former, and to accomplish them without weariness or delay. Not so the generations of men, who are always swept away by death in the very midst of their course, and once removed they never re-appear.

7. All the rivers run into the sea,

Yet the sea doth not overflow:

Unto the place whence the rivers flow,
Thither they return to flow again.

Another instance illustrative of the continual, unvariable, and unwearying activity of an element in nature. Since the creation, the busy streams continue to pay their tribute to the mighty ocean, the vast reservoir of that liquid element, and yet the ocean is never so full as to refuse to receive the volumes of the streams any longer. The reason of this phenomenon is the fact, that while the ocean receives the enormous quantity of waters from the rivers, as much water is evaporated from it again by the action of the sun. These are raised by the air, carried in clouds, and poured out on the dry and thirsty regions of the continent, to promote the beneficent rounds of operation in the economy of vegetation, &c. The superfluous waters of the rain then enter into the pores of mountains, the fissures and crevices of rocks, and having filtrated and traversed through innumerable dark veins, they unite their forces at some convenient places, emerge from their confinement, set themselves at liberty, and with a murmuring noise pursue their journey homewards. Springs of water, originated in the same manner, or produced by the direct infiltration of the waters of the ocean and seas, through mysterious tubes and canals, occasioned by the pressure of more elevated

columns of water, all dispersed brethren of the same liquid origin, unite as soon as they see light, and hasten with an irresistible force by a path more or less direct, more or less disputed, into the bosom of their mother ocean, whence they were snatched into captivity. Thus there exists an unceasing and weariless activity in that dumb element, which is continually pouring into the ocean by the streams, and as continually sent into the streams by the ocean. Though some of these waters are (like man) taken away from the mass and buried in the dark caves of the earth, still they soon re-appear, and joyfully hasten to return to the place of their nativity. But man, when once cut off by death and buried in the earth, never returns to live and move again in the region of his former activity.

8. All the labouring objects (or, active things)

No man is able to recount;

Never would the eye be satisfied with seeing them,
Nor the ear filled with hearing of them.

In the three preceding verses, Solomon referred us to three different objects in nature—viz., the sun, wind, and water, drawing a contrast between their continual and uninterrupted activity since time immemorial, and the short existence of man, who is suddenly cut off by death, to live and act no longer. In the verse before us, Solomon tells us that he could take no more instances of continually active bodies in nature, because these were so numerous, that no man could recount them; yea, no eye would ever be satisfied, and say, "I see no more" (as one satisfied with meat, would say, "I can eat no more,") nor would ever the ear be filled with hearing of them, so as to say, "I hear of no other such like subjects

that exist in active nature." It is as if Solomon had said, "I must stop now from taking any more instances from nature to prove my argument, for these are so various and so numerous, that no man can recount them. Even were I able to recount them, the eye of man (directed to contemplate them) would never cease to discover new ones, and the ear would never cease hearing of some equally active things in nature, which, like the sun, wind, and streams, continue also their unwearied and unchangeable course, ever since their creation, and shall continue the same to the end of the world-while mortal man, after his short dream of existence, is delivered to the silent grave, from whence his voice is never heard again. [This is, in our humble opinion, the real import of this verse, and such is the true connection of the whole passage, which, along with the three following verses, forms the sacred author's introduction to the Book of Ecclesiastes. The eleven first verses must thus correspond together in a straight line of argument and thought. We press this fact the more upon the mind of our readers (and sure we are, we cannot do it too often), because there are many passages in this Book which were distorted and disparaged by individuals who, not having found out their real connection with their contexts, have consequently failed to see their right meaning. The case of the eleven first verses of this Book, which, according to the common translations and expositions, are bereaved of any connection, and some of these verses have consequently neither meaning nor connection whatever, is, we think, a sufficient proof of what we stated above].

In the two following verses, Solomon continues to show (not by referring any more to particulars, but to nature in general) the unalterable and unweari

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able course of inanimate nature, in contrast to the short human activity, which is entirely cut off by death.

9. All that hath been, shall continue to be;

All that hath been done, shall likewise continue to be done :

So that there is nothing new under the sun. 10. Is there any thing whereof one should say, Behold, this is new?

It hath already existed,

In ages that were before us.

Having indicated in verse 8 that he would refer us to no more particulars, because of the vastness of their number, Solomon proceeds in verse 9 to show that the order and course of nature in general, was and is always unchangeably the same. The sun continues to rise in the morning and set in the evening. The wind continues its whirling travels in the proper seasons. The rivers continue to precipitate themselves into the ocean, and to receive their new supplies from the same sources. Not only these, but innumerable objects in nature like unto them, continue the same in their native functions, courses, and activity from the very beginning of their existence, and shall so continue unto the end, without the least change of locality or operation, for, in them, "there is nothing new under the sun❞—they have never changed, and shall never change. In verse 10 Solomon indicates with regard to things or systems in nature newly discovered-things or systems, regarding which, the individual, who had the honour of discovering them, may in his first astonishment exclaim "Behold this is a new thing," that still the fact is the thing or the system, in itself, and in its existence, is not new at all, though the discovery of it be new.

Now it must be understood that in this statement Solomon does not refer to the applications and uses which we make of our different discoveries, but to the objects, orders, existences, and powers newly discovered, which are only new to man who was formerly ignorant of them, but in reality are old in their existence, as old as the whole material system of the universe. For instance, man discovered the rotation of our globe, magnetic power, electricity, steam-power, &c., and from these discoveries he forms many new plans, makes many applications, and derives enormous services. Now all these systems and powers are no more new than the continent of America, which we call "the new world," because men were ignorant of its existence, until towards the end of the 15th century when Columbus discovered it. If that discoverer, in the heat of joy, should have exclaimed, "Behold, a new world," he would only have been correct in as far as regards men, who were hitherto ignorant of its existence, but as regards its real existence, it is surely not 66 new under the sun," but as old as the continent of Europe. So regarding the discoveries above mentioned, we cannot say that these newly discovered systems and powers are new, (though the applications of them in man's service are necessarily new) for they existed in the same character, and pursued the same unchangeable courses since the great system of the universe was established.

Having so powerfully established his argument as to the antiquity, unchangeableness, and continual activity of the individual bodies and elements in inanimate nature, Solomon returns in the following verse to mortal man. There he endeavours to give the last touch to the above drawn contrast, to strengthen his general argument, by showing that the shiftings of generations (by deaths and births)