pretation leads to the same conclusion. Since there is so much vanity and vexation in all the studies, labours, and affairs of men, it follows, that if we would effectually free ourselves from these evils, we must avoid those anxious and disquieting labours, and cheerfully use those good things with which God has blessed us : and for the attainment of this object, commending ourselves, by sincere devotedness, to him, from whom alone this mercy proceeds, and not from the power or will of man."Make his soul see, or enjoy good;" i, e. make himself to enjoy the good which the blessings of this life afford. A similar phrase is used Ps. iv. 6. and 1. 23.-" In his labour:" First, in the fruit of labour, not of idleness. Secondly, of his own labour, of that which is righteously his own, not extorted from others by violence or injustice." This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God;" or the special gift of God, as ver. 26. ch. iii. 13. and v. 19; 1 Chron. xxix. 16. It may seem very easy, when a man has acquired a competency, to eat the fruit of his own labours; yet he has no power to do this without the divine blessing.

Here we may observe, first, that the utmost good of all worldly labours extends no further, as to real benefit, than the supply of the body, Eccles. vi, 7; 1 Tim. vi. 7, 8. Secondly, that

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it is not in man's power, after all his exertions, either to use or to enjoy temporal blessings without the special gift of God; to say nothing of sickness, or sorrow, or other inward distempers, and of robbers without, which may deprive them of their relish and sweetness, and abate our desire of them, 2 Sam. xix. 35; Job xxxiii. 19, 20: so that the floor and the winepress shall not feed us, Hos. ix. 2. and ii. 9. There is such a sordid and base cruelty in the mind of a man towards himself, as to defraud and grudge himself the fruit of his own labour, Eccles. vi. 2, 4, 8; much less can he with cheerfulness and tranquillity use those blessings, without he is influenced from above, Prov. x. 22; Ps. cxxviii. 12; Nehem. viii. 10, 12; 1 Chron. xxix. 22; Acts. xiv. 17; Deut. viii. 12

-18; Phil. iv. 11, 12, 13. Thirdly, that the happiness of this life consists in a free, cheerful, and contented enjoyment of the bounties of Providence, with a comfortable sense of his parental love, 1 Tim. vi. 6. Fourthly, that all the sweetness of outward blessings arises from their proceeding from the hand of a merciful Father, and their being sanctified by his blessing and grace, Ps. xxxvii. 16; Prov. xv. 16; 1 Tim. iv. 5. and vi. 17. The love of God puts sweetness into all outward mercies. Fifthly, that honest labour by which we procure our

subsistence, is the proper object of our comfortable fruition: then only can we rejoice in our eating and drinking, and in other delights of time and sense, when we taste in them the sweetness of our just labours, Prov. xvi. 8; Ephes. v. 28; 2 Thess. iii. 12.

25. For who can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto, more than I?

He proves what he had asserted, that it is the blessing of God alone which sanctifies all external enjoyments; because he who was so wise and so wealthy, and possessed so great a variety of delights, could, of himself, find nothing in all his great estate but vexation and disappointment. What power then can others have to enjoy them, when he could not? Or it may refer to the former part of the preceding verse, "There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink, and enjoy good in his labour." As by his own experience he had proved the vanity and vexation of the creatures in other respects; so, by the same method, he here demonstrates, that the only tranquillity to be obtained from this source, is, having secured the favour of God, to eat and drink with cheerfulness: he does not mean a sensual epicurean surfeiting on the creatures, but a quiet

free contented use of them. I to whom God has given such plenty, and such an inclination to enjoy it, can, by my own taste of his goodness, recommend the same practice to others; so ver. 10, 12.-" Who else can hasten thereunto more than I?" This denotes a particular promptitude and cheerfulness which Solomon manifested in the enjoyment of his possessions, as Job xx. 2. Others read it, Who has taken more pains to abound in delights and gratifications than myself? or who has quicker senses to discern the comfort of them? But the first sense seems preferable: for as in the former verse he spake, first, of eating and drinking, or the free use of God's blessings; secondly, of making the heart to enjoy them; he informs us his practice was suitable: "who can eat," relates to the former, and "who can hasten more than I," refers to the latter.

26. For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight, wisdom, and knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Having commended the free and thankful

use of outward blessing, united to godliness and contentment, from its divine author, it being the gift of God; he further commends it from its subject: many gifts of God are common to good and bad men, Mat. v. 45; 1 Cor. xiii. 1, 3 but this is a peculiar favour he bestows on his beloved, Ps. cxxvii. 2; the subject of it is a good man; the character of that good man, he is good in his sight, good in the judgment of God, who trieth the heart, Gen. xvii. 1; 2 Cor. x. 18; Rom. xii. 1, 2; 1 Tim. ii. 3; Heb. xiii. 21: the Lord gives to this man, wisdom to gain, knowledge to use, joy to partake all outward blessings; and this is illustrated by an antithesis." But to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up;" i. e. he gives them up, or leaves them to their own greedy desires, to gather with much anxiety and tormenting solicitude, Hab. ii. 6; Luke xii. 18; Ps. xxxix. 6.

"That he may give to him that is good before God:" that he may dispose of it, contrary to the purpose of the gatherer, to whom it pleases him, or to those that fear him, making wicked men drudges and purveyors for others, Isai. x. 7; Prov. xiii. 22. and xxviii. 8; Job xxvii. 16, 17; Esth. viii. 1, 2; Isai. lxv. 13, 14: as wicked men built the ark, but Noah enjoyed it; or, as according to the Greek proverb, One man makes the garment, but another wears it,