Ecclesiastes 10:10 I. In chap. xi. Koheleth urges upon us the necessity of diligence. He has come to the conclusion that it is not worth while to have a nicely calculated scheme of life, because at every turn our calculations may be upset by the interference of an arbitrary Providence. But, on the... [ Continue Reading ]
Ecclesiastes 8:16-12 I. The Preacher commences this section by carefully defining his position and equipment as he starts on his last course. (1) His first conclusion is that wisdom, which of all temporal goods still stands foremost with him, is incapable of yielding a true content. Much as it can d... [ Continue Reading ]
Ecclesiastes 12:5 It is not at his death only that it may be said of any man, "He goeth to his long home." It is a continual present tense. Every moment, every step he takes, he is always on the road, getting nearer and nearer. I. Eternity is an abyss in which the mind loses itself in a moment; an... [ Continue Reading ]
Ecclesiastes 12:6 What, we ask, is that view of man's present condition implied in the language which speaks of death and decay as a loosening of the silver cord and a breaking of the golden bowl? I. It has been made an argument against the book of Ecclesiastes being the genuine writing of Solomon... [ Continue Reading ]
Ecclesiastes 12:7 I. Nothing is more difficult than to realise that every man has a distinct soul, that every one of all the millions who live or have lived is as whole and independent a being in himself as if there were no one else in the whole world but he. We class men in masses, as we might conn... [ Continue Reading ]
Ecclesiastes 12:8 I. Koheleth has achieved the quest. He has solved the problem and given us his solution of it. He is about to repeat that solution. To give emphasis and force to the repetition, that he may carry his readers more fully with him, he dwells on his claims to their respect, their conf... [ Continue Reading ]
Ecclesiastes 12:13 In its happy influence religion, or a filial compliance with the will of God, includes "the whole duty of man." It is self-contained felicity. I. A new heart itself is happiness. When gifts are so good as the Gospel and its promises, so good as our kindred and friends, so good a... [ Continue Reading ]
Ecclesiastes 12:13 I. Among the causes of a sceptical spirit I may assign the first place to that natural reaction against authority which results when the understanding is first emancipated from the control that restrained its free exercise during the years of earlier youth. Authority is the guide... [ Continue Reading ]
Ecclesiastes 12:14 I. These words show, not only that each of us will be judged, but that each of us will be judged for each action of his life; not for his general character whether (taken altogether) he was on the whole a worldly or a pious man, or the like, but for every single act, good or bad,... [ Continue Reading ]