A life spent in satisfying the pleasures of sense alone leaves nothing of value to the ‘pilgrims of night,’ for it passes away like a shadow and is gone. The greatest heritage that can come to the children of men—an inheritance that they should administer jealously—is a good name. As to other things we can carry nothing out of this world, but good character, like the ancient embalming, forever preserves a good name. The ‘name’ which wisdom here mentions is that which has acquirement of reputation. This is suggested by the second member of the text. The old application would have limited it to one who had won fame. Evidently, reputation is to be the outcome of character just as the perfume is associated with the nard. The things in comparison are the good name which all delight to honor, and the fragrant odor of the good, i. e. precious, ointment which all enjoy. But more than this. Names of the great and good have a diffusive power, subtly and incisively invading our spirits as their golden deeds are told off and become signs to the world that earth has souls of heroic mould. Then we are athrill with emotion as our souls thus catch better insight of humanity. The correspondence is in opening the box of delicate, pure and costly ointment, the odor thereof filling the house. How comes it that the day of death is better than the day of birth? Solomon may have meant that life’s vexations, toils, temptations and trials were thus at an end. This is the justifying consolation that we give when our fellows depart hence and are no more seen. The passing hence is undoubtedly merciful relief in many instances. But life’s issues are varied and diverse, and to most of us life, in its purely temporal aspect, is the sweetest and closest companion of thought. There are but few to receive Solomon’s words. Possibly, they are designed for the few. At an earlier stage of his life he would not have written them. They came out of his experience. He may have been touched by a gloom of apprehension which sprung from ignorance, an ignorance that was done away in Christ our Lord. That life does not cease absolutely is knowledge which Christ’s religion has fixed in human minds. It is true that there is as yet no test of experience, save that I point you to Jesus Christ the Great Exemplar and those recorded cases who were subjects of his power. In the spirit’s return to God, the ancients did not know that to die is gain.