Bible have the* same idea. SUxCn W breUe ttypn xaaxi iiassfng tai8tet«.
Verse 2. G^'&ff a portion to sev6i] Never cease giving while thoru.seest a persoi^ in distress, aAd hast w&erewithal to relieve him.
Verse 3. If tlie clouds be full of rain.] Act as the clouds; when they are full they pour ouf their water indifferently on the field and on the desert. By giving charity indiscriminately, it may be that thou wilt oflen give it to the unworthy; but thou shouldst ever consider that he is an object of thy charity, who appeats to be in real want; ^d better relieve or give to a hundred worthless persons, than pass by one who is in real distress.
Where the tree falleth, there it shall be.] Death is at no great distance; thou hast but a short time to do ^ood. Acquire a heavenly disposition vrhSlh here f for there, will be no change after this. life. If thou die in the love of God, and in the love of man, in that state wilt thou be foai)d.ui the day of indgm^nt. If a tree 0 834
-shall not sow.; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.^. ^
5 As ^ thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, **^m)r hoi^ the bones do grow in
about to fkll lean to the north, no the north it will fall; if to the south, it mlliall to that Quarter, In what^ ^ever disposition ox stqieof soul thou diest, in that thoa wOl be found in the eternal world, ' Death refines nothing, purifies nothing, kills no sin, helps to no glory. Let thy continual bent and inclination be to God, to holiness,. to ch^^ity, to mercy, and to heaven: then, faU when thou xnayest, thou wilt fall well.
Verse* 4. He that observeth the wind snail not sow] The man that is too scrupulous is never likely, to succeed in anything! If a man neither plough nor sow till the weather is entirely to his mind, the season will in all probability pass before he vwill have done any thing: sO, if thou be too nice in endeavouring to find out who are the impostors among those who profess to be in \Dant,_ih6 veal objftet may perish, whom otherwise thou mightest have relieved, and Mrhose life might have been thereby saved. Those very punctilious and scrupulous people, who will sift every thing to the bottom in every case, axid, beTore they will act, mdst be fully satisfied on all points, seldom do any good, and are themselves generally good -for nothing. While they are observing the clouds and Me rain, others have joined,h^nd8 with God, and made a poor man live.. Verse 5. As thou knowest not — the way of the spirit] Why God should have pel-mitted such and such persons to fall into want, and' how they came into all their distresses, thou canst not tell, no more than thou canst' how their soul is united to their body, how it canie to inform that body, or how the child was formed in the womb of its mother. Nor canst -thou discern the end which God has in view in these things. ffe.maketh a^ every thing is open to him; and take ( 63»)^
6 In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest.not whether * shall prosper, cither this or that, or whether they -both shall be alike good. ^.
•7 Truly the light 15 sweet, and a' pleasant thing it is for the eyes ^ to behold the sun:.., '
. 8 But if a man live many years, and re^
heed lest, while pretending motives t>f scrupulbsity an^ pradence, in not Telieving the distresses of those thou pretendest to suspect to be unwwtky, he does not $ee that z. love of money is the motive oi thy conduct, anda want of the bowels of mercy the catue why thou drivest t^is suspected bieggar from thy door.
Verse d. In the morning sow thy seed] Be read^ at all times to show mercy; begin in the morning, continue till the evening. Thou knowest not the most worthy object; it is enough that Gt>d Imoweth; and if thy motive be gqod^ he will applaud apd reward thee; not according to the worthiness or unworthiness of the object of thy charity, but according t<f the motive 'Hi^hich induced thee to< relieve him.
Verse 7. Truly the light is sweet] Life is dear to. every^ man as the light of ihe sun is to Jhe eye.- A man would give all that he. has for his life; and- it is particularly dear to him when he is in ease and affluence: but let each remember that.
