2. Design and Method of the design of this book, as has already been remarked, being indicated by the symbolic title of its hero, is to gather together God's people, who were distracted and led astray by the inexplicable difficulties in the moral government of the world, into the community of the Lord, by shewing them that the only true wisdom under these perplexing circumstances is to enjoy our lot in this life in resignation to the deal ings of Providence, and in the service of the Most High, and to look forward to a future state of re tribution, when all the present mysteries shall be solved, and when the righteous Judge shall render to every man acording to his deeds.
The method adopted by the sacred writer is most striking and effective. Solomon is repre sented as recounting his perplexities arising from these unfathomable dealings in the moral govern ment of God, telling us how he had vainly striven to divert the longings of his soul by various experi ments, and the conclusion at which he ultimately arrived.
3. Division and Contents of the Book.-The book consists of a Prologue, four sections, and an Epi logue. The prologue and epilogue are distinguished by their beginning with the same phrase (i. s ; xii. 8), ending with two marked sentences (i. I I ; xii. 14), and embodying the grand problem and solution proposed by the sacred writer, whilst the four sections are indicated by the recurrence of the same formula, giving the result of each effort to satisfy the cravings of the soul (ii. 26 ; v. 19 ; and viii. 15).
(a.) THE PROLOGUE (i. 2-II) gives the theme or problem of the disquisition. Assuming that there is no hereafter in the face of the condition of mankind, Coheleth declares that all human efforts to satisfy the cravings of the soul are utterly vain (2, 3), that conscious man is more deplorable than unconscious nature : he must speedily quit this life whilst the earth abides for ever ; (4), the objects of nature depart, and retrace their course again, but man vanishes and is for ever forgotten (5-11).
(b.) THE FIRST SECTION (i. I2.-i1. 26) recounts how Coheleth, under these desponding circum stances, with all the resources of a monarch at his command (12), applied himself assiduously to dis cover, by the aid of wisdom, the nature of earthly pursuits (13), and found that they were all fruit less (4), since they could not rectify destinies (15), Reflecting, therefore, upon the large amount of wisdom he had acquired (16), he came to the conclusion that it is all useless (17), since the ac cumulation of it only increased his sorrow and pain (18). He then resolved to try pleasure, to see whether it would satisfy the longings of his aching soul, but found that this, too, was vain (ii. 1), and hence denounced it (2), for after he had procured every imaginable pleasure (3-1o) he found that it was utterly insufficient to impart last ing good (I t). Whereupon he compared wisdom with pleasure, the two experiments he had made, and though he saw the former had a decided ad vantage over the latter (13, 14 a), yet he also saw that it does not exempt its possessor from death and oblivion, but that the wise man and the fool must both die alike and be forgotten (14 b-16).
This melancholy consideration made him hate both his life and the wealth which, though ac quired by industry and wisdom, he must leave to another, who may be a reckless fool (17-21), con vincing him that man has nothing from his toil but wearisome days and sleepless nights (22, 23) ; that there is, therefore, nothing left for him but to enjoy himself (24, a) ; yet this, too, he found was not in the power of man (24 b-25). God gives this power to the righteous, and withholds it from the wicked, and it is after all but transitory (26). Thus Coheleth concludes the first portion of his disquisition, by shewing that wisdom, know ledge, and enjoyment of earthly blessings, which are the best things for short-lived man, cannot calm the distracted mind which dwells upon the problem that whilst the objects of nature depart and retrace their course again, man vanishes and is for ever forgotten.
(c.) THE SECOND SECTION (iii. I.-V. 19) de scribes the inability of industry to avert this doom. All the events of life are immutably fixed (iii. 1-8), hence the fruitlessness of labour (9). God has, indeed, prescribed bounds to man's employment in harmony with this fixed order of things, but man, through his ignorance, often mistakes it (to, I I) ; thus again shewing that there is nothing left for man but the enjoyment of the things of this world in his possession, and that even this is a gift of God (12, 13). The cause of this immu table arrangement in the events of this life is that man may fear God, and feel that it is he who orders all things (14, 15). The apparent success of wickedness does not militate against this conclu sion (17) ; but even if, as affirmed, all terminates here, and man and beast have the same destiny (18-20, this shews all the more clearly that there is nothing left for man but to enjoy life, since this is his only portion (22). The state of suffering (iv. 1), however, according to this view, becomes desperate, and death, and not to have been born at all, are preferable to life (2, 3). The exertions made despite the prescribed order of things often arise from jealousy (4), and fail in their end (5, 6), or are prompted by avarice (7, 8) and de feat themselves (9-16). Since all things are thus under the control of an omnipotent God, we ought to serve him acceptably (17-v. 6), trust to his protection under oppression (7, 8), remember that the rich oppressor, after all, has not even the comforts of the poor labourer (9-I I), and that he often brings misery upon his children and himself (12-16). Having thus shewn that all things are immutably fixed (iii. 1-22), and that the mistaken exertions made by men to alter their destinies arise from impure motives, and defeat themselves (iv. I; v. 16), Coheleth again concludes this section by reiterating that in the face of this mournful prob lem there is nothing left for man but to enjoy the few years of his existence, this being the gift of God (17-19).