John Trapp on Ecclesiastes 3:10-13

Verſ. 10. I have ſeen the travell that God, &c.] Not Fortune, but Providence ordereth all croſſe occurrences: a wheel there is within a wheel, Ezek. 1. then when men may think things run on wheels, at ſixes and ſevens▪ as they ſay. Humble your ſelves under the mighty hand of God, 1 Pet. 5.6. His holy hand hath a ſpecial ſtroke in all our travels. Hee both ordaineth, Act. 2. and ordereth all, Gen. 50.20. altering the property, Rom. 8.28. and diſpoſing them to good, rayſing profit from all. Thus men afflicted Job for covetouſneſſe, the Devil for malice, chap. 1. God, for trial and exerciſe of his graces; to bee exerciſed therein, ſaith the text, or (as the word ſignifieth) to bee humbled therewith, to hide pride from man, Job 33. to tame and take him a link lower. Their hearts are brought down, Iſa. 29.4. ſaith the Prophet, they ſpeak out of the ground that erſt ſet their mouthes againſt Heaven, and ſaid, I am, and beſides mee there is none.

[non-Latin text not transcribed] ab or natu, Mundus a mundicie.Verſ. 11. He hath made every thing beautiful, &c.] Plato was wont to ſay, that God did always [non-Latin text not transcribed] work by Geometry. Another ſage ſaid, Pondere, me ſura, numero, Deus omnia fecit, God hath done all in number, weight, and meaſure; made and ſet all things in comely and curious order and equipage: he hath alſo prefined afore-hand a convenient and beautiful ſeaſon for every thing; ordering the diſorders of the world to his own glory and his Churches good.

Alſo he hath ſet the world in their heart] i. e. Hee hath given to men the Creature to contemplate; together with an earneſt deſire to ſearch into Natures ſecrets. [non-Latin text not transcribed] Rom. 1.22. The Vulgar renders this Text thus, Et mundum tradidit diſputationi corum, And he hath delivered the world to their diſputations. But ſo fooliſhly and impiouſly have men diſputed of God, of his Providence, of his Judgements, of the chief happineſſe, &c. that they have reaſoned, or rather wrangled away the truth: being neither able to find out the beginning nor end of the cauſes or uſes of Gods works. See Rom. 1.21, 22. Veritatem Philoſophiae quaerit, Theologia invenit, Religio poſſidet, ſaid Picus Mirandula; Philoſophy inquires after truth, Divinity findes it out, and Religion only improves it.

Gloſſa Minor.Verſ. 12. I know that there is no good in them] i. e. No other good, but for a man to rejoyce and doe good in his life, i. e. Frui praeſentibus & facere quod in futuro profit, to enjoy things preſent, and to do that that may doe him good a thouſand years hence: to expend what he hath upon himſelf, and to extend it unto others that are in neceſſity; this is to lay up in ſtore for himſelf a good foundation againſt the time to come, this is to lay hold upon eternal life, 1 Tim. 6.18, 19.

2 Theſſ. 3.Verſ. 13. And enjoy the good of all his labour] They that will not labour muſt not eat, ſaith the Apoſtle: As they that doe ſhall enjoy the good of all their labour, eat the labour of their hands, and be thrice happy, Pſal. 12.8, 12. Jabal and Jubal, Gen. 4. Valeat poſſeſſor oportes, Si comportatis rebus bone cogitat uti. Horat. Pſal. 43.5. Frugality and Muſick, good husbandry and good content, dwell together? and yet not alwayes, but where God gives the gift. Hee gives ſtrength to labour, and health to enjoy the good of our labour. This the rich fool in the Goſpel either knew not, or conſidered not: Eat, drink, and bee merry, ſaid he to himſelf: but God was not in all his thoughts. How much better David? Hope in the Lord, ſaith he to himſelf and others, and be doing good: dwell in the Land, and verily thou ſhalt be fed, Pſal. 37.3.