John Trapp on Ecclesiastes 12:12

Verſ. 12. And further, by theſe; my ſon, bee admoniſhed] By theſe divine directions and documents, contained in this ſhort Book, wherein thou ſhalt finde fulneſs of matter in fewneſs of words. Or by theſe, that is by the holy Scriptures, which (according to ſome interpreters) are called in the former verſe, Lords of Collections, becauſe they are as Lords paramount above all other words and writings of men, that ever were collected into volumes. Odi ego meos libros, ſaith Luther, Luth. in Geneſ. I do even hate the Books ſet forth by my ſelf, and could wiſh them utterly aboliſhed, becauſe I fear that by reading them, ſome are hindred from ſpending their time in reading the ſacred Scriptures. Of theſe it is that the Pſalmiſt ſaith, Moreover by them is thy ſervant warned (or clearly admoniſhed, as the word ſignifies) and in doing thereof there is great reward, Pſal. 19.11.

Of making many Books there is no end] Ambition and covetouſneſs ſets many Authors a work, in this ſcribling age, Scribimus indocti doctique, &c. Preſſes are greatly oppreſſed; and every fool will bee medling, that hee may bee a fool in Print. Multi mei ſimiles hoc morbo laborant, ut cum ſcribere neſciant, tamen a ſcribendo temperare non poſſunt, Many are ſick of my very diſeaſe, ſaith Eraſmus, that though they can do nothing worthy of the publick, yet they muſt bee publiſhing: hence the world ſo abounds with books, even to ſatiety and ſurfeit, many of them being no better than the ſcurf of ſcald and ſcabby heads.

And much ſtudy is a wearineſs to the fleſh] Hierome renders it, Labor carnis, a work of the fleſh. They will finde it ſo one day to their ſorrow, that are better read in Sir Philip, than in St. Peter, in Monſieur Balſa[illegible: 1 letter]s letters, than St. Pauls Epiſtles. The holy Bible is to bee chiefly ſtudied, and herein wee are to labour even to laſſitude; to read, till being overcome with ſleep, wee bow down as it were, to ſalute the leaves with a kiſs,Hierom▪ ad Euſt. as Hierome exhorted ſome good women of his time. All other Books, in compariſon of this, wee are to account as waſte Paper; and not to read them further than they ſome way conduce to the better underſtanding or practiſing of the things herein contained, and commended unto our care.