methinks no addition to complete our afilictions. That terrible term hath never detained me from sin, nor do I owe any good action to the name thereof. I fear God, yet am not afraid of him; his mercies make me ashamed of my sins, before his judg- ments afraid thereof. These are the forced and secondary methods of his wisdom, which he useth but as the last remedy, and upon provocation-a course rather to deter the wicked than incite the virtuous to his worship. I can hardly think there was ever any scared into heaven: they go the fairest way to heaven that would serve God without a hell. Other mercenaries, that crouch unto aim in fear of hell, though they term themselves the servants, are indeed but the slaves, of the Almighty" (' Rei. Med.,' i. 52). Plainly, therefore, when the fear of God is made equivalent to true religion, it must include many other feelings than that dread which sinners experience at the thought of the laws they have broken, and which may consist with hatred of God and of righteousness. It must be a summary of all the emotions which belong to a religious life-reverence at the thought of God's infinite majesty, holiness, and justice, gratitude for bis loving- kindness and tender mercy, confidence in bis wisdom, power, and faithfulness, submission to his will, and delight in communion with him. If fear is to be taken as a prominent emotion in such a life, we are not to understand by it the terror of a slave, who would willingly, if be could, break away from his owner, but the loving reverence of a child, who is anxious to avoid everything that would grieve bis father's heart. The one kind of fear is the mark of an imperfect obedience (1 John iv. 18); the other is the proof of a disposition which calls forth God's favour and blessing (Ps. ciii. 13). II. Jn the second place, THE CONDUCT WE SHOULD MANIFEST IS DESCRIDED : "K1,EP HIS COMMANDMENTS." '!'his is the outward manifestation of the disposition of the heart, and supplies a test by which the genuineness of a religious profession may be tried. These two elements are needed to constitute holiness-a God-fearing spirit and a blameless life. If either be wanting the nature is out of balance, and very grave defects will soon appear, by which all of positive good that has been attained will be either oversbadoV1"ed or nullified. If there be not devotion of the heart to God, no zeal and fidelity in discharging the ordinary duties of life will make up for the loss. The reverence due to him as our Creator-gratitude for his benefits, penitent confession of sins and shortcomings, and faith in bis mercy-cannot be wilfully omitted by us without a depravation of our whole character. And, on the other side, an acknowledg- ment of him that does not lead us to "keep bis commandments" is equally fatal (Matt. vii. 21-23; Luke xiii. 25-27). 'l'be Preacher appends two weighty considerations to induce us to attend to his exhortation to "fear God, and keep bis commandments." 'fhe first is that this is the source of true happiness. So would we interpret hi11 words, "For this is the whole of man." The word" duty" is suggested by our translators to complete the sense, but it is not comprehensive enough. "'l'o fear God and keep his commandments is not only the whole duty, but the whole honour and interest and happiness of man" (Wardlaw). The quest with which the book has been largely concerned is that for happiness, fot· the summum bonum, in which a.lone the soul cttn find satisfaction, and here it comes to an end. The discovery is made of that which has been so long and so painfully sought after. In a pious and holy life and conversation rest is found; all else is but vanity and vexation of spirit. '!'he second motive to obedience is the certainty of a fttture j11dg- ment (ver. 14). "For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Nothing will be omitted or forgotten. The Judge will be One who is ribsolutely just and wise, who will be free from all partiality; e.nd his sentence will bo fiual. If, therefore, we have no such reg1ml for our own happiness in th(} present life as would move us to secure it by love and service of God, we may still find a check upon sell;.will and self-indulgence in the thought that we shall have to give an account of our thoughts, words, and deeds to One from whose sentence there is no e.ppcal.-J. W,
~COL'l!:BIASTEB, y HOMILETIC.AL INDEX TO
ECCLESIASTES; OR, THE PREACHER.
TilEYE P~GK CHAPTER I. TJIEMB FA.GR Concern for Posterity 46 Koheleth, the Preacher 8 All Good is from God 46 "Vanity of Vanities" 10 Retribution 17 Concerning Crooked Things o.nd The Trial of Pbasure 48 Things Wanting 11 Sagacity and Stupidity 49 Increase of Knowledge, Increase of The Complaint of the Successful 49 Sorrow 12 Piety and Impiety; Recompense and "All is Vanity"... 14 Penalty 50 The Vanity of Man's Life... 15 An Experiment: Riotous Mirth 51 The Cycles of Nature lG Anothe1· Experiment: Refined Volup- The Insatiability of Sense... 18 tuousness 53 Novelty... 18 The Value and the Futility of The Vanity of Human Wisdom 19 Wisdom 54 Human Life and Human Labour 20 Riches, though obtained by Much The Stability of Nature 21 Toil, are VaniLy 56 Weariness and Rest 22 The Condition of Pure Enjoyment ... 67 The Chnnging and the Abiding 22 Oblivion nnd its Consolations 23 CHAPTER III. Knowledge and Sorrow 23 'l'he Summary of a Life's Experience 24 Times and Seasons; or, Heaven's Speonlntive Study of the ITorld 28 Order in Man's Affairs .. . 67 All Things Deautiful; or, God, Man, OHAPTER II. and the World... 68 Requiring that which is Post 70 The Vanity of Pleasure-an Experi• Wickedness in the Place of Judg- ment in Three Stages 89 ment; or, the Mystery of Provi- Wisdom and Folly 40 dence... 70 The Vanity of Toil 42 Are Men no Better than Bea.sis P ... 72 The Vanity of Wealth, Pleasure, and The Manifol<l Interests and Occupa- Greatness 43 tions of Life 73 The Comparison between Wisdom Tho Mystery nnd the Meaning of aud Folly 44 Life ••• 74 il INDEX.