the people's instruction, many years after he was laid in the grave. The soul of that Prince, now in its separate state, is here preaching to the world, which, the very title of the Book, as well as that expression so frequently repeated, under the Sun, plainly import, as this Gentleman supposes. It is observable, says he, that Solomon speaks of himself, as one who formerly existed, and reigned in Jerusalem. The very expression, I the Preacher was King, cannot, with any propriety, be understood of one still living. But how much soever this Criticism may weigh with some, we must beg leave to dissent from it, as we think, a far more natural interpretation may be drawn from the present expression. Solomon had, no doubt, once reigned as became a King, but now, being conscious of the abuse of his Royal Dignity, and ashamed of the scandal his excesses had occasioned, would intimate, by these words, that he had rendered himself unworthy of that title, as, without all dispute, every King does, whose subjects are perverted to vice aud impiety by his evil example. The only atonement he could now make, was to point out the rock on which he had split, to the end that future Princes might take warning by his example. He, therefore, thought it a duty incumbent on him, to make his repentance as public as his crimes, and to leave an eternal monument to posterity, that the wisest of men, when left to their own conduct, are liable to the greatest failings; that a contempt of Religion, especially when Princes set the example, always introduces a general corruption of manners, and that those in the most exalted stations, no less than those in the meanest, have occasions enough to be reminded of their duty; in a word, that the welfare or ruin of a Nation depends, in great measure, on the virtuous or vicious deportment of those who hold the reins of government, When this discourse, which is both moral and philosophical, is seen in this light, it may well be said, with the learned Critic above mentioned, though not in the sense he seems to understand the words, that Solomon, being dead, yet speaketh.

Not to perplex our readers with the various expositions of the word, Choheleth, the title of this Book in the Original; (for, in truth, we can find none better nor more significant, than that

commonly received, viz. Ecclesiastes, or, the Preacher,) let us now come to the merits of the Book itself. Nothing can be more interesting than the subject it treats of, to wit, the chief, or sovereign Good, which Man, as a rational and accountable Being, should here propose to himself. Every human creature, it is certain, naturally aims at Happiness; but though all apply themselves with equal ardour to this desirable end, yet such is the violence of passion, and want of reflection in the generality of mankind, that the means they use for obtaining it, instead of conducting to the safe and direct road, only serve to mislead and bewilder them in dark and intricate labyrinths, where it is impossible to find what they seek for. Now as it was absolutely necessary to convince such men of the vanity of their pursuits, in order to induce them to turn back into the right way, Solomon shews, in the first place, what is not Happiness, and then what it really is. Like a skilful Physician, he searches deeply into the latent cause of the malady, and then prescribes a radical cure.

In the former disquisition, he enumerates all those particulars which mankind are most apt to fix their hearts upon, and shews, from his own dear-bought experience, and the transient and unsatisfactory nature of the things themselves, that no such thing as solid Felicity is to be found in any of them. What he asserts on this head, carries with it the greater weight, as no man upon earth was ever better qualified to speak decisively on such a subject, considering the opportunities he had of enjoying to the utmost, all that this world affords. After having thus cleared away the obstacles to Happiness, he enters on the main point, which is to direct us, how and where it may be found. This, he affirms, at the conclusion of the book, where he recapitulates the sum and substance of the whole Sermon, as some not improperly have styled it, consists in a religious and virtuous life, with which, as he frequently intimates, a man, in the lowest circumstances, may be happy, and without which, one in the highest must be miserable. As the whole book tends to this single point, so in discussing thereof, many excellent observations are interspersed, relating to the various duties of life, from the highest to the lowest station, the advantages resulting even from Poverty, the genuine

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use of Riches, and extreme folly of abusing them, the unequal dispensations of divine Providence, the immortality of the human soul, and great day of final Retribution. All these noble and important subjects are treated of, in such a style and manner, as nothing among the Antients can parallel.

We have here given the genuine character of this inestimable piece. Yet such has been the ignorance, inattention, or depravity of some persons, that it would be hard to find an instance of any thing written on so serious and interesting a subject, which has been so grossly misrepresented. How often has an handle been taken from certain passages, ill understood and worse applied, to patronize Libertinism, by such as pretend to judge of the whole from a single sentence, independent of the rest, without paying the least regard to the general scope and design? According to which rule, the most pious discourse that ever was written, may be perverted to Atheism, and the great Apostle of the Gentiles himself produced as an advocate for riot and debauchery: Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die. It has been well observed by a Commentator on this Book, with respect to these perverted passages, that the picture therein drawn by the Preacher, purely to expose vice and folly, is mistaken by such as willingly deceive themselves, for the genuine features and complexion of Wisdom itself.

