A familiar exposition or commentarie on Ecclesiastes VVherein the worlds vanity, and the true felicitie are plainely deciphered. By Thomas Granger, preacher of the Word at Butterwike in East-holland, Lincolne.

Verse 4.

And the doores shall be shut in the streetes, when the sound of the grinding is low, and hee shall rise vp at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musicke shall be brought low.

BY doores is meant the lips. The wind-pipe is the entry, the mouth is the doore-gate, the lips are the two-leafed doore of the heart or soule, as our Sauiour saith, Out of the aboundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. Euill thoughts come out of the heart, passing by the entry of the throate through the doore. The lips of old people are often pendu∣lons, and tremulous, they keep them shut, to stay the daily distillation of rheume; neither haue they what to speake a∣mong strong men, because their vnderstanding and memo∣ry faileth them; they are testie, morose, cholericke and pas∣sionate, their voice is weake, and breath short, and the state of all things is so altered since they were yong, that they cannot tell what to thinke or say. Children and olde men are neither Counsellours nor Actors; the one committeth both these to the elder, 1. King. 3. 7. 9. the other to the yon∣ger, 2. Sam. 19. 35. 37. The strength of the one is to come, the other is gone.

When the sound of the grinding is low; because the teeth stand thin, or loose, or moskerd at the roote, or that they are fallen out, and he cheweth with his gummes, and the grinding▪ cannot be heard.

And he shall rise vp at the noise of the bird. The fulnesse of humors, corpus succiplenum, is the aliment or food of sleepe, as is to be seene in children and yong folkes; but the hu∣mors of old men are dried vp, as the stalkes of plants, and the corne in haruest, and their skinne rough, withered and wrinkled as old trees. Hence it is that they cannot sleepe soundly, but the crowing of the cocke, the noise of little birds, the whimpering of mice, euery small stirrage w••keth them.

And all the daughters of musicke shall be brought low. An Hebrew phrase of speech, as 2. Sam. 12. 5. He that hath done this, is the child of death. By daughters of musicke is meant the naturall organes or instruments of the voice or song, as the lungs, the wind-pipe, the teeth, the lips, where∣of some shall be weake, some wanting, as in old vntune∣able instruments. Or, by daughters of musicke, may be meant the eares. As old men are dimme of eye-sight, so dull of hearing, they discerne not the harmonie or distinction of sounds, neither are affected with musicke, as Barzillai to Dauid, I am this day fourescore yeares olde, and can I dis∣cerne betweene good and euill? can thy seruant taste what I eate, or what I drinke? can I heare any more the voice of singing-men and singing-women? 2. Sam. 19. 35.