to enjoy the ends of marriage, but there are other times when they ought to refrain, and deny them selves even these otherwise innocent pleasures.

Ver. 6. A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;] In like manner, in our traffic and commerce one with another, there is a time of gaining much, but there are other times, when a man must be content to lose by his commodities; sometimes also it is fit for him to lay up and keep what he hath gotten, but at another time it will be as fit for him to spend or give away to those that

need it.

Ver. 7. A time to rent, and a time to sow; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak ;] In direful disasters also, as when God is blasphemed, it becomes us to rend our garments; but after a certain time, it will be as becoming to sew up the rent again; and, as on the other occasions, the proper times for holding one's peace, or for speaking, are to be observed, so, in great grief, it is to no purpose to administer comfort, till the passion be a little over, and then discourse will be as seasonable as silence was before, Job, ii. 13. iv.

I. 2.

Ver. 8. A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.] To conclude, love itself may turn into hatred, so that they who are now well affected towards us, may prove our enemies, or those in whose company we now delight, there may be rea son hereafter to avoid; and the like turns there are in public, as well as in private affairs, there being just causes sometimes for making war, and then, such a change in the state of things, that it is greater wisdom to conclude a peace.

Ver. 9. What profit bath he that worketh in that wherein be laboureth? And therefore, why do we fancy any thing to be settled, fixed, and constant, here in this world, unless it be these opposite changes? Or to what purpose is all our labour and travail for any thing out of the season proper for it? And what great matter is it that we then get, since we must expect another season to part with it? See Annot. [c]

Ver. 10. I have seen the travail which God hath given to the sons of men, to be exercised in it.] For that which I have observed from all this is, That God hath made it our business to mark the times and seasons that are fit for the doing all things, which hath great trouble and anxiety in it; and there is a farther trouble, that after we have done what we desired, we must submit to that time and season which will undo all again.

Ver. 11. He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart; so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.] And though we are not wont to be satisfied with this vicissitude of things, yet God, no doubt, hath disposed them thus most wisely; and there is such a beautiful order appears in several contrarieties, (as, for example, of heat and cold, of day and night), that we may well conclude there is so in all manner of events, though never so opposite, which God also hath given us wisdom to discern in part, having endued man with the understanding of the present state of things, in the age wherein he lives; yet

as that is imperfect, (it being beyond our skill to know when our industry will succeed, and when a change will come), so he is not able to find out what respect the present changes have to the times that are gone before, and to those that are yet to come hereafter, and so cannot give an exact account of the government of God, because he sees not the beginning, and the progress, and the conclusion of every thing that comes to pass. See Annot. [d]

Ver. 12. I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.] Wherefore, long consideration and experience assure me, that, leaving these fruitless inquiries and vexatious cares about the future, the only happiness that is in our power, is to make the best we can of our present condition; rejoicing that things are so well with us, and being solicitous for nothing in this world, but to obtain a good hope in God, by living piously and virtuously, and doing good to others with what we have, and this not remissly and by fits, but seriously and constantly, as long as we live. See Annot. [e]

Ver. 13. And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all kis labour; it is the gift of God.] And if a man have arrived at so much happiness, as not to deny himself the use of what he hath at present, out of a vain fear of wanting in time to come, but can so freely and chearfully enjoy the fruit of his honest labours, as to be well satisfied in the midst of all the inconveniences of this life, let him not ascribe it unto his own wisdom, but thankfully acknowledge the great goodness of God herein; for it is a singular gift of his, to be able, with a quiet and contented mind, to take the comfort of those blessings which God's bounty has bestowed upon us, chap. ii. 24.

Ver. 14. I know that whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever; nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it; and God hath done it, that men should fear before bim.] And, on the other side, it is not only very foolish and vain, but a great plague, to be discontented that things go otherwise than we desire; for certain it is, God hath settled them by such an eternal and immutable law, in that course and order before described, (ver. 1. 2. 3. &c. in which nothing is superfluous, nothing wanting), that it is not in the power of man to make the least alteration one way or other; therefore we must alter ourselves, and not murmur that we cannot change the course of things, which God hath thus immoveably fixed, not to make us miserable, by fretting at it, but happy, by reverent submission to the divine government, and humble patience under those troubles which we cannot honestly avoid, and a due care not to offend the divine majesty, whose will shall be done one way or other, if not by us, yet upon us. See Annot. [f]

Ver. 15. That which hath been, is now; and that which is to be, bath already been; and God requireth. that which is past.] This alone is sufficient to silence all our unprofitable, as well as undutiful complaints, about that which hath always been, and ever will be. For we, in this present age, are subject to no other laws, than those by which God hath governed the

world from the beginning; nor will the next produce any other method, than that wherein he hath already proceeded; but, though that which succeeds thrusts out what went before, it brings the very same things about again, as constantly as spring and fall, summer and winter, return in their seasons.

