Ecclesiastes 1 - Pulpit Commentary vs Calvin John vs Coke Thomas

Ecclesiastes 1

Ecclesiastes 1:1

Verse 1. - The words of the Preacher, the son of David, King in Jerusalem; Septuagint, "King of Israel in Jerusalem" (comp. ver. 12). The word rendered "Preacher" is Koheleth, a feminine noun formed from a verb kalal, "to call" (see Introduction, § 1), and perhaps better rendered" Convener" or "Debater." It is found nowhere else but in this book, where it occurs three times in this chapter (vers. 1, 2, 12), three times in Ecclesiastes 12:8, 9, 10, and once in Ecclesiastes 7:27. In all but one instance (viz. Ecclesiastes 12:8) it is used without the article, as a proper name. Jerome, in his commentary, translates it, 'Continuator,' in his version 'Ecclesiastes.' It would seem to denote one who gathered around him a congregation in order to instruct them in Divine lore. The feminine form is explained in various ways. Either it is used abstractedly, as the designation of an office, which it seems not to be; or it is formed as some other words which are found with a feminine termination, though denoting the names of men, indicating, as Gesenius notes (§ 107, 3. 100.), a high degree of activity in the possessor of the particular quality signified by the stem; e.g. Alemeth, Azmaveth (1 Chronicles 8:36; 1 Chronicles 9:42), Pochereth (Ezra 2:57), Sophereth (Nehemiah 7:57); or, as is most probable, the writer desired to identify Koheleth with Wisdom, though it must be observed that the personality of the author often appears, as in Ecclesiastes 1:16-18; Ecclesiastes 7:23, etc.; the role of Wisdom being for the nonce forgotten. The word "king" in the title is shown by the accentuation to be in apposition to "Koheleth" not to "David;" and there can be no doubt that the description is intended to denote Solomon, though his name is nowhere actually given, as it is in the two other works ascribed to him (Proverbs 1:1; Song of Solomon 1:1). Other intimations of the assumption of Solomon's personality are found in Ecclesiastes 1:12, "I Koheleth was king," etc.; so in describing his consummate wisdom (Ecclesiastes 1:13, 16; Ecclesiastes 2:15; comp. 1 Kings 3:12; 1 Kings 5:12), and in his being the author of many proverbs (Ecclesiastes 12:9; comp. 1 Kings 4:32) - accomplishments which are not noted in the case of any other of David's descendants. Also the picture of luxury and magnificence presented in Ecclesiastes 2. suits no Jewish monarch but Solomon. The origin of the name applied to him may probably be traced to the historical fact mentioned in 1 Kings 8:55, etc., where Solomon gathers all Israel together to the dedication of the temple, and utters the remarkable prayer which contained blessing and teaching and exhortation. As we have shown in the Introduction (§ 2), the assumption of the name is a mere literary device to give weight and importance to the treatise to which it appertains. The term, "King in Jerusalem," or, as in ver. 12, "King over Israel in Jerusalem," is unique, and occurs nowhere else in Scripture. David is said to have reigned in Jerusalem, when this seat of government is spoken of in contrast with that at Hebron (2 Samuel 5:5), and the same expression is used of Solomon, Rehoboam, and others (1 Kings 11:42; 1 Kings 14:21; 1 Kings 15:2, 10); and the phrase probably denotes a time when the government had become divided, and Israel had a different capital from Judah.

Ecclesiastes 1:2

Verses 2-11. - PROLOGUE. The vanity of all human and mundane things, and the oppressive monotony of their continued recurrence. Verse 2. - Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity (comp. Ecclesiastes 12:8). "Vanity" is hebel, which means "breath," and is used metaphorically of anything transitory, frail, unsatisfying. We have it in the proper name Abel, an appropriate designation of the youth whose life was cut short by a brother's murderous hand. "Vanity of vanities," like "heaven of heavens" (1 Kings 8:27), "song of songs" (Song of Solomon 1:1), etc., is equivalent to a superlative, "most utterly vain." It is here an exclamation, and is to be regarded as the key-note of the whole subsequent treatise, which is merely the development of this text. Septuagint, ματαιότης ματαιοτήτων; other Greek translators, ἀτμὶς ἀτμίδων, "vapor of vapors." For "saith" the Vulgate gives dixit; the Septuagint, εϊπεν; but as there is no reference to any previous utterance of the Preacher, the present is more suitable here. In affirming that "all is vanity," the writer is referring to human and mundane things, and directs not his view beyond such phenomena. Such reflection is common in sacred and profane writings alike; such experience is universal (comp. Genesis 47:9; Psalm 39:5-7; Psalm 90:3-10; James 3:14). "Pulvis et umbra sumus," says Horace ('Carm.,' 4:7. 16. "O curas hominum! O quantum est in rebus inane!" (Persius, 'Sat.,' 1:1). If Dean Plumptre is correct in contending that the Book of Wisdom was written to rectify the deductions which might be drawn from Koheleth, we may contrast the caution of the apocryphal writer, who predicates vanity, not of all things, but only of the hope of the ungodly, which he likens to dust, froth, and smoke (see Wisd. 2:1, etc.; 5:14). St. Paul (Romans 8:20) seems to have had Ecclesiastes in mind when he spoke of the creation being subjected to vanity (τῇ ματαιότητι), as a consequence of the fall of man, not to be remedied till the final restitution of all things. "But a man will say, If all things are vain and vanity, wherefore were they made? If they are God's works, how are they vain? But it is not the works of God which he calls vain. God forbid! The heaven is not vain; the earth is not vain: God forbid! Nor the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars, nor our own body. No; all these are very good. But what is vain? Man's works, pomp, and vain-glory. These came not from the hand of God, but are of our own creating. And they are vain because they have no useful end That is called vain which is expected indeed to possess value, yet possesses it not; that which men call empty, as when they speak of 'empty hopes,' and that which is fruitless. And generally that is called vain which is of no use. Let us see, then, whether all human things are not of this sort" (St. Chrysostom, 'Hem. 12. in Ephes.').

