rd

Ecclesiastes 1

2 All things in this world are full of vanity, and of none endurance. 13 All man’s wisdom is but folly and grief.
1.The words of the aPreacher, the son of David King in Jerusalém.
2.bVanity of vanities, saith the Preacher: vanity of vanities, all is vanity.
3.What remaineth unto man in all his ctravail, which he suffereth under the sun?
4.One generation passeth, and another generation succedeth: but the earth remaineth for dever.
5.The sun riseth, and the sun goeth down, and draweth to his place, where he riseth.
6.The ewind goeth toward the South, and compasseth toward the North: the wind goeth round about, and returneth by his circuits.
7.*All the rivers go into the sea, yet the sea is not full: for the rivers go unto the place, fwhence they return, and go.
8.All things are full of labour: man can not utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
9.gWhat is it that hath been? that that shalbe: and what is it that hath been done that which shalbe done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
10.Is there any thing, whereof one may say, Behold this, it is new? it hath been already in the old time that was before us.
11.There is no memory of the former, neither shal there be a remembrance of the later that shalbe, with them that shal come after.
12.hI the Preacher have been King over Israél in Jerusalém:
13.And I have given mine heart to search and find out wisdom by all things that are done under the heaven. (this sore travail hath God given to the sons of men, ito humble them thereby)
14.I have considered all the works that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity, and vexation of the spirit.
15.That which is kcrooked, can none make straight: and that reacher. which faileth, can not be numbered.
16.I thought in mine heart, and said, Behold, I am become great, and excel in wisdom all them that have been before me in Jerusalém: and mine heart hath seen much wisdom and knowledge.
17.And I gave mine heart to know wisdom & knowledge, lmadness and foolishness: I knew also that this is a vexation of the spirit.
18.For in the multitude of wisdom is much mgrief: and he that increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow.

Notes

1-a.
Solomon is here called a Preacher, or one that assembles the people, because he teaches the true knowledge of God, and how men ought to pass their life in this transitory world.
2-b.
He condemns the opinions of all men that set felicity in anything, but in God alone, seeing that in this world all things are as vanity & nothing.
3-c.
Solomon does not condemn man’s labour or diligence, but shows that there is no full contentation in anything under the heaven, nor in any creature, forasmuch as all things are transitory.
4-d.
One man dies after another, and the earth remains longest, even to the last day, which yet is subject to corruption.
6-e.
By the sun, wind and rivers he shows that the greatest labour and longest has an end, and therefore there can be no felicity in this world.
7-*.
Eccles. 40.11.
7-f.
The sea which compasses all the earth, fills the veins thereof, the which pour out springs and rivers into the sea again.
9-g.
He speaks of times and seasons and things done in them, which as they have been in times past, so come they to pass again.
12-h.
He proves that if any could have attained to felicity in this world by labour and study, he chiefly should have obtained it, because he had gifts and aides of God thereunto above all other.
13-i.
Man of nature has a desire to know, and yet is not able to come to the perfection of knowledge, which is the punishment of sin, to humble man, and to teach him to depend only upon God.
15-k.
Man is not able by all his diligence to cause things to go otherwise then they do neither can he number the fautes that are committed, much less remedy them.
17-l.
That is, vain things, which served unto pleasure, wherein was no commodity, but grief and trouble of conscience.
18-m.
Wisdom and knowledge can not be come by without great pain of body and mind for when a man has attained to the highest, yet is his mind never fully content: therefore in this world is no true felicity.