Solomon felt a peculiar solicitude for the young. He knew the importance of the rising generation. He saw them growing up to take the places of their fathers-saw all those institutions which he so much valued destined to pass shortly. into their hands, and he could not but feel a deep interest in their welfare. He could not refrain imparting to them his dying counsels. He warned the youth of his own age, and through them of every succeeding age, that their sun would not always be bright; that it might soon be overshadowed; and that it became them, in the season of hope and promise, to prepare for "the days of darkness, for they would be many." "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, in which thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them." "Remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh, for childhood and youth are vanity."

Not only in this book, but in the Proverbs, Solomon every where manifests the deepest solicitude for the right instruction and welfare of the young. "Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee; she shall bring thee to honour when thou dost embrace her. She shall be to thine head an ornament of grace; a crown of glory shall she deliver unto thee."

But after all his earnestness for the happiness of the young, and all the counsels which he had imparted for their benefit, Solomon had too much knowledge of human nature not to apprehend that many among them would slight his warnings, and persist in wickedness. He knew how characteristic it was of thoughtless, inconsiderate youth, to affect liberty and independence; to be impatient of restraint; to walk in the ways of their heart, and in the sight of their eyes; to insist on doing as they pleased without control. Accordingly he addresses such, near the close of the book before us-among his last words, of which we have any knowledge-in a strain of dreadful irony-more affecting and awful than any mode

of direct address could be-and says, "Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes; but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment." As though he had said, 'You like to have your liberty, and you may have it. You like to pursue your own way, and you shall:

Taste the delights your souls desire,
And give a loose to all your fire:

but remember one thing: there is to be a day of judgment ; of solemn, awful, impartial judgment:

God from on high beholds your thoughts;

His book records your secret faults;

The works of darkness you have done
Must all appear before the sun.

For all these things, saith the Preacher, God will bring you into judgment.' It is difficult to see how Solomon could have dealt more faithfully with the young, of all characters, than he did; and if those of his own age did not profit by his counsels, if those of the present age do not profit by them; the fault must be theirs, not his.

Practical Lessons for the People of God.

The case of Solomon, as exhibited in his personal history, and in the book before us, is full of instruction for the people of God. Notwithstanding Solomon's great wisdom, and his early and distinguished piety-notwithstanding his exalted rank, his numberless blessings, the peculiar obligations under which he was laid, and his many and strong inducements to continue faithful with his God; yet he fell. He trusted too much to his own strength. He ventured too far, in the vain. search after happiness. His temptation was similar to that of our first parents, who would fain "be as gods, knowing good and evil;" and like them he was overcome by it, and fell un

der the power of his spiritual enemies. His fall taught him important lessons; and it should teach Christians at this day the same. They should learn from it their own weakness and dependence. They should learn the importance of keeping out of harm's way. They should learn to pray with increasing constancy and earnestness, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." Cases like that of Solomon should serve deeply to impress Divine counsels and warnings such as these: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth." "Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall." Jer. 9: 23, 24. 1 Cor. 10: 12.

Again; the case of Solomon goes to illustrate God's usual method of dealing with his people, when they do fall into sin. "If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; if they break my statutes and keep not my commandments; then will I visit their transgression with a rod, and their iniquity with stripes." God did visit Solomon's transgression with a rod, and his iniquity with stripes. His old age was embittered with the most painful regrets, in view of his past backslidings and wanderings. He had deep contrition of heart, and "vexation of spirit," because of his sins. Nor was this all. "The Lord stirred up adversaries unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite;" and "Rezon the son of Eliadah ;" and "Jeroboam the son of Nebat." 1 Kings, chap. 11. His iniquities were also visited upon his children. The greater part of Solomon's splendid kingdom was rent out of the hands of his foolish son, and given to his servant. Also the immense wealth which Solomon had gathered-"the treasures of the house of the Lord, and of the king's house, and the shields of gold which he had made"-all was in a few years scattered, and given into the hands of the proud monarch of Egypt. 1 Kings 14: 26. Verily, it is an evil and bitter thing for God's people to allow themselves in sin. Every

step they take in sin is replete with danger, and is sure to bring them into trouble. If they were not God's people, if they were not in covenant with him, he might leave them, as he does the wicked, to prosper in their pride. He might suffer them to wander away and perish. But God's children are in covenant with him. Their Father in heaven hath bound himself by oath and covenant to take care of them; to raise them when they fall; to restore them when they wander; to humble them and keep them humble; and at length to receive them to his heavenly kingdom. And if he can fulfil his covenant toward them in no other way, he must employ stripes. He must, and he will inflict the rod. It is time that the people of God understood this matter thoroughly; and as they would avoid his chastening rod, let them avoid those things which make it needful for their covenant God and Father to inflict his chastisements.

Lessons of Warning for the Impenitent and the Worldly.

The Book of Ecclesiastes is an instructive and profitable one for impenitent sinners; and for sinners of every description of character. They should here learn, that though they may forget God, he never forgets them. Though they may not be sensible of his presence or his eye, still he is ever with them; his eye follows them in every place; he sees all their ways and counts all their steps; and he "will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." "Though a sinner do evil a hundred times, and his days be prolonged; yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, who fear before him; but it shall not be well with the wicked." No; "it shall not be well with the wicked." Chap. 8: 12, 13.

But no class of the impenitent are so solemnly admonished in the book before us, as the worldly-those who love and pursue the present world. Of all men that ever lived, Solomon had the highest advantages for making a full experiment of the world. And he entered upon the experiment with the great

est earnestness.

He tried it, too, in all its forms. If wealth can make any one happy, it should have made him so; for he possessed it to repletion. He acquired gold, till he hardly knew what to do with it; and he made silver to be as stones in the streets of Jerusalem. So, if worldly honour can make any mortal happy, it should have had this effect upon Solomon. For he had climbed all its steps, and securely reposed upon its summit. Whatever honour, and power, and the gratification of ambition can do for any man, they had done for him. Or, if worldly and sensual pleasures can confer happiness, then Solomon must have been superlatively happy. For he denied himself no gratification of this sort. He withheld not his heart from any joy. Or if true happiness is to be found in outward splendour and magnificence, or in the successful accomplishment of great undertakings; then Solomon must have been a happy man. For in respect to these, he excelled

all the monarchs of the East. His fame went abroad to distant nations, and kings came together to hear his wisdom, and to see his glory.

Such, then, was the experiment which Solomon actually and personally made. Such was the extent to which he tried, pursued, acquired and possessed the world. It verily seems as though Divine providence prepared the way for him, and brought him forward upon the stage of life, and held him up as an example of all that the world can do for man, and of the utmost extent to which it can go, towards making him happy. And now what was the result? Solomon has recorded it— recorded it in mature old age-truly and faithfully recorded it-recorded it with the pen of inspiration. And what is it? Lovers of the world of every description, hearken. What is it? "VANITY OF VANITIES, SAITH THE PREACHER; VANITY OF VANITIES, ALL IS VANITY." "I tried this experiment,' the Preacher goes on to tell us, and I found it vanity and vexation of spirit. I tried that, and I found it vanity and vexation of spirit. I tried a third, and it was vanity and vexation of spirit, and so it was with thein all; all was vanity and vexation of spirit.'