Produced by Marcia Brooks, Colin Bell, Julia Neufeld and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries) Transcriber's note: Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). Small capital text has been replaced with all capitals. EDITED BY THE REV. W. ROBERTSON NICOLL, M.A., LL.D., _Editor of "The Expositor."_ THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES, BY SAMUEL COX, D.D. TORONTO: WILLARD TRACT DEPOSITORY AND BIBLE DEPÔT, CORNER OF YONGE AND TEMPERANCE STREETS. 1890. THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES. _WITH A NEW TRANSLATION._ BY SAMUEL COX, D.D., AUTHOR OF COMMENTARIES ON JOB, RUTH, ETC. "_Omnia vanitas, præter amare Deum, et illi soli servire._" --ST. AUGUSTINE. TORONTO: WILLARD TRACT DEPOSITORY AND BIBLE DEPÔT, CORNER OF YONGE AND TEMPERANCE STREETS. 1890. PREFACE. The Lectures on which this book is founded were delivered five-and-twenty years ago, and were published in A.D. 1867.[1] For more than twenty years the book has been out of print, a large first edition having been speedily sold out. No other edition was issued owing to the fact that my publisher soon passed into another profession. I have often been asked to reprint it, but have always felt that, before reprinting, I must rewrite it. Till of late, however, I could not command leisure for the task. But when, at the commencement of this year, the Editor of THE EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE did me the honour to ask permission to reprint it, that he might include it in this excellent series, I had leisure at command, and cheerfully devoted it to the revision of my work. Among the more recent commentaries I have read with this purpose in view, those which I have found most helpful and suggestive were that of Delitzsch, that by Dr. Wright, that of Dean Plumptre, and the fine fragment contributed to THE EXPOSITOR by Dr. Perowne, the Dean of Peterborough. In the preface to the former edition I dwelt on my indebtedness to the commentary of Dr. Ginsburg, published in A.D. 1861. In my judgment it still remains by far the best, the most thorough and the most sound. It has but one serious defect; it is addressed to scholars, and so abounds in learning and erudition that it can never come into popular use. Indeed even now, although during the last twenty years there has been an immense advance in the study and exposition of Holy Writ, and many able and learned men have devoted themselves to the service of the general public, I know of no commentary on this Scripture which really meets the wants of the unlettered. I cannot but hope, therefore, that _the Quest of the Chief Good_ may still serve a useful purpose, and that, in its revised form, it may be found helpful to those who most need help.