Ecclesiastes 11

Notes

Ver. 1, 2. Cheerfully lay out thyself to bestow the necessaries of life upon the poor, who are entirely unable to requite thee; and so God shall plentifully reward thee for it in this life, or in that which is to come. And however great the number of needy objects be, bestow that which is necessary upon them all, according to thine utmost ability; for the opportunity of liberality may soon be lost to thee, and an evil time may quickly come, in which thou wilt infinitely need God to be the supplier of thy own wants. 3, 4. He bestows plenty upon men, in order that with it they may do good to others. And however undeserving the objects be on whom they religiously bestow their charity, they shall not lose their reward.—They that withhold it till every objection be answered, will never bestow it. 5, 6. As thou knowest not how the human soul is created or united to the body, or operates in and on it, nay, nor even how the child is formed in the womb, even so thou knowest not how God may deal with thee, or thy estate: and therefore neglect no opportunity of doing or receiving good; and without any curious prying into futurity, leave it entirely to God to recompense thee. 7, 8. Life and its comforts are desirable: but let men enjoy created comforts as long as they may, the lasting period of troubles, death, and eternity will infallibly succeed, and manifest the emptiness and insufficiency of all outward enjoyments. 9, 10. Whatever temptations young persons may have to indulge their own foolish and wicked inclinations and fancies, let them remember, with the deepest concern, that God will, in his awful judgment, call them to account for every part of their conduct. Let them take care to prevent those perplexities and miseries which sinful indulgence will at last bring upon them; for all the empty and shortlived pleasures of youth can never in the least balance the dangers of inexpressible and everlasting misery.

Ver. 1. Cast thy bread upon the waters. Some interpret thus: 'Cast thy bread-corn (seed) upon the waters,' as rice is said to be sown in Egypt; others, 'Sow thy bread-corn (seed) before the coming of the waters,' that is, before the rainy season. But as the word translated waters signifies multitudes, may not the meaning rather be, 'Cast thy bread (give forth thy spiritual instruction) before the face of the multitudes?' See Mat. 5. 1, as contrasted with the portions or more specific instructions prescribed in the second verse. C.

Ver. 3. The clouds of heaven water alike the desert and the garden, obeying chemical laws: and if a tree fall toward north or south, there it abides, obeying mechanical laws; how surely then should the intellectual and spiritual man obey the laws of his condition, and fulfil these beneficent purposes for which God has endowed him? C.

Ver. 9. This is no irony, as some have imagined: it is a simple and beautiful lesson. 'Rejoice in thy youth;' not in thy follies and lusts, 2 Ti. 2. 22. 'Let thy heart,' thine own conscience, and not vain companions, 'cheer thee' in thy course. 'And walk in the ways of thine heart'—thy conscience—not in the way of evil advisers; 'and in the sight of thine eyes'—not in the darkness of them that close their eyes, lest they should see, Mat. 13. 15. 'And know thou, God will bring thee into judgment'—the judgment, not of condemnation, but of 'Well done, good and faithful servant,' Mat. 25. 23. C.

Reflections.—What a plain, profitable, and important duty is that of giving to the poor! Nothing is a more certain mean of making men rich. No objections, drawn from our right to what we have, from the narrowness of our circumstances, from the discouragements which we have already met with in it, or from our not knowing how it can be made up to us, ought to make us neglect so much as one opportunity of charity. But, above all, it is most sinful and foolish for either old or young to indulge their lusts, and live unconcerned about Jesus Christ and his salvation, when heavy troubles, an important death, an awful judgment, and an endless eternity are before them, and they know not how near!