Ecclesiastes 1:3

Verse 3. - What profit hath a man of all his labor which he taketh under the sun? Here begins the elucidation of the fruitlessness of man's ceaseless activity. The word rendered "profit" (yithron) is found only in this book, where it occurs frequently. It means "that which remains over, advantage," περισσεία, as the LXX. translates it. As the verb and the substantive are cognate in the following words, they are better rendered, in all his labor wherein he laboreth. So Euripides ('Androm,' 134) has, Τί μόχον μοχθεῖς, and ('And. Fragm.,' 7:4), Τοῖς μοχθοῦσι μόχθους εὐτυχῶς συνεκπόνει. Man is Adam, the natural man, unenlightened by the grace of God. Under the sun is an expression peculiar to this book (comp. vers. 9, 14; Ecclesiastes 2:11, 17, etc.), but is not intended to contrast this present with a future life; it merely refers to what we call sublunary matters. The phrase is often tact with in the Greek poets. Eurip., 'Alcest.,' 151 -

Γυνή τ ἀρίστη τῶν ὑφ ἡλίῳ μακρῷ
"By far the best of all beneath the sun." Homer, 'Iliad,' 4:44 -

Αι{ γὰρ ὑπ ἠελίῳ τε καὶ οὐρανῷ ἀστερόεντι
Ναιετάουσι πόληες ἐπιχθονίων ἀνθρώπων.
"Of all the cities occupied by man
Beneath the sun and starry cope of heaven."

(Cowper.) Theognis, 'Parcem.,' 167 -

Ὄλβιος οὐδεὶς
Ἀνθρώπων ὁπόσους ἠέλιος καθορᾷ
"No mortal man
On whom the sun looks down is wholly blest." In an analogous sense we find in other passages of Scripture the terms "under heaven" (ver. 13; Ecclesiastes 2:3; Exodus 17:14; Luke 17:24) and "upon the earth" (Ecclesiastes 8:14, 16; Genesis 8:17). The interrogative form of the verse conveys a strong negative (comp. Ecclesiastes 6:8), like the Lord's word in Matthew 16:26, "What shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?" The epilogue (Ecclesiastes 12:13) furnishes a reply to the desponding inquiry.

Ecclesiastes 1:4

Verse 4. - One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh. The translation rather weakens the force of the original, which is, a generation goeth, and a generation cometh. Man is only a pilgrim on earth; he soon passes away, and his place is occupied by others. Parallelisms of this sentiment will occur to every reader. Thus Ben-Sira, "All flesh waxeth old as a garment: for the covenant from the beginning is, Thou shalt die the death. As of the green leaves on a thick tree, some fall and some grow; so is the generation of flesh and blood, one cometh to an end, and another is born. Every work rotteth and consumeth away, and the worker thereof shall go withal" (Ecclus. 14:17, etc.; comp. Job 10:21; Psalm 39:13). The famous passage in Homer, 'Iliad,' 6:146, etc., is thus rendered by Lord Derby -

"The race of man is as the race of leaves:
Of leaves, one generation by the wind
Is scattered on the earth; another soon
In spring's luxuriant verdure bursts to light.
So with our race: these flourish, those decay." (Comp. ibid., 21:464, etc.; Horace, 'Ars Poet.,' 60.) But (and) the earth abideth forever. While the constant succession of generations of men goes on, the earth remains unchanged and immovable. If men were as permanent as is their dwelling-place, their labors might profit; but as things are, the painful contrast between the two makes itself felt. The term, "for ever," like the Greek εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, does not necessarily imply eternity, but often denotes limited or conditioned duration, as when the slave is engaged to serve his master "for ever" (Exodus 21:6), or the hills are called "everlasting" (Genesis 49:26). This verse gives one instance of growth and decay in contrast with insensate continuance. The following verses give further examples.

Ecclesiastes 1:5

Verse 5. - The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down. The sun is another instance of ever-recurring change in the face of an enduring sameness, rising and setting day-by-day, and resting never. The legendary 'Life of Abram' relates how, having been hidden for some years in a cave in order to escape the search of Nimrod, when he emerged from his concealment, and for the first time beheld heaven and earth, he began to inquire who was the Creator of the wonders around him. When the sun arose and flooded the scene with its glorious light, he at once concluded that that bright orb must be the creative Deity, and offered his prayers to it all day long. But when it sank in darkness, he repented of his illusion, being persuaded that the sun could not have made the world and be itself subject to extinction (see 'Abraham: his Life and Times,' p. 12). And hasteth to his place where he arose; literally, and panteth (equivalent to hasteth, longeth to go) to its place arising there; i.e. the sun, sinking in the west, eagerly during the night returns to the east, duly to rise there in the morning. The "place" is the region of reappearance. The Septuagint gives, "The sun arises, and the sun sets, and draws (ἕλκει) unto its place;" and then carries the idea into the following verse: "Arising there, it proceedeth southward," etc. The Vulgate supports the rendering; but there is no doubt that the Authorized Version gives substantially the sense of the Hebrew text as accentuated. The verb שׁאפ (shaaph), as Delitzsch shows, implies "punting," not from fatigue, but in eager pursuit of something; and all notions of panting steeds or morning exhalations are quite foreign from the conception of the passage. The notion which Koheleth desires to convey is that the sun makes no real progress; its eager punting merely brings it to the old place, there to recommence its monotonous routine. Rosenmüller quotes Catullus, 'Carm.,' 5:4-6, on which, Doering cites Lotich., 'Eleg.,' 3:7. 23 -

"Ergo ubi permensus coelum sol occidit, idem
Purpureo vestit lumine rursus humum;
Nos, ubi decidimus, defuncti muncre vitae,
Urget perpetua hmina nocte sopor." But our passage does not contrast the revival of the sun every morning with man's eternal sleep in death.

Ecclesiastes 1:6

Verse 6. - The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; literally, going towards the south, and circling towards the north. These words, as we have seen above, are referred to the sun by the Septuagint, Vulgate, and Syriac; but it is best to make this verse refer only to the wind - a fresh example of motion continually repeated with no real progress to an end. Thus each verse comprises one subject and idea, ver. 4 being concerned with the earth, ver. 5 with the sun, ver. 6 with the wind, and ver. 7 with the waters. There seems to be no particular force in the naming of north and south, unless it be in contrast to the sun's motion from east to west, mentioned in the preceding verse. The words following show that these two directions are not alone intended. Thus the four quarters are virtually included. It whirleth about continually. The original is more forcible, giving by its very form the idea of weary monotony. The subject is delayed till the last, thus: Going towards the south... circling, circling, goeth the wind; i.e. it blows from all quarters at its own caprice. And the wind returneth again according to his circuits. And on its circlings returneth the wind; it comes back to the point whence it started. The wind, seemingly the freest of all created things, is bound by the same law of immutable changeableness, insensate repetition.

