within our :power. The Master himself felt this (John ix:.· 4). . He knew that there was glorious "work" for him in the long future, even as there had been fcir his Father in the long past (John v. 17). But he knew also that between the hour of that utterance and the hour of his death on the cross there was· that work to be done which could only be done then and there. So he girded himself to do all that had to be done, and to bear all that had to be borne, in that short and solemn interval. We should feel and act likewise. We look for a very blessed and noble sphere.of heavenly activity; but between this presentnnd tha.t future there is work to.be.done which is now wiLhin our compass, but will soon be without it. There is: 1. Good. work to. be dono,in the db-ection of self-culture, of gaining dominion over self, in casting out evil from our own soul and our own life. 2. Good service to be rendered to our kindred, to our friends, to our neighbours, whom we can touch and bless now but who will'soon pass beyond our reach. 3. A gooil contribution, real and valuable, if not. promineut,-towards the establishment of the kingdom of Jesus Christ upon the earth. •All, therefore, that onr "hand findeth to do" because our heart is willing to do it,. let us do with our might, lest we leave undone that which no future time. and ao other. sphere wiil give us the opportunity to attempt.-C. Vers. 11, 12.-Prosperity-the rule and the eueption, We shall find our way to the true lessons of this passage if we consider- . I. THE BULE UNDER Goo's RIGHTEOUS GOVERNMENT. 'l'he .Preacher either did not in lend his words to be taken as expressing the general rule prevailing .everywhern, or else J,e wrote these words in one of those depressed and doubtful moods which are frequently reflected in his treatise. Certainly the rule, under the wise and righteous government of God, is that the man who labours hard and patiently to win his goal succeeds ii\ ~aining it. It is right that he should. It is right that the race should be to the swift, for Hwiftness is the result of patient practice and of temperate behaviour, .It is right that the battle 0hould bt, to the strong, for strength is the consequence of. discipline :ind virtue. It is right that bread and riches and the favour of the strong should fall to wisdom and to skill. And so, in truth, they do. Whore the natural order of thin:?s is not positively subverted by the folly and the guilt of men, it is the case that human cm. IX. 1-18.] ECCLESIASTES; OR, THE PREACHER. 243
industry, resUng on human virtue as its base, conducts to competence, to honour, l<J ouccess. It does, indeed, happen that the crown is placed on the brow of roguery and violence; yet is it not the less true that wisdom and integrity constitute the well-worn and open road: to present and temporal well-being. II. Tm: OBVIOUS AND BIIBIOUB EXOEPTION. No doubt it is frequently found th~t •• the race is not to the swift," etc. No doubt piety, purity, and fidelity are often left behind, and do not win the baWe in the world's campaign. This is due to one of two very different and, indeed, opposite causes. It may be due to: 1. Man's interfering wrong. The human oppressor comes down upon the industrious and the frugal citizen, and sweeps off the fruit of his toil and patience. The scheming intriguer steps in, anrl carries off the prize which is due to the laborious and persevering worker. The seducer lays hie nets and ensnares hie victim. There is, indeed, a lamentable frequency in human history with which the good and true, the wise and faithful, fall short of the honourable end they seek. 2. God's intervening wisdom. It may often happen that God sees that human strength or wisdom has outlived its modesty, its beauty, and its worth, and that it needs to be checked and broken. So he sends defeat where victory has been' assured, poverty where wealth has been confidently reckoned upon, discomfiture and rejection where men have been holding out their hand for favour and reward. ·what, then, are- III. THE PJUOTIOAL CONCLUSIONS? 1. Do 'llOt count too confidffltly on outward good. Work for it faithfully, hope for it with a well-moderated expectation, but do not set ;your heart upon it as an indispensable blessing. Be prepared to do without it. Have .those inner, deeper, diviner resources which will fill the heart with grace and the life with an admirable contentment, even if the goal is not gained and the prize is not secured. Be supplied with those treasures which the thief cannot steal, and which will, leave 'the soul rich though the bank- be broken and the purse be emptied. -2. Guard cai·efully against the worst evils. Be so fortified with Divine truth aud 'Sacred principles :withia, and secure so much of God's favour and protection from above, -that no snares of sin will be able to mislead and to betray-that the feet will never b~ found entangled in the nets of the enemy. 3. Anticipate the Divine discipline. Livo in such conscious and in such acknow,?f!dged dependence, upon God for every stroke that is struck, for all strength and wisdom that are gained, for all bounties and all honours that are reaped, that there will be no need for the intervening hand of heaven ,to break your schemes or to remove-your treasures.-O.