1. THE proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel : 2. To know wisdom and instruction ; To discern the words of understanding ; 3. To receive instruction in wise dealing, In righteousness and judgment and equity ; 4. To give subtilty to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion : 5. That the wise man may hear, and increase in learning ; And that the man of understanding may attain unto sound counsels : 6. To understand a proverb, and a figure ; The words of the wise, and their dark sayings. 7. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge : But the foolish despise wisdom and instruction. 8. My son, hear the instruction of thy father, And forsake not the teaching of thy mother : 9. For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head, And chains about thy neck. 10. My son, if sinners entice thee, Consent thou not. 11. If they say, Come with us, Let us lay wait for blood, Let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause ; 12. Let us swallow them up alive as Sheol, And whole, as those that go down into the pit ; 13. We shall find all precious substance, We shall fill our houses with spoil ; 14. Thou shalt cast thy lot among us ; We will all have one purse : 15. My son, walk not thou in the way with them ; Refrain thy foot from their path : 16. For their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed blood. 17. For in vain is the net spread, In the eyes of any bird : 18. And these lay wait for their own blood, I-6. WITH obvious fitness the author begins with a clear statement of his objects—viz., to help the reader to the knowledge of wisdom ; to impart useful instruction ; to give just ideas They lurk privily for their own lives. 19. So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain ; It taketh away the life of the owners thereof. 20. Wisdom crieth aloud in the street ; She uttereth her voice in the broad places ; 21. She crieth in the chief place of concourse ; At the entering in of the gates, In the city, she uttereth her words : 22. How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity ? And scorners delight them in scorning, And fools hate knowledge ? 23. Turn you at my reproof : Behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. 24. Because I have called, and ye refused ; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded ; 25. But ye have set at nought all my counsel, And would none of my reproof : 26. I also will laugh in the day of your calamity ; I will mock when your fear cometh ; 27. When your fear cometh as a storm, And your calamity cometh on as a whirlwind ; When distress and anguish come upon you. 28. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer ; They shall seek me diligently, but they shall not find me : 29. For that they hated knowledge, And did not choose the fear of the LORD : 30. They would none of my counsel ; They despised all my reproof : 31. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, And be filled with their own devices. 32. For the backsliding of the simple shall slay them, And the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. 33. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell securely, And shall be quiet without fear of evil. of moral rectitude ; to settle grave questions of right and wrong. In v. 4 "subtilty" must not be taken in its bad sense of cunning, craftiness, but in the sense of sharp and clear discrimination and just apprehension—sagacity. The “simple” here, as usually in the writings of Solomon, are the open-hearted and unsuspecting, who are accessible to every social influence, and therefore easily seduced into evil ways. He proceeds to say that every wise man will hear good counsel and will make acquisitions of solid wisdom and of all useful knowledge, so as to understand proverbs and those brief and condensed maxims which require skill for their interpretation. The “dark sayings” of the wise are those deep, abstruse maxims which purposely task the ingenuity of the reader in order to fix their rich thought more deeply in his mind. H. C. 2. To know wisdom. The use of these proverbs is to give true moral and spiritual wisdom and instruction to those that carefully hear and read them. Bishop H.—This book will help us: 1. To form right notions of things, and to possess our minds with clear and distinct ideas of them: that we may know wisdom and instruction; that wisdom which is got by instruction, by Divine revelation: may know both how to speak and act wisely ourselves, and to give instruction to others. 2. To distinguish between truth and falsehood, good and evil; to discern the words of understanding; to apprehend and judge of them, to guard against mistakes, and to accommodate what we are taught to ourselves and our own use. H. 4. The previous verses have described the ends aimed at. This points out the classes for which the book will be found useful. These are mainly two—the simple, literally the “open,” the open-hearted, the minds ready to receive impressions for good or evil, so exposed to the latter that the word for the most part is used as in v. 22, and elsewhere, with a shade of evil attaching to it; and the young—those whose age places them for the most part under the category of the “open,” and who, even if their will be stronger, still need both knowledge and discipline. To these the teacher offers what they most need, the subtlety, which may turn to evil and become as the wisdom of the serpent, but which also takes its place among the highest moral gifts (Matt. 10:16); knowledge of good and evil, the discretion or discernment which sets a man on his guard and keeps him from being duped by false advisers. E. H. P. To the young man knowledge. Youth is the time to form opinions—or, rather to learn truth. It is meant that you should now, with the honest use of all the power you can command, canvass and decide upon the Babel of varying beliefs around you. No man has any belief but what he wins for himself as the captive of his own spear and his own bow. If we are building on traditional opinion we have really no foundation at all. Unless the word received from others has been verified by ourselves and changed into a part of our own being, we may befool ourselves with creeds and professions to which we fancy that we adhere, but we have no belief whatsoever. You must learn to look with your own eyes, and not through the spectacles of any human guides, authorities, or teachers upon the mystic, awful verities of this strange life, and upon the light that falls on them from the far-off empyrean above. A. M. Knowledge and practice do mutually promote one another. Knowledge prepares and disposeth for practice, and practice is the best way to perfect knowledge in any kind. More speculation is a very raw and rude thing in comparison of that true and distinct knowledge which is gotten by practice and experience. Knowledge perfected by practice is as much different from mere speculation as the skill of doing a thing is from being told how a thing is to be done. Give me a man that constantly does a thing well, and that shall satisfy me that he knows how to do it. That saying of our blessed Saviour, “If any man will do My will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself,” is a clear determination of this matter—namely, that they understand the will of God best who are most careful to do it. And so likewise the best way to know what God is, is to transcribe His perfections in our lives and actions, to be holy, and just, and good, and merciful as He is. Tillotson.—The highest rational knowledge of God cannot profit without the knowledge of faith. This general and common knowledge of Christ is but a knowing after the flesh, not in the power of His Spirit, and can no more advantage than the Jews knowing Him, or Judas his living with Him, did them or him without believing. In the Scripture, Christians are not called knowing persons, but believers. T. R. Stevenson.—Not the truth which a man knows, but that which he feels and lives, becomes the soul’s life. Truth cannot bless, except when it is lived, proclaimed, and suffered for. Anon. 5. The wise man. A wise man is one who understands himself well enough to make due allowance for moods, never concluding that a thing is thus or thus because just now it bears that look; waiting often to see what a sleep or a walk, or a cool revision, or perhaps a considerable turn of repentance will do. He does not slash upon a subject or a man from the point of a just now rising temper. He maintains a noble candor by waiting sometimes for a gentler spirit and a better sense of truth. He is never intolerant of other men's judgments, because he is a little distrustful of his own. He restrains the dislikes of prejudice, because he has a prejudice against his dislikes. His resentments are softened by his condemnations of himself. His depressions do not crush him, because he has sometimes seen the sun, and believes it may appear again. He revises his opinions readily, because he has a right, he thinks, to better opinions if he can find them. He holds fast sound opinions, lest his moodiness in change should take all truth away. A man who is duly aware thus of his own distempered faculty makes a life how different from one who acts as if he were infallible, and had nothing to do but just to let himself be pronounced. Bushnell. Will increase in learning. True wisdom is never stationary, but always progressive; because it secures the ground behind it as a basis for further advances. "He who is not adding is wasting; he who is not increasing knowledge is losing from it," says Rabbi Hillel. Fausset.—The true lover of learning gives not over his chase and pursuit for a little smattering knowledge he gets, but rather, having got the scent how sweet learning is, puts on with fuller cry for what he wants. The true doctor studies harder than the freshman, because as he knows more of learning, so by that knowledge he understands his own deficiency better; for the higher he ascends the hill of learning, the more his prospect enlargeth, while the other, standing at the bottom, thinks he knows all in his little. Gurnall.—All true knowledge is alluring. The first sight of a mystery is transporting, and also alluring to a further inquiry. "A wise man will hear and will increase learning;" he will arise to more sublime thoughts and discoveries. It is the nature of all true knowledge to sharpen the mind for more. The scholar that has a taste of any curious learning will not leave the pursuit till by turning over books and stretching his thoughts, he has increased his stock. It is also the nature of spiritual knowledge to put an edge upon the appetite, and open the understanding wider that it may be filled with more. Charnock. 7-9. Solomon, having undertaken to teach a young man knowledge and discretion, here lays down two general rules to be observed in order thereunto; and those are to fear God and honor his parents. H. 7. This verse belongs properly to the introduction, giving very appropriately the state of mind in which wisdom should be sought. The "fear of the Lord" in the sense of Solomon is not a slavish dread, but a reverential and filial regard, in which love blends with profound homage, and a respect which, as related to God, rises to the highest reverence. In this spirit we desire above all things else to learn and to do all our Heavenly Father's will. The lessons of heavenly wisdom are therefore cherished with warmest affection and sought with most earnest endeavor. So vital is the fear of the Lord to the acquisition of all true wisdom that it may fitly be said to be the very beginning of it, the starting-point; the spirit without which there can be no truly honest and earnest pursuit of wisdom. H. C.—"The fear of the Lord" comes as the motto of the book. The beginning of wisdom is not found in keen insight, nor wide experience, nor the learning of the schools, but in the temper of reverence and awe. The fear of the finite in the presence of the Infinite, of the sinful in the presence of the Holy, self-abhorring, adoring, this for the Israelite was the starting-point of all true wisdom. In the Book of Job (28 : 28) it appears as an oracle, accompanied by the noblest poetry. In Psalms 111 : 10 it comes as the choral close of a temple hymn. Here it is the watchword of a true ethical education. The fear of which the three writers speak is not the slave's dread of punishment. It has no "torment," and is compatible with childlike love. But this and not love is the "beginning of wisdom." Through successive stages and by the discipline of life love blends with it and makes it perfect. E. H. P. In the preface to the Decalogue we are taught to feel awe toward the Creator as the Lord our God, and also grateful love to Him as the One who brought us out of the house of bondage. These two feelings have justly been styled the centripetal and centrifugal forces of the moral universe. Neither can be spared. The concurrence of the two bring about that state of mind and heart which is most acceptable to God and most conducive to our present and future welfare. The text says that it is the head and front of knowledge. T. W. C.—The fear of God is the beginning of knowledge, because knowledge, being the apprehension of facts and application of them to life, cannot properly begin, or be placed on a right foundation, without first apprehending and applying a fact which includes and which modifies all other facts whatever. The knowledge which is to train the soul must begin, continue, and end in the apprehension of God—of God as first, and of all other things as He has made them to be to us exponents of and testimonies to Himself. And if knowledge is to be of any real use to help and renovate man, the affections must be wrought upon at the very outset of teaching. There is but one personal Agent whose influence and presence can abide through life, can alike excite hope, and fear, and love in the infant, in the child, in the youth, in the man, in the aged, and on the bed of death; and that One is God Himself. Unless He be known first and known throughout, knowledge will abide alone in the head and will not find a way to the heart; man will know but will not grow by it; will know but will not act upon it; will know for narrow and low and selfish purposes, but never for blessing to himself or to others, never for the great ends of his being and never for glory to his God. The fear of the Lord is not a barren fact, like the shape of the earth or the course of the seasons; it is a living, springing, transmuting affection, capable of enduring even ordinary facts with power to cheer and to bless, and to bear fruit in men's hearts and lives. Alford. Know thyself that thou mayest fear God; know God that thou mayest love Him. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom; the love of God is the fulfilling of the law. In all thy actions think God sees thee, and in all His actions labor to see Him; that will make thee fear Him, this will move thee to love Him. The fear of God is the beginning of knowledge, and the knowledge of God is the perfection of love. Quarles.—To know God, to contemplate the perfections of His nature and the wonders of His hand; to become acquainted with that regular and orderly plan by which He governs His creatures; to observe His watchful care and providential regard; to behold the wonders of redemption, the character and undertaking of Jesus, the doctrine He hath taught, the duties He hath enforced, the promises He hath given; to discover the means of salvation, the economy of the invisible world, and the continuance of our own existence in that immortality which is brought to light by the Gospel—these and other subjects of equal importance, when opened to the mind, not only give pleasure as speculative discoveries and the solutions of distressing doubts, but by kindling an ardent and elevated devotion, giving support and reasonableness to hope and influencing to the discharge of every religious and moral duty, produce also the testimony of a good conscience and the favor of God—the present possession of the peace of the Gospel, and the prospect of a future fulness of joy in the presence of God forever. R. Watson. 8. 9. These verses exhibit the relation of the person addressed to his monitor, and make an earnest appeal to him readily to receive the proffered instruction. As an inducement it holds forth the beautiful ornaments of character which such a readiness will confer upon him. 8. My son is the usual address of a teacher to a learner, and is common in Persia and Arabia, as well as in Palestine. The writer assumes the attitude of a parent addressing his children. M. S.—In the eight opening chapters "my son" occurs no less than fifteen times. This circumstance makes the counsels more winning and more touching. Bishop Alexander. He charges children both to receive and to retain the good lessons their parents give them. Some observe that whereas the Gentile ethics and the laws of the Persians and Romans provided only that children should pay respect to their father, the Divine law secures the honor of the mother also. H.—Our earthly relations are but a figure of our heavenly relations. The tenderness, the loving care, the joyful self-sacrifice of our earthly parents, are meant to assure us of and to aid us in believing in the exceeding great love of our heavenly Father toward us. E. H. Bradby. By the forethought of the mother in the touching of this one's disposition and that one's disposition, first on this side and then on that, the wise administration of love in the household keeps everything moving harmoniously. There is an atmosphere thrown off from the mother's heart which keeps the whole household in order, and all progresses regularly and happily. Anon.—Children, look into those eyes, listen to that dear voice, notice the feeling of even a single touch that is bestowed upon you by that gentle hand! Make much of it while you have that most precious of all gifts, a loving mother. Read the unfathomable love of those eyes, the deep anxiety of that tone and look, however slight your pain. In after life you may have friends, fond, dear, kind friends; but never will you have again the inexpressible love and gentleness lavished upon you which none but a mother can bestow. Macaulay.—There is an enduring tenderness in the love of a mother to a son that transcends all other affections of the heart. It is neither to be chilled by selfishness, nor daunted by danger, nor weakened by worthlessness, nor stifled by ingratitude. She will sacrifice every comfort to his convenience; she will surrender every pleasure to his enjoyment; she will glory in his fame and exult in his prosperity; and if misfortune overtake him, he will be the dearer to her from his misfortunes; and if disgrace settle upon his name, she will still love and cherish him in spite of his disgrace; and if all the world beside cast him off, she will be all the world to him. Washington Irving. 10-19. Here Solomon gives another general rule to young people, in order to their finding out and keeping in the paths of wisdom, and that is, to take heed of the snare of bad company. David's Psalms begin with this caution, and so do Solomon's Proverbs. How industrious wicked people are to seduce others into the paths of the destroyer! Sinners love company in sin; the angels that fell were tempters almost as soon as they were sinners. They do not threaten or argue, but entice with flattery and fair speech; with a bait they draw the unwary young man to the hook. H.—Solomon admonishes the young to shun the temptations to robbery—the prevailing and besetting sin of freebooting life. The tempter approaches with the suggestion, Let us get up an expedition for murder and plunder; let us advance stealthily and fall suddenly upon some rich village or household; let us swallow them up as the grave does, in a moment, remorselessly; so shall we get stores of wealth without labor, and fill our houses with plunder. Thus, on the one side, are the temptations of gain without work or cost; the social attractions of the secret fraternity and the love of bold adventure; the sense of power also, and the charm of witnessing the surprise and panic of the defenceless; but, on the other hand, Solomon admonishes his young friends that those feet run to evil and hasten to the shedding of blood (v. 16); that their movements may be anticipated and balked by the wariness of those whom they would fain surprise and destroy (v. 17); that their onset may recoil, and so their lying in wait will be for their own, not others' blood, and their "lurking privily" will cost, not others' lives, but their own. He then draws the broad conclusion—So it befalls every man who is greedy of gain, for such greed costs the life of those who thus grasp at it. This conclusion justifies the remark that this form of sin may represent numerous other forms, any and every other form indeed in which the social element is strong and human selfishness riots recklessly upon other men's interests and rights. Such bold, extreme wickedness reacts with fearful power. H. C. 10. From broad general counsels the teacher passes to more specific warnings. The first great danger which besets the simple and the young is that of evil companionship. The only safety is to be found in the power of saying “No” to all such invitations, however enticing they may be. E. H. P.—Unless we have learned to say “No,” we shall be miserable as well as weak. There is no real felicity for the men who have not learned to stand alone, if need be, and when those round them are all going in one direction to say: “I have neither part nor lot in the matter.” We must resist if we are to obey. It is easy, but not blessed, to go with the stream, to be borne by circumstances, to share in the popular way of life. It is better to swim up stream, though much harder, than to let ourselves be lazily borne down it. Young men, if you want to be blessed, learn in time “When sinners entice thee, consent thou not.” Unless your obedience is militant, it will be no obedience at all. A. M.—It matters not to the cattle of the field what company they keep in grazing the meadow for a few short years; but it matters much to thee what associates are permitted to affect thy character for time and for eternity. Respect thyself, and so fear God that thou canst have no companions who do not also fear Him. D. F. 11. Come with us. You know how many there are that say to you, sometimes by articulate words, and still more frequently by example, “Come with us. Let’s have our fling. Time enough to be better when we get old. No harm in sowing our wild oats now. If a young man comes into the city and takes his place at desk or counter, and there forgets resistance, sturdy non-compliance and heroic daring to be singular when evil tempts him, he is ruined body and soul. That is not exaggeration, as anybody who watches for a few years has sorrowful reason to know. I have seen many young men from the day that they entered their situations, fresh and buoyant, “innocent of much transgression,” and “simple concerning evil.” And I have watched them grow hard and reserved, gradually withdraw themselves from good and Christian influences, exchange their simplicity for knowledge which was bitter, sometimes become pale and haggard and old before their time—and then they have disappeared. “Where is he gone?” “Oh, he got into a bad set; he has lost his situation, and is gone abroad.” And sometimes the answer is: “He went home ill, and he is dead.” The lesson that is read you by these sad careers cut so short is surely that one—“Resist.” “My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.” A. M.—The defence prescribed is, “Consent thou not.” It is a blunt, peremptory command. Your method of defence must be different from the adversary's mode of attack. His strength lies in making gradual approaches, yours in a resistance sudden, resolute, total. Arnot. 17,18. They are worse than the birds, and have not the sense which we sometimes perceive them to have; for the fowler knows it is in vain to lay his snare in the sight of the bird, and therefore he has arts to conceal it. But the sinner sees ruin at the end of his way; the murderer, the thief, see the jail and the gallows before them—nay, their watchmen tell them they shall surely die, but it is to no purpose. H. 19. Greedy of gain. The love of money is a root of all evil. While many other sources of sin exist, there is no description of crime which this vice has not prompted men to commit. On no subject, perhaps, are the Scriptures more copious and minute than on the sin of covetousness. If a faithful portrait of its loathsome character can induce us to hate it; if a sight of the virtues which it has extinguished, the vices with which it is often associated, and the depraved characters in whom it has most flourished; if the tenderest dissuasives from it, and the terrors of the Lord warning us against it; if Sinai and Calvary uniting and protesting against it—if all this combined can deter us from the sin of covetousness, then the Scriptures have omitted nothing which could save us from its guilty contamination. J. H. 20,21. Wisdom crieth aloud to all men. The allurements to evil in the world and the consequences of yielding to tempters, referred to in the preceding verses, naturally suggest the call and the attractions of a heavenly character. In this fine personification, so often and effectively employed throughout the Book of Proverbs, wisdom represents, primarily, supreme excellence—that is, piety or godlikeness of heart and life; and is opposed to folly, which stands for the extreme of impiety. But as Christ is the only manifest embodiment of this exalted idea of wisdom, as His spirit perfectly harmonizes with this personified messenger of God to men, and his office-work both in word and deed corresponds exactly with that indicated in this Divine message, so it is a natural and necessary conclusion that Christ Himself is represented here. And the New Testament by specific statements amply confirms this conclusion. Bearing in mind this reference to Christ in the personified wisdom of the proverbs, and noticing the interchangeable use of the abstract idea of piety or religion with the personal Christ, observe, first, the openness and universality of this call to men. It is not uttered in secret, as if the speaker were ashamed of the message, or as if the invitation were restricted to few. But openly traversing every pathway of man, and persistently seeking out all classes, this herald of heaven is represented as crying aloud to the multitudes gathered in the gateways and other places of concourse, and to those abiding in their homes. B.—How much of Christ the writer of Proverbs descried we know not; but the inspiring Spirit so guided him that he set forth an ideal of wisdom which cannot be satisfied short of the doctrine of Christ—the personal Word, in whom “are hid all treasurers of wisdom and knowledge,” and whose Gospel of grace and truth, wherever received and obeyed, causes this saying to be fulfilled in His disciples—“Wisdom is justified of her children.” D. F. 22. How long will ye? In the vicious ways of the world it mercifully falleth out that it taketh some time and pains to undo ourselves. We fall not from virtue in a day. Bad dispositions require some time to grow into bad habits, bad habits must undermine good, and often-repeated acts make us habitually evil; so that by gradual deprivations, and while we are but staggeringly evil, we are not left without parentheses of consideration, thoughtful rebukes, and merciful interventions, to recall us unto ourselves. For the wisdom of God hath methodized the course of things unto the best advantage of goodness. Browne. 22,23. Three classes addressed, with expostulation, entreaty, and promise. The simple are those untaught and inexperienced who, because of natural infirmity and self-pleasing, are easily ensnared and led into evil by worldly tempters and enticements. But experience in transgression transforms the simple into the scorner. This is a lower grade and more fixed condition in sin. It makes the man a despiser of truth, a scoffer at God and religion. In the third class scorning has deepened into hate of the truth and of God, and to hardened viciousness. Fools here mean men that openly defy God, and are self-abandoned to their lusts. In the first Psalm you will find the same three distinct classes. The same gradation of character is there further indicated by the several attitudes of walking, standing, and sitting; thus intimating the more and more fixed condition of the maturing sinner. First comes expostulation with each class, based upon the increasing brevity of time and difficulty of changing the course of life. When life is so short and uncertain, and the work of return is daily more difficult, how long will ye delay decisive action? Turn you now, and heed my reproof! The meaning is, Repent ye and become wise, docile, trustful. And, as everywhere in the Old Testament, so here we have mercy coupling promise with entreaty. The promise, too, is the same which we find alike in Old Testament and New—the promise of the Spirit and the Word of God. This Divine agent and instrument, by which the simple, the scorner, and the defiantly impious alike are enabled to turn again unto God, is here pledged to “whomsoever will.” B.—The words are specially pertinent considered as coming from the lips of our Divine Lord, “Behold, I will pour out My Spirit unto [upon] you; I will make known My words unto you.” In the fulness of His love He promises to give not only good counsel, but (what is far more) the good influence of His own Spirit to impress His truth on human hearts and so change them from sin to holiness. H. C. 24-31. Consequences of persistent refusal set forth with awful vividness. “I have called,” says Christ, “have stretched forth My hands,” as one earnestly entreating; but ye have refused, despised, rejected My counsels, entreaties, and promised mercies! There remains only warning, and this is uttered in terms that ought to stir thought in the most heedless, and awaken fear in the most hardened. “I, even I, who have dealt with you so forbearingly and kindly, who have besought you so tenderly, and warned you so pityingly and faithfully, even I shall deal with you as with enemies. As ye have laughed and mocked at truth and purity, at My character and commands, derided and despised My promises and warnings, so will I mock and have you in derision when your fear cometh as a destructive tempest and your calamity advances as a sweeping whirlwind, when distress and anguish cometh upon you.” And, to intensify this fearful declaration, He foretells them of the change which shall then be wrought in their convictions and actions. They shall believe in Me then, and call earnestly upon Me. But I will not answer, and they shall not find Me, however intense their desire and seeking. A pause seems to follow these vivid words of prophetic warning. But those that are warned pass on unheeding out of reach of the kindly voice. Then speaks again the pitying Divine messenger of their hopeless estate (vs. 29-31). Because of this persistence in their own evil way in despite of such plain warning, they shall reap as they have sown; misery for sin, remorse and despair for impenitence and hardness of heart. This is the terrible significance of eating and being surfeited with the fruit of their own devices and doings. And this passage, like its New Testament parallel (Gal. 6:7, 8), clearly shows that punishment is directly the result of man's own consciously responsible acting, a fact which gives it the sharpest sting. B. Here, in words of terrible truthfulness and figures of appalling force, we have the idea of retribution. The repetition and the accumulation of strong figures heightens the force of the passage. The words before us seem to exhaust their meaning in the awfully solemn assurance that God will never swerve from His course of righteous retribution, but will make the reckless sinner's doom inexorable and eternal. H. C.—The person represented as speaking these very solemn and terrible words is that same Wisdom which is represented in the verses before the text as making most gracious offers to all who will hear her voice. The love of Christ only measures the wrath of God against those who neglect it. As the blood of Christ saves, so the blood of Christ condemns. Bishop H. Goodwin. God is long-suffering and of great pity. He gives a thousand chances. He calls and calls again. He reproves gently. He rebukes sternly. He chastens tenderly. He smites severely. Every sinful career is marked by such gradations of discipline. At last the cup is full. Long trifled with, “God is not mocked;” and he who would not have Him for his Father must at last know Him as his Judge. C. J. V.—Mercy, with her weeping eyes (for she hath wept for sinners), when she finds they will not repent, looks more terribly stern in her loveliness than Justice in all his majesty; she drops the white flag from her hand, and saith, “No; I called, and they refused; I stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; let them die, let them die;” and that terrible word from the lip of Mercy’s self is harsher thunder than the very damnation of Justice. Oh, yes, the goodness of God demands that men should perish if they will sin. Spurgeon. 26. Even I is emphatic—I, who have warned you so often, so tenderly, and so earnestly—even I shall henceforth treat you as enemies, who deserve contempt. Laughing at and mocking are expressions of the highest and most contemptuous indignation. Compare Psalms 2:5, where, as applicable to God, this same bold language is employed. M. S.—If God is infinitely good and holy, and if He knows the full misery that sin has brought into His creation, with what other sentiment can He regard sin but with that of hatred and indignation? God must look upon sin with displeasure, and He must act upon that displeasure. Evil must excite displeasure in one that is perfectly good; and in the moral Governor of the universe such displeasure cannot be quiescent and impotent, it must be active and effective. Reason teaches us so, and revelation sanctions, enlarges, and enforces the lesson. A. C. H. Guilt is not misfortune; it is not imbecility; it is not disease; it is not want of moral balance; it is not inherited depravity—it is guilt, pure and simple. Any trial consistent with a man's moral freedom, so far as we know, is a fair trial. If a man has more than that it is more than justice, it is grace. Up to the full extent of conscious wrong a man is damnable. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. This is justice. It is not justice with a reservation; it is justice full and absolute. Being just, it is Divine and glorious. Yet this is the retributive idea in God's government. If it is not right, nothing is right. If it is not a fit theme of exulting song, the universe does not contain such in all its history. Under a moral government if guilt cannot be quelled by means of moral suasion and its equivalents nothing can reach it but retribution. Man's own will has the decision in itself. If he will not be saved, he cannot be. Nothing is left but retributive devices. And of these the chief and most appalling is to leave guilt to itself. Give it a place where it may be let alone, to act out its own wretched nature, and leave it there. But guilt left to itself is hell. Milton's Satan felt the ghastly reality—"Myself am hell!" This is the second death. A. P. 27. When fear cometh, . . . when distress and anguish come. No man knows how soon God may let loose the tormenting power of sin upon his conscience; how soon He may set fire to all that fuel that lies dormant and treasured up in his sinful breast. Upon which account the present quiet of his condition is so far from ministering any just cause of satisfaction to him, that he has reason to beg upon his knees that God would alter the method of His proceeding, and rather compound and strike him with some present horror for sin than sink him under the unsupportable weight of an eternal damnation. South. 30. Despised my reproof. Men do not in terms deny God's existence, but make light of Him; never read His Word with any seriousness; never pray unless they are ill or afraid; count church service and instruction a weariness. Allah has far more reverence from the Moslem than the great God of heaven and earth obtains from multitudes who pass as Christians. They live as if He had no right to command them, and no power to judge them. They lift their own will and pleasure to the throne, and despise the Lord of hosts. D. F.—Back of this rejection lies an intense devotion to present indulgences; a latent and incorrect conviction that the love and service of Christ bereave the present of much that is of solid worth; the determined suppression of serious thought; a haughtiness of intellectual conceit that is ever the patron of error; the studied cultivation of stoicism and insensibility to the Gospel, and soul restiveness under moral restraints. Leech. 31. The fruit of their own way. The Bible meaning of a curse is simply the natural consequence of men's own ill actions. For even in this life the door of mercy may be shut, and we may cry in vain for mercy when it is the time for justice. This is not merely a doctrine; it is a common, patent fact. Men do wrong and escape again and again the just punishment of their deeds; but how often there are cases in which a man does not escape, when he is filled with the fruit of his own devices, and left to the misery which he has earned. Terrible and heart-searching for the wrong-doer is the message, God does not curse thee; thou hast cursed thyself. God will not go out of His way to punish thee; thou hast gone out of His way, and thereby thou art punishing thyself. God does not break His laws to punish sins. The laws themselves punish; every fresh wrong deed, and wrong thought, and wrong desire of thine sets thee more and more out of tune with those immutable and eternal laws of the moral universe which have their root in the absolute and necessary character of God Himself. The wheels move on, but the workman who should have worked with them is entangled among them. He is out of his place, and slowly, but irresistibly, they are grinding him to powder. Kingsley. Filled with their own devices. Suppose a man with his memory of all his past life perfect, and his conscience stimulated to greater sensitiveness and clearer judgment, and all opportunities ended of gratifying tastes and appetites whose food is in this world, while yet the soul has become dependent on them for ease and comfort. What more is needed to make a hell? And the supposition is but the statement of a fact. We seem to forget much, but when the waters are drained off all the lost things will be found at the bottom. Conscience dulled and sophisticated here. But the icy cold of death will wake it up, and the new position will give new insight into the true character of our actions. There is nothing improbable in supposing that inclinations and tastes which have been nourished for a lifetime may survive the possibility of indulging them in another life, as they often do in this; and what can be worse than such a thirst for one drop of water, which never can be tasted more. These things are certain, and no more is needed to make sin produce, by necessary consequences, misery and ruin; while similarly, goodness brings joy, peace, and blessing. A. M. Is it not an ever-terrible truth that men are building up their destiny by the actions and habits of their lives? “Sow an act, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.” The righteous become righteous, the godly become godly; so slowly but surely may the power of being masters of our fate pass out of our hands. B. Carpenter.—By many a small sin, by innumerable minute tamperings with conscience, by a thousand insignificant sacrifices of principle to passion, of duty to inclination, by multiplicity of little fits of anger and unnoted acts of sensual indulgence—it has been by a long series and succession of such experiences as these that many a man’s moral being has been fashioned into the shape it wears. To the call of duty, the voice of religion, the first announcement of the solemn truths of death and judgment and retribution, the mind even in its natural and unrenewed state can never be altogether insensible; but, if unregarded, the impression soon fades, and the solemn sounds grow fainter and fainter to the ear. By every act of disobedience to its dictates we sin away something of the sensitiveness of conscience; and it is quite possible for the process of disobedience to go on until even from the grossest sins all the first recoil of dislike is gone, and to the voice of warning and instruction there rises not the faintest echo of compunction in the soul. No matter how rapid its fatal descent, no warning voice can retard it now; no matter how terrible the ruin before it, no danger can startle it now. “The light that was in it” has become “darkness, and how great is that darkness!” Caird. 32. In this profoundly instructive and warning passage it is the backsliding, the mere turning away of the soul from invitations, admonitions, opportunities of salvation that shall accomplish the destruction otherwise not accomplished, and shall be the very heart and seal of desolation to the lost soul, otherwise saved. Every gracious opportunity is God’s merciful call, every day of time, and of light from the cross, is a new emphatic gesture of God’s outstretched hand; and when all these oft-repeated and compassionate efforts of Divine love disregarded come up for review, with the cost at which every one of them was exercised, and the manner in which they were all treated, then will the sight and sense of these things alone, were there nothing else of judgment, be a calamity like a whirlwind (v. 27), taking away the soul. G. B. C. Men tell us that if future punishment be provided it will be disciplinary, corrective, and refining, and hence limited in its continuance. But the Scriptures map no such path from perdition to the skies. No inspired ray falls along any such conjectural route from hell to heaven. Apostate angels have been in exile from God for ages, and to them the bottomless pit has not proven a school of virtue or a place to acquire holy habits. Meetness for heaven is secured by the “renewing of the Holy Ghost,” and not by personal expiation for sin. The redeemed in heaven ascribe their redemption to the blood of Jesus, and not to the efficacy of limited penal misery. Inspiration never suggests that the means of salvation, rejected in probation, are afforded to the tenants of the world of woe. The Scriptures portray future punishment as destructive and perpetual, but never hint that it is corrective and limited. Leech 33. Lastly comes, to crown all, the promises of reward to the obedient. The second clause explains the first. Dwelling in confidence means that he will have no reason to apprehend evil, and therefore will not anticipate it. M. S.—He shall not only be safe from evil, but quiet from the fear of it. Though the earth be removed, yet shall not they fear. Would we be safe from evil and quiet from the fear of it? Let religion always rule us and the Word of God be our counsellor. That is the way to dwell safely in this world, and to be quiet from the fear of evil in the other world. H. 32,33. The effects of simple unheeding and heeding the voice of wisdom. The mere silent, even respectful turning away from the proffered counsel and call of God shall ultimately lead to the ruin of the as yet unhardened soul; while the slothful quietude (of “prosperity”), the mere inaction of those advanced in sin, shall insure their destruction. But, on the other hand, we read a crowning promise to every one that simply, frankly, and trustingly heedeth. Safely, confidently such an one shall dwell; tranquilly, without a fear of evil, he shall abide. What more can be asked in this world than to be safe from real evil, and quiet from fear of it? Yet this is the clear, sure, Divine assurance to every one that heeds Christ's call, that accepts His promise and His rule! Only in fuller, richer, and more exquisitely tender form is this gladdening assurance repeated and confirmed by the incomparable utterance of Revelation: Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear My voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with Me! Two suggested thoughts may be usefully added: 1. The same essential truths are found in every part of the Bible. Here, in the Proverbs, we have the New Testament Gospel; the same merciful invitation, promise, and warning; the same probation, closing with a final retributive award. A fitting parallel we find in 2 Cor. 6:1, 2. 2. So also we read, in the characters and courses of action delineated in the far time of Solomon, an identical picture of worldly life to day. And although the hundred generations since have each passed through a like experience, the strange fact is still to be noted that inexperienced youth will still credit every tempter's voice rather than believe and act wisely upon the counsel of those who have had experience of temptation and a gracious Divine deliverance. B 1. My son, if thou wilt receive my words, And lay up my commandments with thee; 2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, And apply thine heart to understanding; 3 Yea, if thou cry after discernment, And lift up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seek her as silver, And search for her as for hid treasures; 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, And find the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD giveth wisdom; Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding: 7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the upright, He is a shield to them that walk in integrity; 8 That he may guard the paths of judgment, And preserve the way of his saints. 9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness and judgment, And equity, yea, every good path. 10 For wisdom shall enter into thine heart, And knowledge shall be pleasant unto thy soul; 11 Discretion shall watch over thee, Understanding shall keep thee: 12. To deliver thee from the way of evil, From the men that speak froward things; 13 Who forsake the paths of uprightness, To walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who rejoice to do evil, And delight in the frowardness of evil; 15 Who are crooked in their ways, And perverse in their paths: 16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, Even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; 17 Which forsaketh the friend of her youth, And forgetteth the covenant of her God: 18 For her house inclineth unto death, And her paths unto the dead: 19 None that go unto her return again, Neither do they attain unto the paths of life: 20 That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, And keep the paths of the righteous. 21 For the upright shall dwell in the land, And the perfect shall remain in it. 22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the land, And they that deal treacherously shall be rooted out of it. 1. To receive is the first thing in a sincere disciple. To lay up or carefully keep shows the value put upon the instruction. M. S. 3. Earthly wisdom is gained by study; heavenly wisdom by prayer. Study may form a biblical scholar; prayer puts the heart under a heavenly pupilage, and therefore forms the wise and spiritual Christian. But prayer must not stand in the stead of diligence. Let it rather give life and energy to it. Bridges.—This is the secret of life—to believe that God is your Father, schooling and training you from your cradle to your grave; and then to please Him and obey Him in all things, lifting up daily your hands and thankful heart, entreating Him to purge the eyes of your soul and give you the true wisdom, which is to see all things as they really are and as God Himself sees them. If you do that, you may believe that God will teach you more and more how to do, in all the affairs of life, that which is right in His sight, and, therefore, good for you. Kingsley. 4. Search as for hidden treasure. Observe the expression; you know jewels do not lie upon the surface of the ground, but they are hid in the receptacles of the earth, you must dig for them before you can enjoy them. Now you must search for the truth of God as for hid treasure. Anon.—Texts from the inexhaustible mine of truth remind us of those singular formations which often occur in rocks, called drusic cavities. You pick up a rough, ordinary-looking stone of somewhat round shape; there is nothing specially attractive or interesting about it. You split it open with a hammer, and what a marvellous sight is displayed! The commonplace boulder is a hollow sphere, lined with the most beautiful crystals, amethysts purple with a dawn that never was on land or sea. Macmillan. Wisdom is spoken of as a thing that must be labored for; the search is to be the very business of man's life; there is no point more clearly laid down, none more insisted on than the necessity of exertion in the pursuit of wisdom. There are lessons enough in the Book of God for every day of the longest life. Bishop Goodwin.—The general character of Holy Scripture evinces the necessity of thought and meditation, if we would use it aright; and also shows that such right use of it must involve effort and exertion. E. M. G. Of all books in the world, the Bible is one which will not yield up its riches and its sweetness except to the diligent and faithful and earnest student. All great works demand long and patient and persevering study. The lesser mind cannot expect to grasp at once the purpose of the greater. Perowne.—Let no man, upon a weak conceit of sobriety or an ill-applied moderation, think or maintain that a man can search too far, or be too well studied in the book of God's Word, or in the book of God's works; divinity or philosophy; but rather let men endeavor an endless progress or proficiency in both; only let men beware that they apply both to charity, and not to swelling; to use and not to ostentation; and again, that they do not unwisely mingle or confound these learnings together. Bacon. I am not half so much afraid that intellectual doubts and the formulated, conscious disbelief of this generation will affect Christian people, as I am afraid of the unconscious drift sweeping them away before they know. The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews has a solemn figure in regard of this matter. He says: "Let us take the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should drift past them." And that is exactly what befalls Christian men and women who do not continually renew their familiarity with God's Word and the Gospel to which they trust. Before they know where they are, the silent-flowing, swift stream has swept them down, and the truths to which they fancied they were anchored are almost invisible on the far horizon. For one man who loses his Christianity by yielding to the arguments of the other side there are ten who lose it by evaporation. "As Thy servant was busy here and there," was the lame excuse of the man in the Old Testament for letting his prisoner run away, "he was gone!" And God knows how he has gone and where he went. A. M. 1-5. If thou receive . . . cry after . . . seek . . . search for. If God has given men such evidence that a fair, and full, and perfectly candid examination is all that is needed to necessitate belief, then, if men do not believe, it will be in this very law that we shall find the ground of their condemnation. The difficulty will not lie in their mental constitution as related to evidence, nor in the want of evidence, but in that moral condition, that state of the heart, or the will, which prevented a proper examination. "There seems," says Butler, "no possible reason to be given why we may not be in a state of moral probation with regard to the exercise of our understanding upon the subject of religion, as we are with regard to our behavior in common affairs. The former is a thing as much within our power and choice as the latter." M. H.—Human consciousness, the judgment of mankind, and God, in all we know of Him, hold man responsible for his belief. Every man has within him an indestructible conviction of possessing a power over his opinions, and a sense of responsibility in reference to his beliefs. All men avow a readiness to change their opinions whenever they are furnished with a sufficient reason for so doing, and this avowal clearly implies the conviction on their part of a power in them to do so. As a matter of fact, all men are very sensitive about the light in which their opinions are regarded by others. They are ever ready to show dissatisfaction when charged with holding unworthy and erroneous opinions, and are prone to resent all such charges. And why, if men are not conscious of possessing a power over their beliefs? Cooper. 5. The fear of Jehovah is the usual Hebrew designation of true piety; not fear in the sense of terror, but in that of reverence. The fear of Jehovah is a treasure (Is. 33:6); it is also a refuge in times of danger and trouble (Prov. 14:26; compare also Psalms 19:10; 115:11). All true wisdom leads to a knowledge of God. M. S.—No seeking for other forms of good is sure of being successful, but such seeking for heavenly wisdom—the greatest and best good men ever can seek—never yet failed to bring the good sought, and never can. So seeking “thou shalt understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” H. C. There is one department of knowledge which, like an ample palace, contains within itself mansions for every other knowledge; which deepens and extends the interest of every other, gives it new charms and additional purpose—the study of which, rightly and liberally pursued, is beyond any other entertaining, beyond all others tends at once to tranquillize and enliven, to keep the mind elevated and steadfast, the heart humble and tender; it is biblical theology, the philosophy of religion, and the religion of philosophy. Shedd.—All saving knowledge, including a practice answerable to that knowledge, a uniform, persevering obedience to the commands of God, is founded in humble and devout reverence toward God, in the tender fear of displeasing Him, and the readiness to receive, embrace, and lay up in an honest heart His Word and His grace whenever it shall be revealed and afforded to us. Hammond.—“The fear of the Lord” is almost everywhere in Scripture put for the whole duty of man, for godliness in general; and the reason is that the true fear of God always qualifies and tempers the mind so that a man dares not do otherwise than please and obey God to the utmost of his knowledge and power. Bishop Beveridge. Wisdom is the knowledge of Divine things, not as mere objects of thought or of theoretical knowledge, but through an inward perception, in which the heart goes along with the reason, making the knowledge at once spiritual and practical. This is always presented in the Scriptures as wisdom in its highest form. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” is one of the most frequent proverbs of the Old Testament. And we read, “the fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom”—i.e., devout obedience to God conducts the soul to the highest wisdom; the obedience of the heart disciplines the mind in heavenly knowledge, upon the principle stated by Christ: “If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine.” In the New Testament this same wisdom is set forth as the completest form of knowledge. J. P. T. 6. The ground of the preceding assurance is here given. The connection is thus: “Wonder not at the promises made, for Jehovah gives wisdom, and from His mouth cometh knowledge.” What His mouth utters—viz., His words, are the sources of all true wisdom. M. S.—God desires nothing so much as that His intelligent and moral creatures should ask and receive, and so become His trustful, dutiful, and grateful children. Therefore if any man consciously lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men liberally and upbraids not, and it shall be given him. Following the course of thought in our text, we shall see that this must be true of wisdom in the sense of this passage—viz., true piety, “the fear of the Lord.” Knowing God, as thought of here, is that practical and experimental knowledge by which a lost sinner returns penitently from his wanderings and waywardness; finds God ready to forgive and plenteous in mercy, and comes to know Him as an object of love and trust. H. C.—We praise the truth, but forget that “the truth without the search for truth is only half the truth.” It is not truth in the abstract which is mighty, but the personality which is an embodiment of the truth. Not in professed belief but in real believers is the power of the Church. He who is the truth is also the way and the life. Stuckenberg. 7-9. The righteous, who seek and find wisdom in the sense of piety toward God and uprightness toward man, are saved of God, shielded from the moral perils of this sinning world, for God is their buckler; He keeps their upright paths under His guardian care and (v. 9) gives them understanding in all righteous and good ways. To walk uprightly is of course to walk securely. H. C.—If we depend upon God and seek to Him for wisdom, He will uphold us in our integrity, will enable us to keep the paths of judgment, however we may be tempted to turn aside out of them; for He preserves the way of His saints, that it be not perverted, and so preserves them in it safe and blameless to His heavenly kingdom. The assurances God has given us of His grace, if duly improved, will excite and quicken our endeavors in doing our duty. Work out your salvation, for God works in you. H. 9. Path or track here signifies manner of life, pursuit, and so the meaning is, “Every pursuit in which good may be found." M. S.—The essence of Christian conduct is to rise beyond the schoolmastership of rules and commandments into the eager fulfilment of principles and precepts where duty is swallowed up in an understanding choice and all-embracing love. Cable.—Set ever before you, even in temporal matters, the grand spiritual object, and you will be led onward and upward, your course will be a progress and its goal success. Our Lord does not sever the sacred from the secular, but bids us sanctify the secular until that which is secondary and subordinate is wholly dominated by that which is spiritual. "Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." But he bids us subordinate every desire to the one aim of seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness. T. F. Fotheringham. We must first, last, and always make our study of the Bible a search for absolute truth back of all assertion; for absolute right back of all will and authority; for absolute duty back of all exigency or commandment, and of supreme, spontaneous goodness back of and above all question of duty. Our Bible study should not always be a short search; but always it should be a search for the shortest, simplest way to our best possible understanding and practical acceptance of these things. Not be strong in the Bible, but “be strong in the Lord.” Cable.—The safe man is who walks in the path of duty, the strong man is he who clothes himself with the strength of principle. The grandest characters have an affinity for right and truth. They succeed because they depend upon something stronger than any mere device of the intellect or any expedient suggested by the exigencies of a moment. They may suffer temporary defeat, but they follow the guiding light of principle with a faith which is wisdom. There is always more or less sophistry in temptations to self-indulgence, and the brighter the intellect the more ingeniously will it plead the cause of error. What we call the faculty of judgment is at its best simply a clear vision of the eternal veracities which persist through all history and finally crush all opposition because they are fundamental and fixed necessities. Anon. 10. Wisdom shall enter into thine heart. Truth itself, God's pure, eternal truth, simply discovered, observed, and emotionally reverenced, is but treasure still buried. "The kingdom of God cometh not by (mere admiring) observation"—of it. Only as truth melts into our hearts, our lives, our daily conduct, and is there moulded and coined into justice, righteousness, holiness, and universal love, do its latent powers become actual values. Cable.—Only what is really believed is truly faith. Scripture cannot contain the faith of the believer, no more than the Church contains it; but Scripture is the source and nourishment of his faith; what is figuratively called objective faith is to be made literal subjective faith. The Christian consciousness is to grow by the appropriation of Scripture truth. One can believe the Bible only so far as he has personally appropriated the Bible. There is truth above us which is our master; there is a law over us which we are to obey; but that truth and that law are also to be in us, so that they become our truth and our law. Christian truth and Christian faith exist only for him to whom they have become a personal possession and a living power. Stuckenberg. Knowledge shall be pleasant. The man who walks with God cannot possibly be a man of contracted, paltry views; there is that in Divine truth, there is that in the spirit and habit of devotion, there is that in intercourse with God which must expand the mind. The man of religion can enjoy every other form of truth and knowledge in common with the man of the world: he can traverse the pages of history, he can enter into all the sciences and philosophy, he can appreciate the productions of the poet, he can (like other men) transact the common, commercial business of life, he can comprehend with others the principles of political economy and legislative jurisprudence, he can go in intellectual attainment all the lengths of the men of this world, and when he comes to the termination of all that earth can teach and earth can give, God opens the treasures of religion and the boundless prospect of an eternal life. E. M.—No pleasure is comparable to standing upon the vantage ground of truth—a hill not to be commanded, and where the air is always clear and serene—to see the errors and wanderings and mists and tempests in the vale below, so always that this prospect be with pity and not with swelling or pride. Bacon. It should not surprise us when men of acute and powerful understandings more or less reject the Gospel, for this reason that the Christian revelation addresses itself to our hearts, to our love of truth and goodness, our fear of sinning, and our desire to gain God's favor; and quickness, sagacity, depth of thought, strength of mind, power of comprehension, perception of the beautiful, power of language, and the like, though they are excellent gifts, are clearly quite of a different kind from these excellencies—a man may have the one without having the other. Powers of mind and religious principles and feelings are distinct gifts; and as all the highest spiritual excellence, humility, firmness, patience, would never enable a man to read an unknown tongue, or to enter into the depths of science, so all the most brilliant mental endowments, wit, or imagination, or penetration, or depth will never of themselves make us wise in religion. Newman.—We can reach out after the highest activities, aims, and attainments only by devoting our lives to securing redemption and giving redemption to men. With this as our dominant idea reform moves on, progress hastens, true culture advances apace, and wealth, position, culture, which when made the ends of life bring us only wreck and wretchedness, become the sanctified means for the attainment of grander ends in the larger manhood and the Divine glory. Seeking to have in us this mind that was in Christ Jesus we find Christ-likeness, and with it but without the seeking find true perfection and blessedness—we reach a life that is Christ-crowned, because Christ originated and governed by the true Christian philosophy, which is the only natural philosophy of the moral universe. D. S. G. 11. Discretion. There are many more shining qualities in the mind of man, but none so useful as discretion. This, indeed, gives value to all the rest, sets them at work in their proper times and places, and turns them to the advantage of the person possessed of them. Without it learning is pedantry and wit impertinence; and even virtue itself looks like weakness, wanting discretion. Addison.—Knowledge hath two pillars, learning and discretion; the greatest scholar without his two eyes of discretion and honesty is like blind Samson—apt to no good, able to much mischief. T. Adams.—Discretion does not only show itself in words, but in all the circumstances of action, and is like an under-agent of providence to guide and direct us in the ordinary concerns of life. Steele. 13. While some among mankind are acting as if right and wrong, life and soul and God, are dread realities, others cleave to the dust like the serpent's brood; while some devote their lives to the attainment of virtue, the improvement of character, the preparation for death, others eat, drink, live, think, wish as if the earth enclosed and satisfied man. What a difference of character and of main purpose, what a difference of thoughts reigning in the intellect and over the heart! Could two worlds of material substance made by the hand of God differ so widely? If the unbelievers are enlightened, the others are benighted; if the world of spiritual minds are in the light, the other world is blind and in darkness, "and in love with darkness." T. D. W. 14. Frowardness of evil. "Froward" is fromward. And so man is not so much a wanderer as one who deliberately sets his face in the wrong direction; he is not so much unstable as perverse. He likes to gaze on forbidden sights, he lurks where he may hear unrighteous words, and lingers in the atmosphere of unholy thoughts. S. S. T. 16-22. The discourse takes a new direction. The blessings of wisdom and knowledge, of guidance and protection, have already been set before those addressed, and also deliverance from evil. But there is one special evil that has not yet been brought particularly into view in this address. It is that of incontinence. True wisdom will be certain to deliver those who possess it from all defiling and destructive intercourse with the unchaste. This constitutes the closing theme of warning, and the writer is so much in earnest that he exhibits more than usual fervor and more of poetic energy. 17. The covenant of her God shows that in the ceremony of marriage at that time appeal was made to God, who was called to witness the vows and promises made. The adulterous woman (and such is the one meant here) breaks these vows, or this covenant. She has a double load of guilt, that which respects her husband and that which has respect to God. M. S.—There is a season when youth becomes independent and intolerant of control, when gentle guidance is mistaken for love of interference and of power, when the youth and the maiden think scorn to follow the ways and maxims of the parent, the friend, the teacher, and take pride in forming a code and gathering maxims of their own; in speaking their own words and walking after the light of their own eyes. These are critical days in every man's life—days which determine whether he is to be a pilgrim to the light, or to drop down into the darkness—days when he is made or marred forever. Alford. 18. Sentiment: "Her habitation will sink into certain destruction and ruin." There is plainly a reference to the earth as swallowing up Korah and his company; this is, therefore, a loud note of warning to the imprudent and unsuspecting youth, who may be enticed by the adulteress. It is still more fully developed in the next verse. M. S.—"Inclineth" falls far short of giving the full sense of the Hebrew, for the meaning is not merely that her house is an inclined plane verging down toward death and hell, but that both herself and her house sink down bodily, as it were, into the open jaws of hell. As in the case of Korah and his troop (Num. 16 : 30-34), so underneath her house and all her adulterous household the earth opens and swallows them up alive, and down they sink to the realms of the lost! Of all who go into her house for such guilty purposes, none ever return again; the steps of no one ever again take hold of the paths of life! Alas! what a record is this! Oh, might this awful truth be made to blaze out in glaring light athwart the doorway of every such house of infamy and crime! No return from these foul precincts to the paths of purity and life! This house sinks down, carrying all its guilty ones to the realms of the dead—to the depths of hell! 22. It was the more in point to speak of adulterers as soon perishing from the land of Canaan because by the Mosaic law their crime was punishable with death. (See Deut. 22 : 22-24.) Civil law may be less stern in our times, but the laws of life, engrafted into every human body, bring down a swift and terrible retribution upon this form of sin. Of all sinners on the earth it is most true of these that they do not live out half their days. H. C 1. My son, forget not my law; But let thine heart keep my commandments: 2. For length of days, and years of life, And peace, shall they add to thee. 3. Let not mercy [or, kindness] and truth forsake thee: Bind them about thy neck; Write them upon the table of thine heart: 4. So shalt thou find favour and good understanding In the sight of God and man. 5. Trust in the LORD with all thine heart, And lean not upon thine own understanding: 6. In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct [or, make plain] thy paths. 7. Be not wise in thine own eyes; Fear the LORD, and depart from evil: 8. It shall be health to thy navel, And marrow [or, refreshing] to thy bones. 9. Honour the LORD with thy substance, And with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 10. So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, And thy fats shall overflow with new wine. 11. My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; Neither be weary of his reproof: 12. For whom the LORD loveth he reproveth; Even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. 13. Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, And the man that getteth understanding. 14. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, And the gain thereof than fine gold. 15. She is more precious than rubies: And none of the things thou canst desire are to be compared unto her. 16. Length of days is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honour. 17. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace. 18. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: And happy is every one that retaineth her. 19. The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding he established the heavens. 20. By his knowledge the depths were broken up, And the skies drop down the dew. 21. My son, let not them depart from thine eyes; Keep sound wisdom and discretion; 22. So shall they be life unto thy soul And grace to thy neck. 23. Then shalt thou walk in thy way securely, And thy foot shall not stumble. 24. When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: Yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. 25. Be not afraid of sudden fear, Neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh: 26. For the LORD shall be thy confidence, And shall keep thy foot from being taken. 27. Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, When it is in the power of thine hand to do it. 28. Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, And to-morrow I will give; When thou hast it by thee. 29. Devise not evil against thy neighbour, Seeing he dwelleth securely by thee. 30. Strive not with a man without cause, If he have done thee no harm. 31. Envy thou not the man of violence, And choose none of his ways. 32. For the perverse is an abomination to the LORD: But his secret [or, friendship] is with the upright. 33. The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked; But he blesseth the habitation of the righteous. 34. Surely he scorneth the scorners, But he giveth grace unto the lowly. 35. The wise shall inherit glory; But shame shall be the promotion of fools. 1-10. How the best results of living are to be secured. In five couplets of two verses each, each couplet consisting of a direction and a promise or reason, Solomon here details the best policy to attain success in this life. As if considering the matter simply with reference to this world, there is an implied contrast with the policy pursued by worldly men. The directions which he gives are summarily these: The observance of God's commands, particularly the practice of kindness and faithful dealing with men; a self-forgetting trust in God and an answering thankful recognition of His every gift; a humble, filial fear of God that restrains from evil; a hearty consecration of earthly substance, with an habitual surrender of the first-fruits of all income, and a right reading and use of trials as parts of God's training. And the promises or reasons for adhering to these directions are these: The possession and enjoyment of a long and peaceful life, of the favor of God and man, of Divine, unerring guidance in every plan and its execution, of personal and spiritual health and vigor, of abundant success in toil, and of a sense of Divine comfort, increased strength and refinement, from affliction. Briefly consider each of these directions with its associated promise. Vs. 1 and 2 contain a general charge and a like promise. The address, "Son," is the customary endearing appellation of Oriental teachers, similar in use and meaning to the modern "reader" or "hearer" of book or pulpit. How not to forget is plainly hinted in the heart-keeping or daily regard of God's commandments. One who is always obeying needs no reminder of duty. The promise here is very broad, and presents a most inviting picture to every thoughtful, experienced person. It is of prolonged, peaceful life! It is well to note that the point of the sacred writers in recording such promises as these is not to set forth the hope of reward as a direct chief motive to goodness, but it is rather to show that the peace and pleasantness which the heart craves, and for which it is made, belong to and are found only in the ways of wisdom or obedience to God's commands. In vs. 3 and 4 the direction refers to the practice of kindness and fidelity in human relations, and seems to include the commands of the second table, covering all neighbor-love. These heart traits, which distinguish good men from evil, are to be worn about the neck, not as an outward amulet or charm, but as a manifest joy of the wearer in their intrinsic worth and beauty. As great truths and principles of action, too, they are to be engraven upon the heart while the heart is impressible; that so they may control the will and the life permanently. And the result or fruit of this habitual neighbor-love is twofold, the favor, the helpful sympathy of God and man, and good success (rather than "good understanding"), or true prosperity. A still more important direction follows in vs. 5 and 6. It is always central and chief among the Divine instructions, because upon it everything depends. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart! Solomon adds what is essential to give a full and clear impression of this positive charge: Trust not in thyself! He here implies the fact, which always needs emphasis, that there are only two objects of man's trust and worship, God or himself. That trust in self is the sheerest folly and trust in God the merest dictate of sound judgment, is proven by this, that we are dependent, weak, ignorant, and are not gods, while He is the all-controlling, all-knowing, sovereign God. On Him we may lean at every step. In Him we may rest through every change of experience. But He wills that our trust be wholly in Him. He solicits an undivided heart, and will not share our love with another. The wholly trusting soul commits its minutest thought and plan of life to His guiding inspiration and controlling supervision, and every minutest result is safe. sure, and satisfying. Self-conceit reverses and so destroys trust in God, and leads away from God into evil. Its proper counteracting force is a just and filial fear of God, and a giving up of evil ways. More specifically, self-conceit sets men, as it did Solomon, upon personal aggrandizement and indulgence, upon the practice of vices which sap the health of body and mind. And hence the meaning and fitness of the peculiar promise contained in v. 8. To the humbled returning prodigal lost health and vigor shall be restored to body and soul. "He who makes holiness happy in heaven, makes holiness healthful on earth." Another and plainer "command with promise" we have in vs. 9 and 10. God is honored by the consecration of our substance, as well as of ourselves. He asks of every one a first portion of all the increase or income which His bounty bestows. He asks it not because He needs it, but that our habitual giving may help to develop in us His own spirit of expansive benevolence. The methods by which we may thus honor Him, the principles and details of giving, we find in the New Testament Epistles. And surely the return here figuratively promised, yet in literal language, is as ample as its meaning is plain. Plenty shall be bestowed upon the liberal and cheerful giver. B. 1. Let the ground of all thy religious actions be obedience; examine not why it is commanded, but observe it because it is commanded. True obedience neither procrastinates nor questions. Quarles.—It is obeying God willingly that is accepted; the Lord hates that which is forced, it is rather a tax than an offering. Cain served God grudgingly; he brought his sacrifice, not his heart. If a willing mind be wanting, there wants that flower which should perfume our obedience and make it a sweet-smelling savor unto God. T. Watson. 2. A life led in religion and in holy exercises seemeth to conduce to long life. There are in this kind of life these things, leisure, admiration, and contemplation of heavenly things, joys not sensual, noble hopes, wholesome fears, sweet sorrows. Bacon. 3. The two elements of a morally perfect character. "Mercy," shutting out all forms of selfishness and hate. "Truth," shutting out all deliberate falsehood, all hypocrisy, conscious or unconscious. E. H. P. 4. In other words, "Thou shalt find favor and be truly prospered, God and man both bearing witness to thy well directed efforts." M. S. 5. The great works of God which are before us declare His wisdom, goodness, and power; and the voice of nature in all her works speaks in the language of the wise king, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not to thine own understanding." Happy are they who listen to this still voice! they will act not only the safest but the most rational part. Bishop Sherlock. Trust in the Lord. Faith is not the forced and passive adherence of a spirit vanquished by proofs; it is a power of the soul which does not content itself with receiving the truth, but seizes it, embraces it, identifies itself with it, and permits itself to be carried by it toward all the consequences which it indicates or commands. Direct knowledge does not call into requisition the living forces of the soul; it is a passive state, honored by no spontaneity. But in the act of faith (for it is an act and not a state) the soul is in some sort creative; if it does not create the truth, it draws it from itself, appropriates, realizes it. Under its influence an idea becomes a fact, a fact forever present. Thought, supported by a power of the soul, then manifests all its dignity in revealing its true independence; man multiplies his life, extends his universe, and attains the perfect stature of a thinking being. His dignity is derived from believing, not from knowing. Faith is invested with a character still more elevated, when it takes its point of departure from the word of a witness, whose soul ours has penetrated, and recognized its authority. Then, under a new name, that of confidence, it attaches itself to the noblest elements of our nature, sympathy, gratitude, and love; it is the condition of the social relations and constitutes their true beauty. Far from contradicting reason, it is the fact of a sublime reason. Vinet. Lean not upon thine own understanding. If we are to make our ascent into the higher plane of true Christian experience, all the ties which bind us down or hold us to our feet must be effectually cut by our habitual self-renunciations. Our expectation must be rested on God, not on pillars of any kind below—pillars are not wanted under wings. H. B. 6. Acknowledge Him. The English word "acknowledge" represents only one of the many meanings which are to be found in the original word. As used in the passage before us it describes nothing less comprehensive than the whole action of man's spiritual being when face to face with the Eternal God. To "know" God in truth is "to believe in Him, to fear Him, and to love Him with all the heart, with all the mind, with all the soul, and with all the strength; to worship Him, to give Him thanks, to put our whole trust in Him, to call upon Him, to honor His holy Name and His Word, and to serve Him truly. . . . In the sphere of intellect no less than in that of active life acknowledge God and be humble. Such humility as we learn upon our knees is the best foundation of all solid knowledge. The acknowledgment of God, the Highest Truth, the First of facts, leads us to love and to seek fact and truth everywhere, and to reap the intellectual reward of doing so. Liddon. In all thy ways. The chief agents in our history are God and ourselves. From no portion of the story of life can we exclude God, His purpose, and thought, and will are in each part and in the whole. Every step that we take works out some part of the plan of life which He has laid down for us; so that God is in our history, in a certain sense, far more than we ourselves are in it. S. Martin.—Religion is a thing between man and his Maker; not between man and himself, not between man and society, not between man and the State. All our relations and duties to these, and theirs to us, come under the law of morality; and though morality, with its practical relations and duties, receives inspiration and guidance from the doctrines and ordinances of religion, yet when we rise to religion itself, entering her invisible and heavenly tabernacle, we pass out of all merely moral connections and are in the presence of God. There are two parties, and only two. The business of religion, therefore, is to bring offerings to Him, and, in answer to our prayers, to take blessings from Him. It sets open the channel of communion, where there is this incessant spiritual passing and repassing between the Infinite Heart of Love which is open there, and these hearts of ours, weak and struggling, uneasy and hungry and sinning, here. By this spiritual interchange our whole life opens a path into heaven, and the blessed life of heaven opens down upon us. F. D. H. We have leave to be particular in recommending our affairs to the conduct and care of the Divine Providence. Those that would have good speed must pray for it, this day, in this affair; thus we must in all our ways acknowledge God. H.—Most compensating is the habit of conducting our whole life with a reference to the leadings of Providence. Since it is not in man to direct his steps, let him seek the direction of God. And this direction is twofold; that of providential indications and that of revealed duty. We are not left without signs in the course of events concerning us which serve to show where our path lies. We must not mistake our own wishes and fears, our likes and dislikes, our worldly ease and interest for the leadings of Providence; but we may with justice examine every proposed step with reference to our character, talents, age, station, and circumstances. But still more important is it to regard the path of duty as the path of Providence. The revelation of God's will in the Scriptures is our pillar of cloud and of fire. When we go where this directs, we cannot but go aright. If instead of so often asking what is agreeable, or tending to worldly happiness, we were constantly to ask what is duty, we should attain greater holiness, greater usefulness, and greater peace of mind. J. W. A. Let not fortune, which hath no name in Scripture, have any in thy divinity. Let Providence, not chance, have the honor of thy acknowledgments. Mark well the paths and windings ways thereof, but be not too wise in the construction or sudden in the application. The hand of Providence writes often by abbreviatures, hieroglyphics, or short characters which are not to be made out but by a hint or key from that Spirit which indited them. Browne.—Then doth religion flourish in the soul when it knows how to naturalize spiritual things and to spiritualize natural things. We may judge of our spiritual state by the delightful and customary actions of our lives. J. Mason. Our business is the study of sincerity and pure intention; and then, certainly, our blessed guide will not suffer us to lose our way for want of light; we have His promise that if in all our ways we acknowledge Him, He will direct our paths. L.—God's providence will shape our paths, and God's Spirit will direct us within, and God's Word will counsel us. If we will wait and watch we shall not be left undirected. It is wonderful how much practical wisdom about the smallest perplexities of daily life comes to men who keep both their feet and their wishes still until Providence—or, as the world prefers to call it, "circumstances"—clears a path for them. No doubt in all our lives there come times when we seem to have been brought into a blind alley, and cannot see where we are to get out; but it is very rare indeed that we do not see one step in advance the duty which lies next us. And be sure of this, that if we are content to see but one step at a time, and take it, we shall find our way made plain. A. M. Multitudes of disciples fall out of course for no less positive reason than that they actually steer themselves out of God's operation. One goes into an employment the right of which he is not sufficiently sure of to have a good conscience in it. Another galls himself in a right employment, by the consciously wrong manner in which he carries it on. A third goes into company that consciously does him injury, yet still continues to go. A male disciple turns himself to the pursuit of honor, a female disciple to the worship of fashion; one to the shows of condition, the other to the more personal vanities of dress. Thousands again will let their lusts and appetites get above their affections, their bodies above their minds. Some are nursing their pride, and some their envy, driven of fierce winds by the gustiness of one, eaten out and barnacled by the water vermin of the other. These and such like are the small helms which all you keep turning who turn yourselves away. You ask why it is, half grievingly, that you fall away from God so often and lose the savor of His friendship so easily? But the very simple fact, if you could see it, is that you really steer yourselves away; allowing yourselves in modes of life that even turn you off from God as by your own act. H. B. Christian principle is to be shown by the majority of men in a commonplace sphere, and it is exactly by showing it on commonplace occasions that we shall, under God's blessing, brace ourselves for the heavier trials and more arduous responsibilities which He may see fit at any moment to lay upon any one of us. What a dignity does it give to our daily life to remember that by consistent, quiet maintenance of Christian principle on trivial occasions we may cherish and educate a faith and love which shall burn brightly in the hour of real trial. E. M. G.—He who is a Christian in little things is not a little Christian. He is the greatest Christian and the most useful. The baptism of these little outlying things shows that he is full of grace, for these are grace's overflowings, and they are ever the overflowings of the full well that refresh the desert. The great centre must be fully occupied before the stream can reach that outer edge. Arnot. Small affairs, like the smaller coin, are perpetually passing through our hands; in this currency the general business of our spiritual life is transacted. It much concerns us, therefore, to mark how the little duties are done and the petty annoyances borne by us. Singly, they appear almost nothing; multiplied, they yield the grand total of life. R. Lee.—God works not alone in our great affairs, but whatsoever happens to us proceeds from His appointment. It is by looking at His hand in the common events of life that we acquire the habit of depending upon Him, and of feeling that He is indeed always at our side. If we carry this doctrine into life, rest on its truth, and look for its evidence in the little troubles and difficulties, the little benefits and enjoyments of each day, we shall become convinced that God is ever busied with our guidance, and we shall find a comfort in this conviction that will be more than a match for the fruits of every other dependence. We shall learn to feel that He is ever about our path and about our bed, watching our every step and noting our every want, as one who has the full charge and care of us. H. H. The intimate and affectionate relationship opened between the individual Christian and his heavenly Father finds its field of exercise in two principles—the doctrine of a particular Providence and that of the proper efficacy of prayer in relation to the ordinary events of life. It is easy to see in what manner a cordial belief of these principles tends to give vivacity and intensity to the religious affections; for it is thus that the very same world of cares, fears, hopes, which tends to obliterate the moral sentiments of other men, becomes to the affectionate Christian an efficacious discipline of faith and love. I. T.—Finally, the suggestions of this verse may be summarized in two leading truths, inseparably associated and each responsive to the other: 1. The way of duty and the sure means of highest attainment in character and of the best success in life are found in patient waiting on God, in seeking to know His will and in doing as we are taught that will alone. 2. In His gracious dealing—i.e., in His dealing with those who wait, and seek, and obey (for such only are subjects of His grace), God's Spirit and providence always work together in shaping out the daily life; and in the shaping of events He always answers the prayer of the trustful, obedient soul in the best way and with the best results. B. 7,8. Conceit of one's own wisdom shuts out all trust in God's wisdom. Such self-flattery may be pleasing; it is none the less self-ruinous. It is plainly thought of here as opposed to the fear of the Lord and to departing from evil. Solomon would say, Do not be so self-conceited as to be reckless of God's counsels and defiant toward His warnings. Shun these fearful evils. So shall wisdom be health to thy muscles (better than "navel") and marrow to thy bones. Physical health doubtless comes from obeying the physical laws under which God has framed the human body. Perhaps the writer meant to suggest tacitly that wisdom insures health of soul as well as health of body. H. C. 9. This command embodies the principle and extent of all offerings. The high place and prominence assigned to this vital duty is indicated in the directions embodied in the worship of the patriarchs, in the details of the Mosaic ritual, in the words and acts of Christ, and the expressions of His inspired apostles. In all dispensations alike the setting apart a portion of the first and best of all increase to God's use, for the support and extension of all means of spiritual and temporal good to men for Christ's sake, is clearly inculcated as an imperative duty. It is set forth, too, as a part of worship, equally essential as prayer, meditation upon the Word and communion with the Spirit of God. Indeed, we find in the Bible more promises of personal return to him that gices to the Lord than to him that prays in the Spirit. B. The moment religion begins to comprise our life, the moment our life begins to be religion, we begin to give. Imparting, bestowing, is the essence of Christianity. It is a necessity of our religious vitality. It supplies our own inward need. True, we do not give aid to the needy and comfort to the distressed for the purpose of cultivating holy graces within ourselves, or, if we do, we have poor success; our giving is the fruit of those graces. And yet, like other fruits, it carries the seed also, hidden in its heart. So our benevolence grows, and except it bear fruit it will not grow. It may be covered with blossoms and redolent with perfume; but the seed of increase is only in the yield of ripened fruit. Cable. Honor the Lord. The principle which it is of most consequence to seize appears to be this, that a man's benefactions to the Church and to the poor are really offerings of pious gratitude, devoted directly to God. It cannot be too strongly urged that such benefactions are only given rightly when the giver distinctly contemplates God Himself as the real though ultimate receiver of them; and this implies that the transaction is lifted out of the domain of secular conduct into that of religious worship. There is a real, and if real, then a most blessed sense, in which God claims for Himself what is given to charity and religion, so that it becomes a tribute consecrated to the service of the Most High. Christian men within Christ's Church can recognize Jesus in His poor members whom they relieve. They surely know that God has a kingdom among us in which His servants work, and toward which our gold can lend some aid. Anon.—We are God's stewards, and the gifts that come to us are His, not ours, and are to be used for Him as He would use them When we come to Christ's feet in consecration, we lay all we have before Him. He accepts our gifts, and then, putting them back into our hands, He says, "Go now and use them in My name among the people." J. R. M.—He tells me, as a steward for Him, to lay out the portion committed to me in the way in which it will do the most good, in which it will glorify Him most. All selfish considerations disappear at once. I am to act as God's hand, paying out for Him, investing for Him, receiving for Him, and using for myself just what will best fit me to serve Him. Gillett. Though men can give to God "only of what is His own," yet He accepts it, less as the payment of a debt than as a free tribute of love to Him. For it is remarkable that every form of generous language is employed by Him. There is, then, a certainty that what is given to His cause will be, on the whole account, no loss. What men in a pure spirit render to God will come back to them here or meet them hereafter in a manner to testify that their Lord has not forgotten. J. F.—The only motive recognized in Christ's service is that of willing surrender for His dear love's sake. He counts nothing as given to Him which is not given joyfully. Mechanical service, in which there is no conscious presence of the one motive, robs many of us of the blessing. All Christian giving tends to become merely habitual, and to slip off the one foundation; and there is need for continual effort to link each act directly with the great motive. Habit takes the gloss and beauty off our acts. It does more. It changes their character, while it leaves their appearance unaffected. If all our so-called Christian offerings were put through the sieve how much would fall as pure grain on the floor of Christ's barn? How can such glad willingness be secured and maintained? Only by looking continually to Jesus. If we keep ourselves in touch with His great love and unspeakable gift we shall joyfully give all to Him. A. M. Giving from right motives, on Christian principle, is a factor of immense force in disciplining the soul into a spirit of Christ-like benevolence and self-denial and into habits of generous and holy living to the glory of God. Giving cheerfully, largely, habitually, gratefully, as unto the Lord, has served to work wonders in the hearts and lives of many of God's people. It strikes at the roots of selfishness in the human heart and lays the foundation of a truly noble and Christ-like character. Sherwood.—In view of the ennobling character of the act of giving, in view of its refining influence upon the heart, in view of the peculiar happiness which it affords, in view of the divineness of the charity which prompts it, and in view of the eternal advantage thereby gained of treasure laid up in heaven, it is fully evident that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Anon. ## The first-fruits of all thine increase. With this agree all the specific directions of the Old Testament ritual concerning offerings. It is not a portion of our unusual or unexpected gains, nor even a part of the excess or surplus of our regular income after common and necessary expenditures are appropriated. This is not the rule of God, whatever may be the practice of men. B.—The Mosaic law required that every Hebrew should honor God with various sacrifices, tithes, and first-fruits (Ex. 22:29, 30, Deut. 26:2, and Mal. 3:10, etc.). Such dutiful and grateful recognition of His bounty insured His blessing. The spirit of those laws remains in force, and must so long as God is the great Giver of all earthly good, and we are only the receivers and almoners of His bounty. H. C.—The law of Israel shows us that we ought not to appear before the Lord “empty,” or to offer to Him of that “which costs us nothing.” The prime of our years, the flower of our strength, the best of our substance, the first-fruits of all our increase, should be dedicated and devoted to Him, who makes us all we are and gives us all we have. So shall the benedictions of heaven descend upon all things around us and upon ourselves in the use of them, Bishop Horne. Do not put such a dry, shrivelled comment upon the word substance, as though it meant giving a trifle now and then to the poor. Remember, “the liberal deviseth liberal things, and by liberal things he shall stand,” or be established (Isa. 32:8). Do not dispense shadow when the Lord requires substance. If thy soul is liberal thou wilt devise liberal things. This text will not only remind you of liberally dispensing of your substance to the poor and needy, but also of honoring your Lord by the faith of your heart, the love of your soul, placing your whole affections upon Him, and devoting your substance, your whole spirit, soul and body, to Him; you will not be content with notions without life, form without spirit, worship without the heart, religion without the soul, W. Mason. Men are appointed to be God's almoners. To expend upon ourselves the whole of our earthly possessions is sacrilege. We hold in our keeping God's property. We are not at liberty to use it as we please. Nor is the amount which appertains to God determined by the caprice of human inclination. A definite portion is God's, and becomes in the highest sense trust property. D. D.—Our responsibility is all the greater because we are left to assess ourselves. No compulsion is to be applied, either by God or man, in order that the whole weight of the choice may be on our own shoulders. We are left to do in this matter as our hearts prompt, but we have to answer for their prompting. We stand alone with Christ, and He asks, "How much owest thou?" The blessedness of giving is too Divine a joy for Him to keep it all to Himself, and He gives to us that we may "have somewhat to offer," and may share with Him in that deep blessedness of which He spoke when He said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." But that is only shared by those who give after His pattern, not with the hand, but with the heart, and who give the heart in all their gifts. A. M. Another sophism is that Christians are somehow fulfilling the obligation of almsgiving when they are only paying the costs of their parochial establishments. The idea appears to be that all our expenditures for religion are to be reckoned on the credit side of heaven's account with us. Heaven be merciful to that impiousness! Every dollar that you yield for the appointments, conveniences, adornments of your parish church, which is your own household, or the maintenance of its services, is just as much a matter of interested outlay for a full equivalent as any other provision you make for the life of yourself and your children. . . . Few “popular fallacies” have done more mischief than the maxim that “charity begins at home.” Avaricious people quote it, not intending that charity shall begin anywhere. Honesty, kindness, economy, thrift, and some other virtues start, no doubt, in the home circle. Charity very rarely begins there, because, till we pass beyond that bound, the realm of voluntary and self-sacrificing bounty is not reached. Up to that point we have been at best only “providing for our own,” doing what if we leave undone, an apostle says, we are worse than infidels. Almighty justice and Almighty love can give us no receipts for our parochial decencies. God needs none of them; we need them, and He is gracious enough to lend us the ability to produce them. But if you were liberal enough to give half your goods for them, or faithless enough to provide none of them, so making yourself and your household heathen, your obligation to offer in other ways of your substance to Him to whom the silver and the gold belong would stand just as it stood before, and stands everywhere. F. D. H. Business should be chosen and prosecuted reverently and in Christian consecration; for it is the life-work. If chosen and prosecuted only for gain, it is chosen and prosecuted in covetousness, and not in Christian love. And yet the common opinion is that business is to be chosen and prosecuted only to make money. Even good men think that Christian benevolence is to be exercised only in the giving of their gains, not in the prosecution of their business. Yet every legitimate business is in its very prosecution a service to humanity, and ought to be chosen and prosecuted in Christian love for the purpose of rendering the service, not in covetousness for the purpose of gain. Legitimate business is in its prosecution a service, because it is productive and supplies human wants. Over all the world men are industriously serving each other, producing what meets human wants. Thus viewed, the creation and circulation of products through the world, beneficent as the circulation of air and water, rises to the sublime. The circulation of the products of all countries, passing in white-sailed ships over the ocean, millions of wealth always in motion from mart to mart, a circulation so noiseless that the products of the other hemisphere flow daily through the streets unnoticed as the wind, and so equable and complete that you have only to step across the street and the product of any country is stored ready for your hand, and the table is daily spread with the products of every quarter of the globe—this circulation, all-pervading as the flow of blood in the body, binds all nations in the unity of a common interest and life. Thus political economy coincides with the Gospel in teaching that we are members one of another, and if one member suffers all the members suffer with it. It coincides with Christian ethics in the law that business should be prosecuted as a service to others, and not merely to get gain for self. An inference is that the only legitimate business for a Christian man is one which by its very prosecution renders service to society. S. Harris. A great amount of Christian philosophy was summed up in the words of Frederick Marquand, who was an open-handed friend of every good work: "A Christian should never be troubled because he is asked to give. If he cannot give he may well be sorry; but if he does not wish to give he ought to be more than sorry—he should be alarmed. Lack of money is by no means so sad as is the lack of a disposition to contribute of what one has. A man often shuts the door in the face of his best friend when he shuts off an appeal to his benevolence." Barns shall be filled. Commenting on this promise, one says quaintly: "God governs barns." And not barns only, but cargoes and ventures, stocks and all other representatives of value. 11,12. Concerning chastening. These verses appropriately follow promises of blessing. The trustful and obedient, with whatever of prosperity, will encounter adversity. Sickness and pain, disappointment and sorrow, saddening change and bereavement, belong to every human experience. Nay, they are essential to the best training and completest development of the god-like spirit. And these are of God, used by Him, and always in the highest interest of His children. They are the familiar instruments by which He chastens, but only when needful. Do not disregard or make light of them, then, is the first part of the injunction here. Do not refuse to consider their meaning; do not receive them indifferently or stolidly. But honor God by rightly interpreting them, by submissively accepting their purpose. Nor yet, it is added, faint or be impatient under them. Give not way to a disheartened, doubting, or complaining spirit. But still honoring God, patiently wait and trustingly "endure as seeing Him who is invisible." The reason of this counsel follows, and how sufficient! For whom the Lord loveth, He reproveth! The fuller reason we may read in Heb. 12: 10. And the whole Bible is full of the theme, as men everywhere need its full, clear treatment. B. 12. As a father merely qualifies the manner of the chastisement. In other words, "If promised prosperity should be interrupted, and suffering come, remember still that when God chastens the obedient it is not from want of love for them, but only with a design to try and to purify them. Remember, moreover, that, such being the case, He will chastise in measure and in mercy, even as an affectionate father does." M. S.—So chastening is a mark of God's love and also a seal of sonship, for He "scourgeth every son that He receiveth." The true father chastens. Mark, it is not punishment that God inflicts, but chastening. It is not anger or hatred that makes Him at times severe, denying the child's requests. It is love that leads Him to chasten. J. R. M. "Chastisement" is not a pleasant word, as it is ordinarily connected in our minds with the idea of displeasure and severity on the part of him who employs it, and with suffering and recoil on the part of him who is its subject. Yet “chastisement” is, in its root idea, “correction” as a means of improvement. It is akin to instruction and guidance and training. It represents the work of the father, the teacher, the trainer, the guide. In primitive thought the “rod” is a symbol of authority, and its use is synonymous with punishment; but, with improved conceptions of parental authority and government, the use of the rod is recognized as for the loving guidance and control in the correct way of the one under training. It makes all the difference in the world whether we look at our providential afflictions as chastisements, or at the loving Father who is proving His love by these chastisements. If we look at the chastening, it seemeth to be “not joyous, but grievous.” If we look at God as our loving Father, we can be sure that whatever He sends to us is the best thing possible for us; and therefore His chastenings are to be welcomed as a fresh proof of His affection... Proved by the supreme test of friendship, an unfailing regard to the fullest and noblest development of the object of affection, how faithful and true is our Divine Friend! The varied events of our life He designs to subserve this common end—that they all be stepping-stones of progress; and, seeing the outcome of His gracious plan concerning us, He spares no discipline, no pain or grief, that must be used to rouse the soul and urge it forward. Let us not doubt the loving purpose of this Friend of friends, nor weary of His training, nor neglect to notice the tokens of His presence by the way. Along the straitened path we tread, no other than our Lord Himself is leading us, to bring us to higher ground beyond, where we shall see more clearly and know more surely, and through the sacrifice and struggle of the past shall apprehend and share His peace. H. C. T. As life continues we learn that our greatest helpers are our antagonists, that the things we have to overcome do us the most good. Carlyle says: "Evil once manfully fronted ceases to be evil. There is a generous battle hope in place of dead, passive misery. The evil itself has become a kind of good." The highest forms of civilization are not found where men lie lazily in tropic sunshine, and smell the flowers and suck the fruits of a perfumed and perpetual summer. The rocks of New England are richer in noble character than the sugar plantations and tobacco fields of Cuba. The storm-girdled isle of Great Britain is a better home for the soul than the luxurious plains of Hindostan. It is the lions in our way that teach us courage, the great mountains give endurance; the rough roads, fortitude; the thorns and briars, patience; and the gates of brass, which we cannot pass through, may teach us humility and submission. The hard lot which we bemoan has been to earth's noblest souls the school-ground of a victorious opportunity. Failures have become stepping-stones to triumph, doubts have been transformed into clearer and stronger faith, wrong wrestled with has wedded the heart to eternal righteousness. J. H. Barrows. So God has us all the while in schooling under His providence, reducing our foolishness, and wearing out or worrying down our dictations. There is a grand tiring-out principle in this rule of Providence, by which we are all the while being schooled into God's order. And in this manner the old Christian gets at last to have a wonderful wisdom in his experience without even knowing it, because it is hid in his more chastened tempers, and never thinks of being a rational knowledge at all. Pressing on thus close upon his last limit, wrought in by Christ's Word and Spirit and providence, his secret mind, if not perfectly conformed to God, gets to be so very nearly conformed that when he drops into the river to cross over, and mounts the rampart on the other shore, his last shred of discord dies out in him, and he is everlastingly free. Now that he sees Christ in clear vision as He is, he is thoroughly and completely like Him. Bushnell. 13-18. The incomparable preciousness of attained wisdom, in its gains and gifts, in its life paths and pleasures. The very truths already stated in vs. 1-12 are here substantially restated from another standpoint. In those verses the worth of wisdom was practically indicated in its high requirements and rich returns. Here its value is directly rated by comparison with worldly gains, treasures, and delights. Introducing and closing the statements about wisdom is a declaration that the man who findeth and retaineth her (vs. 13, 18) is happy. The simple implication of these words is that heavenly good, like earthly, needs to be sought for; that it requires appropriate effort in the use of means to be both found and retained. This ought to be a daily thought, a constant stimulus to prayer and praise, to meditation and Christ-like service. The same thought of the habitual use of means is also suggested in the comparison of gains (v. 14). Gain in merchandise comes from its active use in appropriate methods. So is it with the heavenly good; the increase is from the use. Pearls are probably meant by the word translated “rubies” (v. 15). They were accounted chief among all precious things, as Christ inti mates in the "pearl of great price." Not only is a godlike heart the most precious or costly of single objects, but all other desirable things together are incomparably inferior in worth. For godlikeness inwrought in the heart, or piety, dispenses blessings unmatched and pure in either hand abundantly (v. 16). And in vs. 17 and 18 we have the culmination of her gifts in a beautiful garden picture, taking us back to the primal paradise, with its peaceful paths amid perennial blooms, and its tree of life designed to give health and immortality. Such, these words sublimely intimate, such is wisdom's promise, such, in some appreciable measure, is the effect of genuine godliness in the life that now is. So that were there no other life, the ways of wisdom or the life of piety described and estimated in these eighteen verses bring vastly, incomparably larger returns than the paths of folly, pursued even with all possible advantages of gift and opportunity, as Solomon pursued them. Hence we learn that piety, godliness or, as a better word, god-likeness, is profitable for both lives we live. Seek first, foremost, says Christ, the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added. Thus He only confirms what He here said by Solomon. But when riches, honor, and the long-nursed body fail and decay, this heavenly treasure of the Spirit abides for a new, a higher and changeless enshrinement. And this god likeness of heart whosoever will may have for the fervent, truthful asking! B. 14. If you could summon all the merchant princes of the earth, and ask them seriously what they consider the most important matter in the world, they would admit that the merchandise of religion is of more importance than the merchandise of silver. All men recognize it theoretically, but the wares of religion, so to speak, are immaterial, and cannot be seen or handled, and so they come to be considered unreal. These are all spiritual things and far removed from earthly rewards, but at the same time salvation has its value; even to the carnal judgment that value is greater than that of silver or gold. Hallock. 16-18. Wisdom now stands before us in angelic female form, her hands loaded with the blessings she has to bestow. The picture is exquisitely beautiful. Long life in one hand; in the other riches and honor; her ways all pleasantness and her paths peace—this being the word under which the Orientals group all blessings. Trees are symbols of perpetuity. A "tree of life" is therefore a perennial fountain of good, deemed worthy to represent even the joys of the heavenly paradise. This passage, descriptive of the blessedness of wisdom, has been greatly admired for its richness and beauty. But the picture is not overdrawn. The wisdom that begins in the fear and love of God, and then gratefully accepts the guiding hand of the All-wise Father, is a fountain of perpetual blessedness. H. C. 16. Religion is as favorable for long life as for happiness. She promotes long life by destroying those evils, the tendency of which is to limit the duration of human existence. The direct effect of true religion is to increase the period of human life. "Length of days is in her right hand." N. M'Michael.—Piety inspires that moderation in all things which is equally favorable to the faculties of the body and the mind; it tempers the passions of youth when most in need of restraint by subjecting the body to the mind, the appetites to the control of reason, and reason itself to the control of God. It guards us alike from the extremes of irritation and sorrow, on the one hand, or of intoxicating pleasure on the other; teaching us to "rejoice as if we rejoiced not, and to weep as if we wept not, because the fashion of this world passeth away." To the attainment of moderate wealth piety is favorable, inasmuch as it promotes habits of regularity and industry, inspires a proper desire to excel in our calling, and recommends us by a character of integrity. A moderate zeal for the acquirement of property, with a view to useful or necessary ends, is not condemned, either by the voice of reason or by the Word of God. Wisdom is portrayed as "having in her left hand riches" as well as honor. R. Hall.—In her hand she hath rich treasures—joy to impart to them that trust her. "All the things thou canst desire" are not to be compared with what she has to bestow—"length of days," honor, a peaceful heart, friends perhaps; at any rate, a life which, be it long or short, be it dark or bright with the world's light, be it rich or poor, be it a failure or a success in the eyes of men, has its life within it, has its joy and peace in heaven with God; and leads on, through sorrow and discipline, through merciful trials and victorious strife to a perfect immortality wherein he shall live serene, wise with the wisdom and righteous with the righteousness of the Holy and All-wise Jehovah, who hath trusted in the Lord, and cast himself upon the mercy of Christ! A. M. 17. It adds somewhat to the vividness of the imagery to remember that the two words "ways" and "paths" describe the two kinds of roads, the "highway" and the "byway." In both these he who was guided by Wisdom would walk securely. E. H. P.—Wisdom's way is a high way. It is always reaching up out of littlenesses; it ranges at loftier levels, it has the world at its feet. Wisdom's way always has one fixed mark. For that it steers. It throws lesser things aside as it goes, and it goes straight and earnest to a goal, and that goal is the glory of God. Wisdom's way is a way of usefulness. It always puts usefulness first—before pleasure, before profit. To go in wisdom's way is to go in sweet fellowship. They who walk there walk hand in hand. It is full of sympathies, it is a road which lies in the communion of all saints, and all love all in wisdom's way. Above all, Christ is there. They walk with Jesus, they lean on Jesus, they are satisfied with Jesus, and they shall travel on and reign with Jesus in that city where they go. J. V. Christian disciples live primarily for duty, and pleasure comes as a certain consequence. And there is in it what may be called a principal of accumulation; it does not vanish in the enjoyment, but, while passing as a sentiment, remains as a reflection and grows into a store of complacent consciousness which the mind retains as a possession left by what has been possessed. To have had such pleasure is pleasure, and is so still the more, the more of it is past. Whereas mere delights of sensation when past are wholly gone, leaving nothing to go into a calm, habitual sense of being happy. J. F.