Ecclesiastes 1:7

Verse 7. - All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full. Here is another instance of unvarying operation producing no tangible result. The phenomenon mentioned is often the subject of remark and speculation in classical authors. Commentators cite Aristophanes, 'Clouds,' 1293 -

Αὕτη μὲν (sc. ἡ θάλαττα) οὐδὲν γίγνεται Ἐπιῥῤεόντων τῶν ποταμῶν πλείων,

"The sea, though all the rivers flow therein,
Waxeth no greater." Lucretius attempts to account for the fact,
De Rer. Nat.,' 6:608 -

"Nunc ratio reddunda, augmen quin nesciat sequor.
Principio mare mirantur non reddere majus
Naturam, quo sit tantus decursus aquarum,
Omnia quo veniant ex omni fiumina parte." This Dr. Busby thus versifies -

"Now in due order, Muse, proceed to show
Why the deep seas no augmentation know,
In ocean that such numerous streams discharge
Their waters, yet that ocean ne'er enlarge," etc. No particular sea is intended, though some have fancied that the peculiarities of the Dead Sea gave occasion to the thought in the text. Doubtless the idea is general, and such as would strike every observer, however little he might trouble himself with the reason of the circumstance (comp. Ecclus. 40:11). Unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again; rather, unto the place whither the rivers go, thither they go again. As Wright and Delitzsch observe, שָׁם after verbs of motion has often the signification of שָׁמָּה; and the idea is that the streams continue to make their way into the sea with ceaseless iteration. The other rendering, which is supported by the Vulgate undo, seems rather to favor the Epicurean poet's solution of the phenomenon. Lucretius, in the passage cited above, explains that the amount of water contributed by rivers is a mere drop in the ocean; that a vast quantity rises in exhalations and is spread far and wide over the earth; and that another large portion finds its way back through the pores of the ground to the bed of the sea. Plumptre considers that this theory was known to Koheleth, and was introduced by him here. The rendering which we have given above would make this opinion untenable; it likewise excludes the idea (though that, indeed, may have been entertained by the Hebrews, Psalm 109:10 and Proverbs 8:28) of the clouds being produced by the sea and feeding the springs. Thus Ecclus. 40:11, "All things that are of the earth do turn to the earth again; and that which is of the waters doth return into the sea."

Ecclesiastes 1:8

Verse 8. - All things are full of labor. Taking the word dabar in the sense of "ward" (compare the Greek ῤῆμα), the LXX. translates, "All words are wearisome;" i.e. to go through the whole catalogue of such things as those mentioned in the preceding verses would be a laborious and unprofitable task. The Targum and many modern expositors approve this rendering. But besides that, the word yaged implies suffering, not causing, weariness (Deuteronomy 25:18; Job 3:17); the run of the sentence is unnecessarily interrupted by such an assertion, when one is expecting a conclusion from the instances given above. The Vulgate has, cunetse res difficiles. The idea, as Motais has seen, is this - Man's life is constrained by the same law as his surroundings; he goes on his course subject to influences which he cannot control; in spite of his efforts, he can never be independent. This conclusion is developed in succeeding verses. In the present verse the proposition with which it starts is explained by what follows. All things have been the object of much labor; men have elaborately examined everything; yet the result is most unsatisfactory, the end is not reached; words cannot express it, neither eye nor ear can apprehend it. This is the view of St. Jerome, who writes, "Non solum do physicis, sed de ethicis quoque scirc difficile est. Nec sermo valet explicare causas natu-rasque rerum, nec oculus, ut rei poscit dignitas, intueri, nec auris, instituente doctore, ad summam scientiam pervenirc. Si enim nunc 'per speculum videmus in aenigmate; et ex parte cognoscimus, et ex parte prophetamus,' consequenter nec sermo potest explicate quod nescit; nec oculus in quo caecutit, aspiecre; nec auris, de quo dubitat, impleri." Delitzsch, Nowack, Wright, and others render, "All things are in restless activity;" i.e. constant movement pervades the whole world, and yet no visible conclusion is attained. This, however true, does not seem to be the point insisted on by the author, whose intention is, as we have said, to show that man, like nature, is confined to a circle from which he cannot free himself; and though he uses all the powers with, which he is endowed to penetrate the enigma of life and to rise superior to his environments, he is wholly unable to effect anything in these matters. Man cannot utter it. He cannot explain all things. Koheleth does not affirm that man can know nothing, that he can attain to no certitude, that reason will not teach him to apprehend any truth; his contention is that the inner cause and meaning elude his faculties, that his knowledge is concerned only with accidents and externals, and that there is still some depth which his powers cannot fathom. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. Use his eight as he may, listen to the sounds around him, attend to the instructions of professed teachers, man makes no real advance in knowledge of the mysteries in which he is involved; the paradox is inexplicable. We have, in Proverbs 27:20, "Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied; and the eyes of man are never satisfied." Plumptre quotes Lucretins's expression (2. 1038)," Fessus satiate videndi." "Remember," says Thomas a Kempis ('De Imitat.,' 1:1.5), "the proverb, that the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear with hearing. Eudeavour, therefore, to withdraw thy heart from the love of visible things, and to transfer thyself to the invisible. For they that follow their sensuality do stain their conscience and lose the grace of God."

