OLD GROANS

AND

NEW SONGS

BEING

Meditations on the Book of Ecclesiastes

by

F. C. JENNINGS, NEW YORK. 

Glasgow:

PICKERING & INGLIS, PRINTERS & PUBLISHERS, The Publishing Office, 73 Bothwell Street. 

LONDON:

S. BAGSTER & SONS, LTD. , 15 Paternoster Row, E. C

1920

PREFACE. 

The chief object of a word of preface to the following notes is thatthe reader may not expect from them more, or other, than is intended. They are the result of meditations--not so much of a critical as adevotional character--on the book, in the regular course of privatemorning readings of the Scriptures--meditations which were jotted downat the time, and the refreshment and blessing derived from which, Idesired to share with my fellow-believers. Some salient point of eachchapter has been taken and used as illustrative of what is conceived asthe purpose of the book. As month by month passed, however, thesubject opened up to such a degree that at the end, one felt as ifthere were a distinct need entirely to re-write the earlier chapters. It is, however, sent forth in the same shape as originally written; thereader then may accompany the writer, and share with him the delight atthe ever-new beauties in the landscape that each turn of the road, asit were, unexpectedly laid out before him. 

There is one point, however, that it may be well to look at here alittle more closely and carefully than has been done in the body of thebook, both on account of its importance and of the strong attack thatthe ecclesiastical infidelity of the day has made upon it: I refer toits authorship. 

To commence with the strongest position of the attack on the Solomonauthorship--necessarily the strongest, for it is directly in the fieldof verbal criticism--it is argued that because a large number of wordsare found in this book, found elsewhere alone in the post-exilianwriters, (as Daniel or Nehemiah, ) therefore the author of the book mustsurely be post-exilian too. It would be unedifying, and is happilyunnecessary, to review this in detail--with a literature so verylimited as are the Hebrew writings cotemporary with Solomon: these few, dealing with other subjects, other ideas, necessitating thereforeanother character of words, it takes no scholar to see that anyargument derived from this must necessarily be taken with the greatestcaution. Nay, like all arguments of infidelity, it is a sword easilyturned against the user. As surely as the valleys lie hid in shadowlong after the mountain-tops are shining in the morning sun, so surelymust we expect evidences of so elevated a personality as the wise kingof Israel, to show a fuller acquaintance with the language of hisneighbors; and employ, when they best suited him, words from suchvocabularies--words which would not come into general use for many along day; indeed until sorrow, captivity, and shame, had done the samework for the mass, under the chastening Hand of God, as abundantnatural gifts had done for our wise and glorious author. 

Thus the argument of Zöckler--"the numerous Aramaisms (words of Syriacorigin) in the book are among the surest signs of its post-exileorigin"--is really turned against himself. Were such Aramaismsaltogether lacking, we might well question whether the writer wereindeed that widely-read, eminently literary, gloriously intellectualindividual of whom it is said, "his wisdom excelled the children of theEast country and all the wisdom of Egypt, for he was wiser than allmen. " Surely, that Solomon shows he was acquainted with words otherthan his own Hebrew, and made use of such words when they best suitedhis purpose, is only what common-sense would naturally look for. Thereis no proof whatever that the _words themselves_ were of late date. Christian scholars have examined them one by one as carefully, andcertainly at least as conscientiously, as their opponents; and show us, in result, that the words, although not familiar in the Hebrewvernacular, were in widely-current use either in the neighboringPersian or in that family of languages--Syriac and Chaldaic--of whichHebrew was but a member. 

The verdict of impartiality must certainly be "not proven, " if indeedit be not stronger than that, to the attempt to deny to Solomon theauthorship of Ecclesiastes based on the _words_ used. 

The next method of argument is one in which we shall feel ourselvesmore at home, inasmuch as it is not so much a question of scholarship, but ordinary intelligent discernment. Time and space forbid that Iattempt here a full or detailed exhibit of the sentences, thoughts, ideas in the book itself which are taken as being quite impossible toKing Solomon. I will, however, attempt to give a representative fewthat may stand for all. In the body of the book I have touched, inpassing, on the argument deduced from the words in the first chapter, "_I was king;_" so need only to ask my readers' attention to it there. 

That "he says of himself that he was wiser and richer than all beforehim in Jerusalem points, under enlightened exposition, clearly to anauthor different to the historical Solomon. " Indeed! If my readerscan appreciate the force of such an argument, they do more than can I. That the writer should seek that his words should have the full force, his experiences have the full weight that could only attach to one inevery way gifted to test all things to their uttermost, is taken asclear proof, "under unbiased exposition, " that the only one who was_exactly thus gifted was not the author_! The claim to freedom frombias is in almost ludicrous harmony with such reasoning. 

Again, "that also which is said--chap. Vii. 10--of the depravity of thetimes accords little with the age of Solomon, the most brilliant andprosperous of Israelitish history. " Another lovely example ofrationalistic "freedom from bias"! For what is this that is said ofthe "depravity of the times" so inconsistent with the glory ofSolomon's reign in chap. Vii. 10? "Say not thou, What is the causethat the former days were better than these? For thou dost not inquirewisely concerning this. " And this is proof of the "depravity of thetimes"!--not proof, mark, of just that very thing that is the heart andsoul of the book: the weary, unsatisfied, empty heart of poor manlooking backward or forward for the satisfaction that the presentalways fails to give "under the sun, " and which he, who was wiser thanall who came before him, Solomon, warns his readers _against_! Oh, poor blind rationalism! missing all the beauties of God's Word in itsown exceeding cleverness, or--folly! How would the present applicationof such reasoning sound! The Victorian era is certainly one of themost "brilliant and prosperous of" English "history"; hence no one canever speak now of "the good old times. " Such language is simplyimpossible; we never hear it! So if some astute reasoner of the futurecomes across such allusion in any writings, it will be clear proof thatthe author was _post-Victorian_! Far more so if, as here, such writer_rebukes_ this tendency!

"Altogether unkingly sound the complaints in chap. Iii. 17 ('I said inmy heart God shall judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is atime there for every purpose and for every work'); iv. ; x. 5-7 (let myreader refer for himself to these), concerning unjust judges, " etc. "These are all lamentations and complaints natural enough in asuffering and oppressed subject; but not in a monarch called andauthorized to abolish evil. " It is most difficult to deal seriouslywith what, if the writer were not so very learned, we should callnonsense unworthy of a child. Look at the verse to which he refers, and which I have quoted in full; and extract from it, if your "biased"judgment will permit, an "unkingly complaint" in any word of it! Andit is at such formidable arguments as this that some of us have beentrembling, fearing lest the very foundations must give way under theattack! A little familiarity is all that is needed to beget awholesome contempt. 

Here is one more interesting illustration of the "unbiased, ""scientific" reasoning of rationalism. The object is, you know, to"determine exactly the epoch and writer of the book;" and this is howit must be done. "According to chaps, v. 1, and ix. 2, the templeworship was assiduously practised, but without a living piety of heart, and in a hypocritical and self-justifying manner; the complaints inthis regard remind us vividly of similar ones of the prophetMalachi--chap. I. 6, etc. " What then is the basis for all thisverbiage about the temple worship? Here it is: "Keep thy foot whenthou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear than to givethe sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. " Thissentence shows that it is impossible that Solomon wrote the book: therewere no "fools" in _his_ time, who were more ready to give a carelesssacrifice than to hearken: all fools only come into existence _afterthe exile_, in the days of Malachi! And this is "higher criticism"!

Enough as to this line. We will now ask our learned friends, sinceSolomon has been so conclusively proved not to have written it, Whodid? And when was it written? Ah, now we may listen to a very medleyof answers!--for opinions here are almost as numerous as the criticsthemselves. United in the one assurance that Solomon could not havewritten it, they are united in nothing else. One is assured it wasHezekiah, another is confident it was Zerubbabel, a third is convincedit was Jesus the son of Joiada--and so on. "All opinions, " as Dr. Lewis says, "are held with equal confidence, and yet in every way areopposed to each other. Once set it loose from the Solomon time, andthere is no other place where it can be securely anchored. "

This brings us then to the positive assertion that from the evidentpurpose of the book, the _divine_ purpose, no other than Solomon couldbe its author. He must be of a nation taken out of the darkness andabominations of heathendom;--there was only one such nation, --he mustthen be an _Israelite_. He must live at an epoch when that nation isat the summit of its prosperity;--it never regained that epoch, --hemust then have lived _when_ Solomon lived. He must, in his own person, by his riches, honor, wisdom, learning, freedom from external politicalfears, perfect capacity to drink of whatever cup this world can putinto his hand to the full--represent the very top-stone of thatglorious time; and not one amongst all the sons of men answers to allthis but _Solomon the son of David, king in Jerusalem_. 

To Him who is "greater than Solomon"--to Him who is "above the sun"--toHim whom it is the divine purpose of the book to highly exalt aboveall--would I commit this feeblest effort to show that purpose, and, asHis condescending grace permits, further it. F. C. J. 

OLD GROANS AND NEW SONGS;

OR, _MEDITATIONS ON ECCLESIASTES. _

Perhaps there is no book within the whole canon of Scripture soperplexing and anomalous, at first sight, as that entitled"Ecclesiastes. " Its terrible hopelessness, its bold expression ofthose difficulties with which man is surrounded on every side, theapparent fruitlessness of its quest after good, the unsatisfactorycharacter, from a Christian standpoint, of its conclusion: all thesepoints have made it, at one and the same time, an enigma to thesuperficial student of the Word, and the arsenal whence a far moresuperficial infidelity has sought to draw weapons for its warfareagainst clear revelation. And yet here it is, embedded in the veryheart of those Scriptures which we are told were "given by inspirationof God, and which are profitable for doctrine, for reproof, forcorrection, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God maybe perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. " Then with thisprecious assurance of its "profitableness" deeply fixed in our heartsby a living faith, and in absolute dependence on that blessed One whois the one perfect Teacher, let us consider the book. 

First, then, let us seek to get all the light we can from all theexterior marks it bears before seeking to interpret its contents. Forour primary care with regard to this, as indeed with regard to everybook in the Bible, must be to discover, if possible, what is the objectof the book, --from what standpoint does the writer approach his subject. 

And first we find it in that group of books through which the voice ofman is prominent--Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Canticles. In these is heardthe music of man's soul; often--nay, mostly--giving sorrowful andstriking evidence of discord, in wail and groan, in tear and sigh; andyet again, in response evidently to the touch of some Master hand, thatknows it well, --a tender, gracious, compassionate touch, --rising into asong of sweetest harmony that speaks eloquently of its possibilities, and bears along on its chords the promise and hope of a completerestoration. But we shall search our book in vain for any suchexpression of joy. No song brightens its pages; no praise is heardamid its exercises. And yet perfectly assured we may be that, listenedto aright, it shall speak forth the praise of God's beloved Son; lookedat in a right light, it shall set off His beauty. If "He turns thewrath of man to praise Him, " surely we may expect no less from man'ssorrows and ignorance. This, then, we may take it, is the object ofthe book, to show forth by its dark background the glory of the Lord, to bring into glorious relief against the black cloud of man's need andignorance the bright light of a perfect, holy, revelation; to let mantell out, in the person of his greatest and wisest, when he, too, is atthe summit of his greatness, with the full advantage of his maturedwisdom, the solemn questions of his inmost being; and show thatgreatness to be of no avail in solving them, --that wisdom foiled in thesearch for their answers. 

This, then, we will conclude, is the purpose of the book and thestandpoint from which the writer speaks, and we shall find its contentsconfirm this in every particular. 

It has been well said that as regards each book in holy writ the "keyhangs by the door, "--that is, that the first few sentences will givethe gist of the whole. And, indeed, pre-eminently is such the casehere. The first verse gives us who the writer is; the second, thebeginning and ending of his search. And therein lies the key of thewhole; for the writer is the son of David, the man exalted by Jehovahto highest earthly glory. Through rejection and flight, through battleand conflict, had the Lord brought David to this excellence of gloryand power. All this his "son" entered into in its perfection and atonce. For it is that one of his sons who speaks who is _king_, and in_Jerusalem_, the city of God's choice, the beautiful for situation, thejoy of the whole earth. Such is the story of verse 1. Nothing couldpossibly go beyond the glory that is compassed by these few words. Forconsider them, and you will see that they ascribe "_wisdom_, and_honor_, and _riches_, and _power_" to him of whom they are spoken; butit is human wisdom and earthly power, all "under the sun. " And nowlisten to the "song" that should surely accompany this ascription; notethe joy of a heart fully and completely satisfied now that the pinnacleof human greatness is attained. Here it is: "Vanity of vanities, "saith the Preacher, "vanity of vanities; all is vanity!" The word_hahvehl_ is always translated, as here, "vanity. " It is sometimesapplied to "idols, " as Deut. Xxxii. 21, and would give the idea ofemptiness--nothingness. What a striking contrast! Man has here allthat Nature can possibly give; and his poor heart, far from singing, is_empty_ still, and utters its sad bitter groan of disappointment. Nowturn and contemplate that other scene, where the true Son of David, only now a "_Lamb as it had been slain_, " is the center of everycircle, the object of every heart. Tears are dried at the mention ofHis name, and song after song bursts forth, till the whole universe ofbliss pours forth its joy, relieves its surcharged heart in praise. "Vanity of vanities, " saith the Preacher. That is the _old_ groan. "Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof, forThou wast slain, and hast redeemed to God by Thy blood, out of everykindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, and hast made them kingsand priests, and they shall reign over the earth. " That is the _new_song. Oh, blessed contrast! Does it not make Him who Himself hasreplaced the groan by the song precious? Has it, then, no value?

And this is just the purpose of the whole book, to furnish suchstriking contrasts whereby the "new" is set off in its glories againstthe dark background of the "old, "--rest against labor, hope againstdespair, song against groan; and so the third verse puts this veryexplicitly, --"What profit hath a man of all his labor which he takethunder the sun?"

The wisest and the greatest of men is seeking for an answer to thisquestion. And this verse is too important in its bearing on the wholebook to permit our passing it without looking at that significant word"profit" a little closer. And here one feels the advantage of thosehelps that a gracious God has put into our hands in these days ofspecial attack upon His revelation, whereby even the unlearned may, bya little diligence, arrive at the exact shade of the meaning of a word. The word "profit, " then, is, in the Hebrew, _yithrohn_, and is found inthis exact form only in this book, where it is translated "profit, " ashere, or "excellency, " as in chap. Ii. 13. The Septuagint translatesit into a Greek one, meaning "advantage, " or perhaps more literally, "that which remains over and above. " In Eph. Iii. 20 it is rendered"exceeding abundantly above. " Hence we gather that our word intends toconvey to us the question, "After life is over, after man has given hislabor, his time, his powers, and his talents, what has he received inexchange that shall satisfy him for all that he has lost? Do thepleasures obtained during life fully compensate for what is spent inobtaining them? Do they satisfy? and do they remain to him as "profit"over and above that expenditure? In a word, what "under the sun" cansatisfy the longing, thirsting, hungering heart of man, so that he cansay, "My heart is filled to overflowing, its restless longings arestilled, I have found a food that satisfies its hunger, a water thatquenches its thirst"? A question all-important, surely, and it will bewell worth listening to the experience of this seeker, who is fittedfar above his fellows for finding this satisfactory good, if it can befound "under the sun. "

First, then, the Preacher, like a good workman, takes account of whatmaterial he has to work with. "Have I, " he says, "any thing thatothers have not had, or can I hope to find any thing that has not beenbefore?" At once he is struck with that "law of circuit" that isstamped on every thing: generation follows generation; but no newearth, _that_ remains ever the same; the sun wheels ceaselessly in itsone course; the winds circle from point to point, but whirl about totheir starting-place; the waters, too, follow the same law, and keep upone unbroken circuit. Where can rest be found in such a scene? Whilstthere is unceasing change, nothing is _new_; it is but a repetition ofwhat has been before, and which again soon passes, leaving the heartempty and hungry still. Again, then, let us use this dark backgroundto throw forward another scene. See, even now, "above the sun" Him whois the Head and perfect Exponent of the creation called the _new_. Isthere any law of constant unsatisfying circuit in Him? Nay, indeed, every sight we get of Him is _new_; each revelation of Himselfperfectly satisfies, and yet awakens appetite for further views. 

 "No pause, no change those pleasures Shall ever seek to know; The draught that lulls our thirsting But wakes that thirst anew. "

Or, again, look at that blessed "law of circuit" spoken of in anotherway by one who has indeed been enlightened by a light "above the sun"in every sense of the word, in 2 Cor. Ix. It is not the circling ofwinds or waters, but of "grace" direct from the blessed God Himself. Mark the perfection stamped upon it both by its being a completecircle--never ending, but returning again to its Source, --and by thenumerical stamp of perfection upon it in its seven distinct parts (ormovements) as shown by the sevenfold recurrence of the word "all, " or"every, " both coming from the same Greek word. 

1. "God is able to make _all_ grace abound unto you. " There is aninexhaustible _source_. We may come and come and come again, and neverfind _that_ fountain lowered by all our drafts upon it. Sooner, farsooner, should the ocean be emptied by a teacup than infinite "power"and "love" be impoverished by all that His saints could draw from Him. _All_ grace. 

2. "That ye _always_. " There is no moment when this circle ofblessing need stop flowing. It is ever available. No moment--by dayor night, in the quiet of the closet or in the activities of the day'sduties, when in communion with friends or in the company of foes, --whenthat grace is not available. At _all_ times. 

3. "Having _all_ sufficiency"--perfect competence to meet just thepresent emergency. A sufficiency, let us mark, absolutely independentof Nature's resources, --a sufficiency beautifully illustrated by"unlearned and ignorant" Peter and John in the presence of the learnedSanhedrim. Let us rejoice and praise God as we trace these threeglorious links in this endless chain of blessing. _All_ sufficiency. 

4. "In _all_ things" (or "in every way"). It is no matter from whatside the demand may come, this precious grace is there to meet it. Isit to deal with another troubled anxious soul, where human wisdomavails nothing? Divine wisdom and tact shall be supplied. Courage ifdanger presents itself, or "all long-suffering with joyfulness" ifafflictions tear the heart. In _all_ things. 

5. "May abound to _every_ good work. " Now filled to the brim, andstill connected with an inexhaustible supply, the vessel _must_overflow, and that on every side. No effort, no toil, no weariness, nodrawing by mechanical means from a deep well; but the grace-filledheart, abiding (and that is the only condition) in complete dependenceupon its God, naturally overflows on every side--to _all_ good work. 

6. "Being enriched in _every thing_" (we omit the parenthesis, although full of its own divine beauty), (or, "in every way"). This isin some sort a repetition of No. 5, but goes as far beyond it as theword "enriched" is fuller than the word "sufficient. " The latter fillsthe vessel, as we have said, up to the brim; the former adds anotherdrop, and over it flows. In view of these "exceeding great andprecious promises, " we may say, --

 "Oh wherefore should we do ourselves this wrong, Or others, that we are not always strong?"

since we may be enriched in _all_ things. 

7. "To _all_ bountifulness. " This stream of grace is never tostagnate, or it will lose all its character of blessing, as the mannahoarded for a second day "bred worms, and stank. " Thus every singleChristian becomes a living channel of blessing to all around, and thecircle is now completed, by once more returning to the point whence itstarted, "Which causeth through us thanksgiving to God, " and closeswith no weary wail of "All things are full of labor, " but joyful songsresound on every side, and at every motion of this circle of blessingascends "thanksgiving to God. " For just exactly the same full measureis seen in the thanksgiving ascending at the end as in the gracedescending in the beginning. There it "abounded, " filling the vesselfull till it overflowed in the same measure, "abounding" in blessingsto others who needed, and these forthwith pass on the stream in"abounding" thanksgiving to God. The apostle himself, as if he couldnot suffer himself to be excluded from the circle of blessing, adds hisown note at the close with "Thanks be unto God for His unspeakablegift. " And shall we not, too, dear brother or sister now reading theselines, let our feeble voice be heard in this sweet harmony of praise?Has not this contrast between the new song and the old groan, again wemay ask, great value?

Having, then, seen in these first few verses the purpose of the bookand the standpoint of the writer, we may accompany him in the detailsof his search. First he repeats, what is of the greatest importancefor us to remember (v. 12), "I, the Preacher, was king over Israel inJerusalem. " He would not have us forget that, should he fail in hissearch for perfect satisfaction, it will not be because he is not fullyqualified both by his abilities and his position to succeed. ButInfidelity, and its kinsman Rationalism, raise a joyful shout over thisverse; for to disconnect the books of the Bible from the writers whosename they bear is a long step toward overthrowing the authority ofthose books altogether. If the believer's long-settled confidence canbe proved vain in one point, and that so important a point, there isgood "hope" of eventually overthrowing it altogether. So, withextravagant protestations of loyalty to the Scriptures, they, Joablike, "kiss" and "stab" simultaneously, wonderfully manifesting in word andwork that dual form of the evil one, who, our Lord tells us, was both"liar and murderer from the beginning. " And many thousand professingChristians are like Amasa of old, their ear is well pleased with thefair sound of "Art thou in health, my brother?" and they, too, take "noheed to the sword" in the inquirer's hand. Judas, too, in his day, illustrates strongly that same diabolical compound of "deceit andviolence, " only the enemy finds no unwary Amasa in Jesus the Lord. "Betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss" tears the vail from him atonce; and in the same way the feeblest believer who abides in Him, isled of that same spirit; and "good words and fair speeches" do notdeceive, nor can betrayal be hidden behind the warmest protestations ofaffection. 

But to return: "How could, " cries this sapient infidelity, which todayhas given itself the modest name of "Higher Criticism, "--"how couldSolomon say, 'I _was_ king, ' when he never ceased to be that?" Ah! onefears if that same Lord were to speak once more as of old, He wouldagain say, "O fools and blind!" For is it not meet that the writer whois about to give recital of his experiences should first tell us whathis position _was_ at the very time of those experiences? That at thevery time of all these exercises, disappointments, and groanings, he_was_ still the highest monarch on earth, king over an undividedIsrael, in Jerusalem, with all the resources and glories that accompanythis high station, pre-eminently fitting _him_ to speak with authority, and compelling _us_ to listen with the profoundest respect andattention. 

Yes, this glorious monarch "gives his heart"--that is, applies himselfwith singleness of purpose "to seek and search out by wisdom concerningall things that are done under heaven. " No path that gives theslightest promise of leading to happiness shall be untrodden; nopleasure shall be denied, no toil be shirked that shall give any hopeof satisfaction or rest. "This sore travail hath God given to the sonsof men to be exercised therewith. " That is, the heart of man hungersand thirsts, and he _must_ search till he does find something tosatisfy; and if, alas! he fail to find it in "time, " if he only drinkshere of waters whereof he "that drinks shall thirst again, " eternityshall find him thirsting still, and crying for one drop of water tocool his tongue. But then with what bitter despair Ecclesiastesrecords all these searchings! "I have seen all the works that are doneunder the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit, " orrather, "pursuit of the wind. " Exactly seven times he uses this term, "pursuit of the wind, " expressing perfect, complete, despairing failurein his quest. He finds things all wrong, but he has no power ofrighting them; "that which is crooked cannot be made straight, and thatwhich is wanting cannot be numbered. " But perhaps we may get thesecret of his failure in his next words. He takes a companion orcounselor in his search. Again exactly seven times he takes counselwith this companion, "_his own heart_, "--"I communed with my ownheart. " That is the level of the book; the writer's resources are allwithin himself; no light from without save that which nature gives; notaking hold on another; no hand clasped by another. He and his heartare alone. Ah! that is dangerous as well as dreary work to takecounsel with one's own heart. "Fool" and "lawless one" come to theirfoolish and wicked conclusions there (Ps. Xiv. 1); and what else than"folly" could be expected in hearkening to that which is "deceitfulabove all things"--what else than lawlessness in taking counsel withthat which is "desperately wicked"?

Take not, then, for thy counselor "thine own heart, " when divine lovehas placed infinite wisdom and knowledge at the disposal of lowly faithin the Lord Jesus Christ, "who of God is made unto us wisdom, " and "inwhom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. "

But does our Preacher find the rest he desires in the path of his ownwisdom? Not at all. "For in much wisdom is much grief, and he thatincreaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. " "Grief and sorrow" evergrowing, ever increasing, the further he treads that attractive andcomparatively elevated path of human wisdom. Nor has Solomon been alonely traveler along that road. Thousands of the more refined ofAdam's sons have chosen it; but none have gone beyond "the king, " andnone have discovered anything in it, but added "grief andsorrow"--sorrowful groan! But the youngest of God's family has hisfeet, too, on a path of "knowledge, " and he may press along that pathwithout the slightest fear of "grief or sorrow" resulting from addedknowledge. Nay, a new song shall be in his mouth, "_Grace_ and _peace_shall be multiplied _through the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord_. "(2 Pet. I. 2). Blessed contrast! "Sorrow and grief" multipliedthrough growth in human wisdom: "Grace and peace" multiplied throughgrowth in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord!

