o.llusion to some political or other arrangements of the time now unknown to us. But the evident meo.ning or the verse is that the wisdom that fears God is better than material force, tho.t in it there is e. ground of confidence better than weapons of war (cf. Prov. xxiv. Ga, "A wise man is strong"). In the words that follow we have man's fallibility strongly insisted on in words quoted from the prayer of Solomon at the dedi- cation of the temple (1 Kings viii. 46), "For there is not e. just man upon earth that doeth good.and sinneth not," and the inference seems to be that "the wisest at times commit mistakes, but their wisdom enables them to get the better or their mistakes, and protects them against the evil consequences which happen in such cases to the unwise." This thought leads on to the teaching of vers. 21, 22. 'l'he wise man who remembers his own mistakes and offences will judge leniently of others, and not punish them as offenders for their occasional hasty words. Iadifference to idle praise or idle blame becomes the possessor of true wisdom. For him, to use St. Paul's words, " It is a very small thing to be judged of man's judgment" (1 Cor. iv. 3). .An idle curiosity to know what others think of us or say of us is the source of constant mortification. We expect praise, and forget that others are as frivolous and hasty in their criticism of us as we have been in our criticism of them. 'fhe servant who waits on us, and from whom we expect special reverence, would probably, if we could hear him without hie knowledge, say much about us that would surprise and mortify us. Let us therefore not be too eager to hear our character analyzed and discussed. " Where ignorance •is bliss, 'Tie folly to be wise." Some excuse may be found for the motto of the old Scottish family which expresses this indifference to the opinion of others in the most pointed form: "They say. What say they? Let them say."-J. W. Vers. 23-29.-Woman. The limitations of human knowledge are nowhere more plainly indicated than in the opening verse of the present section. The Preacher points out that after his utmost endeavours to obtain wisdom with the view of solving the perplexing questions connected with mankind, their actions and their relation to God, he found all such knowledge to be far beyond mortal ken (Wright). "For that which is," that which exists, the world of things in its essence and with its causes, "is far off," far removed from the sight of man, "o.nd it is deep, deep; who can discover it?" (vers. 23, 24). Essential wisdom appeared to hiin as to Job (uviii.), quite out of reach. But all hie efforts after it had not been in vain. In the course of his researches he had discovered some truth of great value. Though the problems of the universe proved to be insoluble, some lessons had been learned or practical value in the conduct of life. Some rules for present guidance he had discovered, though much remained hidden from him. So is it iu every age. The sagest philosophers, the profoundest thinkers, are baffled in their endeavours to explain the mysteries of life, but are able to lay down rules for present conduct which approve themselves to the consciences of all. And hapµy is it for us that it should be so; that while clouds hang over many regions into which the iutdlcct of man would fain penetr.i.tc, the way of duty is plain for all. One great truth he lcarued, that wickedness was folly, that foolishness was madness, that men who lived in tho pursuit of folly were beside themselves o.nd were mnd (ver. 26). This thought i~ very closely akin to the teaching of the Stoics, that the wicked- ness of men is a kind of mental aberration, and that knowledge is but another name for righteousness. One great source of wickedness he introduces in ver. 26-the fatal fascination of so many by scheming and voluptuous women. The picture he draws is like those in Prov. ii. and vii., and, but for the more sweeping condemnation in the verses that follow, might be thought to express reprobation of a certain degraded clas11 rather than a cynical estimate of the whole of womankind. One man, he says, he had found among a thousand, one only what a man ought to be; but not one woman among the same number who corresponded to the ideal of womanhood, who reminded him of the innocence and goodness of Eve as God created her (ver. 29). The race, both men and women, had been created upright, but had become almost utterly corrupt by the devices they had invented by which to gratify their inclinations toward evil. What are we to make of his words? Is the case really as bad all ho represents it? 'l'hP 108 ECCLE::HASTES; OR, TBE PREACHEH.. [err. vut. 1-n
answer to the qu~stion is not far to seek. The Preacher is recording his own experi- ence, and if we t ke his words as & truthful report., we can only s,ly that he WM specially 0