Commentary on the Holy Bible

Terse 31. She is not afraid of the motb] Id. She is not aDxious relative to the health and comfort of her family in the winter season, having proTided clothes sufficient for each in the cold weather, in addition to those iHuch they wore in. the warm season.

For all her household are clothed with scarlet,] Not scarlet, for the colour can avail nothing in keeping off the cold; nor would it be a proper colour for the bogs and dirt of winter. But O'30 shamnh ^m niif shanah, to iterate, to double, signifiet aot only scarlet, so CfUed from being twice or doubly dyed, but also doutie garments, not only the ordinary coat but the surtOKt or great-coat also, or a cloak t<t cover alL But most probably double garments, or twofold to what they were accustomed to wear, are here intended. If the general clothing be intended, scarlet cannot be the meaning, nor did our translators entirely rely on it; and therefore put double garments, the true meaning, in the margin, from which it cannot be too speedily transferred to the text. The Vulgate has " duplieibus.^' And my old MS. very properly, Sllle fursotl) tKx ^oomU men, ttn rlotf^ni MX\^ Hott&Ie. And Coverdale, with equal propriety, <' For all hir householde iblkes are duble clothed.*' But if her husband and children alone are referred to, scarlet, which is the general meaning of tlie.term^ may be proper enough; a6 even in these countries of ours, scarlet, as being a lively bright colour, id used in the winter dresses.. Verse 33. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry] 13. She is not regardless either of her own person, or of the decent, proper appearance of her presses and wardrobe. She has coverings or carpeting for her guests to sit upon; she has also tapestry, C3n3"iD marbaddim, either tapestry, carpeting, or quUted work for her beds; and her own clothing is Vflff shesh, fine flax, or lioen cloth, and purple; probably for a cloak or mantle. The fine linen or cotton, cloth of Egypt is probably intended. I have often seen it wrapping the bodies of mummies; it is something like our coarse calico. The purple was supposed to have been dyed by a precious liquor obtained from the pinna magna, a large shell-fish, of the muscle kind, found fttk the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. I have seen

23 ' Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.

24 She maketh fitie linen, and selleth it; - and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.

25 Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.

some of them nearly two feet in length. But it is. a doubt whether any such liquor was ever obtained from this or any other fish; and the story itself is invented merely to hide the secret, the proper method of dying purple; which was kept eo well that it certainly died with the ancients.

Verse 33. Her husband is known in the gales] 14. She is a loving wife, and feels for the respect' dbUity and honour of her husband. He is an elder among his people, and he sits as a magistrate in the gate. He is respected Bot only on account of the neatness and cleanliness of his person and dress; but because he is the husbapd' of a woman who is jui^tly held in universal esteem." And her complete manAge? ment of household afikirs gives him full leisure to de^ vote himself to the civil interests of the community. Verse 34. She maketh fine hnen, and selleth it] 16. She is here remarkable for carrying on a traffic of splendid and ornamental dtesses, or liabits, as she is, ver. 13, for " a ooarser manufacture." The plD sidon is supposed to come from f^'^^ in Arabic; and to signify a kind of loose inner garment, shirt, chemise, or fine muslin covering. Some of these are so exceedingly fine, like the abrooam, that when spread on the grass, - they are scarcely discernible. Some such garments as these are still worn by ladies in India and in China, and are so thin and transparent, that every part of the body may - be seen through them.' • I have many representations of persons clothed in this way before me both of the Chinese, the Hindoo, and the Malabar ladies. Probably this eminent Jetvish matron had such articles manufactured in her own house. She -dealt also ia^'r^ei. These are still's very general and very expensive- article of dress. I have seen them made of sUk, and highly ornamented with gold and' silver thread, worked into flowers and various curious devices. The loose ^ Eastern.robe is confined by these; and the word may also titke in the shawl of the turban, which is often superb and cosily. It is properly the girdle for the head. As these were genersUly woven, the consumption was great; and an able artist must have had a good trade. *

The Arabic gives a remarkable translation of this ' verse: " She maketh towels, (or table-cloths,) and seUe them to the inhabitants of Basra, (a city in Mesopotamia,) and fine linens, and sells them to the Canaanites.'* My old MS. Bible has, ^anDrel scjie matre anH solU, anti a Iftfl gftDrfl bc^z tokf to CfKmane. Perhape *3J.*33S lakkenaani, for the merchant, may stand here for OOj^JdS lakkenaanim, the Canaanites,

Verse 35. Strength and honour are her clothing\ 10. All the aitides manufaotored by herself or

Ducriptum of a virtuois PROVERBS.