My beloved reader, I pray you meditate a little on this striking andprecious contrast. Here is Solomon in all his glory, with a brighterhalo of human wisdom round his head than ever had any of the childrenof men. Turn to 1 Kings iv. 29:--

"And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, andlargeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. 

And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of theeast country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. 

For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, andChalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nationsround about. 

And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand andfive. 

And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even untothe hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, andof fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes. 

And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from allkings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom. "

Is it not a magnificent ascription of abounding wisdom? What field hasit not capacity to explore? Philosophy in its depths--poetry in itsbeauties--botany and zoology in their wonders. Do we envy him? Thenlisten to what his poor heart was groaning all that time: "In muchwisdom is much grief, and he that increaseth knowledge increasethsorrow"! Now turn to _our_ portion above the sun--"the knowledge ofGod and of Jesus our Lord": infinitely higher, deeper, lovelier, andmore wondrous than the fields explored by Solomon, in constantunfoldings of riches of wisdom; and each new unfolding bringing its ownsweet measure of "grace and peace. " Have not the lines fallen to us inpleasant places? Have we not a goodly heritage? Take the feeblest ofthe saints of God of today, and had Solomon in all his glory a lot likeone of these?

CHAPTER II. 

The wise man, having found that wisdom brought with it but increasedsorrow, turns to the other side--to all those pleasures that the flesh, as we speak, enjoys. Still, he gives us, as in chap. I. , the result ofhis search before he describes it: "I said in my heart, 'Go to now; Iwill prove thee [that is, I will see if I cannot satisfy thee, ] withmirth; therefore enjoy pleasure:' and behold, this also is vanity. Isaid of laughter, 'it is mad;' and of mirth, 'what doeth it?'" For henow has tried wine, the occupation of laying out of vinyards, gardens, parks, the forming of lakes, and the building of houses, all filledwithout stint, with every thing that sense could crave, or the soul ofman could enjoy. The resources at his command are practicallylimitless, and so he works on and rejoices in the labor, apparentlywith the idea that now the craving within can be satisfied, now he ison the road to rest. Soon he will look round on the result of all hiswork, and be able to say, "All is very good; I can now rest in the fullenjoyment of my labor and be satisfied. " But when he does reach theend, when every pleasure tried, every beauty of surrounding created, and he expects to eat the fruit of his work, instantly his mouth isfilled with rottenness and decay. "Then I looked on all the works thatmy hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do; and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit; and there was no profitunder the sun. " Thus he groans again, --a groan that has been echoedand re-echoed all down the ages from every heart that has tried to fillthe same void by the same means. 

Ah! wise and glorious Preacher, it is a large place thou art seeking tofill. "Free and boundless its desires. " Deeper, wider, broader thanthe whole world, which is at thy disposal to fill it. And thou mayestwell say, "What can the man do that cometh after the king?" for thouhadst the whole world and the glory of it at thy command in thy day, and did it enable thee to fill those "free and boundless desires"? No, indeed. After all is cast into that hungry pit, yawning and empty itis still. Look well on this picture, my soul; ponder it in the secretplace of God's presence, and ask Him to write it indelibly on thy heartthat thou forget it not. Then turn and listen to this sweet voice: "Ifany man thirst" (and what man does not?) "let him come unto Me, anddrink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of hisbelly shall flow rivers of living water. " Thirst not only quenched, but water to spare for other thirsting ones, --the void not only filled, but running over with a constant flow of blessing. Who can express theglories of that contrast?

Pause, beloved reader: turn your eyes from the page, and dwell on it inthy spirit a little. What a difference between "no profit under thesun" and "never thirst"!--a difference entirely due simply to coming toHim--Jesus. Not a coming once and then departing from Him once more totry again the muddy, stagnant pools of this world: no, but to pitch ourtents by the palm-trees and the springing wells of Christ's presence, and so to drink and drink and drink again of Him, the Rock that followsHis people. But is this possible? Is this not mere imaginativeecstasy, whilst practically such a state is not possible? No, indeed;for see that man, with all the same hungry longings of Solomon or anyother child of Adam; having no wealth, outcast, and a wanderer withouta home, but who has found something that has enabled him to say, "Ihave learned, in whatsoever state I am, to be content. I know both howto be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere, and in all things, I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and tosuffer need. I can do all things through Christ, who strengthenethme. " (Phil. Iv. 11-13. )

What, then, is the necessary logical deduction from two such picturesbut this: The Lord Jesus infinitely surpasses all the world in fillingthe hungry heart of man. 

Look, oh my reader, whether thou be sinner or saint, to Him--to Himalone. 

This, then, brings us to the twelfth verse of chapter two, whichalready, thus early in the book, seems to be a summing up of hisexperiences. "I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, andfolly:" that is I looked "full face, " or carefully considered, thesethree things that I had now tested; and whilst each gave me onlydisappointment and bitterness as to meeting my deepest needs, yet "Isaw that there was a profit in wisdom over folly, as light isprofitable over darkness. " This then is within the power of humanreason to determine. The philosophy of the best of the heathen broughtthem to exactly the same conclusion. Socrates and Solomon, with manyanother worthy name, are here in perfect accord, and testify togetherthat "the wise man's eyes are in his head, but the fool walketh indarkness. " Not that men _prefer_ wisdom to folly; on the contrary;still even human reason gives this judgment: for the wise man walks atleast as a _man_, intelligently; the spirit, the intelligence, havingits place. But how much further can reason discern as to thecomparative worth of wisdom or folly? The former certainly morallyelevates a man _now_; but here comes an awful shadow across reason'spath: "but I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to themall. Then said I in my heart, as it happeneth to the fool, so ithappeneth even to me: and why was I then more wise? Then I said in myheart, that this also is vanity. " Ah! in this book in which poor manat his highest is allowed to give voice to his deepest questions, inwhich all the chaos, and darkness, the "without form and void" state ofhis poor, distracted, disjointed being is seen; death is indeed theKing of Terrors, upsetting all his reasonings, and bringing the wisdomand folly, between which he had so carefully discriminated, to onelevel in a moment. But here, death is looked upon in relation to the"works" of which he has been speaking. Wisdom cannot guarantee itspossessor the enjoyment of the fruits of his labors. Death comes tohim as swiftly and as surely as to the fool, and a common oblivionshall, after a little, swallow the memory of each, with their works. This thought the Preacher dwells upon, and as he regards it on everyside, again and again he groans, "This also is vanity. " (_vv. _ 19, 21, 23. ) "Therefore I hated life, yea, all my labor which I took under thesun, " and "therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of allmy labor which I took under the sun. " For what is there in the laboritself? Nothing that satisfies by itself. It is only the anticipationof final satisfaction and enjoyment that can make up for the loss ofquiet and ease now; prove _that_ to be a vain hope, and the mere laborand planning night and day are indeed "empty vanity. "

Thus much for labor "under the sun, " with self for its object, anddeath for its limit. Now for the contrast again in its refreshingbeauty of the "new" as against the "old" "Therefore, my belovedbrethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work ofthe Lord, forasmuch as ye know your labor is not in vain in the Lord. "(1 Cor. Xv. 58. ) "All my labor vanity" is the "groan" of the old, "fordeath with its terrors cuts me off from my labor and I leave it to afool. " "No labor in vain" is the song of victory of the new, forresurrection with its glories but introduces me to the precious fruitof those labors, to be enjoyed forever. 

Oh my brethren, let us cherish this precious word, "not in vain;" letus be indeed "persuaded" of it, and "embrace" it, not giving up ourglorious heritage, and going back, as the Christian world largely is inthis day, to the mere human wisdom that Solomon the king possessedabove all, and which only led then, as it must now and ever, to thegroan of "vanity!" But "_not_ in vain" is ours. No little onerefreshed with even a cup of cold water but that soon the fruit of eventhat little labor of love shall meet its sweetest recompense in thesmile, the approval, the praise of our Lord Jesus; and that shall makeour hearts full to overflowing with bliss; as we there echo and re-echoour own word: it was indeed, "not in vain. "

The chapter closes with the recognition that, apart from God, it is notin the power of man to get any enjoyment from his labor. Ourtranslation of verse 24 seems quite out of harmony with the Preacher'sprevious experiences, and the verse would better read (as in Dr. TaylorLewis' metrical version):

 "The good is not in man that he should eat and drink And find his soul's enjoyment in his toil; This, too, I saw, is only from the hands of God. "

CHAPTER III. 

Chapter three may be paraphrased, I think, somewhat in this way: Yes, life itself emphasizes the truth that nothing is at one stay here;--all_moves_. There is naught abiding, like the winds and waters that hehas noted in chapter one; man's life is but a wheel that turns: deathfollows birth, and all the experiences between are but ever varyingshades of good and evil, evil and good. (Let us bear in mind this isnot faith's view, but simply that of human wisdom. Faith sings a songamidst the whirl of life:

 "With mercy and with judgment, My web of time He wove; And aye the dews of sorrow Were lustred with His love. ")

But then if nothing thus rests as it is, it becomes a necessarydeduction that, if wisdom has collected, and labored, and built, follywill follow to possess and scatter, what profit then in toiling? Forhe sees that this constant travail is of God who, in wisdominscrutable, and not to be penetrated by human reasoning, would havemen exercised by these constant changes, whilst their hearts can bereally satisfied with no one of these things, beautiful as each may bein its time. So boundless are its desires that he says, "Eternity" hasbeen placed in that heart of man, and naught in all these"time-changes" can fill it. Still he can see nothing better for man, than that he should make the best of the present, for he cannot alteror change what God does or purposes, and everything he sees, speaks ofHis purpose to a constant "round, " a recurrence of that which is past(as verse 15 should probably read. )

But still man's reason can make one more step now, one furtherdeduction from the _law of circuit_, as soon as God, even though He beknown only by nature's light, is introduced; and that is, the presentwrong and injustice so evident here, must in some "time" in God'spurposes, be righted; God Himself being the Judge. This seems to be agleam of real light, similar to the conclusion of the whole book. Yes, further, this constant change--is there no reason for it? Has God nopurpose in it? Surely to teach men the very lesson of their ownmortality: that there is naught abiding--men and beasts are, as far asunaided human wisdom can see, on one level exactly as to that awfulexit from this scene. It is true there may be--and there are stronggrounds for inferring that there _is_--a wide difference between thespirit of man, and the spirit of beasts, although the bodies of eachare formed of, and return to the dust; but who can tell thisabsolutely? Who has seen and told what is on the other side of thatdread portal? None. So then, again says the wise Preacher, my wisdomsees only good in enjoying the present, for the future is shrouded inan impenetrable cloud, and none can pierce it. 

Precious beyond expression becomes the glorious bright beam of divinerevelation, as against this dense and awful darkness of man's ignoranceon such a question. How deep and terrible the groan here, "For all isvanity. " Yet the pitch-dark background shall serve to throw intoglorious relief, the glory of that light that is not from reason, ornature; but from Him who is the Father of Lights. Yes, He bids us lookon this picture of the wisest of men, tracing man and beast to one endand standing before that awful door through which each has disappeared, confessing his absolute inability to determine if there be anydifference between them. Death surely triumphs here. It is true thatthere may be a possible distinction between the "breath, " or vitalprinciple of each; but this uncertainty only adds to the mystery, andincreases a thousand fold the agonizing need for light. God be thankedthat He has given it. The darkest problem that has faced mankind allthrough the weary ages, has been triumphantly solved; and the sweetestsongs of faith ever resound about the empty tomb of the Lord Jesus--nayrather, about the glorious person of that risen Christ Himself, for Heis Himself the leader of the Joy. "In the midst of the congregationwill I praise Thee. "

So then, in sharp and blessed contrast to the wise man and hisgroaning, let us lift our eyes up and ever up, past the tombs andgraves of earth; yea, past thrones and principalities, and powers inthe heavens; up and still up, even to the "_throne of the Majesty onHigh_" itself; and look on One sitting even there, a _Man_--oh mark itwell, for He has been of woman born--a _Man_, --for of that very One itwas once said, "Is not this the carpenter?"--now crowned with glory andhonor; and listen, for He speaks: "I am He that liveth, and was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore. " Consider Him! And whilst we lookand listen, how does that word of the Preacher sound, "A man hath nopre-eminence above a beast!" And this is our portion, beloved reader. He might indeed have had all the glory of that place, without the agonyof the garden, without the suffering and shame of the cross, had Hebeen content to enjoy it alone. But no--He must have His own with Him;and now death has been abolished as to its terror and power, so thatthe groan of old is replaced by the triumphant challenge: "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (1 Cor. Xv. 55. )

The resurrection of Jesus not only makes possible--not only makesprobable--but absolutely assures the glorious triumphant resurrectionof His own who have fallen asleep: "Christ the firstfruits, afterwardthey are Christ's at His coming. " But further, is this "fallingasleep" of the saint to separate him, for a time, from the consciousenjoyment of his Saviour's love? Is the trysting of the saved one withhis Saviour to be interrupted for awhile by death? Is his song

 "Not all things else are half so dear As is His blissful presence here"

to be silenced by death? Then were he a strangely conquered foe, andnot stingless, if for one hour he could separate us from the enjoyedlove of Christ. But no, "blessed be the Victor's name, " not for amoment. "Death is ours" and "absent from the body" is only "presentwith the Lord. " So that we may answer the Preacher's word, "A man hathno pre-eminence above a beast, " with the challenge, To which of the_beasts_ said He at any time, "This day shalt thou be with Me inparadise"?

Let the Preacher groan, "all is vanity;" the groan is in perfect--ifsorrowful--harmony with the darkness and ignorance of human reason; but"_singing_" alone accords with _light_; "Joy cometh _in the morning_, "and if we but receive it, we have in "Jesus Risen" light enough forperpetual, unending, song. 

CHAPTER IV. 

But we must follow our Preacher, who can only turn away with bitternessfrom this closed door of Death, once more to take note of what is"under the sun. " And sad and sorrowful it is to him to mark that theworld is filled with oppression. He has already, in the previouschapter, noted that "wickedness was there in the place of judgment andiniquity in the place of righteousness, " and the natural consequence ofthis is oppression. Wherever men have _power_ they use it to bringforth _tears_; therefore far better, cries Solomon, to be out of such ascene altogether; yea, better still, never to have come into it at all. Have we no sympathy with the Preacher here? Does he not giveexpression to one sad "touch of nature that makes the whole world kin"?Do we not recognize that he, too, was traveling through exactly thesame scene as we find ourselves to be in? That tears were raining onthis crust of earth in that far-off time, exactly as they are to-day?Yes, indeed, it was a tear-soaked earth he trod, as well as we. Butthen that other man was also in the same scene exactly, who said, too, that it was certainly "far better" to be out of it; but--preciouscontrast! _that_ was because of the loveliness and sweet attraction ofOne known outside of it; whilst the very needs of others in thescene--those "tears, " in a way, of which the wise man speaks, and whichhe knew no way of stopping--alone kept him in it, and made him consentto stay. For Paul had "heard a sweeter story" than Solomon had ever inhis wisdom conceived; had "found a truer gain" than all Solomon'swealth could give him; and his most blessed business it was to proclaima glad tidings that should dry the tears of the oppressed, give them apeace that no oppressor could take away, a liberty outside all thechains of earth--a spring of joy that tyranny was powerless to affect. 

Now let us, by the grace and loving kindness of our God, consider thisa little closer, my readers. We have concluded that we find this bookincluded in the inspired volume for this very purpose, to exalt all"the new" by its blessed contrast with "the old. " We may too, if wewill, look around on all the sorrows and tears of this sad earth, andgroan "better would it be to be dead and out of it; yea, better neverto have been born at all. " And a wise groan, according to humanwisdom, this would be. 

But when such wisdom has attained to its full, it finds itself farshort of the very "foolishness of God"; for, on the other hand we may, if we will, praise God with joyful heart that we are at least _in theonly place in the whole universe, where tears can be dried, andgladness be made to take their place_. For is there oppression, andconsequent weeping, in heaven? Surely not. Tears there are, inplenty, in hell; for did not He who is Love say, "there shall beweeping and gnashing of teeth"? But, alas! those tears can bedried--_never_. But here Love can have its own way, and mourning onesmay learn a secret that shall surely gild their tears with a rainbowglory of light, and the oppressed and distressed, the persecuted andafflicted, may triumphantly sing, "Who shall separate us from the loveof Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are_more than conquerors_, through Him that loved us. " Ah, is there not, too, a peculiar beauty in those words "more than conquerors"? What canbe more than a conqueror? A ship driven out of its course by thetempest, with anchor dragging or cable parted, is no "conqueror" atall, but the reverse. That ship riding out the gale, holding fast toits anchorage, is truly a conqueror; but that is all. But the vesselbeing driven by the very tempest to the haven where it would be, isbetter off still, and thus "more than conqueror. " So it is with thesaint now; the tempest drives him the closer to Him who is indeed hisdesired haven, and thus he is more than conqueror. Is not, then, thisearth a unique place?--this life a wonderful time? A few years(possibly a few hours) more, and we shall be out of the scene of sorrowand evil forever; nor can we then prove the power of the love of Christto lift above the sorrow either ourselves or others. O my soul, artthou redeeming the time--"ransoming from loss" (as it might literallybe worded) the precious opportunities that are around thee on everyside, "because the days are evil"? The very fact that the days areevil--that thou art in the place of tears--gives thee the"opportunities. " When the days cease to be evil, those specialopportunities, whatever may be the service of the redeemed, will begone forever. 

But the Preacher still continues his search "under the sun, " and turnsfrom oppression and tears to regard what is, on the surface at least, acomparatively happy lot--"right work, " by which a man has attained toprosperity and pre-eminence. But as he looks closer at a case which, at first sight, seems to promise real satisfaction, he sees that thereis a bitter sting connected with it, --a sting that at once robs it ofall its attraction, and makes void all its promise of true rest, --for"for this a man is envied of his neighbor. " His success is only causeof bitter jealousy, and makes him the object not of love, but of envy, to all about him. Success, then, and a position of pre-eminence aboveone's competitors, gained by skillful toil, is rather to be avoided asvanity and pursuit of the wind, --a grasping at an empty nothingness. 

Is the opposite extreme of perfect idleness any better? No; forplainly the idler is a fool who "eateth his own flesh"; that is, necessarily brings ruin upon himself. So human wisdom here closes themeditation with--what human wisdom always does take refuge in--the"golden mean, " as it is called, "better a single handful with quietrest, than both hands filled only by wearying toil and vexation ofspirit. " And true enough this is, as every man who has tested thingsat all in this world will confirm. Accumulation brings with it onlydisappointment and added care, --everything is permeated with a commonpoison; and here the wisdom of the old is, in one sense, in fullharmony with the higher wisdom of the new, which says "godliness, withcontentment, is great gain, " and "having food and raiment, let us betherewith content. "

If we look "above the sun, " however, there is a scene where no stinglurks in all that attracts, as here. Where God Himself approves thedesires of His people for more of their own, and says to them withgracious encouragement, "covet earnestly the best gifts. " Yes; butmark the root-difference between the two: the skillful, or right labor, that appears at first so desirable to the Preacher, is only for theworker's own advantage, --it exalts him above his fellows, where hebecomes a mark for their bitter envy; but these "gifts" that are to becoveted are as far removed from this as the poles. In that higherscene, the more a gift exalts "self, " the less is that gift. The"best"--those which God calls "best"--are those that awake no envy inothers; but bring their happy owner lower and ever lower to the feet ofhis brethren to serve them, to build _them_ up. The Corinthiansthemselves had the lesser gifts in the more showy "tongues, " and"knowledge"; but one family amongst them had the _greater_, --"thehousehold of Stephanas, " for it had addicted itself to the _service_ ofthe saints. 

But let us not leave this theme till we have sought to set our heartsa-singing by a sight of Him who is, and ever shall be, the source aswell as the theme of all our songs. We but recently traced Him in Hisglorious upward path till we found Him resting on the throne of theMajesty on high. But "he that ascended, what is it but that he alsodescended?" So, beloved readers, though it may be a happily familiartheme to many, it will be none the less refreshing to look at that"right work" of our blessed Lord Jesus, "who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. " That is the gloriousplatform--as we might, in our human way of speaking, say--upon which Hehad abode all through the ages of the past. He looks above--there isnone, there is nothing higher. He looks on the same plane asHimself--He is equal with God. There is His blessed, glorious place, at the highest pinnacle of infinite glory, nothing to be desired, nothing to be grasped at. 

He moves; and every heart that belongs to that new creation awakensinto praise (oh, how different to the "envy" of the old!) as He takesHis first step and makes Himself of no reputation. And as in ourprevious paper we followed Him in His glorious upward path, so here wemay trace His no less glorious and most blessed path down and everlower down, past Godhead to "_no reputation_"; past authority to_service_; past angels, who are servants, to _men_; past all thethrones and dignities of men to the manger at _Bethlehem and the lowestwalk of poverty_, till He who, but now, was indeed rich is become poor;nay, says of Himself that He has not where to lay His head. No "goldenmean" of the "handful with quietness" here! Yes, and far lower still, past that portion of the righteous man, endless life, --down, down tothe humiliation of _death_; and then one more step to a death--not ofhonor, and respect, and the peace, that we are told marks the perfectman and the upright, but the death of lowest shame, the criminalslave's death, the _cross_! Seven distinct steps of perfecthumiliation! Oh, consider Him there, beloved! Mocked of all His foes, forsaken of all His friends! The very refuse of the earth, the thievesthat earth says are too vile for her, heaping their indignities uponHim. "Behold the man, " spat upon, stricken, and numbered withtransgressors; and, as we gaze, let us together listen to that divinevoice, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, " forthat is _our_ "right work, " and there is no fear of a man being "enviedof his neighbor" for right work of that kind. 

But time and space would fail us to take up in detail all theseprecious contrasts. All Solomon's searches "under the sun" tell butone story: There is nought in all the world that can satisfy the heartof man. The next verse furnishes another striking illustration ofthis. He sees a solitary one, absolutely alone, without kith or kindependent on him, and yet he toils on, "bereaving his soul of good" asunceasingly as when he first started in life. Every energy is stillstrained in the race for those riches that satisfy not at all. "Vanity" is the Preacher's commentary on the scene. This naturallyleads to the conclusion that solitude, at least, is no blessing; forman was made for companionship and mutual dependence, and in this issafety. (Verses 9 to 12. )

Verses 13 to the end are difficult, as they stand in our authorizedversion; but they speak, I think, of the striking and extraordinaryvicissitudes that are so constant "under the sun. " There is no lotabiding. The king on his throne, "old and foolish, " changes placeswith the youth who may even step from the humiliation of prison andchains to the highest dignity: then "better is the poor and wise youththan the old and foolish king. " But wider still the Preacher looks, and marks the stately march of the present generation with the nextthat shall follow it; yea, there is no end of the succession of surginggenerations, each boastful of itself, and taking no joy in--that is, making little account of--that which has gone before. Each, in itsturn, like a broken wave, making way for its successor. Boastfulpride, broken in death, but still followed by another equally boastful, or more so, which, in its turn, is humbled also in the silence of thegrave. It is the same story of human changes as "the youth" and "theking, " only a wider range is taken; but "vanity" is the appropriategroan that accompanies the whole meditation. In this I follow Dr. Lewis's version:--

 Better the child, though he be poor, if wise, Than an old and foolish king, who heeds no longer warning; For out of bondage came the one to reign-- The other, in a kingdom born, yet suffers poverty. I saw the living all, that walked in pride beneath the sun, I saw the second birth that in their place shall stand. No end to all the people that have gone before; And they who still succeed, in them shall find no joy. This, too, is vanity, --a chasing of the wind. 

CHAPTER V. 

With the opening of this chapter we come to quite a different theme. Like a fever-tossed patient, Ecclesiastes has turned from side to sidefor relief and rest; but each new change of posture has only broughthim face to face with some other evil "under the sun" that has againand again pressed from him the bitter groan of "Vanity. " But now, fora moment, he takes his eyes from the disappointments, the evilworkings, and the sorrows, that everywhere prevail in that scene, andlifts them up to see how near his wisdom, or human reason, can bringhim to _God_. Ah, poor bruised and wounded spirit! Everywhere it hasmet with rebuff; but now, like a caged bird which has long beaten itswings against its bars, at length turns to the open door, so nowEcclesiastes seems at least to have his face in the rightdirection, --God and approach to Him is his theme, --how far will hisnatural reason permit his walking in it? Will it carry him on to thehighest rest and freedom at last?