Verse S. ][f a man live many years\ And even have prosperity through, the whole; yet the days of. darkness — times of afflictioi^, weakness, and perhaps M age, wiU be many. - If he die not a violent death, which no man can wish, he will die a lingering death; and this is ordinarily attended with many pains,, and many sorrows; therefore let him prepare to.me.et l^is
9 Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; aod let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, * and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, ihat for all these things ™ Ood will bring thee into judgment.
1 0 Therefore remove ■ sorrow from thy h^art, and ® put away evil from thy flesh: V for childhood and youth are vanity.
God;. and to carry Ihis thought through life, that' ail must terminate in death, ^he writer of EcQlesiasti** cusj chap. vii-. 36, has a good saying, similar to this i '* Whatsoever thou takest in hand, remember thy tKD; and thou shalt never do amiss;" ov« (i/Mipnfoe(r, thou wilt not sin.
Verse 9. Rejoice^ O young man, in thy ifoUtK\ Youth \b devoid of cares; and, consequently, of many perplexities ahd distresses.. Were.it not so, we should have n9 old pien; nay, perhaps not one even of mid^ die age. It is in the order of a most gracioue God, that the young should rejoice in their youth; but they should make such a moderate use of all their enjoy jpents, that they- may not be confounded in t&e day of judgment. 'But, O young man, if thou wilt follow the propensities of thy own heart,^ the noisy miirth of.tha fool, and the dissipation of the pri^igate^^go on; take thy full swing; but* take this with thee, that '* for all these things, God will judge thee;" and if 4he riglll- -eOtts are scarcely saved, where shall the %ingodiy and the sinner appear 1 '.
Verse 10. Therefore retnove sorrow] OvycaaSf anger; eveij kind of violent passion, all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, '* Childhood and youth are vanity;** they pass away and come to nothing. Eternity alone is permanent; live for eternity.
YoiUh should remember their Creator, 1. A description -of old age and its infirmities, with the causes of death and dissolution, 2-9'. ^How the Preacher taught the' people knowledge, 9-11. General directions, and coU" clusioif of the work, 19-14.
2 While the sun, or the light, Ante*u. c'dr. or the moon^ or the stars, be not ^^'
it is in the singular number, yXD^ Borecha, in one hundred and seventy-six of Dr. Kennieott^s MSS., and' ninety-six of De Rossi's; in many ancieht editions; and in all the ancient versions^ lliere is tio depend- &36- ^<->. J
. Verse 1. Remember thy Creator] ymia Boreeycha^
Strong m<|ihdlbow themtelfts, and « ihii gmittn cease becau^ they are fewV«d tfaos* that. look out of the windowtrbe darkened, ence on Che plural htm ia most of the modern' editions; thongh then are itome editions of great worth which exhibit the wovd in this form, and among them Ihe Campl%itensian, Antwerp^ P^rti, and London polyglots.
The evidence, therefore, that this text is sapposed to give to t^e dodtrine of the ever blessed TVmt^y, is hut precarious, and on it little stress can be laid; and no man who loves truth would wish to support it by dubious witnesses. Injudiciouis.ifien, by laying stress on texts dubious in themselves, and which may be interpreted a different way, greatly injure the' true faith. Though such in tlieir hearts may bo friends- to tie or- '*thodox faith, they are In fact its worst friends, and their assistance is such ts helps their adversaries, ■
But what does the text say? It addresses ' the. fifuih of both sexis throughout the creation; and says in effect: —
I. Tou are not your. own, you have no right to yourselves. God niade' you; he is your Creator: he made you tl\at you might be happy; but yon can be h^py only in kim. And as he created you, so<he preserves you; he feeds ^ chthes, upholds you. He has made you capable ofknomngj loving, and serving him in this wprld, and of enjoying him in his' own glory for ever. And when you had undone yourselves by sin, he sent his Son to redeem you by his blood; and lie sends his Spirit to enlighten, convince, and draw you. sway from childishness, from vain and trifling, as vrell ss from sinful, pursuits.
