Division. 2)l2> I \5^| Section. J. J. .Xl C- L. No,^ 2L|. . ^/n \ . Co\nntr»e.>n-VxL\rY oys -VV>e. Old Tc^it^VA eVS:V ^ A HOMILETIC COMMENTAEY ON THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES, WITH CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES^ IR. E "^r. T I^ O 3VC -A- S H- H. E .A. L B. LONDON : RICHARD D. DICKINSON, FARRINGDON STREET. 1877. TABLE OF CONTENTS. Introiinction and Preface Page 1 ''erse 1 ?» 1 3? 2-11 ?> 2-11 12-18 JJ 12-18 1? 1, 2 1, 2 3-11 3-11 12-lfi 12-1 (i ■^1 17-23 47-23 24-26 24-2G 1-8 9-11 9-11 12-15 12-17 lG-18 16-18 19-22 19-22 1-3 1-3 4-9 4-6 7-12 7-12 13-16 13-16 1-3 1-3 4-7 4-7 8,9 8, 9 10-11 10-12 13-17 13-17 18-20 18-20 CHAPTER I. Critical Notes The Necessary Qualities of the True Preacher Suggestive CommeDts on The Lowest Possible Estimate of Human Life a Result of the Douial of the Soul's Supreme Hope Suggestive Comments on Speculative Wisdom Applied to the Facts of Existence Suggestive Comments on CHAPTER n. Critical Notes A Wise Man's Trial of Sensual Enjoyments Suggestive Comments on The Worth of this World's Pleasures Fairly Tested Suggestive Comments on Practical Wisdom Suggestive Comments on The Confessions of a Pleasure-Seeker Suggestive Comments on The Wisest Use of the Present World ■■ Suggestive Comments on CHAPTER in. Critical Notes The Supremacy of the Divine Control The Clock of Destiny Suggestive Comments on Solace for the Troubled Mind Suggestive Comments on The Way to Front our Destiny Suggestive Comments on The Impotence of Time Corruption in the Seat of Justice Suggestive Comments on The Doubt of Immortality Suggestive Comments on CHAPTER lY. Critical Notes The Tyranny of Force against Right Suggestive Comments on The Penalties of Success Suggestive Comments on Portrait of a Mammon Worshipper Suggestive Comments on The Instability of the Highest Dignities Suggestive Comments on CHAPTER V. Critical Notes The Ethics of Divine Worship Suggestive Comments on Religious Tritiers Suggestive Comments on The Oppressors of Mankind Waiting for the Judgment Suggestive Comments on The Impotence of Wealth Suggestive Comments on The Miseries of Him -who Survives the Wreck of his Fortunes Suggestive Comments on The Gifts of Providence — A Source of Spiritual Culture Suggestive Comments on 7 10 16 18 23 23 24 25 27 31 32 35 35 37 38 40 40 43 44 50 51 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 GO Gl 61 62 63 64 65 67 68 70 70 71 73 74 75 77 78 79 SO 82 83 8& TABLE OF CONTENTS. Verses 1-6 1-6 7-10 j» 7-10 11, 12 » 11,12 1-7 1-7 » 8-U 8-14 15-22 15-22 23-29 23-22 1-5 j> 1-5 6-8 >y 6-8 9-18 » 9-74 14-17 » 14-17 1-6 1-6 7-10 7-10 11,12 11, 12 18-18 13-18 CHAPTER Critical Notes The Life of Life Suggestive Comments on True Satisfaction for the Soul Suggestive Comments on Three Oppressions of Humanity Suggestive Comments on VI. vn. P.VQB 8& 87 88 90 91 93 94 CHAPTER Critical Notes The Transforming Power of Goodness Suggestive Comments on The Counsels of a Religious Philosopher Suggestive Comments on The Cautions of a Religious Philosopher Suggestive Comments on The Confessions of a Religious Philosopher Suggestive Comments on CHAPTER Vm. Critical Notes The Life of the Righteous Man in the State Suggestive Comments on The Stern Dominion of the Supreme King Suggestive Comments on Tiio Delay of Divine Justice Suggestive Comments on Our Duty under the Moral Discrepancies of the Present Life Suggestive Comments on CHAPTER IX. Critical Notes The Seeming Imperfection of God's Moral Government Suggestive Comments on The Unsatisfactory Conditions of the Present Life in their Bearing upon Duty Suggestive Comments on The Higher Will in Human Things Suggestive Comments on The World's Benefactors Suggestive Comments on 95 96 97 100 104 10!^ 110 113 lloi, 118 ir> 120 122 i2;i 125 12Cy 128. 129' 131 132 134 13(v 137 139 141 142 144 1-4 1-4 5-10 5-10 11-15 11-15 16-20 16-20 1-6 1-5 7-10 7-10 1-7 1-7 M-Il 8-11 12.14 12-14 CHAPTER Critical Notes The Excellencies of Wisdom Suggestive Comments on The Promotion of Fools Suggestive Comments on The Vanity of Speech Suggestive Comments on The True Life of the State Suggestive Comments on X. XI. CHAPTER Critical Notes The Precepts of Eonevolonco Snggostivo Commonts on ^The Counsels of Wisdom to the Children of Pleasure Suggestive Comments on CHAPTER XII. Critical Notes Incitements to Kiirly Piety Suggestive Conuneiits on The Vindication of a True Religious Character Suggestive" Commonts on Parting Counsels Suggostivo Comments on 147 147 149 150 152 154 15(! 158 159 161 162 164 167 170 171 173 176 179 181 183 186 IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY ON ECCLESIASTES. EcCLESiASTES IS the Greek name given to this Book by the Seventy, as the interpretation of the title Kolieleth^ which it bears in the Hebrew Canon. The meaning of this designation is, on the whole, well represented by the equivalent tcru), " The Preacher," which our Translators have supplied. The Authorship is generally ascribed to Selomou. But the adventurous spirit of modern criticism has sought for reasons of dissent from this view. These are founded chiefly upon some peculiarities in the Author's language— such as the employment of so many Ai-amaic words — and upon its representation of Jewish national life, which, it is alleged, is not a fitting description of the joyous times of Israel's most prosperous and magnificent king. It is, therefore, suggested that the Book was written by some Jew of a later age, who, in order to invest it with importance, assumed the name and style of Solomon. But such literary expe- dients, though employed by other nations, were not the usual practice of the Jews, and whenever resorted to, were discouraged. To us, the excess of evidence weighs in favour of the view that Solomon was the writer. The Jews have always regarded this Book as his production, as such it was received by the early Christians, nor did any one dispute this opinion before Grotius. In the Superscription "The Preacher" proclaims who he is, and the illustrations, evidently drawn from scenes of life in which he was the chief actor, correspond with all that we know of the manner of his life. His restless activity in building and planting, his severe strictures upon women, his unwearied pursuit of know- ledge and wisdom, and his endeavours to instruct the Church by means of short and pointed sayings, clearly identify the writer with Solomon. This Book bears internal evidence that it Avas written after his repentance. Such a nature as his would fall an easy prey to the seductive influence of the talents and riches of other nations. Solomon imitated their splendour, adopted their social customs, and even their idolatrous rites; or — as we think more strictly — became indif- ferent, regarding all religion as equally true. We have here the history of the struggles of his soul through perplexity, doubt, and trial, till he found true peace INTRODUCTION AND PREFACE. at last in the ways of duty, quiet submission to the Divine will, and in waiting for the Judgment, wherein Eternal Justice will be asserted. The record of the closing years of Solomon's life is not assuring. But when GOO ycn-s had passed away, and history could calmly survey his life without the prejudice and com- plication of near events, Nehemiah speaks of him as of one who was safe in the infiuite charity of his God. Chiding his people for seeking alliances with heathen nations, he asks, " Did not Solomon, King of Israel, sin by these things ? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God " (Neh. xiii. 26). The prophecy nttered by Nathan before his birth gives strength to this pleasing hope — " I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he com- mit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men. But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul" (2 Sam. vii. 14, 15). All carelessness in the voyage of life does not end in complete wreck. " For I have seen a ship in haven fall, After the storm had broke both mast and shroud." The great lessons of this book are obvious — The insufficiency of earthly things to confer solid happiness. Riches, talent, and genius, cannot put us in possession of the Supreme good. We are to enjoy the bounties of Providence with thankfulness ; and though it be dithcult to preserve a calm mind in the present disjointed con- dition of the world, we must patiently submit to the fixed order of things, and ■wait for the end. We are to serve God from our youth, and be guided in our opinions and conduct by "the words of the wise" — «.e., by the inspired writers^ The chief difficulty is to reconcile some statements in this Book with the teaching of Scripture, tmd indeed with itself. Thus, the immortality of the spirit of man is both asserted and denied. The righteous and the wicked are represented as sharing an equal fate, and yet as having different portions in the Judgment^ Some of these conflicting statements can be brought into hannony by supposing that the Author changes his point of observation. As seen by man, wisdom goodness, and all our glory end with the grave. But, observed from the stand- point of the Divine idea and purpose, man has a nobler destiny. Some expositors say, that here we are taught the vanity of all things apart from Godliness, and, oa this principle, regard each separate statement as true. Others represent it as a discussion between Solomon and several opponents. But, in our judgment, the plan and structure of this Book are most clearly seen if we consider it as a dramatic biography, where Solomon depicts in fervid words the scenes of his own life; and is, for the time, what he describes. lie is sceptic, voluptuary, and philosopher by turns. He indulges his capricious temper in the most diverse ways, as if he quitted every entertainment upon the first sensations of disgust. All these were but different experiences of the same mind — human life as observed in the changing moods of a soul of intense feeling and power. A book constructed on this principle must contain some statements not true in themselves, and at 2 INTRODUCTION AND PREFACE. ^fariance witli its main conclusion. In the relation of his experience and long ■observation, the wi-iter shows a power for deep reflection upon the saddest truths of life, and the solemn mysteries by which we are bounded on every side. It is eminently a book for practical men ; teaching how to use life wisely and well. In a sacred writer, whose chief theme is the miseries of human life, and the evil and folly of sin, we naturally look for some reference to Christ, the fount of ■consolation ; and to the glory of that world where the sufferings of the righteous will be swallowed up in a sea of infinite pleasure. But we have to keep in mind that the Scriptures are not a collection of detached parts, having no relations of -dependence ; but an organic whole, consisting of different members. We cannot therefore expect to find the same things everywhere ; for the higher the organism, the less we have of the repetition of parts; as we see by a comparison of vegetable and animal structures. The Bible does not increase by deposit — one layer mechanically placed upon another — but it is unfolded as a principle of life by an inner law of organic growth. Resignation is the chief remedy here proposed to relieve the distress of contemplation, or the present disorder. And do not the writers of an advanced revelation exhort us to walk by faith, and not by what is seen ? The Gospel itself does not completely dispel the darkness which surrounds us here, and we must await the solution of all painful mystery in the disclosures of eternity. In the meantime, only the mind in harmony with the Divine mind can have true peace, and enjoy the Supreme good. In accordance with these views of the inspired writer's plan and purpose, we have given our interpretation in a style adapted to homiletics. We have aimed to be brief and suggestive, to trace the principal lines of thought, leaving to others the last strokes and finishing touches. Vv^e have consulted the best expositors, and by illustrations and extracts from many able writers, have endeavoured to make this work answerable to its design. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. CHAPTER I. Critical Notes. — 1. The Preacher.] The word properly s'^jnifies " The Assembler." Solomon collected the people together for the purpose of addressing them as a public speaker, A dilHculty has been felt in applying this term to him, because in Hebrew this word has a feminine form; but wo may re£;ard Solomon as an impersonation of Wisdom, the word for which in Hebrew is also feminine. 2- Vanity.] The Hcbr;'.v ^vord is Hobel (Abel) the name given to one of the sons of Adam. The subjection of the whole creation to vanity was soon observed and felt. 5. And hasteth.] The verb signifies to hanker after, to bo eager for. There is a joyous ea"-erness appearing in the daily course of the sun. The expression corresponds to Psa. sis. T) : " He re/oiceth as a strong man (a hero) to run a race.'' 13. To seek and search, out.] In the sense of to try, or thoroughly to tost. The Preacher sought that knowledge which is attained bv investigation, as distinguished from that which is arrived at by precon- ceived opinion, or taken upon trust. By Wisdom.] In the Book of Proverbs, this word is equivalent to piety ; but in Ecclcsiastes it signifies science or sagacity. 15. Made straight.] Th& exact force of the Hebrew verb is to come into position. The meaning is, there is a seeming imperfection in the world; man cannot bend the stubborn system of things to whathe regards as his own idea of the best. 17. To know madness and folly. ] His aim was todiFcovor the worth of wisdom by its deviation from folly. For this purpose it was necessary to have a knowledge of both. Hicronymua says, contrariis contraria inteUi'junturt opposite things are understood by opposite. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verse 1. The Necessary Qualities of the True Preacher. I. He has the True Public Spirit. Solomon gave bis invitation to all, as in Prov. : '-Unto you, O men, I call." Jhe words of the Sacred writer of Israel have a popular character, as distinguished from the writings of heathen nations, which were addressed only to minds capable of lofty speculation. Ihe wisdoni of the world despises and spurns away the ignorant. It is addressed to classes — the heritage of the favoured few. But, the true preacher is a public benefactor in the widest sense. He who seeks the highest and most lasting good for man is the genuine lover of the race. His benevolent designs are not circumscribed by sect, country, social position, or mental culture — they are wide as the wants of the soul, which are seon beneath all appearances and disguises. 1. This pnb/ia spirit is oj^poscd to all sdjisli ends. The true j)reacher does not seek wealth — his own glory — has no desire of display. His aim is to proclaim the only remedy for the world's disease. He is lost in the supreme glory of his theme. 2. It is opjnised to all lesser forms of henevoh'.ncc. Solomon had acquired skill to increase tlic nation's wealtli, to adorn and beautify cities, palaces, etc. Yet he does not cxhoi-t men to attain this power, but rather to seek the Chief Good. The work of the true preacher promotes man's temporal welfare, sharpens the spur of progress, spreads civilization, purifies and elevates literature. The collateral effects of Christianity are not to be despised. But the great end of the preacher is to convey Xixiim^ spiritual good. The good, of which he is the channel, has the stamp of immortality. II. He has the impulse to utter the Great Verities of Religion. Solomon could not keep his knowledge of Divine truth and fervour of piety in the seclusion of his own mind and heart. He must let it forth for the good of all. Tiie true preacher has an irresistible impulse to utter the message God has given him. Why? 1. Because fie has true views of man — hia position hefore God, and his destiny. He has his eye on the four last tilings. This gives him earnestness, and singleness of purpose. 2. Because he lias a Divine call. No mere culture or training can fit a man to be a successful messenger of Divine truth. The true ])rc;iciier is the creation of the grace of God. The Divine fire, hot within him, will bo resplendent without. Every true preacher will be both a burning and a shining light. 3. Because the nature of his message must fUl 4 nOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLEs'TASTES. him with compassion, and tliis Jias the j}ropert}j of lovlnrj to spend itself. The messenger of mercy must catch the inspiration of true eluirity. III. He has a Soul-History. Solomon had an eventful history of spiritual conflict with sin, sorrow, doubt, and disappointment. He had attained to peace through a terrible struggle. Woe to that man who has nothing but an outward history — no stirrings of an inner life. It may not be necessary for the true preacher to fight over again all the soul-battles of Solomon, but he must know what moral conflict is — the crisis of victory must have taken place in his life. Vf ithout such a history, 1. Tha sijmhoh of Divine truth will he mere words., having no life or spirit. 2. His utterance of truth loill he «nhj professional. 3. He, at best, can only promote the 7-elif/ion of habit, taste, or culture, instead of true spiritual feeling. IV. He lias True Regal Power. Solomon was a Royal Preacher, and every preacher can be royal in his influence over souls. As mental power is superior to physical, so is spiritual to either. The men of literature are monarchs of the empire of mind. But the men who place spiritual principles deep in the heart of humanity have attained the greatest sovereignty beneath the Supreme Majesty. To gain a soul is to enhance the glory of our royal diadem. He who bears witness to the truth is a king. To possess Divine wisdom, and the power to utter it, invests a man with true kinghood. The Apostles still rule the Church by their words. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSE. Verse 1. The methods God employs in the conveyance of His truth to man are not peculiar to religion. Men seek by spoken and written words to impress their thoughts on other minds. All who would affect public assemblies by speech must use the expedient of preaching. The great masters of know- ledge, in every age, were, in their several ways, preachers. Solomon was the inspired teacher of lL3 people. His w^ords of wisdom were not only uttered by the voice, but they were also made permanent in sacred literature, and so their influence is per- petual. But though the Christian preacher may not commit his words to the immortal custody of the press, they are engraven on human minds and hearts. That which is written on the soul lasts longer than inscriptions on brass ■or marble, than the still more enduring works of genius, or even than the Bible itself. The writing which God's truth traces upon the spirit of man will outlast all the imperfect appliances of human learning. If a preacher is inspired by the Spirit, he can write books which will furnish the library of heaven. Words become ennobled when they ^re used to convey spiritual ideas. The cross was once suggestive of disgrace ^nd contempt; it now brings to our mind the dear remembrance of the deed of infinite love. The common expressions of our daily life have deep spiritual significations. Hunger, thirst, truth, freedom, life, death — these words, as the preacher uses them, have meanings of sublime importance. The Holy Ghost can turn the common elements of human language into a celestial dialect. There is a better and a more enduring substance in language than the litera- ture of the world can express. The words of the true preacher. 1. Instruct. 2. Pa^-suade. 3. Gain the affec- tions. 4. Unite true souls here. 5. Pre- pare souls for the great assembJij on high. Solomon taught the people knowledge. Paul was " preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things wiiich concern the Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts xxviii. 31). The preaching that does not teach is worthless. Talent, logic, learning, words, manner, voice, action, all are required for the perfection of the preacher ; but " one thing is necessai'y," — an intense perception and appreciation of the end for which he preaches, and that is, to be the minister of some definite spiritual good to those who hear him \J. H. I^eiomanl. CHAP. I. UOMILETIC COMMENTARY : ECCLESIASTES. Words are the garments ■with which thoughts clothe themselves. The miud cannot rest in what is vague or diffused : it can only apprehend ideas which have a definite expression. This law of our mental constitution makes the superior revelation of the Gospel a necessity. God has given us an ex- pression of Himself. 1. Bij the In- carnate Word. Thought itself is in- visible. We cannot follow the silent excursions of another's mind. But speech is thought enbodied. The In- visible God has been manifested forth in His Son — the Divine Word. Logos signifies in Greek, both the word which expresses the thought outwardly, and also the inward thought, or the reason itself. The Eternal Word reveals the Eternal Reason. Christ is the power of God, and the Wisdom of God. 2. Bij His works. These are the thoughts of God as manifested by material thingn. Physical science is but the in- telligent reading of those ideas of God which have taken form and shape in the universe of matter. Here are the Divine thoughts on beauty, force, mechanism, and contrivance to compass special ends for the welfare of His great family. Nature is a volume whose meaning is ever unfolding, and en- hancing our conceptions of the Infinite jMind. " The invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made." 3. By tlie Scriptures. These are the thoughts of God concerning us men and our salva- tion. They reveal (1.) His tliouglds on our natural condition. (2.) His thougJits on the means of our recovery. (3.) His thouijh.ts on the conditions of our loelfare in the tjrcat future. The Church can only be maintained by keeping spiritual thought alive by moans of fitting words. Tiie disciples were commanded to " teach all nations." A king does not lower his dignity by undertaking the oflico of a preacher. That sacred calling is honourable, be- cause it is occupied with what is of infinite value and importance — the soul of man. The words of secular si)eakers are only concerned with the lloctiug things of time, but the words of tho preacher are concerned with man's interest beyond the grave. The statesman deals with the con- cerns of empires ; but empires, though they flourish through a life of centuries, yet idtimately share in the mortality of their founders. The advocate vindi- cates the claims of individuals whose earthly existence is still more transient; but to the preacher alone is appropriated the assertion of a subject whose extent is infinite, whose duration is eternal. To him alone it is given to consider man in the one aspect in which he is unchangeably ' sublime. With every other view of his nature the low and the ludicrous may mingle ; for in every other view he is a compound of the wondrous and the worthless ; but in the contemplation of a being whose birth is the first hour of an unending existence, no artifice can weaken the impression of awful admiration which is the great element of sublimity \_Arc/ier Batler~\. The Church, by the voice of her teachers, possesses a power to gather men together, and to imite them by the surest bonds. The society thus held together by the ties of a common heri- tage of truth, experience, and hope, has no elements of decay. Outside the Church, Ave find disunion and desolation. " We have turned every one to his own way." Men can never be truly united into one family imtil they bear the same gracious and loving relations to our Heavenly Father. Success in preaching serves to expand the Parental Empire of God. Christ is the true Solomon — the true collector of assemblies. He said to Jerusalem, " How often would I have gathered thee ! " He will, in the end, collect all His people into one great assembly, and unfold to them the riclies of His mind. He has yet many things to say unto us, but we cannot bear them now. Human language cannot fully reveal the riches of infinite truth. The sub- stance of Divine truth in the Uible is su])erior to the forms of language by which it is conveyed. The preacher's HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. chap. i. best words fall short of tlie sublime life-giving Spirit, without which they verities of which they are the vehicle. are vain. The advice of Bacon is to The garment of man's speech must ^^^ point : ipsis consuescere rebus — to be narrower than the body- of God's accustom ourselves to the ildiujs them- truth, which by one means or another selves. has to be clothed with it [Trencli]. The preacher's words are a debt due The preacher should be careful in rr^, ^^ ! ,. . the choice of words, for their right use , ^^'^ '^°, *^°^^ ^^^ monopolize its and ordering is not merely an accom- ^^'^Jf^' f°^ engross its l.ght; but plishment, but is bound up with the ''''^"f ' -t^^"! "'''t' t'^' *^' ""'f ^ interests of truth itself. ""'f^ if ^ *.^^7; It shmes moi-e for ™, . , „ ,, ^, . , others than itselt ; it is a public light. The mixture of those things by ^^ok on a fountain; it does not bind speech, which by nature are divided, is j^, ^ty^^^ras, seal up itself, and enclose the mother of all error lHoolcer-\. ^^^ ^^.^^^^.^^ ^^^^ ^p^^^^ j^^^j^ ^^,.^j^ ^ ^^^_ The preacher must avoid the clanger tinual bubbling forth. It streams forth of accepting the words of religion in a fluent, liberal, and communicative instead of the things which they repre- manner ; it is a public spring [Culver- sent. Tliere is behind the words a ivell}. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 2— U. The Lowest Possible Estimate of Hujian Life a Result of tue Denial OF the Soul's Supreme Hope. Apart from God and immortality, human life, in all its departments and issues, must be regarded as a failure. " All is vanity." We have : I. The failure of all Human Labours. " What profit hath a man of all his labour ? " It cannot be denied that Avork and industry have their uses and rewards — they are necessary to the very existence of society. But they yield no lasting profit for man — they do not put him in possession of the chief good. Why do they fail to secure this result ? — 1. Because the// do not employ the ivhole capacitii of man. In many departments of industry, work is but a dull and weary round. The same course of things goes on from day to day, without variation. After the first difficulty of learning his task is over, a man works mechanically. Even in those labours requiring great intellectual skill and culture, some of the higher powers of the soul are left unemployed and unsatisfied. The Reason which apprehends eternal truth, and the Conscience which is sensitive to eternal law, may be dormant in the midst of great mental activity. A man may be engaged in the highest earthly Avork, and yet the sublimest powers of his nature may lie unused. ""2. They are only accepted as a sad necessity of his position. Man does not labour because he delights in it; but because he is forced to join in the struggle for subsistence. Human labour is weariness and toil. Even the nobler exer- tions of the intellect exhaust the powers. The necessity for labour is a bitter draught for man. 3. They yield no lasting good. Some kinds of labour are for the supply of necessities, and some for ornaments to beautify and adorn life. 1 The necessities recur again, and a fresh demand is made. The glories of this life ) soon clog the sense — they cease to please — there is no felt satisfaction. The fairest I scenes soon fade and languish in our eye. All earthly pleasures lack the quality of ; permanence. The darkness of the shadow of death takes the fairest colours out of life. II, The failure of the Individual Life. '' One generation passeth away," &c. If we deny man's supreme hope of being with his God for ever, the highest account we can give of life is — that the race is immortal, but the individual perishes. Humanity survives, but the separate souls which have composed it, which have lived and worked here, are gone for ever. They have come from forgetfulness, and sink thither again. The only constant remainders of all this glory and 7 CHAP. I. IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. activity are the earth and man — the type preserved, the individual lost. This rapid extinction of the individual life, as compared with the permanence of the scene on which it is manifested, appears : — 1. From the uses of History. For what purpose is history, but to give us an account of past generations ? It is necessary because they are gone. Their voices are hushed, and their thoughts and deeds can only reach us through literature, which embalms the past. History is written that the deeds of men may not altogether fail of renown. 2. From our axon observation of Human Life. We see the world around us in fixed and constant outline, and the busy multitudes upon it. But the separate individuals composing these drop away, one by one, out of our sight. " He changes their countenance, and sends them away." Compared with the cver-during world, the life of man here is but a sudden flash in the darkness of eternal night. This is a melancholy view of life. (1.) It makes the final cause of man's existence an inscrutable mystery. If this life be all, we ask — why was such a creature made with capacities which the world itself cannot satisfy ? AVhy should man be endowed with marvellous powers which have no room for expansion here ? If there be no immortality, surely man was made in vain. (2.) Abates the value of every fact in the universe. Our own existence is the fact of the greatest importance to us. What is it to us that even God Himself exists, and that His works will ever furnish a sublime theme for con- templation, if we ourselves sink into eternal oblivion ? (3.) That dead matter has a longer range of existence than human life, is a crushing humiliation for the sold. III. The failure of Man's Hope of Progress. If God aud the prospect of a future life be shut out, all hope for any real progress for the race is but a delusion, 1. Nature does not indicate such j^rogress. There is everywhere movement, activity and change ; but no tendency of things to a higher state. All move in one regular, unvarying round. There is no onward march to the distant goal of perfection. Thus, water appears as vapour in the clouds, as liquid in the river ; then it runs into the sea, aud is raised to vapour again. It is driven in this endless round from age to age. The winds are lashed around their fixed circles. Even every separate particle of air performs its little journey, to and fro, by an invariable law. Even where there is apparent progress, tliere^ is no real advance. Life itself only passes from growth to decay. 2. Our ex- perience of Human Life does not indicate it. The same classes of events constantly recur. History repeats itself. Given the facts of sin — evil propensities, and the forces of temptation, and it is not dilhcult to predict human conduct. As the underlying facts of depravity are pretty constant, it follows that one age is but the repetition of another. There is nothing absolutely new, even in mental effort. The grandest utterances of ger ius arc but the expression of the inarticulate aspirations, or dumb agonies felt by myriads of minds aud hearts long before. 3. There is no real progress., nottcithstanding the activity of human invention and discovery. The mind of man will exert itself to light with his hard conditions. But all his power does not avail to rend the iron bonds of his destiny. Thus, progress in medical science may restore health for a time, but cannot iinally turn aside tho common fate of death. The dominion of man over nature may bo en- larged by his inventions, and his enjoyments multiplied; but the sad and severe factsof our existence still remain. Man by his genius has done much to conquer the wild forces of nature, yet by these lie is often vanriuishcd. He has assayed to conquer the winds and the oce«>n, but tempests and shipwrecks remind him that his sovereignty over nature is not complete. No human power or talent can banish the curse, and restore Paradise. IV. The Failui'e of Man s Hope for Fame. " There is no remembrance of former things," &c. It is natural to cherish a desire to be remembered. We cannot resign onrsclves to the thought that our names and deeds shall quickly be lost in forgetful ness. Hence the restless pur- suit of fame. But even this poor consolation is denied us. If wo have no hope 8 IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESTASTES. CUW. I of living- with God liei-eaftcr, there is no earthly immortality of any kind for us. 1. The best men are soon forgotten. The wise, the good, and the great of past ages pleased and blessed their generation, and lived for awhile in the memory of posterity ; but in the course of revolving years, they have entirely faded out of remembrance. No skill or goodness can preserve the majority of mankind from oblivion. 2. The world's greatest henefactors are unhvnon. This is true of the inventors of the most useful arts — of those who have devised principles of action which have> changed the currents of a nation's history — their names are unknown. Those are not the greatest names that survive in history. The men whose thoughts were the deep foundations for changes and events are hidden in forgetfulness. Even the names of the authors of several of the sacred books aro unknown. 3. The roll of fame cannot he 'praclicallij enlarged. The human memory is not infinite. As new names are added to the roll of fame, other names must vanish from it. We can have no consolation from any hope of fame. Let us seek to be dear to the remembrance of God. OrrosiTB Ideas of Life: The Materialis- tic AND THE Spiritual. Eccl. i. 2 — 11, contrasted with 1 John ii. 17, John i. 51, James i. 25, Hob. xi. •!. There ore two very opposite ideas of human life — Materialism propounds the one, Sjnritual Christianity the other. Let us contrast these two ideas, I. The one idea represents life as a transient appearance, the other as a per > maneut reality. Solomon says, speaking out the philosophy of Materialism, " One gene- ration passeth away," &c. " All is Vanity " — a mere pageant, an empty show. A whole generation is but a troop of pilgrims pursuing their journey from dust to dust. They soon reach their destination and disappear: but the earth, the old road over which they trod their ■way, "abideth for ever." To-day I walk through the bustling thoroughfare of a com- mercial city. Merchants, artizans, the rich, the poor, &c., rush by me. Thirty years hence, a greater throng, it may be, ■will rush through these streets ; but they are not the same men, women, boys and girls. In the view of the Materialist — " Life's but a walking shadow — a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage. And then is heard no more." In sublime contrast with this is the teaching of the Now Testament: "Ho that doeth the will of God, abideth for ever." " He that believeth on Mo shall never die." It is true that the earth isathoroughfare for generations ; but it is not the ichole journey of man. All who have ever trod this earth are living thinking, conscious still. II. The one idea represents life as an Endless Eoutine, the other as Constant Progress. " The sun also ariseth," &c, Solomon saw the sun, tho wind, the rivers moving in an invariable circle, returning ever to the point whence they set out. He compares this to human life — a mere endless routine. It is true that nature moves in a circle — that the motion of all organic life is from dust to dust. This is, says the Materialist, but a figure of man's moral his- tory ; there is no progress, it is an eternal round. Place against this the idea of Spiritual Christianity: " Hereafter ye shall see heaven open," &c. Souls do not revolve in such fixed cycles. Their destiny is not to roll, but to rise. The true path of tho soul is like Jacob's ladder, " from glory to glory." III. The one idea represents life as Unsatisfying Labour- iousness, the other as Blessed Activity. "All things are full of labour." la every part of nature, hard work is going on. It is especially so in human life. There is labour of the brain as well as of the muscle. Materialists say that this labour is necessarily unsatisfying. This is true to him. Labour, if not inspired by the right spirit, fails to yield true satisfac- tion. On the other hand, Christianity teaches that labour need not bo unsatisfying. A good man is "blessed in his deed." Labour inspired with the spirit of love-io God will bo eversatisfying. IV. The one idea represents life as Doomed to Oblivion, the other as Imperish- ably Remarkable. " There is no remembrance of iormer things " &c. Men and their doings are speedily lost in forgetfulness. Time wipes out the names of famous men from tho most durable marble — moulders the metal, stone, parchment and paper on which they were in- scribed. Such is the gloomy idea of IMatcrial- ism, and it is partly true. Posterity soon for- gets the greatest of its ancestors. Yet thoy are remembered by their friends, and their God. No Houl can bo forgotten. The good man " being dead, yet speaketh." Christianity teaches that man will ever live in the memory of those who love him. Tho genuine disciple of Christ has his name written in an imperishable book — "the Lamb's Book of Life " \_HomUist~\. CHAP. T. nOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 2. The duty of te idling, in the impeiisliable pages of Revelation, tlie emptiness of earthly glory was not laid upon one who had never tasted it, and who would naturally feel a sense of disgust at what he could not reach. It was Israel's most magnificent king, whose name was the equivalent for earthly grandeur and state, Avho was commissioned to preach this lesson to the Church. This description cannot be applied to God, for He is self-existent, and of infinite glory ; nor can it be applied to the u'liole existence of those Avho are partakers of the Divine nature. All that is not God — not with Him — not like Him — is vanity. That the word vanity should most properly describe the state of the world is no reflection on the Creator. Sin has invested the whole scene of man •with this terrible property. " The creature was made subject to vanity." We have two opposite conditions described in the Bible, " God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good." "All is vanity." But the fall of man has intervened. The fall of the highest involved a corresponding reduction all along the scale of nature. The present state of things is not eternal — it is only one of transition. It was not the beginning, and will not be the end of God's ways. The Gospel has for its object the "regeneration" of Society. The second head of humanity will make all things new. Death, the master-stroke and crowning power of vanity, will be destroyed ; the children of God Avill be delivered from the burden and vanity of earthly existence. This is the hope in which we are saved. (Rom. viii. 24.) We must feel our emptiness before we can partake of the Divine fulness. To dwell in our true home — which is God — is the soul's refuge from the vanity of life. The soul's true good springs from another order of things than the present. 10 It can only be secured to us by the kingdom of heaven. A true sense of the vanity of life shows us our need of God and immor- tality. 1. It saves ns from the false pursuit of happiness. 2. It reconciles us to the loss of the world. 3. It teaches us to prepare for a higher destiny. There is a " better and an enduring substance," Men are taught by the vanity of life their need of heaven. There are different ways of meeting this painful fact of human life: — 1. The Stoical. We may harden our hearts, and look down upon the ills of life with the lofty bearing of a severe philosophy. 2. The Epicurean. We may strive to drown all painful feeling in a reckless devotion to pleasure. •■' Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow Ave die." 3. The Christian. He pro- jects the Divine glory within him upon the outward world, and regards this life as but one step in the path of eternal progress. The thinkers of all ages, whether within or without the area of revealed truth, have felt the present disordered condition of the world. This feeling has sometimes led to atheism, and some- times to some desperate or vague hope. Lucretius could see no hand of Eternal Wisdom in the plan of creation — nothing but a disordered and confused mixture. Man has always felt that Paradise is not here. Christ will restore Paradise, and usher in a new creation in which will be nothing vain. He Avill be mind- ful of that world where He Avas enter- tained so long, and Avhich Avas the nurse of His humanity. AVliat the Spirit of God meaneth by vanity, the Spirit of God can best tell lis; Avho doth Himself explain it, Avheu the Prophet Jeremiah acknowledgeth, *' Surely our fathers have inherited lies, A'anity, and things Avherein there is no profit" (Jer. xvi. 19). The vanity, then, Avhcreof the preacher speaketh, is the lying promises of contentment Avhich worldly things make, and the uo-prollt HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. CHAP. I. which is made of them. " Vanity of vanities," that is, the vanity of them is even more than vanity : and as if he wouki say more, but could not, he saith the same again : and lest he should not have said all, yet he addeth, " All is vanity " [Je7'7ni?i]. This verse, if they who are great in this world were wise, they would write on all their walls and garments, in their common meeting places, in their private houses, on their doors, in their entries, and above all in their consciences, so that they might always see it before their eyes, always consider it in their minds \_St. Chn/sostom^. Verse 3. Human labour has some present profit andadvautage, it trains the physical, and intellectual powers, gives sustenance, comfort and adornment of life. It prevents man from being van- quished by the powers of nature. But without a divine principle in the soul, and a high aim, the profit it brings vanishes with the departing breath. It wants the stamps of immortality. Life's labour will not be in vain for those who live for ever in God's sight. The curse inliicted upon us signifies something more than the necessity for work. It is labour — all that is painful and distressing in work. In the future world, there will be work in the sense of the highest activity ; but, " They rest fi'om their labours." If a man has no liope of heaven, where is the profit of all his earthly labour ? 1. In any true satisfaction with it. In looking back upon all his labour, a man must discover that, it is far from being perfect. He has to lament mistakes, and movements foolish and unprofitable. 2. lu true enjoy- ment. Man, even in the most favour- able conditions, has but few days of rapture — painful thought and anxiety damp his pleasures, o. In the issues of it. When all is done, and he looks into the future, nothing remains but a dreary blank. He alone has lasting gain who works for a world higher than this. He who does not find God loses all the labour of his life. This fruirles=ness of man's labour he doth restrict only to things under the sun, that is, of an earthly and tem- porary concernment, on which man spends his time aud pains which should be employed about things above the^ sun, or of a heavenly and eternal con- cernment, which are of a higher rise and nature, and so are expressed by " things above." .... Nothing can be esteemed the true profit of a man's labour of body and spirit, but that only which will abide, and continue with him; and therefore, his profit cannot in reason be thought to consist in earthly pleasures wliich are momen- tary (Job XX. 5), nor in " riches which, take wings" (Prov. xxiii. 5), nor in worldly glory which " descends not after him " (Psa. xlix. 17), but is only to be found in fellowship with Christ, which may be in some measure con- tinued with him along the course of his pilgrimage here, and shall never be interrupted hereafter [Nisbet]. The sun is the master-workman of the world, labouring continually, and labouring under his great Master, God, to minister unto the inferior creatures of the world, as the Hebrew name of it (Shamesh, i.e. to minister or serve), doth notify unto us. Under this master- work man are all other labourers ; he calls them up to their labour ; he oversees their labour ; he appoints unto them their time of ceasing from labour. But although we labour under him, yet unless the end of our labour be for something above him, it will, not profit us ; unless as he calls us to labour, so we call upon God for a blessing on our labour, we shall have no comfort; in it \_Jcrmi)i^. This speech of Solomon's is the speech of every soul, when being spoiled of those things which are here, she goeth to that life Avhich is hoped for \^Gregorij Nyssenus'l. Verse 4. Every object in the material world, by its persistence, preach s to us the brevity of our life. We stand upon our own monuments ; the earth is the great tomb of man. Generations entering life bring with 11 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. them powei'S and eapahilities ; coing Leiice they take away with them character. How little possession we have of the present world ! We cannot carry hence its wealth or glory. But we can bear away tho '' pearl of great price," God does not give to man an earthly immortality. The individual man passes away, and the wastes of death are repaired by fresh life. This arrange- ment serves : — 1. To abate human pride. No man can glory, or boast him- self against God, when he remembers that he has no power over his own life. 2. To curtail human experience and knowledge. There is not time to learn all the lessons of the ages, and to search out all what could be known here. 3. To cast the soul upon God. He remains when generations pass away. The whole company of men and women upon the face of the earth are in a continual motion towards death and eternity : whatever they be doing, their course that way is never interrupted. And therefore as every man in particu- lar should look upon himself as being shortly to bid farewell to all his earthly contentments, never to meet with them again, that thereby his heart may be weaned from deiightirig in them as his portion, that he may be moved to seek after that which will abide with him when he is gone out of the world. He may thus have true comfort, consider- ing that neither his sufferings in the world can be long, nor his combat with his spiritual enemies, nor shall he be long iiolden from the possession of his blessedness [_Nlsbet]. Tiie eartli the Time-Residence of Man. 1. It is ready furnished. God has prepared it by His power and wisdom. The generations of the past have prepared it by their genius and •skill. We enter into the heritage of those who have gone before, are rich Avith the spoils of time. 2. It is a place of moral education. We are here to be trained for a superior life. 3. It may be made the first stage in eternal progress. God always begins with the lower, and imperfect stages — darkness before light, — chaos before order, — 12 " First that which is natural, and afterwards that which is spiritual." The passing away of generations does not interfere with their relations to God. He is God of nature, but much more of man. He wnll not suffer Plis own image to be effaced by death. The generations who pass away still live before Him. Thus the dominion of God over intelligent creatures is ever enlarginsr. The earth remains : — 1. As the scene of moral trial for successive genera- tions. 2. As the scene of depravity, and of redemptive power. 3. As the scene of restored Paradise. The melancholy sadness which touches the heart, when reflecting upon the rapid flight of the generations of men, appears in the earlier poetry. Thus Homer : — The race of man is like the race of leaves : Of leaves, one generation by the ■wind Is acattoi'ed on tho earth ; another soon. In spring's luxuriant verdure, bursts to light. So with our race ; these fiourish, those decay. [Lord Derby's Translation.] Verse 5. The sun cannot break away from the line of his course in the heavens, nor can man by all his boasted skill. get rid of his sad inheritance of sin, want, weakness, and death. All human beings are driven through this sad and weary round. Ttie course of the sun an emblem of human life. 1. The rising sun is an emblem of the frcduiess and eagerness of youth. The youth is longing to enter into the serious business of life — '• Eager to run the race his fathers ran." 2. The sun's course in the heavens is an emblem of the untried day for man. Whether the day will be clear or dark is uncertain. What will he become? is a question we may ask tremblingly of every child. 3. The setting sun is an emblem of the manner of our departiu'c from the world. We may sink down in the terrible gloom of sin, or our evening sky may be pure. This frailty of man is illustrated by the sun, wlio keeps a constant, orderly, and swift motion toward the place of HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTEF^. CHAP. I. his rising and setting ; and he is said to " haste toward " (or " pant after/' as the word dignities) the Orient, or phxce of his rising, because, however, his motion be no less swift toward the Occident, or place of his setting ; yet his rising is most desired and remarked by men. But as for man, when he has once gone down to death, he sliall rise no more to the enjoyment of his earthly content- ments, and therefore these ai'e not to be sought after as his chief happiness [^Nishet]. The reign of law is a theme for grate- ful and admiring contemplation ; yet, it must be confessed, that this endless uniformity of nature has a depressing influence on the human heart. Nature preaches no doctrine of a sublime pro- gress — she seems to forbid the soul to rise into a freer element. Verse 6. The wind appears to be a wild and irregular power, yet it is under the control of law. The most furious storms run their cycles in obedience to the eternal conditions laid upon them by the Creator. So human history may seem to be but a succession of events without order or plan, but there is a Supreme Governor over all. Our eye cannot trace or follow the wandering courses of the wind, — nor can we trace the ways of God through human history. We have here the vanity of man compared to the wind ; and though that may be conceived to be of all things most vain, most light ; yet here man's vanity is shown to be greater. And whereas Job saith, " O, remember that my life is wind"; the Preacher saitli, that it is more vain than wind. For though the wind pass on speedily, and pass away quickly, though most incon- stantly it ptiss from place to place, and evei'y way turneth itself, which our translatioQ hath '' whirleth about contin- ually," yet it returneth still, and going from the world, it cometli back to the earth again. But it is not so with man ; and that which Job speakelh of him- self, is true of every man, '• when a few years are come, I shall go the way whence I shall not return." — The pass- ing breath of man's life hath no return. But though man being gone from his natural life cannot return, yet being- gone from his spiritual life, he may and should return. And like the wind, having wandered here and there, and whirled about continually in the giddy mazes of iniquity, it were good that he would return according to his cir- cuits, and go back to God by the con- trary courses of amendment. We are to return : — 1. From a foolish mirth. 2. From an unprofitable sadness. 3. From a vain ostentation. 4. From a hidden pride. For these being the vanities of the world, from these we must return in order that we might go to God, and come to happiness \Jennui\. Verse 7. The river, as it runs into the sea, is an illustration of human life. It rises in obscurity, and after a longer or shorter course, falls into the great ocean. Some rivers are insignificant, others run through many countries, and give names to towns along their banks. But all have one common destiny. Such is the life of man — obscure in its beginning, of greater or less renown in its progress, and in its close disappear- ing in the great ocean of eternity. When a river is kept within its banks, it carries life and fertility far and wide : but when it overflows its banks, spreads destruction. So human life, when it leaves the channels of truth and right, only spreads evil and sorrow. God preserves the balance of the powers of nature, appointing all things by weight and measure. Shall He not be as careful and exact in His moral government of man ? The rivers run toward the sea, and yet the sea is never full, because the waters are drawn up thence into vapours and clouds to distil down upon the earth, to water it, and fill the rivers agaiu. But as for frail man, he is carried away as with a flood, and never returns again to the enjoyment of his earthly pleasures \_N'ishet\. Saint Gregory in a moral sense applieth this verse unto preachers, who having studied and meditated of heavenly things, do then send them 16 CHAP. I. IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. fortli for the watering of tlie Lord's fields ; and when they have done so, do then return to study and meditation again. Because unless they do this, '■^ an inward ignorance will dry up the outward words of their preaching" [Jerrahi]. Let us comprehend that we can only then be happy and make others happy, when, as nature unconsciously obeys natural laws, we obey with clear con- sciousness the commands of virtue and the laws of nature for the spirit-world [WoMfartli]. Yerse 8. There is no pause in the battle of life. Man must wage a con- tinual warfare against want and death, or else be vanquished. There is a sense of languor and weariness in all human effort. Nothing goes on with lively vigour, but every- where the spur and the whip are required. The earth will not yield her fruit to man with ease and profusion — it must be wrested by hard labour. Labour is not an unmixed evil. The good Providence of God has mitigated the curse, and made it full of blessing. Labour has stimulated invention, and developed the powers of man. Nature offers opposition to him ; henco the plough and the ship. He is born ignorant; hence the school, where he labours to conquer that condition. Labour has served to modify the ■virulence of depravity. How much worse would human nature be, were the necessity for labour done away with ? The bonds of toil have done much to restrain the fierce passions of men. To the pious soul, labour only tends to sweeten the prospect of heaven. Host will be delightful alter toil. Language breaks down under the task of representing the greatness and ex- tent of the labours of men. No one mind can understand every department of human industry. Words fail fully to represent the present world — how much more the activity and glory of the in- visible kingdom ! The abundance of phenomena Avhich prosse-i on eye, ear, and the remaining 14 senses, ' is endless ; there are always objects which the eye must see, does see, and brings to him who would gladly close his labours [^Ilitzig]. The issues of men's labours are unsatisfactory. When the utmost is done, the eye and ear desire more. The -void, produced in the soul by the fall, cannot be filled up by wealth, worldly glory, or even by the superior treasures of the intellect. No mere idea, or vague sense of some mysterious power, but the Living God alone is the satisfying portion. A nature capa- ble of being filled with all the fulness of God must be discontented with any other portion. The soul's powers of inner vision and hearing are satisfied when God appears. Such is the curse which the Lord hath put upon all earthly things sought after as man's best portion, that his unsatisfaction after attainment of them is no less than it was in the pursuit ; but rather still growing, as thirst doth in some distempered persons, by drinking. Till lost man close with God, reconciling Himself to him in Christ, and hear the joyful sound of His Spirit speaking pardon and, peace through the promises, had he never so great plenty of sensible delights (in themselves never so ravishing), this may still be truly said of him, '■ the eye is not satisfied," &c. \_Nishct']. It is a great mercy, always to receive for the supplying of our want, and never to want the need of receiv- ing ^jJermiii]. The immortal essence of the soul can by no means repose in the empty creature ; it seeks ever farther, and will ever have more ; it is a fire that burns without ceasing, and would gladly seize all things \_Berleb. Bible]. Verse 9. If we understand these words of the things themselves, and of the works of God, they would not l)e true. For God is every day doing what is new ; but ire do nothing new, because the old Adam is in all. Our ancestors abused things just as we abu~e them. Alexander and Caesar had the same dis- nOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. ciiAr. I. position ; so had all Kaisars and Kings ; so have we. As they could never be satisfied, so never can we ; they were wicked ; so are we [^Luther^ The study of history affords no hope that man, by any power of his own, can rise above the vanity of his condition. Human life of to-day contains no element which past generations did not possess — there is nothing fresh. As the old was bad, it is an evil that there is nothing new. With advanced civilization there is a multiplying of the enjoyments of life, and a refinement of pleasure. But this does not bring us nearer to com- plete satisfaction — to the chief good. New appliances for comfort only generate new wants, and what was at first a luxury, becomes a necessity. We may add new links to the golden chain of pleasure, but only to increase the power of it to bind us faster. "We cannot be altered from below, but only from above. " Behold I make all things new," is the regenerating word for man. The new creation begins where vanity begun — with man. When he is created anew in Christ, all things will be new. Ttie delights of novelty are only prepared for man in Christ. He alone can give us material for new songs. Our life here is a weary round — a depressing sameness, but heaven is eternal progi'ession in light and love. Our longing for something new is a proof that religion is necessary to bring true rest to our soul. Man expresses the voice of nature, which seems to be restless and uneasy in its present bonds, and to yearn for per- fection. Even in the things of the material world which siirrounds us, there is an element of life, a yearning of what is bound, which, like that of the Memnon statue, unconsciously sends forth symphony, when the ray touches it from above [_Schuhert]. 1. There is no new earthly delight to be found out by men, besides one of these three idols, pleasure^ pi'ofit-, and honour, which the men of this world Lave always, since the beginning, been worshipping. 2. Nor is any new course to be found out for attaining these, the like whereof for substance, and no less effectual for the end, hath not been essayed before. 3. Nor any new success of these courses to be expected, but the same disappointment and vexation their fathers had found to deter their children from idolatrous courses (Jer. xvi. 19) [_Nishet]. In order to the solid satisfaction of man's soul, there must be a newness, either of the kind of the delights which he enjoys, or of the relish and sweet- ness he finds in them ; which is only to be had in things spiritual and heavenly, in fellowship with God, and tasting how gracious He is; which is no less fresh, sweet, and new, even after many tastes of it, than it was at first. Yea, the oftener any taste spiritual comforts, the sweeter and newer they are; but the most desirable of earthly delights, the more they are enjoyed, the more they are loathed. So that they become old in a moment, and sooner than they can be called n.ew \_Nisbet\. Verse 10. Men suddenly rejoice in some boasted discovery for healing the hurt of humanity. See, this is new ! But the old wounds still remain. The true Healer of man is Divine, and comes from above. Panting after this illusion of novelty is a sign of secret dissatisfaction. It robs us of that quietness which is the only solace of our life. Politicians trace the evils of society to bad laws, and by reforming legisla- tion endeavour to increase social happi- ness. But no alteration of outward circumstances can restore the soul to true happiness and peace. When the light of life shines within, all things become transfigured by that light. To be acquainted with the history oJ past events, especially that which is recorded in Scripture, is of singular use to the people of God to guard them against offence, fretting, or being dis- coui'aged at the apprehended newness of their trials, or temptations ; and to draw their hearts from following those sinful courses, which others have ia 15 CIIA?. 1. nOMlLETlC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. their experience proved to end in so much vexation. And while we are taken up with any earthly delight as new, we prove ourselves to be unacquainted with things that have been before, and like children brought from the country to some great city, and there ravished with every trifle as new, which experienced persons are not affected with \_Nisbet.'] Verse 11. The vast mass of human deeds are buried in oblivion. History gives but a scanty outline of what has been. " One Caisar lives, a thousand are forgot." Even literature fails to preserve some from forgetfulness and neglect. Libra- ries are often the cemeteries of departed reputation. The books which are never disturbed in their dusty beds speak eloquently of the failure of many to secure a lasting fame, though they were above the average of humanity. The world soon forgets even those who have blest it with good words and deeds. Nothing can save us from th& fate of oblivion but a place in the infinite memory of God. The good, ia whatever world, are in God's sight — ever in His remembrance. " Never- theless, I am continually with thee." It is some kind of preservation of things that are not, that they are not forgotten ; and because this might seem to mitigate the vanity of worldly things the Preacher showeth that there is " no remembrance " of things, neither of " former things," nor of things present when they shall be gone, neither of things which shall be. So that as- Hugo de Sancto Victore speaketh ; " Not only their presence by perishing is taken away, but their memory also by oblivion is blotted out. Wherefore let this check the great minds of some, who think to do some great thing by which they will be remembered, and let it make them to seek after righteous- ness ; for it is the memory of the righteous that is blessed " [_Jermi)i]. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH. Verses 12— 13. Speculative Wisdom applied to the Facts of Existence. I. The exercise of it is Divinely appointed for all. " God hath given this sore travail to the eons of men." We are not left to choose whether or not we will think upon the mysteries of nature, of human life, and destiny. We are bound to exercise thought and investigation. 1 . By the nature of the j^oidcts of the human mind. We cannot be content with a passive, indifferent gaze upon the world around us, and the scene of man. We are constituted by our Creator speculative beings. In the pauses of the world's labour, a sense of the harmony of nature is forced upon us, we feel ourselves in the presence of some mysterious Power. Man is conscious of wants and cravings which belong not to the body. He has pains and pleasures in which the physical part of his nature does not share. The mind is ever groping for some solvent idea that will adjust the discre- pancies that appear in this life. Man cannot rest in merely seeking tlie satisfaction of his bodily wants, and in studying the system of nature only as it affects these. He must speculate upon nature, himself, society. 2. Jh/ the necessities of our present position. Man must maintain his sovereignty over nature, must bear undisputed sway over the wildest animals, and win spoils and tribute from the mine, the forest, the ocean, and the air. Without thought and the power of con- trivance, he must soon cease to be lord of this lower world ; for in all other respects, the brute creation would be his superiors. Man holds his position by the power of reason. He is forced to reflect upon the facts of his mysterious exist- ence, as it touches, at one extremity, all that is vile and base ; and on the other, all that is noble and divine. Hence the religious instinct in man, which no culture, or refinement, or boasted supremacy of reason, can ever destroy. 3. No superiority of outward condition can dis:har(je us from the necessity of this exercise. " 1 was king." High social position, and profusion of earthly splendour cannot 16 IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. shut out tliought and reflection on the system of nature, and the painful mystery of life. Pleasure, and a lofty feeling of importance cannot wholly occupy the mind. Pale and anxious thought can break through the charmed circle of kingly dignity. II. The Issues of it are Unsatisfactory. Mere human knowledge and speeidation upon the mysteries of life, yield no results of permanent value. 1. 'rhey do not satisfy the intellect. However wide the empire of science may expand, the mind will pant after the undiscovered regions beyond. The vain pursuit, without the help of revelation, of the ultimate truth concerning nature, man, and God, must ever keep the mind unsatisfied. 2. T/iejj do not satisf/j the heart. The heart has infinite longings beyond the power of expression, and a faculty of vague prophecy of some glory beyond the experience- of this life. It cannot be satisfied by human speculation or science ; it must meet the loving heart above. It longs to know of a love which is powerful, and a power which is kind. The investigation of matter, force, of the vast machinery of nature, were we conscious of no loving heart above, would be painful. Knowledge and specu- lation, which must end with death, have poor comfort and hopeless issue. We can have no true consolation unless we feel that there is life above ami on before. 3. The// are powerless to improve the condition of ivhich tae complain. The vanity to which creation is subject cannot be removed by our wisdom, ingenuity of contrivance, or of speculation. (1.) Man cannot alter the system of tJtinrjs in accordance loitli his oicn ideal of the best. " That which is crooked cannot be made straight," i.e., brought into position. In the arrangements of the world there are, apparently, imperfections. We can imagine a kinder, less destructive, and more peaceful system of things. Wliile pain, suffering, death, and decay remain, this life cannot be the ideal best. But we have no power to alter the frame and dis- position of nature, nor the hard conditions of our life. There are mysteries, anomalies, and crooked things in human life ; but we cannot bring them to an ideal perfection, (2.) Man cannot supply fatal defects. "That which is wanting,'^ &c. Mere human wisdom sighs in vain for that which would restore the lost harmonies of creation, but it will not be supplied. The lost and forgotten spell of power is only supplied to the new man in Christ, who lives in a new creation. III. The Divine Purpose in it has a moral significance for Man. "To be exercised therewith." The intention of God hereby is to atilict man's mind, and to humble him. 1. His pride of power is humbled., so that he might feel his need of redemption. When a man feels that his own strength is of no avail, then he has a motive for depending on the strength of God. He wants a strong deliverer. The boast of power is but empty and vain when a man feels that there is no one to save him^ from death. 2. jlis vain presumption of wisdoni is humbled. God allows man to try the strength and capacity of his mind in the application of his speculative wisdom to life ; gives him diilicult problems, as a severe discipline, so that his- reason might be humbled. This exercise is a pain and a perplexity. Pain and Guffering have a tendency to throw the mind back upon itself, and to force i;3 to seek relief in another. tV. The Difficulty is only increased by Superior Powers of Investigation. " In much wisdom is much grief," &c. An increase of human knowledge and power of speculation does not banish the painful impression the scene of life makes upon the mind. 1. So7ne subjects of investigation are painful in themselves. History is chiefly a record of oppression — wi'ong — cruelty — war. The history of the conflict of opinion reveals base passions — pride of intellect — great mental labour, ending at last in some pitiful and controverted conclusion. We feel that, after all, human wisdom has done little to settle the great questions: — the mystery of life, and the ultimate destiny of man. Even Ecclesiastical History is a fearful record of ambition, strife, and corruption of the truth. The more knowledge of this kind, the more material for melancholy reflection. 2. The results of our investigations fail to satisfy the ivhole of our nature. Science only gives us facts and laws, not a personal God. The study of jnankind c 17 cb;ap. I. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. intensifies our pity — our suspicion ; or awakens envy — aspirations in us that will never be satisfied. Our studies of nature and of man, as far as they are guided by human wisdom alone, only tend to make us sad. They leave the deepest yearnings of the soul unsatisfied — we still cry out for the " Living G./ :." 3, There is an oppressive sense of imperfection iclien ive have done our best. The increase of knowledge only convinces us of our hopeless ignorance ; the infinite unknown rises up before us to humble our pride. The more deep and extensive our study, the more it is seen how one subject is closely related to another, till we are forced to despair of surveying the whole scene of truth, even from the loftiest elevation of the mind. If there be not an Infinite Intelligence, the whole universe cannot be comprehended by any one mind. The little knowledge, which is all the wisest can attain to, is humbling — a sorrowful portion. 4. Mere human Icnowledrje, as far as the individual is concerned^ is of brief duration. "Art is long; lifj is short." If this life be all, our own wisdom must soon perish. Why trouble our- selves, if life is so soon to end for ever, to gather stores of knowledge, only to increase the tenderness of our nature to all painful impression ? ■ Who would put forth ono billow from the shore, If the great sea be — Death ? " SUGGESTIVE Verse 12. The Royal Preacher had full opportunity for a practical ac- q'laintiiiice with the theme of his dis- course. He tried the world at its best; and if it had any solid joys, he could have discovered them. High social position, and the activi- ties of public life, are favourable to large and correct views of human things. A practical man is able to form juster views than a recluse. Theories of human nature, shaped by lonely meditation, away from the busy activities and strifes of men, are often dispersed by the stern facts of life. The true instructor of the Church mingles with men. "In Jerusalem" — the home of Divine llcvelation. Solomon had the advantage of sttidying the inspired records. He possessed a national his- tory in which the hand of God could be plainly traced. He was the repre- sentative of God in a political system where Divine laws ruled national life — the first outline of that Kingdom of God which a greater than Solomon came to establish. The true preacher arises from the midst of the Church. He has Divine facts. He enters into the possession of the rich heritage of the past. He had not yet put off his royal robes, he had not yet laid aside his crown ; and yet, cousidcring the vain 1(3 . COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. uncertainty, and speedy passing away of worldly greatness, he rather atfirmeth himself to have been than to be. "I was King" [Jerinin^. The eminency of a man's place and employment, whether ecclesiastical or civil, as also the dignity and privileges of the people over whom he hath charge, should be so far from making him slack and negligent in pains for bettering his gifts — as if his measure of these were sullicient already, seeing he is so employed — that on the contrary, the consideration thereof should stir him up to the greater pains and diligence, that he may grow in abilities for the more faithful and successful discharge of his employment ; for the considera- tion of Solomon's olfice in the Church and State of Israel may be looked upon, as here mentioned by him, as a special motive to that exceeding great diligence afterwards described [^Nisbet']. Verse 13. In all real study, the heart must be engaged as well as the head — there must be desire as well as power. Love is always ready to explore its object. W^e must not be content simply with a knowledge of the facts of liunuiu his- tory. AVe should study the principles luiderlying them, and their tendencies — their bearing upon the purposes of God here, and hereafter. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLEHIASTES. CHAP. I. The most precious things of truth lie not on the surface, before the careless eye. They are hidden in the depths, and greatly embedded, and can only be gained by laborious toil. The best teachers can but tell us where to dig for the precious ore : the labour which puts us in possession of it must be our own. God is educating the human race by forcing upon everyone the painful problems of life — by the discipline of sorrow and humility — also, by means of punishment. Even the inspired teachers of the Church had necessity for laborious study and thought. The Church should value the products of long and careful meditation. " To search out . . . concerning all things that are done under heaven." This involves — 1. The study of moral helplessness. The facts of evil, in human conduct, must be admitted. Unaided by a Divine power, man can- not lift his own burden — he must lie crushed by the load. 2. The study of a severe moral conflict. The grace of God is in the world opposing sin, and modifying the facts of depravity. As a resultant of these forces, this world is neither a Paradise nor a Hell. 3. The study of great possibilities for the future. The consequences of human conduct are projected beyond the world. The great harvests of thought and action only ripen in eternity. Man, in his degradation, still has powers capable of God, and of all the improvements of eternity. He who came to us from above the sun can alone redeem us from all the evils under it. There is nothing which God hath made, or doth, neither anything which , He ordereth, or permitteth to be done, but it deserveth man's serious thoughts, as that from whence he may learn some- thing for his profit. The study of the creatures will proclaim to him the glorious pi'operties of his Maker. The study of human affairs may teach him what IS for the advantage of his v. orldly estate, yea, even the greatest miscar- riages in the world may afford him either matter of caution to beware of the like, or of praise that men are restrained from miscarrying further, or of comfort that God is bringing good out of it. The children of God may lay out their wit sometimes in considering what happiness the creatures and human endeavours about them can yield, still putting the same in the balance with what is to be had in communion with the Lord, so that comparing Christ, the true Apple- tree, with the trees of the wood, " His fruit may be the sweeter to their taste ; " and comparing the excellent knowledge of Him A^ith what may be known and enjoyed of other things, these other things may become dross and dung in their esteem \^Nishct\. Behold here the royal student, and see the matter, the method, the manner, the diligence of his studying. 1. The matter is " all things that are done under heaven," as the ethics of the manners of men, the civil histories of the deeds of men, the natural history of the works of God. 2. The method of his study we have, in that it is said, " by wisdom," for that is the only right method of well seeking anything. Method i; the wise part of study, but an unwise method is a methodical folly. 3. The manner of his studying we have in that " he sought and searched." He sought things unknown, and searched deep things. 4. The diligence of his studying we have in that he gave his heart unto it. He went about it not only with a willingness, but with a love which locked him up, and held him hard unto it [Jermin']. Verse 14. If men had only disap- pointment of their hopes to look for, while they neglect the new and living f way to felicity, and seek happiness in vain and sinful courses, their misery were the less. But besides this, they shall find the issue of their course to be an eating up and gnawing away of their spirit, and that they have been feeding upon the wind, while delight- ing in things earthly as their best portion. Such is the signification of the original words "All is Vanity and "N'exa- tion" or gnawing away of the spirit, or feeding upon the wind \Nisbet\. 19 CHAP. I. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. The most diligent study of human life only reaches the miserable con- clusion, that "All is Vanity." Yet, an exercise yielding no satisfactory results in the looked-for direction, may be salutary. God often educates the human race by failure. Amidst the wreck of our earthly hopes, we are ready to grasp the hand stretched out to save, and to draw us to the shores of life. Worldly things do not feed our souls, but rather the hunger of our souls \^St. Bernard\. The "Vanity," etc., may be referred unto his seeing and knowing, the knowledge of man being such as is full of vanity and unquietness, — unquiet in the getting ; iniquiet being gotten, lest forgetfulness should lose it again ; and vain where it is greatest, because it is far from the perfect discovery of any- thing. For this world, and the things in it, are a book of that largeness and greatness, that none is able to read it over \Jenni)i]. Verse 15. Mere earthly wisdom and skill fail to bend the perverse direction of human things into the true position. Sin has produced this deformity. In the world above, there is nothing crooked : all is exact — regu- lar — beautiful. Men have tried several expedients to lessen the evils of life, and to perfect society, — the dominion of arms — wise government — education — the supre- macy of the church — the assertion of the social principle. IJut none of these can bring about a state of things in which all will go on smoothly. In the best ordered conditions of society, there must be imperfections which man can never remedy. Our only hope for the world is the answer to the prayer, " Thy Kingdom come." Even when our souls are renewed by grace, the evils of life remain. Grace does not straighten tlie natural crooked- ness of things. " The body is dead, because of sin." All the world's glory leads to the grave, and death is the sum of all vanity. Whatever is wanting to make the world and man perfect, we cannot sup- 20 ply from hence. The true remedy for our fatal defects is not a philosophy, but a revelation. When the perfect world is displayed to the inner vision, we are reconciled to the irregularites of the present. Vv'ith man in this life, the quid est is far below the quid oposiet. The present state is a discipline in Christian toleration. We must acknow- ledge imperfection, and be content to endure, and to v/ait for the glory of the perfect world, 1. Before men get grace to choose Christ for their portion, and so to be made new creatures, there is nothing but crookedness, and contrariety in their nature and actions to what is truly good and right in the sight of God. (1.) Their understanding is crooked, so that it cannot discern things spiritual ; and hath upon it strong impi'essions contrary to the truth. (2.) Their will is crooked in regard of its averseuess both from passive and active obedience to their Maker. (3.) Their affections are crooked in so far as they loathe and weary of what God approves and com- mands. They love and delight in what He abhors ; whence it is that every step of their walk is a turning aside to their crooked ways. 2. There are not a few things wanting to fallen man considered in his natural estate. He is spiritually destitute. He wants life — liealth — -food — raiiacnt — a siglit and feeling of his wants, and the desire to have them supplied. Yea, he wants the art of numbering out his wants to Him that can supply them. ^3. The rectifying of this crookedness of man's nature and actions, and the sup- plying of his spiritual wants, is a work that surpasseth the power of the creatures, and requireth a creating, infinite power for the doing of it. Only the infinite virtue of Christ's death can crucify the old man, and make the sinner anew creature ; Avliich is to make straight that which is crooked. Only he whose understand- ing is infinite, who numbers the stars, and hath in Himself all fulness, knows the number of our wants, and can supply them all \_Nishct^. IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESTASTES. CHAP. I, Verse 16. It is salutary, at times, to enter the secret chambers of our own heart, to speak freely there, and thus be our own audience. We should know what lies within ourselves — what is the extent of our power. If we would avoid the ruin of our spiritual fortunes, we must learn to take reckon- ing with ourselves. The more we commune with our own hearts, the more cause have we for humility : for the best discover im- perfections. Yet, as we discover in ourselves powers and capabilities which make religion possible, this duty should serve to inspire hope. The Divine hand has something to lay hold of in man. The very names of the early kings, who had been before Solomon in Jeru- salem (such as Melchizedek), show that they had higher purposes and aims than the other kings of the earth. Each one should enlarge his original -capacity. The gifts of God must be improved by our own industry, or their energy and value will grow less. A great estate without wisdom does not add to the true dignity of the owner. Wisdom and knowledge are necessary even to extend the uses of riches, and to increase the enjoyments of life. Riches without culture and study only increase the temptation to coarse pleasures. The experience of wisdom and know- ledge is better than wisdom itself, for the habits and principles acquired by long and careful meditation are of greater value than the mere facts of knowledge. The treasures of the mind become the more endeared by long possession. The Lord's people should not satisfy themselves with the simple notional knowledge of the truth, unless they have also the experimental knowledge thereof, which consists in our discern- ing evidently the things we know in the causes thereof, and by their effects upon ourselves or others. . . . The more outward advantages and accom- modations men have for acquiring knowledge, and the greater inward qualifications, the more should their heart be set upon enriching them- selves therewith ; otherwise the Lord will challenge them sadly for abusing His gifts contrary to the end for which He gave them [Nishet], Verse 17. To attain a true knowledge of man, it is necessary to study all the facts of his nature and condition, and not to make a selection of the most pleasant and favourable. Goodness and truth are not only to be investigated in themselves, but also in their counter- parts, evil — error — and confusion, Man does not originate the objects which his science investigates. The specimens are selected by nature. We must accept the facts of human life, however painful the study of them may be. The knowledge of the world's mad- ness and folly teaches a man to value true wisdom. The knowledge of disease is necessary to discover the means for the preservation of health. A close examination of human effort will discover that many actions reputed wise must be charged with folly. We must study the madness and folly of the world only in order that we might hate and avoid them. Men sur- vey, and lay down in the map, the features of barren and inhospitable countries where they never intend to dwell. They construct charts, which, though they mark the positions of safe anchorage and secure havens, yet, for the most part, indicate the dangers which are to be avoided by the mariner. The rocks and shoals, and sandbanks of life must be studied. And that he might the better know wisdom, he laboured not only to know it in itself, but to know it also by con- paring it with madness and folly, that the foulness of the one might set out the beauty and clearness of the other. And first he sought to know wisdom, that knowing madness and fplly, he might as well hate, as know them \_Jerinu{\. Astronomers determine the distance of a heavenly body by observing the different directions it bears when viewed from two positions widely apart. 21 liOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. So the observation of man from tlie extremes of moral conduct (wisdom and folly) is necessary to our complete understanding of his real position in the moral universe,- Verse 18. This is true. 1. Of the knowledge of nature. As we increase our knowledge of the facts and laws of the universe, our ignorance becomes more and more apparent. There is an ever-deepening sense that the mystery of the ultimate facts of nature retires into closer seclusion, and becomes altogether unsearchable by us. As the sphere of light enlarges, so does the circumscribing sphere of darkness. 2. Of our knowledge of mankind. One result of an extensive study of human nature is, that we have less faith in it as we grow older. Our suspicion increases. The sins and follies of men fill the righteous soul with grief. 3. Of the knowledge of ourselves. The study of our own heart and life gives us reasons for humility and grief. The stronger the light by which we observe ourselves, the more will evils and deformities be revealed. 4. Of our knowledge of the Heavenly World, The more we learn of the nature of that v/orld, the more we have reason to blame ourselves that it has so little effect upon us. The increase of human knowledge renders the soul more sensitive to influences — increases the power of feel- ing pain and distress — complicates grief. Wisdom reveals defects, dispels illu- sion:, and destroys the contentment and fancied security of ignorance. The laughter of fools is loud, for wisdom would chastise the fervour of their joy. The failure of our highest faculties to give us true happiness casts us at the feet of God, " in knowledge of whom standeth our eternal life." Every increase of the Godly sorrow of the righteous has comfort in the bosom of it, and always joy at the back of it [JVtshet] . All human wisdom labours, and has care and sorrow for its reward ; the further wisdom looks, the greater is the labyrinth in which it loses itself. It is with reason as to the eyes with a mag- nifying glass, when the most delicate skin becomes disgusting, the most luscious dish a mess of worms, and the finest work of art a mere botch. We see the impossibility of removing all inequalities of human society, and we see in it an overwhelming number of faults and failings ; yea, the weak- ness of our senses and judgment leads us to fihd faults in beauties, because we examine all things only fragmen- tarily [Har7na7i]. In respect of the contemplation of truth, knowledge causeth delight ; but in respect of the things known, it causeth sorrow. Now if they be good things wliich are known, then the sorrow is from the great labour which a man must take to attain the knowledge of them ; and from the little perfection of knowledge to wliich his great pains hath brought him. If they be evil things which are known, then his sorrow is that he is subject to them [Jier/nrnJ. 22 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTE.'