This, it strikes me, is just the point of view of these first sevenverses. Their meaning is, as a whole, quite clear and simple. "Keepthy foot, "--that is, permit no hasty step telling of slight realizationof the majesty of Him who is approached. Nor let spirit be lessreverently checked than body. "Be more ready to hear, than to give thesacrifice of fools. " Few be thy words, and none uttered thoughtlessly, for "God is in heaven and thou upon earth, " and many words, under suchan infinite discrepancy in position, bespeak a fool as surely as adream bespeaks overcrowded waking hours. Oh fear, then, to utter onesyllable thoughtlessly or without meaning, for One listens to whom avow once uttered must be paid, for not lightly canst thou retract thespoken vow with the excuse "It was unintentional, --it was not seriouslymeant. " His Messenger or Angel is not so deceived; and quickly wiltthou find, in thy wrecked work and purposes astray, that it is _God_thou hast angered by thy light speech. Then avoid the many wordswhich, as idle dreams, are but vanity; but rather "fear thou God. "

After weighing the many conflicting views as to verses 6 and 7, thecontext has led me to the above as the sense of the words. Nor canthere be the slightest question as to the general bearing of thespeaker's argument. Its central thought, both in position andimportance, is found in "God is in heaven and thou upon earth, therefore let thy words be few, "--its weighty conclusion, "Fear thouGod. "

Now, my beloved readers, there is a picture here well worth looking atattentively. Regard him: noble in every sense of the word, --withclearest intellect, with the loftiest elevation of thought, with anabsolutely true conception of the existence of God. Who amongst men, let thought sweep as wide as it will amongst the children of Adam, cango or has gone, beyond him? What can man's mind conceive, he may ask, as well as man's hand do, that cometh after the King? Yea, let ourminds go over all the combined wisdom of all the ages amongst the wiseof the world, and where will you find a loftier, purer, truerconception of God, and the becoming attitude of the creature inapproaching Him than here? For he is not a heathen, as we speak, thisSolomon. He has all that man, as man, could possibly have; and thatsurely includes the knowledge of the existence of God, --His powereternal, and His Godhead, as Romans i. Clearly shows. The heathenthemselves have lapsed from that knowledge. "_When they knew God_" isthe intensely significant word of Scripture. This is, indeed, diametrically contrary to the teaching of modern science--that thebarbarous and debased tribes of earth are only in a less developedcondition--are on the way _upward_ from the lowest forms of life, fromthe protoplasm whence all sprang, and have already passed in theirupward course the ape, whose likeness they still, however, more closelybear! Oh, the folly of earth's wisdom! The pitiful meanness andlittleness of the greatest of modern scientific minds that have "comeafter the King" contrasted even with the grand simple sublimity of theknowledge of Ecclesiastes. For this Preacher would not be a properrepresentative _man_ were he in debased heathen ignorance. He couldnot show us faithfully and truly how far even unaided human reasoncould go in its recognition of, and approach to, God, if he had lostthe knowledge of God. Low, indeed, is the level of man's highest, whenin this state, as the Greeks show us; for whilst they, as distinct fromthe Jews, made wisdom the very object of their search, downward ever dothey sink in their struggles, like a drowning man, till they reach afoul, impure, diabolical mythology. Their gods are as the stars formultitude. Nor are they able to conceive of these except as influencedby the same passions as themselves. Is there any reverence in approachto such? Not at all. Low, sensual, earthly depravity marked ever thatapproach. That is the level of the lapsed fallen wisdom of earth'swise. How does it compare with Solomon's? We may almost say as earthto heaven, --hardly that, --rather as hell to earth. Solomon, then, clearly shows us the _highest possible conception of the creature'sapproach to his Creator_. This is as far as man could have attained, let him be at the summit of real wisdom. His reason would have givenhim nothing beyond this. It tells him that man is a creature, and itis but the most simple and necessary consequence of this that hisapproach to his Creator should be with all the reverence and humilitythat is alone consistent with such a relationship. 

But high indeed as, in one point of view, this is, yet how low inanother, for is one heart-throb stilled? One tormenting doubt removed?One fear quieted? One deep question answered? One sin-shackleloosened? _Not one_. The distance between them is still the distancebetween earth and heaven. "God is in heaven, and thou upon earth. "Nor can the highest, purest, best of human reason, as in this wise andglorious king, bridge over that distance one span! "Fear thou God" isthe sweetest comfort he can give, --the clearest counsel he can offer. Consider him again, I say, my brethren, in all his nobility, in all hiselevation, in all his bitter disappointment and incompetency. 

And now, my heart, prepare for joy, as thou turnest to thy own blessedportion. For how rich, how precious, how closely to be cherished isthat which has gone so far beyond all possible human conception, --thatwondrous revelation by which this long, long distance 'twixt earth andheaven has been spanned completely. And in whom? JESUS, The Greaterthan Solomon. We have well considered the less, --let us turn to theGreater. And where is that second Man to be found? Afar off on earth, with God in heaven? No, indeed. "For when He had by Himself purgedour sins He sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high"; and"seeing, then, that we have a great high priest, that is passed_through the heavens_, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast ourconfession. " Oh, let us consider Him together, my brethren. Inholiest Light our Representative sits. He who but now was weightedwith our guilt, and made sin for us, is in that Light ineffable, unapproachable. Where, then, are the sins? Where, then, the sin?Gone for all eternity! Nor does His position vary at all with all thevarying states, failings, coldness, worldliness, of His people here. With holy calm, His work that has perfected them forever perfectlyfinished, He _sits_, and their position is thus maintained unchanging. Clearly, and without the shadow of the faintest mist to dim, theinfinite searching Light of God falls on Him, but sees nought therethat is not in completest harmony with Itself. Oh, wondrousconception! Oh, grandeur of thought beyond all the possibility ofman's highest mind! No longer can it be said at least to one Man, woman-born though He be, "God is in heaven, and thou upon earth"; forHe, of the Seed of Abraham, of the house of David, is Himself inhighest heaven. 

But one step further with me, my brethren. We are in Him, there; andthat is our place, too. The earthward trend of thought--the lettingslip our own precious truth--has introduced a "tongue" into Christendomthat ought to be foreign to the Saint of heaven. No "place of worship"should the Christian know--nay, _can_ he really know--short of heavenitself. For, listen: "Having, therefore, brethren, boldness to enter_into the holiest_ by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living waywhich He hath consecrated for us through the vail, --that is to say, Hisflesh, --and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us drawnear, " etc. We too, then, beloved, are not upon earth as to ourworship, (let it be mixed with faith in us that hear). Israel's "placeof worship" was where her high priest stood, and our place of worshipis where our great High Priest sits. Jesus our Lord sowed the seed ofthis precious truth when he answered the poor sinful woman of Samaria, "The hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet atJerusalem, worship the Father. But the hour cometh, and now is, whenthe true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. "

But, then, are not "words to be few"? Good and wise it was for Solomonso to speak; "few words" become the far-off place of the creature onearth before the glorious Majesty of the Creator in heaven. But ifinfinite wisdom and love have rent the vail and made a new and livingway into the Holiest, does He now say "few words"? Better, far better, than that; for with the changed position all is changed, and not toooften can His gracious ear "hear the voice of His beloved"; and, lestshrinking unbelief should still hesitate and doubt, He says plainly "In_everything_, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let yourrequests be made known unto God. " For He has shown Himself fully, nowthat vail is down, --all that He is, is revealed to faith; and a Heartwe find--with reverence and adoring love be it spoken--filled withtenderest solicitude for His people. Letting them have cares only thatthey may have His sympathy in a way that would not otherwise bepossible; and thus again He invites "casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you. " Nor is there a hint in the holiest, ofweariness on God's part in listening to His people, nor once does Hesay "enough; now cease thy prayers and supplications. " How could He sospeak who says "_Pray without ceasing_"? Then if, as assuredly we haveseen, Solomon shows us the highest limit of human thought, reason, orconception, if we go even one step beyond, we have _exceeded_ humanthought, reason, or conception; (and in these New Testament truths howfar beyond have we gone?) And what does that mean but that we are onholy ground indeed, listening to a voice that is distinctly the voiceof God, --the God who speaks to us, as He says, in order "_that our joymay be full_. "

But the Preacher continues to give, in verses 8 and 9, such counsel ashe can to meet the discordant state of things everywhere apparent. "When thou seest violent oppression exercised by those in authority, "he says, "marvel not; think it not strange, as though some strangething were happening; thou art only looking on a weed-plant thateverywhere flourishes 'under the sun, ' and still thou mayest rememberthat these oppressors themselves, high though they be, have superiorsabove them: yea in the ever-ascending scale of ranks and orders thoumayest have to go to the Highest--God Himself; but the same truth holdgood, and He shall yet call powers and governors to answer for theexercise of their authorities. This for thy comfort, if thou lookest_up_; but, on the other hand, look _down_, and thou shalt see thatwhich goes far to humble the highest; for even the king himself is asdependent as any on the field whence man's food comes. "

True, indeed, all this; but cold is the comfort, small cause forsinging it gives. Our own dear apostle seems to have dropped for amoment from his higher vantage-ground to the level of Solomon's wisdomwhen smarting under "oppression and the violent perverting ofjudgment, " he cried to the high priest, "God [the higher than thehighest] shall smite thee, thou whited wall. " But we hear no joyfulsinging from him in connection with that indignant protest. On thecontrary, the beloved and faithful servant regrets it the next moment, with "I wist not, brethren. " Not so in the silent suffering of"violent oppression" at Philippi. There he and his companion havesurely comfort beyond any that Solomon can offer, and the overflowingjoy of their hearts comes from no spring that rises in this sad desertscene. Never before had prisoners in that dismal jail heard aught butgroans of suffering coming from that inner prison, from the bruised andwounded prisoners whose feet were made fast in the stocks; but theSpirit of God notes, with sweet and simple pathos, "the prisoners heardthem"; and oh, how mighty the testimony to that which is "above thesun" was that singing! It came from the Christian's properportion, --your portion and mine, dear fellow-redeemed one, --for Jesus, our Lord Jesus, our Saviour Jesus, is the alone fountain of a joy thatcan fill a human heart until it gives forth "songs in the night, " evenin one of earth's foul abodes of suffering and oppression. He is theportion of the youngest, feeblest believer. Rich treasure! Let usbeware lest any spoil us of that treasure, for we can only "sing" as weenjoy it. 

But once more let us listen to what the highest, purest attainment ofthe wisdom of man can give. And now he speaks of wealth and theabundance of earthly prosperity which he, of all men, had so fullytested. "He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver, norhe that loveth abundance, with increase"; and again there is thesorrowful groan, "This is also vanity. " "If goods increase, " hecontinues, "the household necessary to care for them increasesproportionately, and the owner gets no further satisfaction from themthan their sight affords. Nay, he who toils has a distinct advantageover the wealthy, who is denied the quiet repose the former enjoys. "Carefully the Preacher has watched the miser heaping up ever, androbbing himself of all natural enjoyment, until some disaster--"eviltravail"--sweeps away in a moment his accumulations, and his son isleft a pauper. And such, at least, is every man he marks, be he neverso wealthy, when the end comes. Inexorable Death is, sooner or later, the "evil travail" that strips him as naked as he came; and then, though he has spent his life in selfish self-denial, filling his darkdays with vexation, sickness, and irritation, he is snatched from all, and, poor indeed, departs. Such the sad story of Solomon's experience;but not more sad than true, nor confined by any means to Scripture. World-wide it is. Nor is divine revelation necessary to tell poor manthat silver, nor gold, nor abundance of any kind, can satisfy theheart. Hear the very heathen cry "_semper avarus eget_"--"the miserever _needs_"; or "_Avarum irritat non satiat pecunia_"--"the wealth ofthe miser satisfies not, but irritates. " But more weighty andfar-reaching is the word of revelation going far beyond the negation ofthe king. "They that desire to be rich fall into temptation and asnare and many foolish and hurtful lusts, such as drown men indestruction and perdition, for the love of money is the root of allkinds of evil, which some reaching after have been led astray from thefaith, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows. "

But let us pass to the last three verses of the chapter. The Preacherhere says, in effect, "Now attend carefully to what I tell thee of theresult of all my experience in this way. I have discerned a good thatI can really call comely or fair. It is for a man to have the means athis command for enjoyment, and the power to enjoy those means. Thiscombination is distinctly the 'gift of God. ' From such an one all theevils that make up life pass off without eating deep into his being. Acheerful spirit takes him off from the present evil as soon as it ispast. He does not think on it much; for the joy of heart within, _towhich God responds_, enables him to meet and over-ride those waves oflife and forget them. "

This is in perfect conformity with the whole scope of our book: and itis surely a mistake that the evangelical doctors and commentators makewhen they seek to extract truth from Solomon's writings that is neverto be attained apart from God's revelation. On the other hand, a largeschool of German rationalists see here nothing beyond the teaching ofthe Epicure: "Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die. " Rather doesit show the high-water mark of human reason, wisdom, andexperience, --having much in common with the philosophy of the world, but going far beyond it; and then, at its highest, uttering some wailof dissatisfaction and disappointment, whilst the majestic height ofdivine revelation towers above it into the very heavens, taking him whoreceives it far above the clouds and mists of earth's speculations andquestionings into the clear sunlight of eternal divine truth. 

So here Solomon--and let us not forget none have ever gone, or can evergo, beyond him--gives us the result of his searchings along the specialline of the power of riches to give enjoyment. His whole experienceagain and again has contradicted this. Look at the 12th verse of thisvery chapter. "The sleep of the laboring man is sweet, _but theabundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep_. " No, no. In someway to get _joy_, he confesses he must have _God_. He combines inthese verses these two ideas--"Joy" and "God. " Look at them. See howthey recur: four times the name of God, thrice a word for joy. Nowthis raises Solomon far far above the malarial swamps of mereepicureanism, which excluded God entirely. It shows how perfect theharmony throughout the whole book. It is again, let us recall it, thehigh-water mark of human reason, intelligence, and experience. Hereasons thus: (1) I have proved the vanity and unsatisfactory characterof all created things in themselves, and yet can see no good beyondgetting enjoyment from them. (2) The power, therefore, for enjoymentcannot be from the things themselves. It must be from God. He mustgive it. (3) This assumes that there must be some kind of accordbetween God and the heart, for God is the spring, and not thecircumstances without. So far the power of human reason. High it is, indeed; but how unsatisfactory, at its highest. Consider all that itleaves unsaid. Suppose this were where you and I were, my reader, whatshould we learn of the way of attaining to this "good that is fair"?Shall we ask Ecclesiastes one single question that surely needs clearanswer in order to attain it?

I am a sinner: conscience, with more or less power, constantly accuses. How can this awful matter of my guilt in the sight of that God, theconfessed and only source of thy "good, " be settled? Surely this isabsolutely necessary to know ere I can enjoy thy "good that is fair. "Nay, more: were a voice to speak from heaven, telling me that all thepast were blotted out up to this moment, I am well assured that I couldnot maintain this condition for the next moment. Sin would well upfrom the nature within, and leave me as hopeless as ever. I carry_it_--that awful defiling thing--with me, in me. How is this to beanswered, Ecclesiastes?--or what help to its answer dost thou give?. . . 

And there is silence alone for a reply. 

Once and only once was such a state possible. Adam, as he walked inhis undefiled Eden, eating its fruit, rejoicing in the result of hislabor, with no accusing conscience, God visiting him in the cool of theday and responding to all his joy, --there is the picture ofEcclesiastes' "good that is fair. " Where else in the old creation, andhow long did that last? No; whilst it is refreshing and inspiring tomark the beautiful intelligence and exalted reasoning of Ecclesiastes, recognizing the true place of man in creation, dependent, andconsciously dependent, on God for "life and breath and all things, " asPaul spoke long afterwards, appealing to that in the heathen Athenianswhich even they were _capable_ of responding to affirmatively; yet howhe leaves us looking at a "good that is fair, " but without a word as tohow it is to be attained, in view of, and in spite of, sin. That oneshort word raises an impassable barrier between us and that fair good, and the more fair the good, the more cruel the pain at being so utterlyseparated from it; but then, too, the more sweet and precious the lovethat removes the barrier entirely, and introduces us to a good that isas far fairer than Solomon's as Solomon's is above the beasts. 

For we, too, my dear readers, have our "good that is fair. " Nor needwe fear comparison with that of this wisest of men. 

Survey with me a fairer scene than any lighted by this old creation suncan show, and harken to God's own voice, in striking contrast to poorSolomon's portraying its lovely and entrancing beauties for ourenjoyment. 

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hathblessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of theworld, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christto Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will to the praise ofthe glory of His grace wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved:in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sinsaccording to the riches of His grace. "

Dwell a little on this our own fair good; mark its sevenfoldperfection; go up and down the land with me. Let us press these grapesof Eshcol, and taste their excellence together. 

_First: Chosen in Him before the foundation of the world_. --A threefoldcord, that is, indeed, not soon broken. "Chosen, " God's own love andwisdom is the fount and spring whence all flows. And that in blessedconnection with the dearest object of His love--"in Him. " "Before thefoundation of the world. " In the stability and changelessness ofEternity, --before that scene that is, and ever was, characterized bychange, began, --with its mirth and sorrow, sunshine and shadow, lifeand death. Blessed solid rock-foundation for all in God and Eternity. 

_Second: To be Holy_. --Separated from all the defilement that shouldafterwards come in. Thus His electing love is always marked first byseparation from all evil. It can never allow its object to beconnected with the slightest defilement. The evil was allowed onlythat He might reveal Himself as Love and Light in dealing with it. 

_Third: without blame_. --So thoroughly is all connected with pastdefilement met that not a memory of it remains to mar the present joy. The defilement of the old creation with which we were connected hasleft never a spot nor a stain on the person that could offend infiniteholiness. Clean, every whit. Bless the Lord, oh my soul!

_Fourth: In love_. --Thus separated and cleansed from all defilement notmere complacency regards us. Not merely for his own pleasure, as menmake a beautiful garden, and remove everything that would offend theirtaste, but active love in all its divine warmth encircles us. Myreader, do you enjoy this fair good? If you be but the feeblestbeliever it is your own. 

_Fifth: Adoption of Children_. --Closest kind of love, and that soimplanted in the heart as to put that responsive home-cry of "Abba, Father, " there, and on our lips. Yet nothing short of this was the"good pleasure of His will. 

_Sixth. --Taken into favor in the Beloved_: the wondrous measure ofacceptance "in the Beloved One. " Look at Him again. All the glory Hehad in eternity He has now, and more added to it. Infinite complacencyregards him. That, too, is the measure of our acceptance. 

_Seventh_. --But no shirking that awful word, --no overlooking the awfulfact of sin's existence. No; the foundation of our enjoyment of ourown fair good is well laid "in whom we have redemption through Hisblood, _even the forgiveness of sins_. "

Sin, looked at in infinite holy Light, --thoroughly looked at, --andBlood, precious Blood, poured out in atonement for it, and thus putaway forever in perfect righteousness. 

Now may the Lord grant us to realize more fully, as we progress in ourbook, the awful hopelessness that weighs on man's sad being, apart fromthe blessed and infinitely gracious revelation of God. 

CHAPTER VI. 

Remembering how far the writer of our book excels all who have evercome after him, in ability, wisdom, or riches, his groans ofdisappointment shall have their true weight with us, and act aslighthouse beacons, warning us from danger, or from spending the oneshort fleeting life we have in treading the same profitless pathway ofgroaning. 

So chapter six opens, still on the same subject of wealth and its powerto bless. A sore evil, and one that weighs heavily on man, has Solomonseen: riches, wealth, and honor, clustering thick on the head of oneperson, and yet God has withheld from him the power of enjoying it all. As our own poet, Browning, writes that apt illustration of King Saul:

 "A people is thine, And all gifts, which the world offers singly, on one head combine! High ambition, and deeds which surpass it, fame crowning them all, Brought to blaze on the head of one creature--King Saul. "

So sorrowful is this in our preacher's eyes, and so thoroughly does itbespeak a state of affairs under the sun in confusion, that Solomonventures the strongest possible assertion. Better, he says, anuntimely birth, that never saw light, than a thousand years twice told, thus spent in vanity, without real good having been found. How bitterlife must show itself to lead to such an estimate! Better never tohave been born than pass through life without finding something thatcan satisfy. But this is not looking at life simply in itself, forlife in itself is good, as the same poet sings:

 "Oh, our manhood's prime vigor! No spirit feels waste, Not a muscle is stopped in its playing nor sinew unbraced. Oh, the wild joys of living! the leaping from rock up to rock, The strong rending of boughs from the fir-tree, the cool silver shock Of the plunge in a pool's living water! How good is man's life--the mere living! how fit to employ All the heart and the soul and the senses forever in joy!"

It is because man has, of all the creation of God, an awful shadowhanging over him--"death and darkness and the tomb, " with the solemn, silent, unknown "beyond" lying before him, robbing him of rest. Angelshave present pure delight, with no such shadow possible--they die not. The beast may enjoy his pasture, for no thought of a coming deathdisturbs him. Life may be full of a kind of enjoyment to such; butman, poor man, when awake to the possibilities of his own being, as itsurely becomes man to be (and that is just the point of this book--weare not looking upon man as a mere animal, but as a reasoning creature, and as such he), is robbed of present rest and enjoyment by aninevitable fate to which he is hastening, and from which there is nopossible escape. Do not all go to one place?--that vague "Sheol, "speaking of the grave, and yet the grave, not as the _end_, but anindefinite shadowy existence beyond? All, all go there; and with nolight on _that_, better, indeed, "the untimely birth which came invanity and departs in darkness;" for this, at least, has the more rest. Bitter groan this, indeed!

For the Preacher continues: "Does man's labor satisfy him? Can he getwhat is really 'good' from it?" No. For never is his appetite filledso that it desires nothing more. The constant return of its thirstdemands constant toil; and fool and wise must alike obey its call. This is not confined to bodily food, but covers that bitter hunger andthirst of the heart, as the use of the word soul (margin) shows. Thelongings of the wise may be for a higher food. He may aim above themere sensual, and seek to fill his soul with the refined, but he_fails_, as indeed do all, even "the poor man who knows to walk beforethe living;" that is, even the poor man who, with all the disadvantagesof poverty, has wisdom enough to know how to live so as to command therespect of his fellows. Wise indeed must such be; but he, no more thanthe fool, has found the "good" that forever satisfies hunger andthirst, and calms to rest the wandering of the soul, which, like therestless swallow, is ever on the wing. Man is made up of desire, andone glimpse with the eyes, something seen, is at least somethingsecured, and it is better than all mere longing, which is vanity andthe pursuit of the wind. For everything has long ago been named _fromits own nature_; and in this way its name shows what it is. Thus man, too, (Adam, ) is, and ever has been, known from his name, from "adamah, "earth; his name so showing his mortality. If thus he has been made byhis Creator, how vain for him to hope to escape his fate, for with Himno contention is possible. What use, then, in many words (not things)since they afford no relief as against that end? they only increasevanity. Then the last sad wail of this subject: "Who knoweth what isreally _good_--satisfying for man--during the few fleeting years of hisvain life here, which he passes as a shadow; and when he is gone, whocan tell him what shall be after him under the sun"?

Let that wail sink down deep into our ears. It is the cry that hasbeen passed, in ever increasing volume, from heart to heart--everyempty hollow heart of man echoing and re-echoing, "Who will show us anygood?" Now turn and listen to One who came to answer that fully, andin His word to Mary, the sister of Lazarus, He does distinctly, inwords, answer it. She had chosen the portion that He could call"good. " And was that travail and toil, even in service for Himself?No, that was rather her sister's portion; but a seat--expressive ofrest--(consider it), a listening ear, whilst the Lord ministered toher;--and that is all that is needful! What a contrast between thispoor rich king, communing with his own heart to find out what is thatgood portion for man; and the rich poor saint in blessed communion withinfinite Love, infinite Wisdom, infinite Power, and resting satisfied!Surely, Solomon in all his glory had no throne to be compared to hers, as she sat lowly "at His feet. " And mark carefully, for thy soul'sgood, that word of tender grace that the Lord said, This is "needful. "He who had listened to the groan of man's heart through those long fourthousand years, and knew its need fully and exactly, says that thisgood portion must not be regarded as any high attainment for the few, but as the very breath of life--for all. If He knows that it isneedful for thee, then, my soul, fear not but that He will approve thytaking the same place and claiming Mary's portion on the ground of thy_need alone_. 

Yes, but does this really answer the root cause of the groan in ourchapter? Is the shadow of death dispelled by sitting at His feet! Isdeath no longer the dark unknown? Shall we learn lessons there thatshall rob it of all its terrors, and replace the groan with song? Yes, truly, for look at the few significant foot-prints of that dear Mary'swalk after this. See her at that supper made for the Lord at Bethany. Here Martha is serving with perfect acceptance--no word of rebuke toher now; she has learned the lesson of that day spoken of in the tenthof Luke. But Mary still excels her, for, whilst sitting at His feet inthat same day of tenth of Luke, she has heard some story that makes hercome with precious spikenard to anoint His body for the burial!Strange act! And how could that affectionate heart force itself calmlyto anoint the object of its love for burial? Ah! still a far sweeterstory must she have heard "at His feet, " and a bright light must havepierced the shadow of the tomb. For, look at that little company ofdevoted women around His cross, and you will find no trace of the noless devoted Mary, the sister of Lazarus, there. The other Marys maycome, in tender affection, but in the dark ignorance of unbelief, tosearch for Him, in His empty tomb on the third day. She, with no lesstender affection surely, is not there. Is this silence of Scripturewithout significance, or are we to see the reason for it in that "goodportion" she had chosen "at His feet"?--and there did she hear, notonly the solemn story of His cross leading her to anoint His body forthe burial, but the joyful story of His resurrection, so that there wasno need for _her_ to seek "the living amongst the dead;"--she _knew_that He was risen, and she, as long before, "_sat still in the house_"!Oh, blessed calm! Oh, holy peace! What is the secret of it? Wouldstthou learn it! Sit, then, too, "at His feet, " in simple consciousemptiness and need. Give Him the still more blessed part ofministering to thee. So all shall be in order. Thou shalt have thegood portion that shall dispel all clouds of death, and pour over thybeing heaven's pure sunlight of resurrection; and, with that Light, song shall displace groan, whilst thy Lord shall have the still betterpart--His own surely--of giving; for "more blessed it is to give thanto receive. "

CHAPTER VII. 

