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covered fome ill qualities, and quickly decay; [but] a woman [that] feareth the LORD, fhe fhall be praised; She will receive fincere and warm commendations from all 31 that know her. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates; while others have the praife of nobility, fortune, or beauty, she will be commended in the most numerous assemblies, for qualities and endowments infinitely more excellent and ufeful. Upon the whole, this is a most amiable defcription: it shows the women what wives they should be, and the men what wives they should choose. We have reason to lament that the general method of female education, and the manners of fo many women are fo contrary to this description; and that there is fo little domeftick virtue in many modern wives. Those whom providence has favoured with wives that answer to this defcription in the most important branches of it, can never be fufficiently thankful.

K

ECCLES

ECCLESIASTE S,

Or, The PREACHER.

TH

INTRODUCTION.

E defign of this book is to show men wherein true happinefs confifts, and to guard them against feeking it in thofe things in which it is not to be found: it is generally fuppofed to have been written by Solomon in his old age. Some parts of it are rather obfcure; and it is difficult to enter into his reasoning, tho' his general fcheme and practical defign are very apparent.

T

CHAPTER I.

HE words of the Preacher, the fon of David, king of Jerufalem. Vanity of vanities, faith

2 the Preacher; vanity of vanities, all [is]

vanity, that is, all that relates only to this life. This is the text of his fermon, and the iffue of his large enquiry; it is abfolutely vain; he could not exprefs it more emphatically than by faying, it is vainer than vanity itself; utterly infufficient to procure folid fatisfaction and durable happiness. 3 What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the fun? he can find very little true fatisfaction in all his pains about earthly things; and none at all confidered ✩ in themselves. He argues this from the shortness of human life in general, which he illuftrates by the continual changes 4 which we behold in the natural world. [One] generation paffeth away, and [another] generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever, or, as fome would render it, 5 for an uncertain, indeterminate time. The fun alfo arifeth, and the fun goeth down, and hafteth to his place where 6 he arofe. The wind goeth toward the fouth, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his 7 circuits. All the rivers run into the fea; yet the fea

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[is] not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again; and thus do the generations of men revolve with very little variety, and never rest in a fettled condition, but gradually wear away and vanish. But tho' life fhould be long, there would be little fatisfaction 8 in it, for All things [are] full of labour; man cannot utter [it,] cannot fufficiently exprefs how tedious life is; the eye is not fatisfied with feeing, nor the ear filled with hearing; man's defires are boundless, still seeking after new objects, and yet not heartily acquiefcing in any. Nor is any thing better to be expected from new discoveries, fince 9 The thing that hath been, it [is that] which shall be; and that which is done [is] that which fhall be done: 10 and [there is] no new [thing] under the fun. Is there [any] thing whereof it may be faid, See, this [is] new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us. This is not a univerfal propofition; nevertheless many of the things we value ourselves upon as new discoveries, were known to former ages; and men's labours and enjoyments are the fame in general now as formerly. No new expedient can be found out to fecure the happiness of mankind in earthly 11 things. [There is] no remembrance of former [things;] neither shall there be [any] remembrance of [things] that are to come with [thofe] that fhall come after; the names and memories of the inventors of many things are loft, fo will the names and memory of their fucceffors: their inventions did not answer their expectation, they still complained of vanity, and fo fhall we. In the rest of the chapter the preacher shows the vanity of human wisdom and learning, and its infufficiency to make men happy; tho' it bids fairest 12 for it of all natural things. I the Preacher was king in circumstances which $3 gave me every advantage for pursuing knowledge: And I gave my heart to feek and fearch out by wifdom concerning all [things] that are done under heaven: this fore travel hath God given to the fons of man to be exercifed therewith; he must fearch for knowledge with 14 great labour, and obtain it by flow degrees. I have feen all the works of this kind that are done under the fun; and, behold, all [is] vanity and vexation of fpirit; we

over Ifrael in Jerufalem; I to the

know

know little, and that little is not of much fervice to us. 15 [That which is] crooked cannot be made ftraight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered; there are many things uneafy and difagreeable in life, which all the wit -16 and wisdom of men cannot fully rectify. I communed with mine own heart, faying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all [they] that have been before me in Jerufalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wifdom and knowledge; the diftinguished circumftances in which God hath placed me, gave me greater 17 advantages for fearching into wisdom than others. And I gave my heart to know wifdom, and to know madness and folly; I applied my mind clofely to fearch into the nature and reafon of things, the causes and effects of men's follies and vices; and here likewife I found disappointment, F 18 perceived that this also is vexation of fpirit. For in much wifdom, or fpeculative knowledge, [is] much grief; there is a great deal of trouble in getting, pursuing, and keeping it: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth forrow; the more he knows, the clearer views he has of the vanity of human life; and the more vexation he will find, unless his knowledge be improved to religious purposes. -Befides attending to the general purport and defign of this book, there are particular passages that may afford us fome useful instructions.

I.

W

REFLECTIONS.

E here fee, that it is no difhonour to the wifeft and best of men to be preachers, but much to their glory; for Solomon, fo renowned for wisdom, wealth, and dignity, affumes this character. This fhould teach us, that it is every man's duty to employ what talents God gives him, for the inftruction and reformation of the world; and that thofe especially to whom God has given peculiar wisdom, fhould communicate it to others for their edification. If they have rank, wealth, and influence, thefe may help to recommend their inftructions, and add weight to all the advice they give.

2. The abilities and circumftances of Solomon fhould

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engage our peculiar attention to what he fays, efpecially about the vanity of the world. He was the wifeft, the richeft, and the greatest of men; of all men that ever lived, he had the greatest advantage for making the experiment; the refult of which, he in this book informs us. It was the iffue of a deliberate judgment, founded upon close enquiry and large experience, and therefore worthy of our highest regard.

3. Let us endeavour to imprefs our hearts with the changeable nature of all earthly things. This is Solomon's first and strongest proof of their vanity. All nature is in continual fluctuation. Generation after generation paffeth off; men are engaged in the fame purfuits as their ancestors; the fame follies are acted over and over again. Old arts are recovered; old fashions reftored; the diforders, corruptions, and complaints of every age are much the fame. Let this therefore abate our pride in our own discoveries and attainments; reftrain the folly of defpifing former ages; and teach us particularly, that what is fo changeable can never afford substantial happiness to an immortal fpirit.

4. The vanity of fpeculative knowledge fhould teach us to pursue that which is practical, useful, and fatisfactory. Solomon's defign is not to discourage us from purfuing knowledge. It has its difficulties, arifing in a great measure from our wrong choice; but it has its pleasures too. Those whose business in life it is to increase in fpeculative knowledge, as fubfervient to something better, feel the truth of Solomon's obfervation, v. 18. in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increafeth knowledge increafeth forrow but never more fenfibly, than when they meet with ill returns from thofe for whofe fervice they pursue it; and with the best returns they find little fatisfactory in it. May we all therefore, thofe of us efpecially who have little time for reading and ftudy, apply our minds chiefly to that which will make us wife to falvation. He that increaseth in the knowledge of God and divine things, will increase in joy; and find in the end that this is life eternal, to know the only true God, and Jefus Chrift, whom he» hath fent.

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