—To live for any worldly or merely selfish joy is, indeed, unworthy of the dignity of a true man; but to live for that highest happiness which God has inseparably connected with loving service to Him is to live so as to glorify God and thus to forever enjoy Him. To make the joy which there is in duty and in love an end of our desire and striving does not involve a selfish spirit when this joy is not sought for its own sake alone, but because duty is sought and joy belongs to the very essence of duty-doing. Duty is from its very nature a joyous thing. Shall we then live and labor for the rewards of joy and happiness? Yes, in the sense of living and laboring for duty, for holiness, for purity and truth. That is living for happiness and joy in the best sense, and for the only true happiness and joy that there can be for any soul in all the world. Live for the happiness which is inherent in the very essence of duty. Live for the joy that is in self-sacrifice, even as Jesus, for the joy of the self-sacrifice and love that was set before Him, endured the cross. Live for the rewards of righteousness, the pleasures forevermore at God's right hand. To live for anything lower will never bring true happiness; not though we laugh and sing on every step of our journey through life; for there is no really deep and abiding joy except in righteousness, in service, and in love. G. B. Stevens. It is a common impression with persons who hear but do not accept the calls of Christ and His salvation, that they are required to be somewhat less in order to be Christian. They hear it declared that in becoming little children, humble, meek, poor in spirit; in ceasing from our will and reason, and in giving up ourselves, our eagerness, revenge, and passion—thus, and thus only, can we be accepted; but, instead of taking all these as so many figures antagonistic to our pride, our ambition, and the determined self-pleasing of our sin, they take them absolutely as requiring a real surrender and loss of our proper manhood itself. Exactly contrary to this, the Gospel requires them to be more than they are—greater, higher, nobler, stronger—all which they were made to be in the power of their endless life. H. B. 19. Hitherto wisdom has been thought of in relation to men. Now the question comes, What is she in relation to God? and the answer is, that the creative act implies a Divine wisdom, through which the Divine will acts. We have, as it were, the germ of the thought developed in ch. 8, the first link in the chain which connects this "wisdom" with the Divine Word, the Logos of John's Gospel. What is here attributed to her is, in Psalm 33:6, ascribed to "the Word of Jehovah," to "the breath or Spirit of His mouth." So John asserts of the Word, "by Him"—i.e., through Him, all things came into being (John 1:3). E. H. P. 21-35. The monitor now resumes his hortatory address to his pupil, to persuade him to cleave to the pursuit of wisdom. It will keep him in safety; he may lie down in security and sleep sweetly, for no fear of destruction will disturb him, since Jehovah is his Keeper (vs. 21-26). The next five verses are prohibitions. One must not withhold any feasible good from his neighbor; he must not put off a favor to him which he can now do; he must not slander him; he must not causelessly contend with him; he must not be emulous of him (vs. 27-31). All this must not be done, for Jehovah hates the perverse, while He is the Friend of the righteous; His curse is on the house of the wicked, while the habitation of the just is blessed (vs. 32, 33). Inasmuch as He mocks scorners, and shows favor to the righteous, the wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall take away fools (vs. 34, 35). 26. Sentiment: "Jehovah will impart to the strong confidence, and keep thee from concealed dangers." For similar declarations, see Psalm 78:7; Job 8:14; 31:24. M. S.—Duties are ours, events are God's. This removes an infinite burden from the shoulders of a miserable, tempted, dying creature! On this consideration only can he securely lay down his head and close his eyes. R. Cecil. 27,28. It behooves him to come down to its practical applications and show us how true wisdom will make us live in the midst of a world of want and of suffering—a world in which every human being, however lowly or uncomely, is yet a man and a brother. First in order he says: The good you have it in your power to bestow upon one in need thereof, you must not withhold. The fact that another needs it and that you can give it makes it due from yourself to him. When your neighbor's pinching want drives him to your door, say not to him, "Go, and come again," as if your hard heart and close hand would fain stave off a painful call in hope it would never return. When thou hast it by thee, let thy heart give with the promptness of love. This is true wisdom. Man should live not to swell his own pile, but to bless his fellows; not to amass for himself, but to impart to others. God fills the world around us with want that we may never lack the opportunity of putting forth a kind hand to some needy one. The special point to be noticed here is the underlying assumption that help is due to the weak from the strong. This is the doctrine of practical wisdom. That life of wisdom which flows along with such inimitable peace and blessedness as we have seen in this chapter has a practical working side to it; and here are some of its manifestations. H. C. The All-wise has given us a complete and perfect code in a single sentence, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” This code was promulgated in the wilderness nearly fifteen centuries before the coming of Christ (Lev. 19:18). It is the code then not for the Christian Church merely, but for the human race. If we are to love all our neighbors as we love ourselves, of course we must study their relative claims, we must distribute our charities wisely and justly. We cannot be to everybody all that we are to ourselves. The law is to be interpreted in the light of reason and common sense. Its evident meaning is that we are to regard all whom we can reach as having special claims upon us for sympathy so far as we can know their wants, and for help so far as we can relieve their wants. We are not, ever or in anything, to live wholly for ourselves. We are to recognize always and everywhere the brotherhood of humanity. We are to remember that we are placed in this world to do good. We are to regard all the talents and wealth that God bestows upon us as a trust. We have a right to use what we need for our own support and culture, but all beyond that belongs not to us, but to our Lord; and we are to do good as we have opportunity. The excellence of this law is seen in its simplicity. It is easily applied to all the varying conditions. We meet a stranger in trouble of any kind. Shall we help him? "As thyself," cries the Divine Lawgiver. We know what we would do for ourselves if we were in his place and could do it. We know what we would want somebody else to do for us in similar circumstances. Well, then, there is the measure, always ready. It is just what our Lord said at another time, "Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye unto them." This is the law and the prophets as well as the Gospel. This is the spirit that will revolutionize the world. Interior. Acts of mercy toward those who are daily meeting us in the unromantic paths of ordinary intercourse fall properly under the head of ministries to the Lord. A true Christian will endeavor to enliven every particular of service to fellow-creatures with this consecrating intention. Whether at home or abroad, the great majority of mankind must expect their usefulness—in other words, their work for Christ—to consist in a series of familiar and oft-recurring acts, each apparently inconsiderable by itself. J. W. A.—Do not let us wait for great and signal opportunities of showing that we can prefer the good of others to our own. Such occur very seldom; while small occasions occur every day in the family, in our daily intercourse with the world; and, moreover, the great occasions are not nearly so good a test of our sincerity as the small. Great acts of self-sacrifice attract observation, are talked about, often bring honor, credit to the doer. A thousand mixed motives may impel us to these; but the smaller acts, in which we yield our will to the will of others, postpone our convenience, our pleasure, our ease, to theirs, these, unobserved by the world, often unobserved even by the person on whose behalf they are done—these are a far truer test. Trench. Our God is too great to need great deeds. If we do our duty just where He has placed us to work for Him, it will make no difference whether we labor in an obscure corner of the vineyard, where no great harvest will repay our labor, or whether our works are seen and known of all men. The little things “that most leave undone or despised” are great enough to glorify God if we do them for Him. . . . It is the every-day life that builds up our Christian character. If we overcome the daily annoyances we grow strong and heroic, and it soon becomes, if not a pleasant, at least a cheerful task to do, bear, and suffer. The service of Christ is one that grows lighter and more pleasant as the years go by. It is this that exerts a lasting influence over the world. It is this that tests the value of religion, and proves to others that it is pure gold, and not a mere profession. Hallock. No one of us lives or can live to himself. Our life transpires in every direction, abuts upon unnumbered other lives, imparts its effluence without our will or consciousness, is felt near and afar. And the littles in that life immeasurably exceed in number and in influence its important moments—its crises of distinct volition and deliberate action. Moreover, these littles are the most genuine portions of our life. They bear the impress, diffuse the aroma of our actual characters. It is in these that what we are is most felt, most penetrating, most potent for good or for evil. Our action is often not in entire harmony with our characters—is largely affected by our surroundings, so that we transcend or fall short of our proper measure. It is in look, and word, and seemingly trivial act, in the even tenor of our daily lives, in the constant outflow of example and influence that we are the most true to our own natures, and that, if we are what we ought to be, we accomplish our mission from on high, and make the world the happier and the better for our living in it. Peabody. Contribute your quota to the welfare of a disordered world — you that can contribute money; you that can contribute friendly offices and kind attentions; and you that have neither wealth nor labor to spend, contribute kind looks, kind feelings, and kind words. Hamilton.—Every good act is charity. Your smiling in your brother's face is charity; exhortation of your fellow-men to virtuous deeds is equal to almsgiving; your putting a wanderer on the right road is charity; your removing stones and thorns and other obstructions from the road is charity. Mahomet.—It is one of the glories of love that it prompts the great heroisms of the world; but it is almost a greater glory that it is able to nerve for their tasks those plodding lives whose days are all so commonplace, and to inspire to faithfulness in the things that are least. There are but few who have the opportunities or gifts for great achievements. Most of us need an inspiration for the common cares and duties that come to us almost the same on every day more than for any grand achievements. Our lives are made up of commonplaces. “If,” says Robertson, “you compute the sum of happiness in any given day, you will find that it was composed of small attentions and kind looks.” We want a principle that will touch and bless these details of our every-day lives. The moral heroism of the martyrs would probably be worth less to most of my readers in their conditions than the kindly, sunny atmosphere which love can breathe around our commonest tasks and joys and troubles. Stevens. He who carries about a face that says, “Can I serve you?” who maintains an aspect of sincere sympathy with everybody’s pleasures and sorrows, triumphs or failures; who listens to the tedious tale that unloads some breaking heart; who shakes hands as if he meant, and who really does mean, “God bless you!” who gives without hope or wish for any return; who sees no alien behind ignorance or crime, color or race, but always a fellow-creature, and limits his charity by no sect and no condition; who loses no chance of rendering a small but needed kindness, and counts no day happy in which he has not blessed some fellow-creature with an unexpected and unclaimed service; who quenches wrath by his meekness and banishes irritation by his self-control; who takes the unpopular side when it is the just one; who defends the absent or protects the weak; who calls things by their proper names at the cost of his own reputation, when virtue and vice, right and wrong are universally confounded; who is brave among social crowds and political poltroons—he is surely making himself the servant of humanity, and a chief among God’s children and Christ’s followers. Anon. This entry is longer than a Bible module can hold. The rest is at https://www.sermonindex.net/commentary/butler/ 1. HEAR, my sons, the instruction of a father, And attend to know understanding: 2. For I give you good doctrine; Forsake ye not my law. 3. For I was a son unto my father, Tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. 4. And he taught me, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words; Keep my commandments, and live: 5. Get wisdom, get understanding; Forget it not, neither decline from the words of my mouth: 6. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee; Love her, and she shall keep thee. 7. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: Yea, with all thou hast gotten get understanding. 8. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: She shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. 9. She shall give to thine head a chaplet of grace: A crown of beauty shall she deliver to thee. 10. Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; And the years of thy life shall be many. 11. I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in paths of uprightness. 12. When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; And if thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. 13. Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: Keep her; for she is thy life. I-9. Thus chapter has three divisions, made by My son at the beginning of each. In the first portion (vs. 1, 2) the children are exhorted to listen to wise and good instruction. The writer states that, as a child he received instruction from parental affection, with counsel to observe it diligently (vs. 3, 4). The advice given was 14. Enter not into the path of the wicked, And walk not in the way of evil men. 15. Avoid it, pass not by it; Turn from it, and pass on. 16. For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; And their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. 17. For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence. 18. But the path of the righteous is as the dawning light, That shineth more and more unto the perfect day. 19. The way of the wicked is as darkness: They know not at what they stumble. 20. My son, attend to my words; Incline thine ear unto my sayings. 21. Let them not depart from thine eyes; Keep them in the midst of thine heart. 22. For they are life unto those that find them, And health to all their flesh. 23. Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life. 24. Put away from thee a froward mouth, And perverse lips put far from thee. 25. Let thine eyes look right on, And let thine eyelids look straight before thee. 26. Make level [or, weigh carefully] the path of thy feet, And let all thy ways be established [or, ordered aright]. 27. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: Remove thy foot from evil. above all things to acquire wisdom and never to swerve from it; for this would keep him in safety (vs. 5, 6). Wisdom is therefore the first or principal thing, and should be obtained at all events. She will exalt and honor him who attains her. She will also adorn him with wreath and diadem (vs. 7-9). M. S. 1. My son. There are but two conditions in which we can stand. One or other of them must be ours. The alternatives are, slaves of sin, or sons of God. What a contrast both in the relation and in that to which it is sustained! Slaves or sons! God or sin! On the one side, tyrannous bondage; on the other, gentle, swaying love. On the one side, the whip and the lash; on the other, "My son, hear the instruction of thy Father." A. M. 4. Retain my words. Let any one consider the vast amount of knowledge in science and history with which the mind may be absorbed; the daily news which is brought to every man's door; the career open to all in politics or business; the stimulus of endless competition; let him look at the spirit of speculation, the hot haste, the anxiety for the future with which so many minds are filled; and he will wonder that there can be any gaps of time which reflection can seize upon, any corner of the soul left for it; he will not wonder that men cannot spend much deep thought on religion, but rather that it is not banished from its old seat in the mind. T. D. W. 7. Get wisdom, and with all thy getting, get understanding. Pray for it, give diligence in the use of all appointed means to attain it, wait at wisdom's gate (8:34). Get dominion over thy corruptions, which are thy follies; get possession of wise principles and the habits of wisdom; get it by experience, get it above all thy getting; be more in care and take more pains to get this than to get the wealth of this world; whatever thou forgettest, get this; reckon it a great achievement, and pursue it accordingly. True wisdom is God's gift, and yet we are here commanded to get it because God gives it to those that labor for it. H. 13. Take fast hold of instruction; for she is thy life. We come into the real school-life when we have left school. Duty is twofold; duty to do, duty to endure. We have the tasks of the school to do, and the discipline of the school to bear. And the more honest we are in the first, the braver shall we be for the second. We have duties to perform. Not what you do, but how you do it, is the test. And small things done as to the Lord and not to men grow golden and precious with the stamp of honest stewardship. Our manhood is truly developed only as we make life real, and we only make life real in proportion as we take each duty, great or small, and make it great by principle, and sacred because we do it unto God. A. Marsell. — What society sorely needs in the generations yet to come upon the stage is not more knowledge, not more refinement of manners, not more of the comforts of life, but it is more godliness, more truthfulness, more honesty, more charity, more self-sacrifice and self-restraint. If the next generation is to be any improvement on the present, our sons and daughters must be taught in ways of wisdom and led in right paths. Can a child come to mature years with a better possession than a character fixed in rectitude and radiant with goodness? Bartlett. — Life means not merely passing through the world with a fair measure of comforts, with enough bread for our hunger, with enough raiment to keep us warm. Life means growth into the image of Christ Himself, into strong, well-rounded character, into disciplined manhood and womanhood, into the blessed peace of God. J. R. M. 14,15. Many counsels of similar import are found in the New Testament, but none so specific, comprehensive, or sharply defined as this. Assuming the figurative supposition that there are but two paths of human life, a good and, therefore, right one, and an evil and, therefore, wrong one, the injunction is first general, not to enter the wrong, and next more definite and positive, to avoid it, or if it should happen to be touched at any point, not to pass a step upon it, but instantly to turn again and return to the right way. A main point to be noticed is the particularity and rigidity of the rule, its absolutely uncompromising character and unlimited extent. It applies to all forms and degrees of evil-doing. No matter how comparatively great or small the sin may be, it admits of no yielding. It allows not a step to be taken in the path of evil, but imperatively exacts entire forbearance, or the instant withdrawal from every sinful practice. This principle and this alone is the necessary rule of safety and usefulness. He only who practises this entire avoidance, this unqualified abstinence, this unyielding rejection of every evil practice can hope to stand safely, securely. B. In his intelligence man possesses an instrument capable of appropriating the secrets of universal knowledge; in his free-will, the power of being holy as God is holy, and of becoming, by that means, the agent of His omnipotent will. But this aim, so far above him, is still for him lost in the dim distance. In order to reach it it is necessary that man should surrender himself; and in order to surrender himself he must be his own master, and, first of all, he must conquer himself. But what is the enemy he has to conquer? The common notion is that the obstacle in the way of our self-government is the authority of a master, who imposes his laws upon us; and that is why man makes efforts to get rid of or, at all events, to draw his attention away from the thought of God. This is the deepest of delusions. The danger which threatens our liberty is much more truly the power of our lower nature, of our sensual appetites, of our instinctive tastes. Here is the true enemy of our liberty, which we must overcome for ourselves by a series of victories, of which each one is an act of self-denial. Let the natural inclination cause the spring of the will to give way for a moment under its pressure, and there is an end of liberty; man is no longer his own master, he becomes, like an animal, the slave of nature. Godet. Whence is it that temptation is so generally prevailing, so mightily prosperous in its operation? Why does not the soul meet it, as water meets fire? The fearful cause is that it acts on a nature congenial and accordant to what it offers. It is fuel that meets fire! Let suspicion and alarm be awakened, when we find our minds at work to make out anything to be innocent against doubt and uneasy conscience. Be careful that when unquestionable duty leads into the way of temptation we stay not longer near the temptation than we are honestly about the duty. Beware of the kind of companionship that directly leads into temptation. But let no man be beguiled to think he is safe against temptation at the times when his only companion is himself. The whole tempting world may then come to him through the medium of the imagination. The great deep of his own evil heart may then be broken up. Foster. The beginnings of evil are dangerous. They are like the letting out of water—the little stream soon becomes a tumultuous flood. Young men are first drawn to evil by the cords of their vanity; these cords of vanity are tender, attenuated threads of weakness, but they soon grow into strong twisted cables. Chains of habit are soon formed which no agonistic effort can break. The imminent and special peril of young men lies in the fact that they are at the age when the imagination is most active. Unsobered by experience and unrestrained by judgment, they never dream of peril; so they dally with evil, touch the outer circle of the vortex of vice, and begin with only slight and occasional indulgences. But the threads wrap them round and round. An infant could break them at first, but they grow thicker and thicker. Little by little the passion takes on its strength. Bid the passion cease at first, and we are its master; but yield, and it bids us cease our upbraidings, at last, with an imperious voice. Restless grows the spirit of vice unless we have bidden it depart before its tiny strands have become cables of desire. The man becomes the helpless slave of the spirit within him. The same is true, no matter what the form of vice. Every enjoyment of vice is the beginning of a reign of passion, the very dawnings of evil pictured in the imagination may prove the beginnings of the bondage of vice. Then beware of the evil beginnings that make the soul the home of unclean thoughts. Beware of evil books, of the glittering attractions of evil resorts, of subtle vice, of the invisible waves of evil ever beating around us. H. Johnson. Every commission of sin imprints upon the soul further disposition and proneness to sin; every one is both a preparative and a step to the next. When the soul is beaten from its first station, and the mounds and outworks of virtue are once broken down, it becomes quite another thing from what it was before. One visit is enough to begin an acquaintance, and this point is gained by it, that when the visitant comes again he is no more a stranger. South.—Sin is of an encroaching nature; it creeps on the soul by degrees, step by step, till it hath the soul to the very height of sin. The little thief will open the door and make a way for the greater, and the little wedge knocked in will make way for the greater. Satan will first draw thee to sit with the drunkard, then to sip with the drunkard, and then at last to be drunk with the drunkard. He will first draw thee to be unclean in thy thoughts, then unclean in thy looks, then unclean in thy words, and at last to be unclean in thy practices. T. Brooks. We become like the things we touch. We take the features of that we look upon. Witnessed vice makes us vicious; depravity spreads. Vileness becomes less and less repulsive the more we look at it. "Evil communications corrupt good manners." An immense amount of adult depravity has its foundations laid for it in the child's first years. The street is Satan's nursery, and flashy literature his circulating library. It takes a great while to wear out a soul's scar. Sin's colors are put on with mordants. Parents are careful to keep their children away from diphtheria and smallpox; sin is worse than scarlet-fever and more catching. Diseases are catching, health is not. Flowers die, weeds spread. Human nature is like water: it never runs without running down hill, and, left to itself, does not stop till it reaches the bottom. Thinking what is bad soils the mind, breaks the edge of moral delicacy; and it is all one whether the soiling thought is started by crime dramatized, indelicacy sculptured, indecency painted, or sin printed in a paper and called news. C. H. P.—Curiosity strangely moves us to disobedience in pursuit of pleasure. We thus intrude into things forbidden in various ways: in reading what we should not read, in hearing what we should not hear, in seeing what we should not see, in going into company where we should not go, in reasonings when we should have faith, in acting as if we were our own masters where we should obey. We indulge our reason, our passions, our vanity, our love of power; we throw ourselves in the society of bad, worldly, or careless men. And all the while we think that, after having acquired this miserable knowledge of good and evil, we can return to our duty and continue where we left off. Newman. Temptation is resistible at one time; it is almost irresistible at another. Temptation when it first begins to act upon us may be overcome. He who, when an evil desire rises within him, flies at once to the throne of grace, who cries out to God to help him, will see his temptation fading away. But when we yield to the temptation, which so easily we might have resisted at first, then it gathers strength, and with each new indulgence its demands are more imperious, its fascinations more seductive, and its thrall more complete. W. P. Roberts.—You may fight hard against temptation, and fight victoriously. You may beat it off and crush it down; and then, when weary with the conflict, you suffer the strain of vigilance to relax, it shall steal in and easily master the citadel which lately it spent all its force in vain to win. Beware of your best moments as well as your worst; or rather, the moments which succeed the best. They are the most perilous of all. Just when the consciousness of a triumph seems to permit and justify disarmament for a moment, the subtle foe with whom you have to deal will steal in on you and win a treacherous victory. J. B. Brown. Of nothing stand more in awe than of your own selves, and of the dread potentialities of evil no less than of good which you bear about with you. Believe me, there is no smallest spark from Satan's stithy which, if duly fanned, or even if left unquenched and not trodden out, might not increase into a flame, which should set on fire in you the whole course of nature; even as in this material world there is in each tiniest spark a possible conflagration, such as should wrap whole forests or cities in a flame. Resist evil at the beginning. Then it is weak and you are strong; but after a little allowance the conditions will be reversed, and you will be weak and it strong. Stand in awe, I would say again, of your own selves. He knows very little of himself who does not know that as there is a possible heaven, so there is a possible hell within him. In the passing thought of impurity there is that which, being admitted, indulged, cherished, followed up whither it seeks to lead, would mould us at last into the hideous likeness of a Tiberius or a Louis XV. In the smallest act, word, or thought of genuine malice there is shut up a whole world of cruelty, of intensest delight in the suffering of others, such as a Domitian or an Eccelino never surpassed. Trench. Sinful habits are fearful, fiery things. Ordinarily they are eternal; it is rare that they are changed. And a single choice may become a habit, may take precedence in the whole character, and grow into a despotism that never can be broken. Most of those persons who perish through intemperance, forge in the fires of youth the first links of the dreadful chain that envelops them. The Latin maxim is full of wisdom, obsta principiis. Resist the beginnings. Let not the present pleasures or gratifications with which Satan, or your tempting companions, or your own ungoverned passions may allure you to evil, prevail with you to begin the dread habit of indulgence. Beware the first step of a habit, or if you have taken it, break from it before it becomes eternal. Break from it now, or it is likely to become eternal. Remember that the pleasure is only momentary; the habit to which, for the pleasure, you sell your birthright is inveterate, and comes at last to be nothing but agony. Cheever. — Centres or centrepieces of wood are put by builders under an arch of stone while it is in process of construction, till the key-stone is put in. Just such is the use that Satan makes of pleasures to construct evil habits upon; the pleasure lasts, perhaps, till the habit is fully formed; but, that done, the structure may stand eternal. The pleasures are sent for firewood, and the hell burns in this life. Coleridge. A sense of danger is essential to safety in all the walks of life. "The way to be safe is never to be secure," said old Quarles. Safety is freedom from harm, while security is freedom from care. He who has a sense of insecurity and constant peril may be all the safer through the watchfulness that that sense engenders. On the other hand, "let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall." S. S. T.—A great political thinker says, "The price of liberty is eternal vigilance." The price of keeping the treasure that God has given us is the same. There are old legends of fabulous riches hid away in some rocky cave amongst the mountains, guarded by mythological creatures, of whom it is said that their eyes have no lids. They cannot shut them, and they never sleep. And that is what Christians need to be, with lidiess, wide-opened, vigilant eyes, watching ever against the evils that are ever around us, and the robbers who are ever seeking to drag the precious deposit from our hands. Live to watch, and watch that you may live. A. M. We have need not only to watch, but to keep up a strong habit of self-control. The current of our thoughts, the wandering of our imaginations, the tumult of our passions, the flashes of our temper, all the movements and energies of our moral being leave some mark, wither some springing grace, strengthen some struggling fault, decide some doubtful bias, aggravate some growing proneness, and always leave us other and worse than we were before. This is ever going on. By its own continual acting our fearful and wonderful inward nature is perpetually fixing its own character. It has a power of self-determination which, to those who give over watching and self-control, becomes soon unconscious and at last involuntary. Cardinal Manning.—The will, which is the central force of character, must be trained to habits of decision, otherwise it will neither be able to resist evil nor to follow good. Decision gives the power of standing firmly, when to yield, however slightly, might be only the first step in a down hill course. Smiles. For one man that of set purpose and with deliberate conviction has done the wrong thing because he made up his mind to do it, there are hundreds that do it carelessly, unthinkingly, weakly—none the less sinfully; but oh! far the less manfully. For here is the manliness of manhood, that a man has a reason for what he does, and has a will in doing it. As the basis of all strong, noble, right life, I say to you, young men and women, have a will of your own about what you do and choose. Be the masters and lords of the circumstances in which you stand. Put your heel on temptations if they come to you. A. M.—Be not too slow in the breaking off a sinful custom. A quick, courageous resolution is better than a gradual deliberation. In such a combat he is the bravest soldier that lays about him without fear or wit. Wit pleads; fear disheartens; he that would kill Hydra had better strike off one neck than five heads. Fell the tree, and the branches are soon cut off. Quarles. True courage and seasonable boldness ever characterize the genuine soldier of heaven. In every occupation of life, in all intercourse, in toil and in recreation our Christian armor should be worn and never be laid aside. The moment our allegiance is tested, the moment that the world requires what God forbids or forbids what God requires, we must stand to our arms and admit no thought of a surrender. Alford.—The fiercest warfare between the flesh and the spirit is not known to the worldling, but the Christian. Men never realize the power of sin until they begin to resist it. You never know the force of a stream until you throw an obstruction across it. Battles more significant than Marathon or Gettysburg have been waged in souls like Paul's, Augustine's, Luther's, Bunyan's. The test of Christian character is not uninterrupted triumph, but honest and continual conflict. Christ has veterans in His army who have stumbled through their whole lives, but who have kept their faces set like steel Zionward, and who will yet wear the laurel-wreath in the everlasting kingdom. J. H. Barrows. In the secret warfare which is going on within our hearts we can trust no foresight nor weapons but those which are God's. If we throw ourselves upon Him in watchfulness of prayer; if we acknowledge our manifold and secret dangers, and rely on Him to bless our continual resistance, we shall be safe; but if we forecast and resolve of ourselves, and determine that we will do or will not do such and such particular things, we shall find that we are fighting, like blind men, against sharpsighted foes, dealing our blows where there are no enemies, and exposing ourselves at every instant to the most fatal and deadly assaults. It is in faith alone—the faith which, with watchfulness of prayer, relies on God—that we can safely take one step forward amid the various dangers, foreseen and unforeseen, which spring up at every instant around our path. G. M. Watchfulness without prayer is presumption, and prayer without watchfulness is a mockery; by the first a man invades God's part in this great work, and by the latter he neglects his own. He who hopes to be delivered from temptation merely by praying against it affronts God, and deludes himself, and might to as much purpose fall asleep in the midst of his prayers as do nothing but sleep after them. South.—Watchfulness and prayer are inseparable. The one discerns dangers, the other arms against them. Watchfulness keeps us prayerful, and prayerfulness keeps us watchful. To watch without praying is presumption, to pray without watching is hypocrisy. The eye that sees clearly the facts of life will turn upward from its scanning of the snares and traps, and will not look in vain. These two are the indispensable conditions of victorious encountering of temptation. Fortified by them, we shall not "enter into" it, though we pass through it. The outward trial will remain, but its power to lead us astray will vanish. It will still be danger or sorrow, but it will not be temptation; and we shall pass through it, as a sunbeam through foul air, untainted, and keeping heaven's radiance. A. M. A final note upon the command of vs. 14, 15. Every command, however strongly given, and whatever may be our inability to obey it, should rather encourage us than otherwise; for it never would have been left in the Bible if God were not ready to impart power to observe it to His glory. There is nothing laid down as a duty, but grace is promised to enable us to perform it. R. Hill.—This great ground-truth, so vital to Christian activity and hope, cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often. Every demand of God, whether to resist evil or to do good, to pray, to watch, to serve, and to endure carries with it a prophecy and pledge of a divinely assured fulfilment. B. 18. The path of the righteous is as the dawning light. Their way shines to themselves in the joy and comfort of it; it shines before others in the lustre and honor of it. They go on in their way with a holy security and serenity of mind as those that walk in the light. It is as the dawning light, which shines out of obscurity and puts an end to the works of darkness. It is a growing light, that shineth more and more, not like the light of a meteor, which soon disappears, or that of a candle, which burns dim and burns down, but like that of the rising sun, which goes forward and mounts upward unto the perfect day, until it reaches the brightness of meridian glory. Grace, the guide of this way, is growing; he that has clean hands shall be stronger and stronger; the joy which is the pleasure of this way, that honor which is the brightness of it, and all that happiness which is indeed its light shall be still increasing. H.—The Scripture is full of images and expressions which, like this, describe the believer's life as one of progress—progress in knowledge, holiness, and grace. There is in this life no standing still, no rest in present attainments or degree of progress—we must go on, growing into greater conformity to the Divine image, until that day when our own race is run, and we awake satisfied with His likeness. Kitto. There is no standing at a stay in religion, either we go forward or backward; if faith doth not grow, unbelief will; if heavenly mindedness doth not grow, covetousness will. A man that doth not increase his stock, diminisheth it; if you do not improve your stock of grace, your stock will decay. Watson.—Where there is life, real, spiritual life, there is progress in that life. A plant which makes no shoots or growth is dead or sickly. Even the tree which has reached its full height does not remain as it is, but constantly renews and varies its outward appearance. Thus it is with the kingdom of nature, and so it is with the kingdom of grace. "Be ye therefore renewed in the spirit of your minds." "Though our outward man perish, yet our inward man is renewed day by day." Salter.—It is the nature of seed to propagate itself, and spread its virtue into branches and fruit. It will be aspiring to that perfection which nature hath allotted to it. If you do not grow, it is a sign there is no life in you. It is but the counterfeit, not the reality, of the new creature. Living natures do thrive; pieces of art stand at a stay. He is no member of Christ, but as a wooden leg or arm; not knit by any vital band, but some extrinsic ligaments; not fed with the increases of God, because he doth not grow. To content ourselves with a low degree of grace makes us unworthy of the benefit of regeneration, and below those that pretend to a likeness to God. Charnock. Many a time are we tempted to say, "I make no progress at all. It is only failure after failure. Nothing grows." Look at the sea when the flood is coming in, and you will think that the ceaseless flux and reflux is but retrogression equal to the advance. But look again in an hour's time, and the whole ocean has advanced. Every advance has been beyond the last, and every retrograde movement has been an imperceptible trifle less than the last. This is progress; to be estimated at the end of hours, not minutes. And this is Christian progress. Many a fluctuation—many a backward motion with a rush at times so vehement that all seems lost; but if the eternal work be real, every failure has been a real gain, and the next does not carry us so far back as we were before. Every advance is a real gain, and part of it is never lost. Both when we advance and when we fail, we gain. We are nearer to God than we were. The flood of spirit-life has carried us up higher on the everlasting shores, where the waves of life beat no more, and its fluctuations end, and all is safe at last. F. W. R. Men do not fly up mountains; they go up slowly, step by step. True Christian life is always mountain-climbing. Heaven is above us, and ever keeps above us. It never gets easy to go heavenward. No one leaps to sainthood at a bound. Nobody gets the victory once for all over his faults and sins. It is a struggle of years, and every day must have its victories. Yet while we cannot expect to reach the radiant mountain-summit at one bound, we certainly ought to be climbing at least step by step. Higher and higher should be our unresting aim and endeavor. J. R. M.—The very characteristic of the Christian conception of “growth in grace” is the indefinite approximation to an infinite perfection. The type for us is the express image of God, the complete man, Jesus Christ. To that supreme beauty our nature is capable of unlimited approach. No man knows how much of goodness, nobleness, and wisdom are possible for any man, or for himself. No bounds can be set to that progress of growth. A. M.—It is the will of God that he that hath “life eternal” should not only retain it, but have it “more abundantly;” that he should keep continually “growing up into Christ in all things”—his path being “like the light of the morning, shining more and more unto the perfect day.” The spiritual day is not meant to have a night—hardly a meridian—for it is to run parallel with the days of eternity. Its glow and glory, its radiance and sunlight, may keep on increasing and augmenting to the last, and then be continued in the upper world. The “way” of God’s saints is “a way everlasting.” The water of which they drink is “living water,” and is intended to be within them as “a well,” or fountain, “springing up into everlasting life.” Binney. When persons make still nearer and nearer approaches unto God, and as they draw nearer to Him find a gradual influence of Divine light and life and power; grow more and more into suitableness to Him; are more acquainted with Him, are brought into higher delectations and to take more complacency in Him—this is walking in the Spirit; when a man’s path, as it is said concerning the righteous man, is as the shining light that shines more and more, brighter and brighter, unto the perfect day. As you know, the nearer approach we make unto the light of a glorious lucid object, the more light we have, still all along as we go our way grows more and more lightsome. They do not walk in the Spirit, therefore, who keep moving in a circle or in a round of empty, sapless duties, who keep up the formalities of religion and no more; but they walk in the Spirit who make a progress, who go forward, who draw nearer and nearer unto God, and become more suitable to and like Him, more fit for present service, and for His eternal converse. Salter, 1840.—The obedient and the men of practice are those sons of light that shall outgrow all their doubts and ignorances, that shall ride upon these clouds, and triumph over their present imperfections till persuasion pass into knowledge, and knowledge advance into assurance, and all come at length to be completed in the beatific vision. And where a long course of piety and close communion with God has purged the heart, and rectified the will, and made all things ready for the reception of God’s Spirit, knowledge will break in upon such a soul, like the sun shining in his full might, with such a victorious light that nothing shall be able to resist it. South. Whoever turns to the love of God in Christ, and yields in the inmost part of his being to the power of His grace, is already “light in the Lord.” The true home and affinities of his true self are in the kingdom of the light, and he is ready for his part in the inheritance, either here or yonder. True fitness will become more and more fit. We shall grow more and more capable of God. The measure of our capacity is the measure of our possession, and the measure in which we have become light is the measure of our capacity for the light. A. M.—The life of those who love God is, when it develops itself harmoniously, still always like the rising sun. It is a life of constantly increasing light in regard to God and Divine things, and also in regard to ourselves and all that here surrounds us. Continually increasing joy also is the portion of those who love God. From His presence pain flees away; there death expires, there life breaks forth like a flower from its bud, and the prophetic word goes constantly into broader fulfilment: “Ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace.” So, too, love leads us to a fairer hope; for love is life, and life for the finite creature grows and increases, and takes firmer root in the eternal, invisible source of life. Nay, here the boldest image becomes too weak; the sun in the region of nature passes from mid-day height to evening setting; in the life of those who love God there can be no mention of sunset; death is but the passage to the light of an eternal morning. Van O. In the sphere of Christian faith the reality of a blessed future can never be a subject of doubt. One needs to have taken only the first steps in this holy sphere to become aware how here all paths run toward a goal which shines alluringly from the world beyond; how all is only a beginning that points to a future consummation. A time is to come when everything incomplete shall attain a perfection, and every fragment appear as a beautiful whole; when every discord shall be resolved into harmony, and every hidden glory be revealed; when every holy desire find full satisfaction. J. Muller.—Yes! the path of the just is as the shining light, shining more and more, brighter and brighter, unto the perfect day. It is imperfect now and often stormy and cloudy, but through the storm and the sunshine the path runs on. The beings toiling in it are not such in appearance as you would think destined to thrones of glory; they look rather like weather-beaten mariners, poor, way-worn pilgrims, with garments worn and dusty; but they are all to be presented without spot before the throne of God. They are all to be kings and priests. They are all to shine as the stars. Light, knowledge, sanctification, all things in the Christian life, all in the progress to glory, are gradual and partial now, entire and perfect hereafter. It is a toilsome, craggy way now, sometimes winding through places like the valley of the shadow of death, but nevertheless rising and, on the whole, growing brighter and brighter, until it shall end in the perfect day. G. B. C. Light, pure, rich, varied, dazzling shines forth from the heavens by day and by night, just as the light of the Christian's example is to be poured on the darkness of the world. It shines not indeed for display, but for use; not for its own glory, but like the light that should radiate from the Christian's life, to illustrate the glory of the great Creator. And if Christian light does not shine forth in the life, we have the highest evidence that it has never been enkindled in the bosom. Barnes.—The simple power of goodness and uprightness flows out as an emanation on all around. The good man shines like the sun, not because he purposes to shine, but because he is full of light. The bad man is rebuked, the good man strengthened by his example; everything evil and ungraceful is ashamed before him, everything right and lovely is made stronger and lovelier. H. B.—A living Christian out among men in daily employment is an incessant fountain of Gospel light. He preaches all the time. A formal discourse is but for a half hour. A Christian life lived out among men is all of it text, argument, and application, and never lets go. It is an incessant sermon. It accumulates effects and adds results together. C. H. P. Since we are, one and all, in the number of those to whom God has said, "Arise, shine, for thy light has come," let us take care that we do shine; that we keep our souls, like a clear mirror, free from the mists and stains of earth, which would otherwise dim the glorious image of the Son of God, offering Himself to be reflected in them continually. And let us do our work swiftly and clearly, but as silently as possible; after the manner of rays of light, which come from the sun in silence, with inconceivable speed, straight to the point where God intends them to fall. Such should our work be; no noise, no disturbance, no loitering about other and meaner things. Keble. 19. Here thick darkness is contrasted with the light of the preceding verse. In such a darkness no one can know on what he may stumble. In other words, "They are surrounded with darkness, which exposes them to continual danger of stumbling to their ruin." M. S.—We have the heavenly assurance that the path of the just is to shine more and more unto the perfect day. But this blessed truth involves its opposite, that the path of the wicked must grow darker and darker unto the total night, unless he give heed to the voice which calls him out of his darkness, and turn to the light, which is ever striving to illumine it. Hare.—This is an apt figure for every misspent life. It sets forth in a very striking manner the growing wretchedness and ruin induced by evil habits, the loss of reputation, of domestic comfort, of health, of peace of mind, of property, of life, of the immortal soul, sinking deeper and deeper down until the miserable victim makes the final plunge into the blackness of everlasting woe. W. H. G. 20-22. Solomon, having warned us not to do evil, here teaches us how to do well. It is not enough for us to shun the occasions of sin, but we must study the methods of duty. We must have a continual regard to the Word of God, and endeavor that it may be always ready to us. The sayings of wisdom must be our monitors to warn us of duty and danger. We must lodge them within us as a commanding principle, the influences of which are diffused throughout the whole man—"Keep them in the midst of thine heart, as things dear to thee, and which thou art afraid of losing." Let the Word of God be written in the heart, and that which is written there will remain. H. 21. Men will spend hours in hearing and not one minute in serious reflections; as if the Word in their ears could cure the disease in the heart. This is the worm at the root of all our spiritual advantages. The soil must be made tenacious of the seed by the harrow of meditation, which hides it in the heart and covers it with earth; for want of being laid deep and banded by serious meditation the seed takes no root, because there is not much earth about it. Charnock. —Translate the sense of Scripture into your lives, and expound the Word of God by your works. Interpret it by your feet and teach it by your fingers—that is, let your walkings and your workings be Scripture explications Caryl. 23. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Watch thy heart more than all other things that are to be kept, because out of it flow the streams of thy life. The terseness of the Hebrew tongue enabled them to say, "Watch thy heart above all keeping, for from it are the outflowings of life." The heart seems to be thought of as a fountain from which flow out all the streams that make up the weal or woe of human life. Since man has the making and the guarding of his own life-fountain put under his own charge, it behooves him to account it his first duty to keep it well. This life-fountain is the heart, the moral heart, out of which, says our Divine Lord, "proceed those things that defile the man—evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, theft, false witness, blasphemies." Out of this come also the genial sympathies, the love and the friendship, the sweet charities that perpetually react to bless their authors and givers. But, above all, let it be considered that with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; from the heart men repent with repentance never to be repented of; the love of the heart is the fulfilling of God's great law, and brings the soul into sympathy with heaven. Verily, there is infinite reason for keeping the heart with all diligence, since out of it flow such issues of life. H. C. The heart, as the central organ of the circulation of the blood, forms the focus of the life of the body. It is also the centre of all spiritual functions. Everything spiritual, whether belonging to the intellectual, moral, or pathological sphere, is appropriated and assimilated by man in the heart as a common meeting-place, and is again set in circulation from the heart; so that all vital motions of the soul proceed from the heart and react upon it. Now, because the heart is the central point of the person's life, the work-place for the personal appropriation and assimilation of everything spiritual, the moral and religious condition of man lies in the heart. Only what enters the heart possesses moral worth, and only what comes from the heart is a moral product. A man's whole life as an individual, as well as all his separate personal acts, derive their character and moral significance from the quality and contents of the heart. Because of this man is characterized by his heart in all his habitual and moral attributes. We read of a wise heart, of a pure heart, of an honest and righteous heart; and so, on the other hand, of a perverse heart, of a wicked and stubborn heart, and of a haughty heart. Also on man's side the process of salvation begins in the heart. Faith, in which man's personal life in its deepest basis takes a new direction, belongs entirely to the sphere of the heart, and is described as a making fast, a making strong (Psalms 27:14; 31:25), a staying of the heart (compare especially Psalm 112:7) on that foundation which is God Himself (Psalm 73:26). O. God, who gave us these souls, gave us a strict charge with them: Man, woman, keep thy heart; take heed to thy spirit (Deut. 4:9). We must maintain a holy jealousy of ourselves, and set a strait guard upon all the avenues of the soul; keep our hearts from doing hurt and getting hurt; from being defiled by sin and disturbed by trouble; keep them as our jewel, as our vineyard; keep a conscience void of offence; keep out bad thoughts; keep up good thoughts; keep the affections upon right objects and in due bounds. Keep them with all keepings, so the Word is; there are many ways of keeping things—by care, by strength, by calling in help, and we must use them all in keeping our hearts; and all little enough, so deceitful are they (Jer. 17:9). Or, above all keepings; we must keep our hearts with more care and diligence than we keep anything else. We must keep our eyes (Job 31:1), keep our tongues (Psalm 34:13), keep our feet (Eccl. 5:1), but, above all, keep our hearts. Out of a heart well kept will flow living issues, good products, to the glory of God and the edification of others. All the actions of the life flow from the heart, and therefore keeping that is making the tree good and healing the springs. Our lives will be regular or irregular, comfortable or uncomfortable, according as our hearts are kept or neglected. H. The great trust which is committed to us all is ourselves. And in connection therewith we are responsible for two things: first, for the development of character; and, second, for the exercise of capacity. We are responsible for the development of character. We have to cut off and suppress, or, at least, to subordinate and regulate a great deal within us in order that the true self may rise into sovereign majesty and power. We have to cultivate shy graces, unwelcome duties, sides of our character which are not naturally prominent. The faults that we have are not to be cured simply by the repression of them, but by the cultivation of their opposites. All this is given to us to do, and nobody can do it for us. We are stewards of many things, but the most precious gift of which we are stewards is this awful nature of ours, with possibilities that tower heaven-high, and evils that go down to the depths of hell, shut up within the narrow room of our hearts. The man who has himself put into his own hands can never want a field for diligent cultivation. And we are responsible for the use of capacities. God gives these to us that we may by exercise strengthen them. And so your natural self is your charge. A. M.—Behind every wrong act, every neglected duty—the hasty word, the impatient gesture, the equivocating answer, the jealous cruelty, the reckless calumny, is yourself. Each came out of your whole character; not your temperament, or your constitution, or your provocation, but yourself. You say it was unconsidered; but it was you that did not consider. You say you did not think; but God made you a thinking creature, and your thinking faculty was not given you for great occasions, which are rare in any life, and are not what will fix your place when you give in your account. Trace the secret history of any of the great crimes which now so often disgrace the business world, and you find that he who is unjust in much was unjust first in that which is least. “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit.” Out of the one heart are the issues of life and death. F. D. H. Inasmuch as the great issues of life are determined by the mastery of one set of principles over another, it is very important to seek the expulsion or entire suppression of latent evil tendencies by the careful nurture of tendencies of opposite character, for the strength of principles is in proportion to their exercise. In so far as tendencies to evil lie within us, we should avoid unnecessary exposure to influences that may draw them into activity; and, reversely, we should seek those conditions of life that will aid the development of the good. Chapman.—Heart and tongue must go together; word and work, lip and life, prayer and practice must echo to one another, or else thy prayers and thy soul will be lost together. T. Brooks. Remember not only to keep your hearts when you are praying and hearing, and when you are in holy duties, but when you are feasting and refreshing yourselves, when you are in your callings, when you are buying and selling. Caryl.—Just as it is true that wherever two or three are met together in His name God is in the midst of them, so, if your heart be at one with His Spirit, you may, in the midst of worldly amusements—yet not without great danger, for you will have multiplied temptations—keep yourself unspotted from the world. F. W. R. You wish to enrich and enlarge life, your business, your social enjoyments, your knowledge of literature, science and art. I appeal to your own common sense when I say, Then you must deepen your knowledge of God and your love to Jesus; you must meditate and pray more frequently; you must increase the motive power. Keep the heart with all diligence; keep it pure, unspotted from the world; keep it full; be filled with the Spirit, with love to God and man, with heavenward longings and with God-glorifying aims; keep it strong in ardent love and constant prayer, receiving strength by waiting on the Lord. Saphir.—Christianity, as a system of faith and duty, first of all seeks to purify the springs of action in the soul, and then to build it up in all the excellence of a graciously originated virtuousness of character. And this spiritual rectitude, which is itself the present realization of our salvation, though one and indivisible in its essence, is multiform in its manifestations, including all that is designated in the heart's conceptions as either true, or beautiful, or good. Its truth is essential and immanent; its dignity is but the expression of its worth, which itself harmonizes with righteousness of life and unspotted purity; and thus embodying and comprising all moral excellence, it compels the approval of men's moral consciousness. Curry. Man's heart is like a millstone; pour in corn, and round it goes, bruising and grinding, and converting it into flour; whereas give it no corn, and then indeed the stone goes round, but only grinds itself away. Even so the heart of man requires to have always something to do; and happy is he who continually occupies it with good and holy thoughts, otherwise it may soon consume and waste itself by useless anxieties or wicked and carnal suggestions. Scriver.—There are a thousand doors of access to the heart—conversation, books, incidents, means of grace, all the five senses; and passengers are busily thronging in and passing out at every door. Some of these passengers are bent on doing mischief, some on doing good, and some are questionable; some, though much fewer than is generally supposed, indifferent. Now will any precaution, short of watchfulness over the persons allowed to enter, avail to keep such a house in order? To dismiss the figure, unless we keep a guard and narrow outlook upon our hearts, we may find at any moment that we have “entered into temptation”—that is, have entertained it with the will, that we are fairly launched on the slippery incline which leads, it may be, to a very grievous fall. E. M. G. Many a city has been taken on its strongest side, which was counted so strong that no watch was kept, even as no danger was dreaded there. We think that we are not exposed to one particular form of temptation; let none be too sure of this; and in resisting one form of evil, never let us forget that there are others in the world. Fleshly sins may be watched against, and yet room be given in the heart for spiritual wickedness, pride, self-righteousness, and the like. The victories gained over the lusts of the flesh may minister to those subtler mischiefs of the spirit; and our fate may be like that of the hero in the Maccabees, who was crushed by the falling elephant himself had slain. There is a white devil of spiritual pride as well as a black devil of fleshly lusts; and if only Satan can ruin us, it is all the same to him by what engines he does it; it is all the same to him whether we go down into hell as gross carnal sinners or as elated, self-righteous saints. Set a watch, therefore, all around your heart; not on one side only, but on all; for you can never be sure on which side temptation will assail. French. 24-27. “Froward” (v. 24) translates a Hebrew word which means deceitful, false, a mouth that speaketh lies, one that distorts the truth. “Perverse lips” are the same. Solomon exhorts the young to speak the simple truth, and never allow their lips to prevaricate, deceive, or in any wise to discolor the facts of the case. So the next verse beautifully conceives of the path of right and duty as straight, on a right line, not tortuous and zigzag. Let thine eye look ever straight onward, with no thought of deviation from simple uprightness. Ponder (in Hebrew, weigh)—i.e., carefully consider the path of thy feet, that thy ways may be evermore on solid ground, firmly planted. Turn into no devious path, either to the right hand or to the left. Reject all thought of guile, mischief, wrong in any form. Are not these noble words of wisdom? H. C. The "issues" just spoken of are tracked to their three outlets. Speech turned from its true purpose, the wandering eye that leads on to evil, action hasty and inconsiderate, are the natural results where we do not “above all keeping keep our heart.” E. H. P.—Of the things from the heart that need to be put away, the first in the order of nature is the froward mouth. Words offer the first and readiest egress for evil. The next outlet from the fountain is by the eyes. The precept is quaint in its cast—“let thine eyes look right on”—and yet its meaning is not difficult. Let the heart’s aim be simple and righteous. Both in appearance and in reality let your path be a straightforward one. The last of these issues is by the feet. Ponder, therefore, their path. The best time to ponder any path is not at the end, nor even at the middle, but at the beginning of it. The right place for weighing the worth of any course is on this side of its beginning. By the word of God paths and actions will be weighed in the judgment. By the word of God, therefore, let paths and actions, great or small, be pondered now. Arnot. Do not rest upon external reformations, they will not hold; there is no abiding, no advantage in such a work; you think, when reproved, I will mend and set about the redress of some outward things; but this is as good as to do nothing. To set the outward actions right, though with an honest intention, and not so to regard and find out the inward disorder of the heart, whence that in the actions flows, is but to be still putting the index of a clock right with your finger, while it is out of order within, which does no good. But a purified conscience, a soul renewed and refined in its temper and affections, will make things go right without, in all the duties and acts of our callings. L. 25. The rule of life, the comfort of life, the strength of life, the life of life, is first to have an object, and then to live up to that object steadily and unquestioningly. A distinct, sufficient purpose and a determined pursuit give reality to life and make the man. The primary thing is to have an object in life which will be worthy of our being, suited to our character, attractive to our tastes. For if it fail in any one of these three things it will not long be our goal. To fulfil these three conditions there can only be four things in which an object can be found—victory, usefulness, eternity, Christ. There are three snares which beset and entangle the feet of a man who has resolved to live for some great end. (1) Retrospection. Do not look back. Do not look back at past attainments, for they are nothing. Do not look back at old sins, for they are gone. The Christian religion is to cut off the guilty past, and to separate a man from himself, and from his own history. (2) Introspection. Do not look in. A great many people waste a great deal of time to no profit, but rather to much discouragement, and much hindrance to their spiritual advancement by pulling their own hearts to pieces. (3) Circumspection. Do not look around at circumstances. They are mere accidents. Looking at the waves and listening to the wind, Peter sank. A wrestler must never let his eyes drop. A racer must never look away from the winning-post, nor the ploughman from the end of the furrow, nor the helmsman from his needle's point. Thousands of things are coming and going every day at our sides. But what are they all? They roll on the surface, but they cannot touch the deeper thing below. They dart, meteor-like, but my star is fixed. J. V. Everything is education; the trains of thought you are indulging this hour; the society in which you will spend the evening; the conversations, walks, and incidents of tomorrow. And so it ought to be. We may thank the world for its infinite means of impression and excitement which keep our faculties awake and in action, while it is our important office to preside over that action and guide it to some Divine result. Foster.—The mind has its moral element, the society in which it lives; it has its nourishment, which it is constantly imbibing; the influences of the world and the lower nature, or those of the Spirit of God. One or other of these influences is always imperceptibly passing into the mind and effecting a gradual change. And the awful thought is that if the change is not for the better it must be for the worse; if the mind is not appropriating the higher, it must be appropriating the lower influences; if there is no growth in grace, there must be a growth in worldliness and sin. Strictly speaking, nothing is morally indifferent; every moral action leaves its impress upon moral character. Our fireside conversations, our thoughts as we pass along the streets to our daily work, our spirit in the transaction of business, all have some amount, small though it be, of moral value; all are tending more or less remotely to form the character; amid all and through all we are either making spiritual progress or falling back from the mark. With what solemnity do these thoughts invest even the most trifling incidents of life! E. M. G. 26. Thy ways be established. Men's thoughts are much according to their inclination; their discourse and their speeches according to their learning and infused opinions; but their deeds are as they have been accustomed; therefore there is no trusting to the force of Nature, nor to the bravery of words, except it be corroborate by custom. Therefore since custom is the principal magistrate of man's life, let men by all means endeavor to obtain good customs. Bacon. 27. Turn not to the right or left. A man who has character enough to be strict—to live strictly up to his principles—is likely to be broad, catholic, and liberal in those principles; while a man who has not character enough to be strict in his conduct is likely to be narrow and ill-defined in his principles. True strictness is a sure sign of character; and no one can have character without having clearly defined principles. It takes character to be liberal; it takes character to be broad; it takes character to be strict. Little character is needed to be loose or to be narrow. If you would be a man of principle, see to it that one of your principles is to be strict in living up to your principles. H. C. T. If there be a case in which we may believe that the blessing of a holy God is really resting upon the head of a sinful man, it is when a man is humbly and prayerfully striving amidst manifold trials and temptations to walk in the narrow way of eternal life without turning to the right hand or to the left! T. M. 1. My son, attend unto my wisdom; Incline thine ear to my understanding: 2. That thou mayest preserve discretion, And that thy lips may keep knowledge. 3. For the lips of a strange woman drop honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil: 4. But her latter end is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. 5. Her feet go down to death; Her steps take hold on Sheol; 6. So that she findeth not the level path of life: Her ways are unstable and she knoweth it not. 7. Now therefore, my sons, hearken unto me, And depart not from the words of my mouth. 8. Remove thy way far from her, And come not nigh the door of her house : 9 Lest thou give thine honour unto others, And thy years unto the cruel : 10 Lest strangers be filled with thy strength; And thy labours be in the house of an alien; 11 And thou mourn at thy latter end, When thy flesh and thy body are consumed, 12 And say, How have I hated instruction, And my heart despised reproof; 13 Neither have I obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me! 14 I was well nigh in all evil In the midst of the congregation and assembly. 15 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, And running waters out of thine own well. 16 Should thy springs be dispersed abroad, THIS is one connected discourse devoted to warning against adultery. It begins, as usual before, with summoning the disciple to hear attentively that he may learn discretion (vs. 1, 2). The strange woman beguiles by flattery; but the sequel is bitter and destructive (vs. 3, 4). Her steps go down to Sheol; and she conceals and renders doubtful the path of life (vs. 5, 6). Again a careful listening is demanded; the disciple is urged to keep far from the way of the strange woman and from her habitation, lest he should be robbed of his property, he himself become a prey to the cruel, and all the fruits of his toil be seized by them (vs. 7-10). Bitter sorrow will follow his ruin, and much self-reproach will be uttered for not listening to teachers, and thus running into the greatest dangers (vs. 11-14). The young man is counselled to confine his enjoyments to their lawful and proper bounds; within them he may find all needful satisfaction. And these enjoyments should be exclusively his; while he should take pleasure in rendering happy the wife of his youth. Her love alone should allure him (vs. 15-19). He must not seek strangers; for God looketh on all his doings and will duly weigh them (vs. 20, 21). The iniquities of the wicked will surely overtake them, and they shall die through their great folly in rejecting instructions (vs. 22, 23). The subject of this chapter has already been strikingly introduced in 2:16-22. The line of thought in both compositions must, of course, be for substance the same, inasmuch as both treat of one specific vice. But the costume of each is different. M. S. And rivers of water in the streets? 17. Let them be for thyself alone, And not for strangers with thee. 18 Let thy fountain be blessed; And rejoice in the wife of thy youth. 19 As a loving hind and a pleasant doe, Let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; And be thou ravished always with her love. 20 For why shouldest thou, my sen, be ravished with a strange woman, And embrace the b.som of a stranger? 21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, And he maketh level all his paths. 22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked, And he shall be holden with the cords of his sin. 23 He shall die for lack of instruction; And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray. 9-11. His manly vigor lost; his years cut short; his money squandered, and himself at the mercy of the merciless-what is he but the wreck of what might have been a man! H. C. The lusts of uncleanness not only war against the soul which the sinner neglects and is in no care about, but they war against the body too, which he is so indulgent of and is in such care to please and pamper; such deceitful, such foolish, such hurtful lusts are they. Those that give themselves to work uncleanness with greediness waste their strength, throw themselves into weakness, and often have their bodies filled with loathsome distempers by which they fall unpitied sacrifices to a cruel lust. H. God has written His abhorrence of the sin of lewdness in the very laws of man's physical constitution. Human flesh is heir to no forms of disease more loathsome or more fatal than those which stand guard around this sin and visit their swift retribution on the guilty. Since repentance and reformation almost never intervene to arrest the career either of the lewd woman or of her associates in crime, their course leads not only to the grave but to the doom of the lost beyond. H C.—This is the great turning question of life, Am I to be the body's? or is the body to be mine, and mine for God? and according as I answer that question I will be a glutton, a drunkard, an adulterer, or a servant of the Lord. Ah, how often is the young man tempted into sensuality by the words of his companions, "Come, let us see life!" But that is not life-that is death. Life is something higher, nobler, more glorious by far; life is to obey every word of God. To follow the mere body is to lead an existence lower than that of the animals, for their instincts regulate them; but if man will not obey either reason or religion, there are no such instincts left to guide him. To follow the body is to be carnally-minded, and that is death. W. M. Taylor. 11-14. Think of the picture drawn here in colors so vivid; the miserable youth dying of effete old age long years before his time; looking in the agony of despair upon the flesh and the body which God made strong, but which his early vices have prematurely wasted; and then in the bitterest remorse cursing himself for having recklessly spurned instruction and despised reproof; tracing his inheritance of woe to its true cause in his own inexcusable folly, and giving free utterance to his self-reproach as if his last and only remaining duty to his race were to turn his miseries to some account for the warning of those who were now hearing such counsels as he had madly disregarded! The last words of his confession go deep and give a yet darker shading to the life-scene. "I was in almost every kind of evil;" for lewdness breaks down the human conscience and drives its victims into almost all possible sins; and this too, not in secret only, but in public, despite of the virtuous sentiments of the good—"in the midst of the congregation and assembly." 15-19. In these verses the theme is one to commend God's holy institution of marriage, and to exhort the young man to be true to its vows. According to the Divine institution, live happily with one wife, and let her love to thee be as an overflowing fountain. H. C.—Figurative language is here employed to designate the demeanor of the young married man who desires to live chastely and innocently. The imagery is drawn from a well with a living spring which sends forth streams of water. M. S.—Nuptial love maketh mankind; friendly love perfecteth it; but wanton love corrupteth and embaseth it. Bacon. 18. Rejoice in the wife of thy youth. It is not only feed and clothe her, and refrain from injuring her by word or deed. All this will not discharge a man's duty, nor satisfy a woman's heart. All the allusions to this relation in Scripture imply an ardent, joyful love. To it, though it lie far beneath heaven, yet to it, as the highest earthly thing, is compared the union of Christ and His redeemed Church. Arnot. As there is a Divine idea to be fulfilled in the relations between parents and children which makes that relationship sacred, so there is a Divine idea to be fulfilled in marriage, in all the offices of mutual love and service which it creates, and in all the happiness which it renders possible; and therefore marriage is sacred too. In its form the seventh commandment only forbids acts which violate the idea on which it rests, but it requires for its true and perfect fulfilment the realization of the idea itself. The institution rests on the possibility of the absolute mutual surrender to each other of man and woman, a surrender in which nothing is reserved but loyalty to God and to those supreme moral duties which no human relationship can modify or disturb. By such a life will the true idea of marriage which underlies this commandment be fulfilled, and all peril of violating this particular precept be kept far away. R. W. Dale. 21. These expostulations are here squarely enforced by the highest and most commanding of all considerations, the awful eye of God! That eye which forever seeth in secret, from which no darkness can hide, which no unchaste deed or even thought can escape—that eye is on thee, and His pure mind pondereth all thy goings. 22. By a figure common as well as forcible, sin is personified and armed with power to seize and punish the guilty. His own iniquity shall seize upon the wicked man himself and bind him with its own cords. The executioner of justice will never be far away. Ye need not hope to avoid his eye or elude his grasp, for where the sin is there is the Nemesis, the avenger, to punish sin and to make escape utterly impossible! H. C. Transgression is not a transitory thing. The single act is soon done and over, but it leaves an influence behind which, like the adder's poison, may grow and operate and spread until it reaches the seat of life and triumphs in the ruin of its victim. No act of the will—it is an indestructible and fearful law of our being—ever passes away without leaving its mark upon the character. There is a double tendency in every voluntary determination—one to propagate itself, the other to weaken or support, according to its own moral quality, the general principle of virtue. Every sin, therefore, imparts a proclivity to other acts of the same sort, and disturbs and deranges at the same time the whole moral constitution; it tends to the formation of special habits, and to the superinducing of a general debility of principle which lays a man open to defeat from every species of temptation. J. H. T.—Sin is invariably followed by a deterioration of our moral and spiritual nature. By repeated acts of transgression evil habits are invariably strengthened. Evil passions acquire constant accessions of energy if they are not controlled. By wrong-doing we become less able to discriminate between good and evil, and those forces of our nature which refuse to listen to the voice of duty are strengthened in their revolt; the sensibility of conscience is diminished, and the authority of conscience is impaired. In other words, the more we sin the harder it becomes to forsake sin. These laws are in a very true sense “self-acting.” They are precisely analogous to the laws of our physical organization, and to the laws of the material universe, and to the laws which belong to the province of political economy and of sociology. “Defender or avenger they have none, and they need none.” R. W. Dale. In the text the results of sin are represented as taking place in the natural order of things. The sinner thinks that sin is over and gone when it is once committed. But wisdom says no! It has consequences from which he cannot escape; it throws its cords around him and takes hold of him so that he cannot get away. If you put a Divine punisher of sin out of sight, sin does the work of the executioner on the sinner. Each new sin is a new, ever-flowing source of corruption, and there is no limit to the issue of death. Under the law of reason and of God any appetite would be innocent and harmless; none of them would interfere with the claims of God or of man, of the soul or of the body; none would be clamorous for instantaneous gratification, nor stir up an agitation in the soul, nor demand to be gratified at the wrong time or in the wrong degree. And as if to prevent the formation of evil habits, God has made the pain and the shame and the loss from excess so obvious in the world that every new transgressor is forewarned by the shipwrecks of others if not by the voice of conscience. When now these barriers are passed which are placed in the way of sin by the law of God imprinted on human nature, law parts company with the sinner and turns into his enemy—not, indeed, into his enemy in this sense that it hands him over to hopeless punishment, but in this that it shows him by what he is now bringing on himself, what he will one day bring on himself, when all his powers of resistance to temptation are weakened and his leaning to unlawful pleasure has grown strong. For by yielding to sinful desire he changes the current of his thought, so that a new object seizes on the trains of thought and bends them from their old direction; he discovers new facilities for indulgence and new ways of keeping it secret; he invents excuses for it, which rise in their sophistry and their wide-reaching extent until every pleasure, however base, could be justified on the same ground; he increases the strength of desire until it becomes his main purpose to live for its gratification—yes, when it has become so strong that its intensity has grown into an awful hunger, and when nature has become so blunt that all pleasure from it is killed out, desire rages still the more fiercely, and the aim now is to put an end to an ever-returning torment rather than to supply new pleasure to a sated soul. T. D. W. There is more bitterness following upon sin's ending than ever there was sweetness flowing from sin's acting. You that see nothing but well in its commission will suffer nothing but woe in its conclusion. You that sin for your profits will never profit by your sins. Dyer.—The wages that sin bargains with the sinner are life, pleasure, and profit; but the wages it pays him with are death, torment, and destruction; he that would understand the falsehood and deceit of sin thoroughly must compare its promises and its payments together. South.—Sin has had its martyrs as well as godliness, who, in premature old age, have been made to possess the transgressions of their youth in all the bitter fruits of a body tortured with diseases and a spirit wounded with remorse. R. Walker.—The martyrs to vice far exceed the martyrs to virtue, both in endurance and in number. Colton. In contending against sensual sins the main stress must be laid on the principle of exclusion—the absolute keeping away of bad suggestions and imagery from the mind. Once in the stain has struck on a substance so sensitive that, if not quite indelible, it is still terribly tenacious and terribly prolific of sorrow. It is here, with beginnings, that we all have chiefly to do, in ourselves and our children. Here, peculiarly, the battle is secret and invisible. Not much can be said, and so the more must be done by prayer and instantaneous self-command, expelling the first contamination and crying, "Cleanse Thou me from secret faults." Resolute avoidance, the shutting of the eyes and ears, and pressing on to known duty are the best security. One wrong companionship in childhood, one unprincipled servant or schoolmate, one Mephistopheles using the advantages of superior station or intellect, may spread a curse through the whole hidden history of fourscore years. Next to bad companionship is a bad literature. The degeneracy of the public modesty in the reading allowed without stint to the young is a direct contradiction to both the profession and the fact of a progressive civilization. Books that are the products of a thoroughly unchristian social life, in both Europe and America, not only furnish the continual reading matter of the reckless and abandoned, but they stock the circulating libraries, and lie on the tables of the best-bred families, within reach of young persons from whose bodies and physical health every breath of outward malaria is warded off with incessant vigilance and at every cost. The harm falls just where the liability to harm is greatest—on the springs of thought, imagination, emotion, where no direct effort can meet it or detect its inroads. F. D. H. Personal purity is a priceless possession. Self-respect crouches beneath the lash of a guilty conscience, and there is no lethean tide that can wash from the memory the accusing lines. The warning finger which Solomon placed at the gateway of that downward course wherein he had suffered, and along which he had seen so many wrecks, is illuminated with a ghastly light that must attract every eye. The words of the wise man are repeated from a thousand startling echoes as the reverberations of the tragedy fall on every ear. "Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it and pass away," are the warnings that wisdom utters to all who come near the seductive path. And the grave in a deep undertone repeats the solemn words. N. C. Advocate.—And shall it be nothing to thee, O young man, that God has set before thee a pathway of life along which in purity and innocence, in conjugal fidelity and mutual affection, thy fountain may be always blessed, and there shall be no bitterness in the end; while, on the other hand, he paints to thee the strange woman as one whose feet go down to death, and whose steps take hold on hell, and who bequeathes to her victims only the bitterest remorse and the most relentless and inexorable doom! H. C. 1. My son, if thou art become surety for thy neighbour, If thou hast stricken thy hands for a stranger, 2. Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, Thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. 3. Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, Seeing thou art come into the hand of thy neighbour; Go, humble thyself, and importune thy neighbour. 4. Give not sleep to thine eyes, Nor slumber to thine eyelids. 5. Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, And as a bird from the hand of the fowler. 6. Go to the ant, thou sluggard; Consider her ways, and be wise: 7. Which having no chief, Overseer, or ruler, 8. Provideth her meat in the summer, And gathereth her food in the harvest. 9. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? 10. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep: 11. So shall thy poverty come as a robber, And thy want as an armed man. 12. A worthless person, a man of iniquity; He walketh with a froward mouth; 13. He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, He maketh signs with his fingers; 14. Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth evil continually; He soweth discord. 15. Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; On a sudden shall he be broken, and that without remedy. 16. There be six things which the LORD hateth; Yea, seven which are an abomination unto him: 17. Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood; 18. An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, Feet that be swift in running to mischief; 19. A false witness that uttereth lies, And he that soweth discord among brethren. 20. My son, keep the commandment of thy father, And forsake not the law of thy mother : 21. Bind them continually upon thine heart, Tie them about thy neck. 22. When thou walkest, it shall lead thee; When thou sleepest, it shall watch over thee; And when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. 23. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; And reproofs of instruction are the way of life: 24. To keep thee from the evil woman, From the flattery of the stranger's tongue. 25. Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; Neither let her take thee with her eyelids. 26. For on account of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: And the adulteress hunteth for the precious life. 27. Can a man take fire in his bosom, Vs. 1-19 are subdivided into four parts. The first treats of becoming surety for the debts of others; the second, of idleness or sloth; the third, of crafty deceit; the fourth, of seven things which Jehovah hates. 1-5. Warning is given against becoming en- snared by pledges of surety, and advice to hasten an accommodation in relation to them, by earnest efforts, in order that the person pledged may escape being sold into slavery when he has no ability to redeem the pledge. M. S.—To be surety for another is equivalent in modern phrase to becoming his security or to undersigning his note or bond. “Striking hands” together was one Hebrew method of publicly assuming this responsibility. The sec- ond verse is generally supposed to continue the description of the case, so that the word “if” should be carried forward, thus: “If thou hast been ensnared with the words of thy mouth— i.e., if thou hast orally given thy consent to assume this responsibility for another’s debts.” The advice given in such a case follows in vs. 3-5. Nothing can be more clear than the doc- trine of Solomon in regard to the practice of becoming security for another’s debts. It ap- pears in 11:15: “He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it; but he that hateth suretyships is sure;” also 17:18: “A man void of understanding striketh hands and becometh surety in the presence of his friend;” again in 20:16, and the same in 27:13: “Take his gar- ment that is surety for a stranger, and take a And his clothes not be burned? 28. Or can one walk upon hot coals, And his feet not be scorched? 29. So he that goeth in to his neighbour’s wife; Whosoever toucheth her shall not be unpun- ished. 30. Men do not despise a thief, if he steal To satisfy his soul when he is hungry 31. But if he be found, he shall restore seven- fold; He shall give all the substance of his house. 32. He that committeth adultery with a woman is void of understanding: He doeth it that would destroy his own soul. 33. Wounds and dishonour shall he get And his reproach shall not be wiped away. 34. For jealousy is the rage of a man; And he will not spare in the day of ven- geance. 35. He will not regard any ransom; Neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts. pledge of him for a strange woman;” see also 22:26, 27. The suretyship contemplated here should be broadly distinguished from either giv- ing or lending to the poor for the supply of their immediate necessities. The latter duties are specially enjoined. H. C. 6-11. Solomon, in these verses, applies him- self to the sluggard who loves his case, lives in idleness, minds no business, sticks to nothing, brings nothing to pass, and in a particular man- ner is careless in the business of religion. Slothfulness is as sure a way to poverty, though not so short a way as rash suretyship. H. The idler reasoned with and warned. The sluggard is one habitually lazy, who gives him- self up to an easy, indolent life, and who will not labor. The reference to the ant implies this simple but conclusive argument. Since these insects obey the imperfect instinct and impulse which God has given, how much more should man respond to the dictates of the nobler and better in- structed mind! We find many other lessons than this of industry in “the ways” of the ant, yet they all naturally and necessarily go to- gether. As idleness leads to all the evils de- scribed in vs. 12-19, so industry includes all the excellences and advantages suggested in the fol- lowing statements gathered from various sources. “The ant has been famous from remote an- tiquity for industry, ingenuity, and economy, and for comprehension of the advantage to be derived from division and combination of labor." "The researches of naturalists into the habits and pursuits of these wonderful little creatures enable us better to appreciate the fitness of the wise king's recommendation. Whether as masons, carpenters, or carvers of wood, they offer examples which the most ingenious of men cannot refuse to admire, and by which the wisest of men may be instructed." "The Termites, or White Ants of tropical climates, although they are not true ants, but belong to another order of insects, the Neuroptera, so closely resemble the ants in their industry and social economy that they may be fairly cited as illustrating part of the habits here referred to." (McCook.)—"The elevation of their edifices is more than five hundred times the height of the builders. These nests are often twelve feet high, and have been seen as high as twenty feet, large enough to contain twelve men. They consist of an exterior shell, containing an interior apartment, in which are formed a vast number of chambers, galleries, and magazines. There is much in the internal economy and management of these insects not less worthy of admiration—their unwearied industry and indomitable perseverance; the arduous and sincere exertions of every individual for the common welfare; their well-regulated labor; the sagacious judgment with which they avail themselves of favoring circumstances." "Their uniform care and promptitude in improving every moment as it passes, the admirable order in which they proceed to the scene of action, the perfect harmony which reigns in their bands, furnish a striking example of industry and concord to the human family." "Unlike the bee, which, having found a store of sweet, will come and go for a whole week and never bring a solitary companion, the ant straightway goes for a troop to share the booty. Ancient writers, as well as modern, refer to the consideration these creatures show to each other." So they use their opportunities to provide food in the harvest. "In tropical countries, and particularly along the Mediterranean, where the ancient writers referred to were quite at home, ants laying up their winter stores are familiar sights. 'All summer long,' says Dr. Thompson, 'and especially in harvest, every denizen of their populous habitations is busy. As we walk or ride over the grassy plains, we notice paths leading in all directions from their subterranean granaries. Along these converging paths hurry thousands of ants, thickening inward, until it becomes an unbroken column of busy beings going in search of, or returning with their food for future need.'" All this they do without "guide, overseer, or ruler." So do they rebuke those whom God has given reason and conscience, plain rules for right living, and human teachers and exemplars to remind and quicken to duty, who yet are heedless and neglectful in its discharge, or who work under compulsion of an overseeing employer. B. 7. No overseer or ruler. Modern science confirms the statement that ants conduct their industries and social economies without special overseers; neither have they rulers, for the so-called "queen" is not a sovereign. McCook.—When I began to employ workmen in this country, I soon found that without an overseer very little work would be done, and nothing as it should be. The workmen, every way unlike the ant, will not work at all unless kept to it and directed in it by an overseer, who is himself a perfect specimen of laziness. He does absolutely nothing but smoke his pipe, order this, scold that one, and discuss the how and the why with the men themselves, or with idle passers-by, who are strangely prone to enter earnestly into everybody's business but their own. This overseeing often costs more than the work overseen. Now the ants manage far better. Every one attends to his own business, and does it well. Thompson. 8. Gathereth food in the harvest. Dr. H. C. McCook, a careful and scientific investigator, gives one chapter in a published volume to a comparison of the statements of naturalists during the last hundred years with those of Solomon, Homer, Horace, Virgil, and other ancient writers. He shows "that Palestine and all the Mediterranean shore is inhabited by one or more species of harvesting ants; that the harvesting habit was observed by the Israelites very early, as is abundantly shown by quotations from the Talmud, into which the habit of these insects to store grain is introduced in connection with a question of casuistry gravely debated by learned rabbins. The truth is that Solomon had seen with a clear and accurate eye, and what he wrote has been confirmed by the most modern science. . . . Several species of true harvesting ants are found in the United States. The Occidental ant (Pogonomyrmex occidentalis) abounds from Dakota southward through Colorado; the agricultural ant (P. barbatus) is found in Texas and the Southwest, and the Florida harvester (P. crudelis) inhabits the Floridian peninsula." (See McCook's "Agricultural Ant of Texas," and "The Honey and Occident Ants.") 10,11. V. 10 contains the reply of the sluggard to the stirring expostulation of the previous verse. He will have more self-indulgence, heedless of the consequences of folding the hands that ought to be actively used. Hence the warning that follows in vs. 11. Poverty and want must follow inaction, since bread is gotten only by labor. And against these grim, gaunt, armed assailants the nerveless, self-stripped man is utterly defenceless. B. The sluggard sins against the very nature which God hath given him. For what are all the high powers and faculties with which we are endowed, but so many tokens that we were formed for active service? The sluggard sins against the manifest design of Providence. God hath indeed made a liberal provision for the supply of all our returning wants. The rough materials of all things necessary and convenient for the purposes of life are laid plentifully at our hands; but the skill and industry of the workmen must bring them into form and render them fit for use. "All things are full of labor." Who, then, art thou, O sluggard, to counteract the designs both of Nature and of Providence? R. Walker.—The human heart is like a millstone in a mill—when you put wheat under it, it turns and grinds and bruises the wheat to flour; if you put no wheat, it still grinds on, but then it is itself it grinds and wears away. So the human heart, unless it be occupied with some employment, leaves space for the devil, who wriggles himself in, and brings with him a whole host of evil thoughts, temptations, and tribulations, which grind out the heart. Luther. God does not provide to encourage our sluggishness and shiftlessness. The sluggard is told to go to the ant and consider how she provides for her wants. God is not willing to provide for us unless we be willing to provide for ourselves. If we do all we can and then fail, He will provide in some way what we lack. A man may say that he has faith enough to believe that God will provide for him; but if his faith be of the sitting-still kind, he may sit still till he starves before God will be at the trouble to turn stones into bread that he may be fed. Let us be reasonable. C. H. Wetherbee. There is a work for all of us. And there is especial work for each, work which I cannot do in a crowd, or as one of a mass, but as one man, acting singly, according to my own gifts and under a sense of my personal responsibility. There is, no doubt, associated work for me to do; I must do my work as part of the world's great whole, or as a member of some body. But I have a special work to do, as one individual, who, by God's plan and appointment, has a separate position, separate responsibilities, and a separate work; if I do not do it, it must be left undone. No one of my fellows can do that special work for me which I have come into the world to do; he may do a higher work, a greater work, but he cannot do my work. I cannot hand my work over to him any more than I can hand over my responsibilities or my gifts. Nor can I delegate my work to any association of men, however well-ordered and powerful. They have their own work to do, and it may be a very noble one. But they cannot do my work for me. I must do it with these hands or with these lips which God has given me. I may do little or I may do much. That matters not. It must be my own work. And by doing my own work, poor as it may seem to some, I shall better fulfil God's end in making me what I am, and more truly glorify His name than if I were either going out of my own sphere to do the work of another, or calling in another into my sphere to do my proper work for me. Ruskin. 12-15. Wickedness described and forewarned of its doom. The connection of wickedness with idleness is natural. As industry with virtue, so slothful case is allied with vice. The particulars here given read as if written of to-day, for the evil heart has always been the same in its nature and manifestations. Very striking is the illustration of v. 13. Although especially applicable to the Orientals, who are wonderfully expert in making communications by signs and gestures with eyes, hands, and feet, yet the fact is still common. Everywhere light-minded and evil-minded are addicted to the use of signs for words. They use the wink and the shrug, or some like method of conveying an insidious meaning, either disparaging or impure. And the vicious, too, are here faithfully forewarned of the sudden remediless destruction that must follow. B. 12,13. The type of wickedness depicted here is that of guile, treachery, and secret combination. This wicked man artfully plots mischief in concert with his fellows, concealing his designs from his intended victims. The use of the feet as well as the fingers for secret communication reminds us that the Orientals had either a slight covering for the feet, or none; usually sandals when travelling, nothing at home. H. C.—All the modes of communication here described are characteristic of plotters and intriguers, who deal secretly in this way in order that their words may not be adduced in testimony against them. M. S. 16-19. A fearful summary of evils in the heart and life is here added as if to expand and emphasize the warning just uttered. These are the hated things: pride or haughtiness, lying or fraudulence, guilt of blood, malicious scheming, calumny, and the sowing of discord among men. B.—These vices are not only great sins in the sight of God, but they are manifestations of hatred to one's neighbor, and a violation of the second table of the Decalogue. They are intensified with a degree of falseness and malice that renders them destructive to human happiness, and hence objects of the abhorrence of a holy God, and deserving of His righteous judgments. Clark.—There is one parallel well worthy of notice between the seven cursed things here, and the seven blessed things in the fifth chapter of Matthew. In the Old Testament the things are set down in the sterner form of what the Lord hates, like the “thou shalt not” of the Decalogue. In the New Testament the form is in accordance with the gentleness of Christ. There we learn the good things that are blessed, and are left to gather thence the opposite evils that are cursed. But, making allowance for the difference in form, the first and the last of the seven are identical in the two lists. “The Lord hates a proud look,” is precisely equivalent to “Blessed are the poor in spirit;” and “he that soweth discord among brethren,” is the exact converse of the peace-maker. This coincidence must be designed. Look, . . . tongue, . . . hands, etc. These eyes, this tongue, these hands and feet are instruments of surpassing skill and beauty. They declare God’s glory as articulately as the stars of heaven or the flowers of earth. Who shall dare to corrupt the allegiance of these tributaries and enroll them rebels against the King of kings? The Maker cares for all His works. To pervert any part of them provokes him to anger. Every purpose to which the members of our body are put is noticed by the All-seeing. Arnot. 16,17. There are seven things that God hates, and pride is the first, because it is at the bottom of much sin and gives rise to it. God sees the pride in the heart and hates it there, but when it prevails to that degree that the show of men’s countenance witnesses against them, that they overvalue themselves and undervalue all about them, this is in a special manner hateful to Him; for then pride is proud of itself and sets shame at defiance. H 18. The minds and hearts of men are continually minting and coining new thoughts and imaginations; the thinking faculty is always at work. To have all these thoughts, all the conceptions that are framed and agitated in the mind, to be evil and that continually, what a hell of horror and confusion must it needs be? A deliverance from this loathsome, hateful state is more to be valued than the whole world. Without it neither life, nor peace, nor immortality, nor glory can ever be attained. There are but two ways of relief from them, the one respecting their moral evil, the other their natural abundance. The first is by throwing salt into the spring, as Elisha cured the waters of Jericho—that is, to get the heart and mind seasoned with grace; for the tree must be made good before the fruit will be so. The other is to turn their streams into new channels, putting new aims and ends upon them, fixing them on new objects; so shall we abound in spiritual thoughts; for abound in thoughts we shall, whether we will or no. Owen. 19. It will be acknowledged even by those that practise it not, that clean and round dealing is the honor of man’s nature, and that mixture of falsehood is like alloy in coin of gold and silver, which may make the metal work the better, but it embaseth it. There is no vice that doth so cover a man with shame as to be found false and perfidious. Bacon.—If it be well weighed, to say that a man lieth is as much as to say that he is brave toward God and a coward toward men. For a lie faces God and shrinks from man. Montaigne. Do you think of one falsity as harmless and another as slight, and another as unintended? Cast them aside; they may be slight and accidental, but they are ugly soot from the smoke of the pit for all that. Ruskin.—For God’s sake, for the sake of Christ, who was full of grace and truth, strive against the temptation to untruthfulness. For God is a God of truth, and no liar shall stand in His sight, let him be never so religious in appearance; He requires truth in the inward parts and truth He will have. Kingsley. Soweth discord. Making mischief between relations and neighbors, and using all wicked means possible not only to alienate their affections one from another, but to irritate their passions one against another. The God of love and peace hates him that sows discord among brethren, for He delights in concord. Those that by tale-bearing and slackering, by carrying ill-natured stories, aggravating everything that is said and done, and suggesting jealousies and evil surmises, blow the coals of contention, are but preparing for themselves a fire of the same nature. H. 20-22. God Himself, by His Word and Spirit. guides, preserves, and communes with the obedient heart. This cheering truth is conveyed under the form of exhortation and promise. A father's commandment and a mother's law are here assumed to be identical in their teaching and effects with the law of God. It is implied that both are filled and controlled by the indwelling Word, and that they faithfully instil its blessed truths and promises into the hearts of their children. The assumption is a beautiful tribute to the fact and the force of parental faithfulness, and it is an impressive method of bringing the worth and excellence of God's Word to the heart of children. B. 21. The instructions and admonitions of faithful parents, carried out in life, are compared to wreaths, tiarns, and necklaces, which are very generally worn in the East by both sexes, but particularly by females, as ornamental decorations of the head and neck. These ornaments, by imparting elegance and gracefulness to the human form, gave additional charm and attractiveness to those that wore them. In like manner those who exhibit in their disposition and deportment the virtues which characterize the pious and the good are thereby rendered morally beautiful and lovely, both in the sight of God and man. To adorn the person with extrinsic ornaments appears to be an instinct of humanity. The natural fondness for personal ornaments and decorations, however, is often indulged in to excess. Against this excessive and criminal indulgence the instructions of the New Testament are frequently directed. Ornaments are, however, alluded to in this passage neither for the purpose of approving nor of condemning them, but merely to indicate that moral qualities are really and emphatically the true adornments of a rational and immortal being. Muenscher. 22. A comprehensive and beautiful impersonation of the blessed effects of the Word of God upon the daily life of one who heartily accepts its principles and obeys its precepts. These effects are threefold. In the activities of life it will impart healthful motive and stimulus, to the plans of toil it will lend helpful suggestion, and in unforeseen vicissitudes and trying emergencies it will give light and deliverance. Over the approaches of slumber it will shed the calming consciousness of a Divine protection and breathe the benison of God's peace. And in the wakeful intervals of rest from toil, the briefer periods of quiet thoughtfulness, its precious truths and promises will bring Christ Himself their living source as a personal presence, and rejoice the trusting heart with a sense of His actual fellowship and communion. Beautiful and blessed indeed are these effects of the indwelling Word of Christ! B. "When thou goest it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest it shall keep thee, and when thou wakest it shall talk with thee." Has this ever been said of any other book? No. Such a statement in regard to the greatest works of human genius would transcend the limits of poetic hyperbole and be read with derision. But we do not smile at what Jesus said and what Peter and Solomon wrote about the Bible. We feel that they call our attention to a great and glorious fact. We have in the accumulated literature of the ages one book that is not mere parchment or paper, that is not mere words that men have written or printed, but is instinct with life. It is what the Spirit is saying now. And so whenever any man at any time or place opens the Bible at any chapter and verse and reads, God says to him, as with a loving voice, the very words that he reads. If we had this faith in the Word, we would never leave our homes in the morning without taking with us in our memories and our hearts passages of Scripture to caution, comfort, and direct us through the day. We would be meditating on this Divine truth as we walked the streets, and our minds would recur to it during the intervals of our daily duties. And when we came home at night we would say, I must hunt up sweet promises in the Bible to pillow my head upon. Interior. 23. Christ's Word is sanctifying. If you get to love and revere it so as to exalt it into a companion and counsellor, it will tell on all your conduct. Like a lamp it will reveal what is wrong in your character and motives, your temper and spirit, and be the great help to self-examination; but better than a lamp, like a wise and loving friend it will show the excellence of holiness and set you on the way to attaining it. Christ's Word is sustaining. Daily work needs daily bread, and it is in the Bible-magazine that the bread of life is stored. And just as the man who wishes strength for labor would deem it false economy to save his time and take no food, so theirs is foolish haste who think to struggle on from day to day without the Spirit's bread. It is through the Word and prayer that we receive into our souls the energy of God, and import into common toils and daily drudgery the freshness and the zest of heaven. Hamilton. The Word of God is the light by which we ought to be guided. Nothing grievous can ever happen to us so long as we follow it. When we walk without light in the night of our evil will we cannot avoid either stumbling or going astray. Let Thy Word, O Lord, be always the lamp which may enlighten my steps, and the light which may direct me in Thy ways. Quesnel.—An unreflecting Christian walks in twilight among snares and pitfalls. He entreats the Heavenly Father not to lead him into temptation, and yet places himself on the very edge of it, because he will not kindle the torch which his Father had given into his hands as a means of prevention. Coleridge.—Though the Word of God itself is the lamp, reflection must, nevertheless, bear it into the depths of human experience in order to bring out its illuminating power. Doctrines held by reflection, in contact with practical experience, come forth pulsating with life, instinct with practical power, glowing evangels, speaking as with tongues of fire; and promises which, perchance, had seemed meant for some ideal millennial realm, pour out their sweetness for our work-day lives, and shed their healing on our world-worn feet. V. In this great matter of the life of godliness, in all its various aspects, we have one teacher—the written Word of God; we have in that the one common originator of its fundamental principles, and the one ever fresh and adequate educator of all its remote developments. If we look at this Word we are struck with this fact, and the more we enter into it the more we feel it. Godliness for those who have this Word is no vague sentiment or emotional feeling toward the unknown. It is a life in relation to a God who has revealed Himself, and a God who has engaged Himself. It rests upon revelation, it lives in a covenant; and, to sum up the whole (in what I believe to be chronologically the final words of Holy Scripture, the last words of the last apostle), it rests upon this: “We know that the Son of God is come;” and the next step: “That He hath given us an understanding that we might know Him that is true;” and then the last step: “That we are in Him that is true, even in His Son, Jesus Christ.” This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” Resting, then, upon this grand revelation and the covenant that springs out of it, the life of godliness develops itself; and in using the Word of God as the educator of spiritual life, you find that it is effectual for the development of any special form of it, and secures at the same time its completeness as a whole. T. D. Bernard. A few simple sentences would have sufficed to tell what God is, and what He would have us to do. There was no need of the picturesque narrative and the majestic poem, no need of the proverb, the story, and the psalm. A chapter of theology and another of morals, a short account of the Incarnation and the great Atonement, and a few pages of rules and directions for the Christian life, might have contained the vital essence of Scripture, and have supplied us with a Bible of simplest meaning and smallest size. And in that case the Bible would have been consulted only by those rare and wistful spirits to whom the great hereafter is a subject of anxiety, who are really anxious to know what God is, and how they themselves may please Him. But in giving that Bible its Divine Author had regard to the mind of man. Therefore He made the Bible not only an instructive book, but an attractive one—not only true, but enticing. He filled it with marvellous incident and engaging history; with sunny pictures from old-world scenery and affecting anecdotes from the patriarch times. He replenished it with stately argument and thrilling verse, and sprinkled it over with sententious wisdom and proverbial pungency. He made it a book of lofty thoughts and noble images, a book of heavenly doctrine, but withal of earthly adaptation. In preparing a guide for immortality Infinite Wisdom gave not a dictionary nor a grammar, but a Bible, a book which in trying to reach the heart of man should captivate his taste, and which in transforming his affections should also expand his intellect. The pearl is of great price; but even the casket is of exquisite beauty. The sword is of ethereal temper, and nothing cuts so keen as its double edge; but there are jewels on the hilt, an exquisite inlaying on the scabbard. The shekels are of the purest one; but even the scrip which contains them is of a texture more curious than any which the artists of earth can fashion. The apples are gold; but even the basket is silver. Hamilton. The Bible has lessons for all conditions: it brings upon the scene both the lowly and the great; it reveals equally to both the love of God, and unveils in both the same miseries. It addresses itself to children; and it is often children that show us there the way to heaven and the great things of Jehovah. It addresses itself to shepherds and herdsmen and it is often shepherds and herdsmen who lift up their voices there, and reveal to us the character of God. It speaks to kings and to scribes; and it is often kings and scribes that teach us there man’s wretchedness, humiliation, confession, and prayer. Gaussen.—All that the true scientist is doing is bringing forth things new and old, and his newest things are the oldest things of God's creation. It is his insight which has made all things new. And so no less it must be in spiritual things. Our new things must come out of our old ones. The deeper we are able to look into the heart of these things, the more fresh and blessed will they appear. The natural world is opening up every day, and we are getting new revelations out of old facts; and surely this other world of spiritual truth is by no means exhausted. The Gospel is the essence of all science, the key of all history, the sum of all poetry, the interpretation of all life. And if it does not unfold for us day by day, if it ever grows tedious or old, it must be because we go through the world with blind eyes and dull hearts. J. K. Allen. We treat God with irreverence by banishing Him from our thoughts, not by referring to His will on slight occasions. His is not the finite authority or intelligence, which is unwilling to be troubled with small things. There is nothing so small but that we may honor God by asking His guidance of it, or insult Him by taking it into our own hands. And what is true of the Deity is equally true of His Revelation. We use it most reverently when most habitually; when its sacred words are made the ground of every argument and the test of every action. We have them not often enough on our lips, nor deeply enough in our memories, nor loyally enough in our lives. Ruskin. 24-29. Here is a particular caution against the sin of uncleanness. When we consider how much this iniquity abounds, how heinous it is in its own nature, of what pernicious consequence it is, and how certainly destructive to all the seeds of the spiritual life in the soul, we shall not wonder that the cautions against it are so often repeated, and so largely inculcated. H. 25. Beware of evil in the buddings of desire! Whoever allow themselves to indulge in evil imaginations or thoughts, are preparing themselves to commit the crimes they fancy. Desires are the seed of deeds. Working in the dark, and all the more dangerous that their progress, like a miner's, is slenit and unseen, they sap the walls of virtue; and thus the man of God is overthrown by temptations that otherwise had broken on him, as breaks the mountain billow on a front of rock. May not the bad thoughts and fancies that do their work secretly and unsuspected within the recesses of the heart, account for those sudden falls and sins on the part of such good men as David, that neither they nor others would have ever dreamt of? The mischief is due less to the temptation than to what preceded it, and prepared for it. Guthrie.