Some Fanatics have fallen into the contrary extreme; for, on reading that all here below was vanity, they have been so wrongheaded, as to condemn every thing as evil in itself. This world, according to them, cannot be too bitterly inveighed against, and Man has nothing else to do in it, but to spend his days in sighing and mourning. But it is evident that nothing could be farther from the Preacher's intention: for notwithstanding he speaks so feelingly of the instability and unsatisfactory nature of all sublunary things, and the vanity of human cares, schemes, and contrivances, yet, lest any one should mistake his meaning, he advises every man, at the same time, to reap the fruit of his honest labours, and take the comfort of what he possesses, with a sober freedom and cheerful spirit; not to harass and disturb his mind with anxious cares and restless solici

tudes about future events, but to pass the short space which Heaven has allotted him here, as pleasantly as his station will admit, with a quiet conscience. He does not condemn the things themselves, such as Science, Prudence, Mirth, Riches, Honours, &c. but only their abuse, viz. the useless studies, unreasonable pursuits, and immoderate desires of those who pervert God's blessings to their own destruction.

On this head Solomon gives his sentiments, not only as a Divine and Philosopher, but like one thoroughly acquainted with the foibles of the human heart. It was not his design to drive people out of the world, nor to make them live wretchedly in it, but only that they should think and act like rational creatures, or, in other words, be induced to consult their own happiness. This, without dispute, is what we are to understand on our being exhorted to fly from, or hate the world; for what can this expression mean, either in the Scripture Style, or, indeed, in the style of common sense, but that we should keep our passions within due restraint, and not expect from the world more than it can possibly afford us? As it was made for man's use, so it cannot be enjoyed without cheerfulness, which, we are told, is so far from being inconsistent with Piety, that it is the natural consequence of it. This point, a mistake in which would be extremely pernicious, if not destructive to Society, is frequently touched on, insomuch, that when he is discoursing on the most serious and alarming topics, such as Death and a future Judgment, he forgets not to remind us, at the same time, that Religion does not consist in gloominess and melancholy, nor require any one to deprive himself of the common recreations of life. Among the many remarkable instances of this kind, nothing can be more striking than that beautiful passage in the ninth chapter, where, after having most emphatically described the land of darkness, where all things are forgotten, in order to remove the doleful impression which so sad a subject must naturally raise, he breaks out, all on a sudden, into such a strain of gaiety, as can scarce escape the most cursory reader's observation.

From every one of these passages, particularly the last, it appears, that, though Solomon looked on human life as a scene of vanity at best, yet still he thought, that a well-disposed mind might support its burdens, not only with ease but comfort, and therefore so frequently points out the singular advantages which result even here, from a pious, sober, and regular deportment, and how we may acquire that inward peace and tranquillity, which alone can render life desirable, and make us have a true relish of its enjoyments. There are, without doubt, calamities enough in the world to wean us from an over fondness to it, insomuch, that no wise man would choose to stay always in it; yet still it has a sufficient store of blessings to enable us to pass through it with tolerable cheerfulness, would we learn to make a proper use of them. This great Connisseur of human nature, would not have us to be always laughing, with Democritus, nor always weeping with Heraclitus; but as, on some occasions, to be very serious, so, on others, to indulge social Mirth with more than ordinary freedom, provided we keep within the bounds of reason and moderation. This, as we before hinted, is the peculiar characteristic of the book of Ecclesiastes, whereby it is distinguished from all other moral discourses; and this, it must be granted, is a far more effectual method of promoting Religion, than drawing so hideous and shocking a picture of it, as some have done.

There is nothing in the whole body of Pagan Philosophy so ele-vated and magnificent, as what some have written on the important subject of this Poem ; but we find their opinions so various and contradictory, and the most plausible so blended with errors, (even those of the Divine Plato not excepted,) that their sublimest sentiments on the Sovereign Good, or ultimate happiness of Man, when compared with those of the Royal Preacher, not only appear cold and languid, but always leave the mind unsatisfied and restless. We are ·lòst in a pompous flow of words, and dazzled, but not illuminated. One Sect, by confining Happiness to sensual pleasures, so greatly slackened the Cord, as to render it wholly useless; another, by their too austere and rigid maxims, stretched it so tight, that it snapt asunder; though the experience of all ages has evinced, that these latter

yosed both on themselves and the world, when they taught, that