But whilst the King has not that most blessed light, yet there are somethings in which he can discriminate; and here are seven comparisons inwhich his unaided wisdom can discern which is the better:--

 1. A good name is better than precious ointment. 2. The day of death " " " the day of birth. 3. The house of mourning " " " the house of feasting. 4. Borrow " " " laughter. 5. The rebuke of the wise " " " the song of fools. 6. The end of a thing " " " the beginning. 7. The patient in spirit " " " the proud in spirit. 

Lofty, indeed, is the level to which Solomon has attained by suchunpopular conclusions, and it proves fully that we are listening inthis book to man at his highest, best. Not a bitter, morbid, diseasedmind, simply wailing over a lost life, and taking, therefore, highlycolored and incorrect views of that life, as so many pious commentatorssay; but the calm, quiet result of the use of the highest powers ofreasoning man, as man, possesses; and we have but to turn for a moment, and listen to Him who is greater than Solomon, to find His holy andinfallible seal set upon the above conclusions. "Blessed are the purein heart, --they that mourn, --and the meek, " is surely in the samestrain exactly; although reasons are there given for this blessednessof which Solomon, with all his wisdom, had never a glimpse. 

Let us take just one striking agreement, and note the contrasts: "It isbetter to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house offeasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it tohis heart. Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of thecountenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in thehouse of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. "That is, the loftiest purest wisdom of man recognizes a quality insorrow itself that is purifying. "In the sadness of the face the heartbecometh fair. " In a scene where all is in confusion, --where Death, asKing of Terrors, reigns supreme over all, forcing his presence on ushourly, where wickedness and falsehood apparently prosper, and goodnessand truth are forced to the wall, --in such a scene of awful disorder, laughter and mirth are but discord, and grate upon the awakenedspirit's ear with ghastly harshness. Whilst an honest acceptance ofthe truth of things as they are, looking Death itself full in the face, the house of mourning not shunned, but sought out; the sorrow within isat least in harmony with the sad state of matters without; the"ministration of death" has its effect, the spirit learns its lesson ofhumiliation; and this, says all wisdom, is "_better_. "

And yet this very level to which Reason can surely climb by her ownunaided strength may become a foothold for Faith to go further. UnlessWrong, Discord, and Death, are the normal _permanent_ condition ofthings, then sorrow, too, is not the normal permanent state of theheart; but this merely remains a question, and to its answer no reasonhelps us. Age after age has passed with no variation in the felldiscord of its wails, tears, and groans. Generation has followed inthe footsteps of generation, but with no rift in the gloomy shadow ofdeath that has overhung and finally settled over each. Six thousandyears of mourning leave unaided Reason with poor hope of any change inthe future, --of any expectation of true comfort. But then listen tothat authoritative Voice proclaiming, as no "scribe" ever could, "Blessed are they that mourn, _for they shall be comforted_. " Ah, there is a bright light breaking in on the dark clouds, with nolightning-flash of added storm, but a mild and holy ray, --the promiseof a day yet to break o'er our sorrow-stricken earth, when there shallbe no need for mourning, for death no more shall reign, but beswallowed up in victory. 

But turn over a few pages more, and the contrast is still furtherheightened. The sun of divine revelation is now in mid-heaven; and notmerely future, but present, comfort is revealed by its holy and blessedbeam. Come, let us enter now into the "house of mourning, " not merelyto clasp hands with the mourners, and to sit there in the silence ofEcclesiastes' helplessness for the benefit of our own hearts, nor evento whisper the promise of a future comfort, but, full of the comfort ofa present hope, to pour out words of comfort into the mourners' ears. Tears still are flowing, --nor will we rebuke them. God would neverblunt those tender sensibilities of the heart that thus speaks the Handthat made it; but He would take from the tears the bitterness ofhopelessness, and would throw on them His own blessed Light, --a newdirect word of revelation from Himself, --Love and Light as Heis, --till, like the clouds in the physical world, they shine with aglory that even the cloudless sky knows not. 

_First_, then, all must be grounded and based on faith in the LordJesus. We are talking to those who share with us in a common divinefaith. _We believe that Jesus died_: but more, _we believe that Herose again_: and here alone is the foundation of true hope or comfort. They who believe not or know not this are as absolutely hopeless--ascomfortless--as Ecclesiastes: they are "the rest which have no hope. "True divine Hope is a rare sweet plant, whose root is found _only_ inHis empty tomb, whose flower and fruit are in heaven itself. Based onthis, comforts abound; and in every step the living Lord Jesus is seen:His resurrection throws its blessed light everywhere. If One hasactually risen from the dead, what glorious possibilities follow. 

For as to those who are falling asleep, is _He_ insensible to thatwhich moves us so deeply? Nay; He Himself has put them to sleep. Theyare fallen asleep [not "in, " as our version says, but] _through_(_dia_) Jesus. He who so loved them has Himself put them to sleep. Nomatter what the outward, or apparent, causes of their departure to_sight_, faith sees the perfect love of the Lord Jesus giving "Hisbeloved sleep. " Sight may take note only of the flying stones as theycrush the martyr's body; mark, with horror, the breaking bone, thebruised and bleeding flesh; hear the air filled with the confusion ofshouts of imprecation, and mocking blasphemy; but to faith all isdifferent: to her the spirit of the saint, in perfect calm, is enfoldedto the bosom of Him who has loved and redeemed it, whilst the same LordJesus hushes the bruised and mangled form to _sleep_, as in the holyquiet of the sanctuary. 

Let our faith take firm hold of this blessed word, "fallen asleepthrough Jesus, " for our comfort. So shall we be able to instil thiscomfort into the wounded hearts of others, --comforting them with thecomfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. What wouldSolomon have given to have known this?

_Second_, the mind must be gently loosened from occupation with itselfand its own loss; and that by no rebuke or harsh word, so out of placewith sorrow, but by the _assumption_, at least, that it is for the lossthat the departed themselves suffer that we grieve. It is because welove them that our tears flow: but suppose we know beyond a questionthat _they_ have suffered no loss by being taken away from this scene, would not that modify our sorrow? Yea; would it not change itscharacter completely, extracting bitterness from it? So that blessedLord Himself comforted His own on the eve of His departure: "If yeloved me, ye would rejoice because I go unto my Father, for my Fatheris greater than I. " The more you love me, the less--not the more--willyou sorrow. Nay; you would change the sorrow into actual joy. _Themeasure of the comfort is exactly the measure of the love_. That issurely divine. So here, "You are looking forward to the day when yourrejected Lord Jesus shall be manifested in brightest glories: yourbeloved have not missed their share in that triumph. God will showthem the same "path of life" He showed their Shepherd (Ps. Xvi. ), andwill "bring them with Him" in the train of their victorious Lord. 

_Third_. But is that triumph, that joy, so far off that it can only beseen through the dim aisles and long vistas of many future ages andgenerations? Must our comfort be greatly lessened by the thought thatwhile that end is "sure, " it is still "very far off, "--a thousand yearsmay--nay, some say, _must_--have to intervene; and must we sorrowfullysay, like the bereaved saint of old, "I shall go to him, but he shallnot return to me"? Not at all. Better, far better than that. ForFaith's cheerful and cheering voice is "we who are alive and remain. "That day is so close ever to faith that there is nothing between us andit. No long weary waiting expected; and that very _attitude_--thatvery hope--takes away the "weariness" from the swift passing days. Those dear saints of old grasped and cherished this blessed hope thattheir saviour Lord would return even during their life. Did they loseanything by so cherishing it? Have we gained by our giving it up? Hasthe more "reasonable" expectation that, after all, the tomb shall beour lot as theirs, made our days brighter, happier, and so to speedmore quickly? Has it made us more separate from the world, moreheavenly in character, given us less in common with the worldling? Hasthis safe "reasoning" made us to abound in works of love, labors offaith, and in patience of hope, as did the "unreasonable" and"mistaken" hope of His immediate coming the dear Thessalonians of old?For look at the first chapter, and see how the "waiting for the Sonfrom heaven" worked. Again I ask, have we improved on this? _Can_ weimprove upon it? Was it not far better, then, for them--if these itshappy accompaniments--to hold fast, even to their last breath, thathope; and even to pass off this scene clasping it still fondly to theirhearts, than our dimmed and dull faith with--it may be boldly said--allthe sad loss that accompanies this?

Hold it fast, my brethren, "_We who are alive and remain_. " Let thatbe the only word in our mouths, the only hope in our hearts. It is acup filled to the brim with comfort. How they ring with life and hopein contrast with the dull, heavy, deathful word of poorEcclesiastes--"For that is the end of all men"!

Oh, spring up brighter in all our hearts, thou divinely given, divinelysustained Hope!

_Fourth_. --"For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with ashout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: andthe dead in Christ shall rise first. "

Another sweet and holy word of comfort. We have seen Jesus putting Hissaints to sleep, as to their bodies; and here we see the same LordJesus Himself bidding them rise. No indiscriminate generalresurrection this: "the dead in Christ" alone are concerned: they risefirst. He who died for them knows them; and they, too, have known Hisvoice in life: that same voice now awakens them, and bids them rise aseasily as the little damsel at the "Talitha Cumi"! How precious isthis glorious word of the Lord! How perfect the order! Noawe-inspiring trumpet, "sounding long and waxing loud, " as at Sinai ofold, awakening the panic-stricken dead, and bidding them come to anawful judgment. Such the picture that man's dark unbelief and guiltyconscience have drawn. Small comfort would we have for mourners werethat true. God be thanked it is not. Their Saviour's well-known voicethat our dead have loved shall awaken them, ringing full and true inevery tone and note of it with the love He has borne them. Then thevoice of the Archangel Michael, the great marshal of God's victorioushosts shall range our ranks. This accomplished, and all in the perfectdivine order of victory, the trumpet shall sound and the redeemed shallbegin their triumphant, blissful, upward flight. 

_Fifth_. --But the Spirit of God desires us to get and to give thecomfort of another precious word. In no strange unknown company shallwe who are alive and remain start on that homeward journey, but"together with them. " Who that has known the agony of brokenheart-strings does not see the infinitely gracious tender comfort inthose three words, "together with them"? There is reunion. Once morewe shall be in very deed with those we love, with never a thought orfear of parting more to shadow the mutual joy. In view of those threewords it were simple impertinence to question whether we shallrecognize our dear saints who have preceded us. Not only would such aquestion rob them of their beauty, but of their very meaning. Theywould be empty and absolutely meaningless in such case. Sure, beyond aperadventure, is it that our most cherished anticipations shall be farexceeded in that rapturous moment; for we can but reason fromexperience, whilst here the sweetest communion has ever been marred bythat which there shall not be. 

How sweet the prospect, my sorrowing bereaved readers! We shall, asGod is true, look once more into the very faces of those we have knownand loved in the Lord on earth. They awake to recognition as Magdaleneat the word "Mary;" not to a renewed earthly companionship, nor to arelationship as known in the flesh, as poor Mary thought, but to asweeter, as well as higher; a warmer, as well as purer communion; forthe tie that there shall bind us together is that which is stronger, sweeter than all others, even here, --Jesus Christ the Lord. 

But stay! Does this really meet fully the present sorrow? Does itgive a satisfying comfort? Is there not a lurking feeling ofdisappointment that certain relationships with their affections arenever to be restored; therefore, in certain ways, "recognition" is notprobable? For instance, a husband loses the companion of his life. Heshall, it is true, meet and recognize with joy a saint whom he knew onearth, but never again his _wife_. That sweet, pure, human affection, is never to be renewed. Death's rude hand has chilled that warmthforever. The shock of death has extinguished it forevermore. Is thatexactly true? Is that just as Scripture puts it? Let us see. 

We may justly reason that if, in the resurrection, relationships wereexactly as here, sorrow would necessarily outweigh joy. To find brokenfamilies there would be a perpetuation of earth's keenest distresses. To know that that break was irreparable would cause a grief unutterableand altogether inconsistent with the joy of the new creation. Marriagethere is not, and hence all relationships of earth we may safely gatherare not there. But the natural affections of the soul of man have theyabsolutely come to nothing?

That soul, connected as it is with that which is higher thanitself--the spirit--is immortal, and its powers and attributes must bein activity beyond death. It is the seat of the affections here, and, surely, there too. Why, then, shall not these affections there havefull unhindered play? Let us seek to gather something from analogy. Knowledge has its seat in the spirit of man, and here he exercises thatfaculty; nor does the spirit any more than the soul cease to exist; norare its attributes therefore to be arrested. Yet we read of knowledgein that scene, "it shall vanish away. " And why? Is it not because ofthe perfect light that there shines? Human knowledge is but a candle, and what worth is candlelight when the noonday sun shines? It isoverwhelmed, swallowed up, by perfect light. It "vanishes away, "--isnot extinguished, any more than is human knowledge, by the shock ofdeath or change; but perfection of Light has done away with the veryappearance of imperfection. Now is this not equally and exactly trueof that other part of the divine nature--Love? _Here_ we both know inpart and love in part. _There_ the perfection of Love causes thatwhich is imperfect--the human affection of the soul--to "vanish away. "The greater swallows up the less. The infinite attraction of the LordJesus--that "glory" which He prayed that we might see (Johnxvii. )--overwhelms all lower affections with no rough rude shock as ofdeath, but by the very superabundance of the bliss. His glory! Whatis it but the radiant outshining of His infinitely blessed, infinitelyattractive, divine nature, --Love and Light, Light and Love, --eachswallowing up in their respective spheres every inferior imperfectreflection of them that we have enjoyed here in this scene ofimperfection, leaving nothing to be desired, nothing missed; allowingperfect play to every human faculty and affection, --crushing, extinguishing none. Death has not been permitted to annul thesefaculties. The perfect love of the Lord Jesus has outstripped them, swallowed them up in warmer affections, sweeter communion. 

The coming of that precious Saviour is close: just as close is thefulfillment of those words, "together with them. " "He maketh theclouds His chariots, " and in those chariots we are taken home"together. "

_Sixth_. --"To meet the Lord in the air. " Another word of divinecomfort, again. How bold the assertion! Its very boldness isassurance of its truth. It becomes God, and God only, so to speak thatHis people may both recognize His voice in its majesty and rest on Hisword. No speculation; no argument; no deduction; no reasoning; but abare, authoritative statement, startling in its boldness. Not asyllable of past Scripture on which to build and to give color to it;and yet _when_ revealed, _when_ spoken, in perfect harmony with thewhole of Scripture. How absolutely impossible for any man to haveconceived that the Lord's saints should be caught up to meet Him "_inthe air_. " Were it not true, its very boldness and apparentfoolishness would be its refutation. And what must be the character ofmind that would even seek to invent such a thought? What depths ofawful wickedness it would bespeak! What cruelty thus to attempt todeceive the whole race! What corruption, thus to speak false in theholiest matters, attaching the Lord's name to a falsehood! The springfrom which such a statement, if false, could rise must be corruptindeed. But, oh, how different in fact! What severe righteousness!what depths of holiness! what elevated morality! what warmth of tenderaffection! what burning zeal, combined with the profoundest reasoning, characterize every word of the writer of this same statement! Everyword that he has written testifies that he has _not_ attempted todeceive. 

There is, perhaps, one other alternative: the writer may have _believedhimself_ thus inspired, and was thus self-deceived But in this casefar gone in disease must his mind have been; nor could it failconstantly to give striking evidence of being thus unhinged in otherparts of his writings. This is a subject with which unbalanced mindshave shown their inability to be much occupied without the mostsorrowful evidences of the disease under which they suffer. Let therebe independence of the Scriptures (as there confessedly is in thiscase), and let man's mind work in connection with this subject of theLord's second coming, and all history has but one testimony: such mindsbecome unbalanced, and feverish disquietude evidences itself byconstant recurrence to the one theme. Find, on the other hand, onesingle instance, if you can, in which such a mind makes mention _once, and only once_, of that subject that has so overmastered every other asto have deceived him into the belief that falsehood is truth, his ownimagination is the inspiration of the Spirit of God!

Have you not wondered why this wondrous word of revelation occurs thusin detail once and only once? Is it not one of the weapons of thosewho contend against this our hope that we base too much on thisisolated Scripture text? Not that that is true, for all Scripture, aswe have said, is in perfect harmony and accord with it; but what aperfect, complete, thorough answer, this fact gives to the otheralternative--that the writer was self-deceived. This is impossible;or, like every other self-deceived man that ever lived, he would havepressed his one theme in every letter, forced it on unwilling mindsevery time he opened his mouth or took up his pen. 

 "No wild enthusiast ever yet could rest Till half mankind were like himself possessed. "

'Tis an attractive theme. Long could we linger here, but we must passon; but before leaving, let us see if we were justified in saying thatwhilst this word is based on no previous Scripture, yet, when spoken, it is in harmony with all. First, then, is it not in perfect accordwith the peculiar character and calling of the Church? Israel, as anation, finds her final deliverance on the earth. Her calling and herhopes have ever been limited to this scene. Fitting then, indeed, itis that she be saved by her Deliverer's _feet standing once more on theMount of Olives_ (Zach. Xiv. 4), and the judgment of the living nationsshould then take place. But with the Church, how different: herblessings heavenly; her character heavenly; her calling heavenly. Isit not, then, in accord with this that her meeting with her Lord shouldbe literally heavenly, too? Israel, exponent of the righteousgovernment of God, may rightly long to "dip her foot in the blood ofthe wicked. " Nor can she expect or know of any deliverance except, asof old, in victories in the day of battle. The Church, exponent of theexceeding riches of His grace, is of another spirit; and ourdeliverance "in the air" permits--nay, necessitates--our echoing thatgracious word of our Lord, "Father, forgive them. "

Then too, how beautifully this rapture follows the pattern of His whomthe Lord's people now are following even to a dwelling that has no namenor place on earth (John i. 38, 39). The clouds received Him: they, too, shall receive us. Unseen by the world He left the world, too busywith its occupations to note or care for the departure of Him who isits Light. So the poor feeble glimmer of the Lord's dear people nowshall be lost, secretly, as it were, to the world in which they shineas lights, leaving it in awful gloomy darkness till the Day dawn andthe Sun arise. 

Nor is illustration or type lacking. In Enoch, caught up before thejudgment of the flood, surely we may see a figure of the rapture of theheavenly saints before the antitype of the flood, the tribulation thatis to try "the dwellers upon the earth, " as in Noah brought throughthat judgment, a picture of the earthly ones. 

In this connection, too, what could be more exquisitely harmonious thanthe way in which the Lord thus presents Himself to the expectant faithof His earthly and heavenly people? To the former the full plain Dayis ushered in by the Sun of Righteousness arising with healing in Hiswings: for that Day they look. To the latter, who are watching throughthe long hours of the night, the Bright and Morning Star shining erethe first beams of the Sun are thrown upon the dark world is the objectof faith and hope. 

Is not the word that believers shall, "meet the Lord in the air" inabsolute accord with these different aspects of the Lord as Star andSun? Most certainly it is. 

More than at any other time, a solid foundation for comfort is neededin times of deep grief. Then the hosts of darkness press round thedismayed spirit; clouds of darkness roll across the mental sky; the sunand all light is hidden; in the storm-wrack the fiery darts of thewicked one fall thick as rain. Every long-accepted truth isquestioned; the very foundations seem to dissolve. A firm foothold, indeed, must we have on which to stand at such a time. Faith must beseen not at war with her poor blind--or at least short-sighted--sisterReason, but in perfect accord, leading her, with her feebler powers, bythe hand. But here is where the world's efforts to comfort--and, indeed, alas, the worldly Christians too--lack. Sentimentalism aboundshere; and the poor troubled heart is told to stand fast on airyspeculations, and to distil comfort from wax-flowers, as it were, --thecreations of the imagination. How solid the comfort here given incontrast with all this. _God_ speaks, and in the _Light_, that withclear yet gentle ray, exactly meets the needs of our presentdistress, --in the _Love_ that in its infinite tenderness and beautifuldelicacy knows how to heal the wounded spirit, --in the grand_authority_ that rests on no other word or testimony for proof, --andyet in the perfect, absolute _harmony_ with the whole scope of His ownholy word, we, His children, recognize again His voice; for never mancould speak thus, and we are comforted, and may comfort one another. 

_It is true_. _It is divine_. We shall meet the Lord in the air. Happy journey that, in such a company to such a goal, --to meet theLord! Who can picture the joy of that upward flight? What wordsextract the comfort of that meeting, --the Lord, --our Lord, --alone withHim, --"together with them, "--in the quiet chambers of the air!

_Seventh_. --"And so shall we ever be with the Lord. " There is aneternity of unmingled bliss. How short the time of separation, oh yemourning ones, compared with this! The pain is but for a moment, whilst there is a far more exceeding and eternal weight of comfort. 

What a contrast! Death is the sad, gloomy, mysterious, unknownboundary for all, groans Ecclesiastes, "for that is the end of allmen. " There is no end to the joy of the redeemed, says Revelation; andFaith sings "forever with the Lord. " What deep need of Himself hasthis man's heart, that He has made. If in this sad scene we get oneray of true comfort it is when "with Him"; one thrill of true joy it iswhen "with Him"; one hour of true peace it is when "with Him. " We wereintended, meant, created, _to need Him_. Let us remember that, andthen see the sweet comfort in that word, "so shall we _ever_ be withthe Lord. " Man is at last, may it be said, in his _element_. Hisspirit gets the communion that it needs--with Him forever; his soul, the love it needs, in Him forever; his body the perfection itneeds--like Him forever! Is not this revelation self-evidently ofGod--worthy of Him--possible only to Him?

Again, let us ask what would Solomon have given for a song like this, instead of his mournful, groan "for death is the end of all men"!Alas, as he goes on, he finds that even this is not the case, except asregards the scene "under the sun. " He finds it impossible to escape aconclusion, as startling as it is logical, that there is another sceneto which death may introduce, from which there is no escape. 

Our writer, ignorant as he confessedly is of this glorious light ofdivine revelation, still speaks in praise of the feeble glimmer thathuman wisdom gives. From his point of view, wealth and wisdom are bothgood, --are a "defense" or "shadow" to their possessors; but still thatwhich men generally esteem the most--wealth--is given the second place;for knowledge, or wisdom, has in itself a positive virtue that moneylacks. It "gives life to them that have it, " animates, preserves inlife, modifies, at least in measure, the evils from which it cannotaltogether guard its possessor; and, by giving equanimity to a life ofchange and vicissitude, proves, in some sort, its own life-givingenergy. How infinitely true this is with regard to Him who is absoluteinfinite Wisdom, and who is our Life, it is our health and joy toremember. 

The Preacher continues: Ponder the work of God, but you will findnothing in anything that you can _see_ that shall enable you toforecast the future with any certainty. Adversity follows prosperity, and my counsel is to make the best use of both, --enjoy this when itcomes, and let that teach you that God's ways are inscrutable, nor canyou straighten out the tangle of His providences. Evidently he_intends_ these vicissitudes that still follow no definite rule, sothat man may recognize his own ignorance and impotence. In one word, reason as you may from all that you can _see_, and your reason willthrow no ray of light on God's future dealings. And there again, having brought us face to face with a dense, impenetrable cloud, Ecclesiastes leaves us. 

How awful that dark cloud is, it is difficult for us now to realize, soaccustomed are we to the light God's word has given. But were itpossible to blot out entirely from our minds all that Word has taughtus, and place ourselves for a moment just by the side of our"Preacher, " look alone through _his_ eyes, recognize with him theexistence of the Creator whose glorious Being is so fully shown in allHis works, and yet with nothing whereby to judge of His dispositiontoward us except what we _see_, --in the physical world the blastingstorm sweeping over the landscape that but now spoke only in itsbeauties and bounties of His love and benevolence, leaving in itsdesolating track, not only ruined homesteads and blighted harvests;but, far worse, the destruction of all our hopes, of all the estimateswe had formed of Him. In the world of providences the thoughts of Hislove, based on yesterday's peace and prosperity, all denied and sweptaway by to-day's sorrows and adversities, --awful, agonizinguncertainty! And, since all is surely in His hand, to be compelled torecognize that He _permits_, at least, these alternations "_to the endthat_ (with that express purpose) man should find nothing of what shallbe after Him"! Reason, or Intelligence, with all her highest powers, stands hopeless and helpless before that dark future, and wrings herhands in agony. 

