Speaking of prosperity and adversity, he says, "God hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him." And this he experienced himself. Amidst all his prosperity and worldly happiness, he found many and great evils mixed with it to balance it. His brother Adonijah gave him great disturbance. Jeroboam the son of Nebat,

spread discord and animosities among his subjects. And after wards his foreign enemies threatened to destroy his kingdom. The same mixture of good and evil has always fallen to the lot of the highest as well as of the lowest, of the richest as well as of the poorest, of the most fortunate as well as of the most unfortunate, of mankind. When adversity comes before prosperity, it serves to increase prosperity. The adversity of Joseph served to increase his future prosperity, and the adversity of Moses served to increase his prosperity. But when adversity comes after prosperity, it turns prosperity into an aggravation of adversity. In the common course of life, adversity generally comes with or after prosperity. Many more of mankind have been prosperous in the earlier, than in the later stages of life. This was the case of Eli, of Samuel, of David, of Solomon, of Hezekiah, of Jehoshaphat, and of many illustrious men, whose lives are recorded in the Bible. And we find this to be true in reading the history of the Greeks and Romans. Their illustrious men shone with peculiar lustre in the morning and meridian of life, but after that period, it is painful to read their diminishing prosperity and fading glory. This Solomon observes to be the usual connection between prosperity and adversity. He represents prosperity as coming first, and adversity last. "But, says he, if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many." And to this he immediately subjoins, "All that cometh is vanity." It is real vanity for men to rise in prosperity and sink in adversity. But this is the natural and common course of all earthly acquisitions and possessions, which are not only vain, but often a vexation of spirit.

4. All things which mankind most value and prize in this world are extremely short-lived. It was but a little while Solomon enjoyed the magnificent temple he built, the immense wealth he amassed, and the royal dignity and grandeur, which he displayed before those kings and princes who came from distant nations to see and admire his glory. All mankind from age to age, have been pilgrims and strangers on the earth. One generation has passed away, and another risen in their Where are the many millions, who have divided, possessed, enjoyed, and governed the world for nearly six thousand

room.

years past? They have one after another gone down to the grave, and the places, which once knew them, shall know them no more. All their earthly riches, and glory, and power, and magnificence have sunk in perpetual oblivion. Where are the men that lived from Adam to Moses, from Moses to Solomon, and from Solomon to Christ? Their names are blotted out, and their mighty works crumbled to dust. Where are the fathers of our nation, who left us this goodly heritage? They have long since slept in silence. Their possessions have passed from fathers to sons, from the rich to the poor, from the high to the low, till they have fallen into our hands, from which they will soon be taken away. This has always been the rapid succession and transitory nature of all earthly things. And in this respect all men, in all ages past, have experienced the vanity of the world. Though some have had a smaller, and some a larger portion in this life, yet all have found all things in this world equally vain to dying creatures. As they brought nothing into the world, so they could carry nothing out. This led Solomon to say, "As man came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labor, which he may carry away in his hand. And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath labored for the wind?" So vain have all earthly things been to mankind in times past: they have not satisfied their minds; they have not answered their expectations; they have not been unmixed with evil; and they have not continued so long as they desired and expected they would continue. They always deceived and disappointed all those who have placed their supreme hopes and happiness in them. They could all say either before or at the close of life, what Solomon said in regard to all the world and all its scenes and objects, "Vanity of vanities, vanity of vanities: all is vanity."

That the world has been vain in all the respects which have been mentioned, in times past, none perhaps will deny; but whether it will be so in time to come, many may doubt. This, therefore, I now proceed to show,

II. Will certainly be the case. The text asserts, "All that cometh is vanity." There are very good reasons to believe the truth of this divine declaration, though it has been, and still is generally disbelieved. But if it be true, it is highly important for all to believe and realize it. And to fasten this conviction

on every mind, I would observe,

1. That the world will be governed by the same laws of nature, in time to come, by which it has been governed in times

past. This God has assured us in his word.

