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Opposite ideas of life: the materialistic and the spiritual: — There are at least two very opposite ideas of human life working in men; and these ideas make life to man virtuous and blessed, or vile and miserable. Materialism propounds the one, spiritual Christianity the other. Solomon speaks what material philosophers teach, and what all mere worldly men feel life to be; Christ and His apostles reveal the experience of all genuine disciples of spiritual Christianity.

I. The one idea represents life as a TRANSIENT APPEARANCE, the other as a PERMANENT REALITY. Solomon says, speaking out the philosophy of Materialism, "One generation passeth away and another generation cometh." "All is vanity, all is vanity" — a mere pageant, an empty show. Men, what are they? They rise from the dust and to the dust they go. A whole generation is but a troop of pilgrims, pursuing their journey from dust to dust. They soon reach their destination and disappear, but the earth, the old road over which they trod their way, "abideth for ever." "Let us eat and drink, then, for to-morrow we die." Ephemerous as we are, let us sport in the sunbeam while we have it; the starless night of eternal extinction will soon spread over us. So say the Materialists; their philosophy has no higher idea of life. In sublime contrast with this is the idea propounded in the New Testament. "He that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." "He that believeth in Me," says Christ, "shall never die."

II. The one idea represents life as an ENDLESS ROUTINE, the other as CONSTANT PROGRESS. Solomon saw in nature what modern philosophers call the law of circularity everywhere. He saw the sun, the wind, the rivers, moving in an invariable circle, returning ever to the point whence they Set out. He compares this to human life, a mere endless routine. The motion of all organic life is from dust to dust. This is, says the Materialist, but a figure of man's moral history; there is no progress, — it is an eternal round. Mankind, in all their efforts to improve themselves, are only like Sisyphus of ancient fable, rolling a heavy stone up a steep hill; the moment the hand is withdrawn it rushes to the valley again. This is a crushing idea of life; it comes over the soul like a black, rayless cloud of ice. There is some truth in it, but thank God it is not the whole truth. The true path of the soul is not a circle, — it is a ladder, like Jacob's ladder, reaching from earth to the throne of the Eternal. Every golden rundle it climbs, it pierces a new cloud, gets new light; it hears new voices, sees new heavens, and thus passes "from glory to glory." "It doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He does appear we shall see Him as He is."

III. The one idea represents life as UNSATISFYING LABORIOUSNESS, the other as a BLESSED ACTIVITY. "All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing," etc. Voltaire, the brilliant wit, the literary idol of France, expressed his experience of life in one word, "Ennui. The man who has laboured most, and laboured in the highest departments of labour with a worldly spirit, must ever experience dissatisfaction of soul. Worldly labour can never satisfy the human soul. You may as well endeavour to empty the ocean with your bucket, or quench Etna with your tears, as to get happiness due of any amount or kind of labour wrought in a worldly spirit. The idea of labour, however, propounded by Christianity is the opposite of this. Labour need not be, and ought not to be unsatisfying. A good man is blessed in his deed." This idea is the true one. All labour should be inspired with the spirit of love to God, and trust in His paternal care. Such labour will be ever satisfying, ever blessed. The labour of love is the melody of life. Every true deed beats heavenly music into the soul.

IV. The one idea represents life as DOOMED TO OBLIVION — the other as IMPERISHABLY REMEMBERABLE. The past is forgotten, the present will soon be in oblivion. Men and their doings are speedily lost in forgetfulness. Such is the gloomy idea of Materialism — an idea under whose dark and chilling shadow men may well weep and wail. But is it true? "The righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance." The good man, "being dead, yet speaketh." Thank God! Christianity tells us that man will never be forgotten. He will live for ever in the memory of those who love him. The genuine disciple of Christ has his name written in an imperishable book — "the Lamb's Book of Life."

(Homilist.)

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KJV: One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.

WEB: One generation goes, and another generation comes; but the earth remains forever.