The Globe-republican., 1893-06-02
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.


THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
International Lesson for June Z, 1885,
Reverence aud Fidelity-Eccl. 5:l-13.
ARRANGED from Peloubet's Notes.)
GOLDEN TExT-Not siothful in business;
fervent in spirit; serving the Lord--Rom l2:ll
THE BOOK OF ECCLEsIAsTEs.
The NAME. - Ecclesiastes, or 10
heleth. Ecclesiastes is the Greek trans
lation of the Hebrew Koheleth, as
given in the Septuagint- 1t meana
either one who calls an assembly to-
gether, to teach or talk to them, and
thus may be called a preacher; or
member of such an assembly who
takes part in its discussions, and thus
speaks to them.
AUTHORSHIP AND DATE.-It lies on
the surface that the writer of the book
who, though he does not introduce the
name of Solomon, Identifies himself
(chap. 1:l2-l6) with the historical SON OF
David, was either actually the king of
Israel whose name was famous for
wisdom and largeness of heart" or
that, for some reason or other, he
adopted the dramatic personation OF
his character as form of authorship.
If Solomon was the author, the date
would be about 1000 B. G.
The tendency of modern scholarship
is to the opinion that the book of Ec-
clesiastes was written by some un-
known author in the Persian period,
,, after the exile, and later than Ezra and
Nehemiah In this case the author, in
his quest for the highest good, lets the
experience of Solomon utter its teach
ings in chapters l, 2, as if he would say:
'.Thissis what Solomon says to us" This
is no deception, but dramatic persona
ton of character which has at all times
been looked upon as legitimate form
of authorship. With some writer's OF
| the highest genius,as, e. g., with Robert
Browning and Tennyson, monologue
or soliloquy of this character has been
a favorite form of composition. The
speeches in Herodotus and Thucydides,
the Apologies written in the name OF
Socrates by Xenophon and Plato, the
Dialogues to Plato throughout, are in
stances in which no one would dream
of imputing fraud to the writers, though
in all these cases we have, with scarce
ly the shadow of a doubt, the thoughts
and words of the writer's and not of the
men whom they represent as speaking.
The Purpose and Plan.-The object
of the book is to guide men in the
search for the highest good. It is a
series of pictures of the varying ex-
pcriences in searching after the best
life. From the many sources from
which men are continually seeking the
best good, come the voices of expert
ence. giving their testimony. None OF
them can satisfy the soul; none can
tell where the weary soul can find rest.
But at last is learned the lesson that
what is sought is found in simple en-
joyment of simple pleasures, patient
constancy under heavy trials, heartfelt
devotion to the service of God, and an
unwavering faith in the life to come
Note in what sense many of the sayings
are true, in such book as this. They
are not always truths in themselves,
anv more than the words of Satan in
the book of Job can be quoted as
truths. They are actual experiences
They are true pictures OF the way mer
speak and feel
We will follow in general the ar
rangement of Dr. Cox. "The content:
are. or may be, distributed into a pro
logue, four acts or sections, and ar
epilogue. In the prologue Koheletf
states the problem to be solved"
Subject-The Quest of the Chic.
Good. FIRST Section. 1:12 to 2:26. Here
in are given the teachings OF the ex
perience of Solomon, the wisest ano
richest man of his age, searching for th'
Chief Good in Worldly Wisdom ant
Pleasure. Every enjoyment that money
could buy, that wisdom could devise
that kingly power could control. tha
commerce could import from foreign
lands-all these were found by him
and vet failed to satisfy his soul. Not /,
beautiful gardens, not in palaces, no
in wine, not in music, not in the treas
ures of kings, not in the consciousness
of worldly wisdom, could he find th'
chief good; and, looking over his ex
perience. he could only say: "Behold
all is vanity and vexation of spirit"
Second Section. Chaps. 3, 4, 5. TIL
Quest is Pursued in Business and Polltlc
al Life. He begins by showing tha
there is time for everything. Wha
is the use, then, of laboring hard sine
everything is settled? Then he look
on the wrongs of men, and these weigl
on his spirit. Is it worth while t
labor, when success but leads to envy
and cuts him off from the companion
ship of his fellows? How was it wit
the religious life of his time? Did h
find anything more satisfying there
The answer was that he found hollow
ness, Journalism, hypocrisy, frivolou
excuses and dreams taken for realitie
, (vers. 1-7). From the religious life b
turned to the political, and there ais
all was anomalous and disheartenin&
''This is also vanity"
Third Section. CT to Sis. The Ques
in Wealth and on the Golden Near
> The man who makes riches his chic
good is haunted by fears and perplexitie
(6:1-G). His soul cannot be satisie
with inches (6:7), nor can he forese