—Sensual acts when only imagined, when only thought about complacently, still are sins in the sight of God. It is well to think of this, both because we are apt to fancy that there can be no harm in anything that never goes beyond our own minds, and also because to cherish sin in the imagination is the natural preparation for committing sin in act. And once admitted to the imagination, sin gets a foothold which greatly facilitates its further inroads and its final triumph. W. G. B. 27-29. By these forcible figures the writer would show his youthful reader that he might as well take fire into his bosom, or walk with bare feet on burning coals and yet think to escape harm, as yield to the temptations to adultery, and yet escape just retribution for such sin. Let him not think of adultery as anything but guilt, crime, an outrage on most sacred rights—an abomination both to man and to God. H. C.—These words contain an important principle of general application to every sin—the impossibility for a man to play with the enticement to sin without falling a prey thereto. The truth of the statement will appear if we take into consideration the following things: That every temptation presented to man addresses itself to a nature that is already corrupt, and is therefore liable to take to it. That man in playing with the temptation puts himself directly in the way that leads naturally to the sin. That playing with the temptation to any evil shows some degree of bias in the nature to that particular evil. That playing with temptation brings man into contact with sin only on its pleasurable side, and thus gives it an advantage to make an impression favorable to itself on his mind. That man, through playing with temptation, weakens his moral power to resist the sin, and gradually gets so debilitated as to be too weak to oppose it. That man, by playing with temptation, at last tempts the Spirit of God to withdraw His protection from him, and to leave him to himself, and a prey to his lust. O. Thomas. 32,33. No sin evinces greater folly and a more fatal lack of discretion, none other carries a more terrible ruin to one's own soul. His good name perishes; his reproach no tears can wipe away. Who can ever trust the adulterous young man to regard any rights or interests of his fellow-beings of either sex? How can he be thought of otherwise than as a reckless enemy of his race? H. C. 1. My son, keep my words, And lay up my commandments with thee. 2 Keep my commandments and live; And my law as the apple of thine eye. 3 Bind them upon thy fingers; Write them upon the table of thine heart. 4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; And call understanding thy kinswoman: 5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman, From the stranger which flattereth with her words. 6 For at the window of my house I looked forth through my lattice; 7 And I beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, A young man void of understanding, 8 Passing through the street near her corner, And he went the way to her house; 9 In the twilight, in the evening of the day, In the middle of the night and in the darkness. 10 And, behold, there met him a woman With the attire of an harlot, and wily of heart. 11 She is clamorous and wilful; Her feet abide not in her house: 12 Now she is in the streets, now in the broad places, And lieth in wait at every corner. 13 So she caught him, and kissed him, And with an impudent face she said unto him: 14 Sacrifices of peace offerings are with me; This day have I paid my vows. 15. Therefore came I forth to meet thee, Diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. 16 I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry, With striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt. 17 I have perfumed my bed With myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. 18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning; Let us solace ourselves with loves. 19 For the goodman is not at home He is gone a long journey: 20 He hath taken a bag of money with him; He will come home at the full moon. 21 With her much fair speech she causeth him to yield, With the flattering of her lips she forceth him away. 22 He goeth after her straightway, As an ox goeth to the slaughter, Or as one in fetters to the correction of the fool; 23 Till an arrow strike through his liver; As a bird hasteth to the snare, And knoweth not that it is for his life. 24 Now therefore, my sons, hearken unto me, And attend to the words of my mouth. 25 Let not thine heart decline to her ways, Go not astray in her paths. 26 For she hath cast down many wounded: Yea, all her slain are a mighty host. 27 Her house is the way to Sheol, Going down to the chambers of death. IN chaps. 2, 5, and 6 the great danger to which the crime of adultery exposes one has been set forth in strong colors. The writer now proceeds, in the way of forewarning, to set forth the alluring and deceitful arts practised by the adulteress, in order to inveigle and mislead the unwary youth. Forewarned, forearmed. If he gives diligent heed to the words of the faithful monitor, he may learn to shun the ways of crime and destruction. As usual, at the outset he is exhorted to hearken and to impress deeply on his heart what is said (vs. 1-5). The remainder of the chapter is occupied with graphically describing the demeanor and actions of the adulteress. M. S.—To put the virtuous upon their guard, and to fill them with a just abhorrence of the ways of crime, he sketches a life-scene in which are traced, first, the young man void of understanding, abroad in the dark night (vs. 8, 9); then a harlot and her vile seductions (vs. 10-20), and the sudden and fearful ruin in which she involves her victims (vs. 21-23); closing with renewed exhortations against being allured by one who has ruined her thousands and whose "house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death" (vs. 24-27). H. C. 1-4. The introduction to a yet more lifelike portrait of the harlot adulteress of an Eastern city, contrasted with the true feminine ideal of the wisdom who is to be the "sister" and "kinswoman" of the young man as he goes on his way through life. E. H. P. 2. My law as the apple of thine eye. No part of the body more precious, more tender, and more carefully guarded than the eye; and of the eye, no portion more peculiarly to be protected than the central apple, the pupil, or, as the Hebrew calls it, “the daughter of the eye.” The all-wise Creator has placed the eye in a well-protected position, surrounded by projecting bones, with many tunics of inward covering, besides the hedge of the eyebrows, the curtain of the eyelids, and the fence of the eyelashes; and, in addition to this, he has given to every man so high a value for his eyes, and so quick an apprehension of danger, that no member of the body is more faithfully cared for than the organ of sight. Spurgeon. 6-9. The first character appears on the scene, young, “simple,” in the bad sense of the word; open to all impressions of evil, empty-headed and empty-hearted; lounging near the house of ill-repute, not as yet deliberately purposing to sin, but placing himself in the way of it, wandering idly to see one of whose beauty he had heard. And this at a time when the pure in heart would seek their home—literally, “in the cool, in the evening, in the eyeball of night (a bold expressive figure for its blackness), and in darkness.” It is impossible not to see a certain symbolic meaning in this picture of the gathering gloom. Night is falling over the young man’s life as the shadows deepen. E. H. P. 9. We learn from this the evil of late hours. The devil, like the beast of prey, stalks forth when the sun goes down. Midnight on earth is hell's midnoon. J. T. Davidson. 14. The offerings here named are those of thanksgiving and joy on account of blessings received. Of such offerings the guests partook in part; so that a rich feast is here virtually set before the simpleton under the garb of a religious usage. The pretence is that she had before bound herself by vows to make the offerings in question. This therefore is represented to be a lucky day for the invited guest. M. S. 26. The house of the harlot had been compared before (2:18) to the grave, to the world of the dead; now it is likened to a field of battle strewn with the corpses of the slain. "Many strong men." The word speaks rather of the multitude than of the individual strength of those who have perished. "Mighty hosts are all they that have been slain by her." This is followed by a repetition of the old similitude from 2:18; 5:5. E. H. P. 27. Her house, though richly decked and furnished and called a house of pleasure, is the way to hell; and her chambers are the staircase that goes down to the chambers of death and everlasting darkness. The cup of fornication must shortly be exchanged for the cup of trembling; and the flames of lust, if not quenched by repentance and mortification, will burn to the lowest hell. Therefore stand in awe and sin not. H.—Death, for the godless, is but the bond between past and future misery. The ungodly pass from the first death across to the second. Gerhard. There are unseen, pitiless limits existing—walls of adamant, against which the waves of human passion and human folly dash, and break, and are shattered without mercy, even though every drop be a life, and every life be dashed to pieces in hopeless agony in the vain endeavor to go its own way, and set its own will as the judge what that way shall be. There is an eternal march of judgment, which they who choose can see. And calm, and clear, and pitiless on every side, amid the noise of ignorant self-will, the clash of blinded passion, and wisdom blinder still, the voiceless warning strikes upon the world; and the great prison walls close in on those who will have it so. It may be said: “These are but words; what proof is there of this invisible, everlasting wall of doom, and of the unseen executioners, God’s secret police, that arrest the guilty and the careless, self-indulgent fools?” I answer: “Take any form of vice you like, give it power, give it wealth, and then—wait a few years and see what comes of it. Watch the curse day by day, and hour by hour, walking by the victim’s side; watch him dragged from bad to worse; stand in his dreary home when the last scene comes—and doubt no more of God’s great prison walls on earth.” E. Thring. God's Word has its silences, merciful and beneficent; but Satan's word has its silences too, not merciful, and not beneficent. Satan's word tells of flowery paths, of alluring pleasures, of seductive companionships, of jovial nights and days; but Satan's word is silent concerning the hidden precipices, the gnawing remorse, the degrading bondage, the deathless despair that lie in wait for the footsteps of those who walk in evil paths. Flashing lights, costly paintings, merry music send out their welcome to the passer, from halls of fair-seeming which are wholly devoted to the service of evil; but no voice from within, no legend on the wall, tells of the ruined lives, the scattered households, the broken hearts, whose history found its first tragic meaning beneath these lights. H. C. T. 1. DOTH not wisdom cry, And understanding put forth her voice? 2. In the top of high places by the way, Where the paths meet, she standeth; 3. Beside the gates, at the entry of the city, At the coming in at the doors, she crieth aloud: 4. Unto you, O men, I call; And my voice is to the sons of men. 5. O ye simple, understand subtilty; And, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. 6. Hear, for I will speak excellent things; And the opening of my lips shall be right things. 7. For my mouth shall utter truth; And wickedness is an abomination to my lips. 8. All the words of my mouth are in righteous- ness; There is nothing crooked or perverse in them. 9. They are all plain to him that understandeth, And right to them that find knowledge. 10. Receive my instruction, and not silver: And knowledge rather than choice gold. 11. For wisdom is better than rubies: And all the things that may be desired are not to be compared unto her. 12. I wisdom have made subtilty my dwell- ing, And find out knowledge and discretion. 13. The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: Pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, And the froward mouth, do I hate. 14. Counsel is mine, and sound knowledge: I am understanding; I have might. 15. By me kings reign, And princes decree justice. 16. By me princes rule, And nobles, even all the judges of the earth. 17. I love them that love me; And those that seek me diligently shall find me. 18. Riches and honour are with me; Yea, durable riches and righteousness. 19. My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; And my revenue than choice silver. 20. I walk in the way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of judgment: 21. That I may cause those that love me to in- herit substance, And that I may fill their treasuries. 22. The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, Before his works of old. 23. I was set up from everlasting, from the be- ginning, Or ever the earth was. 24. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; When there were no fountains abounding with water. 25. Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills was I brought forth: 26. While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, Nor the beginning of the dust of the world. 27. When he established the heavens, I was there: When he set a circle upon the face of the deep: 28. When he made firm the skies above: When the fountains of the deep became strong: 29. When he gave to the sea its bound, That the waters should not transgress his commandment: When he marked out the foundations of the earth: 30. Then I was by him, as a master workman: And I was daily his delight, Rejoicing always before him; 31. Rejoicing in his habitable earth; And my delight was with the sons of men. 32. Now therefore, my sons, hearken unto me: For blessed are they that keep my ways. 33. Hear instruction, and be wise, And refuse it not. 34. Blessed is the man that heareth me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors. 35. For whoso findeth me findeth life, And shall obtain favour of the LORD. 36. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: All they that hate me love death. THE book rises here into a higher and more dramatic strain. Wisdom herself is introduced as speaking not merely, as in 1. 20-33, in the language of reproof, but as setting forth her own majesty and glory. Her work is seen in the marvels of the universe, in the order of human life. She is co-eternal with the self-existing God, is with Him as one brought up with Him, works out His will, is manifested in all His works. We are reminded of the teaching of John, the later development of the truth thus sown upon the field of human thought, that "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God;" that "without Him was not anything made that was made;" that He too was from all eternity "in the bosom of the Father." . . . Wisdom and the Eternal Word are one. Christ, who is made unto us sanctification and redemption, is also made unto us Wisdom. This truth suggests counsels, warnings, hopes, encouragements. And let it not be forgotten that the Eternal Word reveals Himself (v. 31) as One whose "delights are with the children of men." E. H. P. In Christ we have the revelation of a God who can be known, and loved, and trusted, with a knowledge which, though it be not complete, is real and valid, with a love which is solid enough to be the foundation of a life, with a trust which is conscious that it has touched rock and builds secure. Nor is that fact that He is the revealer of God, one that began with His incarnation, or ends with His earthly life. From the beginning and before the creatural beginning, the Word was the agent of all Divine activity, the "arm of the Lord," and the source of all Divine illumination, "the face of the Lord," or, as we have the thought put in the remarkable words of this chapter of Proverbs, where the celestial and pure Wisdom is more than a personification though not yet distinctly conceived as a person, "The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His way. I was by Him as one brought up—or as a master worker—with Him, and I was daily His delight; and My delights were with the sons of men." And after the veils of flesh and sense are done away, and we see face to face, I believe that the face which we shall see, and seeing shall have beauty born of the vision passing into our faces, will be the face of Jesus Christ, in which the light of the glory of God shall shine for the redeemed and perfected sons of God. A. M. 1-4. It is in the active service of life, in the work of the market-place, in the interchange of thought and the collision of minds differently constituted, that wisdom speaks to us. She comes as with an evangel, which she proclaims to all, which shuts out none but those who shut it out, seeking in her infinite compassion the ignorant and the foolish. E. H. P. 6-9. The subjects of which she proposes to speak are of the highest order of value, the great principles of truth and righteousness, the gravest of all questions of moral duty toward God and toward man. She speaks only truth, never falsehood; and such truth as is always plain to men of upright and honest heart. H. C. 6. They are of inestimable value; they are excellent things, princely things, so the Word is. Though level to the capacity of the meanest, yet there is that in them which will be entertainment for the greatest. They are Divine and heavenly things, so excellent that in comparison with them all other learning is but children's play. Things which relate to an eternal God, an immortal soul, and an everlasting state, must needs be excellent things.—9. They are all plain, and not hard to be understood. If the book is sealed, it is to those who are willingly ignorant. But to those who depart from evil, who have that good understanding which they have who do the commandments, to them they are all plain, and there is nothing difficult in them. The way of religion is a highway, and the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. H. 13. Fearing the Lord is hating evil. Such fear is not merely a motive to the hating of evil; nor is it merely a tendency to such hating; perhaps Solomon meant to make a stronger statement than that it insures such hatred—viz., that it is essentially identical with it and really inseparable. For with such sentiments toward God men always conceive of Him as infinitely pure, holy, and good, they revere and love Him for these qualities; and what is this but to abhor all sin? H. C.—The fear of God is the foundation of character, of wise action and of happiness. Having that foundation, a man begins to live as one that is to live forevermore. Fearing God alone, he rises above all human fear; knowing he is to give account, he tries every deed. Counting himself not his own, he is grandly generous, living to do good and not to please himself. He prays, he toils, he lives for God. E. H. G. Pride. Under no conceivable circumstances can pride want matter on which to feed. If one is proud of his virtue, another will be proud of his vice. Birth, station, talent, beauty, wealth, and every grade and kind of earthly good, by turns will minister to this all-present passion. Nay, even spiritual privileges may thus be turned by the carnal mind into poison; men may be puffed up by the religion of the meek and lowly Jesus; and after mortifying vanity in a thousand shapes, may be conquered at last by the conquered foe, and become proud even of their humility. J. J. 17. Love is the greatest thing that God can give us, for Himself is Love; and it is the greatest thing we can give to God, for it will also give ourselves, and carry with it all that is ours. Let our love be firm, constant, inseparable; not coming and returning like the tide, but descending like a never falling river, ever running into the ocean of Divine excellency, passing on in the channels of duty and a constant obedience, and never ceasing to be what it is till it comes to what it desires to be; still being a river till it be turned into a sea, and vastness, even the immensity of a blessed eternity. Bishop J. Taylor. Love is the bond of perfectness, because love is itself the power that calls forth Divine law and order. For it was through law and order that God, in His love, meant to reveal Himself in the creation of the world; and it is to love we owe the law and order of the new creation. Rule and limits must be set to all things else, but love, that produces and includes both, has no need to be so restrained. Love needs no rule, for she is not unruly; she has no proud waves that must be broken, for she envies not, is not puffed up, but is long suffering and meek; she seeks not her own, and is not easily provoked (and what could raise more wild and foaming waves than that?), but beareth all things, because she hopeth all things. Therefore if love only dwells ever more richly among us, then the love of Christ, which is the source of all Christian brotherly love, will, on the one hand, constrain us to promote, by every means, thorough harmony and cheerful co operation in every good work. Schleiermacher. Seek Me. The one true search of man can have but one object—God. What it is to find God we may try to state in different forms of words. But they must all have one meaning. To live daily under the conscious inspiration and guidance of His Spirit is to find Him. To believe in Christ, provided that belief embraces practice as well as faith and engages the affections as well as the intellect—which it must do if it is living and sincere—this is to find God, because God is in Christ. To keep a conscious harmony of one's own will with God's will, so as to gain spiritual liberty, patient submission, is to find him. To blend justice and mercy toward man with prayer is to find Him. To live so that the ruling aim or uppermost purpose shall be under the constant control of the principles of Christianity is to find Him. To be spiritually-minded and so discern spiritual things is to find Him. Of course, then, to be really seeking any of these things—which, after all, are essentially the same thing—is to seek God. F. D. H.—Blessed are they who live and move and have their being in that infinite presence which no eye can see, and which makes itself known to us in the secret experience of our hearts. Faith in God, as the one essential law of our spiritual well being; faith in what is spiritual and Divine; faith in ideas which reach toward a better order of things; faith in truth and justice as laws involving in themselves forces which must triumph at last; faith in man, not merely as an earthly being, but as created in the image of God; faith in the kingdom of holiness and love, not as far off, but as here in the midst of us, to advance and establish itself more and more in the souls of men; faith in the transforming ideas and influences revealed to us in the thought and life of Jesus—this is what is to save the individual soul, bring it into harmony with the universe of God, and thus redeem and sanctify the world. J. H. Morrison. In the last clause it is a question of some interest whether the Hebrew verb means early in life—i.e., in youth; or earnestly, diligently. The word occurs in four other passages in this book—viz., 13:24: “He that loveth his son, chasteneth him betimes—i.e., seasonably, early. Also, 1:28: “They shall seek Me early, but they shall not find me;” but in this case they had long refused to seek God, and, therefore, at last God turns away His ear, and they seek Him not early, but earnestly, yet in vain. Also, 7:15: “Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek Thy face,” and 11:27: “He that diligently seeketh good, procureth favor.” It appears, therefore, that usage somewhat favors the sense of diligently, earnestly, rather than early in life, yet it cannot be deemed decisive. The consideration that Wisdom directs her appeal so generally to the young favors the sense, early in life. A hearty earnestness is no doubt implied. H. C. 18. The greatest things of this outward world are small compared with the soul. Faith, love, hope—these are the greatest possessions. To possess God and godlike character—that is the “durable riches and righteousness.” Worldly goods fly from hand to hand. Even when they remain in one man’s possession for a lifetime, he and they belong to different orders of things—and remain foreign to each other. Possession of these can never be thorough, permanent. The true riches are meant for a man. They enter into the very substance of his being, and become interwoven with himself. They can never pass from him. A. M. 21. Wisdom leads in the paths of righteousness not only that she may keep her friends in the way of duty and obedience, but that she may cause them to inherit substance and may fill their treasures; which cannot be done with the things of this world, nor with anything less than God and heaven. The happiness of those that love God and devote themselves to His service is substantial and satisfactory. It is substance itself; it is a happiness which will subsist of itself and stand alone; spiritual and eternal things are the only real and substantial things. Joy in God is substantial joy, solid and well grounded; the promises are their bonds, Christ is their surety, and both substantial. They inherit substance; their inheritance hereafter is substantial, it is a weight of glory, it is substance (Heb. 10:34); all their happiness they have as heirs, it is grounded upon their sonship. It is satisfying; it will fill not only their hands, but their treasures; not only maintain them, but make them rich. Let the treasures of the soul be ever so capacious, there is enough in God and Christ and heaven to fill them. H. 24-26. The leading thought is beautifully expanded. When there were no great ocean deeps I was brought forth into action to plan this wondrous system of waters, made up of mountains, hills, fountains, streams, seas, and oceans, all constructed to minister to the great ends of utility and beauty in our world. H. C. 22-31. This portion of Scripture is very remarkable on several accounts. The older commentators and theologians understood it generally of the Eternal Word, or of the eternal going forth of the Logos—the same who is said (John 1:14) to “have become flesh and dwelt among us.” Many of the moderns have rejected this view. But let the reader carefully examine Col. 1:15-20; John 1:3; Heb. 1:2, 3, and ask himself, where did these writers get their doctrine of the Creative Word, or Logos? From inspiration, it may be said. Most true, indeed; but when we compare the similarity of language and idea, can we hesitate to believe that Paul had in mind both the spirit and letter of this and similar passages from the Old Testament, in what he says of “Him who is the First-born, or born before all creation, who is the image of the unseen God, and in whom, and through whom, were all things created, both in heaven and earth, both the seen and the unseen?” T. L. We cannot wonder that most interpreters should have seen in these words a prophetic anticipation of the mystery revealed in the Prologue of John’s Gospel, and cannot doubt that they served to prepare men for it. So John, carrying the thought to its completion, declares that all which Wisdom here speaks of herself was true in its highest sense of the Word that became flesh, that “was in the beginning, and was with God, and was God,” by whom all things came into being, and who was also the Light that lighteth every man (John 1:1-14). E. H. P.—Whether or not the ancient writer of this Book of Proverbs understood what deep things he was saying when he painted Wisdom as a person—as a Person brought up with the Father “before the world was”—as a Person who rejoiced from the beginning “in the habitable parts of the earth”—we at least have a full right to lift the curtain, and let the light of the new flash back upon the old, and say, “Yes, Christ the power of God, and Christ the wisdom of God.” There, in that living person; there, in that gentle love; there, in that human form; there, in that eternal long-suffering; there, in that Brother of our race, who comes to atone, to bless, and to inspire us all, there is the highest embodiment of all wisdom. A. M. 22-31. The passage may be rendered thus: “The Lord possessed me as His own, or only Begotten, the Beginning of His ways, before His works of old. From eternity was I anointed, away before the beginning—the beginning of the antiquities of the earth. When there were no chaoses was I born, before there were any deeps swelling with waters; before the mountains were settled; before the hills was I born. When He had not made the earth, or the parts beyond, or the very beginning of the dust of the world. When He prepared the heavens I was there; when He established the skies above, when He made strong the fountains of the deep, when He made a law for the sea, even when He ordained the supports of the earth. I was ever with Him like an only child—day—day—was I His delight, rejoicing ever before Him. Glad was I in the orb of His earth, but my great joy was with the sons of Adam.” A feeling of vastness takes possession of us as we read this sublime description of the hypostatic wisdom, its eternal generation, its everlasting going forth in the ideal structure of the worlds. There is much of the same language we find in the ninetieth Psalm, but here is still more vividly presented the thought of stages of antiquity going far back, one after the other, to that most ancient date of all when Wisdom was alone with God, the Firstborn, before the beginning of His creative ways. We recognize in it the choral anthem of Genesis, with its keynote of ineffable times. There is the same thought of great successions, of an organic structure, like a building, rising stage after stage to its completion. The Word and the architectonical Wisdom are one. It is not only the commanding, fiat-giving voice, but the shaping, organizing, harmonizing agent, "rejoicing ever before Him, and whose delight was with the sons of men." T. Lewis. 31. The closing words are also the highest and the noblest. Wisdom, who ordered the heavens, and laid firm the foundations of the earth, rejoicing in that work of hers, rejoices yet more in the world as inhabited by God's rational creatures. Giving joy and delight to God, she finds her delight among the sons of men. So far the words remind us of Hooker's noble doxology to the Divine Law, whose "seat is in the bosom of God, . . . to whom all things in heaven and earth do homage, owning her as the mother of their peace and joy." But our thoughts are carried yet further. These words, like the rest, are as an unconscious prophecy fulfilled in the Divine Word, in whom were "hid all the treasures of Wisdom." By Him all things came into being (John 1 : 3), and "are held together" (Col. 1 : 17); He too is "in the bosom of the Father" (John 1 : 18), and in Him the Father was well pleased; and yet His "joy also is fulfilled," not in the glory of the material universe, but in His work among the sons of men. 32. The old exhortation returns now with a new force. The counsels are no longer those of prudence, calculation, human experience, but that of a wisdom wide as the universe, eternal as Jehovah, ordering all things. E. H. P. 34. Blessed.** There are fixed, axiomatic steps by which religion leads us intuitively, such as these: It is blessed to be true, through and through; cursed to be false. It is blessed to be meek; cursed to be haughty and proud. It is blessed to love one's neighbor, and cursed not to do so. It is blessed to be penitent; cursed to be impenitent. It is blessed to be good and do good. Moreover, there must be One who answers to these conceptions, entitled to one love and homage. He must be infinite. The only One whose visible life coincides with these ideas is Jesus Christ, and He reflects the unseen God. S. E. Herrick. 35. Findeth life.** Christ is all that any soul can need, but what every soul must have that would find life. Sum up these four particulars: ulars: the right knowledge of God; a right standing or acceptance with God; holiness, or a character like God; deliverance from all evil, and a share in the blessedness of God. Is there anything more that any soul can want in the eternity of its being? Or is there anything in this brief but all-comprehensive summary of blessings that you can do without? Can you do without the knowledge of God as He is revealed in Christ? Then you must know Him out of Christ, as "a consuming fire." Can you do without a pardon from the Saviour you have offended, the Judge to whose bar you hasten? Can you do without holiness? Can you do without redemption? And would you set up your wisdom against the wisdom of God; your pride against His grace? J. P. T. 35, 36. "Whoso findeth Me findeth life," and "All they that hate Me love death." Eternal life and eternal death are here plainly intended. The same must be understood in 12 : 28, where we are told that, "in the way of righteousness is life, and in the pathway thereof there is no death;" and in 14 : 27, where it is said that "the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death." In these places it is impossible to interpret the words life and death otherwise than as appertaining to a future state of being, because the wicked enjoy the present life as well as the righteous, and the righteous are subject to temporal death not less than the wicked. Still clearer, if possible, is the doctrine of future retribution in 14 : 32, "The wicked is driven away in his wickedness; but the righteous hath hope in his death." If death is the annihilation of our being, the righteous are as much driven away as the wicked; and neither can have any well-grounded hope in the mortal struggle. E. C. W. 36. The choice of the verb for sinning suggests this shade of thought, He that misses My favor, making the fatal mistake of disowning and disregarding Me, wrongs not only Me, but, far more, himself. He perpetrates a fatal wrong against his own soul. All that hate Me virtually love death! Of course, if they hate Me, it is because they love sin, and loving sin is equivalent to loving death. H. C.—There is no middle state in the next world, no tolerable mediocrity, but two contrary states, yet alike in this, that the happiness and misery are equally eternal; and it is just that all who neglect eternal life should suffer eternal death, for it is the natural and necessary consequence of their option; therefore sinners are charged with extreme madness to wrong their own souls and to love death. Bates In regard to every course that would lead men to unhappiness, Christianity has stood from the first at the entrance of the paths, and uttered its warning cry. The nations have not heard it, but have rushed by and rushed on, till they have reaped the fruit of their own devices in the corruption of morals, in the confusion of society through oppression and misrule; and then philosophy has condescended to discover these evils, and, if it has done anything for the permanent relief of society, it has brought it back to the letter or spirit of the Gospel. The stern teachings of experience are making it manifest, and they will continue to do it more and more, that the Bible is God's statute-book for the regulation of His moral creatures, and that the laws of the Bible can no more be violated with impunity than the natural laws of God. M. H. Great multitudes utterly reject Christ and stay fast in their sins. They have no time to be religious, or the sacrifices are too great. Some are too poor to have any heart left, and some are too rich—so rich, so filled up with goods, that a camel can as well get through a needle's eye, as Christ get into their love. Some are too much honored to receive Him, and some too much want to be. Some are in their passions, some in their pleasures, some in their expectations. Some are too young, and wait to give Him only the dry remains of life, after the natural freshness is gone. Some are too old and too much occupied with old recollections and stories of the past forever telling, to have any room longer for His reception. Some are too ignorant, and think they must learn a great deal before they can receive Him. Others know too much, having stifled their capacity already in the dry-rot of books and opinions. The great world thus, under sin, even that part of it which is called Christian, is very much like the inn at Bethlehem, preoccupied, crowded full in every part, so that, as the Mother of Jesus looked up wistfully to the guest-chambers that cold night, drawing her Holy Thing to her bosom, in like manner Jesus Himself stands at the door of these multitudes, knocking vainly there. H. B. 1. WISDOM hath builded her house, She hath hewn out her seven pillars : 2 She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; She hath also furnished her table. 3 She hath sent forth her maidens, she crieth Upon the highest places of the city, 4 Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: As for him that is void of understanding, she saith to him, 5 Come, eat ye of my bread, And drink of the wine which I have mingled. 6 Leave off, ye simple ones, and live; And walk in the way of understanding. 7 He that correcteth a scorner getteth to himself reviling: And he that reproveth a wicked man getteth himself a blot. 8 Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: Reprove a wise man, and he will love thee. 9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: Teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning. 10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. 11 For by me thy days shall be multiplied, And the years of thy life shall be increased. 12 If thou art wise, thou art wise for thyself: And if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it. 13 The foolish woman is clamorous; She is simple, and knoweth nothing. 14 And she sitteth at the door of her house, On a seat in the high places of the city, 15 To call to them that pass by, Who go right on their ways, 16 Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: And as for him that is void of understanding, she saith to him, 17 Stolen waters are sweet, And bread eaten in secret is pleasant. 18 But he knoweth not that the dead are there; That her guests are in the depths of Sheol. TITs is the closing part of the large discourse which reaches from 6 : 20 to 9 : 18. It is a kind of summary of the whole, not closely connected and rigidly continuous, but passing from one subject rapidly to another, in order to touch upon the leading points of the discourse. It ends, as we might expect such a discourse to do, with a most solemn warning against the crime in question, by setting the fearful and inevitable consequences of it before the reader. The chapter begins with the declaration that Wisdom has provided herself a house or temple, where all due preparation is made for the feast, to which she invites her chosen guests (vs. 1, 2). She sends forth her criers to summon these guests; yet not any one and every one is invited, but the simple, who lack information (vs. 3, 4). The scorner and the vile transgressor are not fitted for the instructions of Wisdom, and would not receive them or profit by them. Her guests are invited to an excellent repast, not of physical luxuries, but (what is much better) of exhortations to walk in the way of life (vs. 5, 6). Scorners refuse reproof; and to administer it only brings contempt and contumely on the reprover (vs. 7, 8). Not so with the wise (v. 9). Wisdom is the fear of God, which secures long life; for this receives a recompense which is meet, as scorning also does (vs. 9-12). But that enemy of all true wisdom, the adulteress, who watches for her prey, and gives out her invitations, addresses the simple, and tells them that "stolen waters are sweet" (vs. 13-17). It is an unwary youth, who does not see that her ways lead, as they surely do, to destruction (v. 18). 1. The writer had just spoken of watching and waiting at the doors of wisdom. Here he assigns to her a dwelling—a goodly structure, well supported and magnificently adorned, in the manner of a temple. M. S. 1-6. True wisdom is no mere quality, but a living Person; and when she "buildeth her house," and slayeth her sacrifices, and "crieth in the highest places of the city," the invitation comes to us from the lips of Christ our Brother, our Sacrifice, and our Lord. It is He that says, "Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither." "If any man will, let him come unto Me." A. M.—The marriage supper for the king's son: The house. The frame is set up from everlasting, well ordered in all things, and sure. The tried Foundation is the Lord our Righteousness. The seven pillars indicate, in Oriental form, that its supports and ornaments are perfect in strength and beauty. The feast prepared. The provisions of God's house are wholesome, various, plentiful. Whatever the covenant provides, the true Church diligently sets forth in the ordinances before the people. The inviting messenger. These are the ambassadors whom Christ employs to carry the message of His mercy to their brethren. The invited guests. The message is specially addressed to the simple. Those who are conscious of ignorance are ever most ready to learn the wisdom from above. The argument by which the invitation is supported is: (1) positive, "Come, eat of My bread and drink of the wine which I have mingled;" and (2) negative, "Forsake the foolish and live." The grand turning-point is to get the prodigal to break off from that which destroys him. Aruot. 3. Mingled wine. In Isa. 1 : 22 "wine mixed with water" is expressly mentioned; and this is what we believe to be intended in the present case, as well as in most if not all others in which the term occurs. This impression is confirmed to our mind by the distinct knowledge we possess that the ancients were greatly in the habit of mixing water with their wine, and that pure wine was seldom taken, except in the feasts of drunkenness, when it might even be mixed with stronger ingredients. But under all ordinary circumstances the wine was mixed with water, so as to form a table drink, refreshing, and but slightly exciting, unless taken in very large quantities. The quantity of water was usually proportioned to the strength of the wine. Sometimes three parts water were added to one of wine, and at other times five parts water to one of wine. Kitto. 4-16. This Book of Proverbs (emphatically a young man's book) sets before us one thing or other, wisdom or folly. The whole of the early chapters show us the picture of a lad, standing at the opening of his life, and round about him a variety of voices and inducements, some drawing him one way and some drawing him another. They paint for us youth as it comes to us all, wooed by enticements of sinners, by siren songs from every side, exhorted by the grave words of a severer wisdom, counselled by a father's lips, implored by a mother's tears. To young men these conflicting voices speak. Now, is it not a great gain that here we should get all these diverse appeals that are made to us from all sides, all the different ways which open out for us in the course of life, gathered up and packed together into two? Life is reduced to an alternative; there is clearly marked out for us all at the beginning of our life that all is one thing or other, wisdom or folly. Wisdom sits in the highest places of the city and cries, "Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither!" Folly sits in the highest places of the city, and cries with the same invitation, "Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither!" And to these two voices all the noise and tumult of life and all the diverse voices in your own souls may be reduced. They are all either the call of the wisdom of God, or they are the call of folly, sense, and sin. A. M. 7. He meets with shameful and reproachful treatment; not that what he does is shameful, but that the man reproved acts shamefully toward him. 8. This verse gives the ground of the preceding assertion. The hatred of the scorner is roused by reproof, and so he will manifest it in reproaches. Exactly the reverse will be the wise man's conduct. He will be grateful, and will love thee for fidelity. 9. The giving in this case implies admonitory counsel. The good man will duly appreciate this, and so will add to his stock of instruction. M. S. 10,11. Wisdom begins with the fear of God. This fear must always be its chief element. The word "holy" in the clause, "The knowledge of the holy," refers to God in the special sense of knowing God as the Holy One, and of having a just conception of His perfect purity of character. This is true understanding. Such a sense of a holy and just God imparts the best practical understanding of personal duty. Such practical wisdom (especially in those days) conduced to longevity. God's blessing was with it. H. C. Because the fear or love of God, the knowledge or study of His will, faith or trust in Him, the remembrance of Him, or frequent meditating upon His laws, are principal parts of religion, and have so great an influence upon men that one of these virtues can hardly be found separate from the rest, or without producing its genuine effects in a religious life; therefore each of these are frequently put singly in Scripture for the whole of religion. And because each one of these phrases singly signifies the sum of religion, therefore any two of them may likewise be used as synonymous to each other; as, in the text, the fear and the knowledge of the Lord: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the Holy is understanding." S. Clarke.—The wisdom that he speaks about is wisdom that has rectitude for an essential part of it, the fibre of its very being is righteousness and holiness. There is no true wisdom which does not rest calmly upon a basis of truthfulness of heart, and is not guarded and nurtured by righteousness and purity of life. Man is one—one and indissoluble. The intellect and the conscience are but two names for diverse parts of the one human being, or rather they are but two names for diverse workings of the one immortal soul. And though it be possible that a man may be enriched with all earthly knowledge, while his heart is the dwelling-place of all corruption; and that, on the other hand, a man may be pure and upright in heart, while his head is very poorly furnished and his understanding very weak—yet these exceptional cases do not touch the great central truth, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the Holy is understanding." Here, then is the first outline of this fair form that rises before you—a wisdom satisfying and entire for all the understanding, and not a dry, hard, abstract wisdom either, but one which is all glowing with light and purity, and is guidance for the will, and cleansing for the conscience, and strength for the practical life—wisdom which is morality and righteousness; morality and righteousness which is the highest wisdom. A. M. 12. Here is a plain, positive assertion of every man's exclusive responsibility for his own acts and of his own suffering of their consequences. The meaning is, If thou hast gotten wisdom, religion, salvation, thou shalt get what it gives in thine own heart's experience; but if thou dost despise and neglect it, thou alone shalt bear the consequences of such neglect. B. Nothing is more difficult than to realize that every man has a distinct soul, that every one of all the millions who live or have lived is as whole and independent a being in himself as if there were no one else in the whole world but he. Newman.—It is this distinct personality that gives their dignity to individual men. The special dignity of each individual redeemed man is that he, sharing this nature which is united to God, has in it a form of life peculiar to himself, something that no other being has; that he has to do for God what no one else is so called to do, or perhaps is so able to do; that he can exhibit in himself a character of grace, and fill a place, a sphere of glory, which no one but he himself is called to occupy, or perhaps can in all respects occupy as God purposed. From this fact of distinct individual existence flow all duties and responsibilities, all relations and claims of service in the momentous issues of life. They are, if fulfilled, the accomplishment of our special calling of God; if neglected, they are the measure of our utter loss and eternal condemnation. Canon Cartér. There is no escape from the law that makes the work of regeneration into higher spiritual states personal, reserved, separate. There is no social salvation excusing the individual. Society is a great interest, but it can never shift responsibility from you and me. Men must go into the kingdom of heaven, if they go at all, just as they go into any grand experience—be born again, just as they are born into the life that now is—one by one, and each for himself. And alone we must go, and be prepared to go by prayer and faith, through all the deeper and more solemn exigencies of our life; alone through besetting temptation, and the loss of what is most precious; alone through the defection of friends and through personal discouragement; alone to the judgments of the Most High; alone from thence to reap as each hath sown. F. D. H. We alone have to do with Him alone. The awful fact of individuality, that solemn mystery of our personal being, has its most blessed or its most dread manifestation in our relation to God. There no other being has any power. Counsel and stimulus, suggestion or temptation, instruction or lies, which may tend to lead us nearer to Him or away from Him, they may indeed give us; but after they have done their best or their worst, all depends on the personal act of our own innermost being. Man nor angel can affect that but from without. The old mystics called prayer “the flight of the lonely soul to the only God.” It is the name for all religion. These two, God and the soul, have to “transact,” as our Puritan forefathers used to say, as if there were no other beings in the universe but only they two. Angels and principalities and powers may stand beholding with sympathetic joy; they may minister blessing and guardianship in many ways; but the decisive act of union between God and the soul they can neither effect nor prevent. A. M. 13-18. In several points this description of the foolish woman stands in contrast over against Wisdom as she appears in this chapter. She, too, has a house of her own, at the door of which she sits; her seat is “in the high places of the city” (precisely the same words which are said of Wisdom, v. 3); like Wisdom, she, too, invites the simple to turn in hither, and he that wanteth understanding (compare v. 6); but her arguments are peculiarly her own. “Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” Her appeals turn on the pleasures of sinning. H. C.—A certain scorn is traceable in the details of the contrast. The foolish woman has her house, but it is no stately palace with seven pillars, like the home of Wisdom. No train of maidens wait on her and invite her guests, but she herself sits at the door, forcing herself into a position as prominent as that of Wisdom (compare v. 14 with v. 3), counterfeiting her voice, making the same offer to the same class (compare v. 16 with v. 4). The words of the temptress appeal to the besetting sin of all times and countries, the one great proof of the inherent corruption of man’s nature. Pleasures are attractive because they are forbidden. “I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet” (Rom. 7: 7). As in 2: 18, the veil is drawn away, and behind the scene of voluptuousness is seen the world of the dead. The spectres of past transgressors haunt it. Perishing in their guilt, or losing their true life, they are already in the depths of Hades. No words can add anything to the awfulness of that warning, and with it the long introduction closes and the collection of separate proverbs begins. Wisdom and Folly have each spoken; the issues of each have been painted in life like hues. The learner is left to choose. E. H. P. V. 12. The true life hidden and lived alone. All the visible relations we sustain, the pursuits in which we are employed, the achieved results of toil, the ties of association with others, the varied physical and social influences to which we are subject—all that makes up the round of external incidents, relations, employments, actions and events, derive meaning and value alone from their bearing upon the inward life of the soul. In themselves they are but the signals and tokens of the invisibly acting spirit, the indices of the hidden moral nature, the media through which the unseen vital forces of the soul are manifested, the temporary objects designed to stimulate these forces to action. But hidden far down beneath them all is the deep, resistless undercurrent of real vital action and experience, flowing darkly and alone. Made up is this mysterious life-current of thoughts and feelings, of aspirations and sympathies, of griefs and joys, of spiritual gains and disappointments, temptations, struggles, falls and victories, which are incapable of expression of transfer, or of participation. And this is man’s real history, never known and therefore never written by man, known and written only by the All-seeing God 1. A WISE son maketh a glad father : But a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother. 2. Treasures of wickedness profit nothing : But righteousness delivereth from death. 3. The LORD will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish : But he thrusteth away the desire of the wicked. 4. He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand : But the hand of the diligent maketh rich. 5. He that gathereth in summer is a wise son : But he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame. 6. Blessings are upon the head of the righteous : But violence covereth the mouth of the wicked. 7. The memory of the righteous is blessed But the name of the wicked shall rot. 8. The wise in heart will receive commandments : But a prating fool shall fall. 9. He that walketh uprightly walketh surely : But he that perverteth his ways shall be known. 10. He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow : But a prating fool shall fall. 11. The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life : But violence covereth the mouth of the wicked. 12. Hatred stirreth up strifes : But love covereth all transgressions. 13. In the lips of him that hath discernment wisdom is found : But a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding. 14. Wise men lay up knowledge : But the mouth of the foolish is a present destruction. 15. The rich man's wealth is his strong city : The destruction of the poor is their poverty. 16. The labour of the righteous tendeth to life ; The increase of the wicked to sin. 17. He is in the way of life that heedeth correction : But he that forsaketh reproof erreth. 18. He that hideth hatred is of lying lips ; And he that uttereth a slander is a fool. 19. In the multitude of words there wanteth not transgression : But he that refraineth his lips doeth wisely. 20. The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver : The heart of the wicked is little worth. 21. The lips of the righteous feed many : But the foolish die for lack of understanding. 22. The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, And he addeth no sorrow therewith. 23. It is as sport to a fool to do wickedness : And so is wisdom to a man of understanding. 24. The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him : And the desire of the righteous shall be granted. 25. When the whirlwind passeth, the wicked is no more : But the righteous is an everlasting foundation. 26. As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, So is the sluggard to them that send him. 27. The fear of the LORD prolongeth days : But the years of the wicked shall be shortened. 28. The hope of the righteous shall be gladness : But the expectation of the wicked shall perish. 29. The way of the LORD is a strong hold to the upright ; But it is a destruction to the workers of iniquity. 30. The righteous shall never be removed : But the wicked shall not dwell in the land. 31. The mouth of the righteous bringeth forth wisdom : But the froward tongue shall be cut off. 32. The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable : But the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness. HERE commences a distinct portion of the Book of Proverbs. It is specially attributed to Solomon, and extends unchanged in general character to chap. 22 : 16. Its special feature is that each proverb is complete in itself, having no intimate connection with what precedes or follows. Usually each proverb is made up of two propositions or affirmations, one over against the other, i.e., in antithetic relations. 1. Wisdom and folly are here, not in the intellectual sense merely, but in a moral also (as throughout this book); wisdom, an upright state of heart and course of life, controlled by the fear of God; folly, a wicked heart and life that casts off all fear of God and all due regard for man. It is assumed that the former insures prosperity; the latter, ruin—for this world primarily, and, by inference, for the world to come. The places assigned in this proverb to the father and the mother respectively were not named at random. It would not do nearly so well to say, “A wise son maketh a glad mother, but a foolish son is the heaviness of his father.” It is much more according to the facts of human nature as Solomon has it. 2. “Treasures of wickedness” are treasures ill-gotten, i.e., by oppression, fraud, theft, robbery. To say that such treasures profit nothing is the most effective thing that could be said, because men do not perpetrate such wickedness for its own sake, but for the sake of the gain it may bring. On the other hand, a righteous course of life will bring the utmost possible good; for what can be a greater good than to deliver from the greatest and worst of other human ills which the word death is used here to represent. The antithesis lies therefore between ill-gotten gain, absolutely good for nothing, worse than no gain at all, and a life true and righteous in this and all other respects which insures the best of earthly blessings. A similar sentiment appears in chap. 11:6. H. C. Godliness may do a man good without gain, but worldly gain can do a man no good without godliness. Riches, joined with godliness and good conscience, are the good blessings of God, a means of good to ourselves, and of doing good unto others; but being severed from godliness and the true fear of God are rather occasion of evil than otherwise, rather an instrument of vice than any furtherance to virtue, a means to make our sins the greater here, and our condemnation the more grievous hereafter. Gataker. Faith possesses thee of what thou hast not; covetousness dispossesses thee of what thou hast. Thou canst not serve God unless mammon serve thee. Quarles.—Three things earthly riches can never do: they can never satisfy Divine justice, they can never pacify Divine wrath, nor can they ever quiet a guilty conscience. And till these things are done man is undone. T. Brooks. 4. Diligent maketh rich. Excellence of every sort is invariably placed beyond the reach of indolence. It is the diligent hand that maketh rich—in self culture, growth in wisdom, and in business. Even when men are born to wealth and high position, any solid reputation which they may achieve is only attained by energetic application; for though an inheritance of acres may be bequeathed, an inheritance of knowledge cannot. Smiles.—“The hand of the diligent maketh rich,” is one truth; “the blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich,” is another. We should reverently admit and act on both C. Clemance. Industry need not wish; and he that lives upon hopes will die fasting. There are no gains without pains, then help hands, for I have no lands, or if I have they are smartly taxed. He that hath a trade hath an estate, and he that hath a calling hath an office of profit and honor; but then the trade must be worked at and the calling followed, or neither the estate nor the office will enable us to pay our taxes. B. Franklin. This rule applies alike to the business of life and the concerns of the soul. Diligence is necessary to the laying up of treasures, either within or beyond the reach of rust. Debts will rise above the gains, corruptions will gain ground on the graces, unless there be a watchful heart and a diligent hand. He who would gain in godliness must put his soul into the business. When all counts are closed, he who is rich in faith is the richest man. Arnot. 7. “Memory” and “name” are here equivalent terms, both referring to posthumous fame—what is thought, said, and felt of men after they are dead. The righteous man leaves a name fragrant with sweet odors, hallowed memories; but the name of the wicked, foul and loathsome during its swift decay, the living are in haste to forget and to bury that it pollute the atmosphere no longer. H. C.—“The memory of the righteous is blessed,” for the mind reverts to it with delight from the sight of the living evil in the world, sometimes even prefers this silent society to the living good. We can devoutly bless God that they were such, and that as such we have had the happiness to know them. Is it not a reasonable object of Christian desire to leave a memory that shall be “blessed?” Not a passion for vainglory, but a wish to be so associated with good imparted as to render that good the dearer and the more effectual; a wish to remain, as long as remembered, a motive, an argument, an incitement to all good to those who follow— thus to do good here after being gone hence. J. F. Not in the future world alone do the works of the righteous follow them; for in this world they live also, and from this world new harvests following on will be reported in that from every generation. But the name of the wicked shall rot. And is there not a reverse curse for those of an opposite character, whose influence, alike immortal, by thought, word, and deed, sins on in like manner in the reproduction of successive harvests of evil? What shall be said of the authors of licentious but fascinating books, immortal by the combination of their genius with the flame of depraved passion, the fires of which it both feeds upon and kindles anew with fresh intensity? Into how many generations of minds may the seed thus sown go down, reproductive in every generation? Their works follow them, but they never rest from their labors. The evils let loose in human society are sure to come back to their masters. "Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment, and some they follow after." G. B. C. 9. Men's integrity will be their security. He that walks uprightly toward God and man is faithful to both; he that designs as he ought and means as he says, he walks surely, he is safe under a Divine protection and easy in a holy security. He goes on his way with an humble boldness, being well armed against the temptations of Satan, the troubles of the world, and the reproaches of men. He knows what ground he stands on, what guide he follows, what guard he is surrounded with, and what glory he is going to, and therefore proceeds with assurance and great peace. H.—Amid the perplexities which arise from the unexpected events of life we are not left without sufficient guidance; for although in particular instances the most reasonable calculations are baffled and the best plans subverted, yet there remains in our hands the immutable rule of moral rectitude, in an inflexible adherence to which we shall avoid what is chiefly to be dreaded in calamity, the dismal meanings of a wounded conscience. “He that walketh uprightly walketh surely,” even in the path of disaster. And while, on the one hand, he steadily pursues the track which common prudence marks out, and, on the other, listens with respectful attention to the dictates of honor and probity, he may without danger of enthusiasm ask and hope for the especial aids of Divine providence in overruling those events which lie beyond the reach of human agency. I. T 10. "Winking with the eye" means artful, covert mischief. Such cunning, malicious plotting brings sorrow to others, while the babbling fool, always divulging his worst thoughts, brings not so much sorrow to others as ruin to himself. The former is the man to be feared and hated. The latter gets his own punishment without much help from the guardians of the public weal and the offices of justice. H. C. 11-21. We have here another very prominent lesson of this book, the regulation of the tongue and the mighty power of speech, whether for good or evil. The blessing which there is in fit and seasonable words is beautifully represented by a well of life, which issues forth its refreshing and salubrious waters. The mouth is that through which wisdom or its opposite passes in efflux, as touched upon in vs. 11, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21. T. C. 11. The righteous speaks words adapted to preserve life, he gives saving or salutary counsel; the wicked use deceit, in order to perpetrate injuries. M. S.—How industrious a good man is, by communicating his goodness, to do good with it. His mouth, the outlet of his mind, is a well of life, a constant spring whence issues good discourse for the edification of others. It is like a well of life that is pure and clean, not only not poisoned, but not muddied with any corrupt communication. H. 12. Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all transgressions. The antithesis here lies between the enkindling on the one hand and the allaying and quenching of strife on the other. The spirit of hate stands over against the spirit of love, the former firing up strife; the latter extinguishing or preventing it, putting the best construction they will bear upon things doubtful, and suppressing from view where it can be done wisely. Peter seems to have had this proverb in mind (1 Pet. 4:8). H. C.—The meaning here is obviously, as determined by the other clause, love covers, i.e., first hides, does not expose, and then forgives and forgets all sins. As such, it helps to determine the meaning of James 5:20; 1 Pet. 4:8, where the use of the word “charity” in the A. V. hinders the English reader from recognizing the identity. E. H. P. The little that I have seen in the world, and know of the history of mankind, teaches me to look upon their errors in sorrow not in anger. When I take the history of one poor heart that has sinned and suffered, and represent to myself the struggles and temptations it has passed through; the brief pulsation of joy; the tears of regret; the feebleness of purpose; the scorn of the world that has little charity; the desolation of the soul's sanctuary and threatening voices within; health gone, happiness gone, I would fain leave the erring soul of my fellow-man with Him from whose hands it came. Chalmers. Love likes right well to praise openly; but it does not go to the house-top to proclaim offences. Its hand is slow to smite, and, if it must, it wounds tenderly. It can reprove, but gentle are its rebukes—it weeps while it warns, dropping a tear over a brother's sins, and would rejoice if that tear washed them out. Its self-denying labors abound; ever afoot on errands of mercy, or on some emprise of philanthropy, it grudges no toil, if it only succeed in making one sad heart glad, or one happy heart still more happy. Traill.—Think how much love can bear! "Love suffereth long, and is kind." We have but to remember what parents will bear from a wayward, wicked son. When promises are all broken, and compassion itself seems quenched in despair, the first sign of repentance or reform is hailed with hope, and the parental heart makes haste with its invitation, "Come home once more." True to life, the dear old parable tells its story of Fatherhood waiting to bless the wandering, lost child—touching picture of what love can do and suffer. We cannot wonder that love is supreme in the Gospel, when we look upon this parabolic picture of the love of God. Stevens.—Love takes no satisfaction in the faults of others; dislikes to think evil of any, but prefers to believe good of all; and rejoices whenever truth triumphs over slander and falsehood. It never tattles, and never retaliates; it bears reproaches against itself, endures meekly the indignities that are put upon it, and hopes on, "even against hope," that men will love the good and do the right. Such a love is greater than all knowledge, stronger than all faith. It is the one thing that shall never wear out nor exhaust itself. J. P. T. 14. Lay up. The point of the maxim is not that the wise man acquires knowledge, but that he is reticent, cautious, frugal in displaying it, storing what will endure and be precious, reserving what he has to say for the right time, place, and persons, as contrasted with the mouth of the foolish, ever giving immediate utterance to what destroys himself and others. E. H. P. 19. In many words there wants not sin. That flux of the tongue, that prattling and babbling disease, is very common; and hence so many impertinencies, yea, so many of these worse ills in their discourses, whispering about and inquiring and censuring this and that. And this draws men to speak many things that agree not with the rules of wisdom, and charity, and sincerity. He that refraineth his lips is wise. L. 20. The tongue utters words; the heart conceives them; so that tongue and heart have, in this passage, substantially the same thing in view. It is assumed here that the righteous utters that which is accordant with his character, and then his words are of much worth. But the conceptions of the wicked are worthless. M. S.—The proverb implies that the wicked man's tongue is as his heart—bad, and of the least possible value. "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." The comparison of the tongue of the just to choice silver is expressive, showing that its words are precious, fraught with the best influences. H. C. 21. The lips of the righteous feed many. Themselves satisfied from the Lord's own hand, they will feed others. The Lord's disciples are made mediators between the source of life and those that are perishing. He blesses, He breaks, He is the bread of life, but all the disciples stand round Him, getting from His hands, and giving to those who will receive. A Christian's lips should keep knowledge; in the heart a precious store, through the lips a perennial flow for the feeding of many. Arnot 22. Sentiment: "God's blessing enriches, and that without increasing sorrow." The meaning is not that he who is enriched shall have no sorrows in the present life; but that sorrows are not of necessity increased by riches when it is Jehovah who bestows them. The prosperity of the mere worldling, procured by unlawful means, brings many sorrows with it. M. S.—He had said (v. 4), The hand of the diligent makes rich, as a means; but here he ascribes it to the blessing of the Lord; but that blessing is upon the hand of the diligent. It is thus in spiritual riches. Diligence in getting them is our duty, but God's blessing and grace must have all the glory of that which is acquired. H. The truth here is twofold. It means that God's blessing gives material wealth; and also, that they are rich who have that blessing, although they get nothing more. His blessing makes rich. "Godliness with contentment is great gain." Here is a mixture prescribed by the All-wise, for satisfying a soul, and attaining success in life. "He addeth no sorrow with it." The word seems to imply that there are two ways of acquiring wealth. Some people grow rich without God's blessing, and some people grow rich by it. It would appear that the god of the world gives riches to his subjects sometimes, when neither giver nor getter owns the supremacy of the Almighty, and that God Himself gives riches to some who are His children. Wherein lies the difference, since both the godless and the godly have gotten wealth? It lies here: He addeth no sorrow with it, but that other lord does. . . . When you are permitted to obtain wealth on which you do not seek and do not get God's blessing, that wealth becomes a sorrow. There is no more manifest mark of a righteous providence now seen protruding through into time than the sorrow that comes with ill-gotten wealth. Arnot. Nothing that is without a man can make him rich or restful. The treasures which are kept in coffers are not real, but only those which are kept in the soul. Nothing which cannot enter into the substance of the life and character can satisfy us. That which we are makes us rich or poor, that which we own is a trifle. A. M. ——Happiness and comfort stream immediately from God Himself, as light issues from the sun, and sometimes looks and darts itself into the meanest corners, while it forbears to visit the largest and the noblest rooms. Every man is happy or miserable as the temper of his mind places him either directly under, or beside, the influences of the Divine nature; which enlighten and enliven the disposed mind with secret, ineffable joys, such as the vicious or unprepared mind is wholly unacquainted with. "We have nothing, and yet we possess all things," says the apostle. And can a greater happiness be imagined than that which gives a man here all things in possession, together with a glorious eternity in reversion? In a word, it is not what a man has, but what he is which must make him happy. South. It is not gold or silver; it is not land or houses: it is not a flourishing business or hoarded funds that constitute true riches. These things are haunted by meagre desires and distracting cares. The true riches are health, and a pure heart, and love of Christ, and love to man, and perfect trust in the sustaining providence of God, and a cheerful spirit, and a noble charity. And to all men alike, above all to men wearying themselves in the very fire for the unsatisfying and uncertain goods of earth, the blessing of the Lord, that maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it. Farrar. 24. The thing the wicked fear will surely befall him; the thing the righteous desire God will grant. The agency of God is involved in the last verb which is not in the passive form ("shall be granted"), but in the active; He (i.e., God) will grant. The worst fears of the wicked will be realized; the highest desires and anticipations of the righteous God will fulfil. What a contrast! H. C.——The desires of a righteous man and the desires of his God agree. God has a desire to thee, thou hast a desire to Him. God desires truth in the inward parts, and so dost thou with all thy heart. God desires mercy, and to show it to the needy; that is what thou also wantest and what thy soul craves at His hand. Seek, man; ask, knock, and do not be discouraged; the Lord will grant all thy desires. Bunyan. 26. The point common to these cases is discomfort, annoyance, vexation. The sluggard is a simple nuisance to those who employ and trust him. H. C. 27-30. These truths are confirmed by the nature of things and the positive appointments of Providence. In the nature of things men destroy themselves and shorten their days by many kinds of wickedness. By wars and desolations they unpeople whole countries; by private quarrels they bring each other to untimely ends; by capital crimes they cause themselves to be cut off by the hands of justice; by luxury and intemperance they destroy their bodies; by envy and malice they consume themselves in the midst of their iniquity. In like manner, according to the same tendency, by peace and charity men are preserved from destruction; by temperance their bodies are maintained in health; by quiet of conscience and satisfaction of mind new life is added to their spirits. S. Clarke. 27. Though the life of the upright be numbered only by days and the life of the wicked by years, the life of the upright is long, and the life of the wicked is short; for the one has been filled full with the blessings of Jehovah, while the other has fallen far short of any worthy goal. The days of those who fear the Lord shall be as years in their fruitful results; the years of the wicked shall be shortened, because each successive year will contain less and less of that which constitutes true life. H. C. T. 29. "The way of the Lord is strength to the upright, but destruction to the workers of iniquity." It is the same way which is strength to one man and ruin to another, and the moral nature of the man determines which it shall be to him. That is a penetrating word which goes deep down. The unknown thinkers, to whose keen insight into the facts of human life we are indebted for this Book of Proverbs, had pondered for many an hour over the perplexed and complicated fates of men, and they crystallized their reflections at last in this thought. They have in it struck upon a principle which explains a great many things, and teaches us a great many solemn lessons. The way of the Lord means not the road in which God prescribes that we should walk, but that road in which He Himself walks; or, in other words, the scene of the Divine action, the solemn footsteps of God through creation, providence, and history. His goings forth are from everlasting. His way is in the sea. His way is in the sanctuary. Modern language has a whole set of phrases which mean the same thing as the Jew meant by “the way of the Lord,” only that God is left out. They talk about the “current of events,” “the general tendency of things,” “the laws of human affairs,” and so on. I for my part prefer the old-fashioned “Hebraism.” To many modern thinkers the whole drift and tendency of human affairs affords no sign of a person directing these. They hear the clashing and grinding of opposing forces, the thunder as of falling avalanches and the moaning as of a homeless wind, but they hear the sound of no footfalls echoing down the ages. This ancient teacher had keener ears. Well for us if we share his faith and see in all the else distracting mysteries of life and history, “the way of the Lord." But not only does the expression point to the operation of a personal Divine Will in human affairs, but it conceives of that operation as one, a uniform and consistent whole. However complicated and sometimes apparently contradictory the individual events were, there was a unity in them, and they all converged on one result. The writer does not speak of "ways" but of "the way," as in a grand unity. It is all one continuous, connected, consistent mode of operation from beginning to end. The way of the Lord, says this old thinker, is hard to understand, very complicated, full of all manner of perplexities and difficulties, and yet on the whole the clear drift and tendency of the whole thing is discernible, and it is this: it is all on the side of good. Everything that is good and everything that does good is an ally of God's, and may be sure of the Divine favor, and of the Divine blessing resting upon it. And just because that is so clear the other side is as true; the same way, the same set of facts, the same continuous stream of tendency, which is all with and for every form of good, is all against every form of evil. A. M. 31. The beauty and force of this proverb are heightened by the figure underlying it in the choice of its words. The mouth of the just bears (produces) wisdom as a tree bears fruit; but the perverse tongue shall be cut off like dead, worthless branches. H. C. 1. A FALSE balance is an abomination to the LORD : But a just weight is his delight. 2. When pride cometh, then cometh shame: But with the lowly is wisdom. 3. The integrity of the upright shall guide them: But the perverseness of the treacherous shall destroy them. 4. Riches profit not in the day of wrath : But righteousness delivereth from death. 5. The righteousness of the perfect shall direct [or, make plain] his way: But the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness. 6. The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them: But they that deal treacherously shall be taken in their own mischief. 7. When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: And the hope of iniquity perisheth. 8. The righteous is delivered out of trouble, And the wicked cometh in his stead. 9. With his mouth the godless man destroyeth his neighbour: But through knowledge shall the righteous be delivered. 10. When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth : And when the wicked perish, there is shouting. 11. By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted: But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked. 12. He that despiseth his neighbour is void of wisdom: But a man of understanding holdeth his peace. 13. He that goeth about as a talebearer reveal-eth secrets: But he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter. 14. Where no wise guidance is, the people fall-eth: But in the multitude of counsellors there is safety. 15. He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it: But he that hateth suretiship is sure. 16. A gracious woman obtaineth honour: And violent men obtain riches 17. The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: But he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh. 18. The wicked earneth deceitful wages: But he that soweth righteousness hath a sure reward. 19. He that is stedfast in righteousness shall attain unto life: And he that pursueth evil doeth it to his own death. 20. They that are perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD: But such as are perfect in their way are his delight. 21. Though hand join in hand, the evil man shall not be unpunished: But the seed of the righteous shall be delivered. I. SCALES and small stones for weights were used to determine the exact quantity of various articles bought and sold in trade. This proverb teaches not only that the eye of God is upon all such transactions, but that His heart is in them as well, and especially that He disapproves and even abhors fraud in trade; while His sympathies are with the injured party. He feels as those men do who are cheated and wronged by fraud. He loves the honest dealer. The principle applies to fraud in quality as well as to fraud in quantity. H. C.—A false balance is here put for all manner of unjust and fraudulent practices in dealing with any person, which are all an abomination to the Lord, and render those abominable to Him that allow themselves in the use of such cursed arts of thriving. It is an affront to justice which God is the patron of, as well as a wrong to our neighbor whom God is the protector of. Men make light of such frauds and think there is no sin in that which there is money to be got by, and while it passes undiscovered they cannot 22. As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, So is a fair woman which is without discretion. 23. The desire of the righteous is only good: But the expectation of the wicked is wrath. 24. There is that scattereth, and increaseth yet more; And there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth only to want. 25. The liberal soul shall be made fat: And he that watereth shall be watered also himself. 26. He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: But blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it. 27. He that diligently seeketh good seeketh favour: But he that searcheth after mischief, it shall come unto him. 28. He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: But the righteous shall flourish as the green leaf. 29. He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: And the foolish shall be servant to the wise of heart. 30. The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; And he that is wise winneth souls. 31. Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: How much more the wicked and the sinner? blame themselves for it; a blot is no blot till it is hit (Hos. 12: 7, 8). But they are not the less an abomination to God, who will be the avenger of those that defraud their brethren. Nothing is more pleasing to God than fair and honest dealing, nor more necessary to make us and our devotions acceptable to Him. A just weight is His delight. He Himself holds the scale of judgment with an even hand, and therefore is pleased with those that are herein followers of Him. H. Our God is emphatically a God of justice. Wherever there is deceit in the world, wherever injury, wherever oppression, there is God's anger and loathing accompanying it. The false balance, which is an abomination to the Lord, where do we not see it around us? Of every rank and class some, and far too many, are and are allowed to be and are tolerated as men of fraud, men of mere shine—workers and upholders of deceit. The secret of all wrong is the false balance within the heart; the real cheating begins there. An unfair dealer has defrauded himself before ever he defrauded another. And this is a most important consideration for all of us. Have we the balance right within? Alford. I hardly know anything more strange than that you recognize honesty in play, and you do not in work. Your English watchword is "fair play," your English hatred, foul play. Did it ever strike you that you wanted another watchword also, "fair work;" and another hatred also, foul work? You drive a gambler out of the gambling-room who loads dice, but you leave a tradesman in flourishing business who loads scales! For, observe, all dishonest dealing is loading scales. Ruskin. — The worst sin is not some outburst of gross transgression, forming an exception to the ordinary tenor of a life, bad and dismal as such a sin is; but the worst and most fatal are the small continuous vices which root underground and honeycomb the soul. Many a man who thinks himself a Christian is in most danger from the daily commission of small pieces of sharp practice in his business. White ants pick a carcass clean sooner than a lion will. A. M. Honesty is the best policy for personal peace and for Divine blessing. Honesty is to be pursued for its own sake, as the only condition of personal peace. Were there no Divine blessing in question at all, conscientious men would be as honest as they are now. At the same time, it makes the honesty all the happier that it lies in the sunshine of the Infinite Presence, and that His radiant smile is on it. There is no danger of a mercenary spirit entering into such a relation with God. Edgar. 2. Literally and forcibly the Hebrew reads, Pride comes, and then comes disgrace; but with the modest and lowly (as opposed to the proud) is wisdom. There is no wisdom in pride. It never gains the ends of honor which men seek to gain by it. H. C.—Pride is a sin which men have reason to be themselves ashamed of; it is a shame to a man who springs out of the earth, who lives upon alms, depends upon God, and has forfeited all he has to be proud. It is a sin for which God often brings men down, for God resists the proud, contradicts them, and counterworks them in the thing they are proud of (Isa. 2: 11); and as with the proud there is folly and will be shame, so with the lowly there is wisdom and will be honor, for a man's wisdom gains him respect. Considering how safe and quiet and easy they are that are of an humble spirit, what communion they have with God and comfort in themselves; we will say, With the lowly is wisdom. H. Pride? What is the man proud of? Money? It will not procure for him one night's sleep. It will not buy back a lost friend. It will not bribe off approaching death. Land? A very little bit of it will serve him soon. Birth? What has he inherited but sin and corruption? Learning? If he is equal to Newton he has gathered one little pebble on the ocean's shore, and even that one he must soon lay down again. With the lowly is wisdom—the wisdom from above. The lowest parts of the land are warm and fertile; the lofty mountains are cold and barren. The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Arnot. 3. The integrity of an honest man will itself be his guide in the way of duty and the way of safety. His principles are fixed, his rule is certain, and therefore his way is plain; his sincerity keeps him steady, and he needs not tack about every time the wind turns, having no other end to drive at than to keep a good conscience. Integrity and uprightness will preserve men (Psalm 25: 21). 4. The day of death will be a day of wrath; it is a messenger of God's wrath; therefore when Moses had meditated on man's mortality, he takes occasion thence to admire the power of God's anger (Psalm 90: 11). It is a debt owing not to nature, but to God's justice. After death the judgment, and that is a day of wrath. Riches will stand men in no stead in that day; they will neither put by the stroke nor ease the pain, much less take out the sting; what profit will this world's birthrights be of then? H. 7. It is not in man to limit his expectations and hopes by the bounding line of death. He must and will expect to live on beyond that line and will hope for good there; but the wicked man's hope as to that future life will perish! H. C.—Of all places the earth is the least proper to be made the scene of deceptions. In the world of despair—if delusion were possible—it would mitigate pain, and would endanger nothing. Nothing there can be worse, even in imagination, than the reality. But here everything is at stake. We play and sport on the verge of a precipice. Death is real; and the grave is real; and hell is real; and the judgment is real. Not one of them is the work of fancy; not one can be changed by the imagination. It will be no fiction when we come to die; it will be no delusive pageant when we stand at the judgment-seat. A. B. 9. The nature of man is to adore God and to love what is godlike in man. The office of the tongue is to bless. Slander is guilty because it contradicts your nature; to speak ill of others makes you a monster in God's world; get the habit of slander, and then there is not a stream which bubbles fresh from the heart of nature, there is not a tree that silently brings forth its genial fruit in its appointed season, which does not rebuke and proclaim you to be a monstrous anomaly in God's world. F. W. R.—The spirit of detraction in this day has wide scope. Literature and politics, as well as social life with its rivalries, are infested by it, and it finds its way into the Church and threatens us all. The race of fault-finders we have always with us, blind as moles to beauties and goodness, but lynx-eyed for failings, and finding meat and drink in proclaiming them in tones of affected sorrow. This spirit is always accompanied by ignorance of one's own faults, which makes the man indulging it ludicrous. So our Lord would seem to intend by the figure of the mote and the beam. It takes a great deal of close peering to see a mote; but the censorious man sees only the mote, and sees it out of scale. The mote magnified, and nothing but the mote, is his object; and he calls this one-sided exaggeration "criticism," and prides himself on the accuracy of his judgment. He makes just the opposite mistake in his estimate of his own faults, if he sees them at all. We look at our neighbor's errors with a microscope, and at our own through the wrong end of a telescope, and see neither in their real magnitude. A. M. 10. Here are two rejoicings. The first is the joy which men feel when the righteous are prospered; the second is the shout of exultation when base transgressors fall. M. S. 13. Whoever goes about tattling, from an excessive love of talk, with more or less propensity to slander, will inevitably reveal secrets. Putting him here over against the man of faithful spirit, Solomon implies that this talebearer has no faithfulness of spirit, but is altogether unreliable. H. C.—If we could part forever with the disposition of the talebearer, we should have parted with that which, more than anything else, confuses and perplexes and embitters human life. C. J. V.—It is most certain that ill tongues would be silent if ill ears were not open, and hence it was an apposite saying of the ancients that the teller and hearer of slander should both be hanged—the one by the tongue, and the other by the ears. South. 17. “The man who is merciful in character and to others will be practically so to himself;” the sentiment being that whoever blesses others, being merciful in spirit and character, will be sure to get a rich reward to himself. The very reaction upon himself is blessed; the showing of mercy to others is a rich mercy to himself. And vice versa, whoever is cruel to others and savage in temper will torture his own flesh. The inevitable laws of our being compel this result. H. C.—A cruel, froward, ill-natured man troubles his own flesh, and so his sin becomes his punishment; he starves for want of what he has because he has not a heart to use it, either for the good of others or for his own. He is vexatious to his nearest relations, that are and should be to him as his own flesh. Envy and malice and greediness of the world are the rottenness of the bones and the consumption of the flesh. H. Surely the recipients of mercy should be ministers of mercy; and the mercy which follows them in Divine bestowment should be the mercy they follow in human imitation. When He forgives, it is with no reservation. It is not a qualified thing, carrying with it some terrible adjunct which cuts off from the value of the gift, dimming its lustre and embittering its sweetness; but it is clear and pure and rich, and comes streaming down from the heaven of heavens—a flood of light. “I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” And thus human mercy is to show itself without that cruel abatement—“I can forgive, but not forget.” Frank, cordial, hearty, should be every pardon of another’s offence; thus carrying the stamp of heaven’s mint upon it, and having in it a ring of love, as the coin of God. Stoughton. 18. “Deceitful wages” is here contrasted with “a sure reward.” The wicked will fail of the reward they work for; it will prove delusive. But the man who sows righteousness will reap accordingly a sure reward. These results follow from the laws of society; and they are sure in the end, because God reigns to bless the righteous, to curse the wicked. H. C.—19. Life is here affirmed to be the “reward” of one “that is stedfast in (sowing) righteousness,” and death the “wages” earned by “the wicked” “that pursueth evil.” B.—Sowing righteousness is never and nowhere lost labor. Every act done by God’s grace and at His bidding is living and fruitful. It may appear to go out of sight, like seed beneath the furrow; but it will rise again. Sow on, Christians! Sight will not follow the seed far; but when sight fails sow in faith, and you will reap in joy soon. Arnot. Unspeakably intimate is the connection between this life and the life to come. Every act that we perform, every word that we utter; nay, every thought that we harbor, is doing its part to give shape and coloring to our eternal destiny. If we turn away from our Father in heaven, and choose for our gods sensual or intellectual pleasure, social position, wealth, power, or the applause of men, then there is nothing to prevent us. God respects the free agency with which He created us. But let us remember we must abide by our choice forever. As a man soweth so shall he also reap. We shall find in another world that we have moulded our destiny with our own hands. Wayland. God unerringly distributes responsibility and judgment. The beginnings of habit in the character are subtle and insidious. They may come from ten thousand sources, they may come from one. God knows how to appropriate to each author his share in the composition. Take an immoral person, and go back from manhood to infancy, unfolding the layers of his character as you go, and there is a distinct responsibility for each step of growth, and God traces it. That habit of swearing, lying, drinking, that involves or marks the child or man, had its definite source and steps of increase, the responsibility of which God appropriates, first to the teacher of the habit, second to the receiver and cherisher; first to the person setting the example or alluring to the practice of evil, and second to the person following the example and practising the evil. And for each God will hold a reckoning, to each person God will distribute the harvest; to the sower and the receiver; to the sower in others' natures and the receiver into his own. And thus, as it is said of the good seed, that those who sow and those who reap shall rejoice together, so of the evil seed, those who sow and those who reap shall lament together; for all are sowers and all are reapers, and we are solemnly warned not to be partakers of other men's sins. G. B. C. The perfect fitting and finishing of the machinery of Providence to individual interests must be premised; yet it is not less true that in almost every event of life the remote consequences vastly outweigh the proximate in actual amount of importance. Every man prospers, or is overthrown; lives, or dies; not for himself, but that he may sustain those around him; or that he may give them place, and who shall attempt to measure the circle within which are comprised these extensive dependencies? On principles even of mathematical calculation each individual of the human family may be demonstrated to hold in his hand the centre lines of an interminable web-work, on which are sustained the fortunes of multitudes of his successors. These implicated consequences, if summed together, make up therefore a weight of human weal or woe that is reflected back with an incalculable momentum upon the iot of each. Every one is then bound to remember that the personal sufferings or peculiar vicissitudes or toils through which he is called to pass are to be estimated and explained only in an immeasurably small proportion if his single welfare is regarded, while their full price and value are not to be computed unless the drops of the morning dew could be numbered. I. T. The moral influence of a holy life cannot be lost. Like the seed which the wind wafts into hidden glades and forest depths, where no sower's hand could reach to scatter it, the subtle germ of Christ's truth will be borne on the secret atmosphere of a holy life, into hearts which no preacher's voice could penetrate. When the tongue of men and angels would fail, there is an eloquence in living goodness which will often prove persuasive. For it is an inoffensive, unpretending, unobtrusive eloquence; it is the eloquence of the soft sunshine when it expands the close-shut leaves and blossoms—a rude hand would but tear and crush them; it is the eloquence of the summer heat when it basks upon the thick-ribbed ice—blows would but break it; but beneath that softest, gentlest, yet most potent influence the hard impenetrable masses melt away. Caird. We do not realize the importance of this unconscious part of our life ministry. It goes on continually. In every greeting we give to another on the street, in every moment's conversation, in every letter we write, in every contact with other lives, there is a subtle influence that goes from us that often reaches farther, and leaves a deeper impression than the things themselves that we are doing at the time. After all, it is life itself, sanctified life, that is God's holiest and most effective ministry in this world—pure, sweet, patient, earnest, unselfish, loving life. It is not so much what we do in this world as what we are, that tells in spiritual results and impressions. A good life is like a flower, which though it neither toil nor spin, yet ever pours out a rich perfume, and thus performs a holy ministry. J. R. M. 21. Though hand join in hand. There is a strange and subtle fascination about numbers which tends to blind the mind to the sense of sin and danger. How much more natural and agreeable it seems to go in the way the multitude are going. How much more confidence one has in his own position when he sees that he is one of a great company. Tell him he is on the wrong road, and his heart, if not his head, will reply: "It cannot be; I am not alone. Here are the rich and the poor, the learned and the ignorant. Here is much of the best culture and learning of the ages. Here, too, are the young, the fair, the jubilant—all with me. It cannot be that this great, busy, joyous company is going to the bad." Sin loses its ugly look when committed by a majority. Individual responsibility becomes lost in the sense of the crowd. Nevertheless we read that, 'though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not go unpunished." James Brand. 22. Beauty without the good sense which insures propriety of deportment finds here a homely but a most truthful and telling illustration! The Oriental fashion of wearing jewels, pendent from the nose as well as from the ears, made this proverb the more caustic. H. C. —Personal beauty is not a thing to be despised. It is a work of God, and none of His works are done in vain. It is obvious that human kind are the chief of God's works on earth, and that in the human form is displayed the highest beauty of creation. Beauty is a talent, and has a power. If the heart be holy and the aim true, personal beauty will enlarge the sphere and double the resources of beneficence. For discipline to human souls in time, deformity is given to one and beauty to another. The chief consideration for each is how she may best bear the trial, so as to get it enlisted among the workers for good and instruments of saving. If it were our part to judge, most of us would think it probable that beauty is the greater trial, and that under it a greater proportion stumble and fall. Arnot. 23. The desire of the righteous will end in good or blessing; for God blesses the obedient. The wicked, too, have desire or expectations; but they will end in bringing upon them the wrath of God or punishment. M. S. 24. "Scattering" abroad (in benevolence, for the good of others) does not impoverish. Men may give liberally, and through God's blessing upon them their wealth may increase. So on the other hand, one withholds more than is just and right, but only to his greater poverty. It cannot be wise to ignore the providence of God. And His will is to honor those who honor Him, and to put His mark of disapproval on those by whom He is lightly esteemed. H. C. To distribute portions of our wealth in schemes and acts of wise philanthropy, is like casting into the ground as seed a proportion of the last year's harvest. It goes out of your sight for the moment, but it will spring in secret and come back to your own bosom like manna from heaven. Arnot. That scattereth yet increaseth. The law of sowing and reaping is alike in every field. Gain is by scattering rather than by hoarding. He who lives for self will in the end have only self to live for; while he who lives for others will sooner or later have others living for him. Love begets love. He who uses his money has more money—more of the best results of money and more of its true enjoyment—than he who holds his money. It is not what we have, but what we do with that which we have, that is the real measure of our wealth—of our material wealth; of our mental wealth; of our heart wealth. The poorest possible investment of any talent whatsoever is hiding it in a safe place. Sowing it in a field is better than sewing it in a napkin. H. C. T.—Spiritual gifts are given for trading with. In other words, they are not so much blessings to the possessor as his stock-in-trade, which he can employ for the Master's enrichment. We are all tempted to think of them mostly as given us for our own blessing and joy; and the reminder is never unseasonable that a Christian receives nothing for himself alone. God hath shined into our hearts, that we may give to others the light of the knowledge which has flashed glad day into our darkness. The right use of His gifts increases them in our hands. The five talents grow to ten, the two to four. The surest way to increase our possession of Christ's grace is to try to impart it. There is no better way of strengthening our own faith than to seek to make others share in it. Christian convictions, spoken, are confirmed, but muffled in silence are weakened. "There is that scattereth and yet increaseth." A. M. The very act of scattering breaks up the mastery of selfishness, enlarges the circle of kindly interests, shows that there is something in the world beyond our own personal concerns. It were better therefore for man, better as a discipline, better for his heart, better for every quality that is worth having, that a man should throw some of his money into the river than that he should never give anything away. Even if a man should get nothing back he always increases in heart volume, in joy, in love, in peace; his cup of comfort is sweetened, he walks on a greener earth, and looks up to God through a bluer sky. Beneficence is its own compensation. Charity empties the heart of one gift that it may make room for a larger. J. P.—The more intelligence we scatter, the more we have ourselves; the more grace we impart, the more grace remains; the more prayers we offer, the more our disposition and ability to pray, and the richer the return into our bosoms. Scatter your prayers, your labors, your money, your soul and body, throw them forth, hand them round at the command of the Lord, among the great congregation for which He came, and toiled and died, and when He sits on the throne of His glory, to receive to Himself those who have borne and had patience, and for His name's sake have labored and not fainted, but scattered their every trust for the life of the dying, then will He receive you, with that benediction which He pours on those who visited Him in prison and in sickness, who appeased His hunger and quenched His thirst, and clothed His nakedness, and took Him in when a stranger—"Come ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from before the foundation of the world." R. T. Withholding tends to poverty. A man may grow poor by meanly sparing what he has, withholding more than is meet, not paying just debts, not relieving the poor, not providing what is convenient for the family, not allowing necessary expenses for the preservation of the goods; this tends to poverty; it cramps men's industry, weakens their interest, destroys their credit, and forfeits the blessing of God; and let men be ever so saving of what they have, if God blast it and blow upon it, it comes to nothing. H. Charity begins at home is one of the sayings with which selfishness tries to mask its own deformity. The name of charity is in such repute, that to be without it is to be ill-spoken of. What, then, can the self-ridden do except pervert the name, so that selfishness may seem to be a branch of it? The charity which begins at home is pretty sure to end there. It has such ample work within doors, it flags and grows faint the moment it gets out of them. J. C. Hare.—The most pitiable thing we run upon in the midst of this age of wealth is parsimony. It is difficult to understand the state of mind of a man or woman who, with abundant means far beyond personal or family necessity, practises a stinting economy of which even the generous poor would be ashamed. There is no meaner vice than miserliness. It is the most degraded type of fetishism. It kills out all capacity for higher and purer enjoyment. Where it is applied to any kind of business which depends upon public good-will, it is ruinous. The men who found great business houses are careful and economical, but they are generous, liberal. There is that withholdeth and it tendeth to poverty. Interior. God loveth a cheerful giver. And man loveth a cheerful giver, too. There is a great deal in the way we give, whether it be money, or sympathy, or kindly words, or loving looks, or enforced refusals. It is pleasanter to have a rebuke or a denial from some persons than to receive a compliment or a favor from another. Cheerfulness is out of the heart. Heartiness in word or in look is always cheering and inspiring. Nothing that is given grudgingly is pleasing to God or man. H. C. T.—If thou givest to receive the like, it is exchange; if to receive more, it is covetousness; if to receive thanks, it is vanity; if to be seen, it is vainglory; if to corrupt, it is bribery; if for example, it is formality; if for compassion, it is charity; if because thou art commanded, it is obedience. The affection in doing the work gives a name to the work done. Quarles. 25. The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.** The soul of blessing (Hebrew), i.e., the soul that blesses others shall be enriched thereby—a proverb which follows in thought the first clause of the verse preceding. It is not only more blessed to give than to withhold; it is even more blessed to give than to receive. H. C.—There is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. And half the world is on the wrong scent in the pursuit of happiness. They think it consists in having and getting, and in being served by others. It consists in giving and in serving others. He that would be great among you, said Christ, let him serve. He that would be happy, let him remember that there is but one way—it is more blessed, it is more happy, to give than to receive. H. Drummond. He who gives is improving his own character; and for this reason "it is more blessed to give than to receive." The man who gives is advancing in excellence and moral virtue. While he is doing good to others, he is doing greater good to himself. He is rising higher and higher above the disease and contagion which is spreading around in those who regard not the glory of God. He rises above what is mean and sordid, and mingles with the most pure and holy part of the creation of God. The most benevolent are the most likely to make swift advances in that holiness which is the preparation for heaven. He who is laboring, from a proper motive, to benefit those around him, who is sacrificing his time and talents to increase the welfare of his fellow-men, is approaching more rapidly to perfection than any other. R. Hall. —In defiance of all the torture and malice and might of the world, the liberal man will ever be rich, for God's providence is his estate, God's wisdom and power his defence, God's love and favor his reward, and God's Word his security. Barrow. We shall do much when we love much, and we shall love much only when we see much of Christ—much of His heart and His work. The appeal throughout the Bible is Christ's love, Christ's doings, Christ's sufferings; when these come home to us as revealed in the past, when the unfoldings of the future open to us what Christ will do for us, then we have a solid basis on which we shall stand, and abounding impulses to abounding works. We must love much to do much. J. Drummond. 26. "That withholdeth" (i.e., from the hungry who need bread), hoarding and holding for the sake of a higher price, taking advantage of the necessities of the breadless. Those breadless mouths will curse him, nor they alone, for they are of God's family, and His curse too must fall on them. On the other hand, the blessings of the poor (and of their Great Father no less) will come on the head of him that selleth it promptly in time of need, at fair and not at famine prices. Oh, might these words of God be emblazoned on every storehouse in all the land! Alas, that dealers in "corn" (all breadstuffs—indeed, all food) should so strangely ignore God's words, and so recklessly trample His promises and His threatenings beneath their feet! No wonder that financial reverses should come crashing down upon the speculator's ill-gotten gains! It is one of God's ways of fierce and terrible rebuke. The same principle applies to fuel, and to whatever else is a necessity to the subsistence or the comfort of the masses. 30. The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, because it is a blessed moral influence toward the winning of souls from sin and ruin. The results of such labor are indeed a tree of life, a permanent source of blessing. H. C. —The righteous are as trees of life; the fruits of their piety and charity, their instructions, reproofs, examples, and prayers, their interest in heaven, and their influence upon earth, are like the fruits of that tree, precious and useful, contributing to the support and nourishment of the spiritual life in many; they are the ornaments of paradise, God's Church on earth, for whose sake it stands. H.—Amid all the conflict of life, the righteous is approaching the purity of paradise, albeit with slow and often tottering steps; in principle, the power of sin is broken within him; and day by day he is renewed in the image of God through communion with Christ. Nay, amid all the instability of life, the fixedness of this paradise is already his in essence. He not merely expects it beyond the grave, but has it in principle already here. He thus actually possesses that which in the tree of life was only emblematically shadowed forth. Van O. He that is wise winneth souls. He that is wise, by communicating his wisdom wins souls; wins upon them to bring them in love with God and holiness, and so wins them over into the interests of God's kingdom among men. The wise are said to turn many to righteousness, and that is the same with winning souls here (Dan. 12:3). They that would win souls have need of wisdom to know how to deal with them; and they that do win souls show that they are wise. H.—To win an immortal from sin and wrath to hope and holiness—this is honorable work and difficult. It is work for wise men, and we lack wisdom. On this point there is a special promise from God. Those who need wisdom and desire to use it in this work will get it for the asking. Arnot. The personal soul is the one thing which continuously and immortally lives; which outlasts the body; which lives when the stately house has fallen, and the splendid fortune has been scattered; which lives when the theory that once was accepted has been surpassed and forgotten, and the policy of the statesman has passed from men's sight; which outlasts even the world itself, and the stars in heaven, on which the earth is poised and hangs; which lives while God Himself continues, and while His government continues to be exercised over intelligent moral beings. And he who devotes himself to accomplishing a work upon this personal human soul—that shall be for its essential welfare—undertakes a work that must be enduring and not brief; a work that must abide in its fruits when all the precarious enterprises of man, whereby he is surrounded, shall have come to their gradual or sudden termination. R. S. Storrs.—If we work upon marble, it will perish. If we work upon brass, time will efface. If we rear temples, they will crumble into dust. But if we work upon immortal minds—if we imbue them with right principles—with the just fear of God and their fellow-men, we engrave upon those tablets something which no time can efface, but which will brighten to all eternity. In this way we may all be artists, and even the most ordinary and unlearned, if he has but a loving heart, may produce a masterpiece. Daniel Webster. The highest and the lowest blessings for life, both of heart and mind—blessedness and love, and wisdom and goodness—are ministered to men through men, and to live without dependence on human help and guidance is to be either a savage or an angel. God's guidance does not make man's needless, for a very large part of God's guidance is ministered to us through men. And wherever a man's thoughts and words teach us to understand God's thoughts and words more clearly, to love them more earnestly, or to obey them more gladly, there human guidance is discharging its noblest function. A. M.—So far as we know, no lost sinner is brought to repentance and faith save through one who already believes. It is the Holy Spirit who draws souls to Christ, yet the Spirit works through believers on unbelievers. We see thus a hint of our responsibility for the saving of the lost souls that our soul touches. There are those who will never be saved unless we do our part to save them. Our responsibility is commensurate with our opportunity. J. R. M. 31. The word rendered "recompense" applies to both good deeds and bad. The proverb calls attention to the fact that the righteous experience a measure of recompense (retribution) in this world, and infers that the wicked must, with more certainty or more palpably, receive a measure of theirs. The writer does not necessarily imply that the recompense of either class is to be finished, made perfect, in this world, and by no means denies that a part, even the greater part, holds over to the future world. H. C.—There are some recompenses in the earth, in this world, and in the things of this world, which prove that verily there is a God that judges in the earth (Psalm 58:11), but they are not universal; many sins go unpunished in the earth and services unrewarded, which indicates that there is a judgment to come, and that there will be more exact and full retributions in the future state. Many times the righteous are recompensed for their righteousness here in the earth, though that is not the principal much less the only reward either intended for them or intended by them; but whatever the Word of God has promised them or the wisdom of God sees good for them, they shall have in the earth. The wicked also, and the sinner, are sometimes remarkably punished in this life; nations, families, particular persons. And if the righteous, who do not deserve the least reward, yet have part of their recompense here on earth, much more shall the wicked, who deserve the greatest punishment, have part of their punishment on earth as an earnest of worse to come. Therefore stand in awe, and sin not. If those have two heavens that merit none, much more shall they have two hells that merit both. H. 1. Whoso loveth correction loveth knowledge: But he that hateth reproof is brutish. 2. A good man shall obtain favour of the LORD: But a man of wicked devices will he condemn. 3. A man shall not be established by wickedness: But the root of the righteous shall never be moved. 4. A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: But she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones. 5. The thoughts of the righteous are just: But the counsels of the wicked are deceit. 6. The words of the wicked are of lying in wait for blood: But the mouth of the upright shall deliver them. 7. The wicked are overthrown, and are not: But the house of the righteous shall stand. 8. A man shall be commended according to his wisdom: But he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised. 9. Better is he that is lightly esteemed, and hath a servant, Than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread. 10. A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. 11. He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread: But he that followeth after vain persons is void of understanding. 12. The wicked desireth the net of evil men: But the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit. 13. In the transgression of the lips is a snare to the evil man: But the righteous shall come out of trouble. 14. A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: And the doings of a man's hands shall be rendered unto him. 15. The way of the foolish is right in his own eyes: But he that is wise hearkeneth unto counsel. 16. A fool's vexation is presently known: But a prudent man concealeth shame. 17. He that uttereth truth sheweth forth righteousness, But a false witness deceit. 18. There is that speaketh rashly like the piercings of a sword: But the tongue of the wise is health. 