II. Remember him; consider that he is your Creator, your loving and afiectionate Father. In youth memory is strong and tenacious; but, through the perversion of the heart by sin, young people can remerhber any thing better than God. If you get a kindness from a friend, you can reme^er that, and/i?W graHtude for it; and ihe person isiherefore endeared to you. Have any ever given you such benefits as jrour Creator 7 Your body and soul came from him; he gave you your eyes, ears, tongue, hands, feet, &c. What blessings are these! hov^.excellent! how useful! how necessary! and will yon forget, him?
III. Remember him in thy youth, in order that you may have a long^^ and blessed life, that yoa may be
. saved from the corruption and misery into which young people in general run; and the evils they entail upon themselves by giving way to the sinful propepsities of their own hearts. As in youth all the powers are more active and vigorous, so they are capable of superior enjoyments. Faith, hope, and love, veill be in their best tenor, their greatest vigour, and in their least encumbered state. And it will be easier for yon to believe, hope, pray, love, olfey, and bear your cross, than it can be in old age and decreptitude.
rV. Remember him now, in this part 6f jrour youth — ^you have no certainty of life; noid is yours, to- never be old. Nam he waits to be gracious; to-morrow may be toio late. God'nm^ calls; his Spirit now strives; his ministers now exhort. You have now health; sin has not now so much dominion over you as it will have, increasing by^every future moment, if you do not give up your hearts to your Maker.
Y. There is another consideration which should •weigh with you: should you live to t^d agCf it is a jery disadvantageous time to begin to serve the Lord in. Infirmities presstlown both body and mind, and the oppressed nature has enough to do to bear its own infirmities; anj as there is little twn^, so there is generally less ihcKnafion, to call upon the Lord. Etil habits are strengthened by long continuance; and SffSry desire and appetite in the son) is a strong hold for Satan. There is little time for repentance, little for faith, none for obedience. The evil days are come, and the yecars in which you will feelingly be obliged to say, Alas! ** we have no pleasure in them;** and, what is worse, the heart is hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Verse 3. WhUe'the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened] i. e.>in the spavo, prime, and prosperity of life.
Nor the clouds, return] The infirmities of old age, of which WINTER is a proper emblem, as spring is of youth, in the. former clause of this verse.
Verse 3. In the day wh^ the keepers of the house] The aoDY of man is here compared tb a aouas; — mark the metaphors and their propriety.
I, The keepers shall tremble — the hands become paralytic', as is constantly the case,^ less or more, in old age.
3. The strong men shall bow] The legs become -feeble, and unable to support the weight of the body.
3. The grinders cease because they are few] The teeth decayed and mostly lost; the few that remain being incapable of properly masticating hard substances or animal food. And so they cease; for soft* or pulpy substances, which are requisite then, require- little or no. mastication; 'and thiese aliments become tbeir ord^lary food.
4. Those that look out of the windows] The optic nerves, which receive impressions, through the medium of the. different humours of* the eye, from surrounding objects — ^they are darkened; the humours becoming thick, fiat, and turbid, they' are no longer capable of transmitting those images in that clear, distinct manner, as formerly. There may be an allusion here to the pupil of the eye. Look into it, and you will see your own image in extreme miniature looking out upon you; and hence i\ has its name pupillus, a little child, from pupus,'tk baby, a doll; because the image in the eye resembles such. The optic nerve being seated at the bottom of the eye, has the images of surrounding objects paiated upon it; it looks out through the,different hu-
4 And the ^ dgorsilndl be shut
Antai. oiymp. in thc Streets, when the Mmnd of An^v. c.'cir. thegrindu^ ii low, and he shall ^^' rise up at the voice of the bird, and all * the daugfan^ of music shall be brought low; 5 ^Also when they shall be afraid of that
long home, and 'the. mourners go about the
compose the eye, and aerve for Tiaion, are*, the tunica conjunctiva^ the tunica sderoticaj the cornea, the iris, the pupil, the choroides, and tlie retina. The iris is perforated to admit the rays of light, and is called the pupil; the retina is a diffusion of the optic nerve in the bottom of the eye, on which the images are painted or'impressed that give us Jhq sensation we teim si^ht or' vision. All these membranes, humours, and nerves, are more or less impaired, thickened, pt rendered opaque, by old age; expressed by the metaphor, ** Those that look out of the windows are darkened." Verse 4. And the doors shall be shut in thfi streets]
5. The doors — ^the lips, which are the doors, hy which the mouth is closed. " "
6. ^e shut in the streets] The cavities of the cheeks BXid jaws, through which the food may be said to travel before it is fitted by mastication ox chewing to go down the asophagus into the stomach. The doors or lips are shut to hinder the food in chewing from. dropping out; as the teeth, which pierented that before, are now lost.