26 She openelh her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of » kindness.

27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idle-

28 H^. children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.-

under her care have a double perfection: 1. They are ^^rong". 3. They are e/e^on/; Strength and honour are her clothing; and on account of d^is she shall rejoice in time to come; she shall never have occasion to blush for any thing she has madCf for any thing she ol: hers have worn, or for any thing she has sold. Besides, she has so conducted herself that she has reason to expect that' the hand of the Lord shalT be still with her, and shall keep her from evil that it may not grieve her.

1 7. He comes no^ to the moral management of her family. 1. She is wise znd intelligent; she has not neglected the cultivation of her mind. 2. She is amiable in her carriage, full of good nature,. well tempered, and conciliating in her manners and address.

In her tongue is the law of kindness.] This is the most distinguishing excellence of this woman. There are very few of thode who are called mana^g women who are not lords oVer their husbands, tyrants over their servants, and insolent among; their neigh* hours. But this woman, with all her eminence and exoellence, was of a meek and quiet spirit. Blessed woms^n!

18.. She is a moral manager; she takes care that all shall behave themselves well; that none of. them shall keep bad company or.contriuit vicious habits. A religions industry, or an indu'strions religion,* is the law of her house. She can instruct them in religion, as well as she cad teaoh them in their labour. In her house, diligence in business, and fervency of spirit, serving the* Lord, go hand in hand.

19. She* knows that idleness leads to vice; and.therefore every one. has his work, and every gne has his proper food. That they mrfy work wetl; they are fed well; and every one, at least, earns the bread that he eats — eateth not the bread of idleness.

20. She considers a good education next to Divine * influence; and she knotvs also that if she train up a child in the way he should go; when he is old he will not dep^ from it. 1. Her children are well bred; they rise up and pay due respect. 2. They are t€tught the fear of the Lord, and obedience to his testimonies; therefore they call her blessed. So they are of a decent, orderly, respectable, religious behaviour. 3. Her husband is so satisfied with her conduct towards himself, his household, his business, wd their children, that he praiseth her, H« shoWs

30 Favour w deceitful, and ° beauty is Tain: butti wdmm that feareth the Lord, she shaQ be praised.

3 1 Give her of the fruit of lier hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

himself sensible of her excellence, and encourages her, in her work, by the commendations he bestows.

Verse 29. Many daughters have done virtumt^y] This is undoubtedly the speech of the husband, uving testimony to the excellence of his wife: " Her husband also, and he praiseth her, saying, *Bfany daughters,* women, * have done virtuously,' with dw propriety as wives, mistresses, and mothers; *bit THOU,' my incomparable wife, 'excellest them all;' HiSd hj; h'Sjr nKl veath alith al cuUanah, but tbw hast ascended above the whole of them— ^thon hast carried every duty, every virtue, and every qualification and excellency, to a higher perfection, than any of whom we have ever read or heard.'' And let the reader seriously consider the above particulars, as specified under the different, heads and subdivisions; and he will be probably of the same min<|. But high as the character of this Jewish matron stands in the preceding description, I can say that I have met at least her equai, in a daughter of the Rer. Dr. Sammd Annesly, the wife of Samuel Wesley, sen., rector of Epworth in * Lincolnshire, and mother of the late extraordinary brothers,' John apd Charles Wesley. I ani constrained to add this testimony, after having traced her from her bit^h to her death, throiigh all the relatioqa that a woman can bear upon earth. Her Christianity gave to h^ virtues and excellences a heightening, which the Jewish matron could not possess. Besides, she was a wonuin of great learning and information, and of a depth of mind,\and reach of thought, seldom to be found among the daughtenr of Eve,' and not oflen among the sons of Adam. Verse 3 0. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain, 4^.\ in. Here is i^e summing tip of the character. 1. Favour, jH ehen, grace of manner may be deceitful, many a/atr appearance of this kind is put on, assumed for certain secular or more unworthy purposes; it ia learned by painftd drilling in pcflished seminaries, and, being the effect of mere physical discipline, it continues while the restraint lasts; but it is "ip0r sheker, a lie, a mere semblance, an outward varnish. It is not the effect of internal moral regulation; it is an outside, at which the inside murmurs; apd which, because not ingenuous, is a burden to itself.