Ver. 16. And moreover, I saw under the sun the place of judgement, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.] But, beyond all this, it is lamentable to consider, how that which God hath provided as a remedy for a great many evils, which we bring one upon another in this world, is quite perverted, and turned to be itself the greatest evil of all other: The power and authority, I mean, which is committed unto men of great place, wisdom, and dignity; who lean so much to their own affections, that I myself have observed nothing but corruption in the highest, as well as lowest courts of judicature; for, whether men's lives or their estates were concerned, such unjust sentences were pronounced, (to the condemning the innocent, and acquitting the guilty, &c.), that I could not but conclude, There is nothing more dangerous, than for a man who hath not that fear of God before his eyes (which I now mentioned, ver. 14.) to be advanced unto honour, and entrusted with power. So vain are they that place their felicity in these. See Annot. [g]

Ver. 17. I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose, and for every work.] For, so rooted is this impiety in the hearts of men, and such arts there are to defeat the best endeavours to redress it, I could bring my thoughts about this matter to no other is sue but this, (in which we must all be satisfied), that there is a supreme Judge of all, who will in due time make that difference between men and things, which we cannot do now, absolving and rewarding the righteous, and condemning and punishing the wicked; for as there is a time, I observed before, for all other things, so there is for this: they that govern the world have their time now, for contriving and acting what mischief they please, but he will take a time hereafter, of calling them to an account for the injustice they designed, as well as did, in the courts of judgement. See Annot. [h]

one dieth, so doth the other, yea, they have all one breath; so that a man bath no pre-eminence above a beast; for all is vanity.] For as the beasts are subject to many accidents which they think not of, so are all mankind, who can no more foresee several things that happen to them, than the beasts themselves; or, if they herein differ from them, that they can better defend themselves from some things that befal them, yet there is one thing, which makes them all equal, and that is, death; for both men and beasts not only grow old, but die alike, and while they live, one sucks in no other air than the other doth; which when they can no longer breathe, a man remains as much an unprofitable lump and putrid carcase as a beast; and therefore herein can pretend to no pre-eminence above other inferior creatures, but they are both equally vain and perishing.

Ver. 20. All go unto one place, all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.] And being dead, their bodies are dissolved into the same principles out of which they sprang, so that herein they are both alike again; for man, as proud as he is, derives his body from no higher original than the dust, the very same dust of which the beasts are made, into which they both, men and beasts, must return again at the last.

Ver. 21. Who knoweth the spirit of man that goethy upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? As for the spirit, which makes all the difference between the beasts and us, that is invisible: and where shall we find a man, especially among those great persons, (spoken of before), who seriously considers it? and believes that the souls of all mankind go to God that gave them, (xii. 7.), to be judged by him, (ver. 17. of this chapter), whereas the souls of beasts perish with them? No; herein they differ not at all from beasts, that having buried their minds in brutish pleasures, they have no more sense of a future life than they, but imagine that their souls die together with their bodies. So senselessly stupid are they that trample upon the rest of mankind, and yet have such ignoble thoughts of themselves, that they imagine their very souls are no longerlived than a beast. See Annot. [k]

Ver. 22. Wherefore I perceive, that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his portion; for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?] And therefore, considering that our bodies have no privilege above the beasts, and that mankind are so liable to be abused by those who should protect them, (ver. 16. 19. 20.), I was confirmed in my former opinion, (ii. 24.), that it is best for a man herein also to imitate the beasts; by enjoying freely the good things God hath blessed him withal, and taking all the comfort he can find in them at present, without solicitous care about the future; for this is all he can be sure of, it being in no man's power to secure him, he shall not enjoy that hereafter which he makes no use of now; much less when he is dead, can he be brought back again to take any pleasure in the fruit of all his labours, or see what becomes of them.

ANNOTATIONS.