7. The sound of the grinding is low] tiittle noige is now made in eating, because the. teeth are either lost, or become so infirm as not to suffer their being pressed close together; and the mouth being kept s^ut to
' hinder the food from dropping out; the sound In eating is scarcely heard. The teeth are divided into three kinds: — 1. The denies incisores,. or, cutting teeth, in the front of the jaw. 2. The denies canini, or dog teeth, those in the sides of the jaws, for gnaujing, or tearing and separating' hard or^ tough substances* And, 3. Denies molares, or gritting teeth, the posterior or double teeth, in both jaurs, generally termed the grinders; because their ofiice is to grind down th^ substances that have been cut' h^ the fore teeth, separated into their parts or fibres by the dgg teeth, and thus prepare it for digestion in the stomach.
8. He ^shall rise up at. the voice of the bird] His sleep is not sound as it used to be;)ie slumbers rather seWes to ascend steps, stairs, &c., without help. And when they look upwards, their.heads turn giddy, and they are ready to fall.
11. Fears shaill he in the way] They dare not walk o«^ lest they should meet some JIanger, which thay have not strength U> repel, ^i^pr agility to escape. A second childishness has taken place— apprehensions, fears, terrors, aqd weakness. ^
13. The almond tree shaU flourish] |^)U' yenaets, not flourish, hut fall off. The hair begins to change, first grtQ/, then white; it having no longer that supply of nutritive jqices which it once had, this animal vegetable, withers tJkd falls off. The almond tree, having white flowers, is a fit emblem of a hoary head; or as Hasselquist says, who observed the tree in fuU flower in Judea, " like an old man with his white locks^^^.
13. The grasshopper shall be a burden] Even such an inconsiderable thing as a locust, or a very small insect, shall be.dee^led burdensome, their strength is sp exceedingly diminished. In cases of the gout, especially in old men, the shadow of a person passing by puts them to acute pain! How much less can they bear the smallest pressure! But probably the words refer to the man himself, who, bent at the loins, and his arms hanging down, exhibits some caricature of the animal in question. The poor gratssnopper has become a burden to himself. Another interpretation has been given of the grasshopper; but 1 pass it by as impertinent and contemptible; such commentators appear aa if they wished to render the text ridiculoos. '
14. Desire shall fail] Both relish and appetite for food, even the mwidelicate, that to which they were formerly so much attached, now fails. The teeth are no longer able to masticate the food, or have all dropped out J the stomach no longer able to digest any. thing; and, as the body is n'o longer cajole of reeeiv* ing nourishment, appetiCb and relish necessarily fsU.
16. Because man goeth to his long home] n'3 ^ nSljr el beith olamo, "to the house of his age;" the than sleeps; and the crowing of the cock av^akes hira.^ place destined to receive him, when the>u}hole race or
And so muoh difilculty does he find to respire, while in bed; that he is glj|d,of the dawn to rise up and get some relief The chirping of the sparrow is sufficient to awake him.
9. All the daughters of music sJudl be brought low] The VOICE, that wonderful instrument^ 'almost endless in the strength and variety of its tones, heComes feeble and squeaking, and merriment and pleasure are no more. The tones emitted are all of the qt^erulous or mournful kind.