2. Beauty, ^D^n haiyophi, elegance of shape, symmetry of features, dignity of mien, and beauty of countenance, are all ^n hebel, vanity; sickness impairs them, suffering deranges them, and death destroys

3. " But a woman that feareth the Lord," that possesses true religion, has that grace that harmonizes the soul, that purifies and refines all the tempers and passions, and that ornament of beauty, a meek and

" yeraeSl. Give her of the fruit of her hands] Thia may be ^. prayer. May she long enjoy the fruit of her labours! May she see her:children's ofaildren^ ajid peace upon Israel!

-And let her own works praise her in the gales.] Let what she has done be qx>ken of for a memorial of her; let her bright example" be held forth in the most public placer. Let it be s^t before the eyes of eiery female^ particularly of OTery wtfe, and especially of every mother; and let them learn from this 0x001^^ plar, what men haye a right to expect in their wives, the mistresses of their families, and the mothers of iheir children. Amen.

The Arabic concludes thus: — *' The discipline of Solomon written out by the friends of IJezekUh, king of Judah, the interpretation or translation of which is extremely difficult, (but) is now. completed by. the assistance and influence of the Son of God."

In the introduction- to the book of Proyerbs, among the several collections of a similar nature which are mentioned there, I have referred to M. Galand's Maximes des Orientaux, From this - work, is contained in the supplement to the Bibliotheque' Orientale, I have, translated the following selection. They Will serve to show the curious reader how many sayings aimiUr to those of Solomon still abound in the £ast

To sin once is too much; but a thousand acts of devotion towards God are not sufficient to honotir him.

If a man foresaw his end, and his exit from lifi^ he would abhor his actions, and their deceitfulness.

The orphan is not the person who has lost Ids father; but he who has neither wisdom, nor^a good education.

The heart of the fool is in his mouth, and the tongue of the wise man is in his heart.

He who runs with a slack rein, guided only by hope, eqcpunters the last moment of his life, and falls.

Whfen you have once received a benefit} render yourself not unworthy of it, by a want of gratitude.

When you have got an advantage over yoor enemyf-|>ardon him^ in returning God thanks for that, advantage.

When yon are in prosperity, you need seek no other* revenge against him who envies you than the mortification he has from it.

How advantageous must wisdom be to its possessor, seeing it is of so great valoe as ncft to be purchase by money!

. Df all vices, vanity and a love of contention are the most difficult to be corrected.. •

'Visiting your neighbour is no 'crime; hut your visits should qot be so often repeated, as to induce him to say. It is enough.

If a prince would worship God in truth, he must remain in his limits, be,true to l)is treaties, be content with what he has, and suffer patiently the privation of what he has not.

Nothing so much resembles flowers planted on a dunghill, as the good which is done to an ignorant or worthless man.

In whatsoever company or society you be, engage not in those matters which concern the whole.; for if. you succ.eedf the whde company will attribute the success to itself; and: if you succeed not, each person will lay the Uame on you.

When the soul is ready to' depart, what avails it whetlrer a man die on a throne or in the dust?

We need not be sur(taised when thoee who ask or seek for improper things, fall into misfortunes which they did not expect.