19. The lip of truth shall be established for ever: 3. In the figure underlying this proverb men are compared to trees. The righteous man gets well rooted, stands strong, thrives well, and is never moved; but the wicked never get a firm footing and rooting, but are blown down, torn up by the roots and left to rot. God is against them. H. C. 4. No ethical manual would be complete, unless it assigned to woman, as well as man, her right position in the social order. In her excellence is the crown and glory of a man's life. No picture of ideal happiness is brighter than that of a home which is thus made perfect with the clear brightness of true union (5:15-20). The "prudent wife" is thought of as one of God's best gifts (19:14), "building her house" (14:1) on the only true foundation. Her influence on her children is as great as that of their father, if not greater (1:8; 6:20). They owe what they have of goodness to her loving persuasion. E. H. P. 7. Wicked overthrown and are not. There is a hope that bad men will finally be themselves extirpated and literally perish. But nothing is really annihilated in them save the celestial possibilities. A living creature remains—a mind, a memory, a heart of passion, fears, irritability, will—all these remain; noth But a lying tongue is but for a moment. 20. Deceit is in the heart of them that devise evil: But to the counsellors of peace is joy. 21. There shall no mischief happen to the righteous: But the wicked shall be filled with evil. 22. Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD: But they that deal truly are his delight. 23. A prudent man concealeth knowledge: But the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness. 24. The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: But the slothful shall be put under taskwork. 25. Heaviness in the heart of a man maketh it stoop; But a good word maketh it glad. 26. The righteous is a guide to his neighbour: But the way of the wicked causeth them to err. 27. The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: But the precious substance of men is to the diligent. 28. In the way of righteousness is life; And in the pathway thereof there is no death. ing is gone but the angel life that stood with them, and bound them all to God. What remains, remains; and, for aught that we can see, must remain; and there is the fatal, inevitable fact. H. B. 10. Regardeth; literally, "knoweth." The words remind us that all true sympathy and care must grow out of knowledge. The righteous man tries to know the feelings and life even of the brute beast, and so comes to care for it. Tender mercies; better, "the feelings, the emotions," all that should have led to mercy and pity toward man. The circle expands in the one case, narrows in the other. E. H. P. 11. The Hebrews were an agricultural people, subsisting from their soil. Their dense population demanded the best of tillage. This Solomon aimed to encourage. He who, instead of working his land, followed after idle men, out of business and doing nothing to purpose for the ends of life, would show himself without understanding, would play the fool, and would righteously come short of bread. Such men ought to go breadless. H. C. 14. Fruit of the mouth is what the mouth speaks. The supposition is that a righteous man speaks in harmony with his character. This shall bring him abundant good. Also what he does, as well as says, will not be useless. The reward of his hands, i.e., the reward of what his hands have done, He (Jehovah) will return to him. M. S.—The lips that speak well are no less sure of reward than the hands that work well. To show this the former is put over against the latter—lips against hands—with perhaps a shade of preference for the lips as the more fruitful of good. 15. The gist of the proverb is that the way of the fool is so very right in his own eyes that he will not hearken to counsel. Hearkening to good counsel is the characteristic, not of the fool but of the wise. Self-conceit dooms a man to folly and to its consequent mischiefs. 18. The tongue of the wise gives healing; their words lovingly heal the very wounds which the babbling slanderer inflicts. There is a precious balm in such words. Wise and good men take care not merely that they wound no one's feelings, but that they heal the wounds which they see inflicted by others. How much society owes to such healing words! H. C.—Use your gift of speech to give comfort, joy, cheer and hope to all about you. Use it to encourage the weary and disheartened, to warn those who are treading in paths of danger, to inspire the lethargic and indolent with high and holy motives, to kindle the fires of heavenly aspiration on cold heart-altars. J. R. M. 19. The law which binds us to veracity is the law of nature and the voice of God. It is the cement of the social edifice, the principle which unites the members of that body of which mankind consists; and if charity may be compared to the blood which circulates through the system, truth must be considered as the joints and ligaments which connect the respective parts. Intentional falsehood is, in every instance, a breach of this fundamental law, impairs the union, and is a violation of our duty, not merely in a private capacity, but as citizens of the world. By poisoning the stream of social intercourse at its source, by impairing the stock of public confidence, it tends to a dissolution of the whole body. Into the private intercourse of life, wherever it prevails, it infuses a mortal poison, robs it of its security, and converts it from an instrument of good into a snare. Where confidence ought to reign, it spreads suspicion and alarm; while, under the pretence of self-defence, it propagates itself. Artifice is opposed to artifice, falsehood is encountered by falsehood, till all the tender charities of life are violated. R. Hall. — Veracity facilitates and simplifies every business and every intercourse. A host of useless words and precautionary forms are thereby dispensed with; words and response, summons and deed, follow each other in secure succession; mind and mind meet, recognize, and commune with each other; all good, fair deeds thrive in such secure, untroubled, spiritual communion; power meets power, will joins will, resolve follows resolve, and confidence bears on and raises all with unfaltering steadfastness; all the flowers of mind, science, art, religion, thrive in the pure, healthful air of truthfulness; the light of heaven is shed undimmed upon life, and warms and fertilizes every germinating plant. Colton. As a test of character, truthfulness is pre-eminent; it is the basis of all true manhood. Truth scorns all disguises, shuns all devices, and never postures for advantage or effect. Its spirit pervades the closest relations and highest intercourse; its law holds the planets in their course; it is the presiding principle of every true and noble life. The stability of national credit, of law, of justice, of commerce, of society, and of life itself, is established and maintained on principles of truth. It is the upholding law of nature, the bond of society, the essence of creeds, the germ of religion. It maintains its sway throughout the universe, and circumscribes the whole round of life. H. Van Santvoord.—The love of truth is the foundation of all solid excellence. It gives stability to character and distinguishes firmness from obstinacy. It makes the man of principle. You may be distinguished in the world without it, but you never can have the approbation of your own hearts or the smile of God. You never can perfect and adorn your natures. J. H. T. 22. Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord. Falsehood has its deepest guilt and its certainty of punishment in this, that it crosses God's will, contradicts His character, and is hateful to His feeling. The wise man does not charge it upon lying lips, as he might, that they are an injury to men; he strikes deeper and tells us the more alarming secret that they are abomination to the Lord. By the Gospel every moral obligation is traced up to its source in the mind of God; the duties of society are all duties first to the Creator; and the highest motive for the simplest act of justice is to honor God, or conformity to His will. And as this is the loftiest view of the subject, so we shall find it is the most practical. The mind is so constituted in itself, that it is impressed with a fresh and fearful sense of what a falsehood is, the moment it realizes that the falsehood is a contradiction of God. No matter how trivial the occasion, or how remote the matter of the lie may be from all the high concerns of heaven, it is told in the full presence and plain hearing of our Judge. All is open up to the Great White Throne, and the false tongue is speaking to its Maker. He hears it, and it is an abomination to Him. The lie may prosper for its purpose. The multitudinous waves of traffic roll on with their noise, and the good bargain, closed by the deceit, thrives without rebuke; the child escapes the punishment he deserved and forgets the sin; the slanderous speaker's point tells, and his candidate goes in; the swift stream of social gossip and mirth makes no pause when the flippant or envious tongue insults the unseen Auditor who is listening; but He is listening, and after the lights are all out, the school-room locked, the election over, and the market still—the falsehood remains stamped in letters which some time or other will look intensely bright, as if they were written with fire because it was an abomination to the Lord F. D. H. Make conscience of truth, not only in our words, but in all our actions; because those that deal truly and sincerely in all their dealings are His delight, and He is well pleased with them. We delight to converse with and make use of those that are honest, and that we may put a confidence in; such, therefore, let us be, that we may recommend ourselves to the favor both of God and man. H. 25. “Heaviness” is rather anxiety, fear, that which gives a sense of heaviness. Such a sense of dread, foreboding evil, depresses the heart, bows it down; but a cheering word gladens it. This “good word” may be either good tidings, or a word whose comfort is in its kindly tone and manner. At how little cost sometimes may great burdens of grief be lifted from sad hearts! H. C.—Sorrow of all kinds depresses, but solicitude is worst. Hence the saying it is not work but worry that kills men. The secret of health, success, happiness, and often of long life, is obedience to the apostolic direction, “In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer,” etc. (Phil. 4:6). Chambers. Speak but a kind word, the work of a moment, and it shall cause the heavy heart to sing for joy; and gentle reproof or earnest persuasion, a mere fragment of thought and of time, may convert a sinner from the error of his way and save a soul from death. Gather up the fragments of influence, of time, of opportunity; and gather up the fragments of your worldly possessions that nothing be lost. For in the exercise of a praiseworthy and heaven-approved carefulness and economy and a conscientious expenditure, we should for the most part soon come to owe no man anything but love. R. T. 26. The righteous man shows his neighbor the way rightly; but the way pointed out by the wicked man leads him astray. The righteous man is a safe guide; the wicked man is not, but will lead you wrong. H. C.—Even men without principle will be restrained by the example of the good. When Lord Peterborough lodged for a season with Fenelon, the piety and virtue of the latter had such effect upon the nobleman that he exclaimed at parting, “If I stay here any longer I shall become a Christian in spite of myself.” It is thus that the example of a holy life or an evil life multiplies itself. We are addressed by it as imitative beings, breathing the atmosphere and catching up the opinions that surround us. Even while we gaze upon it we feel its transforming power. It is insensibly imprinting its image on our hearts. We become accustomed to it, and if it be hateful, gradually lose our repugnance to it. E. H. G. 27. The substance of a diligent man, though it be not great, perhaps, is yet precious. It comes from the blessing of God; he has comfort in it; it does him good and his family. It is his own daily bread, not bread out of other people's mouths, and therefore he sees God gives it him in answer to his prayer. H. 28. In the way of righteousness is life; and . . . no death. “Life” in its highest and best sense, pure, perfect blessedness. No death is in that traveller’s path. It opens to a glorious immortality. H. C.—This is the sum and substance of the chapter, and a proper conclusion of all that we have been taught in the foregoing maxims of Divine philosophy—namely, that religion and a holy conversation are the only sure and infallible way to happiness. So excellent, and so far beyond every other scheme, is this “way of righteousness.” Wogan. 1. A WISE son heareth his father's instruction : But a scorner heareth not rebuke. 2. A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth : But the soul of the treacherous shall eat violence. 3. He that guardeth his mouth keepeth his life : But he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction. 4. The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing : But the soul of the diligent shall be made fat. 5. A righteous man hateth lying : But a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame. 6. Righteousness guardeth him that is upright in the way : But wickedness overthroweth the sinner. 7. There is that maketh [or, feigneth] himself rich, yet hath nothing : There is that maketh [or, feigneth] himself poor, yet hath great wealth. 8. The ransom of a man's life is his riches : But the poor heareth no threatening. 9. The light of the righteous rejoiceth : But the lamp of the wicked shall be put out. 10. By pride cometh only contention : But with the well advised is wisdom. 11. Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished : But he that gathereth by labour shall have increase. 12. Hope deferred maketh the heart sick : But when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life. 13. Whoso despiseth the word bringeth destruction on himself : 3. HE hath a mighty command over his spirit that can command his tongue, especially when he is provoked. It is a real part of perfection not to offend in word. . . . There is a speedy passage between the heart and the tongue. Evil thoughts are soon formed up into evil words. Caryl. Idle speaking is precisely the beginning of all hollowness, halfness, unfaithfulness; the atmosphere in which rank weeds of every kind attain the mastery over noble fruits in man's life, and utterly choke them out; one of the most crying maladies of these days, to be testi- But he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded. 14. The law of the wise is a fountain of life, To depart from the snares of death. 15. Good understanding giveth favour : But the way of the treacherous is rugged. 16. Every prudent man worketh with knowledge : But a fool spreadeth out folly. 17. A wicked messenger falleth into evil : But a faithful ambassador is health. 18. Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth correction : But he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured. 19. The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul : But it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil. 20. Walk with wise men, and thou shalt be wise : But the companion of fools shall smart for it. 21. Evil pursueth sinners : But the righteous shall be recompensed with good. 22. A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children ; And the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the righteous. 23. Much food is in the tillage of the poor : ut there is that is destroyed by reason of injustice. 24. He that spareth his rod hateth his son : But he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes. 25. The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul : But the belly of the wicked shall want. fied against and in all ways to the uttermost withstood. Thou who wearest that cunning, heaven-made organ, a tongue, think well of this. Speak not, I passionately entreat thee, till thy thought have silently matured itself, till thou have other than mad and mad-making noises to emit; hold thy tongue till some meaning lie behind. No idlest word thou speakest but is a seed cast into time, and grows through all eternity! The recording angel, consider it well, is no fable, but the truest of truths. Carlyle. It is a startling fact that so large a proportion of the preceptive part of the Bible should deal with sins of the tongue, and deal with them so severely. Extract all the verses of the Book of Proverbs which have reference to foolish talk, bad talk, or too much talk; and you will have a very large number of verses. Add to these the precepts of Paul forbidding corrupt communication, and prescribing speech with grace seasoned with salt. Close the list with that paragraph of James' Epistle, which forms the body of the third chapter, and which speaks in such awful terms of the widespread mischief done by sins of the tongue, and with that later passage of the same epistle, in which the apostle reiterates with emphasis the caution against swearing contained in the Sermon on the Mount, "But above all things, my brethren, swear not;" and you have not only a portion of space devoted to this subject which seems to mere reason disproportionate to its merits; but also, which is more remarkable, the warnings against this class of sin are more deeply serious in tone than those against almost any other. E. M. G. 4. The indolent are self-indulgent; indolence is self-indulgence. The indolent cannot be amused by innocent relaxation. They are already relaxed. The indolent have no sufficient appreciation of the rights of others. They are accustomed to live, with little or no effort, on the fruits of the labors of those about them. It thus becomes a habit of mind with them to think of things and pleasures and persons as belonging to themselves. It is hardly possible for the indolent not to fall into debauch. It is their only refuge from ennui. Bascom.—Most true is this proverb in spiritual things. If the soul of the sluggard should be filled according to his desires, the fulness would not remain with him; it would be soon gone. There is no principle of life, no habit of faith, no element of a Divine nature, to turn what it receives into an everlasting part and possession of itself. Neither is there any disposition, in such a case, to go from strength to strength, from one degree of grace and glory to another; but a sluggish, inactive contentment, like that of a lazy, inefficient man, who would rather live idly by begging than help himself. G. B. C. 6. Those that are upright in their way; that mean honestly in all their actions, adhere conscientiously to the sacred and eternal rules of equity, and deal sincerely both with God and man, their integrity will keep them. The temptations of Satan shall not prevail over them, the reproaches and injuries of evil men shall not fasten upon them to do them any real mischief. Those that are wicked, even their wickedness will be their overthrow at last, and they are held in the cords of it in the mean time. Are they corrected, destroyed? It is their own wickedness that corrects them; that destroys them; they alone shall bear it. H.—Every sin has its appropriate punishment here in this world; not always visible, perhaps not always even certain, but yet always in prospect and almost always inflicted. Sins of appetite generally bring fearful punishment on the body; sins of indolence bring bitter regret for wasted time, loss of due place, inability to reach just and natural hopes, sometimes terrible privation; sins of untruth bring loss of all respect and honor, and deep self-contempt; each sin can be traced out to consequences enough to appall the doer on the very threshold of his folly, if he could but see them full before him. Bishop Temple. If a man will serve his sin, let him at least reckon upon this, that in one way or other it will be ill with him; his sin will find him out; his path will be hard; there will be to him no peace. The night of concealment may be long, but dawn comes like the Erinnys to reveal and avenge its crimes. Not only is his punishment inevitable, but it is natural; not miraculous, but ordinary; not sudden, but gradual; not accidental, but necessary; not exceptional, but invariable. Retribution is the impersonal evolution of an established law. Retribution takes the form which of all others the sinner would passionately deprecate, for it is homogeneous with the sins on whose practice it ensues. Farrar.—Sin and the consequences of sin show a terrible power of possible accumulation. The transgression of some one of the seemingly little things of God's law may apparently bring with it no direct evil consequences to the transgressor, or at least none that may not be, for a time, evaded. But the dues of sin mount up in a grim compound interest that knows no necessary ending, and the little thing of to-day becomes the avalanche of to-morrow. It is possible to treasure up for one's self wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God—and God's bank never fails. All that has been treasured up will be paid, with all the accumulations of the years. S. S. T. The disclosure of transgression is sooner or later inevitable. There can be no burial of it so deep that in due time it will not have a resurrection. The voice that tells is somewhere. The stain is somewhere. The sore and shame are somewhere. The avenger is somewhere. The eternal right is over all. Out of the darkness and silence; out of the misguided zeal of friends; out of the eagerness of the guilty to seem indifferent and unconscious; out of the patience and sufferings of the wronged; out of the very emphasis of denial fortified by favorable public opinion; out of all concealments and subterfuges, will come eventually the revelation, the confession. There is no special miracle in all this, however singular seems the disclosure, but an eternal miracle through the righteous and perfect methods of God. Powers.—It is this inevitable Nemesis, this certainty that men will reap what they have sown, this exposition of the naked hideousness of wrong-doing, this vileness of sin, breaking through all the glitter of success and all the glare of present prosperity, wealth, or power; in a word, the just judgment of God written by the finger of God upon the wall, or declared by the voice of God from the pulpits of His truth, that men so obstinately close their ears and shut their eyes to, but which the Word of God so resolutely declares. It is the teacher's office to proclaim it, to enforce it, to urge it, to insist upon it, whether men hear or whether they forbear. Bishop Hervey. Use sin as it will use you; spare it not, for it will not spare you; it is your murderer and the murderer of the whole world. Use it, therefore, as a murderer should be used; kill it before it kills you; and though it bring you to the grave, as it did your Head, it shall not be able to keep you there. You love not death; love not the cause of death. Baxter. 7. Both cases retain that peculiar meaning of the conjugation which designates pretence, show. Both classes of such men are hypocrites and deceivers; the one for pretending to possess what he does not possess, the other for pretending to be worth nothing (in order to cheat his creditors), when in fact he is rich. Sentiment: "Men will often play the hypocrite for the sake of gain." M. S.—In Oriental countries, where property is often unsafe, men might be tempted to conceal their wealth and put on the appearance of extreme poverty. The other extreme, the pretence of great wealth, is more often assumed for the sake of honor and distinction. H. C. 9. The light of the righteous. The happiness of the righteous shines like the sun and increases to their endless joy; but the happiness of the wicked is as feeble as the light of a candle, and will soon be extinguished. Bishop Patrick.—Very beautiful in its poetry is the idea of the light rejoicing in its brightness. Na ture itself, the sun in its glory, the stars in their courses sing for joy and rejoice. The distinction between the "light" and the "lamp" is also not without significance. The righteous have the true light in them. That which belongs to the wicked is but derived and temporary, and shall be extinguished before long. E. H. P. (See 4: 18.) 10. Pride is a bad mother of many bad children, these three especially: First, boasting of ourselves; secondly, contending with others; thirdly, despising of others. Caryl.—Contention only and nothing better than contention can be expected from pride. Pride will produce it. Pride is the chief occasion of strife. H. C. Whatever hand other lusts may have in contention (passion, envy, covetousness), pride has the great hand; pride will itself sow discord, and needs no help. Pride makes men impatient of contradiction in either their opinions or their desires, impatient of competition and rivalry, impatient of concession and receding, from a conceit of certain right and truth on their side; and hence arise quarrels among relations and neighbors, quarrels in States and kingdoms, in churches and Christian societies. Men will be revenged, will not forgive, because they are proud. Those that are humble and peaceable are wise and well advised. Those that will ask and take advice, that will consult their own consciences, their Bibles, their friends, and will do nothing rashly, they are wise, as in other things so in this, that they will humble themselves, will stoop and yield, to preserve quietness and prevent quarrels. H.—The humble man as he pays due respect to others to the full, and so gives no kind of quarrel that way, so he challenges no such debt to himself, and thus avoids the usual contests that arise in this. Study, therefore, this excellent grace of humility, not the personated acting of it in appearance, which may be a chief agent for pride, but true lowliness of mind, to be nothing in your own eyes, and content to be so in the eyes of others. Leighton. 11. Vanity, nothingness, is a peculiar word for slight effort, or no effort. The meaning is: "Wealth which is in any way obtained without industry or effort." Nothing is more true than that this is often squandered in a little time. But that which is gathered by industry, which is collected by handfuls, is commonly of that stable character which secures increase. M. S.—That which is got by industry and honesty will grow more, instead of growing less; it will be a maintenance, it will be an inheritance, it will be an abundance. He that labors, working with his hands, shall so increase, as that he shall have to give to him that needs (Eph. 4:28), and when it comes to that it will increase yet more and more. H.—The common law, the general fact, is that all other wealth except that in which the hand bears the prominent agency, both in procuring and preserving it, soon flees away, “quicker than a breath,” says the strong figure of the proverb. H. C. Good, of various kinds, may come to us without our toiling; but it was not produced without somebody's toiling. This is the law of that primal sentence, that everything valuable which man possesses shall be the fruit of the diligent hand. Then the laborer is the only and universal benefactor! He is monarch and dispenser of all earthly gifts! The artisan's low bench is a throne! Stone. 12. "We live by hope." When the realization of it is long deferred, the heart sinks with discouragement. Tree of life is a vivid image of the animating power of hope when it is fulfilled. M. S.—Nothing is more grateful than to enjoy that, at last, which we have long wished and waited for. When the desire does come it puts men into a sort of paradise, a garden of pleasure, for it is a tree of life. It will aggravate the eternal misery of the wicked that their hopes will be frustrated; and it will make the happiness of heaven the more welcome to the saints, that it is what they have earnestly longed for as the crown of their hopes. H. 13. He who despiseth God's Word shall be held responsible—held as with a cord (the sense of the Hebrew) from which there can be no escape; but he who reverently fears and obeys it shall be recompensed. H. C. 15. In v. 15 the familiar sentiment, “the way of transgressors is hard,” which certainly in itself is a just and weighty sentiment, becomes “the way of the treacherous is rugged,” which fairly represents the original. The latter word is equivalent to harsh, rough, or painful. According to the proverbial usage of our own day, the transgressor has “a hard road to travel.” They do not think so who set out on that road, but they change their minds before they get to the end. Chambers. Such is our nature, that God cannot make us happy or better till He has first sickened us with the things we prefer to Him. Behold, then, the goodness of God in making the “way of transgressors rugged;” in hedging with thorns the way to perdition; in defeating our plans of worldly repose; in all the experience He gives to make us feel that we are strangers and pilgrims on the earth! Should He do less than make ours a life of affliction, while it is one of disservice to Him, the proofs of His benevolence toward us would be wholly obscured. H. H. 18. “Reproof” has the broad sense of instruction and good counsel, designed to make one better. He who faithfully observes such counsels will come to honor. His character and life will be improved, his faults corrected, and then all will esteem and honor him. The opposite course will end not in shame only, but in poverty—a consideration adapted to take hold of the heart. H. C. 19. The contrast here implies that the first clause has respect to the desire of the wise. This, it is taken for granted, is for good; and when that good is attained, then is it grateful to the spirit of a good man. On the other hand, fools cling with such tenacity to evil, that they will not quit it so as to cherish such desires. M. S.—The gist of the proverb lies in what is implied (not expressed) in the latter clause. All men, whether fools or wise, appreciate and long for the joy of gratified desire. But fools who abhor departing from evil cannot get it. Their life is a perpetual but fruitless endeavor to overcome and counterveil the laws that link together sin and misery, folly and ruin. Abhorring to depart from evil, they must forever miss the joy of gratified desire. 20. The proverb testifies to the power of the social law—the potent influence of associates—the good for good, and the evil for evil, and its consequent ruin. H. C.—There are many strong Bible utterances respecting the moulding influences of daily companionship upon our life and character. Sometimes they dwell specially on the causes that draw men together, assuming that like chooses like, and that a man may in fact be known by his associates. But more frequently the texts warn us of the consequences of intimacy. They warn or exhort about companionship because we become, as they assume, what our companions are; because men who live together in close contact and communion mould each other. Percival.—We are continually drawing and being drawn, impelling and resisting or yielding, assimilating ourselves to others, and others to ourselves; nor is it possible to go into any company and come from it exactly in the same state of mind. The moral modification is perpetually going on; and if we trace it exactly, we shall find that it is either evil or good; very seldom, if ever, entirely indifferent or neutral. It is one of the fundamental laws of nature, that our minds should be subject to perpetual modification from the minds of others; nor is it within the reach of our will to determine whether this influence shall be exercised or not. Yet we may determine to what influence we subject it; we may determine what society we will keep, but not what influence the society we choose shall have upon us. R. Hall. A goodly friend is a choice book, out of which we may learn many excellent things, and a precious treasure, whereby our souls may be enriched with virtue: "He that walketh with the wise shall be wise." They who walk with them that are strong-scented with grace must needs receive somewhat of its savor. The very sight of that holiness which shineth brightly in their works will kindle thy spirit, and enlarge thy mind with an honest emulation of their worth. Swinnock.—Friendship maketh not only a fair day in the affections from storms and tempests; but it maketh daylight in the understanding, out of darkness and confusion of thoughts. Whosoever hath his mind fraught with many thoughts, his wits do clarify and break up in the communicating and discoursing with another, he tosseth his thoughts more easily, he marshalleth them more orderly, he seeth how they look when they are turned into words; finally, he waxeth wiser than himself, and that more by an hour's discourse than by a day's meditation. Bacon. If there is any work in the world which peculiarly deserves the name of the work of the devil, it is the hindrance which men sometimes put in the path which their fellow-creatures are called by God to walk in. Of all the temptations which surround us in this world of temptations, the most difficult, in almost all cases, to deal with are those which our fellow-men cast in our way. Temptations of the devil, springing from within the soul, can generally be evaded, even if they seem irresistible in their direct encounter. Temptations from bodily appetite, the most terrible of all temptations in the moment of their power, can almost always be foreseen and a means of escape provided. But our duties will not let us quit the company of our fellows, and if they choose to tempt us, there is nothing left but to bear the temptation as best we may. The temptation is so sure to come that we must count upon it. It is the order of the world; it is the fire in which we are to be tried; it is the touchstone of our truth and our faith; it is the experiment of our love; it is the test by which our souls must be valued. But for all that there is no excuse for the tempter. Woe to that man by whom the offence cometh; woe to that man who makes himself the instrument of putting his brothers to their hardest probation. F. T. 21. This is only another way of saying that God will bring evil upon sinners and good to the obedient, implying perhaps that He has wrought more or less of essential retribution into the very nature of things and the laws of society. H. C.—Pursucth sinners. Evil pursues them close wherever they go, as the avenger of blood pursued the manslayer, and they have no city of refuge to flee to; they attempt an escape, but in vain. Whom God pursues He is sure to overtake. H.—No closer doth the shadow follow the body than the revenge of self-accusation follows sin. Walk eastward in the morning, the shadow starts behind thee; soon after it is upon thy left side; at noon it is under thy feet; lie down, it coucheth under thee; toward even it leaps before thee. Thou canst not be rid of it while thou hast a body and the sunlight. No more can thy soul quit the conscience of evil, ever torturing thee with affrights of more pains than thy nature can comprehend. Bishop H. Every day that a bad man lives he is a worse man. He is on a sloping descent. Imperceptibly but really, and not so very slowly either; convictions are dying out, impulses to good are becoming feeble, habits of neglect of conscience are becoming fixed, special forms of sin—avarice, or pride, or lust—are striking their claws deeper into your soul, and holding their bleeding booty firmer. A. M.—Fearful it is to consider that sin does not only drive us into calamity, but it makes us also impatient, and embitters our spirit in the sufferance; it cries aloud for vengeance, and so torments men before the time even with such fearful outcries and horrid alarms, that their hell begins before the fire is kindled. It hinders our prayers, and consequently makes us hopeless and helpless. It perpetually affrights the conscience, unless by its frequent stripes it brings a callousness and an insensible damnation upon it. It makes us to lose all that which Christ purchased for us—all the blessings of His providence, the comforts of His Spirit, the aids of His grace, the light of His countenance, the hopes of His glory. Jeremy Taylor. Here the avenger pursues the soul, but until mercy's work is finished with the sinner's mortal life, his final grasp is withheld. While the soul lives, however great its suffering and anguish, however dark its forebodings and piercing its self-reproaches, yet it finds some alleviation from these in absorbing pursuits and exciting pleasures. But in its future these pursuits and pleasures will be withdrawn, and all the pursuing evils will be left to work their unresisted will. There the sense of want, the conscious disquiet, the poignant self-reproach, the natural consequences of past evil deeds will be intensified. These will constitute the condemned soul's entire experience. Its strong ungratified desires will unquenchably crave. The fires of conscience will perpetually burn. Forever shut out from the presence of God, forever excluded from the realm of light and love, from participation in celestial knowledge, affection, and blessedness, the adjudged sinner fast-bound in the chains of evil, he who was made in the image of God and destined for an immortal fellowship with God shall be prisoned in the abode of fallen spirits, shut up forever to their fearful companionship! B. How indefeasible the happiness of the saints! The God that cannot lie has engaged that to the righteous good shall be repaid; they shall be abundantly recompensed for all the good they have done, and all the ill they have suffered in this world. H.—For the true man “pleasure” is not by any means the best thing, nor “pain” the worst and most dreadful. “Duty,” and the satisfactions which wait on duty, are infinitely before either. The satisfaction which comes of doing right in scorn of consequence is infinitely sweeter and profounder than any mere pleasure; and the shame and degradation which spring from doing what we know to be wrong are infinitely more dreadful than pain, though they include pain. And, therefore, God the Giver rewards us when we suffer pain for Him, not with a corresponding pleasure, but with that inward peace and blessedness which are of so much greater and more enduring worth. Cox. 22. A good man's estate lasts; he leaves an inheritance to his children's children. It is part of his praise, that he is thoughtful for posterity; that he does not lay all out upon himself, but is in care to do well for those that come after him; not by withholding more than is meet, but by a prudent and decent frugality. He trains up his children to this, that they may leave it to their children; and especially he is careful, both by justice and charity, to obtain the blessing of God upon what he has, and to entail that upon his children, without which the greatest industry and frugality will be in vain. A good man, by being good and doing good, by honoring the Lord with his substance and spending it in His service, secures it to his posterity; or if he should not leave them much of this world's goods, his prayers, his instructions, his good example, will be the best entail; and the promises of the covenant will be an inheritance to his children's children (Psalm 103:17). H. Wealth of sinner laid up for the righteous. An expression of trust, that in the long run the anomalies of the world are rendered even. The heaped-up treasures of the wicked find their way at last into the hands of better men. E. H. P. 23. Much food is in the tillage of the poor. It was “the tillage of the poor,” the careful, diligent husbandry of the man who had only a little patch of land to look after, that filled the storehouses of the Holy Land. Hence the proverb of our text arose. It preserves the picture of the economical conditions in which it originated, and it is capable of, and is intended to have, an application to all forms and fields of work. In all it is true that the bulk of the harvested results are due, not to the large labors of the few, but to the minute, unnoticed toils of the many. Small service is true service, and the aggregate of such produces large crops. Spade husbandry gets most out of the ground. The laborer's allotment of half an acre is generally more prolific than the average of the squire's estate. Much may be made of slender gifts, small resources, and limited opportunities if carefully cultivated, as they should be, and as their very slenderness should stimulate their being. The most largely endowed has no more obligation and no fairer field than the most slenderly gifted lies under and possesses. God, who has builded up some of the towering Alps out of mica flakes, builds up His Church out of infinitesimally small particles—slenderly endowed men touched by the consecration of His love. If we truly employ whatsoever gifts God has given to us, then we shall be accepted according to that we have, and not according to that we have not. . . . The wholesome old proverb, “many littles make a mickle,” is as true about the influence brought to bear in the world to arrest evil and to sweeten corruption as it is about anything besides. Christ has a great deal more need of the cultivation of the small patches that He gives to the most of us than He has even in the cultivation of the large estates that He bestows on a few. Responsibility is not to be measured by amount of gift, but is equally stringent, entire and absolute, whatsoever be the measure of the endowments from which it arises. A. M. 24. We are not obliged to understand rod here in the mere literal sense; but it means at least correction in some way for faults. M. S. —The rod is the symbol of that authority which God has committed to fathers and mothers for training up their children in His nurture and admonition. The parent is not only to study child nature, but the special disposition of each child. He is to exercise his authority kindly yet firmly, wisely and prayerfully. Perhaps there was too much severity in the olden times. But there may be too much indulgence nowadays. If children are not taught to obey at home they will not grow up as law-abiding citizens of the republic and loyal subjects of the kingdom of God. Babb. 1. EVERY wise woman buildeth her house: But the foolish plucketh it down with her own hands. 2. He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the LORD: But he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him. 3. In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: But the lips of the wise shall preserve them. 4. Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: But much increase is by the strength of the ox. 5. A faithful witness will not lie: But a false witness uttereth lies. 6. A scorner seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not: But knowledge is easy unto him that hath understanding. 7. Go into the presence of a foolish man, And thou shalt not perceive in him the lips of knowledge. 8. The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: But the folly of fools is deceit. 9. The foolish make a mock at guilt: But among the upright there is good will. 10. The heart knoweth its own bitterness; And a stranger doth not intermeddle with its joy. 11. The house of the wicked shall be overthrown: But the tent of the upright shall flourish. 12. There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, But the end thereof are the ways of death. 13. Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; And the end of mirth is heaviness. 14. The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: And a good man shall be satisfied from himself. 15. The simple believeth every word: But the prudent man looketh well to his going. 16. A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: But the fool beareth himself insolently, and is confident. 17. He that is soon angry will deal foolishly: And a man of wicked devices is hated. 18. The simple inherit folly: But the prudent are crowned with knowledge. 19. The evil bow before the good; And the wicked at the gates of the righteous. 20. The poor is hated even of his own neighbour: But the rich hath many friends. 21. He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: But he that hath pity on the poor, happy is he. 22. Do they not err that devise evil? But mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good. 23. In all labour there is profit: But the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury. 24. The crown of the wise is their riches: But the folly of fools is only folly. 25. A true witness delivereth souls: But he that uttereth lies causeth deceit. 26. In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: And his children shall have a place of refuge. 27. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, To depart from the snares of death. 28. In the multitude of people is the king's glory: But in the want of people is the destruction of the prince. 29. He that is slow to anger is of great understanding: But he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly. 30. A sound heart is the life of the flesh : But envy is the rottenness of the bones. 31. He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker : But he that hath mercy on the needy honoureth him. 32. The wicked is thrust down in his evildoing : But the righteous hath hope in his death. 1. THE "woman" (wife) is thought of as a manager of her domestic concerns. Managing them prudently, she increases the comforts of the household, lessens the outgoes, builds up the estate. The foolish woman, managing badly, reverses this process, and tears down her house. H. C.—Many a family is brought, to ruin by ill housewifery, as well as by ill husbandry. A foolish woman, that has no fear of God nor regard to her business, that is wilful and wasteful and humorsome, will as certainly be the ruin of her house as if she plucked it down with her hands; and the husband himself, with all his care, can scarcely prevent it. H. 4. In its literal meaning a household proverb, "Labor has its rough, unpleasant side, yet it ends in profit." But here, as elsewhere, there may be a meaning below the surface. The life of contemplation may seem purer, "cleaner" than that of action. The outer business of the world brings its cares and disturbances, but also "much increase." There will be a sure reward of that activity in good works for him who goes, as with "the strength of the ox," to the task to which God calls him. E. H. P. 5. The allegiance of the soul to truth is tested by small things rather than by those which are more important. There is many a man who would lose his life rather than perjure himself in a court of justice, whose life is yet a tissue of small insincerities. We think that we hate falsehood when we are only hating the consequences of falsehood. We resent hypocrisy and treachery and calumny, not because they are untrue, but because they harm us. We hate the false calumny, but we are half pleased with the false praise. It is evidently not the element of untruth here that is displeasing, but the element of harmfulness. Now, he is a man of integrity who hates untruth as untruth; who resents the smooth and polished falsehood of society, which does no harm; who turns in indignation from the glittering, whitened lie of sepulchral Pharisaism, which injures no one. F. W. R. 33. Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding : But that which is in the inward part of fools is made known. 34. Righteousness exalteth a nation : But sin is a reproach to any people. 35. The king's favour is toward a servant that dealeth wisely : But his wrath shall be against him that causeth shame. 6. The successful pursuit of wisdom presupposes at least earnestness and reverence. The scoffer shuts himself out from the capacity of recognizing truth. E. H. P.—Bacon says: "He that comes to seek after knowledge with a mind disposed to scorn and censure will be sure to find matter enough for his humor, but none for his instruction." Remarkably the scorner is here put over against the man of understanding, as if to imply that the former naturally lacks that love of truth and that sympathetic attraction toward it which intuitively sees and then seizes upon it. To a man who has these last-named qualities knowledge comes naturally and easily. This doctrine assumes that good moral qualities are vital to the acquisition of truly valuable knowledge. H. C. Having sneered at all that is pure, august and heavenly, men may, amid the ruins of their faith, be haunted by spectres of multiform doubt; having challenged God to forsake them, they may spend their decline in ever learning, yet never coming to the knowledge of the truth; for "a scorner seeketh wisdom and findeth it not." J. W. A.—Have it as a fixed principle, that getting into any scornful way is fatal. Scorn is dark, and has no eyes; for the eyes it thinks it has are only sockets in the place of eyes. Doubt is reason, scorn is disease. One simply questions, searching after evidence; the other has got above evidence, and turns to mockery the modest way that seeks it. Even if truth were found, it could not stay in any scorning man's bosom. The tearing voice, the scowling brow, the leer, the sneer, the jeer, would make the place a robber's cave to it, and drive the delicate and tender guest to make his escape at the first opportunity. There was never a scorner that gave good welcome to truth. No man can fitly seek after truth who does not hold truth in the deepest reverence. Truth must be sacred even as God, else it is nothing. Bushnell. 8. Christian prudence consists in a right understanding of our way; for we are travellers, whose concern it is not to spy wonders but to get forward toward their journey's end. It is to understand our own way, not to be critics and busybodies in other men's matters, but to look well to ourselves and ponder the path of our feet; to understand the directions of our way, that we may observe them; the dangers of our way, that we may avoid them; the difficulties of our way, that we may break through them; and the advantages of our way, that we may improve them; to understand the rules we are to walk by and the ends we are to walk toward, and walk accordingly. H. 9. Fools scoff at and scornfully repel the idea of personal guilt; nor do they care much if the fact of wrong-doing is fastened upon them. The antithesis lies (as often) between what is assumed in the first clause and asserted in the second, thus: Fools mock at sin and therefore incur God's wrath [not His favor]; but the righteous have His favor, and what is thus true of God's favor is true also of the esteem of all right-thinking moral agents in the universe. H. C. Society is always suffering from perverse banter and coarse humor directed against rigid morals. The thefts, defalcations, peculations, forgeries, fraudulent escapes from obligation, full living on other men's money, and filthy purchase of votes and verdicts, which are at once the opprobrium and the rottenness of certain classes in modern society, are fostered and brought into development by what young men hear in the houses where their business lies; by jokes which imply that a clever operation is worth some moral risk; by pleasantries about lying and stealing, under decent names; and by contemptuous pity of the tortoise-like habits of a former age. J. W. A.—Religion and virtue, in all their forms, either of doctrine or of precept—of piety toward God, integrity toward men, or regularity in private life—are so far from affording any ground of ridicule that they are entitled to our highest veneration. It is said in Scripture, "fools make a mock at sin." They had better make a mock at pestilence, at war, or famine. With one who would choose these public calamities for the subject of his sport you would not be inclined to associate; you would fly from him as worse than a fool, as a man of distempered mind. Yet certain it is that, to the great society of mankind, sin is a greater calamity than pestilence, or famine, or war. Blair. If the law could suddenly lighten on the minds of the "fools" that are making "a mock at sin"—what fearful amazement! The object of their gaiety would instantly assume a terrifying aspect. The loose, vague, indulgent notions of the evil of sin, which men thoughtlessly entertain in their own favor—the slight estimates, the easy palliations—how would these be exploded and annihilated by a luminous manifestation of that law! Conscience would rise up, incensed to have been so trifled with and beguiled. J. F.—What is the reason that so many make a mock of sin and play with the unquenchable fire, but ignorance? Did they know what they do when they wilfully break God's law, they would sooner leap into a furnace of scalding lead than provoke so jealous a God. But sin goeth in a disguise, and thence is welcome; like Judas, it kisseth and kills; like Joab, it salutes and slays. The foolish sinner seeth the pleasant streams of Jordan, but not the Dead Sea into which they will certainly empty themselves to his ruin. Swinnock. —The wages that sin bargains with the sinner are life, pleasure, and profit; but the wages it pays him with are death, torment, and destruction; he that would understand the falsehood and deceit of sin thoroughly must compare its promises and its payments together. South. Men make a mock at sin by their words and by their actions. We show our scorn of a thing in our words when we speak carelessly of it or turn it into ridicule. We show it in our actions when we live in such a manner as proves that we have no value or regard for it. Even of the mockery of words, few are wholly innocent; of the mockery of deeds, all have been more or less guilty. The guilt of such mockery is too plain; the folly is the folly of playing with death. It is the folly of provoking God to cut us off in the midst of our calculating wickedness. Above all is such conduct folly, because we are disabling our hearts and souls more and more for the work of repentance, without which we know we can have no part in the promises of the Gospel. For nothing is more certain than that the longer a man persists in sin the harder it is to leave it off. His heart is deadened; his conscience is blunted; his soul closes itself by little and little against the impulses of the Holy Spirit. A. W. Hare. Fools make a mock at sin—more cruel fools make a mock at holiness! A little laughter, a passing jest, an idle nickname, or sometimes, it may be, an unkinder word, these are strong enough to shake many purposes which seemed to be firm, and to overthrow resolutions which, but for such assaults, would probably have stood fast. In such ways does thoughtlessness every day and hour deny Christ; denies Him itself, and makes others deny Him. G. M.—If we would truly see what sin is, we must see it in the light of redemption. Who can measure the guilt and the power of that sin from which we could only be redeemed by the sacrifice of the Son of God? See your folly in the light of your Redeemer's tears, your Redeemer's anguish, your Redeemer's cross; and confess as you look on His marvellous sacrifice that "fools" only can "make a mock at sin." Bishop Perovene. 10. Within the range of human experience there is perhaps no expression of the ultimate solitude of each man's soul at all times so striking in its truth and depth as this. Something there is in every sorrow, and in every joy, which no one else can share. E. H. P.—Every man we meet carries in the unperceived solitude of his bosom a little world of his own; and we are just as blind and as insensible, both of perception and of sympathy, about his engrossing objects as he is about ours. Did we suffer this thought to have all its weight upon us, it might serve to make us more candid and more considerate of others; to abate the monopolizing selfishness of our nature; to soften the malignity which comes out of those envious contemplations that we are so apt to cast on the fancied ease and prosperity which are around us. It might serve to reconcile every man to his own lot, and dispose him to bear with thankfulness his own burden. And we should surely conclude that throughout all conceivable varieties of human condition there are trials which can neither be adequately told, on the one side, nor fully understood on the other; that the ways of God to man are as equal in this as in every department of His administration; and that, go to whatever quarter of human experience we may, we shall find how He has provided enough to exercise the patience and to accomplish the purposes of a wise and a salutary discipline upon all His children. T. C. For the most part we are strangers to the inner life of others, to their thoughts and feelings, their joys and sorrows, and they are alike strangers to ours. “Every heart knoweth its own bitterness.” The world within ourselves is for the most part known only to God and to our own hearts. It is but little comparatively that others know of our inner lives, our trials, our secret sins; and our efforts to overcome them are known only to the all-searching eye. Hallock.—Human suffering, in all its forms, is solitary. Tenderest sympathies may flock abundantly and graciously to visit it and minister to it. But there is something in it that their kindest offices cannot reach; something appointed by Providence to be left alone; and it is well. Grief is of many kinds, but all grief that is really terrible sends the soul into speechless, secret solitude. Human love may reach out ready hands, eager to help and to soothe; but it cannot reach down to that lowest centre of anguish where the pang throbs in intensest pain. So true is it that the heart knoweth its own bitterness, that not only the stranger, but the friend, cannot intermeddle with its distress. F. D. H. You by whom silent suffering, secret grief, and hidden joy are understood; by the knowledge of your own unspoken sorrow, unexpressed because inexpressible feelings; by the consciousness of the unrevealed depths of your own nature, the earnest but ever unsatisfied yearnings of your spirit, learn to reverence and love those by whom you are surrounded, whose inner life can never be completely read, but whom you are sure must need sacred sympathy and tender consideration. The silent breathings of the spirit are not for our ears; the hot tears which in secret fall are not for our eyes; in mercy has the veil been drawn round each heart; but by the sacred memory of our own sadness, let our voice be gentle, our look tender, our tread quiet, as we pass among the mourners. Jessie Coombs. These words mean that the inner life of man—his truest and highest life—is a solitary and secret thing. It may be said of every human soul that “clouds and darkness are round about it,” and that it dwells in light or in gloom that no man can approach unto. This loneliness is not our own choice; it is imposed upon us by a law of our nature that we cannot violate or reverse. When we try to reveal our innermost soul we fail; after we have said everything, much remains unsaid. When our sympathy for the sufferings of our friends is deepest, we sit with them and are dumb; we cannot say what we feel; our tears and our silence seem to tell them more than our speech. And as we are unable to utter all that is in us when we try to utter it, so we are unwilling, for the most part, that any but God should search us and try us, should know either all the good or all the evil that is in us. Every man bears his own burden, fights his own battle, walks in the path which no other feet have trodden. God alone knows us through and through. And He loves us, as Keble says, better than He knows. He has isolated us from all besides, that He alone may have our perfect confidence, and that we may acquire the habit of looking to Him alone for perfect sympathy. He will come into the stillness and solitude in which the soul dwells, and make the darkness bright with His presence, and break the monotonous silence with words of love. We have Him only to speak to; He alone can understand us. He will rejoice with us when we rejoice, and weep with us when we weep. The heart knoweth its own bitterness; God knows it, too; and though a stranger cannot intermeddle with its joy, He whose temple and dwelling-place is the soul that loves Him is no stranger, but the soul's most intimate and only friend. R. W. Dale. 11. Two beautiful points are prominent in this proverb. There is an antithesis between "house" and "tent;" the house of the wicked, built as he supposes of most substantial material, wood, brick, or stone, shall yet be razed to the ground; while the tent of the upright, fragile in itself, put up so as to be easily taken down, shall yet stand, and long outlast the house of the wicked. This tent is said to "flourish," like a plant, shrub, or tree, well rooted, having a life-power of its own, and therefore blooming in beauty as well as living with its own life and only waxing the stronger for the coming and going of the seasons and for all the storms that beat upon it. All this is involved in the Hebrew verb here rendered "flourish." 12. The obvious sense of this proverb is no doubt the true one—viz., that a way of living (in the moral sense of life) may seem right to a man, and yet be wrong and end in death. Men may be deceived by their associates, or they may deceive themselves, and so may assume what is utterly wrong to be, at least in their case, right. Hence the somewhat popular doctrine that it matters not what a man believes provided he be sincere, is a fatal mistake, for a man may think himself very sincere in accepting and holding pernicious error and in pursuing a fatally wrong course of life. This proverb, affirming a most momentous truth, appears again (16:25), also one part of it (12:15). H. C. Their way is seemingly fair; it seems right to themselves; they please themselves with a fancy that they are as they should be, that their opinions and practices are good, such as will bear them out. The way of ignorance and carelessness, the way of worldliness and earthly-mindedness, the way of sensuality and flesh-pleasing, seem right to those that walk in them; much more, in religion external performances, partial reformations, and blind zeal will bring them to heaven; they flatter themselves in their own eyes, that all will be well at last. Their end is really fearful, and the more so for their mistake; it is the ways of death, eternal death; their iniquity will certainly be their ruin. Self-deceivers will prove, in the end, self-destroyers. H.—The great truth is that no one, old or young, can save his soul by following the course of life quietly and letting it drift him whither it will. It is not in our life here as we now live, with all its wisdom and all its labor and all its pleasures, to attain to life eternal. Round the tree of life there is a fiery guard, which allows not fallen man in his own natural course to reach unto it. It is not like a tree standing by the wayside, so that we have only to put forth our hand as we go by and eat and live forever. Christ came to take us out of our common nature, to tear us away from the path which we were naturally treading; to give us another nature not our own, to set us in a new way, of which the end is not death but life. T. A. There is a theory very much in fashion, that if a man acts according to his convictions he cannot be brought into condemnation. The principle here involved is simply this, that a man's own ideas are his own standard, that he is a law unto himself, that if he does violence to his own views of truth and error, good and evil, he is reprehensible, but that if he be fully convinced in his own mind that is at once a bar to his condemnation. The text offers a strong protest against this theory, "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man;" but, notwithstanding his sincerity, notwithstanding his convictions, the end thereof are the ways of death. Bishop Woodford.—Many a way that leads to perdition may seem to us to be right. Nothing is better calculated to disturb the superficial optimism in which so many of our fellow-men find a delusive security than the firm conviction of this fact. In their opinion, that a man may be saved he must be sincere; in other words, the way he follows must seem to him to be right. In the order of things temporal it is evident that sincerity in ignorance or error has never saved any one from the often terrible consequences which such ignorance or error may entail. Societies are based upon this maxim: "No one is supposed to be ignorant of the law." Moreover, this axiom is graven in nature itself. Nature strikes those who violate its laws, and never takes into consideration their state of ignorance or good faith. Bersier. There is nothing in life for which we are so deeply and solemnly accountable as the formation of our belief. It is the compass which guides our way, which if it vary ever so little from truth is sure to cause a fatal divergence in the end. Whether we consider practice or belief, each man's deeming is not each man's law; every man's deeming may be wrong, and we can only find that which is right by each one of us believing and serving God as He has revealed Himself to us in Christ. Alford.—God does not permit us to content ourselves in anything short of the truth. He marks out a plain path for us to follow; and gives us no reason to conclude that anything but truth will save us. The sentiment of its being a matter of indifference what we believe or practise, if we are only sincere in it, is a maxim of the world, not of God. Sincerity does not alter the truth. If God has given a revelation of His will to man which contains a definite meaning, that meaning is unalterable. No belief of any man to the contrary can in the least affect it. If God has said, for instance, that no man shall be saved except he repent, if any man think otherwise, be he ever so sincere in his opinion, the truth remains, and the consequences must take place. Sincerity in error often arises from wilful blindness, and therefore is guilty and must be punished. How often does it happen that a man will refuse to look, determined to believe what he wishes to believe, be it right or wrong. Our Lord Jesus Christ long ago declared that there are some who "hate the light, and will not come to the light lest their deeds should be reproved." Sincerity in error often arises from indifference to the will of God; and therefore is guilty and must be punished. God has given us a revelation of His will, and surrounded it with such unequivocal evidences that no honest man who will examine can mistake them. Yet many are so indifferent about this revelation that they will not even give themselves the trouble to inquire what it contains. God has declared that you must seek the truth and embrace it, and you are sincere in being indifferent to it! Your sincerity, then, amounts to this, you are sincere in acting contrary to the command of God. Such sincerity is the very aggravation of your sin. What idea can a man have of God who can suppose that He will regard with complacency the sincerity which proceeds from mere indifference to what He has said? Can you suppose that God has given us a revelation of His will, and yet cares nothing at all about it? No, God is not sporting with His creatures. He has not given a law to be trifled with. He has surrounded it by the most solemn and awful sanctions, and He expects, being a God of truth, that men will place confidence in what He says, or else take the reward of their perverse-ness in destruction. Old Review. 13. The reaction which follows vain mirth is often the most painful heaviness. The passion for laughter, which assumes it to be very much the chief good of life, is a miserable folly. 14. The apostate from God shall be sated with his own ways, shall have enough and more than enough of the bitter fruits of his apostasy. On the contrary, the good man will find ample sources of joy in himself. The turn of the thought which is the gist of the proverb lies in the play upon the sense of the word rendered "filled," which is obviously to be supplied in the last clause. The backslider shall be filled with the sorrow that comes from his backsliding; the good man shall be filled with the joy of his steadfast goodness. H. C. In the heart, unseen, there has been a long preparation of backsliding. Vain thoughts have lodged within and vile thoughts have been welcome visitors. By such a process his heart has been hollowed out, and inhabited by creatures more loathsome than crawling vermin, while the skin of profession was kept whole, and its fairest side turned to public view. Beware of backsliding in heart; small beginnings may issue in a fearful end. Arnot. The Christian has a fons perennis within him. He is satisfied from himself. The men of the world borrow all their joy from without. Joy wholly from without is precarious and short. From without it may be gathered, but like gathered flowers, though fair and sweet for a season, it must soon wither and become offensive. Joy from within is like smelling the rose on the tree, it is more sweet and fair, and it is immortal. Salter.—The good man acts from principle and in the sight of God. He is not only preserved from the sting and reproach of an evil conscience, but he possesses that joyous healthiness of soul which arises from a life of purity, devotion, and goodness; that calm yet irrepressible feeling of delight, which daily and hourly, continually and always, fills the heart. It is not positive reflection upon doing, it is not thinking about character or actions, but the perpetual rising up in the soul of an inexpressible satisfaction. This is the way in which a good man is "satisfied from himself." Binney. The essence of happiness and misery is in character; a man sinful in heart shall be filled with his own ways, and the good man also shall be satisfied from himself. G. B. C.—We all have our creeds, and, in spite of ourselves, we profess them—the creed of fashion; the creed of appetite; the creed of a selfish expediency; the creed of a sect; the creed of indifference, which is as irreligious and as bigoted in its way as any other; or the creed of eternal right and Gospel faith. Conduct is the great profession. Behavior is the perpetual revealing of us. A man's doctrines flow from his fingers' ends, and stand out in his doings. What he may say is not his chief profession, but how he acts. Character lets out the secret of his belief; what he does tells what he is. He has "put on the Lord Jesus Christ," when he has "Christ formed within him." His profession is as natural as the pulse in his veins. The good man makes profession of his goodness by simply being good. F. D. H. 15. The "simple" in the sense of Solomon are the credulous and susceptible who are open to every impression, especially if evil, and who have no forethoughtful wariness in choosing their path of life. The point of the proverb is that while the prudent man thinks before he acts, the simple believes whatever is said to him and thinks not. H. C. 16. A wise man fears sin and distrusts himself. He knows that the enemy is strong, and that his own defences are feeble. His policy, therefore, is not to brave danger, but to keep out of harm's way. Arnot.—The wise man fears to sin; has a reverential fear of God, and hence departs from evil. The fool is self-confident, reckless, breaking over all restraint. H. C.—None so bold as the blind. "The fool is confident." If he be in an error or entangled in any evil cause or way, you know not what to say to him for his recovery. The less he knows the more he despiseth knowledge and sets his face against his teachers. Will you go to dispute or debate the case with one of these? Be sure of it they will put you down and have the day. He will go away and boast that you could not convince him; as if a madman should boast that the physicians could not all of them cure him. He that speaks nonsense saith nothing while he seems to speak. And there is no refuting a man that saith nothing. Nonsense is unanswerable, if there be but enough of it. Baxter.—Presumption is folly. He who when he is warned of his danger cannot bear to be checked, bids defiance to the wrath and curse of God, and fearless of danger persists in his rebellion, makes bold with the occasions of sin and plays upon the precipice, he is a fool, for he acts against his reason and his interest, and his ruin will quickly be the proof of his folly. 20. The rich have many friends, friends to their riches, in hope to get something out of them. There is little friendship in the world but what is governed by self-interest, which is no true friendship at all, nor what a wise man will either value himself on or put any confidence in. H. 21. This "pity" of the text is a very wide word. It covers both the kindly feeling and the kindly act; and it stretches itself over both the great departments of human necessity—men's sufferings and men's sins. The same attitude of mind which makes one relenting or forgiving to the penitent offender makes one also pity and relieve the supplicant sufferer. He who sins becomes a candidate for mercy so soon as he acknowledges his sin. Dykes. 22. The original word for "devised" includes both plotting and laboring for an end. He who in this sense deviseth mischief will "err," or miss his end, to his ruin; while mercy and truth will be the reward of those who devise good. The intent of the heart determines the moral character of the act, and therefore the sort of retribution that righteously follows. 23. All well-directed labor naturally brings some useful returns, but lip-words are only toward want. Mere talk, words having no worthy aim, work out only poverty. H. C.— In all labor there is profit. If you want knowledge you must toil for it; if food, you must toil for it; and if pleasure, you must toil for it. Toil is the law. Pleasure comes through toil, and not by self-indulgence and indolence. When one gets to love his work, his life is a happy one. Ruskin. The lesson holds good through all matters of life. It is a short-sighted mistake to avoid taking trouble; for God has so ordered the world that industry will always repay itself. God has set thee thy work, then fulfil it. Fill it full. Throw thy whole heart and soul into it. Do it carefully, accurately, completely. It will be better for thee and for thy children after thee. All neglect, carelessness, slurring over work, is a sin—a sin against God, who has called us to our work; a sin against our country and our neighbors, who ought to profit by our work; and a sin against ourselves also, for we ought to be made wiser and better men by our work. C. Kingsley.—It is only by labor that thoughts can be made healthy, and only by thoughts that labor can be made happy; and the two cannot be separated with impunity. It is no man's business whether he has genius or not; work he must, whatever he is, but quietly and steadily; and the natural and unforced results of such work will be always the thing God meant him to do, and will be his best. No agonies nor heartrendings will enable him to do any better. If he is a great man, they will be great things; but always, if peacefully done, good and right; always, if restlessly and ambitiously done, false, hollow, and despicable. Ruskin. Toil is every man's Divine vocation. All of us, unless we have fallen from grace, belong to the laboring classes, however differing our occupations may be. It is not a question whether a man labors with the hand or the head, whether he drives a plough or handles a pen; but whether what he does supplies a real demand, whether his labor is helpful and enriching to his generation. Every such man is worthy of honor, and only such men are. Behrends. —Luxury and leisure are more fatal to human life than downright hard work, whether of muscle or of brain. Steady labor of the body hardens the muscles, invigorates the nerves, and gives the deep rhythmic movement of health to the breathing. Steady labor of the mind purifies, invigorates, and feeds both mind and brain. Lack of bodily labor results in bodily atrophy and wasting; lack of toil of the brain means the gradual death of the mind. Overwork sometimes kills; complete cessation of activity always kills. See to it that it is not inactivity that is weakening you, rather than overwork; see to it that your faculties are not dying because they have too little, rather than too much, to do. H. C. T. There is nothing like life's drudgery to make men and women of us. You chafe under it. You sigh for leisure, to be freed from bondage to hours, to duties, to tasks, to appointments, to rules, to the treadmill round. Yet this is God's school for you. Accept your treadmill round, your plodding, your dull task-work, and do always your best—and you will grow into strong, noble character. J. R. M.—Character comes out of work. It is what we do that educates us, rather than what we read or speculate about. The work of life, with the temper and spirit we put into it, trains and moulds. It not only illustrates but cultivates virtue. High, honorable integrity of act cultivates integrity of heart; enthusiasm in effort resupplies the founts of enthusiasm in the will, and sympathetic activities nourish the emotion itself out of which they flow. Daily work assists us to larger and clearer views of Divine truth. We may not see how the minor and distracting duties of daily life—those of the home, the school, the shop—can be made tributary to advancement in piety. There is, however, a proverb older than Christ, that says, "In all labor there is profit." While the Word of God puts discredit on labor that is dishonorable or useless, it extols the labor of the wise. Fidelity in work and a fervent, enthusiastic temper will assuredly freshen our faculties and give tone and balance to the mind. R. S. S. The true rest of the soul is that not of inactivity, but of congenial exertion. Labor is rest to the active and energetic spirit. The mind itself does not waste or grow weary; and but for the weight of the weapons wherewith it works, it might think, and imagine, and love on forever. The service of God, beyond all other kinds of labor, may become the most perfect rest to the soul. As love to Christ deepens in the soul that is truly given to Him, the work which it prompts us to do for Him loses the feeling of effort and passes into pleasure. This rest is not absolute, but relative. While it is a great thing to be an earnest worker in Christ's service, yet the Christian life is not mainly a life of action, but of trust. Caird. The talk of the lips tendeth only to penury. Here is noted that words and discourse abound most where there is idleness and want. Bacon —Talking without working will make men poor. Those that waste their time in tittle-tattle, in telling and hearing new things, and neglect the work of their place and day, waste what they have, and the course they take tends to penury, and will end in it. If men's religion runs all out in talk and noise and their praying is only the labor of the lips, they will be spiritually poor and come to nothing. H. 24. The riches they acquire add new honors to the wise, inasmuch as they still deport themselves wisely and worthily; but the folly of fools will still be folly though they acquire never so much wealth. Wealth will make them no wiser, and hence will confer upon them no honor. They will only play the fool the more conspicuously. H. C. 26. Fear is confidence. The words sound strangely. They are like that blessed paradox of Paul, "When I am weak, then am I strong." They are strange, indeed, but true. To fear God aright is to be delivered from all fear. "His salvation is nigh them that fear Him." Arnot. Love, which destroys fear, heightens reverence and deepens self-distrust. The Bible tells us both that "perfect love casteth out fear," and that "in the fear of the Lord is strong confidence." The fear which is cast out is in reality an altogether different thing from that which is enjoined as the foundation of all religion, and as being the abiding duty and joy of Christian men. The one is simply the dread of personal consequences falling upon me. The other is that reverential and awe stricken bowing down of myself before the face of the Infinite Majesty, which must ever be an element in the approach of created beings to Him. But it is worth noticing how love, which casts out dread and makes us cease to be afraid of God, perfects reverence and makes us venerate with holy awe far deeper than ever subsisted by the side of terror, and yet makes us stand much nearer to God than when we were slaves, and crouched before the image of Him which conscience set up. Love takes out of the heart all that bitter sense of possible evil coming on me and leaves me at liberty, with thankful, humble heart, and clear eye, to look into the centre of the brightness and see there the light of His infinite mercy. Love destroys fear, and perfects reverence and self-distrust. A. M. 26,27. The fear of the Lord is here put for all gracious principles, producing gracious practices. Where this reigns, it produces a holy security and serenity of mind; there is in it a strong confidence, it enables a man still to hold fast both his purity and his peace, whatever happens, and gives him boldness before God and the world. It entails a blessing upon posterity. The children of them that by faith make God their confidence shall be encouraged by the promise that God will be a God to believers and to their seed, to fly to Him as their refuge, and they shall find shelter in Him. It is an overflowing, overflowing spring of comfort and joy; it is a fountain of life, yielding constant pleasure and satisfaction to the soul. It is a sovereign antidote against sin and temptation. H. 29. The two personages described here are doubly contrasted. The one is slow to anger; the other quick and hasty; the former has great wisdom and evinces it prominently by his remarkable self-control; the latter not only has great folly, but sets it up on high before all observers. Every one sees and feels how foolish it is to let one's passions flash suddenly into flame with no self-control. H. C.—While so many think it the only valor to command and master others, study thou the dominion of thyself, and quiet thine own commotions. Let right reason be thy lawgiver; move by the intelligences of the superior faculties, not by the rapt of passion, nor merely by that of temper and constitution. They who are merely carried on by the wheel of such inclinations, without the hand and guidance of sovereign reason, are but the automatous part of mankind, rather lived than living, or at least underliving themselves. Browne. 30. A calm, placid heart [better than "sound"] gives life to the flesh in the sense of augmenting the vital forces and conducing to health and therefore to life; while, on the other hand, envy, forever disquieting the soul, works rottenness of the bones. Probably the Hebrews were familiar with the physiological fact that an unhappy state of mind retards the healing of broken bones. H. C.—Envy is the worst of all passions, and feedeth upon the spirits, and they again upon the body, and so much the more because it is perpetual, and, as it is said, keepeth no holidays. Bacon.—Envy, like a cold poison, benumbs and stupefies; and thus, as if conscious of its own impotence, it folds its arms in despair. When it conquers, it is commonly in the dark, by treachery and undermining, by calumny and detraction. Envy is no less foolish than detestable; it is a vice which they say keeps no holiday, but is always in the wheel, and working upon its own disquiet. Collier. To have constituted the world so that envy is as rottenness in the bones, and love is felt like the glow of health permeating the frame, is a glory to the world's Maker. Every sensation of glad enlargement enjoyed by a loving heart, at the sight of a neighbor's prosperity, is a still small voice, announcing to him who hath an ear that God is good; and every pang that gnaws the envious, like rottenness in his bones, is the same word, God is good, echoed unwillingly back from the suffering of sin. Arnot. 31. All the poor are under God's protection against unrighteous oppression, so that whoever tramples on God's law forbidding the oppression of the poor contemns God Himself. Both clauses concur to show how our treatment of God's poor expresses our regard for Himself. Oppressing them, we reproach Him; compassionating them, we do Him honor. Corresponding to which are the words of Jesus: "Inasmuch as ye have done it to one of the least of these, ye have done it unto me." H. C.—It is a base thing to get goods to keep them. God, who only is infinitely rich, holdeth nothing in His own hands, but gives all to His creatures. If we will needs lay up, where should we rather repose it than in Christ's treasury? The poor man's hand is the treasury of Christ. All my superfluity shall be there hoarded up where I know it shall be safely kept, and surely returned me. Bishop H. Mercy to the poor must be a law operating from within, and not a system adopted from without. There must be regulating wisdom as well as motive power. Whatever share you may be able to take in the wholesale benevolence of organized societies, you should also carry on a retail business by personal contact with the sufferers. Arnot.—The objects on which mercy is exercised are as numerous as the wants and calamities incident to human nature. The merciful man labors, as far as his means allow, to instruct the ignorant; to reclaim the wanderer; to shelter the persecuted; to console the mourner; to forget injuries; to relieve the indigent; to comfort the sick. If this world's goods are wanting to him, he offers the tribute of Christian sympathy, and beseeches God for their support. Pitman. 32. The wicked is thrust down in his evil-doing. There are dark and real penalties to come in another life which the sacred writers dimly show to us. It is no part of my business to enlarge upon these solemn warnings. An inspired man may do it. But let me remind you that terror is a legitimate weapon to which to appeal, and, unwelcome and unfashionable as its use is nowadays, it is one of the weapons in the armory of the true preacher of God's Word. I believe we Christian ministers would do more if we were less chary of speaking out "the terror of the Lord." Such appeals are legitimate, and such terror is a part of the Divine Revelation. The clearer, the tenderer, the more stringent the beseechings of the love and the warnings of Christ's voice, the more solemn the consequences if we stop our ears to it. Better to hear it now, when it warns, and pleads, and beseeches, and comforts, and hallows, and quickens, than to hear it first when it rends the tombs and shakes the earth, and summons all to judgment, and condemns some to the outer darkness to which they had first condemned themselves. A. M. The righteous hath hope in his death. These words have no meaning except on the supposition of a future state; for hope always looks forward and has respect unto something that is future; but if death puts an end to our being, what hope can the righteous have in his death any more than the wicked; or how can either of them have any hope at all? This hope can be built on nothing but the belief of the soul's immortality, and a future state of retribution. Ibbot.—This proverb draws the fearful contrast between the wicked and the righteous in their death, and leaves us to infer the yet more fearful contrast in their respective destinies in the life beyond. The wicked are pressed and forced along by resistless agencies of disease or disaster, their guilty souls shrinking, recoiling, and struggling in vain against the iron power of death and retribution. They are thrust down in their wickedness, no penitence in their hearts and no pardon from the throne of a just God, and as the antithesis of the proverb implies, with no hope, such as the righteous have in their death. H. C.—The little particle but is of amazing force in the connection of the two affirmations. The wicked dieth in his wickedness and therefore without hope; but the righteous hath hope in his death. The whole proverb is a counterpart of that passage in the New Testament, "The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord." Cheever. The Scriptures have cast sufficient light on the reality of a future state, and on the certainty of final, unending joy for the righteous. Yet darkness rests upon the manner of our exit from this world, on the nature of the human soul when separate from the body, and on the entire mode of our future existence. But here the supporting arm of the Almighty comes to our relief. In Him the Christian may trust with the most confiding assurance. Were it not, however, for this solid resting-place, the valley of the shadow of death would have no egress. He who is without God in the world cannot appeal to His sustaining power. As he was without God in life, so he must be without Him in death. This poor, dependent, weak man, when heart and flesh are failing him, in this direst exigency of his existence, has nothing out of himself to which he can flee—no mighty Deliverer on whom he can hang. If this be not the consummation of wretchedness, what can be? B. B. E.—The righteous hath hope in his death, because his hope standeth in God's own covenant grace and love, which make sinners righteous in Christ. This hope shall never forsake the righteous; it animates him in life to love and obedience; it comforts him in death against fears of wrath and terrors of hell; it inspires him with joyful assurance of a crown of righteousness in life and immortality, according to the precious promises of God, through the righteousness of Jesus. W. Mason. Death does not affect the moral character; it expends its force upon the body, but works no radical or real change in the soul. It has no power whatever to revolutionize the moral nature—to make it better or worse. In itself it can neither make a good man better nor a bad man worse. It can transfer, but cannot transform. Each person now living carries in himself at this an every moment the essential elements of either heaven or hell. By the essential elements we mean those moral qualities, those dispositions and affections of soul which fit it for the one or for the other. Were all at this moment snatched from time into eternity, such are their moral characters that they would instantly drop into their appointed and appropriate places. What a thin partition separates the saint on earth from the saint in heaven—the sinner in time from the sinner in eternity. Anon.—If life has not made you, by God's grace through faith, holy—think you, will death without faith do it? The cold waters of that narrow stream are no purifying bath in which you may wash and be clean. No, no! as you go down into them, you will come up from them. If here you have not the Holy Spirit, which makes holy your hearts, the inheritance will never be yours—never. Here, or nowhere, you must begin. And they only have that Holy Spirit who receive it through Christ, and they only are heirs of God who are content to hold their possession through Him who is the true Lord of it, and who made us joint-heirs with Himself. A. M. In one sentence at the close of the resurrection chapter, Paul brings together the three terms most terrible to man, never elsewhere united as they are here—death, sin, and the law. Death has no terror that sin does not give it; and if sin be destroyed death is resolved into a stingless accident in man's history, a mere change from what is good to something far better. Sin has an eternal terror of its own, dependent neither on death nor on the law; yet it is the law which defines and gives strength to sin; and unless the law be satisfied sin must rule forever. But in the work of the atoning Saviour these words lose their triple terror; the law is satisfied and sin is abolished, and death is translated into endless life. Then, cries the apostle, in the name of the ransomed Church, and finding a new song for this new transport: "Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" And this word is the earnest, always on the lips of the redeemed upon earth, of that greater thanksgiving when redemption shall be complete. W. B. Pope.—This life is the vestibule, and death the gateway of another. Death is an apparent end, a real beginning. A Christian's death is the true entrance upon life. He goes right on living and serving, only in a higher sphere, where fatigue and decay are unknown. He reaps the fruit and reward of service begun on earth. His powers reach a higher maturity and find a nobler field for exertion. The sun that sets on this horizon rises on another and a far broader one. Dum exspiro spero. J. M. Sherwood. (Last printed words.) Death cannot separate from the love of God. Death does not change the spirit, it only liberates it. We have the assurance in the words of Christ, in the resurrection of Christ, that death does not destroy the soul. Rather, it sets the soul free from the lassitude and inactiveness of the body. The body hampers and manacles the soul. Now, can you conceive that death, which so adds to the spirit, can separate from the love of God? Death does not affect our love for our departed friends, save to augment it. How much more will it but augment the love of God! No, says the apostle, and our conscious and sentient being responds, Death cannot separate from the love of God. R. S. S.—Death will mean to us birth, deliverance, a new creation of ourselves. It will be what health is to the sick man, what home is to the exile, what the loved one given back is to the bereaved. As we draw near to it, a solemn gladness should fill our hearts. It is God's great morning lighting up the sky. The night with its terrors, its darkness, its feverish dreams, is passing away; and when we awake, it will be into the sunlight of God. Merriam.—Then make thoughts of death the exercise of thy life. Believe, as Jesus believed, that thy Father in heaven has appointed the hour of thy death, and that thy thoughts of death do not move the hour a single minute either backward or forward. Look at death in the death of Jesus, and it is then a friendly angel. Let the death of Jesus drive away death, and bring life before the soul. Think of death thus, for death in the death of Jesus is happy life. Caspars. 34. This proverb speaks of righteousness and sin as pertaining either to the government or to the general character of a people; or more probably to both, since in general the government will reflect the average sentiment and character of the people. The point of the antithesis seems to be not so much strength on the one hand and weakness on the other, as honor in the one case and shame in the other. Righteousness in the sense of rectitude, a just administration of government and a people bearing themselves justly toward each other, but especially toward other nations, will lift the nation high in honor; while on the other hand sin, in the strong sense of national outrages against the great laws of our common humanity, the oppression of the weak, unjust wars, tyrannous exactions—these are the reproach of nations. H. C.—Justice, reigning in a nation, puts an honor upon it; a righteous administration of the government, impartial equity between man and man, public countenance given to religion, the general practice and profession of virtue, the protecting and preserving of virtuous men, charity and compassion to strangers—these exalt a nation, they elevate the people's minds and qualify a nation for the favor of God, which will make them high, as a holy nation (Deut. 26:19). H. If we never go to war save when justice and righteousness require that we should do so; if our dealings with any other nation, whether weak or strong, civilized or savage, be rigidly and chivalrously upright; if our commerce be not corrupted at the fount by that horrible selfishness which sacrifices nations to its greed of gain—then we may expect and we shall receive a blessing from the God of all nations, for then the one principle of all our foreign policy will be this—to aim at ever finding our own highest good in the highest good of all mankind. Farrar.—To be known as the wisest people, so that others seek in friendly emulation to learn from us—this is an eminence any patriot well may desire for the land he loves. But this will depend on the amount of moral culture in a people—i.e., on the degree of clearness with which a people see what is right, on the measure of force they put forth in the pursuit of it, and on the firmness with which they insist on the right being paramount to any considerations of power, expediency, or gain. Not only in the individual, the family, and the social life must righteousness be the chief corner-stone of a common weal, but in those acts in which a man has to play the part of a citizen, and in which a nation has to do with other nations. Righteousness may not be eliminated from politics, nor may it play a subordinate part. Universal, eternal, unchangeable, are the laws of righteousness, and by whomsoever they are violated—by individuals, families, churches, or nations—such violation will surely be followed by remorse and shame. The truest form of moral culture is loyalty to the Divine Being and His commands. No nation ever can thrive without this. And there is as much obedience to God in the nation as is rendered to Him by individual souls, and no more. Hence it is the part of the true patriot who desires his nation's greatness to see that he is living the life which will help to make the nation great. C. C. 1. A SOFT answer turneth away wrath: But a grievous word stirreth up anger. 2 The tongue of the wise uttereth knowledge aright: But the mouth of fools poureth out folly. 3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Keeping watch upon the evil and the good. 4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: But perverseness therein is a breaking of the spirit. 5 A fool despiseth his father's correction: But he that regardeth reproof getteth prudence. 6 In the house of the righteous is much treasure: But in the revenues of the wicked is trouble. 7 The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: But the heart of the foolish doeth not so. 8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: But the prayer of the upright is his delight. 9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: But he loveth him that followeth after righteousness. 10 There is grievous correction for him that forsaketh the way: And he that hateth reproof shall die. 11 Sheol and Abaddon are before the LORD: How much more then the hearts of the children of men! 12 A scorner loveth not to be reproved: He will not go unto the wise. 13 A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: But by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken. 14 The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: But the mouth of fools feedeth on folly. 15 All the days of the afflicted are evil: But he that is of a cheerful heart hath a continual feast. 16 Better is little with the fear of the LORD, Than great treasure and trouble therewith. 17 Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, Than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. 18. A wrathful man stirreth up contention : But he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife. 19. The way of the sluggard is as an hedge of thorns : But the path of the upright is made an high way. 20. A wise son maketh a glad father : But a foolish man despiseth his mother. 21. Folly is joy to him that is void of wisdom : But a man of understanding maketh straight his going. 22. Where there is no counsel, purposes are disappointed : But in the multitude of counsellors they are established. 23. A man hath joy in the answer of his mouth : And a word in due season, how good is it ! 24. To the wise the way of life goeth upward, That he may depart from Sheol beneath. 25. The LORD will root up the house of the proud : But he will establish the border of the widow. 26. Evil devices are an abomination to the LORD : But pleasant words are pure. 27. He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house : But he that hateth gifts shall live. 28. The heart of the righteous studieth to answer : But the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things. 29. The LORD is far from the wicked : But he heareth the prayer of the righteous. 30. The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart : And good tidings make the bones fat. 31. The ear that hearkeneth to the reproof of life Shall abide among the wise. 32. He that refuseth correction despiseth his own soul : But he that hearkeneth to reproof getteth understanding. 33. The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom ; And before honour goeth humility. 1. AN answer soft, in the sense of mild and soothing, turns back wrath ; abates its virus, averts its aim, makes the wrathful man ashamed. But irritating words, such as cause pain, fire up the passion of anger to fury. Even gentle tones of voice and a quiet manner and bearing have a marvellous power to turn away wrath ; even as sharp and violent tones on the contrary excite angry passions to a fiercer flame H. C. —“ A soft answer” is the only effective answer in the way of good results. A severe, sharp manner in response to offensive words or conduct, no matter what the provocation, is the poorest of all vindications, and is certain not to mollify but intensify the spirit that assaults our good name. Gentle words, a forgiving spirit, will do what hard blows and angry epithets and a belligerent attitude never did and never can accomplish. J. M. Sherwood. Cold words freeze people, hot words scorch them, bitter words make them bitter, and wrathful words make them wrathful. Kind words produce their own image on men’s souls ; and a beautiful image it is. They smooth, and quiet, and comfort the hearer. Pascal. — Hasty words rankle the wound ; soft language dresses it ; forgiveness cures it ; and oblivion takes away the scar. It is more noble by silence to avoid an injury, than by argument to overcome it. Quarles. — Kind words cost no more than unkind ones. Kind words produce kind actions, not only on the part of those to whom they are addressed, but on the part of those by whom they are employed ; and this habitually in virtue of the principle of association. Jeremy Bentham. Making use of the gentlest and least grating terms that we can will be extremely beneficial ; and accordingly it follows here that “ grievous words stir up anger.” But if such begin to present themselves and struggle for vent, we must resolve to utter as few of any sort as possible ; or, if it become requisite, none at all ; but shut fast the door of our lips till the mastiff within hath done barking. It is a painful restraint, but if we will remain masters of ourselves, it is absolutely necessary. For one hasty expression bursting out makes freer way for another, till at last the banks are levelled, and the torrent carries all before it. “ A patient man, therefore, will bear for a time, and afterward joy shall spring up unto him. He will hide his words for a time, and the lips of many shall declare his wisdom” (Eccl. 1 : 23, 24). Archbishop Secker. 2. Tongue of the wise. The power of speech and the use we make of it cannot be overlooked. It is a talent, and not a mean or trivial one, which we all possess. We hold it in trust. We are to use it as stewards who are to give account. This is, indeed, a high standard, but it is the true one. E. H. G. — What a man wants to do in talking is to get and to give as much of the best and most real life that belongs to the two talkers as the time will let him. Life is short, and conversation apt to run to mere words. O. W. Holmes. Uttereth knowledge aright. Think of the true end of knowledge; and endeavor not after it for curiosity, contention, or the sake of despising others; nor yet for profit, reputation, power, or any such inferior consideration; but solely for the occasions and uses of life; all along conducting and perfecting it in the spirit of benevolence. Bacon. 3. The eye is the best possible symbol from the material world to represent the piercing, pervading, perfect knowledge of the omniscient mind. To say “they are in every place” gives us the conception of His omnipresence, reaching every possible sphere and mode of created existence, showing that the darkness and the light are both alike to Him, and that there is no hiding in any secret place where His mind shall not know our thoughts and deeds most perfectly. The word for “beholding” means scanning, searching out, the term commonly used for the responsible service of the watchman whose sole concern is to see. The words, “the evil and the good,” mean evil men and good men—the responsible agents who are doing either evil or good. The infinite God is bound to take cognizance of their doings. This proverb puts a great and vital truth in its most practical form. H. C. The eye of God is upon every hour of my existence. His Spirit is intimately present with every thought of my heart. His presiding influence keeps by me through the whole current of my restless and ever-changing history. When I walk by the wayside He is along with me. Go where I will, He tends me, watches me, and cares for me. Amid all my forgetfulness of Him, He never forgets me. Chalmers.—The right state of mind plainly is, to have the thought of God's presence so perpetually at hand that it shall always start before us whenever it is wanted. So that, whenever we are on the point of doing or saying anything cowardly, or mean, or false, or impure, or proud, or conceited, or unkind, the remembrance that God is looking on shall instantly flash across us and help us to beat down our enemy. This is living with God. And this perpetual though not always conscious sense of God's presence would, if we would let it have its perfect work, gradually act on our characters just as the presence of our fellow-men does. We cannot live long with men without catching something of their manner, of their mode of thought, of their character, of their government of themselves. So by living in the presence of God we shall assuredly learn something of a heavenly tone, and shake off some of that coarse worldliness, that deeply ingrained selfishness, that silly pride and conceit which now spoils our very best service. Bishop Temple. 6. A great treasure is in the house of the righteous, since there dwells content, which gratefully esteems what highest love bestows, and though his earthly portion be but scant, enjoys more real happiness than falls to the lot of fortune's favorite. There dwells love, which binds hearts as walls are bound, only to part in dust and ruins; love which makes imparted joy more sweet and sorrow shared the lighter. And where love dwells, there dwells God! God from above, God from within; God before our eyes, God in the heart; God in prosperity, God in pain; God as guide of soul and mind, God in light and darkness; is there, can there be, treasure greater than this? No, answers every heart that God has touched. How different the household which the end of the proverb pictures: "but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble!" Sin poisons all—the kindest household, the richest treasure, the most happy marriage. Household piety is thus the only key to household happiness, the means by which even our family distresses, our cares and wants, are changed to gold refined, since if God be for us, who or what can be against us? Van O. 7. The true way to make pure and wholesome our own share in the ceaseless tide of words which is forever flowing around us, is to strive to make pure and wholesome the heart within. If once our hearts have been trained to care very deeply for what is best and purest in life, for what is beautiful and true in thought, our heartiest mirth, our freest words, will not be those of men and women who are indifferent, who care nothing for noble living, nothing for a Christian life, nothing for a Christian spirit. Dean Bradley.—Keep clear of personalities in general conversation. Talk of things, objects, thoughts. The smallest minds occupy themselves with persons. Do not needlessly report ill of others. And, as far as possible, dwell on the good side of human beings. There are family boards where a constant process of depreciating, assigning motives, and cutting up character, goes forward. They are not pleasant places. One who is healthy does not wish to dine at a dissecting-table. There is evil enough in men, God knows. But it is not the mission of every young man and woman to detail and report it all. Keep the atmosphere as pure as possible and fragrant with gentleness and charity. J. Hall. 8. The sacrifice offered by the wicked God abhors for the twofold reason—that it lacks sincerity, love, the element of true worship and homage; and also, that it has sinister ends in view, e.g., to propitiate God's favor upon a heart and life of sin; to buy an indulgence; it being an effort to offset so much cost of sacrifice against the permission to go on in sin and rebellion without incurring the awful penalties thereof. On the other hand, the mere prayer of the upright, even though he may have no costly sacrifice to give, is God's delight. The offering of the heart insures His favor. H. C. 10. Shall die. If this phraseology has a meaning which is intelligible, it would seem to be that the idea of future retribution must have entered into the minds of those who employed it. No other meaning, which is both significant and true, can well be attached to it. M. S. 11. Sheol, meaning the underworld, the supposed abode of the dead, thought of as the deepest and darkest of all places. The word for "destruction" (abaddon), corresponding to the Greek apollon (English, apollyon), is here another name for the same place. The proverb affirms that this deepest and darkest of places is not too dark for the eye of God to pierce through, but is present to His view, all exposed and naked before Him. How much more then must this be true of the hearts of all the sons of men? The sentiment is therefore essentially the same as in v. 3 above. H. C. 12. God made both tears and laughter, and both for kind purposes: Tears hinder sorrows from becoming despair and madness; and laughter is one of the very privileges of reason, being confined to the human species. Locke. —A cheerful spirit, under the government of wisdom and grace, is a great ornament to religion, puts a further lustre upon the beauty of holiness, and makes men the more capable of doing good. H. —Cheerfulness must be genuine, not put on as a mask that can be removed at pleasure; it must be the outcome of a healthy soul, the shining forth of the light that is within you, the real, actual cheerfulness of one who is not insensible to the troubles and trials of this life, but who lives above them and endures them with cheerful patience because he is true to his convictions of Christian life beyond. Hallock. Every tendency, feeling, and desire of which we are conscious was implanted in us by God for some wise and good purpose. The mere fact that our mouth can be filled with laughter seems to prove that God designed us to use the power for good ends. Those ends are such as these: the relaxation and refreshment of the mind after labor or sorrow or other severe tension; the encouragement of vigorous work by the pleasure attaching to success; the promotion of that spirit of cordial fellowship and good-will which may be ennobled and sanctified into brotherly kindness and Christian charity. Mirth may intrude into times and places from which it should be excluded; it may degenerate into irreverence and frivolity. He who is frivolous regards everything in a ludicrous or trifling aspect, whether it is some high effort of the intellect, some sublime truth or noble action, or the very revelations of Christ's Gospel. Such is not the condition of him who remembers the duties which he owes to the kind and loving Father who endowed us with the capacity of enjoyment, who knows that his first duty is to serve God and sacrifice his own inclinations, and so accepts laughter and cheerfulness as merciful recreations to the real work of life. Bishop Cotton. 15. Cheerfulness, which is lasting and diffuses itself over all our actions and enjoyments, is not merely like a feast which is temporary, but is like a perpetual feast, i.e., an enduring source of pleasure. M. S.—Life to the cheerful is as one perpetual banquet, whether he be poor or rich. That which disturbs the feast is anxiety, the "taking thought" of Matt. 6:34. E. H. P. Between levity and cheerfulness there is a wide distinction; and the mind which is most open to levity is frequently a stranger to cheerfulness. Levity may be the forced production of folly or vice; cheerfulness is the natural offspring of wisdom and virtue only. The one is an occasional agitation; the other a permanent habit. The one degrades the character; the other is perfectly consistent with the dignity of reason, and the steady and manly spirit of religion. Instead of those fallacious hopes of perpetual festivity with which the world would allure us, religion confers upon us a cheerful tranquillity. Instead of dazzling us with meteors of joy which sparkle and expire, it sheds around us a calm and steady light, more solid, more equal, and more lasting. Blair.—Mirth is short and transient, cheerfulness fixed and permanent. Those are often raised into the greatest transports of mirth who are subject to the greatest depressions of melancholy. On the contrary, cheerfulness, though it does not give the mind such an exquisite gladness, prevents us from falling into any depths of sorrow. Mirth is like a flash of lightning, that breaks through a gloom of clouds, and glitters for a moment; cheerfulness keeps up a kind of daylight in the mind, and fills it with a steady and perpetual serenity. The cheerful state of mind is a constant habitual gratitude to the great Author of nature. An inward cheerfulness is an implicit praise and thanksgiving to Providence under all its dispensations. It is a kind of acquiescence in the state wherein we are placed, and a secret approbation of the Divine will in His conduct toward man. Addison. 16. This sentiment is at once plain and rich. The blessing of God on the humblest crust of bread is sweeter than the abundance of earthly riches, with trouble ever attending. "The fear of the Lord" is used here in the large sense of true piety, including love and trust. It is the filial spirit of sonship, reposing in the universal providence of a Great Father, and rejoicing in His wisdom to withhold as truly as in His bounty to bestow. The trouble incident to "great treasure" is rarely estimated at its full measure. Men are not wont to consider how many have lost their reason under the perpetual strain of the cares and anxieties of a great estate. Over against this, how blessed are those who have only the more of God's presence and love, as they have less of earth and of things earthly! H. C.—Hard work brings health, and an ounce of health is worth a sack of diamonds. It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy that makes happiness. There is more sweet in a spoonful of sugar than in a cask of vinegar. It is not the quantity of our goods, but the blessing of God on what we have that makes us truly rich. Spurgeon.—Abundance loads more than it fills, and men's wealth only heightens their wants. The rich man oftener wants a stomach and rest than the poor man wants meat and a bed to lie on. Fleming. 17. Even leaving the favor and love of God out of account, there are things in the line of the social affections which far more than counterbalance the ills of frugal or even meagre fare. A dinner of herbs, with the sweet charities of the heart superadded, stands indefinitely far before the stall-fed ox, served up amid the asperities and malignities of cherished hate. H. C.—It is better to have peace without plenty than plenty without peace. Where there is but a slender subsistence, an uninterrupted interchange of mutual endearments among those of the same family imparts a more solid satisfaction than to fare sumptuously every day. Seed 19. The proverb condenses a parable. The slothful goes on his journey, and for him the path is thick set with thorns, briars, fences, through which he cannot force his way. For "the righteous" (better, upright), the same path is as the broad raised causeway of the king's highway. (Compare Isa. 40:3.) E. H. P.—Here is lively represented, how laborious sloth proveth in the end; for when things are deferred to the last instant, and nothing prepared beforehand, every step findeth a brier or an impediment, which catcheth or stoppeth. Bacon. "The way of the slothful man," the course which the sluggard taketh in going about his affairs, "is as a hedge of thorns," is slow and hard; for he goeth creeping about his business; yea, his fears and griefs prick him and stay him like thorns and briars. "But the path of the righteous is as a paved causeway." The order which the godly man taketh is most plain and easy, who so readily runneth on in the works of his calling as if he walked on a paved causeway. P. Muffet. 22. The best of plans need wisdom for their effective execution. Since all men, though wise, do not look from the same standpoint, and hence see various aspects of the same thing, it comes to pass that “a multitude of counsellors” enhances the probability of attaining the best wisdom and the safest results. H. C. 23. If we speak wisely and well, it will redound to our own comfort and to the advantage of others. A man has joy by the answer of his mouth; he may take a pleasure but by no means a pride in having spoken so acceptably and well that the hearers say, "How good is it, and how much good does it do!" H.—A word spoken in due season, how good is it! There is the word of warning; the word of encouragement; the word of sympathy; the word of congratulation; the word of explanation and apology. To be in any sense "a son of consolation," to be able to make life a little sweeter for others, good a little easier, evil a little more hated and despised, this would be a high privilege for the oldest as well as the youngest among us. Words can do much in this Christian work. Think of the blessing involved in these words of Isaiah, "The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary." If God has not given to each of us the tongue of the learned, He has given to each, if we will but use it, the tongue of truth, of kindness, of purity, of sympathy. H. M. Butler. Sympathy does not lighten a burden of sorrow, but it does help the burdened one to bear his load. If, therefore, you know of a sorrow which presses another's heart, give expression to your sympathy with him, even though you understand that he alone must struggle under the weight of his burden. In one sense your words cannot help him; in another sense they can. Speak them out, therefore, for what they may be worth. He will be grateful for them, and you will be the better for their speaking. H. C. T.—Who can tell the power for good or evil of but one sentence falling on a fellow-creature's ear, or estimate the mighty series of emotions, purposes and actions, of which one articulate breath may be the spring? "A word spoken in season, how good is it?" In another sense than the poet's, all words are winged, and imagination can illy track their flight. Evil or idle words may seem as they are uttered—light and trivial things; yet if light, they are like the filaments of the thistle down—each feathery tuft floating on the slightest breeze bears with it the germ of a noxious weed. Good, kind, true, holy words dropped in conversation may be little thought of, too, but they are like seeds of flower or fruitful tree falling by the wayside, borne by some bird afar, haply thereafter to fringe with beauty some barren mountain-side, or to make glad some lonely wilderness. North British Review. 24. Upward.** The wise man's chosen way of living tends upward, far as possible away from the deep abyss of perdition beneath. The proverb seems to involve these two ideas: that he aims to remove himself as far as possible from the place and the doom of the wicked; and that such is in fact the result of his chosen path of life. H. C.