being aftonished or dejected at the oppreffion, violence, or injustice that are in the earth. For we fhall be fenfible that God fees it all, and will reckon for it in the day of the revelation of his righteous judgment. May we then fanctify the Lord of hofts in our hearts, and make him our fear and our dread.

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3. The frequent views which Solomon gives us of the vanity of riches, fhould engage us all to feek a better, even an enduring fubftance. We fee Solomon's obfervations on the vanity, uncertainty, and troubles attending wealth daily verified. But religion is a fubftantial good; it fatisfies the foul; contributes to the usefulness of the day, and the repofe of the night: it affuredly brings true prof perity to thofe that poffefs it; and furnishes them with peace and comfort even in fickness and death. They do not regret to leave the world, as their treafure is laid up in heaven. On the whole, religion makes wealth a blessing, or turns poverty into an honourable and happy state; as it gives that joy of heart which the greatest abundance of the world can never give,

Solomon proceeds to fhow the vanity of wealth and the evil of fordid covetousness. He had mentioned a heart to use what we have as a great bleffing, he here obferves, that it is not always to be found, and that without it a man is miferable in his greatest abundance.

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HERE is an evil which I have feen under the

Tfun, and it [is] common among men: A man

to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, fo that he wanteth nothing for his foul of all that he defireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a ftranger eateth it; he is a mere flave to his money, and lays up for he knows not who: this [is] 3 vanity, and it [is] an evil difeafe. If a man beget an hundred [children,] and live many years, fo that the days of his years be many, and his foul be not

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filled with good, and alfo [that] he have no burial; if a man have many children of his own, which among the jews was reckoned a fingular favour, yet grudges himself the comforts of life; or if he make no provision for his decent funeral, or his heir have fuch a contempt for him that he will not allow him fuch a funeral, I fay, [that] an untimely, that is, an abortive birth [is] better than he. 4 For he, that is, the abortive child, cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name fhall be co5 vered with darkness. Moreover he hath not seen the fun, nor known [any thing:] this hath more reft than the other; as he hath never enjoyed the pleasures, he hath never felt the calamities of life, fo that he who hath deprived himself of its comforts, and plunged himself into its 6 forrows, is the greater fufferer. Yea, though he live a thousand years twice [told,] yet hath he feen no good: do not all go to one place? in a little time both of them Shall be upon a level.

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All the labour of man [is] for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled; the defires of the body are foon fatisfied, but the craving of a distempered heart never is. 8 For what hath the wife more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living? The wife man who knoweth how to govern his fancy, and a poor man who knoweth how to behave fuitable to his condition, and restrains unreasonable defires, is more honourable and happy than wealthy mifers: or if it be taken as a 9 question, the answer follows; Better [is] the fight of the eyes, than the wandering of the defire: this [is] alfo vanity and vexation of spirit; it is better that a man fhould take up with that which is before him, that is, what he can fee and comfortably enjoy, than fuffer his defires to wander, and plunge himself into that vanity and forrow, which infatiable defires tend to produce: this is the advantage of the wife man above the fool.

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That which hath been is named already, and it is known that it [is] man; whatever his condition be, however honourable, he is but a man, (referring to the name of Adam, which fignifies earth,) a lump of clay, fubject to many accidents, and many painful events, which he cannot

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prevent or remove: neither may he contend with him that is mightier than he, that is, almighty God, with whom none can contend with fuccefs, he hath fubjected the whole human race to vanity, and it is found in every circumftance of life, though not equally in all. The conclufion of this part of 11 my fubject therefore is, Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what [is] man the better for all his 12 wealth and honour, all his labours and anxieties? For who knoweth what [is] good for man in [this] life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a fhadow? for who can tell a man what fhall be after him under the fun? Whatever his circumstances are, he must not dream of any enjoyment in mortal life that shall be free from a mixture of vanity, fince it appears in so many shapes, that we hardly know what is beft for us; especially confidering the uncertainty of events that may arise during our lives and after our deaths.

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REFLECTION S.

