The Pulpit Commentary — Ecclesiastes — Section 79

nucl worthless, or infected ; o.nd there ore necessity or the opport11neness of war and times when it is equally natural to mend peace, and e,cts e,ccordingly. In this and in them, o.nd to make them serviceabllol by a.II the other examples adduced, the lesson timely repairs. Connected with the notion intended is this-that man is not indepen- of mourning contributed by this clause, dent; that under all circumstances and though by no means confined to that notion, relations he is in the hand of a power it is added, A time to keep silence, and a mightier than himself, which frames time time to speak. The silence·of deep sorrow and seasons according to its own good plea- may be intimo.ted, as when Job's friends sure. God holds the threads of human life; so.t by him in sympo.thizing silence (Job ii. in some mysterious way directs and controls 13), and the psalmist cried, "I was dumb events; success and failure are dependent with silence, I held my peace, even from upon his will. There are certain laws which good; and my sorrow was stirred" (Ps. regulate the issues of actions and events, x.xxix. 2); and Elisha could not bear to and man cannot alter these; his free-will can hear his mo.ster's departure mentioned (2 put ,them in motion, but they become irre- Kings ii. 3, 5). There are also occasions sistible when in operation. This is not when the sorrow of the heart should find fatalism: it is the mere statement of a fact utterance, as in David's lament over Saul in experience. Koheleth never dcn\es man's and Jonathan (2 Sam. i. 17, etc.) o.nd over liberty, though he is very earnest in assert- Abner (2 Sam. iii. 33, etc.). But the gnome ing God's sovereignty. The reconciliation is of more general application. The young of the two is 11, problem unsolved by him. should hold their peo.ce in the presence of Ver. 9.-If thus man, in all his actions their elders (Job x:xxii. 4, etc.); silence is o.nd under o.11 circumstances, depends upou often golden: "Even a fool, when he holdeth time and seasons which are beyond his con- his peace, is counted wise: when he shutteth trol, we return to the same d~sponding his lips, he is esteemed as prudent" (Prov. question already asked in eh. i. 3. Wbat :z:vii. 28). On the other hand, wise counsel profit hath he that worketh in that wkerein is of infinite value, and must not be with- he laboureth t The preceding enumeration held o.t the right moment, o.nd "a word in leadd up to this question, to which the due season, how good is it 1" (Prov. xv. 23; answer is '' None.'' Since time and tide x:xv. 11). "If thou ho.et understamling, we.it for no man, since man cannot know answer thy neighbour; if not, lay thy ho.nd for certain his opportunity, he cannot upon thy mouth" (Ecclus. v. 12; see more, reckon on reaping any advantage from his Ecclus. x:x. 5, etc.). labour. Ver. 8.-A time to love, and a time to hate. This reminds one of the gloss to Vers. 10-15.-There is a plau and system which our Lord refers (Mo.tt. v. 43), "Ye in all the circumstances of mau's life ; he have heard tho.t it bath been so.id, Thou feels this instinctively, but he cannot com- shnlt love thy neighbour, and hate thine prehend it. His duty is to woke the best enemy," the first member being found in of the present, and to recognize the immu- the old Law (Lev. x.i.x. 18), the second being 11, misconception of the spirit which tability of the law thot governs all things. made Israel God's executioner upon the Ver. 10.-I have seen the travail which cond~mned nations. It was the maxim of God hath given to the sons of men to be Bias, quoted by Aristotle, 'Rhet.,' ii. 13, exercised in it; i.e. to busy themselves that we should love as if o.bout some do.y to therewith (eh. i. 13). This trovoil, exercise, ho.ta, o.nd ho.to o.s if about to love. And or business is tho work tho.t bus to be done Philo imparts 11, still more selfish tone to tile under the conditions prescribed of time ond gnome, wilen he pronounces(' De Co.rit.,' 21, see.son in fo.ce of the difficulty of mon's free p. 401, Mang.)," It was well said by them action and God's ordering. We take in- of old, that we ought to deal out friendship finite pains, we entertain ample desires, and without absolutely renouncing enmity, o.nd strive restlessly to carry them out, but our pro.ctise enmity o.s possibly to turn to friend- efforts o.re controlled by a higher law, and ship." A time of war, and a time of peaoe. results occur in the woy and at the time In the previous couplets the infinitive mood arrnngod by Providence. Hum,w lobour, of the verb has been used ; in this last though it is appointed by God and is part hemistich substantives are introduced, as of mo.n's heritage imposed upon him by the being more concise o.nd better fitted to em• Fall (Geu. iii. I 7, etc.), cauuot bring c,on- phasize the close of the catalogue. The tentmeut or satisfy the spirit's cmvings. first clause referred speoio.lly to the privo.te Ver. 11.-Ke hath made e'°ery thiug feelings which one is constrained to enter- beautiful in his (itB) time. "Everything" tain towards individuals. The second clo.use ( eth-hacol) docs not refer so much to the has to do with national concerus,and touches origiual creation which God made very PU the statoBmansbip which cliBcovers the good (Gcu. i. 31), ns to the trnvp.il mHl bt1oi- 62 ECCLESIASTES; OR, THE PREACHER. [OH. llI, 1-22