—He that is truly wise has his affections and conversation above, and in the holy way of obedience walketh to eternal life. Bishop H. 26. The thoughts and words of the pure, being, like themselves, clean, honest, and sincere, are pleasant words and pleasant thoughts, well pleasing to the holy God who delights in purity. It may be understood both of their devotions to God and of their discourses with men tending to edification. Both are then pleasant when they come from a pure, a purified heart. H.—Speech is a man's most spiritual act, has the least of the material about it, and most of the immaterial. Speech marries body and soul together, takes as little as possible of the body, the mere breath of the mouth, air made audible and articulated, and is, for all the rest, in its life and meaning wholly spiritual. A man's speech, therefore, is his chief and best manifestation of character. An uncontrolled and conscienceless tongue is the sign of a soul conscienceless and uncontrolled. On the contrary, an offenceless tongue is evidence of perfectness in life. Budiington.—Burnet bore this testimony to Leighton: "I never heard him say a word in conversation that was not to edification. I never met him in his house but there was something in his look which did me good." J. Clements. 28. The emphasis lies on the contrast between the "studying" of the wise before he answers and the hasty "bubbling" or babbling of the foolish. Within the limits of human wisdom and experience the "studying" is right. E. H. P. 29. The promises made to prayer form the main body of all the promises in the Bible. The instances of good connected with it and obtained by it form a rich portion of the sacred history. And then, all the good men, from the beginning of time to this hour, have practised it. God has heard from earth, from every man that ever loved, feared, and served Him. With all good men it has been the primary expedient in seeking to be happy. It has been the grand resource in seeking truth, in performing duty, in resisting temptation, in bearing affliction, and in preparing to meet death. Foster.—If we pray for any earthly blessing we must pray for it solely "if it be God's will, if it be for our highest good!" but for all the best things we may pray without misgiving, without reservation, certain that if we ask God will grant them, for what we desire we ask, and what we ask we aim at, and what we aim at we shall attain. No man ever yet asked to be, as the days pass by, more and more noble, and sweet, and pure, and heavenly-minded, no man ever yet prayed that the evil spirits of hatred, and pride, and passion, and worldliness might be cast out of his soul, without his petition being granted and granted to the letter. Farrar. All prayer that is in faith includes the leaving it to God to give or to withhold the thing desired, as He sees to be best. And the more a child of God knows of his own liability to be mistaken in his thought of what is for his good, the readier he is to leave the decision, in every case, trustfully with God. Both reason and faith combine to convince the Christian believer that his prayers should always have in them the substance of the quaint prayer of old Thomas Fuller: "Lord, grant me one suit, which is this: Deny me all suits which are bad for me." H. C. T.—A petition may be refused in love; in which case it is not really refused, but rather granted in a higher shape than was contemplated by the asker. There is a beautiful passage in his Confessions, where, concerning some prayers of his mother, Monica, Augustine observes, God gave heed to the hinge of her desire, though He did not yield her the boon exactly by the means through which she sought it. Her desire and earnest prayer was that her son might not sail for Italy, so did she dread for him the dangers and temptations which he would encounter at Rome; he sailed notwithstanding, and it was there at length that he found Christ. Trench. 30. Light of the eyes. The brightness which shines in the eyes of one whose heart and face are alike full of joy. Such a look by itself acts with a healing and quickening power. E. H. P. 32. Here again we meet with that peculiar and forcible idiom of the Hebrew, despiseth his own soul, i.e., treats it as though he despised it—makes no provision for its safety and welfare. The phrase is of the same tenor as the following: All that hate Me love death; he that cometh to Me, and hateth not his father, etc. M S. 33. Before honor is humility. To stand low in one's own esteem is thus a first condition of standing high in the esteem of others, the wise and the good. Discreet men award honor most freely to those who seem not only worthy to receive, but able to bear it. H. C.—Humility is always ready to give place; pride is always disputing about preference. If we look narrowly into the world, we find that few people are heartily willing to be below others; the greatest number think of nothing but gaining a superiority. The primary or first place in humility is the only one to which we are permitted to aspire. Quarles. The answer of Augustine to the question, "What is the first thing in religion?" Humility. "And what the second?" Humility. "And what the third?" Humility. Augustine said truly, when speaking of pride, "That which first overcame man is the last thing he overcomes." Anon.—Humility is the same disposition which the Psalmist called a "broken heart," and that consciousness of need which Jesus had in view when He said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit." So far as it has respect to God, it is that docility which is willing to learn what God teaches; that conscious penury which is willing to accept whatever God proffers; that submissiveness which is willing to do what God desires, and to endure whatever God deems needful. And so far as it has respect to man, it is that self-oblivion which is not indignant at being overlooked; that modesty which is not aware of its own importance; that considerateness which, in reproving sin and in trying to rescue the sinner, recognizes a brother or sister in the same condemnation, and in this development it is near of kin to that charity “which envieth not; which vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked.” Hamilton. Divine revelation is the only system which, either in ancient or in modern times, assigns to humility the rank of a virtue, or makes provision for its cultivation. It assigns to it the highest place, and a sort of pre-eminence among the graces of piety; bestows upon it the greatest commendations, enforces it by the most powerful motives, encourages it by the richest promises, draws it into exercise by the most splendid examples, and represents it as the brightest jewel in the Christian's crown. Everything in the Word of God is calculated to humble us; the description which it contains of the Divine character, combining an infinitude of greatness, goodness, and glory, compared with which the loftiest being is an insignificant atom and the purest heart as depravity itself; the view it gives us of innumerable orders of created intelligences, all above man in the date of their existence, the capacity of their minds, and the elevation of their virtue; the account it preserves of the intellectual and moral perfection of man in his pristine innocence, the discovery which it thus furnishes of the height from which he has fallen and the contrast it thus draws between his present and his former nature; the declaration it makes of the purity of the eternal law, and the immeasurable depth at which we are seen to lie beneath our obligations; the history it exhibits of the circumstances of man's fall, of the progress of his sin, and of the numberless and awful obliquities of his corruptions; the characteristics it affixes to his situation as a sinner, an enemy of God, a child of wrath; the method it presents by which he is redeemed from sin and hell—a scheme which he neither invented, nor thought of, nor aided, but which is a plan of grace, from first to last, even the grace of God, manifested in and through the propitiation of Christ—a plan which, in all its parts, and in all its bearings, seems expressly devised to exclude boasting. J. A. J. 1. THE preparations [or, plans] of the heart belong to man: But the answer of the tongue is from the LORD. 2. All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes: But the LORD weigheth the spirits. 3. Commit thy works unto the LORD, And thy thoughts shall be established. 4. The LORD hath made every thing for its own end: Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. 5. Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: Though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished. 6. By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: And by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil. 7. When a man's ways please the LORD, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. 8. Better is a little with righteousness Than great revenues with injustice. 9. A man's heart deviseth his way: But the LORD directeth his steps. 10. A divine sentence is in the lips of the king: His mouth shall not transgress in judgment. 11. A just balance and scales are the LORD's: All the weights of the bag are his work. 12. It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: For the throne is established by righteousness. 13. Righteous lips are the delight of kings; And they love him that speaketh right. 14. The wrath of a king is as messengers of death: But a wise man will pacify it. 15. In the light of the king's countenance is life; And his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain. 16. How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! Yea, to get understanding is rather to be chosen than silver. 17. The high way of the upright is to depart from evil: He that keepeth his way preserveth his soul. 18. Pride goeth before destruction, And an haughty spirit before a fall. 19. Better it is to be of a lowly spirit with the poor, Than to divide the spoil with the proud. 20. He that giveth heed unto the word shall find good: And whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he. 21. The wise in heart shall be called prudent: And the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning. 22. Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it: But the correction of fools is their folly. 23. The heart of the wise instructeth his mouth, And addeth learning to his lips. 24. Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, Sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. 25. There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, But the end thereof are the ways of death. 26. The appetite of the labouring man laboureth for him; For his mouth craveth it of him. 27. A worthless man deviseth [or, diggeth up] mischief: And in his lips there is as a scorching fire. 28. A froward man scattereth abroad strife: And a whisperer separateth chief friends. 29. A man of violence enticeth his neighbour, And leadeth him in a way that is not good. 30. He that shutteth his eyes, it is to devise froward things: He that compresseth his lips bringeth evil to pass. 31. The hoary head is a crown of glory, If it be found in the way of righteousness. 32. He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; And he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. 33. The lot is cast into the lap; But the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD. 1-7. THESE proverbs have, more than any other group, a specially religious character impressed on them. The name of Jehovah as Giver, Guide, Ruler, or Judge meets us in each of them. E. H. P. 1. Preparations of the heart, are what the heart devises or intends. But answer of the tongue, is an answer to that which the tongue utters—viz., its requests. God only can accomplish what is desired. M. S.—To man pertains the disposing, the ordering of his heart; the government of his thoughts; the formation of his purposes; the shaping of his petitions in prayer; but to God pertains the answering of his requests, the successful issue of his schemes. Apparently the sentiment of the proverb may cover both the offering of prayer with its answer from the Lord, and the shaping of man's plans with their ultimate issues, which are determined through the agencies of God's providence. H. C. 2. All moralists have recognized the truth of the first clause. We are blind to our own faults, do not see ourselves as others see us. Here, however, there is the true remedy against self-deceit. There is One who tries not the "ways" only, but the "spirits," a "discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." E. H. P.—The Scriptures do not represent God as a mere spectator, but as a witness and judge, who ponders the thought and action with all their circumstances, and makes a just and righteous estimation of them: "I know, and am a witness, saith the Lord." "The Lord is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed." Nay, "the Lord weigheth the spirits." He, as it were, puts them into a balance, so exactly poised that the smallest grain will turn the scale. R. W. 3. Commit; literally, "roll," as a man transfers a burden from his own back to one stronger and better able to bear it. Compare Psalm 22:8; 37:5. Thoughts, or the plans or counsels out of which the works spring. E. H. P.—Having formed your plans in the fear of God, seek the aid of His providence in their execution; so shall they be established. The original is expressive, "Roll your doings over upon the Lord;" devolve upon Him the ordering of all the events which are to affect you. He will make your plans firm, successful. H. C. Roll thy works upon the Lord, roll the burden of thy care from thyself upon God; not only the works of thy hand, but the workings of thy heart; and then leave it with Him by faith and dependence upon Him, submission and resignation to Him; the will of the Lord be done. We may then be easy when we resolve that whatever pleases God shall please us. H.—Duties are ours; events are the Lord's. It is our part to see how we may be approved of Him; and how we may roll the weight of our weak souls, in well-doing, upon Him who is God omnipotent. When what we thus pursue miscarries, it shall neither be our sin nor our cross. Gurnall. Committing our works to the Lord is to leave them trustfully in God's hand. If a man has made good conscience of his work in the sight of the Searcher of hearts, and has spared no honest endeavor, he may then with a quiet heart resign the result to God. It may be something in your business—some step in life of the greatest importance to your own welfare and to that of your family. It may be the health or hazard of the life of some dear friend. You are to go to the edge of your own efforts, both in thinking and doing, and then you are to hand over your work to His keeping who has the blessing that makes rich and adds no sorrow. And then there are cases where the work can be left in God's hand only by our trying to forget it. There are some things which fasten on us with such absorbing interest that they unfit us for everything else. We have done all we can, and yet we brood over the past; we cannot take a step forward, and yet we torment ourselves with the future. It becomes us then to make a resolute effort to cast away the thought of it. There is no better way than to occupy ourselves with something else till the time comes for God to ripen the result. Ker. It is the will of God that we should in everything make our requests known to Him by prayer and supplication; not to inform or move Him, but to qualify ourselves for the mercy. The waterman in the boat, that with the hook takes hold of the shore, doth not thereby pull the shore to the boat, but the boat to the shore; so in prayer we do not draw the mercy to ourselves, but ourselves to the mercy. H.—We should try to make our daily prayers bear pointedly on our everyday life—on its duties and temptations, its trials and mercies—not praying into the vague and indefinite, but shooting at a mark—"I will direct my prayer to Thee." Ker.—We ought not to think little things of no importance, and not to be afraid to pray to God about little things as well as great. There are two reasons which prove that God does not disdain to attend to little things: First, He has made many more little things than great, and has made the greatest things to depend on the least; and second, God is so great, that the difference between what we call great and little is to Him as nothing; and He is so wise, that nothing—not a thought or atom—is small enough to escape His eye. E. R. Conder. Commit your way, without reserve, to the great Guide who counts the steps of every single day: not seeking active work when He commands us to sit still, nor yet desiring a continuance of rest when He is beckoning on us to mount the hill—such is the patience and the perseverance of the saints! Cling more closely to the unseen One, just in proportion as you find less satisfaction with that which is seen; and look more longingly to heaven, the less you find on earth—whether around you or before—that promises but little good. Thank God—although it may not be without many tears—for everything that makes you hang more loosely to this earth; and pray that, whatsoever else may disappear, faith may not fail—that patience, too, may have her perfect work. And above all, never let your peace and comfort hang on the fulfilment of a single wish, or look for something quite unusual when life goes smoothly onward in its wonted course, monotonous and slow. Judge of your progress less by any joy which you experience than by the fruit you bear; and let your next great test be whether these two things grow daily dearer to your heart—the cross which God appoints you on this earth, the crown which He reserves for you in heaven! Van O. 4. The Lord hath wrought everything for its own end. "Hath ordered all things well," and this includes the appointment of an "evil day" for "the wicked," who deserve it. E. H. P.—Everything is made in accordance with its correspondence, i.e., with the design or purpose to which it answers. The wicked are fitted, by their temper and conduct, for the day of retribution. It is an ordinance of God that they shall receive that retribution which is the answer, or that which corresponds, to their conduct. That "God made everything and every man, to answer the purposes which it or he does actually answer," cannot be denied, unless we maintain that things and men are what they are, contrary to His will. When the text says that God made the wicked for the day of evil, I understand it as meaning that God has so arranged things that punishment will certainly follow the commission of sin unless averted by repentance. He has connected together sinning and suffering, so that there can be no escape for the impenitent sinner. M. S. This text may be rendered, "God hath ordained everything to that which is fit to it, and the wicked hath He ordained for the day of evil"—that is, the wisdom of God hath fitted one thing to another, punishment to sin, the evil day to the evil-doer. Archbishop Tillotson.—Though God made man He did not make evil; sin is no part of His creation. But although He be not the author of sin, yet He controls and overrules the effects of it, making even the wicked themselves to be instruments of His will, to correct His offending servants or to try their patience; or else to be the executioners of His justice in punishing the ungodly and impenitent. Thus it is that "the Lord hath made all things for Himself," and His own glory: good men to glorify Him as objects of mercy; the wicked as instruments or examples of His "justice in the day of evil." Wogan. It is doubly important to understand this proverb: First, because it does teach a great truth; and second, because it does not teach a certain great error which has been sometimes imputed to it. The word "made" cannot be restricted to creative work, but legitimately includes all the doings of God—works of providence more specifically than works of creation. The Lord works all things in the sense of shaping events and determining issues with special reference to retribution for moral good or evil done by His moral subjects. The Lord works everything for its own purpose, i.e., He makes results and issues correspond to the human agencies involved in them. He makes the final result of every earthly life correspond to what that life has been. The sense of the proverb is that simply in accordance with the great, eternal law of fitness, God brings upon the wicked the destiny of suffering. There is a just and righteous correspondence between the moral activities of His creatures and the reward which a just God will bestow therefor. This has its special manifestation as between sin and suffering; the moral evil that is wickedly, rebelliously done by His creatures, and the evil of suffering righteously inflicted by their Supreme King and Judge. Unfortunately this proverb has sometimes been tortured to say that God has created the wicked for the sake of punishing them, i.e., in order to secure the good results of it in His moral universe. This doctrine has been made specially objectionable by associating it with a practical denial of free moral agency—by assuming that, to accomplish His ends in creating sinners for perdition, God holds them to a life of sinning by a law of necessity which they cannot break. Nothing can be wider from the truth than this, or more repugnant to every sentiment of benevolence or even of justice. We need to remember that God punishes the wicked for their voluntary rebellion against His authority—for their purposed antagonism toward all righteousness, goodness, and truth. We need to distinguish broadly between God's supposed creating of sinners in order that they may sin, that so He may damn them for the good to come from it; and, on the other hand, His actually creating them that they might be obedient and so be blest, and then punishing them only because they will not obey Him, but will perversely scorn their Maker, disown His authority, abuse His love, and set at nought all His efforts to reclaim and save them. Our proverb affirms that in this sense God shapes the destiny of the wicked to their just doom of suffering. When they absolutely will consecrate themselves to sinning and to rebellion, the only use God can make of them is to give them their just doom of woe, and make them an example to His moral universe. The only issue that can bear a just relation of correspondence to their horribly wicked life is this awful doom of suffering. H. C. 5. See 11:21. 6. See here, First, how the guilt of sin is taken away from us; by the mercy and truth of God, mercy in promising, truth in performing; the mercy and truth which kiss each other in Jesus Christ the Mediator; by the covenant of grace, in which mercy and truth shine so bright; by our mercy and truth, as the condition of the pardon, and a necessary qualification for it; by these, and not by the legal sacrifices (Micah 6:7, 8). Second, how the power of sin is broken in us; by the principles of mercy and truth commanding in us, the corrupt inclinations are purged out; so we may take the former part; however, by the fear of the Lord, and the influence of that fear, men depart from evil; they will not dare to sin against God who keep up in their minds a holy dread and reverence of Him. H. 7. A truly good man will be blessed of God and have peace even on the part of his enemies. They will find little to censure, and have little or no pretext for injury. Of course, this is only a general truth, to which are not a few exceptions. Such are the cases of persecution for righteousness' sake. M. S.—Not that the enemies are simply kept quiet through their knowledge that the good man is under God's protection, but that goodness has power to charm and win them to itself. E. H. P. 8. Wealth obtained in violation of justice brings with it the curse of the Almighty; sooner or later the bitterest self-condemnation, and the detestation of all the good. With stinging words of terrible truth the Apostle James puts this case (5:1-5). H. C.—Be careful rather of what thou dost than of what thou hast; for what thou hast is none of thine, and will leave thee at thy death. But what thou doest is thine, and will follow thee and plead for thee or against thee at thy resurrection. Quarles. 9. It is for man to lay his plans, the Lord only can confirm them. This rests in His good pleasure. H. C.—If men devise their way so as to make God's glory their end and His will their rule, they may expect that He will direct their steps by His Spirit and grace, so that they shall not miss their way nor come short of their end. But let men devise their worldly affairs ever so politically, and with ever so great a probability of success, yet God has the ordering of the event, and sometimes directs their steps to that which they least intended. H. We lay our plans and set about our projects exactly as though we were our own masters, without any reference to God or any suspicion whatever of His interference with us. But what takes place? Events that we did not foresee suddenly rise up and baffle us. They first hamper our schemes and then demolish them. We find out that we have been calculating in the dark. We are forced to feel that we are not our own masters nor the authors of our own destinies, that there is a hand which overrules us and all that befalls us. Our ignorance of the future brings our best-laid schemes to ruin; our ruined schemes tell us of our dependence on the world's great Master. The truth comes out—we are “under the mighty hand of God.” C. Bradley.—When our eye is keenest we see but a little of the great whole even of our own life, and that little imperfectly. The unseen hand casts the shuttle its own way, and the loom clanks and yields its many-colored threads in its own time and fashion. 'Tis true that we can affect the weaving of our own life; we can brighten the colors; we can change the very pattern in a measure. But never by criticism on the process itself; only by living, and thus furnishing better materials to Him who is making the web. The deep truth is, that what we call “things” are not much in themselves at all. The substance of things really lies partly in ourselves. We make them this or that, much or little, things of help or things of hindrance, by what we are in ourselves, and by the manner in which we receive them. Raleigh. The greatest events of our lives are those in which we have no option. It is not left to man's determination in what age of the world he shall be born; whether in Christian or in savage land; whether poor or rich; whether feeble or hardy; whether a genius or a fool; whether he shall enjoy parental care or be an orphan; whether he shall dwell in a realm of peace or have his whole character and actions moulded by revolution and war. And we might carry out the enumeration to a thousand particulars, each bearing directly on his happiness. J. W. A. Every agent in society, every element in nature, and even the angels of God are charged with some office affecting us. The connections we form, our prosperity and adversity, and every circumstance relating to our condition are of the Divine choosing. It must be so, and if it were not, we could never be conducted safely through such a world as this. None but God, having control of every influence affecting us, and adapting everything with foresight of what we are and what we need, could secure our spiritual advancement and bring us at last to glory. How suitable then that we should commit to Him the choosing of all things for us. H. H. This morning's waking was the touch of His hand. Last week's plan of life or study was looked down upon with His sympathizing notice. When you left your home the other day, your heart devised your way, but the Lord did really direct your steps. When you prayed that God would keep those you left there, your prayer was verily heard, and whether by granting or denying, it will be God Himself that answers you, the personal, listening, loving God. No God that is hid away in heartless laws, but the friendly God of each separate soul now, as of the elders and prophets, of John and James, of Peter and Simeon, of Mary Magdalen and Jairus's daughter. Judæa did not exhaust His love. He is the God of our houses and streets and schools as well; of our parents' solicitude, of our children's happiness, of our own frail feet. The Christian's God is a reality. No reality on earth so real! F. D. H. 10. Solomon thought of civil government as ordained of God, and of the king therefore as ruling under God, and, while standing in his proper relations toward God, as divinely guided in his decision. This proverb was not intended as a history of the kings of the earth. It is rather a view of their relations to God and of their consequent responsibilities and duties. If you may assume that they are acting honestly and truly for God, then these things will be true. 11. A just weight and balance. These are the Lord's in the sense that He requires them and enjoins the fair dealing which they provide for and were intended to secure. "His work," seems to imply that He enjoined their use as a safeguard against the inherent human selfishness which would otherwise develop itself in fraud or injustice. The Hebrew word for "weights" is stones, suggesting the ancient usage of small stones for weights. The dealer carried them in a bag. Hence the greater facility for deceit, since he might and sometimes did carry one set of stones to buy with and another to sell with. See 20:10 below, where this form of fraud is condemned. H. C. —God requires exact justice in all our dealings, and therefore it is our duty to take care that the weights and balance be just. Wells. 15. In the previous verse the wrath of a king has been, by a striking metaphor, represented as messengers of death. In this verse "the light of His countenance," and "His favor" supply the antithesis to his wrath; and in these is life, for the object of the royal complacency is in no danger from the messengers of death. Apply this to the King of kings, and what a sublime lesson on life! Here we have suggested the blessedness of reconciliation and the conditions of serviceableness. A holy life in its ideal combines two elements: abiding in the light and love of God and yielding fruit in service. He who is reconciled to God in Christ abides in the light of His smile. He walks in light and dwells in love, and so every condition of holiness and happiness is assured. And the same Divine favor bestows the abundance of the Spirit, the latter rain which brings fertility, which insures fruitfulness as well as holiness. Pierson. 16. How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! Better than gold! But gold is good, and he who would put forward with success the far higher worth of wisdom had better not begin his argument by putting too low an estimate on gold. Gold is full of service; has in it wondrous potencies for smoothing life-travel, lightening burdens, cheering the poor, helping the needy, and glorifying God. Yet "how much better is it to get wisdom than gold!" Gold can be but an external possession, a mere accessory of life. Wisdom is a well, a fountain, in the Christian's soul. It is fed by secret channels direct from the river of life, clear as crystal, which proceedeth from the throne of God and of the Lamb. The joy of the Lord is his strength, the strength of the Lord is his joy; and, filled from that perennial Fount of good, he lives, thrives, rejoices, utterly independent of the lack of gold. Wray. —Heavenly wisdom is better than worldly wealth and to be preferred before it. Grace is more valuable than gold. Grace is the gift of God's peculiar favor; gold only of common providence. Grace is for ourselves; gold for others. Grace is for the soul and eternity; gold only for the body and time. Grace will stand us in stead in a dying hour, when gold will do us no good. H. 17. The upright will not wittingly go in the path of evil, and therefore they turn away into another and safer way. Whoever means to remain secure must look well to the way which he takes, and adhere constantly to it. The participles here are employed to designate what is habitual and constant. M. S.—Very noticeably the way of the upright is here a highway, raised and made smooth and dry for perfect travel; not rough, or low and miry as in the state of nature. Such is the way of life which belongs to the upright. The thing said of it here is that it turns squarely away from evil—leads off to avoid all sin and so all ill. He who carefully keeps this way will preserve not merely his strength from waste and himself from weariness, but his soul from the evils that imperil human souls in this world of sin. 18. According to all social and moral law, destruction follows close upon foregoing pride. Who does not know that a proud and haughty spirit betrays folly, forfeits esteem and love, provokes the social and moral retribution that is itself destruction and a fall? If this be true in human society and under its moral laws, how much more under the righteous retributions of Jehovah's administration! H. C.—In the course of Providence it is a general rule that “pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Nebuchadnezzar was spared while he went on ravaging kingdoms and shedding blood; but when he forgot God in his pride, then he was condemned to grovel in the dust as a brute. When Rabshakeh came defying the God of Israel, it was then that he was blasted in his pride. Herod was suffered to go on in his evil and bloody deeds; it was not until he made an oration and received the idolatry of his audience, and gave not God the glory; it was not until that hour of impious pride that God smote him with death. R. Hall. 19. As the preceding proverb gives us the ruinous results of pride, this gives the worth of humility. “Dividing the spoil,” in a country for ages but too familiar with the ways of savage robbery and plunder as well as of war, was naturally significant of victory, booty, and exuberant joy. But better are the humble of heart who have sympathy with the lowly than they who associate with the proud even in their hours of most exultant hilarity. 20. "Handleth wisely," translates a Hebrew word which means simply to consider attentively, wisely, intelligently. “Matter” represents the very common Hebrew term for word, which may, however, bear the sense of thing. Hence we may choose between referring it to God’s revealed Word, or to things in general that are proper subjects of consideration. Probably the latter sense should be taken, the proverb commending serious, careful thought on all important subjects Blessed are they who add to such diligent consideration a real and hearty trust in the Lord. H. C. Faith grounds itself, solely and wholly, on an inner and vital relation of the soul to its source. . . . We stand, by the necessities of our existence, in the relationship of sons to a Father. Unless this relationship actually exists, there could be no faith; if it exists, then faith is bound to appear. . . . It is in a spirit of sonship that faith reveals and realizes itself. Faith is the spirit of confident surrender, which can only be justified by an inner identification of life. Its primary note, therefore, will be trust. Faith will ever discover, when its reason for action or belief are traced to their last source, that it arrives at a point where its only and all-sufficient plea will be “God is my Father; I am His child.” And the growth of faith means the gradual increase of the personal contact, the spiritual intimacy between Father and child. H. S. Holland. 21. Sweetness of the lips means gentle and persuasive language. This sweetness attracts listeners and so increases knowledge. 25. See 14:12 for the same. In other words, "A man may come to regard a thing as right, which in the end will prove to be destructive and fatal." How often is this maxim still verified! M. S.—It mainly applies to the man who, however many virtues he may possess, however upright he may be in the duties of life, however carefully he may attend to the outward duties of religion, does not receive it into his heart nor act on its considerations as a motive. This way of life usually seems right unto a man. He wins esteem from without, and has no accusing conscience within. But he has not the fear of God before his eyes. This approved way must end in the way of death. Improbable as it may seem that the correct liver, the blameless and upright man, should perish at last, it is but a necessary consequence from his having put by and rejected the only remedy which God has provided for the universal taint of our nature. Alford. Morality, taken as apart from religion, is just that negative species of virtue which consists in not doing what is scandalously depraved or wicked. But there is no heart of holy principle in it, any more than there is in the worst of felonies. It is the very same thing, as respects the denial of God, or the state of personal separation from God, that distinguishes all the most reprobate forms of character. A correct, outwardly virtuous man is the principle of sin well-dressed and respectably kept—nothing more. And what can we know of sin, or how can we feel our deep spiritual need, when we are living so respectably and maintain in the outward life a show of so great integrity, and even so much of refinement often in what is called virtue. True conviction of sin, how difficult is it, when its appearances and modes of life are so fair, when it twines itself so cunningly about or creeps so insidiously into our amiable qualities, and sets off its internal disorders by so many outward charms and attractions! And even if the delicate, always correct sinner keeps to his decency here, the proper end will show itself hereafter, and then it will be seen how dark, after all, how deep in criminality, how bronzed in guilty thought, is every soul becoming under even the fairest shows of virtue, coupled with neglect of God, and separated from His personal love. How necessary is it, then, that every man out of Christ, not living in any vicious practice, should make a study of this subtle, cunningly veiled character, the state of reputable sin, and study it long enough to fathom its real import. Look into the secret motives and springs of your character; inspect and study long enough to really perceive the strange, wild current of your thoughts; comprehend the deep ferment of your lusts, enmities, and passions; hunt down the selfish principle which instigates and misdirects and turns off your whole life from God, setting all your aims on issues that reject Him; ask, in a word, how this respectable sin appears when viewed inwardly; how, if unrestrained by pride and the conventional rules of decency and character, it would appear outwardly. Fathom the deep hunger of your soul, and listen to its inward wail of bondage, its mournful, unuttered cry of want after God. Ask it of the enlightening Spirit of God, that He will open to your view yourself, and make you to know all that is inmost, deepest, most hidden in the habitually veiled enormity of your sin! H. B. 27. Digs up evil—that is, obtains it as the reward of his efforts. The worthless man here seems to be described in the second clause, as a detractor, calumniator. On his lips (the words which hang upon his lips) is that which resembles a scorching fire, i.e., heated calumnious speeches. M. S.—A burning fire on his lips betokens slander—malign, Satantic slander—as if every word were hot shot, or a poisoned arrow for the bosom of friend or foe, almost without discrimination. Of such sin, what language, what figures of speech can over-paint its vileness! H. C. 30. As in 6:13, we have the physiognomy of the slanderer brought before us—the half-closed eyes that never look you straight in the face, the restlessness or cunning of which biting the lips is the surest indication. E. H. P.—Slander is diabolical. Its essence is hatred of good, and envy of those who possess it. James makes this specially heinous by declaring that to slander men is to slander God, for “man was made in the image of God.” Slander does not often employ gross methods. The terrors of the law prevent that. The medieval princes found subtle poisons that could diffuse their deadly venom through the fragrance of roses; so men offer the fragrance of praise with malevolent reservations. These are the modes of polite society, but they all spring from the same state of heart, and cannot be condemned in words stronger than the apostle’s, for he says this state of mind is “earthly, sensual, and devil-possessed.” H. W. Warren. 31. Under every dispensation the hoary head is a crown of glory to the righteous. Longevity, which in the case of the wicked only aggravates sin and its awful reckoning, affords to true believers a longer term of useful service and holy example, increased proficiency in gifts and graces, and a corresponding recompense. Old age has its appropriate beauty no less than youth. To the eye which can wisely discern there is a mature loveliness in the “shock of corn that cometh in its season.” J. W. A. It is one of the happy facts in our life that old age can be postponed. The wheel of time cannot be stopped, but the spirit can find the long-sought fountain of youth. Who can doubt that the Christian temper, manifesting itself in sweet charity, in reverence for the body as the temple of the Holy Ghost, in the expulsion of selfishness and the whole brood of un Christly tempers, in the welcome admission of whatever is of good report and in submission to the will of God—who can doubt that these preserve the youth of the spirit? No sad experience can break down the buoyancy of such a spirit. With all ages, knowledges, pure pleasures, growths, and activities, it is in sympathy. To have this is to be always young. No artist has ever painted an old angel. The fulness of the eternal life keeps them young, as it keeps those who know something of it in the life which now is. Christian Advocate. Disraeli puts these words into the mouth of one of his characters: "Youth is a blunder; manhood a struggle; old age a regret." A sad and cheerless view of life's progress that! It may be true, in measure, of a life separated from godliness; it certainly is not true of a life allied with godliness. Let there be "life and godliness," and then youth is not a blunder, but a wise purpose and a glowing hope; manhood is not a struggle only, but a conquest and a joy; old age is not a regret, but a rich memory and a glorious prospect. R. P. Macmaster. 32. Moderation of one's own passions is better than deeds of valor; and subjugation of one's own mind, than the conquest of a city. Clearly there is a high and noble moral tone in this. M. S.—Man has no capacity for power more noble than that by which he holds every passion in due self-control; no ruling is greater or better than self-ruling H. C.—He that gets and keeps the mastery of his passions, he is better than the mighty, better than he that by a long siege takes a city or by a long war subdues a country. Behold, a greater than Alexander or Cæsar is here! H.—Behold thy trophies within thee, not without thee. Lead thine own captivity captive, be Cæsar unto thyself, and enjoy that empire which every man gives himself. He who is thus his own monarch contentedly sways the sceptre of himself, not envying the glory of crowned heads and Elohims of the earth. Browne. The will is strengthened by obedience. Many suppose that real strength of the will is secured by giving it free play. Not a bit of it. You weaken it in that way. Obedience to a legitimate law is a source of moral strength and power. What is obedience? Is it submission to a power superior to your own? No. Is it weakness bowing to strength? No. Obedience is submission to an authority whose claims are admitted. If man is royal when he rules over nature, he is most royal, most imperial, when he rules himself—when he has the courage, the power, the kingly courage and power to crush himself in the presence of an authority which he has ascertained has a right to his obedience. Liddon. Spiritual strength consists of two things: power of will and power of self-restraint. It requires two things, therefore, for its existence: strong feelings and strong command over them. We mistake strong feelings for strong character. A man who bears all before him is the weak man; it is his passions that are strong; he, mastered by them, is weak. You must measure the strength of a man by the power of the feelings which he subdues, not by the power of those which subdue him. He who with strong passions remains chaste; he who, keenly sensitive, with manly power of indignation in him, can be provoked, and yet refrain himself, and forgive—these are strong men, spiritual heroes. Spiritual strength is reached by successive steps. Fresh strength is got by every mastery of self. In the spiritual warfare every sin you slay, the spirit of that sin passes into you transformed into strength; every passion, not merely kept in abeyance by asceticism, but subdued by a higher impulse, is so much character strengthened. The strength of the passion not expended is yours still. F. W. R. The strongest characters are the gentlest, and a thousand-fold more strength is shown by maintaining a meek and quiet spirit, than by giving way to rage and anger. The sweetest-tempered men in the world—those who show forth the glory of a meek spirit—are not “good-natured men,” but those who have triumphed over pain, and irritability, and fiery temperaments. To indulge or excuse anger on account of natural temperament or infirmity is simply to foster and feed a malignant temper, until at last it will rage and rule within like the devils in the demoniac of Gadara. There is nothing pleasurable, or great, or noble, in anger, that any one should seek to keep or cherish it. It is the foe of health, of soul-peace and social comfort. The irritable man is a discomfort to himself as well as an annoyance to others. But disastrous as are the effects of anger in the natural and social life, they are still worse in a spiritual life. How many Christians are cursed with barrenness and leanness of soul because of infirmities of temper which they never seek to subdue. When such dispositions abound, the Holy Spirit is grieved. He will not brood over such souls, for He is the Spirit of love, tenderness, and gentleness. The spirit of prayer is wanting in such hearts; the angry man cannot pray. We cannot see God face to face in the communion of the closet when the sullen gloom of anger hangs like a cloud on our hearts. It also drives out all spiritual joy and brotherly love. It dulls the affections and makes the heart cold and dull. Surely God who loves His children and desires their happiness, has not meant that they should remain here under the dominion of this evil passion. He who mourns over an undisciplined, unsanctified temper may rest assured that the victory is attainable, and that he may be adorned with and enjoy the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit. Niccolls. The lowliest man who employs his love and gratitude, the best of his affections, upon God, the best of beings; who has a particular regard and esteem for the virtuous few, compassion for the distressed, and a fixed and extensive good-will for all; who strives to subdue his greatest enemy, his unruly passion; who promotes a good understanding between neighbors, composes and adjusts differences, does justice to an injured character and acts of charity to distressed worth; who cherishes his friends, forgives his enemies, and even serves them in any pressing exigency; who abhors vice and pities the vicious person; such a man has juster pretensions to the title of heroism, as heroism implies a certain nobleness and elevation of soul breaking forth into correspondent actions, than he who conquers armies or makes the most glaring figure in the eye of an injudicious world. Seed. The right self-control is the handmaid of self-denial. Self-control is the dominion of the will over our nature, over inclination and temperament, and therewith likewise over all that is meant to be the will's ministering instrument, bodily as well as spiritual. But self-control in itself may still be in the service of egoism, whereas the essence of self-denial consists in killing egoism in its root, not merely this or that inclination, but making a sacrifice of the whole natural man, while the will entirely submits to the Divine will, and the man himself dies with Christ to live with Him. Self-denial, in its deepest root, is obedience, is the practical strengthening of humility, and the actual death of pride. Martensen. Plainly, there are two kinds of self-denial: the one from fear—formal, slavish, barren; the other from love—blessing the spirit and strengthening it in virtue. So far as Christianity requires self-denial, it is uniformly and only of this latter kind. Utterly do they misapprehend the religion of Christ who regard it as gloomy and austere—as a system of formal prohibitions and restraints. No; its self-denial is from love. It is a system of prohibition and restraint only as it is a system of excitement and guidance. Let Christians be fully inspired with the great positive ideas and motives of their religion, and it is impossible there should be in their deportment anything austere, or sanctimonious, or gloomy, more than there was in the deportment of Christ and of His apostles. It is only under the influence of self-denial from love that the highest character can be formed. M. H.—Self-denial, for the sake of self-denial, does no good; self-sacrifice for its own sake is no religious act at all. If you give up a meal for the sake of showing power over self, or for the sake of self-discipline, it is the most miserable of all delusions. You are not more religious in doing this than before. This is mere self-culture, and self-culture being occupied forever about self, leaves you only in that circle of self from which religion is to free you; but to give up a meal that one you love may have it is properly a religious act—no hard and dismal duty, because made easy by affection. To bear pain for the sake of bearing it has in it no moral quality at all, but to bear it rather than surrender truth, or in order to save another, is positive enjoyment as well as ennobling to the soul. So sacrifice alone, bare and unrelieved, is ghastly, unnatural, and dead; but self-sacrifice, illuminated by love, is warmth and life. F. W. R. 33. Into the lap. The process seems to have been that the lots were thrown into the gathered folds of a robe and then drawn out. Disposing; better, the judgment or sentence which depends upon the lot. Where all human influence was excluded, where everything seemed the merest chance, there the faith of the Israelite teacher recognized the guidance of a higher will. E. H. P.—This is obviously the sacred lot—a method of appealing to God for His decision. The reader may see cases of this in Lev. 16:8-10; Josh. 15-19; 1 Chron. 24:5, 7. It must not be inferred that this appeal to God can be properly made without special direction from Himself. Such direction preceded its use in the cases referred to. It cannot be well to presume upon God's interposition to express His will by the lot unless He has authorized it in the special case. H. C. The Divine providence orders and directs those things which to us are perfectly casual and fortuitous. Nothing comes to pass by chance, nor is any event determined by a blind fortune, but everything by the will and counsel of God. What man has neither eye nor hand in God is intimately concerned in. All the disposals of Providence concerning our affairs we must look upon to be the directing of our lot, the determining of what we referred to God, and must be reconciled to them accordingly. H.—He who recognizes the unfailing supervision and control of all the forces of nature, and of all the courses of history, by the wise and loving sovereignty of Him in whom “we live, and move, and have our being,” realizes that all chance and happening and accident are subject to both the knowledge and the consent of God, and that the falling of every leaf and the turning of every card or die, happen alike by God's will and favor. In this light it is that every chance, or accident, or happening, is a special or a particular providence; a signal exercise of God's directing power. S. S. T. 1. BETTER is a dry morsel and quietness therewith, Than an house full of feasting with strife. 2. A servant that dealeth wisely shall have rule over a son that causeth shame, And shall have part in the inheritance among the brethren. 3. The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: But the LORD trieth the hearts. 4. An evil-doer giveth heed to wicked lips; And a liar giveth ear to a mischievous tongue. 5. Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker: And he that is glad at calamity shall not be unpunished. 6. Children's children are the crown of old men; And the glory of children are their fathers. 7. Excellent speech becometh not a fool: Much less do lying lips a prince. 8. A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: Whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth. 9. He that covereth a transgression seeketh love: But he that harpeth on a matter separateth chief friends. 10. A rebuke entereth deeper into one that hath understanding Than an hundred stripes into a fool. 11. An evil man seeketh only rebellion; Therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him. 12. Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, Rather than a fool in his folly. 13. Whoso rewardeth evil for good, Evil shall not depart from his house. 14. The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: Therefore leave off contention, before there be quarrelling 15. He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the righteous, Both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD. 16. Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, Seeing he hath no understanding? 17. A friend loveth at all times, And a brother is born for adversity. 18. A man void of understanding striketh hands, And becometh surety in the presence of his neighbour. 19. He loveth transgression that loveth strife: He that raiseth high his gate seeketh destruction. 20. He that hath a froward heart findeth no good: And he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief. 21. He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow: And the father of a fool hath no joy. 22. A merry heart is a good medicine: But a broken spirit drieth up the bones. 23. A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom, To pervert the ways of judgment. 24. Wisdom is before the face of him that hath understanding: But the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth. 25. A foolish son is a grief to his father, And bitterness to her that bare him. 26. Also to punish the righteous is not good, Nor to smite the noble for their uprightness. 27. He that spareth his words hath knowledge: And he that is of a cool spirit is a man of understanding. 28. Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: When he shutteth his lips, he is esteemed as prudent. 3. THAT is, the fining-pot may try silver, and the furnace disclose true gold; but only Jehovah can explore the human heart. M. S. —The skill of man finds out the agents and invents the processes for proving and purifying gold and silver; the Lord does the same thing as to human hearts. How can the dross of sin abide the ordeal of His furnace and of His fires! H. C.—Wonderful as is the separation of the pure metal from the dross with which it has mingled, there is something yet more wonderful in the Divine discipline which purifies the good that lies hid, like a grain of gold, even in rough and common natures, and frees it from all admixture of evil. The same similitude meets us again in Mal. 3:2; 1 Pet. 1:7. E. H. P. In the original languages the same words are often used for trial and temptation; and so it is likewise in our old English. Hence it is, that although James tells us, "God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth any man," yet Moses assures us, that "God tempted Abraham," when He commanded him to sacrifice his son. In our language use hath now made it otherwise; for to try is taken in a good sense and may be applied to God; whereas to tempt is at present always taken in a bad sense, and can only be applied in strictness to the devil or his instruments. The difference between the trier and the tempter lies in this: he who tries wishes we may resist; whereas he who tempts wishes we may yield. God, in this latter sense, "tempteth no man"—that is, leadeth no man into sin; but, in the former sense, He tempteth all men—that is, He tries their faith and obedience, not for His own information, because He knows all men and foresees all things; but for the exercise of their virtue and the manifestation of His own justice and mercy. In order to these ends He tries our works, if we may believe Paul, as by fire, and lays open to ourselves or others both the principles of our minds and the dispositions of our hearts, by a kind of torture resembling that wherewith the qualities of silver are proved in the fining-pot, and the purity of gold in the furnace. Temptations to sin are and must be, as long as there are moral beings in the world. Man, during his state of trial, must expect to find the chief force of these temptations arising from within, out of the miserable corruption of his nature; and cannot hope for happiness till this corruption is purged out, even by a fierce encounter with these trials, which, if he cannot stand, he must come out but the more corrupt and vicious. Silver and gold are seldom or never found in the earth without dross, nor man without a natural inclination to sin; but "the fining-pot for silver and the furnace for gold, and God's trials for the heart of man." Skelton. It is wonderful to see with what skill God has adjusted all our experiences, so as to make us sensible of our errors and defects. As the invisible ink is brought out in a distinct color by holding what is written to the fire, so God brings out all our faults and our sins by the scorches of experience through which we are ever passing in the fiery trials of life. If we are proud, He has a way to make us see it, and to break down our pride. If we cherish any subtle grudge or animosity, He will somehow call it out and make us see it. If we are selfish, or covetous, or jealous, or frivolous, or captious, or self-indulgent, or sensual, or self-confident, or fanatical, or self-righteous, or partial, or obstinate, or prejudiced, or uncharitable, or censorious—whatever fault we have in us, no matter how subtle or how ingeniously covered it may be, He has us in the furnace of trial and correction, where He is turning us round and round, lifting us in prosperity, crushing us in adversity, subduing us with afflictions, tempting out our faults and then chastising them, humbling us, correcting us, softening, tempering, soothing, fortifying, refining, healing, and so managing us as to detect all our drossy and bad qualities, and separate them from us. He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver, and allows nothing to escape either His discovery or our correction. H. B. 4. A liar gives heed to a malicious, back-biting tongue, that he may have something to graft his lies upon, with which to give them some color of truth and so to support them. Sinners will strengthen one another's hands; and those show they are bad themselves who court the acquaintance and need the assistance of those that are bad. H. 5. "He that mocketh the poor" is said "to reproach his Maker"—that is, he throws an injurious reflection upon the wisdom and goodness of Divine providence, which hath appointed this inequality of conditions among men, for exercising the patience and resignation of the poor, and that the rich may be furnished with constant opportunities of acknowledging their obligations to God and their dependence upon Him for all they possess by distributing what they can spare from their own necessary uses for the relief and comfort of their needy brethren. R. W. 6. The special point dwelt on is the reciprocity of good in sustained family relationships. A long line of children's children is the glory of old age, a long line of ancestors the glory of their descendants. E. H. P.—The reflection of honor between fathers and sons is reciprocal. Each class, therefore, has this high and noble motive to a virtuous life: the father, that he may be a glory to his sons; sons and grandsons, that they may be a crown of honor as well as a perpetual joy to their aged father. H. C.—It is an honor to parents, when they are old, to leave children that tread in the steps of their virtues, and are likely to maintain and advance the reputation of their families. It is an honor to children to have wise and godly parents, and to have them continued to them even after they are themselves grown up and settled in the world. H. 9. He that covereth a transgression secketh love. He that concealeth within himself an offence done to him by his friend, takes a course to maintain friendship and love. Bishop Hall.—It is a noble and great thing to cover the blemishes and to excuse the failings of a friend; to draw a curtain before his stains, and to display his perfections; to bury his weaknesses in silence, but to proclaim his virtues upon the housetop. South. 10. Sentiment: “A man of intelligence will be more influenced by mere rebuke than the fool by severe scourging.” M. S.—A gentle reproof will enter not only into the head but into the heart of a wise man, so as to have a strong influence upon him; for if but a hint be given to conscience, let it alone to carry it on and prosecute it. H. 14. Where water is dammed up, a small breach in the dam occasions a rush of water, which speedily widens that breach, and then it rolls on in impetuous torrents. So with strife, which, though trifling at first, when persevered in, becomes impetuous and mischievous. Therefore, Let alone strife, before it rolls on like the impetuous torrent. M. S.—While passion is kept within its proper channel, all is safe and well; but if once we suffer the banks that should dam it to be broken down, it roars and rages like a mighty torrent and overspreads and carries all before it. Dean Stanhope.—Strife is sometimes compared to fire and sometimes to water. They are both unmerciful elements when once they are let loose. It is easy to open the sluices and let the water out, but who can call the floods back again? And so when the burning is once begun, it is more easily propagated and continued than extinguished. T. M. 15. As God's glorious nature and His infinitely just administration hold Him to condemn the wicked and to justify the righteous, He must instinctively abhor those who seek to reverse His policy and frustrate His aims of justice. Why should not he both abhor them with the utmost ardor of His holy soul, and withstand them with the full energy of His almighty arm? H. C. 16. That is, a man cannot purchase wisdom for any price who is without understanding; for this is absolutely necessary to the acquisition of it. M. S.—It is not for the lack of brains but for the lack of a morally right heart that such multitudes never pay out the money God has put into their hands for the genuine article—heavenly wisdom. This fact may well be for a lamentation and a marvel! H. C. 17. At all times—i.e., as well in adversity as in prosperity, a true friend will love. A brother for adversity is one who will act the part of a brother in a season of adversity. M. S.—What is meant is not a depreciation of the ties of friendship as compared with those of kindred, but to exalt the true friend to the uttermost. It describes, as in 18:24, the “friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” At all times a friend loveth, but in adversity he is born (sc. becomes) a brother. E. H. P. The last fruit of friendship (which is, like the pomegranate, full of many kernels) is aid and bearing a part in all actions and occasions of life. Here the best way to represent to life the manifold use of friendship is to cast and see how many things there are which a man cannot do himself; and then it will appear that it was a sparing saying of the ancients to say, “that a friend is another himself; for that a friend is far more than himself.” Bacon.—A true friend hath the skill and observation of the best physician; the diligence and vigilance of the best nurse; and the tenderness and patience of the best mother. Lord Clarendon. The best physic for man is man; such a man as is an able and faithful friend, to whom we may impart our joys, fears, griefs, hopes, counsels, or whatsoever lieth upon the heart to oppress it. A true friend is not born every day. While thou hast him, prize him, and let him well perceive it, by communicating thy joys and sorrows as is fitting; so shalt thou enlarge and redouble the one, and mitigate and lessen the other. For as in bodies union strengtheneth and cherisbeth any natural action, and on the other side weakeneth and dulleth any violent impression, so in minds. No man imparts his loves unto his friend but loves the more. None imparts his sorrows to his friend but grieves the less. N. Rogers, 1632.—Friendship includes devotion, self-sacrifice, defence against all things—including calumny and misfortune; but, best of all, joy in another's joy, and exultation in his prosperity; this being in my mind the highest proof of friendship. It is easy to sympathize with misfortune—the heart full of envy and malice might even do that; but devoid of these must that beautiful soul be that can look upon a friend's success with gladness, having no other interest than that of pure enjoyment of his happiness. T. Buchanan Read. There are friends whose companionship is constant inspiration and strength and encouragement. Their hearts are so full of love and kindness and appreciation and sympathy, that we have no disposition to hide from, but rather to confide to them our difficulties, sorrows, failures. Our weakness finds comfort in their strength; our impatience in their patience; our unwisdom and folly in their broad, calm views of life; our irritation over trifles in their serenity and faith that all things will work for good. Their observation of our conduct under circumstances of trial and irritation does not burden or chagrin us, but is helpful and cheering, because we feel that they understand and appreciate our difficulties. Interior.—A blessed thing it is for any man or woman to have a friend; one human soul whom we can trust utterly; who knows the best and the worst of us, and who loves us in spite of all our faults; who will speak the honest truth to us, while the world flatters us to our face and laughs at us behind our back; who will give us counsel and reproof in the day of prosperity and self-conceit; but who, again, will comfort and encourage us in the day of difficulty and sorrow, when the world leaves us alone to fight our own battle as we can. Kingsley. Jesus is the "Brother born for adversity," to comfort in and support under it. A friend and a brother makes one's sorrows and sufferings his own. So did Jesus. Our sins were His, He "bore them in His own body." "He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows." And did He love before time? Does He love at all times? Then what shall separate from His love? "In all things we are more than conquerors, through Him who loved us." As Jesus' power is equal to His love, death, which parts the dearest friends and dissolves the sweetest friendships below, shall introduce us to the nearest enjoyment of Him, our best Friend and glorified Redeemer above; for He says, "Father, I will that they whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am." W. Mason. 19. Building the gates of one's palace very high evinces pride, provokes envy, and precipitates ruin. As a very high gate is dangerously exposed to a sudden and crashing fall, so the pride which it represents works in a thousand ways to bring down destruction. To connect the last clause with the first, we have only to consider that such manifestations of pride naturally provoke contention, and hence also the sin and ruin which ensue. H. C. 20. Two bad things are here reproved. The first is the sullen, snarling spirit of discontent, which kills all hearty, genial gaiety; the second is the vicious habit of unbridled, flippant talk, which goes far to destroy all cheerful, loving fellowship. The vice of the age is a spirit of detraction. Such a spirit, says Solomon, findeth no good. The man that is always looking out for what is wrong will gradually lose his interest in that which is perfect, till all that is simply pure and gentle and true and lovely will appear to him tame and insipid. The froward heart, which is always on the watch for faults and failure, goes on to require these things as its very daily food, and at last waxes frantic when there is no fault to find. A. Jessopp. 22. If in modern parlance we distinguish between cheerfulness and mirth, ascribing to the latter a more giddy, unseasonable, and vociferous effusion of hilarity, we shall lose the entire force of this text and other passages. Mirth, in good old English, included even the graver kinds of cheerfulness. The old Psalter praises God with "awful mirth;" both words being such as have suffered deflection. And the adage of Solomon is cleared by the exhortation of the Apostle James: "Is any merry, let him sing Psalms." A merry heart is therefore precisely a cheerful heart; and that it "doeth good like a medicine," is one of those truths which every one of us has found true, blessed be God, in his own experience. J. W. A.—Medicines are either preventive or curative; but prevention is better than cure. And a cheerful heart is both a preventive and a cure; but it is better to take it in time. The wise economy which bids us by simple precautions avert pronounced forms of disease, also bids us avert the heavier depressions of sorrow by cultivating an equable and hopeful habit of mind. The best tonic, the best medicine, is a cheerful heart. Coz. To be free-minded and cheerfully disposed at hours of meat, and of sleep, and of exercise, is one of the best precepts of long lasting. As for the passions and studies of the mind, avoid envy, anxious fears, anger, fretting inward, subtle and knotty inquisitions, joys and exhilarations in excess, sadness not communicated. Entertain hopes, cheerfulness rather than joy, variety of delights rather than surfeit of them. Bacon.—It is healthful to be cheerful. The Lord is for the body, and has provided for it not only meat but medicine, and has here told us that the best medicine is a merry heart; not a heart addicted to vain, carnal, sensual mirth; Solomon himself said of that mirth, It is not medicine but madness; it is not food but poison; What doth it? But he means a heart rejoicing in God and serving Him with gladness, and then taking the comfort of outward enjoyments, and particularly that of pleasant conversation. It is a great mercy that God gives us leave to be cheerful and cause to be cheerful; especially if by His grace He gives us hearts to be cheerful. But if mirth be a medicine (understand it of diversion and recreation), it must be used sparingly only when there is occasion, not turned into food, and it must be used medicinally as a prescribed regimen and by rule. The sorrows of the mind often contribute very much to the sickliness of the body: A broken spirit, sunk by the burden of afflictions, and especially a conscience wounded with the sense of guilt and fear of wrath, dries the bones, wastes the radical moisture, exhausts the very marrow, and makes the body a mere skeleton. We should therefore watch and pray against all melancholy indispositions, for they lead us into trouble as well as into temptation. H. 23. Another protest against the pervading corruption of Oriental judges. The words "from the bosom," from the fold of the garment, rather than from the bag or girdle in which money was usually carried, possibly point to the stealthiness with which the gift is offered. E. H. P. 24. The wisdom of wise men is at hand, ready for use, always before him, under his eye; but, over against this, the eyes of the fool see none of the present facts of his condition—overlook the very things he needs to see in order to judge well and to act discreetly. What eyes he has are in the ends of the earth, occupied upon things utterly remote and valueless. H. C.—He is to be reckoned an intelligent man that not only has wisdom, but has it ready when he has occasion for it. He lays his wisdom before him as his card and compass which he steers by, has his eye always upon it, as he that writes has on his copy; and then he has it before him, it is not to seek but still at hand. He that has a giddy head, a roving, rambling fancy, will never be fit for any solid business. He is a fool and good for nothing whose eyes are in the ends of the earth, here and there and everywhere; anywhere but where they should be; who cannot fix his thoughts to one subject nor pursue any one purpose with anything of steadiness. When his mind should be applied to his study and business, it is filled with a thousand things foreign and impertinent. H. 27. I prefer to transpose both clauses and render thus: He who spareth his words evinces good sense [valuable knowledge], and the man of cool, self-governed spirit is the man of understanding. The author of these proverbs accounts much talk prima facie proof of a shallow mind; and, on the other hand, a prudent reserve in speech a proof of good sense and a fair intelligence. H. C. 28. Is wise—i.e., is reputed or regarded as wise; for, so far as this goes, he acts wisely. The second clause is a more general proposition, extending the remark to all who act in the like way. M. S.—This proverb follows out the thought of the next preceding, and confirms the general doctrine taught there. Even a fool, if he had the sense to hold his peace, might have some reputation for wisdom. So strong are the convictions of mankind to the point, that much talk goes with little thought, and that reserve in speech often signifies more than average thinking. H. C. He who thinks much says but little in proportion to his thoughts. He selects that language which will convey his ideas in the most explicit and distinct manner. He tries to compress as much thought as possible into a few words. W. Irving.—Think not silence the wisdom of fools, but, if rightly timed, the honor of wise men, who have not the infirmity, but the virtue of taciturnity, and speak not out of the abundance, but the well-weighed thoughts of their hearts. Such silence may be eloquence, and speak thy worth above the power of words. Browne. He that has knowledge and aims to do good with it, is careful when he does speak to speak to the purpose, and therefore says little that he may take time to deliberate upon it. He spares his words because they are better spared than ill spent. This is generally taken for such a sure indication of wisdom, that a fool may gain the reputation of being a wise man, if he have but wit enough to hold his tongue, to hear, and see, and say little. If a fool hold his peace, men of candor will think him wise, because nothing appears to the contrary, and because it will be thought that he is making observations on what others say, and gaining experience, and is consulting with himself what he shall say, that he may speak pertinently. See how easy it is to gain men's good opinion and to impose upon them. But when a fool holds his peace, God knows his heart and the folly that is bound there; thoughts are words to Him, and therefore He cannot be deceived in His judgment of men. H. 1. HE that separateth himself seeketh his own desire, And rageth against all sound wisdom. 2. A fool hath no delight in understanding, But only that his heart may reveal itself. 3. When the wicked cometh, there cometh also contempt, And with ignominy cometh reproach. 4. The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters; The wellspring of wisdom is as a flowing brook. 5. To accept the person of the wicked is not good, Nor to turn aside the righteous in judgment. 6. A fool's lips enter into contention, And his mouth calleth for stripes. 7. A fool's mouth is his destruction, And his lips are the snare of his soul. 8. The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. 9. He also that is slack in his work Is brother to him that is a destroyer. 10. The name of the LORD is a strong tower: The righteous runneth into it, and is safe. 11. The rich man's wealth is his strong city, And as an high wall in his own imagination. 12. Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, And before honour goeth humility. 13. He that giveth answer before he heareth, It is folly and shame unto him. 1. THE man who is of unsocial and misanthropic disposition and therefore separates himself from intercourse with others, becomes selfish in his aims, and as a result quarrels with true wisdom rather than secures its favor and aid. Chambers.—Selfishness will thus become exclusive and supreme, and break through all bounds to gratify itself. 4. The words, in the first clause, are those of a wise and prudent man. They are like deep waters, because they consist of thoughts not easily sounded to the bottom, and still less capable of exhaustion. (See 20:5; Eccl. 7:24.) The second image is still more lively: A fountain of wisdom is a stream gushing forth—i.e., it is like a stream which, gushing forth from the earth, is always full and refreshing. M. S.—His words have a savor of good sense 14. The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; But a broken spirit who can bear? 15. The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; And the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge. 16. A man's gift maketh room for him, And bringeth him before great men. 17. He that pleadeth his cause first seemeth just; But his neighbour cometh and searcheth him out. 18. The lot causeth contentions to cease, And parteth between the mighty. 19. A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: And such contentions are like the bars of a castle. 20. A man's belly shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth; With the increase of his lips shall he be satisfied. 21. Death and life are in the power of the tongue; And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. 22. Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, And obtaineth favour of the LORD. 23. The poor useth intreaties: But the rich answereth roughly. 24. He that maketh many friends doeth it to his own destruction: But there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. which impress you as coming from a deep fountain of thought and wisdom. 5. To "accept the person" is to regard the merely external circumstances, as opposed to regarding the essential right and equity of the case. It includes all forms of personal favoritism, whether on the ground of sympathy with the character, or of relationship, or the influence of bribes. It is not good to respect the person of the wicked for the purpose and with the result of frustrating the righteous in judgment. Such regard to persons must always be a flagrant sin before God, not only because He hates all injustice, but especially because this form of injustice frustrates the very provisions God has made for securing justice to those who are both innocent and powerless to assert and maintain it. H. C. 6,7. The verses go together, speaking of the results of the "fool's" temper. First, "contention," then "blows," then "destruction." E. H. P. 8. The point of the proverb is the depraved pleasure which the uncharitable take in hearing whispered backbitings. They welcome such utterances, and swallow them eagerly, as if they were rare dainties. Here applies the saying, "The receiver is as bad as the thief." If there were no willing listeners there would be no eager whisperers of unkind things. A witty English divine once said that the tale-bearer should be suspended by a nail through his tongue, and the tale-bearer by nails through his ears. Chambers.—An acquaintance with society furnishes ample proof that the statement is true to life. Gossip that besmirches the reputation of some prominent man is eagerly swallowed. When it is whispered into the ear by some newsmonger, it is supposed to be a precious piece of information confided to the receiver. In this particular, society is not very different from what it was in Solomon's time. Zion's Herald. When the backbiter cannot deny the metal to be good and the stamp to be true, he clippeth it and so rejecteth it from being current; he misconstrues doubtful actions unfavorably, and throws over the very virtues of his neighbors the name of faults; he diminishes from the excellence of good actions by showing how much better they might have been done; and attempts to destroy all confidence in long-established character, and all respect for it, by pitching on some single act of imprudence and expanding it into a magnitude which truth and justice forbid. Such is the backbiter, whose crime is compounded of the ingredients of ill-humor, pride, selfishness, envy, malice, falsehood, cowardice, and folly. Backbiting must be peculiarly hateful to God. He is the God of truth, and therefore detesteth lying, of which detraction ever hath a spice. He is the God of justice, and therefore doth especially abhor wronging the best persons and actions. He is the God of love, and therefore cannot but loath this capital violation of charity. He is jealous of His glory, and therefore cannot endure it to be abused by slurring his good gifts and graces. He cannot but hate the offence which approacheth to that most heinous and unpardonable sin, that consisteth in defaming the excellent works performed by Divine power and goodness, ascribing them to bad causes. Anon. The malicious utterance of a slander is likely to defeat its purpose by its very exhibit of malice; whereas a slander that is simply repeated by one person after another, with its steadily increasing scope and explicitness, as a matter of gossip, or as an item of popular information, often seems too natural to be wholly a fabrication, and it gradually gains a credence that properly belongs to established truth. It is the "they say," that slips so easily from the unwatched tongue, and that enters so freely the unguarded ear. And there is never a time, nor ever a social circle, when and where there is not some slander concerning innocent and unsuspicious persons, which is passed from one to another unthinkingly, on the basis, or the baselessness, of this indefinite origin. He who consents to hear such a charge against another without giving it a challenge, accords his tacit approval to a slander. He who consents to pass such a charge along as something which he has heard and has not challenged, becomes himself a slander-monger, if not indeed a wilful slanderer. He, on the other hand, who challenges any such slander, and who rebukes its utterer, is so far an upright man and a public benefactor. S. S. T. 9. As bearing upon the accumulation of wealth and the comforts of life, there is little to choose between the slack hand and the wasteful one. They are near enough alike to be brothers. The difference between not getting and wasting is of small account. The Hebrew phrase for "great waster" is expressive; "master of wasting," as if he had the art to perfection. H. C.—Is a destroyer. Idleness hinders the progress of the individual and the community. The idler is a robber of both God and man. Man was made to work, irrespective of the fortune he may possess. The young man of wealth, or the young woman of fashion and fortune, who has nothing to do but to find some new way of doing nothing is lower down in the scale of being than the vagabond who may have sunk to his position for lack of work. There are thousands of such creatures of affectation and ennui, living men and women literally buried in tombs of physical, intellectual, and spiritual idleness. They never take a thought of the end for which they were created. They scout the idea that the Creator intended them to be of use and service to humanity. They think a selfish, useless, barren life will answer the expectations of that God who designed everything to some useful end, and they libel the name of their Creator by impressing their enfeebled rational faculties into the service of killing time. There are many who regard their wealth, talent, and position as a Divine trust; who look upon life as a stewardship for which they must give account; whose hands and heart are in every good work; and who work as hard in their sphere as any street laborer in his. But these are not of that class. G. L. Spining. 10. All the names of God being significant of His attributes, expressing some of the various qualities of His being and character, the phrase, "the name of the Lord," differs not materially from the word Lord only. In this proverb the meaning is simply that the Lord Himself is a strong tower. The figure is military. Towers, built high, were a very effective protection against the missile weapons of ancient warfare. The Hebrew word for "is safe" means is up on high, and therefore out of the reach of darts, javelins, or the sling-stones of war. H. C.—What name is this? "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth; keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin, and that will by no means spare the guilty." This name is our strong tower; this God is our stronghold. We may take refuge in every name and attribute as in a separate chamber of our fortress. Let a man comprehend the import of the declaration that God is good; let him think who and how great God is; what and how copious His all-sufficiency; how boundless His ability to bless; how exquisite the pleasures at His right hand forevermore; and then let him stand and wonder at the greatness of affection affirmed of such a Being, who sits at the fount of all conceivable good, creates all susceptibilities of enjoyment, and floods them with holy fulness. Let him muse on this till he has begun to conceive what God is, what God's love is, and how it must gush from this spring-head, and stream into swelling rivers of deep and spreading beneficence, of vast and awful bliss, from its sources in the heart of infinite favor. Let a man thus understand and thus believe that God loves him—and he is a happy man; he now knows that God is "a strong tower." J. W. A. 11. The rich, instead of looking to Jehovah for protection, trust in their riches—which are a high wall, in their own imagination, but not so in reality. In 10:15, the like words are employed, but in a different relation. M. S.—What the name of the Lord is to the righteous, that wealth is to the rich. He flees to it for refuge as to a strong city; but it is so "in his own conceit" only. The word so rendered signifies primarily an "image," and so "imagination." E. H. P. 10,11. We have here the "strong tower" (v. 10) and the "strong city" (v. 11); the man lifted up above danger on the battlements of the one, and the man fancying himself to be high above it (and only fancying himself) in the imaginary safety of the other. Consider first the two fortresses. One need only name them side by side to feel the full force of the intended contrast. On the one hand the name of the Lord, with all its depths and glories, with its blaze of lustrous purity and infinitudes of inexhaustible power; and on the other "the rich man's wealth." The name of the Lord, of course, is the biblical expression for the whole character of God, as He has made it known to us, or, in other words, for God Himself, as He has been pleased to reveal Himself to mankind. His name proclaims Him to be self-existent, and, as self-existent, eternal; and as eternal, changeless; and as self-existent, eternal, changeless, infinite in all the qualities by which He makes Himself known. But far beyond the sweep of that great name, Jehovah, is the knowledge of God's deepest heart and character, which we learn in Him who said, "I have declared Thy name unto My brethren, and will declare it." The name that is the strong tower is the name "My Father!" A Father of infinite tenderness, and wisdom, and power. Look at the other fortress: "The rich man's wealth." Of course we have not to deal here only with wealth in the shape of money, but all external and material goods; the whole mass of the things seen and temporal are gathered together here in this phrase. Men use their imaginations in very strange fashion, and make, or fancy they make, for themselves out of the things of the present life a defence and a strength. Of all delusions that can beset you in your course, none will work more disastrously than the notion that the summum bonum, the shield and the stay of a man is the abundance of the things that he possesses. Consider next how to get into the true refuge. How does a man make this world his defence? By trusting to it. He that says to the fine gold, "Thou art my confidence," has made it his fortress; and that is how you will make God your "strong tower"—by trusting to Him. A. M. 12. Pride is the presage of ruin, and ruin will at last be the punishment of pride; for before destruction men are commonly so infatuated by the just judgment of God, that they are more haughty than ever; that their ruin may be the sorer and the more surprising. Humility is the presage of honor, and prepares men for it, and honor shall at length be the reward of humility, as He had said before (15:33). That has need to be often said, which men are so loath to believe. H.—Without humility where is the love of man, that love which consists in the cultivation of charitable affections, in the exercise of charitable services from one toward another? Without humility where is poverty of spirit and contrition of soul? where are meekness and mercy? where is purity of heart? where are peace and righteousness? where is repentance for sin, and faith exclusive of every meritorious claim, faith in the blood of the Redeemer? A proud Christian is a contradiction in terms; humility is the very essence of the Gospel! Bishop Mant. 13. Those that take a pride in being quick, commonly fall under the just reproach of being impertinent. It is folly for a man to go about to speak to a thing which he does not understand, or to pass sentence upon a matter which he is not truly and fully informed of, and has not patience to make a strict inquiry into; and if it be folly, it is and will be shame. H. 14. Infirmity relates to pains of body; a dejected spirit to a mind sad and cast down. The first can be endured by firmness and resolution; but the last—who can endure it, when resolution for endurance is gone? M. S.—Let this shell of nature, the body, be under never so much pain and agony, yet a well-settled and resolved mind will be able to buoy it up and keep it from sinking; the spirit will bear, and by bearing will at length master these infirmities. But when the spirit itself is wounded and struck through, the grief presently becomes victorious and intolerable. South. The spirit of a man may sustain the common infirmities of nature, and the incidental evils of life; but a wounded spirit—a spirit pierced with a sense of unrepented guilt—who can bear? Guilt will have its day of account; and when this day comes, be it sooner or be it later, whither shall the sinner fly? With what arguments shall he sustain the anguish of his wounded soul? S. Carr.—Dreadful apprehensions of God's anger, whether well or ill founded, are among the most intolerable of all our states of mind. The citadel itself is assaulted. The supporting power itself cries for support. J. W. A The mind fortified by principles of moral counsel and constancy, can endure the assault of external evils; "but a wounded spirit who can bear?" This is most insupportable, when the sting and remorse of the mind is from the sense of guilt. The guilty conscience turns "the sun into darkness, and the moon into blood;" the precious promises of the Gospel that assure favor and pardon to returning and relenting sinners are turned into arguments of despair by reflecting upon the abuse and provocation of mercy, so that the advocate in God's bosom becomes the accuser. Whatever the soul-wounded sinner sees or hears afflicts him; whatever he thinks torments him. All the diversion in the world, business, pleasures, merry conversation, comedies, are ineffectual to give freedom from those stings and furies in the breast. Bates. Look which way it will for relief, the wounded spirit can discover nothing but aggravations of its wretchedness. If it looks within, it finds nothing but darkness and tempest and despair. If it looks around on its temporal possessions, it sees nothing but gifts of God which it has abused, and for its abuse of which it must give a terrible account. If it looks back, it sees a life spent in neglect of God, and ten thousand sins following it as accusers to the judgment-seat. If it looks forward, it sees that judgment-seat to which it must come, and where it expects nothing but a sentence of final condemnation. If it looks up, it sees that God who is wounding it, and whose anger seems to search it like fire; and if it looks downward, it sees the gulf which awaits its fall. Not even to death can it look forward as the termination of its miseries, for it fears that its miseries will then receive a terrible increase. True, there is one object to which it might look for relief and find it. It might look to the Saviour, the great Physician, and obtain not only a cure for its wounds, but everlasting life. Payson. In the commission of evil fear no man so much as thyself; another is but one witness against thee; thou art a thousand; another thou mayest avoid; thyself thou canst not. Wickedness is its own punishment. Quarles. How deeply seated the conscience is in the human soul is seen in the effect which sudden calamities produce on guilty men, even when unaided by any determinate notion or fears of punishment after death. The wretched criminal, as one rudely awakened from a long sleep, bewildered with the new light, and half recollecting, half striving to recollect, a fearful something, he knows not what, but which he will recognize as soon as he hears the name, already interprets the calamities into judgments, executions of a sentence passed by an invisible Judge; as if the vast pyre of the Last Judgment were already kindled in an unknown distance, and some flashes of it, darting forth at intervals beyond the rest, were flying and lighting upon the face of his soul. Coleridge.—The guilty soul cannot keep its own secret. It is false to itself; or rather it feels an irresistible impulse of conscience to be true to itself. It labors under its guilty possession, and knows not what to do with it. The human heart was not made for the residence of such an inhabitant. It finds itself preyed on by a torment which it dares not acknowledge to God or man. A vulture is devouring it, and it can ask no sympathy or assistance either from heaven or earth. The secret which the murderer possesses soon comes to possess him; and like the evil spirits of which we read, it overcomes him and leads him whithersoever it will. He feels it beating at his heart, rising to his throat, and demanding disclosure. He thinks the whole world sees it in his face, reads it in his eyes, and almost hears its workings in the very silence of his thoughts. It has become his master. It betrays his discretion, it breaks down his courage, it conquers his prudence. When suspicions from without begin to embarrass him, and the net of circumstances to entangle him, the fatal secret struggles with still greater violence to burst forth. It must be confessed, it will be confessed; there is no refuge from confession but suicide, and suicide is confession. D. Webster. We have little reason for troubling ourselves in questions that relate to a place of future misery. Enough to know that the mind is its own place, and will make a place of woe to itself, whithersoever it goes, in a life of sin and separation from God. If the sceptic bolts upon us with the question, Where is hell? or the question, whether we suppose that a God of infinite goodness has occupied Himself in excavating and fashioning a local state for the torment of bad men? it is enough to answer that a bad mind carries a hell with it, excavates its own place of torment, makes it deep and hot as with fire, and will assuredly be in that place, whatever else may be true. A good mind sits in heavenly places, because it is good. Go where it will it is with God, and God is tempted eternally in it; God is His own everlasting beatitude and peace. Exactly what is true of place beyond this, or of place as related to the condition of happy spirits, we do not know, but shall know hereafter. Enough that the bad mind will at least be its own bad state and element It has the fire and brimstone in itself, and the suffocating smoke, and the darkness, and the thirst, and the worm that never dies—testifying always, “I myself am hell.” It would turn the golden pavement into burning marl, and the hymns and hallelujahs of the blessed into shrieks of discord. H. B. Men tell us that God is too merciful—too kind to punish. We try to believe them, knowing that God is a thousand-fold milder, more merciful than thought of ours can conceive; but we have only to look within and around us upon the sufferings that sin inflicts, and the vision of a Divinity that does not, will not punish, vanishes like a dream of the night. Where then can our conscience-troubled spirits find repose, where but in Him who hath taken our sin upon Him, in whom there is redemption for us through His blood, even the forgiveness of all our sins? If we may go to Christ for anything, it is for this forgiveness. Hanna.—Pardon is the only fit remedy for a troubled conscience; what can give ease to a wounded spirit but pardoning mercy? Offer Him the honors and pleasures of the world, 'tis as if you bring flowers and music to one that is condemned. Nothing but a pardon sealed with the blood of the Redeemer can ease a wounded spirit. Watson.—Peace of conscience is nothing but the echo of pardoning mercy, which, sounding in the conscience, brings the soul into a sweet rest with the pleasant music it makes. Gurnall. 15. With the wise and prudent there is no loss of time. “Heart” and “ear”—the mind working within, or gathering from without materials for its thought—are, through this channel or that, ever gaining knowledge. E. H. P.—Those that are prudent will seek knowledge, and apply their ear and heart to the pursuit of it; their ear to attend to the means of knowledge, and their heart to mix faith with what they hear and make a good improvement of it. H. 17. You hear the first man state his case; he seems to have right on his side; but when his neighbor comes in to reply, and to give his side of the case, he searches out his opponent, canvasses the facts, and often puts a new face upon the whole matter. The moral is, therefore, hear the other side before you judge. H. C.—However some may affect to dislike controversy, it can never be of ultimate disadvantage to the interests of truth or the happiness of mankind. Where it is indulged to its full extent, a multitude of ridiculous opinions will no doubt be obtruded upon the public; but any ill influence they may produce cannot continue long, as they are sure to be opposed with at least equal ability and that superior advantage which is ever attendant on truth. The colors with which wit or eloquence may have adorned a false system will gradually die away, sophistry be detected, and everything estimated at length according to its value. R. Hall. There is a wide difference between religious controversy and religious discussion. Controversy is contradiction. Discussion is examination. The one is intellectual pugilism. The other is co-operative study. The purpose of the one is victory—of the other, truth. The two are immediately distinguishable from each other by the spirit they each manifest. Controversy is angered by opposing truth, and seeks to minify or pervert it. Discussion gladly recognizes an opposing truth, and reconstructs for its reception. Discussion is modest and never self-seeking. Controversy is loud and sometimes unscrupulous. Interior.—Controversy may for the present be needful; but there never was and never will be need for its rancor. We may have all its victories without its virulence; and its truths without its personal tragedies; and that will be the most wholesome state of the Church when discussions wax kindly, and controversies are conducted in the spirit, not of party feuds, but of friendly investigations. Iron sharpens iron; and the day may come when, like honest experimenters in physics, earnest inquirers in theology will employ their respective acumen, not in perplexing one another, but in pursuing joint researches; and will find their full reward, not in a bewildered public, but in a text clearly interpreted and a doctrine finally demonstrated, in a long debate concluded, and a weary question forever set at rest. Hamilton. If, in Christian or social intercourse, we wish to deliver any man from what we think error, we must do so by putting him in the way of convincing himself. To beat him down by unreasoning opposition, or even by an irresistible argument, may please us, but is not likely to gain him. There is a great chasm between achieving a victory and making a conquest, and the completeness of the first often prevents the last. To respect a man's freedom, never to press him so hard as to humiliate him, to give him the clew that may help him to guide himself to the right, is according to the Divine model, and would aid us in serving at the same time both our fellowmen and the truth. Ker. In my youth I did not sufficiently discern how much, in most of our controversies, is verbal and upon mutual mistakes. And I knew not how impatient divines were of being contradicted, nor how it would stir up all their powers to defend what they have once said, and to rise up against the truth which is thus set upon them as the mental enemy of their honor; and I knew not how hardly men's minds are changed from their former apprehensions, be the evidence never so plain. In my youth I was quickly past my fundamentals, and was running up into a multitude of controversies, and greatly delighted with metaphysical and scholastic writings (though I must need say my preaching was still on the necessary points), but the older I grew the smaller stress I laid upon these controversies and curiosities, though still my intellect abhorreth confusion. Baxter. Our religion is a religion that dares to be understood, that offers itself to the search of the inquisitive, to the inspection of the severest and the most awakened reason; for, being secure of her substantial truth and purity, she knows that for her to be seen and looked into is to be embraced and admired, as there needs no greater argument for men to love the light than to see it. South. 19. A readiness to detect a mote in a brother's or sister's eye—a habit of cherishing hard thoughts against them—the outrage of speaking against thine own mother's child—an inflammable disposition, which gets angry with them, either without a cause or with a very small one—all these are indications of a want of real family love. Fault-finding and quarrelling, vanity and conceited comparisons, ill-natured remarks, should all be carefully avoided; for they give offence, and the offence rankles in the memory forever. Very difficult are they to be eradicated and supplanted by right affections. A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city. Anon.—Under the best of circumstances there will be frequent trials of temper among brothers and sisters. Our varying dispositions, our self-will, our disappointments, tend to express themselves in differences and wrangling and in warm and uncourteous words. Temptations of this kind will occur where there is no selfishness in the general sense of that term, and no real jealousy. But if family life is to be sunny and sweet, we must carefully guard ourselves here. Our duty is to try and understand each other's dispositions, to put the most generous interpretation on each other's words and actions, even when we dislike them. We must carefully cultivate that love which, unless it "suffereth long," is not love at all, much less that love which should prevail in families. W. Braden. 20. Words spoken will bring their proper retribution. There is an income from them—a result of good or ill according to what they are. As the fruit and income from hand labor goes to supply the demands of the digestive organs and of the animal frame, so the lips also have their income—i.e., a just retribution. H. C.—We ought to take as great care about the words we speak as we do about the fruit of our trees, or the increase of the earth which we are to eat; for, according as they are wholesome or unwholesome, so will the pleasure or the pain be wherewith we shall be filled. Bishop Patrick. 21. The tongue can bless or curse. It can whisper slander or utter praise. It can speak in tones of kindness, or send forth the ravings of bitter and vindictive passion. It can vent the oath, or pour out the homage of devout and humble prayer. It can set before us the sublimest truths of heaven, or utter the blasphemies of the world of woe. It can carry to other hearts the sympathy of our own, or mix in their cup of anguish new dregs of bitterness. It can speak in the sufferer's ear in tones that seem like heavenly music, or give back sounds echoed as it were from the desperation of fiends. Who does not know, who has not felt, the power of the tongue—in the social circle, in the public assembly, in the scenes of business, pleasure, or devotion? E. H. G. It is startling to think what Christian conversation might be, of what it ought to be, and then of what it is. Why should such a power for good be wasted, or far worse than wasted? Why should our Christian development be retarded by the misuse of the marvellous gift of speech? It were far better that one were born dumb than that, having a tongue, one should use it to scatter evil and sorrow, or to sow the seeds of bitterness and pain. Our Lord said we must give account of every idle word; and if for the idle words, how much more for the words that stain and injure, or fall as a destructive blight into other hearts and lives! When we give ourselves to Christ, we ought to give Him our tongues. J. R. M. 22. Of course a good wife is meant. This is a blessing which God gives. (See 19:14; 31:10.) M. S.—It seems safe to conclude that he meant to indorse marriage as a Divine institution and a source of blessings to the husband whose concern it is to find a wife. Let him always regard a wife found as a favor obtained from the Lord. Some degree of mutual adaptation to each other in age and character are essential to the very purposes of married life, and may therefore be considered as necessarily implied in the idea of a wife. H. C.—He that finds a helpmeet for him—that is, a wife in the original acceptance of the word, that sought such a one with care and prayer, and has found what he sought, he has found a good thing, he has found that which will not only contribute more than anything to his comfort in this life, but will forward him in the way to heaven. H. 23. Such is the usual fact; specially is the first part of the verse usually true, because the necessities of the poor force them to beg. The second also is by far too often true. M. S. 24. The true meaning is, A man of many companions is so to his own destruction, but there is a friend (the true, loving friend) that sticks closer than a brother. The teacher warns us against mistaking the counterfeit for the true treasure. It is not the multitude of so-called friends that helps us. They may only embarrass and perplex. What we prize is the one whose love is stronger and purer even than all ties of kindred. E. H. P.—It is somewhat as if we should say in our tongue, A man of [too many] companions will be companionized; or rather (for the sense) victimized. Comparing the first clause with the second, the original uses a very different word for "friend." The first ("he that hath friends") may be a hale fellow, a free associate to live upon you, to eat up at once your time, your morals, and your estate; but the second ("there is a friend") is the loving friend who is bound to you by ties of pure and strong affection. The sentiment seems to be that too many loose associates will work your ruin; but one truly affectionate friend is worth more than a brother. H. C. "There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother," is a general proverbial assertion that the tie of friendship may be and sometimes is stronger than that of nature; that the attachment which binds two souls of kindred sentiments, tempers, and sympathies, may be and sometimes is closer, firmer, more endearing and enduring, than that which subsists by virtue of a mere natural relationship. B. There is an inevitable space between us and our best friends in this world. We all need to have a friend who can keep nearer us and understand us better, stand by us more faithfully and help us more effectually, than any human being. And Christ is such a friend. Think of His power—His power to help and protect, in work, in danger, in temptation. Think of His sympathy—He can feel for us, He can understand us, and all we are feeling and going through. His might to help us is as of one raised like the stars above us; His understanding of us is nearer than that of one who sits by the same fireside. This best Friend will never disappoint us, as those we thought our good friends here sometimes do. This best Friend is always near. This Friend is never estranged. He will never die. There is no shadow of coming parting to hang, unspoken of, but oftentimes silently remembered, over our communion with Him. A. K. H. Boyd. What Christ was, He is. The centuries of time, which have been as an imperceptible instant to Him, have produced no change in His friendship, have not abated in the least His faithful affection, His exhaustless sympathies. His absence in body has not impaired or affected His power and willingness to befriend the trusting soul—to minister guidance, strength, comfort, and sanctification, in all its circumstances of darkness, temptation, grief, or sin. It is Jesus, the Friend of sinners, that still extends to us the offices of friendship. It is He that guides, girds, soothes, cheers, and charms our blinded, tempted, wounded, wearied spirits in the narrow pathway to heaven. And it is He that still mercifully confronts us while traversing the broad way to destruction, that still waits, knocking at the door of our hearts, that beseeches us to come unto Him that we may have life, that pleads as from the cross for our forgiveness when in our continued waywardness and guilt we know not what we do. Yes! in all these modes of His kindly interposition with us, whether we are pursuing the path to eternal life or death, Jesus is now proving Himself to be “a Friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” B. About all our other friendships there are some easily reached and sorely felt limitations. There is a lack of knowledge in them, and we suffer from our friend's ignorance. There is a lack of sensibility; and what the tongue of one speaks with no thought of injury stings or crushes the spirit of another. There is a lack of patience; and affection itself, because it is human, neither beareth all things nor rises to the magnanimity of thinking no evil. There is a lack of strength or of skill; and the friend who has all the willingness and the desire to help us fails just at the point where help is most needed, or, with honest goodwill, blunders into the plan that brings damage and distress. There is a limit to physical capacity, to health, to endurance, to life; and so, in the midst of the most gracious and blessed ministrations to sympathy, the ready foot falters, the eager hand droops, the loving eye is closed, and the faithful watcher falls asleep. Turn to the One Friend. His friendship never fails or disappoints for lack of knowledge. It never fails or disappoints for want of patience; for among all the millions of inconstant and unthankful souls that He has permitted to call themselves His friends, there is not one but has wounded Him in some committed wrong or omitted remembrance; and yet what one has He shaken off or given up, from the Peter that denied Him at the judgment hall to the innumerable Peters that denied Him last week in the face of fashion or mammon? It never fails or disappoints for want of skill, or strength, or endurance. How could it, seeing that it carries in its hand the very wisdom and power of God, puts all enemies under its feet, and having loved its own loves them unto the end? This is the Friend that sticketh closer than a brother. He loves us before we love Him. He is the Friend whose affection waits for no preference, or overture, or conciliatory obedience, that it may begin its wonders of grace; for it is while we are yet sinners that He dies for us. He loves us for no beauty, because to those eyes that had been used to look, before He left His glory to come seeking us, on the beauty of heaven, there could be no loveliness in us to see. Beginning thus, His love only grows with its own sacrifices. F. D. H. The peculiarity of Christianity is the strong personal tie of real love and intimacy which will bind men to the end of time to this Man that died nineteen hundred years ago. We look back into the wastes of antiquity; the mighty names rise there that we reverence; there are great teachers from whom we have learned and to whom, after a fashion, we are grateful. But what a gulf there is between us and the best and the noblest of them! But here is a dead Man, who to-day is the object of passionate attachment and a love deeper than life to millions of people, and will be to the end of time. There is nothing in the whole history of the world the least like that strange bond which ties you and me to Jesus Christ, and the paradox of the apostle remains a unique fact in the experience of humanity. “Jesus Christ, whom, having not seen, ye love.” We stretch out our hands across the waste, silent centuries, and there we touch the warm, throbbing heart of our Friend, who lives forever and forever is near us. We here, nearly two millenniums after the words fell on the nightly air on the road to Gethsemane, have them coming direct to our hearts. A perpetual bond unites men with Christ to-day; and for us, as truly as in that long-past Paschal night, is it true, “Ye are My friends.” There are no limitations in that friendship, no misconstructions in that heart, no alienation possible, no change to be feared. There is absolute rest for us there. Why should I be solitary if Jesus Christ is my Friend? Why should I fear if He walks by my side? Why should anything be burdensome if He lays it upon me and helps me to bear it? What is there in life that cannot be faced and borne— ay, and conquered—if we have Him, as we all may have Him, for the Friend and the home of our hearts. A. M. 1. BETTER is the poor that walketh in his integrity Than he that is perverse in his lips and is a fool. 2 Also, that the soul be without knowledge is not good; And he that hasteth with his feet sinneth. 3 The foolishness of man subverteth his way; And his heart fretteth against the LORD. 4 Wealth addeth many friends: But the poor is separated from his friend. 5 A false witness shall not be unpunished; And he that uttereth lies shall not escape. 6 Many will intreat the favour of the liberal man: And every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts. 7 All the brethren of the poor do hate him: How much more do his friends go far from him! He pursueth them with words, but they are gone. 8 He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: He that keepeth understanding shall find good. 9 A false witness shall not be unpunished; And he that uttereth lies shall perish. 10 Delicate living is not seemly for a fool; Much less for a servant to have rule over princes. 11 The discretion of a man maketh him slow to anger; And it is his glory to pass over a transgression. 12 The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion; But his favour is as dew upon the grass. 13 A foolish son is the calamity of his father: And the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping. 14 House and riches are an inheritance from fathers: But a prudent wife is from the LORD. 15. Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; And the idle soul shall suffer hunger. 16 He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his soul: But he that is careless of his ways shall die. 17 He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD, And his good deed will he pay him again. 18 Chasten thy son, seeing there is hope; And set not thy heart on his destruction. 19 A man of great wrath shall bear the penalty: For if thou deliver him, thou must do it yet again. 20 Hear counsel, and receive instruction, That thou mayest be wise in thy latter end. 21 There are many devices in a man's heart; But the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand. 22 The desire of a man is the measure of his kindness: And a poor man is better than a liar. 23 The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: And he that hath it shall abide satisfied; He shall not be visited with evil. 24 The sluggard burieth his hand in the dish, And will not so much as bring it to his mouth again. 25 Smite a scorner, and the simple will learn prudence: And reprove one that hath understanding, and he will understand knowledge. 26 He that despoileth his father, and chaseth away his mother, Is a son that causeth shame and bringeth reproach. 27 Cease, my son, to hear instruction Only to err from the words of knowledge. 28 A worthless witness mocketh at judgment: And the mouth of the wicked swalloweth iniquity. 29 Judgments are prepared for scorners, And stripes for the back of fools. 2. KNOWLEDGE, in the first clause, opposed to hastening with the feet in the second, implies the practical use of knowledge, i.e., discretion, forethought, wisdom. It is not good that the soul be void of such knowledge. The word for "sinneth" means etymologically to miss the mark; to make a misstep and get a fall—the natural consequence of too much haste with the feet. H. C. The understanding is the pilot and guide of the whole man; that faculty which sits at the stern of the soul, but as the most expert guide may mistake in the dark, so may the understanding when it wants the light of knowledge. "Without knowledge the mind cannot be good," nor the life good, nor the external condition safe. "My people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge" (Hos. 4: 6). Westminster Divines.—Knowledge expands the mind, exalts the faculties, refines the taste of pleasure, and opens numerous sources of intellectual enjoyment. By means of it we become less dependent for satisfaction upon the sensitive appetites, the pleasures of sense are more easily despised, and we are made to feel the superiority of the spiritual to the material part of our nature. R. Hall. 3. The ruin which the man brings on himself by his own folly he will angrily charge upon his Maker. This occurs even now too often for us to call in question the truthfulness of the proverb. M. S.—The sinner destroys himself by his own wilful and obstinate folly, and then he accuses God, as if He were the cause of his misery; although God hath done everything to save him which could have been done by the righteous Lawgiver and Governor of the world. R. W. 8. They that take pains to get wisdom, to get knowledge and grace and acquaintance with God, show that they love their own souls. And to those that take care to keep it when they have got it, it is health, wealth, and honor to the soul, and therefore he that keeps understanding, as he shows that he loves his own soul, so he shall certainly find good, all good. H. 11. The thoroughly wise man will be long-suffering, slow to anger, keeping his passions under vigorous self-control. It is his glory to overlook and forgive offences. H. C.—Men think it is a disgrace; as if clemency did argue a man void of courage or spirit. But in the judgment of the Word, clemency is your honor, and there is more generosity in pardon than in revenge. “As the elect of God put on mercies;” that is a good garment for a Christian. T. M. Revenge is a kind of wild justice. In taking revenge a man is but even with his enemy; but in passing it over he is superior; for it is a prince's part to pardon, and Solomon saith, "It is the glory of a man to pass by an offence." Bacon.