Ecclesiastes 1:9

Verse 9. - The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be. The LXX. and the Vulgate render the first clauses of the two parts of the verse in both cases interrogatively, thus: "What is that which hath been? The very thing which shall be. And what is that which hath been done? The very thing which shall be done." What has been affirmed of phenomena in the material world is now affirmed of the events of man's life. They move in an analogous circle, whether they are concerned with actions or morals. Plumptre sees here an anticipation or a reproduction of the Stoic doctrine of a recurring cycle of events, such as Viral mentions in his fourth 'Eclogue' -

"Magnus ab integro saeclorum nascitur ordo," etc. But Koheleth is speaking merely from experience, and is indulging in no philosophical speculations. There is no new thing under the sun. The Vulgate transfers this clause to the next verso, which, indeed, supports the assertion. From classical authors commentators have culled examples of the same thought. Thus Tacitus, 'Annal.,' 3:55, "Nisi forte rebus cunctis inest quidam velut orbis, ut quem ad modum temporum vices, ita morum vertantur." Seneca, 'Epist.,' 24, "Nullius rei finis est, sod in orbem nexa sunt omnia; fugiunt ac sequuntur Omnia transeunt ut revertantur, nihil novi video, nihil novi facio. Fit ali-quando et hujus rei nausea." M. Aurelius, 'Medit.,' 6:37, "He that sees the present has seen all things, both that which has Been from everlasting and that which shall Be in the future. All things are of one birth and one form." Again, 7:1, "There is nothing new; all things are common and quickly over;" 12:26, "Everything that comes to pass was always so coming to pass, and will take place again." Justin Martyr, 'Apol.,' 1:57, has, perhaps, a reminiscence of this passage when he writes, Οὐ γὰρ δεοίκαμεν θάνατον τοῦ πάντως ἀποθανεῖν

Ecclesiastes 1:10

Verse 10. - Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? The writer conceives that objection may be taken to his statement at the end of the preceding verse, so he proceeds to reiterate it in stronger terms. "Thing" is dabar (see on ver. 8). Septuagint, "He who shall speak and say, Behold, this is new," seil. Where is he? Vulgate, "Nothing is new under the sun, nor is any one able to say, Lo! this is fresh." The apparent exceptions to the rule are mistaken inferences. It hath been already of old time, which was before us. In the vast aeons of the past, recorded or unrecorded, the seeming novelty has already been known. The discoveries of earlier time are forgotten, and seem quite new when revived; but closer investigation proves their previous existence.

Ecclesiastes 1:11

Verse 11. - There is no remembrance of former things; rather, of former men - per-sons who lived in former times. As things are considered novel only because they had been forgotten, so we men ourselves shall pass away, and be no more remembered. Bailey, 'Festus '-

"Adversity, prosperity, the grave,
Play a round game with friends. On some the world
Hath shot its evil eye, and they are passel
From honor and remembrance; and stare
Is all the mention of their names receives;
And people know no more of them than they know
The shapes of clouds at midnight a year hence." Neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after; rather, and even of later generations that shall be there will be no remembrance of them with those that shall be in the after-time. Wright quotes Marcus Aurelius, who has much to say on this subject. Thus: cap. 2:17, "Posthumous fame is oblivion;" cap. 3:10, "Every man's life lies all within the present; for the past is spent and done with, and the future is uncertain;" cap. 4:33, "Those words which were formerly current and proper are now become obsolete and barbarous. Alas l this is not all: fame tarnishes in time, too, and men grow out of fashion as well as language. Those celebrated names of ancient story am antiquated; those of later date have the same fortune; and those of present celebrity must follow. I speak this of those who have been the wonder of their age, and shined with unusual luster; but as for the rest, they are no sooner dead than forgotten" (comp. Wisd. 2:4). (On the keen desire to live in the memory of posterity, see Ecclus. 37:26 Ecclus. 44:7, etc.)

Ecclesiastes 1:12

Verse 12 - Ecclesiastes 6:12. - Division. I. PROOF OF THE VANITY OF EARTHLY THINGS FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AND GENERAL OBSERVATION. Verses 12-18. - Section 1. Vanity of striving for wisdom and knowledge. Verse 12. - I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. Koheleth relates his own experience as king, in accordance with his assumption of the person of Solomon. The use of the past tense in this verse is regarded by many as strong evidence against the Solomonic authorship of the book. "I have been king" (not "I have become king," as Gratz would translate) is a statement introducing the supposed speaker, not as a reigning monarch, but as one who, in time past, exercised sovereignty. Solomon is represented as speaking from the grave, and recalling the past for the instruction of his auditors. In a similar manner, the author of the Book of Wisdom (8:1-13) speaks in his impersonation of Solomon. That king himself, who reigned without interruption to his death, could not have spoken of himself in the terms used here. He lost neither his throne nor his power; and, therefore, the expression cannot be paralleled (as Mr. Bullock suggests) by the complaint of Louis XIV., unsuccessful in war and weary of rule, "When I was king." Solomon redivivus is introduced to give weight to the succeeding experiences. Here is one who had every and the most favorable opportunity of seeing the best side of things; and yet his testimony is that all is vanity. In the acquisition of wisdom, the contrast between the advantage of learned leisure and the interruptions of a laborious life is set forth in Ecclus. 38:24, etc. King over Israel. The expression indicates a time before the division of the kingdom. We have it in 1 Samuel 15:26, and occasionally elsewhere. The usual phrase is "King of Israel." (For in Jerusalem, see on ver. 1.)

Ecclesiastes 1:13

Verse 13. - I gave my heart (ver. 17; Ecclesiastes 7:25; Daniel 10:12). The heart, in the Hebrew conception, was the seat, not of the affections only, but of the understanding and intellectual faculties generally. So the expression here is equivalent to "I applied my mind." To seek and search out. The two words are not synonymous. The former verb (דָּרַשׁ, darash) implies penetrating into the depth of an object before one; the other word (תּוּר, tur) taking a comprehensive survey of matters further away; so that two methods and scopes of investigation are signified. By wisdom; ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ (Septuagint). Wisdom was the means or instrument by which he carried on his researches, which were directed, not merely to the collecting of facts, but to investigating the causes and conditions of things. Concerning all things that are done under heaven; i.e. men's actions and conduct, political, social, and private life. We have "under the sun" in ver. 9, and again in ver. 14. Here there is no question of physical matters, the phenomena of the material world, but only of human circumstances and interests. This sore travail (rather, this is a sore travail that) God hath given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. The word rendered "travail" (עִנְיָן, inyan) occurs often in this book (e.g., Ecclesiastes 2:23, 26, etc.), and nowhere else in the Old Testament. The same root is found in the word translated "exercised;" hence Wright has, "It is a woeful exercise which God has given to the sons of men wherewith to exercise themselves." If we keep to the word "travail," we may render, "to travail therein." It implies distracting business, engrossing occupation. Septuagint, περισπασμόν; Vulgate, occupationem. Man feels himself constrained to make this laborious investigation, yet the result is most unsatisfactory, as the next verse shows. "God" is here Elohim, and so throughout the book, the name Jehovah (the God of the covenant, the God of Israel) never once occurring. Those who regard Solomon as the author of the book account for this on the plea that the king, in his latest years, reflecting sadly on his backsliding and fall, shrank from uttering with his polluted lips the adorable Name once so often used with filial reverence and beloved. But the true reason is found in the design of Koheleth, which was to set forth, not so much Israel's position under the covenant, as the condition of man in the face of the God of nature. The idiosyncrasies and peculiar features of the chosen people are not the subject of his essay; he deals with a wider sphere; his theme is man in his relation to Divine providence; and for this power he uses that name, common alike to the true and false religions, Elohim, applied to the Supreme Being by believers and idolaters.

