and applied in nature and there is nothing new in the cycles in nature Solomon outlined.

And at the time of writing Solomon was inspired and he did not have this pessimistic, futile outlook himself, as some scholars claim. He did not consider godly works a vanity, but summed up his writing thus: “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Eccl. 12:13, 14, RS) Work done in obedience to the commands of Jehovah would bring a judgment of approval from God. But toil for material things rather than spiritual treasure is vain, and this is realized by weary old persons who have so spent their lives alienated from Jehovah God. Even living becomes a chore to them, the natural cycle of events becomes wearisome to them.

However, in the new world the repetition of the natural cycle of events will not be vain or wearying. Exhausted old persons will not exist then, for all the obedient will return to the days of their youth and each new day will be viewed with the zest of the young. Persons will have the spring of youth and the knowledge of the old, the wisdom of gray hair without the gray hair, the experience of the aged without their aches. No more will youthfulness be limited to the young, but it will be lavished on those with the maturity and wisdom to use it perfectly. No feelings of frustration and futility will mar the recurring days and nights and seasons, the natural cycles of wind and rain and sun.

There need be none even now. If we appreciate Jehovah, his goodness as Creator, and see in natural phenomena his glory and power, we delight in each new day and night. Our view even now is like the psalmist’s, and not that of an old person alienated from God: “The heavens proclaim God’s splendour, the sky speaks of his handiwork; day after day takes up the tale, night after night makes him known; their speech has never a word, not a sound for the ear, and yet their message spreads the wide world over, their meaning carries to earth’s end. See, there is the sun’s pavilion pitched! He glows like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, exults like a hero to run his course; he sets out from one end of heaven, and round he passes to the other, missing nothing with his heat!” Jehovah’s wonderful invisible qualities are clearly seen reflected in his visible creations.—Ps. 19:1-6, Mo; Rom. 1:20.

‘Originally No Clergy-Laity Distinction’

● Each year many Protestant churches in the United States have what is called “Laymen’s Sunday,” on which a layman shares the pulpit with the clergyman. Commenting on this clergy-laity distinction on such a Sunday, Dr. Sockman, one of America’s foremost Protestant clergymen, pointed out that “originally there was no distinction between clergy and laity.” Dr. Sockman had previously observed that the activities of the laymen were needed to supplement “the declining effectiveness of clerical preaching.” He urged laymen to have a part by preaching to their friends, because “there is something disintegrating about hearing without doing,” to have our emotions moved “without acting” tends to make those emotions “flabby.” All very true, Dr. Sockman, but so long as the clergy-laity distinction remains, and the laity pay the clergy to do the preaching in spite of its ineffectiveness, there will be little preaching by the laity. Since originally there was no clergy-laity distinction, why not drop it and go back to the apostolic custom of having all preach and that without remuneration?

“Abolish the Laity”?

● That it is possible for a Labor leader to give good advice to clergymen is seen from the following: Albert Whitehouse, an official of the United Steelworkers of America (CIO), was a guest speaker at the American Baptist Convention held at Atlantic City, New Jersey. Expressing his concern over the fact that so many of those who join a church do not remain with it, he suggested: “Perhaps we should abolish the laity and all become preachers of our faith. We should move out of the church building and into the community.” Could it be that Mr. Whitehouse has learned that Jehovah’s witnesses have been doing that very thing for many years, which in part accounts for their remarkable increase?