Here is one more interesting illustration of the "unbiased," "scientific" reasoning of rationalism. The object is, you know, to "determine exactly the epoch and writer of the book;" and this is how it must be done. "According to chaps, v. 1, and ix. 2, the temple worship was assiduously practised, but without a living piety of heart, and in a hypocritical and self-justifying manner; the complaints in this regard remind us vividly of similar ones of the prophet Malachi--chap. i. 6, etc." What then is the basis for all this verbiage about the temple worship? Here it is: "Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil." This sentence shows that it is impossible that Solomon wrote the book: there were no "fools" in _his_ time, who were more ready to give a careless sacrifice than to hearken: all fools only come into existence _after the exile_, in the days of Malachi! And this is "higher criticism"!
Enough as to this line. We will now ask our learned friends, since Solomon has been so conclusively proved not to have written it, Who did? And when was it written? Ah, now we may listen to a very medley of answers!--for opinions here are almost as numerous as the critics themselves. United in the one assurance that Solomon could not have written it, they are united in nothing else. One is assured it was Hezekiah, another is confident it was Zerubbabel, a third is convinced it was Jesus the son of Joiada--and so on. "All opinions," as Dr. Lewis says, "are held with equal confidence, and yet in every way are opposed to each other. Once set it loose from the Solomon time, and there is no other place where it can be securely anchored."
This brings us then to the positive assertion that from the evident purpose of the book, the _divine_ purpose, no other than Solomon could be its author. He must be of a nation taken out of the darkness and abominations of heathendom;--there was only one such nation,--he must then be an _Israelite_. He must live at an epoch when that nation is at the summit of its prosperity;--it never regained that epoch,--he must then have lived _when_ Solomon lived. He must, in his own person, by his riches, honor, wisdom, learning, freedom from external political fears, perfect capacity to drink of whatever cup this world can put into his hand to the full--represent the very top-stone of that glorious time; and not one amongst all the sons of men answers to all this but _Solomon the son of David, king in Jerusalem_.