Ecclesiastes — Chapter 4
These annotations are from the original 1609 Douay Old Testament, the first complete English Catholic Bible translation, produced by English scholars in exile at the English College of Douai. The archaic spelling is preserved.
This content was digitized from the original 1609 Douay (Old Testament) and 1582 Rheims (New Testament) print editions by OCR. The OCR process sometimes confused print page numbers with verse numbers, and may have assigned annotations to the wrong chapter. Chapter and verse labels on this page reflect the OCR output from the original print pagination and may not correspond to canonical Scripture chapter/verse numbers. For canonical reference, consult a standard Douay-Rheims edition. The annotation texts themselves are authentic 1609/1582 Douay-Rheims content.
Verse 4
Againe I haue contemplated al the labours of men, and their induftrics therfore there is vanitie,and fuperfiuous care-5. A foole foldeth his hands aAogether,and eareth his owne flefh , faving: 6. Better is anhandful with reit,then both hands ful withJabour and atfiGio of mind.7.Confiderin neither are his eyes fatisned with riches , neither doth he recount, : Uq 3 faying: (a) God fuffe- : reth the inno- cent ro be affii- cred for a time, of hisfpecial prouidence: becaufe they therby merite./ 4 great reward.’ I haue perceiued to lic open to the enuie of their neighbour: and in this Bfal. 72. (6yIt ts indeed better notto be at al,then to: tbe in eternal I found alfo an other vanitic vnder the funne: 8, There is one,and he hath miferie ( Afar. not afecond, nota funne,not a brother, and-yet he ceafeth norto labour, 26.¥. 24. ) but: temporal afiti-
Verse 9
It is better that two be together.) Befides the commendation of charitie, and freindship amongft men, S. Ierom expoundeth it alfo of the neceffitie of Chrifts dwelling in mans foule, & of his continual affifting grace: that man alone lie not open to the deicepts of the aduerfarie. S. Ierom teacheth, that neither can man without Chrift refift tentations, nor rife from anie finne in this life, or in the next: neither wil Chrift without mans confent and endeauour, ftay him from falling, nor raife him vp being fallen.