Eccl. ix. 18. One sinner destroy eth much good.
THE influence of every man in his sphere is con- siderable. Solomon had seen a remarkable instance of a poor man delivering by his wisdom a small and ill-garrisoned city from the besieging army of a very powerful monarch. From hence he was led to con- sider the superiority of wisdom above wealth or power. On the other hand, he saw that, as a wise and good man might be extremely useful, so a foolish
and wicked man might do a great deal of injnry, to those around him. Hence, contrasting the two, he observed, " Wisdom is better than weapons of war : but one sinner destroyeth much good."
In illustrating the latter member of the sentence, we shall point out the truth of it,
I. In nations —
[Men of all classes in the community may greatly affect the state to which they belong.
A weak and ambitious monarch, how soon may he involve his people in war, and reduce them to the very brink of ruin ! Such was Solomon's only son, who, in the space of a few weeks, goaded ten tribes out of the twelve that he ruled over, to revolt from him, and to establish a separate and independent kingdom ^
An aspiring subject also may, by exaggerating the people's grievances, and promising them effectual redress, stir up mul- titudes to insurrection, and involve a nation in all the horrors of civil war. Thus did Absalom*^: and thus have demag-offues in every age, in every state.
What immense evil too may not a cruel persecutor effect! How may such an one waste the Church of God and destroy it! One Jezebel could murder a whole host of prophets"; and one Saul depopulate the Christian Church^. And, in this nation as well as others, time was, when one cruel bigot kindled fires in every part of the country, to extirpate, if possible, those, who would not return to the justly reprobated errors of her religion.
If a great man be conspicuous for impiety and profaneness, his conduct will be attended with a most baneful influence. Soon will sycophants imitate his example, till irreligion be- comes the fashion of" the day, and every thing sacred is trampled under foot. What an awful instance of such success have we in Jeroboam ; who, the more effectually to detach from Judah the ten revolted tribes, erected idols in Dan and Bethel, which from that hour became, and ever afterwards remained, the objects of worship through the whole kingdom'^! Hence he is continually stigmatized with the name of " him who made Israel to sin^!"
But indeed any enormous sinner, of whatever class, does much to destroy the peace and prosperity of his country. What is it that arms God against a nation, and provokes him
a I Kings xii. 16. »> 2 Sam. xv. 2 — 6, 10 — 14.
<= 1 Kings xviii. 13. ^ Acts ix. 1, 2.
"= Hos. v. 1 1. In this verse is mentioned not his success only, but the evil it brought upon them. ^ 1 Kings xxii. 52.