Riches dwell no. long^ in the hand of a liberal man, than patience in the heart of a lover, or water in a sievek

As soon as a person takes pleasure in hearing slander, he is to be ranked in the number of slanderesk.,. That which a man supers for this world,- fills his heart with darkness; but that which he suffers for the other) fills it with light.

The greatest repose which a man can enjoy, is that which he feels in desiring nothing.

Do not reproach a man for the sin which he has committed, when God has forgiven him.

He who pushes a jest farther than good breedingrequires, shall never fail to be hated or despised..

He who is worthy of being called a man, is unsfia^ ken in adversity, humble in prosperity, active and bold in danger; and, if he be liot learned, has at least a ^ love for learning.. '

The man who is governed by his passions is in a worse state than the most miserable slave.

- He is a free man who desires nothing; and he is a dave who expects that which he. wishes.'

A wise man practises, the three following things: he abandons the world before it abandons him; he builds his sepulchre before the time of entering it j and he does all with a design to please God, before entering into his presence.

He who lords it over those who • are below him, shall one day find a master who will lord it over him.

He who tftkes not counsel beforehand, will surely fail in accomplishing his projects.

Watch your friends;.except those of whom you are certain; but know, that none can be a true friend but he who has the fear of God.

The most perfect pleasures in this world are- always mingled with some bitterness.

He who considers consequences with too much attention, is ordinarily a man of no courage.

The world is the hell of the good, and the htoven of the wicked; 1. e., it is all the evil that the former shall meet with, and all the good that the latter shall enjoy.

By doing good 4^«^08e who have OTil intentions against you, you therefeiy shut their mouth.

' Partial knowledge is better than total ignorance; if you cannot getwhat you wish, get what you can.

The poor' should get learning in order to become rich; and the rich should acKinhre it for their om»-

A man should accommodate himself to the we^ ness of his inferiors, in order to derive from* them IM services he requires.

AO avaricious man runs straight into poverty. He leads a life of poverty here below; but he must give the account of a rich man in the day of judgment.

The greatest advantage that a man can procure for his children, is to have them well educated.

Do good to him who does you evil, and by ^is means you will gain the victory over him.

Men, because of speech, have the adrantage over brutes; but beasts are preferable to. men whose language is indecent.

- Deoeivers, liars, and all persons who lead an lingular life, are intoxicated by the prosperity whi^ smiles-upoa them in all things; but that intDxieatiai is the just recompense of their evil actions.

It 'is in vain to expect these five things from the following persons: A present from a poor mas; service from a lazy man; succour from an enemy; counsel from an envious man; and true Ioto firoia % prude.

It is unbecoming the ohaiacter of a wise man ts commit the fault for ^idiich he reproves others.

A passionate man is capable of nothing; how unfit then is such a person for a governor!

You cannot keep your own secret; what esnas then have you to complain, if another to whom yos have declared it should reveal it!

It is the same with the administration of the affairs of kings as with sea TOyages; yon ma;^ loee, gain, amass treasures, and lose your life.

He who submits to a voluntary porerty neither JMSsesses, nor is possessed by, any thing.

A wicked man should be considered as dead while he is alive; but a good man lives eren in the tomb.

Honours, employments, and dignities cannot rscompensis a man for t^ pains he has taken to acquire them.

Thiit day in which a man neither does some good action, nor acquires some, usetfol knowledge, should aoC be (if possible) nun^bered in the days of his life.

He who is of a sOrly and unyielding dispositioo, never fails to excite troubles even anipng relatives and friends.

• A great monarch should fix a good reputation as an object to which he should ooUtinually bend his pursuits; because, of all the grandeurs and enuoenees- of this world, this is tiie only thing that shall survive him.

To hare pity on one's enemy, wheu he is in distress, is the mark of a great' soul.

He who does good shall not lose ius reward. A good action never perishes, neither before God nor before men.

Oovetousness proceeds ad infinitum; therefore, determine the bounds of yoor desires, and the objects of your pursuits. He who does not act thus shall never be<iome either rich or happy.

