opportunities of doing good, many will be thereby found which would be otherwise overlooked..

Go, and endeavor to deserve the appellation which Christ gave His disciples when he said, "Ye are the light of the world." Reflect how much is comprehended in this metaphor, and feel how great a responsibility 'resteth upon thee. Go, and "be faithful unto death," that thou mayest receive a crown of life."

pp. 85, 90. Kind and wise counsel to one, brought up by Divine grace from a bed of sickness. And did our limits permit, we would gladly make other quotations from a book, whose contents are the natural gushings of a smitten heart.

ARTICLE VIII.

AN ANALYSIS OF ECCLESIASTES.

By REV. JAMES M. MACDONALD, Jamaica, L. I.

Subject.

THE vanity, on the supposition that there is no hereafter, of life and the present world; or the insufficiency of the world to afford happiness, if men are without religion. The Preacher proposes this subject at the outset, as a sort of text, repeats it and refers to it, in every part, and formally re-announces it at the close.

Management of the Discourse.

As to the management of the discourse, there are two things worthy of distinct notice as giving it its peculiar character. 1. The Preacher constantly refers to his own experience. Solomon was not a nisanthrope, disappointed in his attempts to obtain worldly happiness, but a rich and powerful king, who had made trial of the most costly pleasures. The Book was undoubtedly written late in life, after he had been drawn from his allegiance to God, by idolatrous women (I. Kings 11: 1-14 and 23-40), and may be regarded, like the fifty-first Psalm of David, as his standing confession, which, in consideration of his eminent position and grievous fall, it is the will of God should be read in the church over the whole world and to the latest ages. Let those who would find some license or apology for their sins in the sad defections of Solomon, and his more illustrious father, behold these royal transgressors, as they stand daily in the church, penitently confessing and deploring their folly. 2. It is in the main what THIRD SERIES, VOL. V., No. 1.

10

may be styled a hypothetical discourse; i. e., he seems to admit the monstrous doctrine of the infidel, or the implied position of the thoughtless worldling, whose conduct is an emphatic disavowal of belief in a future state, and then employs the argumentum ex absurdo with overwhelming effect: "all is vanity," or all would, indeed, be vanity if there be no hereafter, if life has no higher end than sensual and worldly pleasure. When Solomon says, “vanity of vanities, all is vanity," it is not his object to disparage temporal blessings, or to advance a doctrine different from that of another inspired writer, that "every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving, being sanctified by the word of God and prayer" (I. Tim. 4: 4, 5); but he means to answer the question, Hast thou made all men in vain ?" (Ps. 89: 47) affirmatively-he means that even the creation of the world itself was a signal blunder, if there be no state of retribution to succeed the present. But let us proceed with our proposed analysis.

66

The subject announced.—Ch. 1: 1, 2.

2

1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king of Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities! all is vanity.

As Solomon was the only son of David who was king of Jerusalem, he is here as distinctly pointed out as the author of this sermon, as if his name had been given. We have a king for a preacher, and his discourse is worthy of his reputation for wisdom. HENRY shrewdly suggests, that while he conceals his name, because of the reproach which his sins had brought on himself, his kingdom and the cause of his God, he refers to his parentage and his office, as greatly aggravating his wicked conduct. The second verse is the text; it contains the proposition which the royal preacher proceeds to establish, illustrate, and apply, in this discourse, viz. :

THAT ON THE SUPPOSITION OF THERE BEING NO FUTURE STATE, ΤΟ WHICH THIS IS то BE REGARDED AS BUT PRELIMINARY, THE WHOLE SCENE OF HUMAN AFFAIRS IS NOTHING MORE THAN A VAIN AND EMPTY SHOW, AND THE CREATION OF THE WORLD, AND OF MAN, MUST BE PRONOUNCED A BLIND MISCARRIAGE.

Introduction.-Ch. 1: 4-11.

One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. The sun also, ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose. The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits. All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full : unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again. 8 All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. 9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done, is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. 10 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new?

it hath been already of old time, which was before us. "There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.

We have here a graceful and exceedingly appropriate introduction-appropriate, because it bears directly upon the main position laid down as the basis of this discourse. If the principles of Rhetoric require that unity should be preserved throughout, in the introduction as well as in other parts of a discourse, we have them exemplified here. From the full soul of the Preacher there comes, at the first opening of his lips, a burst of eloquence, not for display, or merely to arrest attention, but which agrees admirably with the argument; nay, which seems to suggest the method by which it is conducted, in the body of the discourse. In this respect, it is one of the happiest models which modern preachers can study.