^. chap. ir. CHAPTER II. Critical Notes. — 1. I said in mine heart.] The pronoun is omphatic and denotes tho importance of tho person who is speaking-. There are instances of such addresses to tho soul in the Psalms. Enjou pleasure, literally " behold coed" — linger with it so as to enjoy it. Here is the germ of the parable of the Rich Fool — Soul, thou hast much (joods laid vpfor manij ijears. 3. I sought in mine heart.] The word has the meaning not of thinking or retlecting, but to prove or assay — to make a moral experiment, 8. The peculiar treasure of Kings.] The treasure forced from vanquished heathen rulers, and the voluntary gifts of friendly rulers such as the Queen of Sheba. The delights of the Sons of Men. An obvious reference to Solomon's excessive animal indulgence. 12. What can the man do that cometh after the King?] What will ray successor do ? He will probably, like the rest of the world, follow the well-worn path of sin and folly — even that ivhich hath been already done — fulfilled in Rehoboam. 16. And how dieth the wise man? As the fool!] This is an inexi^ressiblo burst of feeling — a deep regret that it should be so. It is a question painfully asked of the Supremo Wisdom, not in anger but in grief. 24. There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink] Not in tho Epicurean sense, worshipping the triad of sensual life — oat, drink, and be merry ; but in the sense of a rational and righteous enjoyment. In his labour. Thus it was not tho luxurious enjoyment of the idle. MAIN IIOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 1, 2. A Wise Man's Tkial of Sensual Enjoyments. We may look upon the troubles and painful mystery of life and be sad ; or we may strive to laugh them away. There is a serious, and also a merry mood of treating the dark enigma of our present state. Here we have a wise man making a trial of worldly pleasure, if haply he might find therein relief and satis- faction for his jaded mind. " Therefore enjoy pleasure," look upon and feed thy desire with every sensual enjoyment. Such a course is not true wisdom. I. It is a dangerous Moral Experiment. Solomon's trial of the resources of human wisdom ended in the grief of failure. Now he plunges into pleasure to determine if that will fill his soul, and drown the anxiety of painful thought. But such an experiment is dangerous. 1. Because there is a secret misgivivg as to the success of the result. " Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth." A word of entreaty is used, as if he said to his heart, " O let me try thee again ! " All his real convictions were against the hope of success in this trial. He had to rouse himself up to this endeavour — to press his heart to it, as if it had been too slow in the pursuit. Worldly men feel in their heart of hearts that sensual pleasures do not satisfy — that they leave a sting behind, and fret and wear the mind with long regrets. It is daugerous to submit ourselves to what we must confess, in moments of calm reflection, is a delusion. 2. The pursuit of pleasure as an end is a for get- fulness of the great work appointed us here. All pleasure and amusement are not forbidden. But if we make these the end of life, and abandon ourselves to their treacherous illusions, we forget the claims of duty. Whatever lies in the path of the Commandments is ours to enjoy, but we must not stray from that path in search of tempting pleasures. Duty and service claim our first regard. We were not sent into this world by our Maker, like the Leviathan into the sea, merely that we might " play therein." It is dangerous to run the risk of forgetting the claims of duty, and the high destiny of the spiritual part of our nature. 3. The undue pursuit of pleasure injures everij faculUj of the soul. The health of the soul is impaired, and the symmetry of it destroyed, by draining off it vital force in one direction, just as the body is deformed and its strength consumed by malignant tumours. (1.) The understanding is impaired. He who is devoted to pleasure has need only of those mental efforts necessary to devise new modes of enjoyment. The higher powers of the mind remain unemployed. He who would reach CHAP. 11. nOMiLETIC COHDrENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. intellectual eminence must leai-n to "scorn delij^lits, and live laborious days." (2.) The affections are hlunted. The indulgence in worldly pleasures, both coarse ^,nd refined, tends to make the life artificial. Beneath apparent gentleness and goodwill, the heart is often hard and cold. The children of soft indulgence can weep over the elegant distress of fiction, but are often unmoved by the real sorrows of life. (3.) The will is enfeehled. The seductions of pleasure bring it into captivity. The elastic power of it is injured, as steel springs by long com- pression. The syrens of pleasure paralyze the will. (4.) The scnsibilit// of the conscience is injured. When we are given up to pleasure and forsake duty, the delicacy and tenderness of our conscience are impaired. II. It is Moral Insanity. " I said of laughter, it is mad." In the wild excitement of pleasure, a man loses his claim to rationality — it is but the infatua- tion of madness. To forsake duty, and allow the senses to run riot, is to dethrone reason. The symptoms of the mental and moral diseases are similar-. 1. There is delusion. The insane mind lives in a false and unreal world. The true propor- tion of things are disturbed. The man of pleasure is not governed by truth and reality: he lives in a delusion. 2. The supremacy of xvild 2'>assions. The insane man is the subject of uncontrollable impulses. Reason being no longer his guide, he is driven about by the storms of passion ; and, like a ship without a rudder, has no power of self-direction. He who lives for this world's pleasure alone, give up the high command of himself, and becomes the sport of untamed and destructive passions. The world's loud laughter — -which has no reality of deep and abiding joy in it — is but the wild merriment of the maniac. 3. There is an entire perversioR of the Jacidties. The will, instinct, and emotions are all perverted in mental disease. The man who forsakes God, and lives for pleasure, uses none of his powers aright. Such a condition is; — (I.) Pitiable. We have sympathy with the sick and suffering, but the madman deserves our pity. The votaries of pleasure awake the pity of every righteous soul. (2.) Beneath the true dii/nit// of man. When reason deserts her throne, the man falls below his true dignity. His soverei""n power is gone, the sceptre is wrested from his hand. The image of God becomes fearfully disguised. So the man of worldly pleasure is a slave in the " far country " of evil, when he might be a ruler at home with his God. (3.) Eemediahle. By judicious treatment, mental disease may be cured. The sobriety of reason may come again to the distracted man. The disorder of the facidties may give place to perfect soundness of mind. So the prodigal, who has rioted in un""odly2)leasures, may " come to himself " by coming to his father. The spirit of a " sound mind " is the gift of God. III. It ends with Disgust of its own Device. "Of mirth, what doeth it?" The pleasures of the world promise much but they deceive at last. lie who seeks in this way to drown the sense of the sad facts of life becomes at last disgusted with his own device. He first sus- pects, and then discovers himself befooled. 1. lie is deceived as to their depth and intensity. They promise to entrance the soul, and to shut out all painful thought and anxiety. But they cannot accomplish this, — '• Even in laughter, the heart is sad." 2. lie is deceived as to their constanc/j. They promise to entertain the soul all life's journey through. But they soon clog the senses, and wear out the energy. Even the power of enjoying the world often passes away before the world itself. Pleasure casts her votaries off when they have toyed with her for a season, and the brief delight is turned into loathing and disgust. The soul sorrowfully asks the question which needs and expects no answer. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 1. The joy of the world is so that the faitliful find in God is spiritual, constituted that it entails repentance, constant, satisfying, and iuexpretsible mortification, and grief; but the pleasure \_tSlarhe}. 24 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. CHAP. ir. It is in vfiln that reason and con- science point out to us one path when the affections urge us in auothei*. If •the heart inclines to worldly pleasures, the mind soon becomes a willing 'Captive. A man's moral position is determined "by what lie says in his heart. The heart must have some object to fasten on ; the pleasures of the world, or the joy which God gives. Language bears witness to the vanity of earthly pleasures. We call them diversions, for they divert the attention from our real miseries. They only serve to make us forget that we are unhappy. It is dangerous to entice our hearts to such courses as are forbidden by reason and duty. The Children of Israel were warned by the voice of God not to " seek after their own heart and eyes," that is, they must not make any moral experiments. If we trust to the pleasures of the world, they will serve us like Absa- lom's mule, and slip from under us when we need them most [lUoi-uinr/ Exe}xises\. The Lord hath given this pre-emi- nence to man above ail other creatures in the world, that he can reriect upon his past temper and actions, and commune with his own heart for the future. He should make use of this for restraining himself from sin ; for reclaiming him- self therefrom wlien he is fallen into it ; for encouraging his heart in duty, especially to trusting in God, and to jDraise Him. In which, and the like places, are the holy soliloquies of a Christian with himself. "When the Lord is provoked to withdraw His gracious presence, man can do nothing but abuse this privilege, to the blowiog up of his own corruptions, and en- couraging his heart to courses de- structive of his own peace and comfort. and which will prove a bitterness to him in the latter end [Nisbet']. Verse 2. The laughter of the votaries of pleasure, like that of distracted men, arises from the want of knowing and feeling their true situation — from the want of thought. Calm rellection upon ' the dark foundations upon vidiich this mysterious life of ours reposes, and the awful truths lying around it, would fill the soul with emotion, and turn the loud i-ejoicing into the silence of a great sorrow. In the midst of sinful pleasures, it is well if men have sufficient moral strength i-emaining to question them, and to suspect their delusive charms. Worldly mirth ends in vexation, remorse, and disgust ; but spiritual joy yields a profit of infinite satisfaction. In the world, feasting comes first and fasting afterwards; men first glut themselves, and then loathe their excesses ; they take their fill of good, and then suffer; they are rich that they may be poor ; they laugh that they may weep ; they rise that they may fall. But in the Church of God it is re- versed; the poor shall be rich, the lowly shall be exalted, those that sow in tears shall reap in joy, those that mourn shall be comforted, those that suffer Avith Christ shall reign with Him [J. //. Neicman]. Even as Christ went not up to joy, but first He suffered pain. He entered not into His glory before He was crucified. So truly oitr way to eternal joy is to suffer here with Christ [_Litui-gi/, Visitation of the sick^- Mirth effeminateth the virtue of nature, it eufeebleth the strength of the mind, it weakeneth the forces of the soul, it briageth destruction to reason, it casteth the mist of darkness upon the purity of serene thoughts [Jer/niii]. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 3—11. The Worth of this World's Pleasures Fairly Tested. The experiment to ascertain whether the pleasures of this life have any abiding value for man, was conducted, in this instance, with perfect fairness. I, It was 25 ciiAr. n. IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. tried on a sufficient number and variety of eases. Solomon had ample oppor- tunity ot tasting every pleasure the age could afford. He did not, like one from some obscure retreat, despise those glories he could not share. He tried them all. 1. He tried coarse pleasin-es. " I sought in my heart to give myself unto wine." The excessive indulgence of the lower appetites — such as the intoxication of the senses with wine — promises us a brief happiness. We forget the miseries and painful aspects of life, and enjoy a temporary elevation of soul. The feelings become intense, the mind seems half inspired, life appears as if lighted up with a sudden glare. The graces of intellect and feeling, and even of religious rapture, are imitated in the condition produced by wine. " Be not drunk with wine, but filled with the Spirit/' imjdies as much. The indulqence ofcmimal instincts xvas also tried. "•The delights of the children of men." Solomon was a melancholy example of a great soul debased by a wild indulgence of animal passion. 2. He tried those j^leasures ichich feed the desire of displa//. There is a feeling of pride in human nature which has a natural outlet in parade and show. We court admiration, and the distinction of being an object of envy. Solomon had great riches, tribute from foreign kings, numerous servants, houses, and gardens — all that could support splendour and magnificence. The homage paid to great estate and grandeur increases the outward happiness of this life. Men make wealth and display the standard of honour. 3. He tried those pleasures ivhicJi minister to a sense of refinement. There are pleasures more exalted than the indulgence of our lower instincts — more worthy of the dignity of our nature. The royal sage employed himself in works of constructive sldll — noble architec- ture, vineyards, gardens, pools of water, groves. Pie enjoyed the delights of music. Such pleasvu'es engage some of the noblest powers of the mind, they lend a grace and elegance to life, they assuage the troubles of the heart, and they fill up the pauses of sensual pleasures which so soon tire the power of enjoyment. They are more congenial to our better nature. They take us beyond the mere things themselves, and are not unworthy to represent spiritual delights. They furnish a parable of Divine joys. Woi'ldly refinement is a close imitation of religion. Theij yield but a temporarn joy. " For my heart rejoiced in all my labour." Misery can exist beneath them all, and as they vanish with life they cannot be our chief good. God permits some men to run through the entire scale of human happiness to show others that the best of this world cannot fill the soul. II. It was tried under the Eestraints and Control of Wisdom. " Yet acciuainting mine heart with wisdom." '• Wisdom remained with me." He did not rush headlong into sensual enjoyments, but tested them with calm reflection and composure. He did not allow himself to be blindly led by passion, but was under the guidance of a mind regulated by prudence. 1. Such a course is dis- timjuishedfrom that of the mere vohqHuanj. Such plunge into pleasure and do not allow the control of the higher faculties. Wisdom is left behind. The man is a slave to passion. Unless the mind retains its supremacy and dignity, our trial of wordly pleasure cannot even merit the poor name of an experiment. 2. Such a course vuaj be expected to yield a hopeful result. (1.) It saves the soul frora titter dchasanent. When the voice of reason is hushed, and a man is abandoned entirely ^ to sensuality, there is but little prospect that he will escape the snare. (2.) Con- science is on the side of reason and right ; and is effectual lolien reason is rcleast'd , from the control of passion. (3.) A man. is not condemned to hopeless slavery ivhile his mind is free. He preserves an instrument which can help him to recover his liberty. III. It was tried with an Honest Endeavom- to discover what was the Cliief Good of Man. " Till I might sec what was good for the sons of men," &c. It was not the love of pleasure for its own sake that prompted him. The experiment was made in all honesty to find out what, on the whole, was best for the sons of men. We must expect that like experiments will be made in such a world as this. 1. It is not alwaijs evident, at first, ivhat is best. A life devoted 2G HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. CHAP, n., to -wisdom has superior advantages over one of pleasure, yet, for aught we know, the enjoyment of the world's pleasure may be better for us than a cold and severe wisdom, which only serves to increase our pains and anxieties. The mystery and uncerttiinty of human things is some justification for making a trial of this kind 2. Practical wisdom can only he gained hy experience. This requires repeated trials. VVe can only be said really to know that of human life which we have ascertained by trial. It is well when life's solemn lessons are quickly learned, and we become truly wise before worldly pleasure completely injures our moral force, and claims us for her own. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 3. He who indulges in the coarse mirth excited by wine, with the hope that a superior wisdom will pre- serve him from moral danger, runs the risk of being shorn of his strength in the lap of luxury. He who gives the reins to pleasure may never recover his command. Human life is so short and uncertain that we should come to an early decision concerning our Chief Good. How much use of wit and reason soever men may have in the pursuance of earthly delights, yet while they are seeking in their hearts to give them- selves away to these things, they are but taking hold of folly. And though the foolish sinner does not look upon his way while he is pursuing his idols, yet when God awakes him, whether in wrath or mercy, he will see and be forced to say that he hath been doing nothing but taking hold on folly [Nishet]. The original goes thus, " in the num- ber of the days of their life," as show- ing the fewness of man's days, so that they may be numbered. For as the Poet speaketh. Pauperis est nmnerare jjeciis. It is a sign of a poor man to number his cattle ; so it is a proof of the scantiness of man's days that num- ber doth so easily measure them [./e?- min]. Verse 4. In producing works of utility and adornment, man enjoys a pleasure beyond the value of the things themselves. Some kind of activity is necessary for the happiness of those whose lot does not require them to toil for sub- sistence. No one can be happy in a life of soft enjoyment — passively re- ceiving the gifts of pleasui'e. There must be some means of employing the active powers of the mind. The power of constructing great works is part of the likeness of the Divine Nature. The beginning of all these things is laid in the thought of man's mind. All the devices of human industry and skill have been developed from ideas. And what is creation, but the Divine thought taking form and expi'ession in eternal things ? It is God-like to possess the power to devise and produce great works. For how much the magnificence is greater in the structure of houses, either in respect of their multitude or cost, by so much the shame is greater, that the soul is not adorned. Let that be built up carefully ; let humility be the pavement of it, let hope be the roof of it, let faith be the pillars of it ; on this side let justice be towards men, ou that side devotion towards God. And let love, an excellent artificer, neatly join all these together, and then there will be a house for wisdom to dwell in [Jcrminl. We may use our means of living to administer to our necessity, and the culture of our mind and taste ; or to feed the desire of display and vain show. A Greek Father says, that Solomon's confession of the planting of vineyards contains a catalogue of his vain affec- tions, that " Wine immoderately taken is the nourishment of intemperancy, the bane of youth, the reproach of old age, the shame of women, the prison of madness." 27 CHAP. II. UOMILETW COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. Verse 5. Man still {inds bis delight in Avhat, is but the degenerate imitation of Paradise. Buildings and palaces would scon cease to please. He must have the pleasures of the open air, the sweet refreshments of gardens. Let those to -whom God hath afforded these delights have in their gardens, as Joseph had, a sepulchre — that is, let them in their pleasures remember their death. And as Joespli's sepulchre in his garden was made the sepulchre of Christ, so it were good also that such in their gardens — that is, in their deliglits — would think of tiie misery ■which He suffered for them [./er?nm]. The church is the true garden of God, enclosed from the wilderness of the world, and tended with special care. All possible^ varieties are compelled to grow in the garden, so the church in- cludes every variety of mind, temper, and disposition ; affording special en- couragements and means of spiritual gi'owth for each. Yet God has some garden plants in the wilderness ; the fruits of the Spirit may be brought forth outside the domain of Christen- dom. Verse 6. Large pools were necessary for watering the gardens and orchards. The Church of God needs her fountains near. Nature, thougli free with her bounti- ful blessings, leaves much for man to clo. Water is provided, but human contrivance is necessary to conduct it to every place where it is rerpiired. We have our part to do in preparing our souls to be proper receptacles of the plentiful grace of God. But that from these pools of water, we may draw something that shall be "wholesome for us ; let us make our eyes pools of water, that so a sorrow for our sins may ^vash them away with the watering of it, and cleanse us from them by the current of amendment in the course of our life. Or else let us make pools of cliarity, therewith to water the decayed trees of misery ; therewith to moisten the dry ground of ■want and necessity. Charity is Eeho- hotli^ the well of breadth, a name given 28 by Lsaac to a well which his servants digged ; for charity doth spread abroad her waters wheresoever is need of them [3eriniii]. Let us make us pools by digging into the depths of heavenly knowledge. There is nothing better than this Divine fountain, by which the dryness and barrenness of our souls is made wet and moistened, by which virtues do spring up in us, so that even a grove of good desires and works doth sprout forth in our lives [Gregory Nijsscmis]. Verse 7. The vanity of man is fed by that display of grand'eur which raises the admiration of others. Servants born in the house would be endowed Avith natural fidelity. Men make use of natural laws to serve their own ambition. It is not the lot of all to be attended by numerous trains of servants, but if we are the sons of the heavenly king, the angels wait upon us. The heirs of salvation have, even under the disad- vantages of the present state, some signs of royal dignity. In the heavenly household, the greatest, waits upon the least. Man is greatest, not when exacting, but when performing service. Verse 8. The love of gold and silver tends to burden the heart more than the love of large possessions in cattle, &c. A man is more likely to worship the image of wealth than wealth itself. The homage paid to wealth is a strong temptation to indulge the illu- sion of superiority. Gifts persuade even the gods, and gold is more potent with men than a thousand arguments [P/«A7]. Wealth honours wealth ; income pays respect to income ; but it is wont to cherish in its secret heart an un- measured contempt for poverty. It is the possession of wealth, and of the social power which is confei'red by wealth, which constitutes the title to honour. To believe that a man with £G0 a year is just as much deserving of respect as ii man with £G000, you IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: EC'CLESIASTES. ciLvr. II. must be seriously a Christian. A philosophical estimate of men and things is not really proof against the inroads of the sentiment which makes the possession of mere income the standard of honour [Liddo7i]. The most obvious danger which worldly possessions present to our spiritual welfare is, that they become practically a substitute in our hearts for that One Object to which our supreme devotion is due. They are present ; God is unseen. They are means at hand of effecting- what we want : whether God will hear our petitions for those wants is uncertain ; or rather, I may say, certain in the negative. Thus they promise and are able to be gods to us, and such gods too aj require no service, but, like dumb idols, exalt the worshipper, impressing him with a notion of his own power and security. Religious men are able to repress, nay extirpate, sinful desires ; but as to wealth, they cannot easily rid themselves of a secret feeling that it gives them a footing to stand upon — an importance, a supei'iority ; and in consequence they get attached to the Avorld, lose sight of the duty of bearing the Cross, become dull and dim-sighted, and lose their delicacy and precision of .touch, are numbed (so to say) in their lingers' ends, as regards religious in- terests- and prospects [-/. II. Neimnrui]. Music is a kind of language, and has a voice independent of the forms of speech. It has an universal eloquence, a power to withdraw even the dull and the sensual for awhile from their grosser existence. It is a luxury to feel strongly, and to allow the soul to be dissolved in harmony. But what- ever exalts the feelings without leading to right practice inllicts moral injury. We may understand " the delights of the sons of men " of music generally, great being the power which the delight of music hath upon men. Of which King Theodoric writing to Boetius in Oassiodore saith — " When she cometh from the secret of nature, as it were the Queen of the senses, adorned with her musical figures ; other thoughts skip away, and she causeth all things to be cast out, that there may be a delight only of hearing her. She- swecteneth grief, molliheth rage, miti- gateth cruelty, quickeneth laziness,^ giveth rest to the watchful, maketh her chaste who hath been defiled with unclean love, and that which is a most blessed kind of curing, by most sweet pleasures driveth away the passions of the mind, and by the subjection of things that are insensible obtaineth comniand over the senses." But though this be " the delight of the sons of men," let the delight of the sors of God be the music aud harmony of their lives unto God's commandments [JenniiiJ. Verse 9. Solomon compares his greatness as a worldly-wise man, not with private characters, but with oificial. He was great, yet it was only- " more than they that were before him in Jerusalem," not more than they that were in virtue and holiness before him. Worldly greatness is not to be compared with spiritual. Men imagine that the greatness of their works and possessions is trans- ferred to themselves, that their mag- nificence can be determined by measm-es of surface. The Rich Fool thought, that the enlarging of his barns would make the foundations of his life surer aud more lasting. The most exalted human wisdom cannot save us from becoming a prey to vanity. We may by means of it con- quer sensuality, and yet end in the worship of ourselves. While the outward man revels in pleasure, the inward man may be yearn- ing for a higher life. There is some hope for a man who has made even a foolish experiment upon principles of reason. He Avho leaves wisdom behind him, when lie plunges into worldly pleasures, destroys the bridge by which alone he can return. •Solomon could not have come to the conclusion that " all was vanity," unless he discovered that there was something in himself which was not vanity — thus, " wisdom remained with him." Hugh 29 CHAP. II. IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. of S. Victor says, "He was able to speak that aLrainst vanity not vainly." So prone ai'c men enjoying plenty of outward delights to lose even the exer- cise of common prudence and reason, and to give themselves up as beasts to the leading of their sensual appetites, that it is a mercy much to be marked and acknowledged for a man to have any measure of the exercise thereof continued in that case. For Solomon speaks of this as a remarkable thing, wliich hardly would be expected by many, that he having '' all the delights of the sons of men," being so great and increased more than all that had been before him, might yet truly say this, *' Also my wisdom remaineth with me" \Nishet]. Verse 10. The heart is often led by the eye, the seat of moral power be- comes subject to the senses. The eye, the guardian of our safety, may be allured by a false light that " leads to bewilder, and dazzles to blind," — by false plnlosophies^ pleasures, relii/ions. Man received the first wounds of sin through the eye. The very sentinel placed aloft by heaven to guard us must be defended by God's especial grace. Let us remember how unhappily their eyes were opened unto them that were in Paradise, which were en- liglitcned so long as they had them shut unto sin. Where we read " the eye is tlie liglit of the body," the Greek is, the lamp, the candle of the boJy : for as a lamj) l)urneth very avcU, and givetli good light so long as it is shut up atul kept close within some room ; ]jut if it be set in the open air, is soon blown out by the wind ; so the eye, if it be kept shut from vanity by a watchful carefulness, then it givctli the best light to the body. But if it be wantonly and negligently opened, then the good light of it is soon put out [^.Jerinin^. There is some earthly recompense for human labours; but, at best, man \s never truly rewarded here for all his pains. A transitory joy is but a poor 30 compensation to set over against the infinite sadness of life, and the terrible forebodings of the heart. The eye, the most far-reaching of all our powers, cannot give us lasting joy. It may range freely over every delight^ but the spirit of man will remain in bondage till it is delivered by the coming of the Holy Ghost. Labour there was in the seeking of it, labour in the possession of it, and yet this is the All which man seeketh of all his labour. This is the portion which the Preacher saith he had ; there being no sickness, no enemy, no other cross either in mind or body, at home or abroad, to deprive him of it. So that we have here under the law, the Pi'odigal under the Gospel, asking his portion of his father, which is divided to him, and spent by him in the far country of this world upon worldly delights [Jcnniro]. Verse 11. '-All the works." 1. In collecting riches, 2. In increasing the magnificence of the State. 3. In mul- tiplying the means of social enjoyment. It is well that we should look upon the works we have wrought in the world, till we discover that, apart from God, they aie labour, weariness, and pain upon every remembrauce of them. To think upon our ways, to survey our position, is the first step towards obtain- ing our true good. The pangs of spiritual famine — the want of God, may be felt by one whose lot it is to live in the midst of a pro- fusion of this world's plenty and pleasure. Our works in the world often outlast our joy. The Koyal Moralist did not look upon his joy, but upon his labours. Vanity has two ingredients — Iiollow- ness and aiudessness. Without God, all things are unsubstantial ; they have no solid and lasting worth. Human labour, when not inspired by the Divine idea, reaches no worthy goal. God had His witnesses for this truth in the old heatheu world. Thus, in the poem of Lucretius, we read — "Therefore the race of men labours always fruitlessly, IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. chap. n. and in vain ; and life is consumed in thing ; a name of glory, but without empty cares." the thing ; a name of power, but the The wisdom which is concerned with name only is to be found. Who is there- wliat is under the sun can only give us fore so senseless as to seek after names negative conclusions ; can only say of which have not the things, and to true happiness — It is not here. Religion follow after empty things which should has a positive truth to set over against be shunned [_St. Chn/sostom~\. this — '• Every good gift and every per- The Fortunate Islands, which anyone feet gift is from above." may talk of, are but mere dreams, not That is vain which is empty, when lying anywhere under the sun's light there is a name, but not anything at [Jenniri]. all. A name of riches, but not the AIAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 12~1G. Practical Wisdom. The Royal Preacher had exercised his wisdom on speculative subjects : he now applies it to the practical matters of human life. Of such wisdom, or philo- sophical prudence, we learn — I. That it possesses high Absolute Valuo. Of all earthly treasures, wisdom has the greatest worth. This is a truth at once evident to every reflecting mind. The perception of it is quick as vision. " Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly," &c. Such wisdom may be compared to the light. 1. Like light, idsdom is a revealing jioiver. Without light, our knowledo-e of nature would be scanty. We could only have knowledge of near objects. The distant glories of the universe are completely veiled to the blind. But li"-ht reveals them — makes all things manifest. So wisdom reveals to man the true state of things around him — his position in the world — the conditions of earthly happiness. He is thus able to form the most sagacious plans, and to use expedients for the maintenance of his life, for avoiding dangers, and varying his pleasures. In physical endowments, man is inferior to the lower animals, but he obtains supremacy over them by that wisdom which reveals to him more of that world in which he lives. 2. LiJce liglit, wisdom is a guiding -power. "The wise man's eyes are in his head." The eyes of the wise man are where they ought to be — the lofty windows of the palace of the soul, through which she takes a large survey of the outward world, and the scene of man. The eyes of the mind, like those of the body, serve both to inform and direct. Every truth of nature or of man, that we discover, becomes for us a rule of action or duty. The facts revealed to the anderstanding g^^ide us in our way through the world. He who walks in dark- ness runs the risk of stumbling. All nature is against the fool. 3. Like light, loisdom is a vitalising power. Light is absolutely necessary to the growth and preservation of all kinds of life. The light of the day not only warms, but fer- tilises. The sun is a source of energy, performing all the work of this lower world. So practical wisdom is the real strength of man's life here. Folly is darkness — a dull negation — unproductive of vitality or beauty— generates fear. The ignorant are the victims of unnecessary fears, as we see from the history of superstition. Wisdom is a light to quicken all things necessary for man as an inhabitant of this world. It supplies that vital energy by which we do our work. By the life-giving power of wisdom, man conquers nature, by directing her forces to serve his €>wn uses. The dull existence of the fool is not worthy of the name of life. We learn of this practical wisdom — II. That it is complicated with certain facts giving ris& to painful donbts and questionings. The superiority of wisdom to folly is beyond dispute. It is at once appai'ent. Like ihe light, this truth is its own evidence. But there are attendant facts which lead to pain- ful doubts and questionings as to whether wisdom, on the whole, has such a 31 CHAP. II. IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. superior advantage ; or whether, in the upshot of tliiugs, the wise man is better off than the fool. 1. We are not sure tliat posteriltj tcill pi-eserve the fruits of our loorh and wisdom. Men labour that they iiuiy increase their earthly joys, amass ■wealth, and accomplish some wise designs ; but how often are the fruits of their anxious toil spoiled and wasted by those who come after ! As the custom of the world is folly, the Royal Preacher could only expect that his successor would be a foolish man — according to the general type. Every worker upon merely human principles, no matter how accomplished, must say at last, "I have laboured in vain, and spent my strength for nought." The fact, that what we have gathered, with such labour and pains may thus be wasted and dissipated by others, is enough to make the wisest serious and sad. The speech acquires a painful hue of reflectiveness, and the contemplation of life becomes a distress. 2. All our dili- gence and ivisdoni cannot avail to save zisfi'otn oblivion. " There is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever." It is not intended to deny all posthumous fame. Some names will live through the whole range of time, names like Moses — the earliest in literature, and sounding through the endless songs of heaven. But the great bulk of mankind are not remembered by posterity — the wisp and the fool alike are soon forgotten : " One Caesar lives, a thousand are forgot." Even if we live in lame ever so long, and are at last forgotten ; when compared with eternity, this is equivalent to oblivion, 3. All our ivisdom cannot save us from the common doom of the race. " One event happeneth to all." Our wisdom and skill cannot save us from accidents, pains, and from that sum of all' fears and distresses — death. The terrible necessity of death awaits alike the foolish and the wise. We take pains to gather knowledge, and the maxims of wisdom ; death comes, and our fancied superiority over otliers vanishes. If there be no future, the most sagacious of men may mournfully ask at the close of life, " Why was I then more wise ?" The wise and foolish appear to go out of life in the same manner. All differences are lost in the darkness of the tomb. Let us leara — that heavenly ivisdom is comjjlicatcd ivith no ■painful facts to fill us ivith doubts and misgivinrjs. Nothing can arise to dull the pure splendour of this Divine gift. The glory of it only increases as all that is precious in life is fading away. We can only be saved from the fate of oblivion when we seek the " honour that Xiometh from God only," when we are " confessed before the angels," and our names in- scribed in the Book of Life. All who are truly wise shall be fixed in the regions- of immortality — shall "shine as the stars for ever and ever." SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. "Verse 12. Whatever we desire to are others who have some intellectual understand, it is necessary that we power, but it is rashly applied. There should not only look upon it, but be- is no sufficient guiding principle — their hold it — there must be a prolonged conduct is madness — power wasted in look. The object must not only be an irreg\dar manner, without order or seen, but seen through. All men arc plan. There are simple men who are bound to see what lies in their way, easily led, and become tlie willing dupes but few see with the eye of intelligent of cuiming craft. observation. The wealth of the mind The evils of the world are incurable comes not sis a sudden gift of fortune : by luuuan means. We can only expect it is gathered slowly. tliat the future will be as the past. lie who contemplates human nature The dream of human perfection is not must be prepared to find it a mixed realised. The paths of sin and folly are scene of wisdom, madness, and folly. old and well worn. Generations to There are wise men who govern their come will be content to travel in them, conduct by reason, and maxims gained Posterity may forget our wisdom, from experience and observation. There and destroy the fruits of our labours. 32 IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTE& CHAP. II. But he who works with eternity in view will find the grave a place of restitution. How vain are those possessions which the most foolish of mankind can dis- perse as chaff before the wind ! It is well noted by Hugo, that first he looked upon wisdom as thereby coming to behold madness, and folly. For as he speaketh — " ISTo one goeth to darkness that he may see darkness ; but he Cometh to the light, that by the light he may see, not only light, but light and darkness also. First therefore the Preacher saith he beheld wisdom, so that he might behold in wisdom itself what itself is, and by itself madness and folly, which wisdom itself is not " \Jermin'\ . The utmost comfort that creatures can yield, when happiness is sought in them, may soon be attained. It is no such depth but that it may be sounded by those who will put it to the trial. One man may in a short time find out so much thereof as that he may defy others after him to find more. Whence appears a manifest difference between heavenly and earthly consolations, the heavenly being still upon the growing hand, and incomprehensible by any of the saints till in heaven they be filled with all the fulness of God. For here Solomon professeth himself to have been at the bottom of earthly delights, so as none after him could go deeper. '• What can the m.an do v/ho cometh after the king ? " [Isiihcq. Verse V6. There are endowments of human nature, and improvements in character, which, though not distinctly spiritual, have high absolute value. Moral virtue and practical wisdom may beautify and adorn the character so as to win Divine commendation. Tne young man in the Gospel fell short of the highest excellence, yet " Jesus be- holduig him, loved him." There is great variety in the courses which natural men take in the pursuit of happiness. Some employ the highest prudence and caution, others are abandoned to the most reckless folly. There is all the difference between darkness and light in human conduct, even v/hen it comes short of the highest requirements. Let us not despise the natural beauties and graces of character. All light should be w^elcomed. The Gospel has an attraction for all that is pure and lovely in human nature. It is the property of good things that they do not need an external pi-aiser, but themselves when they are seen do testify their grace. It is a greater ex- cellency which is approved by sight, than that which is commended by speech \_St. Ambrose]. It is of human wisdom whereof I conceive him to speak, which therefore, though he could not be free from vanity, yet doth he prefer before folly, as much as light before darkness. Now light hath God himself for the praiser of it, and it is the first thing that God praised. " Let there be light," is the first word that God ever spoke ; and that " God saw the light to be good," is the first praise that God ever gave. As soon as God made the light, He divided the darkness from it, as if he would not have the excellency thereof to be dishonoured by the company of it. Let it therefore be our care also to divide wisdom from folly. The society of the one doth much shame the other, and indeed most unworthy is folly, so much as to be joined in comparison with Vi^isdom IJermiii]. Verse 14. Sensual pleasures dim the light of reason, and weaken man's power to direct his way. When the animal in man surmounts the rational, the eyes which should be the light of the body, are degraded to the dust, and blinded. The superior light, which the wise man of this world holds aloft to illumi- nate his path in life, does not prevent him from taking his last step into the darkness of the grave. The light that comes from beyond the sun can alone pierce that darkness. A fool hath not his eyes in his head, but in his heels. For when the coiu- temjilative power of the soul is liusied in worldly things, the nature of the 33 CUAP. II. TIOMILETIC COMMENTAnY: ECCLESIASTES. eyes passeth to the heels, which the serpeut pursueth and biteth with his teeth \_Je>-/ni/i]. Verse 15. Thoughts on the dread humility of dying will betimes oppress the most favoured and exalted of men. The terrible realities of our troubled life must sooner or later come home to the individual, — " So it happeneth even to me." In the voyage of life, our fellow passengers are marked by a great variety. There are rich and poor, obscure and noble, wise and foolish, good and evil. But one fate awaits us all — total shipwreck. We must all sink into the gulf of death. Our only consolation lies in the hope that we shall be supplied with Divine strength to climb up the other bank of life. To the wise man of the world, there is humiliation in the thought of the disgraceful necessity of death. But Jesus has passed through the tomb and sanctified it, so that for the Christian, death becomes the gate of life. No one who has learned the knowledge of the holy will have mournfully to ask when his last hour draws near — " Why was 1 then more wise ? " For such a man, the tree of knowledge becomes the tree of life. A man is placed in a high situation, receives an expensive education at school or college, and a still more ex- pensive one of time and experience. And then, just when we think all this ripe wisdom, garnered up from so many fields, shall find its fullest use, we hear that all is over, he has passed from among us, and the question, hideous in its suggestiveness, arises — " AVhy was he then more wise?" Asked from this world's stand-point — if there is no life beyond the grave, then the mighty work of God is all to end in nothing- ness. But if this is only a state of infancy, only the education for eternity, then to ask why such a mind is taken from us is just as absurd as to question why the tree of the forest has its iirst training in the nursery garden. This is but tlie nursery ground, from whence o4 we are to be transplanted into the great forest of God's eternal universe. There is an absence of all distinc^'on between the death of one man and m. other. The wise man dies as the fool with respect to circumstances [Eobe7-tso)i^. The Preacher objecteth, that although the wise man seeth so far into the nature and condition of things, yet that one event happeneth to them all. And, as to this objection. 1. He granteth it> '■'Then said I in my heart," I said that it was so, and in ray heart confessed it to be true. 2. He applieth it, " As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me." I cannot deny it in my- self, of whom it cannot be denied that my wisdom is the greatest of any. 3. He repineth at it in these words, " And why was I then more wise?" Why did I so carefully search into the nature and condition of things, forecast the events of things ? 4. Hedelivereth his sentence, " Then I said in my heart that this also is vanity." Then I concluded of it, and said so in my heart when I had considered of it [_Jenni>i']. Verse IG. It is always a startling thing to see the rapidity with which the wisest and the best are foi'gotten. We plough oiu" lives in water, leaving no furrow ; two little waves break upon the shore, but no further vestige of our existence is left [^Jujba-tsoii]. The footprints we leave on the sands of time are soon washed away by the advancing tide. The words, " And how dicth the wise man ?" in the original are an ex- clamation — "But O, how is ifthat the wise man dieth as the fool ! " This is not the conclusion of a cold and severe logic, but tlie expression of deep emo- tion. Beneath all tiie glory of this life, there is an unutterable sorrow. There are truths too deep for words. They ai-e only to be uttered with a gasp and a sigh. Faith alone can cure the terrible melancholy with which this view of life afllicts the soul. The intellect, the throne of human wisdom, is part of the Divine image, and God will not suffer it to die in iu)perfect rudiments. Man IIOMILELIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESTASTES'. chap. ii. lias in liim some resemblances of the image in the grave, nor suffer this Eternal God, who will not leave His spark of Hira to see corruption. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 17—23. The Confessions of a Pleasure-Seeker. I. That his life's promise has failed. The pleasure-seeker begins life with high hopes. The intoxication of mii'th exalts his imagination, and he lives, for a brief space, in the transports of joy. He looks forward to many years of merri- ment, free from every invasion of sorrow. But as time passes, and he learns the lessons of experience, and awakens to a sense of the solemn realities around him, life's fair promise is discovered to be a delusion. He has lived for pleasure, and trusted in the hopes it inspired ; but these have failed. 1. It promised that life would be bliss, but noio he deplores the very fact of existence. (Verse 17.) The pleasures of the world, by their agreeable variety and adaptation to our lower nature, promise to fill up every moment of life, and drive away all care and repining ; but they soon clog the senses, the power of enjoyment is blunted, and life itself regarded with disgust. 2. It promised that life would still be imfoldinrj new scenes of pleasure, but now it has led him to blank despair. (Verse 20.) He had hoped much from his high capacity for pleasure, from his wealth, from his skill in those great public works which would promote his magnificence, and draw attention to his genius. But now his ingenuity is exhausted, his spirits spent, and all is Hat and weary — the world has no more to offer. The night of despair lias come, and the bright and gaudy colours of life have faded away into con- fusion. II. That he is tormented by some ever-recurring thought. (Verses 18, 21.) The Royal Preacher had dwelt upon the idea before, that his wealth and all the products of his labour and skill must be left to some unworthy suc- cessor. This is with him a standing grief. Here the same thought rises acrain. What he had gathered with care, and produced by great labour of contrivance, Avould be laid waste by some foolish man. Amidst all the pleasures of his life, thifi terrible thought tvould come to the surface. Men of pleasure find that pain- ful and anxious thoughts are ever arising to disturb their enjoyment. The reflection is forced upou them that time is fast passing away, that their glory will soon descend into the grave, that all their earthly joy will fade in the last sickness and before the tomb, and that in the distant future even their very children will forget them in their own merry laugh and joy. Some deep thought is ever coming uppermost before which pleasure grows pale. III. That he enjoys no true repose. (Verse 23.) He has no rest during the progress of his AV(d-k, nor even when his task is done. The night, which invites repose, is in- vaded by care and trouble. His wealth can procure luxury ; but the heart is unquiet, and sleep is not to be had at any price. This shows us — 1. That there is a majest!/ in our nature which disdains to be satisfied with mere loorldl// pleasure. 2. That a sense of the solemn facts of our nature and destiivj cannot be banished from the mind bij mirth. 3. 2'hat the God of our soul can alone satisfy if. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 17. If God has disappeared weary of the world, and yet be without from Die efforts of men, a disgust of the consolations of God. The disgust life appears sooner or later [Gerlach]. of life may lead to remorse instead of Theie is a contempt of the world true repentance, and a stoical resigna- which is not genuine religion. Pleasure tiou to inflexible fate may closely may heartlessly spurn away those with imitate the calm anticipation of the wlium she has played ; they may become joys of heaven. 35 ciiAr. II. IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. The disorder of the mind darkens the whole scene of life. The brightest glory of the world may be clouded by the gloom of our own hearts. To hate life is to desti'oy the founda- tions of all happiness, for without existence no happiness could be possible. The gift of salvation can turn existence into a blessing. Our creation is a pledge of guardianship. It is to us a sure sign and token that " God will not forsake the work of His own hands." The original expresseth itself more fully, " I hated lives," not only this kind of life, or that kind of lite ; nor only this time of life, or that time of life-; not only the life of this man, or of that man ; but the lives of all men, of all kinds, of . all times. I hated mine own life, "because the work that is done under the sun is grievous unto me ; " the life of others, because '• All is vanity and vexation of sjDirit" [^Jerimn']. The things of this life have true bitterness, ftilse contentment, certain grief, uncertpjn pleasure, hard labour, fearful rest, matter full of misery, hope empty of happiness [Augustine]. Verse 18. It is only the resultof our labours that we pass on to posterity. The toil is ours, and theirs the fruit. The effects of our labour and skill remain after we are gone. They endure for others, but not for us. We are only the conveyers of the things of this life to others, not the possessors of them. As a thief comes in one night, and bears away the fruits of many toilsome days, so a man may leave his possessions to some one unworthy and unpi'ofitable. Man is but a tenant undc.r the great Lord of all. He has no lease of life ; but is liable to be turned out at a moment's notice. Ileoccuj)ieshis little holding for a brief spaoe, and then departs, leaving all he has gatliered and wrought to those who come aftei*. We cannot be truly said to possess that which can be severed from us, leaving us poor indeed. God is the only portion of the soul for ever. Verse 19. He who has gathered 36 spiritual treasure is rich in the wealtli of immortality, and will be for ever master of all his possessions. In the future kingdom only the wise shall rule. The works of faithful souls shall follow them beyond the world. They shall not lio left behind to ran the chance of being wasted or spoiled by others. Man has but a brief sovereignty over his earthly labours. A fool, from motives of mischief, or from some vain notion of improvement, may spoil the work of the wisest man. It is one of the vanities of wealth that a man knows not to what use it will be put by his successor. Verse 20. Here we have set down the two causes of despair — vanity and vexation. Vanity is a great cause of despair, for when men have laboui-ed hard, and find no success, that makes them despair of any success [Jermi)i]. Even the utmost depths of despair cannot overwhelm the cry of the soul. The darkest hour of the night is before the dawn. The darkest hour of the soul may be the prelude to a cheerful and prosperous day. Some will not seek the highest re- source until all that is earthly has failed. They must be driven ta feed upon the husks of despair before they will think upon the bread which is in their Father's house. Verse 21. An excess of carefulness for posterity may prove a hindrance in the duty that lies before us. We enter into the laboui's of others, build upon their foundation, and come into the easy possession of what they have won by careful thought and labour. If we are true spiritual workers, we have a wealthy hei'itagc. Let us strive to use it Avell. Even the best men must be content to accept the failure of much of the results of their works and wisdom. In every mental and moral effort for the good of others, there is some waste of power. The real effective force of oiu* life is small — both in regard to the present generation, and in regard to posterity. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY^: ECCLESIASTES. CHAP. II. The Lord in His vnse Providence sees it fit that great things of the world should fall for a portion to men who have neither wit nor experience for purchasing or improving them, tluit all may be convinced that these things are not infallible signs of His love ; and that men who get them may be allured to their duty by them, or the more severely punished when he reckons with them [Nisbet']. Verse 22. The pleasures of the world depart one by one, and leave men the sad heritage of weariness and vexa- tion. There, is nothi,ig here that is an adequate recompense for our anxiety of thought, and wasting labour. If this life be all, even our supremacy in the empire of mind is but a poor consolation, seeing our stay is so short and death strikes the sceptre from our hand. It is well to pause in the midst of our labours, and ask ourselves to what profit do they tend? This is the atti- tude in which the soul hoars the voice of God, bidding her return to enduring pleasures and works of lasting profit. For when it is asked v/hat hath a man of all his labour, pex'haps some one may answer — Behold I fill up my sacks, my walls do hardly hold that which I get, my gains do flow out every way, and money runs like a stream into my purse. Yet this is no answer; for that thy sack may be filled, thy soul fevereth with cares ; that thy gold may increase, thine honesty is diminished ; that thou mayest be richly clothed without, thou art spoiled and left naked within [Augustine]. Verse 23. The joys of the children of this world are but the illusions of a dream. There is a deep sorrow running through life v/hich men strive in vain to hide. Much of the work . of the world is pui'sued beyond what is simply necessary for the sustenance and ornament of life. Men try to avoid being left alone with themselves. They contrive to draw off the attention from their own misery. Yet the grief of life remains, and, like a fatal distemper, cleaves to the soul. Sleep is the gift of God, Avho secm-es it to the contented mind and clear con- science. God has access to our spirit at all times, and when at night we rest from labours and strive to shut out care, He can trouble us with unknown terrors. Thei'e is only one pillow on which, the heart can rest — the bosom of the Infinite Father. The magnetic needle has one position of rest — when it trembles to the pole. In all otlier positions it is under constraint, and tends to sw^ing itself to rest. So the soul can have no true repose until the affections rest in God. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 24—26. The Wisest Use of the Pkesent Wokld. I. A proper enjoyment of the blessings of life. The good things of this world can never bring us true and lasting happiness if we live for them alone. But we must not despair of finding external happiness even in these, if we use them aright. There must be some lawful means of enjoying the v/orld's good. The Creator, in His works, has provided both for ornament and delight. We must not be as sulky children, refusing to enjoy ourselves when He invites us. To condemn all that the world offers to cheer the spirit of man, without showing how it may be properly enjoyed, or substituting some other pleasures, would either drive the soul to despair, or plunge it more deeply into unkiwful pleasures. The state of our souls determines what is good or bad in pleasure. We project our nature upon the external world. " To the pure, all things are pure." How are we to eujoy the blessings of this life ? 1. They should be subordinated to our higher wants. As long as we remember that they only minister to our lower wants, we preserve the true dignity of our soul. He who has the highest^ good 3 « CHAP. II. IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. can rightly and well enjoy the lowest. When pleasure is made the end of life, the soul becomes debased, and unfit for the vision of God. The pure light of heaven in the soul can transfigure all things in life. Christ used the Avorkl, but He had superior meat, drink, and joy than He could find here. To Him, the world was a place of duty and trial ; but He tasted the world's pleasures as a " Brook by the way." 2. Thei/ should be iised unth moderation of desire. "Enjoy good in his labour." There is a happiness naturally arising out of the things of life. What we force out of them beyond their natural yield will only prove a bitter portion. The path of the wise is ever traced between dangerous exti'emes. 3. Superior poirer and facili/ij of enjoi/uient must not tempt us to abuse them. (Verse 25.) Solomon had riches and position — means to procure enjoy- ments. He had the skill to devise exquisite pleasures, and to secure an agreeable variety. But he found that all must be under the control of some exalted purpose. The best gifts of heaven may be abused ; but while reason and conscience govern, we are safe. II. A recognition of the Divine soui'ce of the blessings of life. (Verse 24.) 1. The blessings of this life are the gift of God. They are His })ro- visions for the creature whom He has made. A remembrance of the great source of all our good makes life sacred. To abuse this present world is to take an unfair advantage of infinite kindness. To worship God's gifts instead of Him- self is idolatry. We must use God's creatures for the same end for Avhich He made them — His glory. 2. The poioer to enjoy them comes from God. If we can enjoy His gifts wdth contentment and cheerfulness, this power comes from Him. How soon God may destroy our happiness, by either removing His gifts, or depriving us of the power of enjoying them ! 3, Their true value and use can onli/ be knoirn h>j Divine teaching. If we can taste with grateful cheerfulness what is provided for us here on our way to our superior home, the idea is divinely imparted to us. When we realize the true idea of life, we can best enjoy the world. The repose of mind, and peace of conscience thence arising, are favourable to the truest enjoy- ment. III. A conviction that there are Divine provisions for the good. There is an apparent indifference on the part of God to moral distinctions in the human character. Yet there are, even in this life, indications of retributive justice. God will make abundant provision for the man who is " good in His eight." 1. He IV ill be supjilled with the true giddlng principle of life. "Wisdom and knowledge." For lack of these, many leave the best pleasures of life uutasted. They are the dupes of imagination and fancy. AVhen our earthly enjoyments ai'e not held in check by a superior guiding jiower, they turn to vexation and misery. A careful observance of the facts of life, and the wisdom to employ them for the higliest ends, will secure for us the purest enjoyments. 2. He ivill hare the ratlowd conij'orts of life. To him " joy " shall be given ; and this depends upon the state of the heart. "A man's life" (not the sustenance of his life, but the life by which he lives) " consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth." ExistencD is the gift of God's goodness to all men, but the life of life, the joy and real soul of it, is a mark of His favour. IV. A conviction that the impious use of the Creators gifts is r linous. (Verse 26.) The sinner, as he riots in pleasure, may appear to have tiie best of the world, but he is only laying up a store of misery. The justice of heaven is not a wild passion of revenge, but is calm and dignilicd ; and though the sword of God is not in haste to smite, yet, if not .averted by repentance, it will descend with fearful destruction upon the sinner. A wrong use of this world must end in utter ruin. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 24. True piety is opposed to destroy the plain truths and duties of asceticism. Revealed Religion does not nature. 38 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. CHAP. II. Piety obliges no man to be dull \South\ The common actions of life may be sanctified by a general purpose of con- secration to God. The Creator not only sends us gifts which minister to onr use and delight, but even the power to enjoy is also His Christianity has ennobled many words which once served the uses of supersti- tion by making them the representatives of nobler thoughts. In like manner, the worldly man's triad — to eat, drink, and be merry — may be ennobled by an abiding intention of pleasing God in all that we do. Christians mcnj have earthly joy. Let there be no half-remorseful sensa- tions as though they were stolen joys. Christ had no sympathy with that tone of mind which scowls on human happi- ness. His first manifestation of power was at a marriage feast. Who would check the swallows' flight, or silence the gush of happy melody which the thrush pours forth in spring ? [Rohert- son.'\ Verse 25. He can best lay down the law of life who is qualified by ex- perience. I take the original word here used to signify to call or cry aloud, and so should render the verse according to this sense : " Who can call for more freely, who can enjoy more speedily, the good of this life than I can ? " And, therefore, who should also be be- lieved rather than I, who deny the en- joying of the good of this life to be the good of man ? From hence we may take this lesson, that no one do promise to himself, or take upon himself, those thinprs which those who have been far more able than himself have not been able to perform. And for an in- stance : let not those promise to them- selves heaven who live carelessly in religion, when it is hard for them who are very careful to attain thither \Jerniiii\. Verse 2Q. True goodness is that which can endure in the sight of God. Here we have : 1 . A satisfaction for the intellect — " Wisdom and know- ledge." 2. A satisfaction for the affec- tions — "Joy." 3. A satisfaction for the conscience — " Good in His sight." Man, in the pcesent world, is under the moral government of God, even in his pleasures. No part of his conduct is indifferent, for it has some relation to the formation of character, and there- fore to our future destiny. All the vanity, all the toilings of men after wisdom, happiness and rest, which in so many ways lead men to the grave, where ceases all the distinction which they strive to obtain on earth, are not allotted to the pious man by God ; they are a curse which sin has laid upon man, but which God will make a bless- ing to His chosen ones. For these busy, restless creatures gather and heap up for those who are good in God's eyes. And these latter shall gratui- tously receive by the sinner's labour what he seeks and finds not, what he labours for and cannot enjoy : wisdom knowledge, joy. What is the Divine word, and whence are taken this wis- dom, knowledge, and joy that in it exist? Are they not honey made by bees in the slain beasts ? What are the stories that they tell us but exam- ples of sinner's toil, of the vanity and folly into which men have fallen ? \_B.amann.'\ 39 CHAP. III. ILOMILETIC COyniEyTARY: ECCLESIASTES. CHAPTER III. Critical Notes. — 1. Season-time.] Seasoa signifies a certain period or term ; timp denotes a division of time In general. 2- A tiuis to plant, &c.] U.tod in 0. T. as a metaphor to describe the founding and destruction of cities. 7- A time to rend and a time sew.] The rending- of garmonts on hearing sad tidings, and sewing thorn when the season of grief is past. 11. In His time.] This is the emphatic part of the sontonco. The fitting time is one of the chief elements in the ways of Providence, which raises in us the thought of an Infiuito Wisdom. Also He hath set the world in their heart. The world here should be rendered eternity — i.e., the universe 3onsidored as duration — as that which is oxtendod in time. It is bocauso man has eternity in his heart that he is able, from the obsorvation of Creation, to lorm an idi-a of " His eternal power and Godhead." So that no man can find out the ivork thai God maheth. Men have an idea of God and His immense dominion; but the details of the method and circumstances of His Sovereign rule are but imi)erfoctly known. 14. It shall be forever.] God's order is fixed — His law is eternal. 15- God requiretb. that which is past.] Literally, God seoketh that ■which was crowded out. Tlius God seeks out again v>-hat the revolutions of history have pushed back into the past, as if it were entirely done with. The meaning is — that the p.ist ages of wrong and unjust suffering shall be called up again. God will investigate the case of those who have been persecuted. IS. That God might manifest them.] The disorders of the present are permitted to the end that God might test, or prove, men. That tliey themselves are beasts. Not in regard to moral character, but to the common fato of dissolution, awaiting alike both men and beasts. Thej/ themselves — i.e., apart from Him who alone hath immortality, and in whoso sole right is the gilt of it — men, like the beasts, are all included in one sad fate. This thought is expanded in the next verse. 12. For who knoweth the Spirit of man that goeth upward.] Man has no distinct and certain knowledge of his own future destiny, or of that of other forms of life. The subject is altogether beyond the range of human experience. Like God Himself, the future state is unseen and unknown by us. We can indeed apprehend both these truths by faitii ; yet, from the mere human standpoint, wo may reason with equal plausibility, so far as outward appearances are concerned, for or against immortality. 22. For who shall bring him to see v/hat shall be after him ?] Man cannot tell what God will do in the future with all his earthly circumstances — how far, in the groat future, they will be modified or destroyed. Hence riches, &c., must have many elements of uncertainty. Therefore enjoy the present. MAIN IIOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH. Verses 1—8. The SurREMACY of the Divine Conthol. Man forms designs for his own happiness, gives free scope to his powers, and traces out the course of his life. Yet there is over hiui a higher system of things, a stern and terrible Power by which he is overmastered and subdued. He is made, after all, to fulfil the designs of heaven. The Divine control over every domain of creation is supreme over all other sovereignties. This is evident from the following facts : I. The Divine Control is exerted tlu'oughout all time. Human history is inserted between the two eternities. In the inlinite solitudes of the past, before the birth of time, the mind has not whereon to rest, nor can the eye pier e beyond the present order of things into the immense future. Between these there is a range of time, forming the platform upon ■whith human history is erected. Here the mind can rest, and survey the rule of the Sui)reme. 1. God made time for us hy giving a peculiar direction to His power. Before time was, or ever any creature was made, He dwelt in that eternity which knows no periods. No voice could be heard in that vast solitude but His own. Yet He was not content to remain thus solitary, but surrounded Himself with those intclligencies upon whom He might pour the illu.-^trations of His wisdom and benevolence. Thus the Divine power directed by goodness has crciited time for us wherein all the circumstances and issues of all creatures are displayed. 2. God rules over ike ivliole course of time which He has made. Origination gives a natural title to possession. God has exerted His power aud wisdom both in 40 IIOMILETIC CmniENTWY: ECCLESIASTES. criAr. iir. time and space, and therefore has an undisputed claim to reign supreme over each reah"n. 3. God's Supreme Control is to be observed chiefly in the events of time. Events take place at certain seasons, and a season is a portion cat off from time. They are its joints, or articulations — critical periods of time. What has been ripening slowly through long years comes to the bit'th at a moment in the grand decisive events of history. Thus the Deluge, the giving of the Law, the establish- ment of Judaism, the founding of Christianity, the invention of Printing, the i Reformation, are some of the great births of time. They are seasons when it is most of all observed that there is a wise and Infinite Power above, directing the great issues of time. These are the joints that connect and strengthen the whole frame of human history. The smooth course of affairs often fails to excite attention, but great events startle men into surprise, and invite contemplation. The thoughtless world is thus roused to behold the mighty hand of the great Euler of all. II. The Divine control is marked by an unchangeable order. The times and seasons in which every purpose comes to full ripeness are pre- determined by God. With Him there is no disordered mixture of things — no wild confusion. Infinite wisdom cannot be taken by surprise, or plunged of a sudden into perplexity. All the events of time arise from a fixed order of things. They are determined by a plan, dimly seen by us, but traced in stern and clear lines by a steady hand, and with the precision and confidence of infinite skill. We call this regular order of things law, for so it is as scon from our point of view; but on God's side it is the exercise of Avill ; not indeed of an uncertain and capricious nature, but following method — the will of the Father of Lights — a clear and illumined will. This is unchangeable by us, or by any other power. 1. Lifinite loisdovi and poioer lead to such a result. God has no need to make experiments to try some doubtful issue. He has no mis- takes to repair, nor can any reason arise to oblige Him to retouch and modify His plan. In His vast design no element, however small, is omitted or overlooked. He has power to carry all His purposes into effect; hence such a Being has no cause or reason to oblige Him to depart from a fixed order. 2. The study of nature teaches us that there must be such an order in human events. There is such a fixed order in the physical world, in the great orbs that roll above us. The laws of nature are regular, severe, exact. We can depend upon them in their inflexible constancy. All things in the universe are ordered by number, weight, and measure. Are we to suppose that the regular plan of the Divine government is only concerned with lifeless matter, and does not also extend with equal accuracy and completeness to souls ? Is man alone to be made the sport of blind chance, when all movements and changes of created things are governed by a rigid law? Man, with all the events of time that concern him, reveals an infinite complication, yet surely the boundless wisdom of God is equal to the task of governing him according to a regular plan ? The most slippery elements of hr.man affairs are held by the Divine hand. 3. The Bible is full of this doctrine. What reason teaches us to expect, the Bible reveals as a fact. The added light of Revelation enlarges our prospect, and strengthens our Night of the wide realms ever which God rules. What .is the Gospel itself but the kingdom of God, imply- ing authority, law, and order ? The more we look into God's latest Revelation, the more are we persuaded that there is nothing that conce'rns human nature which is left out by the Divine plan. The teaching of the Bible is that luan, as an inhabitant of this world, and as a candidate for immortality, is completely under the control of the Supreme. III. The Divine control is illustrated by the' whole course of hiirna,n aflairs. The hand of God in history can be clearly per- ceived by every one whose attention is at all awake. The proudest is brought, sooner or late-, to confess that God has " beset him, behind and before." The kings of the earth who have " taken counsel together against the Lord and His Anointed " have either been tamed to submission, or in mad rebellion have broken 41 CHAP. III. IIOMILEriC COMMENTARY: ECCLESTASTES. themselves against the bars of destiny. History is but a revelation of the fixed principles of Providence. A survey of this scene of man will give abundant illustration of the completeness of the Divine control throughout the whole extent of human history. 1. It is illustrated in the individual life. (1.) The hofindai-ies of that life are determined. Birth and death are the extreme limits between which each single life receives a manifestation. Life is purely a gift. We sought it not : it was thrust upon us. Though flowing to us through human channels, it rises from the Fountain of Life, We were summoned into His presence. The time of our public appearance here was appointed by Providence, and we must accept it for good or evil. We are here, called from the abyss of nothing by the Almighty power. The time of our departure hence is also determined. Though that time is to us unknown, yet where our journey of life shall end is known fully to the Great Disposer of all things. He has already drawn the circle which we must fill, nor can we by all our skill and care enlarge it, nor enclose a greater area from the territory of life allotted to us. (2.) The discipline of that life is determined. We pass through various changes of fortune, and these are employed by Divine Providence as a means of spiritual education. We are planted, and again plucked up — we enter upon new modes of life, and old scenes pass away from us, never to return. Structures which we had raised in confidence and hope are broken down, and with a sadder heart and dearly-bought experience we build again as best we may. We are stunned by disease, as if killed by the terrible blow ; and then healed again to receive what awaits us in life. In the merchandise of life, we experience the excitement of loss and gain ; and what we have secured by energy and kept with care we may be obliged, in the emergencies of fortune, to cast away. (8.) The emotions of our life are determined. VYe have no command over our joys or our sorrows. They arise from the constitution of our nature, acted ujion by the various changes in the world around us. There are times vv'hen sorrow lifts the sluices of our tears, and we cannot intercept their flow ; again the season of joy comes and shakes our countenance into ripples of laughter. There are tiuies too of excessive emotion, when to mourn or to dance seems to be the only fit expression of the great force with which both grief and pleasure possess our frame. (4.) The seasons of special dutii are also determined. Wm- and peace, silence and speech, arc here selected as the type of many. In a world of confiicting interests and passions, there are times when even the most peaceful disposition is dragged into a contest, and then the season comes when the con- ditions of peace ought to be cheerfully accepted. There are times when silence is the higliest duty, lest we shouhl pluck the unripe fruit of wisdom, or speak words out of season to some heavy heart. Then the moment comes when we should hold no longer from speaking, but give utterance to tlie thought within us to instruct, to comfort, and to bless. The seasons both of silence and speech are forced upon us, when the most sullen is compelled to utterance, and the most noisy tongue is silenced. 2. It is illustrated in the life of nations. The history of natioi:s is analogous to that of individuals, but it is drawn to a larger scale. It is developed through greater measures of time. Nations, like individuals, have pcM-idiarities of character, and special elements of strength and weakness. As the moral determinations of a man's early life change the whole course of his subsequent liistory, so it is with nations. By great moral crises they rise to superior inlluence and grandeur, or date from them the first symptoms of decline. Histoiy shows that the Divine control over tiie life of luitions is complete. (1.) They hare their allotted span of life. For them, too, there is a " time to be born and a time to die." They rise, flourish, and decay, and run through a strange and eventful course between the cradle and the grave. One nation after anotiier has passed away. We have but the poor remains of their glory embalmed in liistory. Rome and Carthage, and mighty Babylon — where are they ? The mighty past is full of the graves of 42 IlOmLETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. chap. empires. Divine Providence calls a people to be a nation, and when their course is run they go down into the dust of time. They were "planted" and then " plucked up," they were gathered and then dispersed by weakness, and com- pletely undone. {■>.) They have times of severe Providential visitations. They are wounded as by the thrusts and stabs of some terrible fortune ; they are healed again, recover strength, and live to complete their history. (3.) Tliey pass through the varied changes cf inihlic feeling. In times of great public calamity they are constrained to weep and mourn ; and in some great national excitement of joy they assume tjie proper circumstances of mirth and rapture. (4.) They have the alternations both of prosperiUj and adversity. They have their times " to get," and " to lose," " to gather," and to " cast away." (5.) They have times of special duty. Now, by the pressure of circumstances, or by a sense of propriety, they are forced to silence ; and again, the time comes for self assertion. Hence, love and hatred peace and war. 0. It is illustrated in the life of Churches. The life of the Church itself, as the Kingdom of God, survives the destruction of States and all the changes of the world ; the seed of the Kingdom is imperishable. But separate Churches have histories as strange and eventful as those of the individual. (1.) They have a fixed period of existencs. They are founded, endowed with spiritual life ; and after flourishing, it may be through centuries, they die out. They are "planted " and " plucked up ; " gathered as stones for a building, and, like the Temple at Jerusalem, they are scattered. Where are the Seven Chtirches of Asia now ? Where those flourishing African Churches of the early centuries? Infidelity and superstition grow^ rank over the ruins of once famous Churches. Ecclesiastical systems change ; they have no natural immortality. Each system will have its day. There is uo miracle wrought to preserve the garments of religious thought and Church order from waxing old, and decayin"- through the wilderness of history. (2.) They have seasons of manifest Divine Visitation. There are times when God, in His dealings with His Church, compels attention. There are manifest visitations of God to His people both of anger and love. By the corruption of doctrine, and the influence of the world, by neglecting her true mission, and by prosperity, the Church is corrupted, and Divine judgments threaten, and at length fall upon her. Then is the season to weep and mourn and to rend the garments. Providence often resorts to terrible means, as if the Lord would slay His people. Then there are times of blessed visitation, when the Church is increased and prosperous ; the sharp wound is healed, the season of joy and exultation has come. (3.) They have seasons of special duty. There are times Avhen Churches can afford to be silent and regard the cavils and opposition of others with a lofty indifference. It is often best to maintain peace, and to allow the fury without to spend its own violence and utterly exhaust itself. But the fit time for self-assertion arrives, and the Church must carry the war into the enemies' camp. The Christian Religion itself has been the occasion of terrible conflicts, and men have kindled the flame of fierce passions upon the altar of God. The temper of the world towards the Churches of different periods varies. It is fickle and inconstant like human affection. There is for the Church, in regard to her relations with the world, a " time to love, and a time to hate." For the Church of every age there are "times and seasons which the Father hath put into His own power." They are all a portion of the eternal plan. THE CLOCK OF DESTINY. Mortality is a huge timo-piece wound up of warning, and the world may look out for by tho Almighty Maker ; and after he has set some great event; and presently it fulfils its it a-going nothing can stop it till the Angel warning, and rings in a noisy revolution. But swears that time shall be no longer. But there ! as its index travels on so resolute and here it ever vibrates and ever advances— tick- tranquil, what tears and raptures attend its ing one child of Adam into existence, and progress ! It was only another wag of the ticking another out. Now it gives the whirr sleepless pendulum : but it was fraught with 43 ciiAr. III. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. •destiny, and a fortune was made — a heart was broken — au empire fell. Wo cannot read the writing on the mystic cogs as they are coming slowly up ; but each of tliem is coming on God's errand, and carries in its graven brass a Divine decree. Now, however — now, that the moment is past, we know ; and in the ful- lilmoht wo can read the fiat. This instant was to say to Solomon, " Bo born ! " this other was to say to Solomon, in all his glory, " Dio ! " That instant was to "plant" Israel in Pales- tine ; that other was to " pluck him up." And thus inevitable, inexorable, the groat clock oC human destiny moves on, till a mighty band shall grasp its heart and hush for ever its pulso of iron [Da J. Hamilton^. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Yerse 1. In all the afllictions of the good, it is an element of consolation that the severe.scason will have an end, and in the great future a brighter one will arise. It is the highest prudence to await in patience God's time. The fact that there is a Divine plan to be observed amidst all the seeming disorder of human things, is the charter of our liberty, the very foundation of our hope. Under the dominion of a wild and reckless chance, we could not walk surc-footedly in this life, nor cherish a deathless hope of better things awaiting us in the life to come. Tiieie arc atmospheres that support, and others that extiugiiish flame. There are beliefs that have a like effect upon the soul. Without the recognition of a superior power controlling all things, the torch of hope cannot buro. The plan of God must be distin- guished from fate and destiny. Some ancient philosophers taught that God Himself Avas subjected to an iron ['necessity, that the resistless walls of fate constrained even the Highest. We know that God is above Ilis plan; that it is framed by Indnite Wisdom, maintained by Infinite Power, and pervaded by the Spirit of Infinite Love. The plan of God results not from mere will, supported by a terrible and uncertain power. His will is not wilf'ul- ness, or caprice. We know what we are to expect from one who is wise and good. The view of the machinery of the Divine Government, constructed with such infinite skill, and moved on by a terrible power, would of itself oppress and overwhelm our soul. Human nature must languish even under the contemplation of the highest regularity and order. But there is an infinite tenderness above all, and within the 4i awful circles of wisdom and power there is a Divine bosom on which weary souls can repose, and where they are safe from fear. Even Christ Himself became subject to the plan of God. He v/aited for His '-baptism" and His "hour." His greatest enemies could not prevail against Him till the appointed season had come. • " Time " — " Season." 1. Consola- tion for the righteous in the day of trouble. They know that there will be a period to their sorrow, and that com- fort and rest await them. 2. Assurance of the triumph of truth and right. He who has formed the plan of nature's vast year is the Holy One, and in the upshot of all things He will vindicate His own character. He will make the cause of the right and the true to triumph. 