Part Two, Member I. The vanity of fault is shown under a threefold distinction, and this both with regard to rulers and with regard to subjects. Now vanity is under a threefold distinction: first he treats of the vanity of malice; second, of avarice, at: I considered and found; third, of imprudence, at: Better is a child. Now vanity is in rulers and subjects. First, therefore, he treats of the vanity of malice in those who govern and judge; second, in subjects, at: I turned myself.
Art. I. On the vanity of malice, first described in rulers in a fourfold order.
First, therefore, the vanity of malice, which is in rulers, is described in this order: first he introduces the consideration of this vanity; second, that from this one arrives at the premeditation of future judgment; third, at the consideration of the present condition; fourth, how one falls into erroneous opinion.
(Vers. 16.). First, therefore, he introduces that he has considered the malice of judges, saying: I saw under the sun in the place of judgment wickedness, as regards the examination of the case; and in the place of justice iniquity, as regards the pronouncing of the sentence: Isaiah 1: "How is the faithful city become a harlot, full of judgment; justice dwelt in it of old, but now murderers; your princes are faithless, companions of thieves; they all love gifts, they pursue rewards, they do not judge for the orphan, and the cause of the widow does not come before them"; because it is said in the Psalm: "In whose hands are iniquities, their right hand is filled with bribes."
(Vers. 17.). And I said in my heart: God shall judge the just and the wicked. Here, second, he shows how from this he arrives at the premeditation of future judgment. For which reason he adds: And I said in my heart: He shall judge the just, unto reward; the wicked, unto punishment: Job 34: "Far be wickedness from God, and iniquity from the Almighty. For he shall render to a man his work, and according to the ways of each one he shall restore to them. For truly God shall not condemn in vain, nor shall the Almighty overturn judgment." And therefore God shall judge them according to their works, which then shall be manifest; whence he adds: And the time of every thing shall then be, that is, the time of judgment of every person, who appears to be every thing, according to 2 Corinthians 5: "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the proper things of the body, whether it be good or evil."
Or: the time of every thing, that is, of the manifestation of every thing: 1 Corinthians 4: "Judge not before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the counsels of hearts."
Or: the time of every thing, that is, of the retribution of every thing: Romans 8: "Every creature groans," etc.
Ecclesiastes expected this time to be future from the sight of present iniquity: Isaiah 59: " Judgment is turned backward, and justice stood far off, because truth has fallen in the streets, and equity could not enter: and the Lord saw, and evil appeared in his eyes, because it is not manifest, and the just one was clothed with a breastplate and a helmet of salvation.
I said in my heart concerning the sons of men etc. Here is touched upon thirdly how from this he arrived at a consideration of the present state, namely why the Lord willed men to be miserable in the present: for this purpose, namely that he might prove them, therefore he made the life of man similar to beasts.
(Vers. 18. 19. 20. 21.). On account of which he says: I said in my heart, that is, I knew: concerning the sons of men, as regards nature: that God might prove them and show them to be like beasts, that is, by likening them to beasts he might prove who they were, whether truly good or evil: because the evil, seeing their likeness to beasts in life, wish to be assimilated in habits and live bestially: but the good live spiritually: therefore in the Psalm it is said: " Man, when he was in honor, did not understand; he was compared to senseless beasts and was made like them ". And he shows the likeness of men to beasts in death and life and in matter: the dissimilarity in spiritual substance is not manifest. - As regards death he says: And therefore one is the destruction of man and of beasts, and equal is the condition of both, namely for the proving of men, because, just as a beast does not always live, but rather sometimes dies, so also man: below in chapter nine: "There is no one who always lives and who has confidence of this matter "; and therefore he shows that the likeness is in death, whence: As man dies, so also do they die.
Nor is the likeness only in the end of life, but also in the act of living: therefore he adds: All things breathe alike, namely those that breathe: nor has man more than a beast, namely as regards the act of life: Wisdom 7: "One is the coming forth of men into life and like is the departure ". Thus the likeness as regards life is clear.