Ecclesiastes 1:14

Verse 14. - Here is the result of this examination of human actions. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun. In his varied experience nothing had escaped his notice. And behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit; reuth ruach; afflictio spiritus (Vulgate); προαίρεσις πνεύματος, "choice of spirit," or, "wind" (Septuagint); νομὴ ἀνέμου (Aquila and Theodotion); βοσκήσις ἀνέμου, "feeding on wind" (Symmachus). This last translation, or "striving after wind," seems to be most agreeable to the etymology of the word רְעוּת, which, except in this book (Ecclesiastes 2:11, 17, 26, etc.), occurs elsewhere only in the Chaldee portion of Ezra (Ezra 5:17; Ezra 7:18). Whichever sense is taken, the import is much the same. What is implied is the unsubstantial and unsatisfying nature of human labors and endeavors. Many compare Hosea 12:2, "Ephraim feedeth on wind," and Isaiah 44:20, "He feedeth on ashes." In contrast, perhaps, to this constantly recurring complaint, the author of the Book of Wisdom teaches that murmuring is unprofitable and blasphemous (Wisd. 1:11). Bailey, in 'Festus,' sings -

"Of all life's aims, what's worth the thought we waste on't?
How mean, how miserable, seems every care!
How doubtful, too, the system of the mind!
And then the ceaseless, changeless, hopeless round
Of weariness, and heartlessness, and woe,
And vice, and vanity! Yet these make life -
The life, at least, I witness, if not feel
No matter, we are immortal."

Ecclesiastes 1:15

Verse 15. - That which is crooked cannot be made straight. This is intended as a confirmation of ver. 14. By the utmost exercise of his powers and faculties man cannot change the course of events; he is constantly met by anomalies which he can neither explain nor rectify (comp. Ecclesiastes 7:13). The above is probably a proverbial saying. Knobel quotes Suidas: Χύλον ἀγκύλον οὐδέποτ ὀρθόν. The Vulgate takes the whole maxim as applying only to morals: "Perverse men are hardly corrected, and the number of tools is infinite." So too the Syriac and Targum. The Septuagint rightly as the Authorized Version. The writer is not referring merely to man's sins and delinquencies, but to the perplexities in which he finds himself involved, and extrication from which is impracticable. That which is wanting cannot be numbered. The word חֶסְדון, "loss, defect," is ἅπαξ λεγόμενον in the Old Testament. We cannot reckon where there is nothing to count; no skill in arithmetic will avail to make up for a substantial deficit. So nothing man can do is able to remedy the anomalies by which he is surrounded, or to supply the defects which are pressed upon his notice.

Ecclesiastes 1:16

Verse 16. - Koheleth now arrives at his first conclusion, that wisdom is vanity. I communed with mine own heart. The expression suggests, as it were, an internal dialogue, as the Greek Venetian puts it, Διείλεγμαι ἐγὼ ξὺν τῇ καρδίᾳ μου (comp. Ecclesiastes 2:1, 15). Lo, I am come to great estate. If this be taken by itself, it makes Koheleth speak of his power and majesty first, and of his progress in wisdom afterwards; but it is best to connect it with what follows, and to confine the clause to one idea; thus: "I have obtained great and ever greater wisdom" - I have continually added to my stores of knowledge and experience. Than all they (above all) that have been before me in (over) Jerusalem. Who are the rulers alluded to? Solomon himself was only the second of the Israelite kings who reigned there; of the Canaanite princes who may have made that their capital, we have no knowledge, nor is R likely that Solomon would compare himself with them. The Targum has altered the approved reading, and gives, "Above all the wise men that were in Jerusalem before me." The reading, "in [instead of 'over'] Jerusalem," has indeed some manuscript authority, and is confirmed by the Septuagint, Vulgate, and Syriac, but it is evidently a correction of the text by critics who saw the difficulty of the authorized wording. Motais and others assert that the preposition in the Masoretic text, עַל (all, often means "in," as well as "over," when the reference is to an elevated spot; e.g., Isaiah 38:20; Hosea 11:11. But even granting this, we are still uncertain who are the persons meant. Commentators point to Melchizedek, Adonizedek, and Araunah among rulers, and to Ethan, Heman, Chalcol, and Darda (1 Kings 4:31) among sages. But we know nothing of the wisdom of the former, and there is no tangible reason why the latter should be designated "before me in Jerusalem." Doubtless the words point to a succession of kings who had reigned in Jerusalem, and the writer, involuntarily, perhaps, betrays his assumed character, in relying an excusable anachronism, while giving to the personated monarch a position which could not belong to the historical Solomon. Yea, my heart had great experience of (hath seen abundantly, κατὰ πολύ Venetian) wisdom and knowledge, הַרְבֵה used adverbially qualifies the word before it, "hath seen." The heart, as we have observed (ver. 13), is considered the seat of the intellectual life. In saying that the heart hath seen wisdom, the writer means that his mind has taken it in, apprehended and appropriated it (comp. Ecclesiastes 8:16; Job 4:8). Wisdom and knowledge; chokmah and daath; σοφίαν καὶ γνῶσιν (Septuagint), the former regarding the ethical and practical side, the latter the speculative, which leads to the other (comp. Isaiah 33:6; Romans 11:33).