A monarch who considers his own interest should ever abide in his kingdom, and consider himself ss a rose in the midst of a garden, which continually r^ poses on thorns,

Neyer despise a man because his empbymeot is mean, ur his clothing bad. The bee is an insect which is not very pleasing to the sights yet its hive afibrds abundance of honey...

The people enjoy repose when governed by -princes who take none. The monarch who watches, -caoses his people to repose in safety.

Confer your opinion with that of another, for truth' is more easily discovered by two than one.

Be always employed, that ye become not slothful; and refer to God all that yon acquire by.labouK| otherwise you shall live in a continual and condemnor' ble idleness.

It is extremely difficult to render him 'wise who knows nothing; because his ignorance causes him tq believe that he knows more than he who attempts to instruct him.

One coat, one hoase, and one day^s food, is enough fo you; and should you die at noonday,' you will have one half too much.

A covetous man is an enemy to all the poor; and is cursed both in this and the coming world.

Interested friends resemble dogs in public places^ who love the bones better than those who throw them.

In order to live well, a man should die to all his passions, and every thing that depends on them.

A thousand years of delight do not deserve the risk of our lives for a single moment.

The service of kings may be compared to a vast sea, where many" merchants ' traffic, some of whom acquire great riches, and others are shipwrecked.

Humble yourself in asking, that you may be raised up in obtaining what yon request.

It cannot be said of a miser that he possesses his riches, however attached he may ^ be to them.

Kings and subjects are equally unhappy, where persons of merit are despised, and where ignorant men occupy the chief places of trust.

The most proper method of punishing an envious person is, to load him with benefits.

Never trust to appearance. Behold the drum: notwithstanding all its noise, it is empty within.

Keep not an evil consci^ce: but be diffident, to the end that you be never surprised nor deceived.

A wise man by his speeches does things which a hundred armies conjoined could not execute,

Those H^ iielieve they may gain by seditions and commotions never fail to excite them.

The best friends we have in this world are the spite of our actions, who publish our faults.

He who applies himself to acquire knowledge, pota himself in the capacity of possessing all good things'.

He who does not succeed in the busii^ess in whiiih he is employed, because he is incapable of it, deeerves to be excused; for it is to be believed that he b'as done all he could to aoeomplish his end.

Do not despise a poor man because he is such: the lion is- not less noble because he is chained.

A young man wno has ' the-wisdom of* an old man, is eonsidered as an old man among those who are wise.

Can it be said that a man has wisely considered what he has. done, when the end corresponds not with what he proposed 1

To the end that what yeii- desire may be advantageous to you, never desire any thing but that which is proper for you.

Though it be pretended that no man can shun his destiny, yet it is well (o do nothing without precaution.

Evil speaking and calumny never quit their hold till they have destroyed the innocent on whoin they havQ once seized.

Five things are useless when they sure not accompanied each with another, thing: advice without effect; riches without economy; science without good manners; almsgiving to improper objects, or without a pure intention; and life without health.

If you wish your enemy never to know your secret, ^ never divulge it to your friend.

Art thou a man in honour? Wouldst thou live without inquietude or remorse? Then do actions worthy of thy character.

Whea sabjecta are ill treated by sabaltem officers, and cannot make remonstrances to the pTincC) becaase' /the too great aathority of ministers of state deprives tKem of the means; their lot is like to that of a man.l^hOf half dead with thirst, apjnroaches tfie riyer Nile to drink; but perceiying a erocodUe^ is obliged to perish for lack of water, or submit to be dcTonred.

If you be reproved for your faults, do not be angry with him who does It: but turn your anger, against the things for which he has'reproyed yon.

Do not diseover the faults of others, if you be unwilling to have your own known.

Your -conversation is* the index of your intellect, and yuur actions show the bottom of your heart.

If you have a friend who- takes offence at trifles, break entirely with him, for he is not to be trusted.

The happiness of life is only to be found, when the conscience is pure and clean.

* Measure. every man with his-lown measure; i. e., '< Do not expect or require from him more than is in him."