But look, my beloved reader, at that man who speeds his way with fleetand steady footfall. His swift tread speaks no uncertainty nor doubtof mind. Mark the earnest, concentrated, forward look. His eye isupward, and something he sees there is drawing him with powerfulmagnetic attraction quite contrary to the course or path of men atlarge. He presses against the stream: the multitude are floating inthe other direction. As with the kine of Bethshemesh, some hiddenpower takes him in a course quite contrary to all the ties or calls ofmere nature. Look at him, --irrespective of anything else, the figureitself is a grand sight. The path he has chosen lies through thethorny shrubs of endurance, afflictions, necessities, distresses, stripes, imprisonments, tumults, labors, watchings, and fastings. Nosoft or winsome meadow-way this, nor one that any would choose, excepthe were under some strong conviction, --whether true or false, --thatwill surely be admitted. For men have at rare times suffered much evenin the cause of error; but never for that which they themselves _knew_to be false, and which at the same time brought them no glory, --nothingto feed their vanity, or pride, or exalt them in any way. Admit, then, for a moment, that he is self-deceived, under some strong delusion, andthat the object of which he is in pursuit is but a phantom. Then markthe path in which that phantom leads: it has turned him from being ablasphemer, persecutor, and an insolent, overbearing man (1 Tim. 1), into one of liveliest affections, most tender sympathies, a lowlyservant of all; it has given him a joy that no wave of trouble canquench, a song that dungeons cannot silence, a transparent truthfulnesswhich permits a lie nowhere; and all this results from that which is initself a delusion, --a lie! Oh, holy "delusion"! Oh, wondrous, truth-loving, wonder-working "lie"! Was ever such a miracle, that afalsehood works truth?--that a delusion, instead of leading into marsh, or bog, or quicksand, as other will-o'-the-wisps ever and always have, leads along a morally elevated path where every footstep rings with themusic of divine certainty, as though it trod upon a rock! Such amiracle, contrary to all reason, is worthy of acceptance only by theblind, childish, credulity of infidelity. Whatever the object beforehim, then, it is _real_; his convictions are soberly and well founded;he runs his race to no visionary, misty goal; but some actual realityis the lode-star of his life. Let us listen to his own explanation:"forgetting those things that are being, reaching forth unto those thatare before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high callingof God in Christ Jesus. " But Solomon, the wisest of the wise, groansno man can find out "that which shall come after him"; or, in otherwords, that future of which Paul sings: I have heard a voice that hascalled from heaven, and looking up I have seen a Light that hasdarkened every other. One in beauty and attraction infinite, --to Him Ipress. _He is before me_, and not till Him I reach will I rest. Blessed contrast!

Now, my dear reader, let us also seek to keep our eye on that sameObject, for the man at whom we have been looking is one just likeourselves, with every passion that we have, and the One who drew himcan draw you and me, --Who satisfied him can satisfy us, for He wholoved and died for him has loved and died for us. 

And since we are not now contemplating the wondrous cross, but Hisglory, let us sing together:--

 Oh, my Saviour glorified! Now the heavens opened wide Show to Faith's exultant eye One in beauteous majesty. 

 Worthy of the sweetest praise That my ransomed heart can raise, Is that Man in whom alone God Himself is fully known. 

 For those clust'ring glories prove That glad gospel "God is Love, " Whilst those wounds, in glory bright, Voice the solemn "God is Light. "

 Holy Light, whose searching ray Brings but into perfect day Beauties that my heart _must_ win To the Sinless once made Sin. 

 Hark, my soul! Thy Saviour sings; Catch the joy that music brings; And, with that sweet flood of song, Pour thy whisp'ring praise along. 

 For no film of shade above Hides me now from perfect Love. Deep assurance all is right Gives me peace in perfect Light. 

 Find I then on God's own breast Holy, happy, perfect rest, In the person of my Lord, -- "Ever be His name adored!"

 Oh, my Saviour glorified, Turn my eye from all beside. Let me but Thy beauty see, -- Other light is dark to me. 

But the Preacher's experiences of anomalies are by no means ended. These alternations of adversity and prosperity, he says, whilst thereis no forecasting _when_ they will come, so there seems to be nosafeguard, even in righteousness and wisdom, against them. They arenot meted out here at all on the lines of righteousness. The just mandies in his righteousness, whilst the wicked lives on in hiswickedness: therefore be not righteous overmuch; do not abstain, orwithdraw thyself, from the natural blessings of life, making it joylessand desolate; but then err not on the other side, going into folly andlicentiousness, --a course which naturally tends to cut off life itself. It is the narrow way of philosophy: as said the old Latins, "Mediotutissimus ibis, " "midway is safety"; but Solomon is here again, as wehave seen before, on a far higher moral elevation than any of theheathen philosophers, for he has one sheet-anchor for his soul from theevils of either extreme, in the fear of God. 

As for the despairing, hopeless groans of "vanity, " we, with ourGod-given grace, learn to feel pity for our Author, so for his moralelevation do we admire him, whilst for his sincerity and love of truthwe learn to respect and love him. See in the next few verses thatclear, cold, true, reason of his, confessing the narrow limits of itspowers, and yet the whole soul longs, as if it would burst all bars toattain to that which shall solve its perplexity. "Thus far have Iattained by wisdom, " he says, "and yet still I cry for wisdom. I seefar off the place where earth can reach and touch the heavens; butwhen, by weary toil and labor, I reach that spot, those heavens are asinimitably high above me as ever, and an equally long journey liesbetween me and the horizon where they meet. Oh, that I might be wise;but it was far from me. "

Now, in our version, the next verse reads very tamely and flat, in viewof the strong emotion under which it is so clear that the whole of thebook was written. "That which is far off and exceeding deep, who canfind it out?" The Revised, both in text and margin, gives us a hint ofanother thought, "That which is, or hath been, is afar off, " etc. Butother scholars, in company with the Targum and many an old Jewishwriter, lift the verse into harmony with the impassioned utterances ofthis noble man, as he expresses in broken ejaculatory phrase hislongings and his powerlessness:

 "Far off, the past, --what is it? Deep, --that deep! Ah, who can sound? Then turned I, and my heart, to learn, explore. To seek out wisdom, reason--sin to know-- Presumption--folly--vain impiety. 

He _must_ unravel the mystery, and turns thus, once more, with his solecompanion, his own heart, to measure everything, --even sin, folly, impiety, --and more bitter even than that bitter death that has againand again darkened all his counsel and dashed his hopes, is one awfulevil that he has found. 

One was nearest Adam in the old creation. Taken _from_ his side, aliving one, she was placed _at_ his side to share with him his widedominion over that fair, unsullied scene. Strong where he was weak, and weak where he was strong, how evidently was she meant of anall-gracious and all-wise Creator as a true helpmeet for him: hiscomplement--filling up his being. But that old creation is as a vesselreversed, so that the highest is now the lowest, --the best has becomethe worst, --the closest may be the most dangerous; and foes spring evenfrom within households. Intensified disorder and confusion! When shewho was so clearly intended by her strength of affection to call intorightful play the affections of man's heart, whose very weakness anddependence should call forth his strength--alas, our writer has foundthat that heart is too often a snare and a net, and those hands dragdown to ruin the one to whom they cling. It is the clearest sign ofGod's judgment to be taken by those nets and bands, as of his mercy, toescape them. Thus evil ever works, dual--as is good--in character. Opposed to the Light and Love of God we find a liar and murderer inSatan himself; corruption and violence in man, under Satan's power. The weaker vessel makes up for lack of strength by deception; andwhilst the man of the earth expresses the violence, so the woman of theearth has become, ever and always, the expression of corruption anddeceit, as here spoken of by our preacher, "her heart snares and nets;her hands as bands. "

But further in his search for wisdom, the Preacher has found but fewindeed who would or could accompany him in his path. A man here andthere, one in a thousand, would be his companion, but no single woman. This statement strongly evidences that the gospel is outside hissphere; the new creation is beyond his ken. He takes into no accountthe sovereign grace of God, that in itself can again restore, and morethan restore, all to their normal conditions, and make the weakervessel fully as much a vessel unto honor as the stronger, giving her awide and blessed sphere of activity; in which love--the divine naturewithin--may find its happy exercise and rest. Naturally, and apartfrom this grace, the woman does not give herself to the same exerciseof mind as does the man. 

But then, is it thus that man came from his Maker's hands? Has He, whostamped His own perfection on all His works, permitted an awful hideousexception in the moral nature of man? Does human reason admit such apossible incongruity? No, indeed. Folly may claim license for itslusts in the plea of a nature received from a Creator. Haughty pride, on the other hand, may deny that nature altogether. The clearer, nobler, truer, philosophy of our writer justifies God, even in view ofall the evil that makes him groan, and he says, "Lo, this only have Ifound, that God hath made man upright, but they have sought out manyinventions. "

Interesting as well as beautiful it is to hear this conclusion of man'sreason, not at all in view of the exceeding riches of God's grace, butsimply looking at _facts_, in the light that Nature gives. Man neitheris, nor can be, an exception to the rule. God has made him upright. If not so now, it is because he has departed from this state, and hismany inventions, or _arts_ (as Luther translates the wordsignificantly), his devices, his search after new things (but the word"inventions" expresses the thought of the original correctly), are somany proofs of dissatisfaction and unrest. 

He may, in that pride, which turns everything to its own glory, pointto these very inventions as evidences of his progress; and in a certainway they do unquestionably speak his intelligence and immensesuperiority over the lower creation. Yet the very invention bespeaksneed; for most truthful is the proverb, "Necessity is the mother ofinvention"; and surely in the way of Nature _necessity_ is not a glory, but a shame. Let him glory in his inventions, then; and his glory isin his shame. Adam in his Eden of delights, upright, content, thoughtnever of invention. He took from God's hand what God gave, with noneed to make calls upon his own ingenuity to supply his longings. Thefall introduces the inventive faculty, and human ingenuity begins towork to overcome the need, of which now, for the first time, manbecomes aware; but we hear no singing in connection with that firstinvention of the apron of fig-leaves. That faculty has marked his paththroughout the centuries. Not always at one level, or ever moving inone direction, --it has risen and fallen, with flow and ebb, as thetides; now surging upward with skillful "artifice in brass and iron, "and to the music of "harp and organ, " until it aims at heaven itself, and the Lord again and again interposes and abases by flood andscattering, --now ebbing, till apparently extinct in the low-sunkentribes of earth. Its activity is the accompaniment usually of thelight that God gives, and which man takes, and turns to his ownboasting, with no recognition of the Giver, calling it "civilization. "The Lord's saints are not, for the most part, to be found amongst theline of inventors. The seed of Cain, and not the seed of Seth, produces them. The former make the earth their home, and naturallyseek to beautify it, and make it comfortable. The latter, with deepestsoul-thirst, quenched by rills of living water springing not here; withheart-longings satisfied by an infinite, tender, divine Love, passthrough the earth strangers and pilgrims, to the Rest of God. 

Let us glance forward a little. The Church is not found on earth; butthe earth still is the scene of man's invention; and with thatsurpassing boast "opposing and exalting himself above all that iscalled God, or is worshiped; so that he sitteth in the temple of Godshowing himself that he is God, " he heads up his wickedness andingenuity together, in calling down fire from heaven and in making "theimage of the beast to breathe. " (Rev. Xiii. 14, 15. ) 'Tis his lastcrowning effort, --his day is over, --and the flood and the scattering ofold shall have their awful antitype in an eternal judgment andeverlasting abasing. 

But the heavenly saints have been caught up to their home. Is thereinvention there? Does human ingenuity still work? How can it, ifevery heart is fully satisfied, and nothing can be improved? But thenis all at one dead level? No, surely; for "discovery" shall abide when"invention" has vanished away, --constant, never-ceasing "discovery. "The unfoldings, hour by hour, and age by age, of a Beauty that isinfinite and inexhaustible, --the tasting a new and entrancingperfection in a Love in which every moment shows some fresh attraction, some new sweet compulsion to praise!

Discovery is already "ours, " my reader--not invention; and each day, each hour, each moment, may be fruitful in discovery. Every difficultymet in the day's walk may prove but its handmaid; every trial in theday's path serve but to bring out new and happy discoveries. Nay, evengrief and sorrow shall have their sweet discoveries, and open up tosight fountains of water hitherto altogether unknown, as with theoutcast Egyptian mother in the wilderness of Paran, till we learn toglory in what hitherto was our sorrow, and to welcome infirmities andignorance, for they show us a spring of infinite Strength and afountain of unfathomable Wisdom, that eternal Love puts at our service!Oh, to grow in Faith's Discoveries!

Philip had a grand opportunity for "discovery, " in the sixth of John;but, poor man, he lost it; for he fell back on creature resources, or, in other words, "Invention. " Brought face to face with difficulty, howgood it would have been for him to have said, "Lord Jesus, I am emptyof wisdom, nor have I any resources to meet this need; but my heartrests in Thee: I joy in this fresh opportunity for Thee to display Thyglory, for thou knowest what Thou wilt do. " Oh, foolish Philip, totalk of every one having a _little_, in that Presence of infinite Love, infinite Power. Do I thus blame him? Then let this day see me lookingupward at every difficulty, and saying "Lord, Thou knowest what Thouwilt do. "

 The morning breaks, my heart awakes, And many thoughts come crowding o'er me, -- What hopes or fears, what smiles or tears Are waiting in that path before me?

 Am I to roam afar from home, By Babel's streams, in gloom despondent? On sorrow's tree must my harp be To grief's sad gusts alone respondent?

 The mists hang dank, on front and flank, My straining eye can naught discover; But well I know that many a foe Around that narrow path doth hover. 

 Nor this alone would make me groan, -- Alas, a traitor dwells within me; With hollow smile and heart of guile The world without, too, plots to win me. 

 Thus I'm beset with foes, and yet I would not miss a single danger: Each foe's a friend that makes me wend My homeward way, --on earth a stranger. 

 For never haze dims _upward_ gaze, -- Oh, glorious sight! for there above me Upon God's throne there sitteth One Who died to save--who lives to love me!

 And like the dew each dayspring new That tender love shall onward lead me: My thirst shall slake, yet thirst awake Till every breath shall pant:--"I need Thee. "

 No wisdom give; I'd rather live In conscious lack dependent on Thee: Each parting way I meet this day Then proves my claim to call upon Thee. 

 No strength I ask, for Thine the task To bear Thine own on Shepherd-shoulder. Then Faith may boast when helpless most, And greater need make weakness bolder. 

 Then Lord, thy breast is, too, my rest; And there, as in my home, I'm hidden, -- Where quiet peace makes groanings cease, And Zion's songs gush forth unbidden. 

 Yes, e'en on earth may song have birth, And music rise o'er Nature's groanings, -- Whilst Hope new born each springing morn Dispel with joy my faithless moanings. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Still continues the praise of "wisdom. " For if, as the last verses ofthe previous chapters have shown, there be but very few that walk inher paths, she necessarily lifts those few far above the thoughtlessmass of men; placing her distinguishing touch even on the features ofher disciples, lighting them up with intelligence, and taking away therudeness and pride that may be natural to them. 

"Man's wisdom lighteth up his face--its aspect stern is changed. "

If this, then, the result, listen to her counsels: "Honor the king, "nor be connected with any conspiracy against him. It is true thatauthorities are as much "out of joint" as everything else under thesun; and instead of being practically "ministers of God for good, " arebut too often causes of further misery upon poor man; yet wisdomteaches to wait and watch. Everything has a time and season; andinstead of seeking to put matters right by conspiracy, await the turnof the wheel; for this is most sure, that nothing is absolutelypermanent here--the evil of a tyrant's life any more than good. Hispower shall not release him from paying the debt of nature; it helpshim not to retain his spirit. 

 This too I saw, --'twas when I gave my heart To every work that's done beneath the sun, -- That there's a time when man rules over man to his own hurt. 'Twas when I saw the wicked dead interred, And to and from the holy place (men) came and went. Then straight were they forgotten in the city of their deeds. Ah, this was vanity!

Thus our Preacher describes the end of the tyrant. Death ends histyranny, as it does, for the time being at least, the misery of thosewho were under it. Men follow him to his burial, to the holy place, return to their usual avocations--all is over and forgotten. Thesplendor and power of monarchy now show their hollowness and vanity byso quickly disappearing, and even their memory vanishing, at the touchof death. And yet this retributive end is by no means speedy in everycase. Sentence is often deferred, and the delay emboldens the heart ofman to further wickedness. Still, he says, "I counsel to fear God, irrespective of present appearances. I am assured this is the betterpart: fear God, and, soon or late, the end will justify thy choice. "

Beautiful and interesting it is thus to see man's unaided reason, hisown intelligence, carrying him to this conclusion: that there isnothing better than to "fear God;" and surely this approves itself toany intelligence. He has impressed the proofs of His glorious Being onevery side of His creature, man. "Day unto day uttereth speech;" andthe Sun, that rejoiceth as a strong man to run his race, voices aloud, in his wondrous adaptations to the needs of this creation on which heshines, His Being--His eternal power and godhead. Not only light butwarmth he brings, for "there is nothing hid from the heat thereof, " andin this twofold benevolence testifies again to his Creator, who is Loveand Light. Further, wherever he shines he manifests infinitetestimonies to the same truth. From the tiny insect that balances ordisports itself with the joy of life in his beams, to the grandeur ofthe everlasting hills, or the majesty of the broad flood ofocean--all--all--with no dissentient, discordant voice, proclaim Hisbeing and utter His creative glory. Nor does darkness necessarily veilthat glory: moon and stars take up the grand and holy strain; and whatman can look at all--have all these witnesses reiterating day andnight, with ever-fresh testimonies every season, the same refrain, "The Hand that made us is divine, "

and yet say, even in His heart, "There is no God!" Surely all reason, all wisdom, human or divine, says "Fool!" to such. 

Thus, step by step, human wisdom treads on, and, as here, in her mostworthy representative, "the king, " concludes that it is most reasonableto give that glorious Creator the reverence due, and to "fear" Him. 

But soon, very soon, poor reason has to stop, confounded. Somethinghas come into the scene that throws her all astray: verse 14--

 "'Tis vanity, what's done upon the earth; for so it is, That there are righteous to whom it haps as to the vile; And sinners, too, whose lot is like the doings of the just. For surely this is vanity, I said. "

Yes, man's soul must be, if left to the light of nature, like thatnature itself. If the sky be ever and always cloudless, then may acalm and unbroken faith be expected, when based on things seen. But itis not so. Storm and cloud again and again darken the light of nature, whether that light be physical or moral; and under these storms andclouds reason is swayed from her highest and best conclusions; and thecontradictions without, are faithfully reflected within the soul. 

"And so I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under thesun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abidewith him of his labor the days of his life, which God giveth him underthe sun. " Here we get the heralds of a storm indeed. They are thefirst big drops that bespeak the coming flood that shall sweep ourwriter from all reason's moorings; the play of a lightning that shallblind man's wisdom to its own light; the sigh of a wind that soon shalldevelop into a very blast of despair. 

What a contradiction to the previous sober conclusion, "It shall bewell with them that fear God"! Now, seeing that there is no apparentjustice in the allotment of happiness here, and the fear of God isoften followed by sorrow, while the lawless as often have the easylot, --looking on this scene, I say, "Eat, drink, and be merry;" getwhat good you can out of life itself; for all is one inextricableconfusion. 

Oh, this awful tangle of providences! Everything is wrong! All is inconfusion! There is law everywhere, and yet law-breaking everywhere. How is it? Why is it? Is not God the source of order and harmony?Whence, then, the discord? Is it all His retributive justice againstsin? Why, then, the thoroughly unequal allotment? Here is a man bornblind. Surely this cannot be because he sinned before his birth! But, then, is it on account of his parents' sinning? Why, then, do theguilty go comparatively free, and the guiltless suffer? Sin, surely, is the only cause of the infliction. So the disciples of old, broughtface to face with exactly this same riddle, the same mystery, ask, "Master, who did sin--this man, or his parents, that he was bornblind?" "Neither. " Another--higher, happier, more glorious reason, Jesus gives: "Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but thatthe works of God should be made manifest in him. " So the afflictedparents weep over their sightless babe; so they nurse him through hishelpless, darkened childhood, or guide him through his lonely youth, their hearts sorely tempted surely to rebel against the providence thathas robbed their offspring of the light of heaven. Neighbors, too, cangive but little comfort here. Why was he born blind? Who did _thesin_ that brought this evident punishment?

Oh wait, sorrowing parents! wait, foolish friends! One is even now onHis glorious way who shall with a word unravel the mystery, ease yourtroubled hearts, quell each rebellious motion, till ye only sorrow thatever a disloyal thought of the God of Love and Light has beenpermitted; and, whilst overwhelming you with blessing, answer everyquestion your hearts--nay, even your intelligences--could ask. 

Oh wait, my beloved readers, wait! We, too, look on a world still allin confusion. Nay, ourselves suffer with many an afflictive stroke, whose cause, too, seems hidden from us, and to contradict the verycharacter of the God we know. One only is worthy to unlock this, asevery other, sealed book--wait! He must make Himself known; _and, apart from things being wrong, this were impossible_. "The works ofGod must be made manifest. " Precious thought! Blessed words!Sightless eyes are allowed for a little season, that He--God--maymanifest _His_ work in giving them light--accompanied by an everlastinglight that knows no dimming. Tears may fall in time, that God's gentleand tender touch may dry them, and that for ever and ever. Nay, Deathhimself, with all his awful powers shall be made to serve the same end, and, a captive foe, be compelled to utter forth His glory. Lazarus issuffering, and the sisters are torn with anxiety; but the Lord abides"two days still in the same place where he" is. Death is allowed tohave his way for a little space--nay, grasp his victim, and shadow withhis dark wing the home that Jesus loves; and still He moves not. Strange, mysterious patience! Does He not care? Is He calmlyindifferent to the anguish in that far-off cottage? Has He forgottento be gracious? or, most agonizing question of all, Has some inmate ofthat home sinned, and chilled thus His love? How questions throng atsuch a time! But--patience! All shall be answered, every questionsettled--every one; and the glorious end shall fully, perfectly justifyHis "waiting. "

Let Death have his way. The power and dignity of his Conqueror willnot permit Him to hasten. For haste would bespeak anxiety as to theresult; and that result is in no sense doubtful. The body of thebrother shall even see corruption, and begin to crumble into dust, under the firm and crushing hand of Death. Many a tear shall thesisters shed, and poor human sympathy tell out its helplessness. Butthe Victor comes! In the calm of assured victory He comes. And the"express image of the substance" of the Living God stands face to faceas Man with our awful foe, Death. And lo, He speaks but aword--"Lazarus, come forth!"--and the glory of God shines forth withexceeding brightness and beauty! Oh, joyous scene! oh, bright figureof that morn, so soon approaching, when once again that blessed Voiceshall lift itself up in a "shout, " that shall be heard, not in one, butin every tomb of His people, and once more the glory of God shall soshine in the ranks upon ranks of those myriads, that all shall againfully justify His "waiting"!

It was indeed a blessed light that shone into the grave of Lazarus. Such was its glory, that our spirits may quietly rest forever; for wesee our Lord and Eternal Lover is Conqueror and Lord of Death. Norneed we ask, with our modern poet, who sings sweetly, but too much inthe spirit of Ecclesiastes, Where wert thou, brother, those four days? There lives no record of reply, Which, telling what it is to die, Had surely added praise to praise. 

The resurrection of Lazarus does tell us what it is

for His redeemed to die. It tells that it is but a sleep for the body, till He come to awaken it, --that those who thus sleep are not beyondHis power, and that a glorious resurrection shall soon "add praise topraise" indeed. 

But do not these blessed words give us a hint, at least, of the answerto that most perplexing of all questions, Why was evil ever permittedto disturb the harmony and mar the beauty of God's primal creation, defile heaven itself, fill earth with corruption and violence, andstill exist even in eternity? Ah, we tread on ground here where weneed to be completely self-distrustful, and to cleave with absoluteconfidence and dependence to the revelation of Himself!

The works of God must be manifested; and He is Light and Love, andnothing but Light and Love. Every work of His, then, must speak thesource whence it comes, and be an expression of Light or Love; and theend, when He shall again--finding everything very good--rest from Hiswork to enjoy that eternal sabbath, never to be broken, shall shewforth absolutely in heaven, in earth, and in hell, that He is Light andLove, and nothing but that. 

Light and Love!--blending, harmonizing, in perfect equal manifestation, in the cross of the Lord Jesus, and--Light now approving Love'sactivity--in the righteous eternal redemption of all who believe onHim; banishing from the new creation every trace of sin, and itscompanion, sorrow; whilst the Lake of Fire itself shall prove thenecessity of its own existence to display that same nature of God, andnaught else--Love then approving the activity of Light, as we may say. 

As Isaiah shows, in the millennial earth, in those

 "Scenes surpassing fable, and yet true-- Scenes of accomplished bliss"--

there is still sorrowful necessity for an everlasting memorial of Hisrighteousness in "the carcases of those men that have transgressedagainst me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire bequenched; and (mark well the _sympathies_ of that scene) they shall bean abhorring to all flesh. " Love rejected, mercy neglected, truthdespised, or held in unrighteousness, grace slighted, --nothing is leftwhereby the finally impenitent can justify their creation except inbeing everlasting testimonies to that side of God's nature, "Light, "whilst "Love, " and all who are in harmony therewith, unfeignedly_approve_. All shall be right. None shall then be perplexed because"there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of thewicked; again, there be wicked men to whom it happeneth according tothe work of the righteous. " All shall be absolutely right. No whispershall be heard, even in hell itself, of the charges that men so boldlyand blasphemously cast at His holy name now. 

