the gifts of Divine providence; on the other hand, we are admonished to receive all things as" from the hand of God." I. Gon's BOUNTY PROVIDES THE 1"AVOURS BY WHICH MAN'S EARTHLY LIFE IS ENRICHED, :Food and drink are mentioned here as examples of the good gifts of the Eternal Father, who" openeth hie hand, _and supplieth the wants of every Jivine1 thing." Manifold is the provision of the Divine beneficence. The whole material wo~ld is an apparatus by which the bounty of the Creator ministers to the wants of his creatures. And all God's gifts have a meaning and value beyond themselves; they reveal the Divine character, they symbolize ~be Divine goodness. To despise them is to despise the Giver. II. GoD's KINDNESS BESTOWS FACULTIES ADAPTED TO THE ENJOYMENT OF HIS GIFT8. The adaptation is obvious and instructive between the bounties of God's providence, and the bodily constitution in virtue of which man is able to appropriate and enjoy what God bestows. Food and drink presuppose the power to partake of them, and to use them for the continued life, health, and vigour of the body. The correspondence may be traced throughout the whole of our physical nature; between the eye and light, between hearing and sound, between the lungs and the atmosphere-in fact, between the organism and the environment. III. GOD EXPECTS THAT WE SHOULD USE HIS GIFTS AS HE COMMANDS, A.ND FOR HIS GLORY, All _Divine bestowments are a kind of test and trial for man, who does not of necessity follow appetite, but who can exercise his reason and his will in dealing with the circumstances of his being, with the provisions of God's bounty. All are susceptible of use and of abuse. The Preacher gives us the key to a right use of providential bounties, when he reminds us that all is "from the hand of God." The man who sees the Giver in the gift, who partakes with gratitude of that which is bestowed, recogniz- ing its spiritual significance, and using it as the means to spiritual improvement,-such a man fulfils his probation aright, and does not live the earthly life in vain. IV. UPON COMPLIANCE WITH OR NEGLECT OF THE DIVINE REQUil!.EMENT DEPENDS THE EFFECT OF GoD'S GIFTS UPON us, WHETHER THEY SHALL BE A BLESSING OR A CURSE. It wo.uld be very easy to read amiss the teaching of this Book of Ecclesiastes. Let a man read it when under the influence of a hedoniBtic and optimistic temper of mind, and he may be encouraged to abandon himself to the pleasures of life, to the joys of sense, to seek his welfare and satisfaction in what this world can give. Let a man read the book when passing through bitter experience of the ills and woes and disappointments of life, in a pessimistic mood, and. he may be encouraged to dejection, despondency, and cynicism. But the true lesson of the book is this: Life is a Divine discipline, and its purpose should never be lost sight of; the gifts of Providence are intended for our enjoyment, our grateful appropriation, but not for the satisfaction of the spiritual nature; Divine wisdom summons us to the reverential service of the Eternal himself; we should then receive with joy what God bestows, and give up without Ulldue mourning what God takes away, for all of life is "from the hand of God."-T.
Ver. 26.-Retribution. Here at length the Preacher propounds the doctrine of God's moral government, which in the earlier part of the book has been kept in abeyance. It is one thing to treat of human life, and another thing to treat of theology. The first may, and does to the thoughtful mind, suggest the second; but there are many who never take the step from the one to the other. The author of this book has recorded his experience, with such generalizations and obvious lessons as such experience naturally suggests; he bas drawn such conclusions as an observant and reflecting student could scarcely avoid. But hitherto he has refrained from the provinco of faith, of insight, of revelation, Now, however, he boldly affirms the fact that the world is the scene of Divine retribution; that behind all natural law there is a law which is super- natural; that the Judge of all the earth doeth right. I. GoD IS INTERESTED IN HUMAN CHARACTER AND LIFE. The ancient Epicurean notions that the gods were above all care for the concerns of men is not extinct,; for mnny even now deem it derogatory to the Deity that he should be considered to interest himself either in the experiences or in the character of men. This passage in Ecclesiastes justly assumes that what men are and what they pass through are matters of real concern to the Crea tor and Lord of all. II. Goo ALX.0WB lN HUMAN LIFE SCOPE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF MEN'S HORAL 48 ECCLESIASTES; OR, THE PREACHER. [en. u. l-2G.