exposes men even to be weary of life, as we see in the case of Job, Elijah, and others. Fourthly, the inconvenience of consulting carnal reason in cases of conscience attended with difficulty, which will easily lead us into ex

tremes.

4. Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit.

Here he proceeds to the consideration of another vanity, arising out of the former, of oppression and misgovernment, by which men are usually discouraged from all ingenious and useful undertakings, from all noble enterprizes, on account of the envy and danger to which their very superior skill and industry subject them, either through the jealousies of their superiors, or through the malignant and evil eye of their equals or inferiors. By every right work" we are to understand, not so much works performed in integrity towards God, as the ingenious and accurate performances of human invention, brought to perfection by the wisdom and practical ability of artificers of any description, such as that of Bezaleel, Exod. xxxi. 2-5; and of Hiram,

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1 Kings vii. 14.—“ That for this a man is envied of his neighbour:" the more encouragement he deserves for his ingenuity and industry, the more he is exposed to envy and danger; envy being like those moths and cankers that generally feed on the finest garments, as we see in numerous examples, Gen. iv. 5; Numb. xi. 27-29; 1 Sam. xviii. 7, 8; Gen. xxvii. 12, 14. and xxxvii. 8; 1 Sam. xvii. 28; Dan. vi. 3, 4; &c. And this is a great vanity and disappointment, when that which deserved credit and thanks from the world, procures hatred and injury, and so occasions great disquietude of heart and discouragement with such fruitless endeavours, Prov. xxvii. 4; Ps. lxxiii. 12, 13.

5. The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.

This is one effect of this danger and envy, taken up by foolish and slothful men; they refuse to make any extraordinary exertions, and choose rather to be poor than to be envied. Here is the character of an idle person: first, he is "a fool," to draw so absurd an inference, that because he cannot escape envy and trouble, he will not only neglect his duty, but ruin himself. Secondly, he " foldeth his hands,"

puts himself into a posture of idleness, composes himself to do nothing. Labour requires the stretching forth of the hands, Prov. xxxi. 19; laziness wraps them up oue in another, Prov. vi. 9, 10; xxvi. 14; and xix. 24. Thirdly, he "eateth his own flesh :" brings himself to extreme poverty, contracts weakness of body, enfeebles his mind, wastes his stock, consumes his family, and brings the curse of beggary upon himself and his household: for, as the diligent hand maketh rich, Prov. xiii. 11. so the slack hand maketh poor, Prov. x. 4. He thinks it the part of wisdom to spare his pains and sit quiet; and because he cannot attain to so much dexterity and skill as another, he will enviously sit down and gnaw his own flesh with hunger or indignation, Prov. xxvi. 16. But he is, first, a wicked man, in neglecting the duty of labour which he owes to himself, to his family, to his generation, and to which he is appointed by the ordinance of God, Gen. iii. 19; Titus iii. 14; 2 Thess. iii. 10, 11. Secondly, an absurd man, to reason himself into contempt and penury, and to be cruel to him, self because he is fretful at other persons, Prov. xi. 17; Ps. xxvii. 2. As the wise man had before noticed the vanity which arises from others, so here he adverts to that which arises from ourselves.

6. Better is a handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit.

This may be considered either as Solomon's words, offering a seasonable remedy for the evils of envy, indolence, and covetousness; namely, sweet contentment, with a competent provision, rather than vexation with a superabundance, Prov. xv. 16, 17. and xvii. 1; Ps. xxxvii. 16; Luke xii. 15: or, rather, as the words of the sluggard, apologizing for his laziness. If he strive to excel in his profession, he must in many respects disquiet himself; he cannot do it without much painful labour, nor, after all that labour, escape envy and ill treatment: and therefore he prefers a smaller portion with more ease and contentment; in which there is no small measure of fallacious reasoning. First, it is false to call his slothful and unprofitable way of living, rest or quietness; for real tranquillity is the effect of a fruitful conversation, Ps. cxix. 165. as bodily rest is the fruit of honest labour, Ps. cxxvii. 2; Eccles. v. 12. Secondly, it is false when he calls industry in a man's course of life, vexation of spirit; since a lawful employment withdraws the heart from many vain thoughts and desires, which would more sorely vex it. Thirdly, it is great pro

faneness to palliate his own sin by the appellation of rest and quietness of spirit, and, under the protection of God's own truth, to find a hiding place for his brutishness and sensuality, as Saul pretended a sacrifice to excuse his rebellion, 1 Sam. xv. 15; 2 Sam. xv. 7, 8; Prov. vii. 14, 15; Hos. xii. 8; 1 Kings xxi. 9. Fourthly, it is equally profane to give ear to the wisdom of the flesh against the duties of our calling; and, by arguing from inconveniences which we apprehend, to discourage ourselves from those labours which God has promised to bless. To encourage us to diligence in our calling, he saith, that his light shall shine upon our paths, that he will comfort and bless us in them, and that his angel shall keep us in all our ways, Ps. xci. 11.: but the sluggard says, to discourage himself, there is a lion in the way, Prov. xxii. 13; as if lions were more terrible to affright, than angels are powerful to protect. Fifthly, it is a vain conceit to think that contentment is tied to a small estate, and vexation to a larger; whereas true content knows as well how to abound as to want, Phil. iv. 11, 12: and discontent will render men as anxious, froward, and impatient under a small estate, as they would be craving, hoarding, and covetous under a greater, Prov. xxx. 9; Ps. lix. 15. The expressions in this