Verse 5. When they shall be afraid of that which is high] - course of life shall be finished; for oSi;^ olam takes in the whole course or duration of a thing; if applied to a dispensation, such as the law, it takes in its whole duraiiq^i; to the life -of man, it takes in the whole life; to time, it includes its whole compass; to eternity, it expreiwes its infinite duration. So old age terminates the olam^ the complete duration of human life; and "when life is no longer desired, and nutrition ceases, the olam of man is terminated* My old MS. Bible translates it, Cle fiotts o<M tUrUuitfnsRess.
16. He is just departing into the invisible world; and this is known by the mourners going about the ^ts^ets, the long hoilow groans and thro(U raUUngs £37
6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
7 ^ Then s^all the dust return to the earthas it was: Vand the spirit^ shall return unto God ^ who gave it.
which proceed from him i the sure prognostications of the extreme debility and speedy cessation of those esaential animal functions next mentioBed.
iTerse 6. Or evet the silver cord Sue loosed] We have already had all the external evidenc^es of old age, with all its attendant infirmities; next follow whaet takes place in the body, in order to jHroduce what is called death, or the veparation of body and soul.
1. The silver cord.^-r^The medulla oblongata or ^final marrovf, A'om >^ch all the nenres proceed, ^ itself does, from the brain. This is termed n'cord, from its exact similitude to one; and a silver cord, jrom its colour, as it strikingly exhibits the silver gray; and from iia preciousness. This is said to be loq^ed; •a' the nervoits system became a little before,' and at the article of death, wholly debilitated. The last loosing being Hie fall of the under jaw, the invariable and nevej-failing evidence of immediate death; a few struggles more, and the soul is dismissed' from its clay tenement.
3. The golden bowl be broken] The ^ram'contained in the cranium, or skull, and enveloped with the membranes called the dura and pia mater; here callied a howl, from its resemblance to such a vessel, the container being put for the contained; and golden because of its colour, and because of its exceeding preciousness, as has been notice^ in the former case. Broken — be rendered iif^/ 7o perform its functions, neither sup^ plying nor distributing any nervous energy.
3. Or the pitcher^ be broken at the fountain] The vena cava, which brings back the blood to the righjt ventricle of the heart, here called the fountain, j;)20T}
. kmnmabbua, the spring whence the water gushes up; pioperly apphed here to the^ heart, which hy its syst^e and diastole {eontrqction'tmd expansion) sends out, aod afterwards receives "back, the blood; for all the Uood flows from, and returns back to, the heart.
4. The wheel broken at the cistern] ^ The great aorta, which receives the blood from the' cistern, the left ventricle of the- heart, and distributes it to the dif- Ibrent parts of the system. These may be said, as in the case of the brain above, to be brokerti i. e„ rendered useless; wheii, through the looseriing of the silver cord, the total relaxation of the nervous system, the heart becomes incapable of dilatation and contraction, so that the blood, on its return to the right ventrieie of the heart, is not received, nor that already contained in the ventricles propelled into the great aorta. The wheel is used in allusion to the Asiatic wheels, by which they raise water from their wells and tanks, and the people knowledge.;, yea,, he gave good heed, and sought out, and '^ set in order man; proverbs. 10 The Preacher soujght to find out **ac- grounds. Thus, th^Uf the blood becomes stagnate; the lungs 'cea§e to respire; the blood is no longer oxidized; all. motion, voluntary and involuntary, ceases; the body,.the house of the immortal spirit, is^ no longer tenantable, and the soul takes its flight into the eternal wdrld. The man D-^I — E — S! This is expressed [A the following verse > —
Verse 7. ^'Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto 'God]
5. Putrefaction and solution take place; the whole mass becomes decomposed, and in proceaa of time is reduced to dust, from which it was origidally made; while the spirit, nnrj haruach, that spirit, which God at first breathed into the nostrils of man,* when he in consequence became a Livmo soul, an intelligept, rational, discoursing animal, returns to God who gave it. Here the wise man makes a most evident distinction between the body, apd the soul: they are not the same; thej are' not bbth matter.. The body, which is matter, returns to just, its original; but the spirit, which is immaterial, Teinrni Ur God. It is iinpossible that tuo jiatures* can be more distinct, or more emphaticilly distingiqBhed.. *The author of this boolc was not a materialist. '. "
Thus ends this a0*ecting, yet elegant and finished, picture of OLD AGE and DEATH. See a description of old age similar, but much inferior, to this, in the Agamemnon ofliEschylus, v. 76—82. * -It has- 'been often remarked that the circulation of the blood, which has been deemed a modem discovery by our countryman Dr. Harvey, in- 1616, was known to Solomon, or.whoever was the author of Ih^ book: the fountains, cisterns, pitcher, and wheel, giving sufficient countenance >o the conclusion.