My son, I wish thee tp observe these six mazmif which comprehend all the morality of the ancients aoa modems.

1. Have no attachment to the world, but inpropoition to the short duration of thy life. • 2. Serve God with all that fervour which the need thou hast of hiih demands.

. a. Labour fpr the other life that awaiu thee, and consider the time it must endure^

4. Strive to escape that fire, oat of which those who are once cast in can never, escape.

6. If thou hast temerity enough to ain, meaaoie beforehand the strength thou shalt require to eDdne the fire of hell, and the. chastisements of God.

My sons, never despise anyj>erson: consider yev superior as your fother, your equal as your brother, and your inferior as your son.

If ever the homan spirit be rendered capable of contemplating the mysteries of the Divinity, it' is thoa alone who givest it the light by which it vuderstaodi, and the attractions by which it- is penetrated*

'PHE book, entitled Kohelethy or EccZerio^f 65, has evel: been received, both by the Jewish and Christian Church, as written under the inspiration of the Almighty; and was held to be properly a part of the sacred canon. But while this has been ahnost universally granted, there' has been but little unanimity among learned men and critics as to its author. To Solomon it has been most generally attributed, both in ancient and modem times.

^ GrotiuSf however^ conjectured that it was writteji a long time after Solomon; and he say^, at the close of his notes on it,- that it was revised in the days of Zerubbabel by some learned man, who in the twelfth verse of the last chapter addresses his son Ab'ihud: " And farther, by these, my son, be admonished." But such a conjecture appears to have little foundation. This great' man was ijaore successful in his criticism on the language of the book; showing that there are many words in it which do not savour of the purity of the Hebrew tongue; and are found in the times of the captivity and afterwards^ and such as appear principally in the books of Ezra and Daniel,

Calovius has on the other hand, not-with so much success as he imagined^ argued against Grotius for ih^ jpurity of the language.

Mr. G. Zirkel of Wurtzburgh published an examination of this book in 1792, in^ which he endeavours to prove: —

1. That the style of Ecclesiastes is that of the later Hebrew writers^ as appears by the Chaldaisms, Syriasms, and Hellenisms that occur in it.

2. That it may have been written between!the years 380 and 130 before Jeaus Christ, if not later.

The Jena reviewers seem to have thought it to be a translation from the Greek, and to have been written by a Jew of Alexandria, while the famous, library was foimding by Ptolemy Philadelphus king of Egypt, about the y^r 240 before Christ. And that it is to this circumstance that chap. xii..l2 alludes, "Of making many books there is no end;" which could not have entered into the head of a Palestine Jew; and such a person might speak with propriety of an Israel in Jerusalem^ chap. i. 12, being acquainted with an Israel in Alexandria.

The Jews in general, and St. Jerome, hold the book to be the qomposition of Solomon^. and the fruit of his repentance when restored frona his idolatry, into which he had fallen through means of the strange or heathenish women, whom he had taken for wives and concubines.

Others, of no mean note, wha consider Solomon as the author, believe that he wrote it before his fall; there being, no evidence that he wrote it afterwards; ijor, indeed, that he ever recovered from his fall. - Besides, it was in his old age that his wives turned away his heart from God; and the book bears too many evidences of mental energy to allow the supposition that in his declining age, after so deep a fall from God, he was capable of writing such a treatise. This opinion goes far towards destroying the Divine, inspiration of c 799 the book;• for if he did recover and repent, there is no evidence that God gave Jiim back that Divine inspiration which he before, possessed; for we hear of the Lord appearing to him twice be/ore' his folly but of a t Aire? 'appears^nce ^here is no intimation. And lastly. Of the restoration of Solomon to the favour of God there is no proof in the sacred history; for in the very plqce where we are told that ^' in his old s^e his wives turned away his heart from the Lord,'* we are told of his death, without the slightest intimation of his repent-. ance. See my character of Solomon at the end of 1 King^ xi.

