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mind nothing indeed but "vanity and vexation of spirit." Such Solomon found all the objects of his thought and pursuit, in his apostacy from God and purity, and when as a natural consequence, skepticism threw its pall of darkness over his mind.

Verses 4-11 present another and a different aspect of human life and the providence of God, an aspect by which the worldling and skeptic is vexed and agonized. It is the feeling of endless monotony which the movements of creation and providence awaken in such a mind. Perhaps the term monotony does not express the full idea. The thought ever present to such a mind, when the influences of its principles are consummated upon the soul is this: all the elements of universal nature are in perpetual activity and motion; but they everywhere present one and the same aspect-unceasing movement without progression-useless activity only reproducing the same vain and empty results, which the equally laborious activity of former generations has before produced in untold succession? The world, the preacher goes on to say, to be sure "abideth forever." But its surface is only a vast theatre, on which the generations of men without end or object, appear and disappear in rapid succession, each taking the same monotonous circle as its predecessor, and all passing off into the same long oblivion.

"One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth forever."

The sun, too, has one endlessly monotonous office. It rises, and then it sets again, returning in haste to the very place whence it started-motion without progression being its changeless law.

"The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose."

The elements also are subject to the same law of endless monotony, to wit, perpetual motion without progression. Everything moves in circles, going its round and returning again to the same place whence it started. The wind is in perpetual motion. It moves toward the south, then returns to the north again, wheeling about continually, and always returning to the point of departure.

"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."

The rivers are all moving in one direction, emptying their contents into the same great reservoir, the sea. Yet the

quantity of water in the sea is not increased. The reason is, that they first issue from the sea, run their monotonous circles, and then return to the very place from whence they

started.

"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."

All things are in a state of perpetual activity. Man has an insatiable thirst for knowledge, and is never satisfied with present attainments. But what is the result of this endless labor and activity? Nothing but the monotonous reproduction of the same vain and transitory results which former labor has produced. The wisdom and endless toil of man produces nothing new, nothing permanent, nothing not destined to a long and deep oblivion. Former things are now forgotten. The memory of the present will be alike temporary. Things to come also will in their turn be subject to the same laws. The universe is a vast maelstrom, on the outer circles of which objects first make their appearance. They are then carried round in rapid succession, always drawn nearer and nearer to the center, in which at last they are swallowed and lost forever. Others in succession appear under the same circumstances, take the same monotonous circles, and sink in their turn, into the same oblivion.

"All things are full of labor; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

"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.

"Is there anything 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."

Such is the cheerless, hopeless condition and destiny of man, and such the aspect of universal providence in respect to him, as the subject presented itself to the author of the book before us, when impenetrable doubts shrouded his mind in respect to the great truths of religion-the doctrine of immortality, of eternal retributions, and of the paternal grace and providence of God; and when, in a state of alienation from purity and truth, he surrendered his being to sensual indulgence, and to the pursuit of the temporary and finite as the supreme good.

There is hardly a state of which we can possibly form a

conception, in which the entire susceptibilities of the mind are depressed with feelings of more intense agony than in that of which we are now speaking. Movement, with sensible progress from one state to prospects higher, more expanding and happifying, is the great want of universal humanity. Hence, the sense of perpetual motion without progress is a state of almost all others, the most agonizing. Said a prisoner to his keeper, (a prisoner doomed to years of solitary confinement in a state prison,) "Had my room been built in a circular form, I should soon become a distracted maniac here. The reason is that in that case, but one aspect of things would be present to the mind. The prospect presented would be one of perpetual monotony without variety. But now, my cell being of a different form, by change of position I can vary even the narrow prospect around me, and thus relieve the agony which one, perpetually present monotonous prospect awakens in the mind." Now, if with this endlessly monotonous aspect of things, the sense of motion without progress is connected, with an intense desire for actual advancement, then the entire being is pervaded by a feeling of unmitigated agony, under the weight of which the mind sinks down into a living death. When the Grecian mind would fable to itself a state of the most intolerable agony conceivable, one of the forms in which it shadowed forth that state, was that of an individual doomed to the employment of rolling a great rock up a steep hill, while the rock, when it was carried to a certain height, would always roll back to the same place from whence it was taken. When the mind becomes conscious, that during the endless future before, it cannot but repeat such efforts, with precisely the same results, who can conceive of another and more bitter ingredient added to its cup of agony? We once had an experience of the feelings generated under the circumstances of which we are speaking. Under the influence of false instructions, we came into a state of blank despair in respect to the least possible good, during the entire eternity to come. Had we never been in that state, we could not appreciate, as we now do, the thoughts developed in the passage under consideration. The entire universe around presented one unvarying aspect, the very aspect here described, that of continued motion without progress or change. The sun would commence his wearisome circuit, toil on to the close, and then return to the very place whence he started. Then he would recommence his dull course, wearying himself

