imch iniquities shall be pnnished and corrected, and God allows them for a time to continne, with the view of proving men, a.nd to teach them humility, that in one sense they are not superior to brntes. (For man and brute succumb to the universal law of death; and that there is Iii distinction in the destination of their spirits, though it may well be believed, is incapable of proof,)· Hence man's happiness and duty consist in making the best of the present iife; and improving the opportunities which God offers/ without anxious care for the future ( eh. iii. 16-22). He gives further.illustrations of man's inability to secure his own happiness. See 'how man is oppressed or wronged· by his fellow-man. Who can remedy this? .And, in face of such things, what pleasure is there in Jife? Success only leads to envy. Yet labour is necessary, and none but the fool sinks into apathy and indolence. Tam to avarice for consolation, and you are isolated from your fellows, and haunted 'Vrith ·a sense of insecurity. High place itself has no assurance of permanence. Foolish kings are supplanted by young and·clever aspirants; yet the people do not long remember their benefactors or profit by their JDeritorious services (eh. iv. 1-16). Turn to popular i-eligion: is there any satisfaction or comfort to be found there? Nay,· all is hollow and unr'eal. The house of God is entered thoughtlessly and irreverently; verbose prayers are uttered with no feeling of the heart; vows are made only to be broken ;or evaded; dreams take the place of piety, and superst,ition stands for religion (eh. v. 1-7). In the political life, too, there is much that is disheartening, only to be supported by the thought .0£ an overruling Providence ( eh. v. 8, 9); The pursuit and possession of· wealth give no more satisfaction· than other mundane things. ·The rich are always wanting more; ·their expenses increase with their wealth; they are not happy in life, and may lose their property at a stroke, and leave nothing to the children for whom they laboured (eh. v. 10-17). All this leads again to the old conclusion that we should make the best of life en.eh as it is, seeking neither riches nor poverty, bn.t being content to enjoy with sobriety the good that God gives, remembering that the power to •use and enjoy is a boon that comes solely from him (eh. v. 18-20). We may see men possessed of all the gifts oE fortune, yet unable to enjoy them, and soon obliged to leave them by the inexorable stroke of death (eh. vi. 1-6). If desires were always accomplished, we might have a different tale to tell; but they never are folly satisfied; high and low, wise and foolish, are equally victims of unsatisfied cravings (eh. vi. 7-9). Theso desires are profitless, because circumstances are not n.nder man's control; and, not being able to forecast the fn.ture, he mn.st make the best of the present (eh. vi. 10-12), Koheleth now proceeds to apply to practice the truths which be has been establishing; As man knows not what is beet for him, he must accept what is sent, be it joy or sorrow; and let· him learn hence some salutary lessons. Life shoo.Id be solemn and earnest; the house of mourning teaches better than the house of feasting; and the rebuke of a wise man is more whole- Xlt INTRODUCTION TO
some than the mirth of fools (eh, vii. 1-7). We must learn patience and resignation ; it is no wisdom to quarrel with things as they are or to praise the past in contrast with the present. We cannot change what God has ordered ; and he sends good and evil that we may feel our entire depend- ence, and not disquiet ourselves aboa.t the future, which must be wholly unknown to us (eh. vii. 8-14). Anomalies occur; all excesses must be avoided, both on the side of over-righteousness and of laxity; true wisdom is found in the observa~ce of the mean, and this is the only preservative from errors in the conduct of life (eh. vi. 15-22). Having thus far been aided by Wisdom, he desires, by her assistance, to solve deeper and more mysterious questions, but is wholly baffled. But he learned some further practical truths, viz. that wickedness was folly and madness, that of all created things woman was the most evil, and that man was made originally upright, but had perverted his nature ( eh. vii. 23-29). His experience now leads him to consider man as a citizen. Here he shows that it is useless to rebel ; true wisdom counsels obedience even under the worst oppression, and submission to Providence. Subjects may well be patient, for sure retribution awaits the tyrant (eh. viii. 1-9). But he is troubled by seeming anomalies in God's moral government, noting the contradiction to expected retribution in the case of the good and evil. God's abstention and the impunity of sinners make men incredulous of Providence ; but in spite of all this, he knows in his heart that God is just in reward and punishment, as the end will prove. Meantime, unable to solve the mystery of God's ways, man's right course is, as before said, to make the best of existing circumstances (eh. viii. 10-15). This concln.sion is confirmed by the fact that one fate awaits all men, and that the dead are cut off from all the feelings and pursn.its and interests of life in the upper world (eh. ix. 1-6). Hence the lesson is repeated that man's wisest course is to use his earthly life to the best advantage, without being greatly disturbed by the inscrn.tability of the moral government of the world (eh. ix. 7-12). Wisdom, indeed, is not always rewarded, and the wise man who has done good servi~ is often forgotten; but there is a real power in wisdom which can effect more than physical strength (eh. ix. 13--18). On the other hand, a little folly mare the effect of wisdom, and is quite en.re to manifest itself in word or conduct (eh. x. 1-3). Koheleth then gives his experience of what he has seen in the case of capricious rulers, who often advanced to high stations the most incompetent men ; and he offers some advice for conduct under such circumstances (eh. x. 4-7). Wisdom teaches caution in all undertakings, whether in private or political life ; a man should count the cost and make due preparation before attempting reformation in government or any other important matter ( eh. x. 8-11). See the strong contrast between the gracious words and acts of the wise man, and the objeotless prating and useless labours of the fool (eh. x. 12-15). The lesson of caution under the government of dissolute e.nd unprincipled rulers is strongly enforced (eh. x. 16-20). Drawing towards the co~ch1eion of hie wc,rk, Kohehith gives B0IQe direct praoti~tl ECCLESIASTES; 6It, THE PREACHER, !u:I