And he adds the likeness as regards matter: and therefore he says: All things are subject to vanity, namely, because they were made from nothing, therefore they are vain; Romans 8: " The creature was made subject to vanity". He does not say that nothing is the matter, but he means to say that they do not have uncreated matter nor essence, but they have created matter, which he understands by the name of earth.
Therefore he says: And all things go to one place, namely to the matter from which they were made. From earth they were made and to earth alike they return, alike, that is, conformably. And thus the likeness in matter is noted: Ecclesiasticus 40: " All things that were made from earth shall return to earth: likewise also all waters shall return to the sea".
But only in these things is the likeness apparent, but the difference in the soul does not appear. Who knows whether the spirit of the children of Adam ascends upward? to heaven, namely to recompense, or downward through corruption: just as conversely, whether the spirit of beasts descends downward? through corruption, or even upward, as also that of man, to the retribution of judgment. Few have known this: many have erred and held that the spirits of man and beast are uniform. The faithful have known this, in whose person it is said below in the twelfth chapter: "Let the body return to its earth, whence it was, and let the spirit return to God, who gave it." But the carnal do not know this, in whose person it is said below in the ninth chapter: "The dead know nothing more, nor have they any further reward."
And I perceived etc. In the fourth place, on account of this likening, he subjoins how he fell into an erroneous commendation of pleasure, as if nothing were better than it.
(Verse 22). On account of which he says: I perceived that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, that is, to take delight in present things, as the carnal do, of whom Isaiah fifty-six says: "Come, let us take wine and be filled with drunkenness, and it shall be as today, so also tomorrow and much more." And this commendation is erroneous, because it posits no other recompense nor any other life: whence he adds: And that this is his portion, as if he should expect nothing else: whence in Isaiah twenty-two it is said in the person of such people: "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die"; and Wisdom two: "Everywhere let us leave signs of joy, for this is our portion, and this is our lot." And this erroneous opinion has its origin from the uncertainty of judgment: on account of which he says: For who shall bring him to know the things that shall be after him? that is, who will show him that there are any future goods which he ought to expect? as if to say: no one. And certainly no one will persuade him, unless he be raised to the contemplation of spiritual things: "while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal," Second Corinthians four. But because the carnal man regards only visible things, therefore he does not expect eternal things: therefore First Corinthians two: "The natural man does not perceive the things that are of God." Therefore if he wishes to know future goods, it is necessary to put off carnality.
Questions.
I. It is asked concerning what he says: Man has nothing more than the beast, and that the destruction of both is equal. That this is false appears:
1. In Genesis two it is said: There was not found for Adam a helper like unto him, therefore no beast is like unto man: therefore he has something more than the beast.
2. Likewise, it is certain that man deliberates about future things and discerns past things and expresses his conceptions: but a beast does not: therefore etc.
3. Furthermore, man tames beasts, but no beast tames man: therefore man has something more than the beast.
That he does not have anything more, however, seems apparent: because he is born, lives, and dies and goes into the earth, just as a beast does.
I respond: some say that he says this in the person of the carnal man, who believes man has nothing more than a beast. - Otherwise it can be said that he speaks in his own person: and he speaks truly according to his own understanding. For he intends to show the uncertainty of the soul's recompense through a likeness to the beast. He posits and understands that likeness, however, with respect to visible things, which can be discerned by the senses: and through this he does not conclude a likeness regarding spiritual things, but rather a doubt: whence he says: Who knows, etc.
It must be said, therefore, that according to truth man possesses reason beyond the beasts, but shares with them in corruptibility, life, and respiration: and because reason is not something sensible but intelligible, and he speaks of sensible things, therefore there is in this no objection whatsoever.
II. There is a doubt concerning what he says: Who knows whether the spirit of the sons of Adam ascends upward? That it does, however, seems apparent: