Homilist Ecclesiastes 8:10 And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy… I. WICKED MEN BURIED. 1. A truly sad scene. Wicked men going to their graves, their probation over, the means of improvement ended. 2. A common scene. Death does not wait for a man's repentance. II. WHO WERE ONCE IN CONNECTION WITH RELIGIOUS ORDINANCES. "Who had come and gone from the place of the holy." This suggests: — 1. The religious craving of human nature. The soul everywhere is restless for a God. All feel the want, whatever their character. 2. The power of man to resist Divine impressions. 3. The surest way to contract guilt. "it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha," etc. 4. There is no necessary power in religious means to improve men. III. PASSING FROM THE MEMORY OF THE LIVING. There is a greater tendency in the living to forget the wicked than the good. It is true that some giants of depravity have stamped their impress on the heart of ages; such as Nero, Caligula, Napoleon, etc.; but the great mass of wicked men sink into oblivion, whilst the "righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance." What are the powers of mind that prompt men to remember the departed? 1. Gratitude is a commemorative power. Men instinctively remember the good, but what benefits have the wicked wrought? 2. Love is a commemorative power. Those who have had power to draw out the esteem and admiration of the soul will not easily, if ever, fade from the memory. The mystic hand of love will hold them close to the heart. But who can love in a moral sense the wicked? 3. Hope is a commemorative power. Those from whom we anticipate good we do not easily forget. What good can be anticipated from the wicked? Future meetings, should they ever take place, will be very fearful things. (Homilist.) Parallel Verses KJV: And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this is also vanity. |
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