Ecclesiastes 1:17

Verse 17. - And I gave my heart. He reiterates the expression in order to emphasize his earnestness and energy in the pursuit of wisdom. And knowing, as St. Jerome says, that "contrariis contraria inteiliguntur," he studies the opposite of wisdom, and learns the truth by contrasting it with error. And to know madness and folly (Ecclesiastes 2:12). The former word, holeloth (intensive plural), by its etymology points to a confusion of thought, i.e. an unwisdom which deranges all ideas of order and propriety; and folly (hero sikluth), throughout the sapiential books, is identified with vice and wickedness, the contradictory of practical godliness. The LXX. has παραβολὰς καὶ ἐπιστήμην, "parables and knowledge," and some editors have altered the Hebrew text in accordance with this version, which they consider more suitable to the context. But Koheleth's standpoint is quite consistent. To use the words of St. Jerome in his 'Commentary,' "AEqualis studii fuit Salomoni, scire sapientiam et scientiam, et e regione errores et stultitiam, ut in aliis appetendis et aliis declinandis vera ejus sapientia probaretur." On the other hand, Den-Sirs gives a much-needed warning against touching pitch (Ecclus. 13:1), and argues expressly that "the knowledge of wickedness is not wisdom" (Ecclus. 19:22). Plumptre unnecessarily sees in the use of the term" madness 'an echo of the teaching of the Stoics, who regarded men's weaknesses as forms of insanity. The moralist had no need to travel beyond his own experience in order to learn that sin was the acme of unwisdom, a declension from reason which might well be called madness. The subject is handled by Cicero, 'Tusc. Disput.,' 3:4, 5. We are reminded of Horace's expression ('Carm.,' 2:7. 27) -

"Recepto Dulce mihi furere est amico." And Anacreon's (31.), Θέλω θέλω μανῆναι. Thus far we have had Koheleth's secret thoughts - what he communed with his own heart (ver. 16). The result of his studies was most unsatisfying I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit; or, a striving after wind, as ver. 14 Though the word is somewhat different. As such labor is wasted, for man cannot control issues.

Ecclesiastes 1:18

Verse 18. - For in much wisdom is much grief. The more one knows of men's lives, the deeper insight one obtains of their actions and circumstances, the greater is the cause of grief at the incomplete and unsatisfactory nature of all human affairs. He that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow; not in others, but in himself. With added experience and more minute examination, the wise man becomes more conscious of his own ignorance and impotence, of the un-sympathizing and uncontrollable course of nature, of the gigantic evils which he is powerless to remedy; this causes his sorrowful confession (ver. 17b). St. Gregory, taking the religious view of the passage, comments, "The more a man begins to know what he has lost the more he begins to bewail the sentence of his corruption, which he has met with" ('Moral.,' 18:65); and, "He that already knows the high state which he does not as yet enjoy is the more grieved for the low condition in which he is yet held" (ibid., 1:34). The statement in our text is paralleled in Ecclus. 21:12, "There is a wisdom which multiplieth bitterness," and contrasted in Wisd. 8:16 with the comfort and pleasure which true wisdom brings.

Ecclesiastes 1

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Ecclesiastes 1

Ecc 1:1. The words of the Preacher- Or, orator. Mr. Desvoeux has shewn with great learning, that Solomon in this book appears nearly in the character of an eminent sophist among the Greeks, according to the primitive signification of that word, which implied philosophy and rhetoric joined together. The method of these ancient sages, as far as we can judge of it from what remained among their degenerate successors, was, to treat any subject which was reckoned worthy their learned dissertations in such a manner as to please the ear and improve the mind; which Tully calls the most perfect philosophy. The book of Ecclesiastes certainly deserves that character, if any in antiquity does. We must not conceive that Solomon was like the common and ordinary preachers among the Hebrews; yet it is certain, that he spake much in public for the instruction of the people; There came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon:-All the earth sought the face of Solomon, to hear his wisdom: See 1Ki 4:31; 1Ki 4:34; 1Ki 10:24. From whence it is plain, that our author made public discourses on several subjects, and that people were in a manner called together by his fame from all nations round about to hear his wise performances. As no other son of David, who was king of Israel, was famous for his wisdom, or could claim the title of preacher or orator except Solomon, this edition evidently denotes the real author of the book: The style of which, says Bishop Lowth, is evidently singular; the diction particularly obscure; nor does the poetic character much abound in the composition and structure; which perhaps may properly be attributed to the nature of the argument. The Jews are displeased to have it reckoned among the poetic books; and if their authority availed much in matters of this kind, we should perhaps in this particular give in somewhat to their opinion. See his 24th Prelection.

Ecc 1:2-3. Vanity of vanities- Vanity of vanities, according to the Hebrew idiom, signifies, the greatest vanity. The original word הבל hebel, signifies, properly, steam or vapour, and is used to denote any thing which is transient and empty, in apparition to what is solid, substantial, and permanent. These verses contain the first proposition, "That no labour or trouble of men," &c. The proofs of which we here subjoin analytically:

Ecc 1:2-3. I. Proposition.

Ecc 1:4 to Ecc 11:1 st Proof. The course of nature.

Ecc 1:12, &c. 2nd Proof. Men's occupations.

Ecc 1:16-18. 1st Head. Wisdom or philosophy.

Ecc 2:1-2 nd Head. Pleasure. 3.-10. Both jointly.

Ecc 2:11. General conclusion of the 2nd proof.

A review of the 2nd proof, with special conclusions relating to every particular therein mentioned; viz.

Ecc 2:12-17. 1. Wisdom.

Ecc 2:18-23. 2. Riches.

Ecc 2:24-26. 3. Pleasure.

Ecc 3:1, &c. 3rd Proof. Inconstancy of men's will.

Ecc 3:9. Conclusion of the 3rd proof.

A review of the 2nd and 3rd proofs, considered jointly with special observations and corollaries.

Ecc 3:10 to Ecc 11:1 st Observation. God is inculpable.

Ecc 3:12-15. 2nd Observation. God by his constant Providence and unerring wisdom governs the world.

Ecc 3:16-17. 1st Corollary. God shall redress all grievances.

Ecc 3:18-21. 2nd Corollary. God must be exalted, and man humbled.

Ecc 3:22. 3rd Corollary. God alloweth men to enjoy the present.

Ecc 4:1. 4th Proof. Men's neglect of proper opportunities evidenced in several instances; viz.

Ecc 4:1 to Ecc 3:1. Oppression.

Ecc 4:4. 2.Envy.

Ecc 4:5 to Ecc 6:3. Idleness.

Ecc 4:7 to Ecc 12:4. Avarice.

Ecc 4:13-16. 5. Misapplication of esteem and regard.

Ecc 5:1-9. N.B. Chap. Ecc 5:1-9 is a digression containing several admonitions, in order to prevent any misconstruction of the foregoing remarks.

Ecc 5:10 to Ecc 12:6. Expensive living.

Ecc 1:3. What profit- The word יתרון iithron, rendered profit, signifies the surplus, or that which remains after allowance is made for toils and fatigue, &c. It occurs eleven times in this book; and I think, says Mr. Desvoeux, the original notion of residue or remainder may well be preserved in every place, and will generally set the author's meaning in a better light than any other expression; though it may be sometimes convenient to make use of some other word.

Ecc 1:4. The earth abideth for ever- Remaineth the same for ever] The meaning is, "The earth, considered as the scene of action, with respect to all mutable things, is no way affected by the continual and universal changes which happen on and about it."

Ecc 1:8. All things are full of labour- All these considerations are wearisome. Desvoeux.

Ecc 1:9. The thing that hath been- Yet what is the thing that hath been? the very same which shall be: And what is that which is done: the very same which shall be done: for there is nothing entirely new under the sun. See Desvoeux, and the LXX.

Ecc 1:10. Is there any thing whereof, &c.- Is there any thing that will say, See this! this is new. Thus the beauty and energy of the original are preserved.

Ecc 1:11. There is no remembrance, &c.- This verse may be rendered, There is no memorial to what happened before, neither shall there be any memorial to what shall happen henceforth, with those who shall come hereafter. The first proof of the general proposition is contained in the 4th and following verses to the present; and is taken from the consideration of natural things. It may be paraphrased thus: "It is vain for men to expect any advantage from future changes in the course of nature; since not only the earth, but all the other visible parts of the universe, have hitherto remained the same throughout the different generations which have succeeded each other since the world began, Ecc 1:4. The sun, the winds, the rivers, are in a continual motion, yet from the beginning to this time they have been constantly subject to the same laws and revolutions, Ecc 1:5-7. If a man, not satisfied with bare contemplation, will undertake to find out the secret causes of these wonderfully constant effects, what does he get by his curiosity, but trouble and weariness? Repeated inquiries, when never attended with the hoped-for success, must soon become tiresome and vexatious. An inquisitive man would fain look into all the recesses of nature, and hear all that others have to say on what he is not able to discover himself: but he never can compass his end, and satisfy his curiosity, either through his own researches, or by getting acquainted with those of others, Ecc 1:8. It is even beyond his power to mark any phaenomenon which may with any certainty be looked upon as a new one. Natural revolutions are such, that you have no sign nor token to distinguish that which happens for the first time from that which hath happened many times before; and that course is so well settled, that the same disappointments which have hitherto been met with are to be expected for the future." Ecc 1:9-11. Desvoeux.

Ecc 1:12. I, the preacher, was king, &c.- I, who have assembled you, was king, &c.

Ecc 1:13. This sore travail hath God given- That is to say, the fatiguing employment which God gave to the sons of men, to give evidence of himself. See the paraphrase on the 15th verse.

Ecc 1:15. And that which is wanting cannot be numbered- Nor can men's wants be numbered. For the first clause of this verse, see chap. Ecc 7:13. From the 12th to this verse, we have the second proof of the first proposition, taken from the various occupations of men in search of happiness, which Solomon had both opportunities to observe from his high station, and abilities to observe rightly, from the wisdom he was endowed with, Ecc 1:12-13. These he found to be such, that no lasting advantage could accrue from them to mankind; and this for two reasons; first, because that which is, or appears to be, wrong, cannot by their utmost efforts be redressed; secondly, because their wants are so many, that they are not able to number them, Ecc 1:14-15. This double consideration seems to point out a twofold distribution of the occupations of men, as they propose to themselves either to rectify what is wrong, or to satisfy their own wants: the one is the business of the philosopher, the other of the man of pleasure; and both subjects are immediately resumed; First, singly, in the next verses, and chap. Ecc 2:1-2 and then jointly, chap. Ecc 2:3-10 in order to be more particularly considered.

Ecc 1:17. And I gave my heart to know wisdom- For I applied myself to the knowledge of wisdom, and the knowledge of whatever is shining, and of science. We meet in all languages with words which are as much, or even more frequently, made use of in a metaphorical, than in a literal way; yet you can never fully and rightly understand them, unless you keep an eye to the primitive literal signification, and have a particular regard to the circumstances wherein such a word is employed. הלל hallel, seems to be one of those words, which, by not paying a due regard to this observation, has been often misinterpreted. One of its metaphorical meanings has been even mistaken for the primitive signification; which is contrary to nature. Leigh rightly observes, that its primitive signification is, either to shine, or to make another thing shine; which is done in a metaphorical way by praising or valuing. See Desvoeux, 384, and Parkhurst on the word.

Ecc 1:18. For in much wisdom, &c.- The sum of the matter, from the 16th verse, is this; First, the research of wisdom, nay, the very possession of that science, whereby one is fully enabled to distinguish good from evil, avails nothing to solid happiness: on the contrary, it even serves frequently to imbitter our lives; as nothing can be more afflicting to a rational mind, than to see, and not be able to reform, the vices of his fellow-creatures.

REFLECTIONS.-1st, Solomon upon the throne never appeared so august and venerable, as here he does in the pulpit. We have,

1. The titles that he assumes, The preacher, or קהלת koheleth; some render gathered, and, supplying the word soul, make it a description of his own state, recovered from his grievous backslidings; and they who are thus restored are bound to keep up everlastingly a grateful memorial of the mercy: or the gatherer, to whom the people resorted to hear his lessons of instruction; or perhaps he now collected his people together, who had been justly offended at his unfaithfulness, that they might hear his recantation, that he might take shame to himself for the offence he had given, and caution others by his sad experience to avoid the paths of sin in which he had walked. Thus true penitents desire ever to take shame to themselves publicly, where their offence was public; and, as far as lies in them, seek to recover those whom their influence or ill example led astray: The son of David, an honourable relation; but which rendered his sin the more aggravated, considering the education he had received under such a father: king of Jerusalem; the dignity of his station made his example more pernicious, and in Jerusalem also, where God's presence dwelt, and his seat of worship was fixed; which rendered his sins more infamously scandalous: thus, as true penitents do, he dwelt upon the aggravation of his guilt; or perhaps he mentions his station as that which should engage attention from the people, and give weight to his discourse.

