Fashion of it perisheth ; fo also fhall the rich Man fade away in his Ways.

a Riches are not for ever; neither doth the Crown endure to every Gereration.

1 When Goods increase, they are increased that eat them; and what good is there to the Owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their Eyes?

· Sometimes Riches are kept for the Owners thereof to their Hurt: For those Riches perith by evil Travail; and he begetteth a Son, and there is nothing in his Hand. All his Days also he eateth in Darkness, and he hath much Sorrow and Wraih in his Sickness."

d There is an Evil common ainong Men; namely, a Man to whom God giveth Riches, Wealih, and Honour ; so that he wanteth nothing for his Soul of all that he defireth; yet God giveth him not Power to eat thereof, but a Stranger eateth it. This is Vanity, and it is an evil Disease.

'e There is one who hath neither Child nor Brother ; yet is there no End of all his Labour; neither is his Eye satisfied with Riches ; neither faith' he, For whom do I labour and bereave my Soul of Good? This is also Vanity; yea, it is a fore Travail..

? There be juft Men, unto whom it happeneth according to the Work of the Wicked. Again, there be wicked Men, to whom it happeneth according to the Work of the Righteous. This is

also Vanity.

: Sometimes likewise it so happens that Servants are seen upon Horses, and Princes walking as Servants upon the Earth.

" For this is an Evil among all Things that are done under the Sun, that ihere is one Event unto all ; and no Man knoweth either Love or Hatred, by all that is before them.

i The Eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the Ear filled with hearing. All the Labour of Man is for the Mouth ; and yet the Appetite is not filled. He that loveth Silver, is not satisfied with Silver ; nor he that loveth Abundance, with Increase : For that which is wanting cannot be nuinbered.

k The Wandring of the Desire. This is also Vanity and Vexation of Spirit.

Favour is deceitful, and Beauty is vain. ma In the Multitude of Dreams and many Words, there are also divers Vanities.

Seeing then there be many Things that increase Vanity, what is Man the better?

• Man, whose Breath is in his Nostrils, wherein is he to be accounted of? As he came forth of his Mother's womb; naked thall he return, to go as he came; and shall take nothing of his Labour which he may carry away in his Hand ; in all Points as he came, so shall he go: And what Profit hath he that hath laboured for the Wind ?

ת

& Ecclef. 10. 7.
h Ecclef. 9. 3. I.

1 Ecclef, 1. 8. Ecclef. 6. 7. Ecclef. 5. 10.

Eccles. 1. 15:

k Ecclef. 6. 9. I Prov. 31. 30. m Ecc!es. 5.7

* Ecclef. 6. 11. o ]sa. 2. 22. Eccles. 5. 15, 16.

He

P He heapeth up Riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them; his Sons come to Honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.

9 There is no Remembrance of former Things, neither shall there be any Remembrance of Things that are to come, with those that chall come after.

* The Thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done, is that which shall be done, and there is no new Thing under the Sun.

Surely our Fathers have inherited Lies, Vanity, and Things wherein there is no Profit; and though their way were Folly, yet their Pofterity approve their Sayings.

• Behold, is it not of the Lord that the People labour in the very Fire, and weary themselves for very Vanity? They weave the Spider's Web: their Web shall not become Garments; neither Thall they cover themselves with their Works. Wherefore turn not aside from following the Lord; for then thall you go after vain Things, which cannot profit nor deliver, for they are vain. For the Creature was made subject to Vanity.

u I would not live always, because my Days are Vanity. As a Servant earnestly desireth the Shadow, and as an Hireling looketh for the Reward of his Work ; So longeth my Soul for thee, O God, because thy Loving-kindness is better than Life.

1.9.

p Psal. 39. 6, Job 14. 21.

9 Eccles. 1. II. I Ecclef. s Jer. 16. 19. Pral. 49. 13.

t Hab. 2. 13 Isa. 59. 5, 6. 1 Sam. 12, 20, 21.

Rom. 8. 20. 7. 16, 2; Psal. 63, 1, 3.

The

u Job

The IGNORANCE of MAN. * Vain Man would be wise, though Man be born like a wild 'Als's Colt. He saith he will be wife, but it is far from him ; for the Thoughts of the Wife are vain. * We are but of Yesterday, and know nothing.

We wait for Light, but behold Obfeurity; for Brightness, but we walk in Darknefs; we grope for the Wall like the Blind ; we stumble at Noon-day as in the Night.

2 The Way of Peace we know not, there is no Judginent in our Goings ; we have made us crooked Paths.

* The Way of a Man is not in himself; it is not in Man that walketh to direct his Steps. Man's Goings are of the Lord: How can a Man then understand his own Way ? His Heart deviseth his Way, but the Lord directeth his Steps.

• If any Man think that he knoweth any Thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.

c Boast not thyself of To-morrow ; for thou knowest not what a Day may bring forth. We know not what thall be on the Morrow,

1 Great Men are not always wife, neither do the Aged understand Judgincnt.

e Where is the Wise? Where is the Scribe? Where is the Difputer of this World? Their

z Ifa. 59.

Eccles. 7. 23•

1 Cor. 3. 20. w Job 11. 12.

* Job 8.90

8. y lfa. 59. 9. 10.

a Jer. 10. 23.

Prov. b 20. 24.

c Prov. 27. 1. Prov. 16. 9. 1 Cor. 8. 2. James 4. 14. d Job 32. 9.

ei Cor. 1. 20.

Wisdom,

Isa.

47. 10.

Wisdom, and their knowledge, it hath perverted them : They are wearied in the Multitude of their Counsels. For the Wisdom of this World, and of the Princes of this World, cometh to nought.

* There is a Way that seemeth right unto a Man; but the End thereof are the Ways of Death.

& The Foolithness of Man perverteth his Way; and his Heart frelteth against the Lord.

h Where shall Wisdom be found? and where is the Place of Understanding? Man knoweth not the Price thereof; neither is it found in the Land of the Living.

The WEAKNESS and INSUFFICIEncy of MAN.

i We are not sufficient of ourselves to think any Thing as of ourselves; but our Sufficiency is of God.

k We have no Might, neither know we what to do, but our Eyes are upon thee, O Lord. We could have no Power at all, except it were given us from above. And we cannot go beyond the Commandment or Permision of the Lord, to do Good or Bad, less or more, of our own Mind.

" It is God that worketh in us both to will and to do of his good Pleasure, Thou, Lord, haft wrought all our good Works in us, So then it is not of him that willeth, fior of him that runneth, but of God that theweth Mercy. Neither is he

✓ Cor, 2. 6.

f Prov. 16, 25. Isa. 47. 10, 13,

& Proy. in Job 28. 12, 13

?. Cor, 3. 5. 19. 3:

k s 2 Chron John 19. 11.6

Numb, 24. 13: 20. 12.

Numb. 2.3. 1$.