The Pulpit Commentary — Ecclesiastes — Section 202

gives a touch of gaiety to tbo sentence so strangely concluded with the reflection that for the owner of the good name the day of bis death is better than the day of his birth. An exquisite illustration of the justness of our author's admiration for a good name is to be found in that incident in the Gospels of the deed of devotion to Christ, on the part of tbe womall who poured upon his head the precious oilltmellt. Her name, Mary of Betbally (John xii. 3), is now known throughout the whole world, and is associated witb the ideas of pure affection and generous self-sacrifice. The second part of the verse, which at first sounds so out of b3rmony with what precedes it, is yet closely collnected with it. The good name is thought of as not finally secured until death has removed the possibility of failure and shame. So many begin well and attain high fame in their earlier life which is sadly belied by their conduct and fate in the close. The words recall those of Solon to Crresus, if indeed they are not a reminiscence of them, "Call no mall happy until be has closed bis life happily n (Herod., i. 32) ; and are to the same effect as those in ver. 8, " Better is the elld of a thillg thall the beginning thereof." It is not to be denied that there is, however, more in the words than a prudential warning against prematurely counting upon having secured the ".good name " which is better than ointment. They betray an almost heathenish distaste for life, which is utterly out of harmony with the revelation both of the Old Testament and of the New; and are more appropriate in the mouth of one of that Thracian tribe mentioned by Herodotus, who actually celebrated their birth- days as days of sadness, and the day of death as a day of rejoicing, than of one who had any faith in God. The only parallel to them in Scripture is what is said of Judas by our Lord, "It had been good for that mall if he had not beell born" (Matt. xxvi. 24). Ingenuity may devise explanations of the selltimellt which bring it into harmony with religious sentiments. Thus it may be said, at death the box of precious ointment is brokell and its odours spread abroad; prejudices that assailed the man of noble character during his lifetime are mitigated, envy alld jealousy alld detraction are subdued, and his title to fair fame acknowledged on all hands. It may be said life is a state of probation, death the beginlling of a higher and happier existence. Life is a struggle, a contest, a voyage, a pilgrimage; and whell victory has beell won, the goal reached, the reward of labour is attained. We may borrow the words alld infuse a brighter significance illto them; but no trace of any such inspiring, cheering thoughts are in the page before us. "The angel of death is there; no angel of resurrection sits within tho sepulchre."-J. W. Vers. 2-6.-0ompensations of misery. Although in the Book of Ecclesiastes there is much that seems to be contradictory of our ordinary judgments of life, much that is at first apparently calculated to prevent our taking an interest ill its business alld pleasures-which are all asserted to be vanity and vexation of spirit-there are yet to be found ill it sober and well-groullded exhortations, which we call only neglect at our peril. Out of his large experience the writer brings some lessolls of great value. It is sometimes the case, indeed, that he speaks in such a way that we feel it is reasonable ill us to discount his judgmellt pr,tty heavily. Whell he speaks as a sated voluptuary, as one who had tried every kind of sellsuous pleasure, who had gratified to the utmost every desire, who had enjoyed all the luxuries which his great wealth could procure, and found all his efforts to secure happiness vain-I say, whell he sp~ks ill this way, und asks us to believe that nolle of these things are worth the paills, we are not inclined to believe him implicitly. We are inclined rather to resent being lectured ill such a way by such o. mall. 'fhe satiety, the weariness, the ennui, which result from over-indulgence, do not qualify a man for settillg up as a moral and spiritual guide; they rather disquaiify him for exercising such an office. In answer to the austere alld sweeping colldemnation which he is inclined to pass upon tho sources from which we think may be drawn o. reasonable 11mount of pleasure, wo may say, "Oh yes I it is all very well for you to speak ill that way. You havo worn out your strength and blunted your taste by over-indulgence; 11nd it comes with II bad grace from you to recommend an abstemious and severe mood of life which you have never tried yourself. '!'he exhortations which befit the lips of a John the Baptist, nurtured from early life in the desert, lose their power when spoken by II jnded epicure." '!'he ap,swcr would be perfectly just. Aml if Solomon's reflections were 1111  190 ECCLESIASTES; OR, THE PREACHER. [on. vu. 1-29.