—Although it may be hard to bear down the selfish and resentful feelings of our nature, the true dignity that is attained by doing so should stimulate every generous mind not to be overcome of evil, but to overcome evil with good. Bishop Butler.—Generous and magnanimous minds are readiest to forgive, and it is a weakness and impotency of mind to be unable to forgive. Bacon. He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself; for every man has need to be forgiven. Lord Herbert.—This is the noblest victory, and to excite us to aspire after it we have the highest example. God is our pattern in love and compassions; we are well warranted to endeavor to be like Him in this. Leighton.—This is the true valor of a Christian when he can overrule his own nature drawing him to revenge, return benefits for injuries, and overcome evil with goodness according to the example of our heavenly Father. Then he shows his fortitude and triumphs over his spiritual enemies, when he vanquishes without striking, and though unarmed of all offensive weapons doth courageously march into the field, having nothing in his hand but the shield of patience, and by bearing the blows gets the greater victory. Downame. Write thy wrongs in ashes. Draw the curtain of night upon injuries, shut them up in a tower of oblivion, and let them be as though they had not been. To forgive our enemies, yet hope that God will punish them, is not to forgive enough. To forgive them ourselves, and not to pray God to forgive them, is a partial act of charity. Forgive thine enemies totally and without any reserve that God will avenge thee. T. Browne.—It is no forgiveness when you say, “I forgive, but I can never forget.” It is the unforgiving spirit that says that. It may be true that you never can forget; but if you are really, heartily, wholly forgiving, you will not remember that you are never going to forget. Still less will you wish to say that you are never going to forget. Least of all will you feel like saying so in the spirit which such a form of words almost necessarily implies. Anon.—We may make the best of one another. We may forgive, even as we hope to be forgiven. We may put ourselves in the place of others and ask what we should wish to be done to us, and thought of us, were we in their place. By fixing our attention on their good qualities, we shall rise to their level as surely as, by fixing our attention on their bad qualities, we shall sink below their level. By loving whatever is lovable in those around us love will flow back from them to us, and life will become a pleasure instead of a pain, and earth will become like heaven. A. P. S. 14. A discreet and virtuous wife is a choice gift of God's providence to a man; a wife that is prudent, in opposition to one that is contentious (v. 13). It is a more valuable gift than house and riches, contributes more to the comfort and credit of a man's life and the welfare of his family, is a greater token of God's favor. H.—"Prudent" is here in the sense of wise, intelligent to apprehend the responsibilities of her position and true to her duty. While houses and lands come down from fathers to sons, such a wife comes from the Lord. He provides this choicest of social blessings for the good of the race through well-ordered families. Those who believe this and have faith in God's universal providence will, of course, see the fitness of asking such a blessing from the Lord, and, when received, of recognizing it through all their life as a gift from His hand. H. C. 15. The idle man is never a happy man! His thoughts, unemployed in doing, pour out their ceaseless currents in wishing. They create, from sheer loss of something to do, ideal wants and deficiencies, which, when supplied, bring no rest, because they were not real. The way to keep off depression, to banish vain cravings, for which there is nowhere any portion, is to buckle on the harness of exacting and beneficent work. We are happiest when busiest if busy in useful labor. Stone. 17. Sir Thomas More, a famous Lord Chancellor of England, used always to say, "There was more rhetoric," more persuasive argument, "in this little sentence than in a whole library." Bishop Horne.—Familiar as the words are, we almost lose sight of the original greatness of the thought. We give to the poor. Have we lost our gift? No, what we gave we have. We have lent to One who will repay with usury. Underlying this, again, is the yet nobler truth of our Lord's teaching (Matt. 25: 40). He identifies Himself with all sufferers. In giving to them we have done it also unto Him. E. H. P. It is assumed here that this pity of the poor does not expend itself in mere emotion, but yields the genuine fruits of substantial help according to our ability and their need. He who gives to the poor in the spirit of such true pity virtually lends to the Lord upon the Lord's promise to repay in His own due and best time. The Hebrew has it, His recompense the Lord will make good to him. What an investment this must be! Do we believe in the plighted word of the Most High? Have we confidence in His resources to pay and in His wisdom to make the payment in the best possible time and manner? If so, then here is an opportunity for investing which ought to be regarded as amply secure and eminently satisfactory. H. C. —God has not left alms-giving free to our choice, that we should plume ourselves upon our trifling charities, as though they were the free gifts of our liberality. The freedom of the Gospel is freedom from sin, not from duty; it is a free service that we may serve freely. He lays down no measure for us, that giving, as did the early Christians, "to their power, yea, and beyond their power," we might imitate in some measure the measureless love of our God for us. But the law of mercy itself is as absolute a law as any of the commandments given on Mount Sinai. It is the soul of all the commandments of the second table. Posey. Just as the smallest, the feeblest, the poorest, the most ignorant, the most miserable, received in the name of Christ, brings with him Christ and God Himself, to him who thus receives him, so the most insignificant work done in that name—that is to say, with the heart full of what Christ has been and what Christ has done for us—assumes in the eyes of God an infinite value. The cup of cold water, given in that name, is the emblem of all those hidden good deeds which are nothing in the eyes of men, but which are of infinite worth in the eyes of God, which the feeblest can accomplish in their feebleness, the poorest in their poverty. The value of an action, in the Divine estimate, depends not on what we do, but on the spirit in which we do it. How some deeds glorified by the public voice, some magnificent gifts, lauded to the skies, will be consumed as stubble and as chaff, in the day when the judgment of the Holy Spirit shall be accomplished; while the widow's mite, the bit of bread given in love, the word of consolation springing from a pitying heart, and which no one has repeated, the prayer of intercession heard by God alone, will shine like gold, silver, precious pearls in that great day of the final judgment! Godet. He that lays out for God, God lays up for him. But, alas! God's credit runs low in the world; few care to trust Him. Give and spend, and be sure that God will send; for only in giving and spending do you fulfil the object of His sending. J. G. Holland.—You want to double your wealth without gambling or stock-jobbing. Share it. Whether it be material or intellectual, its rapid increase will amaze you. What would the sun have been had he folded himself up in darkness? Surely he would have gone out. J. C. Hare. Careless, indiscriminate alms-giving encourages idleness and improvidence and also imposture. If you give freely to ragged and filthy street beggars, you are in fact hiring people to dress themselves in filthy rags and go about begging with fictitious tales of distress. If, on the contrary, you carefully inquire for and relieve honest and industrious persons who have fallen into distress through unavoidable misfortune, you are not only doing good to those objects, but also holding out an encouragement generally to honest industry. Whately. 20. It is well with those that are wise in their latter end, wise for their future state, that are found wise when their latter end comes; wise virgins, wise builders, wise stewards. Those that would be wise in their latter end must hear counsel and receive instruction, in their beginnings, must be willing to be taught and ruled, willing to be advised and reproved, when they are young. H. 21. The meaning goes deeper than the trite parallel of “Man proposes, God disposes.” Stress is laid on the many purposes of man, shifting, changing, from good to better, from bad to worse, and the one unchanging righteous “counsel” of Jehovah. E. H. P.—“A man’s heart” is a little world, full of scheming and business. “The devices of a man’s heart,” taken altogether, are his scheme for being happy. So the great collective whole of the “devices” of all hearts constitutes the grand complex scheme of the human race for their happiness. This vast, confused total of man’s devices the Omniscient Searcher of hearts evermore looks upon. And while He sees every part and the whole, His single immense will, His one all-comprehending system of design, is co-extended with the entire breadth of the scene, confronting it at every point and, indeed, stretches away beyond it to infinity, like the sky expanded beyond our earth to other worlds. So that, to every device of all hearts, His “counsel,” His design exists parallel, whether in coincidence or opposition. In other words, respecting the object of every device He has His design, a fixed design, paramount to all designs and devices. Foster. There is nothing better than that a man should live in the feeling that it is not his purpose, but the purpose of God that must stand sure. He may have plans and designs, indeed the business of life cannot well go on without them; but he must know that God is not bound by his plans, and is under no obligation to bestow His prospering blessing upon them. God has a plan of His own for every one of us. If our plans agree with His, well, He may bless them; but if not, He will either make them promote the purpose which He intends and which we did not intend, or will try our faith by blasting our beloved plans altogether, that He may bless us in His own way, and lead us to safety, to usefulness, to blessedness, by paths that we know not of and by ways that never did enter or could enter our minds. Let us not, therefore, be discouraged if our plans do not answer to our minds, if everything turns wrong upon our hands. We know that He is not unkind, that He does not forget us; and we have reason to hope that He only brings our own small plans and devices to nought because He has something of His own—something larger, something far better—in store for us. How many are they to whom God has not spoken comfortably until He lured them into the wilderness, where the soul, withdrawn from amid the ruins of its broken plans and frustrated hopes, is alone with Him, sees Him alone, leans on Him only. Kitto. 22. His kindness. A “kind” person is a “kinned” person, one of kin; one who acknowledges his kinship with other men and acts upon it; confesses that he owes to them, as of one blood with himself, the debt of love. And so mankind is mankinned. Thus Hamlet does much more than merely play on words when he calls his father’s brother, who had married his mother, “A little more than kin, and less than kind.” Beautiful before, how much more beautiful do “kind” and “kindness” appear when we apprehend the root out of which they grow and the truth that they embody; that they are the acknowledgment in loving deeds of our kinship with our brethren; of the relationship which exists between all the members of the human family, and of the obligations growing out of this. Trench. 23. The fear of the Lord (true piety) is unto life; not only tends toward life, but surely works out this result. He shall pass the whole night satisfied—a beautiful way of saying that his peace of soul shall be constant. The visitations of judgment on the wicked shall not touch him. H. C.—Not in the increase of knowledge merely, not in any mere mastery of human arts and sciences, is the secret of the deeper and truer life to be found. It is true that all human culture, rightly used, tends to deepen and broaden the life, to make thought more direct and intense, to give a finer tone to the nerves, and a keener sensitiveness to the feelings. But it is only when human culture is made subordinate to something higher that it becomes really effective in the way of deepening and broadening the real life. Where the fear of the Lord is the ruling principle in life—where this is joined to an earnest purpose, a deep enthusiasm, a broad capacity, an unwearying diligence—there are present the elements whereof true life is made. Where these are present, humanistic culture will be assimilated and wrought over into something higher; it will form part of the rich chord of life wherein all that is true finds somewhere its harmony. S. S. T. 24. The Orientals used no knife, fork, or spoon; only fingers. This sluggard is supposed to be hungry; but having plunged his hand all over (hiding it) in the dish, as if to economize labor to the utmost, he still finds himself too lazy to bring it back to his mouth again! This is strongly put—too lazy to eat! H. C. 25. Simple as the words are, they embrace nearly the whole theory of punishment. If the man who offends is a scorner, sc., hardened beyond all hope of reformation, then punish him by way of retribution and example, and let the penalty be sharp, that even the unwary and careless may beware. If the man is still "understanding," then let the punishment take the form of discipline. Admonish, reprove, educate. E. H. P.—Give the offender his due praise as well as his deserved reproof; this will make reproof the more prevalent. The iron when heated red-hot is bent and beaten without breaking, which way the smith pleases. When I have heated him with the fire of commendation, I may then beat upon him with reproof in greater hopes of success. There is hardly any work of Christianity which requires more wisdom than this of admonition. The temper and quality of the persons, the nature and difference of the crimes, the manner and way of delivering the reproof, the fittest season for it, ought all to be seriously and diligently considered. Scinnock. 26. Strong precepts does the Old Testament everywhere exhibit against cruel and severe treatment of parents by their children. Even one out of the ten commandments is occupied with this subject. M. S. 28. Sin begets sin; yea, one sin begets numberless sins, and one violation of law and conscience leads to other violations, and these to more, till the fearful progression ends in open profligacy, insult to the Eternal King, and speedy destruction. No one knows when initiated into some lower degree of Satan's lodge whether he may not penetrate to the highest. This makes it dangerous to parley with temptation. Judicial blindness befalls those who voluntarily put out the light of education and conscience. One sin, in God's awful judgment, becomes the punishment of another. J. W. A. 1. WINE is a mocker, strong drink a brawler; And whosoever erreth thereby is not wise. 2. The terror of a king is as the roaring of a lion: He that provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own life. 3. It is an honour for a man to keep aloof from strife: But every fool will be quarrelling. 4. The slothful will not plow by reason of the winter; Therefore he shall beg in harvest, and have nothing. 5. Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; But a man of understanding will draw it out. 6. Most men will proclaim every one his own kindness: But a faithful man who can find? 7. A just man that walketh in his integrity, Blessed are his children after him. 8. A king that sitteth on the throne of judgment Scattereth away all evil with his eyes. 9. Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin? 10. Divers weights, and divers measures, Both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD. 11. Even a child maketh himself known by his doings, Whether his work be pure, and whether it be right. 12. The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, The LORD hath made even both of them. 13. Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; Open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread. 14. It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: But when he is gone his way, then he boast- eth. 15. There is gold, and abundance of rubies: But the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel. 16. Take his garment that is surety for a stranger; And hold him in pledge that is surety for strangers. 17. Bread of falsehood is sweet to a man; But afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel. 18. Every purpose is established by counsel: And by wise guidance make thou war. 19. He that goeth about as a talebearer reveal- eth secrets: Therefore meddle not with him that openeth wide his lips. 20. Whoso curseth his father or his mother, His lamp shall be put out in the blackest darkness. 1. No better description of wine was ever given than that of the inspired penman, that it is a "mocker." Its promises are false and its performances deceptive. Yet what remains more common than to hear people recommend as a "food" what contains in itself no more of the elements of nutrition than broken granite? Liebig demonstrated that all the nourishment to be found in two gallons of the best Bavarian beer could be taken up upon the point of his table-knife; and Carpenter showed that the strength gotten out of a man by wine was of exactly the same nature as the speed gotten out of a horse under the plunge of the spur. The only source of either animal heat or animal strength in a glass of wine or a bottle of beer is in the unfermented vegetable element that it contains. And this modicum is more than neu- tralized by the alcohol which gives it its fasci- nation. It should be understood that the one imperative requisite for health is in an even and natural flow of the blood through the chan- nels of circulation. It should then be remem- bered that the first effect of alcohol, received into the system through the stomach, is to de- range this flow. Controlled as the circulation is by a delicate system of vaso-motor nerves which open and close automatically the valves of the vessels, whatever affects these valves 21. An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning; But the end thereof shall not be blessed. 22. Say not thou, I will recompense evil: Wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee. 23. Divers weights are an abomination to the LORD; And a false balance is not good. 24. A man's goings are of the LORD; How then can man understand his way? 25. It is a snare to a man rashly to say, It is holy. And after vows to make inquiry. 26. A wise king winnoweth the wicked, And bringeth the threshing wheel over them. 27. The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, Searching all the innermost parts of the belly. 28. Mercy and truth preserve the king: And his throne is upholden by mercy. 29. The glory of young men is their strength: And the beauty of old men is the hoary head. 30. Stripes that wound cleanse away evil: And strokes reach the innermost parts of the belly. must of necessity change the nature of the cir- culation. The slightest observation will con- vince any one that the first effect of alcohol is to partially paralyze this system, and render the nerves slow and irregular in the response to the necessities of their function. The quickened pulse, the flushed face, the tingling extremities show that the heart is doing double duty, and the blood is, despite its instinctive efforts to keep the circulation uniform, thrown in a great sheet toward the surface, and more or less re- tained in the engorged vessels of the cuticle. When we note by finger tip and watch that the action of the heart has been increased from two to four beats a minute, we can easily estimate the increased labor which is laid upon this sen- sitive and vital organ by the action of wine. If we ask any engineer what would be the effect of lightening the weight upon the governor of his engine or shortening the stroke of its pis- ton, he would promptly tell us that it must in- crease its speed and wear out the machinery with proportionate rapidity. Such is the action of alcohol upon the living organism of the hu- man frame. The heart of even a moderate drinker, like the heart of one afflicted by val- vular disease, does double duty and suffers in consequence. One of the phenomena which sorely puzzled early Arctic explorers was that under the power of grog they were less sensible of cold, but more quickly succumbed to its effects. The studies of the physician soon made it plain that the nerves of sensation being partially benumbed, men could not realize the cold; while the nerves of automatic play being also affected, the blood was thrown to the surface to lose its animal heat by rapid radiation, and death was the result. Another of the deceits of strong drink is in the counterfeit of strength which it presents in its victim. Nothing is more common than great mental excitement existing side by side with decreased physical power; and the most common of all results, in such a crisis, is the final prostration and complete collapse of the one thus affected. Nervous excitement is a close counterfeit of muscular power, but is, in truth, its very antipodes. The experiments of the physiologist with innumerable living creatures shows most conclusively that the body is weakened by alcohol just as surely as the brain is unnaturally excited. Interior. What is called “strong drink” was made, according to various ancient authorities, from wheat, from barley, dates, and other fruits, or from honey, and was sometimes mixed with spices to make it more intoxicating. It seems not to have been called by our translators “strong” relatively to wine, but to other common drinks. Like wine it was intoxicating. The thing affirmed here is that wine robs a man of his sense of propriety, and makes him abusive and insulting to others. Strong drink makes him boisterous, noisy, sometimes raging like a madman. The use of either wine or strong drink will shut off all hope of attaining true wisdom. For this acquisition, a calm, self-poised, considerate state of mind is indispensable. The maddening power of strong drink is fatal. H. C. When the wine is in, the wit is out, and then the man, according as his natural temper is, either mocks like a fool or rages like a madman. Drunkenness, which pretends to be a sociable thing, renders men unfit for society, for it makes them abusive with their tongues and outrageous in their passions. H.—Strong drink demoralizes and debauches the character, weakens the moral principles, strengthens the corrupt propensities, and excites the wicked passions. It opens new avenues to temptation, exposes its victims to the worst influences, and counteracts those which are good. To seek happiness in the immoderate use of wine is as if one should build huge fires in his dwelling on a hot, sultry day in midsummer; or rather as if he should set fire to his house in the dead of winter, and think to find a comfortable protection for himself and children beneath the leafless hedge. He kindles the fires of passion which must consume his comforts, and sooner or later, unless extinguished, consume both his body and his soul. J. M. M. The day was when that wreck of honesty and manly strength, that sad ruin of grace and womanly beauty, was filled with sorrow and remorse; but these feelings became more and more enfeebled, while drinking habits, fed by every new indulgence, increased in strength, making reformation less hopeful by every day's delay. And now, like a boat swept on in a foaming rapid, which neither oar nor arm can stem, with all the dread consequences full in sight, a ruined character, a beggared family, his body descending into an untimely grave, his soul to the doom of these awful words, "No drunkard shall inherit the kingdom of heaven," he yields to a torrent that sweeps means, character, wife, children, body, and soul into one common ruin. Guthrie.—There is no hope that it should ever change. The waters have gone over me. But out of the black depths, could I be heard, I would cry out to all those who have but set a foot in the perilous flood. Could the youth, to whom the flavor of his first wine is delicious as the opening scenes of life, or the entering upon some newly-discovered paradise, look into my desolation, and be made to understand what a dreary thing it is when a man shall feel himself going down a precipice with open eyes and a passive will; to see his destruction and have no power to stop it, and yet to feel it all the way emanating from himself; to perceive all goodness emptied out of him, and yet not to be able to forget a time when it was otherwise; to bear about the piteous spectacle of his own self-ruin; could he feel the body of the death, out of which I cry hourly with feebler and feebler outcry to be delivered, it were enough to make him dash the sparkling beverage to the earth in all the pride of its mantling temptation. Charles Lamb. Surely the testimony of medical experts ought forever to settle the question that moderate drinking is not safe. No man knows or can know when he keeps within the limits of moderation. The results of long experience demonstrate that moderation never has and never can fight intemperance successfully. The results of scientific experiments with alcohol have settled only one point—viz., the soundness of the principle of abstinence. And whatever the differences between doctors and scientific men as to the smallest minimum poisonous dose or the largest maximum safe dose, all their differences lie within a certain small circle at whose circumference they do meet and are agreed, that even by the broadest estimate among them but very little alcohol is safe or even presumably beneficial. And with this on the one hand, we have, on other, the great realm of the nameless and indescribable totality of drunkenness, degradation, and misery. And since the use of alcohol is such a physiological problem even to scientific men, and since the consequences involved in them are so tremendous as we know them to be, and as Moxon points out in these impressive words: "Alcohol affects the whole man, his whole self, all he can do or say, and not only so, but all that his bodily nature does in secret with him"—surely the disagreement among accepted authorities cannot be held to warrant its use, but rather to impose the highest obligation to avoid it altogether. Anon. 5. Deep waters are difficult to be sounded. So a man's secret purpose or counsel it may be difficult to sound. Yet a man of skill will draw it out from its depths. Drawing out is a metaphorical expression occasioned by the preceding image—deep waters. M. S. 9. This must be explained to mean: Who can say this appropriately and truthfully, and perhaps with some emphasis on the word I as opposed to what God and His grace do for those who seek help of Him. He seems to speak of those who boastfully proclaim what they themselves have done. H. C. 10. Divers weights. Deception in weights and measures destroys and sweeps away all legitimate modes of dealing. If the laws of buying and selling are corrupted, human society is in a manner dissolved; so that he who cheats by false weights and measures, differs little from him who utters false coin; and consequently one who as buyer or seller has falsified the standard measures of wine or corn or anything else, is accounted criminal. Calvin.—This branch of social morality requires the strictest attention from the Lord's people. It is here that continual contact goes on between them and the world. Nothing injures religion so much as the mercantile immoralities of its professors. Fraudulent bankrupts, dishonest tradings, overreachings—these are what go to lessen the influence of religion among men. Edgar. As certainly as what is contemptible carries contempt, the man who is willing to sell his integrity with his goods will appear to be just the character he is. Undeviating adherence to truth and justice may possibly lose to-day's customer, but in the long run it will bring as many more as it is more implicitly trusted. H. B.—Ordinary trade is a splendid field for the practical exercise of religious virtues, because the commercial activities of the age afford large facilities either for fidelity or for fraud. In every office and warehouse religion claims to set up her throne. In the smallest act of buying and selling she insists on having a voice. Not only on the portal of every church, but on the forefront of every shop—ay, on the beam of every balance, we ought to see the inscription, “To the glory of God alone!” D. D. 11. By his doings the mere child will show not only what he is now but what he will become in after life. Hence the importance of studying his developments of character closely at the earliest possible period, that you may forecast his future and guard in season against evils which, neglected, will become incurable. H. C.—The graces or the faults of children are not trifles, as they are often deemed to be. “The child is father of the man;” and the earliest actions are prophecies of the future, whether it will be pure and right, or unclean and evil. 12. More is meant than meets the ear. It is not merely that we owe the gifts of sight and hearing to Jehovah, but that He, being the Giver, will also call us to account for them. "He that planted the ear, shall He not hear? He that formed the eye, shall He not see?" E. H. P.—That God made the ear and the eye is affirmed for the sake of this inference—viz., that he must therefore himself have a perfect ear and eye to discern all human deeds and even thoughts. H. C. 14. It is nought, saith the buyer—that is, the buyer tries to overreach the seller by disparaging his goods; but when he has obtained them at his own price, he boasts of having tricked him. Wells.—Thus the arts of trade and the spirit of the sharper were the same in the age of Solomon as in our own. Human selfishness makes no progress (morally) in the ways of business with the lapse of ages. H. C.—What the proverb means to expose and censure is, consciously unjust depreciation of an article in order to secure it for less than the buyer believes it to be worth. This may be done in two ways: First, by the actual depreciation of the thing itself, either as to material or workmanship or both; the man knowing well enough that in each respect it is alike good. Or, secondly, by the man's pretending that he does not want it and has no use for it, so that whatever may be its intrinsic value it is not really of that value to him; he, on the contrary, knowing and feeling that it would just suit him, and secretly wishing to obtain it if possible. All this is, of course, wrong. The case, however, is much worse when the buyer knows or suspects that the seller must sell; that he is poor or in difficulties, and that his circumstances may be taken advantage of to wring from him his goods at a cruel sacrifice. A man's heart may be broken as well as his position destroyed by such heartless pressure being brought to bear upon him in a great necessity. T. B. What, it may be asked, is the very operation of merchandising but a drill exercise in selfishness? And what is the law of price or profit but the law of possibility—viz., to ask the highest price the market will bear, be the cost what it may or the value what it may. What, too, is current price itself but a market graduation, settled by the contrary bulling and bearing of two selfishnesses, that of the sellers and that of the buyers? And then what is the trader doing but feeling after all the while, and having it even for his life to wait on the adjustments of selfishness, even as barometers wait on the airwaves and their fluctuating levels? which waiting always on the unsteady, unsteadies even the sense of principle. Besides the very working of a bargain, what is it but an adroit wrestling match; a talking up of the market and the goods perhaps on one side and a talking down on the other, or a magnifying by shrewd silences that is even more cunningly and skilfully insincere? Bushnell. He who freely praises what he means to purchase, and he who enumerates the faults of what he means to sell, may set up a partnership with honesty. Lavater. 17. "To eat gravel" was a Hebrew and is an Arabic phrase for getting into trouble. Like this, in the long run, is the "bread" got by deceit, which tastes sweet at first, but ends by leaving the hunger of the soul unsatisfied. The general sense of the verse recognizes the fact that there is a pleasure in the sense of cleverness felt after a hard bargain or a successful fraud, and meets it by bidding men look on the after consequences. E. H. P.—So universally, though the first taste of sinful enjoyment may be sweet, it will be bitterness in the latter end. H. C. 19. Talebearers are commonly flatterers, and by speaking fair insinuate themselves into men's acquaintance. Those are unprincipled people that go about carrying stories, that make mischief among neighbors and relations, that reveal secrets which they are intrusted with, or which by unfair means they come to the knowledge of; or under pretence of guessing at men's thoughts and intentions tell that of them which is really false. "Be not familiar with such, do not give them the hearing when they tell their tales and reveal secrets, for you may be sure that they will betray your secrets too and tell tales of you." H. 20. By a figure at once truly beautiful and terribly forcible, this flagrant sin against one's father and mother is threatened with the most appalling punishment. That the lamp of one's life—the only means for one ray of light and joy—shall be extinguished in the very depths of darkness, leaves this miserable victim the wreck of ruin and despair. God will never lack the requisite agencies to punish this most unnatural sin. H. C. 22. Say not thou, I will recompense. Take not revenge for an injury received where thou art not the proper judge, but leave thy cause to the Lord and expect His righteous sentence. Bishop Patrick.—We must not avenge ourselves, no, nor so much as think of it or design it. "Say not thou, no not in thy heart, I will recompense evil for evil; do not please thyself with the thought that some time or other thou shalt have an opportunity of being quits with him. Do not wish revenge or hope for it, much less resolve upon it, no, not when the injury is fresh, and the resentments of it most deep. Never say that thou wilt do a thing which thou canst not in faith pray to God to assist thee in, and that thou canst not do in meditating revenge." We must refer ourselves to God and leave it to Him to plead our cause, to maintain our right, and reckon with those that do us wrong in such a way and manner as He thinks fit and in His own due time. Wait on the Lord, attend His pleasure, acquiesce in His will, and He does not say that He shall punish him that has injured thee; instead of desiring that, thou must forgive him and pray for him, but He shall save thee, and that is enough. H. If this precept were obeyed by half the living world, these obedient ones would have little violence to fear from the other half; there would be a vast diminution in the wrongs inflicted by man upon his fellows. Those who thus committed all vengeance to God would have a most precious experience of His friendship and love; would find their hearts drawn exceedingly near to Him as to an ever-present friend and preserver, and would have a double joy in the victory gained over one of the most dangerous passions of the depraved heart. H. C.—Men cannot injure us except so far as they exasperate us to forget ourselves. No man is really dishonored except by his own act. Calumny, injustice, ingratitude—the only harm these can do us is by making us bitter, or rancorous, or gloomy, by shutting our hearts or souring our affections. We rob them of their power if they only leave us more sweet and forgiving than before. And this is the only true victory. We win by love. Love transmutes all curses and forces them to rain down in blessings. Our enemies become unconsciously our best friends when their slanders deepen in us heavenlier graces. Let them do their worst; they only give us the Godlike victory of forgiving them. F. W. R. 23. Swinging in the air before our eyes this tangible type represents the law and duty of justice with singular accuracy and beauty. A pair of scales is the symbol of mutuality, or reciprocity, between man and man. Each side or cup of the scales, with its contents, owes its position not to any natural value or independent force it has in itself, but to what there is on the opposite side of the support. The true position, when both rest after their vibration, is that when the opposite weights are equal. These are the mutual rights of men. The standard, supporting the whole, firm and fixed, represents the upholding hand of God, keeping just men and unjust men, for the time, alike, while it tries and proves them what manner of men they are and how they turn. Almost all our life is implicated in some social relation, and in all the enlarging series of circles—the family, the school, the neighborhood, the sphere of public business, the nation—that balancing of mutual rights, with all its delicate exposures and dangers, its sources of sin, and pain, and meanness, and moral victory and glory, is going on. Hence is the solemn necessity and the religious sanctity of justice—such justice as only Christ teaches and the Christian learns. And because of all these various kinds of commerce, the commerce of material things, in property and merchandise, stands as a kind of representative and illustration, so the scales have become the recognized symbol of commercial honesty. The “false balance” is the special falsehood of commerce, but it is the emblem of all injustice. On the one side something is given or taken for which there is no offset on the other. And yet, observe there seems to be an offset. The scales hang even to the eye. But something which is not the just weight is put in to look as if it were, to satisfy appearances by a deception. The buyer gets something for which he paid nothing; or the seller is paid something for which he delivers nothing. F. D. H. 24. God guides the steps of man, i.e., He chooses and arranges for him his path. Man cannot know or determine with certainty his own way, since all is dependent on God. M. S.—Our enterprises succeed, not as we desire and design, but as God directs and disposes. The goings even of a strong man, so the word signifies, are of the Lord, for his strength is weakness without God, nor is the battle always to the strong. We have no foresight of future events and therefore know not how to forecast for them. We so little understand our own way that we know not what is good for ourselves, and therefore we must make a virtue of necessity, and commit our way unto the Lord in whose hand it is, follow the guidance and submit to the disposal of Providence. H. The finite, dependent being is preserved in a sense of his dependence by realizing that he is not his own master, that he cannot foresee or secure his own way, that confidence in himself as the guardian of his own interests is presumptuous. The uncertainties of our lives, our ignorance, our weakness, suggest the feeling of our dependence, and the sense of our dependence is a prime essential of piety. So, too, our ignorance of the future is an aid to faith also. We trust where we do not know. We rely on character because it is a security, and because we cannot foresee events. The character of God is a guarantee for that which shall come to pass. But why, one may ask, should a finite mind, ignorant of the future, trust rather than distrust, believe rather than doubt? Without question, our ignorance opens the door both to faith and to the want of it, and just here lies the trial of our characters. But when our dependence on a Supreme power is felt, when the fact is admitted that God has plans running through every life and all history, then faith, and not distrust, is natural, for such plans are good, they cannot fail; he who is in harmony with them shall prosper, and God will protect his interests. T. D. W. 25. The sentiment is that a man is ensnared by making a vow without reflection, and postponing till after his vow the inquiry whether he can perform it or whether it is admissible to disregard it (see Eccl. 5:4, 5). H. C. 27. The higher life, above that which he has in common with lower animals, comes to him direct from God. Such a life, with all its powers of insight, consciousness, reflection, is as a lamp which God has lighted, throwing its rays into the darkest recesses of the heart. We are here half-way to the higher truth proclaimed in the prologue of John's Gospel. The candle, or lamp of Jehovah, derives its light from "the Light that lighteth every man," from the Eternal Word. E. H. P. The soul is a principle of light to guide and direct man in all his motions, enabling him to reflect not only on his own actions, but on his most secret thoughts, and to discover the good or evil which is in them. Wells.—The soul of man, considered as having the power of turning its searching eye inward and taking cognizance of its own moral states and acts, is here beautifully compared to the lamp of the Lord, going down into the secret chambers of the inner man to search out the dark things there. See in this reflexive power one of the noblest features of man's God-like nature. He can and may know himself, and therefore may prosecute the noble work of self-correction and self-culture. H. C. We have here the dignity of the soul, the great soul of man, that light which lighteth every man. It is a Divine light; it is the candle of the Lord, a candle of His lighting, for it is the inspiration of the Almighty that gives us understanding. He forms the spirit of man within him. It is after the image of God that man is created in knowledge. Conscience, that noble faculty, is God's deputy in the soul; it is a candle not only lighted by Him, but lighted for him. The Father of spirits is therefore called the Father of lights. It is a discovering light. By the help of reason we come to know men, to judge of their characters and dive into their designs; by the help of conscience we come to know ourselves. The spirit of a man has a self consciousness (1 Cor. 2: 11), it searches into the dispositions and affections of the soul, praises what is good, condemns what is otherwise, and judges of the thoughts and intents of the heart. This is the office, this the power of conscience, which we are therefore concerned to get rightly informed and keep void of offence. H. Man belongs to two worlds: the carnal and the spiritual, a higher and a lower; and his great danger is, lest the lower nature may too much engross him, and his efforts to gratify it may swamp the needs and the feebler demands of the higher. It is then to enable him to pay due attention to his spiritual nature that man's Creator has implanted within him this faculty of conscience, to remind him continually of the great things concerning himself, concerning God, and concerning eternity. Conscience is, therefore, the sentinel which God has placed within man, to watch over and protect from harm his moral and spiritual well-being. It does not act with the same power in all persons; nor, in the same person, does it always act in the same degree; it is capable of being hardened, seared, and deadened; and as such its admonitions will be comparatively slight, unless roused up and awakened. But, less or more in every one, it is man's universal and perpetual reminder that he has a spiritual nature which demands watchfulness and care, training and development; and which will in the last great day leave all men "without excuse," inasmuch as having it in them, as a law unto themselves, they heeded it not, and lived lives of carnal gratification only—while their souls were entirely neglected, gradually deteriorating through neglect, until they died an everlasting death—a death of moral and spiritual suicide. Martensen. Conscience is not in itself a sure and safe instructor as to the path of duty. God has not implanted in every man's mind, by nature, a knowledge of God and a knowledge of God's law. Such knowledge comes by revelation, not by conscience. What we call "conscience" is a monitor rather than a teacher; it is that faculty or attribute of man which tells him that he ought to do right, although it does not tell him what right is; and again it reminds him that he has done wrong, when he purposely has done that which he supposed was wrong, or has failed to do that which he understood to be his duty. Hence it is true that, when a man acts against his conscience he is at fault, because so far as he knows he does wrong and his intention has been to be wrong. But, on the other hand, if a man does what his conscience approves, it does not follow that he is doing right. Many a man is serving the devil conscientiously. "To the law and to the testimony." There is the standard of right. Your duty is to do right as God commands the right; not merely as your conscience approves or dictates. It is your duty first to know what is right, and then to do what is right. You may think you are all right while yet you are all wrong. You may be walking by the light which is within you. "Take heed, . . . that the light which is in thee be not darkness." "If . . . the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness." It is true that the Holy Spirit is promised to dwell in the believer's heart; but the Holy Spirit is to take of the things of Christ as they are disclosed in the revelation of Christ and to make them clear unto the disciple. He in whom the Holy Spirit dwells seeks the Spirit's guidance in the study of the Word of God, which was written by those whom the Holy Spirit inspired to its writing. The Bible, not the conscience, is the repository of God's truth. Beware lest you be wrong conscientiously. H. C. T. No human spirit can enlighten itself, and no man can enlighten his fellow-man. Jesus Christ, the Mediator, gives light. He alone brings to earth a clear knowledge of God, and He alone finds a way to man's spirit with the fire of His personal love. When He is accepted, light is bestowed. This light may be dim and feeble at first, but soon it grows brighter, and presently it burns with a clear, strong flame. No one can, therefore, realize the true glory of his spiritual life until Jesus Christ becomes his Light. H. M. Booth.—There is a multitude of men whose lamps are certainly not dark, and yet who certainly are not the candles of the Lord. With a nature richly furnished to the very brim, and yet profane, impure, worldly, they scatter scepticism of all good and truth about them wherever they may go. If it be possible for the human candle, instead of being lifted up to heaven and kindled at the pure being of Him who is eternally and absolutely good, to be plunged down into hell, and lighted at the yellow flames that burn out of the dreadful brimstone of the pit, then we can understand the sight of a man, who is rich in every brilliant human quality, cursing the world with the continual exhibition of the devilish instead of the godlike in his life. P. Brooks. 29. “The glory of young men,” says the royal preacher and sage, “is their strength.” This is their peculiar excellence and charm—their distinctive crown of beauty. Every age of human life, like every other true work of God, has such a distinctive excellence—some special characteristic which pre-eminently belongs to it, and which constitutes the authentic stamp of its Maker’s mind and hand. Everything which He hath made, and which remains in any measure as He made it, is beautiful; but beautiful in its own place, and after its own kind. It has not only its degree, but its style of beauty, which is its own and not another’s. Each is itself, and its true glory lies in being like itself, and the best of itself. So “the glory of young men is their strength.” They have a strong heart, and a strong hand, and a strong pulse of life and action. They may not trust like the child, nor counsel like the hoary head, nor suffer and endure like patient woman; but they can do and dare, toil and fight, as none else can, and that is their glory. This is the idea, evidently, which was in the mind of the hoary Apostle of Love, when after writing successively to the children and the fathers in the faith, he addresses himself last of all to this class, and says, "I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong." They are to be strong in courage, in brave, resolute purpose, strong in all high and noble and manly sentiment, strong above all in that holy and unseen might which cometh from above, which lifts the soul above itself, which makes the meanest nature noble, the homeliest life sublime. They are to be strong in youthful fervor. Fervor is the inspiration of life, the fire of energy, the spring and moving power of action. If courage imparts steadfastness, fervor imparts intensity. The one gives solidity, the other impulse, enthusiasm. Fervor makes us not only brave, but chivalrous, heroic; teaches us to hope great things, and attempt great things, and never to despair while we are in God's work and on God's side. It makes us not only do our work, but "do it with our might;" not only put our hand to it, but throw our whole heart and soul into it. They are to be strong in sobriety and self-control. "Young men likewise exhort that they be sober-minded." If self-control is for them difficult, it is just on that very account peculiarly necessary. Their eager passions and mutinous appetites must either be mastered, or they will master them. This is that sobriety, that self-discipline, and self-control of which the apostle speaks. It is a prime element of moral strength. Without it courage melts into effeminacy, and enthusiasm expires in self-indulgence and apathy. In self-control the soul gathers up its strength, rallies its scattered powers, subdues distracting elements, nerves and braces itself, takes possession of itself, asserts the command of all it is and all it can do; and thus, with concentrated force, addresses itself to its appointed work, whether to do or to dare. Islay Burns. 30. The general sentiment is that a vigorous corporeal punishment is an effective remedy for the wicked man or boy, because it goes deep into his sensibilities—takes hold, when, by the supposition, nothing else will. Closely in this connection, Solomon had spoken of the “spirit of man” as “the candle of the Lord,” going down deep into the soul; but remembering that some men do their utmost to extinguish this candle, and will not be searched deeply by its light, he intimates that God’s discipline must be his next and last resort. H. C. 1. THE king's heart is in the hand of the LORD as the watercourses : He turneth it whithersoever he will. 2. Every way of a man is right in his own eyes : But the LORD weigheth the hearts. 3. To do justice and judgment Is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice. 4. An high look, and a proud heart, Even the lamp of the wicked, is sin. 5. The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness : But every one that is hasty hasteth only to want. 6. The getting of treasures by a lying tongue Is a vapour driven to and fro ; they that seek them seek death. 7. The violence of the wicked shall sweep them away ; Because they refuse to do judgment. 8. The way of him that is laden with guilt is exceeding crooked : But as for the pure, his work is right. 9. It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, Than with a contentious woman in a wide house. 10. The soul of the wicked desireth evil : His neighbour findeth no favour in his eyes. 11. When the scorner is punished, the simple is made wise : And when the wise is instructed, he receiveth knowledge. 12. The righteous man considereth the house of the wicked ; How the wicked are overthrown to their ruin. 13. Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, He also shall cry, but shall not be heard. 14. A gift in secret pacifieth anger, And a present in the bosom strong wrath. 15. It is joy to the righteous to do judgment ; But it is a destruction to the workers of iniquity. 16. The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding Shall rest in the congregation of the dead. 17. He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man : He that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich. 18. The wicked is a ransom for the righteous ; And the treacherous cometh in the stead of the upright. 19. It is better to dwell in a desert land, Than with a contentious and fretful woman. 20. There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise ; But a foolish man swalloweth it up. 21. He that followeth after righteousness and mercy Findeth life, righteousness, and honour. 22. A wise man scaleth the city of the mighty, And bringeth down the strength of the confidence thereof. 23. Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue Keepeth his soul from troubles. 24. The proud and haughty man, scorner is his name, He worketh in the arrogance of pride. 25. The desire of the slothful killeth him ; For his hands refuse to labour. 26. There is that coveteth greedily all the day long : But the righteous giveth and withholdeth not. 27. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination : How much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind ! 28. A false witness shall perish : But the man that heareth shall speak so as to endure. 29. A wicked man hardeneth his face : But as for the upright, he ordereth his ways. 30. There is no wisdom nor understanding Nor counsel against the LORD. 31. The horse is prepared against the day of battle : But victory is of the LORD. 1. GOD can turn the mighty influence of kings into channels of beneficence, along which he can make it pour blessings all abroad at his own good pleasure. So he used Cyrus, the Persian king, for blessings upon His captive children in Babylon. So He makes even the wrath of kings praise Himself. If he can shape the mighty issues of the counsels of kings with infinite ease, and even their very counsels themselves, how much more all the purposes and works of men of lesser power ! H. C. 2. Much of religion lies in doing judgment and justice, from a principle of duty to God and love to our neighbor; and this is more pleasing to God than all burnt-offerings and sacrifices. H. 4. An high look and a proud heart (literally, lofty eyes and swelling of heart) are repulsive to God, because they are the manifestations of a spirit that disowns His supreme authority and disregards the law of love to man. Lamp or light is used figuratively to denote whatever the wicked most delight in and count most vital to their happiness. Since they are in rebellion against God, their lamp or light is precisely that which most sustains them in this rebellion, which constitutes their chief joy and chief reward in the ways of sin. Light is a common, not to say universal, symbol of prosperity and joy. That which is the source or fountain of such prosperity to the wicked is the thing here referred to. It feeds their pride, fosters their high looks; therefore this, along with their high looks and proud heart, goes to constitute their sin. 5. “Thoughts” (as usual in this Hebrew word) has the sense of plans, arrangements for business. The active and diligent are here put in contrast with the rash and headlong whose schemes are never well considered. H. C.—The diligent labors constantly and in a prudent manner with a well-concerted plan; but he who urges on with haste to acquire a fortune becomes poor. M. S.—Those that are hasty, that are rash and inconsiderate in their affairs and will not take time to think, that are greedy of gain by right or wrong, and make haste to be rich by unjust practices or unwise projects, they are in the ready road to poverty. Their contrivances, by which they hope to raise themselves, will ruin them. 6. This shows the folly of those that hope to enrich themselves by dishonest practices, by oppressing and overreaching those with whom they deal, by false-witness bearing, or by fraudulent contracts; of those that make no conscience of their assertions when there is anything to be got by a falsehood. While they are seeking wealth by unlawful practices they are really seeking death, they lay themselves open to the envy and ill-will of men by the treasures they get, and to the wrath and curse of God by the lying tongue wherewith they get them. H.—Nothing can be more clearly laid down than this: that God requires truth on the lips and justice in the balance; and that the opposites, untruth and dishonesty, God abhors. This doctrine, so clearly stated, needs to be strongly pressed upon conscience; for, almost more than the breach of chastity, the breach of integrity, the use of deceit to gain a worldly advantage or elude a worldly loss has left a sad blot on the character of many Christians, and enfeebled the moral influence of the Church. D. F. 8. Pure. Labor with all closest, most persistent application to conceive purity: what it would be to you if your soul were in it; the consciousness of it; the essential peace; the elevation above all passion and unregulated impulse; the singleness and simplicity of it; the glowing shapes and glorified visions of a pure imagination; the oneness of your soul with God; the conscious participation of what is highest in God, his untemptable chastity in goodness and truth. Work at this idea of purity, turn it round and round in your contemplations, reach after it, pray yourself into it, and have it thus as the highest conceivable good, the real good you seek—to be pure. H. B. 11. The contrast lies between the different ways and consequences of instruction. A simpleton learns through fear of punishment; the wise man through simple admonition. 17. The reason of this is obvious. He expends his property on his objects of pleasure, and therefore lays up nothing. M. S.—Giving himself up to sensual enjoyment, he will consume as fast as he earns, and even faster if he can, and so will accumulate nothing. Besides this, such sensuality of life steals a man's health and vigor away, and makes him prematurely old and feeble. H. C.—There would seem to be a wide distinction between the prodigal and the idler; but, in fact, they are closely related. Both are fools; both are on the way to poverty; the one scatters what he has and soon will have nothing; the other never has anything to scatter. Both make their bed in poverty. R. S. McArthur. 19. In the name of common sense, what is the reason for the worst side of so many men and women being seen where the most of their life is spent? Where so much of the happiness of others depends on us—viz., in the home, there let us show the best side of ourselves. H. Varley. 20. That is, the wise man will secure ample provision for his household; the foolish man will devour all he has instead of laying up some part of it in store. M. S.—The wise lay up for future use, and therefore have on hand, but fools lay aside nothing; but forthwith consume all. Solomon labors to encourage not only industry but a wise provision for the future. H. C.—The proverb may have also a higher application. The wise man stores up all "treasure to be desired" of wisdom, all "oil" of Divine influence, which strengthens and refreshes, and so is ready at all times for the work to which the Master calls him. Compare the parable of the wise and foolish virgins (Matt. 25:1-13). E. H. P. When the foolish have vainly lavished their treasure and their oil and come to poverty, they are like those virgins of the parable who cried in vain to others, Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out. Character, to be used for eternity, must be formed in time, and in good time; and so, to be used for happiness in life, good habits must be early formed, and they will be a treasure to be desired in the house of the wise, and an oil of life in their dwelling. The habits of evil formed in the indulgence and gratification of youthful indolence, appetite, and passion, are draughts which, presented at manhood, take all its strength and capital away and make it bankrupt, make life a burden and a beggary; presented at old age they make it an age of weakness, pain, and misery. On the other hand, good habits in early life, habits of true religion, of industry, of self-restraint, of moral purity, of reverence, kindness, decision, punctuality, and avoidance of evil example are a treasure put out at compound interest, and an inexhaustible oil of prosperity and happiness. They are the sure foundation of success in this life, and of life eternal. Cheever. 21. The repetition of "righteousness" in the second clause is obviously emphatic. The man who keeps that will assuredly find it, but he will find besides it the "life" and the "honor" which he was not seeking. E. H. P.—Those that follow after righteousness shall find righteousness; God will give them grace to do good, and they shall have the pleasure and comfort of it; they that make conscience of being just to others shall be justly dealt with by others, and others shall be kind to them. Seek and you shall find, and with it shall find both life and honor, everlasting life and honor, the crown of righteousness. H.—Taken from end to end the Bible is charged with righteousness; it will have the neighbor loved as the man himself; it will have the harvest like the seed-time; it will insist upon right balances and full weights; it will have no concealed iniquities; it carries its candle of flame into the secrets of the mind, the hidden places of motive and purpose and ultimate, but unexpressed intent. J. P. 22. Here, again, the meaning is at once literal and figurative. Even in war, counsel does more than brute strength. But the proverb is also a parable, and may be transferred to the warfare which is carried on in the inner battlefield of the soul. There also wisdom is mighty to the "pulling down of strongholds" (2 Cor. 10:4, where Paul uses the very words of the LXX. version of this passage), and the wise man scales and keeps the city which the strong man armed has seized and made his own. E. H. P. 23. Compare 13:3 and 12:13. So large a part of the mischiefs of life comes from abuse of the tongue that Solomon guarantees exemption from most of the ills of society to him who discreetly governs that unruly member. The Apostle James states the case with about equal strength (Jam. 3:2). H. C.—He that offends not in word is a perfect man. Speech is a sacred prerogative; the tongue rules the word, and we should see to it that our hearts rule it. Let us weigh the import of what we utter, speak with the deliberation of rational and accountable beings, speak according to our real purposes and thoughts. J. H. T. One of the greatest hindrances to personal piety—that which eats out the heart and soul of true religion—is an unrestrained and unchastened exercise of the tongue. If persons could but be persuaded to banish from their lips empty talk (talk relevant to nothing in particular, gossip about their neighbors' concerns and arrangements, little profanemesses of expression, and the like) and to leave only such speech as was instructive or amusing, a vast amount of moral and spiritual mischief would be swept away as so much rubbish out of the world, and men would be introduced by the effort into the atmosphere of holiness, as finding themselves unable to effect such a clearance without constant mindfulness of the presence of God. E. M. G. 26. Coveteth greedily. The covetous seek how much they can call their own, by whatever means—of how much benefit they can hold a monopoly, from how large a place in God's universe they can keep other men off, and how much envy they can rouse in rivals and neighbors. These have never mastered their baser and greedier instincts, and so have never known the Divine joy of being blessed for their benefactions, and have never tasted of the peace that passeth understanding. Very often such persons seem to succeed. It requires a spiritual judgment to uncover their emptiness, and show how real ruin is compatible with apparent success. F. D. H. Avarice is content with the bare possession of the essence; stopping short at the means, it is satisfied without the end. By a strange infatuation it looks upon gold as its own end. Other vices have a particular view to enjoyment (falsely so called), but the very term miser is a confession of the misery which attends avarice; for, in order to save his gold, the miser robs himself. He cannot be said to possess wealth; wealth possesses him; or else he possesses it like a fever which burns and consumes him as if molten gold were circulating in his veins. Many vices wear out and are abandoned as age and experience increase, but avarice strikes deeper root as age advances; and, like the solitary tree of the desert, flourishes amid sterility where nothing else could survive. J. H.—Man is the only proprietor on earth, and the only miser. It is by blind instinct that the bee and the ant fill their garners. Man's ignorance of what himself is capable of enjoying throws him upon the capital error of looking to things exterior and alienable, as his wealth; and in making this ill choice he heaps to himself a world of care; for a thousand accidents may come and intervene between his passion and its object. Thus it is, that while other irregular desires bring their retributive sorrow after the hour of gratification is gone by, Avarice stands scourge in hand over her victim, and inflicts a cruel pang at every instant. I. T. The covetous, the man who is under the dominion of the love of money, "shall not inherit the kingdom of God." He may not have been an extortioner; but he was a lover of money. He may not have been fraudulent; but he was a lover of money. "He shall not inherit the kingdom of God." He has had his day and his object. He has sought and may have accumulated earthly possessions. By their instrumentality he may have gratified many other appetites and desires. But he did not seek first the kingdom of God; therefore he shall not obtain it. He "loved the world;" therefore he "shall perish with the world." He has wilfully bartered his soul for money. Gisborne. 27. The offering of the wicked is in itself unacceptable, because he cherishes neither love nor reverence for God. But when he brings it for the direct purpose of fraud, it becomes still more odious. M. S. 30,31. Two companion-proverbs. Nothing avails against, nothing without, God. The horse appears here, as elsewhere in the Old Testament, as the type of warlike strength, used chiefly or exclusively in battle. E. H. P.—All the boasted preparations of man for victory in battle are vain without the help of God, to whom belongeth victory or deliverance. This expands the sentiment of the preceding verse. M. S. 1. A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, And loving favour rather than silver and gold. 2. The rich and the poor meet together: The LORD is the maker of them all. 3. A prudent man seeth the evil, and hideth himself: But the simple pass on, and suffer for it. 4. The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD Is riches, and honour, and life. 5. Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: He that keepeth his soul shall be far from them. 6. Train up a child in the way he should go, And even when he is old he will not depart from it. 7. The rich ruleth over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender. 8. He that soweth iniquity shall reap calamity: And the rod of his wrath shall fail. 9. He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; For he giveth of his bread to the poor. 10. Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; Yea, strife and ignominy shall cease. 11. He that loveth pureness of heart, For the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend. 12. The eyes of the LORD preserve him that hath knowledge, But he overthroweth the words of the treacherous man. 13. The sluggard saith, There is a lion without: I shall be slain in the streets. 14. The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: He that is abhorred of the LORD shall fall therein. 15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; But the rod of correction shall drive it far from him. 16 He that oppresseth the poor to increase his gain, And he that giveth to the rich, cometh only to want. 17 Incline thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, And apply thine heart unto my knowledge. 18 For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee, If they be established together upon thy lips. 19 That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made them known to thee this day, even to thee. 20 Have not I written unto thee excellent things Of counsels and knowledge; 21. To make thee know the certainty of the words of truth, That thou mayest carry back words of truth to them that send thee? 22 Rob not the poor, because he is poor, Neither oppress the afflicted in the gate: 23 For the LORD will plead their cause, And despoil of life those that despoil them. 24 Make no friendship with a man that is given to anger; And with a wrathful man thou shalt not go: 25 Lest thou learn his ways, And get a snare to thy soul. 26 Be thou not one of them that strike hands, Or of them that are sureties for debts: 27 If thou hast not wherewith to pay, Why should he take away thy bed from under thee? 28 Remove not the ancient landmark, Which thy fathers have set. 29 Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; He shall not stand before mean men. 1. A NAME truly good is the aroma from virtuous character. It is a spontaneous emanation from genuine excellence. It is a reputation for whatsoever things are honest, and lovely, and of good report. It is such a name as is not only remembered on earth, but written in heaven. Hamilton.—A man may desire the approbation and love of friends whom he esteems virtuous and wise. It is inseparable from love to wish to be beloved by its object, and a tender conscience is naturally pleased with the approbation of the wise and good. Both of these principles seem to be here approved by Solomon. But to wish for the "loving favor" of those we love, and a "good name" among the virtuous and wise, is quite a different thing from a general thirst for distinction—a sickly craving for admiration and applause. E. D. Griffin.—A good name is intrinsically precious; but enslaved indeed is he who suspends his peace and comfort on the breeze of popular opinion. Now moral courage, resting on a sure and holy basis, treats with indifference the noisy censure or disesteem of ungodly men. It dares to act alone, and holds its head erect, and soul in high and noble dignity. Jabez Burns. If a good name be more precious than great riches, no greater injury can be inflicted upon men than to wound their reputation. A heathen once said: "The slanderer is the most terrible of wild beasts." Anon.—The citizen of Zion knows the worth of a good name, therefore he backbites not, defames no man, speaks evil of no man, makes not their faults the subject of his common talk, much less of his ridicule; nor speaks of them at all but for edification. He makes the best of everybody and the worst of nobody. H—Good men often outlive their bad names. They conquer by God's help a place of honor for themselves in the judgment of coming times. As the heathen of the first age who called Christians the enemies of the human race were grievously in an error, so it has been since; the world's supposed enemies have been its true friends, and are owned as such when the tongues that maligned them have been silenced by death, and the reputations that were built on their disparagement are blasted. Thus time, God's minister, corrects mistakes. T. D. W. 2. The course of Providence mingles the rich and the poor together everywhere. Therefore let each remember that the same God is the one Maker and Lord of both classes, and will protect each and all in their respective rights. H. C.—And let both remember that respect, consideration, and sympathy are due from each to the other. B. The Lord is the Maker of them all. The sacred writer thus introduces all of us into an equal and common relation to God, who is the great parent of us all. We are the creatures of the same hand, the subjects of the same government; we occupy the same economy of Divine providence and grace; and, as to our destination, we all stand in relation to the same future and eternal state of being. Yet these two divisions of society have existed in every period. It is impossible to avoid them, and any attempt to establish an equality of possessions in the present world would be replete with disappointment, confusion, rapine, and misery. The greatest disturbances mankind has ever experienced have arisen from abortive attempts of this nature; nor can any one seriously consider the causes from which these two conditions of society spring, but he must despair of ever realizing anything like equality or anything approaching to equality, as to the possessions and enjoyments of the present state. R. Hall. The Bible does not teach communism; it preaches brotherhood. And the remedies which it proposes for poverty are not chronic spoliation, nor an impossible, self-destructive leveling down, but the recognition of the right relationship as toward God and between men. Work, help, love, these are the liberté, égalité, fraternité of the Bible; its panacea for the ills of society. A more difficult formula this than the other, which is mostly straw-fire, by which "society" can neither warm nor feed itself. A. E.—In that personal revelation of the living Word, the Incarnation, we find the most absolute of all possible prohibitions of all partialities in the Church—of race or nation, color or rank, property or environment. Why? Because what Christ took upon Him to make Him a Mediator was humanity, simple, whole, undivided. There is no piecing it off among classes any more than among nationalities. If it could be apportioned, graded by any Blue Book, stamped by any society-mark, classified by any sociology or anthropology, the mediatorial glory would be gone because the reality would be gone, and the light of the world would be eclipsed. F. D. H. Both rich and poor are one at the centre. The differences are reciprocal and transient, while the points of agreement are permanent. The rich are essential to the poor; the poor to the rich. The glory of our age is that the differences between these classes are being obliterated. They are meeting together. Our souls are being lifted to a comprehension of this exalted ideal of the Scriptures. True, says Christ, the poor ye shall have always with you; but we are realizing that they are essentially one with the rich, that God is the maker of all. R. S. S.—The rich and poor are brethren. The feelings and interests which they have in common are far more weighty than those outward circumstances that divide them. Rich and poor are equal when they stand at the foot of the Redeemer's cross, craving pardon for their sins; seeking His righteousness to cover their uncleanness. They are equal when they come before God to worship. They are equal when both shall stand before the judgment-seat of God. Archbishop Thomson.—Riches are no reproach and poverty is no merit; but the pride so apt to be bred of riches, the idleness, the injustice, the selfishness so often associated with them, is what God likes to reprove; and the graces that may be found in the poor man's home, the unwearied devotion to duty, the neighborliness and brotherly love, and above all the faith, the hope, and the charity are what He delights to honor. W. G. B. 3. The sense of the word rendered "prudent" is wary, forethoughtful, sagacious—the very qualities of mind which foresee impending evils. The "simple" here are the credulous, the men who are open to all temptations. "Passing on" is less strong than the Hebrew, which means they pass over—in this case, the line of prudence. Of course they meet their reward. H. C. We say, forewarned, forearmed. It is a proverb of deep meaning. A man warned of an evil, which is not inevitable, may avoid it; he has the means of avoiding it if he will apply them. And even if the evil be inevitable, yet still, being forewarned he is forearmed, and may be prepared to encounter it, so that when it comes he may bear up manfully, and by the provisions he has been enabled to make, in the time given him for such preparation, may come forth, if not absolutely triumphant, yet not destroyed, nor fatally injured. Nay, the wise and earnest grappling with inevitable evil, and the patient endurance of it when it comes, the preparation for it as foreseen, and the discipline in passing through it, may be a great benefit to his character; and on the whole, the evil, he being forewarned of it, and having acted the part of a wise and noble nature in meeting and bearing it, may be an absolute blessing. Cheever. 4. Religion does very much consist in humility and the fear of the Lord—that is, walking humbly with God, we so reverence God's majesty and authority as to submit with all humility to the commands of his Word and the disposals of His providence. We have such low thoughts of ourselves as to behave humbly toward God and man. Where the fear of God is there will be humility. And there is gotten by it riches and honor, comfort and long life in this world, as far as God sees good; at least, spiritual riches and honor in the favor of God and the promises and privileges of the covenant of grace, and eternal life at last. H.—If thou desire the love of God and man, be humble; for the proud heart, as it loves none but itself, so it is beloved of none but itself. The voice of humility is God's music, and the silence of humility is God's rhetoric. Humility enforces where neither virtue nor strength can prevail, nor reason. Quarles. Beyond controversy, humility is indispensable to the true life of the soul. There are graces which may be given or withheld; there are experiences, assurances, raptures, ecstasies. But no man ever went to heaven without learning humility on this side of the grave. Without humility, a contrite heart and a prevailing prayer for pardon are impossible. It is only when the proud heart is broken that a man casts himself at the feet of our crucified Saviour, to pray for the atoning stream of blood which may wash out his deep stains of guilt, and give him peace in giving him pardon. Without humility religious progress is impossible. The true growth of the soul is not to be measured by our attempting many extraordinary duties, but by our power of doing simple duties well; and humility, when it reigns in the soul, carries this principle into practice. It bids us hallow our work, especially whatever may be to us hard or distasteful work, by doing it as a matter of principle. It bids us, when on our knees, use simple prayers. It enriches common acts of neighborly and social kindness with that intensity of moral effort which is due to every act of which the deepest moving power is the love of God. Without humility no soul that has turned to God and is learning to serve Him is for a moment safe. The whole life of the living soul is the work of Divine grace; and while pride claims merit for self, and therefore goes before a fall, humility confesses, day by day, "By the grace of God I am what I am." For humility is the condition and guarantee of grace; and, as Augustine says, there is no reason, apart from the grace of God, why the highest saint should not be the worst of criminals. H. P. L. 6. Train up a child. It is common sense to put the seal to the wax while it is soft; to go to the fountain-head, and guide the current of the stream; and to lay hold upon the young tendrils of the shooting vine, and to train them as we would have them to go. Jackson.—It is the law of the human nature that, when it is beginning to grow, it shall be soft as wax to receive all kinds of impressions, and then that it shall gradually stiffen and become hard as adamant to retain them. In our great museums you see stone slabs with the marks of rain that fell hundreds of years before Adam lived; and the footprint of some wild bird that passed across the beach in those old, old times. The passing shower and the light foot left their prints on the soft sediment; then ages went on, and it has hardened into stone; and there they remain and will remain forevermore. That is like a man's spirit; in the childish days so soft, so susceptible to all impressions, so joyous to receive new ideas, treasuring them all up, gathering them all into itself, retaining them all forever. And then, as years go on, habit, the growth of the soul into steadiness and power, and many other reasons beside, gradually make us less and less capable of being profoundly and permanently influenced by anything outside us; so that the process from childhood to manhood is a process of getting less impressible. A. M. A scriptural training in youth starts a moral bias that is apt to survive and force its way, because it is in the line of our original character, and because the original motives are acting upon the conscience. Not that any moral training can restore the lost image of God. That must be created in us, as at the first. But these promptings of conscience and struggles after moral rectitude, if only outward, are some feeble revival of the old original bias to virtue. They are traces and hints of our first estate. What a gratifying fact is this, that scriptural instructions and moral habits, early confirmed, have this vitality. This thoroughly strange thing, in such a race and such a world as ours, ought to be insisted on everywhere. It is too important to be permitted to lie in silence. This "an early bias to good is inveterate"—ought to be written on the door-posts of every home and over every teacher's desk. Let no one lose faith in it. Interior.—The child believes what with discretion and persistency he is-taught to believe. The child's creed is the mother's creed, and with nothing at the start but faith in his mother to guarantee it. He sees through his mother's eyes, thinks in his mother's thoughts, believes through his mother's faith, and calls the Bible God's Book, because she taught him to. C. H. P. The child needs formal teaching by words, but his principles are formed and practical habits moulded chiefly by that action of those around him which expresses their inner life. From this there is a subtle and pervasive influence that no direct teaching can counteract. M. H.—Little may a parent be aware of that infantile sagacity that translates things before it knows the meaning of words. Example sows the seeds of life's harvest, sometimes before a child can speak. That early home, by the still, quiet influence of example, moulds the character into such a shape, that all the after-years of probation, all life's storms, all the jar and bustle of business cannot change it. It is like a pen of iron and the point of a diamond graving on the rock. A child knows well and needs no one to tell it, that while words may speak the mind's knowledge, actions declare the heart. What a man is, is far more than what he says. Gillett.—The child knows no logic but that of the heart. Parental assertion and example are its only evidence; emotion its best proof. Here, therefore, example is everything. In proportion as the spirit of piety educates, the means become unimportant. It finds them without seeking. And that alone is deserving the name of education in which, however small the amount of knowledge imparted, that knowledge is sought to be applied; in which the great aim is to reach the heart of the child, and to impress it with a sacred regard for truth and duty, and a deep reverence for the will of God; in which the character is sought to be built up into habits of order, attention, and filial obedience, based on that piety which is the beginning of wisdom. J. H. The child is capable of being trained for God, and God has entrusted him to the parent that he may be thus trained. The only effectual way in which the parent can do this is himself to be what the child should be. There is an example, an imperceptible and pervading influence that can be had in no other way. Let this be good in principle and judicious in outward form, and all other good influences will almost, of course, fall into its train. M. H. —The child looks and listens, and whatever tone of feeling or manner of conduct is displayed around him, sinks into his plastic, passive soul, and becomes a mould of his being ever after. The very handling of the nursery is significant, and the petulance, the passion, the gentleness, the tranquillity indicated by it, are all reproduced in the child. His soul is a purely receptive nature, and that, for a considerable period, without choice or selection. A little further on he begins voluntarily to copy everything he sees. Voice, manner, gait, everything which the eye sees, the mimic instinct delights to act over. And thus we have a whole generation of future men, receiving from us their very beginnings and the deepest impulses of their life and immortality. They watch us every moment, in the family, before the hearth, and at the table; and when we are meaning them no good or evil, when we are conscious of exerting no influence over them, they are drawing from us impressions and moulds of habit, which, if wrong, no heavenly discipline can wholly remove; or, if right, no bad associations utterly dissipate. H. B. Training up a child may be said to consist in four things—true teaching, discipline, example, and prayer. True teaching, or, if you will, the teaching of the truth which concerns it in its relations to God and man. Store children's minds with truth. Let them know all that it is right to do, both with respect to God and man, that they be not destroyed for lack of knowledge. Example. To tell a child what is to be done is a very valuable thing, but to show how it is done is far more valuable. The power of one's example is the power of character. Prayer. You are not left to this work alone. There is none in which you may more certainly calculate on the help of God, if you seek it, than in the endeavor to guide your children in the way that leads to heaven. He Himself is concerned for the welfare of your children. They are His gifts to you, and are meant to be, not curses, but blessings. He may seem for a season to delay His answers, but even while He delays He may be working out the very results you have so earnestly sought. Mellor. All Christian training is summed up in this: "Bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." This general exhortation has so many parts in it that we cannot even name them. But these are some. Look to the health of the body, for that is the basis in this world of other things. No studies or accomplishments should be allowed to injure that; for that, when injured, will affect injuriously all the higher things. Consider, as far as may be, the temperament and peculiarity of each. There is a Divine individualism of each soul, before which, when we find it, we should bow down as in the presence of a pure work of God, and to which we should yield as we do to the great steady laws. Give the mind knowledge of proper kinds, in due measures, at seasonable times. Develop the affections, truly and tenderly, under the leadings and breathings of the royal law of love. Try to put habits into the life of industry, carefulness, and benevolence, from the very first, that the powers may work by these more easily. Provide for times of recoil and relaxation. Never be afraid of play—of what even might seem idleness to another if you are sure that it is wholesome rest. Above all, try to secure the whole heart for God. Everything must bend to that. The whole manifold culture should grow up into that. Throw around them, as you may instrumentally, so much of the Fatherhood of God, that they shall not be able without a tremendous and distressing struggle to leave it, and when at last away from it shall not be able to live without it. Let them know, without mistake, from your own lips, in face-to-face communication, that the good Shepherd loves them, is watching them with kindly care, is calling them by name, and waiting for their following. When they follow Him, you may sing in gladness and thankfulness of heart. Raleigh. A wise parent will remember that it is the books which the child reads out of school which leave the deepest impression, and, therefore, require the most careful selection. Let him distinguish between children's books and childish books. Let him not fall into the mistake that everything must be written down to the comprehension of children. Their sense of interest runs ahead of their understanding and helps it on. He should know that manhood is not distinguished from childhood, not so much by superiority as by difference of capacity—and that no book suited for the child's department can be too old for it. J. H.—Hardly any reading can interest a child without contributing in some degree, though the book itself be afterward totally forgotten, to form the character; and the parents, therefore, who merely requiring from him a certain course of study, pay little or no attention to story-books, are educating him they know not how. Whately. Children should always be fairly and kindly answered when they ask after anything they would know and desire to be informed about. Curiosity should be as carefully cherished in children as other appetites suppressed. Locke.—Table-talk ought to be such, in every family, as to make the hour of home meal-time one of the most attractive as well as one of the most beneficial hours of the day to all the children. But in order to make table-talk valuable, parents must have something to talk about at the table, must be willing to talk about it there, and must have the children lovingly in mind as they do their table talking. S. S. T. "Children, obey your parents," is a Divine command. Until they come to years of understanding God expresses His will to them through us. We teach them to obey us in order that it may become easy to submit to the will of God at a later period. We also teach them obedience because they are ignorant of their own best interests, and incapable of safely directing themselves. Hence, it is not so much our prerogative to require obedience as the child's privilege to yield it. With that thought in mind, what parent can be impatient with a child who has been disobedient? Few parents neglect to blame their children when they do wrong, but many a child never hears a word of commendation. Their ears grow accustomed to the language of reproof, while their hearts ache for encouragement in their efforts to do right. An appreciative word at these times, warm from a loving parental heart, will not only bring happiness to a deserving child, but will go further in establishing right principles than many reproofs. But reproof and praise should be given with no other thought than the good of the child. To reprove from a mere sense of our own right, or to vary in our manner of reproving according to our own moods and tempers, is injustice to those too weak to defend themselves. Every child has a right to a share of the time and personal attention of both parents. The father who is too busy to give an occasional hour to his children is robbing them of more than he can ever will to them. To think he has done his full duty when he has made proper provision for their physical and intellectual wants is more than a mistake. It is a crime. When a father becomes merely a "provider," he consents to a loss of manhood; and if he does not lose his self-respect, he will, at least, lose the respect of his children. Mothers are expected to come in hourly contact with their families, but who pleads for the children's right to their fathers? Not but what fathers are affectionate and indulgent. Not unfrequently does a father yield a desired point to a child that the mother would unhesitatingly refuse; not because he loves him more, but because he is less acquainted with him. Many a father would be a better man if he lived with his children a little more. Let fathers and mothers both remember that no one can take their place in the children's lives. Free Church Monthly. Be very gentle with the children God has given you; watch over them constantly; reprove them earnestly, but not in anger. In the forcible language of Scripture, "Be not bitter against them." "Yes, they are good boys," I once heard a kind father say; “I talk to them very much, but do not like to beat my children—the world will beat them.” It was a beautiful thought, though not elegantly expressed. Yes, there is not one child in the circle round the table, healthful and happy as they look now, on whose head, if long enough spared, the storm will not beat. Adversity may wither them, sickness may fade, a cold world may frown on them, but amid all let memory carry them back to a home where the law of kindness reigned, where the mother’s reproving eye was moistened with a tear, and the father frowned “more in sorrow than in anger.” Elihu Burritt.—We are to love our children as they are to obey their parents, “in the Lord;” never forgetting that He who lends may resume His gifts whensoever it pleases Him; never forgetting that the fairest flowers of the family may soon wither and die; ever striving as we keep our children in their own place in the house nor allow them to usurp ours, to keep them in their own place in our hearts nor allow them to usurp God’s; ever seeking in our nurseries to rear plants for heaven, and so train up our children in the saving knowledge of Christ and the devout love of God, that we shall have the consolation of knowing, if death enters our house and plucks them from our arms, that our loss is their gain; that if a chair in the circle by our fireside is empty, a blood-bought throne is filled in heaven; that if there is one voice less in the Psalm when we are assembled for worship, there is one more ringing sweet and clear in glory, praising Him through whose dying love and in whose blissful presence we shall join our lost and loved—to weep and to part no more. Guthrie. Too many Christian people seem to suppose that their children, by virtue of their birth, belong to the devil and have to be delivered from the devil by Divine grace when capable of understanding and responding to the Gospel. The precise contrary of this is true. They belong to Christ by virtue of their birth, and have to be kept by the power of Divine grace from going over to the devil. It is this great fact which is affirmed in baptism. Infants are born the subjects of Christ, and He will keep them safe from His foes and theirs, until they revolt against His authority. They are His, not because their parents dedicate them to Him, but because He died for them and has “received power over all flesh.” They are His more truly than they are ours; we acknowledge this claim when we bring them to receive baptism. Herein lies the significance of the rite, so far as parents are concerned. Children should be reminded, as soon as they are capable of understanding it that Christ claimed them as His own in their infancy; parents should constantly remember that they have implicitly acknowledged the claim. In baptism it is not affirmed that the children ought to become Christ’s, but that they are His. Already, apart from their own choice, apart from the act of their parents, they are His. They belong, not to a lost race, but to a race that has been redeemed by “the precious blood of Christ,” and over which He reigns. Lon. Cong.—They are born into a redeemed world. They belong to Christ from infancy, and He says, “Take them, and train them for Me.” They should be so treated as to see in their parents some likeness to their heavenly Father before they can understand verbal teaching. They should be so treated that the truth may be at once received, “Like as a father pitieth his children,” and “As one whom his mother comforteth.” As a child cannot remember when it began to love and obey its parents, so should be its love to God. This may be expected if the parents not only teach doctrine but represent Christ. Children soon discover whether a parent’s chief aim is to please God or to win the world; whether the child’s nurture in Christ or worldly advancement is most desired. They will be more likely to imitate what parents are, than to do what parents say. They learn more by what they see in them than what they hear from them. The writer well remembers, when a child, overhearing his mother, in her mid-day retirement, praying so earnestly for his “salvation” that he longed to get “salvation,” whatever it was, so as to give his mother what would be her greatest delight. By such training, home and school will become nurseries for church and heaven. Newman Hall. 9. A “bountiful eye” is literally a good eye, in the sense of an eye to pity: an eye that sees suffering and want, and indicates a heart and a hand of generous benevolence. God will bless such an eye. H. C. 11. Whoever loves purity, grace (i.e., gracious or acceptable) will be his lips, and the king will be his friend. Michaelis.—Purity in heart implies a care of the heart; a discipline of the imagination; a covenant with the eyes not to look upon vanity; an avoidance of all appearance of evil; a conscientious regulation of our secret thoughts and affections as in the sight of that God with whom we have to do, who requires purity as well as truth in the inward part. R. Hall. God is for that man, and that man is for God, who carries about with him a pure heart; heart purity makes a man beloved of heaven. Many affect pure language, pure houses, pure habits, pure hands, pure air, pure meat and drink, who yet, for want of purity of heart, shall never see the face of God in glory; heart purity speaks a man eternally happy. H. Brooke.—The divinest views of life penetrate most clearly into the meanest emergencies, and, so far from petty principles being best proportioned to petty trials, a heavenly spirit taking up its abode with us can alone sustain well the daily toils, and tranquilly pass the humiliations of our condition; and, to keep the house of the soul in order and pure, a God must come down and dwell within. Martineau. 16. This man pursues two methods of enriching himself: he robs the poor; he gives to the rich; but in both cases he will only impoverish himself. His two methods have the same end in view, and both alike will fail of the end he seeks, and will really bring him not riches but ruin. H. C.—Whatever you save as against righteousness, justice, and love has no lasting in it. God's judgment or blessing rests upon the whole flock, floor, and wine-press. The money saved from the man who had a right to it shall be lost. Do not imagine that God has abandoned all the commercial relations of life and handed over marts and exchanges to the dominion of the devil. The Lord still reigneth, and all history, interpreted by a Christian spirit, ends in this, that whoever endeavors selfishly to upset the Divine regulation is never really the richer for the money he has stolen. Honest money goes far and brings sweetness with it and light and hope, and a blessing full of unction may be asked upon the little loaf bought by the honestly-earned penny. Whatever we have let it be honest money, and then the more we have the more everybody else will have, for we shall be but trustees and stewards, sowing with both hands and reaping with both hands night and day. This is God's law; this doctrine lies at the very root of Divine legislation and social economy. J. P. Thus endeth the second division of the Book of Proverbs, containing chaps. 10-22:16. What follows is miscellaneous down to chap. 25. It is collected from different sources, and might have the title which is proffered to us in v. 17—viz., The Words of the Wise. M. S. 17-19. With v. 17 commences a third part of this Book of Proverbs, distinct in some points of style and method from those which precede or which follow. This part closes with chap. 24. The writer invites most diligent attention to the words of wisdom which he has to speak. "Shall be fitted in thy lips" (v. 18) means shall be confirmed or established upon thy lips, to be always (as we might say) at thy tongue's end, fresh in memory and ever at hand, not only for reflective thought but for ready utterance; words in season fitly spoken. I have taught thee these great truths in order that thou mayest fully trust the Lord. H. C. 18. The words of the wise should be so thoroughly considered and learned, that the learner will be always ready to speak of them or to recite them. We express the like idea by saying, Learn by heart, i.e., make them quite familiar. M. S.—The counsels of the wise should be not in the heart only, or on the lips only, but on the lips from the abundance of the heart. What is "pleasant" in the sight of God and man is the union of the two, belief passing into profession, profession resting on belief. E. H. P. 20,21. The emphasis is here most laid upon this, that they are made known to thee, even to thee and written to thee as if it were a letter directed to thee by name; it is suited to thee and to thy case; it is intended for thee, to be a rule to thee, and by it thou must be judged. We cannot say of these things, They are good things, but they are nothing to us; no, they are of the greatest concern imaginable to us. To make thee know the certainty of the words of truth. That thou mayest know what is truth, mayest plainly distinguish between it and falsehood, and mayest know upon what grounds thou receivest and believest the truths of God. It is desirable to know, not only the words of truth, but the certainty of them; that our faith may be intelligent and rational, and may grow up to a full assurance. H. The Bible itself, studied in its text, and compared with all else that the world has to offer as bringing to us direct messages from God, furnishes ample and irrefragable evidence that only the Author of our own being could have been the Author of that Book of books, with all that it shows us of ourselves, and with all that it discloses concerning our needs, our duties, and our destiny. S. S. T.—If religion is to be a practical thing, it must depend, not upon beautiful thoughts, but upon matter-of-fact certainties. Its truths must come to us in a form in which we can carry them with us, and bring them to bear upon our motives in the hour of temptation. When tempted we need something solid to fall back upon; not a picture, not a mist, not a view, not an hypothesis, but a fact. For eighteen centuries Christianity has responded to this supreme necessity of the soul of man. And we may be sure that if she had done otherwise she would long ago have ceased to command interest at the hands of those who seek in religion, not an amusement for the passing hour, but a kind friend, with a firm hand, who will guide them through the changes and chances of this mortal life to the gate of that other world which we must all, in whatever guise, reach at last. H. P. L. The Bible grapples with the highest subjects which can engage the attention of mankind. It advances instantly to the highest lines of spiritual inquiry. God, creation, invisible worlds, sin, death, immortality, are its familiar themes. But more important than the fact of its grappling with such subjects is its peculiar method of treating them. Its approach, so to speak, is invariably from the higher side; the Bible reveals, it does not suggest; it declares, it does not investigate. Looked at in the light of presumptive inspiration, this is precisely the proper result. If God has spoken at all, He must have spoken positively and authoritatively. J. P.—The point of view of the writers in the Bible is the Divine. Here is the strong proof of the genuineness and authenticity of any part of the Scriptures. Here is stronger proof of inspiration than that of miracles. In the Bible is revealed a law of conduct from which men would withdraw if they could. The human mind would not originate it. We have also here presented a human character as unlike what we find in man as the imagination can conceive. So the promises touching the needs of men are not at all what men would have thought necessary. Man does not believe he has need of forgiveness, save as enlightened by the Bible. He would say, “I need to be educated; I need more power; I live as best I know.” Even now, after all that has been wrought by the bleeding hands of Christ on earth, men feel little the need of a Saviour. So all through the Scriptures the point of view is God’s not man’s. The law that is uttered is Divine; the promises given are Divine; the judgment of human nature, the cause of its woes, its needs, its all, is most manifestly from above. To understand any part of the Bible we must look at it from this Divine standpoint. R. S. S. The style of the Book accommodates itself to the modes of thought and speech common among men in their successive generations, rather than to the technicalities of science or the modes of thought and speech current among learned men. While a Divine book, therefore, it is the most human of books. The infinite mind that suggests its truths presents their finite side toward finite men that they may apprehend and commune with them. S. R.—If the Bible was to be adapted to human wants, it must have a human side complete and perfect. It is by the complete incorporation of all human methods of expressing truth that the Bible is made an intelligible and adequate revelation of the Divine will; and to criticise the Bible, because it employs every device of language and literature by which truth is conveyed from one mind to another, is to reveal the fallibility of our own logic rather than the imperfection of the Bible. A revelation from God that did not come in human costume, and that was not penetrated with the spirit of human sympathy, would be ill adapted to its purpose, and would be like a Saviour who should have come neither eating nor drinking, and subject to no ordinary temptations. But as it behooved Christ to take upon Him not the form of angels, but of the sons of Abraham, and to be tempted in all respects as we are, yet without sin; so it behooves the Divine revelation to be altogether human in its form, except that it give no positive countenance to error. G. F. W. The understanding has its proper work to do with respect to the Bible, because the Bible consists of human writings and contains a human history. Only let us remember that the understanding cannot ascend to things Divine; that for these another faculty is necessary—reason or faith. If this faculty be living in us, then there can be no rationalism; and what is called so is then no other than the voice of Christina truth. Where a man's writings show that he is keenly alive to the Divine part of Scripture, that he sees God ever in it and regards it truly as His Word, his judgments of the human part in it are not likely to be rationalistic; and if his understanding decides according to its own laws upon points within its own province, while his faith duly tempers it and restrains it from venturing upon another's dominion, the result will in all probability be such as commonly attends the use of God's manifold gifts in their just proportions—it will image after our imperfect measure the holiness of God and the truth of God. It is very true and should be acknowledged in the fullest manner, that for the study of the highest moral and spiritual questions another faculty than the understanding is wanting; and that without this faculty the understanding alone cannot arrive at truth. But it is no less true, that while there is, on the one side, a faculty higher than the understanding, which is entitled to pronounce upon its defects; "for He that is spiritual judgeth all things," so there is a clamor often raised against it, not from above, but from below—the clamor of mere shallowness and ignorance, and passion. Wisdom is gained, not by renouncing or despising the understanding, but by adding to its perfect work the perfect work of reason, and of reason's perfection, faith. T. Arnold. If any man, says Jesus, wills to do the Father's will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God. An obedient spirit leads the inquiring mind to such a perception of the internal, historical, and practical evidences of the Gospel as gives sufficient assurance to himself that it is of God and not of man. And the combined testimony of the Evangelical Church in all her branches seals the truth, as thus certified by so many individual experiences, as the power of God unto salvation. Or, to state the doctrine more fully, the Bible, as the inspired Word of God, is the ultimate standard and the infallible rule of faith and practice; it is known to be the Word of God not only by its internal contents and character and by the Christian consciousness of the individual believer, but by the like consciousness, the sanctified judgment, and the uniform testimony of the living, spiritual Church, both of the past and the present, the whole family of God on earth and in heaven; and this catholic Church is known, not as a particular mechanical organism, but by its fruits—the fruits of practical faith, and earnest, continuous consecration to the moral and spiritual ends and objects of its high calling, whatever the imperfections of its formulated beliefs or organizations, or of character in many of its several members. The Church was indeed before the Bible; but the Bible, since written, is the Church's text-book and guide, and they are mutual witnesses for each other through the Holy Spirit in both together. R. W. Patterson. Carry back words of truth. Knowledge is given us to do good with, that others may light their candle at our lamp, and that we may in our place serve our generation according to the will of God. And those who make conscience of keeping God's commandments will be best able to give a reason of the hope that is in them. H. 22,23. To rob and oppress the rich is a great sin; but to rob and oppress the poor is a greater; but to rob and oppress the poor because he is poor, and wants money to buy justice, is the top of all inhumanity and impiety. To oppress any one is sin; but to oppress the oppressed is the height of sin. Poverty, and want, and misery should be motives to pity; but oppressors make them the whetstones of their cruelty and severity, and therefore the Lord will plead the cause of His poor oppressed people against their oppressors without fee or fear. Anon.—Poverty is the load of some, and wealth is the load of others, perhaps the greater load of the two. It may weigh them to perdition. Bear the load of thy neighbor's poverty and let him bear with thee the load of thy wealth. Thou lightenest thy load by lightening his. Augustine. 26,27. This admonition has occurred already (6:1-5 and 11:15). The doctrine of suretyship as it appears in this Book of Proverbs should be studied and judged of in the light of the age of Solomon and of the Mosaic system. From Moses to Solomon the Jews had never been a commercial people. For obvious reasons it was manifestly the Divine policy to prevent them from becoming such. Their system of agriculture, with no costly implements, required but little capital. Hence while they kept aloof from traffic, they had but the least possible occasion to loan money on the guarantee of another. H. C. 28. The primary application, possibly even the only one, makes the words a protest against the grasping covetousness which leads men to add house to house and field to field (Isa. 5:8), regardless of the rights of the poor upon whose inheritance they encroach. E. H. P. 29. Such men as Joseph and Daniel work themselves up to high responsibilities by dint of their "diligence in business." They bring to their service capacity, energy, industry, application. Doing everything they attempt in the best manner possible, they soon come before kings because they are wanted. H. C.—Not only is vital godliness perfectly consistent with commercial success, it ought to be a means thereto. "Seest thou a man diligent in his business?" asks the Book of Proverbs. "He shall stand before kings, . . . he shall not stand before mean men." And who should be more diligent than the servant of the Most High God? But godliness, having the promise of the life that now is, as well as of that which is to come, naturally brings riches in its train. Diligence and frugality, the children of true religion, are in turn the parents of wealth. J. M. Oxley. The man of methodical industry and honorable pursuits realizes, says Coleridge, the ideal divisions of time, and he gives a character and individuality to its movements. If the idle are described as killing time, he may justly be said to call it into life and moral being while he makes it the distinct object not only of the consciousness, but of the conscience. He organizes the hours, and gives them a soul; and that, the very essence of which is to pass away, he takes up into his own permanence, and endows with the imperishableness of a spiritual nature. Of the good and faithful servant, continues our philosopher, whose energies, thus directed, are thus methodized, it may rather be said that he lives in time than that time lives in him. His days, months, and years, as the stops and punctual marks in the records of duties performed, will remain when time shall be no more. W. H. Adams.—To do what we have to do deliberately, carefully, punctiliously, conscientiously, that is the main concern. Virtuous diligence is a continual exercise of the understanding, of reason, of reflection, of self-command. The industrious man lives in the entire, true, intimate consciousness of himself. He rejoices in his life, his faculties, his endowments, his time. He can give an account of the use and application of them, and can therefore look back upon the past with satisfaction, and into the future without disquietude. He experiences neither languor nor irksomeness. He who really loves work can never be wanting in means and opportunities for it. To him every occupation is agreeable, even though it procure him no visible profit. He alone knows the pleasures of rest, for he alone really wants it, he alone has deserved it, he alone can enjoy it without reproach. Zollikofer. A man industrious in his calling, if without the fear of God, becomes a drudge to worldly ends—vexed when disappointed, overjoyed in success. Mingle but the fear of God with business, it will not abate a man's industry, but sweeten it; if he prosper he is thankful to God that gives him power to get wealth; if he miscarry he is patient under the will and dispensation of the God he fears. It turns the very employment of his calling to a kind of religious duty and exercise of his religion, without damage or detriment to it. Sir Matthew Hale.—Many of the best and most valuable Christian disciples we have, are such as come up out of the walks of business. They know how to move with alertness and turn their hand nimbly as things require, keeping everything still in the training of order and practical system; playing in, under these and to fill them out, all most practical mercies and tenderest graces. So that if we want the best engineering of counsel and the most energetic flexibilities of movement, we are more likely to get our supply from the class of disciples in trade than from any other. Operations are their study, and they get limbered in it for all most cautiously safe and practically efficient operations in religion. H. B. The Christian man of business has, as the foundation of all, a supreme love to God and a deep conviction that religion is the principal thing, the oxygen which is let down into the mine ere the miner descends to dig in it, rendering it safe for him to work; he resolves that it is necessary for him to be religious, though it is not to be rich; he makes time on his busiest days for family and private devotions; he lives with his household as its head, not as its slave, toiling for its support. He will himself know something personally of the luxury of doing good; he will seek a blessing on every day's transactions, give thanks for success, be content with honest gains, and not cast down by losses; he will not obtrude his Christian way of doing business pharisaically upon others, as a model; he will honor God and bless his fellow-men with offerings laid aside as God hath prospered him; and this would be the Christian man of business, and this the way for him to be kept from the evil that is in the world. W. H. Lewis.—A man can maintain the love of God by faith and prayer, and go on to make all most solid attainments of character in the life-occupation of trade. When the question how is raised, the very first, always indispensable thing is that he shall be faithfully set to it, and expect to succeed only by fighting out the great human battle with self-seeking and the love of money, and by standing fast in God's name in all holiest integrity. He must not go into trade as any sharp work to be shrewdly done; he must not pitch himself recklessly into making his fortune; he must not look upon his business future with a mind wholly slack toward God and religion, willing to be floated whither the tide will carry him. No true character is ever made in that way in any employment. And it is precisely in that way that trade has come to be regarded as a kind of life so pre-eminently hostile to the interests of character. But the man who is in it can have and is bound to have God with him in it; to begin his day with God's smile, to end it in God's approbation, and to pass it all through in the testimony that he pleases God. Going thus into and onward in trade, he will have no difficulty in being a Christian in it. He is fast anchored in all right practice and right living by holding himself to courses that permit the enjoyment of God, and then the enjoyment of God will in turn hold him to his courses. Such a man can be a Christian anywhere, and will as certainly be in trade as anywhere else. H. B. The duty of the Christian is plain—not to avoid the acquiring of riches, but to show the world how riches rightly acquired may be rightly expended. No other can do this so well as he. The man who has piled up millions by corners in grain or pork, by railroad wrecking or breaking banks, may, forsooth, endeavor to effect a compromise with his own conscience, or, lacking that troublesome monitor, with public opinion, by spasmodically handing over some portion of his unlawful gains to universities or hospitals; but there is no moral value in such a proceeding. It is the continuous, consistent employment of wealth in the work of the Lord that tells. It is when one's business is "done in the name of Jesus, in the spirit of consecration; its gains made useful in a Christ-like way; its ventures all baptized in prayer; its extension sought only as a means to greater good; its whole conduct and character and profit decided by considerations pertaining to the next world as well as to this." (H. Johnson.) Riches accumulated in this spirit will bring with them no poison that need hereafter be extracted; and only thus can be realized the sacred truth that "the blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it." J. M. Oxley. 1. WHEN thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Consider diligently him that is before thee; 2. And put a knife to thy throat, If thou be a man given to appetite. 3. Be not desirous of his dainties; Seeing they are deceitful meat. 4. Weary not thyself to be rich; Cease from thine own wisdom. 5. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings, Like an eagle that fieth toward heaven. 6. Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, Neither desire thou his dainties: 7. For as he thinketh within himself, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; But his heart is not with thee. 8. The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, And lose thy sweet words. 