[a] Ver. 1. Season.] The Hebrew words, Zeman and Gneth, signify either that point of time when things, being ripe, come forth of themselves, by the constitution of their several beings, as all natural things do; or that occasion which serves our voluntary actions, and is fit for effecting what we design. The Hebrews observe, that Solomon here reckons seven opposite seasons, of each sort, as a complete demonstration, by induction, of the truth of this general proposition in the first verse. Which holds good even in virtue itself; which is not proper but in its own place. For fortitude hath not always been successful, (as the Lord Herbert observes), nor temperance safe, nor justice opportune; the fury and insolence of the outrageous people having in some insurrections grown to that excess, that it has been greater wisdom to pass by a while, than to punish them. And it is very apparent also in our counsels, when they are conducted merely by human wisdom, which is not able, without a divine direction, to chuse the most fortunate (as we call them) and happy seasons for undertakings. Brutus, Cicero, Hertius, Pansa, all thought to restore the ancient estate of the Roman commonwealth, (as Melancthon notes), but were deceived; and after the same manner many are still, and will be deceived. Then businesses proceed, when we obey his divine directions, and He assists; and yet then sometimes more, and sometimes less difficultly.

[b] Ver. 3. Kill.] In the third verse, I have taken

the liberty of following my own judgement in expounding the first part of it; which I have not referred to punishing and sparing offenders, as interpreters do; but to the condition of diseases that are in our bodies. For though the other be an excellent sense, yet this seems to be more agreeable to the wise man's meaning. Because he is hitherto speaking of things natural; and the word heal also directs rather to that sense which I have given of killing, than the common one. The same may be said of the next part of the verse; "there being a craziness in buildings, as well as in the body of man; and some weather so improper to raise a fabric, that the parts will not hang together; but that which cements them, moulders so fast away, that that time were better spent in pulling down an house, than in building it up.

As for the rest of the Calendar or Ephemeris, (as the Lord Bacon calls it), which the wise man hath made of the diversities of times and occasions for all actions, I need give no farther account of it here, than I have done in the paraphrase. [c] Vér. 9. What profit.] Nor is it hard to expound the inference he makes in this verse, from the foregoing induction; which I have expressed as fully as 1 could in the paraphrase; and more largely in the argument of this chapter. Gregory Nazianzen thinks, he only intends to reflect upon the great in

constancy, as of all earthly things, so of human actions, (sometimes, for instance, men are madly in love with a woman, and in time they as much hate her; now they are eager to get, and at another time they profusely spend; sometimes they kill, and sometimes they are killed; sometimes do nothing but talk, and at another time have not a word to say, &c.), and therefore all his labours are vain. But I have extended it farther, with a respect to other things, which the fore-named induction suggests to us.

[d] Ver. 11. World in their heart.] There is greater difficulty in this verse, if we connect it with the rest of the discourse, as we ought to do. Which I have endeavoured to explain, by taking the word Haolam, the world, for the present state of things in this age wherein we live, (which is a genuine sense of it); whereof God hath given us some understanding, but not so perfect as to be able to give an account of the reason and scope of every thing that we see happen in this world, because we are ignorant of what went before, and of what will follow after, when we had or shall have no being here.

It

is commonly understood of the works of nature. And in this sense, the Lord Bacon (in the beginning of his book of the Advancement of Learning) hath admirably expounded it in this manner; in these words: "He hath placed the world in man's heart," &c. "Solomon declares not obscurely, that God hath framed the mind of man as a mirror, or looking-glass, capable of the image of the whole world; and as desirous to receive it, as the eye is to entertain the light; and not only delighted in beholding the variety of things, and the vicissitude of times, but ambitious to find out and discover the immoveable and settled laws and decrees of nature. And though he intimate, that this whole economy of nature (which he calls, The work that God hath wrought, from the beginning to the end) cannot be found out by man, it doth not derogate from the capacity of his mind, but is to be imputed to the impediments of learning," &c.

There is one interpreter, (Coranus), who by Olam, world, understands the circular motion of things for the service of man. But I can find no such use of the word any where else; the sense would be elegant enough, which arises from thence, viz. That this revolution, being remote from our knowledge, and a secret to us, who cannot tell what day or hour it will be, we ought not to trouble ourselves about this, but make use of the present, and refer the rest to God.

Melancthon also hath an unusual interpretation, which is, That God made things so, that we should sweetly enjoy them, (that he understands by placing the world in man's heart); but men make the use of them unpleasant, by their wandering desires, by their vain solicitude, by their diffidence; which makes them long after new things, and meddle with that which is unnecessary. Like M. Anthony, who, when he had gotten the most flourishing part of the empire, could not be content; but, out of an

unquiet nature, desired the whole, and so lost all. This he makes the sense of the latter end of the verse, which he thus translates, "Man cannot find out the work of God, neither the beginning nor the end of it." Therefore, as I said just now, it is wisdom to satisfy ourselves with what we have; for the present only is that which is in our own power.