Verse 8. This affecting and minute description of old age and death is concluded by the author with the dame exclamation by which he began this book: O vanity of vanities^ saith Koheleth, all is vanity. Now that mati/ the masterpiece of God's creation, the delegated sovereign of this lower world, is turned to dust, what is there stable or worthy of contemplation besides 1 All — all is VANITY!
Verse 9. Because the Preacher ufas wise, he still taught the people knowledge] And in order to do this he took good Aee^f'— considered what would be most useful. He set in or^fer— -coUecteid and arranged, many parables, probably alluding to the book over which we have already passed.
Verse 10. He sought to find out accept al>le words] l^ap ^'^y^ dihrey chephets, words of desire, wo^ of deep cisteniB, for domMio purposes, ot to inigate then wISj thi best, the most suitable wocde: ihoee whieh 838 c '
ad goads, and as' nails fastened 6y.the masters of assemblies, which are giien from one shepherd.
12 And farther, by these, my ^on, be admonished: of making many books there is no
the people could best understand. Bat these words were not such as tnight merely please the people; they were words of truth; such iks came- from God, and might lead them to him.
Verse J 1. The wwds of Ike wise] Doctrines of faith, illustrated by suitable language, are as naifs fastened by the masters of assembiies, A^OM ^SjO haaley asuphothj the -masters of coUectians, those who had made the best collections of this kind, the matter of which was of the tiiost excellent nature; every saying sinking as deeply into the mind, by the force of the truth contained in it, as a noi/ well pointed ddes into a board, wheii impelled by the hammer'* s force: These masters of collections, hare been supposed to be public ^ jpersons appointed by ihib prince himself, thiB sole shepherd, to see that nothing was put into the people^s hands but what would be profitable for them to r^ad; and that, when any wise man gaye public instructions, a good scribe sat by to take down the words; and then the master exaniined what he had writfen, to see that it wa» upright, and that the words were doctrines of truth. These were something like our licensers of the press; but the existence of such is Jittle more than conjecture.
After all, masters of assemblies may mean public teachers; that which was written, the oracles of God, out of which they instructed the people; the one Shepherd, God Almighty, from whom they received their authority and unction to^ preach the ' truth; and by thc^ energy of whose Spirit the heavenly teaching was fastened in their heaiSrts, as a well-driven nail in a sound piece of wood.
Verse 12. And farther, by these, my^san, be admonished] Hear such teachers^' and receive their admonitions; and do not receive the grace of God in vain.
