Ecclesiastes 2

A natural man sets up his happiness here, worships the golden image; but he that Christ has anointed with his eye-salve has a spirit of discerning, he looks upon the creature in its night dress, sees it to be empty and unsatisfying, not commensurate to a heaven-born soul. Solomo…

What Solomon says of wisdom, (Job 28:14) The depth says, it is not in me: and the sea says, it is not with me: the same may I say concerning satisfaction, every creature says, It is not in me. Take things most pleasing, and which we promise ourselves most content from, still out…

Ecclesiastes 5:10: He that loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver. Solomon had put all the creatures in an alembic, and distilled out the quintessence, and behold, all was vanity (Ecclesiastes 2:11). Covetousness is a dry dropsy; the more a man has, the more he thirsts.

Thirdly, are riches and honor, being severed from true religion, but the pleasures of sin? then undoubtedly all recreations, all sports, and pastimes, severed from religion and a good conscience, are much more the pleasures of sin. This Solomon knew well: for, speaking of such m…

I neither desire nor allow any to bring crosses upon themselves, yet I would desire all to make the best use of any cross they are under, and to be acquainting themselves with their sin and infirmities, and with their hazard, and with such other things as may weight and compose…

Then there must be multitudes of pleasures, not one only in God; My heritage is pleasant above me, above my thoughts, or I have a goodly heritage. Solomon was a messenger who saw both lands, and he says, (Ecclesiastes 2:13) Then I saw that wisdom excelled folly, as far as light…

The drunkard sings and drinks, when Christ answers his bill he sighs. Solomon, in Ecclesiastes 2, in the days of his vanity sought to give himself to wine (verse 3), to lay hold on folly; and (verse 10) whatever his eyes desired he withheld not from them, he kept no joy from his…

3. The end of this invitation, it was to eat and to drink with them. As under the notions of bread and water, or bread and wine, all necessaries for food are comprised; so under the actions of eating and drinking, the whole business of feasting is contained (Luke 12:19; Isaiah 2…

Alas, how insipid are all these things that we lay out our sweat and violence upon, they will not make us happy. King Solomon did as it were put all the creatures into an alembic, and distill out the quintessence of them, and behold all was vanity (Ecclesiastes 2:8). 1. These ea…

He has proved it to our hands: He had a large heart, and a large estate, and gave himself to pleasures to extract happiness from the creatures, to hunt after worldly satisfactions in a more artificial way than brutish sots, that merely act according to lust and appetite. Ecclesi…

Carnal comforts the more we use them, the more we are ensnared by them. Ecclesiastes 2:2. I have said of laughter it is mad: and of mirth, what does it? For what serious and sober use does carnal rejoicing serve?

And (Psalm 39:6): He disquiets himself in vain. By biting cares (Ecclesiastes 2:23): All his days are sorrows, and his travel grief; indeed his heart takes not rest in the night. (Ecclesiastes 4:8): There is no end of his labors, neither is his eye satisfied with riches.

Other delights that please the flesh feed corruption; but these corroborate and strengthen graces: they are so far from disordering the mind, and leading us to sin, that they compose and purify the mind, and make sin more odious, and fortify us against the baits of sense, which…

2. That moderate delight and contentment that we have in our earthly blessings is his allowance. The creature without God is like a deaf nut, when we crack it we find nothing (Ecclesiastes 2:24-25; Ecclesiastes 3:13). It is the gift of God, and it is one of the chiefest earthly…

Man's ground is overgrown with thorns, so that he has many an aching head and heart, many a sore hand and foot (before the year come about) to get a little livelihood out of this sin-cursed ground. Man's Paradise-like life was easy and pleasant, but now it is labor and pain, suc…

What do you get by all your gettings, to leave them all behind you? And it may be to them whom of all men you were most unwilling should enjoy them (Psalms 39:6, Ecclesiastes 2:18-21). To go naked out of the world is a sore evil, and no profit (Ecclesiastes 5:15-16).

There is this clear evidence that men's own wisdom is no security to them from death: that if it were otherwise we should see some difference between the wise and politic men of the world, and others, with regard to their liableness to early and unexpected death; but how is it i…

Therefore the most usual time of conversion, is between the third and the ninth hour, in our middle age, about twenty, and between thirty and forty; many are before, some are after, but most, and most usually, are worked upon at this time. There is (a good pleasure, as the origi…

Those who boast of comfort, but were never yet convicted nor broken for sin, have cause to suspect their comfort to be a delusion of Satan. It is like a madman's joy, who fancies himself to be a king, but of his laughter it may be said, it is madness (Ecclesiastes 2:2). The seed…

He had a key of knowledge to unlock nature's dark cabinet; so that if wisdom had been lost, it might have been found here, and the whole world might have lit their understanding at Solomon's lamp. He was an earthly angel; so that a carnal eye surveying his glory, would have been…

Faith is a grace that lives all upon the borrow; as when we lack water, we go to the well and fetch it; when we lack gold, we go to the mine; so faith goes to Christ, and fetches his strength into the soul, whereby it is enabled both to do and suffer; hence it is faith is such a…

Is it any joy for a man to be a terror to himself? Surely of the sinner's laughter it may be said, it is madness (Ecclesiastes 2:2). Whereas holy mourning is the breeder of joy; it does not eclipse but refine our joy, and make it better.

Why would you set your eyes on that which is not? (Proverbs 23:5). When Solomon had sifted out the finest quality and distilled the best of all created excellence, the result was: all was vanity (Ecclesiastes 2:11). The Greek word for vain signifies empty.

It is as if the thorns should set themselves in battle array against the fire; will the sinner go to measure arms with the great God? What Solomon says of laughter (Ecclesiastes 2:2), the same may be said of rebellion — it is mad. Disobedience is a sin against equity; we have ou…

And for riches (the silver goddess which men [reconstructed: adore],) what are they? 1. They are vain: I gathered me silver and gold and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces (Ecclesiastes 2:8), and behold, all was vanity, verse 11. That must needs be vain which ca…

Psalm 39:9. I was dumb, I opened not my mouth, because you did it. A mortified man is dead to the voice of men-singers and women-singers, and musical instruments of all sorts (Ecclesiastes 2:8), and houses, gardens, vineyards, orchards, great possessions, cattle, treasures, gold…

When a man has wisdom to apprehend the exquisiteness of his delights, and variety to keep out the [reconstructed: surfeit] of any one, he is then fittest to examine what compass of goodness or satisfaction is in them. First then Solomon kept his wisdom, he pursued such manly and…

There is this clear Evidence that Men's own Wisdom is no Security to them from Death; That if it were otherwise we should see some Difference between the wise and politic Men of the World, and others, with Regard to their Liableness to early and unexpected Death; but how is it i…