to get back to the same place again. For no finite considerations, would we again experience, for a single hour, the agony which pervaded our entire being from such an aspect of creation and providence. Such was the light in which universal nature presented itself to the mind of Solomon during the era of his apostacy, the only light in which, with such a state of mind, creation and providence can be viewed. Take from the mind the doctrine of immortality, together with the idea of the paternal grace and providence of God presiding over the movements of creation, and especially the concerns of men, let the mind swing from its moorings in a settled faith in the truths of religion, and what is the unvarying aspect of the universe to it then? The very aspect presented in the passage under consideration. Everything is in motion, but it is movement without progression. Everything is full of labor, but it is labor only reproducing the same vain and empty results which former toil has produced. Monotony endless and unvarying is the law, and sole law of the universe. Every skeptic, every apostate from truth and God, may not yet have experienced all these results in his own mind; for many blindly adopt principles without reflecting upon their nature and tendencies. Such, however is the changeless tendency of the principles to which such minds are subject, and such is the state to which they are advancing under the influence of these principles. Take the great truths of religion, we repeat, from the soul, to wit, God and immortality, and other kindred truths, and the universe lies out under the mind's eye, naked and barren, a cheerless, hopeless scene of boundless desolation.

We have dwelt longer than we anticipated upon these few verses. But we knew not how to cut short our remarks, without failing to present the real conceptions of the author, pertaining, not only to the subjects alluded to in the verses themselves, but to all the topics, of remark and discussion throughout the book. The author now proceeds, in the remainder of this and the following chapter, to develop the reasons present to his mind for the sentiments previously presented.

The first great reason assigned is, that those sentiments were the result of the most patient and careful observation on his part, his circumstances, together with his superior wisdom and knowledge, affording him the fairest opportunity for the discovery of the truth. He was (verse 12) "king over Israel in Jerusalem," a position most favorable for a widely

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extended induction of facts. In the next place, he had made (verse 13) the most careful investigation of the facts which had fallen under his observation, giving his "heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under the sun," the research being in itself a most painful task which God had imposed upon the sons of men, that they might be afflicted thereby. This we judge to be the true meaning of the last clause of this verse-"this sore travail hath God given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith." The original word here rendered exercised, in all the instances noticed by Gesenius, with the exception of this single passage, and chapter 3: 10, where it evidently has the same meaning as in this, is rendered by him "to be be afflicted, to be depressed," &c. This is manifestly its common meaning in the Bible. No reasons exist why a different meaning should be given to it, in these passages, but many to the contrary, This explanation, for example, accords with the prevailing sentiments of the book, and especially with that of the next verse of the present chapter, the verse in which the author declares that he had actually come to a full understanding of the nature and tendency of all the works of man, and of the dispensations of providence in respect to him, and he had found them all, without exception, in themselves empty and vain, and tending to but one result, human misery, "vexation of spirit."

"I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold all is vanity and vexation of spirit."

The author further adds, verse 18, that the exclusive tendency of knowledge, as well as of all things else, is an increase of sorrow. When, therefore, he affirms that God has imposed upon men the "sore travail" of attaining this knowledge, "that they might be exercised therewith," he does not intend to intimate that the design of Providence is that they should be "exercised therewith" for their happiness, but misery. His principles involved necessarily an impeachment of the divine benevolence in respect to man, as all principles of skepticism in respect to religion in reality do, and our author does not hesitate to avow, indirectly, at least, the legitimate consequence of his principles.

He then, verse 15, goes on to affirm, that such is not only the present condition of man, but that there is nothing better for him to hope for in the future. His state is fixed

and changeless. All things are arranged for his misery, and cannot be reversed for the better. to his happiness are without number, and plied.

Things wanting cannot be sup

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