[e] Ver. 12. 13.] And so it follows in these two verses; the sense of which, Gregory Nazianzen (Orat. liii.) hath thus briefly expressed: "The greatest good of man, I persuade myself to be xviar,

ivoa, chearfulness of mind, and beneficence, or doing good to others;" and this short pleasure alone, the divine indulgence bestows upon us, if righteousness conduct all our affairs.

[f] Ver. 14. 15.] And with this we must rest contented, for with all our toilsome thoughts we cannot alter the course of things; which God, he here shows, hath immutably settled, on purpose that we should be sensible of a power above ourselves. Which it is our wisdom to stand in such awe of, as not to contend with it, but submit unto it; that so we may obtain all the favour from him, which in such a state of things as his wisdom hath appointed, can be indulged to us. And here, I think, Melancthon hath very pertinently observed, that Solomon doth not merely recite the vain complaints and endeavours of mankind, after the manner of philosophers and poets, but lays down a rule of life, as the best remedy that can be found for our disease. Which is, "Not to trust to ourselves, nor to indulge our own curiosity and appetites; but to be sensible of our own infirmities, to fear God, to obey his commandments, to keep within the bounds of our vocations, and to beg and expect the help of God, and to acquiesce in his holy will and plea

As

them who were appointed to be the guardians of men's lives, liberties, and enjoyments; which he, as a great king as he was, wanted ability wholly to redress; but still they went on so confidently in their wicked course of perverting judgement, that re was fain to leave them to be judged by the Supreme Judge of all, God Almighty. And if it were so, in the reign of a good and wise king; what could be hoped for, in the reign of those who were impious and injudicious, as most of the kings of Israel and Judah were? For such pervert all things by their covetousness, ambition, or folly; so that their subjects can have no justice, nor enjoy any tranquillity. And besides, they permit (as he shews afterwards, chap.v.) many corruptions to creep into the divine worship, and ridiculous rather than religious ceremonies to be introduced, &c. whereupon follows a great decay of all moral virtue.

In short, this is a great part of the vanity and misery to which we are here subject; that, as Melancthon well notes, "there are many things done unjustly, even under just governors; because they are not able to look unto all things themselves, but must manage them by other men; many of which are negligent, others wicked, and swayed by depraved affections, and yet crafty enough to cover their own guilt." Here is the only comfort, That God notwithstanding preserves government, and political order; and in his time will judge even kings and judges of

the earth.

[h] Ver. 17.] The last words of this verse may, in my judgement, be thus most literally translated out of the Hebrew: "There is a time for (judging). every purpose and every work there," viz. in thos corrupt courts of judgement; every thing that hath been transacted in the judicatures he had been speaking of.

[i] Ver. 18.] These words which follow the former, are variously interpreted; but they have a perspicuous sense, if they be taken in the coherence with the foregoing, (as in reason they ought to be), without fancying, as some have done, that they are spoken in the person of an epicure. And so I have considered them; as intended to take down the vain opinion those great men have of themselves, (which makes them tyrannize over their inferiors), by representing to them, (or rather, desiring God would effectually represent to their minds), how little they differ from beasts; save only in that which they do not at all value, or regard, viz. their immortal spirits. The word Lebaram, to manifest them, is commonly expounded of God's manifesting them unto others; but I have taken it for his showing them to themselves; agreeable to the word that follows, Lireoth, "that they might see," &c. The whole may be thus translated-" that God would clear their minds, that they may see," &c. For it comes from a root which signifies, such an accurate separation of one thing from another, that the difference may be perspicuously discerned.

[g] Ver. 16.] Unto these things it is better for us to apply ourselves, than it is to endeavour to be great and mighty, (which is another vain desire of man, fancying he can thereby keep off many evils), for few can be at the top of all; and so there must be still greater than we, by whom we may be oppressed; and our vexation will be so much the greater, when with all our power we cannot hinder it. for those that are in the very highest places, (if they have not the fear of God, before spoken, ver. 14.), their power doth but betray them to do the more mischief unto themselves and others, and thereby increase the misery of mankind. This seems to be the dependence between the foregoing verses and this. Wherein the wise man passes to the consideration of the third thing, (mentioned upon chap. i. 12.), unto which some aspire as the highest happiness, viz. greatness, power, and honour. Which, if a man be bad, make him so much the worse himself, and the world by his means; and if he be good, will trouble him very much, to find there are many abuses, which by all his power he cannot remedy.. For Solomon himself saw several gross impieties committed, (as he tells us in this verse), even by

[k] Ver. 21.] And thus it seems also most reasonable to expound this last verse, in connection with