"While the

earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, shall not cease." The same natural causes will continue to operate, and to produce their natural effects to the end of time. As they have in time past, produced a mixture of good and evil, so they will continue to affect mankind, as long as they continue in this frail and mortal state. The change of the seasons, the extremes of heat `and cold, and the influence of all the elements, will continue to spread innumerable evils and calamities among mankind, which will defeat their wisest purposes, destroy their highest hopes, and involve them in darkness, despondency, and insupportable distress. Nothing but miracles can prevent the laws of nature from operating and producing storms and tempests, inundations, conflagrations, earthquakes, and innumerable diseases, pains, and accidents; and we have no ground to expect so many miracles in time to come, as have been in times past. God will not counteract the laws of nature, to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick, guard the weak, or save the unguarded from fatal accidents. And if the laws of nature continue to operate, they will necessarily subject mankind to ten thousand natural evils, which must blast their hopes, and diminish, if not destroy, their happiness. It is as natural for this world to trouble and grieve the hearts of the children of men, as for the sparks to fly upward.

2. The world will be governed, in time to come, as it has been in times past, not only by the same laws of nature, but by the same hand of Providence. God always has governed, and always will govern the world by his own hand. He always has exercised a general providence in upholding the world, and preserving the laws of nature; and a particular providence in guiding and directing the laws of nature, to produce just such effects as he saw best to produce. And since the laws of nature will remain the same, and will be guided by the same Almighty hand, there is good reason to expect the same changes and revolutions in time to come, that there has been in times past. If the laws of nature were to be under the direction of a different governor, we might expect they would produce very different effects from those which they have heretofore produced. But since the same hand which always has governed the world will always govern it, there is no ground to look for any material alteration in the world, and the things of the world. All that cometh will be like all that is past, "vanity of vanities." There is still another reason,

3. Why we may expect the world will be as vain in time to

come, as it ever has been; and that is, God will continue to govern the word to answer the same important purpose, which is, to prepare men to leave it, and go into eternity. He never intended that men should live here forever; and therefore he does not mean that this world should ever become a place of perfect rest and peace. Such a state of the world would not be suited to prepare men for their long home, and fit them for their final destination in eternity. A mixture of good and evil, of light and darkness, of joy and sorrow, and of hope and fear, is calculated to prepare them for future happiness, or future misery. God is here forming vessels of mercy, and vessels of wrath, and all the evils and calamities of the world are adapted to awaken their attention, and impress their minds, in respect to things invisible, future, and eternal. If men were never convinced of the vanity of the world, they would never be concerned to secure future and eternal happiness, nor to escape future and eternal ruin. God means to disappoint the hopes, and disturb the peace of mankind, and cause them to feel the necessity and obligation of obtaining the one thing needful. And thousands have been driven from their refuges of lies and carnal security, by realizing the vanity of the world. And it will be as necessary in time to come, as it has been in time past, to govern the world so as to answer his gracious and holy purpose of preparing men for their final and eternal state. They have reason, therefore, to expect that all worldly things will continue vain and short-lived. God has enstamped vanity upon all the great and good things in this life, from the beginning to this day; and this vanity will as certainly continue to the end of time, as he continues to carry on his great work of saving and destroying sinners. And we know he is in one mind, and none can turn him. He is absolutely able to carry into effect his own purpose, and to govern the world after the counsel of his own will. He will employ the world, and all the scenes, and changes, and objects in the world, to prepare mankind for their final and unchangeable state.

IMPROVEMENT.

1. If this world always has been and always will be vain, then we see the goodness of God in forbidding mankind to love it supremely. He has forbidden them to place their supreme affections upon it in the plainest and strongest terms. Jeremiah said to Baruch, "Seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not." The apostle John says, "Love not the

world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." Now hear what Christ, who knew the world better than any other person that ever lived in it, says upon this important subject. "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.-But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?-Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you.-Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man, brought forth plentifully: and he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do; I will pull down my barns, and build greater, and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth - up treasures for himself, and is not rich towards God. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Thus the prophet, Christ, and the apostle unitedly and absolutely forbid men to love the world supremely. But these are thought to be hard sayings, and who can bear them? Why should God make such a world as this for the habitation of men, and fill it with ten thousand good things, and then forbid them to love such a good world? This has been the general thought and language of mankind from age to age, and it is still the thought and language of mankind in general. They think hard of God as Adam and Eve did, for