HOMILETICS. Ver. 1.-" Rememrer thy Orea tor." I. IlEMEMDEn: WHOM? "Thy Creator." The language implies: 1. That man has a Creator. It would certainly be strange if he had not, seeing that all things else have.. And that Creator is not himself, since ha OJI, XII, 1-14,] ECCLESIASTES; OR, THE PREACHER. 307
is at best a dependent creature (Gen. iii. 19); or an inferior divinity, since there is none such (2 Sam. vii. 22; Isa. xliv. 6); but (1) God, the one living and true God (1 These. i. 9), the Almighty Maker of the universe (Gen. i. 1 ; Exod. xx. 11 ; Ps. cxxiv. 8; Isa. xl. 28; Jer. x. 16), and therefore of man (Gen. i. 26; Dent. iv. 32; Ps. c. 3; Acts xvii. 25, 26, 28); and (2) Jesus (Jhri~t, the Image of the invisible God (2 Cor. iv. 4; Col. i. 16), and the unbeginning Word of Gori (John i. 1), by whom all things were made (John i. 3), whether they be things in heaven or on earth, visible or invisible (Col. i. 16), and therefore from whom man derives his bein~. 2. That man originally-knows God. That even in bis fallen condition be is not cntirelv destitute of a knowledge of God-not, perhaps, a knowledge clear and full, but still real and true -appears to be the teaching of Scripture (Rom. i. 21, 28) as well as of experience, no man ever requiring to argue himself into a belief in God's existence, thongh many try to reason themselves out of it. 3. That man may forget God. Moses was afraid lest Israel should be guilty of so doing (Deut. vi. 12), in which case they would be no better than the heathen peoples around them (Ps. ix. 17). Practically this is the world's sin to-day (1 John h•. 8), and the sin against which Christians have to guard (Heb. iiL 12). It is specially the sin against which young persons should be warned, that of allowing the thought of God to slip out of their minds. II. REMEMBER: BOW? . 1. By thinking of his Person. A characteristic of the wicked is that God is not in all their thoughts (Ps. x. 4); whereas a good man remembers God upon his bed, and meditates upon him in the night watches (Ps. Ix. 3). 2. By reflecting on his character. 'l'he Creator being neither an abstract conception nor an inanimate force, but a living and personal Intelligence, he is also possessed of a.tt1ibutes, the sum of which compose his character or name; and Oije who would properly remember him must frequently permit his thoughts to dwell on these (Ps. xx. 7), a.R David (Ps. Ix. 3) e.nd Asaph (Ps. lxxvii. 3) did-on his holiness, bis loving-kindness, his faithfulness, his truth, his wisdom, bis justice, all of which have been revealed in Jesus Christ, and so made much more easily the subjects of study. 3. By acknowledging his goodness. God's bounties in providence and mercies in grace must be equally recalled and thankfully retained before the mind, as Dc,vid aptly said to himself (Ps. ciii. 1, 2) and protested before God (Ps. xiii. 6). One who simply accepts God's daily benefits as the lower animals do, for consumption but not for consideration, is-guilty of forgetting God; who knows about, but nover pauses to thank God, for bis unspeakable grace in Christ, comes far short of what is meant by remem- bering his Creator. 4; By meditating in his Word. Those who lovingly remember God will not forget that he has written to them in the Scriptures words of grace and truth, and will, like the good man of 'the Hebrew Psalter (i. 2), meditate therein day and night. Where God's Law, with its wise e.nd holy precepts, is counted as u. strange thing (Hos. viii. 12), no further proof is needed that Uod himself is forgotten. The surest evidence that "no man remembered the poor wise man" wns found in this, that his wisdom was despised, lind his words were not heard (eh. ix. 16). 5. By keeping his commandments. As Joseph's recollection of Jehovah helped him to resist temptation and avoid sin (Gen. x.xxix. 9), so a. sincere and loving remembrance of God will show itself in doing those things that a.re plea.sing in his sight. When Christ asked his disciples to remember him, he mce.nt them to do so, not simply by thinking of and speaking about him, or even by celebrating in his honour a memorial feast (Luke xxii.-19), but also by doing whatsoever he had commanded them (John xv. 14). III. REMEMBER: WHEN? "In the days of thy youth." 1. Not then only. The remembrance of God is a duty which extends along the whole course of life. No age can be exempted from it, as none is unsuitable for it. The notion that religion, while proper enough for childhood or youth, is neither demanded b.v nor becoming in man- hood, is a. delusion. 'l'he heart-worshiP,_ and life-service of God and J csus Christ an, incumbent upon, needed by, and, honoµrable to, old as well ns young. 2. But then firstly. The reasons will be furnished below; mee.ntime it may be noticed that Scripture writers may be said to' be une.nimous in recommending early piety; in teaohing that youth, e.bove a.11 other periods, is the season for seeking God. Moses (Deut. xxxi. 13), David (Ps. xxxiv. 11), Solomon (Prov. iii. I, 2), o.nd Jesus (Matt. vi. 33) combine to set forth the advantage o.s well as duty of giving one's early years to God and religion, 308 ECCLESIASTES; OR, THE PREACHER. [CH, XII, 1-14,