3. The condemnation of the false and wrong. The most rebellious will be forced at last to submission ; and he who has enjoyed his fancied liberty, because judgment appeared to linger, will find that he is overtaken at last. There is no wandering out of the reach of God's perfect knowledge, no slipping through the hands of Onuiipo- tence. God's hand is as steady as His eye; and certainly thus to reduce con- tingencies to method, instability and chance itself to an unfailing ride and order, argues such a mind as is lit to govern the world \_SoutIi\. Nothing can come from the most carefully constructed of human schemes till the pre-defermiued hour has struck, even if all men on earth were to put forth the most violent efforts. God will not suffer the hands of Ilis great clock to be pointed by the kings and princes and lords of the earth \^J^uthe)-\. The thiuiis '•■ under heaven " have HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. CHAP. III. but a time — a brief season. There is awaiting the good and the true the calm and untroubled flow of the ages of eternity. Verse 2. There is "a time to be born/' and however much a man may dislike the era on which his existence is cast, he cannot help hireiself : that time is his', and he must make the most of it. Milton need not complain that his lot is fallen on evil days ; for these ai-e Ids days, and he can have no other, Roger Bacon and Galileo need not grudge their precocious being, that they have been prematurely laimched into the age of inquisitoi's and knowledge- quenching monks — for this age was made to make them. And so with the time to die. Voltaire need not offer half his fortune to buy six weeks' re- prieve ; for if the appointed moment has arrived it cannot pass into eternity without taking the sceptic with it. And even good Hezekiah — his tears and prayers would not have turned the shadow backward, had that moment of threatened death been the moment of God's intention [Dr. J. Hamilton']. How immense is the difference be- tween the circumstances of one human being and another! — and yet this is made by, what seems to us, the mere accident of birth. "This babe to be hail'd and woo'd as a Lord, and that to be shunn'd like a leper ! " Thus the Supreme Power determines the " bounds of our habitation " by appointing the time and place where we shall make our entrance upon life. Eacii human soul born into the vv'orld is an entirely new product. It never existed before. Matter continues the same through all changes and evolu- tions, but souls are strictly new. The observation of this common fact pre- pares the mind to accept the great mystery of creation. To be born is — 1. To enter upon scenes of life already prepared for us. The world was made ready for our habitation, and the circumstances of society were prepared for us long before we came. 2. To incur the obligation of duty. The fact that we are created by a higher Power implies a certain relation to that Power, and therefore corresponding duties. 3. To take our part in the system of Providence. We. become, at birth, a part of the estab- lished order of things; we must take our place and accept our condition. 4. To enter upon a state of probation. There is another great event awaiting us, determined by the Divine decree — death. Life is the season in which the character is to be fitted for the next scene of things to v.'hich God shall call us. The gift of Life. — 1. It is a Divine gift. God alone can impart it. The breathing marble is but a figure of speech. The Spirit of God, the i^rimal force of the universe, is " sent forth, and they are created." 2. It is a blessed gift. Our creation is the foundation of all the blessings that we can enjoy in any world. All the riches and ad- vancement belonging to thought and feeling from hence take their rise. 3. It is an awful gift. Existence is a terrible responsibility, for we may make it an evil and a cui'se. Believers and Christians know that no tyrant's sword can kill or destroy them, and that before their hour comes no creature whatever can harm them. Hence they do not; trouble and worry themselves much about death, but when it comes they die unto the will of God as He pleases, like lambs and young children \_Luthe7'^. The busiest of mortals must find a. time to die. Death has been described as " the land without any order," and, as it seems to us, without any order the King of Terrors carries off his victims. But Providence observes a fixed order. There is for every mortal course a fixed hour to close. The time and manner of our death are to us unknown. This uncertainty is beneficial — 1. On social grounds. Man, by this provision, does not end his labours till the last moment in which he can be useful to society. 2. On I'eligious grounds. The motives for seeking God are strengthened by the uncertainty of life. But above all, believe it, the sweetest 45 IIOMILETIC COMMEXTARY: ECCLESIASTES. •Canticle Is liunc dimittis. -svliere a man hath obtained worthy ends and expecta- tions. Death hath this also, that it openeth the gate to good fame, and extinguisheth envy \_Bacon']. The time of death is one — 1. Of parting from all the associations of life. Those scenes of nature and of man which had become endeared to us are rudely torn from our heart. There is a complete loss of the Avorld. 2. Of an oppressive sense of loneliness. There is no human breast on which the parting soul can rely. The dread journey must be attempted alone, as far as human supports are concerned. 3. Of the dread of the unknown and untried. The unknown is ever the terrible. And so there is " a time to plant." The impulse comes upon a man of fortune, and he lays out his spacious lawn, and studs it with massive trees; and he plants his garden, and in the soil imbeds the richest and rarest flowers. And that impulse fades away, and in the fickleness of sated opulence the whole is rooted up, and converted into a wilderness again. Or by his own or a successor's fall, the region is doomed to destruction ; and when strangling nettles have choked the geraniums and the lilies, and, crowded into atrophy, the lean plantations grow tall and branchless, the axe of an enterprising purchaser clears away the dark thickets, and his plough-share turns up the weedy parterre \_Dr. J. Hamilton']. God has often plucked up the heathen and planted His own people. The Church is a cleared enclosure in the midst of the wilderness of the world. The Heavenly Husbandman will .pluck up every pkmt that is unfit for His garden. The growths of sin and error can only ilourish for a time. No advantage of situation can give them a title to continuance. The season for plucking up will come, for God must remove them out of His sight. Verse 3. God often resoi-ts to terrible ineans in order to purify His Church. Affliction is sometimes sharp, and 4G seems to be the prelude to deatii ; but it is not in itself an end. God oidy ordains death as a passage to life. He is the Heavenly Physician who wounds but to heal. The hurt comes before the healing, and affliction before the fruition of blessedness. The miracles of healing performed by Our Lord contain a prophecy of Avhat He will do as the Restorer of Paradise. He will heal all the wounds of His people, and give them life to enjoy in its best condition. Times of healing, whether of bleeding and sick nations, of rent and distempered Churches, or wounded spirits, are in God's hand ; and, till His time come, all essays of otlier physicians for healing are in vain ; and therefore He is to be humbly employed and depended upon for that end, considering that however times of healing be fixed with Him, yet the importunity of penitents is ordinarily a comfortable forerunner of their being healed \_Ni>ihet]. The most famous and enduring of works have been destroyed, and the glories of each succeeding age are often built upon the ruins of the past. No Avorldly fortune so great but God can break it down, as He will for every man at death. All the works of man are doomed. Those structures alone shall abide that are raised upon the everlasting foundations. AVhen tliis life is past, there will be, for the good, an end of the succession of breaking down and building up. For them there is prepared the city which shall never be spoiled by the invader. God builds again the walls of the Church when He grants great spiritual prosperity and increase. In the Church's lowest condition the faithful few need not despair ; the " time to build up " will come. The progress of all human things is towards final and complete ruin. JJut upon these ruins God will raise ever- lasting habitations. In the midst of failure and destruc- tion, the wise may hope and take courage. Their ruined structures shall HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESTASTES. chap. iir. be built again. We must fail here ; but if we are one with God, we shall find all re-constructed for us on a larger plan, and with more refined elegance. Verse 4. We cannot fix the seasons of sorrow or of joy; they are forced upon us by the decrees of Providence. With the good, joy always comes last. Their history is a transcript of the history of Christ. He suffered first, aud then entei'ed into His gloiy. The weeping of the world is but tears shed over the grave of hope ; it is the anguish of despair. But the righteous weep with a sadness which takes comfort. Their darkest prospect is rounded by the glory of unfading hope. There are seasons when the Church must hang her harp upon the willows and weep the tears of memory and long regrets ; but the night of weeping shall be followed by the morning of joy. It is best to yield to the feeling of the time, for this is the design of Provi- dence. The children of this world try to force themselves to laughter when they ought to weep — there is a deep misery underlying their loudest joy. Tears are, as it were, the blood of the wounds of the soul, which manifest the greatness of them ; and so the light skipping of the body in dancing is but the shadow of the light and lofty fiying of the mind in joy {Jermiii]. The Lord hath His own times fixed wherein He will fill the mouths of His people with laughter, and turn their mourning into dancing by making them see the performance of those promises which they could hardly believe, heal- ing their spiritual distempers, guarding their hearts against the vexation of affliction, giving thera such sweet fore- tastes of their future happiness that they cannot • but skip for joy, even in the midst of the worst that men can do to them. And when His time for making His people laugh and dance Cometh, the world cannot hinder it l^Nishet] . No one can fix a date and say, I shall spend that day merrily, or I must spend it mournfully. The day fixed for the wedding may prove the day for the funeral ; and the sliip which was to bring back the absent brother, may only bring his coffin. On the other hand, the day we had destined for mourning, God may turn to dancing, and may gird it with irresistible glad- ness [Dr. J. Hamilton]. There are extremes of joy and sorrow which must receive a corresponding ex- pression. From their very nature, they must be of brief duration. There is an average healthy pulse for the spiri- tual as well as for the natural man. The soul must not be dissolved in rap- ture so as to give no heed to the claims of duty. The extreme forms of human emo- tion show that this world is not our place of rest. Ours is not that calm and untroubled joy which the righteous look for beyond life. The Fountain of Life above is no intermittent spring. Verse 5. Destruction and re-building — These words describe all history. — 1. The history of material aud social progress. This is mainly a breaking- up of institutions which have been proved a failure — no longer able to accompany the soul into higher latitudes ; or it is the substitution of new methods be- cause they are better and more pot'ent than the old — ^as in skilful inventions and contrivances. 2. The history of thought. Old fashions of thinking have parsed away, and new systems have been built up. And so it will be to the end, as long as the constitution of the mind is unchanged. Human monuments cannot endure for ever. They are broken down, to be replaced by other works of taste and skill. The material progress of man requires such renewal. A like neces- sity exists in intellectual progress. Each age requires a new embodiment of the truth. Hence the necessity of curx-eut literature. Christ said to the Jews, " Behold your house is left unto you desolate." It was God's house no longer. When the Church has reached this stage of corruption, the time for scattering her stones is not far off. But God cherishes 47 CHAP. in. JIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. the purpose of building in the midst of this AYork of undoing. The glorious Christian Temple was raised upon the ruins of Judaism. " There is a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing." There is a time when the fondness of friend- ship bestows its caresses, and receives them in return Avith reciprocal sincerity and delight: and a time when the ardour cools ; when professions fail ; when the friend of our bosom's love proves false and hollow-hearted, and the sight of him produces only the sigh and tear of bitter recollection. We re- frain from embracing because our em- brace is not returned [ WardJaiii\. The love of Clod to His Church is un- changeable, but the special expressions of His love — i.e., His favour, varies. The souls of the righteous are some- times cast down as if God did not permit them always to enjoy His closest and most retired aifection. Providence has ordained it that not even in religion itself shall we have a constant rapture of delight. In the most entrancing music of the soul, there must be pauses of silence. Verse 6. There is a time when every enterprise succeeds ; when, as if he were a Midas, whatsoever tiie prosperous mer- chant touches is instantly gold. Then comes a time when all is adverse — when flotillas sink, when ports are closed, and each fine opening only proves another and a tantalising failure. And so there is "a time to keep and a time to cast away." There is a time when in tlie cutting blast the traveller is fain to wrap his cloak more closely around hiin ; a time when in the torrid beam he is tliankful to be rid of it. There is a time when wo cannot keep too carefully the scrip or satchel which con- tains the provision for our journey ; a time when, to outrun the pursuing assassin, or to bribe the red-armed robber, we fling it down without a scruple. It Avas a time to keep when the sea was smooth, and Rome's ready market was waiting for the corn of Kgypt : but it was a time to cast the wheat into the sea when the angry 48 ocean clamoiired for the lives of thrice a hundred passengers [Dr. J. Hamilton']. AVe have here — 1. A recognition of the duty of industiy. There is " a time to get." Providence calls men- to active diligence in the sober pursuit of this world's good. 2. The vicissitudes of fortune. No human power can con- trive that our fortunes shall be constant and imbroken. They may be under- mined by the merest accident ; or we may be deprived of thb jcwer to enjoy them. 3. The prudence proper in ex- tremity. It is I'ight carefully to preserve the results of our labour, but there are emergencies when, to serve some higher purpose, we must part with our most cherished earthly good. That which is subject to such violent changes, and which we must be pre- pared to lose, cannot be our chief good. It is no part of our real selves, no last- ing inheritance of the soul. Even our life, the dearest treasure we possess, must be rendered up at the high demands of duty. The treasures of the mind and soul are alone exempt from this inexorable law. Capricious fortune cannot force us to resign immortal wealth. We must not attach our hearts to that which we may lose so soon. " Verse 7. There is a time when calamity threatens or grief has come, and we feel constrained to rend our apparel and betoken our inward woe ; a time when the peril has withdrawn, or the fast is succeeded by a festival, Avheu it is equally congruous to remove the, symbols of sorrow. There is *■' a time to keep silence " — a time when we sec that our neighbour's grief is great, and we will not singsongs to a heavy heart; a time when, in the abatement of anguish, a word of sympathy may prove a Avord in season ; a time Avhen to remonstrate with the transgressor Avould be to reprove a madman, or, like the pouring of vinegar on nitre, Avould be to excite a fiery explosion ; but a time Avill come when, in the dawn of repent- ance, or the sobering down of passion, he will feel that faithful are the wounds of a friend [/)r. J. Hamilton^. IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. chap. hi. Providence has ordained that great and violent griefs shall not be perpetual. The rents of sorrow are healed by time ; wherefore time has been called " the comforter." There are seasons when man must pay his tribute to nature, and assume the proper circumstances of woe. Again the season arrives when it is seemly to remove the ensigns of sorrow. Silence should go before speech, for only in the silence of meditation can ■ speech be wisely framed. Silence is the proper attitude of the soul. — 1. Before a great sorrow. The small griefs of men are noisy and demonstrative, but the greatest griefs are silent. They choke the utterance. 2. Before a gi'eat mystery. When words fail to give to the vast and in- finite shape and outline, we can only stand and wonder and adore. In the inner shrine of religious thought we must cover our faces. O the strong buckler of a circum- spect defence, silence ! O the most faithful foundation of stability ! For many being well settled with a stable heart, yet unawares have fallen by the errorof a waudei'ing tongue \^St. Ambrose]. There are some seasons wherein the Lord's people are to refrain from speak- ing even that which is in itself good, and might prove so to others. As 1. When we are called to learn from others (Job xxxii. 7) ; 2. When men turn brutish, and declare themselves in- capable of profiting, and the more they are spoken to are the more enraged iu their wickedness (Matt, vii. G), and so incorrigible tbat others can neither have access to deal with them, nor with God for them (Amos v, 13) ; and, 3. When the truth hatli been often before suffi- ciently asserted and cleared even to their conviction (Matt, xxvii. 1-4) \_Nisbet\. God broke the long silence which reigned before the world was made by saying, '• Let there be light." We should only break silence to speak words of quiet power, rich in the purity of truth and goodness, and tend- ing to diffuse peace and joy. The resulting force of one body act- ing upon another depends upon the angle at which it is struck. Words spoken in proper season strike the mind directly with full effective force, while those which are ill-timed can only strike with diminished power. Seasons for speaking. 1. To give testimony for the truth. 2. To rebuke sin. 3. To comfort the afflicted. 4. To vindicate the innocent. 5. To instruct. Providence has supreme control over those actions which seem to lie most within our own power. The most re- fractory under Heaven's government must accept the seasons of silence and speech with the same helpless resigna- tion as they must accept the natural seasons of the year. Verse 8. We have no complete command over our love and hatred, for they depend upon causes beyond our- selves. They are the opposite poles of human emotion, and, like the magnetic needle, they obey the forces of attraction and repulsion. There is a period when, from identity of pursuit, or from the spell of some peculiar attraction, a friend is our all in all, and our idolatrous spirits live and move and have their being in him ; but with riper years or changing charac- ter, the spell dissolves, and w^e marvel at ourselves that we could ever find zest in insipidity, or fascination in vulgarity. And just as individuals cannot control their hatred and their love, so nations cannot regulate their pacifications and their conflicts. But just at the moment when they are pledging a perpetual alliance, an apple of discord is thrown in, and to aven";e an insulted flasr, or settle a disputed boundary, or maintain the tottering balance of power, wager of battle is forthwith joined [/)/•. J. Hamilton]. God has both the mild and the stormy passions of human nature entirely under His command. The changes of our hearts' emotion are determined by Providence working slowly through time. The system of Divine Pi'ovidence is made up of antagonistic elements, of which each one in turn will have its brief season. If we accept the facts of E 41) CHAP. III. IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. human nature as they are, we cannot the Divine Control, the series is con- expect otherwise than that wars and eluded by the mention of peace, for this commotions will arise. History is but is the goal and Sabbath of all God's the development of the possibilities ways with man. The end of all the latent in man. strife and agitation of this troubled year In the recital of the chief examples of of existence is to secure eternal peace. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 9—11. Solace for the Troubled Mind. The mind is perplexed by the difficulties of Providence — the seeming disorder of the world. Hence the heart is troubled with care — that tenacious, wasting disease of human nature. We can only seek solace in well-assured, immoveable truths. I. That all human care must be imavalling. (Verse 9.) Where are the results of all the cares, labours, and anxieties of men ? When the final reckoning is made, where is the profit ? The widest observation of the scene of man reveals the uselessness of care, and of the ti'ouble of the mind at the con- templation of the antagonistic elements composing the scheme of Providence. (Verse 10.) Why is it that our care and anxiety are of no avail? 1. Because we cannot lift the burden of vanity from man's life here. There is a fatal disorder in the system of things in which we play so important a part. All our cai'e cannot remove it. 2. Because %ve cannot force the seasons of Providence. We are as powerless to change these as we are to change the natural seasons of the year. We cannot be joyful when the hour for mourning arrives. All the gradual and violent changes in human things will take place despite all our care. We should, therefore, seek the solace of the inevitable, and the shelter of a love which, what- ever happens, shall never fail the righteous. Weakness, ignorance, and imper- fection must fall helpless into the arms of the Infinite. II. The exquisite skill of adaptation to be observed in the Divine Plan. (Vei-se 11.) The infinite wisdom of Providence is most to be observed in bringing forth His purpose at the fitting season. All the movements of the Supreme Governor are timed with accuracy. ]. There is a fixed method. There is an established order for everything which God has made, and all His purposes are exquisitely fitted to the times in which they are produced. God needs no system as we understand it, for this is only the refuge of imperfect minds. We need system to classify our ideas, and to make them portable for the memory. Infinite wisdom is above the necessity of this device, and can only use method. 2. There is a fixed dim. There is nothing purposeless in Providence, no movements at random. All is sure, steady, and accurate. Every purpose moves with sure aim to its proper end. Evil itself is made to further the good purposes of God. The well-timed order of the system of Divine Providence should be to us a comforting portion, sufficient to allay our anxiety and to assuage our sorrow. Confusion and disorder would only generate despair, for they could not conserve tlie good that might by chance arise; but we have everything to hope for from Avise method, and fixed- ness of purpose and aim. If we are true and good, our deepest aspirations will have their proper season, and be brought fortli in a light wliich will lend them a beauty and a glory. III. The inability of the human mind to compass the whole designs of Providence. (Verse 11.) No man can trace the work of God all through its mazy c(Mirso. A little portion of it is before us, but tlie extremes of it are lost in the immensity of the past and future. 1. We are ignorant of the whole plan of Providence. We may indeed know a part of it. This mucli St. Paid teaches us is within our grasp; and from what we know, we nuvy form a dim prophecy of wliat we may expect. Yet to adventure to explore tlic phui of God, as a whole, would take us beyond tlie depth of our understanding. We 50 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. ciiAr. in. only see tlie work of God in the course of its progress, but we cannot see the plan of it, nor the glory of the finished purpose. 2. We are ignorant of the several ends contemjulated hj Providence. We know in general that the true, the rio-ht, and the good, will be brought forth into the light and vindicated ; but what other ends group themselves around these, and are intimately interwoven with the whole scheme, we know not. There must lie outside the region of our know- ledge quite an infinity of possibilities of which we cannot form even the first draft, or rude outline of an idea. 3. We are ignorant of the reasons of GoSIs dealings. The long dominion of evil, the afilictious of the good, the disordeied mixture in the life of humanity, must be accepted as an impenetrable mystery, notwithstanding all our efforts to find a sutficient reason. God does not always answer the question of His people. " Show me wherefore Thou contendest with me?" 4. We are ignorant of the future. We cannot tell where any purpose or work shall have its end. We cannot enter the secret chambers of heaven, and steal from thence the unpublished volumes of the Book of Providence. Men of science cannot tell the destination of the material universe in space ; and where this present system of things shall end, and how it shall be disposed of in the final crash of doom, we are alike ignorant. Yet our little knowledge ought to be consolatory, and it will be so if we are only careful to assure ourselves that it is but a little. God reserves for Himself enough to keep our souls for ever in the attitude of adoration. We can only have peace and hope in the worship of the Highest. IV. The hopefulness inspired by a sense of the true grandem- of man. (Verse 11.) " God hath set eternity in their heart." He has placed within the soul of man a power capable of infinite expansion. These God-like properties constitute the true grandeur of man. Such a distinction conferred upon us should inspire hope, and allay anxiety. This gift comprises: 1. The poioer to contem- plate the Divine nature. We cannot comprehend f idly the nature of God and His dealings. They still wear the robe of mystery. Yet, beciuse we have this great gift of eternity within us, as a disguised or pent-up force, we are able to know something of God. We could not entertain the idea of God unless He had first made us God-like by such an immense gift as this. It is our privilege to be "partakers of the Divine nature," and to partake of that nature is to know it to that degree. 2. The pledge of immortalit>/. Man's destiny in the future is thus bound up with the eternity of God. The destination of spirit is to run parallel with the existence of the Supreme. The desire to live eternally is a portion of the Divine image. Only for this infinity within us, religion would be impossible, for it deals with eternal life. 3. The capacity for unlimited improvement. The investment of the heart with eternity is a kind of force given in elastic measure. It has reserves of power which will be developed throughout eternity. It is the property of a creature with this endowment to make progression towards a limit placed at an infinite remove. God will keep that limit still ahead of us. The soul's eye will never be permitted to approach too near to the intolerable light. We should console ourselves with reflections upon our true grandeur. However mean and obscure our present condition, Ave may hope for distinction and honour when we are advanced to the light of God. The heritage of the noble and the good, how- ever obscured here by poverty and neglect, is divine in glory and duration. He who can realise that he is the heir of immortality carries with him through life's saddest journey the balm of sorrow and the ease of care. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 9. Nothing is to be reckoned can do. Only the graces of God's the true profit or advantage of a man's Spirit abide in the exercise of them work but that which is permanent, and with the saints in death, and their will abide with him as nothing earthly good works abide with them through 51 CHAP. III. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. all eternity in the gracious reward of them [^Nishet]. All labour that does not increase the riches of the soul must prove profitless in the end. Verse 10. God hath appointed the changes of time that man may be exercised in them, either wisely and willing-Iy to His praise, or else unwil- lingly and foolishly to his torment and vexation \Jermhi\. Before the hour comes, thought and labour are lost. But we are neverthe- less to labour, each in his sphere and with diligence. God commands this ; if we hit the hour, things prosper ; if we do not, nothing comes of it, and thus no human thought avails. They, therefore, who would anticipate God's hour, struggle, and have notliing but care and sorrow \_Lu.ther\ It is often expedient for the teacher to allow his pupil himself to grapple with the difficulties of knowledge, for thus his mental devices are stimulated, and the true foundations of science are laid. So God gives severe exercises to man, that he may know his true position, and learn the ways of wis- dom. God does not teach us by imparting knowledge which we have but passively to receive. He sets humanity some hard exercises, which they have pain- fully to work out by the experience of this rough world. No worldly position, however exalted or outwardly happy, can exempt a man from exercising his mind upon the painful problems of existence. The path of spiritual knowledge is traced with difficulty through uncleared and tangled regions. God has laid down no "■ royal road." The long processes of Divine teaching, through so many seasons of time, have their special purposes in the education of humanity. Verse 11. Not only has God made everything, but there is a beauty in this arrangement where all is fortuitous to us, but all is fixed by llim. That season must be beautiful which to 52 infinite love and wisdom seems the best \^Di\ J. Hamilton]. Not only the works ofCi'eation have a lustre and beauty in them, but even those works of Providence which seem blackest unto men have a great deal of ravishing beauty. Joseph's being sold, Job spoiled and plagued, Daniel in the lion's den, Christ betrayed and nailed upon the Cross — these and the like, although, being looked upon as in the hands of instruments, they seem to have nothing but deformity in them ; yet, being looked upon as God's works, and according to His intent, and the result of them, they have a ravishing beauty in them, and many of His fair attributes written upon them The works of Providence have the prime elements of beauty — -fitness and adaptation. To know a life, we must partake of it in some degree. Unless our Creator had set "eternity in our heart," we could entertain no idea of " His eternal power and Godhead." We have the power to discern the eternal behind this transitory scene. Man here exists but in a mean condi- tion, lie has powers which eternity alone can unfold. The human soul is like a seed wherein unborn forests sleep. Man findeth not out to what end all those things are done, until himself come to his end. Then he shall under- stand it, for either the mercy or the justice of God will show it unto him [./er//i//«]. We only see the system of Provi- dence in the making, and not as a completed whole. Therefore we can only discern the mere rudiments of what shall be : no complete or extensive knowledge being possible to us. '* The house that is a-building looks not as the house that is built," says the proverb. Wo can only see, at a time, but an inconsiderable part of the ocean, so that we can never take a view of it as one great whole. In like manner the ways of God can only be seen in small portions. Their vastness overtasks our powers. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. Eternity casts upon the whole course The creature of a day cannot be ex- of time the shadow of mystery. We pected to grasp those vast designs have enough Hght to work by, but not stretching from creation to the final enough for complete revelation. destiny of all things. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 12—15. The Way to Front our Destiny. I. — By a cheerful acceptance of our Providential lot. We should wisely lusethe gifts of God, and rejoice in them. (Verses 12, 13.) > This will give to ife the smoothness of contentment, and the comfort of resignation. Such is the greatest good that we can extract from life. Whatever our lot may be, let us accept it with cheerfulness, and receive whatever good it offers. This is the wisest course for man. 1. To fret and ivorrij ourselves is useless. We cannot contend with the inevitable, nor rectify the apparent perversity of things. It will be best to allow God to arrange all for us. 2. A rebellious temper hinders the course of true hapjnness. If we murmur against the appointments of God, we are only adding an unnecessary burden to life, and sending the iron of affliction deeper into the soul. Unless we have sympathy with the Supreme Ruler, all must be unpleasant to us. A sour, complaining disposition would make true happiness impossible. 3. The power to enjo>i the good of this life is the gift of God. There may be even a refined enjoyment of life, which is not godly. But the sober and joyful use of the provisions of Providence, while keeping in mind the higher aims of existence, is a special gift of heaven. II.— By a practical recognition of the liigh claims of duty. " To do good in his life." (V^erse 12.) This will make the appointments of Providence grateful and delightful to us. We can make even our trials and vexations the occasions of cheerful and devoted service — the school wherein our graces are refined and perfected. Thus we can maintain an heroic bearing against the hardest fate. 1. Doing good brings a man into sijmpatliy with the Supreme Disposer of all things. We are thus imitating God Himself, and, in any case, this must put us into the best position. To do good is to enjoy some of the pleasures of the Highest. 2. Whatever else may be mysterious., our present duUj is always clear. The reasons of God's dealings are obscure, and the ways of Providence seem altogether a tangled maze : but our duty is written in clear outline, quite obvious and faniiHar. To follow therefore what is clearly known is the surest means to lead us to further knowledge, and solution of mystery. If we are faithful to the light we have, a superior light will be granted us, in which all things will be transfigured. 3. The faithful discharge of duty is the only lasting foundation for solid joy. There is a joy of the world which glitters, but it is not lasting. It is like the sparkle of shallow streams as the water flows over the pebbles, or like the dispersion of it in foam. But the joy that God gives is powerful and deep. The reason is, that the only lasting joy is that which arises from a good conscience. Righteousness gives peace, and peace is the true home of joy. III.— By an acknowledgment of the inflexible rule of the Divine Government. (Verse 14.) God's ways in the government of the world are not by the method of trial and failure, by added light from experience. They are all fixed from the beginning. 1. God's counsels are for ever. They are sure from eternity, and cannot be set aside. This seems an iron rule only to the rebellious. The good have nothing to fear from the wise ordering of Him who is perfect in knowledge, and infinite in mercy. Such are ready with joy to front their destiny. 2. God's counsels are so certain that they are not complicated with our human dis- tinctions of time. (Verse 15.) We speak of time — past, present, and future. Our weak faculties need such a device as this. But to the Infinite Intelligence " an eternal now does ever last." All things are eternally present to Him, and 53 CHAP. III. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. with one quick glance lie sees from the beginning to the end. The past lives now — the future is already here. IV. — By recognising the righteous ends contemplated by the Divine Government. (Verses 14, 15, latter part.) There are certain ends which the Supreme Ruler proposes to Himself in His adminis- tration. These are of a practical nature ; they relate to human conduct, and as such are revealed. The methods of the Divine Government are designed — 1. To tame and subdue the heart of man. Men are " to fear before Him," This want of mastery over the futui'e tends to bring man to submission. He is convicted of ignorance, and the pride of knovrledge is abated. He can never presume to be the God of God when his rebellion is proved to be a vain and hopeless attempt, and the future is kept in terrible reserve. The only sane result of the contem- plation of the ways of Providence is resignation, humility, and the fear of God. It is madness for a man to dash his head against the iron Avails of destiny. The course of Providence in the world is the great tamer of the human breast. 2. To vindicate the wrongs of His 2^<^ople. That which has fled away, and seemed to have escaped altogethei', God will summon to His presence again. He will cause the great gulf of time to deliver up all that is in it. The past ages of wrong shall be called up again — reviewed and judged. Men think when they have persecuted the righteous that all is done with. They have silenced the testimony of truth. They have triumphed over the meek. But the end will come, and a day of reckoning, when the Avrongs and oppressions of the past shall utter their voice, emphatic, decisive, and terrible. The Christian knows that his "Vindicator" liveth — that the time must come when all wrongs shall be adjusted, and all precedency set right. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 12. There is no lasting good in the things of this life ; yet a joyful heart lends a beauty and grace to those fading and vanishing delights. Doing good should always go hand in hand with joy ; because good deeds spring from love, and joy is but the recreation of love. Duty is the watchword of humanity, the herald of progress, the pledge of final emancipation. In the confusion and general uproar of things that amaze our ears, tlie voice of duty is clearly heard, and calls us to the skies. When good actions become pleasant to us, then joy is the very sinews of duty. Active goodness and joy are God- like properties, for He is the unwearied worker of good, and the Blessed One. They whose hearts are cheered by the proofs of the Lord's bounty in His dealing with them, and do express that cheerfulness by their activity in duties that may honour Him; they have found that true good which is attain- able in this life [Nisbet^. 54 Verse 13. The purest earthly joys are those Avhicli are won by toil. What v/e passively receive stirs up only a languid feeling. The idle and luxurious blunt the edge of joy. It requires peculiar skill to use creature comforts wisely and well. This power is the gift of God. The means of our common suste- nance are turned into manna by a joyful spirit, and the remembrance of the giver. When the gifts of God are not cheer- fully acknowledged and enjoyed, our table becomes a snare. Verse 14. As the omnipotency of God is without defect, so the counsel of God is without change. For how can there be any change in Him to whom nothing is past, or to come, but all things are present ? [.7en«in.] Men form opinions which change in. the different situations of the mind through the course of time. It has been said that opinion is but knowledge HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. ciiai>. hi. in the making. It is but provisional where absohite certainty cannot be attained. But the thoughts of God stand " to all generations." The whole scheme of an Oriental court, and eminently that of the Great King, was laid out on the idea that it was the visible representation of the court of heaven, and the king himself a visible incarnation of the highest God. The sense of this speaks out in every arrangement, in the least, as in the greatest, and is the key to them all. Thus, the laws of that kingdom, when once uttered, could not be reversed or changed (Dan. vi. 8), because the king who gave them was the incarnation of God, and God cannot repent, or alter the thing which has gone out from His lips [Trench]. The thought of the perfection of God's plan raises our admiration, but, at the same time, inspires a wholesome fear. There is behind all a mysterious and terrible power which we may well feai- to offend. Fear should be the instrument of caution, and the sentinel of loving obedience. The works of God are so perfect that no improvement can be made, and, left to themselves, they will be per- petual. How true is this regarding God's greatest work — redemption ! What more could He have done to make it a great salvation than what He has already done ? Or what feature of the glorious plan could we afford to want ? And now that He has Himself pronounced it a "finished " work, what is there that man can put to it ? What is there that he dare take from it ? And in doing it He has done it " for ever" [Dr. J. Hamilton']. Verse 15. In all the seeming irregu- larities of Divine Providence, there are fixed principles which are never de- parted fi'om. And thus it is that a science of history is possible. So cer- tain is God's method of procedure, that though we know not the special events of the future, we can predict the results of great principles. The future will be but a repetition of the past. Thus the course of humanity through time may be likened to the movements of the solar system. The planets run their fixed cycles, and go over the same paths again. Yet there is with all these movements another by which the whole system is itself travelling in space. So human history, though revealing a perfect sameness from age to age, may yet be travelling towards some certain goal.* The deeds of oppression, cruelty, and wrong have not passed away for ever. God will seek them out again, and measure their deserts. The persecutors of the righteous cannot hide themselves even in the abyss of time. The liiroTENCE of Time. Time has not done mucli, notwithstanding all ; "for that which hath been is now." This language will apply — I, To all the elements of material existence. The forms of the material world are constantly changing, but the elements, of which the first types of all were formed, are the same. The raw materials, out of which the principle of life constructs its organs, and weaves its garments from age to age, are always here. Time, through all its mighty revolutions, cannot destroy an atom. II. To all the spirits of mankind. All human souls that ever have been are now. Not one of the mighty millions who spent his short and misty day of life under these heavens is los;. All are thinking, feeling, acting, still. Their bodies are dust, but their bodies were theirs, not they ; their instru- ments, not themselves. " Distinct as is the swimmer from the flood. The lyrist from his lyre." III. To all the general types of human character. All the varieties of human charac- ter may be traced to five or sis different regal sympathies. There is the inordinate love q/ pleasure, the undue love 0/ gain, the vain love of show, the mere love of inquiry, the inordinate love of power, the false love of religion, the holy love of God. All these great types of character have been here almost from the earliest dawn of history. Herodsand Hamans, Athenians and Pharisees, seem to be living again in every age. IV. To all the principles of the Divine Grovernment. All the prin ciples by which both the physical and moral pro- vinces have been controlled from the beg'inning are the same now as ever. Harmony with C4od'3 laws is the creature's highest de stiny. Rebellion against them is his inevitable ruin. They neither pause nor change, either for angels or men. V. To the grand design of all things. This must over be the holy develop- ment of creature-minds in gratitude, reverence, love, and assimilation to Himself. VI. To the 55 CHAP. III. nOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. recollections of the human memory. Memory man is recorded, not in books, but in souls. VII. gathers up every fragment of all ■' that hath To all the conditions of man's well-being. been," so that none maybe lost. The history of Physical, intellectual, spiritual \_Hoiiiilist'j, MAIN TIOMILETICS OF TEE PARAGRAPH.— Verses IQ— IS. Corruption in the Seat of Justice. I. It is a manifest and daring iniquity. History gives a sad recital of deeds of oppression and wrong done in the sacred name of justice. Power and place have been abused to serve the basest passions of human nature. This is a mani- fest and daring form of impiety. 1. Rulers and judges are in the place of God. Human law has for its chief object the preservation of order, the securing of the best conditions of national prosperity, and the guardianship of public morality. Those who administer the law stand in the place of God, who is the fountain of all law and authority. When these abuse their position, a Divine idea is per- verted and dishonoured. A lofty principle of the Divine Government is subjected to a degrading parody. Such a sin is a daring insult to the majesty of Heaven. 2. When they are corrupt, the vorst evils follow. The streams of social life are poisoned, the innocent are without defence, and the i-estraints of wickedness are slackened or broken. But one great evil that follows is the oppression of the righteous. The Church has often come into conflict with the civil power, and the good have been persecuted in the name of law and justice. II. It is a source of discipline for the righteous. Like other evils, this is overruled by Providence, and made to serve the purposes of discipline. 1. It serves to develop spiritual character. (Verse IS.) It manifests what is in men. It marks off the brutish part of mankind from those who are moved by high principle and noble aspirations. The good, under every oppression and injury, have the support of conscience — they are strong in integrity. Afiiiction does but fetch out the hidden lustre of their graces. 2. /;; serves to cure radical evils in the Church of God. Times of outward ease and prosperity for the Church have some special dangers, the chief of whicli is pride — a vice easily forced into bloom by the warmth of prosperity ; but soon nipped by the keen blasts of adversity. 3. It serves to show to u-hat baseness liu man nature may come., apart from Divine influence. (Verse 18.) " They themselves." Having ([uenched the Divine light within them, and all better hopes and feelings, some men have become monsters of injustice, and degraded themselves to the level of beasts. In times of persecution, when deeds of cruelty and slaughter have their sanction from the seat of justice, it is difficult to believe that men capable of such fierce brutality have immortal souls. It seems easier to believe that men are but beasts, after all, to be tamed for pleasure, or destroyed for sport. III. It tends to ripen the world for Divine Eetribution. God cannot allow the misuse of the most sacred gifts to go on for ever. Judgment may be delayed, but it will come at last. 1. Our spiritual instincts call for s^^ch an interference. There is some- thing within every righteous soul which is prophetic of the time when all the present moral confusion and disorder shall have an end. Christ is the hope of all the oppressed ones — Himself their chief in altliction. The world once looked upon the picture of Herod in purple on the throne, and the purest and loveliest of humanity cruci- fied between two thieves; but the day is coming when the universe shall look upon another picture, wherein shall be a sad reversal. 2. The character of God teaches Its to expect it. He is wise, just, and holy, and (though the process to us seems slow) He will maintain the honour of His name. He must make a separation between the righteous and the wicked — thus He will judge both. (Verse 17.) 3. The appeal tftlie ojtpressed from earth to heaven iviU be heard. (Verse 17.) "A time there." The Royal Preacher, as it were, points from the seat of unrighteous- ness with his lifted finger to heaven — the home of justice. "There" — such is the answer of the ])ersecuted, and the only answer wdiich many souls in their dumb agony could give. 56 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. CHAP. III. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. I Yerse 16. The advancement of men to pl.ices of power and trust in the Avorld, who abuse the same to the oppression of piety and equity, and the promoting of ungodliness and ia- justice, is a dispensation that, of any other, the Lord's people had most need to be guarded against stumbling at, and taught how to judge aright of; seeing Satan takes occasion from thence to tempt to corruption of the best to Atheism, or denial of a Providence (Isa. xl. 27), and to join with such men in their sinful ways (Psa. Ixxiii., 10, 13) [Nisbet]. Wickedness is too obvious and mani- fest — too weak by itself to succeed. It has to assume the forms of goodness. Hence iinder the pretence of justice the vilest wrongs have been inflicted. Corruption in the seat of justice tends — 1. To confuse all moral distinctions. 2. To put to sore trial minds of waver- ing principle nnd unstable virtue. 3. To disorganise the frame of society. 4. To retard social progress. The wisest and best of mankind have suffered fearful evils under the mockery of a trial. Even Christ Himself went from a human judgment-seat to His Cross. Place and authority do not ensure the integrity of those who possess them. Some of the worst names in history have held the most exalted positions. The throne which Solomon made was overlaid with the most pure gold ; and what did this signify but the esteem and price in which God would have justice to be held, as also how pure the judgments should be that from thence are given ? But too often where the seat is gold, he that sits on it is brass ; where the place is the place of judg- ment and righteousness, wickedness and iniquity are found [./e?-??i2'»]. Verse 17. The world has a terrible account of injustice and wrong to answer for. G-od will yet have a reckoning with the children of men. God is just, though by the impene- trable clouds of Providence that justice may for awhile be hidden. He will clear the scene in the end, and spurn from His presence evei-y form of evil. The true and good who have been wronged here shall take their case before a higher court. With two worlds in which to out- work the retribution, and with a whole eternity to overtake the arrears of time, oil ! how tyrants should fear for God's judgments ! — and that match which themselves have kindled, and which is slowly creeping round to ex- plode their own subjacent mine, in what floods of repentance, if wise, would they drench it ! [Dr. J. Hamilton.'] The vindication of the righteous is as much a proper work of judgment as the condemnation of the sinner. The Avenger is afoot, and will yet overtake all oppressox's. The j udgment of God will yet repair all the wrongs of time. At the sight of the woi'st oppressions and wrongs, our soul instinctively fastens upon the idea of the judgment, and points to the lofty throne of eternal j ustice. As there is a time for every purpose and work, so there will be a time when all things shall be ripe for Divine judg- inent. Vei'se 18. For a moment the Royal Preacher felt relief in recalling the future judgment. But what cai-e they for the judgment ? So brutish are they that they neither look forward nor look up, but are content with their daily ravin. ' Yes, beasts, I half believe you. Your grossness almost converts me to your own materialism. I wish that God would manifest you to yourselves, and show you how brutish you are living, and how brute-like you will die \_Dr. J. Ha.'nilton\ Times of misrule and injustice mani- fest character by affording scope for human malignity, or by giving oppor- tunity for the integrity of high principle to assert itself. o7 CHAi'. III. IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. In human nature, how often the pensations of God, even the most animal has surmounted the rational ! grievous, may contribute much for their Men ha-se made themselves beasts by good, if they make a right use thereof ; indulgence in animal pleasures, by their for while He is manifesting them to the •cruelty and rage, and by extinguishing world, they ought to think that it is the sense of immortality. done "that they may see themselves to The evil of some is disguised and be beasts," and so may loathe them- restrained by circumstances. It wants selves, and thank Him that they are ■only a fit opportunity for their vices to not destroyed, but preserved that they attain a maturity of coi-ruption. may seek mercy, and a change of their Wicked men may see that the dis- nature [Nisbet]. MAIN IIOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Ver.^cs 19—22. The Doubt of Immortality. There are times when the most assured truths are questioned. The Royal Preacher assumes the sceptic, and allows the appearances of things to cast on him the dismal shadow of doubt. I. This doubt may arise from the identity of the outward conditions both of man and the lower animals. In the features of their physical existence, they are so much alike that one may be tempted to predict for them a common fate — total extinction at death, 1. They appear to he ■both alike binder the dominion of chance. (Verse 19.) " Befalleth" — i.e., they are mere chance, in the sense of being subject to it. They have not the free deter- mination of tlieir own lot. We apply the term chance to describe those occur- rences whose causes are obscure. Those things upon which life mostly depends are wholly out of the power alike of men and beasts. They both appear to be the sport of innumerable chances. 2. Both are informed hi/ the same principle of life. {Verse 19.) '^ One breath." In the essential qualities of physical life, our nature can boast no pre-eminence. The beasts, like ourselves, are supported by the products of the earth, and draw the vital air. They follow the same analogy •of physical construction. They are liable to disease, danger, and accident. 6. Thejj Juive both the same origin and destim/. As far as outward appearance is con- cerned, no difference can be detected in the two extremes of their existence. They all come from the dust, and return to the dust again. II. This doubt is strengthened by our complete ignorance of a future life. (Verse 21.) We may, indeed, speak of tlie spirit of man going " upward," and the spirit of the beast going " downward," yet the difference is too subtle to be easily discerned. *' Who knoweth ? " In the absence of any certain information, who can make a positive assertion? 1. We have no experience of a superior life for man. Know- ledge does increase through ages, but humanity has gathered no experience of any life beyond this world. No one has returned from the other shores of life to tell the mysterious secret. The eternal silence of the grave strengthens doubt, 2. Human reason is ])owcrless to give ns any assurance of such a life. Reason may give us probable grounds for believing that there may be such a destiny for man, but it cannot give us a certainty. We may reason ourselves, almost with equal facility, into a belief for or against immortality. And in the similarity of the fates both of men and beasts, it is hard to discover the difference. There are times when the sense of inimortality is not strong, 3. Some have accepted onateriaJism as a doctrine. The blank ignorance of num upon the subject, together with appearances, have led them to adopt the dismal creed of hopeless extinction in the grave. Consider the wail of des})air which marks some of the ancient poetry. St. Paul tells us the heathen had '' no hope." The very existence of doubt implies that there is some evidence on the other side of the (juestion. III. Tiiis doubt ought not to interfere with the enjoyment of the present. In 58 IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. CHAP. III. the darkest seasons of doubt, there are some manifest duties. Whatever be our fate when life is ended, some clear path lies before us now. Man can enjoy his portion. 1. The present life affords scojje for such enjoyment. No one thought, however tremendous or awful it may be, can ever be present to the mind. The short tenure of existence here, the dread certainty of death, does not prevent mankind from enjoying the present world. 2. No other arrangement will be made for man, in this life. (Verse 22.) "That is his portion;" when he has once departed from life, he cannot enjoy it again. Each life is a measured portion once for all. 3. IVe are iinable either to command or to look into the future. A man cannot tell what shall be after him, even in his own immediate circle. He cannot shape the future according to his own views or wishes. It is vain for a man to trouble himself much regarding that over which he can have no command, and which is hopelessly concealed from him. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 19. If one questioned the -eyes and judgment without listening to the Word of God, human life would appear to be governed by mere chance to such an extent that men would seem to be, as it were, like a great ant-hill, and like ants to be crushed. But the revelation of the Divine Word must be placed in contrast with this appear- ance \_Melanchtlion\. In building up the science of material things we learn to correct appearances — the reports of sense — by the convic- tions of reason. So the dark and melancholy appearances of life around us must be corrected by the light of faith. On this, the human side of life, all is seeming confusion, as if chance and accident held dominion. He who looks no further has sufficient occasion for doubt and denial. We cannot see life clearly unless we see it in God's light. Tlte anatomist can only examine the structure of the organs of physical life. The immortal creature cannot be in- vestigated by the scalpel. The sense discovers, both in man and beast, the same wave of life beat- ing to and fro. He who only regards the physical part of our nature may believe, without difficulty, that the same dark fate is reserved for both. Verse 20. The lowly origin and destiny of the material part of our nature should be — a motive for humility — a rebuke to arrogance — a reason for seeking the imperishable. It is but one place, there be no upper and lower places in death ; but how different soever the places of men may be while they lived, when they die, they are all in the same place; yea, beasts are in the same place with the wisest, the richest, and the greatest men. And there indeed is their journey's end \.Termin']. All that live are borne onwai'ds by an irresistible decree, from dust to dust. The degradation to which our physical nature must come when life is ended is a sore trial to faith. It seems as if we lose existence then. Faith, in seeking to grasp eternal life, has, after all, to leap a precipice. Verse 21. Man's superior destiny in the great future, is a truth not unattainable, yet still difficult to be known. It has been hid from many, and by others has been obscured by sensuality, and devotion to this present world. The common eye cannot trace human existence beyond the last scene of all. The image of God's immortality stamped upon man cannot be discerned on this side of life, yet faith gets a glimpse thereof as reflected in the mirror of God's word. The philosophers were much tur- moiled and very busy in seeking after the nature of the soul. Tertullian describes them as in a wood, wherein if they saw any light of truth, it is only glimpses of it through the thick trees of ignorance and errors ; and wherein 69 CHAP. IV. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. if any shall seek for the truth, he shall seek it in a wood. Surely there is no better manifester of the soul than He who is tlie Maker of it, and that is God Himself \_Jej-iniii]. Can anything be more marvellous or startling, unless we were used to it, than that we should have a race of beings about us whom we do but see, and as little know their state, or can describe their interests or their destiny, as we can tell the inhabitants of the sun and moon ? We have more real knowledge about the angels than about the brutes. They have apparently passions, habits, and a certain account- ableness, but all is mystery about them. AVe do not know whether they can sin or not, whether they are under punish- ment, whether they are to live after this life ... Is it not plain to our senses that there is a world inferior to us in the scale of beings, with which we are connected without understand- ing what it is ? [./. //. Newman.] Verse 22. Only the moment that we live in life is our possession. Every hour lived sinks irrevocably into the sea of the past; the future is uncertain. Therefore is he a fool who lets the present slip by unused, wastes it in vain amusement, or grieves with useless lamentations [ Wohlfartli]. It is our duty to do the best with that which lies to hand, and not con- sume ourselves with vain long'ings after an ideal state. We must accept the conditions of our earthly existence as a fact, and we ought to lighten their burden by the spirit of joy. With a firm conviction of the duty which the present demands, the tasks of life, though in themselves grievous, may be set to the music of the soul. No second lease of life will be granted us. We should therefore act well in the present, so that we might await with confidence the mysterious crown of eternity. The future is all uncertain. We cannot forecast history ; or, to come closer home, that smaller portion of it interwoven with our own life and labours. Yet we may be assured that if we are good and true, the future hides nothing in it that can vanquish or distress us. Within the vague and solemn mys- tery which rounds our little life here, there is yet some room for cheerful- ness, contentment, and hope. CHAPTER IV. Critical Notes.— 1. So I returned.] Passing- from tlio rclloctions of the last chapter to a. now subject of contomplation. Theii Imd vo row/ur/rr. Tho ropctitiou of tliis phraso is intcndod to make the thought euiphatio. 4. Every right work.] Every work uiarkod_ by excellence and fikill. But the writer ha.s chioily in view that successful work which excites the envy of othors. 6. Eateth his own flesh.] Accomplishes his own ruin by indolence, exhausts his fortune, proys upon himself liko one mad with hunger. 10. If they fall.] Not botli together, but if one or tho otlaer fall."^. 12. A threefold cord.] Two cords would only suggest plurality, but three give the idea of strength. 13. Better is a poor and a wise child.] Not in tho moral point of view, but happier— bettor olY. 14. For out of prison he cometh ta reign.] Koferonco is mado to tho youth mentioned in tho previous verse. Tho writer may have had tho history of Josoi)h in his mind, fhni in his khii/dom hecoiiiejh poor. Came to tho possession of his kingly dignity by birth. Ills (lethrononieut is the condition of tho sudden elevation of this youth. 15. All the living which walk under the sun, with the second child.} Tho groat number of the adherents of this upstart who has seized the throne. 60 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. chap. iv. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 1—3. The Tyranny of Force against Right. I. Such tyranny is an immense evil. 1. It is an old evil. From the days of Cain, who did the first murder, there have been tyrants who have used their power to oppress the innocent. Brute force, without the government of the reason and conscience, employed to crush the defenceless, is one of the earliest forms of human iniquity. 2. It is an inveterate evil. Since Abel's murder, the oppressors and the oppressed have been the chief actors in history. In every age, might has prevailed over right. No nation can show a clear page, purged from this blot. Humanity has become so indoctrinated with the claims of mere power that armies are still called " forces." Even now, society is not advanced enough to render supreme homage to reason and moral right. Still the ultimate appeal of nations is to force. 11. Such tjnranny gives rise to extreme suffering. The innocent may be strong in the sense of right, and in the defence of conscience ; still human nature must feel. 1. These sufferings oj^en tlie fountains of sorrow. When courage goodness, and skill are of no avail against a vicious power; when the innocent are trampled under by the iron heel of tyranny, no wonder that the eye fills, and the heart is overwhelmed with emotion. 2. These sufferings are sometimes aggra- vated by the circumstance that they have no earthly comforter. The good have often been alone in the sorrows inflicted by the oppressor, and have looked around in vain for a sympathetic heart. With no eye to pity, and no heart to cheer, the load of misery comes with crushing weight. Ill, Such tyranny causes existence to seem but a questionable benefit. The long record of human agony produced by the tyranny of the powerful ; the cruel persecutions of some of the brio-htest ornaments of human nature — these things are a sore trial to our faith in the goodness of the Supreme Power. It seems as if God were indifferent to the most grievous wrongs of men. The existence of such evils in the world tempts a man to indulge in the most extravagant and desperate language. 1. lie affvrmsthat the dead are better off than the living. (Verse 2.) The thought of the wrongs which man inflicts on man so sickens the heart that we are plunged into that gloomy mood in which we are ready to hail the condition of the dead, and welcome the long sleep and the safe shelter of the grave. There are deeds so horrible that the contemplation of them is enough to make us loathe life. 2. That the gift of existence is itself an evil. (Verse 3.) Tiiere are seasons when the contemplation of the darker side of history so occupies the mind that we are tempted to regard the gift of life itself as a doubtful blessing. We almost wish as if our ej e had never opened to the light of day, and that we had never been called from that dark negation which we once were. A state of non-existence appears to us preferable to a state of ill- existence. 8. There are times ichen this melancholij tJiougJtt presses itself ivith peculiar force upon the mind. Times in the individual life — times in the life of nations. The state of mind, however, here described does not and cannot last. Though the soul may have to pass through this shadow she emerges into the light of a better hope. Elsewhei*e the Koyal Preacher praises life as a Divine gift. Our feeling regarding the wrongs of time is thus modified by the higher truths, and the belief in eternal justice. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 1. Grace, while fortifying A tear is often the only tribute that the soul against the violence of trouble, the oppressed can give to misery, does not seal up the fountains of The tears of the oppressed are — 1. A- nature. dumb protest against the cruel might 61 CHAP. lY. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. of wrong. 2. An appeal to the justice of Heaven. 3. A revelation of an eternal future. The pious, in the fiercest trial, though all men may forsake them, have yet a Comforter at their side. Society has not yet reached that stage of progress wherein the convic- tions of reason and conscience bear supreme rule. Notwithstanding the advance of knowledge, and the presence of the Christian Religion for so many ages, humanity is still far from this ideal perfection. A mechanical force is of no service to man unless he can guide and direct it to certain ends. There are some forces of nature of great potentiality, but they are like wild beasts that cannot be tamed. Power needs the direction of goodness to make it venerable, and worthy of praise. The world has not yet got beyond the illusion of military glory — a proof that the worship of lorce has not yet disappeared from amongst us. The Lord has a bottle, and into that bottle he puts His people's tears, and the tears of all who are oppressed. When Joseph wept at Dothan, and the Jews at Babylon, it was not the sand of the desert, nor the stream of Euphrates, which intercepted the tear, but God's bottle. . . . And whether it be the scalding tear of the Southern Slave, or that which freezes in the Siberian exile's eye, God's bottle has received tliem all ; and when the measure is full, the tears of the oppressed burst in vials of vengeance on the head of the oppressor [Dr. J. Hamilton^. The power of the oppressor is, after all, a mere shadow — a vanishing thing. The power most to be dreaded is that which is on the side of the oppressed. He who has taken refuge in the citadel of God is the most terrible foe. Verse 2. When one attentively regards the innumerable sorrows of the heart, miseries, great evils, and troubles on earth, and the awful wickedness there is in the world, which is the devil's- kingdom, one must surely be of the mind that it were better to be dead than to see so much wretchedness [Luthei'']. There are such sights of misery on earth, that in the confusion of his feel- ing, the spectator finds a momentary relief in thinking upon the dread repose and secure refuge of the dark house. The dead are clean escaped from the hands of the tyrant. The door of the sepulchre for ever bars the entrance of revenge. Verse 3. In certain frames of the feeling, it is natural to wish for the condition of non-existence. Extreme sorrow has plunged some of the best men into this trial — Job — Jeremiah. AVhen life seems so poor a liDiitage, the true and Absolute Being becomes all to us. Tlie tribulation through Avhich we must enter into the Kingdom of Heaven may consist of temptations to indulge the most extravagant and vain wishes. There are times when we seem to snatch a consolation from the dreariest of all philosophies. ^fAIN IIOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH. Verses 4—6. The Penalties of Success. We have here the case of a man who has escaped many ills and disasters of life. His work has led to a successful issue. Such a man may be regarded as comparatively happy, yet society fixes certain penalties upon his condition. I. The successful man is often a mark for the envy of others. (Verse 4.) The world idolizes success, and gives credit to the man who has achieved it for deep contrivance and many virtues. Yet success has some drawbacks and dis- advantages. It often draws ujjou itself the envy of others. But 1 — IViis envr/ is unjust. Society should bow cheerfully to the condition by which a man enjoys 62 nOMlLETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. chap. iv. the fruit of his labour. The success of another should not be a huge object casting a dark shadow upon our own portion. Yet the language of Haman is. that of most men (Esther v. 13). 2. This env// bi-iiigs maiiij evils in its train. The envious man may be tempted to ruin the successful, to attack his reputation, or to depreciate his work. Hence arise various forms of low cuiming and deceit. The first murder had its bitter root in envy. o. This envy is woi-thless. "This also is vanity," ending in no good result for those who indulge it — a consuming fire in the breast. 4. This envy is unwise. In the proper ordering of human society, the wise and the good should rule, and come to place and power. Even in the present disorder, it often happens that talent and virtue are rewai'ded with success. But envy has prevented many a man from occupying his proper place, and thus the progress of society is retarded. II. The successful man has no ■unmixed enjoyment. He is above the reach of many evils, and lias much to make him happy. Yet his lot is not pure and unmixed joy. He has much ta chafe his affections — to worry and distract his mind. " Vexation of spirit " is also his portion. This may arise from the fact — 1. That the skill he has shown meets with such an ungrateful return. He has been remarkable for industry and wisdom, and, it may be, has exerted himself for the public good ; yet, for all his pains, he is only made the mark of envy. Ingratitude has often been the sad and vexatious heritage of some of the bravest and best workers. 2. Thai the evil affections of mankind are so far heyond the reach of remedy . All the efforts and reforms of the wisest can never eliminate the feeling of envy from mankind. Men are ever prone to envy that successful work in which they have taken no part. III. The work of the successful man is often depreciated by the indolent. The slothful man is described as Avorking his own ruin. (Verse 5.) He cannot endure to witness the success of men of greater talents and energy than himself. Hence he assumes the features of wisdom, and counsels moderation. (Verse 6.) Why all this labour for so little result ? It is better to manage life witli sobriety than to gain success at the expense of proper repose. 1. This counsel is given hy^ men who are the least ready to do any good ivorJc themselves. The idle man folds his hands, and calls that work useless which he cannot imitate, either from natural or moral unfitness. He waits for miracles, and expects the end without the means. 2. This counsel possesses an element of ivisdom. It is not altogether foolish and vain advice, but has in it some featui'es of truth. It is better to secure a little, and to enjoy it, than to aim at too much ; and thus to purchase success by the loss of happiness and quiet. To cultivate contentment, and to cool the fever of ambition, should be the aim of eveiy wise man. 3. This counsel is wrong in its extreme form. Men must have large aims if they would perform great and lasting works. A low and mean ideal cripples the energies of the soul. Eveiy true man must have a purpose Avider than himself. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 4. Envy is opposed to that enemy than under envy ; nay, of his expansive charity which rejoices in the brother, when there was but one brother success of another. Like love, it is not in the world '[.Jermin^. an intermittent, but a constant passion ; No man so secure in the peaceful thus it frets and consumes the possessor. results of his honest labour and skill The trail of the serpent Envy is as to be beyond the reach of the archers traced across every earthly paradise. of envy. "Envied of his neighbour," nay of Even he who gains the applause of his father-in-law ; for did not this make _ men obtains a tribute often impaired Saul to envy David, so that David fly- by envy. ing to Achish had rather be under an When a statue had been erected by 63 CHAP. IV. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. liis fellow-citizens of Thasos to Thea- genes, a celebrated victor in the public games of Greece, we are told that it excited so strongly the envious hatred of one of his rivals, that he went to it every night, and endeavoured to throw it down by repeated blows, till at last, unfortunately successful, he was able to move it from its pedestal, and was crushed to death beneath it on its fall. This, if we consider the self-consuming misery of envy, is truly what happens to every envious man. He may perhaps throw down his rival's glory ; but he is crushed in his whole soul beneath the glory which he overturns l^Di: T. Broioii\. Verse 5. Idleness makes a desert of the mind ; multiplies the snares of temptation ; and ends in self-destruc- tion. He who does not keep his powers in a state of healthy activity will find that they waste away. This is true of the physical, moral, and spiritual. The ditliculty of accomplishing suc- cessful work, and the envy it raises in others, should not cause us to fold our hands in indolence. The purest pleasures are those which ai'e won by exertion — the sweet rewards of toil. He who folds his hands tastes not the honey of life, but consumes himself with long regrets and imaginary fears. Verse 6. We may conceive that, as in the verse before, Solomon showeth his misery in his wasted estate ; so here he showeth his misery in a plenti- ful estate. He who laboureth and getteth but a little, yet by labour haih a quiet mind free from a burdensome tediousness, is to be preferred before him \JermUi\. There is in human life a certain golden mean in which the greatest happiness can be enjoyed. A competence with quietness is to be preferred to abundance with all its necessary train of anxieties and cares. This speech can be put into the mouth either of a fool or of a wise man, for it has elements which suit both characters. As uttered by a fool, it springs from envy. It is the affectation of wisdom, used to despise the work of another. But as spoken by a wise man, it is a sober counsel to hit the happy medium between absolute indo- lence and that restless activity which pushes enjoyment out of life. ~ MAIN IIOMILETICS OF THE PARAGUAPIL— Verses 7—12. Portrait ok a Mammon Worshipper. Instead of using the gifts of fortune wisely, and gaining favour with mankind, some only increase their misery by depriving life of its proper happiness. Here is the picture of a man who is possessed by the spirit of avarice — ^a worshipper of Mammon. Of such an one, Ave may say: — I. That liis conduct is unreasonable. (Verse les. The prayers recorded in the ]3ible are brief, and ex- pressed in words of simple majesty. The Lord's Prayer is marked by fulness in little compass. 3. Have a proper sense of the evil of careless speech in devotion. It has a bad effect upon the soul. The language degenerates into weakness and twaddle. Devotion becomes a mere babble of words involving no serious effort of intellect or heart. As dreams often arise from the perplexing cares and busi- ness of the day — these, in a confused manner, presenting themselves in sleep — so the multitude of words, though uttered not without some carefulness at first, at length degenerates into confusion and unreality. (Verse 3.) SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 1. The feet translate the dis- tion of the soul before engaging in positions of the mind — they are the worship. On the way to the house of outward indicators of purpose. God, the worshipper should be acquiring There is a proper frame and disposi- a readiness for its solemn services. 71 CHAI'. V. JIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. The roycalty of the Supreme King demands a careful, reverent, and sub- dued manner in those who approach his Majesty. Obedience is the most splendid issue of the adoration of the fount of law. Duty is our clearest revelation, and the path to our true honour. The worship of God is a reasonable service, demanding the best fruit of the intellect and heart. He who does not make it a thoughftul and heartfelt exercise presents the sacrifice of a fool. It is the simplicity of the heart, and not of the head, that is the best indictor of our petitions. That which proceeds from the latter is undoubtedly the sacrifice of fools ; and God is never znore weary of sacrifice than when a fool is the priest and folly the oblation The vanity, hollowness, and insin- cerity of the outward world intrudes even into the temples of religion. In the spirit of that significant Ori- ental usage which drops its sandals at the palace door, the devout worshipper will put off his travel-tarnished shoes — will try to divest himself of secular anxieties and worldly projects — when the place where he stands is converted into holy gi'ound by the words, '• Let us worship God" [Z>r. J. Ilainilton.'] Verse 2. The tongue of the wor- ehippnr should not outstrip the fervours of hi J heart. Unless the words of devotion glow with the inner heat, they are but empty sounds. It is an affront to the Majesty of Heaven to offer the unripe fruit of our mind and heart. The multitude of words in prayer does not imply deep thought and fer- vour of devotion. They are but the tawdry garment that covers the poverty of the suul. Before Job saw God with the inner eye, he was locjuacious, but after sight of the Divine vision, his wox'ds " were ended," and afterwards he only opened his mouth to declare how he " abhorred himself." He who regards the pure splendour 72 in which God dwells, and the humble platform on which he himself stands, will render his devotion in few and careful words, A heap of unmeaning Avords only smothers the fires of devotion. Remember at whose throne you are kneeling ; and be not verbose, but let your words be few and emphatic, as af one who is favoured with an audience from Heaven's King. . . . AVhen the emergencies of life — some perplexity or sorrow, some deliverance or mercy, — at au unwonted season sends us to the Lord, without any lengthened pre- amble we should give to this originat- ing occasion the fulness of our feelings and the foremost place in our petitions [Z?r. J. HaiiiiUon]. The Loitl's Prayer begins by remind- ing the petitioner of the lofty dwelling- place of that Being whom he addresses, yet this august Majesty of heavenly state is tempered by the endearing name of Father. What a wide application may be made of these words both to teaching and preaching, to prayer and to our ordinary life! Hovv many sermons, hours long, would be expunged by tiiis censorship, though never so skilfully arranged and put together according to the preaching art. And if all sermons and other discourses concerning Divine things were purged from all useless, uuedifying, fruitless, offensive, and v/rong v/ords, how few would the cen- sorship leave standing! [The Berlehurger Bible]. Yerse 3. TertuUian, expi-essing the nature of dreams, saith, " Behold a fencer without weapons, a coach-driver without his running chariot, acting and practicing all the postures and feats of his skill. There is fighting, there is stirring, but it is an empty moving and gesturing. Those things arc done in the acting of them, but not in the effect- ing anything by them. So it is iu many words; there is often much fencing, but no weapons wherewith the enemy is wounded ; there is much running, but no chariot winneth the race ; much seemeth to be said, but it is to as much HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. chap. v. purpose as if notliing were said; all stantial as a dream, the multitude of is^ an _ empty moving of the tongue words only making the disordered [Jcrmiri]. mixture more bewildering. All speech that does not commence The fool's prayer is composed of upon the solidities of truth is unsub- — trifles — meaningless and unreal. MAIN HOMILETIC S OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 4—7. Religious Trib-lees. There are some who do not distinctly oppose religion. They regard it, in some sense, necessary to them, and therefore observe its outward forms. But they are lacking in depth and serious purpose. They are but religious triflers. We have here the chief features of their character. I. They are Forward in Offers of Sei-vice. (Verse 4.) Reference is here made, to vows, which easily enhance a man's reputation for piety ; and which fools, without due consideration, are ever ready to make. Want of seriousness leads to this irreverent trifling. Of these thoughtless religionists, we are taught, 1. That tliey are ever ready to make pro- mises of stricter and more enlarged service. They would not lag behind the mos^ ardent piety, and therefore declare their willingness to increase the bonds of obligation. In the time of peril, or when they desire some special good, they are ready to make the most solemn vows. But, 2. They fail idien the demand of dutij ii made. In the powerful feelings of the time the largest promises are made, but they fail to fulfil their pious resolutions. They do not pay their vows. This arises (1) From indolence and lack of sjnritval vigour. They have not sufficient moral strength to carry on their purpose to the right issue. They have no abid- ing principle — hence energy fails. It sometimes arises (2) Froin avarice. They soon discover that in an unguarded moment they promised too much, and imagine that God can be put off with less. The strong feeling has cooled, and the sober fact of duty affrights them. 3. They are in a ivorse moral jwsition than if the offer of service had never been made. (Verse 5.) To have omitted to vow at all was no sin. God is satisfied with a steady service, an even, constant devotion. But to over-estimate our moral strength only lands us upon new difficulties. II. They are the Victims of Unreality. 1. They are deceived by ivords. (Verse 7.) They mistake words for things, the symbol of thought for the substance of it. Words are easily uttered, but when they are unreal, they lead the soul into a snare. How many are the victims of mere phrases ! 2. They are morally corrupted by ivords. (Verse 6.) The mouth brings sin upon the flesh. The tongue has corrupted the whole man. Language reacts upon thought and feeling, and the habit of uttering hollow words only deepens the vain shadow in which such are walkin"-. 3. They are altogether the slaves of imagination. (Verse 7.) Their words are but the flimsy and vanishing elements of a dream. Men of dreamy minds are unfit for the sober, and often prosaical, duties of life. III. They are Cujinino- to Invent Excuses. When the hour arrives for performing the vow, they are ready with plausible excuses. 1. The plea of infirmity. They urge that the vow vi as, after all, a mistake. It was simply "■ an error." (Verse 6.) The service was never really intended, but thoughtlessly promised in some sudden rush of feeling. Thus they excuse their forwardness and disown the obligation. 2. Thei/ are bold enough to urge their plea before the representatives of God. They say it before " the angel." (Verse 6.) They enter the place of the holy, and before God's appointed witnesses dare to present the plea of infirmity. They try to pass off a culpable rashness for a mere error. IV. They are Exposed to the Divine Judgment. 1. They provoke the anger of God. He is the God of truth, and can have no pleasure in those whose words are unreal, and whose whole life is a delusion. The religious trifler misuses the gift of speech, employing it in sophistry 73 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. and evasion. Hence he provokes eternal justice. God is angry at his voice. (Verse G.) 2. Thei?' conduct brings its own jnmis/wient. Such conduct must issue in the complete loss of their work. God will destroy it. (Verse G.) Offended justice will reject their impertinent offers of service, and punishment fall upon those deceivers who profane holy things to serve the base uses of hypocrisy. 3. Thei?- ■punishment can only he averted hi the fear of God. (Verse 7.) This is the very soul of reverence. The fools — the solemn triflers in the sanc- tuary of God — must learn this fear, which is " the beginning of wisdom." They must return to seriousness, truth, and realitij. They must learn to respect the morality of words — the sacred proprieties of speech. All falsehood and unreality must be destroyed before life can be placed upon a permanent and safe foundation. