ated, to one
level in a moment. But here, death is looked upon in relation to the
"works" of which he has been speaking. Wisdom cannot guarantee its
possessor the enjoyment of the fruits of his labors. Death comes to
him as swiftly and as surely as to the fool, and a common oblivion
shall, after a little, swallow the memory of each, with their works.
This thought the Preacher dwells upon, and as he regards it on every
side, again and again he groans, "This also is vanity." (_vv._ 19, 21,
23.) "Therefore I hated life, yea, all my labor which I took under the
sun," and "therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all
my labor which I took under the sun." For what is there in the labor
itself? Nothing that satisfies by itself. It is only the anticipation
of final satisfaction and enjoyment that can make up for the loss of
quiet and ease now; prove _that_ to be a vain hope, and the mere labor
and planning night and day are indeed "empty vanity."

Thus much for labor "under the sun," with self for its object, and
death for its limit. Now for the contrast again in its refreshing
beauty of the "new" as against the "old" "Therefore, my beloved
brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of
the Lord, forasmuch as ye know your labor is not in vain in the Lord."
(1 Cor. xv. 58.) "All my labor vanity" is the "groan" of the old, "for
death with its terrors cuts me off from my labor and I leave it to a
fool." "No labor in vain" is the song of victory of the new, for
resurrection with its glories but introduces me to the precious fruit
of those labors, to be enjoyed forever.

Oh my brethren, let us cherish this precious word, "not in vain;" let
us be indeed "persuaded" of it, and "embrace" it, not giving up our
glorious heritage, and going back, as the Christian world largely is in
this day, to the mere human wisdom that Solomon the king possessed
above all, and which only led then, as it must now and ever, to the
groan of "vanity!" But "_not_ in vain" is ours. No little one
refreshed with even a cup of cold water but that soon the fruit of even
that little labor of love shall meet its sweetest recompense in the
smile, the approval, the praise of our Lord Jesus; and that shall make
our hearts full to overflowing with bliss; as we there echo and re-echo
our own word: it was indeed, "not in vain."

The chapter closes with the recognition that, apart from God, it is not
in the power of man