9. Speak not in the hearing of a fool; For he will despise the wisdom of thy words. 10. Remove not the ancient landmark; And enter not into the fields of the fatherless: 11. For their redeemer is strong; He shall plead their cause against thee. 12. Apply thine heart unto instruction, And thine ears to the words of knowledge. 13. Withhold not correction from the child: For if thou beat him with the rod, he shall not die. 14. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, And shalt deliver his soul from Sheol. 15. My son, if thine heart be wise, My heart shall be glad, even mine: 16. Yea, my reins shall rejoice, When thy lips speak right things. 17. Let not thine heart envy sinners: But be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long: 18. For surely there is a reward (or, future); And thy hope shall not be cut off. 19. Hear thou, my son, and be wise, And guide thine heart in the way. 20. Be not among winebibbers; Among gluttonous eaters of flesh: 21. For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: And drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. 22. Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, And despise not thy mother when she is old. 23. Buy the truth, and sell it not; Yea, wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. 24. The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: And he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him. 25. Let thy father and thy mother be glad, And let her that bare thee rejoice. 26. My son, give me thine heart, And let thine eyes delight in my ways. 27. For a whore is a deep ditch; And a strange woman is a narrow pit. 28 Yea, she lieth in wait as a robber, And increaseth the treacherous among men. 29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? Who hath complaining? who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes? 30 They that tarry long at the wine; They that go to seek out mixed wine. 31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, 1-3. "Consider diligently" not so much what as "who is before thee." Solomon exhorts us to consider thoughtfully where we are, in whose presence we are sitting, and how much may depend on the impression we may make upon his mind by our manner and bearing at his luxurious table. Let it be suggested that self-control is always manly (as opposed to beastly), and that we always sit at table in the presence of the Great King! 4,5. An admonition against making riches the chief end of one's labor. "Cease from thine own wisdom," as bearing on the subject in hand, must mean, Cease to depend on thine own sagacity, shrewdness, skill in making money. Solomon assumes that the supreme pursuit of wealth is sure to fail of its object. Wilt thou let thine eyes fly upon riches?—i.e., turn eagerly, with longing look as if to rush with outspread wings upon them? But they are not; they will not be there; they vanish from your view; they suddenly elude your grasp and your hand is upon nothing; for they take wings like an eagle and are away! See similar sentiments in Paul (1 Tim. 6: 9, 10) and below (28: 20)—a lesson which men of the world are sadly slow to learn. H. C.—The things of this world have a real existence in nature and are the real gifts of Providence, but in the kingdom of grace they are things that are not; they are not a happiness and portion for a soul; are not what they promise to be nor what we expect them to be; they are a show, a shadow, a sham upon the soul that trusts to them; they are not, for in a little while they will not be; they perish in the using. It is therefore folly for us to set our eyes upon them; to admire them as the best things and appropriate them to ourselves as our good things, and to aim at them as our mark at which all our actions are levelled. . . . There is a burden of care in getting, of fear in keeping, When it giveth its colour in the cup, When it goeth down smoothly: 32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, And stingeth like an adder. 33 Thine eyes shall behold strange things, And thine heart shall utter froward things. 34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, Or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. 35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not hurt; They have beaten me, and I felt it not: When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again. of temptation in using, of guilt in abusing, of sorrow in losing, and of responsibility in at last accounting for riches. H. The certain way to be truly rich is not to be so solicitous to increase a fortune as to give limits to our desires. For whoever is always grasping at more confesses he is still in want, and is therefore miserable and poor, because in the midst of all his affluence he wants that contentment and moderation of his desires which only can render any person rich and happy. Plutarch.—Neither contentment nor discontentment arises from the outward condition, but from the inward disposition. If a man is not content in that state he is in, he will not be content in any state he would be in. J. Mason. 6-8. Sentiment: "Beware of flattering and deceitful men, who show you special civility only to mislead you, and to put you off your guard. Their courtesies will be loathed, when their real design comes to be known." Here are three connected verses again. M. S. 7. As he thinketh within himself, so is he. This is the Hebrew way of telling us, in a casual word about feasting, that a man's inmost thinking is the true index to his character. J. Clifford.—The idea plainly is that a man's thinking exhibits the nature of the man. The same idea is brought out by the tree and its fruits, and the fountain and its waters. The thinking does not make the man, but the man makes the thinking. We want to know what his real thinking is, in order to judge of his character. A man may be smooth, polite, kindly spoken—but we require more than that, because we have learned from observation that this may only be a method of hiding and yet accomplishing bad purposes. Interior. Every man is as the objects are with which he converses. A man may better know what he is by eyeing the objects with which his soul does mostly converse, than by observing his most pompous services. T. Brooks.—It is the habitual thought that frames itself into our life. It affects us even more than our intimate social relations do. Our confidential friends have not so much to do in shaping our lives as thoughts have which we harbor. F. W. Teal.—Our thoughts are the measure of our characters, because all the elements of our being find expression in our thoughts. The intellect, the affections, the motives, and the attainments, all have their part in shaping our thoughts. Our opinions and judgments are miniatures of ourselves. S. S. T. There is no fruit which actually we bring forth, be it good or bad, but it proceeds from the voluntary thoughts. Wherefore, ordinarily, these give the best and surest measure of the frame of men's minds. Owen.—The “mind” in you is what you are, in your thoughts, desires, and aims. Not all the thoughts which you have belong to your mind, but only such thoughts as are intensely vital, stirring your deepest emotions and impelling you to action. Not all that you feel belongs to your mind, but only such emotions as spring out of your thoughts and shape your conduct. Not everything that you do shows what your mind is, but only such actions as are the outcome of rational conviction and genuine love. The “mind” of a man is what he is in the organic unity of his secret thoughts, affections, and aims. He has the mind of the flesh, if the gravitation of his inmost self is toward the things of the flesh, the things that minister to selfish ease and ambition, no matter how refined his pursuits and habits may be. Behrends.—My works will be answerable to my thoughts; if my thoughts be wicked or fruitless, so will my actions be. My thoughts are the seed that lies in the ground out of sight; my works are the crop which is visible to others; according to the seed, whether good or bad, such will the crop be. How much it concerns me that my heart be sown with pure and holy thoughts, that my crop may tend both to my credit and comfort! Swinnock.—That is a man's mind and will which is habitually his mind and will. When the very inclination and bent of your will is right, then only is your heart right. It is not an extraordinary act that you can try yourselves by, but such a free course and tenor of your lives as will prove that you have a new nature, or a heart inclined and habituated to God. The main business, therefore, is to prove that you are habitually resolved. Baxter. Character is a very different thing from reputation. Reputation is easily gained, lost and gained again, as the world goes. Character, on the contrary, is a thing of slow growth and difficult acquirement. When well developed and firmly fixed, it has great staying power. If the character is good, its possessor is supremely concerned in its careful preservation. If bad, he knows it as no one else can know, and he also knows that, unlike his bodily condition, it cannot be doctored and repaired on short notice. Interior.—Character is the only test, and the only true fruit, of living. It is not knowledge, for knowledge will fail. It is not money, for money cannot be carried away from earth. It is not fame, for fame's laurels fade at the grave's edge and its voice gives no cheer in the valley of shadows. It is not culture or education or refinement. It is character—not what we have or what we know, but what we are—that we carry with us into the eternal world. Therefore the building of character should be cur central aim in all life. Business, home, church, reading, pleasure, struggle, work, sorrow—all are but means to the one end. The daily temptations which make every true life such a painful conflict from beginning to end bring us constant opportunities for growth of character. The lessons we get from others, the influences which friends exert upon us, the truths which reading puts into our minds, the impressions which life leaves upon us, the inspirations from the Divine Spirit—in all these ways the silent work of building goes on. It never ceases. The builders never rest. By day and by night the character-temple is rising. J. R. M. It is not great, or special, or extraordinary experiences which constitute in the best sense the “religious character.” It is the uniform daily walk with God; serving Him in little things as well as great things—in the ordinary duties and every-day avocations, as well as in the midst of grave and eventful contingencies. The spiritual life is itself the grandest illustration of the power of littles. Character is the product of hourly actions, words, and thoughts; daily forgivenesses, unselfishness, kindnesses, sympathies, charities, sacrifices for the good of others, struggles against temptation, submissiveness under trial. It is these which constitute “the man!” Macduff.—It is the struggle, and not the attainment, that measures character and foreshadows destiny. Character is not determined by faults and weaknesses and periodic phases of life, nor by limitations and accidents of present existence, but by the central purpose, the inmost desire of the heart. If that be turned toward God and His righteousness, it must at last bring us thither. T. T. Munger. No man really believes any more than he practises. Faith is the most abused noun in the language and believe the most abused verb. Men say they believe in Christ, who do not show the first quality of His temper. Women say they believe in love, who are exacting, selfish, vain, worldly, altogether unlovely. In religion, only that is believed which is lived. There is no Christian faith unless it makes a man a Christian, and that not in the head, but in the heart and the life. Pres. Observer.—Truths we sincerely and heartily believe govern our whole life. Inwrought and powerful convictions of any kind mould the character of a man whether for good or ill. Consequently, our beliefs are the real factors in our history. Anon. 10,11. Encroach not upon the lands of the fatherless [the orphan], for they have a mighty Redeemer in the Great God — always the Father of all fatherless ones; the most formidable antagonist you can have. Stir not up His wrath, for He will plead and avenge their cause with thee. H. C. 15-35. Another continuous exhortation, in the same strain as the earlier chapters, rather than a collection of maxims. E. H. P. 15,16. Beautiful outgushings of a father's heart are these! How deep are the fountains of his joy over a truly wise son! How does his very heart exult when a son's lips speak uprightly, according to truth and righteousness! We must assume that this father speaks of his own son! 17,18. Be not envious toward sinners who seem to be prosperous, but abide thou permanently in thy piety—the “fear of the Lord,” comprehending piety in all its relations, involving here especially the elements of faith and trust. The Lord would say, Be not troubled by the present prosperity of the wicked; the righteous will surely have their reward in due time; if not wholly in this world, yet without fail in the world to come. Your expectation of due reward can by no means fail in the end. H. C. 20,21. Our Saviour warns against surfeiting as well as intoxication. It were well to have a high standard of abstemiousness in respect to both. Whether there should be seasons of fasting or not, there should be a general habit of temperance; and the command of one appetite strengthens for a like mastery over the others. T. C. The connection of pains with the violation of moral and physical law is as distinguished by clemency as by justice, for they are intended to subserve a benevolent end. Thus the nausea, the headache, and sickness which follow the first drunken surfeit are gentle warnings to avoid that course in the future; and the debility, the delirium tremens, and the dropsy, which attend a more advanced stage of intemperance, are still louder tones of admonition to escape from the disgusting vice. Indeed, all the physical evils springing from sin are so many merciful admonitions to repentance and reformation. They are so many appeals to man's self-love, even when he is lost to every higher principle, declaiming against his vicious habits and summoning him to the path of virtue and obedience, lest iniquity be his utter ruin. And generally, this appeal of nature, though gentle at first, becomes louder and louder as the danger becomes more imminent—the tones of admonition uttered by suffering and woe consequent on vice assume a more startling and terrific cry as the rebel steps nearer the precipice of irrecoverable ruin. We ask, What principle could dictate this economy? The sinner's recovery to virtue and happiness is obviously the object, and that surely is the object of clemency and love. Punitive justice may, indeed, be manifested, but evidently in harmonious connection with tender compassion—with unbounded goodness and love. W. Cooke.—If before we sin we could but feel the sequences, we would never commit it; if we could but see the blindness of mind, the horror of conscience, the hardness of heart that will inseparably follow them, we would certainly shun them; for is any man so mad as to think that if a man felt the surfeit before he ate the sweetmeat, that he would then eat it? No, surely; so, could we but see the punishment now that will follow a little pleasure, surely we would reject all the pleasure. J. Preston. Temperance puts wood on the fire, meal in the barrel, flour in the tub, money in the purse, credit in the country, vigor in the body, contentment in the house, clothes on the bairns, intelligence in the brain, and spirit in the constitution. B. Franklin. 23. Buy, means acquire, obtain. Sell it not. Prize it so highly that no consideration will induce you to part with it. The last three nouns have buy implied before them; and the description thus becomes cumulative, in order to include every species of wisdom and instruction. M. S.—Get hold of truth at any cost; pay its price and take it; but never sell it! Part with it for no consideration! Its value is above rubies! To expand more fully the idea embraced in the word "truth," he subjoins— "wisdom, instruction, understanding." Obey- ing this direction, we shall accumulate a vast store. H. C. The force of the metaphor lies in this, that we cannot obtain truth without cost, and that when we have it we shall be bribed to part with it. "Buy it"—then there must be a price; "sell it not"—then there must be a temptation to let it go. J. Vaughan. You can never overbuy it, whatsoever you give for it; you can never sell it at its value if you should have all the world in exchange for it. Solomon bids us "buy the truth," but doth not tell us what it must cost, because we must get it, though it be never so dear. We must love it both shining and scorching. Every parcel of truth is precious as the filings of gold; we must either live with it, or die for it. As Ruth said to Naomi: "Whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge, and nothing but death shall part thee and me" (Ruth, 1:16, 17); so must gracious spirits say, Where truth goes, I will go, and where truth lodges, I will lodge, and nothing but death shall part me and truth. A man may lawfully sell his house, land, and jewels; but truth is a jewel that ex- ceeds all price, and must not be sold; it is our heritage. "Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage forever" (Psalms 110:111). It is a legacy which our forefathers have bought with their blood, which should make us willing to lay down anything, and to lay out anything, that we may, with the wise merchant in the Gospel, purchase the precious pearl, which is more worth than heaven and earth, and which will make a man live happy, die comfortably, and reign eternally. T. Brooks. Buy the truth, and sell it not. Pay the price required. Buy with obedience. Buy with study. Buy with self-denial. Buy with self- sacrifice. Buy with fidelity. And know that still, whatever you pay, the truth you buy is the unpurchasable gift of God through Jesus Christ. This is the paradox of grace. You must pay everything, and then you have your prize for nothing. And lo! the prize you have found is far more glorious than the prize you sought. You sought truth, and you have found Christ. To find Christ, to agree with God in God's chief thought—the thought of Christ as Saviour and as Lord to men—this, this, at length, is orthodoxy. This truth buy. Buy, and sell it not. W. C. Wilkinson. It is as much a moral obligation to seek for truth in our opinions as to express it in our words or to manifest it in our conduct. We are responsible for the opinions which we form, not merely as these opinions are connected with conduct, but on the ground that the love of truth, in the whole extent and variety of its im- port, is an imperative and indestructible duty. This is the uniform teaching of the Scriptures. This is implied in the exhortation to buy the truth and sell it not, to seek that wisdom which is only another name for it as for hidden treas- ures, and to prefer its merchandise to that of gold and silver. The mind cannot move in charity nor rest in Providence unless it turn upon the poles of truth. "The inquiry of truth," says Bacon, "which is the love-making or wooing of it, the knowledge of truth, which is the presence of it, and the belief of truth, which is the enjoying of it, is the sovereign good of human nature. The first creature of God in the work of days was the light of sense, the last was the light of reason, and His Sab- bath-work ever since is the illumination of His Spirit." Thornwell. Wheresoever the search after truth begins, there life begins. Wheresoever that search ceases, there life ceases. Ruskin.—The no- blest truths are not given to us for intellectual luxury, still less for a moral opiate of spiritual charm. They are for the inspiration of our whole being, for the hallowing and for the bracing of every power, outward and inward, with which we are endowed, and for use in the busy fields of common duty. Westcott.— There is a natural affinity between all truths and all forms of goodness. They may be sep- arable as they are distinct; but when any one great truth is held fast, it wards off some evil influences; when any good, loving habit is re- tained, it keeps the heart open to truth. In the highest sphere of being truth and goodness are one, and by their commingled influence quick- en and sustain the inner man. F. C. Cook. One way in which we can continue to pur- chase truth is by having the eye ever open to its still developing lessons. A more direct means of the acquisition of truth will be reading, med- itation, and conversation. The reproof of the wise and good, or of those in authority over us, will be a third means by which we can purchase truth for ourselves. Prayer to God becomes a constant mode of purchasing truth. E. Monro. —The truth-seeker must be a genuinely hum- ble man. More and more he learns how vast the treasures of truth are, how far they extend beyond the powers of his mind and the range of his knowledge. He should also be a reverent man. Having found that he himself can err, his reverence will no longer terminate upon himself, but will be reserved for that great world of fact, and reality which opens before him. He will be ready to respect any new fact, and to welcome any new light, and to accord to it its true dignity so soon as it shall be seen to be well authenticated. The truth-seeker is also a hopeful man. He believes that there is truth to be found, and that he has not found it all, else he would never become a seeker. He believes that it is right and safe to seek it, and that he will succeed in his search. He wants to know the reality of things, and is confident that an eager and earnest search will yield him more and more such knowledge. H. C. T. He who refuses to expend effort that he may obtain this treasure, forfeits every right and title to receive the name of man; for man cannot live deprived of truth. Doubt as regards the truth from God brings darkness on our souls, distraction to our minds, and takes all comfort from our life and death. A firm conviction, on the other hand, though frequently the issue of an inward strife, produces in its turn a comforting tranquillity; and even the heavenly King could not give promise to His subjects of a higher bliss than what is pointed out in His sententious words: "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Van O.—How faithful and truthful is the truth which aims at our liberty and blessedness, that it takes from us step by step all false consolation, and in such a manner that though at first we do not feel thankful, yet at last we offer praise and adoration for this very discipline. Nitzsch. Let no man, upon a weak conceit of sobriety, or an ill-applied moderation, think or maintain that a man can search too far, or be too well studied in the Book of God's Word, or in the book of God's works—divinity or philosophy; but rather let men endeavor an endless progress or proficiency in both. Bacon.—No one can comprehend all truth. The relation of disciple grows out of the vastness of truth, which is infinite like its Author. Heaven will enlarge our powers, but not exhaust the truth we study. The basis of our disciple life is here in the old, rich, fascinating revelations of scriptural truth, which point us onward by the way of the cross and in the path of loyalty to the Redeemer. Vincent. Sell it not. We are bound to keep the truth for the food of our own souls, and to see that the atmosphere in which we live, and the prevailing tendencies around us, the worldliness, the selfishness, the absorption in the things seen to the exclusion of the things that are unseen and eternal—do not rob us of the treasure which we say that we value. See to it that you keep it as what you profess that it is, the anchor of your hope and the guide of all your lives, binding it upon the pains of your hands, that all your work may be sanctified; writing it between your eyes, that all your thoughts may be enlightened; and inscribing it on the posts of your doors and your gates, that whensoever you go forth to work you may go under its guidance, and when you come back to rest and solitude you may bear it with you for your meditation and refreshment. A. M. 26. The wise man here claims the heart in the name of the Lord. Bear in mind that, although this claim is put affectionately and appealingly, it is a claim and admits of no compromise. God will not be put off with any minor or inferior concession. He says to every child of man, "My son, give Me thine heart." It is a very comprehensive claim, this demand of the heart. The best way to comply with it is to identify God with everything which will bear contact with Him. A life thus controlled and regulated would be indeed a blessed and a model life. Bear further in mind that God demands your heart, in order that He may enlighten, convince, pardon, sanctify, keep, dignify, and save you. A. Mursell.—God ever gives what He asks. It is, as Augustine beautifully expresses it, "Give what Thou commandest, and command what Thou wilt;" a principle, we cannot too often repeat, applicable throughout the economy of grace, where all originates with God. A. E. If, as the Scriptures teach, there is in the Father of spirits a disposition for communion, it follows that the same disposition should be found in the human spirit, because it was formed in the Creator's image and likeness. Or if, on the other hand, there is in man a disposition for communion, it follows that a similar disposition must dwell in the Deity. Therefore he who admits man to have been formed in God's image and likeness must admit that if a disposition for communion dwells in the spirit of the creature, it must dwell in infinite plenitude and perfection in the Creator. All spiritual religion is grafted on this disposition for communion. Under its influence the affections go out toward Him, the thoughts dwell upon Him, the soul delights in Him, and all the religious exercises of the soul are so many acts of communion with Him. And this fellowship of the created mind with the eternal and uncreated Mind is religion; the religion which God requires and commands, "My son, give Me thine heart." In the absence of this fellowship there is no religion; and without it the profession of religion is but formality and hypocrisy, which God despises and condemns. No external rites, no well-ordered ceremonials, no imposing pageantry, can be a substitute for this. Even morality and good works, apart from this fellowship with God, are of no avail; so essential is communion with God to the very existence of true religion, and so expressive is God's approval of that spiritual exercise in which the soul realizes fellowship with Himself. W. Cooke. Anything which makes religion the second object makes religion no object. God will put up with a great many things in the human heart; but there is one thing He will not put up with in it—a second place. He who offers God a second place offers Him no place. Ruskin. —The only way is to live altogether and only to God. Thus it must be; there is no monster in the new creation, no half-new creature; either all, or not at all. We have to deal with the Maker and the Searcher of the heart in this turn, and He will have nothing unless He have the heart, and none of that neither unless He have it all. If thou pass over into His kingdom and become His subject, thou must have Him for thy only Sovereign. Loyalty can admit of no rivalry, and least of all the highest and best of all. If Christ be thy King, then His laws and sceptre must rule all in thee; thou must now acknowledge no foreign power; that will be treason. Leighton. The personal devotion of the heart, the personal surrender of the individual will, can alone save a man or make him holy. A man's life may be influenced, but it is not determined, by his circumstances. No aid, save that which comes from above to every man, can help him to climb the mountain-path of life, or enter the wicket-gate of righteousness. Nor, on the other hand, can any will or power, except his own, retard his ascent or forbid his ingress. On ourselves, on the conscious exercise of our own free will, depends our eternal salvation or ruin. Farrar. —The grace of God, though sovereign in its operations, yet acts not by force and compulsion, as upon mere machines, destroying the will and dragging men to heaven, as some in contempt please to assert. No, the service of our Lord is perfect freedom. He loves a cheerful giver. Spiritual affections can only be happy from spiritual objects. The heart can only be happy in God, when cheerfully given up to Him in faith and love. This is the very essence of vital godliness. W. Mason. Christ's demand is not only for the surrender of the heart, but for the giving up of self, and, in a very profound sense, for the surrender of life. To die in and to self is the path to living in Christ. We possess ourselves only when we give ourselves away to Him. We live by dying. We die in our true selves if we seek to live for and by ourselves. He only truly lives, the motto of whose life is: "I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." A. M.—There is no service thoroughly right which does not directly acknowledge and honor the Saviour. The heart's offering to Him is the beginning of all righteousness. He who knoweth our frame has ordained that our spiritual life shall grow strong and earnest, just in proportion as our personal affections and faith centre in the living Saviour, who manifests the Father unto the world. We must touch His garment, sit at His feet, lean upon His cross. So we are made. We may wonder at the way, but we adore it, in our deeper experience, none the less. F. D. H. 27,28. Her victims will never or almost never escape from her deadly grasp. Once in her snare, they are lost—lost to virtue, lost to happiness, lost to society, lost as to their own welfare for this world and for all worlds! She lieth in wait as a robber [so the Hebrew], and she multiplieth transgressors among men. Many of the otherwise strong and mighty fall before her, never to rise again. (Compare 7:26, 27.) The observation of the discerning in all ages confirms the fearful truth so strongly put here, that no form of sin holds its victims with more unyielding grasp than this; no form breaks down all self-recuperative power and hurries men to their graves more swiftly or more fearfully. H. C.—Of all the vices, licentiousness seems to hold men in the strongest bonds, and affords the least prospect of reformation. The fetters which it weaves around them, while they serve to bind, serve also the longer they are worn to weaken the strength of the captive, and diminish the hope that he will ever cast them asunder. No vice makes such havoc in the soul; it is a concentration of impurity, cruelty, and contempt of both God and man; it produces a self-loathing and abhorrence, which renders him more desperate and abandoned. At length he awakes when the enchantment is dispelled; abused nature will have its revenge, will make a road of every nerve and vein "for the scorching feet of pain to travel on;" and the poor wretch finds himself in the purlieus of perdition even before his spirit leaves its tenement. J. M. M. 29-35. (Read note on Psalm 104:14.) A third class of texts, the directly ethical, where wine and its effects, instead of being incidentally mentioned, form the principal subject, are all one way. Among others in the Old Testament, see Prov. 23: 29-35; 31: 3; Isa. 5: 11; 28: 1, 3, 7, 8; Jer. 35: 1, 19; Dan. 1: 8; Hos. 4: 2; Joel 1: 5; Amos 6: 6; Hab. 2: 5, 15. They condemn, with no reference to excess or moderation. Wine-drinking is spoken of as a bad thing, leading to ruinous consequences. Some are more directly didactic than others. Among these stands pre-eminent Prov. 23: 29-35. Never were the evils of wine-drinking or the danger of any incipient yielding to it more strongly set forth. For vivid painting there is nothing to equal it in all the Greek Anthologies. I give it most literally, with all its abrupt changes of number and person: 29. To whom is woe? To whom is ah me? To whom are strifes, to whom deep muttering? To whom are causeless wounds? To whom the bloodshot eye? 30. To them who stay late at the wine; To them who seek the mingled drink. 31. Look not on the wine, with its ruby blush, When it showeth its eye in the cup; When it walks (o'er the lips) so pleasantly. 32. At its end, like the serpent, it bites. Like the venomous adder, it stings. 33. Strange visions thine eyes shall behold; Wild ravings thy heart shall utter. 34. As one who lies down in the heart of the deep; Who sleeps on the top of the mast. 35. They smite me, but I am not sore; They beat me—I feel it not. How long till I awake, Till I seek it yet again? —T. Lewis. 29,30. Inspired summary of the woes of intemperance. The whole chapter is filled with warnings against the leading forms of sensual indulgence, and earnest counsels to a temperate and virtuous life. The verses conclude these exhortations, presenting as a climax the vice of drunkenness in all its fearful aspects, as they always have been, as we see them to-day. The picture is vividly drawn throughout. In the twenty-ninth verse the ruinous results of the vice are impressively set forth in the bold form of question, as if to compel a personal attention to this matter of greatest moment. Woe, sorrow, contentions, complaining, wounds without cause, redness of eyes—what a dire catalogue of human experiences flowing from a single unrestrained appetite! Woe instead of welfare, grief in place of gladness, not to him alone that indulges, but to all associated with him. Improvidence, poverty, and want from misuse and waste of energies and means; discomfort and desolation of heart and exhaustion of hope from loss of self-respect and social degradation—these are the familiar tokens of this woe and sorrow in the individual and the family. And more than these; all the effects of maddened rage and strife, when inflamed passions have a wild mastery; all the cruelties in the desolate house, the wounds anywhere given and received without just cause, and the assaults and conflicts in which life is purposely or unconsciously taken. B.—This evil to-day, this insatiate monster of intemperance, more than all else, makes misery, anguish, unhappy homes, pauperism, crime, murder, self-destruction. In the thousands of years since this sacred word came from inspiration, every year has been realized the truthfulness of this series of striking and startling questions We speak of the horrors of war, and there are horrors in war. Carnage and bloodshed, mutilation and broken frames, widows' weeds and children's wants, enormous debt and grinding taxation, all come from war. But they fail in all their horrors compared with those that flow from intemperance. We shudder as we read of the ravages of the pestilence; but the pestilence, like war, kills only the body, and leaves the soul unharmed. Yet to-day four hundred thousand more people are engaged in the manufacture and sale of liquors than in preaching God's word and in teaching the rising generation. And every year sixty thousand of our people march voluntarily, self-destroyed, down through a drunkard's life to the drunkard's death and grave. Colfax. Isa. 5:11 describes the class referred to in the first part of v. 30, and forewarns of these woes. The mixed wine of this verse refers to a drugging process by which the intoxicating power is increased. The inference is that the hard drinkers of Solomon's time, like those of our day, sought out every means by which the diseased craving, increasing in intensity, and so demanding stronger and yet stronger stimulus, might be satisfied with a more and more fiery draught. 31. The simple but sufficient counsel, "look not upon the wine." It is to be noted that no counteractive to a formed habit is hinted at, nor any partial indulgence allowed. Not abstinence from the taste or handling, but from the look, even the slightest glance. Its color, its sparkle in the cup, its smooth mellow flow, and its odor, these are points of tempting appeal which are to be resolutely avoided by putting them out of reach of every physical sense. And this is the only sure, safe counsel. B.—Every one feels that he would sooner sacrifice everything than take his place beside the degraded beings who seem dead to all that is noble in our nature or hopeful in our lot. These are victims that have gone blindfold to their fate. Gentle is the declivity, smooth and noiseless the descent, which conducts them, step by step, along the treacherous way, till suddenly their feet slide, and they find themselves plunging over the awful precipice. Men do not begin by what is usually called immoderate indulgence, but by that which they regard as moderate. Gradually and insensibly their draughts are increased until the functions of life are permanently disturbed, the system becomes inflamed, and there is that morbid appetite which will hardly brook restraint, and the indulgence which is sottish intemperance. Let it be remembered, then, that what is usually styled temperate drinking stands as the condition precedent to that which is intemperate. Discontinue one, and the other becomes impossible. And what is the cause of moderate drinking? Is it the force of natural appetite? Rarely. Nine-tenths, if not ninety-nine hundredths of those who use alcoholic stimulants, do it in the first instance, and often for a long time, not from appetite, but from deference to custom or fashion. They look on the wine. Bishop Potter. 32. That which charms like the serpent shall sting and destroy like the serpent. "At the last it biteth and stingeth." Not at the first. Did it bite at the first, who would tamper with it? Did the sting come at the beginning of the indulgence, who would be led astray? But the pleasure comes at the first and the sting at the last, and herein lies the danger of looking on the wine. At the first it excites mirth and song, at the last it produces sorrow and curses. At the first it is an affair of good feeling and fellowship; at the last it is an affair of feuds, fighting, and murder. At the first it may kindle up the countenance to a more animated expression; at the last it gives redness of eyes, and bloat and deformity to the visage. At the first it may quicken the intellect to unwonted activity, and impart a captivating brilliancy to the conversation; at the last it emasculates the mind of every element of strength, and degrades the conversation to the merest stammering of idiotic gibberish. At the first it may stimulate the body to an unnatural vigor; at the last it breaks down the strongest frame, and sends weakness into the limbs and trembling into the flesh. At the first there may be health enough to resist the pernicious tendency of intoxication, so that with all the pleasures there are few of the pains of indulgence; at the last they become victims of manifold, inveterate, loathsome, and distressing diseases. At the first it is the grateful stimulus of an hour; at the last it is the "fire that never shall be quenched." Trask. 33-35. Prominent features of fearful experience "at the last," tersely but vividly outlined. Strange visions and wild ravings, the maddening sights and incoherent talk of one under the sway of delirium tremens. The image of one in the sea or upon the mast represents a senseless feeling of security while surrounded by the most imminent peril. It refers to the stupid incapacity to see or avoid danger which results from intoxication. The moral sense, locked up with the physical, has become steeped in utter insensibility. How hopelessly sad, how vividly terrible such a condition! And yet this surely sinking wreck of immortal humanity answers again to those who would kindly remonstrate. He derides their warnings: "I am not sick; I have no bruises; as soon as I sleep I will seek the cup again!" Thus the crazed inebriate seeks the embrace of the slayer, and sinks stupidly into the first and second death! B. 35. The picture ends with the words of the drunkard on waking from his sleep. He has been unconscious of the excesses and outrages of the night, and his first thought is to return to his old habit. When shall I awake? Better, omitting the interrogation, When I shall awake I will seek it yet again. E. H. P.—Half arousing from his stupor, he says, "They have stricken me, but I was not sick; they have beaten me; I felt it not. Little did I know or care, only to ask, When will this stupor be off? Then I will be to my cups again!" Oh, the appetite that is never quenched! Alas, the bands strong as death that bind the inebriate to this worse than beastly life—to this destiny of shame and woe! H. C. Who can "they" be, in this most striking passage, but the phantoms of the drunkard's delirium, so graphically set forth? It is the only view that consistently accounts for the contradictory ravings, with their semi-consciousness—the strange smiting that seems to leave no wound, the blows that are seen but not felt. And then this strange experience mingling with the half-dreaming utterances of his burning thirst: “Oh, when shall I awake, that I may seek it yet again?” Poor wretch, struggling in the deep waters! Who would not plunge in to save him? How many thousands like him, in every part of our country, are thus falling into hell, whatever hell may be! Who that rightly conceives it would hold back his hand from using every means—personal, social, moral, political—that may yield a hope of rescuing men from such a perdition? Abstinence, total abstinence, is the lesson, if language can convey that idea. “Do not look upon it,” my son; turn away immediately, as from a venomous serpent; think of its biting, stinging, maddenning end, and let not thine eye yield for a moment to its ruby fascination. The language of the whole passage is most urgent, reminding us of that used (Prov. 4:15) in respect to other tempting sins that lead to a dreadful end: “Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, pass away.” There is no other text better entitled to be regarded as the heart of the Bible doctrine in respect to wine-drinking, and its moral weight is increased by the fact of its being the teaching of the ethical Scriptures, giving, not incidental illustration, but the best known rules for the guidance of human life in this perilous world. T. Lewis. Two thoughts may be usefully added. 1. All natural safeguards and restraints are one by one overthrown in the successive steps of that long process which at last makes the confirmed drunkard. The ties of natural affection, and the solicitous, provident spirit which accompanies these ties; native self-respect and desire for approbation of others; conscience, the voice of God speaking to the soul; and the very instinct that holds life itself precious; all these natural safeguards must be and are utterly trampled upon before the man can take a place below the brute. And that is the place of the inebriate, who wastes property, withers precious affections, destroys hopes, degrades character, exhausts energy and capacity, deadens the sense of duty, and obliterates from his present life the thoughts of God and judgment and an eternal being. 2. Of the Bible teachings concerning this subject thus much at least may be affirmed: “It nowhere condemns abstinence from strong drinks, nor associates God’s blessing with their use. In various ways it commends such abstinence, and exhibits the manifold evils of strong drinks. It is the first book that proclaimed abstinence as the cure of drunkenness; and its great principle—philanthropy—enforces the practice of abstinence.” B. Intemperance cuts down youth in its vigor, manhood in its strength, and age in its weakness. It breaks the father's heart, bereaves the doting mother, extinguishes natural affection, erases conjugal love, blots out filial attachment, blights parental hope, and brings down mourning age in sorrow to the grave. It produces weakness, not strength; sickness, not health; death, not life. It makes wives widows, children orphans, fathers fiends, and all of them paupers and beggars. It feeds rheumatism, nurses gout, welcomes epidemics, invites cholera, imports pestilence, and embraces consumption. It covers the land with idleness, poverty, disease and crime. It fills your jails, supplies your almshouses and demands your asylums. It engenders controversies, fosters quarrels and cherishes riots. It crowds your penitentiaries and furnishes victims for your scaffolds. It is the life-blood of the gambler, the aliment of the burglar, the prop of the highwayman, and the support of the midnight incendiary. It countenances the liar, respects the thief, and esteems the blasphemer. It violates obligation, reverences fraud, and honors infamy. It defames benevolence, hates love, scorns virtue, and slanders innocence. It incites the father to butcher his helpless offspring, helps the husband to massacre his wife, and aids the child to grind the parricidal axe. It burns up man and consumes woman, detests life, curses God and despises heaven. It suborns witnesses, nurses perjury, defies the jury box and stains the judicial ermine. It bribes votes, disqualifies voters, corrupts elections, pollutes our institutions, and endangers our government. It degrades the citizen, debases the legislature, dishonors the statesman, disarms the patriot. It brings shame, not honor; terror, not safety; despair, not hope; misery, not happiness, and with the malevolence of a fiend it calmly surveys its frightful desolation, and unsatiated with havoc, it poisons felicity, kills peace, ruins morals, blights confidence, slays reputation, and wipes out national honor, then curses the world and laughs at its ruin. It does all that and more. It murders the soul. It is the sum of all villainies, the father of all crimes, the mother of all abominations, the devil's best friend, and God's worst enemy. Anon. Suppose a man, when about to commence the traffic in ardent spirit, should write in great capitals on his sign-board, to be seen and read of all men, what he will do: That so many of the inhabitants of this town or city, he will, for the sake of getting their money, make paupers and send to the almshouse, and thus oblige the whole community to support them and their families; that so many others he will excite to the commission of crimes, and thus increase the expenses and endanger the peace and welfare of the community; that so many he will send to the jail, and so many more to the state prison, and so many to the gallows; that so many he will visit with sore and distressing diseases, and in so many cases, diseases which would have been comparatively harmless he will by his poison render fatal; that in so many cases he will deprive persons of reason, and in so many cases will cause sudden death; that so many wives he will make widows and so many children he will make orphans, and that in so many cases he will cause the children to grow up in ignorance, vice, and crime, and after being nuisances on earth will bring them to a premature grave; that in so many cases he will prevent the efficacy of the Gospel, grieve away the Holy Ghost, and ruin for eternity the souls of men. And suppose he should put at the bottom of the sign this question: What, you may ask, can be my object in acting so much like a devil incarnate and bringing such accumulated wretchedness upon a comparatively happy people? and under it should put the true answer, Money; and go on to say, I have a family to support; I want money, and must have it; this is my business, I was brought up to it; if I should not follow it, I must change my business, or I could not support my family. And as all faces begin to gather blackness at the approaching ruin, and all hearts to boil with indignation at its author, suppose he should add for their consolation, "If I do not bring this destruction upon you, somebody else will." What would they think of him? what would all the world think of him? what ought they to think of him? And is it any worse for a man to tell the people beforehand, honestly, what he will do if they buy and use his poison, than it is to go on and do it? And what if they are not aware of the mischief which he is doing them, and he can accomplish it through their own perverted and voluntary agency; is it not equally abominable, if he knows it, and does not cease from producing it? Justin Edwards. Speech of Lord Chesterfield. Luxury, my lords, is to be taxed, but vice prohibited, let the difficulty in the law be what it will. Luxury, or that which is only pernicious by its excess, may very properly be taxed, that such excess, though not strictly unlawful, may be made more difficult. But the use of those things which are simply hurtful in their own nature, and in every degree, is to be prohibited. None ever heard, in any nation, of a tax upon theft or adultery, because a tax implies a license granted for the use of that which is taxed, to all who are willing to pay for it. Drunkenness is universally, and in all circumstances, an evil, and therefore ought not to be taxed, but punished. The noble lord has been pleased kindly to inform us, that the trade of distilling is very extensive, that it employs great numbers, and that they have arrived at exquisite skill; and therefore the trade of distilling is not to be discouraged! Once more, my lords, allow me to wonder at the different conceptions of different understandings. It appears to me that since the spirit which the distillers produce is allowed to enfeeble the limbs, vitiate the blood, pervert the heart, and obscure the intellect, that the number of distillers should be no argument in their favor; for I never heard that a law against theft was repealed or delayed because thieves were numerous. It appears to me that really, if so formidable a body are confederate against the virtue or the lives of their fellow-citizens, it is time to put an end to the havoc, and to interpose, while it is yet in our power, to stop the destruction. So little am I affected with the merit of that wonderful skill which distillers are said to have obtained, that it is, in my opinion, no faculty of great use to mankind to prepare palatable poison; nor shall I ever contribute my interest for the reprieve of a murderer because he has, by long practice, attained great dexterity in his trade. If their liquors are so delicious that the people are tempted to their own destruction, let us at least secure them from their fatal draught, by bursting the vials that contain them. Let us crush at once these artists in human slaughter, who have reconciled their countrymen to sickness and ruin, and spread over the pitfalls of debauchery such a bait as cannot be resisted! In House of Lords, 1743. 1. Be not thou envious against evil men, Neither desire to be with them : 2. For their heart studieth oppression, And their lips talk of mischief. 3. Through wisdom is an house builded ; And by understanding it is established : 4. And by knowledge are the chambers filled With all precious and pleasant riches. 5. A wise man is strong ; Yea, a man of knowledge increaseth might. 6. For by wise guidance thou shalt make thy war : And in the multitude of counsellors there is safety. 7. Wisdom is too high for a fool : He openeth not his mouth in the gate. 8. He that deviseth to do evil, Men shall call him a mischievous person. 9. The thought of the foolish is sin : And the scorner is an abomination to men. 10. If thou faint in the day of adversity, Thy strength is small. 11. Deliver them that are carried away unto death, And those that are ready to be slain see that thou hold back. 12. If thou sayest, Behold, we knew not this : Doth not he that weigheth the hearts con- sider it ? And he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it ? And shall not he render to every man ac- cording to his work ? 13. My son, eat thou honey, for it is good ; And the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste : 14. So shalt thou know wisdom to be unto thy soul : If thou hast found it, then shall there be a reward, And thy hope shall not be cut off. 15. Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the habitation of the righteous ; Despoil not his resting place : 16. For a righteous man falleth seven times, and riseth up again : But the wicked are overthrown by calamity. 17. Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, And let not thine heart be glad when he is overthrown : 18. Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, And he turn away his wrath from him. 19. Fret not thyself because of evil-doers ; Neither be thou envious at the wicked : 20. For there will be no reward to the evil man ; The lamp of the wicked shall be put out. 21. My son, fear thou the LORD and the king : And meddle not with them that are given to change : 22. For their calamity shall rise suddenly ; And who knoweth the destruction of them both ? 23. These also are sayings of the wise. To have respect of persons in judgment is not good. 24. He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous ; Peoples shall curse him, nations shall abhor him : 25. But to them that rebuke him shall be de- light, And a good blessing shall come upon them. 26. He kisseth the lips That giveth a right answer. 27. Prepare thy work without, And make it ready for thee in the field ; And afterwards build thine house. 28. Be not a witness against thy neighbour with- out cause ; And deceive not with thy lips. 29. Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me ; I will render to the man according to his work. 30. I went by the field of the slothful, And by the vineyard of the man void of un- derstanding ; 31. And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, The face thereof was covered with nettles, And the stone wall thereof was broken down. 32. Then I beheld, and considered well : I saw, and received instruction. 33. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep : 34. So shall thy poverty come as a robber ; And thy want as an armed man. 1,2. THE frequent admonitions of the Scrip- tures (e.g., Psalms 37 and 73 and Prov. 3 : 31 ; 23 : 17 ; 24 : 19) against being envious of the wicked assume that they often prosper in this world for a season, and that we need to be reminded that a God of retributive justice has an account to settle with them except they repent, and that His favor is more to us than all earthly good can ever be. It follows that God's children never can have any good reason for being envious of the prosperity of the wicked. The special point added here is a caution against being intimate with them because their heart will plot destruction and their lips will speak evil, and consequently their social influence will be morally perilous. 3,4. Wisdom is always useful in its application to the common business of life. It helps to build houses well, to give them a firm foundation, to furnish and to fill their chambers. Perhaps the gist of the proverb is to suggest that the same good judgment which proves itself so useful in the common matters of our external life must be worthy of our confidence and of our diligent pursuit and careful use in the greater and more vital matters of our moral and eternal life—the treasures to be garnered in “the house not made with hands.” H. C.—That which is here recommended to us as having the best influence upon our outward prosperity is wisdom, and understanding, and knowledge—that is, both piety toward God (for that is true wisdom) and prudence in the management of our outward affairs. We must govern ourselves in everything by the rules of religion first and then of discretion. Some that are truly pious do not thrive in the world for want of prudence, and some that are prudent do not prosper because they lean to their own understanding, and do not acknowledge God in their ways; therefore both must go together to complete a wise man. H. 7. Wisdom being very high, the fool cannot attain to it. Therefore he must not open his mouth in the gate, for there causes are tried and decided, and much wisdom is needed there. M. S. 9. Unbelief comes oftener from irreverent association than intellectual doubt. The sneer of a Voltaire has killed more than all his arguments. A jesting tone of talk on religious truths, a habit of reckless criticism on religious things, is to take the name of God in vain as truly as the vulgar oath. Intellect without reverence is the head of a man joined to a beast. There are many who think it a proof of wit; but it is the cheapest sort of wit, and shows as much lack of brains as of moral feeling. Never indulge that habit, never allow sacred things to be jested at without rebuke. There is an anecdote of Boyle that he never pronounced the name of God without an audible pause. We need this reverence in the air of our social life, and its neglect will palsy our piety. Washburn. 11,12. The more precise translation is, Deliver those who are borne toward death; oh, do thou rescue those who move on trembling toward the slaughter! For shouldst thou say, Behold, we have not known this (man), the Ponderer (Searcher) of hearts—will not He detect; the Watcher of thy soul—will not He know; and will He not requite to man as his work (may be)? The innocent and helpless are seen dragged away to their death; the voice of God comes through the inspired proverb—Rush thou to the rescue! If thou shouldest say, That man is a stranger, we know him not; of what concern is his case to us? will not the great God fathom thy selfish heart, and prove thy lying lips, and hold thee to a stern and solemn responsibility to meet the claims of our common humanity? H. C. It is easy to escape distress, perplexity, and to flee away from the burdens of other men; but the whole word is, “Thou shalt not hide thyself” but “Thou shalt surely help him.” The proverb, “Every man must take care of himself,” has no place in the Book of God. We must take care of one another: “Whoso hath this world’s goods, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth-up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” If thou sayest, Behold, I knew it not, will not He who makes inquisition for blood bring the matter to a positive and inevitable test? Christians are not called upon to close their eyes, to run away from danger, and to lay down some narrow doctrine of mine and thine. Christianity means nothing if it does not mean the common rights of humanity; and he who fails to interpose in all cases of injustice and wrong-doing, or suffering which he can relieve, is not a Christian. J. P.—Our age needs to be reminded that in one sense each of us has the keeping of his brethren confided to him, and that love is the law and the fulfilling of the law. The rights of men to our love, to our consideration, rest upon an act of Divine love. Their chartered right to our reverence is in these terms: That God loved them and sent His Son to be the propitiation for their sins, and the Saviour set to it His seal and signed it with His blood. Archbishop Thomson. It is impossible to live in this world and escape responsibility. It is not they alone who are trying purposely to convert or corrupt others who exert an influence; you cannot live without exerting influence. The doors of your soul are open on others and theirs on you. You inhabit a house which is well-nigh transparent; and what you are within, you are ever showing yourself to be without by signs that have no ambiguous expression. Simply to be in this world, whatever you are, is to exert an influence—an influence, too, compared with which mere language and persuasion are feeble. You cannot reasonably doubt that others are continually receiving impressions from your character. As little can you doubt that you must answer for these impressions. And for what can you be held responsible, if not for this? Do not deceive yourselves in the thought that you are, at least, doing no injury, and are, therefore, living without responsibility; first make it sure that you are not every hour infusing moral death insensibly into your children, wives, husbands, friends, and acquaintances. By a mere look or glance, not unlikely, you are conveying the influence that shall turn the scale of some one's immortality. Dismiss, therefore, the thought that you are living without responsibility; that is impossible. H. B. It is quite conceivable and perfectly capable of illustration that the mere neglect to do that which might and ought to be done in behalf of others' welfare, the not acting at all, may involve guilt as real though not as great, may be alike heinous in kind though not in measure, as the commission of the highest positive crimes. Indeed, nothing is more plainly disclosed in the entire Word of inspiration than the grand principle that God holds every one responsible for the good neglected which he might have done, as well as the evil he actually performs. Neglected opportunities, unused talents, undone good—these are to be arraigned at the great day in the same catalogue with boldest sins of darkest dye, according to that solemn verdict of the Judge, “Inasmuch as ye did it not!” Most explicitly and with exceeding fulness and force these verses introduce and state this principle. B. Selfishness sometimes causes its subjects only to neglect the things of others. They do not oppress or injure or despoil; they are neither robbers nor calumniators; but they are so engrossed by self-interest and so absorbed in self-gratification as to be utterly regardless of the miseries or comfort of which they cannot but be the spectators. They have no sympathies, no benevolent sensibilities; they care nothing for the happiness of their neighbors. Their highest boast and attainment in virtue is to wrong none; their idea of excellence is purely of a negative kind; to dispel sorrow, to relieve want, to diffuse gladness, especially to make sacrifices is an effort which they have never tried and which they have no inclination to try. The world might perish if the desolation did not reach them. They forget that they will be punished for not doing good as well as for doing evil. The unprofitable servant was condemned; and the wicked are represented as doomed, not for inflicting sorrow, but for not relieving it J. A. J. Silence is sin, if your cry might prevent a neighbor from stumbling over a precipice. Silence is sin, if neighbors are treading the broad path that leadeth to destruction, and your word might lead their steps into the way of life. Silence is sin, if a believing brother is sliding back, while your loving reproof might become to him a healing balm. Silence is sin, if a believing brother is oppressed with doubts and fears, while your lips might pour the consolations of God into his weary heart. Arnot.—God knows and considers whether the excuse we make be true or no; whether it was because we did not know it, or whether the true reason was not because we did not love our neighbor as we ought, but were selfish and regardless both of God and man. Let this serve to silence all our pleas by which we think to stop the mouth of conscience when it charges us with the omission of plain duty. Does not He that ponders the heart consider it? He will judge us accordingly. As His knowledge cannot be imposed upon, so His justice cannot be biassed, but He will render to every man according to his works, not only the commission of evil works, but the omission of good works. H. 15,16. The latter of these two verses is so often carelessly but wrongly quoted as a half apology for sin, “The righteous falleth, i.e., sinneth, seven times a day,” that it is necessary to put its true meaning in the clearest light possible. The Hebrew word for “falleth” is never used of falling into sin, and the teaching of the proverb is simply that men are warned not to attack or plot against the righteous. They will lose their labor, “Though the just man fall (not into sin, but into calamities), yet he riseth up.” The point of the teaching is not the liability of even good men to err, but God’s providential care over them, as in Psalm 34:19. “Seven times” is, of course, a certain for an uncertain number. In contrast with this is the fate of the evil-doers, who fall utterly even in a single distress. E. H. P.—The tacit assumption here is that just men are helped to rise by their Great Protector and Defender. "Seven," a round for a large indefinite number, means that however often he may fall he will rise again. No such rising is to be the lot of the wicked. Their fall is to be final and fatal. H. C. 17. Sentiment: "If evils come upon a man who is your enemy, and you feel that he deserves them, do not exult in his sufferings. If thou displayest such a temper of mind, the Lord will rebuke thee by removing the cause of thine exultation." M. S.—Charity, if it had full possession of our hearts, would not only repress all outward exhibitions of this delight, but all inward emotions; would make us dread lest an opponent should fall into sin; would not allow us to see him go unwarned to transgression, but compel us to admonish him of his danger. This is the holiness of love and the proof of a genuine hatred of sin; for if we mourn only over our own sins, or the sins of our friends or our party, there may be something selfish in our grief after all; but to mourn over iniquity, when it may in some sense promote our cause is, indeed, to hate sin for its own sake, and for the sake of Him by whom it is condemned. J. A. J.—Banish all revengeful thoughts; a spirit of revenge is the very spirit of the devil; than which nothing makes a man more like him, and nothing can be more opposite to the temper which Christianity was designed to promote. If your revenge be not satisfied it will give you torment now; if it be it will give you greater hereafter. None is a greater self-tormentor than a revengeful man who turns the poison of his own temper in upon himself. J. Mason. 19,20. The reason assigned here against fretfulness and envy toward the wicked is that there is really nothing in their lot that should excite such feelings. Alas! they have no reward, no blessed future; their lamp of light and hope shall go out in eternal darkness! Oh, how little dost thou understand their case and their doom when thou art envious of their prosperity! Rather come and drop a tear over their mad infatuation and their bitter end! H. C. 22. Their calamity means the calamity which they (God and the king) inflict or send. This is made clear by the latter clause: The destruction of them both—that is, the destruction which both Jehovah and the king will bring on the wicked. This, who knoweth? i.e., no one can tell when or how it will come—it will come suddenly and unexpectedly. 27. Sentiment: "Prepare, first of all, for your necessary sustenance; accommodations follow." With us, in our climate, a house comes early into the list of our necessaries; much less so in Palestine. The proverb: "First bread, then family," applies well there. M. S.—The precept seems at first to be economical rather than ethical—agriculture before building, getting an estate into good order before erecting a house on it, this seems to be recommended as the true order. To "build a house" has, however, a figurative as well as a literal meaning, and may be equivalent here, as elsewhere (Ex. 1: 21; Ruth 4: 11), to "founding a family." So interpreted, the words are a warning against a hasty and imprudent marriage. The young man is taught to cultivate his land before he has to bear the burdens of a family. 29. The teacher enters his protest against vindictiveness in every form, and thus foreshadows the yet higher lessons of the Sermon on the Mount. E. H. P.—Say not, I will render to the man according to his work, and make him pay dear for it; for it is God's prerogative to do so, and we must leave it to Him and not step into His throne or take His work out of His hands. If we will needs be judges in our own cause, we forfeit the benefit of an appeal to God's tribunal. H.—Personal retaliation assumes to take the administration of justice out of the hand of the Almighty, as if you could not wait His time or had no confidence in His justice. Can you hope to please God by such implied imputations against Him and by thus assuming His prerogatives? Can you suppose that He will quietly resign His throne to you that you may gratify your excited passion, or even what you suppose to be your just indignation? Remember who has said, "Vengeance is Mine; I will repay." H. C. To avenge one's self is to confess that one has been wounded; but it is not the part of a noble mind to be wounded by an injury; a great mind, and one which is conscious of its own worth, does not avenge an injury, because it does not feel it. Seneca.—To forgive our enemies, yet hope that God will punish them, is not to forgive enough. To forgive them ourselves, and not to pray God to forgive them, is a partial piece of charity. Forgive thine enemies totally and without any reserve, that God will revenge thee. Browne. 30,31. Remarkably Solomon associates sloth with folly, as if he assumed that every sensible and wise man will be industrious and will take good care of his farm and garden. But on the grounds of the slothful, void of un- derstanding, all is dilapidated and desolate! H. C.—This covering over the face of his vineyard with nettles and thorns is to show what fruit the slovenly, slothful, careless professor will reap out of his profession when reaping time shall come. I beseech you, consider that the man that professeth the name of Christ and yet liveth a wicked life, is the greatest enemy that God has in the world, and consequently one that God will most eminently set His face against. Bunyan. 32-34. This scene affords us a symbol—at once vivid and but too truthful—of the moral ruin which comes over the soul of the spiritual sluggard. He, too, makes this the law of his life—“A little more sleep, a little more slumber”—a little more procrastination of life’s chief work, heedlessly quenching the sense of present duty, drowning his more grave convictions under the din and roar of earthly bustle; studying evermore to be so engrossed with cares or with pleasures as never to think deeply and solemnly of God and of his own momentous responsibilities, so he sleeps and dreams life away; but his soul, ah, how desolate of moral culture and of moral fruit unto God! Oh, those thorns and weeds of sinful growth; and what shall be the end thereof? So shall thy poverty come like the mounted highwayman—they want like an armed man! H. C. 1. THESE also are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out. 2. It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: But the glory of kings is to search out a matter. 3. The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, And the heart of kings is unsearchable. 4. Take away the dross from the silver, And there cometh forth a vessel for the finer : 5. Take away the wicked from before the king, And his throne shall be established in righteousness. 6. Put not thyself forward in the presence of the king, And stand not in the place of great men : 7. For better is it that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; Than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince, Whom thine eyes have seen. 8. Go not forth hastily to strive, Lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, When thy neighbour hath put thee to shame. 9. Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself, And disclose not the secret of another : 10. Lest he that heareth it revile thee, And thine infamy turn not away. 11. A word fitly spoken Is like apples of gold in network of silver. 12. As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, So is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear. 13. As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, So is a faithful messenger to them that send him; For he refresheth the soul of his masters. 14. As clouds and wind without rain, So is he that boasteth himself of his gifts falsely. 15. By long forbearing is a ruler persuaded, And a soft tongue breaketh the bone. 16. Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee; Lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it. 17. Let thy foot be seldom in thy neighbour's house; Lest he be weary of thee, and hate thee. 18. A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour Is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow. 19. Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble Is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint. 20. As one that taketh off a garment in cold weather, and as vinegar upon nitre, So is he that singeth songs to an heavy heart. 21. If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: 22. For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, And the LORD shall reward thee. 23. The north wind bringeth forth rain: So doth a backbiting tongue an angry countenance. 24. It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, Than with a contentious woman in a wide house. 25. As cold waters to a thirsty soul, So is good news from a far country. 1. THE portion of the book commencing here (chaps. 25-29) was transcribed and compiled by men appointed to this service by King Hezekiah. It is of small account to us to inquire in whose keeping they had been during the period of two hundred and seventy-five years since the death of Solomon; or why these were not introduced into the sacred canon at the same time with the earlier portions of this book. The bar to such inquiries is that we know nothing on the subject and have no means of knowing. It must suffice us to know that these proverbs were extant; that they came to the knowledge of Hezekiah; and that he employed suitable men to copy them and append them as we see here, to the previously compiled proverbs of Solomon. H. C. Here the commencement of a new and later section is more distinctly set before us. "These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, copied out." The words are very remarkable. They show the existence of a collection of proverbs already recognized as authoritative. They point to a literary activity specially busied at that period in collecting and arranging the scattered fragments of the past, either as making further extracts from the original more bulky collection, or putting into writing what had hitherto been handed down orally. And it may be noted that the section which thus opens is all but identical in character with that from 10:1; 22:16, which bears the heading "The Proverbs of Solomon," and which we have seen reason to regard as the kernel of the original book. The maxims are of the same length, have the same parallelism of structure, and are more or less grouped together in the same way, according to their subjects. There is the same stress laid on the ideal majesty of the kingly office, on the typical characters of the "fool," the "slothful," and the "righteous." E. H. P. —By the men of Hezekiah we are doubtless to understand his friends, who were literary courtiers. It matters not whether the service was performed at the king's suggestion or at theirs, 26. As a troubled fountain, and a corrupted spring, So is a righteous man that giveth way before the wicked. 27. It is not good to eat much honey: So for men to search out their own glory is not glory. 28. He whose spirit is without restraint Is like a city that is broken down and hath no wall. It was an important and a very acceptable service; and it is no wonder that such an excellent king as Hezekiah should forward such a compilation. M. S. 2. It is God's glory that His ways are unsearchable, past finding out, and that He takes none into His secret counsels to avail Himself of their wisdom, but in this sense rules the universe alone, in His own infinite knowledge, wisdom and love. H. C.—That "God's ways are unsearchable," is one of His high and awful prerogatives. "Verily He is a God who concealeth Himself," says Isa. 45:15. This deep mystery serves to make a solemn impression and to silence all impertinent inquiry. On the other hand, kings should never proceed in a hidden way, but do all by inquiry and counsel, respecting what they are called to decide. Without searching out a matter, in this sense, they can never decide properly. It is a king's glory to get all the light he can. M. S. The concealment which God has thrown over His ways, works, and Word tends to glorify Him, as it is, in part, the necessary consequence of His infinite superiority to all finite beings in wisdom and understanding—the inevitable result of His being God. His wisdom is that which belongs to Him as the Fountain of wisdom, the Father of light, the Source of all knowledge. His purposes and designs cannot, therefore, be adequately scanned by the wisdom of men, from whom He must necessarily conceal more than He reveals. He cannot, on account of His incomparable greatness and excellence, bring His plans and operations within the comprehension of His creatures. Viewing eternity in all its extent, having present to His mind all that is past and all that is future, seeing the end from the beginning, looking forward to the remotest period and embracing in His prospect all possible future events, He regulates His conduct upon a scale which belongs only to Him that inhabits eternity. Concealment is the necessary indication and proof as well as the effect of His being "infinite in council." The judgments of such a Being must by the necessity of His nature be to our limited apprehensions "a great deep." "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!" R. Hall. 8. A man hasty in strife, or easily provoked, and who readily enters into a quarrel, if he gets worsted in any respect, i.e., put to shame, becomes so enraged that he is apt to do something desperate, either what is very wicked or is fraught with danger. 9,10. That is, "Do not reveal secrets; for He who hears the revelation will reproach thee for making it; and ill fame will follow thee; yea, even such as will not depart from thee." M. S. 11. "Fifty spoken," spoken in the fitting time and wisely adapted to the circumstances. As to the precise thing to which it is here compared, critics differ, leaving us to choose between some actual fruit of gold color, served in a dish ornamented with silver; and real gold and silver, wrought into tapestry, to be suspended for ornamental purposes. In either construction the figure is beautiful, and sets forth a very beautiful scene in social life. Let him who would make social life a thing of beauty and joy study how to put in "words fifty spoken" on every opportune occasion. The original word used here I take to mean precisely, according to the circumstances of the case. H. C. There are times when men should speak for the vindication of truth; when "words fifty spoken are like apples of gold in network of silver;" but there are more times when they should be silent. It is usually better to be silent than to engage in controversy, either oral or written. The residuum of good that comes from heated, partisan debates on disputed questions, theological, ecclesiastical, or political, is exceedingly small; while the amount of evil they have done is immeasurable. Such disputes usually degenerate into "strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings and evil surmisings." Silence is golden when you are angry; for, if you speak then, you will be sure to say what you will regret afterward. But if you keep still until your passion is gone, you can speak more justly, more plainly and with better effect than you could speak in anger. Zimmerman. 12. The man who administers reproof wisely, tenderly, to one who opens his ear and his heart thankfully to hear and to profit thereby, are next compared to the finest ornament of gold —a scene in the social and moral world the beauty of which Solomon had an eye to see, a heart to appreciate, and a pen to describe with exquisite charm. Such moral culture, such winning ways to draw the young from folly to wisdom, are indeed more angelic than any ornament of fine gold can avail to represent. 13. Ice-water in a hot summer day gives us the true sense of this figure. So is a reliable messenger to his employers. They can trust him, and they are refreshed by his fidelity to his trust. H. C. 14. The comparison is very striking and the sentiment pungent. Clouds and wind sometimes promise rain, and do not give it; so the boasting man promises, and perhaps parades, his so-called gifts; but he does not bestow them. 15. Meaning: "Forbearance and gentleness have great power in subduing self-will and obstinate persistence in wrong-doing." M. S. 16. In Palestine honey was found wild and eaten naturally in large quantities by hungry men. Hence the temptation to excess, and hence this caution, the spirit of which should pass over to every form of animal indulgence. In the hour of abundance and in the face of its temptations guard against excess. The reaction of abused nature is by no means comfortable. H. C.—The goodness of God, which hath made our complex constitution, our many-sided manhood, so marvellously capable of pleasure, hath made bountiful provision for full satisfaction and delight. In all true physical delights the Christian finds honey; and to him the good God says, "Hast thou found honey? Eat it." Wray.—What the Bible forbids is excess in the use of pleasure, untimely pleasures, and pleasures that arise from sin or that lead to sin. The prohibition of such pleasures proceeds upon a principle of benevolence. There is a point at which pleasure becomes pain. It is the law of our being that if pleasure is to remain pleasure, it must be enjoyed moderately and intermittently. J. P. 17. Be not too intimate with any. He that sponges upon his friend loses him. How much better a Friend, then, is God than any other friend; for we withdraw not our foot from His house, the throne of His grace; the oftener we come to Him the better and the more welcome. 18. The sin condemned is bearing false witness against our neighbor, either in judgment or in common conversation, contrary to the law of the ninth commandment. That which it is here condemned for is the mischievousness of it; it is in its power to ruin not only men's reputation, but their lives, estates, families, all that is dear to them. H. Maul, sword, sharp arrow. None of these death-weapons is more terrible than the false and slanderous tongue, perjuring itself in order to ruin a neighbor in the vital issues of a trial before the courts of justice. Slander anywhere, under any circumstances, is a death-weapon wielded against a man's good name. H. C.—It is the false tongue and the lying lip which there is no fence against. When that is the weapon, a man may strike where he cannot reach; and a word shall do execution both farther and deeper than the mightiest blow. South. 19. Meaning: A treacherous man will not only fall you in a time of distress, but will annoy you like a broken tooth or a sprained foot. M. S. 20. Two examples of unwisdom and incongruity are brought together to sharpen the point of the proverb against that of which the third clause speaks, that of putting off a garment when it is most needed; that of pouring vinegar upon nitre or potash, and so utterly spoiling it. The effervescence caused by the mixture is perhaps taken as a type of the irritation produced by the "songs" sung out of season to a heavy heart. E. H. P. 21. By this it appears that, however the scribes and Pharisees had corrupted the law, not only the commandment of loving our brethren, but even that of loving our enemies, was not only a new, but an old commandment; an Old Testament commandment, though our Saviour has given it us with the new enforcement of His own great example in loving us when we were enemies. H. 22. Means, For in this way thou wilt heap coals, etc. The specification of bread to your enemy when hungry, water when thirsty, of course represents any and every act of kindness and love. The sentiment is, Love your enemies and show it by doing them good. The figure requires us to think of the effect of kindness, as shown by a man to his enemy, and not of any retribution from God upon him. See how Paul (Rom. 12: 20) cites and uses this passage. Dismiss (says he) all thought of vengeance; leave vengeance to God alone, and turn thine heart wholly to kindness: so shalt thou overcome evil with good. Our Lord has the same doctrine in its comprehensive form (Matt. 5: 44): "Love your enemies," etc. The same doctrine of morality, the same law of love, appears in both the Old Testament and the New. A sublimely glorious doctrine indeed! H. C. Has any one permitted himself to make use of injurious expressions respecting you? Reply to him by blessings. Does he treat you ill? Be patient. Does he reproach you? Is the reproach just? If it be, condemn yourself; if not, it is but a breath of air. Flattery could not really impart a merit to you if you have it not; nor calumny give you faults that you do not actually possess. Does he tax you with ignorance? In showing yourself angry you justify the charge. Does he persecute you? Think of Jesus Christ. Can you ever suffer as He has suffered! Basil. 25. The words remind us of the scanty intercourse in the old world between wanderers and the home they had left. The craving for tidings in such a case might be as a consuming thirst, the news that quenched it as a refreshing fountain. E. H. P. 26. Oriental travellers are often sadly disappointed to find the fountain in the desert which they have travelled far to reach "troubled" and "corrupted"—tramped and fouled—by the feet and the offal of camels, asses—every animal of the desert. Having hoped for pure, wholesome water, they look with sad and sinking heart upon this loathsome mass. Such is the spectacle when a righteous man succumbs before the wicked. H. C.—For the righteous to be cowardly, to truckle to the wicked, to be afraid of opposing his wickedness and basely to yield to him, this is a reflection upon religion, a discouragement to good men, and strengthens the hands of sinners in their sins, and so is like a troubled fountain and a corrupt spring. H. Oh, professors, look to your steps—the devil desires to make use of you for evil purposes! The sins of others, who make no profession of godliness, will never so fit his purpose for the blinding of men's eyes, as the least slip or falling of yours will do. It is the living bird that makes the best snare to draw others into the net. The grossest wickedness of profane sinners passes away in silence, but all the neighborhood shall ring with your miscarriages. "A righteous man falling down before the wicked is as a troubled fountain and a corrupt spring." The scandalous falls of good men are like a bag of poison cast into the spring from whence the whole town is supplied with water. You little know what mischief you may do. Flavel. Profession without practice makes us to resemble the stony ground, which brought forth a green blade, but no fruit to due maturity; like the fig-tree, which, having leaves but no figs, was accursed; like the tree in the garden, which, cumbering the ground with its fruitless presence, was threatened to be cut down; like glowworms, which have some lustre but no heat—seeing such professors shine with some light of knowledge, but without all warmth of Christian charity. Downame.—The Christian's character must harmonize with his profession, if he would have his testimony to the power of Christ weighty and influential. The man who is known to have been sick, and to have been to the physician, speaks of the power of the physician without saying a word, simply by being seen to be in health. He is a living, walking witness, and cannot but testify to all who see him. So is the recovered sinner, the Christian convalescent. And every recovered Christian, by his life, ought to speak as loudly. Champneys. 27. The first clause declares that we may have too much of a good thing, so that it becomes virtually an evil to us. As for the second; glory, i.e., an honorable name, is a good thing; but to seek after this as an object and with solicitude is “not good.” M. S. 28. The wise and virtuous man is one that has rule over his own spirit, maintains the government of himself and of his own appetites and passions, and does not suffer them to rebel against reason and conscience. He has the rule of his own thoughts, his desires, his inclinations, his resentments, and keeps them all in good order. The man who has not this rule over his own spirit, who when temptations to excess in eating or drinking are before him has no government of himself, when he is provoked breaks out into exorbitant passions, such a one is like a city that is broken down, and without walls; all that is good goes out and forsakes him, all that is evil breaks in upon him. H. The great principle and foundation of all virtue is placed in this, that a man is able to deny himself his own desires, cross his own inclinations, and purely follow what reason directs as best, though the appetite lean the other way; as the strength of the body lies chiefly in being able to endure hardships, so also does that of the mind. Locke.—The habit of self-control is but the accumulation of continued acts of self-denial; it is but the repeated authority of the reason over the impulses, of the judgment over the inclinations, of the sense of duty over the desire. Anon. 1. As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, So honour is not seemly for a fool. 2. As the sparrow in her wandering, as the swallow in her flying, So the curse that is causeless lighteth not. 3. A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, And a rod for the back of fools. 4. Answer not a fool according to his folly, Lest thou also be like unto him. 5. Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own conceit. 6. He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool Cutteth off his own feet, and drinketh in damage. 7. The legs of the lame hang loose: So is a parable in the mouth of fools. 8. As one that bindeth a stone in a sling, So is he that giveth honour to a fool. 9. As a thorn that goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, So is a parable in the mouth of fools. 10. As an archer that woundeth all, So is he that hireth the fool and he that hireth them that pass by. 11. As a dog that returneth to his vomit, So is a fool that repeateth his folly. 12. Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? There is more hope of a fool than of him. 13. The sluggard saith, There is a lion in the way; A lion is in the streets. 14. As the door turneth upon its hinges, So doth the sluggard upon his bed. 15. The sluggard burieth his hand in the dish; It wearieth him to bring it again to his mouth. 16. The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit Than seven men that can render a reason. 17. He that passeth by, and vexeth himself with strife belonging not to him, Is like one that taketh a dog by the ears. 18. As a madman who casteth firebrands, Arrows, and death; 19. So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, And saith, Am not I in sport? 20. For lack of wood the fire goeth out : And where there is no whisperer, contention ceaseth. 21. As coals are to hot embers, and wood to fire ; So is a contentious man to inflame strife. 22. The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. 23. Fervent lips and a wicked heart Are like an earthen vessel overlaid with silver dross. 24. He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, 2. "THE birds swiftly vanish; and so does the causeless curse—i.e., it will not light," This is the gist of the comparison. M. S.—Vague as the flight of the sparrow, aimless as the wheelings of the swallow, is the causeless curse. It will never reach its goal. Anon. 3. Fitness is here the one point in common. The horse needs the whip, the ass the bridle, and the fool's back, for the same reason, the rod of correction. It is assumed that by reason of his folly the persuasions of wisdom and the law of kindness are unavailing, so that nothing remains but the rod. H. C. 4,5. Both are correct, with appropriate limitations. In the first case, one is not to answer a fool in a way that accords with his folly—i.e., by saying silly things as he does; for this would make one turn fool himself. In the second place, one should answer him as his folly deserves—i.e., with reproof, or (it may be) with a wise moderation; for otherwise he will indulge the conceit, that he himself is as wise as others. M. S.—The true sense of this pair of proverbs: Answer not the fool foolishly, according to the spirit of his folly, lest thou become like him. But answer a fool as his folly deserves, according to the desert of his folly, lest he be left to suppose that he has said a very smart thing and become even more wise in his own conceit than ever before. Rebuke him; expose his folly to his own eyes; but beware of being drawn by sympathy into the same strain of foolish talking. 8. The pith of the proverb: Honor will not stick to a fool. It can no more abide with him than a smooth stone will abide in the sling when the hurling impulse is felt tearing it away. 12. Self-conceit is a more fatal bar to knowledge and true wisdom than ignorance or even stupidity. He who thinks himself wise enough already scorns all diligent application and real study. H. C.—There is no greater evidence of a man's weakness than self-conceit, and it is But he layeth up deceit within him: 25. When he speaketh fair, believe him not; For there are seven abominations in his heart: 26. Though his hatred cover itself with guile, His wickedness shall be openly shewed before the congregation. 27. Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: And he that rolleth a stone, it shall return upon him. 28. A lying tongue hateth those whom it hath wounded; And a flattering mouth worketh ruin. well said of such "there is more hope of a fool than of him." The more a man knows, the more fully he is conscious of his deficiencies, and the more humble and unassuming he will be. Men who seek for recognition are seldom worthy of it, while men whose worth entitles them to recognition have no need to seek for it. "He that humbleth himself shall be exalted," but "the lofty look of man shall be brought low." Meth. Recorder. It was prettily devised of Æsop, the fly set upon the axletree of the chariot-wheel, and said, "What a dust do I raise!" So are there some vain persons that, whatsoever goeth alone, or moveth upon greater means, if they have never so little hand in it, think it is they who carry it. They who write books on the contempt of glory inscribe their own name on the titles. Vainglorious men are the scorn of wise men, the admiration of fools, the idols of parasites, and the slaves of their own vaunts. Bacon. The conceited man has only one ardent admirer—that is himself. No trait of character conveys a more unfavorable impression; none so quickly excites disgust; none provokes such constant and universal ridicule. Conceit is a mark of real smallness of soul. It is a phase of selfishness. It means small thoughts of the world and of other men; low ideals of character and attainment; weak and narrow conceptions of duty. It is the mark of a self-centred life; and the life which makes self the centre is as much smaller than the true life as the idea which made our earth the centre of the universe was beneath the true conception of the solar system. "Conceit in weakest bodies strongest works," said Shakespeare. The men who have been servants of humanity—the great reformers and philanthropists—have been freest from conceit. They were great in humility; for humility, rightly understood, is essential greatness. Humility is the quality which leads men to serve others; conceit, the quality which leads them to serve themselves. S. S. T. Than self-conceit nothing operates more powerfully in perverting the judgment, that guiding faculty by whose ministry alone we may render all the others serviceable. The vain man can never think justly of things nor equitably of persons, where his vanity has any or the least concern, which it seldom fails to have in most cases occurring for his decision. It throws a bar against improvement by the persuasion of a sufficiency already attained; it shuts his ear against information and his heart against conviction, lest he should appear ever to have been wanting in knowledge, or liable to mistake. It prevents all self-examination, for fear he should find something that might wound his vanity; it renders him indocible of that most useful science of ignorance; for he knows of none within him to be the object of such science. It falsifies the weights and measures of right and wrong, truth and falsehood, laudable and blamable, making him judge of them according to what he has or does, or believes, himself exaggerating his own and depreciating whatever belongs to another. It damps his industry by the disdain of little acquisitions as unworthy his notice. The conceited will stoop to nothing that is not grand, extraordinary; he must preside at the helm, or convert heathen nations, or draw multitudes at his heels, or knock down all opposers with demonstration; and if by scorning to do anything common he undertakes nothing feasible, he solaces himself with reflecting what mighty wonders he should have performed if such or such perverse incidents had not fallen in the way. Anon. Of all trees, God hath chosen the vine, a low plant that creeps upon the helpful wall; of all beasts, the soft and patient lamb; of all fowls, the mild and guileless dove. When God appeared to Moses, it was not in the lofty cedar, nor in the sturdy oak, nor in the spreading palm; but in a bush, a humble, slender, abject shrub; as if He would by these elections check the conceited arrogance of man. Anon. 13. The slothful man dreads the way, the streets, the place where work is to be done, and a journey to be gone; he hates business, hates everything that requires care and labor. He pretends to dread a lion in the way. When he is pressed to be diligent, either in his worldly affairs or in the business of religion, this is his excuse (and a sorry excuse it is, as bad as none), There is a lion in the way, some insuperable difficulty or danger which he cannot pretend to grapple with. Lions frequent woods and deserts; and in the daytime, when man has business to do, they are in their dens. But the sluggard pretends to fancy a lion in the streets, whereas the lion is only in his own fancy, nor is he so fierce as he is painted. It is a foolish thing to frighten ourselves from real duties by fancied difficulties. H. "There is a lion in the way." Yes, and not one but many lions: the lion of the world's opposition and hatred; the lion of our own fleshly nature, of our own physical and mental passions; our "adversary the devil." These lions—the world, the flesh, and the devil—for all their seeming strength and ferocity and the passion in their throats, prove but cowardly beasts after all; and though Timorous and Mistrust may not find it out, they are but chained lions, and we stand beyond their spring. But the slothful man not only says, "There is a lion in the way," but adds, "I shall be slain in the streets," and then in a reproachful and injured tone, "You well know that many have been so slain." Yes, it is quite true; they have been so slain; but to them, as to their Lord, through death and after death, if not in life, have come the glory and the victory. Farrar. 14. As the door, with no self-moving power, turns not itself but only is turned, so the slothful may be sarcastically represented as too lazy (of his own motion) even to turn over in his bed. Or perhaps the point of the comparison may be that as the door can have no other motion than that of turning to and fro upon its hinges, so the sluggard never moves beyond rolling from side to side upon his bed—never rises to any active, useful labor. These proverbs spare not the sluggard! H. C. 16. The object of a liberal education is to develop the whole mental system of man—to make his speculative inferences coincide with his practical convictions—to enable him to render a reason for the belief that is in him, and not to leave him in the condition of Solomon's sluggard, who is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason. Whewell. 19. He that sins in jest must repent in earnest, or his sin will be his ruin. Truth is too valuable a thing to be sold for a jest, and so is the reputation of our neighbor. By lying and slandering in jest men learn themselves and teach others to lie and slander in earnest; a false report raised in mirth may be spread in malice; and if a man may tell a lie to make himself merry, why not to make himself rich, and so truth quite perishes, and men teach their tongues to tell lies (Jer. 9:5). If men would consider that a lie comes from the devil and brings to hell-fire, surely that would spoil the sport of it; it is casting arrows and death to themselves. 20-22. Contention is as a fire, it heats the spirit, burns up all that is good, and puts families and societies into a flame. Here we are told how that fire is commonly kindled and kept burning, that we may avoid the occasions of strife, and so prevent the mischievous consequences of it. If then we would keep the peace, we must not give ear to talebearers, for they feed the fire of contention with fuel; nay, they spread it with combustible matter; the tales they carry are fire-balls; they who by insinuating base characters, revealing secrets, and misrepresenting words and actions, do what they can to make relations, friends and neighbors jealous one of another, alienate them one from another and sow discord among them, are to be banished out of families and all societies, and then strife will as surely cease as the fire will go out when it has no fuel; the contenders will better understand one another and come to a better temper; old stories will soon be forgotten when there are no new ones told to keep up the remembrance of them, and both sides will see how they have been imposed upon by a common enemy. Whisperers and backbiters are incendiaries not to be suffered. To illustrate this, he repeats (v. 22) what he had said before (18:8), that the words of a talebearer are as wounds, deep and dangerous wounds, wounds in the vitals; they wound the reputation of him who is belied, and perhaps the wound proves incurable, and even the plaster of a recantation (which yet can seldom be obtained) may not prove wide enough for it; they wound the love and charity which he to whom they are spoken ought to have for his neighbor, and give a fatal stab to friendship and Christian fellowship. We must therefore not only not be talebearers ourselves at any time, nor ever do any ill offices, but we should not give the least countenance to those that are. H. 27. This implies that he digs a pit for others to fall into, and rolls a stone up the hill to hurl it down upon other men's heads. His malicious labor reacts with curses upon himself. Haman thought to build a gallows for Mordecai; by God's overruling hand it came to pass that he built it for his own neck. H. C. 28. There are two sorts of lies equally detestable: 1. A slandering lie, which avowedly hates those it is spoken of; a lying tongue hates those that are afflicted by it; it afflicts them by calumnies and reproaches because it hates them, and can thus smite them secretly where they are without defence; and it hates them because it has afflicted them, and made them its enemies. The mischief of this is open and obvious; it afflicts, it hates, and owns it, and everybody sees it. 2. A flattering lie, which secretly works the ruin of those it is spoken to. In the former, the mischief is plain, and men guard against it as well as they can, but in this it is little suspected, and men betray themselves by being credulous of their own praises and the compliments that are passed upon them. A wise man therefore will be more afraid of a flatterer that kisses and kills than of a slanderer that proclaims war. H. 1. BOAST not thyself of to-morrow; For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth 2. Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; A stranger, and not thine own lips. 3. A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; But a fool's vexation is heavier than them both. 4. Wrath is cruel, and anger is overwhelming: But who is able to stand before jealousy? 5. Better is open rebuke Than love that is hidden. 6. Faithful are the wounds of a friend: But the kisses of an enemy are profuse. 7. The full soul loatheth an honeycomb: But to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. 8. As a bird that wandereth from her nest, So is a man that wandereth from his place. 9. Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: So doth the sweetness of a man's friend that cometh of hearty counsel. 10. Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; And go not to thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: Better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off. 11. My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, That I may answer him that reproacheth me. 12. A prudent man seeth the evil, and hideth himself: But the simple pass on, and suffer for it. 13. Take his garment that is surety for a stranger; And hold him in pledge that is surety for a strange woman. 14. He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, It shall be counted a curse to him. 15. A continual dropping in a very rainy day And a contentious woman are alike: 16. He that would restrain her restraineth the wind, And his right hand encountereth oil. 17. Iron sharpeneth iron; So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. 18. Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof; And he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured. 1. Is this proverb "boast" is the expressive word. Do not proudly assume that to-morrow is your own, so that you may claim and use it as you will with no recognition of God as the great Owner and really the Giver to mortals of all their earthly days. If even to-morrow—only one day onward—is not our own, how much less the days that lie still more remote in the future. The Apostle James (4: 13-16) seems to have had this proverb in mind, "Go to now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we will go into such a city," etc. "But now ye rejoice in your boastings," etc., these boastings being manifested in their plans for the future, which left out all thought of God and assumed to have an absolute control of future days and circumstances as their own. H. C. Boast not thyself of to-morrow, much less of many days or years to come. This does not forbid preparing for to-morrow, but presuming upon to-morrow. We must not promise ourselves the continuance of our lives and comforts till to-morrow, but speak of it with submission to the will of God, and as those who with good reason are kept at uncertainty about it. H.—A day. Every day is a little life; and our whole life is but a day repeated. Those, therefore, that dare lose a day are dan- 19. As in water face answereth to face, So the heart of man to man. 20. Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied; And the eyes of man are never satisfied. 21. The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold, And a man is tried by his praise. 22. Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar with a pestle among bruised corn, Yet will not his foolishness depart from him. 23. Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, And look well to thy herds: 24. For riches are not for ever; And doth the crown endure unto all generations? 25. The hay is carried, and the tender grass sheweth itself, And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in. 26. The lambs are for thy clothing, And the goats are the price of the field: 27. And there will be goats' milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household; And maintenance for thy maidens. gerously prodigal; those that dare misspend it, desperate. Bishop H. We are largely indebted to the unexpectedness of events for all that makes life worth living. This unexpectedness adds immeasurably to our happiness, both by what it saves us from and by what it bestows. It is no fiction that the severest trials and heaviest sorrows are more grievous in the anticipation than in the endurance. The cup, when it is put to our lips, is mingled for us with reliefs, consolations, hopes. And as to positive enjoyment, it is very certain that we derive more happiness from imagination than from experience. The vision, when realized, has lost its roseate hue, its silver lining, its fringes of gold. We borrow from the future much more than it will ever pay. So, too, the uncertainty of the future is a needed and perpetual stimulus in all healthful activity and enterprise. Were our lives mapped out before us, how tame would life be, how circumscribed its endeavors, how crippled its energies! The certain, the inevitable—how passively should we wait its treasured goods, how sullenly submit to its privations and calamities! A. P. Peabody. 2. Self-praise is specially liable to fail of its object. As a general rule it is better for one's reputation to forego praise altogether than to attempt to furnish it for one's self—the reason of which is not far to seek. H. C.—Praise not thy work, but let thy work praise thee; for deeds, not words, make each man's memory stable. If what thou doest is good, its good all men will see. Musk by its smell is known, not by its label. Suadi. Even when we are working for God, there is a constant temptation to do good things to be seen of men, or to hear the pleasant voice of human praise. It requires a very careful watch over the heart to keep self out. Anon.—Whenever men delight to talk of themselves, it is to be suspected that pride and vanity direct them to the choice of the subject, though it may appear perhaps in the disguise of meekness and humility. The rule of prudence and the rule of virtue are coincident, that the less we talk of ourselves the better; it is a nice theme, and few enter on it who come off clear either of folly or sin. Bishop Sherlock. It would be impossible to trace this Proteus passion of vanity through its innumerable forms—habits of depreciating others to gratify ourselves secretly by the contrast; self-complacent thoughts and imaginations; the general effort for display; the traps laid for praise, and concealed often under an affected humility; the whispering voice within commending all we do, and elating us even in silence and solitude with an exhilarating sense of our own merit. J. J. Since virtuous actions have their own trumpets, and without any noise from thyself will have their resound abroad, busy not thy best member in the encomium of thyself. Praise is a debt we owe unto the virtues of others, and due unto our own from all whom malice hath not made mutes or envy struck dumb. Fall not, however into the common prevaricating way of self-commendation and boasting by denoting the imperfections of others. He who discommendeth others obliquely commendeth himself. He who whispers their infirmities proclaims his own exemption from them, and consequently says, I am not as this publican whom I talk of. Open ostentation and loud vainglory is more tolerable than this obliquity, as but consisting of a personal piece of folly, not complicated with uncharitableness. Superfluously we seek a precarious applause abroad; every good man hath his plaudite within himself, and though his tongue be silent is not without loud cymbals in his breast. Conscience will become his panegyrist and never forget to crown and extol him unto himself. Browne. Let another praise. There are frequent occasions when an encouraging word would be of more real value than the richest material gift. Some persons are far too much afraid of the effect of a little generous and well-timed praise. They would keep all their flowers in an ice-house. Letting in a little sunshine upon them at times would not be amiss. How lavish was the wise and large-hearted Paul with his words of commendation, whenever they could be honestly spoken or written! A. Thomson.—Judicious praise is both right and useful. There are families in which it would do a world of good. There are faithful wives whose fidelity their husbands appreciate, but they neglect to tell them so. There are children who, if not better, would be happier if their parents cheered them now and then with a hearty “well done.” There are excellent ministers who would preach better and be better pastors if their people were more like the lord in the parable. Many of us may learn a lesson that we greatly need from the Divine words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” Interior.—There is comfort and help through sincere and hearty praise which comes from one who knows us through and through, and who is still able to delight in us because of what we want to be. There is comfort and help through intelligent and discriminating praise which shows a sympathetic appreciation of our best endeavors idealward. There is only discomfort to any true man or woman in any other praise than this. And here is a distinction which should be in our minds in all giving or receiving of praise. S. S. T. 4. Both wrath and anger are fraught with evil which is hard to be borne, but much worse still is the passion of jealousy. M. S.—I take the word to mean jealousy, in the specific form which this author portrays so vividly (6:34, 35). When either party to the marriage bond becomes jealous of the other, and the warmest and most sacred sensibilities known to the human heart are outraged, who can stand before their fury? H. C. 5,6. Let him that reproves do it with words of meekness and commiseration. Let the reprehension come not as a dark shot at the offender's person, but at his fault. Let a man reprehend so that it may appear that he wishes that he had no cause to reprehend. South.—The friend who conceals not my faults, warns me kindly, reproves me affectionately, when I have not performed my duty, he is my friend, however little he may appear so. Again, if a man praises and lauds me, never reproves me, overlooks my faults and forgives them before I have repented, he is my enemy, however much he may appear my friend. Herder.—True friendship necessarily requires patience; for there is no man in whom I shall not mislike somewhat, and who shall not as justly mislike somewhat in me. My friend's faults, therefore, if little, I will swallow and digest; if great, I will smother them; however, I will wink at them to others; but lovingly notify them to himself. Bishop H. 6. The point of comparison here is that of wounds on the one hand by a friend, and kisses on the other by a secret enemy. A friend, open and ingenuous, admonishes and reproves for our good; but an enemy bestows nothing but kisses often repeated, that he may render his victim unsuspicious and unguarded, and so strike the surer blow. M. S. 7. The special instance covers the general law that indulgence in pleasure of any kind brings on satiety and weariness, that self-restraint multiplies the sources of enjoyment. E. H. P.—“The crime of sense is avenged by sense which wears with time;” for it has been well remarked that the terrific punishment attached to the habitual indulgence of the senses is, that the incitements to enjoyment increase in proportion as the power of enjoyment fades. Experience at last forbids even the hope of enjoyment; the sin of the intoxicated soul is loathed, detested, abhorred; yet it is done. The irritated sense, like an avenging fury, goads on with a restlessness of craving, and compels a reiteration of the guilt though it has ceased to charm. F. W. R. 9. As oil, pleasantly scented, and perfume are grateful to the sense of smell, so is the sweetness of friendship, manifested by affectionate hearty counsels. Good advice, such as manifestly comes up from the depths of a loving heart, is the sweetness of friendship, corresponding to the fragrance of sweet odors. H. C.—There is as much difference between the counsel that a friend giveth, and that a man giveth himself, as there is between the counsel of a friend and of a flatterer; for there is no such flatterer as is a man's self, and there is no such remedy against flattery of a man's self as the liberty of a friend. Bacon. Friendship hath the skill and observation of the best physician; the diligence and vigilance of the best nurse; and the tenderness and patience of the best mother. Clarendon.—The communicating of a man's self to his friend works two contrary effects, for it redoubleth joys, and cutteth griefs in halfs; for there is no man that imparteth his joys to his friend, but he joyeth the more, and no man that imparteth his griefs to his friend, but he grieveth the less. Bacon. We can converse frequently with nothing, but it is insensibly assimilating us to its own predominant quality. Men are apt to be changed for the better or worse, according to the conditions of them with whom they daily converse; the election therefore of our companions is one of the weightiest actions of our lives, our future good or hurt dependeth so much upon it. It is an excellent speech of Chrysostom: If men, good or bad, be joined together in a special band of society, they either quickly part or usually become alike. Swinnock. A Christian should always be giving good or taking good, and that company is not for him that will neither give nor take this. What should a merchant do where there is no buying or selling? Gurnall.—Birds of a feather will flock together. Servants of the same Lord, if faithful, will join with their fellows, and not with the servants of His enemy. A Christian, before his conversion, walks in company with men of the world; but when the Spirit changes his disposition, he quickly changes his companions, and delights only in the “saints that are on earth.” Swinnock. The pleasures resulting from the mutual attachment of kindred spirits are by no means confined to the moments of personal intercourse; they diffuse their odors, though more faintly, through the seasons of absence, refreshing and exhilarating the mind by the remembrance of the past and the anticipation of the future. It is a treasure possessed when it is not employed; a reserve of strength, ready to be called into action when most needed; a fountain of sweets, to which we may continually repair, whose waters are inexhaustible. R. Hall.—If the converse of one friend, at one interview, gives comfort and strengthens our hearts, what may not be expected from the continual supports, daily visits, and powerful love of the Saviour of sinners, the covenanted Friend of believers! T. Scott.—In pure amity there is a threefold union: a union of resemblance, that is the principle of it; likeness causes love: a union of affection, that is its essence; it is said of Jonathan, that incomparable friend, “his soul was knit with the soul of David, and he loved him as his own soul;” the union of conversation, that is requisite to the satisfaction of love. What an entertainment of love and joy is there in the presence and discourses of dear friends! their mutual aspects, like a chain composed of spirits luminous and active, draw and fasten their souls to one another; the felicity of love consists in their conversation. Now in heaven, whatever is pleasant in friendship is in perfection; and whatever is distasteful by men's folly and weakness is abolished. With what excellent discourses do they entertain one another? Certainly in heaven the blessed with overflowing affections recount the Divine benefits; the admirable methods whereby the life of grace was begun preserved and carried on amid temptations; the continual succession of mercies in the time of their hopes, and the consummation of all in the time of their enjoyment. Bates. 10. Sentiment: "Only long-tried friends are to be trusted, above all in a calamitous time. Even the ties of consanguinity are not always to be relied on." M. S.—Friends and friendship are choice possessions; and better, says Solomon, with terse brevity, in the day of calamity, is a neighbor that is near than a brother that is far off. No man can be called poor who has loyal hearts to love him. No man can be called rich, if he have not so borne himself in his commerce with his kind, that he has drawn around him a cordon of the tender, the steadfast, the devoted, and the unselfish, of those who have touched his hand and heard his voice. Anon. 11. The key to the last clause lies in the fact that society holds the father in a great measure responsible for the morals of his son, and therefore if he has not done his parental duty will reproach him for his neglect and failure. Hence Solomon says, Remember, my son, that my good name as well as yours is at stake, pending upon the life you live; therefore be wise; so shall my heart be glad and your wisdom shall save me from reproach. 