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 4. If Christians make volun- tary vows at all, it should be with clear warrant from the Word, for purposes obviously attainable, and for limited periods of time. The man who vows to offer a certain prayer at a given hour for all his remaining life, may find it perfectly convenient for the next six months, but not for the next six years. The man who vows to pious uses half the income of the year may be safe, whereas the Jephthah who rashly devotes contingencies over which he has no control may pierce himself through with many sorrows. And whilst every believer feels it his reason- able service to present himself to God a living sacrifice, those who wish to walk in the liberty of sonship, will seek to make their dedication, as a child is devoted to his parents, not so much in the St ingeut precision of a legal docu- ment as in the daily forthgoings of a filial mind [Z>r. J. Hamilton]. Promises to God should be prudently made, sincerely intended, and speedily fulfilled. It is safest to allow the standing motives for duty their full operation. The seeking after a new stimulus may exp )se our piety to peril. The contemplation of human folly, by the wise, raises the most loathsome images in the mind ; how much more with him who is Infinite Wisdom ! Seek to maintain thy baptismal vows, wherein thou hast vows enough \_LangeJ. Frames of feeling and good words are 74 but, at best, rudimentary virtue, until they are consummated in accomplished duty. Verse 5. It is better to be slow in vowing than to be slow in paying. It is better to deliberate, and to hold long in suspense our doubtful resolution, than to be free and easy in our words, but hard and difficult in our works [t/ermni]. By insincerity, or by some rash attempt to attain superior virtue, a man but injures his moral strength, and lowers himself to a position of less advantage. Better to be satisfied with the ordinary lines of duty, than to run the risk of failure by attempting a more ambitious virtue. The want of prudence is dangerous to every degree of goodness. Sobriety of mind and sincerity are the only solid foundations for a true life. Some men cannot be restrained from placing themselves in positions where their folly is rendered conspicuous. The Lord Jesus has often some severe tests for hasty disciples. How many does the profession of His religion place in a most serious spiritual posi- tion ; showing them the rising path, yet exposing them to the risk of falling into the greatest depths! Better to remain in darkness, than to neglect to perform our day's-work while we have the light. Verse 6. The mouth causeth the IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. chap. v. flesh to sia when it promises what the away by the Divine judgments, as the flesh neither can nor will perform mountain torrent destroys the founda- \_Hanseii']. tions of sand. A rash and ungovernable tongue Verse 7. The fear of God is the best can bring the whole body into bon- remedy against rashness. It instructs dage. us in the lessons of prudence, and keeps If we are not careful, our own words alive in us a sense of the danger of in- may become to us a delusion and a sincerity. snare. The abuse of language has diversified The tongue so far controls the whole sadly the vanities of life. " Dreams man that, when it is tamed, he may be and many words " have led to serious considered to have well nigh attained evils. The interests of religious truth perfection. have suffered much from the vain Some are bold enough to utter the imaginations of men — -dreamy specula- most hollow excuses before the mes- tions, and from mere wordy disputes, sengers of God, as if they could thus The fear of God imparts true sobriety compound for sin. to the religious life, delivering it from We must be careful what we reckon vain and fruitless distractions, and as sins of ignorance, lest our sin should empty efforts. The Great Teacher was remain and we be exposed to judgment, frequent in censuring those who took Nothing in the religious character up religion too lightly, and who made but what is based upon sincerity and promises which they were likely to truth can abide. All else shall be swept break. MAIN IIOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Vases 8, 9. The Oppressors of Mankind Waiting for the Judgment. If man would enjoy true happiness, he must study his duty to society ; and abstain from deeds of violence and oppression. Though the dark pages of history, stained with tyi'anny and injustice, must fill him with sorrow, yet he may be comforted by the conviction that God will, in the end, interfere and redress all wrongs. I. The Existence of Human Wrongs calls for such an Interference, There have ever been, and still are, social wrongs in the world of appalling magnitude. There is, 1. The tyrannij of class over class. The natural tempta- tions of pomp and power are haughty indifference to the evils of those beneath them, and the spirit of cruelty and oppression. Men take advantage of the accidents of position to inflict misery upon others. The power of wealth has been often used to crush the poor. And not alone to the great in high places is this vice to be imputed. Smaller communities, and almost every parish, has its little tyrant. There is, 2. The perversion of Justice. (Verse 8.) Under the pretence of administering justice many wrongs have been inflicted. Even laws themselves have often been partial to the more favoured classes, but cruel in their general tendency and effect. The sacred name of justice has been prostituted to serve the basest ends. Tyrants have proceeded to their cruel work with the hypocrisy of loud jjrofessions of virtue. There is, 3. The indulgence of the wild imssions of human nature. Extreme depravity may, for a time, be held in check by circumstances ; j but when the occasion arises, the envious flood bursts the bonds which held it, ' and spreads desolation far and wide. How many fair lands have been despoiled, and unutterable cruelties inflicted, when the loose rein has been given to the depraved passions of human nature ! II. That these Sad Facts of Human History need not excite Surprise. " Marvel not at the matter." (Verse 8.) And why ? 1. Because the, ficts of human nature lead us to expect such a condition of things. The evil taint clings to our nature still, however disguised by the outward proprieties of life, or held in check by righteous power. The violence 75 CHAP. V. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. of temptation, conflicting interests — the impulse of ambition and of savage cruelty, still exist, in spite of civilization and the restraints of religion. The facts of human nature remaining, the wise man cannot expect otherwise than that some wrongs shall always exist : history having a tendency to repeat itself in the same sad and weary round. 2. Because the best orderinr/ of human societ// cannot put an end to evert/ social lorong. Laws may be improved, and the most laudable endeavours made to reduce, and even banish, all the evils that afftict i^ociety ; still there will be room for much social injustice and oppression. Society can never be made good from the outside. "While our natural corruption remains, and the prevalent evil of selfishness, there must be tyranny, oppression, and wrong. The most ardent dreamer of a social millennium must make up his mind to accept the facts of human nature ; and the true prophet, gifted with sight into futurity, can, at best, have but a melancholy burden. III. That during the coitrse of History, God uses Human Authority to mitigate this Condition. There are gradations in human authority — one rank above anothei*. There are high, higher, ami highest. (Verse 8.) The case is here supposed of an oppressor in a " province," remote from the central and chief authority. This subordinate governor takes advantage of his position to oppress his subjects. But above him there are superior authorities, and the "king" over all. (Verse 9.) Hence those who are wronged may obtain redress, and tardy justice at length come to their aid. 1. Constituted authoritij stands in the place of God. He reserves the com- plete and final adjustment of human affairs for Himself ; but for the present He makes use of human authority in the government of mankind. Every repre- sentative of that authority is " the minister of God." (Rom. xiii. 4.) The special form of government is a human ordinance, but government itself is of divine appointment. 2. Tlie (iradations of ranh in human autlioritij tend to secure the proper carriage of justice. The lesser ruler is responsible to the greater, so that the dread of censure often serves to check those who are inclined to be tyrannical. Divine Providence thus uses the complications of human government to lessen the sum total of social wrongs. 3. The protection of eartJdij kings is of immense benefit. By the administration of wise laws, they protect the people and maintain peace ; they secure for us the fruits of the earth by preserving our fields from invasion. The produce of the land is the source of the real wealth of the nation. It is for the advantage of the authorities themselves to promote tlie general wealth, for " the king himself is served by the field." (Verse 9.) Mankind are bound together by tho ties of a common interest, and attain to the best ■ ooial condition under the protection of wise laws. Hence thougli there is a heavenly King, the benefits derived from earthlv governors are not to be despised. IV. That when Human Histoiy closes, God Himself will Interfere. 'There will be a personal manifestation of the King who is over all. If earthly authorities will not come to the aid of the of>pressed and redress their wrongs, there is One above wdio will do it. 1. llicre is a Supreme Autliorif//. Of the highest earthly rulers, it may be said that " there be higher than they." (Verse 8.) There is One who has absolute dominion and power, whoso throne of justice is raised on eternal foundations, the highest resource of troubled souls, and the ultimate appeal of the oppressed. An earthly king, after all, is but a symbol. His power really resides with his subjects. He is merely clothed with power and authority. But the Heavenly King has power in Himself. Hence his dominion is the only reality of government — the only '' everlasting kingdom." 2. Though God promotes the ivelfare of societ// b>/ means of carthli/ governors, f/ct He has reserved the final adjustinent of human affairs for Jlimself The best human governments cannot prevent the essential ovils of our present state. They can only reach the outward conduct as far as it affects the liappiness of society. Human laws cannot touch the question of sin. They cannot enforce the kinder and milder graces of life— those which have the greatest potency to aid human necessity and assuage sorrow. Human justice, 7fi HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. CHAP. V. in its best estate, is cold and severe ; which, though it may command admiration, has no power to melt the heart, or touch the springs of human tenderness. This imperfection cannot goon for ever — the Divine governor must interfere to usher in His perfect kingdom. There are duties of piety and religion with which the Supreme Judge alone can deal. There are moral discrej^a^icies requiring such an adjui^tment. Here, vice is oftenprosperous, enjoying the magnificence and splendour of life, while virtue is condemned to the grief of apparent failure. The happi- ness and misery of this world are not distributed according to the laws of eternal reason and high justice ; the wise, the true, and the good, do not in the present state stand in their proper lot. There must be for these a better and a higher place, the lofty vindication of Eternal Justice, a perpetual reward. The oppressors of mankind will have to come to reckoning with the Righteous Judge, and for all the down-trodden and persecuted the Avenger will arise. Lessons, — 1. Be jyatient under the evils of the present. 2. Have confidence in the justice of the Eternal King. 3. Beivare lest thou oppress any: if thou hast done so, seek recon- ciliation; lest they take their cause to the Suptreme Court. (Matt. v. 25.) SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 8. In this small province of God's dominions, the good have been persecuted, and justice, at best, but imperfectly rendered. The complaints of the oppressed have passed on from one human governor to another — many still standing to their account. But He who is " higher than they " will interfere, and redress the wrongs of His people, " redeeming their souls from deceit and violence." Deep knowledge of human nature and history blunts the sense of wonder. He who has the widest experience of mankind comes at length to marvel at nothing. The nature of evil men is to hate and to oppress. Their deeds need not excite astonishment. The righteous must not think it strange that they have to pass through fiery trials. Why dost thou marvel that good men are shaken that they may be settled ? A tree is not firm in the ground unless the wind do often beat upon it; the very shaking of it doth fasten the root more surely. They are weak that do grow in the warm valley \ Seneca']. The righteous soul, who sees the oppression of the poor, and the pervert- ing of justice, opens another eye, fixing it upon one bright spot in the future where the majesty of Eternal Justice will be asserted. The Heavenly King waits long through the slow rolling of the ages : meantime the world's burden of oppres- sion and wrong grows larger ! But the avenger is afoot, and will at length overtake ail tyrants. The Highest is the strong refuge of the persecuted. Let every man, according to his rank and God's command, do his work with the best industry ; other things let him commend to God. Let him be patient and wait for Hini who is able to find out and judge the ungodly and unjust. He who cannot lift a great stone, let him leave it lying and lift what he can. Wherefore, when thou seest that kings, princes, and lords misuse their power, that judges and advocates take bribes and allow causes to sink or swim as they can, being wise and sensible, tbou wilt think within thyself, God will sometime bring about a better state \_Luther\ Verse 9. In all grades of society^ human subsistence is very much the same. " The profit of the earth is for all ; the king himself is served by the field." " What hath the wise man more than the fool ? " Even princes are not fed with ambrosia, nor do poets subsist on asphodel. Bread and water, the produce of the flocks and herds, and a few homely vegetables, form the staple of his food who can lay the globe imder 77 cnAP. V. BOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESFASTES. tribute ; and these essentials of health- therefore, encourage agriculture and ful existence are within the attainment the arts and sf"-nces. of ordinary industry [Dr. J. Hamil- The first of all human occupations ^(5;jl is still the foundation of wealth, and the The great Koman poet has said that, chief promoter of the industrial arts. "The Father of mankind Himself Mutual dependence is the law of hath willed it that the way of cultivat- society. The tiller of the soil spreads ing the ground should not be easy." the benefits of his labour to all ranks, Hence tlie in,^enuity of man has been to the very highest. They, in turn, stimulated to invent the means of sub- secure for him the protection of Gor- duing the soil. A wise king will, ernment. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 10—12. The Impotence of Wealth. Wealth, though it confers great social influence and power, has yet some elements of weakness, and fails when the severest tests are applied. I. Wealth cannot Satisfy the Desire it Raises. Wealth stimulates desire, and when attained feeds that desire; but not to satisfaction. (Verse 10.) The appetite only increases by what it feeds on. The fever of gain only rages the more with the increase of possessions. This insatiable desire of wealth is, 1. Irrational. Reason would teach us that as our wants are satisfied, desire ought to abate. When we have abundance, there should be the repose of contentment. Yet those who have gained great wealth desire more, not because it is wanted, but only to satisfy a restless craving. The undue pursuit of wealth is an infatuation — an untamed passion which has broken away from the control of reason. 2. It shows that the soul is on some ivrong trade of happiness. That which is a real good to man gives him a pure and a permanent joy. But when the pursuit of an object ends in an UQsatisfyiog result and the rage of tortured desire, the soul has missed the path of true happiness. Riches do not satisfy, and cannot therefore be our chief good. 3. It shows that man is greater than wealth. He may yield himself to the absorbing passion, and worship the assumed majesty of wealth ; yet in the lucid intervals of his better reason, he feels that the greatness of his nature refuses tlnis to be satisfied. And whether he understands the eternal truths of the soul or not, they have nevertheless their operation. He cannot go against the great facts of man's essential life. II. Wealth has Certain Evils Inseparable from it. (Verse 11.) \. As it increases., fresh channels are opened for its dispersion. The rich man surrounds himself with a numerous train of attendants ; who, though they minister to his comfort and ease, multiply his cares and eat up his stores. There arc always plenty to spend the most carefully hoarded treasures. 2. Increasing ivealth creates artijicial wants. Luxury attaches new burdens to a man. He comes more and more under the tyranny of habit. The increased comi< o-ts and luxuries that riches procure become at last a necessity of nature. Me wholov.ls it over many thus becomes himself a slave. The artificial wants that are cren ".i have the force and impetuosity of nature. 3. Wealth, however great, cannot he- incorporated loith the Inanan soul. A man cannot make his treasures the garniture of his soul. They are altogether outside of him. The owner of great ricl<'S, and of all that riches procure, can enjoy no superior advantage than the beholii'ig of them with his eyes. (Verse 11.) A man really has only what is within h ui; all else is uncertain and transitory. III. Wealth is often gained at the Expense of Real Comfort. The rich man frequently but purchi-i-s his )-t.ite and grandeur by the loss of solid comforts. The many cares of hi- great ricies deprive him of the full benefit of some of nature's most im|)()rtaiit gifts. 1. fie is often deprived of the blessing of sound slumber. (Verse 12.) The wiultitude of 78 110311 LETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESTASTES. CHAP. V. cares, with which increased riches fill him, make his mind uneasy and banish sleep. All his riches cannot purchase this blessed gift. 2. He has reason to envy Us poorer, neighbour. Though he has power to multiply comforts, yet there are simple but important gifts of nature which are beyond his reach. These are often bestowed in abundance upon his humbler brethi-en. Relieved from com- plicated cares and anxieties, and prepared by the fatigue of labour, the poor man enjoys sweet sleep. His diet may be precarious ; now a liberal, and again a scanty fare, yet his severe duty in the battle of life brings him repose. He may well be envied by pampered wealth seeking refreshing slumber in vain. The blest enjoyment of life is greater than any earthly treasure, and he who depends upon wealth for true happiness must miserably fail. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. \ Verse 10. When a man begins to amass money, he begins to feed an appetite which nothing can appease, and which his proper food will only render fiercer. To greed there may be " increase," but no increase can ever be " abundance." .... Could you transmute the solid earth into a single lump of gold, and drop it into the gaping mouth of Mammon, it would only be a crumb of transient comfort, a restorative enabling him to cry a little louder, Give, give \_Dr. J. Hamilton']. The love that burns in holy souls delights to rest in its object in calm and contented repose. But the base love of gain is a torturing passion, for ever uneasy and unsatisfied. The feverish thirst for gain only rages the more its demand is answered ; but all healthful desires are easily satisfied, and give repose and enjoy- ment to life. The toils of covetousness know no Sabbath — no healthful relaxation of the strain of life. They hurry their victim onward to some illusive goal which recedes, as they approach it, into a land of vain shadows. The soul has a capacity altogether infinite, and refuses to be satisfied with the vanishing good of this life. What is a miser but a poor, tortured, uneasy soul and heart that is always looking after that which it does not possess ; it is therefore vanity and wretchedness. If now God gives thee riches, use thy share as thou usest thy share of water, and let the rest flow by thee ; if thou dost not do so, thy gathering will be all in vain [^Luther']. Verse 11. The strongest chain, if it haa sufficient length, will snap under the pressure of its own weight. Great riches may become so unwieldy as to ruin the happiness of their possessor. The menial service and attendance which are at the command of wealth, introduce many complexities into life, and increase the burden of care and vexation. It is wisely ordered that rank and wealth cannot be entirely selfish. They give employment and the means of subsistence to others. The river that flows through the estate of the wealthy man cannot be pent up there, but must flow on to enrich other districts. Great riches and multiplied sources of pleasure do not necessarily give in- creased capacity for enjoyment. If their owner lacks exquisite taste, and an answering mind, their effective power to raise his happiness is but small. The spectator of the outward signs of grandeur often derives more real enjoyment than the possessor. Let a man consider how little he is bettered by prosperity as to those per- fections which are chiefly valuable. All the wealth of both the Indies cannot add one cubit to the stature, either of his body or his mind. It can neither better his health, advance his intel- lectuals, or refine his morals. We see those languish and die, who command 79 CHAP. V. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESTASTES. the physic and physicians of a whole kin'^dom. And some are dunces in the micfst of libraries, dull and sottish in the very bosom of Athens ; and far from wisdom, though they lord it over the w^ise [*S'oz/<7t]. A rich man buys a picture or a statue, and he is proud to think that his mansion is adorned with such a famous masterpiece. But a poor man comes and looks at it, and, because he has the esthetic insight, in a few minutes he is conscious of more as- tonishment and pleasure than the dull proprietor has experienced in half a • century. Or, a rich man lays out a park or a garden, and, except the diversion of planning and remodelling, he has derived from it little enjoyment, but some bright morning a holiday student or a town-pent tourist comes, and when he leaves, he carries with him a freight of life-long recollec- tions Such sight-seers, though they leave the canvas on the walls, and the marble in the gallery— though they leave the flowers in the vases, and tlie trees in the forest ; they have carried olf the glory and the gladness; their bibulous eyes have drunk a delectation, and all their senses have absorbed a joy for which the owner vainly pays his heavy annual ransom [Dr. J. Hamil- tov'\. Verse 12. The refreshing repose which labour brings is often denied to the children of soft indulgence. Hence learn, 1- The limited power of wealth. It cannot purchase what is of the hi"-hest value. 2. The humbler con- ditions of life have some counter- balancing advantages. To the poor man is given that healthy refreshment and repose which his rich neighbour often seeks in vain. 3. How little does our true happiness depend upon the outward ! The walls of gold that keep out famine cannot bar the passage of the torment- ing spirits of restlessness and anxious care. The ttnequal distribution of human happiness is more apparent than real. The humblest plodder in the obscurest condition of life has his special advan- tages and consolations. Providence has wonderful compensations. If the poor could get a taste of opu- lence, it would reveal to them strange luxuries in lowliness. Fevered with late hours and false excitement, or scared by visions, the righteous recom- pense of gluttonous excess, or with breath suppressed and palpitating heart listing the fancied footsteps of the rob- ber, grandeur often pays a nightly penance for the triumph of the day [Dr. J. Hamilton']. The most precious things of life are beyond the power of Avealth to purchase. Like wisdom, sleep is the gift of God. The worshippers of Mammon must submit to a most heartless tyranny — worn down by severe and restless ser- vice, and no solid reward to croAvn the end. He who takes a thoughtful and sober view of human life will strengthen his sense of contentment, and abate the fires of envy. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 13—17. The Miseries of Hni who Survives the Wreck of his Fortunes. « There is a soro evil which I have scon iindor the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to thoir hurt. But those riches perish by evil travail, and ho bo-ottoth a son, and thcro is nothing in his hand. As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall ho return 10 <-o as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand. An'd this also is a soro evil, that in all points as ho came, so shall he go: and what proht hatu 1,0 that hath laboured for tho wind? All his days also he eatoth iu darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness."— AV.'/esjas^cs v. 13—17. In these reflections upon the vanity of riches, the Royal Preacher is supposing the case of one who has no internal consolations. When riches are flown, how is SO HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. chap. v. it with such a man ? I. He is placed in a Worse Position than if He had never been Prosperous. (Verses 13, 14.) 1. There is the painful sense of failure. He rejoiced in his treasures, made them his stronghold and boast ; but now they have perished, and he is left without defence. The results of liis labour and anxieties are lost. What he had lived for is now vanished from him. He is oppressed with the distress of failure. 2. There are the sorrows of meriior?/. The remem- brance of the past deepens the gloom of the present and turns it into pain. It is an unspeakable sorrow for a man to be forced to look at his greatness and pros- perity only through the aid of memory and long reflections. Riches, when they have departed, are not absolutely hidden in the buried past. The memory of them arises to hurt and afflict the mind. How can a man in the land of poverty, where he is a stranger and an exile, sing the song of prosperity ? He must hang his harp upon the willows, and weep the tears of memory. 3. There is the oppi^essive feeling of impotency to satisfj his ambitious desires. When he possessed Avealth, he formed bright designs for the future which that wealth coidd accomplish. Reckoning upon the stability of his riches, he thought to build up his house; and, through the flourishing generations of bis family, transmit his splendour and magnificence to posterity. But now the time has come when his favourite child is there, but no splendid mansion is for him. The heir is present, but the heritage has gone. (Verse 14.) There is a sense of departed power which is altogether overwhelming, and which is unknown to those who never possessed it. To be unable tb perform what was once easily within our power is vexation and sorrow. II. He is brought Face to Face with the most Solemn Aspects of Life. If we direct our attention to the two extremes of human life, we are made to front facts of dread solemnity. Our utter nakedness, both upon our arrival here and our departure hence, is one of the saddest facts of existence. (Verse 15.) Death strips us of all our time- garments, and we go naked into eternity. Thus the grandeur of the woild is but a vain show — the passing shadow of a cloud ! This solemn truth is forgotten in the excitement of pleasure, quite inaudible amidst the tumult of the passions. But when a man is stripped of his fortune, the solemn facts of life assert themselves and he is forced to listen to their voice. 1. How near are the fountains of sorrow ! In the midst of worldly enjoyments, if men only reflected deeply upon the solemn aspects of existence, how soon would the heart heave with emotion ! The fairest pleasures of the world are but hastily snatched from the borders of misery and pain. 2. WTiat a teacher is adversity — impaj-ting a due solemnity to the mind ! Affliction gains audience for truths which failed to seciu-e a hearing in the time of prosperity. Death is indeed the great teachez", opening the eyes of man upon the higher mysteries ; yet death is only the completion of that entire stripping of all earthly possessions which process adversity had begun. 3. How great the folly of trusting in ivealth! It may depart long before us, thus afflicting us with the memory of joys nov/ no longer ours. Or, if it stays, yet w© must be rudely torn from it, and go into eternity with nothing in our han(^ (Verse 15.) It is unwise to put our entire trust in that which must fail us \\ the last necessity. III. He becomes a Prey to Melancholy. (Verse 17.) All what he trusted and delighted in is gone, and having no inward sources of com- fort, a thick gloom settles upon his soul. It may be said of this inward condition, 1. That it darkens for him the scenes of life. There is light on every side, yet the darkness within him spreads itself over the whole scene of his life. The outward world takes the mood of our soul, be it merry or sad. In the gloomy seasons of our temper, it is in vain that nature strives to please. The darkness of the soul can overwhelm the light and glory of the world. 2. That it is moral disease. It is a sorrowful portion — the sickness of the soul. In health, all the bodily organs work together in harmony, and we are not directly conscious of the process. The man is said to be ivhole. But in disease, oue or more organs, by becoming a seat of pain, assert their separate existence. Tuus disease is disorder — a want of 81 CHAP. V. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. wholeness. This fact holds strict analogy with moral unsoundness. "When some painful truths are forced upon the soul without any countervailing good, it indicates moral disease. In this soul-sickness, there is " sorrow and wrath." There can he no health in the soul when there is no peace. 3, It forebodes the last gloomy days of one lulio is entirely devoted to the present life. For the soul without the com'orts of religion, this darkness is but the shadow of death. Without God, there cuucot be the light of joy, truth, and love. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 13. "Wealth is often the ruin of its possessor. Like that king of Cyprus who made himself so rich that he became a tempting spoil, and who, rather than lose his treasures, embarked them in perforated ships ; but, wanting courage to draw the plugs, ventured back to land and lost both his money and his life. So a fortune is a great perplexity to its owner, and is no de- fence in times of danger. And very often, by enabling him to procure all that heart can wish, it pierces him through with many sorrows [/)/". J. Hamilton']. The base love of gain, when long indulged by success, multiplies the snares that will entrap and even fatally injure the soul. The worshipper of Mammon will in the end be crushed beneath the fall of his idol. Continued prosperity exposes a man to the vices of luxurious indulgence, neglect of religion, and a foolish confidence in his own greatness. He whose heart has been bound up with his wealth can ill bear the loss of it. Having no inward resources, his condition is poor indeed. He is cast into the roaring tide of adversity ; and he has no courage, strength, or skill, to stem the danger and gain a place of safety. It is the highest wisdom to seek the true riches, which place a man above the accidents of life. Verse 14. The Lord hath many ways to blast covetous men's idols. He can make use of the injustice and avarice of spoilers and oppressors, the deceitfulness of friends, and the prodi- 82 gality of children to make their riches perish \_Nisbet~\. The memory of vanished joys is a bitter draught to those who have no spring of heavenly life and consolation within. All earthly supports of the heart may soon fail us, and they must fail in the last extremity. Virtue and knowledge are the best heritage we can leave to our children. In all things else, they may be but the heirs of misery and disappointment. Riches give a man power to com- mand the service of many, and to summon the ministers of comfort. But how soon may the sceptre be snatched from his hand. His necessities and ambitious desires continue, but the power is gone. Verse 15. At both ends of human life, all social distinctions ai'e levelled. The hand of death rends away our time-garments. "We must leave here, on these shores of life, all the outward circumstances of wealth, and the soul be stripped for her last voyage. He who by the stroke of adversity is denuded of his fortune, is hereby re- minded of that utter desolation to which he shall be brought by the rifling hands of death. Mental wealth, spiritual character — all that is truly within us, we can take away when we part for ever from the world. But our environment of wealth and grandeur must be left behind. Alexander the Great is said to have ordered that, as he was carried forth to burial, his hands should " be exposed, that all niankind might see how empty they were." HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. CHAP. V. Adversity clears a man's view of the most solemn and saddest facts of our nature. It is well if we lay them to heart, so that we may be rich in the wealth of immortality when death robs us of the passing treasures of this life. Seeing that we go away naked, and can carry nothing hence with us, we should look upon nothing as our own ; we should be careful to go away clothed with Christ's righteousness, and adorned with His grace, which is the durable riches, which whosoever hath shall not be found naked in death nor after it \_Nishet]. Here, we walk beneath appearances ; but in eternity, we must stand forth in our true reality. Verse 16. The thought of the pre- ceding verse is here repeated, but with greater emphasis. The spiritual teachers of mankind find it necessary to repeat great truths. The covetous man when life is ended is reduced to his first condition ; he possesses absolutely nothing. The riches of selfish and covetous men, 1. Give them anxiety and vexa- tion in life; 2. Forsake them in death; 3. Accuse them before the bar of God, The labours of man without God have no solid worth — no lasting profit. When at the close of life he looks upon them, he finds that they vanish into thin air. They were but appearances under the hollow image of a form. If covetous worldlings would com- mune often with their own hearts, they could not but see their \:ny to be no less unreasonable and unprofitable for attaining to happiness, than if a man would make it the business of his life to gather wind, which cannot be held though it be among his hands, nor can satisfy him though he could hold it Verse 17. When the power to enjoy is gone, and increasing infirmities produce fretf ulness and inward misery, how vain are all the circumstances of wealth and grandeur ! Through the medium of our melan- choly feelings, the fairest scenes of life appear to be overspread with gloom. True joy is within. The sun only shines for the happy. As years roll on, the present world does not grow brighter and more joyous to him who lives entirely for it. Days of darkness await him. You pass a stalely mansion, and as the powdered menials are closing the shutters of the brilliant room, and you see the sumptuous table spread and the fire-light flashing on vessels of gold and silver, perhaps no pang of envy pricks your bosom, but a glow of gratulation for a moment fills it. Happy people w^ho tread carpets so soft, and who swim through halls so splendid ! But, some future day, when the candles are lighted and the curtains -drawn in that self-same apartment, it is your lot to be within ; and as the invalid owner is wheeled to his place at the table, and as dainties are handed round of which he dares not taste, and as the guests interchange cold courtesy, and all is stiff magnificence and conventional inanity — your fancy cannot help flyino- off to some humbler spot with which you are more familiar, and " where quiet with contentment makes her home " \_Dr. J. Hamilton']. Fretfulness and vexation wait on avarice. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 18—20. The Gifts of Providence— A Source of Spiritual Culture,. The plentiful gifts of Providence only serve to develop the depravity of some. They give loose reins to the passions, lead to forgetfulness of God, to fretfulness and despair. But, to the wise, they are a source of spiritual culture. They learn, I. To Use Tiiein with Cheerfulness. (Verse 1«.) They do not insult the CHAP. V. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. Creator and Preserver of men by spurning His gifts, or by the voluntary humility of self-inflicted austerities. Their cheerfulness is not the transient rapture of the children of worldly pleasure, but a habit of the soul. It is, 1. The cheerfulness of pious gratitude. The wise and good accept the bounties of this life as from the hands of God. Admiration for the source of all good awakens gratitude, and gratitude becomes a luxury. The joy of pious breasts is thankful, it is a deep and perpetual spring. It is, 2. The cheerfulness of conscious integrity. The wise and good follow the path of duty. They work diligently at the tasks of life, not turned from their calm and steady purpose by a restless ambition, or by grasping avarice. Their joy is not the intemperate sallies of worldly mirth; it is controlled by wisdom, it is generated by the consciousness of duty performed. Con- scious rectitude alone gives true and abiding cheerfulness. The world's joy is a vanishing and unsubstantial thing. It is but gilding over a surface of misery which time will soon wear off. It is, 3. The cheerfulness arising from the 2^ossession of a high purpose. No man can have any deep and essential joy who is not conscious of possessing some high purpose in life. To him who can live above and beyond the world, who has higher aims than men around him, life becomes a sacred thing. The joy of his soul is invigorated by the imperial air of a better country. Feeling that his purpose is true and sublime, he has a sense of kinship with the most exalted ranks of God's servants. They learn, II. To Enjoy Them with Contentment. (Verse 19.) Whether their lot in life be poor and humble, or wealthy and distinguished, they take it as their portion, and rejoice in it as the gift of God. (Verse 19.) They are content with the appointments of Providence. 1. Because they are marked hij Supreme ivisdom. It is impotent and vain to rebel against our appointed portion in life, and to challenge the wisdom of Divine Providence. We are not proper judges of what is best for us, and our highest wisdom is to do our duty in that state to which we are called. The belief that the plan of our life is a Divine idea is the soul of contentment. 2. Because there are evils atteiidant on every condition of life. Both poverty and riches have their own peculiar evils and temptations. It is ditficult to say what, on the balance, is the social condition most to be desired. Without Divine help, any condition of life must lead to fretfulness, vexation, and misery. But if God is acknowledged, and His gifts received with thankfulness, poverty is sweetened, and riches are enjoyed Avith moderation and prevented from becoming a vain confidence for the soul. When God is served with a willing mind, the evils of every condition are mitigated, 3. Because the present arrangements of Providence arc not final. The outward conditions of men are not in accordance with their mental or spiritual characters. Great souls here are not always surrounded by the trappings of wealth, nor invested with the importance of station. But though the good man may feel that his present state is out of frame with Eternal Justice, he accepts the allotment of Providence with resignation, does his duty, and waits for the end. He who can look beyond the present life, and see the ultimate triumph of goodness and truth, easily learns the lesson of contentment with his portion in this world. The heir of immortality can wait in patience and hope for his full investiture and recognition. They learn. III. That Piety is the Secret of True Happi- ness. (Verse 20.) Human life has many miseries for the poor, the rich have many cares ; all have to bear some portion of the load of trouble. But there are Divine consolations. There is a way of happiness whose secret must be caught from Heaven. 1. Help granted in answer to prayer. The godly man feels that he has no native abiUty to do the work of life well, to overcome its temptations, and to bear its trials. Weak and helpless, he goes to prayer, and rises strong and full of hope. He draws a joy from above which abides with him through all the changes of life. 2. A life of inward peace is the gift of God to the good. They only have peace who have righteousness. He Wlio is con- Si HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. CHAP. V. scious that he has well discharged his duty by Divine help, and with a sublime motive, inherits the blessing of a deep and settled peace. He does " not much remember the days of his life," it flows so smoothly on. A constant joy in the breast alleviates the sorrows of memory, and the impressions of the sharpest trials are worn down by a sense of the infinite goodness of God, and of the precious hopes inspired by religion. 3. God alone can satisfy man's deepest ivant. That deepest want is not happiness merely, but peace. We want a refuge from the upbraidings of the past, and the evil forebodings of the future. We want all thoughts and feelings resolved in one direction, and made to minister to one great aim and purpose of life. Then the soul rests truly in God. Peace gives the hand to true contentment, dwelling in the same breast. Then there is no discord between our desires and our outward lot ; no discord between our affec- tions and our mind ; no painful doubts of the rectitude of God's dealings. The scenes of life, however diversified by joy or sorrow, are turned for the pious into the school of religion where the spirit of man is fitted to be advanced to immortality. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 18. The good things of this life should be the means of rational enjoyment, not the object of a grasping avarice. There are some who rest in the pre- sent world, making it their chief end, and the highest object of the mind and heart. But the wise have made a better choice, passing through the world with higher aims and aspirations, yet tasting with gratitude the pleasures provided by the way. The practical recognition of God im- parts a beauty to the most common ac- tions of human life. The covetous man pursues wealth with such insane devotion that he shuts out all true happiness. It is folly to allow our labour to degenerate into a heartless slavery so as to leave no room for the wise enjoyment of the fruits of it. Thankfully to use and enjoy the por- tion appointed by Providence is the easiest recompense we can render to heaven. It was a sultry day, and an avaricious old man who had hoarded up a large amount, was toiling away and wasting his little remaining strength, when a heavenly apparition stood before him. "I am Solomon," it said, with a friendly voice ; " what are you doing ? " " If you are Solomon," answered the old man, " how can you ask ? When I was young you sent me to the ant, and told me to consider her ways ; and from her I learned to be industrious and gather stores." " You have only half learned your lesson," replied the spirit ; " go once more to the ant, and learn to rest the winter of your years and enjoy your collected treasures" [Lessing's Fahles'\. Vei'se 19. Religion does not pro- hibit the acquirement of wealth, but teaches how it may best be enjoyed and bestowed. He who has wisdom with his riches guides himself between the two extremes of avarice and prodigality. The acknowledgment of God in the plentiful gifts of His Providence pre- vents them from becoming a snare. The adoration of the Highest — the spiritual vision of the Supremely Good One, preserves the soul from all degrad- ing worship. He who acknowledges the Giver will not make His gifts the occasion of idolatry. As men's wealth and riches are God's gifts, so the power to use these for strengthening them in His service is a second gift; and wisdom to take their own due portion, neither depriving themselves of their own allowance, nor others to whom they are bound to give a part of theirs, is a third gift. And the grace to comfort themselves in so 85 CHAP, VI. TIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. doing is a fourth. And so the Lord should be acknowiedged and depended upon for our daily bread, for our appetite after it, for the heart to take and use it, for wisdom and grace to take neither more nor less than our allowance of it, and to take that cheer- fully [Nishef]. A wise man enjoys wealth by a thankful use of it himself — by making it a channel of good to others — by turning it into a means of self culture and improvement. It is a great favour of Providence when God gives both wealth and large-heartedness. Verse 20. The way to sweeten man's short and sorrowful life, k) banish the sad thoughts of by-past crosses, and the fearful forecasting of future, is much cor- respondence with God, frequent prayer for refreshment from Heaven, and taking every comfortable passage of Scripture or Providence, which cheers the heart in God's service, for a joyful answer from God \_Nishet\. Prayer heals the sorrows of memory, lays the ruggedness of life even, and draws down from heaven a perpetual The attention of the wise man is not directed too much towards himself. He looks to God and to duty, not fret- ting nor worrying himself concerning^ the rest. No man can be healthy who is always thinking about his own. health. The sorrows of the past are perpetu- ated by handing them over to the care of memory. All our philosophy cannot banish them. But when a superior joy takes possession of our breast, they cease to torment. The old feeling is overwhelmed by the new. The joy of God in the heart is a light which transfigures the whole scene of life, and makes it a more blessed and diviner thing. CHAPTER Vr, Cbstical Notes. — 1. Common amoug men] In the strict meaning of the word, the refer- ence is to the magnitude of the evil, and not to the frequency of it. That which appears to be good is discovered, after all, to bo a groat evil. 3. And also that he have no burial] Through the lack of filial devotion on the part of his posterity, ho is denied an honourable burial — one in accordance with his social position. 4- For he cometh in with vanity] Lit., Though it — i.e., the abortion (ver. 3) — falls into nothingness, fails of reaching the dignity of recognised life. And Ms name shall be covered with darkness] Such rocoivo no name ; they aro not reckoned with mankind, and sink into mero oblivion. 5. Not seen the sun] Tho sun looks down upon so many scones of vanity and misery that, in our melancholy mood, wo consider that not to have soon it may bo accounted a blessing. More rest than the other] Abaoluto rest from the sufferings and trials of life — they aro bettor off. 6. Do not all go to one place?] All go to School — " tho house of assembly of all living " (Job. xxx. 23). There all arrive equally poor ; nor is tho chance afforded them to regain what they have failed to enjoy on earth. 7. The appetite is not filled] The deep wants of tlio inner man aro not satisfied, though tho sensual part of him may lack nothing of indulgence. 8. Knoweth to walk before the living] Knows how to walk accurately by tho proper rulo of life. Thus St. Paul — "Soo that yo walk circum- spectly, i.e., accurately, Eph. v. 15. 9. Better is the sight of the eyes] The enjoyment of wliat is before us — our oyos resting contentedly on our lot. 10. That which hath been is named already] Whatever happens has happened before, and long ago received its name ; i.e., the nature of it was accurately described and known in tho plan of God. And it is known that it is man] Lit., Adam. There ia a ])lay upon tho name. Man is known to bo what ho really is, Adam, i.e., man from earth. Mightier than he] lie cannot contend with tho All Powerful One. 11. Increase vanity] All that tonds to strengthen the impression of vanity. 12. What is good for man in this life] What kind of lot is the best ; seeing that all is uncertain, and tho future is concealed. After him] Tho meaning is — not after his death, l)ut after his present condition. The force of the question is — who can tell what is the next thing that will happen to him, or through what changes of fortune he may be called to pasn ? 86 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. chap. vi. i MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 1— G. The Life of Life. Man has two lives : the outward life which he lives, the manner and means of life — all his surroundings in the world. He has also that life by which he lives — the power to taste life — the strong feeling of a deathless existence. No out- ward conditions of life, however well-favoured, can of themselves secure the true happiness of existence, which is the very life of it. This is illustrated by sup- posing two cases in which men fail to attain the life of life. I. They fail to attain it who have abundant sources of Comfort, but without Enjoyment. (Verse 2.) We have here the case of a man endowed with wealth, and there- fore possessing- the means of satisfying every desire. He has also what all noble minds earnestly covet — the honour yielded to him by his fellow-men. Yet with these advantages, he fails of the true happiness of life. He lacks the power to enjoy. This may arise — 1. From pit cal causes. An evil habit of body — some inveterate disease may make life for Uiin a distressing burden, so that he has no power to taste with proper relish the comforts which his riches could provide. This may arise — 2. Froin mental causes. He may have some imfortunate dispo- sition of mind, a fierce and uncertain temper, or a spirit afflicted v;ith perpetual gloom and melancholy. Thus some defect of mind or temper may mar the enjoy- ment of the most plentiful provisions. It may arise also — 3. From moral causes. An uneasy conscience, the evil shadow of some great sin, or dark foreboding of the future, may rob the fairest earthly prospect of all its glory. It is not neces- sary to be pious in order to perceive the vanity of life, and to heave with emotion before the solemn facts of destiny. Of the life of life, we may also affirm — 11. They fail to attain it who have Age and Posterity, but without Respect. (Verse 3.) The case is here supposed of a man who lives for many years, and has a numerous offspring, that much-desired blessing of the Old Covenant. Yet he has attained to an old age devoid of honour — his own posterity fail to do him reverence. He generated no kindly feelings in the breasts of others, he shed no light of love upon society, and now he feels the terrible retribution. He has the misfortune to live to be neglected and despised. He dies unregretted and un- loved, the last offices performed for him scarcely deserving the name of burial — at best but a heartless service. His condition is gad in the extreme. This loss of the affection and good-will of others, giving birth to tender human tokens of reverence, is — 1. An evil ivhich deprives life of some of its sweetest pleasures. To live in the affections and grateful memory of others is pure delight ; and a long life, gathering and strengthening human affections around it, has a special loveli- ness. But he who by his selfishness has deprived himself of friends, and forfeited his title to honour, should he arrive at old age, has but a prolonged misery. It is — 2. An evil indicating ]-)overty ofsoid. It argues a soul wanting in the higher attributes of moral and spiritual life — a soul not " filled with good." (Verse 3.) This destitution in man's inmost spirit is the saddest of human evils. It is a poverty which has no compensations. The selfish spirit of avarice is a non- conductor interrupting the flow of all kindly influences. It is — 3. An extreme and desperate evil. That complete withering of the soul, that insulation from human love, which are the natural results of a life of selfishness, are evils of immense magnitude — of awful significance. To describe a man who has arrived at this m'serable condition, language is used which appears to border upon extravagance. (1) His condition is described as worse than that of one ivho has never seen the light. " An untimely birth." (Verse 3.) Such have not attained to the distinction and dignity of a name — are not reckoned with the inhabitants of the world — quickly fall away again into the oblivion of darkness. (Verse 4.) Yet these have more 87 CHAP. VI. IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. rest (Verse .'>) — absolute freedom from toil and vexation — than the comfortless and unlovely miser whose whole life is a lamentation, whose closing days on earth are desolate, and who is denied honourable burial. 2. His condition would not he improved on the s^qiposition that he tvere granted more favourable cir- camstaaces. (Verse G.) Suppose him to live to the years of men before the Flood, yea, that he doubles in age those venerable sons of elder time, yet even then would his condition remain unimproved. His misery would only take a deeper tinge of darkness, if that were possible. A longer life ! — this would only bring about the same evils in endless and weary succession. We do not find that men get less attached to the world and self as tbey grow older — that true wisdom is the necessary and inseparable companion of length of days. (Job. xxxii. 9.) *' Even to the verge of the churchyard mould" they hug the idol of their heart, and turn away their faces from the charities of life and the consolations of immortal hope. 3. What he has failed to attain in life cannot be recovered bejjond the grave. In the land of souls to which he is hastening, all arrive equally poor. !No man can there recover his earthly losses. What he has done here is written on the iron page, and laid up for eternity. Acts of unkindness, cruelty, wrong, all the evil he had inflicted upon himself and others by his unloveliness — these remain. He cannot come back to the world again and re-cast the scene of his life anew. " I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world," is the solemn regret of the dying ; and he who has failed to attain the life of life here must await beyond the grave, sad and unprofitable, the solemn judgments of God. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 1. There is a sad lack of an essential and practical knowledge of some of the greatest and most widely - diffused evils which afflict humanity. It needs a sage to direct attention to them. It is one end for which God hath filled man's life with evils, that we seeing them might not mistake our journi y for our home. For travellers falling in their way upon some pleasant places, it is not seldom that the pleasure of their journey hindereth their going on, while that it doth delight them. And therefore while we are journeying to heaven, it is needful to see and observe the evils of earth [_Jerniin] . Verse 2. Riches, wealth, and honour — the Triad of sensual life. How soon God may destroy the earthly happiness of the most prospe- rous man by taking away his power of enjoyment, though leaving his riches witli him ! Providence teaches some men the truth, that the happiness of a man's life " consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth." 88 When the power of enjoyment is gone, the fairest prospects of life are darkened, and the glad profusion of riches becomes but the smile of scorn. He who has devoted himself entirely to this world will, sooner or later, find life a weary portion, a tasteless thing. He who ceased to enjoy his own riches may have the misery of seeing some reckless heir taste them with keen relish, thus giving prophetic significance of their rapid dissipation, when he him- self is parted from them. The power to enjoy the world often passes away before the world itself. He who has no divine comforts will find that the path of life becomes more comfortless, and at length opens out into a dreary desert, where his fears in- crease, and sad forebodings. Verse 3. A numerous offspring is often made the excuse of a grasping avarice. A man may make himself so unlovely by his selfishness as to die in the affec- tions of those who should love him most. This social death is the sad HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. chap. vi. penalty that covetousness pays to the offended laws of human nature. Our value in the scale of true great- ness does not depend upon the length of our life, but upon the good thoughts and deeds with which we fill our measure of life. If the soul is not filled with good, the longest life is vain. He has no honourable burial who dies unregretted, and is followed to the grave only by the pomp of mercenary Avoe. Better never to have opened the eyes upon the light of the world than to ruin a fair heritage of life by selfishness and sin. A long life without rest and peace in God, is nothing but a long martyrdom \^Geier\ What the untimely birth loses of natural life without any fault of its own, that the miser wantonly robs him- self of in spiritual life. Because his soul has no firm foundation in com- munion with the good God, it goes to ruin \Lange\. Verse 4, Into this darkness there- fore it is that the soul of a covetous wretch goeth, when the life into which he came is vanished away. And when Ins soul thus lieth in the darkness of horror, when his body lieth in the dark- ness of the grave, then is his name also covered, either with the darkness of silence, abhorring to mention it ; or if it be mentioned, with the darkness of re- proaches that are cast upon it [_Jermin\ The natural vanity of life is most manifest in the sordid children of avarice. They have utterly failed to attain any true and noble life. The darkness which hides the glory of the v/orld, and but reveals awful forms, at once de- scribes their unlovely existence, and the rapid oblivion into which they fall. When the soul is not filled with that good which God alone can bestow, a man's life is but a dark spot upon the map of time. It is just with God to deprive men of a name after they are gone, who minded never the glory of His Name ]_Nisbet\ Unrighteousness is the death of the soul, and darkness is the shroud with which Divine Justice wraps it. The light of God's favour alone can give to names an immortal fame. Where that light shines not, no earthly power, or care of human remembrance, can lift the gloom from the soul. Verse 6. Human life, though short, is long enough for the purposes of proba- tion. Those who have failed to learn the lessons of experience, and the knowledge of the holy, in the few years appointed to man, would remain in their sin and folly were life prolonged even to the years of men before the Flood, twice told. In this present world, there is no substantial and abiding good which a man may hope at length to discover through the long years of time. Length of days for the righteous affords time for ripening their graces, and fitting them for the vision of God ; but for the sinner, they only serve to increase the sense of false security. However long life may be, it leads to the dark house where man must await God. Death will open the faithless eyes of men to look upon those awful realities which they failed to see here through their selfishness and sin. Verse 5. They who have (as it were) thrust from them the gift of life, have indeed failed of the light and comfort it bestows, and remain but a dull nega- tion. Yet these have more rest than those miserable men who would gladly invite the rush of darkness upon their souls, if haply they might find relief from the intolerable burden of themselves. The soul that has no internal satis- faction must be ever restless and un- easy. All the favours that wicked men en- joy are aggravations of their guilt, and so do increase their misery. Even this, that they have seen the sun, or have known anything at all, makes their case more sad than theirs who have not [Nisbet\. The consideration that in a short time 89 CHAP. VI. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. we shall all meet in one place, namely, men account others for the want of the grave, or the state of the dead, those things miserable in comparison of should keep men from magnifying themselves, they forget the meeting themselves for those temporary things place, death, which will equal all wherein they excel others ; and when [Nishet], MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH. Verses 7—10. True Satisfaction for the Soul. Man strives to remove the vanity from life — to gain some solid satisfaction here, or what appears to him to be such. But there are false and true ways of seeking this desired good. I. It cannot be gained by the Indulgence of the Senses. Human life is full of care and trouble. Some try to escape the burden of it by indulging the sensual appetites, or by a merry behaviour seek to hide the thought of it in forgetfulness. Yet the deep and essential appetites of the soul cannot hereby be satisfied. (Verse 7.) 1. Because the appetites become blunted hij indulgence. As the several appetites- are fed by their natural objects, they become less discriminating, and their power to taste grows less exquisite. Custom steals away the charms of novelty, and the more the sensual appetites are indulged, the earlier does the season of weariness and disgust of life set in. 2. Because man has ivants ivhich the indulgence of the senses cannot satis///. Wants of the intellect — conscience — affections. — These will make their voices heard amidst the most exciting pleasures of the senses. Strange pangs of hunger can aiSlict the soul when the body is ministered unto by all that profusion of pleasures which riches can secure. 3. Because the saddest truths of life will, at some time, force themselves upon the attention. The most devoted children of pleasure, by the changes of human things, are brought face to face with the tremendous realities of existence. By their own afflictions and those of others ; by the tortures of pain, and the anxieties of the last sickness, they are made to face the dread solemnities. There are great truths that command-sileuce, and enforce a hearing from the most thought- less. A man feels that he requires a higher good than this world can afford, and a more imperishable defence than wealth and pleasure, II. It cannot be gained by Ordinaiy Thoughtfulness and Prudence in Behaviom-. There are those who are not spiritual men, and yet they ai-e convinced that a life devoted to sensual in- dulgence is folly — that there are nobler aims and satisfactions for man. They have enough light and moral strength to discard the common forms of human folly, and to guide their conduct in life by moderation and prudence. These go very far towards true wisdom, and even closely imitate the graces of religion. There is a wisdom and prudence of great use in guiding a man's way through life, yet divorced from piety in the strict sense. Of such a character, we may afllrm : 1. He has modest views of himself He has no high notions of himself, but is content to bo poor and lowly in his own eyes. (Verse 8.) He has too much wisdom — sees too far and clearly around and above him to indulge in the swellings of pride. 2. His outward life is upright in the sight of men. He knows " how to walk before the living." He observes his duty to others, is correct in his behaviour, and does not waste himself in the ways of vice and folly. 3. He makes the best maxims of prudence the rule of his life. He sees the folly of avarice, and is content to enjoy the present with moderation. He prefers indulging in what is before him to the passionate, uncertain, and unhealthy pursuits of ambition. (Verse 9.) Yet all this does not remove vanity from life. The prudence of the children of this world may go very far towards beautifying and adorning human life, yet it does not bring a man solid satisfaction. Without some higher principle of life, and a larger view than the present affords, we may tisk, what advantage has the wise man after all ? (Verse 8.) III. It can only be gained by a Pious Submission 90 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. CHAP. VI. to the Supreme. He who is truly wise knows that God is great, that he himself is weak and helpless, and that to submit to the guidance of the Infinite One is the highest prudence for man. (Verse 10.) This includes : 1. A practical recog- nition of the Divine Plan. Whatever has been, and is, was named and appointed long ago. In the ways of Providence there is no rude chance, nothing irregular^ nothing uncertain, on God's side of it : with Him, all is fixed and determined. The future is already known and named. Submission to the plan of God is true wisdom, because for the truly wise and good He will mark out a safe and pros- perous way through all the apparent confusion and disorder — yea, even throuf^h the rigidity of destiny itself. It must be well, in the end, with all those who are " partakers of the Divine Nature." 2. A sense of the frailty of our nature, and the need for Divine help. " It is known that it is man." (Verse 10.) His very name, Adam, expresses the idea of frailty. Hence his absolute ; ^pendence upon Divine help. It is only when we are conscious of the aid of the Supreme and Infinite Power that we can have solid satisfaction. He who has the strength of God on his side is secured against all defeat, fears no foe, and has within him a perpetual joy. 3. A sense ofthefolhj of persistent opposition to God. (Verse 10.) It is in vain for a man to contend with his Maker — a madness to imagine that he can bend Omnipotence to his purpose. Our wisdom is to submit to the will of the Highest. In doing and suffering the Divine will, we have the charter of our freedom, the true conditions of our peace, and the best education for the land of the happy where that will is perfectly obeyed. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 7. The necessity for food is the spur of all human industry. Hunger is the taskmaster of humanity. By his powers of sensation, man stands connected with the present toiling, suffer- ing world ; but by his spiritual nature, he forms part of a larger fellowship, and claims a loftier home. However plentiful the satisfaction of the fleshly appetites, and the desire for grandeur and display, there is a longing for something which is not here. Men seek it vaguely and blindly, or with clear vision and hope. There is a hun- ger of the soul which allows no man to rest till it be satisfied. Some souls are conscious of a deep spiritual want, as an infant is conscious of the pain of hunger. It feels, but knows not how the sensation may be I satisfied. In other souls, where reason 'and conscience are active, there is at the same time with the perception of the distress, the apprehension of the remedy and the purpose of attaining it. They are strangely deluded who think that if they had more of things worldly their desires would then be satisfied. Till the soul of man close with, and rest upon, that infinite soul-satisfying good, God reconciled to them in Christ, give it never so much of other things^ the appetite will still cry, give, give ; the consideration whereof should con- vince men that they are miserable who seek satisfaction in those things wherein it is impossible to find it [A^isbetJ. Verse 8. The highest human pru- dence, when divorced from deep religion, is only for this life. The difference between it and folly is indeed great when seen from the stand-point of time ; but when looked upon from the heights of immortality, the difference vanishes. Of what avail is that wisdom which does not make the immortal nature supremely happy ! He who has climbed to the top of the mountain has reached a higher elevation than the man who remains at its base. But for the purpose of reach- ing the stars, both situations are eqnp,lly ineffectual. Human prudence and folly are alike impotent to secure that supreme 91 CHAP. VI. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. good which can only be attained through our sph-itual nature illumined by the distant light of eternity. Man stands in certain relations to God, as well as to society ; therefore, to honesty and integrity towards men, there must be added piety towards God. The Gospel religion inchides morality, but also much more. It raises a man to a nobler citizenship than any earthly nationality can bestow, and therefore imposes a superior code of duty, and requires a corresponding elevation and nobility of character. The Christian religion furnishes the hest forms of what is good in this world. It refines upon the best ideas of the unaided mind of man — giving us graces for virtues. By the culture afforded by wisdom and prudence, a man may go very far towards attaining the beauty of the Christian character. "What doth it profit to go after Christ unless we come unto Him ? Do thou, O Christian, there set down an end to thy course, where Christ did set down an end to His [_St Bernarcl\. Verse 9. To cool the fever of our desires, and remain contented with our lot, is better than restless ambition — the unhealthy stimulus of wild adven- ture, seeking to explore some unknown fancied happiness. Yet if there be for man no higher destiny than this life, we mournfully ask, for what end is all this wisdom ? The wisdom and prudence of the children of this world cannot abide the fiercest storms. There they are shat- tered, and nothing is left but the poor remains — "vanity and vexation of spirit." Solomon means that we make use of the present, thank God for it, and not think of anything else — like the dog in JEsop, wliicli snapped at the shadow ' and let the llesh fall. . . He forbids the soul running to and fro, as it is said in the Hebrew, that is, we are not to be always weaving our thoughts together into plans \^[juther\. Verse 10. In the roll of ages, no new element in the problem of human destiny arises. The old questions and difficulties return. All. was named and determined long ago. In the confessed impotence of suc- cessive philosophies, the awful lessons of history, and the vanity of all human effort, the helplessness of man is revealed. By the name of the first man we are reminded of our earthliness, depen- dance upon our Maker, and our frailty. As God's cause is always just, it is vain to contend with Him ; seeing that He has power to maintain His honour, and vanquish His foes. 1. Fate is fixed. All the past was the result of a previous destiny, and so shall be all the future. . . It depends upon our point of view whether the fixed succession of events shall appear as a sublime arrangement or a dire necessity. It depends on whether we recognise ourselves as foundlings in the universe, or the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ — it depends on this, whether in the mighty maze we discern the decrees of fate, or the presiding wisdom of our Heavenly Father, It depends on whether we are still skulking in the obscure corner, aliens, intruders, outlaws ; or walking in liberty, with filial spirit and filial security — whether our emotion towards the Divine foreknowledge and sovereignty be, " O fate, I fear thee," or " O Father, I lliank thee." 2. Man is feeble. And Christless humanity is a very feeble thing. His bodily frame is feeble. A punctured nerve or a particle of sand will sometimes occasion it exquisite anguish ; a grape seed or an insects' sting has been known to consign it to dissolution. And man's intellect is feeble, or rather it is a strange mixture of strength and weakness. -. . Insane when contending with one that is mightier, man is irresistible when in faith and coinci- dence of holy affection he fights the battles of the Most High, and when by prayer and uplooking afiiance, he im- ports into his own imbecility the might of Jehovah \_Dr. J. Hamilton]. 92 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. chap. vr. MAIN HOMILETICS OP THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 11— 12. Three Oppressions op Humanity. I. The Oppression of fruitless Toil after Happiness. (Verse 11.) Some fancied good ever lies before us, but we are doomed — if we have no resource but earthly wisdom or contrivance — to toil after it in vain. 1. Eve?-?/ cidvetnce rve rnaJce onlij increases the sources of annoyance. As we pass from the possession of one seeming good to another, in this life, our brief happiness receives successive impulses ; and we indulge the hope of enjoying in peace the rewards of endurance and conflict. But when we have gained what we sought after, and the gifts of life are multiplied, and the objects of our ambition secured, we find that at the same time there is generated for us an increase of vanity and vexation — a more complicated misery. Riches bring cares ; honour and fame set a man up as a mark for envy, and make him feel more keenly the pain of wounded pride. 2. In the best conditions of earthly hapjnness., there is a craving for some unpos- sessed good. Men never attain to the end of their desires — never reach a state of satisfaction and repose — the goal ever lies beyond them. There is no anchor to stay the soul on the troubled sea of life but immortal hope, and those who have it not drift in danger and in fear. They have no safe harbour where they can be sheltered till the indignation be overpast. This fruitless toil after happiness is one of the oppressions of man. It is that burden of vanity under which the creation groans, and which only God himself can lift from the soul. II. The Oppression of Ignorance. (Verse 12.) The empire of human knowledge expands from age to age, but the great problems of existence still remain unsolved. All our investigation, all our labour of speculative thought only pushes the mystery further back into the darkness. The unknown is ever the terrible ; and dai-kness is not only the deprivation of light, but also the region of fear and terror. The imagination paints horrid forms where the eye can no longer aee. This ignorance is considered here under two forms. 1. Ignorance of the hest conditions of happiness. If we have only the wisdom of this world to direct us, it is hard to tell what state of life, on the whole, is the best. Every condition has some disadvantage, and it is difficult to strike the balance. Humanity without the light and comfort of religion must remain in ignorance of that most concerning question, how can the soul be happy in all the scenes and changes through which it is called to pass ? Even spu-itual men must feel that there are aspects of human life, the contemplation of which, for the present, is not without pain. They also must wait for the clearing up of mystery. This burden of ignorance presses upon all ; some are sustained under it by faith and hope, to the rest it is an intolerable load — a weariness and vexation. 2. Ignorance of the future. A man " cannot tell what shall be after him." He knows not what shall occur in his own immediate circle, or in the broader field of history. The intellect is equal to the task of framing principles which future history will be certain to illustrate. The spiritual man knows that certain great moral truths will be vindicated through all the events of the future. But what those events shall be in their number, variety, and special issues, no human sagacity can foresee. That part of the roll of history which is still to be unfolded by time, is hidden from us, and our keenest vision cannot read the writing there. In front of the darkness and uncertainty lying before us, we can only utter the cry, "Who can tell ?" III. The Oppression of Weakness. Man's life is " vain," and he spends it "as a shadow." There is no enduring substance in it — no power of defence against the terrible forces which threaten, and will in the end overwhelm it. 1. This weakness is felt in our utter helplessness before the great troubles and disasters of life. In the time of prosperity, when the love of life is strong, and the enjoyment of it keen, 93 CHAP. VI. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. we may glory in the conscious possession of power. But our ti'iumpb is short ; and when a great trouble arises, we leel how weak we are. All our science and skill can raise no permanent defence against disease, nor hold us back from going down one of the many paths to death. Wealth and grandeur are no defence in the day of trouble. The grim realities of existence mock at our poor refuges, and sweep them ruthlessly away. 2. This iveakness is a cause of sadness and misery to humanity. To feel ourselves strong is a happiness — a grateful assurance for the mind. While we have plentiful reserves of strength, there is a consciousness of security which is pure enjoyment. But to be weak is to be miserable — to feel ourselves the sport of every unfriendly power. The weakness of man revealed to him by misfortune, suffering, and death is one of the saddest burdens of the race. The Gospel makes a gracious provision for humanity oppressed by these three burdens. 1. Christ offers rest to those loho loeary themselves for very vanity. 2. Christ promises to dispel the darkness of this present state. He makes duty the condition of the higher revelation ; through goodness, man reaches that splendour where all is clear. 3. Christ arms the soul loith His own strength. That soul whom He strengthens can fear no foe. He who is joined to the highest is as secure as the throne of God. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 11. What the better is man of that reputation which only makes him more envied ? What the better is he of that wealth which only makes him obnoxious to plots and dangers ? What the better of that philosophy which, like a taper on the face of a midnight cliff, only shows how beetling is the brow above him, and how profound the gulf below, whilst he himself is crawl- ing a wingless reptile on the ever-nar- rowing ledge ? What the better is ac- ijuirement, when, after all, man's in- tellect, man's conscience, man's affec- tions, must remain a vast and unap- peasable vacuity ? [_Dr. J. Hamilton.'] In our anxiety to get rid of the bur- den of vanity by new diversions, pur- suits, and acquirements, we only make that burden the heavier, and condemn ourselves to the grief of failure. The boasted improvements of reason, while they enlarge our view and refine our taste, at the same time serve to render the sense of misery more acute. No imagined change in the external conditions of a man's life can make any radical improvement of his real self. The diseases of the human spirit are inveterate. Not only are we not healed by the physicians who undertake our case, but we grow worse under their 94 hands. We can only be healed by a miracle of grace. Verse 12. What we often looked forward to as a source of great good has turned out to be a great evil. The sages have failed so often in the experiment of determining the best con- ditions of happiness, that there can be no certain knowledge except by Revela- tion. P'aith alone can heal the sorrows of the mind. The voice of complaint and distress is heard from every position in the social scale. In the face of this fact, who can tell, on merely human principles, what is best for man ? It is a " vain life," and all its days a " shadow." A shadow is the nearest thing to a nullity. It is seldom noticed. Even a " vapour " in the firmament — a cloud, may catch the eye, and in watching its changing hues or figure, you may find the amusement of a moment ; and if that cloud condense into a shower, a few fields may thank it for its timely refreshment. But a shadow — the shadow of a vapour ! who notes it ? Who records it ? . . . . But Jesus Christ hath brought immortality to light. This fleeting life He has rendered important as " a shadow from the rock eternity." In His own teach- nOMllBTlC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. chap, vil ing, and in the teaching of His counterpoise to its joys and sorrows, it Apostles, the present existence acquires is nothing [Z)r. J. Ilamiltoii]. a fearful consequence as the germ, or The mysterious depths of the future rather as the outset of one which is are hidden from human eye, but nothing never ending. To their view, this exis- shall be found there which can hurt or tence ii both everything and nothing, alarm the righteous. In the upshot of As the commencement of eternity, things, there will be seen the triumph and as giving complexion to all the of great moral principles, and the changeless future, it is everything ; as vindication of goodness wherever it is the competitor of that eternity, or the found. CHAPTER VIL Ceitical Notes.— 2. For that is tlie end of all men] Not the house of mourning itself, but the fact that evei-y house must, in turn, become such. 3. Sorrow] Not that passionate and unavailing sorrow of the children of this world, but that salutary grief for our own sinfulness the godly sorrow of 2 Cor. vii. 10. laughter] The boisterous merriment of the children of light enjoyment, as distinguished from that recreation of reason — that spiritual joy in which it is proper for the righteous to indulge. 7. Surely oppression maketh a' wise man mad] The meaning is, not that the wise man by oppression is driven to the verge of madness, but that the oppressor himself (who but for his own fault might have been a wise man) suffers intel- lectual and moral injury by repeated acts of unkindness and wrong. His higher intellio-ence becomes deadened, and he falls into the wretched condition of those in whom the lamp of reason is extinguished. A gift destroyeth the heart] A bribe accepted by men in power cori'upts the moral nature. This kind of corruption was common amongst Oriental nations. All could be procured for presents. 11. Wisdom is good with an inheritance] Wisdom, thouoh good in itself, yet when joined with ample means imparts a power of doing good to others. 12. Wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence] Lit., in the shadow of wisdom, etc. In countries where the heat was oppressive, a shadow would be the natural symbol of protection. The excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it] Both wisdom and money give a man superior advantage in the battle of life. But wisdom is life itself — the principle of the soul's animation and vigour. 14. In the day of adversity consider] The last word belongs to the next statement, as if the Preacher said — Consider the adaptation of one part to another in the system of Divine Providence. God also hath set the one over against the other] Even things evil in themselves are employed to bring about the purposes of God. The consideration of this is a source of comfort in adversity. To the end that a man should find nothing after him] God so acts in His government of the world that man cannot fathom the future. 16. Be not Tighteous over much ; neither make thyself overwise] This is not intended to inculcate care- lessness in moral conduct, nor as a beatitude upon ignorance. The meaning is, that we are not to scrutinise too narrowly the ways of God. We are to avoid that boldness which dares to say what woula be just or unjust for Him to do, as though we could manage the world better. We are also to avoid rash speculation, full as it is of danger, tending to the destruction of true spiritual life. 17- Be not over much wicked] Though all men are sinful by nature, yet some sin maliciously, and of set purpose. Even the righteous sin through weakness, but they set a watch over the ways of moral conduct. Therefore, beware of crossing the border-line, lest you sin with consciousness of evil. 18. That thou shouldest take hold of this ; yea also from this withdraw not thine hand] Avoid the two extremes, of a false righteousness on the one hand, and a life of carelessness and sin on the other. 19. Ten mighty men which are in the city] Ten heroes, or commanders, at the head of their forces, to whom the defence of the city is entrusted. 27. Counting one by one, to find out the account] Collecting the results of many observations — thus forming an opinion carefully and slowly. 29. Many inventions] Refers not so much to the devices of wickedness, but rather to evil arts, perverse thinkings, foolish and adventurous speculations. 95 CHAi'. VII. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. MAIN HOMILETIC S OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 1—7. The Transforming Power of Goodness. I. It makes Life Real and Earnest. Goodness in the soul expresses itself outwardly in actions of moral beauty — deeds of kindness and love. These win the admiration of society. Hence arises a good reputation. Goodness in character po sesses an immense power, transforming human life into a solemn reality, and filling it with earnest endeavour. It does this, 1. By snpplfjing the noblest impulse of life. (Verse 1.) A man of high spiritual character cherishes an increasing passion for goodness. He desires one excellence above all others — that he may be right and true himself, and secure a good reputation amongst men. This is the noble ambition of the pure and holy. They aim to be good — to be like God ; and so have a definite and lofty purpose in life. With such, life is an earnest and real thing. The constant striving after goodness imparts increased faculty to the powers of the soul. 2. Bjj redeeming life from all that is frivolous and vain. Goodness in man must have in it an element of admiration for a goodness higher than his own. When the soul is enamoured of God's holi- ness, life becomes a serious thing. It is seen with sober eyes, and felt to be the place for the discharge of loving duty, not for vain, trifling, and thoughtless frivolity. Good men have the aspirations, feelings, and refinements of true greatness, representing amongst their fellows the style and circumstances of a nobler citizenship. They have higher pleasures than feasting, a more exquisite joy than the thoughtless mirth of the children of this world, and more solid entertainment than the songs of fools. (Verses 3, 4, 5.) II. It Preserves the Soul from Great Dangers. There are forms of sin which have the most disastrous consequences, even in this life. They deprave every faculty of the soul. Two of these forms are introduced here as having elements of special danger — acts of tyranny and oppression, and corruption of the heart by receiving bribes. (Verse 7.) Here we have two ^reat dangers, from which the love of goodness and the desire of a fair reputation save us. 1. 'The injur}/ of the rational facultij. He who indulges in repeated acts of tyranny and oppression becomes at length a monster, and hateful in the eyes of men. All his higher powers suffer injury. He loses his rational understanding ; and when this is gone, destruction is near at hand. Sinners of this class madly pull down ruin upon themselves. 2. Tlie iiytinj of the moral facultij. When those in power and station take bribes, their mur.tl faculties become weakened. They lose the sense of fine and delicate perception in things relating to conduct. In the strong language of Scripture, tlieir whole moral nature becomes " corrupt," i.e., broken together — unfitted for performing its proper functions. It is only by obedience and love that the delicacy of the moral sense can be preserved. III. It Changes the Complexion of Earthly Sorrows. The sorrows of human life wear a forbidding aspect. Tlio children of this world strive to forget them in the dissipation of pleasure, or they are driven by them into sullen despair. But goodness in the soul, appearing iu ilie moral beauties of character, transforms sorrow — yea, transfigures it into tlie bright and heavenly. Sorrow, instead of being an unmixed evil, consuming and fretting the spirit of man, becomes the channel of precious benefits. 1. Death becomes a great teacher. (Verse 2.) When men die, their houses are filled with friends who mourn their loss. It is but nature to weep then, in the presence of the greatest sorrow that can fall upon any home, JJut good men thougli they feel the common distresses of humanity, and shrink instinctively from the terrors of death, yet learn to make them the occasion of spiritual benefit. 96 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. chap. vir. Death becomes a great teaclier, giving tliem solemn lessons which they lay to heart. From what appears to be the terminus of life's journey, good men can discern the lights of another and better country. Death himself holds the torch which shows them the path of life. 2. Human sorrow becomes a vioral renovator. (Verse 3.) The same afflictions which sink some men into despair, or drive them into the mazes of unreal and unwholesome pleasures, only refine the nature of the good man. They purify his affections from every mean and base element. " The heart is made better " by the pure and heavenly objects which it loves — by the increased fervour of its devotion. It is often in the seclusion of sorrow that the noblest purposes are framed, and strength is gathered for the greatest moral victories. 