The Pulpit Commentary — Ecclesiastes — Section 97

of the large landscape-and we may well be silenced, if not convinced. llut ovPn that docs not cover everything. We need to remember that we are human, and not Divine; thnt we, who are God's very little children, cannot hope to understand all that is in the rni □ d of our heavenly Father-cannot expect to fathom his holy purpose, to read his unfathomable thought~. We see enough of Divine wisdom, holiness, and love to believe that, when our understanding is enlarged and our vision cleared, we shall find that " all the paths of the Lord were mercy and truth "--even those which most troubled and bewildered u~ when we dwelt upon the earth.-C. Vrrs. 12, 13, 22 (with eh. ii. 24).-The conclusion of folly or the faith of the wise 1 In what catalogue shall we place these words of the tox.t? On whose lips are they to be founn? Are they- I. TrrE REFUGE OF THE SCEPTIC? They may be such. The epic.ure who has lost his faith in God says, "Let us eat and drink; for to-morrow we die." There is no sacred- ness in the present, and no solid hope for the future. What is the use of aiming at a high ideal? Why waste breath and strength on duty, on aspiration, on piety? Why attempt to rise to the pursuit of the eternal and the Divine? Better lose ourselves in that which is at hand, in that which we can grasp e.s a present certainty. The best thing, the only certain good, is to eat and drink and to labour; is to minister to our senses, and to work upon the material which is visible to our eye and responsive to our touch. So speaks the sceptic ; this is his miserable conclusion ; thus he owns himself defeated and (we may say) dishonoured. For what is human life worth when the element of sacredness is expunged, when piety and hope are left out of it? It is no wonder that the ages of unbelief have been the times when men have had no regard for other people's dues, and very little for their own. Or shall we rather find here- II. .AJ. ARTICLE OF A WISE MAN'S FAITH? It is not certain what was the mood in which the Preacher wrote; bnt let us prefer to think that behind his words, actuating and inspiring him, was a true spirit of faith in God and in Divine providence ; let us take bim to mean-what we know to be true--that, in spite of all evidence to the contrary, a wise and loyal-hearted man will hold that there is much that is worth pursuing and possessing in tbe simple pleasures, in the daily duties, and in the ordinary services which are open to us all. 1. Daily God invites us to eat and drink, to partake of the bounties of his hand; let us appreciate his benefits with moderation and gratitude. 2. Daily he bids us go forth to "our work and to our labour until the evening;" let us enter upon it and carry it out in the spirit of conscientiousness and fidelity toward both God and man (Col. iii. 23). 3. Daily God gives us the means of getting good to ourselves and doing good to others; let us eagerly embrace our opportunity, let us gladly avail ourselves of our privilege; so doing we shall make our life peaceful, happy, worthy. In the light that shines into our hearts from the truth of Christ we judge: 1. '!'hat these lesser things-pleasure, acfrvity, acquisition-are well in their way and in their measure. "Bodily exercise profiteth a little." But: 2. That human life has possi- bilities and obligations which immeasurably transcend these things; such, that to put these into the front rank and to fill our life with them is a fatal error. Made subordinate to that which is higher, they take tb<:ir place and they render their service-a placo and a service not to be despised ; but made primary and supreme, they are usurpers that do untold injury, and that must be relentlessly dethroned.-C. Vere. 14, 15.-Divine ccnstancy and human piety. With the outer world of nature and with our human nature and character before us, these words may somewhat sur- prise us; it is necessary to take a preliminary view of- I. HUMAN ACTION UPON THE DIVINE. 1. There is a sense in which man has modified the Divine action according to the Divine purpose. God has given us the material, and he says to us," Work with it and upon it; mould, fashion, transform, develop it as you will; make all possible use of it for bodily comfort, for mental enlargement, for social enjoyment, for spiritual growth." Man has made lar~e use of this his opportunity, and, with the advance of knowledge and of science, he will make much more in the centuries to come. He cannot indeed" put to" or" take from" the substance with which God supp!iee him, but he can do much to chango its form and OJI, lIJ, 1-22,] ECCLESIAS'l'ES; OR, THE PREACHER. 81