God is all in all. His works are manifested; and whilst it is Hisstrange work, yet Judgment _is_ His work, as every age in Time hasshown; as the Eternal age, too, shall show--in time, this judgment isnecessarily temporal; in eternity, where character, as all else, isfixed, it must as necessarily be _eternal_!

Solemn, and perhaps unwelcome, but wholesome theme! We live in a timepeculiarly characterized by a lack of reverence for _all_ authority. It is the spirit of the times, and against that spirit the saint mustever watch and guard himself by meditation on these solemn truths. Fear is a godly sentiment, a just emotion, in view of the holycharacter of our God. "I will forewarn whom ye shall fear, " said theLord Jesus: "Fear him which, after he hath killed, hath power to castinto hell; yea, I say unto you, fear him. " The first Christians, walking in _the fear of the Lord_ as well as the comfort of the HolyGhost, were multiplied; and when Annanias and Sapphira fell under God'sjudgment, great _fear_ came on all the _church_; whilst apostasy ismarked by men feeding, themselves without fear. 

All shall be "_right_. " It is the wrong and disorder and unrighteousallotment prevailing here that caused the groans of our writer. Let uslisten to them. Their doleful, despairing sound shall again addsweeter tone to the lovely music of God's revelation, speaking, as itdoes, of One who solves every mystery, answers every question, healsevery hurt; yea, snatches His own from the very grasp of Death; for allis _right_, for all is _light_, where Jesus is, and He is coming. Patience! Wait!

CHAPTER IX. 

The last two verses of Chapter VIII. Connect with the opening words ofthis chapter. The more Ecclesiastes applies every faculty he has tosolve the riddle under the sun, robbing himself of sleep and laboringwith strong energy and will, he becomes only the more aware that thatsolution is altogether impossible. The contradictions of nature bafflethe wisdom of nature. There is no assured sequence, he reiterates, between righteousness and happiness on the one hand, and sin and miseryon the other. The whole confusion is in the sovereign hand of God, andthe righteous and the wise must just leave the matter there, for "noman knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them. " Whatdiscrimination is there here? Do not all things happen alike to all?Yes, further, does not Time, unchecked by any higher power, sweep allrelentlessly to one common end? Love cannot be inferred from the "end"of the righteous, nor hatred from the "end" of the sinner; for it isone and the same death that stops the course of each. Oh, this isindeed an "evil under the sun. "

Darker and darker the cloud settles over his spirit; denser and stillmore dense the fogs of helpless ignorance and perplexity enwrap hisintelligence. For, worse still, do men recognize, and live at allreasonably in view of, that common mortality? Alas, madness is intheir hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead; andthen all hope for them, as far as can be seen, is over forever. Dead!What does that mean? It means that every faculty, as far as can beseen, is stilled forever. The dead lion, whose majesty and strength, while living, would have even now struck me with awe, is lessformidable as it lies there than a living dog. So with the dead amongmen: their hatred is no more to be feared, for it can harm nothing;their love is no more to be valued, for it can profit nothing; theirzeal and energy are no more to be accounted of, for they can effectnothing; yea, all has come to an end forever under the sun. Oh, theawfulness of this darkness! "Then I will give, " continuesEcclesiastes, "counsel for this vain life in conformity with the densegloom of its close. Listen! Go eat with joy thy bread, and merrilydrink thy wine; let never shade of sorrow mar thy short-lived pleasure;let no mourning on thy dress be seen, nor to thy head be oil ofgladness lacking; merrily live with her whom thy affection has chosenas thy life-companion, and trouble not thyself as to God's acceptanceof thy works--that has been settled long ago; nor let a sensitiveconscience disturb thee: whatsoever is in thy power to do, that do, without scruple or question;[1] for soon, but too soon, these days ofthy vanity will close, and in the grave, whither thou surely goest, allopportunities for activity, of whatever character, are over, andthat--_forever_!"

Strange counsel this, for sober and wise Ecclesiastes to give, is itnot? Much has it puzzled many a commentator. Luther boldly says it issober Christian advice, meant even now to be literally accepted, "lestyou become like the monks, who would not have one look even at thesun. " Hard labor indeed, however, is it to force it thus into harmonywith the general tenor of God's word. 

But is not the counsel good and reasonable enough under certainconditions? And are not those conditions and premises clearly laiddown for us in the context here? It is as if a whirlwind of awfulperplexities had swept the writer with irresistible force away from hismoorings, --a black cloud filled with the terrors of darkness and deathsweeps over his being, and out of the black and terrible storm hespeaks--"Man has but an hour to enjoy here, and I know nothing as towhat comes after, except that death, impenetrable death, ends everygeneration of men, throws down to the dust the good, the righteous, thesober, as well as the lawless, the false, and the profligate; ends in amoment all thought, knowledge, love, and hatred;--then since I knownothing beyond this vain life, I can only say, Have thy fling;--short, short thy life will be, and vain thou wilt find this short life; so getthy fill of pleasure here, for thou goest, and none can help thee, towhere all activities cease, and love and hatred end forever. "

This, we may say, based on these premises, and excluding all other, isreasonable counsel. Does not our own apostle Paul confirm it? Does henot say, if this life be all, this life of vanity under the sun, thenlet us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die? Yea, we who have turnedaside from this path of present pleasures are of all men mostmiserable, if this vain life be all. 

And are we to expect poor unaided human wisdom to face these awfulproblems of infinite depth without finding the strongest evidence ofits utter incapacity and helplessness? Like a feather in the blast, our kingly and wise preacher (beyond whom none can ever go) is whirled, for the time being, from his soberness, and, in sorrow akin to despair, gives counsel that is in itself revolting to all soberness and wisdom. Nothing could so powerfully speak the awful chaos of his soul;and--mark it well--_in that same awful chaos_ would you and I be at anymoment, my reader, if we thought at all, but for one inestimablyprecious fact. Black like unto the outer darkness is the storm-cloudwe are looking at, and the wild, despairing, yet sad counsel, to "livemerrily" is in strict harmony with the wild, awful darkness, like thesea-gull's scream in the tempest. 

Let us review a little the path of reasoning that has led our author towhere he is; only we will walk it joyfully in the light of God. 

"No man knoweth love or hatred by all that is before him. " We havelooked upon a scene where a holy Victim--infinitely holy--bowed Hishead under the weight of a judgment that could not be measured. It wasbut a little while, and the very heavens could not contain themselveswith delight at His perfect beauty, His perfect obedience; but again, and yet again, were they opened to express the pleasure of the Highestin this lowly Man. Now, not only are they closed in silence, but ahorror seems to enwrap all creation. The sun, obscured by noearth-born cloud, gives out no spark nor ray of light; and in thatsolemn darkness every voice is strangely hushed. From nine till noonthe air was filled with revilings and reproaches--all leveled at theone sinless Sufferer; but now, for three hours, these have beenabsolutely silent, till at last one cry of agony breaks the stillness;and it is from Him who "was oppressed and afflicted, yet opened not Hismouth; was brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep beforeher shearer is dumb, so opened He not His mouth:"--"Eli, Eli, lamasabachthani"--"My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me!"

There, my beloved readers, look there! Let that cross be before us, and then say, "No man knoweth love or hatred by all that is beforethem. " Are not both revealed there as never before? Hatred! Whatcaused the blessed God thus to change His attitude towards the One whoso delighted Him that the heavens burst open, as it were, under theweight of that delight? There is but one answer to that question. _Sin_. Sin was there on that holiest Sufferer--mine, yours, my reader. And God's great hatred of sin is fully revealed there. I know "hatred"when I see God looking at my sin on His infinitely holy, infinitelyprecious, infinitely beloved Son. * * * *

Let us meditate upon, without multiplying words over this solemn theme, and turn to the Love that burns, too, so brightly there. Who canmeasure the infinity of love to us when, in order that that love mighthave its way unhindered, God forsakes the One who, for all thecountless ages of the eternal past, had afforded Him perfect "daily"delight, was ever in His bosom--the only one in that wide creation whocould satisfy or respond, in the communion of equality, to Hisaffections--and turns away from Him; nay, "it pleased the Lord tobruise Him"; "He hath put Him to grief. " Ponder these words; and inview of who that crucified Victim was, and His relationship with God, measure, if you can, the love displayed there, the love in that oneshort word "so"--"God _so_ loved the world that He gave His onlybegotten Son;"--then, whilst viewing the cross, hear, coming down to usfrom the lips of the wise king, "No man knoweth love or hatred. " Hush!Ecclesiastes, hush! Breathe no such word in such a scene as this. Pardonable it were in that day, when you looked only at the disjointedchaos and tangle under the sun; but looking at that cross, it were themost heinous sin, the most unpardonable disloyalty and treason, to saynow, "No man knoweth love. " Rather, adoringly, will we say, "In thiswas manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent Hisonly begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sentHis Son to be the propitiation for our sins. And _we have known andbelieved the love that God has to us_. "

Yea, now let "all things come alike to all:"--that tender Love shallshed its light over this stormy scene, and enable the one that keeps_it_ before him to walk the troubled waters of this life in quietassurance and safety. Death still may play sad havoc with the mostsensitive of affections; but that Love shall, as we have before seen, permit us to weep tears; but not bitter despairing tears. Further, itsheds over the spirit the glorious light of a coming Day, and we lookforward, not to an awful impending gloom, but to a pathway of reallight, that pierces into eternity. The Day! We are of the Day! Thedarkness passes, the true light already shines! Then listen, myfellow-pilgrims, to the _Spirit's_ counsel: "But ye, brethren, are notin darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are allthe children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of thenight, nor of darkness. Therefore, _let us not sleep_, as do others, but _let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in thenight; and they that are drunken, are drunken in the night. But let uswho are of the Day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith andlove, and for an helmet the hope of salvation_. "

Our poor preacher, in the darkness of the cloud of death, counsels, "merrily drink thy wine. " And not amiss, with such an outlook, is suchadvice. In the perfect Light of Revelation, lighting up present and afuture eternity, well may we expect counsel as differing from this asthe light in which it is given differs from the darkness. _"The nightis far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the worksof darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walkhonestly, as in the Day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not inchambering and wantonness, not in strife and envy. But put on the LordJesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill the luststhereof_. " _Amen and Amen_. 

But once again our Preacher turns; and now he sees that it is notassuredly possible for the advice he has given to be followed, and thateven in this life neither work, device, knowledge, nor wisdom, areeffective in obtaining good or in shielding their possessor from life'svicissitudes. The swift--does he always win the race? Are there nocontingencies that more than counterbalance his swiftness? A slip, afall, a turned muscle, and--the race is not to the swift. Thestrong--is he necessarily conqueror in the fight? Many an unforeseenand uncontrollable event has turned the tide of battle and surprisedthe world, till the "fortune of war" has passed into a proverb. Theskillful may not be able at all times to secure even the necessaries oflife; nor does abundance invariably accompany greater wisdom, whilst noamount of intelligence can secure constant and abiding good. [2]

Time and doom hap alike to all, irrespective of man's purposes orproposings, and no man knows what his hap shall be, since no skill ofany kind can avail to guide through the voyage of life withoutencountering its storms. From the unlooked-for quarter, too, do thosestorms burst on us. As the fishes suspect no danger till in the netthey are taken, and as the birds fear nothing till ensnared, so we poorchildren of Adam, when our "evil time" comes round, are snared withoutwarning. 

Absolutely true this is, if life be regarded solely by such light ashuman wisdom gives: "Time and doom happen alike to all. " The wholescene is like one vast, confused machine, amongst whose intricatewheels, that revolve with an irregularity that defies foresight, poorman is cast at his birth; and ever and anon, when he least expects it, he comes between these wheels; and then he is crushed by some "evil, "which may make an end of him altogether or leave him for furthersorrows. All things seem to work confusedly for evil, and this capsthe climax of Ecclesiastes's misery. 

Here is the sequence of his reasoning:

Firstly, There is no righteous allotment upon earth; the righteoussuffer here, whilst the unjust escape. Nay, Secondly, There is an absolute lack of all discrimination in the deaththat ends all; and, Thirdly, So complete is that end, bringing all so exactly to one deadlevel, without the slightest difference; and so impenetrable is thetomb to which all go, that I counsel, in my despair, "Eat, drink, andbe merry, irrespective of any future. "

Fourthly, But, alas! that, too, is impossible; for no "work, nordevice, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, " can assure freedom from the evildoom that haps, soon or late, to all. 

Intensified misery! awful darkness indeed! And our own souls trembleas we stand with Ecclesiastes under its shadow and respond to hisgroanings. For the same scene still spreads itself before us as beforehim. Mixed with the mad laughter and song of fools is the continuedgroan of sorrow, pain, and suffering, that still tells of "time anddoom. "

A striking instance of this comes to my hand even as I write; and sinceits pathetic sadness makes it stand out even from the sorrows of thissad world, I would take it as a direct illustration of Ecclesiastes'sgroan. At Nyack on the Hudson a Christian family retire to rest afterthe happy services of last Lord's Day, the 21st of October--an unbrokencircle of seven children, with their parents. Early on the followingmorning, before it is light, a fire is raging in the house, and four ofthe little children are consumed in the conflagration. The accountconcludes: "The funeral took place at eleven o'clock to-day. " That is, in a little more than twelve hours after retiring to sleep, four of themembers of that family circle were in their graves! Here is an "eviltime" that has fallen suddenly indeed; and the sad and awful incidentenables us to realize just what our writer felt as he penned the words. With one stroke, in one moment, four children, who have had for yearstheir parents' daily thought and care, meet an awful doom, and all thatthose parents themselves have believed receives a blow whose force itis hard to measure. Now listen, as the heathen cry, "Where is nowtheir God?" Why was not His shield thrown about them? Had he not thepower to warn the sleeping household of the impending danger? Is He sobound by some law of His own making as to forbid his interfering withits working? Worse still, was He indifferent to the awful catastrophethat was about to crush the joy out of that family circle? If His wasthe power, was His love lacking?

Oh, awful questions when no answer can be given to them;--and naturegives no answer. She is absolutely silent. No human wisdom, eventhough it be his who was gifted "with a wise and understanding heart, so that none was like him before him, neither after him should anyarise like unto him, " could give any answer to questions like these. And think you, my reader, that nature does not cry out for comfort, andfeel about for light at such a time? Nor that the enemy of our soulsis not quick in his malignant activity to suggest all kinds of awfuldoubt? Every form of darkness and unbelief is alive to seize suchincidents, and make them the texts on which they may level theirattacks against the Christian's God. 

But is there really no eye to pity?--no heart to love?--no arm to save?Are men really subject to blind law--"time and doom"?

Hark, my reader, and turn once more to that sweetest music that everbroke on distracted reason's ear. It comes not to charm with a falsehope, but with the full authority of God. None but His Son who hadlain so long in His Father's bosom that He knew its blessed heart-beatsthoroughly, could speak such words--"Are not five sparrows sold for twofarthings. " Here are poor worthless things indeed that may be trulycalled creatures of chance. "Time and doom" must surely "hap" tothese. Indeed no; "not one of them is forgotten before God. " Ponderevery precious word in simple faith. God's _memory_ bears upon it thelot of every worthless sparrow; it may "fall to the ground, " but notwithout Him. He controls their destiny and is interested in their veryflight. If it be so with the sparrow, that may be bought for a singlemite, shall the _saint_, who has been bought at a price infinitelybeyond all the treasures of silver and gold in the universe, even atthe cost of the precious blood of His dear Son, --shall _he_ be subjectto "time and doom"? Shall his lot not be shaped by infinite love andwisdom? Yes, verily. Even the very hairs of his head are allnumbered. No joy, no happiness, no disappointment, no perplexity, nosorrow, so infinitesimally small (let alone the greatest) but that theOne who controls all worlds takes the closest interest therein, andturns, in His love, every thing to blessing, forcing "_all to worktogether for good_, " and making the very storms of life obedientservants to speed His children to their Home. 

Faith _alone_ triumphs here; but faith _triumphs_; and apart from suchtests and trials, what opportunity would there be for faith _to_triumph? May we not bless God, then, (humbly enough, for we know howquickly we fail under trial, ) that He _does_ leave opportunity forfaith to be in exercise and to get victories?

God first reveals Himself, and then says, as it were, "Now let Me seeif you have so learned what _I am_ as to trust _Me_ against allcircumstances, against all that you see, feel, or suffer. " And whatvirtue there must be in the Light of God, when so little of it isneeded to sustain His child! Even in the dim early twilight of thedawning of divine revelation, Job, suffering under a very similar andfully equal "evil time, " could say, "The Lord gave, and the Lord hathtaken away, blessed be the name of the Lord:" accents sweet andrefreshing to Him who values at an unknown price the confidence of thispoor heart of man. And yet what did Job know of God? _He_ had notseen the cross. _He_ had not had anything of the display of tenderestunspeakable love that have we. It was but the _dawn_, as we may say, of revelation; but it was enough to enable that poor grief-wrung heartto cry, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. " Shall we, who enjoythe very meridian of revelation light;--shall we, who have seen _Himslain for us_, say _less_? Nay, look at the wondrous _possibilities_of our calling, my reader, --a song, nothing but a song will do now. Not quiet resignation only; but "strengthened with all might, accordingto His glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with_joyfulness_, "--and that means a song. 

How rich, how very rich, is our portion! A goodly heritage is ours. For see what our considerations have brought out: a deep _need_universally felt; for none escape the sorrows, trials, and afflictions, that belong, in greater or less degree, to this life. 

The highest, truest, human wisdom can only recognize the need with agroan, for it finds no remedy for it--time and doom hap alike to all. 

God shows Himself a little, and, lo! quiet, patience, and resignationtake the place of groaning. The need _is_ met. 

God reveals His whole heart fully, and no wave of sorrow, no billow ofsuffering, can extinguish the joy of His child who walks with Him. Nay, as thousands upon thousands could testify, the darkest hour oftrial is made the sweetest with the sense of His love, and tears withsong are mingled. 

Oh, for grace to enjoy our rich portion more. 

But to return to our book. Its author rarely proceeds far along anyone line without meeting with that which compels him to return. Sohere; for he adds, in verses 13 to the end of the chapter, "And yet Ihave seen the very reverse of all this, when apparently an inevitabledoom, an 'evil time, ' was hanging over a small community, whoseresources were altogether inadequate to meet the crisis--when no way ofescape from the impending destruction seemed possible--then, at themoment of despair, a 'poor wise man' steps to the front (such thequality there is in wisdom), delivers the city, comes forth from hisobscurity, shines for a moment, and, lo! the danger past, is againforgotten, and sinks to the silence whence he came. But _this_ theincident proved to me, that where strength is vain, there wisdom showsits excellence, even though men as a whole appreciate it so little asto call upon it only as a last resource. For let the fools finishtheir babbling, and their chief get to the end of his talking; then, inthe silence that tells the limit of their powers, the quiet voice ofwisdom is heard again, and that to effect. Thus is wisdom better eventhan weapons of war, although, sensitive quality that it is, a littlefolly easily taints it. "

Can we, my readers, fail to set our seal to the truth of all this? We, too, have known something much akin to that "little city with few men, "and one Poor Man, the very embodiment of purest, perfect wisdom, whowrought alone a full deliverance in the crisis--a deliverance in whichwisdom shone divinely bright; and yet the mass of men remember Him not. A few, whose hearts grace has touched, may count Him the chief amongten thousand and the altogether lovely; but the world, though it maycall itself by His name, counts other objects more worthy of itsattention, and the poor wise man is forgotten "under the sun. "

Not so above the sun. There we see the Poor One, the Carpenter's Son, the Nazarene, the Reviled, the Smitten, the Spit-upon, the Crucified, seated, crowned with glory and honor, at the right hand of the Majestyin the heavens; and there, to a feeble few on earth, He sums up allwisdom and all worth, and they journey on in the one hope of seeing Himsoon face to face, and being with Him and like Him forever. 

[1] I believe this is distinctly the bearing of these words, and not asin our version. 

[2] There seems lo be an intensive force to these words, constantly andin each phase becoming stronger, in evident antithesis to the "work, device, knowledge, and wisdom, " that Ecclesiastes had just counseled touse to the utmost in order to obtain "good" in this life. 

CHAPTER X. 

The climax of Ecclesiastes' exercises seems to have been reached in theprevious chapter. The passionate storm is over, and now his thoughtsripple quietly along in proverb and wise saying. It is as if he said"I was altogether beyond my depth. Now I will confine myself only tothe present life, without touching on the things unseen, and here I canpronounce with assurance the conclusion of wisdom, and sum up both itsadvantages and yet inadequacy. "

The proverbs that follow are apparently disjointed, and yet, whenclosely looked at, are all connected with this subject. He shows, ineffect, that, take any view of life, and practically wisdom hasmanifold advantages. 

Ver. 1. The least ingredient of folly spoils as with the corruption ofdeath the greatest wisdom. (There is only One whose name is asointment poured forth untainted. )

Ver. 2. The wise man's heart is where it should be. He is governed byhis understanding, (for the heart in the Old Testament is the seat ofthe thought as well as of the affections, as the same word, "_lehv_, "translated "wisdom" in the next verse shows), a fool is all askew inhis own being. His heart is at his left hand. In other words, hisjudgment is dethroned. 

Ver. 3. Nor can he hide what he really is for any length of time. "The way, " with its tests, soon reveals him, and he proclaims to allhis folly. 

Ver. 4. Yielding to the powers above rather than rebelling againstthem, marks the path of wisdom. This may be an example of the testingof "the way" previously spoken of, for true wisdom shines brightly outin the presence of an angry ruler. Folly leaves its place, --a form ofexpression tantamount to rebelling, and may throw some light on thatstupendous primal folly when angels "left their place, " or, as Judewrites, "kept not their first estate, but left their habitation, " andthus broke into the folly of rebelling against the Highest. For letany leave their place, and it means necessarily confusion and disorder. If all has been arranged according to the will and wisdom of theHighest, he who steps out of the place assigned him rebels, and discordtakes the place of harmony. The whole of the old creation is thus indisorder and confusion. All have "left their place. " For God, theCreator of all, has been dethroned. It is the blessed work of One weknow, once more to unite in the bonds of love and willing obedience allthings in heaven and in earth, and to bind in such way all hearts tothe throne of God, that never more shall one "leave his place. "

Vers. 5-7. But rulers themselves under the sun are not free fromfolly, and this shows itself in the disorder that actually proceedsfrom them. Orders and ranks are not in harmony. Folly is exalted, andthose with whom dignities accord are in lowly place. It is anotherview of the present confusion, and how fully the coming of the Highestshowed it out! A stable, a manger, rejection, and the cross, were theportion under the sun of the King of kings. That fact rightseverything even now, in one sense, to faith for the path closest to theKing must be really necessarily the _highest_, though it be in thesight of man the lowest. Immanuel, the Son of David, walking as aservant up and down the land that was His own--The Lord Jesus, The Sonof Man, having less than the foxes or birds of the air, not even whereto lay his head, --Christ, the Son of God, wearied with His journey, onthe well of Sychar, --this has thrown a glory about the lowly path now, that makes all the grandeur of the great ones of the earth less thannothing. Let the light of His path shine on this scene, and no longershall we count it an evil under the sun for folly and lawlessness tohave the highest place, as men speak, but rather count it greatesthonor to be worthy to suffer for His name, for we are still in thekingdom and patience of the Lord Jesus Christ, --not the Kingdom andGlory. That shall come soon. 

Vers. 8-10. But then, Ecclesiastes continues, is there completesecurity in the humbler ranks of life? Nay, there is no occupationthat has not its accompanying danger. Digging or hedging, quarrying orcleaving wood, --all have their peculiar difficulties. Although there, too, wisdom is still evidently better than brute strength. 

Vers. 11 to 15 turn to the same theme of comparison of wisdom andfolly, only now with regard to the use of the tongue. The most giftedcharmer (lit. Master of the tongue) is of no worth _after_ the serpenthas bitten. The waters that flow commend the spring whence they issue. Grace speaks for the wise: folly, from beginning to end, proclaims thefool; and nowhere is that folly more manifested than in theboastfulness of assertion as to the future. 

 "Predicting words he multiplies, yet man can never know "The thing that shall be; yea, what cometh after who shall tell? "Vain toil of fools! It wearieth him, --this man who knoweth naught "That may befall his going to the city. "

This seems to be exactly in line with the apostle James: "Go to now, yethat say, To-day or to-morrow we will go into such a city, and continuethere a year, and buy, and sell, and get gain: ye who know not whatshall be on the morrow. "

Vers. 16-18. The land is blessed or cursed according to her head. Awell-marked principle in Scripture, which has evidently forced itselfon the notice of human wisdom in the person of Ecclesiastes. A cityflourishes under the wise diligence of her rulers, or goes to piecesunder their neglect and sensual revelry. For the tendency to decay iseverywhere under the sun, and no matter what the sphere, --high or low, city or house, --constant diligence alone offsets that tendency. 

