Memorial Edition of the Collected Works of W.J. Fox (Volume 12) (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1868. Excerpt: ... THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES. No. I. June 16A, 1839. There are many circumstances which surround the book of Ecclesiastes with interesting associations. It is the first book in the canon of scripture which was the subject of dispute, and it is said to have been so in the arrangement of the books of the Old Testament by the Jews after their return from the captivity--that is to say, there was a disputed book in the canon as soon as there was a canon of scripture at all; and this is a very natural result. "When, instead of being content with that evidence of inspiration in the truth and power which commends itself to the human heart, divines set up a notion of a technical and preternatural inspiration--when they endeavour to draw a line between some books as entitled to the subjugation of human reason, and other books of which reason is allowed to judge--from that time there must needs be contentions of the sort which then began, and which, while they originally put this book into the class of questionable productions, afterwards excited similar discussions to a larger extent with regard to several of the books of the New Testament, on which controversy has continued to the present time. It may yet be regarded as an undecided question whether the two epistles of Peter be properly in the canon, whether the epistle ascribed to Jude be properly there, whether the book of Eevelation be rightly there. Martin Luther, on the strength of his own opinion, raised the question whether the book of James was entitled to be considered as of authority: in his view, it so militated against the apostolic doctrine, that he was a sturdy opponent of its claims to authenticity or inspiration. The epistle to the Hebrews is similarly circumstanced, with this additional peculiarity, ...