Nothing, however, of this uncertainty can affect either the character, importance, or utility of the book in question. It is a production of singular worth; and the finest monument we have of the wisdom of the ancients, except the book of Jobr

But the chief difficulty attending this book is the principle on which it should be interpreted. Some have supposed it to be a dialogue between a trap believer and an infidel^ which makes it to the unwary reader appear abounding with contradiction, and, in some instances, fake doctrine; and that the parts must be attributed to their 'res|)ectiye speakers, before interpretation can be successfully attempted. I am not convinced that the book has any such structure; though in some places the opinions and sayings of infidels may be quoted; e. g., ichap. vii. 1 6, and in some of the following chapters.

In the year 1763, M. l)esvcsuxy a learned foreigner then resident in England, and who was in the British service, wrote and published a Philosophical and Poetical Essay on this book, in which he endeavours to prove, that the design of the author was to demonstrate the immortality of the soul; and that it is on this principle alone that the book can be understood and explained.

As a late commentator on the Bible has adopted this plan, and-interwoven the major pait of this dissertation with his notes on the book, I shall intrbduce the whole of M. Desvciiu^i analysis of its ^contents, the propositions, arguments, proofs, illustrations, corollaries, &c., oo the ground of which he attempts its illustratioii:—

The whole of the discourse (he says) may be redaceid to the* three followtng propositums, each of which is attended with its apparatus of proofs and especial observations.

PRQPOSITION L. No laboar of man io tjiis world can render him contented, or giye him true satisfaction of aoul.

Earthly goods and possessions are so far from making us happy, that they may be even Tiewed as ml obstacles to our ease, quiet, and tranquillity of mind.

Men know not what is or is not truly advantageous to them; because they are either ignorant or ummndfiil of that which must come to pass after their death.

The three propositions, with their proofs and illtuirations, are contained in the following analysis ^—

11. General conclusion of the second proof. A review of the second proof with special conclusions, relating to every ptztienl^ therin meiktionedf rii*,

9. Conclusion of the third proof.

A review pf the second and third prooft, considered jointly, with qieeial observations and corollaries. 10, 11.. First observation. — God is inculpable. 19| 15. Seoond.obaervation.^ — God is tha anclior nmioBVCTioN to the book of ecglesiastbs.

.of whatever befalU os ia thie world. lu. 16, 17. First edroIlary.-r<7od shaH redress aU ^rieif Slices. Id-S 1. Second eorollary.-'^-God niiiet be ei(i)ted, aod^maa hamUed. 33. Third corollary.— God allows men to enjoy the piresent life. Fettrth proof.— ^Men's neglect of ptoper oppononitiesf -evidefieed in sereral instances, Tiz.,

V. Misapplication of esteem and. regard:

several admonitions, in ordcfr to pre^ vent any misoonstmetiofn of the fore-

14-17^ First proof. Instability of riches. 18. 3. Second proof Insufficiency of riches to make men^happy. 3^. Corollary. The foe.of on abortive is, on the whole, preferable to that of him who lives wi^ut enjoying life. " - 7-9. Third proof Men^s insatiablen^ss. 10, 11. dedenl canclusum from the Jhrsi and things. A digression^ intended, like that ver. 1-9, UKpTeveot any iniseonstntction of the preceding ohservations; and containing several a^jncesi together with a strong commendation of hin^' who gives them, in order to enforce the observation of the rules he lays down.

Fifth advice. Do not heed idle reports. 33-35. Commendation of the foregoing advices from the author^s applidation of every thing; and espeicially,

Second proof Anticipated judgments. 9-14. I. That sin shall go tmpunished, becan'se it is so in this w6rld. a. ^ 15-6. II. That life is preferable to death.. 71-9. First corollary^ Elulhly exgoyments are not criminal. '10. Second corollary* We most' make a. proper use of our fhoidties. 11-15. Third proof Judgments that are seem- * ingly right, but entirely false. 16; &c. Fourth proof, tittle regard paid to wisdom. 16. I. Past seWicer are fbrgotteii. II. The least fonlt is noticed. x. 5-19. in. Favour gets what is due to merit, 30. ' A caiition to prevent the abuse of... die preceding remarks.