Ver. 19. The whole is greater than its part. Money can procure boththe feast and the wine; but these are not, even in our preacher's view, the better things, but the poorer, as chapter vii. Has shown us. We, too, know that which is infinitely higher than feasts and revelry ofearth, and here money avails nothing. "Wine and milk, " joy and food, are here to be bought without money and without price. The currency ofthat sphere is not corruptible gold nor silver, but the love thatgives, --sharing all it possesses. There it is love that answereth allthings:--the more excellent way, inasmuch as it covers and is thespring of all gifts and graces. Without love, the circulating mediumof that new creation, a man is poor indeed, --is worth nothing, nay, _is_ nothing, (1 Cor. Xiii. ) He may have the most attractive and showyof gifts: the lack of love makes the silver tongue naught but emptysound, --a lack of love makes the deepest understanding naught; andwhilst he may be a very model of what the world falsely calls charity, giving of his goods to feed the poor, and even his body to be burned, it is love alone that gives life and substance to it all, --lacking loveit profits nothing. He who abounds most in loving, and consequentself-emptying, is the richest there. The words of the Lord Jesus inLuke xii. Confirm this: "So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. " The two are in direct contrast. Richhere--laying up treasure for one's self here--_is_ poverty there, andthe love that gives _is_ divine riches. For he who loves most hashimself drunk deepest into the very nature of God, for God is Love, andhis heart fully satisfied with that which alone in all the universe canever satisfy the heart of man, filled up, --surely, therefore, rich, --pours forth its streams of bounty and blessing according to itsability to all about. How thoroughly the balances of the sanctuaryreverse the estimation of the world. 

But, then, how may we become rich in that true, real sense? To obtainthe money that "answereth all things" under the sun, men _toil_ and_plan_. Perhaps as the balances of the sanctuary show that selfishaccumulation here is poverty there, so the means of attaining trueriches may be, in some sort, the opposite to those prevailing for thefalse--"quietness and confidence. "

The apostle, closing his beautiful description of charity, says:"Follow after charity. " Ponder its value--meditate on itsbeauties--till your heart becomes fascinated, and you press withlonging toward it. But as it is difficult to be occupied with "Love"in the abstract, can we find anywhere an embodiment of love? A personwho illustrates it in its perfection, in whose character every gloriousmark that the apostle depicts in this 13th chapter of Corinthians isshown in perfect moral beauty--yea, who is in himself the one completeperfect expression of love. And, God be thanked, we know One such;and, as we read the sweet and precious attributes of Love, we recognizethat the Holy Spirit has pictured every lineament of our Lord JesusChrist. Wouldst thou be rich, then, my soul? Follow after, occupythyself with, press toward, the Lord Jesus, till His beauties soattract as to take off thy heart from every other infinitely inferiorattraction, and the kindling of His love shall warm thy heart with thesame holy flame, and thou shalt seek love's ease--love's rest--inpouring out all thou hast in a world where need of all kinds is onevery side, and thus be "rich toward God. " So may it be for thewriter, and every reader, to the praise of His grace. Amen. 

Where are we, in time, my readers? Are we left as shipwrecked sailorsupon a raft, without chart or compass, and know not whether sunkenwreck or cliff-bound coast shall next threaten us? No; a true divinechart and compass is in our hands, and we may place our finger upon theexact chronological latitude and longitude in which our lot is cast. Mark the long voyage of the professing Church past the quiet waters ofEphesus, where first love quickly cools and is lost; past the stormywaves of persecution which drive her onward to her desired haven, inSmyrna; caught in the dangerous eddy, and drifted to the whirlpool ofthe world in Pergamos, followed by the developed Papal hierarchy inThyatira, with the false woman in full command of the ship; pastSardis, with its memories of a divine recovery in the Reformation ofthe sixteenth century:--Philadelphia and Laodicea alone are left; and, with mutual contention and division largely in the place of brotherlylove, who can question but that we have reached the last stage, andthat there is every mark of Laodicea about us? This being so, mark theword of our Lord Jesus to the present state of the professing Church:"Thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods, and have need ofnothing, but knowest not that thou art poor, and blind, and naked, andwretched, and miserable. " Yes, in the light of God, in the eyes of theLord, in the judgment of the sanctuary, we live in a day of _poverty_. It is this which characterizes the day in which our lot is cast, --alack of all true riches, whilst the air is filled with boastings ofwealth and attainment. 

Further, I can but believe that we whose eyes scan these lines arepeculiarly in danger here. Thyatira goes on to the very end. Sardisis an offshoot from her. Sardis goes on to the end. Philadelphia isan offshoot from her. Philadelphia goes on to the end, and is thus thestock from whence the proud self-sufficiency of Laodicea springs. Ifwe (you and I) have shared in any way in the blessings of Philadelphia, we share in the dangers of Laodicea. Yea, he who thinks he representsor has the characteristics of Philadelphia, is most open to the boastof Laodicea. Let us have to do--have holy commerce--with Him whospeaks. Buy of Him the "gold purified by the fire. " But how are we tobuy? What can we give for that gold, when He says we are already poor?A poor man is a bad buyer. Yes, under the sun, where toil andself-dependency are the road to wealth; but above the sun quietness andconfidence prevail, and the poor man is the best--the only--buyer. Look at that man in Mark's Gospel, chapter x. , with every mark ofLaodicea upon him. _Blind_, by nature; _poor_, for he sat and _begged;naked_, for he has thrown away his garment, and thus surely _pitiable, miserable_, now watch him buy of the Lord. 

"What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?"

"Lord, that I might receive my sight. "

"Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. "

And the transaction is complete; the contract is settled; the buying isover. "Immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in theway. " Yes; there is just one thing that that poor, naked, blind manhas, that is of highest value even in the eyes of the Lord, and that isthe quiet confidence of his poor heart. All Scripture shows that thatis what God ever seeks, --the heart of man to return and rest in Him. It is all that we can give in the purchase, but it buys all He has. "All things are possible to him that believeth. " In having to do withthe Lord Jesus we deal with the rich One whose very joy and rest it isto give; and it is surely easy _buying_ from Him whose whole heart'sdesire is to _give_. Nothing is required but need and faith tocomplete the purchase. 

"Need and Faith" are our "two mites. " They are to us what the twomites were to the poor widow--all our "living, " all we have. Yet, casting them into the treasury, God counts them of far more value thanall the boasted abundance of Laodicea. They are the servants, too, that open all doors to the Lord. They permit no barriers to keep Himat a distance. That gracious waiting Lord then may enter, and sweetcommunion follow as He sups with poor "Need and Faith"--Himselfproviding all the provender for that supper-feast. 

CHAPTER XI. 

We are drawing near the end, and to the highest conclusions of truehuman wisdom; and full of deepest interest it is to mark the characterof these conclusions. Reason speaks; that faculty that is rightlytermed divine, for its possession marks those who are "the offspring ofGod. " He is the Father of _spirits_, and it is in the spirit thatReason has her seat; whilst in our Preacher she is enthroned, and nowwith authority utters forth her counsels. Here we may listen to justhow far she can attain, mark with deepest interest, and indeedadmiration, the grand extent of her powers; and at the same time theirsorrowful limit, --note their happy harmony up to that limit, with herCreator; and then, when with baffled effort and conscious helplessness, in view of the deepest questions that ever stir the heart, she is ableto find no answer to them, and groans her exceeding bitter cry of"Vanity, " _then_ to turn and listen to the grace and love of thatCreator meeting those needs and answering those questions, --this isinexpressibly precious; and with the light thus given we must let ourspirits sing a new song, for we are nigh to God, and it is still truethat "none enter the king's gate clothed with sackcloth. " Joy andpraise have their dwelling ever within those boundaries; for Heinhabiteth the praises of His people. 

In the first eight verses of our chapter we shall thus find man'sReason running in a beautiful parallel with the divine, and yet inmarked contrast with the narrow, selfish, short-sighted policy of thedebased wisdom of this world. Their broad teaching is very clear; lookforward, --live not for the present; but instead of hoarding or layingup for the evil day, cast thy bread--that staff of life, thyliving--boldly upon the waters, it shall not be lost. You have, in sodoing, intrusted it to the care of Him who loseth nothing; and thefuture, though perhaps far off, shall give thee a full harvest for suchsowing. But, to be more explicit, give with a free hand withoutcarefully considering a limit to thy gifts ("a portion to seven andalso to eight" would seem to have this bearing), for who knows when, inthe future, an evil time to thee may make thee the recipient of others'bounty. 

Can we but admire the harmony, I say again, between the voice of poor, feeble, limited human wisdom and the perfect, absolute, limitless, divine wisdom of New Testament revelation:

"For I mean not that other men be eased and ye burdened; but by anequality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply fortheir want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want:that there may be equality. " This is very closely in the same line. But Solomon continues: Nay, see the lessons that Nature herself wouldteach (and he is no wise man, but distinctly and scripturally "a fool, "who is deaf to her teachings, blind to her symbols). The full cloudsfind relief by emptying themselves on the parched earth, only toreceive those same waters again from the full ocean, after they havefulfilled their benevolent mission; and it is a small matter to whichside, north or south, the tree may fall, it is there for the good ofwhoever may need it there. [1]

The accidental direction of the wind determines which way it falls; buteither north or south it remains for the good of man. In like mannerwatch not for favorable winds; dispense on every side, north and south, of thy abundance; nor be too solicitous as to the worthiness of therecipients. He who waits for perfectly favorable conditions will neversow, consequently never reap. Results are with God. It is not thycare in sowing at exactly the right moment that gives the harvest; all_that_ is God's inscrutable work in nature, nor can man tell how thoseresults are attained. Life in its commencements is as completelyenshrouded in mystery now as then. No science, no human wisdom has, or--it may be boldly added--ever can throw the slightest glimmer ofclear light upon it. Thy part is diligence in sowing, the harvestreturn is God's care. "In the morning sow thy seed, and in the eveningwithhold not thy hand" is wisdom's counsel here, just as a higherwisdom teaches "Preach the word: be instant in season and out ofseason. "

Thus human reason and divine wisdom "keep step" together till theformer reaches its limit; and very soon, in looking forward, is thatlimit reached. For listen now to her advice, consequent on theforegoing. Therefore she says, Let not the enjoyment of the presentblind thee to the future; for alas there stands that awful mysteriousExit from the scene that has again and again baffled the Preacherthroughout the book. And here again no science or human reason everhas or ever can throw the faintest glimmer of clear light beyond it. That time is still, at the end of the book, the "days of darkness. " Aspoor Job in the day of his trial wails: "I go whence I shall notreturn, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death; a land ofdarkness as darkness itself, and of the shadow of death, without anyorder, and where the light is as darkness. " So Ecclesiastes says, "lethim remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. " Oh sad andgloomy counsel! Is _this_ what life is? Its bright morning ever to beclouded, --its day to be darkened with the thoughts of its _end_? Ohsorrowful irony to tell us to rejoice in the years of life, and yetever to bear in mind that those years are surely, irresistibly, carrying us on to the many "days of darkness. " Yes, this is where thehighest intellect, the acutest reason, the purest wisdom of any man atany time has attained. But

 Where Reason fails, with all her powers, There Faith prevails and Love adores. 

Where the darkness by reason's light is deepest, there Love--Infiniteand Eternal--has thrown its brightest beam, and far from that timebeyond the tomb being "the days of darkness, " by New Testamentrevelation it is the one eternal blessed Day lit up with a Light thatnever dims; yes, even sun and moon unneeded for "The glory of Godenlightens it, and the Lamb is the Light thereof. " Think of aChristian with that blessed hope of the coming of his Saviour to takehim to that well-lighted Home--His Father's House--with the sweet andholy anticipations of seeing His own blessed Face, --once marred andsmitten for him; of never grieving Him more, of sin never again to marhis communion with Him, of happy holy companionship for eternity withkindred hearts and minds all tuned to the one glorious harmony ofexalting "Him that sits upon the throne and the Lamb, "--of loving Himperfectly, of serving Him perfectly, of enjoying Him perfectly, --thinkof such a Christian saying, as He looks forward to this bliss, "Allthat cometh is _vanity_, " and we may get some measure of the value ofthe precious word of God. 

But now with a stronger blow our writer strikes the same doleful chord:"Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee inthe days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart, and in thesight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God willbring thee into judgment. "

One would think that there could be no possible misunderstanding thesorrowful irony of the counsel "to walk in the ways of thy heart, andin the sight of thine eyes, "--expressions invariably used in an evilsense (compare Num. Xv. 39; Isa. Lvii. 17); and yet, to be consistentwith the interpretation to similar counsel in other parts of the book, expounders have sought to give them a _Christian_ meaning, as if theywere given in the light of revelation and not in the semi-darkness ofnature. But here the concluding sentence, "know thou, that for allthese things God will bring thee into judgment, " is quite unmistakable. 

But here is indeed a startling assertion. Where has our writerlearned, with such emphatic certainty, of a judgment to come? Have wemistaken the standpoint whence our book was written? Has the writer, after all, been listening to another Voice that has taught him what ison the other side of the grave? Does Revelation make itself heard hereat last? Or may, perhaps, even this be in perfect harmony with allthat has gone before, and be one step further--almost the laststep--along the path that unaided (but not depraved) human Reason maytread? In a word, does Nature herself give Reason sufficient light toenable her, when in right exercise, to discover a judgment-seat in theshadows of the future?

This is surely a question of deepest--yes, thrilling--interest; and, weare confident, must be answered in the affirmative. It is to thispoint that our writer has been climbing, step by step. Nature hastaught him that the future must be looked at rather than the present;or, rather, the present must be looked at in the light of the future;for that future corresponds _in its character_ to the present, as thecrop does to the seed, only exceeds it _in intensity_ as the harvestexceeds the grain sown. Thus bread hoarded gives no harvest; or, inother words, he who lives for the present alone, necessarily, by thesimplest and yet strongest law of Nature, must suffer loss: _this isJudgment by Nature's law_. This, too, is the keynote of everyverse--"the future, " "the future"; and God, who is clearly discerned byReason as behind Nature, "which is but the name for an effect whoseCause is God, "--God is clearly recognized as returning a harvest in the_future_, in strict and accurate accord with the sowing of the_present_. This is very clear. Then how simple and how certain thatif this is God's irrefragable law in Nature, it must have itsfulfillment too in the moral nature of man. It has been one of thechief sorrows of the book that neither wrong nor confusion is rightedhere, and those "days of darkness" to which _all_ life tends are nodiscriminative judgment, nor is there anything of the kind in a scenewhere "all things come alike to all. " Then surely, most surely, unlessindeed man alone sows without reaping, --alone breaks in as an exceptionto this law, --a thought not consonant with reason, --there must be tohim also a harvest of reaping according to what has been sown: in otherwords a _Judgment_. Although still, let us mark, our writer does notassume to say anything as to where or when that shall be, or howbrought about, this is all uncertain and indefinite: the fact is_certain_; and more clear will the outline of that judgment-seat standout, as our writer's eyes become accustomed to the new light in whichhe is standing, --the fact is already certain. 

Solemn, most solemn, is this; and yet how beautiful to see a truereason--but let us emphasize again not _depraved_, but exercising herroyal function of sovereignty over the flesh, not subject toit--drawing such true and sure lessons from that which she sees of thelaw of God in Nature. It is a _reasonable_, although in view of sin, afearful expectation; and with exactness is the word chosen in Acts:Paul _reasoned_ of judgment to come; and reason, with conscience, recognized the force of the appeal, as "Felix trembled. " Thus thatsolemn double appointment of man: death and judgment has been discernedby Nature's light, and counsel is given in view of each. We said thatour writer had reached the climax of his perplexities in view of deathin chap. Ix. When he counseled us to "merrily drink our wine"; but nowjudgment discerned, death itself even not necessarily the end, atlength soberness prevails; and with an evident solemn sincerity hecounsels "Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evilfrom thy flesh, for childhood and youth are vanity. "

[1] The current interpretation of this clause, that it speaks of thefuture state of man after death, seems hardly in keeping with thecontext, and certainly not at all in keeping with the character andscope of the book. Ecclesiastes everywhere confesses the strictlimitation of his knowledge to the present scene. This is the cause ofhis deepest groanings that he cannot pierce beyond it; and it would beentirely contrary for him here, in this single instance, to assume topronounce authoritatively of the nature of that place or state of whichhe says he knows nothing. 

CHAPTER XII. 

Our last chapter concluded with the words, "For childhood and youth arevanity": that is, childhood proves the emptiness of all "beneath thesun, " as well as old age. The heart of the child has the sameneeds--the same capacity in kind--as that of the aged. _It needs God_. Unless it knows Him, and His love is there, it is empty; and, in itsfleeting character, childhood proves its vanity. But this makes usquite sure that if childhood can feel the need, then God has, in Hiswide grace, _met the need_; nor is that early life to be debarred fromthe provision that He has made for it. There are then the same_possibilities_ of filling the heart and life of the young child withthat divine love that fills every void, and turns the cry of "Vanity"into the Song of Praise: "Yea, out of the mouth of babes and sucklingsThou hast perfected praise. "

But our writer is by no means able thus to touch any chord in the youngheart that shall vibrate with the music of praise. Such as he has, however, he gives us: "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thyyouth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thoushalt say, I have no pleasure in them. "

This counsel must not be separated from the context. It is basedabsolutely and altogether on what has now been discerned: for not onlyis our writer a man of the acutest intelligence, but he evidentlypossesses the highest qualities of moral courage. He shirks noquestion, closes his eyes to no fact, and least of all to that awfulfact of man's compulsory departure from this scene which is called"death. " But following on, he has found that even this cannot possiblybe all; there must be a _judgment_ that shall follow this present life. It is in view of this he counsels "Remember thy Creator in the days ofthy youth, " whilst the effect of time is to mature, and not destroy, the powers He has given thee: for not forever will life's enjoymentlast; old age comes surely, and He who made thee, holds thy spirit inHis hand, so that whilst the body may return to dust, the spirit mustreturn to Him who gave it. 

We will only pause for a moment again to admire the glorious elevationof this counsel. How good were it if the remembrance of a Creator-God, to whom all are accountable, could tone, with out quenching, the fireand energy of youthful years, and lead in the clean paths ofrighteousness. But, alas, how inadequate to meet the actual state ofthings. Solomon himself shall serve to illustrate the utter inadequacyof his own counsel. What comfort or hope could he extract from it?His were now already the years in which he must say "I have no pleasurein them. " A more modern poet might have voiced his cry, --

 "My age is in the yellow leaf, The bud, the fruit of 'life, ' is gone: The worm, the canker, and the grief, Remain alone!"

His youth was no more: its bright days were forever past, never to berestored. What remains, then, for Solomon, and the myriads like him?What shall efface the memory of those wasted years, or what shall givea quiet peace, in view of the fast-coming harvest of that wild sowing?Can Reason--can any human Wisdom--find any satisfactory answer to theseweighty questions? _None_!

Verses 2 to 7 beautifully and poetically depict the fall of the city ofman's body under the slow but sure siege of the forces of Time. Gradually, but without one moment's pause, the trenches approach thewalls. Outwork after outwork falls into the enemy's hands, until he isvictor over all, and the citadel itself is taken. 

Verse 2. --First, clouds come over the spirit: the joyousness of life isdulled, --the exuberance of youth is quenched. Sorrow follows quicklyon the heel of sorrow, --"clouds return after rain. " Those waves thatyouth's light bark rode gallantly and with exhilaration, now flood thelaboring vessel and shut out the light--the joy--of life. 

Verse 3. --Then the hands (the keepers of the house) tremble withweakness, and the once strong men (the knees) now feeble, bend underthe weight of the body they have so long borne. The few teeth(grinders) that may remain fail to do their required service. Time'sfinger touches, too, those watchers from the turret-windows (the eyes):shade after shade falls over them; till, like slain sentinels that dropat their posts, they look out again never-more. 

Verse 4. --Closer still the enemy presses, till the close-beleagueredfortress is shut out from all communication with the outer world; "thedoors are shut in the streets"; the ears are dulled to all sounds. Even the grinding of the mill, [1] which in an eastern house rarelyceases, reaches him but as a low murmur, though it be really as loud asthe shrill piping of a bird, and all the sweet melodies of song are nolonger to be enjoyed. 

Verse 5. --Time's sappers, too, are busily at work, although unseen, till the effect of their mining becomes evident in the alarm that isfelt at the slightest need of exertion. The white head, too, tells itstale, and adds its testimony to the general decay. The least weight isas a heavy burden; nor can the failing appetite be again awakened. Theman is going to his age-long home[2]; for now those four seats of lifeare invaded and broken up--spinal-cord, brain, heart, and blood, --tillat length body and spirit part company, each going whence itcame;--that, to its kindred dust; this, to the God who gave it. 

Thus to the high wisdom of Solomon man is no mere beast, after all. Hemay not penetrate the Beyond to describe that "age-long home, " butnever of the _beast_ would he say "the spirit to God who gave it. " Buthis very wisdom again leads us to the most transcendent need of _more_. To tell us this, is to lead us up a mountain-height, to a bridgelessabyss which we have to cross, without having a plank or even a threadto help us. To God the spirit goes, --to God who gave it, --to Whom, then, it is responsible. But in what condition? Is it consciousstill, or does it lose consciousness as in a deep sleep? Where does itnow abide? How can it endure the searching Light--the infiniteholiness and purity--of the God to whom it goes? How shall it giveaccount for the wasted years? How answer for the myriad sins of life?How reap what has been sown? Silence here--no answer here--is awfulindeed, --is _maddening_; and if reason does still hold her seat, then"Vanity of vanities, all is vanity, " is alone consistent with thefearful silence to such questions, and the scene is fitly ended by agroan. 

Deep even unto the shadow of death is the gloom. Every syllable ofthis last sad wail is as a funeral knell to all our hopes, tollingmournfully; and, like a passing bell, attending _them_, too, to their"age-long home"!

Oh, well for us if we have heard a clearer Voice than that of poorfeeble human Reason break in upon the silence, and, with a blessed, perfect, lovely combination of Wisdom and Love, of Authority andTenderness, of Truth and Grace, give soul-satisfying answers to all ourquestionings. 

Then may we rejoice, if grace permit, with joy unspeakable; and, evenin the gloom of this sad scene, lift heart and voice in a shout ofvictory. We, too, know what it is for the body thus to perish. We, too, though redeemed, still await the redemption of the body, which inthe Christian is still subject to the same ravages of time, --sickness, disease, pain, suffering, decay. But a gracious Revelation has taughtus a secret that Ecclesiastes never guessed at; and we may sing, evenwith the fall of Nature's walls about us, "Though our outward manperish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. " Yea, every apparentvictory of the enemy is now only to be answered with a "new song" ofjoyful praise. 

It is true that, "under the sun, " the clouds return after the rain;and, because it is true, we turn to that firmament of faith where ourLord Jesus is both Sun and Star, and where the light ever "shineth moreand more unto perfect day. "

_Let_ the keepers tremble, and the strong men bow themselves. We maynow lean upon another and an everlasting Arm, and know another Strengthwhich is even _perfected_ in this very weakness. 

The grinders may cease because they are few; but their loss cannotprevent our feeding ever more and more heartily and to the fill onGod's Bread of Life. 

_Let_ those that look out of the windows be darkened: the inward eyebecomes the more accustomed to another--purer, clearer--light; and wesee "that which is invisible, " and seeing, we hopefully sing--

 "City of the pearl-bright portal, City of the jasper wall, City of the golden pavement, Seat of endless festival, -- City of Jehovah, Salera, City of eternity, To thy bridal-hall of gladness, From this prison would I flee, -- Heir of glory, That shall be for thee and me!"

_Let_ doors be shut in the streets, and _let_ all the daughters ofmusic be brought low, so that the Babel of this world's discord beexcluded, and so that the Lord Himself be on the _inside_ of the closeddoor, we may the more undistractedly enjoy the _supper of our life_with Him, and He (the blessed, gracious One!) with us. Then naught canprevent His Voice being heard, whilst the more sweet and clear (thoughstill ever faint, perhaps) may the echo to that Voice arise in melodywithin the heart, where God Himself is the gracious Listener!

_Let_ fears be in the way, we know a Love than can dispel all fear andgive a new and holy boldness even in full view of all the solemnverities of eternity; for it is grounded on the perfect accepted workof a divine Redeemer--the faithfulness of a divine Word. 

The very hoary head becomes not merely the witness of decay, and of alife fast passing; but the "almond-tree" has another, brighter meaningnow: it is a figure of that "crown of life" which in the new-creationscene awaits the redeemed. 