Of making many bpoks there is im end] Two thousand y^ars have elapsoi since this was written; ^d smce that time some millions of treatises have been added, on all kinds txf subjects,- to those which have gone before. The press is still groaning under and teeming wi^ books, books innumerable; and no one subject is yei exhausted, notwithstanding all that has been written on it. And we who live in these latter times are no nearer an end, in the investigation of NATURE and its properties; of God, his attributes, his providence, his justice, and his mercy; of man, his animal life, his mode of nutrition and existence, and. his soul and its powers; of Jesus, and the redemption by him; of eternity, and what it inufies M» exhibiting to' us the pains pf'th^ euned^ anfthe
1 3 ' Let us hear the conclusion Ante u. c' cir. of the whole matter: •FQarGod, ^^' and keep his commandments.: for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For* God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, wheth^ it he good, or whether it be evil. *
glories of the blessed. Of several of these we know v no more than they who have lived ^v« thotAsand years before US; nor do we know any thing certainly by the endless hooks. itisX have been published, except what bears the^seal of the tjlod of heaven, as published in thaJt word which was declared by his Spirit.
And much study is a weariness of the flesh,] O how true is fhi^!' Let the trembling knees, the pal* sied hands^ the darkened eyes, the aching heart, and the pazzle\l mind o^ eve^ real student declare! And should none more worthy of the name ^f student. be within reach to consult, the writer of this work is a proof in points •"
Verse 13. After all^ the sum of the great business of human life is comprised in this short sentence, on which -some millions -Of books haye b^en already written!
FEAR GOD, Aim KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS.
L Know that he is, and that he is a rewafder of them tluit diligently seek him. 3. Reverence him; pay him adoration. -3. Love, him j that you may be. happy.,v
Keep his commandments] They are contained in two words: 1. ** Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy he^xt;" ^> " And thy neighbour as thyself* Blessed be God,. much reading and much study are not necessary to accomplish this, which is called t^'lKH ^3; col haadam, the whole of Adam; the whole that God required of the flrst man and of all his posterity. But the Gospel of J.esus Christ must he understood ta'oomprehend the fuQ fcorce of this short saying.
The word duty, added here by our< tranislatoft, spoilsr If not FcinrxRTs, the sense.. The whore passage is rendered with great simplicity by Caverdale;-^—
" The same preacher was not wyse alone: btit taught the people knowledge also. Jfe gave good hede, sought out the grounde,' and set forth ipany parables. His diligence w«a to fynde but acceptable wordes, right scripture, and the wordes of trueth. For ihe wordes of the wyse are like prickes and nales that go thorow, wherewith men are kepte together: for they are geven of one Shepherd onely. Therefore be warre (my sonne) that above these thou make thee not many and innumerable boc^es, nor take dyverso doctrynes in hande, to weery thy body withall.
" Let us heare the conclucion of all thinges: Feare God, and kepe his comaundementiM, for- that toncheth ill men; for God shall juilge all workes and secrete dunges, wlieiher they be good or eyell."
I.«haU give- the same from my'old MS. Bible ':— flintitoan Bccle^Castes iooas mo9t toffs jjie Utfyi t^t pt" pit, unti toin out toliat j^e jliat^on, an)i efu^ercj^fnge maate mans yarablfs. fQe sog^t |ic4)t[taliU tooctfs, ant tocote most rfgt nennons, ant lul of tretotli. '0^f toot^fs of tifsmen as iirfcttts ant as naQfs fnto ^txU pfgt: tfiat bf tj^e cott'nstsle of mafstetis ben geben of oon scbepert. JHote tbanntbes i^one mjin, ne secbe tbou; of mattfng manj; boltes fs noon eent, ant oQbetbfnkfngfs toi^ent* fng oC t|r fit scbe. Sent of sjftttfnge aUe togytft ^ute mee. 59rete6Fot>«ntbC«)esttottepei tbatfser^.m^n. iSlU tlifnsfs tbat.ben maitt be scbal bttngen fnto. tome, fK ecjrt et(t tbfnge, tobftbft floot W ebsl ft be.
