HOMILETICS. Vers. 1-6.-All things alike to all. I. ALL MEN EQUALLY IN THF. HAXDS oF GoD. 1. Their persons, 'l'he righteous and the wise (ver. 1), but not less certainly the unrighteous and the foolis!J. God's breath sustains all; God's providence watches over all; God's power encircles all; God's mercy encompasses all. 2. Their works. Their actions, whether good or bad, in the sense explained in the last homily, "are con- ditioned by Goo, the Governor of the world and the Former of history" (Delitzsch). 3. Their experiences. "All lies before them ; " i.e. all possible experiences lie before men; which shall happen to them being reserved by God iu his owu power. II.· ALL '.MEN EQUALLY IGNORANT OF THE FUTURE. "No man knoweth either love or hatred," or" whether it be love or hatred, no man knoweth;" which may signify either that no man can teJI whether "provideaces of a happy nature proceeding from the love of God, or of an unhappy nature proc~eding from the hatred of God," are to befall him (J. D. Michaelis, Knobel, Hengstenberg, Plumptre); or that ao man can predict whether he will love or hate (Hitzig, Ewald, Delitzsch). In either case the meaning is that no man can certainly predict what a day may bring forth. fo so far ns the future is in God's band, man can only learn what it contains by waiting the evolution of events; in so far ns it is moulded by man's free determinations, no man can predict what these will be until the moment arrives for their formation. III. ALL MEN EQUALLY SUBJECT TO DEATH. "AU things come alike to all: there is one event" (ver. 2). 1. To the righteous and to the wicked; i.e. to the inwardly and morally good and to the inwardly and morally evil. 2. Tu the clean and to the unclecm ; i.e. to the ceremonially pure and to the ceremoaiaJly defiled. 3. To him that sacrificet/1 and to him that sacrificeth not; i.e. to him who observes the outward forms of religion nud to him who observes thern not. 4. To hiTii that sweareth and to him that feareth an oath; i.e. to the openly sinful and to the outwardly reverent and devout. "All alike go to the dead" (ver. 3). IV. ALL MEN EQUALLY DEFILED BY BIN. "The heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madaess is in their heart while they live" (ver. 3). From which may be learnt: 1. That sin is a kind of madness. 'l'his will not be doubted by those who consider that sin is the rebellion of a creature again~t the Creator, and that sinners generally hope both to escape puni~hruent on account of their siu, and to attain felicity through their siu. 2. That the seat of this madness is in the soul. It may affect the whole personality of the man, but the 1,eren1,ial fountain whence it springs is the heart, in i~s alienation from God. "The caraal mind is enmity against God" (Rom. viii. 7). 3. That the l1eart is not merely tainted with this madness, but is full of it. In other words, it is, in its natural condition, wholly under thi, power of sio. The total corruption of human nature, besides being taught in Scripture (Gen. vi. 5 ; viii. 21; Job xv. 14; Ps. xiv. 2, 3; eh. vii. 20; Isa. !iii. 6; :Matt. xv. 19; Hom. iii. 23; Eph. ii. 1__:3), is abundantly confirmed by experience. 4. That, apai·t from Divine grace, this madness continues unchanged throughout life. There is nothing in human nature itself or in its surroundings that has power to subdue o.nd far less to eradicattJ this madness. A new birth alone can rescue the soul from its dominion (John iii. 3). V. ALL MEN EQUALLY THE SUBJECTS OF HOPE. 1. Hope a uniuerscil pos;;essioll. "To him that is joined to all the living there is hope" (ver. 4); i.e. while man liv(•~ ho hopes. Dum spiral, sperat (Latin proverb). "Hope springs eternal in the humo.n 232 ll:CCLES1ASTES; Ott, 'l'Ht PUE.A.C1IER. [ctr. IX. 1-18.
breast" (Pope). Even the most abject arc never, or only seldom, abandoned by this pas$ion. On the contrary, " the miserable bath no other medicine, but only hope 11 (Shakespeare). When hope expires, life dies. 2. Hope a potent inspiration. In ordinary life "we are kept alive by hope" (Rom. viii. 24). 'l'bc pleasing expectation of future good en11.bles the heart to endure present ills, and nerves the resolution to attempt further efforts. Though sometimes, when ill-grounded," kings it makes gods, and meaner creatures kings" (Shakespeare), yet when soundly based it "Like a cordial, innocent though strong, Man's heart e.l once inspirits and serenes." (Young.) Especially is this the case with that good hope through grace (2 Tbess. ii. 16) which pertains to the Christian (Rom. v. 5; 2 Cor. iii. 12; Phil. i. 20; 1 Pet. i. 13). VI. ALL MEN EQUALLY POSSESSED OF, INTELLIGENCE. Not of equal intelligence, but equally intelligent. In particular: 1. .All know themselves to be mortal. "'l'he living know that they Ehall die" (ver. 5). They may frequently ignore this fact, and deliberately shut their eyes upon it, but of the fact itself they are not ignorant. 2. In this knowledge they are superior to the dead, who "know not anything, neither have they any more a reward, for the memory of them is forgotten; 11 who in fact, haviog dropped out of life, have for ever ceased to take an interest in anything that is done under the sun. Learn: 1. The essential equality of all men. 2. The inherent dignity of life. 3. The value of the present.