Or: to rejoice, in enjoying; Wisdom 2: "Let us everywhere leave signs of our joy": to do good, in preparing delightful things; Luke 12: "My soul, you have many goods laid up for many years: rest, eat, drink, feast."
And he adds the reason; whence he says: For every man who eats and drinks sees good from his labor, and there is a surplus of meaning here, so that the sense is: he who eats and drinks sees good from his labor, because he immediately has his reward; whence he says: And this is the gift of God: below in chapter 5: "Every man to whom God has given riches and has granted him the power to eat from them, this is the gift of God." The Gloss expounds spiritually: And I knew that there was nothing better, that is, more useful, than to rejoice, namely with joy of mind; Ecclesiasticus 30: "Joyfulness of heart, this is the life of man and a treasure of holiness without failing"; and to do good in one's life, namely meritorious works; Galatians 6: "Therefore, while we have time, let us work good toward all."
For every man who eats and drinks: supply: from Scripture, eats the difficult things and drinks the easy things: in Proverbs 9, Wisdom says: "Come and eat my bread and drink the wine which I have mixed for you." And this is the gift of God, because the understanding of the Scriptures is given by God: Second Corinthians 3: "Not that we are sufficient to think anything of ourselves as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God."
Art. 3. The immutability of the divine works is shown.
I have learned that all the works etc. He showed above the mutability of works, and from this reproved human curiosity. Here thirdly he shows the immutability of the divine works, because above he had shown their variability.
(Vers. 14. 15.). He says therefore: I have learned that all the works which God has made persevere forever. Behold the perpetuity, on account of which our consideration can change nothing: whence he says: We cannot add anything to them or take anything away, which God has made, that he may be feared, and thus they are not in our power: Proverbs 30: "Add nothing to his words, lest you be reproved and found a liar."
And he shows this, because not even God himself diminishes or adds: whence he says: What has been made, that itself remains. Neither does he add: whence he infers: The things that shall be have already been, because similar things have preceded: whence he also says: And God restores what has passed away, because "the corruption of one thing is the generation of another"; above in chapter one: "There is nothing new under the sun, nor can anyone say: this is recent"; Genesis 2: "God rested on the seventh day."
QUESTION.
Here a question arises: since he intends to determine the vanity of mutability, why does he here determine perpetuity?
1. It seems outside his purpose.
2. Likewise, concerning this perpetuity itself a question is raised, because he says: The works which God has made persevere forever: but no corporeal things persevere forever: therefore God made no corporeal things: therefore this leads back to the heresy of Mani, who said that corruptible things were not created by the good God.
3. Likewise it seems that he contradicts himself, because
immediately there follows: God restores what has passed away: therefore something of the works of God is corrupted and restored:
therefore he speaks falsely when he says that all the works of God
persevere forever.
But that all the works of God are incorruptible, as he says in the text, seems to be the case:
1. Because cause and effect are proportional, therefore the effect of an incorruptible cause ought to be incorruptible: but God endures forever and is incorruptible: therefore also the works of God.
2. Likewise, since all the works of God are very good, as is said in Genesis 1; and incorruptible things are better than corruptible things: it seems that these corruptible things were not created by the good God.
I respond: to the first point, why he here treats of perpetuity, it must be said that it is not for its own sake, but on the occasion of mutability; and indeed he does this for a threefold reason. The first is to remove error; for since above he had shown mutability in creatures, lest it be believed that the works of God were entirely defectible, he adds that in some way they are perpetual. Again, another reason is to restrain curiosity, which he had restrained, because we cannot investigate the mutability and cause and origin of things; he also wishes to restrain it because we can neither change nor increase the very substance of things. The third reason is to repress pride: for since he seemed to have diminished the works of the Lord through mutability, lest anyone on this account condemn God the author, he returns again to intimate perpetuity in them.
As to what is asked about permanence, it is answered that the being of things is threefold: namely, in their own genus, in the soul, and in divine foreknowledge; and above he showed that they are mutable in their own genus and insofar as they are in the soul: here he touches on their perpetuity in divine foreknowledge.
It can be answered otherwise, that one can speak of things according to their proper being in two ways: either according to common or individual being. According to individual being, many things are corruptible; according to common being, they are perpetual, because God continually preserves their being through generation; "for because they are far distant from the principle, God completed their being in another way, making generation continuous in them."
1. To the objection that they are incorruptible because they are proportional to their cause, it must be said that this is understood where there is univocal generation, where a cause produces something similar to itself. But this is not the case with the Creator and creature; rather, through infinite power he makes things great and small, corruptible and incorruptible.
2. To the objection about goodness, it must be said that all things are good in themselves, but very good in their order: and because where there is order, there is greater and lesser good, therefore some things are corruptible and some incorruptible. For this reason, goodness is in things not only according to more and less, but according to opposition and likeness; therefore the world is compared to a most beautiful poem; therefore it is fitting that some things are corruptible, and some the contrary.
Part II. The vanity of fault is proved, then the remedy against it is set forth.
I saw under the sun, etc. He treated above of the vanity of nature; here of the vanity of fault: and because this is dangerous, therefore it needs a remedy. First, therefore, he sets forth the vanity; second, the remedy against it, below in chapter four: Guard your foot.