THE DEPENDENCE OF MAN UPON THE COURSE OF NATUREV. 1. TO EVERYTHING, all that men undertake or do on earth, THERE IS A SEASON, AND A TIME TO EVERY PURPOSE UNDER THE HEAVEN, under the government and providence of God:... [ Continue Reading ]
a time to be born, literally, "to bear," AND A TIME TO DIE, as the Lord has arranged; A TIME TO PLANT, AND A TIME TO PLUCK UP THAT WHICH IS PLANTED, these seasons being beyond the control of men;... [ Continue Reading ]
a time to kill, by inflicting mortal wounds, AND A TIME TO HEAL; A TIME TO BREAK DOWN, AND A TIME TO BUILD UP;... [ Continue Reading ]
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, on account of some grief or bereavement, and a time to dance, to leap for joy;... [ Continue Reading ]
a time to cast away stones, where they encumber the ground, AND A TIME TO GATHER STONES TOGETHER, as for building purposes; A TIME TO EMBRACE, to show one's love and affection, AND A TIME TO REFRAIN FROM EMBRACING, for to show affection to excess is surfeiting;... [ Continue Reading ]
a time to get, to obtain possession of, AND A TIME TO LOSE, deliberately to dispose of some object for some special reason, or cheerfully to give it up as the will of God indicates; A TIME TO KEEP, AND A TIME TO CAST AWAY, without any care for the future;... [ Continue Reading ]
a time to rend, as when garments were torn under the influence of great grief, AND A TIME TO SEW; A TIME TO KEEP SILENCE, not only in the silence of mourning, but on general principles, AND A TIME TO SPEAK, for its omission may amount to a denial of the truth;... [ Continue Reading ]
a time to love, this being the summary of the Law, AND A TIME TO HATE; A TIME OF WAR, when men think it necessary to shed blood in such a manner, AND A TIME OF PEACE. All these activities are carried out by men in the course of their lives, they occupy a certain period of time; not as though the Lor... [ Continue Reading ]
What profit hath he that worketh, being engaged in the one or the other of the activities enumerated above, IN THAT WHEREIN HE LABORETH? There is no lasting happiness and satisfaction to be found on this earth.... [ Continue Reading ]
I have seen the travail which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it, the misery which is the lot of all human beings.... [ Continue Reading ]
He hath made everything beautiful In his time, for the enjoyment of men during the short period of their lives, in the proper season; ALSO HE HATH SET THE WORLD IN THEIR HEART, so that they might understand it as reflecting the wisdom and goodness of God, SO THAT NO MAN CAN FIND OUT THE WORK THAT GO... [ Continue Reading ]
I know that there is no good in them, in the works of God given to men, BUT FOR A MAN TO REJOICE, in a cheerful use of the blessings of the Lord, AND TO DO GOOD IN HIS LIFE, to himself and to others in the proper use of God's gifts, for this is one essential part of true human happiness.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE NATURE OF HUMAN HAPPINESS... [ Continue Reading ]
And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labor, it is the gift of God, and should be acknowledged as such with the proper thanksgiving.... [ Continue Reading ]
I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever, for His works are established and upheld by His almighty power; NOTHING CAN BE PUT TO IT, by the weak attempts of frail human beings, NOR ANYTHING TAKEN FROM IT, they cannot interfere with His government; AND GOD DOETH IT THAT MEN SHOULD FEAR B... [ Continue Reading ]
That which hath been is now, it was established by God's creative act; AND THAT WHICH IS TO I, HATH ALREADY BEEN, in agreement with God's plans before the creation of the world; AND GOD REQUIRETH THAT WHICH IS PAST, literally, "God seeketh that which was driven away," restoring that which seemed cha... [ Continue Reading ]
And, moreover, I saw under the sun the place of judgment, where the judges and rulers of men should dispense justice only, THAT WICKEDNESS WAS THERE; AND THE PLACE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, THAT INIQUITY WAS THERE, perversion of justice by persons in authority being all too common.... [ Continue Reading ]
I said in mine heart, in meditating upon a possible change in the unfortunate conditions obtaining, GOD SHALL JUDGE THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED, if not on this side of the grave, then in the last great Judgment; FOR THERE IS A TIME THERE, in heaven above, FOR EVERY PURPOSE AND FOR EVERY WORK, for G... [ Continue Reading ]
I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, fallen mankind in general, THAT GOD MIGHT MANIFEST THEM, that is, sift, test, prove them, AND THAT THEY MIGHT SEE THAT THEY THEMSELVES ARE BEASTS, so far as their physical life and its end is concerned, they are on a level with brutes, t... [ Continue Reading ]
For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one, according to their bodily, physical nature only, DIETH, SO DIETH THE OTHER; YEA, THEY HAVE ALL ONE BREATH, their physical life is of the same kind; SO THAT A MAN HATH NO PREEMINENCE ABOVE A BEAST, s... [ Continue Reading ]
All go unto one place, to the realm of death; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again, Genesis 3:19.... [ Continue Reading ]
Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? How can we expect the ordinary person, without the illumination of the Word, to distinguish between the death of a human being and an animal? For it certainly seems as though there is no di... [ Continue Reading ]
Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, take pleasure and delight in the labor which falls to his lot in life; FOR THAT IS HIS PORTION, so much is allotted to him in this life; FOR WHO SHALL BRING HIM TO SEE WHAT SHALL BE AFTER HIM? The less... [ Continue Reading ]