He looks upon the stage of human action, and sees generation follow generation,

"Like shadows o'er the plain,"

and asks, what purpose, if this be the only stage on which these beings are to appear, worthy of their creation, or of the toil and suffering to which they are subjected, is answered? The earth which abideth for ever is but a great theatre, where this empty pageant-this mock tragedy-is to be enacted without end. He glances at the vast machinery of the universe; the sun making his daily and annual course through the heavens; the wind veering from point to point of the compass; the rivers coursing through almost every valley of the earth; the ocean ebbing and flowing, and sending up its exhalations to supply the rills and mighty streams which feed, but never fill it: "All things are full of labor; man cannot utter it." And age after age the same thing is enacted over and over again;-nothing new. If it be but a theatrical show, got up and maintained at so vast an expense, why not, like players, change the scene? why this dull uniformity? But who can believe that God created this great universe; lighted up that mighty sun to rise and set, to go from tropic to tropic; bespangled the heavens with stars; channelled out the rivers; set to the heaving ocean its bounds; and gave ordinances to the shifting wind, only to build and embellish a splendid stage, on which poor, short-lived men, generation after generation, might labor, and struggle, and die? or only to erect a stately mausoleum for entombed and annihilated nations? Is this uni verse such an aimless thing, and its Maker so blind a trifler? Arg. 1. The vanity of great learning if man be not immortal.— Ch. 1: 12-18.

12 I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem 13 And I gave my heart to

seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. 14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. 15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight; and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. 16 I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. 17 And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. 18 For in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

By "wisdom" the Preacher here means knowledge. He excelled in learning all his predecessors in Jerusalem; he excelled, too, all the literati of Egypt (I. Kings 4: 30), a country which boasted of being the mother of the arts and sciences. In addition to the wisdom contained in his thousands of proverbs and his songs, he paid great attention to natural science; for he "spake of the trees, from the cedar-tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall; he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes" (I. Kings 4: 33). Such was his reputation for learning, that all the kings of the earth sent their learned men to be instructed by him. In answer to Solomon's prayer, God gave him a wise and understanding heart. He gave him "wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea-shore" (I. Kings 4: 29). He was, moreover, a most diligent student; he gave the closest application of mind to the investigation of difficult and curious subjects. He possessed great original talents, and he faithfully improved the advantages for mental cultivation which his station and wealth conferred upon him. "The Preacher was king." If great learning be sufficient, of itself, to make men happy, Solomon, who tried the experiment on a magnificent and royal scale, must have been the happiest of men. But what does he say? "Behold all is vanity and vexation of spirit." He found problems, as all other philosophers still do, which set at defiance the wisdom of the wisest. His knowledge was not sufficient to enable him to correct the many political evils and social defects, even within his own dominions, which arise from the corruption of human nature. And, if we adopt the theory of the avowed skeptic, or practical atheist, then all his study only served to convince him that the whole scene of human affairs is but a paltry pageant, rendered gorgeous and imposing by the sublime works and magnificent arrangements of an almighty Architect. Well might a philosopher weep, and aver that in much wisdom is much grief, if death be the end of man; if the result of all his studies be that the world is but a great charnel-house, and the business of scholars only to interpret its curious devices and decorations. Hence it appears that science is not only insufficient to produce happiness, but if there be no hereafter, it becomes a source of pain to those who make the greatest attainments in it.

2. The insufficiency of luxury and worldly splendor to yield true happiness.-Ch. 2: 1-17.

I said in my heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure and behold, this also is vanity. 2 I said of laughter, It is mad; and of mirth, What doeth it? 3 I sought in my heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting my heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life. I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards; I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits; I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees; 7 I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house: also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me; I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings, and of the provinces; I gat me men-singers and women-singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. 9 So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem; also my wisdom remained with me. 10 And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour; and this was my portion of all my labour. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do; and behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun. 12 And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly; for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which has been already done. 13 Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness. 14 The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness; and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all. 15 Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity. 16 For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool. 17 Therefore, I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

He leaves the study for the gay world. "He adjourns," as Henry, with great elegance observes, "out of the library, the laboratory, the council-chamber, into the park and the play-house, his garden and summer-house; exchanges the company of the philosophers and grave senators, for that of the wits and gallants, and the beaux esprits of his court, to try if he could find true satisfaction among them." v. 1, 2.

He pushes the experiment, and proceeds from the pleasures of the fancy to luxury. He tried the exhilaration of the wine-cup, still acquainting his heart with wisdom; i. e., he made use of his knowledge that he might discover whether the chief good was to be found by the sons of men in the indulgence of the lower appetites, v. 3. He next proceeded to build him palaces, to lay out gardens, orchards, and vineyards, to dig artificial lakes, and build superb reservoirs; he increased his retinue, his flocks, and herds, and amassed imperial treasures of silver and gold, and employed bands of musicians, and choirs of singers, that as he and his gay courtiers wandered through the gardens and the groves, or reclined to enjoy the delicious coolness of the fountains, or were bathing in the pools, their ears might be regaled with the choicest music. What a picture of oriental luxury! Few, if