If appetite fail here, the more the inward longing, and thesatisfaction that ever goes hand in hand with it, may abound; and theinward man thus be strengthened and enlarged so as to have greatercapacity for the enjoyment of those pleasures that are "at God's righthand for evermore. "

Till at length the earthly house of this tabernacle may be dissolved. Dust may still return to dust, and there await, what all Creationawaits--the glorious resurrection, its redemption. Whilst thespirit--yes, what of the spirit? To God who gave it? Ah, far better:to God who loved and redeemed it, --to Him who has so cleansed it by Hisown blood, that the very Light of God can detect no stain of sin uponit, even though it be the chief of sinners. So amid the ruins of thisearthly tabernacle may the triumphant song ascend above the snapping ofcords, the breaking of golden bowls and pitchers, the very crash ofnature's citadel: "Oh, death, where is thy sting? Oh, grave, where isthy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is thelaw. But thanks be to God that giveth us the victory through our LordJesus Christ. "

This meets--meets fully, meets satisfactorily--the need. Now none willdeny that this need is deep, --_real_. Hence it can be no meresentiment, no airy speculation, no poetical imagination, no cunninglydevised fable that can meet that need. _The remedy must be as real asthe disease, or it avails nothing_. No phantom key may loosen sohard-closed a lock as this: it must be real, and be made for it. Forsuppose we find a lock of such delicate and complicated constructionthat no key that can be made will adapt itself to all its windings. Many skilled men have tried their hands and failed, --till at length thewisest of all attempts it, and even he in despair cries "vanity. " Thenanother key is put into our hands by One who claims to have made thevery lock we have found. We apply it, and its intricacies meet everycorresponding intricacy; its flanges fill every chamber, and we open itwith perfect facility. What is the reasonable, necessary conclusion?We say--and rightly, unavoidably say--"He who made the lock must havemade the key. His claim is just: they have been made by one maker. "

So by the perfect rest it brings to the awakened conscience--by thequiet calm it brings to the troubled mind--by the warm love that itreveals to the craving heart--by the pure light that it sheds insatisfactory answer to all the deep questions of the spirit--by theunceasing unfoldings of depths of perfect transcendent wisdom--by itsadmirable unity in variety--by the holy, righteous settlement of sin, worthy of a holy, righteous God--by the peace it gives, even in view ofwasted years and the wild sowing of the past--by the joy it maintainseven in view of the trials and sorrows of the present--by the hope withwhich it inspires the future;--by all these we know that our key (theprecious Word that God has put into our hands) is a reality indeed, andas far above the powers of Reason as the heavens are above the earth, therefore necessarily--incontestably--DIVINE!

This brings us to the concluding words of our book. Now who has beenleading us all through these exercises? A disappointed sensualist? Agloomy stoic? A cynic--selfish, depressed? Not at all. Distinctly awise man;--wise, for he gives that unequivocal proof of wisdom, in thathe cares for others. It is the wise who ever seek to "win souls, " "toturn many to righteousness. " "Because the preacher was wise, he still_taught the people knowledge_. " No cynic is Ecclesiastes. Hissympathies are still keen; he knows well and truly the needs of thoseto whom he ministers: knows too, how man's wretched heart ever rejectsits own blessing; so, in true wisdom, he seeks "acceptable words":endeavoring to sweeten the medicine he gives, clothes his counsel in"words of delight" (margin). Thus here we find all the "words ofdelight" that human wisdom _can_ find, in view of life in all itsaspects from youth to old age. 

For whilst it is certainly difficult satisfactorily to trace the orderin detail in the book, --and perhaps this is perfectly consistent withits character, --yet there can be no question but that it begins bylooking at, and testing, those sensual enjoyments that are peculiarlyattractive to _youth_, and ends with the departure of all in _old age_, and, finally--dissolution. There is, evidently, that much method. Wemay also, further, note that the body of the book is taken up with suchthemes as interest men who are between these two extremes: occupations, business, politics, and, as men speak, religion. All the variousstates and conditions of man are looked at: kings, princes, nobles, magistrates, rich and poor, are all taken up and discussed in thissearch for the one thing that true human reason can call absolutely"good" for man. Further method than this might perhaps be inconsistentwith the confusion of the scene "under the sun" he is regarding, andhis own inability to bring order out of the confusion. There would bethus true method in the _absence_ of method, as the cry of "Vanity, "doleful as it is, is alone in harmony with the failure of all hisefforts. Yes, for whilst here he speaks of "words of delight, " one canbut wonder to what he can refer, unless it be to something still tocome. Thus far, as he has taken up and dropped, with bitterdiscouragement, subject after subject, his burdened, overcharged heartinvoluntarily has burst out with the cry, "Vanity of vanities, all isvanity!" Words of delight! Find one in all that we have gone overthat can be to a guilty sinner's ear a "word of delight"--such as itcan really _take in as meeting its needs_; for this seems to be theforce of the word here translated "acceptable": so perfectly adapted tothe needs of the heart it addresses that that heart springs joyfully toembrace it at once. We have surely, thus far, found none such. AJudge has been discerned in God; but small delight in this surely, if Iam the sinner to be judged. 

Verses 11-14. Wisdom's words are not known by quantity, but quality. Not many books, with the consequent weary study; but the rightword--like a "goad": sharp, pointed, effective--and on which may hang, as on a "nail, " much quiet meditation. "Given, too, from oneshepherd, " hence not self-contradictory and confusing to the listeners. In this way Ecclesiastes would evidently direct our most earnestattention to what follows: "the conclusion of the whole matter. " Hereis absolutely the highest counsel of true human wisdom--the climax ofher reasonings--the high-water-mark of her attainments--the limit towhich she can lead us: "Fear God, and keep his commandments: for thisis the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work intojudgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it beevil. "

Who will deny that this is indeed admirable? Is there not a gloriousmoral elevation in this conclusion? Note how it gives the Creator-GodHis rightful place; puts the creature, man, in the absolutely correctrelationship of obedience, and speaks with perfect assurance of adiscriminative judgment where every single work, yes, "secret thing, "shall be shown out in its true character as it is good or evil in Hisholy sight: where everything that is wrong and distorted here shall beput right. 

It is truly much, but alas for man if this were indeed the end. Alasfor one, conscious of having sinned already, and broken Hiscommandments, whether those commandments be expressed in the ten wordsof the law, as given from Sinai, or in that other law which is commonto all men, the work of which, "written in their hearts, " theyshow--conscience. There is no gleam of light, ray of hope, or grain ofcomfort here. A judgment to come, _assured_, can only be lookedforward to, with, at the best, gloomy uncertainty, and awfulmisgiving--if not with assured conviction of a fearful condemnation;and here our writer leaves us with the assurance that this is the"conclusion of the whole matter. "

Who can picture the terrors of this darkness in which such a conclusionleaves us? Guilty, trembling, with untold sins and wasted yearsbehind; with the awful consciousness that my very being is the corruptfountain whence those sins flowed, and yet with a certain judgmentbefore in which no single thing is to escape a divinely searchingexamination: better had it been to have left us still asleep andunconscious of these things, and so to have permitted us to secure, atleast, what pleasure we could out of this present life "under the sun, "without the shadow of the future ever thrown over us;--yea, such"conclusion" leaves us "of all men most miserable. "

I would, beloved reader, that we might by grace realize something ofthis. Nor let our minds be just touched by the passing thoughts, butpause for a few minutes, at least, and meditate on the scene at thislast verse in the only book in our Bible in which man at his best andhighest, in his richest and wisest, is heard telling us his exercisesas he looks at this tangled state of affairs "under the sun" and givesus to see, as nowhere else can we see, the very utmost limit to whichhe, as such, can attain. If this sinks down into our hearts, we shallbe the better prepared to apprehend and appreciate the grace that meetshim there at the edge of that precipice to which Reason leads but whichshe cannot bridge. Oh, blessed grace! In the person of our royalPreacher we are here indeed at our "wit's end" in every sense of theword; but that is ever and always the place where another hand may leadus, where another Wisdom than poor feeble human Reason may find a wayof escape, and "deliver us out of our distresses. "

Then let us turn our ear and listen to another voice: "For we must allappear before the judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may receivethe things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether itbe good or bad. " But stay. Is this the promised grace of which evennow we spoke? Is this the deliverance for which we hoped? Ajudgment-seat still?--from which still no escape for any: and a"reception" according to the things done, whether they be good or bad!Wherein does this differ from Solomon's "conclusion of the wholematter"? In just two words only--"_Of Christ_. " It is now the"judgment-seat of Christ. " Added terror, I admit, to His despisers andrejectors; but to you and me, dear fellow-believer, through grace thedifference these two words make is infinity itself. For look at Himwho sits upon the judgment-seat;--be not afraid; regard Him patientlyand well; He bears many a mark whereby you may know Him, and recognizein the Judge the very One who has Himself borne the full penalty of allyour sins. See His hands and His feet, and behold His side! You standbefore _His_ judgment-seat. Remember, too, the word He spake long ago, but as true as ever, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that hearethmy word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, andshall not come into judgment, but is passed from death unto life"--andas we thus remember both His word and His work, we may be fullyassured, even as we stand here, that there must be a sense, and animportant sense, in which judgment for us is passed forever. I may notbe able to harmonize these Scriptures; but I will cleave, at least, tothat which I clearly understand; in other words, to that which meets mypresent needs (for we only truly understand what meets our need);afterward, other needs may arise that shall make the other scripturesequally clear. He bore my sins--the judgment of God has been upon Him, cannot, therefore, be upon me--into that judgment I shall never come. 

Then why is it written we must all appear (or rather "be _manifested_, "be clearly shown out in true light) before the judgment seat of Christ?There is just one thing I need before entering the joys of eternity. Iam, as Jacob in Genesis xxxv. , going up "to Bethel, to dwell there. " Imust know that everything is fully suited to the place to which I go. I need, _I must have_, everything out clearly. Yes, so clearly, thatit will not do to trust even my own memory to bring it out. I need theLord "who loved me and gave Himself for me" to do it. _He will_. Howprecious this is for the believer who keeps his eye on the Judge! Howblessed for him that ere eternity begins full provision is made for theperfect security of its peace--for a communion that may not be marredby a thought! Never after this shall a suspicion arise in our hearts, during the long ages that follow, that there is one thing--one secretthing--that has not been known and dealt with holily and righteously, according to the infinite purity of the Judgment Seat of Christ. Suppose that this were not so written; let alone for a moment thatthere never could be true discriminative rewards; might not memory bebusy, and might not some evil thought allowed during the days of thelife in the flesh, long, long forgotten, be suddenly remembered, andthe awful question arise, "Is it possible that that particular evilthing has been overlooked? It was subsequent to the hour that I firstaccepted Him for my Saviour. I have had no thought of it since. I amnot aware of ever having confessed it. " Would not _that_ silence thesong of Heaven, embitter even its joy, and still leave tears to bewiped away? _It shall not be_. All shall be out first. All--"everysecret thing. " Other Scriptures shall show us how these things aredealt with. "Every man's work shall be made manifest, for the dayshall declare it, because it (that is, the day) shall be revealed infire, and the fire shall try every man's work, of what sort it is. Ifany man's work abide, he shall receive a reward. If any man's workshall be burnt, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire. If any man defile the temple of God, him shall Goddestroy. " (1 Cor. Iii. )

That day is revealed in fire, (Divine judgment, ) and gold, silver, precious stones--those works which are of God--alone can stand thetest. All others burn like "wood, hay, stubble. "

Look forward a little. In the light of these Scriptures, see onestanding before that Judgment Seat. He once hung by the side of theJudge Himself upon a cross on earth. See his works being manifested. Is there one that can be found gold, silver, precious stones? Not one. They burn; they all burn: but mark carefully his countenance as hisworks burn. Mark the emotions that manifest themselves through theever-deepening sense of the wondrous grace that could have snatchedsuch an one as is there being manifested from the burning. Not a signof terror. Not a question for a single instant as to his own salvationnow. He has been with Christ, in the Judge's own company, for a longtime already, and perfectly established is his heart, in the love thatsaid to him long ago, "This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise. "Now as all his works burn, the fire within burns too, and he is wellprepared to sing "unto Him who loves us and washed us from our sins inHis own blood. " And yet stay:--Here is something at the very last. Itis his word, "Dost thou not fear God, seeing thou art in the samecondemnation, and we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward ofour deeds, but this man hath done nothing amiss. Lord, remember mewhen Thou comest into Thy kingdom. " Gold! gold at last! as we may say;and he too receives praise of God. Yes, not one that shall have thesolemn joy of standing before that tribunal but has, in some measure, that praise. For is it not written, "then" (at that very time) "shallevery one have praise of God. " "This honor have all his saints. "

Where and when does this judgment of our works, then, take place? Itmust be subsequent to our rapture to the air of which we have spoken, and prior to our manifestation with Christ as sons of God. For by allthe ways of God, through all the ages, those scenes could never becarried out before an unbelieving hostile world. Never has He exposed, never will He so expose His saints. All will be over when we comeforth with Him to live and reign a thousand years. "The bride has madeherself ready, " and the robes in which she comes forth--the whitelinen--are indeed the righteousnesses of the saints, but these havebeen "washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb. "

But "_all_" must stand before Him; and not even yet has that beenfulfilled. Cain and the long line of rejectors of mercy and light, ever broadening as time's sad ages have passed till their path has beencalled the "broad way, " have not yet stood there. Has death saved themfrom judgment? No, for we read of the "resurrection of judgment"--thejudgment that comes necessarily after death, and includes the dead, andonly the dead. "I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heavens fled away, and there wasfound no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standbefore God; and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life: and the dead were judged out of those thingswhich were written in the books, according to their works. And the seagave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up thedead which were in them, and they were judged every man according totheir works, and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. Thisis the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the Bookof Life was cast into the lake of fire. " Here, too, we see an exact, perfect, retributive, discriminating judgment. The Book of Life bearsnot the name of one here. There is that one broad distinction betweenthe saved and the lost--the "life-line, " as we may call it. Howcarefully are we told at the very last of this Book of Life, that wemay most clearly understand, for our comfort, that the feeblest touchof faith of but the hem of His garment--perhaps not even _directly_ HisPerson, but that which is seen surrounding His Person, as the visiblecreation may be said to do--(Psalms cii. 25, 6) let any have touchedHim there, and _life_ results. His name is found in the Book of Life, and he shall not see the second death. Apart from this--the seconddeath: "the lake of fire!"

And yet, whilst "darkness and wrath" are the common lot of therejectors of "light and love, " there is, necessarily, almost infinitedifference in the degrees of that darkness and fierceness of thatwrath, dependent exactly on the degree of rejection of light and love. As our Lord tells us, "he that knew his Lord's will, and prepared nothimself, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, anddid commit things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given of him shall be much required; and towhom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. " All isabsolutely _right_. Nothing more now to be _made_ right The ages ofeternity may roll in unbroken peace; with God--manifested in all theuniverse as light and love--all in all. 

And now, dear readers, the time has come to say farewell for a seasonto our writer and to each other. Let this leave-taking not be with thegroans of Ecclesiastes' helplessness in our ears. We have stood by hisside and tested with him the sad unsatisfying pleasures connected withthe senses under the sun. We have turned from them, and tried thepurer, higher pleasures of the intellect and reason, and groaned tofind _them_ equally unsatisfying. We have looked through his weariedeyes at this scene, restless in its unending changes, and yet withnothing really new. We have felt a little, with his sensitive, sympathetic heart, for the oppressed and down-trodden "under the sun, "and groaned in our helplessness to right their wrongs. We havegroaned, too, at his and our inability to understand or solve thecontradictory tangle of life that seemed to deny either the providenceor the goodness of a clearly recognized Creator. We have followed withhim along many a hopeful path till it led us to a tomb, and then wehave bowed head with him, and groaned in our agonizing inability topierce further. We have seen, too, with him that there is not theslightest discrimination in that ending of man's race, and worse, eventhan groans to our ears, has been the wild, sad counsel of despair, "Merrily drink thy wine. " But quickly recovering from this, we havewondered with great admiration as our guide's clear reason led him, andus, still on and on to discern, a final harvest-judgment that followsall earth's sowings. But there, as we have stood beside him in spirit, before that awful judgment-seat to which he has led us, and turned tohim for one word of light or comfort in view of our sin and wrongdoings--the deepest need of all--we have been met with a silence toodeeply agonizing, even for the groan of vanity. Groans, groans, nothing but groans, at every turn!

And then with what relief--oh, what relief, ever increasing as theneeds increased--have we turned to the Greater than the greatest of men"under the sun, " and, placing the hand of faith in His, we have beenled into other scenes, and have found every single need of our beingfully, absolutely, satisfactorily met. Our body if now the seat of sinand suffering, yet we have learned to sing in the joyful hope of itssoon being "like Him forever. " Our soul's affections have in Him asatisfying object, whilst His love may fill the poor, empty, cravingheart till it runs over with a song all unknown under the sun, --ourspirit's deep questions, as they have come up, have all been met andanswered in such sort that each answer strikes a chord that sounds withthe melody of delight;--till at last death itself is despoiled of histerrors, and our song is still more sweet and clear in the tyrant'spresence, for he is no longer a "king" over us, but our "servant. "Even the deepest, most awful terror of all to sinners such as we--theJudgment-seat--has given us new cause for still more joyful singing;for we have in that pure clear light recognized in God--ourCreator-God, our Redeemer-God--a love so full, so true, --working with awisdom so infinite, so pure, --in perfect harmony with a righteousnessso unbending, so inflexible, --with a holiness not to be flecked ortarnished by a breath, --all combining to put us at joyful ease in thevery presence of judgment--to find there, as nowhere else possible, allthat is in God in His infinity told out, ("love with us made perfect, ")and that means that all the creatures' responsive love must find sweetrelief in a song that it will take eternity itself to end. In ourFather's House we only "begin to be merry, " and end nevermore, as wesound the depths of a wisdom that is fathomless, know a "love thatpasseth knowledge";--singing, singing, nothing but singing, and ever anew song!

May God, in His grace, make this the joyful experience of reader andwriter, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake! Amen. 

[1] This differs from the usual interpretation, which makes this versea metaphor of the mouth and teeth. This has been rejected above, notonly on account of the direct evidence of its faultiness, and thefanciful interpretation given to the "sound of grinding, " but for thetwofold reason that it would make the teeth to be alluded to _twice_, whilst all reference to the equally important sense of "hearing" wouldbe omitted altogether. I have therefore followed Dr. Lewis's metricalversion:--

 "And closing are the doors that lead abroad, When the hum of the mill is sounding low, Though it rise to the sparrow's note, And voices loudest in the song, do all to faintness sink. "

Although, I might here add, I cannot follow this writer in his viewthat Ecclesiastes is describing only the old age of the sensualist. Rather is it man as man, --at his highest, --but with only what he canfind "under the sun" to enlighten him. 

[2] The word rendered above "age-long, " in our authorized version"long, "--"man goeth to his _long_ home"--is one of those suggestivewords with which the Hebrew Scriptures abound, and which are well worthpondering with interest. To transfer and not translate it into Englishwe might call it "olamic, " speaking of a cycle: having a limit, and yeta shadowy, undefined limit. The word therefore in itself beautifullyand significantly expresses both the confidence, the faith of thespeaker as well as his ignorance. Man's existence after death isdistinctly predicated. The mere grave is not that olamic home; for thespirit would, in that case, be quite lost sight of; nor, indeed, is thespirit alone there, --the _man_ goes there. It appears to correspondvery closely to the Greek word Hades, "the Unseen. " Man has gone tothat sphere beyond human ken, but when the purposes of God arefulfilled, his abode there shall have an end: it is for an "age, " butonly an "age. " All this seems to be wrapped up, as it were, in thatone phrase--_Beth-olam_, the age-long home. How blessed for us thelight that has since been shed on all this. In One case (and indeedalready more than in that One) that "age" has already come to an end, and the first fruits of that harvest with which our earth is sown haseven now been gathered. We await merely the completion of thatharvest: "Christ the first fruits: afterwards they that are Christ's, at His coming. "

THE BIBLE TRUTH PRESS, 63 FOURTH AVENUE, NEW YORK. 

 "ABOVE THE SUN. "

 Cease, ye Saints, your occupation with the sorrow-scenes of earth; Let the ear of faith be opened, use the sight of second birth. Long your hearts have been acquainted with the tear-drop and the groan; These are _weeds_ of foreign growing, seek the _flowers_ that are your own. 

 He who in the sandy desert looks for springs to quench his thirst Finds his fountains are but slime-pits such as Siddim's vale accursed; He who hopes to still the longing of the heart within his breast Must not search within a scene where naught is at one moment's rest. 

 Lift your eyes _above_ the heavens to a sphere as pure as fair; There, no spot of earth's defilement, never fleck of sin-stain there. Linger not to gaze on Angels, Principalities, nor Powers; Brighter visions yet shall greet you, higher dignities are ours. 

 All night's golden constellations dimly shine as day draws on, And the moon must veil her beauties at the rising of the sun. Let the grove be wrapt in silence as the nightingale outflings Her unrivaled minstrelsy, th' eclipse of every bird that sings. 

 Michael, Israel's Prince, is glorious, clad in panoply of war; *"Who is as the God of Israel" is his challenge near and far; But a higher still than Michael soon shall meet your raptured gaze, And ye shall forget his glories in _your_ Captain's brighter rays. 

* "Michael" means "Who is as God. "

 List a moment to the music of the mighty Gabriel's voice, With its message strange and tender, making Mary's heart rejoice. Then on-speed, for sweeter music soon expectant faith shall greet: His who chained another Mary willing captive at His feet. 

 But, let mem'ry first glance backward to the scenes "beneath the sun, " How the fairest earthly landscape echoed soon some dying groan. There the old-creation's story, shared between the dismal Three: Sin and Suffering and Sorrow summed that Babel's history. 

 Now the contrast--vain ye listen for one jarring note to fall; For each dweller in that scene's in perfect harmony with all. Joy has here expelled all sadness, perfect peace displaced all fears-- All around that central Throne makes the true "music of the spheres. "

 Now upsoar ye on faith's pinion, leave all creature things behind, And approach yon throne of glory. Love in Light ye there shall find; For with thrill of joy behold One--woman-born--upon that Throne, And, with deepest self-abasement, in _His_ beauties read your own. 

 Joyful scan the glories sparkling from His gracious Head to Feet;, Never one that does not touch some tender chord of memory sweet; And e'en heaven's music lacks till blood-bought ones _their_ voices raise High o'er feebler angel choirs; for richer grace wakes nobler praise. 

 Vain the quest amongst the thronging of the heavenly angel band For one trace of human kinship, for one touch of human hand; 'Mongst those spirits bright, ethereal, "man" would stand a man alone; Higher must he seek for kinship--thought amazing--on God's Throne!

 Does it not attract your nature, is it not a rest to see One e'en there at glory's summit, yet with human form like thee? Form assumed when love compelled Him to take up your hopeless case, Form He never will relinquish; ever shall it voice His grace. 

 Wondrous grace! thus making heaven but our Father's house prepared; Since, by One who tells God's love, in wounded human form 'tis shared. See, His Head is crowned with glory! yet a glory not distinct From an hour of deepest suffering, and a crown of thorns succinct. 

 Draw still closer, with the rev'rence born of love and holy fear; Look into those tender eyes which have been dimmed with human tear-- Tears in which _ye_ see a glory hidden from th' Angelic powers; Ours alone the state that caused them, their beauty then alone is ours. 

 Look once more upon that Head: finds memory no attraction there In the time when, homeless-wandering, night-dews filled that very hair? Brightest glories sparkle round it--crowned with honor now; and yet, Once it found its only pillow on storm-tossed Gennesaret!

 See that Hand! it once grasped Peter's as he sank beneath the wave, -- Snatched the widow's son at Nain from the portal of the grave, -- Touched with healing grace the leper, gave the light to him born dark. _Deeper love to you is spoken in that nail-print--precious mark_!

 Let your tender gaze now rest on those dear Feet that erstwhile trod All the weary, painful journey leading Him _from_ God _to_ God; Took Him in His gentle grace wherever need and suffering thronged, Or one lonely soul was found who for the living water longed. 

 Those the very Feet once bathèd with a pardoned sinner's tears, And anointed, too, with spikenard speaking Mary's love and fears; Took Him weary on His journey under Sychar's noontide heat, Till the thirsty quenched His thirsting, and the hungry gave Him meat. 

 Blessed Feet! 'tis only _sinners_ see the depth of beauty there; _Angels_ never have bowed o'er them with a penitential tear. Angels may regard the nail-print, with a holy, reverent calm; Ye who read the _love_ it tells of, _must_ break forth with thankful psalm. 

 Draw yet nearer, look more fondly; yea, e'en nestle and abide In that covert from the storm-blast, in the haven of His Side. That deep wound speaks man's great hatred, but His love surpassing great: _There were focused, at one spear-point, all God's love and all man's hate_!

 Rest, ye saints! your search is ended; ye have reached the source of peace. By the side of Jesus risen, earth's dull cares and sorrows cease. Here are Elim's wells and palm-trees, grateful shade and waters cool, Whilst in Christ's deep love there's healing far beyond Bethesda's pool. 

 Closer, closer, cluster round Him, till the kindling of that Love Melt your hearts to like compassions whilst amid like scenes ye move. Only thus abiding in Him can ye fruitfulness expect, Or, 'mid old-creation sorrows, new-creation love reflect. 

 Ever closer gather round Him, till "the glory of that Light" Dims the old creation glitter, proves earth's glare to be but--night! Gaze upon Him till His beauties wing your feet as on ye run, Faith soon bursting into sight, in God's clear day "Above the Sun. "

 F. C. J. 

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