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them at last. As the heart of man in this state of corruption is naturally inclined to cleave to the world and worldly things, so there is a peculiar delight in those works which are the fruit of his own wisdom and labour; and he finds it harder to wean and withdraw his affections from them, than from any other. What the apostle declares of a man's own lust, may be applied to his own labour and work, that it most easily draws away the heart, Jam. i. 14: therefore, when God punishes such characters, he usually does it in the work of their own hands, in their principal and peculiar employments; as Tyrus in her merchandize, Ezek. xxvii. 27; Pharaoh in his river, Ezek. xxix. 3, 4. The wise man is apt to glory in his wisdom, and the strong man in his strength, &c. Jer. ix. 23; Dan. iv. 30, 31. This is the first ground of vexation, they must leave their wealth to others, Ps. xlix. 10, 12.

19. And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour, wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

"And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool?" This is the second rea

son of his dislike of all his labour: because he must leave them to the man that comes immediately after him, who may possibly be very unfit to succeed him in so wise and great undertakings. It is not in a person's power to leave the works of his hands, when he must no longer enjoy them, to such as are most likely to improve and preserve them; for let him he wise or foolish, he succeeds not only to the fruition of his labour, but to the dominion over them, Ps. xxxix. 6. And this is a

great vanity; to know how to acquire large possessions, and how to retain and enjoy them, but not to know what will hereafter become of them. A wise man may probably alter all; a fool will certainly scatter and dissipate all; and thus all the father's wisdom may quickly come to nothing, by the son's foily." Wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise;" i. e. in managing his worldly affairs to the best advantage, Isai. x. 13; Ezek. xxxviii: 4, 5. These are the two great principles of human actions, wisdom to direct, and labour to execute: wisdom, by counsel, directs labour; and labour, through experience, increases wisdom. That wisdom is fruitless which does not produce labour; and that labour is useless which is not managed by wisdom. Some conceive that Solomon foresaw,

or at least was apprehensive, that his son Rehoboam, by his folly, would destroy many of those grand undertakings, and lose much of that ample power and wealth, which he had wrought and acquired by his eminent wisdom.

20. Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun.

"I went about," or I took a circle; having turned hither and thither to investigate all human affairs, and every where discovering vanity in all, I was (after being completely wearied in this round) brought to utter despondency and despair, without the hope of ever finding out in any of my labours the chief object of my researches. And when I was also convinced, that all my acquisitions might fall into the hands of a fool, whose folly would extinguish the monuments of my wisdom, and whose luxury would consume the fruits of my labour; then I endeavoured to make my heart despair, and so entirely to withdraw it from all my pursuits. The word denotes a desisting from a purpose or work undertaken, or a change of counsel, finding the attempt to be fruitless and impracticable, Isai. Ivii. 10; Jer. ii. 25. and xviii. 12. There is a rational

despair, when a man having erroneously sought for some good from vain sources, remits so fruitless an enquiry, and applies himself to that which is more effectual, Is. lv. 2; and there is a passionate despair, proceeding from that frowardness of heart which such a disappointment is apt to produce in carnal minds; when, because a person cannot enjoy that good from an object which he expected, he will at once be angry with it, though it be in some respects valuable, and adapted to produce a certain measure of comfort and enjoyment. This is a sinful despair: for the Lord has made many promises to our worldly labour, Prov. xii. 24; xiii. 11; and xxxi. 31; Ps. cxxviii. 1, 2 ; and has pronounced his blessing upon the ends and uses for which he has appointed them, Deut. xxviii. 2-8; Mat. iv. 4. If Solomon here means the former despair, it was an evidence of his wisdom, dictating to him, not to place his hopes on vain things, which would delude and injure him, but to withdraw his heart from the inordinate love of all sublunary objects; but if the latter, it was a froward and corrupt aversion of things good in their degree, because the providence of God might probably dispose of them different to his wishes. Duty and labour about outward concerns belong to us, but the disposal of them, into what hands

he pleases, appertains to him. In the mean time, this is a powerful argument to suppress anxious inordinate toil about the things of the world, and to educate our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; lest much wealth in the hands of a foolish son prove our own folly; whereas a small estate, with wisdom and piety instilled into his mind who is to enjoy it, will be a greater blessing to him, as well as an evidence of our own superior wisdom.

21. For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity: yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity, and a great evil.

"For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom," &c.; i. e. who, first, by his habitual skill and faculty of contrivance; secondly, by his experimental and improved knowledge; thirdly, by his just, honest, and righteous dealing; united, fourthly, to diligent labour (which kind of principles so attempered is usually attended with the divine blessing), gains a fair and full estate; and when he has done all, must leave it to another, who never employed a thought about it, or used any exertions towards

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