The Pulpit Commentary — Ecclesiastes — Section 125

And theretore for the miser to toil like a mere slave, when he might save himself the trouble, is an evidence of how blinded he is by the vice to which he is addicted. 2. A second cause of the miser's folly is his ignoring the fact that riches have only value wh~ made use of. The mere accumulation of them is not enough; they must be employed if they are to be of service. No real, healthy enjoyment of them is to be obtained by merely contemplating them and reckoning them up. Used in that way they only feed an unnatural and morbid appetite. II. Over against the miseries of a selfish, solitary life, our author sets THE ADVANTAGE OF COMPANIONSHIP. (Vers. 9-12.) Friendship affords considerable mitiaation of the evils by which life is beset, and a positive gain is secured by those wh~ cultivate it. Three very homely figures are used to describe these advantages. The thought which connects them all together is that of life as a journey, or pilgrimage, like that which BLmyan describes in his wonderful book. If a man is alone in the journey of life, he is liable to accidents and discomforts and daugers which the presence of a friend would have averted or mitigated. He may fall on the road, and none be by to help him; he may at night lie shivering in the cold, if he has no companion to cherish him "With kindly warmth; he may meet with robbers, whom his unaided strength is insufficient to beat off. All these figures illustrate the general principle that in union there is mutual helpfulness, comfort, and strength, verification of which we find in all departments of lit'e-in the family, in the intercourse of friends, and in the Church, The benefits of such fellowships are undeniable. "It affords to the parties mutual counsel and direction, especially in seasons of perplexity and embarrassment; mutual sympathy, consolation, and care in the hour of calamity and distress; mutual encouragement in anxiety and depression; mutual aid by the joint application of bodily or mental energy to difficult and laborious tasks; mutual relief amidst the fluctuations of worldly circumstances, the abundance of the one reciprocally supplying the deficiencies of the other; mutual defence and vindication when the character of either is injuriously attacked and defamed; and mutual reproof and affectionate expostulation when either has, through the power of temptation, fallen into Min. 'Woe to him that is alone when he' so 'falleth, and bath not another to help him up!' -no one to care for his soul, and restore him to the paths of righteousness" (Wardlaw). So far as the application of the principle to the case of ordinary friendship is concerned, the wisdom of our author is instinctively approved of by all. The writings of moralists in all countries and times teem with maxims similar to his. Some have thought that this virtue of friendship is too secular in its character to receive much encouragement in the teaching of Christianity; that it is somewhat overshadowed, if not relegated to comparative insignificance, by the obligations which a highly spiritual religion imposes. The fact that the salvation of his soul is the one great duty of the individual might have been expected to lead to a new development of selfishness, and the fact that devotion to the Saviour is to take precedence of all other forms of affection might have been ex:pected to diminish the intensity of love which is the source of friendship. And not only have such ideas existed in a speculative form, but they have led, in many cases, to actual attempts to realize them. The ancient hermits sought to cultivate the highest form of Christian life by complete isolation from their fellows; they fled from society, dissevered themselves from all the ties of blood and friendship, and shunned all association witJr. their kind as something contaminating. And in our own time, among many to whom the monastical life is specially repulsive, the very same delusion which lay at the root of it is still cherished. They think that love of husband, wife, child, or friend conflicts with love of God and Christ; that if the human love is too intense it becomes a form of sin. And along with this is gencr~lly found a cruel and dishonouring conception of the Divine character. God is thought of as jealous of those who take his place in the affections, and the loss of those loved is spoken of ai; a removal by him of the "idols" who had usurped his rights. That such teaching is a perversion of Christianity is very evident. 'l'he New Testament takes all the forms of natural human love as types of the Divine. As the father loves his children, so does God love us. ~ Christ loved the Church ought e. husband to love his wife, ought his followers to love one another. No bounds can be set to affection; "he that dwelletb in love dwelleth in God." 'l'he one great check, that our love for .mother should not be allowed to lead us to do wrong or condone wrong, is not upon OJI, IV. 1-16.] ECCLESIASTES; OR, THE PREACHER. 109