(ONSIDERING how differently earthly things are diftributed by providence, we may be fure that they are not the beft things. God often gives wealth, and honour, and children to the wicked; to those who have no wisdom or grace to improve them; which is a plain proof that he does not esteem them as his choiceft favours: therefore let us not seek them inordinately; nor value ourselves too much upon them. Let us be content and thankful without them: efpecially if we have been taught to seek better bleffings, and hope for fubftantial, everlasting good.

2. Whatever differences and diftinctions there are among men, they all go to one place. The rich and the poor, the aged and the young, the wife and the foolish, go alike to the grave, the land of filence and darkness. We are all but men of the earth, and muft quickly return thither again; let this thought check the rifings of pride, envy, and detraction; and promote candour, meeknefs, and love.

3. How kind is God in giving us the neceffaries of life fo eafily, and in punishing our inordinate paffions with difappointment. To be contented with what nature requires, and

restrain

restrain inordinate defires, is a most important branch of wifdom. God has confulted our comfort in giving us neceffary provifions for the body; but if we will fuffer defire to wander, it will bring home nothing but vexation and torment. Let the poor be diligent, frugal, and contented; they will then be better efteemed, and live more comfortably, than those who are always coveting and never satisfied. 4. Since man knoweth not what is good for himself, let us rejoice in the over-ruling providence of God. We can fee but a little way before us; often choose and pursue what we cannot obtain; or, if we obtain it, what only increaseth vanity, and multiplies cares and forrows. We are apt to think that good for us which we fee others eagerly pursuing, or what fuits our fenfes, and therefore has the appearance of good, but we are commonly deceived. We know not the events that are before us; therefore this should prevent our being anxious about our projects, eager in our pursuits, or fanguine in our expectations. Let us blefs God for the views which his word gives us of a particular providence, and its affurances that all his creatures are under his immediate government and direction. Tho' we know not what is good for us, he does, and will withhold no good thing from them who walk uprightly. Let us therefore take the fureft, fhorteft course to be eafy and happy; namely, to be anxious about nothing, but in every thing by prayer and fupplication with thanksgiving, make known our requests unto God.

Solomon proceeds to give pofitive advices about happiness, and how it is to be obtained; and recommends a care to get and keep a good name.

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GOOD name [is] better than precious ointment; it gives a man greater comfort and refreshment while living, than the most agreeable perfumes, and preferves him when dead, better than the most precious em, balming; and the day of death than the day of one's

birth, as death is the end of his trouble and the commence2 ment of his felicity, and feals up his good character. [It is] better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the houfe of feafting: for that [is] the end of all men; and the living will lay [it] to his heart; the contemplation of death is more defirable and useful than any of the enjoyments of life; it may be expected that active, lively persons should 3 in thofe circumstances be impreffed. Sorrow, a compofed, ferious fpirit, [is] better than laughter: for by the fadnefs of the countenance the heart is made better; affillion is helpful to every grace; it fills the heart with humanity and compaffion, and gives a fenfe of the uncertainty and vanity of human life; by this means it is more weaned from the world and quickened to embrace true happiness. 4 The heart of the wife [is] in the house of mourning, and chooses to indulge ferious thoughts; but the heart of fools [is] in the houfe of mirth; loves merry meetings, the 5 affembly room, and the playhouse. [It is] better to hear the rebuke of the wife, the Sharpest reproof, than for a man to hear the fong of fools, than mufick or flattery. 6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, which makes a great noife, looks cheerful, but is quickly gone, fo [is] the laughter of the fool: this alfo [is] vanity. Another method to be happy is to command our paffions when we have 7 received injury. Surely oppreffion maketh a wife man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart; it is very painful to be oppressed in judgment, efpecially when there is reafon to believe that the judge hath been bribed; it transports a man to unusual rage, and puts him upon fome irregular con8 duct: this is a reafon for patience, for Better [is] the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: [and] the tient in fpirit [is] better than the proud in fpirit; if men would wait the progress of an affair they would fee it mend as it goes on; but he that is hafty and impatient often 9 undoes himself by his ungoverned temper. Be not hafty in thy fpirit to be angry: for anger refteth in the bofom of fools; it makes a vifit fometimes to a wife man, but he foon difmiffes the guest, he is not easily provoked, nor long angry; but fools retain it, turn it into a bofom friend, and El as paffion directs. Another way to happiness is to cor

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