under the sun?' (vi. 12.) Koheleth, we see, has no faith in his nation, nor in humanity.
I do not feel sure that we may say with Dean Bradley that 'out of this very gloom and sadness come forth in the next chapter thoughts that have gone, some of them, the round of the world.' No doubt there is more than a mere tinge of the same midnight gloom in some of these proverbial sayings. But surely there is a complete break in the thread of thought of vi. 12, and a fresh collection of looser notes has found a place at the head of chap. vii. At any rate, these sayings supply a convincing proof that Koheleth was not a mere hedonist or Epicurean. He recalls in vii. 2 his former commendation of feasting, and declares,
It is better to go into the house of mourning than to go into the house of feasting,
inasmuch as that is the end of all men, and the living can lay it to his heart (vii. 2).
I said that Koheleth was too pessimistic to remain long under the influence of hedonism. I might have said that he was too thoughtful; a rational man could not, without the anticipations of faith, close his mind to the suggestions of pessimism in the circumstances of Koheleth's age. Better thoughtful misery than thoughtless mirth, is the keynote of the triad of maxims (vii. 2-6) on the compensations of misery which follows the dreary sentence praising death, in vii. 1.[1] Resignation is the secret of inward peace; 'with a sad face the heart may be cheerful.' Not only in view of the great problem of existence, but in your everyday concerns, restrain your natural impulses whether to towering passion or to brooding vexation at the wrongness or the slowness of the course of human affairs (vii. 8, 9). Above all, do not give way to an ignorant idealism. It is unwise to ask 'How is it thatand the day of death than the day of one's birth.' </poem>
The 'wisdom' meant will be that of resignation and renunciation.]
- ↑ The mechanical juxtaposition of the two halves of ver. 1 is obvious. The proverb gains considerably, if read with Bickell's very plausible supplements, <poem> 'Better is a good name than precious ointment, [but wisdom is still better than fame; better is not-being than being