3. The pain of righteous reproof becomes more grateful than the loudest joys of the world. (Verse 5.) " The rebuke of the wise " may be painful to a good man who has committed a fault, or has been betrayed into folly; but he accepts it with thankfulness, and learns the lessons it imparts. If the righteous thus smite him, he shall deem it a kindness ; for they but imitate the action of the Merciful God who wounds only to heal. When the smart of reproof is over they feel a greater joy than in listening to the thoughtless and empty merriment of fools. IV. It makes Death itself to be Gain. (Verse 1.) To our merely human apprehension, all the circumstances of death are clothed with terror. Levity turns pale at the contemplation of the last enemy, and the hardiest frame shudders as with a mortal chill. But the death of a good man is for him but a step in the path of progress ; and for others a precious example, and a support of faith and hope. Let us consider the death of the good (1) As a gain to societij. There are certain elements of loss to society when the good pass away for ever. Yet death serves to set the virtues and graces of their character in a fairer and more enduring light. Whilst in this work-day world, they are not fully known ; but death sets them on high, where they " shine as the stars for ever and ever." Death opens the way to fame, and when their presence is no longer with us, they bless us with the scented fragrance of their ended life. How have the Apostles of our Lord gained by death, in the estimation of mankind, and in an ever- expanding influence ! St. Paul and St. John are more fully known and revered at this day than they were in their own times. 2. As a gain to the individual. The day of a good man's death is better to him than the day of his biith. It is an introduction to a sublimer state of existence — the day of his better nativity. It is in death that his soul seizes the infinite, and enters upon the wealth of all her mysterious nature. Death loosens the righteous from care, temp ition, and sorrow. It is to him the greatest of liberties. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 1. At this point, the Royal Whatever perplexities may arise in Preacher enters upon a new stage of the contemplation of our exi-,t.'uce and enquiry. He had laid open the sins, condition here, there are ceiiaia things sorrows, and perplexities of humanity ; that must be right. It must be right now he seeks a remedy. If men would to cultivate goodness, to have confi- be happy and secure amidst all the dence (notwithstanding appearances) in storms of evil fortune, they must be the rectitude of God, and to put our- good. They must learn to interpret selves in harmony with thos« Divine the lessons of affliction, to control laws which are the charter and the passion, to exercise wisdom and know- pledge of liberty. ledge in conduct, and must seek to re- A good reputation springs from gain that uprightness which was the inherent goodness in the soul. The property of human nature as it came spiritual life within must work itself fresh from the hands of its Creator. outwards. The savour of our good 97 CHAP. VII. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. name cannot be confined ; but like a precious ointment, it fills the Avbole sphere of our influence. The richest perfumes, like every luxury of sensation, exhaust themselves, but the aroma of a good name is for ever fresh, and unhurt by the wrongs of time. The awe and veneration which a good name inspires is the homage which society pays to virtue. Just as a box of spikenard is not only valuable to its possessor, but pre- eminently precious in its diffusion ; so, when a name is really good, it is of un- speakable service to all who are capable of feeling its exquisite inspiration ; and should the Spirit of God so re- plenish with His gifts and graces, so as to render his name thus wholesome, better than the day of his birth will be the day of his death ; for at death the box is broken, and the sweet savour spreads abroad. There is an end of the envy, and sectarianism, and jealousy, the detraction and the calumny, which often environ goodness when living ; and now that the stopper of prejudice is removed, the world fills with the odour of the ointment, and thousands grow stronger and more lifesome for the good name of one [Dr. J. Hamil- ton^. iJirth introduces the good upon the stage of a severe probation, full of risk and danger ; but death fixes their goodness, placing it beyond the reach of injury. The monster, created by natural fears, is for the righteous but a friend who removes the load of earthly endurance, thus giving liberty to the soul to recover her strength, and to try her unencumbered powers. In life, the righteous are but out- door servants of the King of kings. In death, they are admitted to Ilis palace, where they serve with increased dignity and comfort. Verse 2. A good man possesses the heavenly secret of distilling sweetness from sorrow. The contemplation of suffering and death, with the pmictical recognition of the teaching they impart, best prepare 1)8 us for that land where soi'row is un- known, and where life endures to immortality. He who is spiritually wise discovers that the afiiictious of our mortal state have their bitter root in sin. Hep ■ le- trates beneath the surface, and con- templates that moral evil from which all natural evil grows. He therefore boldly faces the solemn fact which will restore for hiiu the lost harmonies of creation, for it makes a " new earth " as well as " new heavens." The coarse mirth of the world ends in disgust and weariness, having no element of permanent consolation and hope. But the discipline of sorrow refines the character, imparts a serious and thoughtful attitude to the soul, and gladdens it by a hope beyond the grave. In the place where they mourn for the dead, a man is reminded that to this also he must come. When a few years, at most, are gone, his own house will be turned into a house of mourn- ing. It is better to lay to heart the most painful facts of life,, and to learn their solemn lessons, than to indulge in the forced merriment of foolish men. The winds and the waves are terrible powers, but man, by the exercise of his reason and invention, forces them to render him obedient service, and to carry him whither he would be. So heavenly wisdom and goodness in the soul turn the sorrows of life into the means of spiritual improvement. The forces that destroy the foolish are ele- ments in the triumph of the wise. God saith unto the Prophet Jere- miah, "Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear My words" (Jei*. xviii. 2). The '• potter's house " is the house of mourn- ing wherein is the earthen vessel broken, the earthen vessel of man's body, broken by death. And if we shall go down thither, that will make us willing to hear the words of God, whei-eby to keep our souls from the infection of sin. The very temper of sadneft-s is a friend to virtue [.Jcriiii)i\. BOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. chap. vii. Verse 3. Godly sorrow, leading on, as it does, to endurance and experience, thus becomes one of the ancestry of hope. The laughter of the world is changed to sorrow which at length de- generates into remorse. Worldly joy gleams on the surface, but leaves the heart within unchanged, still evil and unprofitable. The sorrows of the righteous may leave a sadness on the countenance, but peace and joy reign within. The design of Providence, by the discipline of sorrow, is improvement. By affliction the heart is made tender, and thus prepared for the impressions which the love of God can make upon it. The affections of the soul are often trained in the school of adversity. The first lessons may be a wearisome bitterness and pain ; but they impart superior moral culture, lead to the sweets of victory, and to bliss without alloy. Strangers to godly sorrow must needs be strangers to their own blessed- ness \^Nisbet]. Verse 4. A wise man will choose to go where he can learn most of the nature of those great realities with which he Is concerned. In the house of mourning, he learns to see — 1. The rebuke of pride and vanity. 2. The evil of sin. It surrounds our removal to another state with such awful cir- cumstances. 3. The importance of goodness as a defence against the un- known and imtried. Whatever the great future may reveal, if we have attained to the Divine image, we can- not fail. It is with no sorrowful acceptance, bu: with glad heart that the righteous take up the cross. They follow that Divine Leader, who, though He may conduct them through barren and un- promising regions, will at length bring them to the heights of immortality. The fool has no far-reaching sight, no power of penetration into the dread realities around him. Hence he is pleased with what glitters before his eyes, and only seeks the satisfaction of the present. Let the heart of the wise go to the house of such an one as may reprove him when he offends, that he may bring him to tears, and make him to lament his own sins ; and let him not go to the house of mirth where the teacher flatters and deceives ; where he seeks, not the conversion of his hearers, but his own applause and praise \_St. Je- rome] . The moral nature of the inner man is determined by the objects of the heart's satisfaction. Verse 5. The rebuke of the Avise is but the sharp incision of a cunning hand that wounds only to heal. It is the rod of gentle and loving reproof, not the fist of wickedness. The rebuke of the wise, though it may occasion a smart, leads to moral improvement ; but the songs of fools, though they may afford some passing entertainment, are without any worthy aim. There is in rebuke a jarring and harsh music, because it opposeth the fault that is committed, it disagreeth with the mind of him that hath com- mitted it : but yet it is better music than the melodious songs of flattering parasites, who, leading on in wickedness, do bring on to destruction [Jermiti]. The rough-hewn marble gives but the promise of a statue. Many a stroke and finishing touch must be given be- fore it attains perfection. So the spiritual character requires those fre- cxuent touches of wise reproof which gradually shape it into symmetry and beauty. It is better to follow the course of duty, though it may seem common- place and the conditions of it severe, than to be lured to destruction by the siren songs of sinful pleasure. Verse 6. The joy of fools seems as if it would last for ever, and does indeed blaze up, but it is nothing. They have their consolation for a moment, then comes misfortune, that casts them down; then all their joy lies in the ashes Pleasure, 99 CHAP. VII. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES and vain consolation of the flesh, do not last long, and all such pleasures turn into sorrow, and have an evil end [^Lzitker]. In the mirth of the children of this world there lies no deep moral worth. It is but a sudden blaze of the fancy, or the passing joy of a tickled appetite. This world's mirth may be loud and imposing, but the sound of it quickly dies away, and the heated passion which inspired it subsides into melan- choly and regret. Nothing remains but the ashes of disappointment. The mouth of the righteous shall then be filled with laughter, when, the tears of their pilgrimage being dried up, their hearts shall be satisfied with ex- ultation of joy. When the servants of God, being filled with joy of a manifest beholding of Him, shall, as it were, break forth into a cheerfulness of laugh- ing, in the mouth of their understand- ing. Then their laughter shall not be as the crackling of thorns under a pot, but as the singing together of the morning stars, and as the shouting for joy of all the sons of God [Jermvi]. The mirth of sinners is noisy and short-lived, but the joy of the righteous is like the everlasting lights that shine in the calm depths of heaven. Verse 7. The health of the mind, which is wisdom, can no more be trifled with than the health of the body. Acts of cruelty and oppression harden the heart, dull the moral sensibilities, and gradually steal away every attain- ment of virtue. When the sound mind is lost, a man becomes a prey to every delusion and foolish temptation. That a wise man may be changed into a monster of cruelty is an illustration of the terrible power of sin. It can destroy the tender charities of nature, and impart to the conduct that wild recklessness which amounts to fury, and which calls for the restraints of Divine judgment. Acts of cruelty and oppression tend, more than any other forms of human sin, to efface the image of God in the soul. They cause a man to approach to the likeness of the Evil One, who is both the Destroyer and the Adver- sary. To ruin the promise of wisdom by entering upon the most dangerous courses of folly, is moral madness. Covetousness destroys the heart of them that are under the power of it ; blinds their iinderstandiDg that they cannot see the evil of anything that makes for their gain ; sways their heart to receive bribes, which being received, they think themselves obliged to gratify the giver by perverting justice in his favour INisbet]. It is dangerous to weaken our moral sensibility by yielding to the lust of gain. When the heart is destroyed, there is taken away from a man the very capacity for religion. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 8—14. The Counsels op a Religious Philosopher. Human life, duty, and destiny are here contemplated from their philosophic side. We have moral and prudential maxims from one whose philosophy does not lose itself in vain speculations, but mixes with men, and exerts itself in the humbler but more useful task of contributing towards right practice. Counsels such as these tend to mitigate the evils of our condition, and to inspire us with a better hope. I. Be Patient under Trial. (Verse 8.) The patient man is he who meekly endures, who bears present evils and troubles with resignation, and who is free from that unreasoning and passionate haste which is the bane of impetuous natures. He is here contrasted with the " proud in spirit," because that blindness to reality, that wilfulness, that fierce vindication of self-love, all of which are pressed into the service of pride, are alien to that patience which sees clearly our true position, accepts the will of the Highest, and refuses the aid of 100 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. chap. vir. passion to support a fictitious glory. Pride and patience are mutually exclusive. The patient man is superior to the proud, because, 1. He recognises the uses of discipline, and a purpose ivider than himself. However dark and perplexing his present trial, he knows that God has some worthy end in view, that His will is being accomplished in the improvement and perfection of all who piously and meekly endure. He is satisfied that the righteous are safe, though they pass through much tribulation into the kingdom of God. He whose chai-acter is stamped ' with such convictions, bears the imprint of such lofty thoughts and purposes, has a wider horizon and a sublimer idea of life than the wretch who is concen- tred all in self. Breadth of view, that nobility of mind which despises the mean, and small, and selfish, is the mark and quality of true greatness. 2. He is more easih/ moulded for goodness. Wilfulness lies at the root of pride. He whose aim is to glorify himself scorns the yoke of obedience. There is a kind of rigidity in such which refuses to be shaped into the form and excellence of good- ness. They refuse the dictation and control of the will of the Highest, setting themselves against it in stubbornness and rebellion. But the will of the patient man is tamed and subdued ; he learns easily the lessons of duty — of faith and hope. He resigns himself into the hands of that Divine Artificer who can mould him into His own image. Our steps cannot be directed in the paths of peace and goodness unless we '' acknowledge Him in all our ways." But this involves the forsaking of our own will, and of that pride which refuses to submit. 3. He is content to icait for the end. Patience signifies something more than meek endurance. It is often opposed to that disposition which cannot wait. The proud man is in haste to secure the short-lived triumphs of the hour. He rushes on to his purpose, not heeding, not caring, what human and Divine rights he may trample upon. He is completely under the tyranny of the present. This contracts his view, and seals up his affections within himself, so that he wildly reaches out to the glittering things that lie near, unmindful of the holy and the high. But the patient man feels that, though the present trial may be grievous, and the way dark, the " end " will be " better than the beginning," and so he waits in hope. To be able thus to take in a large view imparts nobility to the character. II. Subdue the Violence of Passion. (Verse 9.) A wise man learns to control passion, to keep it from bursting out into the intemperate heats of anger. It is the triumph of religion thus to subdue the wildness of nature, and so to tame the passions that they easily submit to the yoke, and lihus become the servants of virtue. Anger rests only " in the bosom of fools," i.e., with the irreligious. Of such passions it may be affirmed — 1. Thc(t they indicate a nature uninfluenced bij great moral convictions. The practice of good- ness in the quiet paths of duty, and constant meditation on those great truths which concern our relations to God and eternity, tend to keep down the violence and fury of the passions. Righteousness (which is the result of great moral convictions) brings peace, and peace finds a congenial home with contemplative souls. Anger is the vice of the thoughtless, but it is far from minds accustomed to regard the solemn aspects of life, duty, and destiny. 2. Thejj indicate a mis- chievous employment of useful powers. It is not the purpose of religion to destroy the passions of human nature, but rather to give them a right direction. No original endowment of our nature is either mischievous or useless. Nothing is mane in vain, either in the material or moral world. The organs of the body, thou^ih they may become the seat of disease, yet in their healthy state serve bene- ficial ends. There is a pious use of anger. When it is directed agamst sin, oppression, and wrong, it strengthens the just in their righteous cause. Those noble champions who have sought to redeem their fellow-men from the tyranny of ages, have found their weakness turned into strength and impenetrable defence by the stimulus of a holy indignation. When anger is kindled upon the altar of <3rod, it is just and good ; but as an unreasoning passion, raised suddenly upon 101 CHAP. VII. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. the slightest provocation, in our daily intercourse with men, it is but the offering of a " strange fire." That anger which is quite disproportioned to the offence, and fails to weigh the circumstances of it with accuracy, is a weakness and base- ness of nature — an abuse of powers capable of nobler employment. 3. T/ie>/ are hurtful to others. Anger has been a fruitful source of oppression and wrong. The history of religious persecution bears ample testimony to the sad fact that the innocent and the meek have suffered from the fury and rage of this base passion. Even in the narrower circle of domestic life, how much evil arises from hence — what deep and lasting wounds ! Anger may proceed no further than words ; yet even these become sharp instruments of torture, and memory renews the pain. When passion slips from the control of reason and righteousness, it can only spread disaster and misery. Anger is native to the bosom of fools, who are naturally careless, and serve their own selfish ends at any cost to the feelings and rights of others. III. Do not Magnify the Past at the Expense of the ^-resent. (Verse 10.) It is a common fault with men of peevish and fretful disposi- tions to praise past ages, and to mourn over the degeneracy of the times in which they have the misfortune to live. This is often the vice of age ; for the old man is proverbially a praiser of the times when he was a boy, and a severe censor of youth^of all that is new and fresh. This disposition to magnify the past can also be observed in some of those arguments brought from antiquity, wherein the authority that is hoary with time is made to overrule the most convincing evi- dence. In the history of human thought, there have been times of intellectual tyranny when it was treason to teach contrary to the doctrines of Aristotle. This tendency to the undue glorification of past times can only be corrected by study and reflection, by the cultivation of a contented mind, and by that sobriety of judgment which frees a man from the slavery of the unreal. This disposition arises — 1 . From dissatisfaction ivith the present. Men despise all what is near and about them as things common and familiar. That which is hidden from their observation is invested with peculiar sanctity. The past possesses a vague sublimity which often serves to charm away the fancied evils of the hour. 2. From the illusion of distance. As distance in space tempts the imagination to indulge in gay fancies which lend enchantment to the view, so distance in time entertains the mind with a pleasing illusion. Antiquity, instead of being rated by the sober judgment of historical facts, becomes a mere sentiment. Poetry is made to take the place of logic. To act thus is not to "enquire wisely" con- cerning these things. It is not the part of the religious philosopher to forsake the sure ground of facts in order to follow fancies. There must be something faulty in our moral nature as well, when we fail gratefully to acknowledge the good that marks our own times, and seek an ineffectual relief in the fictitious glory of the past. This fault is the indication of a nature dissatisfied with itself, and spreading the gloom of its own discontent upon all around. It is a revelation of moral character. IV. Consider wherein Man's Real Strength lies. (Verse 12.) Wisdom — that intellectual and moral sagacity which imparts sobriety to the judgment, and steadiness to the walk in the paths of duty, has also this excellence, that it is the defence — yea, the highest defence of man. A feeble image of its power to protect, and to give assurance, may be seen in the social estimate of the potency of riches. They, too, in their way, are a _ defence ; they give a sense of security, ward off many evils, and endow men with power and influence. These properties raise the consciousness of strength. They are regarded as a material defence against calamity, and in unspiritual minds the protection they aiford is sufficiently magnified. So far, the analogy between wisdom and money, as a source of defence, holds good. But beyond this point they part company, diverging into widely different issues. Wisdom has this superiority, that it "giveth life to them that have it." Consider how wisdom contributes to this result, and affords the only reliable protection against 102 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. chap. vir. real evils. 1. There are some evils from. whieJi neither zvisdom nor moiwj can save us. Our sagacity and prudence sometimes fail to ensure what is called success iu life. Tiie highest qualities of goodness do not suffice to ward off disaster. They grant no title of exemption from taking our sorrowful portion in the com- munity of suffering and woe. In this regard, wisdom stands on a level with riches, as a defence. Riches cannot prevent the invasion of sickness, calamity, and death. And wisdom is equally powerless to deliver us from these evils. 2. Wisdom has superior consolations. In the great troubles of life, the comfort gained by wealth is but limited and insufficient. When man is fairly within the grasp of the last enemy, his wealth can give him no assurance or joy. But to the good man, journeying through the dreariest deaert of life, wisdom is a spring to refresh him, a tree to give him shade. And when time is setting with him, and the last struggle approaches, conscience gives him strength and assurance. In the kindly light of faith and hope, he humbly awaits what God has laid up for him. 3. Wisdom is the only essential and 2'>ermanent defence. All other defences are temporary, quite unavailing in the severest trials, and the greatness of man can afford to dispense with them. Wisdom gives life, and from hence springs the consciousness of strength, that robust courage, which is confident of victory. Life is the sphere wherein man's highest hope rests and expatiates. To him who is assured of life, what is death itself but the dark and painful struggle into his second birth? Life, in its deep spiritual significance, is perpetual existence under the smile of God. This is the greatest power — the strongest defence of man. All else are shadows ; this the only enduring sub- stance. V. Be Resigned to the Established Order of Providence, (Verse 13.) Resignation — that habit of humble submission to the Divine will — is man's true wisdom, the garment and proper adornments of piety. Hereby is patience kept alive, and grows strong for her perfect work. There are two considerations which should prevent men from murmuring at the established order of Provi- dence. 1. Such conduct is useless in itself. We cannot withstand God, or alter His determination. We are able to collect the facts and discern the laws of Providence, as we do those of the solar system, but we are powerless to effect any change in either of these spheres of the Divine operation, God has not taken us into His counsel. His wisdom is not so weak and fallible that it should call to us for aid. In the laws of Nature and Providence, there is no help nor happiness for us but by submission. It is vain to contend with infinite wisdom and power. For man, in his ignorance and bold defiance, to lay his puny hand upon the revolving wheel of nature is destruction. 2. Such conduct is imjnoiis towards God. Most men in the time of adversity fail rightly to "consider the work of God." If we see no presiding wiU behind the present system of things, we become fretful, disobedient, full of despair ; and in the vain attempt to help ourselves, find only bitter disappointment. But if we see God in all these things, we learn self-control, and submit with pious resignation, " I was dumb, I opened not my mouth ; because Thou didst it," says the Psalmist (Psa. xxxix, 9); Ours should not be the submission of despair, or of sad reconcilement to the inevitable, but rather that joyful submission which has all to hope for from a Father's hand. As God is wise, and good, and loving, He can do nothing arbitrary. If we are good and true, we can afford to wait, even through present obscurity and discomfort, till God shall manifest Himself, and bring with Him full reward and consolation, VI. Do not Force the Spirit into Unnatural Moods, (Verse 14,) A wise man is marked by that simplicity of character which avoids all affectation and insincerity. In the various moods of feeling through which he is called to pass, he is (in the best sense of the word) natural. We should use no devices to disguise or falsify our feelings, but let them have full expression and fitting exercise, according to their nature. 1. Give proper expression to joyful feelings. Prosperity comes from God, and should be a cause 103 CHAP. VII. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. for devout thankfulness and joy. Love to Him who sends the blessing should dispose us to this ; for wh;it is joy, but the recreation of love ? It is love taking exercise, casting off for a while the weight of care and sorrow, and sport- ing itself in the sunshine of prosperity. " Is any merry ? let him sing psalms," (James v. 13). We should allow our feelings to flow in their proper channels and not repress them by an unnatural asceticism. We have this element in the Book of Psalms, wherein the most lofty expressions of joy are used, and nature herself is made responsive to the gladness of the soul. 1. Give proper expression to the feelings 0/ sadness and gloom. While adversity should not drive us to despair, to doubt the goodness of God, or to insane endeavours to extricate our- selves; yet, at the same time, it should not tempt us to assume a stoical indifference. Not to feel the rod of the cross, the chastisement of God, is a great evil. The Prophet complains, " Thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved." (Jer. v. 3.) Job refused this wretched consolation of hardness of feeling, and scorn of affliction's rod. "Is my strength the strength of stones? or is my flesh of brass ?" (Job vi. 12.) 3. Learn the lessons both of j)rosperitij and aduersitjj. In prosperity we should learn gratitude, a sense of our unworthi- ness, and discern herein a prophecy of a better and more enduring world. In adversity, we are told to " consider" the moral aspects of the affliction. These duties are not rigidly exclusive. We are not taught that prosperity should be thoughtless, and adversity joyless. But the consideration of the solemn facts of our moral probation is specially appropriate to the season of adversity. (1) Con- sider that the same God appoints both conditions. In our human view, they are very diverse ; but in the Divine idea and purpose of them, they are but alterna- tions of treatment necessary to our soul's health. They both come from His hand whose will is that the end should be blessed, though we proceed through part of our journey in pain. (2) Consider that human helplessness and ignorance are a neccssarg discipline. The purpose of these diverse ways of Providence is, that " man should find nothing after him." He is thus rendered incapable of piercing into the future, and, therefore, of managing it to serve his own purposes. Convinced thus of his own helplessness and ignorance, he is cast upon God that he may learn the lessons of humble dependence and of faith. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 8. This is a strange statement, and first." But thero are some things to which thoroughly false when applied to some things. these words will appl3\ 1. T/ici/ will appli/ to ,1. It is false when applied to sin. Sin to man, an honest and perscrcrin;/ search after truth. in its first stage, is a comparatively pleasant At the outset of all investigations, the mind thin". The fruit to Eve was dolicious ; the is often harassed v/ith doubt, and perplexed thirty pieces of silver in the hands of Judas, with difficulties ; but as it proceeds, things at first, were prized ; but the end— how sad ! appear more reasonable, obstacles are re- Sin begins in pleasure, I)ut ends in pain ; be- moved, and the mist gradually rolls off the gins in music, but ends in groans. 2. It is scene. 2. They ivill appli/ to the histor;/ of false when applied to umvise enterprises. The Christianity. It came from despised Nazareth, 'first stages of a mercantile or a national enter- its founder was the son of a carjientcr, who prise, to the projector, are pleasant. But if died a malefactor. Systems, institutions, kings, the methods of action are unwise, the enter- and peoples were against it. But its end will prise will soon prove to be a house built upon be better. It is fast moving on to universal the sanil. u. It will not apply to partial dominion. 3. They icill apply to true frvud- rcforniations. When reformation has not been ■liips. Most true friendshijis at their outset effected on right principles, there comes an have trials. But as it proceeds, mutual know- apostacy. Certain devils, in the form of ledgo, mutual excellence, mutual love increase, habits, have been exi)clled, but the mind is and the twain become one. 4. They will appli/ left empty. The evil spirit at length returns, to the life of a good man. This may be illus- bringing with him seven more devils; "and trated by three remarks :— I. At the End of Mb the last state of that man is worse than the life he is Introduced into a Better State. 104 POMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. ciiAV. vii. 1. He begins his life amidst impiiritj/. Tainted with sin, at the beginning ; but at the end, he is introduced to purity— saints — angels— Christ — God ! 2. He bcjins his life on trial. It is a moral battle ; shall he conquer ? It is a voyage ; shall he reach the haven ? The end determines all. 3. He begins his life amidst sufjering. "In this tabernacle wo groan, earnestly," &c. II. At the End of his Life he is Introduced into Better Occupations. Our occupations here are threefold— p%szra/, intel- lectual, moral. All these are of a painful kind. Toiling for bread— grappling in the dark with the mere rudiments of knowledge — mortifying t!;o flesh. But death introduces us to those which will be congenial to the tastes, and honouring to God. III. At the End of Ms Life he is Introduced into Better Society. Society here is fitquently insincere, non- intelligent, imaffectionate. But how delightful the society into which death will introduce us ! We shall mingle with enlightened, genuine, warm-hearted souls, rising grade above grade up to the Eternal God Himself \_Homilist'\. However severe the afflictions of the righteous may be, the end is always in their favour. The end is their proper inheritance, of which no calamity can deprive them. The end, for the righteous, will be the verification of those great truths which are here but dimly seen by faith. If we are faithful, the darkest events of Providence will approve themselves to us in the end, which will be a reve- lation of the righteous ways of God. It is only at the end that we can sum up fairly, and weigh the value of all things. A patient spirit comes in aid of tho decisions which wisdom is disposed to pronounce. It takes time to reflect, instead of giving way to the first head- long impulse. Pride lends fuel to feed the flame of passion and violence. Patience keeps down the fire and quells the tumvilt, and thus secures for wisdom the leisure and the c?ilmness which, in such circumstances, it so especially needs, in order to judge righteous judgment [Buchanan^. Pride has a short>lived triumph, patience an eternal reward. The gate is low through which we pass into the distinctions and honours of the kingdom of God. Verse 9. Righteous anger, which alone is lawful for us, is slowly raised ; is conformable to the measures of reason and truth, and endures no longer than justice requires. It expires with the reformation of the offender. It is rounded by pity and love, which, like a circle of fire, increases towards the central space until the anger itself is consumed. Frail man, who has so many faults of his own, and stands in need, on every side, of favourable interpretation, should be very caiitious how he in- dulges himself in the dangerous pas- sion of anger. A wise man herein will observe a legal calmness and sobriety. Cases are not only supposable, but of no unfrequent occurrence, in which the emotions of auger may be fairly justified. Yet it is one of those pas- sions for which a person feels afraid to plead, because it requires, instead of encouragement and fostering, constant and careful restraint ; and the pro- pensity in every bosom to its indulgence is ever ready to avail itself of an argu- ment for its abstract lav/fulness, to justify what all but the subject of it will condemn, as its careless exercise, or its criminal excess .... To retain and foster it is a mark of a weak mind, as well as of an unsanctified heart \_Warcllaio^. It is one of the gracious and en- couraging testimonies which Scripture has given us concerning God, that " He is slow to anger" (Neh. ix, 17), and that "Neither will He keep His anger for ever (Psa. ciii. 9). And yet what infinitely greater cause God has for being angry, and for retaining His anger against us, than we can ever have in the case even of our most offending fellow-men ! Did His wrath burn and break forth against the sin- ner as suddenly and vehemently as does the sinner's wrath against his offending brother, there is not a day nor an hour in which the sinner might not be consumed \Buchaaan'\. With the wise man, anger is a strange and suspicious guest, ready to be cast out upon the first confir- mation of his evil intent. But with 105 CKAP. vri. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. the fool anger has a congenial home. Where anger is indulged it will lead all the other passions to mutiny, and render any wise self-government im- possible. Verse 10. The dreamy admiration of antiquity is the refuge of weak minds, the futile justification of their discontent. They despise actual life around them and the ways of duty as too prosaic, thus injuring their moral force by the excesses of the imagina- tion. If we follow the fancied superiority of past ages with a sober and impartial eye, we shall find that it retires into the region of mist and fable. Some Christians mourn over the lack of spirituality and earnest pur- pose in the Church of the present. They sigh for the ideal perfection which marked primitive times. But a closer examination would soon dispel this illusion. Even in the times of the Apostles, the passions of human nature, and the infirmities of the human mind, both disfigured the life of the Church, and corrupted the truth. The golden age for our race lies in front of us, and not behind. Humanity is ever toiling up the heights of pro- gress — from evil to greater good. Those who unduly praise past ages, fix their attention upon a few illustrious names, and challenge the present times for the production of their like. They forget that those famous men do not re- present the average of their contem- poraries, but stood at their head and top. Those moral heroes are but brilliant points of light scattered sparingly through the long dark vista of the past. " Thou dost not inquire wisely con- cerning this." 1. Thou art inquiring for the ccmse of what thou shouldst first ascertain with certainty to be a fact ; of what possibly has no existence but in thine own distempered imagination, or partially unformed judgment. There has been no golden age in this world but the short period of paradisaical innocence and bliss enjoyed by the first progenitors of our since accursed race. 2. Consider that thou knowest 106 the evils of former times only ly report; whereas of present ills thou thyself feelest the pressure. By this feeling thy judgment is liable to be perverted. The sight of the eye is more impressive than the hearing of the ear. 3. In uttering thy complaints, thou art un- wise : for thou arraignest in so doing the All-wise Providence of the Most High, who assigns to every successive age its portion of evil and of good. The complaints of a petted spirit are ungodly ; and the inquiries of such a spirit are equally unwise in their princi- ple, and delusive in their results [ Ward- law'\. Verse 11. Wisdom can stand upon its own merits, and derives no addi- tional glory from wealth. Yet by means of wealth, wisdom is com- mended to the minds of many. Wisdom can do without wealth better than wealth can do without wisdom. Ample possessions do but minister to the lusts of their foolish owner, and feed his self-importance. Wisdom, as far as it can make use of wealth, is a " profit to them that see the sun," s.e., to those who are free, and have the power to enjoy. - But when the darkness of adversity comes, wisdom has reserves of strength, and riches of consolation hidden till then. In the vocabulary of a very lai-ge class of men, wealth and wisdom mean pretty nearly the same thing. The wise man who knows everything but the art of making money they regard as a fool ; while the millionaire who, with a lamentable deficiency of higher gifts, has continued to amass a fortune, receives all the deference due to the man who is pre-eminently wise. It can need no argument to prove that Solomon could never mean to lend any countenance to so gross a method of estimating the worth of things \_Buchanan\. Verse 12. Wisdom is so conscious of her superior dignity and worth that she can afford to estimate, at their full value, all beneath her. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESTABTES. CHAP. VI r. Wealth affords but a mechanical de- fence against adversity, giving way under the pressure of the greatest calamities. But wisdom changes the nature of the afflictions themselves, and altogether neutralises them. Wisdom is a wall of defence, and ■ money is a hedge. The thorns in the Gospel, which sprang up and choked the good seed, are by our Saviour ex- pounded of the deceitfulness of riches ; but that is when the thorns do grow among the corn, when the love of riches hath placed them in the heart, where the seed of spiritual grace ought to grow. Let them be kept out of the heart, be esteemed of as they are, out- ward things ; then they are, as it were, a fence, a hedge unto a man whereby he is preserved from hurt. So they were to Job, by God's Providence over them (Job i. 10) [^Jermin] . True spiritual wisdom not only ministers to the comfort and dignity of life ; it is life itself. That which is true in a lower sense of human know- ledge has its highest illustration in that knowledge which is eternal life (1 John v. 11, 12). Of what avail are the splendours of wealth when the soul passes, bereft of all, into eternity ? The riches a man leaves behind him raise the admiration of others ; but the deep, solemn, essen- tial question is, did they give him life ? If not, they cannot be placed in comparison with the unfailing virtues of heavenly wisdom. Money may defend its owner from a certain class of physical evils, but it can do nothing to shield him from those far more formidable moral evils, which bring ruin upon the immortal soul. It cannot protect him from the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life But heavenly wisdom arras him against all these foes, and teaches him, as its first great lesson, what he must do to be saved ; and it disposes him to choose that good part which shall not be taken away ; and in so doing it enables him, humbly and calmly, to bid defiance to th^ devil, the flesh, and the world. In acquainting him with God, it gives liim a peace which the world's greatest prosperity cannot confer, and of which its direst adversity cannot deprive him [^Buchanaii]. Verse 13. The conviction that the work is God's is enough for the pious soul. The spiritual instincts of the righteous discern behind the dread forces of nature not only a personal will, but also a heart. He feels this, and is satisfied. Our wisdom is baffled by the system of Providence, as well as our power. As we cannot resist the decrees of it, so we can find no principle to har- monise its apparent discrepancies. Our safety lies not in rebellion, but in patience, faith, and hope. So terrible are the restrictions of human destiny', that man can have no perfect liberty here. The seeming disorders of life sorely chafe him. We must be born into another life before we can have complete eman- cipation and "• glorious liberty " (Rom. viii. 21). Solomon does not mean, in so saying, to teach or countenance the revolting doctrine of fatalism ; he does not mean that we are to regard ourselves as being in the iron grasp of a remorseless power, in regard to which we have no resources but passively to leave ourselves in its hands ... . It is His will — the will of the only Wise, Just, and Holy Jehovah, and not that of His ignorant, erring, and fallen creature, that is to decide what shall be. Let man, there- fore, humbly and reverently acquiesce in what the Lord is pleased to ordain as to his earthly estate. '• Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right ? " [^Buchanan]. When we are at home with God, in the " secret place of the Most High," our painful perplexity subsides in the presence of His love and comfort. The darkness of our sojourn here is but the shadow of His wings. Verse 14. Our joy in prosperity should not be the selfish glorying in success, or the transports of gratified 107 CHAr. VII. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. ambition. It sliould be an act of to excite to self-examination, repent- worship, a glad recompense paid to ance of sin, and renewed \agilance, to heaven. promote the increase of faith, love, and It is wisest, as well as most natural, hope, and spirituality of mind, and to allow OUT feelings full play while general holiness of heart and life they last. We cannot take in the [ Wardlaw], idea of life as a whole ; else the burden The alternation of joys and sorrows of duty and suffering would appal in human life is necessary to our soul's us. health. Our nature is too weak to "Consider" 1. The Author of your bear an unvarying experience without trials. Whatever be their nature, and being hardened or corrupted. We whatever the instx'ument of their inflic- need to be startled into sudden sur- tion, they are the appointment of prises in order to keep our attention Providence ; they come from the hand awake. of a v/ise and merciful God — who, in God so tempers His dealings with us all His ways, is entitled to your thought- as to make our probation a stern and ful regard. " Consider " 2. The cause serious thing. He thus keeps men in of all suffering. Sin is the bitter foun- His own hands, so that they can lind tain of every bitter stream that flows nothing where He has not willed it, in this wilderness. •' Consider " 3. or where His light does not show the The great general design of adversity ; way. MAIN IIOMILETJCS OF THE PARAGRAPH. Verses 15—22. The Cautions op a RelicxIOus Philosopher. I. Against Judging the Moral Worth of Men by their Outward Conditions. (Verse lo.) There are perplexing appearances in the moral government of God — a seemin«T confusion of right and wrong, as if the Supreme Ruler was indifferent to human conduct, and had no complacency in goodness. 1 . Moral excellence is sometimes associated with misfortune. The just man perishes, notwithstanding his righteousness. He therefore is made to suffer all lesser evils beneath this extreme calamity. How often have the good been betrayed and persecuted, or condemned to obscurity and neglect! Some of the noblest souls on this planet are overwhelmed by adversity, and altogether unknown to the world. 2. That luicl-eduess is sometimes associated with ^rosperitj. The basest of men have occu- pied the highest places, and have been preserved to old age surrounded by all the appliances of luxury and pride. 3, These moral discrepancies must be viewed in the lifjJd of relifjion. The righteous man will perceive that, even through all these apparent irregularities, the great purpose of God is being accomplished. He will reflect that, after all, these disorders are of little significance to him. Even they are but " vanity ;" they will soon be past, as far as he is concerned. Like his own life here, they are but a " vapour," and that even an appearance for a little time. These evils must be endured ; but what does it matter, since life is so short ? They are but a momentary speck upon the clear glory of eternity. The humble and enlightened soul will consider the bitter root of all these evils. 1. He will look to the past. In the history of human nature, there is an evil somewhere— some primal transgression corrupting the origin of the human race. The burden of vanity is laid upon us on account of sin ; and even the righteous, jn many sorrows and in the painful necessity of dying, must pay the penalty. 2. Be will look to the future. There is a higher revelation awaiting man. " That which is perfect " will come, and there will be a clear justification of all the ways 108 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : ECCLESIASTES. chap. vir. of God. No evil will offend those pure and holy souls who live in His sight. II. Against a Rash Estimate of the Divine Dealings with Man. (Verse IG.) This is not a caution against aiming at the highest excellence in goodness or wisdom, for these are the proper objects of a righteous ambition. It is rather a caution against the conduct of those who presume to find fault with the methods of God's dealings with men, as if they could devise and conduct a more satis- factory scheme. This is the most daring form of human arrogance. 1. /;; is the result of a proud righteousness. There is a dangerous refinement of rectitude and wisdom which is bold enough to venture a criticism on the moral government of God. Vain man has assumed an over-nice delicacy of moral principle, leading him to indulge the suspicion that he could surpass his Maker in righteous and wise administration. We have here the germ of that Pharisaism which appeared in the days of our Lord. The same error underlies both the earlier and the latter stages of this religious vice — the want of humility. V/e are warned against the temptation (1) To re-judge the Divine justice. We may imagine that things would be better in our hands, that there would be a more equitable dis- tribution of good and evil. But our weakness and ignorance sufficiently stamp this as impiety. (2) To question the Divine ivisdom. We may, in our foolisli fancy, build imaginary systems in which no imperfection appears, nor any risk or chance of failure. Such pride needs the rebuke, " Shall mortal man be more just than God ?" (Job iv. 17.) Our knowledge is too limited for such a bold exercise as this. We have no basis of facts sufficiently broad, nor any experi- ence of them sufficiently long and intimate, to warrant us in such an adventure. We are " but of yesterday," and, as a consequence, " we know nothing. '^ Besides, there is our moral disqualification. Such impiety as this tends to ruin ; " why shouldest thou destroy thyself ? " Men who meddle with matters too hi.o-h for them will receive some humiliating check, or suffer moral degradation and injury. But, 2. The dread of this fault must not drive us into the opposite extreme. (Verse 17.) It is not hereby intended to teach moderation in sinful actions. We have rather a precept which takes into account the sad fact of our sinfulness ; and, regarding absolute perfection as unattainable (verse 20), counsels us not to cross the border-line which separates the good man — still subject to weakness and infirmity — from the open sinner. (1) Such conduct would be destructive. Vice, in considerable measure, brings its own punishment, by shortening human life and making it miserable. (2) To avoid such extremes is the highest attainable excel- lence. (Verse 18.) This is the " good " we should reach after, the only one possible to us. It is well if we can hit that happy medium which avoids the affectation of righteousness, on the one hand, and carelessness as to our moral conduct, on the other. (3) Such excellence is only attaiiiable by true inety . "He that feareth God shall come forth of them all." He alone shall be saved from false righteousness and reckless immorality. A Divine hand alone can lead us in the safe way between these dangerous extremes. III. Against Building upon an Impossible Ideal of Hmnanity. (Verse 20.) Man might have some ground for boasting, and presuming upon his own wisdom, were he pure, and open to no impeachment of his goodness, or imputation of folly. But even the best are im- perfect. Therefore, 1. We need some defence against the Divine Justice. Man has offended the justice of God, and must either receive the full force of the penalty, or provide a sufficient defence against it. We must accept the facts of our condition, painful though they be, and receive protection from the evils we deserve, as ;» gift of Divine mercy. 2. Heavenly wisdom supjMes the needful defence. (Verse 19.) By " wisdom " is signified the pious fear and love of God. This is the only sure defence. We cannot avert or mislead Divine justice. However we contrive, we must come face to face with it at last. Man can build fortified cities, and brave heroes may defend them with valour and skill, and maintain a successful resistance against the enemy. But no ingenuity of device, or bravery of 109 CHAP. VII. U02IILET1C COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. resistance, can defend us from the inflictions of Divine Justice, if we are found without that wisdom which is godly and pure. IV. Against an Over-sensitive- ness in regard to the Judgments of Others. (Verse 21.) Contrive how we may, men will think about us, and form some estimate of our character. 1. We must pay some attention to such judfpnetits. The text refers both to praise and blame. We cannot be purely indifferent to either. Praise is the crown that society places upon the head of the good, the reward of brave and consistent virtue. Blame is often the index, pointing to some fault or defect in us ; and a wise man will not neglect such indications. But, 2. Suck judgments must not excite in us any undue anxiety. (1) As to blame. If we are right and pure in motive, aim, and purpose, we can alford to despise adverse judgments. We con- sider that such are compounded of ignorance, malice, and rage. (2) As to jyimse. It is often insincere ; at best, fickle and inconstant. A wise man will receive it with moderation of desire and estimate. If we are too anxious to catch every breath of praise, we expose ourselves to the grief of bitter disappointment. A man may hear his own servant " cursing " him, while he is listening for the much-coveted praise. 3. We shoidd rememher our own failings. (Verse 22.) We ourselves are not faultless. We may have the painful consciousness of some defects of disposition, or of wrong inflicted upon others, which may provoke just censure, or retaliation. We may possibly have come slowly and late to the possession of heavenly wisdom, and in our days of folly, may have inflicted injuries whese effects still remain. We are candidates for a mercy to come, and must, therefore, be merciful to others. The censure we overheard, when we expected a word of praise, may have been tittered in a moment of passion ; and though the sharp agony of the sting remains with us, the hasty word may have beeu soon forgotten by him who uttered it. We must make allowance for the imperfections of our fellow men, and cherish the spirit of moderation and for- giveness. Unless protected by the shadow of a mercy which must cover many faults (even in the best), we have much to fear from the judgment of God. The vision of that awful trial Avhich awaits humanity, and from whicli there is no escape, should make us more reserved in our censures, and more merciful in our estimation of human conduct. Our sin is at the bottom of all the evils we suffer here, the moral disorders of the world, and of all the trials and vexations which accompany us throughout our probation. Given faultless men, and there would be a faultless world ; the very face of nature and of life would be changed. Righteousness would work itself outwardly in a " new heaven and a new earth." SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 15. If we estimate the moral How often has it happened that the ■worth of men by their surroundings, just man, who has laboured to promote -vve should greatly mistake. Dives and some social regeneration, or to give the Lazarus, in their environment here, world a purer faith, has perished, the presented the contrasted pictures of victim of intolerance ! The thankless happiness and ease with want and world has often rewarded its best misery. If with perverted eye, we see teachers with the prison, the cross, and in the outcast of earth the outcast of the stake. heaven ; or in the favourite of fortune lie who is unscrupulous may rise to the favourite of heaven ; how soon is prosperity and undisturbed enjoyment, the illusion dispelled when death strips while the righteous perishes because he both of all their tiine-vestmcnts to the will not forego high principle. It is bare essence of their souls, and to the only in the " days of our vanity " that simple attributes of character ! we can sec the apparent failure of the 110 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : ECCLESIASTES. chap. vii. righteous, and the prosperity of the wicked. A far different sight will be presented to us in the stern realities of eternity ! Men who adopt a higher standard of duty than the rest of the world may have to suffer for it. The noble army of martyrs bears witness to this. He who adopts common views and princi- ples may find life easy enough. Verse 16, Those rulers are over- just who search everything too closely; and the theologians are over-wise who in matters of faith wish to direct everything according to their own reason iCramer^. The boldest forms of impiety have assumed the garb of righteousness, in which men have dared to " snatch from His hand the balance and the rod." Unless goodness is sufficiently guar- ded by humility, we are exposed to the danger of intellectual and moi'al pride. There must be some fatal fault in any refinement of justice or wisdom which leads a man to entertain a sus- picion of God. The attempt to oppose the justice and wisdom of God by our vain imagi- nation leads to destruction. " The words of Job are ended," says the in- spired historian. All words spoken against God must sooner or later come to an end. Either grace forgives the folly of the speech — as in the case of Job — or God closes the impious mouth with violence. The impiety here condemned has also an illustration in the government of human affairs, where it is often seen thuX^Summum jus sumraa injuria. Luther says, " He who would most rigidly regulate and rectify everything, whether in the State or in the household, will have much labour, little or no fruit." Verse 17. As you would not be over-righteous, see to it that you be not over-wicked, — that is, that you do not contemn and neglect all govern- ment committed to you, thus letting everything fall into evil. It may be w^ell to overlook some things, but not to neglect everything [Zwi/^e/'J. As there is a moral and intellectual activity which degenerates into impious speculation, so there is an inertness of conscience and of mind which issues in wickedness and folly. As there are hazards attending high pretentions to wisdom, so there are risks peculiar to folly. The absolute fool becomes the object of contempt. His life is hardly thought worth an effort, far less a sacrifice, for its preser- vation. The fool is easily made the tool and the dupe of a party ; exposing himself to be the prey of virulent ene- mies, or of selfish pretended friends. Folly leads a man into innumerable scrapes. It may induce him heedlessly to mix with wicked associates, and may thus occasion his suffering for crimes, in the perpetration of which he had no active hand, and which, fool as he is, he would shrink from committing. And in numberless ways he may come, by his folly, to " die before his time " [ Warcllaw~\. Verse 18. By the fear of God v^e escape, on the one hand, the danger of Pharisaism, because, firstly, it awakens in the heart a dread of all attempts to deceive God by the trappings of a heartless show of piety, and because further, an energetic knowledge of sin is inseparably bound up with a true fear of God (Isa. vi. 5). We escape, also, on the other hand, the danger of a life of sin, because we cannot really fear God without also having a keen dread of offending Him by our sins, and a lively wish to walk in the ways of His commands [Hengstenherg]. The safe way of duty lies between dangerous extremes. Nothing but the fear of God can keep us from wander- ing to the utmost edge of hazard. The fear of God springs from faith, and leads to that hope which expects all good from Him. If we believe in the character of God, as revealed in Scripture, we have everything to hope for. Fear is but the attitude of that caution which dreads to lose God, and by so doing, to loie all. Ill CHAP. VII. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. Our true safety lies not in dwelling exclusively upon the moral dangers to which we are exposed, but rather in " Setting the Lord always before us." Herein is the only condition of stability for our righteousness. Verse 19. It is due to this inherent and immense superiority of intelli- gence and forethought, over mere numbers of animal energy, that the few in all ages have controlled the many — that a handful of cultivated and civilised men have triumphed over whole nations of barbarians. It is wisdom, in the sense of knowledge and intellectual skill, that has subdued the material world, and made it tributary to the convenience and comfort of man- kind It is not human science, however great its achieve- ments may be, that he intends to cele- brate But more than these " mighty men," with all their skill and energies combined, could do for such a city, can wisdom do to strengthen its possessor against the devil, the flesh, and the world [Bu- chanan]. Our goodness is besieged on all sides. We can only hold out against the enemy by the might of a wisdom and courage which is stronger than that of the world. The true heroes of our race are spiritual men, who have felt and dared to utter great truths. Other heroes have conquered enemies, yet have themselves been vanquished by deadlier foes ! Spiritual men alone have con- (juered all. " The good fight of faith," is the only one that leads to any satis- factory and permanent result. Verse 20. There is not even a just man — a justified man — upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not ; that doeth good so exclusively and so perfectly as to be without sin. The law of sin which is in his members still wars against the higher law of his regene- rated mind, and more or less at times prevails. But there is this grand and fundamental distinction between him and the impenitent and unbelieving, 112 that the germ of a new and Divine life has been implanted in his soul \_Buchanan'\. The highest attainments in good- ness come far short of absolute per- fection. The best can only say with the Apostle, "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect" (Phil. iii. 12). The boast of sinlessness can only arise from deplorable self-ignorance or spiritual pride. The purest souls feel that they need some defence against the justice of God. Nature and Providence teach no doctrine of forgiveness ; they often chastise without warning, and pay no heed to the excuse of ignorance. But spiritual wisdom is gifted with that in- sight into the character of God which beholds in Him infinite mercy and compassion. This is our only hope. Verse 21. The wisest and best run the risk of being misrepresented and misunderstood. They often suffer ex- quisite pain through the malice and envy of others, and the proneness of mankind to indulge in careless talk. But he who follows conscience has no need to lay this seriously to heart. All the " wood, hay, and stubble " of human speech will be burnt up. Consistent goodness will, in the end, triumph over suspicion and unfavour- able judgments. The clouds that accompany the sun on his journey, hiding his bright head, often form at his setting a cushion of vermillion and gold on which he sinks down to rest. Enough for us if our evening sky be pure and lovely ; we can afford to despise the passing shadows of our course. Even wise and good men are often unduly fretted and disquieted by the harsh and uncharitable things that may be said of them in this censorious and envious world. They err in giving way to such angry or disappointed feelings. They forget that even the best of men have still many failings — tliat there is no perfection among our fallen race ; and while this fact should remind them tbat they themselves are HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. chap. vir. not infallible, and that they may really Verse 22. As we can boast of no have given some cause for the accusa- absolute purity, we cannot take too tions of which they complain, it should high ground with humanity. also teach them not to form unreason- Those who crowd around the gates able expectations as to the conduct of of mercy, as suppliants, have little others : . . . There is much point need to recriminate one another, as well as truth in the familiar saying Your own consciousness will prevent that eavesdroppers seldom hear good of you from thinking it impossible that themselves. They do not deserve to you should hear any evil of yourself ; hear it. It is well that their craving and it will, at the same time, teach you curiosity and morbid vanity should be to make allowance for the passions and thus rebuked and humbled [Bnchanan]. hasty speeches of other men [ Ward- Extreme sensitiveness is one of the laiv^. evils of ill-health. A robust strength Expect injuries, for men are weak, and integrity of character will preserve and thou thyself doest such too often us from many annoyances. [_Richte7'^. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 23—29. The Confessions of a Religious Philosopher. The Royal Preacher, approaching religion from its speculative or philosophic side, has some sad confessions to make. I. That the Search for Wisdom is Difficult. (Verses 23, 24.) His search is represented as most complete, marked by earnestness, the Royal thinker urging himself to it by a strong effort of the will. "I said I will be wise." The plan of procedure was most complete and exhaustive. It was no surface inspection — no mercenary work. He " applied " his " heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom." He tried to dis- cover what lay behind all appearances, " the reason of things " — that deep insight which would reveal to him perfect order and harmony. In his speculations, he used variety of method, approaching the subject from different sides. Virtues were contemplated in their opposites. With a painful revulsion of feeling, know- ledge was obtained from the morbid anatomy of sin. " Wickedness " and " folly," " foolishness " and " madness," are not inviting subjects, but they are facts of human life, and must be investigated by all who would speculate upon the state of man. Here is a search after wisdom most energetic and complete. Whence does the difficulty arise ? In general, it arises from the vast dimensions of the subject of investigation. But these dimensions are here contemplated in two directions. 1. Li their surface. The knowledge of man — his duty and destiny, and of the mysteries of religion — forms a subject extending far beyond our mental sight. We see and explore our nari-ow circle all around, but it is bounded by darkness, clouds, and shadows. If we adventure far, and the scene opens out before us, yet it closes behind us ! We cannot chase the darkness away. The surface which we are permitted to explore is painfully limited. Like the end of the rainbow, where fancy has placed a golden cup, the prize of absolute wisdom is unattainable by man. The most successful explorer must make the confession, " It was far from me." 2. In their depth. "Exceeding deep, who can find it out?" Even that which is before our eyes, when we attempt to fathom it, proves too deep to be sounded by our plummet. Great secrets lie there hidden from mortal sight. Even the commonest objects are mysterious, and lie on dark foundations, quite inaccessible by us ; and therefore how remote from our reach must be the ultimate mystery of God and man ! II. That the Results of the- Search are Humiliating. They are but poor, scanty, and unsatisfactory. And I 113 ciL'^P. VII. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. this, 1. Ill a speculative view. The gains of our search after wisdom, regarded as an intellectual effort, are but small. We meet with some success, and obtain considerable insight into man's life and destiny. But the goal of absohii wisdom is as far off as ever. We can only express the little that we know in broken accents. C ur different movements of thought come into frequent collision. Partial wisdom — mere fragments of knowledge — are all that we have — crumbs from the table. 3. In a practical view. In this direction, our search after wisdom is more plentiful in results. We gather more facts and principles. But how sad and humiliating are these ! We have been investigating evil, disorder, the force and terrible complications of temptation — all the melancholy facts of human nature under the influence of violent passions and unworthy motives. We have here a recital of some of these sad facts. (1) That (here are some special dangers to virtue. (Verse 26.) There are temptations in life which have elements of special danger. They deceive by treacherous arts, and the unsus- pecting sinner, at first pleased with the siren song, delays, yields to the enchant- ment, and is lured to his destruction. That book of practical and prudential wisdom, the Proverbs of Solomon, is full of warnings against the seductive arts of women. Their lascivious looks and foul embrace are here described as " snares," " nets," and "bands." An easy virtue is soon entrapped and over- whelmed. The Serpent first approached man through his weak side, and she who Avas first deceived more easily deceives others (1 Tim. ii. 14). This portion of humanity, when loosened from the restraints of social morality and religion, pre- sents the most pitiable forms of degradation, and one of the chief dangers to virtue. Special help from God is needed to escape these dangers. " Whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her." (2) That the highest moral excellence is rare. (Verse 28.) The Royal Preacher professes an extensive knowledge of human nature. He is satisfied with no hasty glance, obeys not the impulse of first impressions, but acquires his knowledge by slow and painful steps. He searches out his facts " one by one," summing them up with a cool and severe judgment. (Verse 27.) As a standard of comparison, he takes man as he came pure from the hands of his Maker, before his glory had fallen — God's idea of humanity. He confesses that no one reaches this absolute standard of sinless purity and perfection. Among TOC/J, he had found " one of a thousand," in some sense, worthy of the name — one who approached the Divine idea within some computable distance. But among women., he had not found one worthy of the name, in the primeval ideal. *' That he never found such a one, consequently that he considered the whole female sex as vicious, and highly corrupt, cannot possibly be his opinion, as appears from Verse 2'J, as also in Chap. ix. 9. But that moral excellence, taken as a whole, is much more rarely found than among men, that sin reigns more uncontrolled among the former than the latter, and in the forms of moral weakness and proneness to temptation, as Avell as in the inclination to seduce, to deceive, and ensnare — such is clearly the sense of this passage " \_Langc\. 3. That man must sigh in vain for a lost Paradise. (Verse 29.) That j)erfect uprightness, that moral integrity of man in his primeval state, is but a splendid fact of the past, a sad remembrance of what once was, but is now no longer. There will, indeed, be a restored Paradise for man, but it will not be the same as that whicli was lost. Fallen man may attain a better estate than that which he forfeited, yet his final honours and distinctions will be those of one whose fortunes have been repaired, and not of one who has preserved his inheritance as he received it from the beginning. The dispensation of mercy itself cannot obliterate the sad facts of sin. SurrQimded and penetrated by evils, our spirit can only sigh for the past, '• God hath made man upright." 4. That man 7naJ.es the evils XV hich trouble him. ''They have sought out many inventions." Tlie sad moral calamity of our race has not destroyed human activity. The powers of our nature still exert themselves with restless effort, but they have taken a 114 ■ HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. CHAP. VII. wrong direction. They are fruitful in those " inventions " Avhich, though marked by fertility of device and skill, are yet hurtful, and are but great powers altogether misused. The Religious Philosopher does not dwell here upon external actions, but goes rather to their spring in the perverse thinkings of the mind. The devices of natural reason — useless or impious speculations — have often corrupted and confused the truth. Instead of receiving Divine wisdom with the simple instinct and faith of childhood, man follows his own dazzling speculations, and the higher knowledge is hidden from him. (Matt. xi. 25.) These perverse thinkings are the seed from which the evil of the world springs, for sin works from within outwardly, from thought to act. The assumed superiority in moral strength and excellence, which man may have over the woman, is but a short- lived and unseemly boast in the presence of that sinfulness which belongs to all the race. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 23. The true teacher must be a constant learner. He can only impart what he has gained by trial and exercise. Though the effort is beset with tre- mendous difficulties, yet the resolve to be wise, at all hazards, is noble and praiseworthy. Our study of the mysteries of God, man, and nature, is not altogether barren of results. We aro able to "know in part." We gather a few facts, and by a kind of pi'ophetic in- sight, frame those portable and con- venient statements of them called hypotheses and laws. But even the wisest must confess that the ultimate mystery is as far off as ever. There are some iixed stars whose dis- tance is so great, that when observed from the extremes of the diameter of the earth's orbit, they show no change of direction ; thus affording no data for the calculation of their distances. If we could get nearer to them, then we should discover how far off they are. He who has approached the nearest to the great secrets of God and this uni- verse, is most of all conscious how distant he is from absolute wisdom. The goal of intellectual wisdom lies so far off that the hope of attaining it can impart no solid satisfaction. But there is a Divine word which is ever nigh unto man ; yea, in his heart, and ready to break forth from his mouth. We need not seek for it in the height of heaven or in the aby.'=s (Rom. x. 6—8). He had said, indeed, "I will be wise." He had set his heart on under- standing all mysteries and all know- ledge. In that vain confidence to which at one time he had given way, he had imagined himself to be equal to the task of unlocking every secret, whether of nature or of Providence, and of leaving no difficulty unexplained. Time and the trial had undeceived him, and had taught him to form a humbler and juster estimate of the powers that are given to man The dark problems which he had thought to solve remained, many of them as far from solution as ever. Such was the experience of Solomon, and such will, and must, be the experience of every tinite mind [Buchanan]. Verse 24. Neither the wide range of subjects with which the intellect can grapple, nor its power of penetrating their depths, can put us into the pos- session of those secret things which God has reserved for Himself. The infinite superiority of God renders it necessary that many things be con- cealed from man. Such mystery and reserve are the life of adoration. Though Revelation is clear on all matterg of practical duty, yet it pre- sents truths whose mysterious depths it does not illumine. Such are the eter- nity and immensity of God — the mystery of creation — the existence of evil under a holy and righteous govern- ment — the dealings of God with men in Providence and in grace. I 115 CHAP. VII. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. "We can have no true happiness if we wait for perfect satisfaction of the intellect. We can only comprehend God through love. Neither height nor depth can vanquish or distress him who has the love of God in his heart (Rom. viii. 30). Wisdom is so far off that it is not known from whence it cometh, nor where the place of it is (Job xxviii. 20). It is so deep that the depth saith it is not in me, and the sea saith it is not with me. It is so far, that the weak- ness of man's understanding is over- wearied before it can come unto it ; so exceeding deep that the eyes of man's imderstanding is dazzled to look into it, and man's wit is endangered by venturing into it. It is deep and deep, as the original expresses it — deep to men, deep to angels [Jermin]. Yerse 25, Wisdom does not yield her treasures to the indolent, but only to minds accustomed to earnest and patient toil. Truth is so often mixed with error, so completely confused and disguised by that which has gathered around it, that it is only traced out with diffi- culty and cleared from the entangle- ment. We must not be satislied with the simple observation of facts ; we should try to discover their causes, or the principles they illustrate. It is the glory of the human intellect that it can contemplate laws, and does not depend upon the limited information gained from passive impressions. However painful the task may be, the great teachers of mankind must investigate the causes of the chief dangers to virtue. There are some forms of human evil so bold, full of wild passion, and irrational, that they stand out like mountains on the scene of the world's guilt. That which is truly good is more clearly seen when we consider the evil that is contrary to it. The beauty of holiness, and excellency of saving knowledge, is illustrated, and best seen, IIG when the deformity of sin, the madness and unreasonableness of those courses which natural men take to come at their imaginary happiness, are com- pared therewith [Nisbet], Verse 26. To know the wickedness of folly, the wickedness and foolishness of madness, seems equivalent to know- ing the worst species of it In his own wild career he had come in contact with folly, and he had him- self wrought folly of many sorts. And now, comparing all these one with another, so as to ascertain to which of them the pre-eminence of e\'il should be assigned, this was the conclusion at which he had arrived. These terribly significant words point plainly to the same seducer of w'hose base and destructive arts so startling a picture is given in Chap. vii. of the Book of Proverbs \_Buchanan~\. How strong the expression — " whose heart is snares and nets ! " signifying the multitude of her devices of tempta- tion, and the consummate skill, the secrecy, the address, the guile, with which she uses them for the accom- plishment of her purposes. Her very "heart is snares and nets," in whose intricate and entangling meshes the fascinated and deluded soul is taken captive to its destruction. " And her hands as bands." Her powers of detention are equal to her powers of allurement. Her heart is a net, to entangle the unwary ; her hands as bands, to hold him fast when her wiles have proved successful. So irresistible is the power, operating like the spell of enchantment, by which she retains under her iniluence the hapless victim of her charms [ Wardlaiv']. The most pleasant fountains of sin turn, in the end, into the bitterness of long regret. Education and culture — the restraints of human prudence, may do much to preserve the maintenance of the highest virtue, in the face of the most insidious allurements. But religion furnishes the highest motives, the most powerful restraints. The noble ambition to HOMILETJC COMMENTARY : ECCLESIAST2S. chap. vri. stand well in the sight of God is the only trustworthy sentinel of virtue. By " the sinner" is meant one who is thoroughly viciouS' — with whom the practice of evil is habitual. With such the power to resist temptation grows less, and they become an easy prey to every pleasurable sin. Verse 27, Sin cannot be treated by vague generalities, the forms of it are so many and diversified. We must descend to particulars in order to make a deep impression. Even the most patent facts should not be treated as known upon a mere surface inspection. The real knowledge of them can only be gained by minute investigation. Knowledge comes not to man by sudden irradiations, but by slow de- grees — by adding, arranging, and re- flecting. Verse 28. Much is gained by the diligent seeker after wisdom — many facts, principles, lessons, and warnings ; but the full possession of wisdom is not permitted to man. Men of the highest qualities of mind and soul, powerful in word and influ- ence, are but rarely found. There are but few stars of the first magnitude. The strong expression of a truth brought home to the soul by sore ex- perience, may easily wear the appear- ance of harshness and exaggeration. The Preacher may refer to woman in regard to her attainments in Divine wisdom. The superior delicacy of her natural sensibilities often give her the advantage of an immediate and vivid perception of truth, to which man attains chiefly by the slow and laboured processes of the mind. Yet this power, when directed into wrong channels, skows a faculty just as strong in em- bracing error and superstition. It must be confessed that the natural weakness of woman has contributed, in no small measure, to the spread of these evils. They have too often been the natural home of frivolities both in life and religion. Though the Bible records the praise of many noble women, yet the fact remains that an inspired Apostle thought it necessary to warn the Church against dangers arising from this source (1 Tim. ii. 12. 1 Cor. xiv. 34). They are the easy dupes of false teachers (2 Tim. iii. 6). Never, perhaps, has there been any period in the history of the visible Church of God, and certainly nev^ in these more modern times, con- cerning which we are best informed, in which the majority of those who lived in the fear and love of God were not women. Solomon is here evidently speaking, and that as a humbled penitent, of his own particular case. He had loved "many strange women," outdoing, in this respect, the laxity and the luxury of the heathen monarchs around him. . . . Is it any wonder that in such a household, even among the thousand he had gathered into it, one solitary example of real goodness could not be found ? Among his male attendants and cour- tiers, gay and dissolute as the society of the palace had become, one might now and then be met with who had not forgotten the piety and integrity of other and better days [Buchanan\. Verse 29. The present evils of man are not to be charged upon his Maker. However rude and vague the com- mencement the Creator may have given to inanimate matter, as the God of souls He must needs produce His own image in fit perfection. "Upright," 1. As to his mind. It was a plain mirror wherein the images of truth were reflected without dis- tortion. The knowledge he possessed was, in its kind, perfect and pure, un- mixed with baser matter. 2. As to his affections. They were fixed on God. He was pleased and attracted only by what was noble and good. 3. As to his conscience. As an indi- cator, it was in a condition of perfect adjustment and delicacy. As an instru- ment of moral control, it had both the right and the power to rule. 4. As to his will. It had no perversity, no ele- ment of rebellion ; but was easily 117 CHAr. VIII. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. determined to that which was right and good. The hurtful inventions — the evil arts and devices of the human intellect, are marked by endless complexity, variety, and skill. This is power ill-directed and misapplied; but still a power, great in its perversion and ruin. The first Paradise will never return ; for the past never returns to us, bring- ing the same features as those long since vanished. But by that Divine mercy which triumphs over all diffi- culties, and through them educes a greater good, there will be for man a better Paradise than the first. We read that in the future Para- dise there will be a " tree of life," but no "tree of knowledge." "The glory of the Lord did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof." The mind will then allow God's light to shine upon it instead of working out its own devices. The actual existence of moral evil is too notorious to admit of a moment's question. The Bible account of its origin did not cause it ; it existed in- dependently of the revelation which informs us how it began ; and the rejection of that revelation neither removes nor mitigates it, nor disen- cumbers it, in the slightest degree, of its embarrassing difiiculties. On the contrary, revelation alone, whilst it assumes and proceeds upon the mourn- ful fact, provides a remedy ; all other systems, finding human nature in ruins, leave it as they find it. Revelation rears out of the ruins a magnificent and holy Temple to the God of purity and love \_Wardlaiv'\. CHAPTER VIIL Critical Notes. — 1. The boldness of his face shall he changed.] Folly, in the form of seKish- ncss, imparts a fierce aspect to the features ; but wisdom graces them with a superior refinement. 2. The King's Commandment.] The Preacher falls back upon his authority as a king, striving to realise what is the Divine idea of the ruler of men. And that in regard of the oath of God.] An appeal to God as witness to that promise of obedience which every subject virtually ma kes to the king — the obligation of obedience strengthened by the sanctions of religion. 3. Be not hasty to go out of His sight.] A becoming demeanour must be observed in the presence of the King. If he is not favourable to our petition, we must not show our vexation and disappoint- ment by retiring from his presence with indecent haste. Stand not in an evil thing,] Do not excite His anger by the appearance of stubbornness, as if he could be forced into compliance by our stern attitude and bold persistency. 5. The Commandment.] " The word of a king." (Verse 4.), The expressed will of an earthly authority as representing the Divine. Shall feel no evil thing.] Shall have the protection of the laws. A wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment. } The wise man will modify the common obligation to obedience, by reason and conscience. IV may be his duty to resist. 6. Therefore.] Best rendered by AUhoug/i. The meaning is, that notwithstanding the present misery of man, in the ways of Providence towards him, there are appointed times. Deep and wise purposes lie behind all this apparent confusion and disorder. Is great upon him.] The form of the word implying something laid upon him as a heavy burden. 7. When it shall be.] The marginal rendering is to be preferred— /iow it shall be 8. Neither shall wickedness deliver those that are giTen to it.] Lit., its possessors. Opposition, though it may api)carfor a time to be victorious, will at length prove to be of no avail, 'i'his is the principal thought of the verse, and the fit conclusion of the entire section. 9. There is a time when one man ruleth over another to his own hurt.] This was the definite direction of the Preacher's observations. He tried to discover what were the prevailing disorders of the time, and he bclicld a whole epoch filled with examples of tyranny. 10. The place of the holy.] Some understand the place of judgment. Others, the place of honourable burial, where men came and went in funeral procession. But it is more in accordance with the sense of the passage to understand it of the sanctuary, or the community of the righteous. These wicked 118 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. chap. viir. men concealed their true character beneath the outward forms and proprieties of religion. 12. Aad his days he prolonged]— /.e., in sinning. 13. Neither shall lie prolong his days.] Vice being unfavourable to long life ; though, as in Verse 12, the time spent in sin, undisturbed by any "seeming interference of Providence, may be considerable. 14. There is a vanity whick is done upon the earth.] These seeming anomalies in the moral government of God arc part of that vanity to which man has been made subject on account of sin. 16. And to see the business that is done upon the earth.] Travail, or torment ; not business. Compare with Chap. ii. 26., and iii. 10. The painful labour of seriously considering human life and destiny. Neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes.] The " travail" is so earnestly carried on as to interfere with proper rest. 17. AH the work of God.] His universal dominion— the whole sphere of the Divine operation as observed by man. He shall not find it.] He shall not be able to comprehend, or fathom it. Compare with Chap. iii. 11, and vii. 24. MAIN IIOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verse$ 1—5. The Life of the Righteous Man in the State. 1. He Recognises Duties towards Constituted Authority. The wise man is lie who has true spiritual knowledge, and who makes that knowledge the guide of his life. Such will endeavour to discharge all the duties arising from the several relations in which they stand to God and man. All are members of civil society, and therefore subjects under some form of human government. Certain duties are owing to those whom Providence has set over us in the State. 