Venid^l4. For Oodshaii bring ^very iiork into judgment] " This is the reason why we should " f6ai God and keep his commandments*^^ ^ 1. Because there will be a d^y of j^dgmmt, ^, £very soul of man shall stand at that bar- 3. Grod, the infinitely wise, ^e heart-searching: God, will he judge. 4, He will luring to light every MBcret Mtn^^-^-all that has bQ^n done since the creation, 1^ all men; * whether /or^aMen ^ registered; whether dofSe in secret or in pMie. 840 •.
ff. All the works of the godly 9 as well as all the woiks of the wicked^ shall bd judged in that day^ the good which the godly^ strove to conceal^ as well as the evU ■ which the voicked endeavoured to Mde.^ This, then, will be ^e conclusion of the whole' mortal story. And although in this world oU is vanity; yet there^ '* vanities will be vain no more.*' Every thing, whether ^oq^ or evU^ will have its own proper, stable, eternal resyli, 0 God! prepare the reader to give up his accounts with joy in that day! Amen.
**: By the assistance of the Most High God thii book of Ecclesiastes, which is vanity of vanities, written. by Solomon the sob of David, who reigned over the childr^ of Israel, is completed."
T^HE book before us is called in the Hebrew CD'^'BHI T«^ Shih Hashshirim, *^The Song of Songs;" or, J' An Ode of the Odes:" which might be. understood, " An Ode (aken ot selected /rom others of a sitoiilar kind;" or, *f An Ode. the niosi excellent of all others;" this being*. $ai idiom common to the Hebrew language: e. g., the God of gods is the supreme God; the Lord of lords, the supreme Lord; the King of kings; itie supreme King; the heaven of heavens^ the supreme or highest heaven. It-may thereforfe be designed to expjress- " BuSong of the utmost perfection; one, of the best that existed^ or had ev^r been penned/* Perhaps the title may have a reference to the other poetical compositions of Solomon, which were ho less than.one thousand and five; and this was considered the most excellent of the whole, and the only one that remafins, unless -we suppose Solomon, with sonie of the Jews, to be the author, of Psalms bpcii. and cxxvii.: but this cannot be proved..
There have b^en some doubts concerning the author of this book. Some of the rabbins supposed it to be the work of the prophet Isaiah; but' this sentiment never gained much. credit. Most have, without hesitation, attributed it to Solomon, whose name it bears; and if the book of Ecclesiastes be his, this vnll follow in course, as the style is exactly the same, allowirig for the diflference of the subject. B9th books seem to have been, written about the same time^ and to have had the. same -author.
This book, if written by Solomon, could not have been written in, hia old age, as some have supposed the book of Ecclesi^^stes to have been'; which sentiment is, I think, sufficiently disproved; for we find that long before Solomon's old age he had three hundred wives, and seven hundred concubines; but at the time this Song was written, Solomon had only sixty wives and eighty concubines. And the Song most certainly celebrates a marriage; whether between Sofomon and the daughter 4>f Pharaoh, ot between him and some Jewish princess, has not been fully agreed on among critics and commentators. It is most likely to have tjeen a juvenile or comparatively juvenile production; and indeed the high and glowing.colour ing, and the strength of the images, are full proofs of this. Though Anacreon made anaatory odes when he was bald-headed, yet neither he nor any one else, humanly speaking, could have made such odes as the Canticles when stricken in years.
But to what denomii^ation of writing do the Canticles belong? Are they mere Odes, or Idyls, or Pastorals.; or are they on EJ^thahmium? Let us define these terms, and examine the Song of Solomon by them. 1. The Ode is generally understood to be a species o( poetry containing sublime and important matter, always sung, or accompanied by the. harp, tx some proper musical instrument. 2. The Idtl kni^ies a s?U>rt poem, containing somQ wlventure. 3. The Pastoral contains what belongs to shepherds, and their occupations. A^ The EpiTHALAMrcTM is the congratulatory song, sung to a new married pair, wishing them abundant blessings,. a numerous and happy offi^riqg, &c. Strictly spes^ng, the book of Canticles falls under neither of these d^sqriptions: it is rather a composition sui generis, and seenis to partake more of the nature of what we call a mask, dian any thing else; an entertainment for the guests who attended the marriaj^ ceremony, with a dramoHc cart a - 841