2. The text of the discourse is, Vanity of vanities, all is vanity; and this is redoubled, to shew his own deep conviction of the truth, and to affect his hearers with a sense of it. The world and all the things of it are utterly unsatisfactory; they perish in the using, afford no solid comfort to the soul, and disappoint all those who place their confidence in them, or expect happiness from them; and they, who have with greatest eagerness strove to quench their thirst at those broken cisterns, by sad experience have found them vanity of vanities: none had ever greater abilities to gratify his desires, none ever with more boundless indulgence sought satisfaction in earthly things, than Solomon; and, after long proof, this is his deliberate conclusion.

3. He appeals to universal experience for confirmation of the truth. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? Poor mortals toil and labour after the riches, honours, and pleasures of this inferior world, and, when they think to find a reality, grasp a shadow: even here man's life is often embittered by his abundance, and his pleasures prove his torment: at death, nothing that he possesses can profit him to gain a moment's respite, or pass with him into the grave; and after death how insignificant will all those things appear, unable to purchase the pardon of one sin, or stand us in any stead at the bar of judgment? We must labour for a better portion above the sun, if we would be happy to eternity.

2nd, To prove the vanity of all things that he had asserted, he shews,

1. The shortness and uncertainty of all our earthly enjoyments: we are posting fast to the grave, and treading upon the heels of those who are now stepping into it, and must quickly follow them; our abode here is but for a moment, and that continually in jeopardy: a very short-lived pleasure, therefore, can the creature afford us.

2. When we are gone, the earth abideth for ever; we can carry nothing out of it: the world must endure its appointed time, and then, with all the works upon it, be burnt up.

3. All the things in the world are in a state of revolution; the sun rises and sets; the winds veer round the compass; the rivers ceaseless roll, an emblem of man's fluctuating state, seeking rest and finding none, and hasting with full speed to the dust whence he came, as these return again to the same place from which they at first set forth. Nor in all his career can he find,

4. The least solid satisfaction: the sea will sooner overflow, than the heart be filled with creature-good; all the rivers of prosperity are insufficient; the finest prospect, the most melodious airs, soon pall the senses; we want new objects to satisfy curiosity, and grow tired of them as soon as they are familiar. All things are full of labour, nothing can be obtained without it; and when we have toiled in the pursuit, we find that we have wearied ourselves for very vanity; man cannot utter it, how wearisome a world this is, and how empty are all its enjoyments.

5. There is nothing new: we are happy to flatter ourselves with being able to discover arcana in nature unknown before, and improvements in arts and sciences such as would shame all former generations; but it is only what hath been; the course of nature is the same, men's hearts the same, their intellectual faculties the same; and what we call new is only so to us, for want of records of former ages, or through our confined knowledge of the world at present: we must look above, if we would have all things new, Revelation 21.; new hearts, fashioned by Divine grace here, and a new world wherein dwelleth righteousness, and where vanity shall be no more.

6. Do what we will to make ourselves memorable, we shall be disappointed, and not live even in same: few of the great personages that have appeared, or the wonders that they have wrought, have found an historian to transmit their remembrance to posterity: they are sunk in the lake of oblivion; and those of future ages, who succeed us, will perhaps never so much as hear that such persons as we are ever existed. The only way to secure deathless fame is, to have our names written, in the book of life of the Lamb, among his worthies, whose memorial shall endure not only through all the generations of time, but through the ages of eternity.

3rdly, Having asserted in general the vanity of all sub-lunary good, he passes on to the grand particulars which engage men's pursuits, in order to confirm the truth that he had advanced. He begins with wisdom, of earthly things the most excellent, and proves the vanity of this by experience and argument.

1. He tried what happiness human wisdom in its most refined and exalted state would bring; and he possessed such advantages to make the experiment complete, that none after him will presume to be a more competent judge. He was a preacher, endued with gifts of nature the most singular; a king, who had it in his power to furnish himself with all possible assistance in the prosecution of his studies; he was over Israel, a wise and understanding people, and in Jerusalem, the very seat of wisdom, where he had opportunity of conversing with God's prophets and priests, and with the wisest of men who resorted to him from all the parts of the earth: and his application was as indefatigable as his advantages were singular: He set himself to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven; the depths of philosophy, the secrets of nature; the qualities of animals, vegetables, fossils, and all that is above or beneath the earth, 1Ki 4:33.; the mysteries of politics, trade, manufactures; the history of mankind, ancient and modern, their manners, customs, and ways: nor was the pursuit unsuccessful; he attained astonishing heights of science; I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, whether of nature or of art; and none who had been before him, even in Jerusalem the seat of learning, had ever gone so far; and withal, his knowledge was deeply digested, and the fruit of great experience. And that by contraries he might the better know the value of wisdom, he set his heart to know madness and folly also; to observe the follies and vices, as well as virtues of mankind. Thus furnished, as far as the human understanding could soar, he was fully qualified to judge what happiness all the attainments of human literature and science could afford. But, 2. The experiment answered not at all the pains it cost; the pursuit was attended with sore travail; for no labour is more fatiguing than that of the mind, intensely engaged; the just punishment of God, for man's daring to affect a wisdom which was forbidden him: the possession afforded him only a view of the vexation, as well as vanity, of the world: the more he knew of men and things, the more he saw of what grieved and vexed him; while he felt his own inability withal to rectify the wretchedness and wants of this disordered world. That which is crooked cannot be made straight; such is the corruption of human nature, that no attainments of wisdom can mend it, even when we see what is fit and right; the bias to evil is so strong, that reason and philosophy remonstrate in vain; nothing but Divine grace, which changes the heart, can make our paths straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered: the more we know, the more we are convinced that we know nothing, and discover the endless defects in our own understanding, and wants which can neither be numbered nor supplied: so that, upon the whole, we cannot but conclude, in much wisdom is much grief; it is painful to acquire; serves to excite our thirst, without being able to satisfy it; enlarges out knowledge of human miseries, and makes us more sensibly affected with them. In short, he that increaseth knowledge, only increaseth sorrow; and every new attainment affords fresh cause of disquietude and dissatisfaction. But there is a wisdom which will not thus disappoint the attentive inquirer; the knowledge of Jesus, the wisdom of God, and the mystery of godliness; the more we are acquainted with it, the more satisfaction will it afford to our souls; and, however defective our measure of it may be here, the least attainment contains a divine hope, that hereafter it will be complete and perfect, when we shall know even as we are known.