John Trapp on Ecclesiastes 9:1

CHAP. IX. Verſ. 1. For all this I conſidered in mine heart.]

HEE that will rightly conſider of any thing, had need to conſider of many things: all that do concern it, all that do give light unto it, had need to bee looked into, or elſe wee fall too ſhort.

Sis ideo in partes circumſpectiſſimus omnes.

Even to declare all this] Or, To clear up all this to my ſelf. Symmachus rendred it, Ut ventilarem haec univerſa, that I might ſift and ſearch out all theſe things by much toſſing and turning of the thoughts. Truth lies low and cloſe, and muſt with much induſtry bee drawn into the open light.

That the righteous and the wiſe] Theſe are terms convertible. The worlds wiſards ſhall one day cry out, Nos inſenſati, Wee fools counted their lives madneſs, &c.

And their works] Or, Their ſervices, actions, imployments; all which together with themſelves are in the hand of God, who knows them by name, and exerciſeth a ſingular providence over them; ſo that they are kept by the power of God through Faith unto ſalvation. The enemy ſhall not exact upon him, nor the ſon of wickedneſs afflict him, Pſal. 89.22. What a ſweet providence was it, that when all the Males of Iſrael appeared thrice in the year before the Lord at Jeruſalem, none of their neighbour-Nations (though profeſſed enemies to Iſrael) ſhould ſo much as deſire their Land, Exod. 34.24? And again, that after the ſlaughter of Gedaliah, ſo pleaſant a Country (left utterly deſtitute of inhabitants, and compaſſed about with ſuch warlike Nations, as the Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites, Philiſtims, &c.) was not invaded nor replanted by forreiners for ſeventy years ſpace, but the room kept empty, till the return of the Naturals?

No man knows either love or hatred, &c.] That is, the thing hee either loves or hates (ſay ſome Interpreters) by reaſon of the fickleneſs of his eaſily alterable affections. How ſoon was Amnons heart eſtranged from his Thamar, and Ahaſhueroſh from his Minion Haman, the Jews from John Baptiſt, the Galatians from Paul, &c? But I rather approve of thoſe that refer this love and hatred unto God (underſtanding them, [non-Latin text not transcribed], in a divine manner) and make the meaning to bee, that by the things of this life, which come alike to all (as the next verſe hath it) no man can make judgement of Gods love or hatred towards him. The ſun of proſperity ſhines as well upon brambles of the wilderneſs, as fruit-trees of the Orchard; the ſnow and hail of adverſity lights upon the beſt gardens, as well as upon the wilde waſte. Ahab's and Joſia's ends concur in the very circumſtances. Saul and Jonathan, though different in their deportments, yet in their deaths they were not divided, 2 Sam. 1.23. How far wide then is the Church of Rome, that borrows her marks, from the market, plenty or cheapneſs? &c. And what an odde kinde of reaſoning was that of her Champions with Marſh the Martyr, whom they would have perſwaded to leave his opinions,Acts and Mon. fol. 1411. becauſe all the bringers up, and favourers of that Religion (as the Dukes of Northumberland and Suffolk for inſtance) had evil luck, and were either put to death, or in priſon, and in danger of life. Again, the favourers of the Religion then uſed had wondrous good luck, and proſperity in all things, &c.