1 . The. dutij of loyal ohedience. (Verse 2.) If it is the will of God that men should exist in civil society, it must also be His will that there should be rulers, for these are necessary to the continuance and perfection of civil society. The actual rulers of mankind are in their places by that Providence which works in history. Properly constituted government affords that protection, and gives that oppor- tunity, by which all the members of the State are able to fulfil their several duties. Our Lord and His Apostles taught that obedience must be rendered to rulers. Their memorable words on this subject must have acted as a powerful check, in the case of the first believers, to any tendency to exaggerate their Christian liberty ; to which the temptation would be strong, on account of the corruption of existing governments. We should cultivate, 2. A 2)')'oper se?ise of the sacred obligation of obedience. (Verse 2.) " And that in regard of the oath of God." Human authorities are called of God, appointed by Him, and fill their places, not on account of their own intrinsic excellencies or merit, but by His permission — by that act of Providence which has placed them where they are. "We are under as sacred an obligation to obey them as if we had solemnly ratified the promise of obedience by a formal appeal to heaveo. We should cultivate — 3. A delicate refinement of behaviour ivhere duty has special difficulties. (Verse 3.) In the king's presence it is proper to maintain a reserved and careful behaviour. If the king grants not our request, it is unseemly to show our vexation by departing from his presence in haste. On the other hand, we should not carry our firmness so far as to appear obstinate. We may have to sacrifice our own private feeling to that veneration which is due to office. The indulgence of improper tempers towards lawful authority might sow the seeds of rebellion far and wide. It is wisdom to study that behaviour which is proper to the occasion, and to avoid all that tends to imperil the safety and good ordering of society. We should cultivate — 4. A proper reverence and awe of authority. (Verse 4.) Rulers, for certain ends of civil society, stand to us in the place of God. We owe them reverence CHAP. viii. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. for the sake of their office, and should maintain a wholesome dread of the power committed to their hands, II. Wisdom imparts Special Fitness for the Discharge of such Duties. " He who is truly wise, who fears God, and reverences what is God-like in man, does not delude himself hy impossible theories of human society. He possesses that practical wisdom which teaches him how to pass through life smoothly, to abstain from infringing the rights of others, and to labour for the promotion of the general good. The wise man is the best servant of the siate. 1. He has a better insiglit into the reasons and the nature of duty. (Verse 1.) " He knoweth the interpretation of a thing." Lit., " of the word." To him the grounds of duty are clear ; he is alive to the importance of social order, and brings to the consideration of law a correct moral judgment and the habit of obedience. The great principles of his life are adequate to all the requirements of right conduct between man and man, though they extend beyond it even to the realm of higher duties. 2. He is the subject of a civilising wid refining influence. (Verse 1.) Wisdom is not only a power in the mind and heart, an inward and sacred adornment, but is also a power working outwardly, revealing itself in the style and bearing of a man, and lighting up his coun- tenance with noble expression. It softens all that is repulsive, so that the countenance does not wear that fierce aspect which results from coarse ideas and a selfish heart. This refinement of beauty is an image of that social order and harmony which wisdom tends to produce. It is the pledge of the world's peace, o. His obedience to authority is discriminating. (Verse 5.) He renders not a passive, a blind obedience, as if every command proceeding from merely human authority must be obeyed without questioning. It may be allowed that, in general, it is safe to obey. " Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing." He who renders unquestioning obedience may save himself from many troubles. But if he makes this rule absolute, he may have to compromise conscience. Therefore wisdom must be employed to discriminate when human authority is in conflict with those higher duties which we owe to God. A wise man may have to resist the king's command, as Daniel did. An unreasoning, blind obedience is not taught in Scripture. Principle is dearer to the righteous man than safety and comfort. Where human and Divine authority are in conflict, his chc ice is made. He owes his highest allegiance to the " King of Kings." SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 1 . None is comparable to newal of his physical nature, an earnest the wise man. He alone possesses of the redemption of the body, that real and abiding treasure which The beauty of the " human face cannot be gotten for gold. divine" lies in its expression. The The power to investigate the deep light of wisdom within beams in the reasons of things imparts a majesty countenance, imparting to it the attrac- and stability to the religious life. The tive aspect of intelligence and sensi- wise man is so fixed upon the solidities bility. It is a mild and lovely light, of truth that he is not carried about " by It does not dazzle and overpower by the every wind of doctrine." Piety without studied brilliance of self-display, but intelligence is exposed to the dangers of with soft and gentle radiance inspires fanaticism. delight, and wins affection ; for of Wisdom, though an inward power, genuine wisdom, self-diffident humility hangs out her ensign upon the human is the invariable tissociate. Such countenance. Avisdom gives to the countenance the The power of wisdom to elevate and expression both of dignity and grace refine its possessor is a kind of re- \^Wardlaw']. 120 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. chap. viii. " Boldness " may, with greater strict- ness and accuracy, be rendered by " effrontery," or " arrogance." What Solomon seems to say is, that wisdom communicates to the face of its owner an aspect of meekness and gentleness very diiferent from that air of im- perious and boastful confidence which it once wore. None is so arrogant as the ignorant or half-instructed ; none so unpretending as the man of largest knowledge and deepest thought [Bu- chanan]. Verse 2. Wisdom throws light upon every relation in which man is placed, and makes every duty to appear in clear definition. That book which reveals the highest truths does not disdain to give authoritative commands regarding the every-day work of man in the world. " The powers that be are ordained of God," says St. Paul (Rom. xiii. 1). They are ordered and appointed by Him just as much as those who occupy the most sacred offices of the Church. Kings may be imperfect, but so were the Scribes and Pharisees who " sat in Moses' seat ; " yet this does not destroy the obligation to hear and obey their lawful words. The wise man's sense of duty to kings rests upon a higher motive than fear, or the love of security. It is with him a sacred obligation. Since men must life in civil society, they have a right to consider how they shall thus live. The observance of the laws is necessary to secure the common good, and the king is but the living law. Civil obedience is not a question between man and man merely ; but, as we are here emphatically reminded, it is also a question between man and God. . . . . The same "oath of God" expressed or understood, by which the subject is bound to keep the king's commandment, limits and regulates the very obligation which it imposes. So long as obedience to the king's com- mand does not involve disobedience to any commandment of God Himself, obedience is imperative. The oath of God exalts loyalty into a religious duty \_Buchanai{\. Verse 3. Our own vexation and dis- appointment should not destroy our proper reverence for those who repre- sent the law. A wise man will avoid everything in thought, temper, and action tending to sow the seeds of sedition. Whilst your first and most sacred regard should be to the " oath of God," yet your own interest is also involved. You are in the king's power. He may degrade you from your station, deprive you of your emoluments, and infiict upon you such punishment as shall not be alleviated by the con- sciousness of its being undeserved. The headstrong passion that persists in evil because it cannot brook submission, is itself inexcusable, it may cost you too dear \_Wardlaw\. Beware of rashly casting off allegiance to your lawful sovereign under any temporary influence of wounded pride or passion ; or of being led away into sedition or rebellion by the specious plea of reforming the existing order of things. Ahithophel did this in the days of David, and he came, in con- sequence, to a miserable end Or, again, if any man have been seduced by evil counsel, or hurried by resentment or ambition into some un- lawful attitude or act, let him not " stand" in the " evil thing." To per- sist is only to aggravate the offence, and to make its punishment more in- evitable and severe \_Buchanan']. Passion, whether in the form of haughty disdain or of stubbornness, is unfriendly to the proper discharge of duty. Verse 4. Without power to enforce it, the law would be but mere advice. The power of law and government is very great. The law never sleeps. It has a retentive memory, and it has long arms. Joab, proud and imperious, and confiding in the impunity which his position at the head of David's array appeared to give him, trampled on the king's commandment, but nevertheless 121 CHAP. VIII. IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. he found to his cost, in the end, that where the word of a king is there is power [Bucliana)f\. There is uo appeal from the king's decree, as he acknowledges no earthly superior. Be it wise or foolish, good or evil, that decree must take effect. The victims of tyranny, suffering for a righteous cause, may indeed appeal to the Heaveuly King; but that appeal cannot be heard till the final Judg- ment. Authority could never command respect, or be invested with its fitting character of sacreduess, if it were com- pelled to bear upon its very front a proclamation of the conditions upon which it might be set at naught. Hence the unqualified language in which Solomon speaks in this passage [Buchanan]. Verse 5. The true liberty for the subject is the liberty of law. Obedi- ence is the condition of safety and pro- tection. There are times in which obedience to human laws has peculiar difficulty and perplexity for the wise man. But his wisdom disposes him patiently to wait, to watch the time and opportunity, and to judge soberly what conduct is right for him. Our cause may be righteous and good, but if we lack discretion, our best designs must fall to naught. Mistaken zeal is ever ready to pre- cipitate events. But ••' he that believeth shall not make haste." He can afford calmly to wait. There are thr-ee enquiries which the man of true wisdom is ever proposing to himself : — What should I do ? When should I do it? How should it be done? He pays regard not only to the matter or qualiti/ of his actions, but to the time and the manner of them. He attends to circumstances in every department of his conduct ; in impart- ing counsel, in administering reproof, in seeking the redress of grievances, in promoting needful improvements and reform ; — never forgetting that success very often depends as much on the choice of a right season, and the adoption of a proper way of performing an action, as upon the action itself [_Wardlaw'\. What is fitting must be studied as well as what is right and good. A wise man observes the proprieties proper to the time, place, and occasion. St. Paul, while adhering firmly to principle, followed uo unyielding methods of action ; but by " becoming all things to all men," thus won many to Christ. Even innocence is but a poor and in- sufficient protection in a world like this. The wisdom of the serpent is needed as the trusty sentinel of the harmlessness of the dove. MAIN HOMILETICa OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 6—8. The Stern Dominion of the Supreme King. We now turn from earthly kings and their narrow dominions to consider the Great Ruler over all. There are aspects of His government terrible to man, I. He Uses an Inflexible Method. (Verse G.) In the government of God over nature and man, we observe a stern regularity which is calculated to inspire us with awe of some mysterious and inflexible power. All seems to us as one vast macliine which moves on in invariable method, not knowing, not caring, what injuries it may inflict. In some moments of painful thought, it might seem to us that we are abandoned to the terror of some heartless and unsympathetic power. Some of these harsh aspects of God's government are here indicated. 1. His purposes are already formed. He does not enter upon His work with rudimentary and imperfect ideas, waiting for a wider experience and more certain knowledge. He uses no methods of trial and error ; learns not, as we 122 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. chap. viii. are obliged to do, from failure and success. His purposes are formed once for all. 2. There is an apjwinted season for their cUvelojyment. The time is deter- mined beforehand when the purposes of God shall be effected. They ripen slowly and await their proper season, nor can any human power force their growth. 3. They appmr to be carried on regardless of human tvoes. Although " the misery of man is great upon him," this inexorable dominion continues. The wheel within wheel in the system of nature and Providence may raise our admiration, , but their terrible regularity of movement and certainty of effect seem to spurn away imploring misery, and threaten to crush hope. Yet the wise man will discern a " reason " behind all these harsh appearances. Therefore he submits and waits. There is a '' set time " also to favour him. II. He Hides from Man Futui'e Destinies. (Verse 7.) No feeling does more to tame the human breast than our complete ignorance of the future. It is altogether hidden from us. 1. As to what it contains. " He knoweth not that which shall be." He cannot tell what events shall take place, what new scenes and changes shall be unfolded in the course of time. 2. As to the manner of it. "Who can tell him how it shall be ? " He who has studied the past history of mankind with intelligence and calm reflection, can predict the general principles which future events shall illustrate. But in what time and manner those events shall take place, no human sagacity can foresee. This ignorance of future destinies strengthens, in the good man, the feeling of dependence upon God. It makes ftiith in the love of God a necessity of the religious life. The way may be dark before us, but if we fear the Lord, He will guide us tenderly with more than a father's care. The oppression of the future becomes light when we are strengthened by a sense of that " loving kindness which is better than life." III. He Appoints for Man the Inevitable Hour. (Verse 8.) However varied the fortunes of men, there is one event awaiting all. 1. When the high summons arrives no power or shill can resist it. Our breath of life is in the hands of God. He decrees the time when we shall breathe the last gasp, and when the heart's emotion shall be stilled. When He permits the last enemy to grasp us, there is no escape. Death knows no awe of rank, nor yields to bribes. That ruthless power cannot be softened by the voice of distressed affection, or forced to spare his victims by any arguments derived from the usefulness or beauty of their lives. No man has power to retain the spirit beyond its appointed time. Nothing can stay its flight when once it starts on the journey to God. 2. There are no grounds ^ipon lohich we can pi'ocure exemption. On the eve of the battle, or when actually engaged in it, the soldier cannot obtain his discharge. No plea can avail him, no sacred demands of home or kindred. We are all under this inexorable law of war. When the stern command is issued, we must enter into the conflict ; we can obtain no sub- stitute, purchase no discharge. When summoned to enter the field in mortal conflict with the last enemy, there is no retreat. 3. Rebellious opposition will not avail us. " Neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it." Wicked men put forth wonderful energy in their evil deeds, but when God's time of judgment arrives, it is in vain that they resist. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 6. If, without the light of a God's works and ways would be of little better hope, we survey this scene of comfort to us, if we were not assured man, it would appear as if the Monarch that behind all there is a loving of the world was indifferent to human heart, miseries. God works out His purposes slowly, The skill and regularity displayed in and (as it appears to us) regardless of 123 CHAP. VIII. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. the private griefs of men — yea, even of their highest necessities. The world had to wait long ages for the crowning revelation of God's mercy. Yet all this time men suffered the evils of ignorance, sorrow, and sin. The degree of mischief, and dis- appointment, and wretchedness, arising amongst mankind from the want of wise consideration of seasons and circumstances, is beyond calculation. Were men in general more carefully attentive to these, a large proportion of the miseries of which they complain might readily be avoided. But some by their weakness, others by their heed- lessness ; some by their headstrong obstinacy, others by their excess of pliancy ; some by impatient precipita- tion, others by procrastinating dilatori- ness, and thousands in an endless variety of ways, are led to overlook " time and judgment," and to bring distress upon themselves, or others, or both [Ward- law], Verse 7. Our ignorance of the future should teach us — 1. To be superior to the fear of man. If we have God on our side, how little, after all, can weak and ignorant man do to harm us ! 2. That we should not envy the temporary prosperity of others. How soon their fortunes may be wrecked, and the evil time come when riches cannot deliver ! 3. That we should seek Divine guidance. God will show us, even through all the miseries of the present, what is the path of life. It is true that no man can tell " tvhat shall be," and that neither can any one tell him *■' when it shall be;" but this is no reason why either the " when " or the " what "that may thus lie hidden in the inscrutable future should be to us a matter of no concern. It is not by being utterly careless and indifferent upon the subject that we can escape -the evil that may be impending over us. It is true that we may aggravate that evil, or even create it when it has no actual existence, by tormenting our- selves with excessive or groundless anxieties and fears. As regards those futurities against which no foresight can provide, the part of true wisdom is to follow the counsel of our blessed Lord (Matt, vi, 34) [Buc/ia?^)!]. Verse 8. The Royal Preacher had spoken of the power of kings (verse 4). Yet how limited is that power ? They cannot resist the decree of the King of Terrors, Death overwhelms the strength of man. It is the great terror of nature. The very thought of it must fill us with horror, unless we are conscious that the inward man is growing stronger day by day, Man is sown in weakness here — a weakness most sad and manifest in his closing hours ; but he is raised in power, which, if blessed by the vision of God, will be " the power of an end- less life," This is a field in which every man must advance ; and every man must advance alone to single combat ; and every man iu succession must fall. The enemy to be encountered is him- self invulnerable; and whether the struggle be short or long, and however successful for a time our efforts may be to parry or to cover ourselves from his deadly thrust, he will, sooner or later, find his way with certain aim and irresistible force to every heart [Wardlaw]. Death can only destroy the body of our humiliation. Our permanent and immortal essence remains unhurt. Death meets us everywhere, and is procured by every instrument, and in all chances, and enters in at many doors And all this is the law and constitution of nature, it is a punishment to our sins, the unalterable event of Providence, and the decree of heaven. The chains tli it confine us to this condition are strong as destiny, and immutable as the eternal laws of God [Jeremt/ Taylor]. 124 nOMlLETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESFASTES. chap. viir. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 9—13. The Delay of Divine Justice. The Royal Preacher often insists upon the truth that God rules over man with an inflexible justice. Yet that justice does not act swiftly, but seems, for a time, to be suspended. We have here three facts regarding this delay of the Divine Justice. I. That it Continues, though the Worst Forms of Iniquity Prevail. In every age there are prevailing sins whose enormity is so great that they may be said to provoke the Divine Justice. They cry to heaven for vengeance and retribution, yet that cry seems to be unheeded. Some of these sins are mentioned here. 1. Tyranny and o^ipression. (Verse 9.) Man is enslaved to man. Those who have the power rule with a rod of iron, oppressing the poor and the defenceless. Cruelty, in some form, exists under every condition of society. The wrongs that men inflict upon one another are amongst the most terrible forms of human suffering. The permission of such evils in the moral government of God is a source of perplexity. It would seem as if heaven heeded not the groan ings of the innocent, yet unavenged. 2. Hypocrisy. (Verse 10.) These tyrants disguised their wickedness under the cloak of religion. They went continually to the " place of the holy " — the Sanctuary of God — the assembly of the righteous. They dared to insult God in His own house. And yet this hypocrisy was suffered to continue, justice not interfering to cast forth these audacious men from the place which they had profaned. And not only during life, but even in death itself, did men attempt to hide these hollow pretences beneath the outward signs of reverence due to real worth. These wicked men were " buried " with all the pomp and circumstance of woe. Yet, with all the advantage of these external appearances, carried on even to the grave, they failed to deceive either God or man. " They were forgotten in the city where they had so done." Men soon recovered from any infatuation which their outward splen- dour might have produced. No deeds of love and kindness made them dear to memory, and the world soon consented to let their names die. The wickedness of those men was so manifest that they were hypocrites without deceiving. Posterity covered them with shame and disgrace. II. That it Continues, though Some thereby are Emboldened to Sin. (Verse 11.) In the moral government of God, as it is carried on in the present world, punishment does not fall upon the sinner speedily. Even that penalty with which some sins are visited in this life is often long delayed. It would seem as if sin was not interfered with — that there are in the world no sufiicient tokens that the Divine Justice is likely to be exact and rigorous. This long-suffering of God, the design of which is to lead men to penitence, is perverted by some into a privilege to sin. The reason of this perversion is not hard to find. 1. There is a feeling that God is indifferent to human conduct. While justice delays, and the course of life seems to run smoothly, the sinner begins to imagine that the moral government of God is, after all, but an empty phrase. The weakness of our moral nature will take advantage of the most slender excuses to continue in a course of sin. Even good men are staggered by the delay of Divine justice to inflict penalty for the crying sins of mankind. In this painful perplexity, they can only find relief in faith, and present comfort in the patience of hope. The long-suffering of God is their salvation (2 Pet. iii. 15) ; but with the sinner, it only serves to wear down all moral distinctions, and to blunt the feeling of retribution. 2. There is the excitement of success. The schemes of those " wicked " men had prospered. They gained the object of their ambition. There is a powerful excitement in success. The world worships it, and few men have strength enough to withstand the infatuation. In the 125 CHAP. VIII. IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. intoxication of success, the distinct colours of good and evil fade. Men become the slaves of the nnreal. They heed not the solemn and sober facts of human destiny. III. That it will have an End in Just Retribution. (Verses 12, 13.) The penalty which God's law attaches to sin is not an empty threat, a vain terror held over the human race. A just retribution will come to all at last. " The mill of God grinds slowly, But it grinds exceedingly small." There will be just retribution. 1. For the sinner. The most successful course of sin will have an end, when reckoning will have to be made with Divine justice. *' It shall not be well with the wicked." He cannot have any final success. Sin must lead to unhappiness. God will baniBh it from His sight, and all what is "banished from Him is bereft of peace and joy. 2. For the righteous. " It shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before Him." To " fear God " is the O.T. expression for the state and character of piety. He who is righteous before God does not pervert His kindness, in delaying to inflict the penalties of sin, into license for iniquity. Divine justice may be long delayed ; in the meantime, the foiilest sins grow rank ; and even the good have painful moments of darkness, when faith is difiicult ; still, in the end, it must be well with the righteous, for God will honour and reward all who have meekly toiled that they might be partakers of the Divine nature. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 9. He who studies the moral condition of man in the world will find many stumbling blocks to his faith. Power is a dangerous possession unless it is regulated by goodness. Of this fact the system of slavery is still a conspicuous and terrible proof. That system involves, indeed, many and most formidable evils to its un- happy victims ; and yet, enormous and intolerable as these evils are, they are exceeded by those which the system entails upon the men by whom it is administered and maintained. They, most emphatically, rule over others to their own hurt. Their moral sense is blunted, and all the better feelings of their nature depraved by the sights which the system compels them to wit- ness, and by the deeds which it requires, or at least tempts them to do \_JJu- c/irman]. As the Lord doth for wise ends per- mit wicked men to come to authority over others in the world, so hath He the time when they shall come to it fixed, and how long they shall have it. For it is clear by the consequence of 12<> this ruling, to the person who hath it, that he speaks of wicked men, and the word tiine signifies a set and fixed season, wherein " one man rules over another" [Nisbef^. Verse 10. Death often solves the perplexities of the distressed. The oppressors of mankind are made to yield to the resistless stroke of fate, and so they " cease from troubling." There is a form of hypocrisy which springs from ignorance. Men deceive themselves. But there is an hypocrisy which hides great depravity of soul beneath the appearance of goodness. " I saw the wicked who had come and gone from the place of the holy " — wlio had attended the sanctuary, joined in the worship of God, and cloaked their unrighteousness and oppression under the garb of external piety — who had " come and gone," continuing their hypocritical career in safety, no marks of Divine vengeance visiting them for tiieir awful profanation and odious dis- sembling. I saw them haricd, — the victims of mortality equally with others, having no power more than they in the HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. CHAP. VIII. day of death. I saw them buried^ carried in affecting humiliation and infpotence, to " the house appointed for all living." . . . . They had sought after, and expected perpetual fame ; but men had no pleasure in remembering them ; when out of sight, they were out of mind ; their name and memory rotted with their carcases in the dust [^Vardlaiv]. It has often happened that when the grave has closed upon great oppres- sors, that men have hasted to abolish their laws, and to sweep away all traces of their ambition and pride. In the better state of things which has suc- ceeded, men have been glad to forget the tyrant's name. " This also is vanity ; " this, to make the inward substance of virtue a shadow of outward beauty. This, to have an opinion of holiness, and to be praised for it, but not to deserve it. This, to be flattered or feared being alive, to be hated being dead. This, being present to be remembered, being absent to be forgotten. This, to be Church Chris- tians, the guests of hell in life and con- versation. This, for a while to rule in pride and oppression, and for ever to be slaves to misery and torments [Jermin]. Verse 11. Whatever lies remote from us, in time, fails to affect the mind, or at best affects it but languidly. The delay of the inflictions of Divine justice thus becomes an occasion of indulging in a false security. That which men wish to be true, they are naturally prone to believe. They are fond of thinking that sin will not expose them to such irremediable vengeance as the Bible threatens. They are willing to be persuaded of this ; and they natter themselves into the persuasion by the wiles of a thou- sand sophistries. At first, it may be, they commit sin with a timid heart and a trembling hand. They hesitate long. But at length, though with irresolute tremor, it is done. No harm comes to them. No indications of the anger of heaven follow the deed. They feel themselves safe. And havina; tasted of the sin, it is sweet ; and they desire it again YWardlaiv]. It is the proper mark of an un- regenerate man, void of saving know- ledge and grace, to have his heart fully set in him, without reluctancy or re- morse, to do evil. The regenerate have another principle within them, opposing their sinful motions (Gal. v. 17), check- ing and wounding them, and bringing them to remorse for sin (Rom. vii. 24) \Nishet\. Verse 12. Sin becomes easier the more it is indulged. Fixed and in- tensified by the power of habit, it comes at length to be almost as strong as fate. The sinner, in the long security which is permitted to him, may even seem to have Providence on his side. The frequent success of the ungodly, and their apparent immunity from evil, may be a sore perplexity to the weak who suffer. Yet, if these look to the end, they will see that the good alone triumph. There are great fundamental truths — moral axioms, which cannot be set aside by any diflaculties of speculation. In the midst of mystery and apparent confusion they shine out clearly. It is not a bare conjecture, or mere probability, that the godly have of their future happiness, but it is a certainty, and a firm persuasion wrought in their hearts by the Spirit of God, making them to rest confidently upon His faithful word, and helping them to believe by giving them the first-fruits thereof in hand [_Nishet\. Verse 13. " But it shall not be well with the wicked." Not while he lives, for even when he prospers it is ill with him : the curse of heaven is upon his tabernacle, and it secretly mingles itself with all his enjoyments. Not when he dies, for he has then nothing before him but " a fearful looking for of judgment." Not when he appears before the Judgment Seat, for "the ungodly shall not stand in the judg- ment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous" [Wardlaw\. God's judgments come suddenly. 127 • . CHAP. VIII. IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. Men who have not faith see no signs of that will abide through the untried their approach. The prosperity and scenes and changes which await them, security of the wicked are but that Their glory passes away as a shadow, strange and unnatural calm before a completely dispersed by the light of storm. eternity. The triumphing of the wicked, at When God enters into judgment with best, is but short. Their prosperity has the sinner, the vain show of his worldly in it no element of solid worth — nothing life disappears. MAIN HOMILETICS OF TEE PARAGRAPH.— Verses U— 17. Our Duty Under the Moral Discrepancies of the Present Life. The origin of evil is a profound mystery, but not less so is the permission of evil. These exercise the wisest with painful speculation ; they remain a difficulty and a sore trial, even for the best. Still there is a course of duty which is clear, and a light of faith which is sufficient. There are moral discrepancies in the present life (Verse 14), but they do not set aside great moral duties", and wise efforts to reach after a more satisfactory state of things, which God, in his own good time, shall bring in. Our duty is indicated here. I. We Should Feel their Temporary Character. " I said that this also is vanity." We see the wicked prosper as if they were rewarded for their works, and the good afflicted, a,nd abandoned to cruel wrongs and oppressions, as if they were punished for their righteousness. We must survey this seeming confusion of right and wrong not with wild amazement, but calmly. It is our duty to explore our situation in the world, and to discover what course is best for us. The just man beaten down by calamity, while he beholds the wicked apparently enjoying the rewards of virtue, may feel a strange perplexity. But he has to consider that even this is " vanity.'"'' There is little in it to cause him any permanent anxiety or pain. He may reflect — 1. T/iat these discrepancies exist uncle?' the nde of a Moral Governor who is both wise and good. Physical and moral evil exist in the world. God is both wise and good. We must admit these two facts as beyond debate. However difficult their reconcilement may be, we are bound to believe that no disorders of this present time can obscure those bright attributes of the Divine Nature. The good man has faith in the character of God, and waits till He shall make all clear. 2. Such a condition of tilings cannot he final. To a narrow view, it might appear as if Providence was entirely regardless of moral qualities in human character ; yea, as if the stamp of approval was affixed to wickedness. Yet God's meek and patient children know that these disorders cannot be endured for ever. They are but passing shadows, and the full glory of God will yet shine forth. The stern realities of things will appear in the light of eternity. Slowly the ages pass on for us ; but to the eye of God they are but as " yester- day when it is past, and as a watch in the night." 3. These moral discrepancies have no practical significance for us. If we are the true and faithful servants of God, these things to us are mere vanity. They amount to nothing. If we have a lively sense of the eternal verities, we can afford to despise them. What do they signify for us, since life is so short, and the scenes of retribution so soon to be unfolded ? With such a thought, St. Paul consoles Christians even in slavery ; " Art thou called being a servant {i.e.., a bond-servant — a slave) ? care not for it" (1 Cor. vii. 21). Nothing is of practical significance to the good man but those things that abide. II. We should Enjoy with Contentment the Blessings that Eemain. (Verse 15.) Tlie disordered condition of things may be puzzling ; yea, in some of their aspects, disheartening ; but there arc present blessings. There are great facts and duties appearing in clear light. There is 128 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESTASTES. chap. viii. enough left which we may contentedly and soberly enjoy. 1. This enjoyment is reasonable. " Then I commended mirth because a man hath no better thing under the sun." This is the best and most reasonable course for us, to cultivate a cheerful spirit which gladly enjoys whatever lies within its reach. In the •worst state of things, there are some blessing? remaining ; and if God is the portion of our inheritance, we cannot be entirely destitute. Anxious care only brings torment, and leads to no good. It is the highest prudence to make the best of what lies before us. Besides, the godly are sustained by the consciousness of the good that is reserved for them. 2. It is the safe course. " For that shall abide with him." Changes occur in the outward conditions of life, but the habit of cheei-ful gratitude abides with a man. It is to him an accession of spiritual treasure which the most disastrous reverses of fortune cannot alienate. '6. It is godly. The mirth here commended is not the coarse, thoughtless mirth of the children of this world, but that joy which flows from piety. It is the cheerful acceptance, on the part of the righteous man, of those blessings " which God giveth him under the sun.'' Such a man hath faith in God, and is distinguished by that elevation of character which comes of taking a large and comprehensive view. III. We should Abstain from Fruitless Speculations. (Verses 16, 17.) To enquire into "■ the business that is done upon the earth " is to investigate the "travail" that is connected with human life, action, and fate. But a wise man ■will not allow such speculations unduly to distress his mind, or to attract him from the paths of humble duty. We may say of such enquiries, when pushed beyond the bounds of soberness, 1. Theij are a ivearisome effort. They may be carried so far as to interfere with present enjoyment, and even to rob us of the needful rest of sleep. (Verse 16.) 2. Tlieij are a profitless effort. (Verse 17.) The bottom of the mystery cannot be reached by the greatest labours of the wisest. To know " all the work of God " completely is far beyond our depth. God's great secrets lie hidden. 3. They lead to no good practical result. That restless curiosity and impatience of mystery, which is the temptation of some minds, does but weaken the capacity for duty and humble trust in God. In the mazes of speculation a man may lose the clear sight of what lies before him. It is best to do what is close at hand, and to await in faith and hope the disclosures of futurity. 4. They interfere with our spiritual life. It is the plan of God to begin with what is comparatively imperfect, and to proceed to greater perfection. Thus chaos was before order, and darkness before light. This life is but the commencement of our existence, and it is marked by imperfection. Yet this imperfection is necessary to the life of faith. The full vision, which the future shall alone disclose, would interfere with that life. If we can see but one step before us, it is enough. Light, in the fulness of it, is a reward " sown for the righteous." It is an " inheritance " reserved and guarded for us while we are in our minority, but into whose full possession we shall cone when we have attained to the full manhood of our existence. Col. i. 12. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 14. Look at Joseph in the bleeding, when he has been all but dungeon. He has been a disciple stoned to death at the gates of Lystra, of heavenly wisdom. He has re- or writhing under the cruel and igno- sisted a strong temptation to sic, and minious scourge at Philippi, or dragged it has happened to him according to through the streets and beaten by the the work of the wicked. He is loaded infuriated populace at Jerusalem. Or, with reproach and shame — he is left to once more, take a far more illustrious languish in prison, either forgotten or example than either of these — look at despised. Look at Paul bruised and Him who was the very impersonation K 129 CHAP. viir. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. and living embodiment of wisdom. Was He not all His life long a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief ? Was He not despised and rejected of men ? And did He not terminate His earthly career upon a malefactor's cross ? God rewards His people with better things than the perishing good of this life. The righteous are often taught by the course of Providence that godli- ness cannot be turned to outward gain. It is not certain that even the best men will have prosperity in this life, or any external reward of goodness. How vain thea to set our hearts upon that which is not, and to lose sight of a certain and enduring reward ! The seeming confusion of good and evil in the world is part of the vanity of our present state. Faith sees this old order passing away and giving place to the new. The sons of God shall yet be delivered from this vanity. Verse 15. The measure of a man's earthly prosperity, and of the success of his labour, is a matter of complete uncertainty, but a cheerful and con- tented spirit, disposed to enjoy what- ever portion is sent, is a sui'e and con- stant blessing. The secret of happiness, as far as it depends on the things of time, is to enjoy prjsperity cheerfully, and without the irksome and depres- sing ai)prchensions tf an anxious mind, as long as it continues ; and if it is lessened or withdrawn, still to receive our diminished and stinted supplies with the same cheerful and buoyant gratitude ; thus making the best of that which, both in its degree and its continuance, is so proverbially uncer- tain. Amidst all changes, this happy frame of spirit may be preserved [ Wardiaw]. Our labour is often in vain, our works perish ; but the habit of chcertul- ness, arising from the conviction that our portion of life is from God, abides with us. The possessions of the mind and soul survive all outward changes. : Of our labour, the most valuable 130 remaining product — saved, as it were, from the wreck of it — is the spiritual dispositions which it has served to gene- rate in us. He who manifests the spirit of a pious and sober joy is imitating one of the qualities of the Divine nature. The reward of heaven consists in the enter- ing into God's own joy. The Preacher having spoken of the oppressions of the wicked, and of the troubles of the righteous, here he shovveth a good remedy against them, and an excellent carriage in them. •■' Then I commended mirth ; " when he had considered the troubles of man's life, then he commended cheerfulness as a thing worthy of praise in itself; he commended it unto men as a thing bringing much good imto them. And this it is which the prophet David com- mended, "Serve the Lord with glad- ness, come before His presence with singing " [^Jennin'], Verse 16. That wisdom which is possible to man can only be attained by the earnest application of all our powers. He who engages in the study of the condition and character of man has laid upon himself a diflicult and pain- ful task. He has accepted the burden of humanity, thus attracting upon him- self the penalty of restless anxiety and the sorrows of a disappointing search after that which must for ever lie beyond his reach. The unreflecting multitude, whose minds are never exercised on such questions at all, have no conception of the amount both of time and effort which it costs to master them. They do not know, though it is a fact, that there are men who, in handling such profound problems as the mysteries of Divine Providence, in connection with the state and prospects of the human race, present, " neither day nor night see sleep will their eyes [_Jj(ichaiian.]. Verse 17. There are works of God quite beyond the range of our observa- tion, and which, therefore, we cannot fathom. But even those works of God HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. CIIAF. IX. whicli concern human affairs, though they lie near and about us, are beyond our capacity fully to explore. A wise man may be tempted to im- patience of mystery, and thus weary himself with fruitless endeavours to rest on the much-desired ground of ultimate truths. But it is the highest wisdom contentedly to accept the fact of our ignorance. Mere human reason could do nothing to explain the origin or the existence, under the government of an all-wise, almighty, and infinitely righteous God, of a state of things in which it should ever happen to just men to be treated according to the deserts of the wicked, or to wicked men to be treated accord- ins: to the deserts of the righteous. There is no human philosophy that could ever have thrown one ray of true and satisfying light on an anomaly so great. Even divine revelation itself, though it tells us how it came to pass, does not tell us why this was permitted. That it was permitted for God's glory, we do indeed confidently infer and un- hesitatingly believe, because that is and must be the grand final cause of all things. But still, as regards the prin- ciple that is to harmonize the existence of sin and misery in God's universe with the infinite perfections of His own being, it is altogether hidden from us — it is far above and beyond the grasp, at least in its present feeble condition, of any human mind \_Ba- chauaii]. CHAPTER IX. Critical Notes. — 2. One event.] An equal chance or happening — the wisest and best "having no special destiny (chap. ii. 14, 15, and iii. I'J). Chance, in this use of the word, is not opposed to Providence, but is a term employed to signify the impotence of all human effort to secure any certain result. He that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.] The profane and frivolous swearer as well as he who respects the sacredness of an oath. 6. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy is now nerished.] The author keeps before him, for his present purpose, those gioomv views of the state of the dead belonging to the earlier revelation. The souls that are detained in the prison-house of death are regarded as having but a quasi exist- ence, in which all thought and feeling have become so inert as to be scarcely perce])tiblc. A loftier conception of the destiny of the human spirit after death is given in chap xii. 7. 8. Let thy garments he always white ; and let thy head lack no ointment ] No literal observance of these circumstances of external appearance is intended ; but rather an exhortation to indulge those calm and pure emotions of joy, of which white garments and a face which oil causes to shine arc the well-known symbols. 10. For there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor ■wisdom, in the grave whither thou goest.] This may be coni])ared with the saying of our Lord in John ix. Jr. The grave.] The unseen state to which thou art hastening. 12. Knoweth T30t hi s time.] Hknows not the hour of his destruction, when he shall be suddenly snared and taken by death. This solemn crisis in man's destiny is called in Scripture the " day " (Jol) xviii. '20), the "hour" (Mark xiv. 41). As the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare. The net, trap, and snare are symbols of those divine judgments which suddenly overtake men (Ez. xii. 13, xxxii. 3; Prov. vii. 23 ; Luke xxi. .35). 13. This wisdom.] The special instance of the power of wisdom related in the next ver.se. 14. Few men within it.] Not a city with a scanty population, but one possessing only a few fitting men capable of defending it. 18. One sinner destroyeth much good.] One who is gifted with great physical energy, but destitute of wisdom. The coarsest (qualities — the tierca Jittributes of the wild beast — are sufficient for the work of destruction. k2 131 CHAP. IX. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 1—6. The Seeming IjirEUFECxiON of God's Moral Government. By imperfection, as applied to God's Moral Government, we may understand either that it has some fault or fatal defect ; or else that it lacks completeness,, and is still but rudimentary. It is only in this latter sense that the system of God's dealings with men can be charged with imperfection. This view, however, is not insisted upon here. The writer sets aside, for the moment, the future world. Viewed merely from this life, "the action of Providence over human affairs seems to be detective. How does such an idea arise ? I. It is suggested by the fact that the Righteous and the Wicked are Subjected to an Equal Fate. (Verses 2, 3.) 1. Li regard to the events and experiences of life. iSome appear to be the favourites of fortune. But in this distribution of the world's goods we fail to discern, in every case, the rewards of virtue. The richest gifts the world can afford often fall to the lot of the most unworthy. The righteous are some- times prosperous, but so are the wicked. The pure and holy share the same earthly lot with the defiled. Thedespisers of religion have quite as good a portion in this life as those who revere God's holy law. The profane are not frowned upon by Providence : those who reverence God are not outwardly distinguished by any special regard. Take the whole variety of human experience — joys and sorrows, prosperity and adversity, success, disappointment, and failure, health and sick- ness — they come alike to all. The righteous are not distinguished by any special fate. It would seem as if the fortunes of men were assigned to them by a blind chance, or by some reckless Power. 2. In regard to the expectation fr'om life, No man can have any ground to expect that his portion in the time that remains to him will compensate for the evils of the past. Time brings no power to adjust the unequal distribution of good and evil. " No man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them.'' No man can assure himself of a prosperous future on the ground of his moral excellence. lie does not know in advance whether God will grant him love or hatred ; whether his life will be cheered by the one, or vexed and tormented by the other, o. In regard to tlie necessitij of death. Righteousness does not deliver from death. The quickening of the soul by the infusion of spiritual life does not preserve the body from decay, or purchase exemption from the dishonour of the grave. " The body is dead because of sin " is a stern decree which even the closest union with Christ cannot set aside. There are times when the shadow of this terrible necessity darkens and troubles lives in which immortal hope is strong. The Avisest and purest must pay the debt of nature alike with the imgodly and the fool. Death to our human eye, uninformed by a better light, seems to level all moral dis- tinctions and to destroy the hope of righteous reward. II. This has a Morally Injinious Effect upon Some. (Verse 3.) The apparent disregard of Providence to moral distinctions of character causes some to rush upon courses of evil. This may arise, 1. From the loss of faith in God's rectitude. Those who stumble against appearances in the moral world easily resign themselves to the belief, either that God is altogether absent from this scene of man, or quite indifferent to the conduct of His creatures. A man may brood over the moral diihculties of our present state until God vanishes from his view. Even where the truth of God's existence cannot be wlu)lly erased from the mind, the consciousness of his rectitude is so faintly marked that men indulge in sin without restraint. Goodness can stand any test so long as it retains the conviction that " the Judge of all the earth will do right." When this conviction is gone, what is there left to make virtue worth a sacrifice ? 2. From the iveakcninj of the motives of moral conduct. There are some who admit 132 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTEiS. chap. ix. a Providence, and that there is a tendency discoverable in the present state of things towards perfection. This belief, however, is so feeble that it has scarcely any perceptible influence upon the conduct. Practically, they are without faith in God. They hold no belief that is effective as a restraint in the ways of •wickedness. The strange folly of their lives is so manifest that it may be charged with madness. The end of this scene is as melancholy as its course was sad and unprofitable. "After that, they go to the dead." III. In spite of this Imperfection, Men prefer the Present Life to the seeming Extinction of Exist- ence in the Grave. (Verses 4, 5, G.) The dead appear to be at rest. In poetic moods, men may long for the quiet of the grave. But in the calm deliberation of thought they shrink from the idea of oblivion rushing upon their souls. They prefer life with all its disadvantages to that vague uncertainty which belongs to the state of the dead. 1. Life always affords room for hope. (Verse 4.) While life remains, men may always look for a better state of things. They derive some satisfaction from resigning the rectification of their fortunes into the hands of time. The sick man hopes for recovery, though hard against the warrant of appearances, and stays himself upon that hope until the end. Mankind have felt that the light of life, even when but glimmering in the socket, lends a ray to hope. This has passed into a proverb. The meanest thing that lives is better than the noblest when dead. The poorest and most forlorn living man has no cause to envy the most wealthy and renowned when he is laid in the grave. 2. The present life has the advantage of certainty. That which is remote from us in space or future time makes but a languid impression. We may contemplate the darkness that rests upon the state of man beyond the grave until the mind is overshadowed with gloom and belief dies. Even the Royal Preacher, for the moment, resigns himself to the dreariest view of the destiny of man. Life has many advantages. (1.) There is the fact of consciousness. "■ The living know that they shall die." This is but a melancholy knowledge, yet the consciousness of possessing it yields some satisfaction. Man shrinks from the very idea of his thought and feeling being quenched in eternal midnight. To all outward ap- pearance, the dead are for ever still — stripped of all that distinguishes and adorns life. They know nothing. The consciousness of knowing the facts of life, though some of them are painful, we cherish as a pui-e enjoyment ; and the thought of letting it go disturbs us. While we are alive, it is possible to feel and know that we are dealt with by some Superior Power ; but the dead appear to have completely done with a retributive Providence. (2.) There is the fact of posses jing a recognised 2^l(cce among the living. While we are numbered with the inhabitants of this world we have our circle of influence, be it great or small. The most insignificant must occupy some place in the thoughts and feelings of others^ and act, and be acted upon, in turns. But the presence of the dead is re- moved from us, they soon cease to affect us, and at length slip entirely from the remembrance of the living. (3.) There is the conscious play of the passions and emotions. (Verse 6.) Love, hatred, and envy, with the mixture of joy and pain they involve, afford evidence of conscious life. Whether for good or baneful influence, they minister to the luxury of feeling. But, to all appeai'ance, no emotion heaves the bosom of the dead. They seem powerless to awaken any response to love, they are conscious of no affront to stir the rage of hatred, or of rivalry to kindle the fires of envy. They are deaf alike to the voice of censure and of fame. " Can honour's voice provoke the silent dust, Or flattery soothe the dull cold ear of death T' IV. This Imperfection should not be an Insurmountable Obstacle to Faith. (Verse 1.) It may be admitted that, in the scheme of Providence, there is much to try our faith. There are times in the lives of most believers when the darkest 133 CHAP. IX, HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. doubts take possession of the soul. Witness John the Baptist in prison, who after the clearest evidence of the Messiah's claims, was yet disturbed by doubt, and sent two of his disciples for fresh and surer evidence, (Matt. xi. 2 — 6.) Still, though the darkness that lies over the f utui'e, and the oppression of life's mystery, try faith severely, yet God granted to men, even in times of imperfect revela- tion, firm supports for faith to lean upon. " The righteous, and the tvise, and their works, are in the hands of God." Therefore they can afford calmly to wait. He will not disappoint their hope, nor quench in the long silence of the grave their yearnings for eternal life. The strong faith that we are in the hands of God can clear the barriers of the tomb, and find beyond them a sure place whereon to rest for ever. We have our tniest refuge in the character of God, If we cherish the belief in His goodness ; no difficulties, no evils, nor even the shadow of death, can affright us. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 1, The hand of God is not the symbol of mere power, but of power subdued and controlled by infinite wisdom and goodness. It is a hand that will gather the righteous to the bosom of their Father, When God holds us by His right hand, we may well cherish the blessed confidence that he will " afterwards receive us to glory." (Ps. Ixxiii. 24.) Not only the works of the righteous, but themselves, are in the hands of God. Much of their work may perish, as being valueless and not able to en- dure the final test, but they themselves shall abide for ever. The solemn committal of the spirit into the hands of God is the last pious duty alive. The fact that we are in the hands of God, as controlled by the Supreme Power, is one thing, but the felt con- viction of it is another. When we awake to the consciousness that we have a living Director, we can pass through the most troubled darkness without fear. Though His Providence docs present a mystery to our limited faculties, yet He is not forgetful of those who fear Him. They and their works are neither unknown, nor unregarded : and He will one day make it fully manifest that His whole procedure has perfectly ac- corded Avith His character [Wardlaw']. They are kept safe in the hand of God ; and that luind which now keepcth 134 them, will at last reach forth a glorious reward unto them [Jerrninl. The highest moral excellence cannot assure its possessor of hviman regard and love. Even the flower of humanity was constrained to say, " They hated me without a cause." Verse 2. The true moral worth of men must not be estimated by the light of their outward fate. Righteousness can deliver no one fi'ora the necessity of enduring the sad variety of human experience. This life is not the last act in the great drama of human history. It is not here and now that men are receiving the due reward of their deeds. After that curtain shall have fallen that is destined to cover up and close the latest of the shifting scenes of time, it will rise once more to bring into view a vaster, grander, and more awful stage than time ever displayed [Biichana}i]. Verse 3, Those stern outward con- ditions in which all men are bound, irrespective of character, furnish a proof of some present disorder, and raise in pious souls the expectation of Divine interference to restore to goodness true place and reward, A wise man does not hesitate to recognise obvious evils. He feels the oppression of life's strange mystery, as the same has been felt by such saints, as Job and Asaph. He is not driven nOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. CHAP. IX. to melanclioly and despair, for he is sustained by a better hope. He is not driven to mad rebellion, for he fears God. The morfil mystery of our present life is a trial which God has appointed for man. If we endure it wisely and well, He rewards our faith with plentiful consolation, giving us peace in the depths of our soul. If we fail herein, we are either driven to despair or to the wildest courses of sin. The heart distributes the power of sin within us, by which it corrupts the life and fills the world with evils. The moral madness of sinners shows itself in foolish and impossible thoughts of God and His ways, and in foolish contrivances for their own deliverance. Every act of sin, being an act of rebellion against the infinite God, is an act of madness ; of infatuated, and impotent, and self- destroying frenzy. All worldlincss of spirit, being a pre- ference in affection and pursuit of temporal to eternal things, is madness ; far beyond the derangement of the maniac who throws away gold for stones, and prefers straw to pearls and jewels [ Wardlauf\ . Repining against God and his Pro- vidence, because they cannot longer enjoy their sinful pleasures, they carry their sins with them to the very gates of death [Nisbet']. Verse 4. While life remains, for the sinner there is the hope of amendment and restoration — for the exiles of for- tunes, the hope of returning. To living man there is no gloom so oppres- sive but that some ray of hope may struggle through. Life suggests the idea of liberty, of some large space to move and work in. While it is continued, the range of possibilities for us is wide. We think of death as putting an arrest upon our liberty — in some sense a prison for man. The meanest living man possesses a superiority over the mightiest dead, in having life itself, and power, and con- sciousness, and feeling, and enjoyment; which with regard to th^ dead, viewed in their relation to this world, are all at an end ; and equally at an end, whatever their power and eminence while they lived [ WarcUaw~\. The superior value and importance of life may be regarded either as the justification of a course of self-indul- gence and pleasurable sin, or as a motive for diligence in that work which can only be done in this world. There is a mean and also a noble view of man's existence ; and as we take one or the other, so the significance of this proverb may be determined. Verse 5. The consciousness of exist- ence is a necessary truth — the surest and most intimate knowledge we possess. This one fact gives import- ance and value to all others. Existence, though it implies the knowledge of the saddest facts, is yet a positive good when compared with the total loss of conscious, being. To the eye of sense the dead seem bei-eft of all thought, feeling, and motion. There are appearances enough — for those who are under the tyranny of them — to justify the darkest scepti- cism and boldest defiance of future retribution. As far as the opportunities, duties, and experiences of this life are con- cerned, the dead are completely severed from us. Even the poetical existence which memory gives them at length fades away. Limited as is the view here given of the change death makes in the con- dition of those who have lived and died without God — for it is of them, as the context plainly implies, that Solomon is speaking — it is sufficiently humbling and awful. From the moment they die, their connection with this world is at an end. This world was their all, and they have lost it. They know nothing of it now. Its rewards cannot reach them in the grave. Their very name and memory soon pass away out of the world altogether [Buchanan^. Verse 6. They are utterly impotent ; they have no power whatever remain- ing, either to profit or to hurt, and are 135 CHAP. IX. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. neither courted for the one, nor feared rage of human passions which, so far for the other. Their power to benefit as they can affect us, are totally extin- and to injure is alike gone. The guished in the grave, objects of their love can derive from Man is destined to a continuity of it no advantage, nor can the victims of existence, but in his progress through their hatred and envy sustain from it, as one door is opened before him, them any damage; While they lived, another closes behind. Whatever their favour might be courted, and its awaits man in the future world, the effects desired; their displeasure depre- severance from this world is most com- cated, their hatred and envy dreaded, plete. and the consequences of them anxiously These gloomy views of the state of shunned. But their mere names have the dead are modified by the later no charm, either of blessing or of curse. Revelation — their sadness relieved by The ashes of the grave can do neither Christian hope ; yet death, in some evil nor good. . . . Their portion sense, does reign over all until the of enjoyment is gone for ever. Death resurrection. When " this mortal puts is not a temporary absence, but an on immortality," only then is the vic- eternal adieu l^Wardlaw^. tory of man over the grave corn- How little have we to fear from the plete. MAIN HOMILEriCS OF Tllb: PARAGRAPH.— Verses 7—10. The Unsatisfactoky" Conditions of the Pkesent Life in their Bearing UPON Duty. The Preacher had shown that the ways of God to man are full of dark mystery. This has been a terrible oppression to many — to some even a fatal one. We must admit that man's present condition is unsatisfactory ; for it is rudimentary. It is on the way to perfection. The dark enigma of life, however, should not be a fatal obstacle to duty. Of the unsatisfactory conditions of the present life, we affirm — I. They do not Forbid a Joyful Acceptance and Use of the Blessings of Providence. (Verses 7, 8, 9.) The habit of dwelling exclusively upon the dark side of things is hurtful to the soul. We are either driven to melancholy and despair, or else to the mad pursuit of pleasure by which we seek to drown all anxiety and care. There is a safe middle way between these two extremes, by which we avoid gloom and despair, on the one hand, and a reckless pursuit of pleasure, on the other hand. We should thankfully accept the blessings of Providence, and use them with sobriety. The consciousness that God " ac- cepteth " our " works " should bo at once the impulse and the director of our joy (Verse 7). The constant reference to God, and the intention of pleasing liim, will sanctify all life. There are three sources of enjoyment referred to here, which we may soberly and thankfully use. 1. T//e satisfaction of the appetites. (Verse 7.) Our physical wants are a fact of our nature which we must accept. They crave for satisfaction. These natural endowments, as they arise from tho appointment of the Creator, ai'e not sinful in themselves. They only become the occasion of sin by unlawful indulgence. The bounty of the Great Giver has furnished means for the satisfaction of our common wants, even ministering to the most delicate perceptions of taste and gladdening tho heart of man. 2. The taste for outward beaatij. (Verse 8.) There are outward forms, the contem- plation of which gives an exquisite and refined pleasure. Thus the ornaments of dress minister to the instinct of beauty and harmony. The Creator, in His works, has not only studied utility, but has even prepared those graces and ornaments which wait upon our perception of elegance. He has placed this instinct in the human breast. We may indulge it if we only do so with mo- deration, remembering that outward beauty has no iuQnite capacity to please. It is a joy which is bounded, and God alone is the soul's pure and permanent ROMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTICS. chap. ix. delight. 3. Domestic joys. (Verse 9.) The various relations of life, whether we are born to their possession, or enter them by choice, minister to our social en- joyments. They tend to abate the natural selfishness of the human heart and to multiply and exalt our pleasures. These are the gifts of God — they are our *' portion " here. They serve for awhile to lift our minds above the over- whelming sense of the vanity of life. We can use such joys if we remember that they too are fleeting, and that the only sure and abiding portion for the soul is God. " The fashion " — the outward form, scheme, or arrangement — " of this world passeth away." (1 Cor. vii, 31.) II. They do not Forbid pro- per Zeal and Diligence in the Work of Life. (Verse 10.) We may dwell upon the dark things of life until we are driven to despair, and des2)air paralyses effort. Weak hands and feeble knees accompany melancholy. Whatever be the tendencies and issues of things — the ultimate solution of this mystery — we have great practical duties to perform. 1. We should accept the task and duty lying nearest to %is. It is in vain to sit still and wait for some congenial task to fall in our way. There are duties enough lying to our hand. No man has need to be idle for lack of a task, 2, We should be earnest in our work. The most exalted natures are distinguished by the highest activity — God, who works in and through all — the angels., who are quick and strong to do His will. Throughout the whole course of nature we observe unwearied activity. Creation preaches to us, saying, be earnest. The illustrious names of history who have won a distinction that will never die exhort us to industiy. Such is the price we have to pay for all possessions that are of true and abiding worth. 3. We have a strong motive for such earnestness. Whatever may lie before us in the future, there are certain kinds of work which can only be done in this world. While the work is before us and our faculty is fresh, all is fluent to our hands ; but when our life's day is ended, all becomes rigid — fixed in the solemn stillness of eternity I There are forms of work and of knowledge which are only possible here. If we disregard them, there will be no chance afforded us to repair the omission. Even Christ himself, during his earthly sojourn, came under this law. There was a woi'k which even He could do only in this world. (John ix. 4.) He felt that in His mortal day His allotted task must be accomplished. The grave is the dark terminus of our earthly work. III. They do not Destroy our Hope of Eeward. From the appearances of this life we may draw the hasty conclusion that there is no i-eward for goodness hereafter, no vindication of suffering innocence. It seems as if this troubled drama of human history must repeat itself endlessly throughout the ages. But we have to reflect, 1. That tve stand in a present relation to God. If we are good in His sight, He accepts our works now. He receives them as the homage of our gratitude, and pieces out our imp 'rfections with His goodness. We may well hope that that goodness has provided for us the larger gift of immortality. God will not permit us to know Him and work for Him through the brief space of life, and then blot us out of exist- ence for ever. 2. W-e have reason to hope that loe shall stand in a future relation to Him. If we can say with the Psalmist, " God, Thou art my God " (Psa. Ixiii. 1), we may well hope that He shall be our portion for ever, that He shall redeem us from the power of the grave. The majesty of God requires that He shall make His servants rich, not only by the bestowal of gifts by which they serve Him, but also in the heritage of eternal life, so that they may serve Him for ever. Therefore, though the way be dark, we can have light enough for duty ; and unfading hope to assure us that there is for us a higher service in other worlds. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 7. The mystery of God's of His goodness, the proofs of which moral Government should not render are full and manifest, our sight insensible to the impressions The Almighty Maker of all things 137 CHAP. IX. nOMlLETlC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. intended tliat the beauty of His works should make an appeal to mind and heart. In like manner, He intends that the gifts of His hand should awaken in us the emotions of gratitude and joy. Wlien God accepts our works, the commonest actions of our life become sanctified. Though faith be sorely tried by appearance?, yet God is on the side of the rigiiteous, givinc; them tokens of acceptance and reserving greater things for them. We must learn to live before we can live rightly and well. With us, " that which is natural " forces itself upon us as our first care. Afterwards that which is spiritual. Wherefore those ordinary gifts of Providence by which we are constantly delivered from death deserve the instant tribute of our praise and joy, Moses putting his hand into his bosom took it out leprous, putting it again into his bosom, he took it out clean. The hand is the instrument of working, and the works of man are sometimes leprous and unsoiind, some- times healthy and good. If they pro- ceed from a sincere and honest heai-t, ■which God approveth, then they are sound and healthy ; but if they come from a corrupt heart, and be done for the pleasing of men, then they are leprous and unsound. Now it is a healthy and sound body that is fittest for mirth and freest in mirth, it is a healthy and sound body that eateth and drinketh most cheerfully. Wherefore seeing where God acccpteth thy works, there is health and soundness, let there also be freeness of joy and mirth \_Jcrmin\. Verse 8. Cheerfulness should be the soul's habit, and joy the prevailing ex- pression of the soul's countenance. God gives His people the oil of joy to assuage their grief, and fits them for the feast of His pleasures by the garments of praise. The notion of pleasure seems in- variably associated with the practice; and it was aptly indicated by the rich- lo8 ness and freshness, and, in many cases, by the aromatic fragrance, of the balsamic unguents. " Let thy head lack no ointment " is equivalent to — Kejoice in the bounty and loving- kindness of the Lord; "let not thy heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." And the expression '• let thy garments be alwaj/s white " is of the same account with the Apostolic ex- hortation, "Rejoice evermore!" Take the enjoyment of whatever the hand of a kind Providence bestows, with a grateful and cheerful spirit; not with selfishness or extravagance, or thought- less mirth ; but with benevolence and sobriety, and with that true joy which is independent of the possessions of time, which, coming from above, in- fuses into the things of earth a relish of heaven, and would continue to be the inmate of the pious soul, though they were all removed [WarcUaiv^. Christ was anointed with the oil of joy, although he lived under the shadow of a great calamity. All noble souls have a deep and intimate joy which no disasters can dislodge. Verse 9. The disciples of wisdom affect no refinement beyond the ordi- nances of God. We should joyfully use those solaces which God's Providence has provided for us as a peaceful retreat from the tumultuous scenes of life, "Here love liis golden shafts employs, here lights His constant lamp, and -waves his purple wings — Here roigns and revels " [Paradise Lost]. The moral character of nations is determined by the purity and integrity of domestic life. The home is the support, the forerunner, the very material of the State and Church. The righteous man, by beautifying and sanctifying homo, is the real safety and hope of his country. We should look upon the joys of domestic life as the earthly reward of our labour, our measured portion of happiness here, and the gift of God. The sense of time fast speeding on to eternity haugs over the most endearing HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. CHAP. IX» scenes of life, and at times touches thoughtful miuds with overwhelmiug emotion. By the repetition of the last words we are expressly taught that, in the midst of the vanity and travail with which human existence is burdened, we are pressiugly summoned not to seal up the sources of enjoyment which still remain open to us [Hengstenberg]. The consideration of the vanity and shortness of their life, and of the mise- ries incident to it, though it should not provoke them to excess of sensual delights, yet it should incite them to a more cheerful use of these comforts, that, seeing their time is short, they may have the more strength and en- couragement to serve the Lord cheer- fully. For while Solomon is pressing upon men a cheerful and free use of outward comforts, he minds them twice of the vanity of their life, which, in the midst of these things, they are ready to forget, and makes the same a reason pressing the cheerful use of their allowance [^Nisbet]. Verse 10. The melancholy and gloom which deep thought awakens is dissi- pated by the active exertion of our powers in duty. Whatever is dark and mysterious in man's present state, his work, and the obligation to perform it, are quite clear and evident. It is better to spend his energy upon what is certain than to tor- ment himself with the pain of speculation. That the opportunity is short is a motive for diligent exertion in our work, but not the strongest motive ; which the notion of our state hereafter, dependiog upon our work here, alone supplies. Therefore this exhortation requires, though it does not formally state, the doctrine of a future life. Death is truly an unclothing of man^ who, though his being is continuous,, must put aside what he cannot resume again. There are duties to be per- formed, talents and powers to be used,, which are peculiar to the present state ;. they must altogether be put off witli our mortal life. Though sus.ained by immortal hope, it is salutary to reflect upon the physical, side of death, and learn from thence diligence in the duty of the moment, or even console ourselves by the melan- choly prospect of its long repose. What- ever the state of the dead may be, it is- certain that it is night to us, as far as some kinds of work and modes of know- ledge are concerned. Nothing that has been neglected here- can be attended to there. If we fail to. perform a duty in this life, there will be no opportunity of performing it in the place of the dead. If we have errors to confess, or wrongs to repair — if we have any bad influence to undo,, or any good influence to employ — if we have any evil habits to unlearn, or any gracious tendencies to cultivate, now is- the time [^Buchanan']. Man's characteristic is restlessness; restlessness foretells his immortality ;. and a sluggard by his apathy seems to destroy the mark, and silence the pro- phecy. But if confined to other thiugs, indolence may not be absolutely fatal ; the indolent man may have wealth which, secures him against want ; and by the occasional exercise of rare talents he may, in spite of habitual sluggishness, even attain to some measure of distinction. But an indolent Christian — it is a sort of contradiction — Christianity is Indus-- try spiritualised [3Ielvill]. Diligence in our earthly and heavenly callings is the surest way through mys- tery and darkness up to God. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 11—12. The Higher Will in Human Things. I. That Will is Supreme over Human Actions. (Verse 11.) The will of man is the force that apparently directs and controls his earthly history. It seems to make him an independent being. He boasts of his freedom, exerts himself to CHAP. IX. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. satisfy liis ambition, or to minister to his pleasiires. Yet man is impotent. Tiiere is a Higher Will which through all the changes of human history is being accom- plished. 1. Tltere is a Divine disposition of launan things altogctlier heijond our control. " Time and chance happeneth to them all." There are times and seasons in our lives. We have no power to control their order or duration. Each man too has his " chance " which " happeneth " to him. Chance is not used here as opposed to Providence, as if man were the sport of some uncertain and irresponsible dominion, but it is opposed to human effort, whose results ai-e shaped by a Higher Power than the will and energy of man. We spend our little strength and faculty in devising for ourselves ; but the ultimate result of our actions, their permanent shape, is devised and finished by the Divine power. Thus God is over all, even in regard to the production and result of those actions in which we consider ourselves most free. 2. Human efforts of ten fail though ever so fittinglij contrived. (Verse 11.) " I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, &c." Foi-tune sometimes gives denial to our expectation founded upon the likelihood or natural tendency of things. It must be admitted that superior powers of running ai-e of prime importance to a racer, and tend to ensure his success ; that numbers and strength give a superior advantage in battle ; that the gifts of wisdom, understanding, and skill, raise a man to superior eminence, enlarge his authority and iniliience, and furnish him with the means of securing distinction and competence. But these several gifts and faculties are so com- plicated with disturbing elements, over which men have no control, that they often fail of success. The most agile racer, and surest of the victor's crown, may stumble, or be seized by bodily faintness, and thus fail of his prize. An army superior in discipline and numbers may be defeated. Some diiliculty of climate or of position, or the caprices of some strange accidents, may turn the fortunes of war. How often it has happened that disease has proved more destructive than the sword, and that victories which national vanity has ascribed to coui-age and skill, were chiefly owing to the accidental advantage of health. The wise man ought to attain to that distinction to which his talents entitle him, but that many such have altogether failed, the sad examples of history show. The wise man may have some unfortunate disposition of mind or of temper that may ruin his prospect of success. Great skill and understanding may be so combined with follies and absurdities that their possessor may fail to secure the proper rewards of them. Adverse circumstances may hinder him from taking his true place, or enjoying his proper reward. He may be hindered from rising by social surroundings, and thus consigned to neglect. Thus events do not always happen according to the natural tendencies of human eflbrt and skill. Let a man have ever so" great advantage, yet as to the future he is literally sure of nothing. There are qualities likely to secure success, but whether they will do so in any given case, we cannot know. The issues of all human thoughts and labours are with God, who accomplishes His will, not only in the obedient and fluent elements of the physical universe, but also in the troubled and refractory elements of the moral world. II. That Will is Supreme over Human Life. We have seen that the dominion of God is supreme over all that life contains. The same also is true of the bounds of life itself. 1. Tlie time of each mans death is hidden from him. (Verse 12.) No man knows at what time death will over- take him. The probability that out of a given number of men, now alive, a certain number will die within a fixed period of years, may be calculated. But no refinement of analysis can show whether any given individual will be dead at a stated time. Men may have some vague and melancholy fancy that they will die at a certain time of life, but the fact very rarely justilies the presentiment. The mariner can calculate his distance from the desired haven, as he uears it from day to day, but no man can compute his distance from the shores of eternity. As icnorant as the fishes are of the net, or as the birds are of the snare, so 140 ROMILETIC COMMENTARY : ECCLESIASTICS. CHAP. IX. are men of the time of their capture and destruction by the great enemy. 2. Tlie maimer of each man's death is hidden from hhn. There are many ways to death, but each man is ignorant by which of these he shall go down to the silent house of darkness. It may be suddenly, by some unforeseen acci- dent, or delayed through the slow and painful stages of a wasting sickness. He may die at home, or among strangers in a strange laud. He may die upon the great highway of the waters, and sink into the vast sepulchre of the sea. The proverb says, '' Surely in vain the net is spiead in the sight of any bird " (Prov. i. 17). The bird is ignorant of the design of such a conti-ivance ; so man, though he may see the snares of death preparing, knows not that they are laid with fatal intent for him. Thus, while there is room left for our actions and our skill to work out their issues, our sovereignty over them is limited. They take themselves at length out of our dominion, and become fashioned to the dictates of a higher will. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 11. The best and most skil- fully directed efforts may fail to secure the result aimed at, because they may come into collision with events quite beyond our control. The fortune of war may be deter- mined by a slight circumstance, alto- gether unknown and unsuspected, and so the stream of events for a nation may suddenly take a new course. Human history is but a resultant of many forces, of which the power and skill of man is but a part. Hence through the complex system of human life. Providence works out those de- signs which are above and beyond man. " Time and chance " are necessai'y in order to ensure success, even for the most skilful and wise. There must be a suitable season, and a favourable con- currence of circumstances, or else the time will be out of joint and nothing will work. Superior skill and understanding are naturally fitted to secure the best results of success and prosperity. But who can ensure his health, and yet how much depends upon this ? Chance is a term denoting ignorance, not on God's part, but on ours. It has been happily defined, although by a poet, yet without a poet's fiction, — " direction which we cannot see." The blind Goddess of Fortune is but the creation of a foolish and ungodly fancy. Without our Heavenly Father, " a sparrow falleth not to the ground '^ [ Wardlauq. The wise man by some unfortunate combination of circumstances may be reduced to want. The man of under- standing. — the man, for example, most conversant with both the materials and the principles of commerce — may never come to wealth. Unforeseen events may derange his plans, and disappoint his calculations. Unpropitious seasons may blight the produce of his helds.^ Storms may sink his ships in the deep. His confidence may be betrayed and his property Avasted by those in whose hands he has placed it. And while this man of large and cultured intellect may come to old age in comparative poverty, some ignorant and iUiterate bore, who started in life alongside of him, may have swelled into a million- aire \Buchanaii\. The world worships success, which is, afier all, an insuihcient and uncer- tain measure of real worth. Wisdom,, aud things that accompany it are still an invaluable possession, though they seem to fail. That there is some kind of Power which baffles the most aptly contrived designs of man must be admitted. It may be regarded as blind and unin- telligent, as arbitrary Will, or as Infi- nite Wisdom working towards righteous ends, though in strange and mysterious ways ; each of which views may com' 141 CHAP. IX. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESTASTES. mend itself according to our religious insight. To the Christian, the highest Power in human affairs is the Divine Mercy (Rom. ix. IG). Verse 12. We know not the time of those disasters which overturn our schemes and disappoint our hopes ; nor do we know the time of that great disaster which shall deprive us of all ! How vain the boast of wealth, or pomp of power — of all that lies outside of us — seeing they are held on the un- ■certain tenure of life ! The preparations for accomplishing his capture and destruction lie before a man, and he knows it not. Our igno- rance of the caprices of disaster and •doom bring us into companionship with the lowliest forms of lite. Man's ignorance of the time of his death serves, 1. To place him helplessly in the hands of Providence. Rebel- lion is vain, acd nothing remains for him but loving submission or desperate resignation. 2. To promote the good of society. The knowledge of the hour when life's day closes would paralyse effort, o. To strengthen the motives for godliness. The time is uncertain, and therefore instant provision should be made for the soul. More exalted and enduring things should engage our affections. He that by a coustant holiness secures the present, and makes it useful to his noblest purposes, turns his con- dition into his best advantage by making his unavoidable fate become his neces- sary religion \Jerenvj Taijlor~\. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH— Verses 13—18. The World's Benefactors. Tie Royal Preacher turns to consider a strange anomaly that too often liappens in a thoughtless and ungrateful generation. Men who have been the true workers and deliverers of their time have often been despised and forgotten. The world is ignorant, or guilty of neglect, of its true benefactors. How they work, and with what success, is considered here. I. Their Instrument. Wisdom is the instrument by which they worked. It was a ''wise man" who '"delivered the city." (Verse 15.) Their words heard in quiet among the con- templative few have proved stronger than the edicts of the most potent rulers, yea even stronger tlian the power of warlike arras. (Verses 17, 18.) They have conferred real and permanent benefits upon their fellow men. For such a •purpose, we observe, 1. That icisdom is the most fittiinj instnnnent. Man, with many natural disadvantages when compared with tlie lower forms of life beneath him, still holds his place in nature as the crown and head of all things by his superior knowledge. By means of wisdom, that knowledge is made to act in the direction of the greatest advantage. We may say that this instrument has a ndtural fitness for performing the truest and most lasting work. The highest natures use it, for " The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth, by under- standing hath He established the heavens." (Prov. iii. 10.) All work produced by other means, however loud and long the triumph, must end in confusion and overthrow. However big and imposing the work of fools, they shall at length be buried in the heaps they raise. Wisdom as an instrument may also be said to have a vioral Jitness. It tends to injure no one ; its pure and just concpiests are ]iot stained by crime, and ravage, and slaughter. The tears of the widow and the -orphan do not trouble its (luiet enjoyment of victory. All true wisdom — whether strictly in the sphere of religion or outside of it— is from above; and coming down to earth pure from its native heaven, bears on the front of it the ■ffifts of peace. 2. That it is the most j^oteiit instrument. '• Wisdom is better than strength — better than weapons of war." (Verses IG, 18.) AH work that is truly great and abiding commences in wise thought. The scheme of it is laid 142 nOMlLETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. chap. ix. in silence in the vitmost recesses of the mind until it assumes shape and sub- stance in the palpable and accomplished fact. The material creation which is the standing illustration of the Divine power is but the Divine thought mani- fested. Brute force has narrow limits, moving with a constrained motion ; but the power of wisdom is large, plentiful in resources, and free. Wisdom is the true dii-ector of all forces, without which they are wild, irregular, and destruc- tive. It is the force w- ich has urged humanity on in the upward path of high civilization, refinement, and goodness. II. The Manner of their Working. In her method and manner of working, there is a style and habit appropriate to wisdom. She wields jfc quiet power, shunning all noise and loud display. " The words of wise men are heard in quiet." This quality for quietness and sobriety is one of the chief characteristics of the deliverances and of the works of wisdom. All who would learn from her and receive her gifts must possess this quality. 1. Quietness jji-omotes those conditions of mind most favourable to the reception of ivisclom. All who enter her school must leave behind them the noise and tumult of petty ambition, boisterous self-assertion, and pride. Fools must ■either put away these things, or quit her courts. The still small voice of wisdom is only heard amidst the quietness of contemplation. We must enter this kingdom as a little child, with the qualities of teachableness and humility, putting away all positiveness and pride, which are ever noisy and demonstrative. 2. All the conquests of wisdom have been quietly won. Other victories have been prompted by ambition and attained by violence. The victories of wisdom, on the other hand, have been accomplished in those clear and lofty heights of contemplation far above the tumult and strife of human passion. Wisdom, with truth for her possession and substance, has been content to wait till the tem- porary advantages of error have passed away, and then she has quietly gathered in her spoils, o. Quietness is the attribute of the greatest natures. The great thinkers of the world who have opened up for us new regions of truth, how quietly and silently they worked ! We feel their power still across the ages of time. They seem to " rule our spirits from their urns." The ■victories of religion over superstition and unbelief have been won by the steady witnessing to the truth, and the patience of suffering. He who came to conquer all hearts, and to lay the foundations of an everlasting kingdom, was distin- guished by his quiet manner of working and freedom from desire of display. He did not "strive nor cry," nor was ''His voice heard in the streets." This quiet demeanour of wisdom is, in Verse 17, shown in contrast with the boisterous manner in which folly is wont to display itself. " The ruler among fools " soon becomes the victim of the virulent contagion of folly, and utters injudicious ^commands with fierce and noisy circumstance. III. Their Fate. (Verses 15, IG.) There are some exceptions, but the example here related is a description of the fate of many wise and good men. 1. Theij are sometimes noticed and obeyed wider the pressure of circumstances. In some dangerous crisis or great calamity, the wise man may rise to importance and regard. There are junctures of events in which the most careless and unreflecting men must turn to such for deliverance. When the enemy is at the gates, and the valour of mighty heroes is unavailing, .he who can devise somewise project which saves the city, gains that approbation and fame so readily yielded to evident success. There are times when the wise man's wisdom must be valued, even by the most thoughtless, as a precious com- modity. 2. They are sometimes the victims of contumely and neglect. When the calamity is overpast, society soon learns to forget those who have served it in the crisis of danger. This fault of ingratitude appears in almost every little social circle, and has a constant illustration in the history of every nation and age. The Avorld too willingly lets the names die of those who have blest it most. Those are not always the best and truest workers whose names stand in the front of history, it will be found that the world's most real benefactors are 143 cuAr. IX. IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. those who took the most subordinate and retired part. Their work is undying in its effects, but their names liave perished from all remembrance but that of God. Many a truly wise and great man has lived to be forgotten and despised. This is a base ingratitude, for it deprives such of their earthly reward. The barriers of wealth and social standing have often served to keep wise men from rising into just regard and fame. This wise man delivered the city ; but he was poor, and that was quite sufficient to ensure his being despised. 3. Tlteir ivork is often ruined. The essential good of their work cannot be destroyed, for it is an im- perishable seed, which once having taken hold upon the world, leaves it not. But some of the immediate results of their work — fruits of patient toil and endurance — may be destroyed, which exploit only needs the natural endowments of the most thoughtless and wicked fool. (Verse 18.) Physical strength — the power of social station — the boisterous impudence of ignorant and foolish men — may prevail over the wise and ruin his work. It requires but little talent to destroy, for it is within the province of any lusty fool to lay in ruins the labour and skill of years, or to obstruct the progress of some good and great work. From this subject, we learn both the jtoiver and the vanity of zvisdom. The 'poiver, in that it is superior to strength, to numbers, to the voice of mere authority, or to the influence of social rank. It is the prime element in the world's progress — the means of its regeneration. The vanitij, in that it often fails, or at best has but a partial victory, through the stubborn and ignorant opposition of men. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 13. It had made a strong impression on his mind. The testimony which it bore to the value and efficacy of wisdom appeared to him to be most remarkable. Ou one side there was a king, backed by a powerful army, and having at his command, for the capture and destruction of the feebly -garrisoned city he had come to assail, all the arts and appliances of war. On the other side was a solitary individual, of no note or name, without wealth or station, or social influence, having no other strength than that which was derived from his own personal worth, and no other resources than those of a God- fearing, sagacious, and thoughtful spirit [Buchanaii\. Wisdom without the advantages of wealth or station, yet securing regard and attention to itself, is so rare a spectacle, that the wise themselves, at the sight of it, may well stand amazed. In a perfect state of society, such a triumph would be too common to be wonderful. Verse 14. There is a baseness in oppression which allows no rights to the defenceless and the weak. 144 The oppressed have often on their side an unknown and unsuspected power which avails for deliverance, and by which the most confident ambition is defeated. The '• little city " of the Church of God has often been besieged, and the enemy has prepared to celebrate the victory over an extinguished Faith. But the tower of God has ever had brave defenders, strong in wisdom and in the might of goodness. Verse 15. A sudden calamity may serve to redeem the wise from neglect. When the strong fail to deliver, and rank and authority are of no avail, wise men must be sought for. Such alone are the true defence of states. That is a foolish and ignoble pride which refuses to acknowledge worth because it is not encrusted by wealth. Yet such is the way of the world, — " Slow rises worth by poverty de- pressed." What was it that rescued the nations of the ancient world from the universal heathenism in which they Averc sunk ; from the gross superstitions and multiplied abominations of an all- IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESTASTES. CHAP. IX. prevailing idolatry ? Not the poetry and literature, not the arts and philo- sophy, of Greece and Rome, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Those humble peasants and fishermen, who issued from the upper chamber of some obscure street of Jerusalem, were the poop wise men who delivered the cities of the ancient world \_Buchanan~\. The pressure of necessity, or the claims of selfishness, may force admira- tion for the poor man's wisdom, but such admiration expires before it has time to ripen into gratitude, or attain to the sturdy strength of a principle. How hard is the condition of poverty, when social prejudice can overwhelm a man whose wisdom it has been com- pelled to own ! Verse 16. The triumphs of wisdom over brute force and the terrible powers of nature, all of which it sub- dues vmder the sovereignty of man, are among its first fruits. It has also a surpassing excellence in that it imparts the power to discover and appreciate the order and fitness of things in the universe. Wisdom is the living and intelligent director of all other forces, without which they can serve no useful end. In our investigation of the powers of nature, we cannot rest in the contem- plation of forces and efiects. We are bound to go on to mind — the greatest of all. Mind is the producer of all other powers, and therefore superior to them. That which is true, in this regard, of the Highest, is true also of man, under the necessary limitations of his position as a creature. The more that wisdom spreads, the more human strength is saved, and the more is comfort enhanced. The bird who« is about to build her nest next month, will toil as long and work as hard as the sparrows and swallows who frequented the temple in the time of Solomon, and the building will be no improvement on the nest of three thou- sand years ago. But if Solomon's own palace were to be builded anew, modern skill could rear it much faster than Hiram's masonry, and there are few houses in London which do not con- tain luxuries and accommodations which were lacking in the " house of the forest of Lebanon." Already a pound of coals and a pint of water will do the work of a sturdy man ; and with a week's wages, a mechanic may now procure a library more comprehensive and more edifying than that which adorned the Tusculan villa, — nay, such a store of books as the wealth of Solomon could not command [Dr. J. Hamilton~\. It requires but little intellectual sagacity to admire that wisdom which leads to some evident practical result. When self-interest is at stake, the meanest souls can assume a virtue. The steady recognition of wisdom, for her own sake, is only found in answer- ing minds- The poverty of Jesus, the incarnate Wisdom of God, wassufiicient to bring upon Him one of the sharpest trials of His humiliation, which was that of being despised and overlooked. Verse 17. Quiet men — men of calm and dispassionate minds — give heed to the words of wisdom, though noisy fools may disregard them. Also, in quiet times, in the hours of retirement and reflection, when the distractions of the world are shut out, the words of wis- dom come back into the mind and sink into the heart. How unlike in this respect to the cry of him that ruleth among fools ! Even at the moment it is uttered, his cry may fall powerless upon the thoughtless, ignorant, or im- patient crowd to whom it is addressed ; and this it may do for no other and better reason, than because it does not suit the fancy or the frenzy of the hour. At any rate, and in any case^ its influence is but transitory, its power short-lived \_Buchanaii\. Folly requires the aid of boisterous acclamation to give it the semblance of greatness. Wisdom is content with quiet and retired ways, there to meet her disciples and untold her treasures. Disdaining the Pharit-ees device, she souiids no trumpet, but calm as the depths of heaven, speaks to contempla- 145 CHAP. IX. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. tion the everlasting language of truth. How soon the fame of those who have made the greatest noise and dis- play passes away ! It is easily blown up to the bubble reputation, but soon to burst most unprofitably. Time clears away all illusions and lays bare the solidities of truth. The wise man may speak to an audience fit, though few ; but his audience will increase through the ages, and his words receive obedience and recognition. The mariner who guides his ship upon the trackless ocean with safety and expedition accomplishes this by the aid of principles which were dis- covered by Grecian^geometers ages ago. The words of these quiet thinkers were heard and understood by few, but without them the greatest development of commerce and civilisation would be impossible. The true rulers of the world, of lasting sovereignty, are those who guide the intellects and souls of men. They have been faithful over a few things, and have thus been made rulers over many cities. Verse 18. War wounds, but wisdom heals. War overturns, but it is wisdom that builds up and restores. AVar is the hurricane that sinks the ship ; wis- dom is the favouring breeze that wafts it to the desired haven. War is the torrent that furrows the earth, and sweeps its soil into the sea ; wisdom droppeth softly, like the rain or the gentle dew from heaven, to refresh the thirsty ground and to bless the spring- ing thereof. In a word, war and all its weapons belong to the bloody brood of him who was a murderer from the beginning ; wisdom is the attribute and gift of Him who came to bring peace on earth, goodwill to men, and glory to God in the highest [^Bii- cha)ian\. The continued existence of war in the midst of material and intellectual progress is a proof that the world is yet far from wisdom. The reign of force can never knit humanity iuto a true brotherhood. The Christian religion, which is the highest style of wisdom, is the only strong power, against which all else contends in vain. The ambition of one man may plunge nations into deadly warfare. The heresies of one man may divide the Church, weaken her influence, and provoke the rage of an irritating con- troversy. One slanderous tongue can slay many reputations, and work mis- chiefs which are but ill-repaired by time. The ways in which one sinner may destroy much good are as numerous as the forms of evil itself. But there is a bad and even a worse eminence in sin. The greater the power abused, the more terrible and far-reaching the conse- ([uences. Hence he who writes a book that unsettles the foundations of faith in the soul of man, or robs him of his immortal hope, propagates a mischief far beyond his own working-day in life, and verily keeps his sad account and reckoning with eternity still open. 14G HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. CHAPTER X. Critical Notes. — 1. Dead flies.] Lit., "Flics of death;" because, as such, they corrupt the ointment. The apothecary.] A dealer in spices. Thus it is not the common kind, but a costly, fragrant unguent that is here intended. A little folly.] Little in proportion to the entire mass of wisdom whose properties and influence it injures. 2. A wise man's heart is at Ms right hand.] By the heart we are to understand the inclinations, for these influence the understanding and the judgment. The wise man's heart is in its right j^lace. His feelings are on the side of wisdom and truth; and thei-efore his whole nature. But a fool's heart at his left.] His inclinations are averse from wisdom and truth. He has sinister aims and i.urposes. 4. The spirit of the ruler rise up against thee.] A ruler capable of committing great offences against thee, when his spirit is stirred up in anger. 5. As an error which proceedeth from the ruler.] Not a mere error, as such, but one which is manifest by its consequences — caprices of despotism like those described in verses G, 7. 6. Folly.] To be understood, in the concrete form, of mean and ignoble persons, having no title to dignity and advancement. The rich.] Men of noble birth and bearing, inheriting an honourable name and jiatrimony, and qualilied to fill exalted positions in the state. This unnatural inversion of the orders of society was not infrequent under the despotism of Eastern monarchs. 7. Servants.] Not merely in condition, but servile in character, destitute of all noble aims and purposes. Princes.] Both in regard of outward rank, and having a corres])onding elevation of character and bearing. They arc princely minded. 8. He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it.] It was the custom, where lions and other wild animals abounded, to dig pits overlaid with branches ■of trees, in order to cntra]i them. Hence a man might unwittingly fall into a pit which he had himself digged (Psa. vii. 15, Ivii. G ; Prov. xxvi. 27). And whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.] Sei'])ents and other reptiles were often found hiding in old walls. Hence he who broko through them ran the risk of being bitten (Amos v. ID). 9. Eemoveth stones . . . cleaveth wood, shall he endangered thereby.] As such employments required ■violent exertion, they were the more dangerous. 11. A babbler is no better.] Lit., -'The master of the tongue." One who is of ready utterance, capable of producing great effects by the power of speech, j-ct lacking energy and promptness in action. 12. Gracious.] His words have the power of winning favour. They have a calm and grateful influence. All his actions are suitable and well-timed, not like those of the unwary serpent-charmer. 14. A fool also is full of words.] Not only given to endless talk, but even boldly announcing his plans and purposes, as if he could certainly reckon upon the future. The latter part of the verse con- demns the folly of such presumption, 15. Wearieth every one of them.] Though full of words, they are indolent, and soon grow weary in any useful toil. He knoweth not how to go to the city.] He cannot make siu-e that he shall carry out even so ordinary a purpose and action. Probably St. James (chap. iv. 13) refers to this passage when censuring the i)oldness which pre- sumes upon a future which no man can certainly know or command. 16. When thy king is a child.] Not in age, but in understanding — wanting in all the (jualities of a vigorous manhood. And thy princes eat in the morning.] They employ in self-indulgence the time which ought to be devoted to serious business. 18. By much slothfulness the building decayeth.] The "building" is the edifice of the state, which is brought to ruin by the indolence of the rulers. 20. The rich.] Those of high rank and station, such as the nobles and princes — the coun- sellors of the king. A bird of the air shall carry thy voice.] In some unknown manner the secret will come out, as if suddenly picked up and borne off by a bird. MAIN IIOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 1—4.. The Excellencies of Wisdom. I. As seen in the Contrasted Qualities of the Wise Man and the Fool. The intrinsic excellencies of wisdom are clearly manifest to all who have true spiritual insight, and that sympathy which is the best interpreter of its object. l2 147 CHAP. X. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. But there are some broad general features of wisdom -which strike conviction of their excellence into the mind of every beholder. They are seen to great advantage when we contrast the action of wisdom and folly in regard to the roots or fruits of moral conduct. 1. As to motive and aim. The fool's motive or aim is always sinister. He has no straightforward designs and purposes, but deals in what is sly and left-handed. (Verse 2.) The very centre of motion is — as it were — shifted from its true place, and the result is nothing but the utmost moral confusion and disorder. But the motives and aims of the wise man, on the other hand, are pui-e and right. His heart — the principal fount and spring of action — is in the right place. Hence his character is marked by simplicity, and free from guile. 2. As to self-hnou'Udge. The fool is under a complete delusion in regard to himself. He grows exalted in the imagination that he is wise. No revelation of his true self has been vouchsafed to his mind, and in the conceit of ignorance he is both happy and bold. When a fool at length knows that he is such, he has attained to the beginning of wisdom. He has already entered into the outer courts of her temple, and may yet know her mysteries and see her glory. But while this self-knowledge is hidden from him, the worst consequences of ignorance must follow. On the slightest occasions of life, in the common ways of duty and intercourse, his want of wisdom is manifest. He may be even said to proclaim himself a fool. (Verse 3.) He has not even the sense to leave his true character to be discovered by slow inference, or to be concealed by silence and caution ; he must needs preci- pitate the conclusion. Contrast this with the character of the wise man wha learns to know himself, and does not bring discredit upon his wisdom by failing to show it when the occasion demands. Such a man will use that discretion, which, if it does not altogether hide his faults, will preserve them from being prominent. 3. As to self-government. Men are often placed in circumstances of great provocation where it is difficult to calm the anger that rises in the breast. The case is here supposed where a wise man is confronted with the insolence and tyranny of authority. (Verse 4.) A conflict arises within him between the high sense of justice and the proper reverence due to that authority, as such. But prudence guides the wise man ; he has learned to govern his passions, and by a calm demeanour tames the fury which threatened him. But the fool lacks discretion in such trying situations. He is stubborn and unyielding; and for want of self-government, his passion breaks forth to his own injury. He has not the wisdom to wait and be calm, nor the faith to believe in the triumph of the meek. II. As seen in the Exquisite Delicacy of the Wise Man s Character. (Verse 1.) The character of the wise man is here compared to ointment ; not of the common sort, but of the perfumer — one which is prepared with rare and costly ingredients. Such a compound may be spoiled and rendered valueless by so small a thing as the decaying remains of Hies. Such is the delicacy and rare l)reciousnc3s of the wise man's character that the beauty and value of it may be impaired by a few faults. Coarse and common things are not easily injuied. The chiefest dangers threaten that which is most skilfully and delicately contrived. The risks of such moral disasters arise from the very excellence of the wise man's character. 1. In such, small blemishes are more conspicuous. Small blemishes in the character of the fool, standing a? they do in the thick multitude of graver faults, easily escape notice. But in the character of the wise man, these are soon detected, as a black spot upon white ground. Men have a keen eye for the occasional weaknesses and indiscretions of human virtue. 2. In such, small blemishes are more ruinous. The wise man has an influence for good, and that influence is sensibly abated by even the appear- ance of shortcomings and moral deformities. He that is in reputation for wisdom and honour may, by retaining bui a few faults, greatly fail to benefit mankind to that extent which is warranted by his strong virtues. The fragrance 148 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECGLESTASTES. CHAP. X. of a good man's Itfe may be injured, yea, almost changed into a baneful influence, by the admixture of but a few faults and follies. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 1. Those vibrations and dis- turbances which would not interfere with the proper action of some rude machinery would, in the instruments of the astronomer, be a source of disad- vantage and error. The spirit of the wise man is trained to the finest issues, and may be injuriously affected by an apparently small cause. The imperfection of human nature is such that even the wisdom of the wisest is seldom found unmixed with baser matter. The wise are a standing rebuke to •others, therefore men are prone to ex- aggerate their faults. A certain grace and attractiveness of behaviour is necessary to give full effect and influence to the finest assem- blage of virtues. In addition to the greatest excellencies, we must have "■ whattioever things are lovely." A man's chai'acter is the expression of his true self ; in fact, the express image of the invisible things in him. His reputation depends upon the man- ner in which he is imaged and repre- sented to the eye of society. Hence while the real character of the wise man may not be seriously affected, his reputation may suffer loss. The principle is especially applicable to a Christian profession ; and the best use we can make of it is to exemplify it in some of those flaws and failings which destroy the attraction and im- 3)ressiveness of men truly devout and God-fearing. Our instances must be taken almost at random ; for, like their Egyptian prototypes, these flies are too many to be counted. 1. Rudeness. 2. Irritabiliti). 3. Selfishness. The subject is uninviting, and time would fail did we speak of the parsimony, the indo- lence, the egotism, the want of intelli- gence, the want of taste, by which many excellent characters are marred, and by which the glory of the Gospel is often compi'omised \^Dr. J. Hamiltoii\. Verse 2. Right desires and incli- nations are as necessary to the charac- ter of the wise man as nobility and strength of mind. They place him in the position of the best advantage for all good and true work. Fools have no dextei-ity in duty. They can, at best, but awkwardly imitate the virtues of the wise. 1. A wise man minds his own i^roper business; whereas the fool neglects what belongs to himself, and is ex- ceedingly otflcious, intermeddling, and full of sagacious counsel, in every one's concerns but his own. Any wisdom he has is " at his left hand," it is applied in the wrong place. 3. The understanding of the wise man is at all times readij for his immediate direction — "at his right hand." So that, being steadily applied to its pro- per business, it is prepared to meet times of emergency. The fool, on the contrary, is ever uncertain, ever at a loss, all hesitation and perplexity. His wisdom is always to seek. 3. That which the wise man does, his wisdom enables him to do ivell — with sMll and dexterity. The fool, when he does any- thing at all, does it with his left hand ; not only applying any little fragments of wisdom he may possess in a wrong direction, but bungling, blundering, and failing, even in that which he attempts \_Wardlaw']. Verse 3. A fool is mischievous without art, as he is a hypocrite with- out deceiving. A man must have some understanding to conceal the want of it. The fool does not need, as the Pharisees did, to sound a trumpet be- fore him. He is his own hei-ald. That quality of fools by which they quickly reveal themselves, even in the most ordinary intercourse of life, may be reckoned as one of the wise compensa- CHAP. X. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. tioDS of Providence ; for thus wicked men are often prevented from doing the utmost mischief. Not that he intends to convey this impression, but that, in point of fact, he does convey it. So long, indeed, as he " hol-deth his peace," even " a fool inay be counted wise " (Prov. xvii. 28). But he has only to open his lips in order to let out the secret, and to show what he really is. His ignorance, his petulance, his indiscretion, his self- complacency and presumption, let all who meet him know that he is a fool. He talks loudly and confidently on subjects regarding Avhich wiser men hardly venture to give an opinion. The wise are like deep rivers, which flow quietly. The fool is like the shallow stream, which brawls and makes a noise \Buchanaii\. The fool, having no true self-know- ledge, is puffed up with conceit and vanity ; therefore he fails rightly to interpret the effects of his own folly upon others. He is the last to detect the derision and contempt which he himself has excited. Verse 4. The wise man when oppressed by the powerful does not allow himself to be driven by passion into acts of rebellion. He stands firmly at the post of duty, and is content to wait till the indignation be overpast, and audience be given to the still small voice of reason and truth. Where the obligation of duty is clear, we should not be moved from our steady purpose of obedience by the sudden outburst of unrighteous angfer. There are times when a wise man may abstain from insisting upon his own proper rights. In the conflict with human authority, swayed by fierce passions, he learns meekly to endure, knowing that what is right and true is more likely to have due recognition when those passions have subsided. If we meet anger with anger, we wage a conflict in which nothing can be gained, and everything may be lost. There is a wonderful power in the arts of conciliation. A soft answer turneth away wrath ; and what is better still, when a man's ways please God, lie maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. Esther and Mordecai succeeded in getting the per- secuting edict of Ahasuerus recalled, by committing their way unto the Lord,, and by waiting for the fitting moment to speak. And well it were, for the interests of peace and love, if, in less conspicuous spheres of life, the same prudent course were always followed. How often are lasting enmities and divisions caused simply for want of a little of that yielding, whose power to pacify even great offences Solomon so justly celebrates \_Buchaiian~\. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH— Verges 5—10. The Promotion of Fools. The excellencies of wisdom, aiul the practical uses of it, are evident to all -who can feel the force of moral reasoning. Yet the wise often fail of attaining their true place in the world, or having attained it, they are thrust out, and fools set up in their stead. He who is conscious of superior gifts, and rectitude of purpose, is condemned to witness the promotion of men, contemptibly poor in mind and morals, to places of authority and power. How does this perverse disposition of things 'arise, and wherewith shall good men console themselves in this disappoint- ment ? I. It arises from the Interference of Human Caprice with the Proper Tendencies of Social Forces. The setting up of lolly in great dignity, and castin"' down the wise and noble from their seats, is here ascribed " to an error which^proceedeth from the ruler," (Verse 5.) Such an unnatural inversion can only proceed from the caprice of some arbitrary authority. It is only posbible 150 H0M.1LETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESTASTES. chap. x. through those accidents of history when folly and wickedness gain a temporary advantage. That wisdom which is made up of justice, goodness, and practical sagacity in human affairs, is a social force which has a known direction. But it may be turned aside from this direction by some disturbing causes. The fitness of tilings, their ti'ue tendencies and results, must be acknowledged, though they may be interrupted for a while by some disorder. 1. It is fitting that the wisest and best should rule. Such ought to have the highest social influence and power — the chiefest authority in the state. Nations can only maintain their place in the world's history by means of their noblest and wisest men. Their natural decay sets in when these are displaced, and the sovereignty given to fools. There are conditions of national stability that mustn'^t be violated, and it is impossible to preserve the social pyramid poised upon its apex. 2. The most sacred rights of man ma>j he held in ahejjance. Wisdom and goodness ought to secure their proper results, and enjoy with dignity their quiet triumphs. But the existence of moral evil introduces a source of complication. It is a disquieting factor in our reckoning of human things. Hence, in this world, what is right does not always prevail. It is the property of evil to hold continual warfare against all order — to rebel against all just dignities — to undo the work of goodness in the world. Thus the progress of humanity towards perfection is retai'ded. II. It is an Unstable Condition of Tilings. The wise man may be consoled when he reflects that such social disorder cannot la.^t long. There are certain fundamental prin- ciples of national prosperity, and these cannot be long violated with impuuity. Retribution comes at length, and the true order returns. There are certain chemical preparations which are said to be unstable, because they are held together by a slender bond, and the slightest force is sufficient to decompose them. In like manner, there are conditions of society brought about by the irrational caprice of wilful men ; but such conditions are unstable. They are always upon the point of rupture. Providence, which permits so much, has yet reserves of force by which these evils find correction. In the disorders of human government, fools may be suddenly raised to rank and authority ; but they must at length fall to their true level. They can but, as it were, snatch at greatness : they cannot retain it in their grasp. No power can give their unoatural assump- tion any fixity or permanence. 1. The devices tvhich jvocure their 'promotion mag he turned against themselves. (Verses 8, 9.) They were raised to their dignities by flattery, intrigue — by a ruthless trampling upon the rights of others. They employed dangerous weapons which may, at any moment, be snatched from their hands and used against themselves. He who breaks through the boundaries of truth and right runs the risk of arousing indignant justice. The breakers of old walls — moral, social — shall be avenged by the startled serpent's sting. 2. Human caprice is not to be trusted. When men are not governed by great principles, but by passion and folly, they are ever unsteady. You cannot reckon upon them, for nothing can be trusted that does not rest upon the sure foundations of truth and right. The fools which the wilful monarch promotes to power may soon excite his disgust, and give place to other fools who are likely to meet with the same capricious fate. 3. The>/ lack that fitness ivhich alone can give dignity and eficiencij to ofice. Wisdom imparts an intellectual and a moral fitness for every diity and trust; and without it, no man can fulfil the highest offices in the community. (1.) He cannot maintain the dignity proper to them. Men hold in admiration those who possess wisdom and knowledge. Even the most ignorant learn to regard, with a feeling akin to adoration, those who are more knowing and wiser than they. Men may pay court to the outward splendour of the fool ; they may adore the greatness which is thrust upon him, but they despise himself. The pomp and glory of outward circumstance cannot impart true dignity where the solid endowments of moral worth and wisdom are not found. (2.) He cannot maintain the eficiency of it. (Verse 10.) Physical strength, or the power of 151 CHAP. X. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. authority, may accomplish much, but wisdom is necessary for the finest and most ingenious work — for the framing of all purposes that are far-reaching, and the richest in their consequences to man. Human destiny cannot be shaped to the noblest issues by rough tools, though they be wielded with savage strength. There must be the cunning hand — the skilful device — the sharp edge. These are the gifts of wisdom to man, without which he cannot accomplish any work of enduring worth. The power of office and authority is impotent and vain where the highest faculties are blunt. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 5. St. Cyril observeth that in the law whereas if others did sin, God appointed a sacrifice and remedy for them, whether they sinned through ignorance or else with knowledge. In the sin of the High Priest there is not appointed any sacrifice for him if that lie sinned by ignorance, " as if by no means there were to be admitted in them that do rule ignorance, or defect of that wisdom required for their posi- tion." Besides there had need to be a great care in the ruler that shall choose others to rule and command, because it is a hard thing to discharge it. Nazianzene saith, " It is a hard thing for a man to rule, a most hard thing to instruct and teach men. It seemeth to me to be an art of arts, a science of sciences, to rule man, who is of all creatures most various and changeable " [./e?-»im]. It is hard for ordinaiy men to con- ceive of the full nature and strength of those temptations which beset one who is invested with absolute rule. There are positions in which it is hard for ordinary virtue to stand upright. It is no wonder, therefore, that such monarchs have erred. The most exalted plete investiture of confer infallibility. « We must not allow errors to pass unheeded because they are connected with great names. The errors of the mightiest are the most destructive. There is an " energy of position" in things moral and social, as well as in the region of matter. When power is wrongly directed, the disaster is proportioned to its magni- tude. 152 station and com- authority cannot Verse G. There is no function be- longing to rulers which they are bound to exercise with greater impartiality, prudence, and caution, than that of selecting men who are to fill the great offices of the state. These men have oftentimes the destinies of a nation in their hands To place, out of mere favouritism or caprice, or even from a want of sufiicient care and enquiry, an unrighteous or incompetent judge in the seat of justice ; an igno- rant or dishonest administration in charge of the revenues of a countiy ; a cruel or rapacious governor at tlie head of the province of the kingdom ; an unskilful or inexperienced leader in the command of an army ; — for rulers to do such things is to trifle with interests of the greatest magnitude, and to betray a trust of the most solemn and responsible kind [Biichana)i~\. The highest honours and dignities must sit ungainly upon those who are not prepared for them by sufficient training and capacity. In the obscurest station, folly is a disadvantage, a noticeable evil ; but in the most exalted station, it becomes conspicuous and most fully exposed to tlie eye of ridi- cule. When a fool is set in dignity, it is as when a handful of hay is set up to give light, which with smoke and smell offcndcth all that are near it. When the worthy sit in a low place, it is as when a goodly candle, that on a table would give a comfortable and comely light, is put under a bushel [Jer- miii]. AVhen men of true nobility of mind and character arc pushed from their seats, they still adorn the lowliest place HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. CHAP. X. where they are constnained to sit. They suffer most who cast them down. Verse 7. No chauge of outward condition can alter what is essential in the character. The servile mind is not destroyed by the elevation from poverty to grandeur, nor do royal minds cease to be such when they are stripped of all outward marks of great- Jiess. It was far from being a very un- common case, under the despotic government of the East ; slaves of the palace being not unfrequently, from caprice, partiality, or secret selfishness, advanced to the highest ranks, to look down in haughty superciliousness on their natural and deserving superiors \Wardlaiv~\. Verse 8. He who seeks prosperity and distinction by treacherous ways, or by breaking through the bounds of moral restraint, tempts the vengeance of Heaven. He who frames designs for the de- struction of others is working on the utmost edge of danger. There are proper boundaries to know- ledge as well as to the courses of con- duct. He who by needless curiosity adventures to break through them, only prepares misery for himself — the anguish of a restless and unsatisfied mind. When ambitious heads break through hedges to get to high places, there is a serpent lurking secretly, which bites them by the heel and either stops them from going on, or else bringeth by it some great mischief upon them. Or else the serpent that biteth these ambi- tious subtle workers is some other more subtle than they, by whom they are undermined in their plots. Indeed, when ambition is set upon it, no hedge, no wall is able to hold it, but it breaks "through, and leaps over all. What hedges did Athaliah break, killing all the royal progeny that herself might reign ? What hedges did Abimelech break, killing seventy of his brethren that himself might rule ? What hedges did Absalom break that he might be king in Israel ? But did not the ser- pent bite them all ? \Jermin.'\ Verse 9. The man who sets himself to pull down or to alter the fabric of the constitution of a country, under- takes a work of no light or trifling diffi- culty, and a work always of hazard to himself, and very often of fearfully doubtful benefit to othei'S. It is a vast deal easier to find fault than to mend ; to complain of what is wrong, than to substitute what is right [ Wardlaw']. Most men have penetration enough to discover the faults in things that aire established, but the knowledge of the deep principles upon which they rest, and by which they are held together, is the possession of only a few. He who attempts the work of a reformer, with- out sufficient knowledge and prudence, is likely to meet with ill-success and to bring trouble upon himself. There are times when the coiTup- tions of existing things have grown so great as to demand violent measures for their reformation. But the zeal thus aroused is a dangerous weapon in the hands of frail man. Verse 10. A little skill expended in sharpening the edge, will save a great deal of strength in wielding the hatchet. But, just as the unskilful labourer who cannot handle the whet- stone must belabour the tree with a blunt instrument, and after inflaming his palms and racking his sinews, achieves less result than his neighbour whose knowledge and whose knack avail instead of brute force, so the ser- vant who does not know the right way to do his work, after all his fatigue and fluster will give less satisfaction than one who has learned the best and easiest methods ; and the householder who knows nothing of the mechanic arts, or who knows not what to do when sickness or emergencies occur, must compensate by the depth of his purse, or by the strength of his arm, for the defects of his skill. A blunt axe im- plies heavy blows and an aching arm ; coarse work with a blistered hand. But " wisdom is profitable to direct." 153 CHAP. X. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. Intelligence is as good as strength, and fierceness and strength of the brute a little skill will save both time and creation, and over all the dilliculties materials, money and temper [Dr. J. which nature places in his v^^ay, are the Hamilton]. triumphs of mind. Even in the most righteous cause. Wisdom gives that fine edge to effort great strength and determination of by which many dilRculties, that other- character will lead a man into many wise offer a complete resistance, are evils unless he has skill and prudence easily cleft through. to guide him. Wisdom is the director of all forces Mere force is blind, and must be which can be brought under the con- directed to proper ends and uses by those trol of man. Without intelligent, who have the power to see. guidance, they cannot become effective The triumphs of man over the for the best ends. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 11—15. The Vanity of Speech. Human wisdom has been shown to be, in some cases, unavailing-, through the sudden advantage that may be gained by folly. So many are the instances of apparent failure that a reflecting mind, tn certain sad moods of thought, may be tempted to imagine that this landed possession is but another of the many vanities of human life. In particular, speech itself, which professes to manifest the inmost glory of wisdom, may be regarded as, after all, but a splendid vanity. I. The Essential Value of Speech must be Admitted. There are many instances in which the wisest speech seems to fail. This faculty, however, must be regarded as, in itself, a good gift. 1. Speech righthj employed wins favour. (Verse 12.) By the graciousness of speech, a wise man ^ins his way to favour, and conquers the minds and hearts of others. The gift of graceful speech is a splendid talent, though it may be degraded to serve the worst purposes. Hence the tongue is called " an ornament of iniquity." (James iii. G.) It is capable of presenting error with seductive charms, and making the worst appear the better reason. Still, the gift of speech may be employed ta enhance the attractions of wisdom, and graciously subdue men's hearts to the love of her. 2. Speech rightl// employed is poiverfal. (Verse 11.) The enchanter has the power of controlling the serpent so that it forgets to sting. While the strange spell last^i, the venomous reptile is rendered harmless. The tongue, in like manner, can perform the ollice of a magician, and so persuade and charm men as to calm their most boisterous passions and render them harmless and obedient to the charmer's will. In some critical juncture, the speech of a wise man may bring relief to a nation's perplexity, and save it from ruin. The uttered word of man has proved mightier than the sword. It is the most powerful and lasting of all inliuences. Good and wise words are seed*, most tenacious of vitality, reproducing themselves from age to age in noble and heroic deeds. Speech, inasmuch as it is the vehicle of mind, must have the chief place among the instruments which man uses for carrying on his work in the world. But in some of those sad moods of reflection, into which the mind will sometimes fall, there is much to tempt a man to account even this brilliant gift a vanity. II. Even in the Hands of the Wise, this Gift requires the Greatest Dexterity. On the supposition that wise men were always wise, we might well suppose that their speech would, at all times, be seasonable and full of grace. But the actual state, even of the best, ialls below this ideal. The wisest and the meekest man on earth is in danger of speaking unadvisedly with his lips. The most devoted saint must take heed that he sin not with his tongue. Hence he who can so control his speech as not to offend at all has well nigh. 154 IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. chap. x. reached perfection. In order to manage the gift of speech rightly, it is necessary that we have something more than an ample store of wisdom's gatherings and the faculty of graceful utterance. 1. There must be vigilance. The wisest man may fail through want of vigilance in certain crises of danger, and thus bring himself under the charge and the penalties of folly. The charmer possesses the- art of rendering the serpent harmless, but if he stumbles upon it unawares, he shall be bitten like an ordinary man. So if the wise man is unwatchf ul, or does not speak at the right time ; if he misses his opportunity or is wanting in dis- cretion, notwithstanding his ability to represent the wealth of thought and feeling in words of power, he too must smart, as the veriest fool, under the grief and. penalties of failure. There are certain junctures in human affairs which may nonplus unwatchful wisdom. 2. There iiiust be prompt action. The richest gifts of wisdom must be accompanied by practical ability ; or they may fail of success. A wise man may lack the power of grappling with emergencies, and may become so stunned by some sudden perplexity as to be totally unfit for the proper action of tho time. There are so many sudden and unexpected changes in the course of human affairs, that unless the wise man, though gifted with the most persuasive speech, has the ability promptly to adapt himself to the occasion, he may be vanquished as though he were not wise. III. This G-ift is often the Instrument and Eevealer of Folly. (Verses 13 — lo.) The mind and heart — the nature of the man within — may be regarded as the fountain of speech. As that fountain is sweet or bitter, ti'oubled or clear, live-giving or pestilential, so ai'e the streams which flow from it. Speech is the instrument by which the mind conveys and distributes its wisdom or folly. Hence the fool soon reveals himself; for when he ventures to speak, his folly is sure of instant recognition. Some of the characteristics of the speech of such are noted here. 1. It shows no tendency towards improvement. (Verse 13.) The speech of the fool does not follow the method of creation, where confusion and disorder improved into harmony and beauty. It shows no tendency to assume a higher state, no power to work itself clear. The disorder which marked his first utterance becomes more observable as he proceeds, so that by the time he has made an end of speaking he has outraged reason itself. He grows loquacious. There is scarcely any pause in his insipid and tiresome twaddle. (Verse 14.) He does but win fresh titles of folly every time he speaks, and bis last utterance is the most extravagant of all. 2. The ejj'ects of it are destructive. Foolish speech, though incapable of deceiving those who have discernment, is likely to affect others injuriously, and to grow into a source of mischief. (Verse 13.) It is a stream which, gathering foulness as it proceeds, poisons the air. There is a kind of moral contagion in the words of a fool; and considering how many minds are predisposed to it, the mischief is immense. But the fool's speech is more especially destructive to himself. (Verse 12.) He may be said to commit moral suicide — himself the gulf which swallows up his reputation. 3. It is concerned with subjects in ivhich a discreet silence should be observed. (Verses 14, 15.) The fool is apt to talk confidently about the future, as if he could command it and make it sure. He rushes boldly into matters con- cerning M'hich he knows least. This has a most injurious effect upun himself. It consumes his energies in tisdess toil. (Verse 15.) Such a confident way of dealing with future things shows an unwarrantable presumption. No man can know those things which are hidden in the dark recesses of futurity, where they lie open to the eye of God alone. To speak of the future as if we could command it, and know what lies hid in it, is manifest presumption. Even the most common facts and events of the future are so concealed from man that he cannot., in the conduct of his affairs, reckon upon them. He may purpose such an ordinary act as that of going to the city at such and such a time, but he cannot be sure that he shall accomplish this. (Verse 15.) In the front of this awfvd fact of human ignorance, all daring presumption in speech and conduct must be contemptible and 155 CHAP. X. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. -\^ain. It is an abuse of the divine gift of language when it is thus made the instrument of arrogance and folly, and the multitude of such abuses in the world may cause even a wise man, in some gloomy season of the soul, to reckon this boasted faculty with the sum total of human vanity. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 11. In the East, there have always been persons who, by means of music and legerdemain, exert great in- fluence over some species of serpents, so that whilst under their spell the deadly cobra may be handled, as if he were utterly harmless. But if the charmer tread on the snake unawares, or be bitten when off his guard, he will be poisoned like another man. And to certain minds there has been given •an ascendancy over other minds, like the influence of the serpent-charmer. Sagacious and eloquent, they are able to soothe the fury of fierce tempers, and mould rancorous natures to their will. Like David's transforming harp, ■ as the strain advances, it looks as if a new possession had entei'ed the ex- orcised frame, and a seraph smiled out at those windows where a demon was frowning bef(n-e. But alas for the harper, if Saul should snatch the javelin before David has time to touch the strings ! Alas for the wise charmer, and also for the good cause, if the tyrant's passion towers up, or the decree of the despot goes f orih before a friendly •counsellor has time to interfere [Dr. J. IIamilto)i\. " The master of the tongue " — the man of ready and wise speech — may fail in matters of ordinary life through want of the power of quickly adapting ■himself to the occasion. To ensure success in a world like this, where so many hidden dangers lie ready to spring ui)on us, we must have tact as well as talent. While under the power of the elo- quent tongue, fierce natures may be wielded at wUl ; but when the charm is dissolved their virulence returns. He who gives to his tongue an un- restrained license, and is guided in the use of it neither by principle nor by prudence, is a man that requires to be managed with peculiar caution. Con- tradiction and violence may only irritate, and make the venom of his tongue the more virulent and deadly. He must be charmed [ WaixUaw^. Verse 12. " The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious." 1. They win the favour of the hearers. It is pleasant to listen to them — to be near the fountains of wisdom. 2. They minister good to the hearers. They convey those treasures of the mind and heart which are the impulse of all goodness in life, and the most enduring possession of man. The words of wise men have a gentle, yet all-prevailing force. In morals, this is a pleasing constraint, a drawing of the affections. It corresponds to attraction in the physical universe. The gracious words of Christ, who was incarnate wisdom, are still powerful in drawing the nations to Himself. The fool is the sepulchre of his own reputation ; for as long as he was silent, you were willing to give him credit for the usual share of intelligence, but no sooner does he blurt out some astound- ing blunder — no sooner does he begin to prattle forth his egotism and vanity, than your respect is exchanged for con- tempt or compassion [Dr. J. Hamil- ton]. As the Psalmist says when speaking ^ of such men as he, " They make their ' own tongue to fall upon themselves " (Ixiv. 8). It was the folly of Herod that made him utter the rash promise, which stained his soul Avith the crime of murder. It was the folly of another Herod that prompted the profane and self-glorying oration, which drew down upon him the vengeance of the Al- mighty [Buchanati]. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESTASTES. CHAP. X. Verse 13. The speech of the fool shows no tendency towards improve- ment as he proceeds. It is sure to degenerate into unmeaning rant, and to arouse passions which are hurtful to himself and to others. There is a ridiculous disproportion between the passionate language of a fool and the insignificant causes which excite it. There is as much diiference between the chastised fervour of the wise man's words, and the impudent rage of fools, as there is between the warmth and glow of health and the burning of a fever. We have here the serpent, the babbler spoken of in Verse 11, wreathed into a circle, his two ends, head and tail, meeting together. And as at the one end he is a serpent having his sting in his head, so at the other end he is a scorpion having his sting in his tail \Jeriniii\. Verse 14, A fool vainly imagines that mere words are knowledge and wisdom. Hence he easily lends him- self to a flattering delusion to conceal the poverty of his mind. Wisdom is content with few words. The most important truths have been condensed into the smallest compass. The precious things of the mind are thus rendered portable. He is like the empty drum that sounds at the lightest touch. His self-conceit persuades him that he is competent to decide, off-hand, matters on which deeper, more thoughtful, more con- scientious minds are slow to say any- thing at all. " A man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him?" These are diffi- culties which wiser men feel and acknowledge The wise man waits for more light. The case is not ripe for judgment — he can as yet neither approve nor disapprove ; he can neither acquit nor condemn ; and ac- cordingly he refrains his lips. Not so the fool. He is the first, the longest, and the loudest in every discussion \^Buchanan\. Fools are always most confident concerning the unknown and inscru- table. That balanced condition of the mind,, in which it is content to remain released from belief, is so uncommon that we have no Avord in our language to re- present it. Every ignorant and foolish man has a stiff opinion upon those subjects in which his knowledge is least. Verse 15. Folly makes a man both a weariness to himself and to his neigh- bours. They grow impatient of his blunders and busy zeal of fruitless labour. The fool is most confident in that wherein he ought to show the greatest modesty and reserve. He speaks of the accomplishment of his plans for the future with the same assurance as if he had read them distinctly in the Book of Fate. The fool he has in view is a culpable fool — is one whose folly has much more of the moral than of the intellectual, in the defect which it indicates and iimplies. He is one whose heart is- much further wrong than his head. The tongue of a mere imbecile cannot bite like a serpent In the highest and truest sense of the word, all wicked men are fools. There is a city — a mighty city — a glorious city — to which not one of them knows how to go ; and that is the New Jerusalem, the city of the living God [^Buchanaii]. Fools (in the moral signification of the term), when they stand before some great conviction, waken up to the dis- covery that what they thought was knowledge was only words, resting vipon no realities. They learn, like Job, the language of penitence and submission (Job xlii. 5, 6). 157 CHAP. X. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESTASTES. MAIN IIOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 16—20. The True Life of the State. As in individuals, so in states, there is a certain standard of health. There are conditions of vigour and decay. They cannot long hold any life or prosperity which is not founded upon moral goodness. The true life of the state may be considered, I. As to the Sources by which it is Nourished; All life must draw support, and materials for repair and development, fi-om something beyond itself. No creature can live upon its own blood. Nations can only maintain their true life and prosperity by due supplies of the proper nourishment of that life. It is especially necessary that those who govern should possess the highest excellencies — moral — intellectual — social. 1. Thei/ should have superior endowments of mind ■and heart. (Verse 17.) They should be " sons of nobles," not only by deriva- tion and rank, but nobles in reality ; men who are distinguished by that elevation of mind, those qualities of heart and temper, and that dignitied bearing by which they are fitted for the dithcult and responsible work of government. 2. The)/ should be diligent in datij. liulers have certain duties arising from the rela- tions in which they stand to those over whom they are placed. Hence they need not only ability, but also zeal and diligence in their calling. They should be dis- tinguished by industry, two main channels of which are indicated here. (1) Theu should maintain the ej/icienci/ of what is good. The edifice of state, like a house, is exposed to constant wear, and the slow decays of time. The beauty and use of it must be preserved by repair and renovation. The inherent good- ness of institutions will not save them from destruction. They must be main- tained in efficiency by constant diligence and care. (Verse 18.) (2) Necessary improvements and reforms shoidd be made. Time reveals what is weak, or no longer potent. Hence wise legislators will study the peculiar necessities of the age ; and upon a wider basis of facts and experience, will endeavour to carry the science of government to greater perfection. All human institutions need reform. They have no natural immortality, and only maintain their potency by renewal of life, (o) They should exercise moral control. (Verses IG, 17.) It is necessary in those who presume to lead mankind that the faculty of reason should be strong and clear, the judgment ready to decide with firmness whatever that reason ap- proves. But this excellence of mind cannot be attained except by the mastery of the appetites and passions. When princes begin the day in rioting and excess, the animal surmounts the rational, justice and judgment fail, and the land fares ill. When moral control is exercised by those who rule, when they eat "for strength, and not for drunkenness," their powers and energies of mind and heart are most effective for their high duties. Such men renew the life of the state. They are fitted to receive and exercise that wisdom which is profitable to direct, alike in the most retired as well as in the most public ways of life. II. The Causes of its Decline. There are several forms of folly which, in the coiu-se of time, must wear out the life of states and bring them to the condition of dead empires. 1. Intellectual and moral imbeciliii/ in their rulers. (Verse IG.) When the king is a " child " in mind and in character, inexperienced and thoughtless, having no manly vigour, no stable virtue, the nation he rules over is exposed to the worst fate. The more absolute the authority, the greater the ills which follow when those who wield it have not reached maturity of wisdom and skill. There are child-like qualities, beautiful in their own order and circum- stance, but beyond these, intolerable and disastrous. A child must not hold the helm of the state. 2. Habits of luxurij and dissipation. (Verses 17, 19.) When kings give way to gluttony and intemperance, their 158 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESTASTES. chap, x. moral influence must decline, they are rendered insensible to the real evils around them, and powerless to contend against those dangers by which the State is threatened. The contagion of their example is likely to spread rapidly through their subjects, and, as history has often witnessed, the nation unconquerable by the foe has become weakened by luxury, and rendeied an easy prey to the invader. But such habits in rulers are marked by a deeper shade of guilt when they are defended by a shameless boldness and bravado. Evil men, on the seat of authority, are not ashamed to avow a vicious code of duty, to utter some miserable dictum with the vain conceit of appearing smart. Such an attempt to justify excess and riot is described in Verse 19. (1) They plead the abundant provisions of nature for self-indulgence. There is the feast — why should they not carouse, and enjoy to the full ? There is the wine — why should they not be merry? Were not these things made for the use of man, and do they not confer with appetite to urge him to the highest enjoyment ? Thus far can folly render men insensible to the delicacies and moralities of speech. (2) They assert the omnipotence of gold. " Money answereth all things." They arc insensible to the noblest influences and powers, and imagine that money can achieve every purpose, and satisfy every desire ; that gold is an apology for every crime, and answers all charges. Thus folly attains to the bad eminence of the utmost heights of impertinence. III. The Cautions wliicli even Wise Men must Observe who Desire its Welfare. The moral and intellectual faculties of such men are not impaired by vicious indulgence, but enhanced by careful culture and soberness of life. By their talents and virtue they contribute to the strength and preservation of the State. They are an influence for good, a stand- ing rebuke to evil, the promoters of wise reforms. Such men might be tempted to impatience under the evils depicted here, and in the greatness of their zeal for the cause of justice, commit themselves to violent measures for reformation. Therefore prudence is necessary. 1. They must avoid too hasty an expression of feeling. (Verse 20.) The king, and the councillors who are associated with him in the government, may be corrupt in their administration. This is a sore trial for men of delicate moral sense and high convictions of justice. Yet the wise man must restrain his feelings, and forbear to curse such rulers, even in his thought. The sense of indignation, though justly roused, might lead such to Jiasty action, and cause a righteous struggle to end in defeat. 2. They have to consider that the injudicious 2'>')'omotion of a good cause may lead to serious evils. It is not expedient to speak out every conviction of the mind. The wise will learn to maintain a judicious reserve. Mere fragments of speech may be taken up by tale-bearers, and so combined and distributed as greatly to distort and misrepresent what was spoken. Hence, in a world like this, prudence in every course of conduct is necessary ; for without it, virtue itself is but a weak and insufficient ■defence. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES Verse IG. Read in the light of this In such hands everything must speedily contrast, child must obviously mean a fall into inevitable disorder. The cour- child in capacity — a silly Absalom, or tiers would be sure, with their custom- a self-willed Rehoboam — a man desti- ary servility, to copy the idleness and tute of the gravity, and intelligence, loose living of the king. It is this, no and experience, and still more destitute doubt, that is pointed at by the " princes of the high sense of responsibility and eating" — that is, feasting — "in the duty, which true wisdom inspires; a morning." The morning in all coun- man more taken up about his own tries, and especially in the East, was amusements and pleasures than with devoted by princes to public affairs. the affairs and interests of his kingdom. Then it was that, as judges, they sat in 159 CHAP. X. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. the gate, to hear and determine the causes and questions which the people might have to bring before them ; or that they assembled in the council chambers to dehberate on the great matters of the state [Buclicman]. Ill fares the land when the king is intellectually weak, luxurious, and de- praved. His administration is likely to be defective, and even vicious ; his exalted position renders his example the more dangerous. Good and wise institutions cannot preserve a nation from destruction, unless they are administered by good and wise men. Illustrious names should be supported by illustrious virtues and capacities. Verse 17. A king, the son of nobles, is one possessing true nobility of mind. To be merely of high lineage would, of itself, be no security for the possession of those qualities of v/hich Solomon here evidently intends to speak. Neither virtue nor wisdom is the necessary accompaniment of high birth. In all periods of the world's history, from •Solomon's time until now, it has been a thing only too common to find far- descended princes who had nothing else but their pedigree of which to boast — whose personal qualities were as low and base as their ancestry was illus- trious and exalted. Wisdom is not hereditary — it does not run in the blood — as Solomon's own son sufficiently proved [IJuchanaii]. The senses and appetites, when they are under the control of wisdom, may be made the servants of virtue. When the indulgence of appetites, lawful in themselves, is carried to ex- cess, or pursued for its own sake, it is a proof that the animal man sinks both the rational and the spiritual. Nations must "seek those things which are above," if they would prosper. Verse 18. A house requires not only to be built, but to be kept up. If a man, from laziness, after having got his habitation reared, will not be at the trouble of necessary repairs, a damage that is at first trifling will imperceptibly IGO increase, and will be followed by others till the building comes to be in danger Day after day, as the time for purposed or half-purposed exertion comes round, the sluggard yawns out to himself the same convenient assurance, that a few hours can make no difference, till by daily procrastination the repair becomes impracticable, and the decayed and shattered tenement " falls through "■ [ Wai-dlaiv]. There are three great fellowships of men, the Family, the State, the Church, which are so many buildings of God. In each of these, slothfulness is an evil fraught with the utmost danger. No institution can live merely upon the history of the past. The skill and activity of the living present must con- stantly repair the wrongs of time. It does not suffice even for Christianity itself that it has a firm historical basis. It needs also a living and ever-active Director. Slothfulness, whether in the things of man or God, is the forerunner of a gradual, yet sure decay. Verse 19, Men's lusts are very ex- pensive, they will not get their sloth- fulness and excess maintained without much money ; the consideration whereof should make them more sober and diligent. For their words import that sensual rulers must have money, and may be looked upon as including an argument to dissuade them from laziness and . excess taken from the effect thereof, which is the poverty of the people, who mu&t give to them that " money which answereth all things" [Ni^bef]. As men yield to the allurements of evil, the power and delicacy of the mind and conscience become impaired. Such are satisfied and lulled by the meanest excuses. When we consider the power and influence which are secui'ed by gold, we do not wonder that it has turned the heads of some. They have accepted the worship of it as a religion — a sure refuge from every evil — a means of justiflcation. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESTASTES. CHAP. XI. Verse 20. A righteous man may be so provoked by existing evils, that he cannot prevent the sense of indigna- tion from rising in his breast. Yet the duty of restraining his feelings by a sober and calculating prudence is laid upon him by the constitution of society, and it is part of his trial here. There is a respect due to office and authority, as such, independently of their moral character. Every ordi- nance of God may become corrupt by human vices, yet the fact of their Divine appointment remains. When once thought is uttered in speech, it is often like a stone flung from the hand ; we have no further power over it, and know not where it will light or with what results. This is a strong proverbial form of speech, expressive of the strange and unaccountable way in which such matters are frequently detected. They come to light — nobody knows how. The course they have followed leaves no traces by which it can be searched out. It is as if "a bird of the air had carried the voice." You are as much at a loss as the Syrian monarch was, when Elisha the prophet " told the king of Israel the words that he spoke in his bed-chamber" {J^ardlaio]. The earth is not a place of secrecy. It is scarcely in the power of earthly frailty to keep anything secret and concealed. Wherefore St. Paul was taken up to the third heaven, when he heard things that might not be uttered : according as St. Ambrose noteth upon it, who saith, " Paul heard some secrets of wisdom which he was forbidden to make known to others, and therefore he was taken up into Paradise " [Jermin^ . There is a Heavenly King who has immediate note of the most secret suggestions of the mind, and to whose ears are borne even the whispers of rebellion. CHAPTER XI. Critical Notes.— 1. Cast thy bread upon the waters.] " Bread," rendeied in Isaiah sxviii, 28, "bread corn." It has been supposed that there is an allusion to the manner of sowing the seed-corn of the rice plant during the time of the flooding of the fields. But it is doubtful ■whether this kind of grain was cultivated in Judea in the times of Solomon. The peculiarity of Egyptian agriculture may have suggested this image, where the seed is sown literally " upo'n the waters " before the inundation of the Nile has subsided. Perhaps the writer had no peculiar usage of agriculture in his mind, but by a bold figure represents a free-handed benevolence which does not too nicely calculate cost and results. 2. Give a portion to seven, and also to eight.] " Seven and eight " and similar combinations are often used in the sense of unde- fined plurality. (Mich. v. 5, Prov. xxx. 15, Amos i. 3.) The meaning hero is clear : seven must not be the limit, but rather " seven and more." 3. And if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall he.] This figure is suitable to represent the idea of irrevocable Divine judgments overtaking man ; but it may bo doubted whether it requires that idea. The more probable signification, and more suitable to tho theme of these verses, is given by Lango : " The utility of the tree remains the same, whether it falls upon the ground of a possessor bordering it to the north or to the south; if it does not profit the one, it does the other. And it is just so with the gifts of love ; their fruit is not lost, although they do not always come to light in the manner intended." 5. 'ihe way of the spirit.] Lit. The way of the wind. The same word signifies both wind and spirit. Tho double meaning jnay be taken as most in harmony with the latter part of the verso. We cannot track and discover all the mysteries of nature. (John iii. 8.) Nor how the hones do grow in the womb of her that is with child.] The formation of man's physical nature in the womb has always been regarded as peculiarly mysterious. (Psa. cxxxix. 13-16.) 6. And iu the evening with- hold not thine hand.] Lit. "towards evening." Be diligent both early and late. Either this or that.] Either the labour of the morning or of the evening. 7. Truly the light is sweet.] Light as the symbol of life. (Psa. xxxvi. 9, Job iii. 20.) 8. Yet let him remember the days of dai-knes^s; for they shall be many.] Days of misfortune and gloom in this world, and a yet longer season in tho dark sojourn of the dead. In the imperfect revelation of tho time, the state of the departed was considered as dark and cheerless. All that Cometh is vanity.] Everything that happens in the course of the world's history and in daily life ; more especially M 161 CHAP. XI. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. every man, since men are the prime movers and chief figures in all these things. 9. Kejoice, young man, in thy youth.] These ■woi-cls need not be understood as ironical. There is a sober and healthy joy which is consistent with the remembrance of the judgment. And walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes.] There are lawful pleasures both for the heart and eyes ; yet in all these things the solemn reckoning of the future must be kept in view. 10. Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart.] The word signifies "sorrow, dissatisfaction," not as in the LXX. and Vulgate, ''anger." The command to '• rejoice," in verse 9, is here followed by a warning against the opposite state of foeling. Put away evil from thy flesh.] Evil in the sense of misfortune — some evil condition of life. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 1—6. The Precepts of Benevolence. Benevolence is goodness considered, not as an internal state, but as an active habit. As such, it needs the direction of principles and rules, otherwise this genial impulse may degenerate into softness, and fail in various ways of pro- ducing the highest possible good. Precepts and rules are but the true method of performing any work or duty when that method is interpreted in language. Benevolence has its precepts. I. Learn to Venture Much. (Verse 1.) We are not certain that our kindest works shall have their proper effect, either in win- ning the gratitude or securing the permanent benefit of others. In the moral, as well as in the natural, world, there is an appearance of waste and failure. Yet the impulse of benevolence must not from hence be discouraged, nor wait for the time of action till it has the fullest assurance of success. We must learn to venture much, for we have often to cast our seeds of kindness " upon the waters," not knowing whither they will be carried, often, too, with as little prospect of reaping any ultimate good as if we scattered them vipon the barren foam of the sea. The prospect of immediate success must not be our motive. We have to act upon a higher and a nobler principle. 1. We viust learn to do good for its own sake. It destroys the nobility of goodness if we are anxious to ascertain what profit we shall have. Moral action that depends entirely upon the spur of reward only belongs to the lowest degrees of spiritual life. The angels do all for love and nothing for reward. The highest virtue is bold to act, indulges in the liberties of a free spirit, and is contented with the luxury of doing good. 2. We must have faith in the imperisJiahleness of r/ood deeds. It is true that the promise of immortality is only to tlie doer himself. " He that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.' (1 John ii. 17.) Much of his work must perish, tainted as it is with human infirmity, and imperfect. Yet all that is of sterling value in it shall abide. Good deeds springing from the fount of purity and unsellishness can never die. They are preserved for ever in the favourable remembrance of God. Even in the present life we are permitted to t^ee some of the fruita and rewards of them. The long delay of their due recognition and recompense may discourage us, but if we are faithful and unwearied in duty we shall see fruit *' after many days." 3. IFe nmst consider that the issues and rewards of our life are loith God. In allowing our goodness freely to spend itself, we are imitating the property of our Heavenly Father, and we may safely leave with Him our keeping and our reward. He knows all the issues of the good man's life, and all the riches of his sure recompense in eternity. These are greatly hidden from us here ; therefore, in the meantime, we must learn the uses of that faith whicli ventures all. Venture is the very soul of the religious life — the attitude of the righteous towards the great things of God yet to be revealed ; and the spirit of it penetrates all the forms of duty. II. Do not adopt a Quantita- tive Standard of Duty. (Verse 2.) AVe must not order our benevolence by a 1G2 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. CHAr. xi. cold, arithmetical law. If the purpose to hless seven candidates for our good offices be the limit we have set to our charity, that limit should not be so final and irreversible as to prevent us from extending our kindness yet to another, if he also stands in need of our favour, 1. True f/oodness is above the tyranny of minute maxims and rides. That portion of moral conduct which consists in doing good to others has its own laws ; but these are wide. Like the laws of nature, they are general and all-pervading. They cannot be represented by a severe and formal code, which does not rise above the letter, and knows nothing of that generous and free spirit of goodness which giveth life. The loving heart disdains the suggestions of that austere and cynical spirit of economy which says, " Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, an 1 given to the poor?" (John xii. 5.) The highest goodness acknowledges no law but the law of love. 2. True goodness often secures a grateful return of favours. "Thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth." It is, therefore, wise and prudent to create an interest beforehand, so that we may have succour in the day of calamity, AVe know not what disaster may cast us upon the kindness of others. Let us, therefore, by the deeds of love, make them our friends now. There is a reward which comes to the good man from society. In the time of .prosperity he needs it for his encouragement ; but in the time of adversity, it may be his very health and life. 3. True goodness has always some heneficial results. (Verse 3.) Through the ingratitude of mankind, and the moral perversity that is in the world, our good deeds may often seem to fail. Yet they will have some grateful issue — some precious results which cannot altogether die. These may fall out in quite a different direction from the course of our expectation. In any way, there will be benefit and blessing. The utility of the tree is not destroyed whether it falls to the north or to the south. In any case it will be a profit to some one. Ill, Do not Act by Constraint. (Verse 3,) 1, The constraint ■of law can never 'produce the highest goodness. It is possible for a man to do the deeds of kindness, not so much from love as from a sense of right. In the same proportion as he acts herein from any external constraint does he fail to rise to the true nobility of goodness. " The quality of mercy is not strained." 2. Tlie only constraint should be that of love. If the clouds be "full of rain " they must burst in showers of blessing upon the earth. They are the natural image of a heart that can hold out no more, that blesses by a sweet con- straint, and in doing good to others relieves itself. The highest natures are not ashamed to own the gracious necessity under which they are laid by love. IV. Be not Over- Cautious, (Verse 4.) He who is always watching with nervous anxiety the wind and rain, and must have the most perfect conditions before he begins his work, can only meet with but poor success. There is a certain boldness about true feeling that does not wait till all is clear and perfectly ascertained. In the uncertainties of the present life, there is a moral obligation to act upon imperfect evidence, upon assurances whose solidity is not quite beyond a doubt. The impulse of affection and love will often carry a man beyond the warrant of the logical understanding. He who is timid and hesitating cannot accomplish much gOi'd. It is best to follow the promptings of the generous heart, whithersoever they will lead, without waiting for that assurance of certainty which is never perfectly given to man in this life. In moral action, over-refinements are liangerous — they are impracticable. Therefore, he who waits for action till the most complete conditions favour him may have long to wait, and must suffer many disadvantages. 1. He must lose many opportniiities of doing good. If a man does not attempt the duty lying immediately before him, the opportunity may slip away for ever. He must be poor in good works who makes too careful ti selection of what he shall do. 2. Such delay tends to paralyse ejfovt. Caution is a valuable principle when used to secure accuracy in moral conduct, and to enable a man to walk surefootedly in this present life. But over-caution amounts m2 103 CHAP. XI. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. to a disease, relaxes the sinews of effort, and impairs the moral force. He who puts off the doing of good actions, from time to time, loses the healthfulness which a vigorous activity would give him, and in the end scarcely accomplishes anything. V. Be Earnest and Untiring, (Verse 6.) Earnestness and perseverance are the sure conditions of ultimate success. The holy examples of all the wise and good, and the solemn verities amidst which we now live, alike enforce these upon us. This earnestness and untiring devotion to every good work implies — 1. A ivide and varied action. It extends throughout every part of our working time — from " morning " till "evening." It is distributed over an ample field, and embraces opportunities on every side. It implies — 2. A surer and more plentiful reward.. If we sow with a liberal and diligent hand, some seeds will be sure to spring up. We may be discouraged by the appearance of a waste of power. God may destroy some of the seeds we sow, but He will preserve others. The work of the morning, or the work of the evening, may perish, yet we may fondly hope that one of them, at least, will succeed. In any case, the diligent worker shall see some profit of his labour. Then, too, the success may happen to he very great.. " Thou knowest not . . . whether they both shall be alike good." The law still holds in every case, " He that soweth plentifully shall reap plentifully." VI. Consider that God often Hides from Us the Success of Our Work. (Verse 5.) It is not possible for us to know the full extent of the impressions we make upon the minds and hearts of others. The good seed we sow may be borne very far, and quite beyond our observation and knowledge ripen into precious fruit. God,, in this thing also, does hide Himself. Our works, as well as the deepest things of our soul, are laid up with Him, awaiting that Judgment which shall make all things manifest. The labouts of love cannot be fully reckoned up in this world. This ignorance of the whole cause of our success is — 1. A necessity of our present condition. Man is still the greatest mystery to himself. The delicacy of tho human spirit is such that it is impossible to say how far it is affected by the words and acts of another. In our present imperfect stage we cannot have full light either upon the reasons of God's dealings, or upon the issues of our conduct. This ignorance, in both cases, may be a necessary discipline. It is suitable to a . life of faith, and for perfecting the grace of humility. 2. It is analor/ovs to our ifjnorance of nature's mysteries. We can observe the effects and direction of the wind, but cannot tell " whence it cometh, and whither it goeth." (John iii. 8.) We have no faculty to observe where the wind arises, and where it breathes out its last gasp. In like manner we are ignorant of the mystery of organic life — most notably of human life. Science can do much in classifying facts and reducing them to general laws, but cannot arrive at the ultimate mystery. How our physical nature is developed in the darkness of the silent womb, and pre- pared for the light and work of life, is still inexplicable to us. If we are ignorant of what is so intimately connected with ourselves, how can we presume to know all the work that God is doing in the world? Let us stand in awe and reverence before the depths of Divine knowledge, which conceal so much from our most piercing sight. Enough for man to know, that there is duty to be done, there are safe principles to act upon, and all faithful workers are sure of reward. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 1. Suppose that you are in lost; but, shoitld the winds and waters the South Sea Isles, where the bread- waft them to one of those reef i.-^lands fruit grows, and that by chance, or on with which such seas are thickly stud- purpose, yoti scatter some of its pre- ded, the wandering seeds may get cious bunches on the sea. At the washed ashore, and beneath those moment you may feel that they are brilliant suns may quickly grow to a 164 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. CHAP. XI. bread-fruit forest. And should some disaster long years after wreck you on that reef, when these trees are grown and their clusters ripe, you may owe your sustenance to the bread which you cast on the waters long ago. Such is God's husbandry. Do the right deed. Do it in faith, and in prayer commend it to the care of God. And though the waves of circumstance may soon waft it beyond your ken, they only carry it to the place prepared by Him. And whether on an earthly or heavenly shore, the result will be found, and the reaper will rejoice that he once was a sower [^Dr. J. Ilamiltoii]. In the eyes of mei-e economists and calculators, many deeds of love may seem but a reckless waste, and the hope of any real advantage or fruit of them a vain presumption. But the same God who gives to the good man the impulse of duty also gives him his faith. Thus he learns to work beyond the warrant of appearances, and to leave his reward with God. The seeds of goodness, scattered by a loving hand in the most unpropitious circumstances, may yet become the life of many. In the course of history, the corrup- tions of the Church have grown so great that the times required bold men who would venture to cast their seeds of truth upon the waters that, to com- mon eyes, only seemed to give them sepulchre. An ocean of prejudices, prescriptive authority, venerable fic- tions, and worldly interests, was ready to swallow up their truth. But the seeds they sowed found nourishment and the favour of heaven ; they have ripened into successive harvests, and have become the life and rejoicing of many. The ingratitude of men may seem improfitably to engulf the labours of love, yet those labours cannot entirely fail of reward. The least possible result is, that they return with blessing into the bosom of the doer. Verse 2. Miss no opportunity of performing kind actions. Though you should have bestowed your bounty on seven — on a number which you might deem sufficient — should an eighth present himself, do something for him also, for you know not what evil shall be upon earth. You know not in this world of mutation how soon you may be the pensioner instead of the almoner. You know not how soon you may be glad of a crust from those who are at present thankful for your crumbs. Beneficence is the best insurance [Z>r. J. HamUtoii\. We are not in danger of erring on the side of large bounty. Our natural selfishness inclines us rather to keep within the mark than to go beyond it. The best use we can make of the talents committed to us is by their means to secure friends. In the time of our prosperity we may not perceive what stores of love our kindness has caused to be laid up for us. It needs the occasion of our cala- mity to unlock them. We can store up mechanical energy, so that it remains quiescent till such time as we have need of it for effec- tive work. In like manner we can store up for ourselves the energy of love in the hearts of men, and in the day of our distress it will become a power to bless and save. In what opposite ways may the same consideration be applied ? The very circumstance which Solomon here urges as a reason for present and generous liberality, the covetous worldly-minded man pleads as an apology for hoarding. I know not, he says, " what evil may come upon the earth." I must, therefore, take good care of what I have got. Who can tell but I may otherwise come to de- pendence, and die poor myself ? A prudent precaution to prevent our becoming a burden upon others in the time of age and infirmity, is by no means to be condemned. But it is an awful perversion, when the apprehen- sion of future possibilities is made aa excuse for griping avarice. How much more noble the use that is made, by the spirit of God, of our ignorance of the future ! Instead of withholding from others on this ground, says Solo- 165 CHAP. xr. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. mon, rather give while you have to give, and give liberally: lose not the precioiis opportunity; "it is more blessed to give than to receive." En- joy, then, the pleasure of present beneficence [Wardlaw]. Verse 3. As the clouds are formed, not as an end, in themselves, but that they may w^ater the earth, so God be- stows His bounties upon men that they may bless others. The good heart owns no necessity but that of its own loving nature. A cloud full of rain, and yet leaving the earth beneath it parched and de- solate, would be an anomaly in the natural world ; and is not a griping, narrow-souled, selfish rich man an anomaly of the same kind ? God has given him the means of making " his very paths drop fatness." ... In what manifest opposition, then, to the ways and to the will of God does such a man live, when no drop of this plen- teous I'ain is emptied upon the thirsty earth ! when he lives only to hoard and heap up his accumulating treasures; or to lay tliem out only for the grati- fication of his own vanity and ambi- tion, or of his sensual ease and pleasure ? Such a man is a kind of monstrosity in the moral world — fit to be the object of no other feelings than those of con- tempt and pity on the part of his fel- lows ; and certain to inherit the dis- pleasure and wrath of Him, whose tender mercies are over all His works \Buahanaii\ Our bounty can never be entirely lost. If we do good in all directions, we shall find tlie reward of it in some direction, though not, perhaps, where we had most looked for it. Tliough there be discretion required in charity to know the worth of the persons on whom it is bestowed (Psa. cxii. .5), yet where the intention of the giver is honest, and endeavours to discern what manner of persons they are to whom he gives, though he may be mistaken, and let his ciuirity fall upon the worst, his reward shall be no less than if it fell upon tlie better sort ; for thus also may this similitude be 166 turned into an argument for charity, as holding forth the certainty of the re- ward thereof, whether the objects of it be good or bad [^NisheQ . Verse 4. It is easy to find excuses for the neglect of our duty. Timidity is a source of moral weak- ness. Trembling caution can accom- plish very little. There is a dauntless- ness about faith which does not wait till all is most favourable. If we are never to do an act of kind- ness till we are perfectly sure that it will not be abused, and that it will really and fully accomplish the purpose we intend by it, we shall never perform any such act at all. If I am never to give an alms until I know the whole history, past and future, of the indi- vidual who is to receive ; if I am never to befriend one who is in difficulty and distress till I can be positively assured that he will prove himself worthy of it ; if I am never to bestow my money on any undertaking for promoting the temporal or spiritual welfare of my fellow-men till I have infallible proof that there shall be no mistake com- mitted in the management of it, and that it shall effect all the good which its authors are looking for and aiming at, I may as well resolve at once to do nothing in the way of spending my worldly substance for the interests of religion or humanity at all \_Biicliaaai{\. Certainty is not attainable in the business of common life, therefore men are content to act upon proba- bilities. Why should they require more in moral duties ? The great preachers of the Gospel have luul the courage to sow the seed of the AV'ord when the temper of the- time seemed altogether unfavourable. They did not wait till all were willing hearers. Verse 5. The way of the human spirit from the Creator's power to the consciousness of life, thought, and feeling, and the manner of its strange union with this material frame, are mysteries of which human knowledge can give no perfect account. "We can EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. CHAP. XI. no more determine the ultimate facts of it than we can distinctly mark the place of the rising and expiring of the viewless wind. The old mystery of life, which has puzzled the thoughtful in all ages, still returns. God retains the secret as a standing challenge to man. Throughout all the seeming nature there remains fhis mysterious, gene- rative, life-giving process in the vege- table, the animal, and especially in the human birth, as a constant symbol of the supernatural presence, or of the old unspent creative force, still having its witness in continually recurring acts, ever testifying to the great Divine secret that baffles science, and to the explanation of which she can- not even make an approach \_Dr. T. Lewis, in Lange\. Let us apply ourselves to the duty lying near us, and for the assurance of reward and success be content to know that there is an invisible power, accomplishing in secret and in dark- ness the will of heaven. Our spirits might well faint amidst all the discouragements of duty, were we not assured that somewhere there is perfect knowledge and never-failing power. This is the stable centre of the soul. Verse 6. We cannot calculate be- forehand the success, in special in- stances, of our labours to do good. The result will, doubtless, show that there has been some waste of power. But this should not discourage us. We may be tempted to try nothing by the morbid apprehension of failure. The better course is to calculate on some of our attempts failing ; and on this account, that we may have the greater probability of succeeding in some, to make them the more nume- rous ; whilst, at the same time, we bring to bear upon every one of them the entire amount of prudence and forethought we posses?, that, as far as lieth in us, we may ensure a favourable issue to them all [ Wardlaw~\. For sowing — for doing well, every time serveth ; and who knoweth which shall do best in the acceptance of God, and in the advancing of onr blessed- ness ? Be, therefore, diligent and sow continually. It is not in sowing as it is in buying and selling ; in those, things are done by weight and by measure ; but in sowing, there is a scattering abroad in a free and full manner. Wherefore, when it is said of the righteous man, " He hath dis- pensed, he hath given to the poor," Theodoret noteth upon it, " He imita- teth those that sow their seed abun- dantly, scattering it about in hope of filling their hands again " [Jermin\. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 7—10. The Counsels of Wisdom to the Children of Pleasure. Wisdom comm^ids the rational and sober use of pleasure. But when pleasure is pursued for its own sake, leads to forgetfulness of God, or weakens the power of moral control, it becomes an evil. But even those who are most careful herein have need constantly to keep before them certain solemn truths. I. To Remember how Empty the Most Favoured Life is of any Solid Good. The ■wise man is ready to admit all the good that life contains. He does not, in the spirit of a gloomy philosophy, condemn all enjoyment, 1. The consciousness of existence is itself a j^leasitre. (Verse 7.) Light speaks to us of all that is glad, joyous, and free ; and light is the symbol of life. Existence is an inheritance, and we fondly cling to it, even when bereft of all else. To enjoy the light of the sun ari,d the comfort of the elements is, in itself, pure delight. 2. Some lives may have a large capacity for pleasure. This may be favoured bi/ the length of life. A man may live *■' many years, and rejoice in them all." Time is, at least, one dimension of the capacity of life ; and if it be extended in other dimensions by 167 CHAP. XI. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. the ability to enjoy and improve it, life may be filled witb much good. Or. take life in the season of its greatest power of enjoyment. (Verse 9.) Youth is the time of the greatest vigour, when the sense of enjoyment is keenest. Care has not yet begun to corrode the mind, nor faith in man to lessen, nor hope to lose her charms. The young man may well " rejoice " in his "youth." 3. A life devoted entirely to pleasure, however favoured, has no solid worth. He who lives to satisfy his appetites, unmindful of the claims of duty and of his solemn reckon- ing with God, will find at the close of life that he has been grasping a shadow. The pleasing forms die in his embrace, like those of a dream when one awaketh. If a man has anything to dread from the judgment, life, however blessed by out- ward favours, must be but a sad portion after all. But, taking man at his best estate here, and comparing it with the sublimer destinies awaiting him in future worlds, it will be found that the successive stages of life are vanity. The rosy dawn and the bright morning of life may be beautiful, but they hold their per- fection only for a little moment. The day, meanwhile, hastens on to its close, and a night of uncertain duration shuts up the scene. The contemplation of life must produce a despairing sadness, unless a man has the hope of immortality. This hope shifts the centre of the soul from the region where all is unsubstantial and vain, and places it where all is real and abiding. This idea raises and transforms life. Without it, life will be found to be empty of any enduring worth. II. To Consider the Dread Abode to vsrhich They are Hastening. (Verse 8.) The Old Testament speaks in very gloomy language of that dark house where souls are detained after death. The darkness that rested upon life and immortality could not be cleared away until His coming who was the life and light of men. Yet even the advanced light of the G-ospel does not completely relieve the gloom with which this dread subject afilicts and oppresses the human mind. Departed saints have still, in some form, to submit to the long reign of death. Still, " waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of the body," they groan for perfection and full investiture. With all the superior light and hope of the Gospel, the subject is yet sufficiently solemn. There are views of the state of the dead upon which it is salutary that we should dwell, even while we cherish the brightest hope of reward. This tends to preserve that humility which is proper to our present condition, and to set the pleasures of the world in their true light. The following thoughts arise whenever we contemplate the state of the di^ad: 1. There is the sense of obscuriti/ and neglect. A man is removed from the eyes of the living, and though his memory is preserved awhile, he is, at length, forgotten. There is an idea of utter neglect. It seems as if the invisible thread of love and memory, which connects the two worlds, becomes at last .severed. With all the dear human hopes and feelings that now fill us, we cannot contemplate such a fate without due solemnity. 2. There is the sense of uncertainty. Whenever we think of what is beyond our knowledge, and especially of that in which we ourselves must play an important part, vague fears arise in the mind. With our present experience, we are not able to conceive of the manner in which they live who have put off this vesture of mortality. And this very uncertainty becomes an oppres- sion. This is, indeed, relieved by faith ; yet despite of all, it will now and then suggest itself to contemplation. 3. There is the sense of privation. There must be such, as far as this life is concerned. When we have passed the bounds of time and space, the pleasures of this world exist for us no more. Wo seem half afraid that even there we shall lack many enjoyments. Thus, in certain moods of mind, must we think of that long night which succeeds our mortal day. Though such thoughts should not be the governing ideas of our spiritual life, yet they are valuable for several purposes of discipline. They impart that soberness to the mind, by which we learn to taste the pleasures of life as those who have shortly to enter Mpon a scene of unknown and untried things. To every one, the wise man says, " let him remember the days of darkness : for they shall be many." 168 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. chap. XL III. To be Mindful of the Solemn Judgment Awaiting Mankind, (Verse 9.) This does not refei' to any penaUies of sin in the present life, though these are Divine Judgments, but rather to that solemn reckoning which God will make with all mankind. The fact of human responsibility makes a future Judgment necessary. Mankind will not be judged in masses, but each one by himself. " God will bring thee into judgment." 1. The nioral loorth or toortldess- ness of each human life ivill he estimated. The true character of each man vvill be revealed. The Judgment is spoken of as that which shall make manifest what we really are. (2 Cor. v. 10.) 2. The judgment loill he against all lives in. ivhich there has heen a non-recognition of God. The youth is reminded that for the joy which is so natural to his season of life, for walking in the ways of his heart and in the sight of his eyes, God will bring him into judgment. This does not necessarily mean condemnation. He who in life's work or pleasures recog- nises God, and is governed by spiritual ideas, though he may feel solemn as he thinks of the test to which he shall be brought, has yet nothing to fear. It will be a test discovering what he is, not one which destroys. Like gold which is proved in the fire, the Judgment will, indeed, be a trial for all the righteous, but it will not be destruction. But he who in his pleasures and works has for- gotten God, has hved without a due sense of responsibility, and of the awful future, has all to fear from the Holy One, who is determined to put all sin out of His sight. Nothing that is evil can live in the light of His countenance, and all is sad and unprofitable upon which that light does not shine. Human life in all its duties, joys, and sorrows, is sanctified and raised by the continual desire to please God. Without this the whole of life comes under condem.nation. IV. To Allow these Facts Practically to Influence the Conduct. (Verse 10.) In this section the wise man dwells upon the chief facts of probation and destiny. No stage of life is permanent, but all is fleeting. All are hastening to that long dark night in which no man can work. All alike await the Judgment, even the best and holiest needing to find mercy of the Lord in that day. What course of conduct is the wisest in the face of these solemn truths ? How, especially, is the youth, to whom the world offers the strongest temptations, so to order his life, lest he should come into the condemnation of the Judgment? 1. He shoidd remove the causes of imcard trouhle. " Remove sorrow from thy heart." Sin, in its many forms, is the cause of all trouble and sorrow. All disorders in the tiniverse arise from this one bitter root. If sin is put away, though a man may have outward trouble, yet the depths of him will be lightened up with the presence of God ; and in a rich hope, and an approving conscience, he will have the comfort of an unearthly joy. The youth who follows his desires, without any moral restraint, must sooner or later know sad grief heavy at his heart. Con- science will one day awake and afflict his soul. 2. He should avoid the phjisical ])enalties of sin. There are spiritual sins for which the flesh is not chastised. There are carnal sins whose penalties man is made to bear in his body. Some vices injure health, exhaust physical vigour, and bring acute misery. "Put away evil from thy flesh " is the counsel of wisdom to those who are tempted to try dangerous pleasures. A man may well reflect whether he does not pay too high a price for the sinf id indulgence of the flesh. These natural chastisements foredate the Last Judgment, and full retribution for all sin. Their lessons should be early learned, lest youth should transmit to age the inheritance of suf- fering and shame. To put away evil from the heart, and sorrow from the flesh, is to garnish and prepare the soul, that heavenly influences there may take up their abode. The joy of opening life is a hollow vanity, unless a man has learned to cherish those joys which time can never fade. 169 CHAP. XI. HOmiETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 7. All light is pleasant ; 'tis the very smile of nature, the gloss of the world, tbe varnish of the creation, a bright paraphrase upon bodies. Whether it discover itself in the modesty of a morning blush, and open its fair and virgin eyeliila in the dawn- ing of the day ; or whether it dart out more vigorous and spiightful beams, shining out in its noonday glory ; whether it sport and twinkle in a star ; or blaze and glare out in a comet ; or frisk and dance in a jewel; or dis- semble and play the hypocrite in a glow-worm ; or epitomize and abbre- viate itself in a spark, and show its zeal in the ruddiness of its complexion in the yolk of the lire ; or grow more pale, pining, or consuming away in a candle. However it is pleased to manifest itself, it carries a command- ing lustre in its face. . . . Is it not a pleasant thing to behold a sun ? nay, to behold but a candle, a deputed light, a vicarious light — the ape of a sunbeam? \_Culvericell.] Light is the emblem of all that is joyous in life. Sorrow and melancholy seek the shade and the darkness. It is only the brightest passages, the best moments of life, that can bo aptly and truly represented by the light. Sin has disturbed the harmony between the natural and the spiritual worlds. Verse 8. If a man's life is not ap- proved of God, prosperity, however long continued, will end in the darken- ing of all that is hopeful and bright in life. This is but the prelude of a sadder privation beyond life. Tbe most favourable instances of the ■worldly prosperity of godless men do not affect the truth, that all that cometh of such a life is vanity. In the years of thy life, therefore, remember these days. In thy days of delight, remember these days of trouble, and let the remembrance of them make thee to provide against them by well ordering thy life [./crmm]. 170 As long as life is coming^ or to comCy its vanity does not appear. On the contrary, there is nothing thought of then but content and satisfaction; nothing but Elysian prospf cts, di-eams of happiness, and landscapes of Para- dise. For there is a strange fallacy in Ilei-eafter ; and distance, which lesst-ns objects to the eye, magnifies them to the mind. We are big with the hopes of that part of life which is coming on, and live day after day upon the fancy of what to-morrow will produce, like the spectators of a play still in expectation of the next scene ; but yet, when to-morrow comes, we find it just like yesterday, vain and without content ; and so will every to- morrow be when it comes to be to-dcvj \_Norris\. There are days of darkness which will come to the just, in this world ; but it is not a darkness which hides God, Rather is it like that of night, which uncovers the celestial globe, and reveals bright glories in the heavens which v/ere never seen by day. Verse 9. When the heart is in a right state no joy will harm, provided only it be true joy, and not merely a corrupting mirth. Enjoy it, then, if there is anything pleasant for the sight or hearing, provided you sin not against God [Lvthcr]. To walk in the ways of the heart and in the sight of the eyes may be taken in a bad sense, as representing tliat wilfulness in conduct wlilch does not acknowledge God. But there is a proper use both of the heart and of the eye. God denies no lawful pleasures to that faculty whicli loves, or to tliat whicli appreciates the forms of beauty in the world. The principle by which life is governed is the chief thing. To the {)ure, all these things are pure. Tlie stronger the temptations to \\n- lawf ul pleasures, the stronger should be felt the restraints of religion. In the enjoyments of pleasure, a man IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLE'SIAiSTES. CHAP. XIK should Lave the thought ever present with him that he is living under the shadow of the Day of Judgment — a shadow which is deepening fast. This will prevent him from abusing that which was intended for his training and improvement. To be brought face to face, at last, with God will of itself be terrible dis- tress to all who have not learned in life to find their chief delight in Him. Verse 10. There are inward and outward troubles — sources of pain to the body and to the mind. From some of these our goodness cannot deliver us ; but from the worst forms of them we can be saved by obedience to the will of God, That heart which God's Spirit has renewed and occupies, however op- pressed with the troubles of life, can have no essential and crushing sorrow. He who is saved from sin is saved from the cause of the deepest troubles. He possesses the true life, and therefore enjoys the gladness which it brings. He becomes a partaker of the Divine nature, and is blessed. Godliness, while it raises and puri- fies the spirit of man, does also redeem the flesh from many evils. Herein is. a prophecy of a more complete redemp- tion for the body. The tree of life iu. Paradise heals all the ills of man. Let, therefore, the youthful worldling- pause. Let him not suffer his fond hopes, and dazzling visions of the future, to deceive him, " for childhood and youth are vanity." The promises they make to the thoughtless, carnat. mind, are false. The halo which they throw around the world is a deceitful glare. The joyous anticipations in which they indulge are continually liable to disappointment ; and every day, every hour, events may arrive that will sweep them utterly away^ or bury them in darkness and death [Buchanan], CHAPTER XIL Critical Notes. — 1, Thy Creator.] The Hebrew word is in the plural form, denoting the- fulness and wealth of the Divine nature. While the evil days come not.] The time of joyless old ago as contrasted with the glad season of youth. 2. While the sun, or the light, or the stars he not darkened.] The separate mention of the sun and light is not to he considered as tautology. Aben Ezra explains that by the light is signified the morning liuht, which,, though identical with that proceeding from the sun, is yet poetically diileront. The darken- ing of those natiiral lights signifies the diminishing of joy and the coming of the season of adversity. (Isa. xiii. 10, Amos viii. 9, Ezek. xxxii. 7.) Nor the clouds return after the rain.] A description of what often happens, in those countriop, during the rainy season of winter. After a great discharge of rain, the clouds gather again, the signal for another storm. One trouble follows closely upon another. 3. The keepers of the house shall tremble.] The human body, being the habitatioa of the soul, is often compared to a house or tent. (Job. iv. 19, Wisdom ix. 15, Isa. xxxviii. 12, 2 Cor. v. 1, 2 Pet. i. 13.) The description given hero is that of a rich mansion or castle, not that of an ordinary house. It is a house having the necessary things of war and luxury ; soldiers to defend it and keep watch on the turrets; servants for- attcndauce, ami to prepare food for a largo household. The furniture and surroundings are those of a magnificent and lordly dwelling — the hanging lamps, the golden bowl, the splendid fountain. (Verse 6.) By " the keepers of the house " are signified the arms, ono of whose chief uses is defence. In old age they become weak and tremulous. And the strong men shall bow themselves.] These are the legs which, from failing strength, bend under the weight of years. And the grinders cease because they are few.] The '• millers" or " grinders " aro the teeth, which in old age become fow. They cease, in the sense of failing in ability to perform their proper function. In Hebrew, the form of the word is feminine, in allusion to the custom by which the grinding for the household was performed by female slaves. And those that look out of the windows be darkened.] Not ordinary windows, but some opening in a lofty part, such as a turret. The castle, which would have its ''strong men," would also have its watchers on the heights. These answer to the eyes, which are placed aloft as on a watch-tower. Dimness of sight is the common infirmity of old age. 4. And the doors shall be shut in the 171 •CHAP. XII. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. streets.] Some expositors say that by " the doors " the mouth is intended. But this is scarcely likely, as the mouth had boea sufficiently described before. The description answers better to the ears, for a double organ is plainly signified, and one by which wo hold intercoursa with the outer world. Wheu the sound of the grinding is low.] This refers not to the failure of the powers of mastication, but to the failure of hearing. The old man but feebly hears the most familiar household sounds, such as those of the maids grinding corn. And he shall rise up at the voice of the bird.] In allusion, probably, to the sleeplessness of old men. 5. Afraid of that which is high.] Referring to the difficulty which an old man feels in ascending a hill. Fears shall be in the way.] The smallest dangers are magnified by his weakness till they become formidable. The almond tree shall flourish.] The almond tree flourishes in the midst of winter, and bears its blossoms ou a leafless stem. These blossoms, notwithstanding their red colour, have, as they fall, the appearance of white snow-flakes. Dry, bleak, barren old age, with its silvery hair, is thus represented. The grasshopper shall be a burden.] Some explain this of their singing and chirping, which may easily annoy the old man. Others — taking the word in the strictly literal sense of locust — say that the reference is to these as an article of food which is too strong for the impaired digestion of the aged. Others, again, say that they represent that which devours, hereby signifying those forces which are hostile to life. Various other interpretations are given, more or less fanciful, but all are foreign to the simplicity of the figure. Here, it will be found that the meaning that would occur to the simplest reader is the best. The old man cannot bear the least weight. Desire shall fail.] Every kind of desire, whether it be the appetite for food, or that of the sensual passioas. Be- cause man goeth to his long home.] Lit. •' to his eternal house." This is inserted parentheti- cally — all these things are signs that life is shortly about to cease. The expression is found in Tobit iii. 6, and was familiar to Roman literature. As the word rendered " eternal " also signifies the world, it may bo that the idea of time is not prominent hero, and that we have but a form of the phrase " the other world." 6- Or ever the silver cord be loosed.] Man's living organism is here described by a new figure. It is now a golden lamp, hanging by a silver cord. Hereby is signified the thread of life, and that life is a noble and precious thing. Or the golden bowl be broken.] The vessel containing the oil which supports the llame. This answers to the brain, the organ of the noblest functions of man, and also the source of that stimulus by which all the processes of the body are carried on. Or the pitcher be broken at the fbuntain.] This gives a different idea from the golden bowl, and evidently refers to that •organ which draws nourishment from something outside the body. Like the broken pitcher, the lungs are no longer able to draw in the vital air. Or the wheel broken at the cistern.] The same figure as the last, but repiesenting a different part of the arrangement for drawing ■water — the cistern wheel for raising and lowering the bucket. Life is represented under the image of a wheel in constant motion. This, probably, suggested James iii. 0, " The wheel of rature." 8. Vanity of vanities.] This repetition of chapter i. 2 shows that these words aro intended to be placed at the head of the conclusion of the book. They introduce tho epilogue. 10. Acceptable words.] Pleasant, agreeable words. We are reminded of tho "gracious ■words" of Our Lord. (Luke iv. 22.) And that which was written was upright.] In accord- ance with the standard. They corresponded with eternal realities, and were, therefore, true. 11. The words of the wise are as goads.] The author thus classes himself with tho writers of proverbial wisdom. Tho Sapiential Books of the 0. T. would come under this description. Such words aro "as goads ; " they have the power of penetrating deeply into the heart. And nails.] Used synonymously with " goads." Fastened by the masters of assemblies.] Tho maxims of wisdom, as united into one assembly or collection. Which are given from one shep- herd.] In tho sonso of a leader of a congregation, or chief of a school. Tho wisdom of many is pervaded by a spirit of unity. Hougstonborg considers that there is a reference to God as the author of tlio tiacred Books. 12. My Son.] An expression appropriate to tho master of wisdom when addressing his pupils ; equivalent to "my scholar," or "dear reader." (Prov. i.8.) Of making many books there is no end.] Tho plural form sometimes denotes the parts of one treatise, and convoys the general idea of " much writing." Tho word may be, therefore, rendered collectively, "in "making a great book there is no end." Great Jaboiir for littlo result. These words may also bo understood of tho heathen literature, which on many subjects was misleading, and roally settled no question. 13. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole ^ matter.] There is an implied rcforouc.o to vorso 12. lloro tho wi.so man concludes, since it is useless to make a long book. Fear God.] Lit. " God foar." Tho object of fear is put first • for tho sake of emphasis. For this is the whole duty of man.] '• Tho whole of man." His ■destiny depends on this. " For that belongs to all mon." Luther. 172 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESTASTES. chap. xii.. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 1—7. Incitements to Early Piety. The Royal Preacher now leaves speculation, as leading to no substantial result, and turns, with better hopes, to practical matters. He had observed much of this scene of man, and thought deeply upon the mysteries of life and destiny ;; but he has no brilliant discovery of ultimate wisdom to announce which could settle these questions. He is more inclined to give those few and simple counsels^ which are far more profitable for himself and for all who hear him. A man always returns gratefully to these when he has grown tired of the conflict of thought and controversy. Thus the Epistles of " Paul the Aged " deal more with the "faithful sayings" than with the deep things of doctrine. Experience teaches a man to rely only upon virhat is sure. As a master in the school of heavenly wisdom, Solomon calls his young friends around him, exhorting and entreating them to early piety. He lays before them those motives and reasons which commend the fear of God to youth. I. It is a Eational Duty. (Verse 1.) The whole of what we understand by piety is made to consist of the remembrance of our Creator. Nor is this too narrow a basis: it really includes all duty. The fact that God is our Creator is the foundation fact upon which lies all what we know and feel, or are capable of. Practically, to recognise our relationship to God herein is the sum of all duty. If God is our Creator, He will make pro- vision for our sustenance, for our preservation, for our spiritual education and improvement. After the reflection, " Thy hands have made me and fashioned me," how natural is the prayer, " give me understanding that I may learn thy- commandments." (Psa. cxix. 73.) To remember God is to keep Him always before us, to be mindful of what He is, to obey His will, and to pay Him thanks. It is like the son's remembrance of his father's home, bringing back tender associations fresh to his mind, acting as a restraint from evil ways, and strengthening the motives of filial duty. God as our Creator has certain rights which we must acknowledge. The only rational service for man is to do what is right in accordance with the relations in which he is placed. This makes early piety the only consistent and reasonable course. All late coming to the know- ledge of a God is a culpable forgetfulness. Though the mercy of God be not hereby overtasked, there is in this tardy recognition of duty something ungra- cious. 1. God has a rigid to our entire and life-long service. The obligation to the- loving service of our Creator never ceases for a moment, but always remains with us. Why should we either heedlessly thrust that obligation aside, or keep it in abeyance until we are sated with the world's pleasures, and fondly hope to return to it as a last resource when all else has failed ? The service of God should fill the whole area of duty, and the whole course of our time. The true and complete model of the religious life — God's ideal of humanity — is that which was manifested in Christ, whose whole life was devoted to His " Father's busi- ness." In that life there were no violent changes, no painful struggles to recover lost ground ; but from the earliest dawn of thought and feeling, duty was accepted, and the communication with Heaven kept open. The perfection of this model should not appal us, for it is our duty to make as near an approach to it as pos- sible. "The measvu-e of Christ" is the limit to which we ought to tend, though that limit stretches so far beyond us. 2. God has a right to our constant love- and gratitude. His character is such as to demand and win our love. He does not use the instruments of terror to lash us into a tender regard for Himself, but seeks to attract us by His loving kindness. Therefore, our love to Him should be deep, simple, and free, as nature. In O.T. times, the love of such an awful Being would be that of a distant, reverential love, represented by the phrase 173 <:HAr. XII. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. (which is there the prevailing element) "the feoioers wJiich carry out the purposes oj human activity. The arms, those " keepers of the house," so valuable for defence, now begin to tremble, and are powerless against the foe. They were once able to shape the stubborn material around to the mind's purpose and design, but now they have lost their cunning. The legs, which once ministered swiftly to the will, stood firm against assault, imparted the sense of freedom, and gave a man sovereign command over the whole area of his work, now bow themselves for very feebleness. (2.) The failure of the nobler senses. The eyes — those windows by which the soul looks upon the outer world — are darkened, for the old man brings to them no longer the power of seeing. The ears — one of the entrances for intelligence, and ways of communication with the world outside — are closed, so that they obstruct the paths of sound. The most familiar sounds are scarcely dis- tinguished, the sweet music of speech at length dies away, and the old man becomes completely shut up within himself. (3.) The failure of the powers of enjoyment. The power to taste all pleasures, coarse or refined, now fails. Savoury meats and luscious entertainments now pall upon the sense. Singing men and singing women cease to charm. (4.) The increased power of little things to annoy. The grasshopper is now a burden, the slightest obstacle is magnified into an object of dread, and every little hill becomes a mountain of difficulty. Short breath, dim eyes, failing limbs, give man a painful sense that he is vanquished by nature. 2. The event of death to the aged suggests the most melan- choly images to the mind. It is the destruction of the palace of the soul, with all its appliances for defence and luxury. It is the breaking of the golden lamp of life. It is the fatal arrest of that revolving wheel by which we draw what is to lis the water of life. The permanent cessation of motion in physical nature means death. The exact meaning of this is, that the body as an organism ceases to exist. There are other movements set up, even when the body lies still in death. "The dust returns to the earth as it was." Of the earthly side of man's nature, we have here an end. The grave is the goal of all that is mortal. The body goes a progress from dust to dust, from a lowly origin to cold dis- honour. 3. Without spiritual consolations the condition of old age is most lament- uhle. The perpetual joy that reigns in the breast of the godly man can mitigate the sorrows of old age. The worst evils become disarmed when we can afford to set them at naught by the consciousness of strong consolation within. When the eye grows dim, and the ear ceases to be charmed by sweet sounds, celestial light shines inward with richer effulgence, and the soul listens to diviner har- monies. With the spiritual man, the power to enjoy God increases as his human strength decays. Godliness even modifies some of the physical conditions of age by saving a man from the penalties of sensuality and vice. He who has learned to preserve the honour of his body by temperance and sobriety of behaviour, when he comes to grey hairs will not be such a deplorable ruin as the sinner who has grown old in sin. Thus early piety assuages the sorrows of age, and raises a joy within the breast which no calamities can dislodge. III. It Deprives of Terror the Soul's Inevitable Appearance before God. (Verse 7.) 1. To aj^p^ear before God is the destination of every human soul. The liesh ends in dust. Man sinks down to that from which he arose. But man is made in the image of God, and therefore in the image of His immortality. There is a part of him that can never die. While the flesh goes down to dust, there is another movement of the spirit upward to God. Each human soul must take that solemn journey to God. However much it may dread the meeting, it cannot pass one side of Him, or ia finy way avoid Him, but must go straight into His presence. In their " long home " — that other house of life — all men, for good or ill, must await God, 2. That appearance must bring the ungodly into conflict ivith the Divine Judg- 175 CHAP. XII. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. ments. Sin leaves a mark upon the soul that death itself is not able to efface. God " changes man's countenance and sends him away," but the spiritual character of the soul cleaves to it still. Man in that other world must for ever live with himself ; and what he is, so shall be his condition. None but the pure and holy can remain in God's sight, and enjoy the comfort of His presence. If a man has not answered the purpose intended by his Creator, he cannot be approved, but must suffer the Divine displeasure. 3. The godhj xvill come to his Creator in peace. To be summoned into the presence of God is sufficiently solemn, even for the purest and holiest of mankind. But such will come, not to an offended, but to a reconciled God, The solemn meeting will be peace, and prosjjerity, and endless refreshment. In the dread passage out of life into eter- nity, the good man learns to say, " Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me." And when his spirit takes its everlasting flight unto Him who gave it, he shall find that the light which was sown for him springs up into a harvest of blessedness. He who has remembered his Creator in the days of his youth shall be able, in his time of age and decay, to utter with confidence the prayer, " Lord, remember me." Early piety is the only perfectly graceful conduct towards the Author of our being, the most acceptable sacrifice, the best provision against the sorrows of life, and the terrors of the last trial. The soul needs the strongest ground for courage and hope when this present world vanishes, and there is nothing to intercept its vision of the throne of God. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 1. Practically considered, the root of all moral evil is forgetfulness of God. Remembrance imparts to great facts and impressions the beauty and influ- ence of presence. Thus the truth of God's nature and our duty comes upon us Avith fresh power. The mention of the Creator, here, shows the right which He has in us, and our obligation. Your own happiness is concerned in your compliance with this counsel. That happiness is unworthy of the name which is disturbed by the remem- brance of God. The contemplation, and enjoynicQt, and service of the Divine Being, must be the honour and the blessedness of every rational nature. There is a propriety, a beauty, and a glory in early piety [ Wanllaio] . Of his last years this old man says, " I have no pleasure in them." Once on a time existence was a gladness, and the exuberant spirits overflowed in shouts and songs of hilarious ditties. So abundant was the joy of life, that, like the sunbeams in a tropic clime, it was needful to shade it, and with a Venetian lattice of imagined sorrows 17G and tragic tales, the young man as- suaged the over-fervid beams of his own felicity. Now there is no need of such artificial abatements. It is not easy for the old man to get a nook so warm that it will thaw the winter of his veins. To say nothing of a song, it is not easy for him to muster up a smile ; and as he listens with languid interest to the news of the day, and, in subtile sympathy with his own failing faculties, as he disparages this modern time and its dwindled men, it is plain that, as for the world, its avocations and amusements, its interests and its inhabitants, he has little pleasure in them \^Dr. J. Hamilton^. Verse 2. The conditions of external nature, in their aspect towards ourselves, are determined by our own state. Nature is gay, or sad, or languishing, according to the several moods of our soul. When we lose the power of en- joying it, the world itself may be said to pass away. As the light declines, the gayest colours of life fade, and, at length, all is reduced to a dreary blank. So it shall be with the youth who vainly HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. CHAi". xm depends upon the continuance of the world's happiness. He only is preserved from bitter dis- appointments and long regrets, who seeks that light of heavenly joy which increases while all other lights grow dim. "We should use our mercies and pri- vileges which are common to us with other men, to wit, our bodily sight, our reason, and all other comforts, which may be signified by the lights here men- tioned, so as we may be still mindful of the decay and failing of them at death ; and often think with ourselves what a comfort it will be to see by faith Him that is invisible favourable to us, to be- hold Christ the Sun of Righteousness shining in mercy upon us, and to have the Day-Star, His Spirit, arising in our hearts never to set again, even when all other lights and outward com- forts will be darkened [Nishetl. In youth, troubles come like rain, which, though inconvenient while it lasts, leaves no devastation behind. But in age, troubles are like rain fall- ing upon a flood already threatening and which, at length, carries away man' into eternity (Psa. xc. 5), Old age is a Tierra del Fuego — a region where the weather never clears. Once, when a trivial ailment came, the hardy youth could outbrave it, and still go on with his daily duties. But now, every ailment is important, and they are never like to end. The cough is cured only to be succeeded by an asthma, and when the tender eyes have ceased to trickle, the ears begin to tingle. Once upon a time a few drops might fall into the brightest day, like a settling shower in June; and there were apt to be hurricanes, equinoctial , gales, great calamities, drenching and ' devastating sorrows. But now, the day is all one drizzle, and life itself the chief calamity, and there is little space for hope where the weather is all either clouds or rain [£)?•. /. Hamiltoii\. Verse 3. As each power and sense fails, man descends by so many steps into the grave. By the failure of sight — the noblest of the senses — a man has already en- tered " the valley of the shadow of death." In old age, a man is compelled, in a terribly real sense, to retire from the world. Shut in from outward joys, he must live with himself. How cheer- less if he has no Divine Comforter ! When old age, with its ever-increas- ing feebleness, draws on, " the keepers of the house " — the once-powerful arms that shielded the body from every hos- tile. assault, that triumphantly defended it even in the shock of battle — " shall tremble." Their force is gone ; they can no longer grasp a weapon, or strike ablow. The " strongmen" too, that were like the pillars of the building — the firm and well-jointed limbs that bore the body up, unconscious of its weight — "shall bow themselves," and sink down helpless beneath the load, " And the grinders shall cease because they are few" — the toothless jaws shall at length refuse their office — the very mechanism by which the waste of na- ture's energies was wont to be repaired, losing its power to act, and thereby ac- celerating the progress of decay. " And those that look out of the windows " — the sentinels that kept watch in the lofty towers, and whose function it'was to descry and announce the approach of danger — those bright and beaming eyes that, erewhile, looked forth far and wide on surrounding things, shall " be darkened " ; their range of vision will become contracted, and blind Isaac shall not know his younger from his elder son \Buchanaii\. In the consciousness of failing strength, the good man feels that he belongs the more to God. Verse 4. When hearing fails, a man is shut in from more than half the world. Even affection and love can only minister to such by some other and more difficult entrance. But not only is the door of audience closed, the door of utterance is also shut. "The 'grinders have ceased," and with lips collapsed and organs aU impaired, it is an effort to talk ; and bending silently in on his own solitude, N 177 CHAP, xir. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. the veteran dozes in his elbow-chair the long summer hours when younger folks are busy. But, if he dozes in the day, he does not sleep at night. At the voice of the bird, at the crowing of the cock, although he does not hear it, he can keep his couch no longer. He rises, but not because he has any work to do, or any pleasure to enjoy [^Dr. J. Hamilton^. Aristotle hath observed it well, that by hearing, the things of others are made known to ourselves, as by our voice and tongue we are able to make known our own things to another. But when old age cometh, the glory of this most excellent work is humbled and " brought low," the anvil is worn, the hammer is weak, the drum is unbraced, the pure air is grown thick, the music is marred, the doleful toll of the passing bell being ready to sound, and to ring out [Jer7nin\. He can afford to part with the de- lights of music who has learned to make melody in his heart. Verse 5. He has neither enterprise nor courage. Once it was a treat to press up the mountain side and enjoy the majestic prospect. Now there is no high place which is not formidable ; and even to the temple, it is a sad drawback that it stands on Zion, and that it is needful to " go up." "■ The almond tree flourishes, and the grass- hopper is burdensome." Teaze him not with your idle affairs. In that load of infirmities he has enough to carry, and though it be not the weight of a feather, do not augment his burden who totters under the load of many years. For " desire has failed." You can grapple with heavy tasks ; you can submit to severe toil and protracted self-denial, for you have a purpose to serve — you have an end in view. But with him there is no inducement, for there is no ulterior [Dr. J. ][amiltoii]. The hoary head of old age — the flourishing of the almond tree — forebodes the dreary winter that shuts the scene of mortal life. In this present state — this earthly house — man is but as a guest that 178 tarrieth for a night ; but in that " house of eternity" — that other world — to which he is hastening, man has his final and permanent habitation. It should be our aim to make pre- paration for our comfort, peace, and joy, in that world where we shall dwell the longest. Verse 6. Though death involves the destruction of the entire mortal frame, yet it may begin in any one of the great centres of life — the brain, the heart, or the lungs. The " silver cord " of nervous matter may be " loosed," and the delicate mechanism by which the body is supplied with blood and air may be rendered useless. Science has thrown much light upon those wonderful processes by which physical life is maintained. But its greatest discoveries are chiefly the clearing, and settling into more definite form, of that knowledge which was held in solution by mankind for ages. Poetry has often anticipated science, and the prophet comes before the investigator. The fountain of natural life remains for the race, but the individual is only permitted to draw from it for a short time. The bucket and the wheel are broken ; the water can no longer be drawn ; and instead of the busy and lively scene that was wont to surround the well's mouth, all is solitude and silence, the ground untrodden, the water stagnant [ Wardlaiv\. Verse 7. However fairly it may be garnished, man lives but in a house of clay whose end is dust. The humble destination of the mortal part of us should be a rebuke to pride. Some rationalistic expositors main- tain that these words teach that the soul loses its individuality, and is ab- sorbed into God. But we are plainly taught that man, as a spirit, returns to God, not to perish by dispersion in His infinity, but to be judged. (Versel4,) Hence moral responsibility will re- main, and this is not possible unless HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES chap. xir. the conscious selfhood in each man holds good, as the condition of happi- remains. ness, in all worlds. Natural likeness to God — for we are Our spirits are God's free gift, and spirit as well as flesh — makes us therefore all the powers and faculties capable of appearing before Him in a thereof ought to be employed to the spiritual world. But moral likeness honour of the Giver. (Rom. xi. 36.) to Him can alone turn that solemn He is to be depended on, and acknow- necessity into blessedness. ledged for the preservation of them We know not what mysterious things (Job. x. 12); and all crosses upon await the spirit when it returns to body and spirit to be submitted unto. God ; but we know that the law of love (Heb. xii. 9.) [Nishet.l MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses H— 11. The Vindication of a True Religious Teacher. The Church, though guided and informed by the Spirit of God, must have human teachers. Human words, written or spoken, are necessary to convey the suggestions of inspiration. Physical nature can be known by observation and research ; but we can only know a person when he pleases to reveal himself by speech. God has spoken in past ages to minds fitted to receive and convey His truth. He who affirms that he possesses true spiritual wisdom, and speaks on behalf of God, puts forward a high claim. Upon what grounds can such a claim be vindicated ? Solomon here answers this question for himself, and the claims of all true religious teachers admit of the like justification. These claims may be examined as they have reference to the teacher himself, or to his work. He may be vindicated, therefore : I. By the Worth of His personal Qualifications. God has always chosen the purest and the noblest natures to convey His truth to mankind. The men who instruct us in the pages of the Written Word were fit instruments for so high an office ; and all who presume to teach the Church the will of God must be sufficiently endowed in mind, and heart, and strength of purpose. Every true spiritual teacher should partake of the qualities which the author of this book claims for himself. 1. He has the gift of spiritual tvisdom (ver, 9). He is in the possession of truths which lie not idly in his mind, but are quick and powerful, influencing the heart and life. To have wisdom is the one thing needful for the conveyance of it. God must first speak to the soul of a teacher before he can instruct the Church in words of living power. He can teach the people knowledge as long as he continues to utter, not only the old truths, but also the latest things which he has heard from God. This imparts the freshness of the morning] to what may be, in reality, as old as time itself. 2. He has the power and impulse to teach wisdom. He is not content to be wise for himself ; he must teach the people. This requires special talents, and a dis- position towards the work. (1) The power of conveying knowledge in a portable form. " He gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs." These are compact and terse expressions of truth — fulness and wealth in little compass. It is sometimes an advantage to be able to exchange the scattered and cumbrous possessions of the mind for their golden equivalents of thought. We owe much to those who have expressed the wisdom of many in brief and pointed sayings. (2.) The jwtver of conveying knoivledge in an agreeable form. "• Accept- able words," not of necessity to all, but to the true children of wisdom. There are those who are " of the truth," and who therefore recognise the features of truth as by an unerring instinct. To such the words of wisdom are pleasant, and find welcome entrance and commendation. (3.) The power of high moral ]mr pose. n2 179 CHAP. XII. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. The "Royal Preacher had a high moral purpose to urge him to his task. He col- lected the maxims and chief things of wisdom, not for intellectual display or recreation, but in order that he might awaken in the souls of men the love of truth and the sense of duty. Such a purpose made him thoi'oughly in earnest. He announced no curious speculations, remote from the true interests of man ; but, in words of solemn earnestness, set forth the simple facts of experience and of duty. The religious teacher has the strongest reason for earnestness, because he is concerned with eternal verities which will have untold significance when the world has passed away. All genuine teachers of the Church of God know and feel great spiritual truths, and tell them forth from the abundance of their heart. But further ; the true religious teacher is vindicated. II. By the Verification of His Work. He who is endowed with the necessary qualities of mind, and heart, and earnest purpose, must be a successful leader of the thought and effort of God's people. Given such a teacher, and we can predict the results of his work. But we can reverse the process, and from the nature of the work, judge the worth and fitness of the teacher. Thus we are capable of verifying what is sub- mitted to us as truth. We have a stronger foundation than mere authority for the essential facts of our spiritual nature. Even Christ Himself was not above appealing to that standard of truth which is preserved in every pure mind and heart. To all such, His sayings were true. We have, in this section, certain marks by which we can assure ourselves of the truth of what is delivered to us. 1, The teachinri should he conformed to the standard of eternal truth. " That which was written was upright ; even words of truth." In the physical world, there are fixed directions — such as the level and the vertical. In like manner, in the spiritual world, there is a normal and standard of right. Whatever is conformed to this shall live through the ages ; and whatever is not so conformed, men will, in the course of time, allow most willingly to die. Conscience, enlightened by the Spirit of God, has a correct eye to discover what is right and true in morals and religion. And whatever offends, that eye cannot be allowed long to endure. 2. TIte teaching should have the power of ■penetrating the heart, (ver. 11.) Like "goads" and "nails," spiritual truth has the power of penetrating the heart of the children of God, and there fixing itself. Divine Revelation, above all, has this wonderful property. Whatever in the literature of the world is deepest, and touches most our inmost part, is derived from that Blessed Book. All the rest, however beautiful or worthy in itself, does but gild and play upon the surface of our souls. If our hearts are sincere, and open to spiritual impressions, they can thus judge of the claims of any teacher to be the messenger of God's truth. 3. The teaching should commend itself to the children of ti'isdom. It should find a welcome in all sincere and upright souls. Wisdom is sure to be " justified of her children." She speaks those things which they hiow to be true to their own nature, instincts, and longings. 4. Tlte teaching should he in harmony icith all previous truth. " Which are given fi-om one shepherd." However diversified the utterances of truth by different minds, that truth is at one with itself. The light may be coloured by the medium through which it passes, or broken up into re- fractions, yet these can be traced to the same pure and single light of heaven. The Bible is an instance of such unity, because, though the work of many authors, it is pervaded by one purpose, and bears the impress of one presiding mind. In the successive stages of revelation, the truth is advanced further, but it is in perfect continuity with all that has preceded. Thus, by these several marks, the work of the true teachers of the Church may be verified, and proved to be really the work of God. Their claim to be heard may be supported upon the surest evidence. Even the Bible itself cannot be regarded as so securely resting upon authority as to set aside the necessity of enquiring into the nature and morality of its doctrines and precepts. Our spiritual nature answers to these, that they are right, pure, and true. Strong as the Scripture is in the ISO HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. CHAP. XIR- support of external evidence, it is sublimely strong in the witness which it bears to itself. These " words of the wise " can be verified by their conformity to the standard of right, by their power to touch the heart and conscience, and by their adaptation to all the necessities of the soul. The authors are many, but they have contributed to form one book, which conveys a perfect unity of impression to every spiritual mind. It has the characteristic of every true book, and that is, that it has one central idea — one principal theme. That idea is one of surpassing greatness, for it concerns the most important and lasting interests of mankind. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 8. These werds are repeated in order to show that all human en- deavour and greatness are vain, if the silent dust is all that remains of man. The hand of death will lift from before the eyes of the dying the veil of delusive fascination that covered the emptiness of earthly joys ; and this solemn truth, inscribed upon them all, will appear in its dread reality, and be felt in all its bitterness by the disappointed and foreboding heart \_Wardlaw'\. He who sees the vanity of life, is best prepared to learn the fear of God, and the ways of duty (ver 13). This is but a half-truth. Human esisten'^e cannot be considered as wholly vain when it is regarded in the light of the hereafter. Verse 9. All who possess true wis- dom have necessity laid upon them to teach it. The wisest cannot commu- nicate his wisdom by some sudden influence. He must take upon himself the humble duty of teaching. The knowledge of Divine things is the only stable foundation for piety. If the feelings are not fed from hence, they do but waste and consume the energy of the soul. Instead of hiding in his own breast those treasures of wisdom and know- ledge he had acquired — instead of treat- ing them as a mere intellectual luxury, or of selfishly hoarding them up for his own behoof — he was at pains to turn them to account, in the way of pro- moting the great interests of morality and religion. . „ . This was not a subject on which to speak at random. It demanded something better thaa hasty and superficial thoughts. He laid himself out, accordingly, to dis- cover, by profound meditation, by prac- tical aud persevering study, the best and most appropriate things that could be said; and to condense and adjust them into those terse and pointed sentences which are usually desig- nated by the name of proverbs \Buclianaii\. The reason of things lies in little compass, if the mind could at any time be so happy as to light upon it. All philosophy is reduced to a few prin- ciples, and those principles comprised in a few propositions. And as the: whole structure of speculation rests upon three or four axioms, or maxims, so that of practice also bears upon a very small number of rules. And surely there was never yet any rule or maxim that filled a volume, or- took up a week's time to be got by heart. The truth is, there could be no such thing as art or science, could not the mind of man gather the general natures of things out of the numberless heaps of particulars, and then bind them, up into such short aphorisms or pro- positions, so that they may be made portable to the memory, and therefore become ready and at hand for the judgment to apply, and make use of, as there shall be occasion \_Soutli\. Verse 10. The truth may often be unpalatable, but it should not be so expressed as to give offence to those who hear it. The most harsh truths 181 "CHAP. XII. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. can always be so combined with others as to produce a grateful impression. In the doctrines of grace, and mercy, and hope for man, the true teacher of the Church has abundant material for imparting sweetness to his message. Every faithful instructor of God's people maintains a strict regard for truth, while he seeks, on the other hand, to make it lovely in the eyes of man- kind. The guidance of inspiration did not render unnecessary the activity of genius in the writers of the Sacred Books. They were able to clothe the truth in forms of beauty, and with all the agreeable diversity of their several gifts. There were two objects at which he especially aimed — the one, to set down only that which was upright, even words of truth ; the otl^er, to find ac- ceptable words in which to convey his thoughts. He knew how often the most weighty and precious lessons were rendered utterly distasteful, and even offensive, by the unsuitable language in which they were expressed. . He understood human nature. He knew that many will be led who will not be driven; that it is often very possible to conciliate where it would be hopeless to attempt to coerce ; that rudeness seldom fails to aggravate and embtter the enmity and opposition which gentleness would soothe and sweeten — nay, that so apparently a small matter as mere style — the propriety, the ele- gance, the felicity of the form of speech in which a truth is delivered — will, with many minds, gain for it a place and power which, in their case at least, it would never otherwise have acquired ^JJiiclianaa^. Writing gives a permanence to truth, and preserves it from the wrongs of time. It makes the progress of humanity possible by securing the results of all past victories over ignorance. We owe much to the gifted men who have made great truths permanent for us in forms of beauty. They prepare and spread the repasts of the mind and soul. 182 Speaking is but like a burning coal, which giveth heat and some light near at hand ; but writing is like a shining lamp, which giveth light afar off \_Jennin]. Verse 11. All true words of lasting significance to man have power to enter the depths of the soul and to fasten themselves there. As the Bible dwells upon the subject of all human anxieties, and speaks in the language of human experience and sympathy, its words have a pre-eminent power in piercing the heart. The power of a book depends, not entirely upon its own worth, but also upon the condition oi the reader. There are states of 'mind and heart in which the words of the Bible come home to us with overwhelming power. St. Cyprian, therefore, saith : take not those things which are eloquent, and serve to delight the ears, but those that are strong and powerful to work upon the heart, to wound and gall the conscience, to rouse a carnal -ecurity. Such goads were the words of St. Peter, when they that heard them were pricked in their iiearts, and cried out to Peter and the rest of the apostles, " Men and brethren, what shall we do ? " Of these goads, that is true, which from heaven was spoken to Saul, "It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks" [_Jermiii]. How often has it thus happened that some single sentence of Scripture — heard, perhaps, in some sermon, or read in some book, of which nothing else whatever is remembered — has been so fixed, in a moment, in the sinner's mind that he could not get rid of it ? He tried to forget it ; he wandered, it may be, all over the world, in the hope and with the desire of being able to free himself from the disquietude it created ; but the nail could not be drawn out \JJuchana»^. The words of the wise, who have spoken true things concerning the deepest interests of man, though they are many and diversified, are per- vaded by a spirit of unity. They HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. chap. xir. ■are but separate beams of one central the story of the knitting anew the light. broken relations between the Lord The " shepherds " who have taught God and the race of man ; of the bring- the Church by their words contained ing the First-begotten into the world, in the Scripture, though they lived in for the gathering together all the scat- different ages, and belonged to widely tered and the sundered in Him ; when diverse classes of society, have pro- we regard it as the true Paradise Ee- duced a volume which, in the highest gained — the true De Civitate Dei — sense, is one Book. It is one, not by an even by a better title than those noble outward, but by an oi-ganic, unity. One books which bear these names — the living power fills and informs every part. record of that mystery of God's will But this unity of Scripture, where which was working from the first to the is it ? From what point shall we be- end " that in the dispensation of the hold and recognize it ? Surely from fulness of times He might gather to- that in which those verses (Eph. i. 9, gether in one all things in Christ 10) will place us, when we regard it as ^Trench]. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 12— U. Parting Counsels. We have here the parting counsels of one whose native ability, careful culture, long and varied experience, and spiritual wisdom, gave him the right to claim a hearing for his weighty words. He does not speak as a young and untried man, who, lacking experience, is yet able to reason from principles, and therefore gives advice with little hesitation. His counsels are not a brilliant intellectual effort, forcing attention upon itself ; they arise rather from a heart which had endured the pain of conflict with temptation, doubt, and failure. The language is that of affectionate entreaty, and is concerned with those few and simple truths which age bequeaths to youth as the only heritage of any enduring value. The wisest man, when he draws near to the end of life, has little else to say than to commend old and familiar truths. Therefore, the Royal Preacher dwells upon the folly of useless struggles after the unattainable — the claims of duty — and the solemnities of the Judgment. I. Leave Fruitless Speculation. (Verse 12.) The state- ments of this Book touch many mysteries, in whose mazes the mind might easily be lost ; but their chief use is to admonish the reader against the actual «vils of life, and to stir him up to duty. Those speculations which only minister to curiosity are regarded as possessing two fatal disadvantages. 1 . They do not reach a final settlement of any question. " Of making many books there is no end." Literature is a necessity of every civilized nation. It preserves the beot thoughts and sentiments of their wisest men, and is the very soul of that society in which it was produced. As long as there is mental activity among a people, their litera- ture must be ever growing. Each age, also, claims and requires a different representation of truth, for the simple reason that it is different, in several respects, from every former age. Thus the making of many books cannot come to an end, for the mental activity of mankind must continue. But, in another sense, books do not come to an end. Many of them deal in curious speculations regarding the nature, state, and destiny of man. However confident their authors may have been in the certainty of their conclusions, or however numerous the readers who have yielded their assent, the eternal questioning comes up again and again, and nothing is settled. The old mysteries are inquired into by successive ages of thinkers. They are viewed from every side, and set in various lights of argument and illustration ; yet still mankind are as far as ever from their perfect solution. It is true that the Bible admits these mysteries ; yet the Bible shows where the 183 CHAP. XII. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. mind of man may rest in safety and peace, and what is the proper attitude of the soul until such time as God shall be pleased to give more light. The literature of the world upon speculative subjects reaches no certain conclusion ; yet it will continue to make the unavailing attempt as long as human society lasts. It is not wise to allow the mind to be unduly occupied with what is so unsatisfactory, especially if hereby we are drawn aside from our plain duty and constancy of our faith in the immutable things. 2. They are a toearisome exercise. " Much study is a weariness of the flesh." This is true of the pursuit of ordinary knowledge. Nothing can be gained but by severe and constant exercises of the mind. Natural indolence must be overcome, the fear of difficulties overmastered, and all the anxieties of inquiry endured. The thinker has to pay the penalty of a weary brain and exhausted energies. When the knowledge gained is certain, and pro- fitable for use or for delight, there is a grateful recompense. Bnt how sad the fate of him who endures all the labour and anxiety for some pitiful and contro- verted conclusion ! He wearies himself upon a profitless and endless task. II. Make Practical Use of what is Certainly Known. Solomon could have written at greater length upon the subjects on which he treated. He draws not to an end from lack of wealth in thought or language. But why go on ? Life is too short for prolonged exercises of this kind. Duty is at hand, and there are stern realities to face. The reader is exhorted to give his attention to the " words of the wise," for they deal with those eternal truths which most concern man to know. They are truths not framed to satisfy the curious and unprofitable appetites of the mind, but to touch the heart, to rouse up the conscience, and to teach man his duty. What is thus certainly known is sufficient for every practical purpose. 1. It is snfficie?ii to guard us against real evils. The Preacher has yet this to say, " By these, my son, be admonished." These words of the wise give warning against the greatest evils to which man is exposed. There are many calamities which afflict man in his fortune or his flesh, but these are light and passing when compared with the crushing and lasting evils that may fall upon the soul. These are the only real calamities. To lie under the displeasure of God is the awful disaster. The Psalmist, speaking of the testimonies of God» says, '• Moreover by them is thy servant warned." No long and laborious study is required to learn what those evils are which we ought to dread most and to avoid. Unlike the speculations of the natural mind, the whole case of our spiritual danger may be put before us in few words. 2. It is sufficient to teach iis wJiat is oitr highest good. The " conclusion of the whole matter " is given in few and earnest words. They speak of duty to the Highest, and this is all that concerns man to know. When the whole of man's existence is taken into account, this alone has any real importance for him. How loved, how honoured once, avails him not if, after life is ended, he does not rest in the smile of God. Therefore, our only concern is to learn our duty, that we might not be ashamed when we come to appear before Him. Such knowledge is not too wonderful for us, but is obvious and familiar, easy and intelligible. It may be considered as consisting of two elements. (1.) Right feelings toivards God. "Fear God." The Scripture lays great stress upon the condition of the heart, because from it proceed the " issues of life." The streams cannot be pure and sweet if the fountain is defiled. The heart determines what a man really is, for it is the origin and spring of moral action. The whole state of the feelings towards God is here spoken of under the name of fear, which (in the O.T. especially) is a word of wide signification. It is that feeling which both fears and loves — that filial awe which trembles lest it should offend, and yet knows no servile dread while it dwells under the shadow of a Father's love. It is not the fear of ignorance which trembles at the thought of unknown terrors, but that intelligent fear which arises from a due recognition of the relations in which we stand to God. It springs from the earnest realities of our moral situation, and is that disposition of the soul by which alone we can 184 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESTASTES. chap. xir. walk humhly with God. 2. Practical Obedience. "Keep His commfindments." Right feelings towards God must issue in obedience. Regard for another — for his person, for his rights, for the claims of his affection towards us, disposes us to a ready and loving service. Unless feeling does spend and employ itself in duty, i' uses the power of the soul to no purpose, and only deceives us with the semb- lance of goodness. Uprightness in the life is the only infallible proof of upright- ness in the heart. The commandments of God are the authoritative statements of our duty to all that is above, around, and beneath us. They have regard to all what we ought both to know, to feel, and to do. They are the statutes of God's kingdom, which all His subjects are bound to obey. According to the state of our heart, we feel them either a painful restraint, or the very charter of our liberty. Love to God turns them into a delight. When He enlarges our heart, we can run the ways of His commandments. The two great command- ments of the Law speak of nothing else but right feelings, because, if these are present, right practice is sure to follow. There is a true "invariable sequence" in moral things. III. Recognise the Fact of Human Accountability. (Verse 14.) •'•' For God shall bring every work into judgment." The future is thus brought into view in order to strengthen the motives for obedience. The Judgment to come is rendered necessary by the fact of human accountability. As certain as there is moral disorder in the world, and there is a God overall of infinite justice ^nd purity, so certain is it that He will interfere with th.Q course of human affairs, summon men before His bar, and assign to each his proper portion and place. If men are responsible to God, it is necessary that at some time their account .should be rendered. However remote from Him we may feel ourselves to be, we shall have to come to Him for reckoning. The doctrine of the future Judgment is intended to influence our moral feeling and practice. This fact of human ac.^ountability, pointing as it does to the Judgment, should be practically recog- nised. 1. Because it raises and ennobles the idea of life. We may regard the fact, that we shall have to appear before God for Judgment, as a disadvantage — a source of dread and alarm. And so it must be, if we have resisted His will, and thus come under condemnation. But the fact of our accountability renders it possible for us, through the mercy of God, to obtain the reward of the righteous. Thus a prospect is opened, so sublime that the thought of it gives a supreme value to our life. The idea of Judgment implies that man shall live in a future state — that his individuality shall remain. This thought transfigures our poor human life, redeems it from the imputation of vanity, and our condition from meanness. ■Our inheritance is not brief life, but eternity. 2. It acts as a loliolesouie moral restraint. It is true that love in its highest moods does not think of restraint, but delights in its own freedom. Yet restraint is salutary, for it aids and guards weak virtue ; and the highest virtue may be prevented thereby from the dangers of a fall. The thought that evil shall surely be punished is the first motive that uiges us to righteousness — the higher and nobler motive comes afterwards. Also, the thought that even good actions shall come under the scrutiny of the Judge of all, tends to make us careful. Since the whole of our conduct shall be tested, we should look'^well to the purity of our motives. 3. It casts the soul entirely upon God. From His justice we can have no confident hope that we should see salvation, but rather we have much to fear. The chastisements of nature, and in the course of Providence, seem inflexible in their awful regularity. We have really no sure refuge but in the infinite charity of God. To please Him by our loving obedience should be the great endeavour of our life ; for if we have this testimony, we may cherish a humble confidence that He will receive us in peace. Before the dread tribunal we all alike stand in need of mercy. If we can cast our souls upon God, even " these things to come " — though so terrible in them- selves — cannot separate us from His love, which for us in Gospel times " is in Christ Jesus our Lord." 185 CHAP. XII. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES. Verse 12. The Preacher doth wisely exhort us that we prefer saving studies, which are easily perceived, everlasting in their benefit, before those the search whereof is infinite, and the end whereof at last is only weariness and misery [Jermin^. '• My son." — The voice of warning should have the style and tone of aifection, and have regard to the ultimate good of him to whom it is addressed. He who listens to admonition is one of the children of wisdom. In the study of the Scripture, men should not aim at their comfort only, but mainly that they may receive clear information and warning of their sin and hazard, the true remedy thereof, and the way to attain to it ; for this is one use to be made of this Book, and consequently of the rest of Scripture [Nisbet]. There is a deceitful literature of the world which attempts to deal with the highest questions that concern hu- manity. It refuses the teaching of Scrip- ture regarding the nature, the chief good, and the destiny of man. It re- jects the supernatural aid of faith, which imparts a now faculty to man, by which alone he can have consciousness of truths beyond the dull and prosaic scenes of this mortal life. There is no reason why such unwarranted specula- tions should not go on for ever. They never reach to any certainty on which the soul of man can rest. Hence men become dissatisfied with them, and in their efforts to obtain something better, only substitute one folly for another. This false wisdom, admired as philo- sophy in one age, becomes the derision and scorn of the next. AVhatever is built upon God's truth shall stand. All other foundations shall be removed when the storm arises; and though men may presume to build upon them again, yet their work is destined likewise to perish. The truths of religion which bear upon 186 practical duty are few and simple; but the speculations of the human mind, unaided by Divine light, are endless and confused. Hence he who engages in their study wearies himself in a fruitless task. The study of the "Word of God en- gages the attention, but it gives rest to the soul. All who love His law have- great peace. Verse 18. This conclusion is not the summing up of the refiections in this Book, but rather the practical end which " The Preacher " had in view. He is now coming to the chief point which concerns all. *' The conclusion of the whole mat- ter is one of those " nails " and " goads " by which " The Preacher " endeavours to affect the heart and conscience. The fear of God delivers the soul from every other fear — from the anxie- ties of restless inquiry — from distrust and suspicion of God — from murmur- ing and discontent. To fear God is in our hearts to serve and honour Ilim ; to keep His commandments is the outward de- monstration of this inward devotion, in the conversation and actions of our lives to show ourselves [./e?-»»'/i] . The keeping of the commandments is inseparably connected with the fear of God, because all true feeling is bound by a pleasing necessity to engage itself in the service of its object. Reconciliation to God is like enter- ing the gate of a beautiful avenue which conducts to a splendid mansion. liut that avenue is long, and in some places it skirts the edge of dangerous cliffs ; and, therefore, to save the traveller from falling over where he would be dashed to pieces, it is fenced all the way by a (juickset hedge. That hedge is the commandinents. They aro planted there that we may do our- selves no harm. But, like the fence of the fragrant brier, they regale the pil- grim who keeps the path, and they only UOMILETIC COMMENTARY: ECCLESIASTES. CHAP. XIL hurt him when he tries to break through [Z)/\ J. Hamiltoii]. In the fear of God, and obedience to His will lies all that has any permanent "value for man. Everything else will pass away, but this has an enduring substance. It is not only the whole duty, but the whole honour, and interest, and •happiness of man \Wardlaw\ . Verse 14. "God shall bring:" loath is guilty man to come into judg- ment, and therefore he crieth to the hills to cover him, to the mountains to fall upon him ; but mountains and hills 4ind all shall forsake him, and God shall bring him to it. The best way, therefore, is of ourselves beforehand to go unto His judgment, and in our own hearts to arraign ourselves before God, for that is which will make His Judg- ment to be comfortable to us \Jermin\. The fact that God often comes into judgment with man, in the course of human history, is included in these words. But the future Judgment is chiefly intended, because the spirit returns to God that its true character may be revealed, and its true place assigned. The future judgment will discover the realities of human conduct, for it will proceed upon perfect knowledge. There will be such a development of character as shall justify the Supreme Judge, and the judgments He pro- nounces and executes, in the consciences of the condemned, and certify His un- impeachable righteousness to angels and men {^Wardlaiu]. The Judgment will bring to light both the hidden things of good and of evil — the secret deeds of shame, and the kind offices of retiring and modest worth. In the light of the solemn account which Ave must all render to God, the life of man becomes as a seed from which a mighty forest is to spring. The Christian lays the comfort to his heart that judgment is committed to the Son of Man. He knows that he has a Judge who can be " touched with the feeling" of his "infirmities." The purest soul needs this assurance. THE END. Luuu^u: irmiea by i.uvxH & iiiuwoKlu, Holijoru JJuildiuss, iiuluoiu, i„C. 1S7 DATE DUE t rSfinHini fi^^^WW>".^ --MiTt m GAYLORD PRINTED IN U.S.A.