14. These manifestations are excessive and therefore suspicious; unnatural, and therefore the fruit, not of true friendship, but of some sinister purpose. 15,16. Flat roofs, mud-covered, thoroughly saturated in a day of great rain, leaking like a sieve, with not the cleanest of water, are the nearest like things to a quarrelsome woman—an irrepressible scold. Whoever for the honor of the house would hide her wrath, might as well hide the wind or the odors of perfumed oil which no skill can bind but which will proclaim itself. H. C.—A man cannot hide the wind, or clasp it in his hands. If he takes an unguent in his right hand, the odor betrays him, or it slips out. So in like manner, the "contentious woman" is one whose faults it is impossible either to hide or check. 17. The proverb, as commonly understood, expresses the gain of mutual counsel as found in clear, well-defined thoughts. Two minds, thus acting on each other, become more acute. E. H. P. The particulars in which this similitude lies seem to be the following: sameness of nature, iron with iron; mutual action by the friction of the one piece of iron on the other piece of iron; the result of this application of the two similar substances one to the other—the imparting of a finer polish and a sharper edge. To this is compared the effect of friendly social intercourse: "So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." Iron with iron; man with man. Iron with iron; man—in the intercourse, the exchange, and in the mutual friction and operation of mind upon mind—with man, and the result the improvement of both. God appointed the social principle for the purpose here stated: for sharpening, not for blunting and dissipating; for the improvement, not for the deterioration, of the mind; for edification, not for destruction. Let us see from this the importance of well-formed friendship. He whom we admit into our friendship we admit into the formation of our character. J. Duncan. Friendship is healthful and sovereign for the understanding, as it is for the affections; for friendship maketh indeed a fair day in the affections from storms and tempests, but it maketh daylight in the understanding, out of darkness and confusion of thoughts. Whosoever hath his mind fraught with many thoughts, his wits and understanding do clarify and break up, in the communicating and discoursing with another; he tosseth his thoughts more easily; he marshalleth them more orderly; he seeth how they look when they are turned into words; finally, he waxeth wiser than himself; and that more by an hour's discourse than by a day's meditation. Bacon. 18. "Keeping the fig-tree" is not merely to own and possess, but to cultivate diligently; to take due care of. Correspondingly, the servant who devotes himself to his duty to his master will be held in honor and rewarded. H. C. 19. Here the simplest and most natural meaning is also the truest. As we see our own face when we look on the mirror-like surface of the water, so in every heart of man we may see our own likeness. In spite of all diversities we come upon the common human nature in which we all alike share. E. H. P.—In the East, the cheap and simple mirror used by the poor is the surface of water in a vessel. As the image reflected from such a surface represents the object, e.g., your own face, so does your own heart represent the universal heart of man, and you may look into it to study and learn all human nature. H. C.—When the heart warms and expands toward others, going out to them with feelings of kindness and sympathy, the same emotions are elicited, quickened into life, and reflected back on ourselves. G. Coombe. 20. Sheol and death stand here for the grave personified to represent the great law of human mortality from which none are exempted. The grave is never sated—is never so full as to be satisfied without more victims. So the eyes of men never see so much that they care to see no more. H. C.—Hades, the world of the dead, and destruction (death, the destroying power, personified) have been at all times and in all countries thought of as all-devouring, insatiable (compare 30:16). Yet one thing, the teacher tells us, is more so, the lust of the eye, the restless craving which grows with what it feeds on (Eccl. 1:8). E. H. P. 21. A fining-pot will disclose the true silver, and the furnace the true gold; and so a man's praise will disclose his true character. Praise is apt to puff up men and make them self-conceited. If it does or does not produce this effect, it will in either alternative make their true character known. "It is a fining-pot." M. S. —The choice lies between these two constructions: As the crucible tries silver, so a man should try the praises he gets; or the praise he gets will try him. The man in either case corresponds to the crucible; but whether considered in relation to praise as acting or as acted upon is the question. As to the facts of human nature, the former is what ought to be—the latter, what is. Neither sense is bad. H. C. 22. Another of those stringent sarcasms with which fools are assailed, in this book above all others in the Bible. Sentiment: "No chastisement, however severe, will cure a fool of his folly." Such is the obstinacy of the men who are here characterized by the appellation of fools. M. S. 23-27. The verses are closely connected and form one continuous counsel. Taken literally, they sing the praises of the earlier patriarchal life, with its flocks and herds, and tillage of the ground, as compared with the commerce of a later time, with money as its chief or only wealth. E. H. P.—“If you look well to your farm, it will yield whatever you may want for food, or clothing, or even for the purchase of more land. It will, in a word, make you truly rich." M. S. A beautiful commendation of husbandry. Give very careful attention to your flocks and herds, for wealth sought by other means is treacherous; often transient; even crowns are not wont to pass down in long unbroken line from generation to generation. Here is also rich beauty as well as utility. The hay is taken off; then springs up the after-math, young, tender, and green; the vegetable growths of the hills are gathered in for the winter. The lambs furnish wool and skins for your clothing; goats are so profitable that you may rely on their price for the purchase of fields; so shall your supplies of food be ample for all your household. An employment which combines such varied pleasure and beauty with so much security against failure, and such supply for man's chief wants of food and clothing, may be commended wisely. The glory of Solomon's kingdom was its agricultural wealth. H. C. It is the beautiful characteristic of industry that, instead of taking us away from God and things eternal, it takes us directly toward Him, and puts us waiting on the seasons, the soil, the mechanical powers, which are but the faithful bosom of God Himself; and there we hang, year by year, watching for our supplies and the nutriment that feeds our bodies. Our very industry is a kind of physical prayer, and the business itself of our busy life is to watch the gates of blessing He opens upon us. His smile feeds us, and His goodness ever before us leads us to repentance. His scheme of Providence also is adjusted so as to open windows on us continually, in this earthly house of our tabernacle, through which the building of God, not made with hands, may be the better discovered. H. B. 24. Since “riches are not forever,” yea, since they must be left very soon, nor is there any certainty of keeping them any time; that one day may consume them, one night may dispossess us of them and our life together with them, there can be no reason why we should be so solicitous about them; no account given of our setting so high a rate upon them. For who would much regard the having custody of a rich treasure for a day or two, then to be stripped of all, and left bare? To be to-day invested in large domains and to-morrow to be dispossessed of them? Yet this is our case; whatever we call ours, we are but guardians thereof for a few days. This consideration, therefore, may serve to repress or moderate in us all covetous desires, proud conceits, vain confidences and satisfactions in respect to worldly wealth. Barrow.—Heaps of silver and gold may intercept the rich man's sight of death, but they can neither intercept death's sight of the rich man, nor prevent his forcing the feeble entrenchments in which he may attempt to hide himself. Saurin. 1. THE wicked flee when no man pursueth : But the righteous are bold as a lion. 2. For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof : But by men of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged. 3. A needy man that oppresseth the poor Is like a sweeping rain which leaveth no food. 4. They that forsake the law praise the wicked : But such as keep the law contend with them. 5. Evil men understand not judgment : But they that seek the LORD understand all things. 6. Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, Than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich. 7. Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son : But he that is a companion of gluttonous men shameth his father. 8. He that augmenteth his substance by usury and increase, Gathereth it for him that hath pity on the poor. 9. He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer is an abomination. 10. Whoso causeth the upright to go astray in an evil way, He shall fall himself into his own pit : But the perfect shall inherit good. 11. The rich man is wise in his own conceit ; But the poor that hath understanding searcheth him out. 12. When the righteous triumph, there is great glory : But when the wicked rise, men hide themselves. 13. He that covereth his transgressions shall not prosper : But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain mercy. 14. Happy is the man that feareth alway : But he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief. 15. As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear ; So is a wicked ruler over a poor people. 16. The prince that lacketh understanding is also a great oppressor : But he that hateth covetousness shall prolong his days. 17. A man that is laden with the blood of any person Shall flee unto the pit ; let no man stay him. 18. Whoso walketh uprightly shall be delivered : But he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once. 19. He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread : But he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough. 20. A faithful man shall abound with blessings : But he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be unpunished. 21. To have respect of persons is not good : Neither that a man should transgress for a piece of bread. 22. He that hath an evil eye hasteth after riches, And knoweth not that want shall come upon him. 23. He that rebuketh a man shall afterward find more favour Than he that flattereth with the tongue. 24. Whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, It is no transgression ; The same is the companion of a destroyer. 25. He that is of a greedy spirit stirreth up strife : But he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat. 26. He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool : But whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered. 27. He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack : But he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse. 28. When the wicked rise, men hide themselves : But when they perish, the righteous increase. 4. THROUGH a common sympathy the lawless praise the wicked; but the law-abiding stir up themselves to withstand them. Since bad men will sustain each other against law and order, it behooves the good to combine their efforts on the other side. H. C. 5. Asserts the deep interdependence of morality and intellect. We lose moral discernment in proportion as we do evil. We have a right judgment in all things in proportion as our heart seeks to know God. Compare James 1:23, 24. E. H. P. 6. Perverse in his ways. Tried, reliable integrity is far above riches as a qualification for either a citizen or a ruler—a sentiment not inappropriate to our own country and times. Solomon says expressively, “than he who perverts his double ways,” using the dual number to show that his moral ways are changeful, now this, now that—guided by no moral principle. 8. See 13:22. The retributions of God's providence will appear in the history of great estates. God's infinite justice and His wise regard to human welfare forbid His awarding unmingled and abiding prosperity to men notorious for fraud and oppression. Hence wealth, amassed by usury and unrighteousness, goes into the hands of one who will use it as God designed wealth should be used—to bless the needy. Let His name be praised for this! H. C.—The usurer preyeth upon the poor, he waxeth rich of the penury of his brother, he clotheth himself with the coat of the naked, he feedeth himself of the bread of the hungry, and devoureth his poor brother, as the great beasts do the smaller; than which, saith Ambrose, there is no greater inhumanity and cruelty. Rd. Turnbull. 9. If men will not hear God's law, He will not hear their prayer. Refusing to hear His law, they are in actual rebellion against Him. Consequently their prayer to Him is only an insult, because it is simply asking Him not to hurt, but to bless men who are actual persistent rebels against His throne. Their prayer virtually begs permission to go on to sin all they will, and to be exempted from punishment therefor. And God might as well vacate His throne as to hear such prayer propitiously! H. C. 10. No form of evil is more hateful, no result of evil sadder, than the temptation by the wicked of those who have been righteous. Vice in such a case seems to win a twofold triumph. It gains its own ends and exults in the downfall of the good. But here also the triumph is suicidal. In any case the tempter will suffer the punishment he deserves, and the blameless, if true to themselves, will be strengthened and ennobled by the temptation. E. H. P. 11. Solomon means to say that riches do not necessarily presuppose wisdom; that some rich men may be sadly deficient, not only in profound knowledge, but in that fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of true wisdom; while some poor men may be truly rich in these treasures of the mind and of the heart. H. C. 12. He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; for while he covers them he cannot possibly get rid of them; and their presence will vitiate all prosperity. Endure the shame of confessing them, that we may have the comfort of being delivered from them. G. Bowen.—There is the confession of sin extracted by unexpected disaster or by the foreboding of a deserved judgment; and there is the confession of sin freely and spontaneously given. Confession is wrung from some, not by a sense of the hatefulness of sin, but from a desire of thereby obtaining security from the judgment of God. But the Christian's confession is a very different thing: he sees and feels sin to be hateful. What pain is to the body, that is sin to his soul. He owns that he has been guilty of it; and he pours out his confession of it freely, and fully, and explicitly before God. Cumming. There is a covering of sin which proves a curse. There is a covering it, by not confessing it, or which is worse, by denying it—Gehazi's covering—a covering of sin by a lie; and there is also a covering of sin by justifying ourselves in it. I have not done this thing, or I did no evil in it. All these are evil coverings; he that thus covereth his sin shall not prosper. But there is a blessed covering of sin—forgiveness of sin is the hiding it out of sight, and that's the blessedness. Alleine.—Evangelical confession is the inlet to peace with God and the outlet of new obedience. Hamilton. 14. This fear is the wholesome fear of offending God by sin. Blessed is he who never loses this solemn fear of displeasing the great and holy God! On the contrary, he who hardens his heart against such fear and becomes reckless as to sin and its consequences shall surely fall into ruin. H. C.—“I have known a good old man,” says Bernard, “who, when he heard of any one that had committed some notorious offence, was wont to say within himself, He fell to-day, so may I to-morrow.” Now the reason why humble souls keep up in themselves a holy fear of falling is because that is the very best way to preserve them in their upward path. "Happy is the man that feareth always; but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief." T. Brooks. A warning finger is, as it were, lifted. Take heed against the tendencies that lie in yourself and the temptations around you. The consciousness of the possibility of the danger is half the battle. "Blessed is the man that feareth always," says the Psalm. "The confident"—by which is meant the presumptuous, and not the trustful—"goeth on and is punished." The timid—by which I mean the self-distrustful—clings to God, because he knows his danger and is safe. If we think that we are on the verge of falling we are nearer standing than we ever are besides. To lay to heart the reality, and the imminence, and the gravity of the possibility that is disclosed here is an essential part of the means for preventing its becoming a reality. There is no security for us except in the continual temper of rooted self-distrust, for there is no motive that will drive us to the continual confidence in which alone is security, but the persistent pressure of that sense that in ourselves we are nothing, and cannot but fall. The dark underside of the triumphant confidence, which on its sunny side looks up to heaven and receives its light, is self-distrust. A. M. 16. Covetousness is constituted of self-love and self-care pushed to such deep intensity and such extravagant excess, as to pay very little willing respect to any laws of God or of man which may be in its way. Its constant tendency is to grow into an absorbing, grasping, insatiable, remorseless voracity, which will seize and hoard all that suits its appetite, with scarcely an inquiry, a care, or a conscience as to how much ownership may be violated, or how many and how prized may be the interests sacrificed. A heart drank up with such a ravenous passion, bent on the possessions of its neighbors; on cutting off their acres, occupying their buildings, opening their thrift into its own treasures; such a heart is a poor fountain of useful influence, a stinted spiritual contributor. Covetousness, in a heart intended for God's service, is a thief in the specie vault; an obstruction in the arteries from the reservoirs which refresh the population. C. White. Covetousness is one of the eldest born of sin, and a prime leader in the Satanic empire of evil; no nature is too lofty, no place too sacred for its presence; being a universal passion, no enterprise is too daring for it to attempt, no sphere too extended for its range. J. H.—Of all vices incident to human nature, none so powerfully and peculiarly carries the soul downward as covetousness does. It makes it all earth and dirt, burying that noble thing which can never die. So that, while the body is above ground, the soul is under it, and therefore must needs be in a state of darkness, while it converses in the regions of it. South. 19. "Followeth after" is more strictly chaseth after, runs eagerly with them. The antithesis is better preserved by following the original: The one shall have bread enough; the other poverty enough; the one, bread to satiety; the other poverty, also, to his heart's content. H. C. Those that are diligent in their callings take the way to live comfortably. He that tills his land, and tends his shop, and minds his business, whatever it is, he shall have plenty of bread, of that which is necessary for himself and his family, and with which he may be charitable to the poor; he shall eat the labor of his hands. Those that are idle, and careless, and company keepers, though they indulge themselves in living (as they think) easily and pleasantly, they take the way to live miserably. He that has land but does not till it, neglects his business, will not take pains, but follows after vain persons, joins with them in their frolics and vain sports, and idles away his time with them, he shall have poverty enough, shall be satiated or replenished with poverty, so the word is; he takes those courses which lead so directly to it that he seems to court it, and he shall have his fill of it. H—A world bringing forth fruit spontaneously might have suited a sinless race, but it would be unsuitable for mankind as they now are. If all men had plenty without labor the world would not be fit for living in. In every country, and under every kind of government, the unemployed are the most dangerous classes. Thus the necessity of labor has become a blessing to man. Arnot. The Divine blessing is visibly breathed on "painful" and honorable diligence. The strength of the mind, the purity of the soul, the due discharge of our duties in life, are all involved in and dependent upon this one primary virtue. It seems but a small matter in itself—this industrious employment of our times and faculties; and yet if rightly directed—for, of course, there may be a wasted and ill-contrived diligence—what wonders will it not accomplish! A prompt yet prudent judgment, a capacity of seeing the true proportions and nature of things, a refined and disciplined imagination, a love of truth and beauty—all these are the rewards of the diligent man, whose enthusiasm for honest and righteous work raises him above the follies and iniquities of the world. W. H. D. Adams.—It is an essential condition of thrift that we should keep to legitimate occupations. There is no tariff in chance; its central idea is order—a series of causes and effects along the line of which forethought can look and make its calculations. Speculation makes the few rich and the many poor. Thrift divides the prizes of life to those who deserve them. If great fortunes are results of speculations, the average competencies have their foundation and permanence in thrifty ways. T. T. Munger. 20. According to the original, the “faithful man” is the man of integrity—truthful, sure. He will be great and rich in blessings. But he who makes haste to be rich is supposed to lose this integrity. Solomon does not say that he will miss the great blessings spoken of in the first clause, but he does more than to say it, he assumes that it cannot possibly be otherwise, and that every reader must see this. He will not be guiltless, and therefore being guilty, he will not be blessed. H. C.—Maketh haste to be rich. He that gets riches by fraud, violence, or oppression, instead of faithful and steady industry. Cupidity always tempts to fraud or oppression. M. S.—Rapacity is covetousness grasping; “making haste to be rich.” This is the true “wolf in the breast,” ever feeding, and yet ever craving; so ravenous that nothing is like it except death and the grave. It is a passion that compels every other feeling to its aid; the day seems too short for it; success is looked on as a reward and a spur; failure as a punishment for some relaxation of the passion; the wealth of others seems to reproach it; the poverty of others to warn it. Determined to gratify itself, it overlooks the morality of the means, despises alike the tardiness of industry and the scruples of integrity, and thinks only of the readiest way to success. J. H. Riches that are gotten not by the exercise of superior faculties, not by patience, energy, enterprise and industry, but by gambling, by hazardous and lucky speculation, by sudden windfalls or by hasty adventures not unmingled with fraud, are only hurtful in their effect upon the character. They tend to uproot all principle; they throw a man afloat instead of fastening him. They overset or intoxicate the mind, not satisfy it. They kindle the passions, instead of disciplining or restraining them. Cheever.—The love of money can never exist alone. He who desires wealth for its own sake will be strongly disposed to injustice. His integrity will be assailed by constant temptation and always exposed to injury. The unjust balance and the short weight will be found in the possession of a covetous man. He will be ready to take advantage of the weakness or generosity of those who surround him. These habits of trifling with integrity will invariably harden the heart. If he be possessed of power, that power will be employed for bad purposes. If he occupy a station of trust, that trust will be abused. R. Hall. 20. As money stands for every commodity, so covetousness steps in front of every desire, acting now as the representative of the love of pleasure, now of the necessary wants of life, and now even of real or counterfeit benevolence. The Christian, as he looks abroad over life, beholds here the cause of shipwrecks of character, of damaged fortunes, of ruined hopes. It is a fire that consumes the soul with burning cares, it magnifies the world, and absorbs all the thoughts. To no man is eternity so far off as to the covetous man. The sober Christian, then, will not aim and bend the efforts of his life to be rich. He cannot do this, for the love of riches is worldly-mindedness condensed. T. D. W. 21. Compare 24:23 and 18:5. It is worse than merely “not good;” it is outrageously bad to have respect of persons, to be influenced by favoritism, to deny justice to the innocent, and to acquit the guilty. The proverb assumes that this evinces an utter want of principle. Such a man would sin for a morsel of bread, so cheap and facile a thing with him is his virtue. He would sell for less than a dish of pottage. 26. “Trusting to one’s own heart” is following its impulses, the lead of its passions, as opposed to following the wisdom of God. The first clause which, in form, only affirms such an one to be a fool, in fact assumes that this folly will ruin him; while walking in wisdom would insure his deliverance from such ruin. H. C.—Unbelief men are responsible for. Unbelief is criminal because it is a moral act—an act of the whole nature. Belief or unbelief is a test of a man’s whole spiritual condition, just because it is the whole being, affections, will, conscience, and all, as well as the understanding, which are concerned in it. A. M. 27. What we give to the poor we deliver and intrust in His hands, out of which no force can wring it, no craft can flich it; it is laid up in heaven, whither no thief can climb, and where no moth or rust do abide. In spite of all the fortune, of all the might, of all the malice in the world, the liberal man will ever be rich; for God's providence is his estate, God's wisdom and power are his defence, God's love and favor are his reward, God's Word is his assurance, who hath said that "He which giveth to the poor shall not lack;" no vicissitude therefore of things can surprise Him or find Him unfurnished, no disaster can impoverish Him, no adversity can overwhelm Him; He hath a certain reserve against all times and occasions; He that "deviseth liberal things, by liberal things shall He stand." Barrow. "Hiding the eyes" here is closing one's own eyes so as not to see a suffering brother's want and shutting the sympathies of the heart against such appeals. This man shall have many a curse. The great Father commits Himself to bless those who are with Him in loving care for the poor. (See 19:17 and 29:7.) H. C. —He that hides his eyes, that he may not see the miseries of the poor, nor read their petitions, lest his eye should affect his heart and extort some relief from him, he shall have many a curse, both from God and man. Woeful is the condition of that man who has the Word of God and the prayers of the poor against him. H. We satisfy not our obligation to the bond and law of love by giving comfortable words. As that faith which is alone without works doth not justify us, so the pity which is alone without works doth not justify our faith. Such empty pity will go for little better than cruelty, and not to help will be interpreted oppression. Caryl. 1. He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck Shall suddenly be broken, and that without remedy. 2. When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: But when a wicked man beareth rule, the people sigh. 3. Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father: But he that keepeth company with harlots wasteth his substance. 4. The king by judgment establisheth the land: But he that exacteth gifts overthroweth it. 5. A man that flattereth his neighbour Spreadeth a net for his steps. 6. In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare: But the righteous doth sing and rejoice. 7. The righteous taketh knowledge of the cause of the poor: The wicked hath not understanding to know it. 8. Scornful men set a city in a flame: But wise men turn away wrath. 9. If a wise man hath a controversy with a foolish man, Whether he be angry or laugh, there will be no rest. 10. The bloodthirsty hate him that is perfect: And as for the upright, they seek his life. 11. A fool uttereth all his anger: But a wise man keepeth it back and stilleth it. 12 if a ruler hearkeneth to falsehood, All his servants are wicked. 13. The poor man and the oppressor meet together: The LORD lighteneth the eyes of them both. 14. The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, His throne shall be established for ever. 15. The rod and reproof give wisdom: But a child left to himself causeth shame to his mother. 16. When the wicked are increased, transgression increaseth: But the righteous shall look upon their fall. 17. Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; Yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul. 18. Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint: But he that keepeth the law, happy is he. 19. A servant will not be corrected by words: For though he understand he will not give heed. 20. Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? There is more hope of a fool than of him. 21. He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child Shall have him become a son at the last. 22. An angry man stirreth up strife, And a wrathful man aboundeth in transgression. 23. A man's pride shall bring him low: But he that is of a lowly spirit shall obtain honour. 24. Whoso is partner with a thief hateth his own soul: He heareth the adjuration and uttereth nothing. 25. The fear of man bringeth a snare: "THE man of reproofs" (the form of the Hebrew) is he who has been reproved mach, and upon whom the power of reproof has been exhausted in vain. "Hardening the neck" takes its figure from the bullock who resists the yoke and rebels against restraint—a very common figure with the Hebrews. "Destroyed" is expressed in Hebrew by a very strong verb and in its most intensive form, "shall be utterly broken to pieces—and no healing!" When all hope of amendment is gone, judgment without mercy must ensue, for the honor and safety of God's moral universe demand it H. C. There is a period of sensibility, and there is also a period of its decay. There is a time during which the sensibilities of our nature are developed, becoming quicker and stronger, more delicate, refined, and perfect. But this period of tender sensibilities looks to a period of active character, for the formation of which the sensibilities are given and the requisite excitements provided for them, after which they pass from the form of mere sensibilities into habits and fixtures of feeling and of action. Every ineffectual appeal made to the sensibilities upon religious things, every appeal not followed by active effort, leaves the sensibilities in that direction less susceptible. The habit is formed of disregarding them, of disregarding the appeals made to them. This habit becomes so powerful that the difficulty is perhaps not so much to move the heart, as to break up that habit of disregarding its remonstrances or of deferring the moment of obedience to them. In truth, it makes but little difference whether the sensibilities be diminished, or the power of resistance and procrastination increased. Either way is fatal. If the sensibilities diminish, a greater power will be requisite to reach what is left; and if the power of resistance be increased, as it certainly is by the habit of resistance, then a greater influence will be requisite to overcome that power. From these considerations we gather the infinite importance of the time given us for the formation of a holy character, the appropriate and critical nature of such a period, and the impossibility of exchanging it for an But whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe. 26. Many seek the ruler's favour: But a man's judgment cometh from the LORD. 27. An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous: And he that is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked. other period. It is first our seed-time, then our growing time; the time of tenderness, of lively sensibility, of susceptibility to impressions from affecting scenes, thoughts, truths, arguments. As this period passes away the susceptibility of the soul diminishes and finally dies. Cheever. The fallen man's steps have been thronged by pleading spirits. The cross of Christ has blocked his wayward course more impassably than if it had been a flaming sword. Intercessions have been made for him in heaven with hands uplifted, in which were the prints of nails. His history has been one long struggle against obstacles, with a wilful repugnance to holy restraints; with an adroit suspense of conscience, that he might fraternize with sin, he has sought out, and discovered, and selected, and seized upon, and made sure of his own way over, and around, and through these obstacles to the world of despair. He has done it—he, and not another. A. P. The man in the iron cage in the "Pilgrim's Progress" said: "I left off to watch and be sober; I laid the reins upon the neck of my lusts; I sinned against the light of the Word and the goodness of God; I have grieved the Spirit and He is gone; I tempted the devil, and he is come to me; I have provoked God to anger and He has left me; I have so hardened my heart that I cannot repent." If our natural lusts are not under the restraint of a higher power; if by that power we are not trained to watch, and check, and overpower them; if we allow them to burst all restraint and lord it over us as they will, then will they grow into so many tyrants, who will rule us with rods of iron; laugh at the feeble remonstrances of our conscience; scoff at every messenger of God; vex His Holy Spirit, and hurl us at last to everlasting woe! W. G. B. God's object in the self-imposed punishment of the sinner is not personal gratification or vindictiveness, but is resorted to as an extreme measure. It is a plan by which to prevent another catastrophe in His kingdom. The heart sickens at the thought of another. Loyalty throughout His vast empire, henceforth, is His grand design. The safety of an ever-progressive and ever-increasing kingdom is the problem. Extreme measures which now exist, but which were not commenced before Satan fell and before sin entered the universe, can effect this. Shall God employ them, or not? They are in process of execution already; shall He arrest their normal action? Shall the event of death reverse all law and make treason glorious? Shall an impenitent Satan be reinstated in Paradise? Shall the lights of heaven be re-intrusted to his bloody and deathly hand? Universal and eternal interests hang trembling upon the answer. "Yes," and "Farewell, heaven!" must be spoken in the same breath. The future, if our conclusions be correct, lies between one hell and one heaven, or two hells and no heaven. Townsend.—No analogies can grapple and bring up from the depths of the darkness of the lost world any distinct probable truths. No philosophy has line and plummet long enough to sound the depths. There remains for us only the few authoritative and solemn words of God. These declare that the bliss of the righteous is everlasting; and with equal directness and simplicity they declare that the doom of the wicked is everlasting. H. W. Beecher. 5. The law of sincerity is as inconsistent with adulation and flattery as it is with hypocrisy. The hypocrite and flatterer belong to the same genus; one lies about himself, the other about his neighbor, but both are equally liars. There are degrees of malignity in the vice of flattery according to the motives and ends which prompt to it; but in every form it is a departure from truth, as well as a departure from that charity which meditates no wrong to another. "A man that flattereth his neighbor spreadeth a net for his feet." J. H. T. 7. "The righteous knoweth" and takes pains to know the case of the weak. The weak are not necessarily the penniless, but rather the friendless and dependent. The wicked man does not seek this knowledge; takes no pains to inform himself as to their case. H. C. 11. Uttereth anger . . . keepeth back and stilleth it. It is not enough to deal with the temper. We must go to the source, and change the inmost nature, and the angry humors will die away of themselves. Souls are made sweet, not by taking the acid fluids out, but by putting something in—a great love, a new spirit, the Spirit of Christ. Christ, the Spirit of Christ, interpenetrating ours, sweetens, purifies, transforms all. This only can eradicate what is wrong, work a chemical change, renovate and regenerate, and rehabilitate the inner man. Will-power does not change men. Time does not change men. Christ does. H. Drummond. 13. The poor and the oppressor. The innocent poor man and the griping oppressor meet both together; and the Lord causeth His sun to shine on them both, maintaining them both in life, doing good outwardly even to the worst-deserving. Bishop H. 18. The proverb is a rich testimony to the practical value of a revelation from God of man's moral duty and of the sanctions of the Divine law. H. C.—Where there is no vision, no prophet to expound the law, no priest or Levite to teach the good knowledge of the Lord, no means of grace, they are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hos. 4:6). What reason we have to be thankful to God for the plenty of open vision which we enjoy! H. 23. The humble of spirit shall take hold of honor, shall attain it. This seems to be the sense of the Hebrew verb, and corresponds well with the first clause. Pride brings a man low in general esteem; humility raises him high. H. C. Pride is cherishing an overestimate of our relative importance, involving a corresponding depreciation of others, accompanied by neglect of them or contempt for them. It is self-worship, and thus a species of idolatry. Humility, on the other hand, is a willingness to pass at our real worth, whatever that may be—a readiness to take the precise place which God has assigned to us, not envying those who seem to be in a superior position, or despising those below us, or striving to mount higher than God's providence and our own true capacity and usefulness indicate. W. W. Patton.—I have been more and more convinced, the more I think of it, that in general pride is at the bottom of all great mistakes. All the other passions do occasional good; but whenever pride puts in its word everything goes wrong; and what it might really be desirable to do quietly and innocently, it is mortally dangerous to do proudly. Ruskin. A lowly spirit. True humility consists not so much in thinking meanly of ourselves, as in not thinking of ourselves at all. Bowes.—Humility is, of all graces, the chiefest when it does not know itself to be a grace at all. Bernard.—No humility is perfect and proportioned but that which makes us hate ourselves as corrupt, but respect ourselves as immortal, the humility that kneels in the dust but gazes on the skies. W. A. B. Humility is not a lack of courage; it is not the poverty of spirit which shrinks from encounter. It is not an abandonment of inalienable responsibilities; to God alone we must make account for what we believe and do. Still less is it a false, artificial posture of the soul, a kind of dramatic attitude—or, as men have imagined, an ecclesiastical grimace—the putting on language, and looks, and a demeanor that might belong to something which is not really felt. Beyond everything else, humility is the victory of truth in the soul and character, which dares to recognize the insignificance and pollution of self beneath the purity and majesty of God. A humble man may well have a burning zeal for the welfare of his fellow-man, or an uncompromising hatred of moral evil, or the courage which is strong to work, to struggle, or to suffer. H. P. L. The first test of a truly great man is his humility. All great men not only know their business, but usually know that they know it; and are not only right in their main opinions, but usually know that they are right in them; only they do not think much of themselves on that account. They have a curious undersense of powerlessness, feeling that the greatness is not in them, but through them; that they could not do or be anything else than God made them. And they see something Divine and God-made in every other man they meet, and are endlessly, foolishly, incredibly merciful. Ruskin. 25. The fear of what men can do unto us, with all the confusion and wretchedness in which it entangles us, is contrasted with the serene security of one, who not only “fears” the Lord, so as to avoid offending Him, but trusts in Him as his protector and guide. E. H. P.—You would get rid of that fear instantly if you realized your immortality and stood in the midst of the great world of your eternal life. What is there in scorn or criticism, that dies the day it is born, that can terrify, however it may pain, the man who is to live forever? P. Brooks. Trust in the Lord. Trust is belief of God's promises. Those who wander about in the world, without any reliance on Divine promise, are orphans, and call for our commiseration. The believer has assurances for a great while yet to come. His filial relation to God makes him look on the future with new eyes. Whatever may befall him, one thing is certain, nothing can come but what God ordains. "All things work together for good to them that love God." His life is insured. In proportion to his strength of trust is he raised above all those vexatious apprehensions which men of the world experience. In his happier hours he is enabled to put in practice his Lord's direction, and to cease taking thought for the morrow. How serene and balanced is the soul which has so fixed itself on God as to feel satisfied that all His dispensations are part of a matchless plan for its good! J. W. A. 26. The complement of the previous verse. To trust in the favor of princes is to build upon the sands. The judgment which will set all wrong right will come, sooner or later, surely if slowly, from the Lord. E. H. P.—We may live long or briefly, prosperously or ill, conspicuous or obscure lives, but we must at last all face our final Judge. At the outset let us lay aside the common but erroneous impression that the function of judging is one which God might demit if He chose, and that in exercising it He invests Himself with the aspect of severity. Moral judgment is inseparably connected with moral character. The discrimination of the good or evil in character is not the province of one who is ignorant of moral distinctions, any more than is criticism in art the business of the blind. But just as fast and just as far as the conscience of a man becomes illuminated, intuitive, fine, commanding, just to that extent does he discriminate. He cannot help it if he would. The honest man must judge the cheat; the sincere soul, the hypocrite; the truthful, the liar; and the warm, loving-hearted, the cold and calculating. Now, it is an inevitable sequence from the perfections of God that He should judge the world. He is perfect and absolute in holiness. It is not His power or wisdom and knowledge, but His immaculate purity of character that makes Him a judge. His power alone would make Him a tyrant if not controlled by moral qualities, but God's holiness is spotless. In mediæval times men swore a royal or knightly oath by the "glory of God"—that is, His unsullied purity of being. We and all spirits are transparent and open before God. Nothing, even a diaphanous veil, separates or hides. Every scar and soilure is seen by Him. He must judge. R. S. S. 27. The just abhor the unjust because they hate and loathe wickedness. On the other hand, the wicked dislike the upright, whose very name and presence rebuke them; whose influence annoys them and perhaps even frustrates their wicked schemes and brings them to just punishment. There never can be any common sympathy between men of morally opposite character. H. C. 1. THE words of Agur the son of Jakeh; the oracle. The man saith unto Ithiel, unto Ithiel and Ucal : 2. Surely I am more brutish than any man, And have not the understanding of a man : 3. And I have not learned wisdom, Neither have I the knowledge of the Holy One. 4. Who hath ascended up into heaven, and descended ? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists ? Who hath bound the waters in his garment ? Who hath established all the ends of the earth ? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou knowest ? 5. Every word of God is tried : He is a shield unto them that trust in him. 6. Add thou not unto his words, Lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. 7. Two things have I asked of thee ; Deny me them not before I die : 8. Remove far from me vanity and lies : Give me neither poverty nor riches ; Feed me with the food that is needful for me : 9. Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD ? Or lest I be poor, and steal, And use profanely the name of my God. 10. Slander not a servant unto his master, Lest he curse thee, and thou be held guilty. 11. There is a generation that curseth their father, And doth not bless their mother. 12. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, And yet are not washed from their filthiness. 13. There is a generation, Oh how lofty are their eyes ! And their eyelids are lifted up. 14. There is a generation whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives. To devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men. 15. The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satis- fied, Yea, four that say not, Enough : 16. The grave ; and the barren womb ; The earth that is not satisfied with water ; And the fire that saith not, Enough. 17. The eye that mocketh at his father, And despiseth to obey his mother, The ravens of the valley shall pick it out, And the young eagles shall eat it. 18. There be three things which are too wonder- ful for me, Yea, four which I know not : 19. The way of an eagle in the air ; The way of a serpent upon a rock ; The way of a ship in the midst of the sea ; And the way of a man with a maid. 20. So is the way of an adulterous woman ; She eateth, and wipeth her mouth, And saith, I have done no wickedness. 21. For three things the earth doth tremble, And for four, which it cannot bear : 22. For a servant when he is king ; And a fool when he is filled with meat ; 23. For an odious woman when she is married ; And an handmaid that is heir to her mis- tress. 24. There be four things which are little upon the earth, But they are exceeding wise : 25. The ants are a people not strong, Yet they provide their meat in the summer ; 26. The conies are but a feeble folk, Yet make they their houses in the rocks ; 27. The locusts have no king, Yet go they forth all of them by bands ; 28. The lizard taketh hold with her hands, Yet is she in king's palaces. 29. There be three things which are stately in their march, Yea, four which are stately in going : 30. The lion, which is mightiest among beasts, And turneth not away for any ; 31. The greyhound ; the he-goat also ; And the king, against whom there is no rising up. 32. If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, Or if thou hast thought evil, THIS chapter and the next are not ascribed to Solomon; but this to Agur and the next to Lemuel and his mother. In this chapter the style and general manner are peculiar and unique, quite unlike anything we have from the pen of Solomon. The writer brings forward his points in groups. Two things he prays for (vs. 7-9); a series of four "generations" have their very distinctive qualities (vs. 11-14); four things are insatiable (vs. 15, 16); three, yea four things are very wonderful and not easily traced out (vs. 18, 19); another group of three or four bring upon society intolerable disquiet (vs. 21-23); another group of four things are each small but very wise (vs. 24-28); a closing group of three or four are stately in their movements (vs. 29-31). Some proverbs disconnected and apparently independent of these groups are interspersed occasionally between them. In regard to the author of this chapter; his time; his country—in general, his history, nothing is certainly known. H. C. 1. Instead of the "proverbs," or simply "words of the wise," we have here and in 31:1 the word "oracle" or "prophecy." The Hebrew word thus rendered (massa) literally means "burden," and as such is used either literally of the holy things which were to be borne by the sons of Korah, or figuratively for the weight of care and responsibility. In Isaiah and Jeremiah it appears in a sense more nearly approaching to that of "prophecy," as the title of messages which the prophets were commissioned to deliver, and probably implied that the message was in the figurative sense, a "burden" which the prophet had to bear, until he had freed himself from its weight by delivering the message. E. H. P. 4. The questions contemplate God as seen in the glory and majesty of His works of creation. Most appropriately does frail, feeble man look forth upon the vastness of these works and ask, Who has wrought them? What can I learn of His name, i.e., of His nature and of the great depths of His being, His wisdom and His power? H. C. 5,6. Out of this consciousness of the impotence of all man's efforts after the knowledge of God rises the sense of the preciousness of every living word that God has Himself re- Lay thine hand upon thy mouth. 33. For the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, And the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: So the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife. vealed, whether through "the law and the prophets" or through "wise men and scribes." The preciousness of truth thus revealed, wherever it is bestowed, should restrain men from mingling with it their own imaginations and traditions. E. H. P. If this great God, the Maker of all things, so manifestly wise and good, shall deign to speak to mortals, we may be very sure that every word He utters will be pure. See that thou add nothing to His words lest He reprove thee and convict thee of representing Him falsely. H. C. —Every word of God is sure, and therefore we must trust to it and venture our souls upon it. God in His Word, God in His promise, is a shield, a sure protection, to all them that put themselves under His protection and put their trust in Him. The Word of God, applied by faith, will make us easy in the midst of the greatest dangers. H. 7-9. Agur prays for two things: First, put vanity and lies far from my heart; let my spirit never be polluted, even in the sight of God, with falsehood; and, second, of earthly good let me have a simple competence—no more, no less. Not more, lest becoming sated and over-fed, I lose the sense of my dependence upon God, and say in guilty pride, Who is the Lord? And what do I need from Him? And not less, lest becoming impoverished, I should be tempted to steal, and so should dishonor the name of God; literally, "take it up roughly," irreverently. H. C.—The wise man's prayer is not merely like that of an epicurean asking for a quiet life, between the two extremes of wealth and poverty, but first and chiefly, "truth in the inward parts," the removal of all forms of falsehood, hollowness, hypocrisy. The evil of the opposite extremes of social life is that in different ways they lead men to a false standard of duty, and so to that forgetfulness of God which passes into an absolute denial. Food convenient for me; literally, "give me for food the bread of my appointed portion." The prayer of the wise man foreshadows that which we have been taught by the Divine Wisdom, and in which we pray "Give us, day by day, our daily bread." E. H. P. 8. Remove from me vanity. Vanity is in the mind, not in the objects of display. The gayest dress is not a vanity, though the wearer may be full of it. The flowers are not vain, but fling their odors on the air and spread out their simple charms for admiration; but people vain of the clothing of sheep and ornaments of birds pique each other with their silly envies and make themselves wretched over small affronts. We should pray like Agur, to have all vanities and lies put far away from us. Bennett. Give me neither poverty nor riches. We must not consider Agur as praying absolutely against riches, or absolutely against poverty; for poverty and riches are of themselves things indifferent, and the blessing of God may go with them both; but it is a prayer of choice, or a comparative prayer, as if he had said, Give me, O God, if it be Thy will the middle between both, and feed me with food convenient for me. For though all the three conditions be so far indifferent that a man may be good, and ought to be contented or resigned in any of them; yet if it were matter of choice, the middle is the easiest and most desirable. Jortin.—All things considered, he that can cut evenest between want and excess is in the safest, easiest, happiest estate—a truth which, if it were duly entertained, would quit men's hearts of a world of vexation which now they do willingly draw upon themselves; for he that resolves to be rich and great, as he must needs fall into many snares of sin, so into manifold distractions of cares. In all experience he that sets too high a pitch to his desires lives upon the rack; neither can be loosed till he remit of his great thoughts, and resolve to clip his wings and train and take up with the present. Bishop H. There is no virtue in poverty. It is a dispensation of God's providence; it is not a grace of God's Spirit. Viewed simply in itself, it is neither moral nor immoral. Like pain, it is just an affliction, and, like other afflictions, it depends on the use that is made of it; it depends on the man's conduct under it whether it proves in the end a mere calamity or a blessing in disguise. Nor is it a sin to be rich. Like health and mental power, wealth is the gift of God; and, like bodily vigor or intellectual energy, wealth may be made a great blessing. It may not only extend the sphere of the owner's enjoyment, but wisely administered it may vastly swell the sum of human happiness. One man of great substance may do more than a hundred others to encourage industry, to employ labor, to draw forth talent, to advance the arts, to alleviate misery, to extend the Gospel —just as a man of great fortune, but great wickedness, may do more mischief than many bad men of scanty means. Viewed in itself, and supposing it to be fairly come by, wealth is neither a virtue nor a vice; it is simply a talent, a power, a faculty—like health and genius a good gift of God, but like health and genius capable of being so perverted as to prove its owner's curse. Hamilton. As there are some graces of a Christian which come not to trial till we are in want, so there are other graces which come not to trial till we have abundance. Want trieth our patience and our dependence upon God, and abundance trieth our temperance, our humility, our liberality; yea, and our dependence upon and faith in God for the sanctifying blessing and making comfortable to us, what we have. Caryl.—Poverty bravely wrestled with and nobly overcome may be the very making of you. Too much money has undone many a youth; too little has been the spur that has urged on many another to put forth all his strength, and so has developed and increased that strength. When you are getting comfortable and easy, therefore, suspect yourselves, and watch lest your activity disappear and self-sacrifice drop entirely out of your life. The mill-wheel stands still when there is too much water as well as when there is too little, and Agur's prayer is always safe. W. M. T. He is rich, not that possesses much, but that covets no more; and he is poor, not that enjoys little, but that wants too much. The contented mind wants nothing which it hath not; the covetous mind wants not only what it hath not, but likewise what it hath. Quarles. 9. Use profanely the name of my God.** Common swearing, if it have any meaning at all, argues in man a perpetual distrust of his own reputation, and is an acknowledgment that he thinks his bare word not to be worthy of credit. Tillotson.—Profanity is a vice which men have invented for themselves without prospect of pleasure or profit, and to which there is no imaginable temptation in nature. If it be an accomplishment, it is such an one as the meanest person may make himself master of; requiring neither rank nor fortune, neither genius nor learning. Anon.—The basest and meanest of mankind swear with as much tact and skill as the most refined; and he that wishes to degrade himself to the very lowest level of pollution and shame should learn to be a common swearer. Any man has talents enough to learn to curse God, and imprecate perdition on themselves and their fellow-men. Profane swearing never did any man any good. No man is the richer or wiser or happier for it. It helps no one's education or manners. It commends no one to any society. It is disgusting to the refined, abominable to the good, insulting to those with whom we associate, degrading to the mind, unprofitable, needless, and injurious to society; and wantonly to profane His name, to call His vengeance down, to curse Him, and to invoke His vengeance, is perhaps of all offences the most awful in the sight of God. Lowth. Profane swearing is a direct insult on Almighty God, a daring affront to His supreme majesty, an insolent defiance of His justice and power, and a wanton trifling with one's own salvation. It is a complication of many sins, such as impiety to God and contempt of His authority; the abuse of speech, that distinguishing faculty of man; unbelief in heart, a disregard to if not a real disbelief of the providence, Word, and judgment of God. In perjury there is always falsehood and injustice, and often higher crimes; there may be murder. In the lower kinds of profaneness there is levity, passion, indecency, rudeness, and brutality of manners. It tends to produce still greater hardness, to extinguish all reverence for God and sacred things, and thus to introduce all other sins. The profane swearer is heaping guilt on his soul. If for every idle word which men speak they must give an account, how heavy will be the account, and how awful the punishment of that man who daily multiplies his impious and profane words! God has declared that He will not hold such persons guiltless, that He will be a swift witness against them, that He will send His curse upon them here, and execute distinguished punishment upon them hereafter. J. Lathrop. 11-14. Next follows a specification of four classes of people, each one independent of the other; and what is remarkable in the case is, that nothing is predicated of them, as to what they are to do or will do (except in one case), or even as to any retribution which awaits them. They stand in no connection with the context; and they apparently represent prevailing vices, inasmuch as whole classes are specified. It seems to be taken for granted that each of these classes will be looked upon with high disapprobation. M. S.—There are four descriptions of men worthy of our avoidance and detestation: the first is of graceless children who curse their parents; the next of hypocrites and self-pleasers; the third of proud men, who are exalted in their own opinions; the fourth of cruel oppressors who kill and devour the poor. Bishop H. 12. Pure in their own eyes. In all works before grace there is no resignation of the soul to God in obedience; no self-denial of what stands in opposition to God in the heart; no clear view of the evil of sin; no sound humiliation under the corruption of nature; no inward purification of the heart, but only a diligence in an external polishing. All those acts cannot produce a habit of a different kind from them. If you could increase mere moral works to the highest pitch they are capable of, they can never make you gracious, because grace is another species, and the nature of them must be changed to make them of another kind. All the moral actions in the world will never make our hearts, of themselves, of another kind than moral. Works make not the heart good, but a good heart makes the works good. Charnock. Moral virtue only restrains the outward man, it does not change the whole man. A lion in a grate is a lion still; he is restrained, but not changed, for he retains his lion-like nature still. So morality restrains many men from this and that wickedness, but it does not change and turn their hearts from wickedness. Brooke.—Single virtues of a man's character are of little account, so long as the very foundation of his being is corrupt. It is a small thing for a man to show that he has never committed any memorable, flagrant sins. The opposition of the heart to God is of itself a thing meriting judgment-day condemnation. Nothing more than this is required to exclude a man from the glory of the eternal heavens. H. W. Beecher. The great mischief of the merely moral or conscience-system of life is that it excludes the most powerful principle of disinterested action, which is a grateful trust in a love flowing infinitely from God, through Christ and His cross. Instead of this, it takes the iron rule of law or command. Of course, on that ground its only standard and hope of acceptance or success is in the more or less merit which comes of more or less obedience to that law. But, at this point, the soul, looking at the law, is awestruck to find it a perfect law, coming from a perfect author, allowing for no sin, and nowhere offering the least encouragement to a half-obedience. At the same moment it discovers, with dismay, that, owing to inherent propensities and passions, this obedience never was nor is likely to be perfect. Where is it, then? Merit is out of the question. The utmost duty falls short, and the servant is unprofitable at best. One of two things follows: this man must either deny to God His perfection of purity and to the law its binding authority, so as to make room for his shortcomings; or else he must sink into utter despair because they do nothing but condemn him. This would seem to be the result of the conscience system alone, without the mediatorship and its doctrines of reconciliation in Christ. It leaves man either without reverence or without peace, or both. And it engenders a poor habit of continual self reference, self-measurement, and self-centralization, instead of taking the soul up above itself, giving it an object there to live for, in gratitude and love. F. D. H. There are different kinds of vice, but only one kind of sin—viz., the state of being without God, or out of allegiance to God. All evil and sin are of this same negative root, the want of any holy principle; the state set off from God, and disempowered and degraded by the separation. The respectable sin shades into the unrespectable, not as being different in kind, but only as twilight shades into the night. The evil spirit, called sin, may be trained up to politeness, and made to be genteel sin; it may be elegant, cultivated sin; it may be very exclusive and fashionable sin; it may be industrious, thrifty sin; it may be learned, scientific, eloquent, highly poetic sin; still it is sin, and, being that, has in fact the same radical or fundamental quality that, in its ranker and less restrained conditions, produce all the most hideous and revolting crimes of the world. There is a very great difference, I admit, between a generous man and a niggard, a man who lives in thought and a man who lives in appetite, a great and wise operator in the market and a thief; and yet, taken as apart from all accidental modifications or degrees, the sin-quality or principle is exactly the same in all. Nay, it is further true that respectable sin is more injurious, or a greater mischief, than the baser and more disgusting forms of vicious abandonment. The latter tempt no one. Contrary to this, they repel and warn away from vice every one that looks upon them. They hang out a flag of distress upon every shoal of temptation. They show us the last results of all sin, and the colors in which they exhibit sin are always disgusting, never attractive. We look down into the hell that vice opens, and with a shudder turn away! Meantime respectable sin—how attractive, how fascinating its pleasures! Its gay hours, its shows and equipages, its courteous society, its entertainments, its surroundings of courtly form and incident—how delicious to the inspection of fancy. Even its excesses seem to be only a name for spirit. But there is no such thing as taking away the evil of sin by making it respectable. Make it even virtuous, as men speak, and it will only be the worse in its power, as regards the enticements it offers to evil. It will not shock any one by deeds of robbery and murder, it will not revolt any one by its disgusting spectacles of shame and misery, but how many will it encourage and shield, in just that rejection of God, which is to be their bitter fall and their eternal overthrow. H. B. 15,16. The word rendered "horse-leech" occurs here only. Obviously he is a specimen of insatiability. Critics mostly agree that the word represents the vampire, a fiction of ancient mythology, supposed to frequent the desert and fasten upon its victims by night to suck their blood. Its two daughters may represent its organs for drawing blood. With this ideal conception the writer compares four other insatiable things, as in v. 16. He does not make any moral application of this group of things that are never satisfied, but seems to rest with grouping them together to illustrate each other. H. C.—We must suppose that the reader is left to apply these illustrations of an insatiable appetite to something within his own knowledge; for example, it was easy to apply them to the miser, the glutton, the drunkard, and the debauchee; although the writer has not himself expressly made such an application. M. S. Nature is easily satisfied; but when men create for themselves imaginary wants, they only provide an inexhaustible stock of solicitude and disappointment. The craving appetite will still be crying, Give, give; and in the fulness of their sufficiency they will be in want. R. W.—Beyond a certain amount few can enjoy. Hence a moderate share, raising one above poverty, is all that wisdom will crave. But men seek wealth for its own sake, and so go through life as beasts of burden, with hardly more freedom from care than the poor larborer who earns just enough to procure him simple fare, clothing, and house rent for himself and family. Bennett. 16. The grave. Hebrew, Sheol. The "hell" or Hades of 27: 20, all-consuming yet never full. The other instances explain themselves. Strangely different as they are, they have this one attribute in common. E. H. P. 17. That eye here represents the person who sees is plain. Yet the image of the eye is carried out in the closing part of the verse. This eye, the ravens will pick out, the young eagles will devour it—vivid images are these of severe punishment. M. S. There is a noteworthy fidelity here to the facts of natural history. The "ravens of the valley, or brook" still haunt the ravines of the torrent-streams of Syria. Their proneness to attack the eyes of living or dead animals is a matter of notoriety. E. H. P.—It is now very well ascertained that in point of fact ravens, which feed on carrion, do commence their repast by picking out the eyes of the animal whose carcass they have discovered. It is equally true that eagles and falcons, which take living prey, do, when the game is large and powerful, aim their stroke at the eyes, which instinct teaches them to be the readiest way of disabling their victim. This is a matter of familiar knowledge in Persia, where falconry is still maintained. Kitto. All God's commandments carry with them promises of rewards; and yet that which inculcates the giving of honor to one's father and mother is pre-eminently "the commandment with promise," since, in the arrangements of the Divine providence, the richest and the largest blessings most certainly attend its observance. Because true "obedience" is of the heart, and its exercise a spontaneous impulse, and is therefore not subject to merely prudential calculations, or special impulses, its action is uniform and continuous, and its results are assured. And, on the other hand, disobedience is menaced in advance with assurances of sorrows and destruction. The terrible fate denounced against the eye "that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother," is not a special and arbitrary curse, but the outcome of an ever-active principle in the Divine administration in human affairs. Curry. 21-23. Four it cannot bear. Here the common element is that of being intolerable, and the four examples are divided equally between the two sexes. Each has its examples of power and prosperity misused because they fall to the lot of those who have had no training for them, and are therefore in the wrong place. 23. Odious woman. One in whom there is nothing lovable. Marriage, which to most women is the state in which they find scope for their highest qualities, blessing and being blest, becomes to her only a sphere in which to make herself and others miserable. E. H. P. 24-28. The remarkable instincts of this group of small animals constitute their special peculiarity. Each in his way seems to be "exceeding wise." In these respects they suggest what man might do if he were to give himself earnestly to the study and the practice of the wisdom for which God has given him the capacity. H. C. 26. The shaphan (always translated by "coney") is mentioned in several other places (Lev. 11), and in the law is included among unclean animals on the ground, that although "he cheweth the cud, he divideth not the hoof." The particulars indicated in these texts agree most perfectly with an animal which has its especial home in the regions in which the Israelites abode, and which indeed derives from Syria the designation by which it is known among naturalists. This is known among the Arabs by the name of Wubar, externally something of the size, figure, and color of the rabbit. Kitto.—Now that the coney is ascertained to be the Damon or Hyrax, a shy, defenceless creature, which lurks among the cliffs of the mountains, and darts into its den at the least approach of danger, the words of Agur acquire their full significance. Hamilton. 27. The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands. Nothing in their habits is more striking than the pertinacity with which they all pursue the same line of march, like a disciplined army. As they have no king, they must be influenced by some common instinct. Thomson. The ants know the time of their opportunity, and make the best of it. "The conies are a feeble folk." The tenant is weak; the habitation is strong. Here is a puny, a very feeble folk, going up toward the great rock house. There is something very pathetic, very beautiful in that—in weakness seeking the granite, in feebleness hiding itself in some pavilion of rock. There is a Rock provided for all weakness. "The locusts have no king, yet they come forth all of them by bands"—a very beautiful and practical republic. They have no king, but every one of them has a little bit of kingliness in himself. Here I find co-operation. That is how it must be in business, in families, in churches, in governments, in all great confederacies of life. "The spider taketh hold with her hands," etc. Does this mean skill? This skill will have its reward. Does it mean patience in working out elaborate and beautiful results? Then here is progress, getting into kings' houses, into high places, into palatial position. J. P. 32,33. The decided self-control indicated by laying the hand upon the mouth is strongly recommended and enforced by the well-known law which is so finely put here in triple illustration: The violent agitation of milk brings butter; the wringing of the nose, blood; and a similar rough treatment of man's sensibilities to anger fires up mad strife. This running comment assumes a logical connection between the four things noted for stately going (vs. 28- 31); the putting on of proud and haughty airs; the admonition against it appended (v. 32), and this final enforcement of the admonition in v. 33. H. C. 1. THE words of king Lemuel; the oracle which his mother taught him. 2. What, my son? and what, O son of my womb? And what, O son of my vows? 3. Give not thy strength unto women, Nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings. 4. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; Nor for princes to say, Where is strong drink? 5. Lest they drink, and forget the law, And pervert the judgment of any that is afflicted. 6. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, And wine unto the bitter in soul: 7. Let him drink, and forget his poverty, And remember his misery no more. 8. Open thy mouth for the dumb, In the cause of all such as are left desolate. 9. Open thy mouth, judge righteously, And minister judgment to the poor and needy. 10. A virtuous woman who can find? For her price is far above rubies. 11. The heart of her husband trusteth in her, And he shall have no lack of gain. 12. She doeth him good and not evil All the days of her life. 13. She seeketh wool and flax, And worketh willingly with her hands. 14. She is like the merchant-ships; She bringeth her food from afar. 15. She riseth also while it is yet night, And giveth meat to her household, And their task to her maidens. THIS chapter, as well as the preceding, is unique and unlike the first twenty-nine of this book. It comes not from Solomon, but from a certain king Lemuel and his mother, of whom nothing further is certainly known. It is in two parts, vs. 1-9 being a wise mother's coun- 16. She considereth a field, and buyeth it: With the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. 17. She girdeth her loins with strength, And maketh strong her arms. 18. She perceiveth that her merchandise is profitable: Her lamp goeth not out by night. 19. She layeth her hands to the distaff, And her hands hold the spindle. 20. She spreadeth out her hand to the poor; Yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. 21. She is not afraid of the snow for her household; For all her household are clothed with scarlet. 22. She maketh for herself carpets of tapestry; Her clothing is fine linen and purple. 23. Her husband is known in the gates, When he sitteth among the elders of the land. 24. She maketh linen garments and selleth them; And delivereth girdles unto the merchant. 25. Strength and dignity are her clothing; And she laugheth at the time to come. 26. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; And the law of kindness is on her tongue. 27. She looketh well to the ways of her household, And eateth not the bread of idleness. 28. Her children rise up, and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praiseth her, saying: 29. Many daughters have done worthily, But thou excellest them all. 30. Grace is deceitful, and beauty is vain: But a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. 31. Give her of the fruit of her hands; And let her works praise her in the gates. sels to her son with reference to his responsibilities and duties as king; while vs. 10-31 recite the qualities and praises of a virtuous woman. The same mother's hand may be supposed to have originated both parts of this interesting chapter. This latter portion of twenty-two verses is an acrostic on the Hebrew alphabet, each successive verse commencing with the successive letters of this alphabet—a method due, we may suppose, jointly to the current literary taste and to its actual value as an aid to the memory. H. C. 1-9. These nine verses contain the instructions of Lemuel's mother: Caution against incontinence and drunkenness; and admonitions in respect to doing justice and vindicating the oppressed. These precepts are brief but very expressive. The cautions are directed against those vices into which kings are most apt to fall. Wine, women and oppression, in order to collect much money from the people, are things about which kings usually need very impressive instruction. The excellent mother has here given salutary advice, with great kindness and much earnestness. M. S.—How admirably does she assume that her son is raised to the throne, not to reach higher facilities for self-indulgence, but to bear worthily a higher class of responsibilities; to rule under God for the protection and vindication of human rights, especially the rights of the weak and afflicted! 2. These questions and repetitions must be understood as the natural expression of strong maternal affection. What shall I say to thee, O my beloved son? How can I express all the interest I feel in thy future course of life, in the virtue and the wisdom with which thou shalt meet the responsibilities and withstand the temptations incident to a youthful prince ascending his throne. “The son of my vows” finds a pertinent illustration in the mother of Samuel (1 Sam. 1: 11). H. C. 4. “Not for kings, O Lemuel, not for kings, to drink wine; lest they drink and forget the law, and change the judgment of the poor.” Here is certainly “total abstinence,” at least for kings. The precept shows its urgency in its repetitions: “Not for kings, not for kings,” not at all for them. And why? Can any one suppose that the spirit of this impassioned precept is confined to a few monarchs in Palestine and its surroundings? Is there nothing here for our Congressmen, Senators, Judges, Governors, and Presidents? The ethical meaning is plain: Not for kings, not for rulers of any kind, not for men in authority. Carry it out, and it fairly includes all men in stations, or in positions of responsibility—all whose acts and duties may be connected with the welfare of their fellow-men. Not for such, not for such, to drink wine. And why? Lest they forget law—forget duty. The precept must be as universal as the reason. The passage has a direct precept, and subjoined to it are incidental illustrations intended for its enforcement. Not for kings, not for rulers—no! not for them. If it must be used at all, give it to the “perishing,” the “bitter in soul.” The nature of the exceptions prove the totality and strength of the rule as applied to all responsible persons in health. Not for such, but for those in mortal anguish, the dying, the perishing—for persons in the extremity of pain. Give it as physicians give brandy or any other temporary stimulant, in extremis, to stay the dying strength till some other support can be applied; or as, before the discovery of chloroform, the surgeon might use alcohol, judiciously or injudiciously, to give a brief strength, or a short season of partial forgetfulness, or to allay in some measure the deadly fear. T. Lewis. 8,9. In contrast with the two besetting sins of Eastern monarchs stands what was looked on as and actually was their one great duty, to give help to those who had no other helper, to redress the wrongs of those who were too crushed to complain of them, to interpose between the oppressor and his victims. E. H. P.—Let the king deem it his first glory that God has given him a mouth to plead effectually for those who are dumb as to pleading for themselves; literally [in Hebrew], all the sons of bereavement—i.e., the orphans who have no father and no mother to plead in their behalf. So in the next verse, “the poor and the needy” comprise all those classes who are defenceless against oppression, and for whom therefore the great Father provides the protection of civil law and the power of righteous rulers. H. C. 10-31. This description of a true, good woman, is an alphabetical poem, consisting of twenty-two verses, each verse commencing with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and proceeding in a consecutive order throughout. The picture here presented indicates that the position of woman in the Hebrew community during the period referred to was one of special honor, trust, and efficiency. This detail of her daily life shows not only the elevating tendency of the Mosaic social system, but it is replete with interesting instruction concerning domestic customs and household economy. The family referred to here is large, wealthy, and eminent; and this wife, mother, and mistress, by her wise, energetic industry and activity, mainly ensures its prosperity and happiness. It presents a beautiful picture of the true elements of womanly excellence; what the true woman is in her home, to her husband, and children, and household, and to the poor; her high, pure aim, her industry, her helpful counsel and sympathy, her care for the outward needs and the heart training of all dependent upon her. And its inspired record, as well as its peculiar alphabetical structure, shows that it was designed for special study by all whom it concerned, from ancient to modern times. B. An admirable portrait of a model woman. Of course the picture is laid amid the scenes of Oriental life, and adapts itself to the usages of those times. Yet everywhere we have the qualities of industry, diligence, devotion to the duties of her sphere, love and esteem for her husband, care of her family, and, to crown the whole, the spirit of kindness toward all and of true piety toward God. "Virtuous" is here in a somewhat broader sense than simply moral purity, connubial chastity. It is rather the old Roman sense of virtus—energy, capability—describing the woman who fills every sphere of her duty capably and nobly. H. C.—No literature of any age offers a finer ideal of the wife and mother than this Hebrew poem written not less than 2500 years ago, when the history of Greece was still the era of fable, and Rome was little more than a rude fort on the top of the Palatine Hill. For hundreds of years before Mary's day it had been on the lips of every Jewish maiden, for the words of the sacred books were familiar to the whole Jewish race, as no part of any other literature, so far as we know, has ever been to any people. The picture of loving fidelity, ceaseless industry, prudence, management, charity, thrift, wisdom, self-respect; of noble reverence, rising from the husband on earth to God above, and of motherly virtues toward her children, must have kindled high aspirations in many a Jewish wife. Geikie. 10-12. What the virtuous woman is to her husband. To him her worth is beyond any known standard of valuable things, because his heart can perfectly trust in her truth and helpfulness; because his interests are supreme in her thoughts and efforts. No evil or harm that she can prevent or repel will disturb his peace. He needs no spoil of warfare, because she co-operates with him in his appropriate ways of toil. B. 12. She makes it her constant business to do him good, and is afraid of doing anything, even through inadvertency, that may turn to his prejudice. She does him good, not only all the days of his life, but of her own too; if she survive him, still she is doing him good in her care of his children, his estate, and good name, and all the concerns he left behind him. We read of kindness showed not only to the living, but to the dead (Ruth 2:20). H. 13-20. The methods and results of her willing industry. Willingly, gladly she labors in seeking and preparing materials for the clothing of the household and the furnishing of the house. Such was the custom among all the more cultured ancient nations. Useful occupation, in administering the affairs of the home, in personal toil and supervision of the wardrobe of the family, was the fitting sphere of woman in high or lowly station. 14. Nor was her active industry limited to the supply of the household needs. The products of domestic toil were so abundant that large profits were received from their sale or exchange for other valuable commodities. Hence she is likened to the merchants' ships that bring back the products of far lands in return for home exports. 15. Early rising is referred to as one of the means by which so much is accomplished by her energetic household. Before the dawn she attends to the morning meal, and allots the toil of the day to each of her maidens. 16. Her supervision reaches also to the field and vineyard, from which, too, she derives profit, after she has purchased and planted them with the proceeds of her domestic manufacture. 17. The loose flowing garments of the East require to be gathered close about the body and fastened with the girdle before undertaking any active employment. "The use of the girdle is universal, under the impression that it greatly contributes to the strength of the loins." 18. So wisely planning and assiduously toiling within, in the house, and without, in the field, she is careful to produce that which will meet with ready sale and give satisfaction. And for protection by night, as well as for the completion of necessary tasks, the lamp burns brightly during the hours of darkness. It is added (v. 19) that she counts it no disparagement to her self-respect or her high position to lead her maidens in their toil. 20. Yet, with all the objects of absorbing interest, and amid all her planning, supervision, and toil, she finds time and heart to help the poor and needy on every side. These she seeks out and abundantly supplies. 21-24. Her special care of her own family. She anticipates the season of cold by providing fitting garments. For their couches and beds she weaves coverings of tapestry, and for them robes of silk and purple. And so, in part by his cleanly and elegant costume, the husband of such a wife is distinguished as he sits with the leading men gathered in the gates to talk over the affairs of the day. V. 24 seems to intimate that her merchandise is, after all, a secondary matter. Only the surplus of products, after her family and her poor are abundantly supplied, is disposed of to the merchants. 25-27. An admirable summary of her beautiful character. A high, pure aim pursued with vigor and steadfastness marks her inward spirit and life. And this "strength and honor" in which her soul is clad is the ground of her tranquil content concerning the future. "If honor be your clothing," aptly says Arnot, "the suit will last a lifetime; but if clothing be your honor, it will soon be worn threadbare." From the high, pure aim, and the contented, trustful spirit naturally come words of helpful wisdom and kindness. All her discourse is characterized by prudence and patience, by excellent counsel and active sympathy. Always thoughtful, gentle, and mindful of responsibility, never censorious, harsh, or irritable, her presence and her words minister guidance and strength, comfort and peace of mind. And it is further expressly stated that she gives careful heed to the moral training of her household, taking care that all its members are taught the principles and led in the practices of virtue or godliness. With a profound significance it is added that she attends habitually to this moral and religious supervision of her household without intermitting her active toil in supplying their personal and family needs. 28,29. The just estimate of such a mother and wife by her children and husband. Those whom she has borne, nurtured, wisely restrained, and taught in the fear and love of God acknowledge her care with loving appreciation and return while she lives, and gratefully honor and bless her memory by seeking to reproduce her beautiful character and life. And her husband, to whom she has been a light and stay by her loyal love and helpful counsel, who has been indebted to her industry and careful management in great part for his own high position in the community, expresses his estimate in the simple but comprehensive eulogy: Many women have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. 30,31. The true elements of womanly excellence, that alone are worthy of praise. Note the contrast here. It is between personal "grace" and "beauty" on the one hand, and piety or the "fear of God" on the other. The former, loveliness of person, with all that it has of attraction, may cover a false heart; it is evanescent and unsatisfying, while true piety is an inward and higher beauty; its works are enduring and its fruits satisfying. Therefore let her piety be extolled in its works as wrought through Divine grace, and let her rejoice in its fruits as the rewarding gifts of the same Infinite grace! B. 30. Talk as we may of beauty as a thing to be chiselled from marble or wrought out on canvas; speculate as we may upon its colors and outlines, what is it but an intellectual abstraction after all? The heart feels a beauty of another kind; looking through the outward environment, it discovers a deeper and more real loveliness. "I have seen," said Charles Lamb, "faces upon which the dove of peace sat brooding." In that simple and beautiful record of a holy life, the "Journal of John Woolman," there is a passage of which I have been more than once reminded in my intercourse with my fellow-beings: "Some glances of real beauty may be seen in their faces who dwell in true meekness. There is a Divine harmony in the sound of that voice to which Divine love gives utterance." Quite the ugliest face I ever saw was that of a woman whom the world calls beautiful. Through its "silver veil" the evil and ungentle passions looked out hideous and hateful. On the other hand, there are faces which the multitude at the first glance pronounce homely, unattractive, and such as "Nature fashions by the gross," which I always recognize with a warm heart thrill; not for the world would I have one feature changed; they please me as they are; they are hallowed by kind memories; they are beautiful through their associations. J. G. Whittier.—Some faces, plainest by the rules of classic symmetry, are noble with moral dignity and radiant with spiritual light. The faces we love to look at, over and over again, must be the really beautiful faces. Said Chrysostom, speaking of Bishop Flavian, "The countenance of holy men is full of spiritual power." This kind of beauty, the only real kind, is producible. The soul, such as it is, will shine through. But the completeness of that transformed expression will be seen only where the long patience of self-control, and the holiest sincerity of love, and the slow triumph of unselfish principle, have wrought their interior work, moulding the inner man into a nobleness that the outward shape may honestly image. F. D. H. That feareth the Lord. The last lesson of the book is the same as the first. The fear of the Lord is the condition of all womanly, as well as manly excellence. E. H. P.—That which completes and crowns her character is that she fears the Lord, is guided and governed by conscience and a regard to God; this is that which is here preferred far before beauty, that is vain and deceitful. The fear of God reigning in the heart is the beauty of the soul; it recommends those that have it to the favor of God, and is in His sight of great price; it will last forever, and bid defiance to death itself, which consumes the beauty of the body, but consummates the beauty of the soul. H. 31. Let all her works praise her in the great assembly of the people. The moral bearing of such an example, so beautifully commended, must have been eminently wholesome in those ancient times. It is scarcely less so in our age, although the modes of domestic life and labor have so greatly changed. The same qualities of massive goodness; the same capabilities for filling perfectly her domestic sphere; the same words of wisdom in her mouth and the same law of kindness on her tongue are never out of order—must be in every age the cardinal elements of woman's power and of woman's worth. The verdict of the good through all ages goes unanimously to the praise of such mothers of mankind. H. C. Woman's mission is to be the light and joy of the household, to nourish and train the immortal children within its precincts, to be the priestess in the sanctuary of home, to be the comfort and support of man in seasons of sorrow and of suffering, to move in the realm of ignorance and want, to shine, to cheer, and to bless in all the varied ministrations of sympathy and love, from the cradle to the grave. What purer, nobler, holier realm can she desire? "The true nobility of woman is to keep her own sphere, and to adorn it." E. C. Wines. The Christian wife and mother is a Christian in the spirit by which she orders her household and nurtures her offspring. Too many mothers make their first request for their sons that of the mother of Zebedee's children—that they may sit on thrones of wealth and power. What wonder if those sons are worldlings, are hypocrites, are criminals? Too many train up their daughters with no loftier aim than to be beautiful brides, or to value a husband by his income, or not to be over-nice in their judgment of men because they are not expected to be virtuous, like women. Infamous effrontery toward God! And thus are reared, generation by generation, those successive ranks of artificial and perverted things called "women of the world." Not such is the mother that has sat, with the sisters of Bethany, at the feet of Jesus; that has entered into devout communion with the Redeemer in His Church; that has made her quiet dwelling fragrant with the odors of the prayers of saints. She stands in her household, the priestess of an immortal faith, the reconciler of human love with the Divine; she moves among sons and daughters, folding the hands of infancy in prayer, joining the hands of all in fellowship, opening them in charity, and pointing with her own to heaven. Christianity exhibits no more perfect achievement than in the completed character of a spiritual womanhood; for, passing on one stage later yet, we find the united result of a life's discipline and a heavenly faith in the Christian woman's old age. Providence has not withheld that confirmation of the power and beauty of religion from our eyes. We feel new confidence in truth, new love for goodness, new zeal for duty, new trust in God, new gratitude to Christ, when we look on her ripened holiness; and, as her strength faints before the power of decay, behold the crown of immortality descending almost visibly upon her head! The recollection of her former activities blends with the hallowed hope of her renewed energies in the immaterial body, with which she shall be clothed upon from heaven. And she shall rejoice, with what exceeding joy, when heart and tongue fail, at the right hand of God! F. D. H. No one of the canonical books of the Bible has been interpreted more variously than this. No one has seemed to tax the skill of the best critics more severely. Yet all critics agree that the book is truly a part of the Jewish sacred Scriptures, received into their canon by the same authority as other books and indorsed by Christ and His apostles with their Divine sanction. There can therefore be not the least doubt that the book, legitimately interpreted, is "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and instruction in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16). H. C. The Book of Ecclesiastes has, in common with the other Old Testament books, a claim to the place which it holds as one of the inspired writings. The author does not, indeed, assert himself to be inspired; but neither do many other writers in the Old Testament assert this of themselves. There the book is, in the midst of the Hebrew Scriptures; and there it has been, at least ever since the period when the Hebrew canon was closed. There at all events it was, when our Saviour and the apostles declared the Jewish Scriptures to be of Divine origin. Enough for us that the Jews of our Saviour's time held fast to this book, and that this usage was sanctioned by Christ and His apostles. M. S. The Book of Ecclesiastes records the experiments, observations, and reflections of the wise king of Israel in relation to that which constitutes the true happiness and real welfare of man. Like the books of Proverbs and of Job, it deals with the questions of human life from the standpoint of "wisdom," showing that not merely as a matter of duty and obligation, but from a regard to his own highest interest, man should obey the law of God. These three books form a complete cycle in the treatment of this common theme. Proverbs exhibits the harmony between man's duty and his true interest, as a general fact, in the common experience of men. In brief, sententious maxims, embodying the results of observation and commanding universal assent, it sets forth the fact that right-doing has its reward and evil-doing its penalty. This is the ordinary rule in the actual working of human affairs. Like all other general rules, however, this has at least its apparent exceptions, and these are of too serious a nature, and enter too prominently into human experience, to be overlooked or to be dismissed without careful consideration. There is the case of piety without outward prosperity, and there is the case of outward prosperity without piety. The two remaining books of the series deal with these seeming exceptions, with the view of establishing the absolute universality of the rule. The Book of Job discusses the case of a man of eminent piety, who, from no fault of his own, but at the suggestion of the Evil One, was plunged into unexampled distress; and it is shown that, notwithstanding all the darkness and mystery which clouded the dispensations, God's design in it all was a gracious one, and the final issue was the elevation of Job's piety and the increase of his prosperity. Ecclesiastes is occupied with the opposite case, of a king without equal in wisdom and prosperity, who gave himself of set purpose to extract satisfaction from purely worldly sources; but who, after the baffling experiments of a lifetime, reached the conclusion that to fear God and keep His commandments was the whole concern of man, and the only spring of his true happiness and welfare. W. H. G. It is that which it professes to be—the confession of a man of wide experience looking back upon his past life and looking out upon the disorders and calamities which surround him. The writer is a man who has sinned in giving way to selfishness and sensuality, who has paid the penalty of that sin in satiety and weariness of life, but who has through all this been under the discipline of a Divine education, and has learned from it the lesson which God meant to teach him. It is tolerably clear that the recurring burden of "Vanity of vanities" and the teaching which recommends a life of calm enjoyment, mark, whenever they occur, a kind of halting-place in the succession of thoughts. The writer concludes by pointing out that the secret of a true life is that a man should consecrate the vigor of his youth to God. P. S. There blows throughout this book a piercing chill against every earthly aim and every vain endeavor—a contempt of everything which, in the usual proceedings of men, is one-sided and perverse; an indefatigable penetration in the discovery of all human vanities and fooleries. In no earlier writing has all cause of pride and vain imagination so decidedly and comprehensively been taken from man; and no book is pervaded by such an outcry of noble indignation against all that is vain in the world. Ewald. —I do not know any book in the Old Testament which describes more fully, more convincingly, or more concisely the whole sum of human life, with all its changes and vanities, its occupations and plans, its speculations and pleasures, and at the same time that which alone is real, lasting, progressive, and rewarding. Herder. It teaches the thinking mind how it must handle the problem of its existence. Coheleth represents the attitude of a soul pondering the emptiness of all human effort, unable to solve the perplexities of its own experience, yet gravitating with all the energy of right moral feeling toward the only solid result attainable by man. All is vanity except religion—this is the "conclusion of the whole matter." The Preacher casts penetrating glances over the phenomena of life, and gives free expression to the dark surmises which unfettered thought often suggests. But these doubts have their antidote—they are corrected; not, indeed, by direct refutation (have they ever been thus corrected?), but by holding up the great practical truth on which the soul can always rest. Like the Book of Job, Ecclesiastes exhibits the struggles of a mind perplexed by certain aspects of human life; in the story and result of these struggles lies the lesson it would teach. Travelling the pathway of speculation, the Preacher shows the doubter where lies the true goal. In a serious but sceptical generation it becomes no light thing that inspiration has respected the profound questions of the soul, and dared to seek amid the boldest doubts a solid basis for human action. This fact of itself is a gospel to every perplexed and wavering mind. What earnest thinker, groping after the goal of faith, may not be cheered by the experience of Coheleth? American Theological Review, 1859. The author was evidently a man of profound faith in God, of large and varied personal experience, of acute observation of men and things, and of deep sensibility. Probably he was first moved to write by a mind painfully full of the disappointing nature of all things viewed apart from God. Next to this we shall not err in ascribing to him a deep sympathy with fellow-men touched by the same natural feelings as himself, and suffering like him, though each in their several ways. And thirdly, there is on his part an evident desire to lead other men, and specially young men, out of the temptations which he had felt, and out of the perplexities which once entangled and staggered him. Whether his heart was chilled by old age or by the cold shadow of some former eclipse of faith can only be conjectured; but there is in Ecclesiastes an absence of that fervor of zeal for the glory of God which glows in other books, and which we are justified in regarding as a feature of Solomon's character in his early days. His immediate object would seem then to be to relieve his mind by pouring out the results of his own life, to comfort those who bore the same burden of humanity, and to lift up those who were naturally feeble or depressed by circumstances and to lead them in the way of God's commandments. W. T. B. In respect to God there is no part of the Old Testament which inculcates more thoroughly the fear of Him, reverence for Him, His supremacy, and His sovereign right to order all things and direct all concerns. In what part of the Old Testament is there more spirituality as to worshipping him inculcated, or the fear of offending more emphatically enjoined? See 4:17-5:6, and many other passages—as 7:13, 14; 8:12, 13, 17, etc. There is, indeed, in the Psalms more of adoration and praise, and thanksgiving, and confession, and supplication; and all this for the obvious reason that the Psalms are composed for this very purpose, and of course are made up of such matter. But even in the Psalms, numerous as they are, there are not so many passages concerning future retribution as in this book; nor is the character of God set forth, and His claims vindicated with a stronger hand. M. S. The Book of Ecclesiastes is called in Hebrew "Coheleth," a word which signifies one who speaks in public, and which indeed is properly translated by the Greek word Ecclesiastes, or the Preacher. It is unquestionably the production of Solomon, who, for the great excellency of his instructions, is emphatically styled "the Preacher;" for the writer of it styles himself "the son of David, king of Jerusalem" (1:1); he describes, too, his wisdom, his riches, his writings, and his works, in a manner which is applicable only to Solomon; and by all tradition, Jewish and Christian, the book is attributed to him. Gray. Although the name of Solomon is not prefixed to this book, as it is to the Proverbs and the Song of Songs, yet the description of the author (1:1, 12) applies so definitely to him and to no other, that it answers the same purpose as if he were named. Accordingly this book is placed, in the most ancient Jewish and Christian lists, between the other two books attributed to him, and the constant tradition of the Jewish and Christian churches has handed down Solomon without question as the author. W. T. B. Renan declares his belief that Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs "are productions of the period of Solomon." Dean Milman writes that he is "well aware that the general voice of German criticism assigns a later date" (than that of Solomon) "to Ecclesiastes. But," he adds, "I am not convinced by any arguments from internal evidence which I have read." E. H. P. I accept the testimony of the book as to its author, and hold that it was written by Solomon. His name is not given, but he is described so fully and precisely as to preclude all doubt. The author was a "son of David and king in Jerusalem" (v. 1); was "king over Israel in Jerusalem" (1:12). Solomon is the only man in whom these conditions meet. The eminent critics who deny that Solomon was the author admit that the voice of the early Jewish and Christian fathers down to the sixteenth century is unanimous for Solomon. This testimony of the Jewish writers, running back nearly or quite to the age of the compilers of the canon, should have great weight. The opening statement of the book is one of the usual forms in which the Hebrew writers introduce themselves to their readers and claim authorship. "The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem." So we have "The words of Jeremiah" (Jer. 1:1); "The words of Amos" (Amos 1:1). Hence there can be no doubt that the writer intended to represent himself to be Solomon. The reference to his pre-eminent wisdom and to his "setting in order many proverbs" (12:9) bears toward the same result. Throughout the entire range of Jewish history Solomon stands forth pre-eminent for wisdom and the only Jewish author known to the world as "setting in order many proverbs." Moreover, the account which the author gives of the salient points of his life (2:4-10) identifies him as really being Solomon. All these points concur to show that the writer claimed to be Solomon, and therefore prove either that he was Solomon and said these things in honest truth of himself, or was an impostor. The fact that Solomon styles himself "the Preacher" (Hebrew, "Coheleth") bears not at all against his being the author. The best criticism sustains this sense of the Hebrew word, given even by the translator of the Septuagint, who translates "Ecclesiastes"—one who addresses a public assembly—a preacher. By the use of this term he meant to indicate that in this book he appears, not in his usual and well-known character of a king on his throne; not as a monarch on the tribunal of justice, but simply a preacher of moral truth. He comes forth with a moral purpose, to exhort his fellow-men to desist from seeking their supreme good in sensual enjoyment. He comes to reason with them of "righteousness, temperance, and a judgment to come." He lays off for the time his robes of royalty, and is simply a preacher. The term therefore is eminently appropriate for Solomon's use to designate his purpose and character in this book. H. C. # Professor M. Stuart's Arguments and Admissions. He says that "the preterite tense in chap. 1:12 (I was king) refers, of course, to a past tense, and conveys the idea that when the passage was written he was no longer king." But he admits (3:5; 6:10; 7:10) that the same verb in the preter means "what was and still is." Y.—Besides, if there was some force instead of none at all in this criticism of his, what should forbid the sense—I was king when I made the experiments in pleasure-seeking to which I now call your attention? Just now I am rather the Preacher than the king. Again, he says, "How strange that Solomon should tell his readers that he was king in Jerusalem!" a fact that everybody would know. But this objection disappears when you admit the fact that Solomon wrote, or at least may have written, not for his Hebrew subjects only or even chiefly, but for people in outlying countries and onward in coming ages—a fact of which the book affords very strong if not conclusive proof. When Solomon says (1:16), “I acquired more wisdom than all who were in Jerusalem before me,” Professor Stuart assumes that he must compare himself with kings only, of whom there was but one—David. But what forbids that he should compare himself with all men? And how much is the matter helped on his own hypothesis, which is that some unknown writer in the age of Ezra or Malachi put these words in the mouth of Solomon? H. C.—In chap. 5:1 he says there is something incongruous with the “condition and circumstances of him who had built the temple or made magnificent preparations for offerings.” But on page 18 he says, “The manner in which he (Coheleth) speaks of frequenting religious worship (referring to the same text) shows that he speaks of it in a way which would be familiar to those who frequented the temple-service.” This contradiction puts the argument at rest. Y.—To this objection it is further pertinent to reply that precisely such a development of splendor and attractiveness in the externals of the temple-worship would draw together thousands of heartless men, who would need the very caution which Solomon here gives them. H. C. Professor Stuart further argues that there are later Hebrew words which show that the book was written after the age of Solomon. But afterward he makes the following admissions: "If one will now call to mind how often abstracts are required in a treatise of philosophy like the present, he will think it nothing strange, and no special proof of later Hebrew, that such nouns are frequent in Coheleth." He then adduces eight such abstracts as the only ones that are not found elsewhere, and adds: "The easy and obvious formation of these for the writer's purpose renders it difficult for us to establish anything from them in regard to the age of such forms. The use of them depended obviously and merely on the need of them; for the form is altogether normal and analogous." Again he says: "We have, after having examined Knobel's list of the later Hebrew words, only a few remaining. Taking the amount of what is left, we find only some ten or eleven cases which may fairly be brought within the confines of later Hebrew. And some doubt must even hang over these." With these admissions it seems strange that his arguments should satisfy any mind that Solomon did not compose the Book of Ecclesiastes, or that they should even raise a doubt in the mind of those who read the first verse: "The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem." Y. In regard to this question of authorship, it has seemed to me both legitimate and right that my mind should be influenced very considerably in the outset by these considerations—viz., that the book is found in the sacred canon; that it must therefore have been accepted by the original compilers of the canon as in some vital sense inspired; and that they must have known whether the author was in fact Solomon or some nameless writer who set up a claim to be Solomon, but who really lived in their own age and under their own eye. Now I find the utmost difficulty in bringing my mind to believe that Ezra and his associates, or, as some suppose, his successors, placed this book in the sacred Hebrew canon, knowing that it was not written by Solomon in any sense or in any part, but was really written in their own times by some man who tried to personate Solomon. Of all men, he who is inspired of God should be expected to deal honestly and to speak truthfully. It outrages our convictions of God's eternal veracity and honesty to suppose that He directly inspired some servant of His in the age of Ezra or of Malachi to personate Solomon and claim to be, or to have been, a "son of David" and "king over Israel in Jerusalem." Nor does it relieve the difficulty to suppose that this nameless writer himself first conceived this notion of passing himself off for Solomon and built his book upon it, and that then the Lord accepted the book as "profitable for doctrine, reproof," etc., and consequently directed His inspired servants to give it a place in the sacred canon. H. C.—Indeed, this book transcends the power of personation and fictitious conjecture. Its whole tone harmonizes too perfectly with what must have been Solomon's experience and reflection toward the end of his reign, to be the production of any one but himself. D. F. The Style or Dialect of Ecclesiastes is quite peculiar. There is no extant Hebrew which very closely resembles it. The writers after the exile present more of its peculiarities than any other books extant; yet even their dialect is quite unlike this. The resemblances, such as they are, have been the staple argument with many learned critics in their attempt to prove that Solomon could not have written this book, and that some unknown author, living between Ezra and the Maccabees, i.e., from fifty to three hundred years after the restoration from Babylon, must have produced it. I have no controversy with the critics here referred to in regard to the fact of a diversity of style between this book and the Book of Proverbs, for example, or the Psalms of David. But I account for this diversity upon an entirely different hypothesis. They say it belongs to a later age. I maintain that it belongs not to a later age, but to another people. The latter years of Solomon's life brought him into the closest relationship with foreigners, people of outlying lands—Tyre, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Arabia. They constituted his family, his court, and hence his most intimate associates at home; they were in closest correspondence with him abroad. Add to this his knowledge of adjacent dialects gained by foreign travel; for Solomon "went" to Hamath-zobah; "went" to Ezion-geber; and probably located and built Tadmor after personal inspection. (See 2 Chr. 8:3, 4, 17.) It follows inevitably that he would become familiar with their dialect. It does not follow that he lost his vernacular dialect, but only that he became familiar with the dialect of the "outlandish women" (Neh. 13:26), who drew him into sin, and of the outlandish princes and men of trade with whom he was in constant and somewhat intimate association. This being admitted, we may advance another step. Having become familiar with this dialect, and having occasion to write specially for this class of people, Solomon used it. No reason can be given why he should not; there is every reason why he should. But it will be asked, What is the proof that this dialect of the outlying countries in Solomon's time corresponds with that of Ecclesiastes? First, it is held by all learned critics, and is indeed undeniable, that the Hebrew, or some dialect of it, was the language of all those countries of Southwestern Asia, including the original Canaanites, Philistines, Phoenicians (i.e., the people of Tyre and Sidon), Syria, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Arabia, and even Chaldea. Second, while the spoken dialect changed scarcely at all with the lapse of time among the same people, there were yet provincialisms in different localities, and some variety in the dialects spoken by different tribes and nations. Of these provincialisms we have traces in Jud. 12:3; Neh. 13:23, 24. Again, as between the "Syrian" and the common Hebrew of Palestine, a difference of dialect appears in Isa. 36:11. The language called "Syrian" was that of Assyria, yet not very widely diverse from that of the Jews. The Chaldee proper, the language of Babylon at the time of the exile, was yet further removed from the Hebrew of Palestine, but was of the same family or group of languages. The countries lying nearer to Canaan, e.g., Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Syria, had dialects that were much less remote from the Hebrew of Israel than the Chaldean was. Third, fortunately we are able to adduce evidence little short of demonstration to the point now in question. It happens that some remains of the ancient Phoenician language (that of Tyre and Sidon) have come down to our times. By ancient here I mean as old as the age of Solomon. Gesenius, in a work entitled “Monuments of the Phoenician Language,” says (as quoted by Stuart), “The Phoenician remains are more kindred to the later than to the earlier Hebrew, e.g., the relative ‘ashr’ is abbreviated and only the middle consonant is fully written—an important circumstance for the history of the Hebrew language.” This peculiar use of the relative is one of the most palpable features in the special dialect of Ecclesiastes. Yet Gesenius affirms that precisely this usage of it is universal in the dialect of Tyre in the age of Solomon. And in general the dialect of Tyre in that age is more kindred to the Hebrew of Ezra and Malachi than to the Hebrew of David. In other words, by going over the geographical boundaries of Israel in the age of Solomon, you find very nearly the same dialect which you reach by coming down five hundred years in Judah to the age of Ezra and Malachi. So that there is not the least necessity, nor even occasion to come down to the time of Malachi to find a man who could or who naturally would write in the dialect of the Book of Ecclesiastes. You have him provided in Solomon himself, made familiar with the then current dialect of Phoenicia. Again, Ecclesiastes differs yet more widely from the real Chaldean tongue. Here grammatical forms as well as new words present strong points of diversity. Hence it is worse than vain to search for an author for Ecclesiastes in some geographical location nearer to Chaldea, or in the age of greater Chaldean influence over the spoken Hebrew of Palestine. In fine, this argument might probably be made conclusive if we had before us sufficient specimens of the Hebrew dialect then in use in Tyre, Edom, Moab, and Arabia. It is very much to our purpose that all those remains which are still extant give their whole strength to sustain the theory here assumed. Yet another and distinct argument may be drawn from the choice of a Hebrew name for God. Let it be borne in mind that these names being all significant, Elohim looks specially to the natural attributes of God; Jehovah, to His moral attributes. Elohim is God thought of as Almighty, the Lord of nature, the great God who is infinitely above all the false gods of the heathen; but Jehovah is the God of the promises, forever the same, forever faithful and true, forevermore the God of His covenant people. With this distinction in mind, let us consider the fact that in the Book of Proverbs the name Elohim occurs but five times; the name Jehovah about ninety times, showing that when writing for his own people, Solomon naturally used the latter name. But in the Book of Ecclesiastes, the name Elohim appears thirty-nine times; the name Jehovah, not once. The people of the outlying lands knew not this sacred name. To them its special significance as a God of promise—a God of covenant—was utterly unknown. Hence the fact that Solomon, writing specially for their reading, never uses this name. Yet further, the facts concerning the use of these names of God are in point to explode the favorite Neological theory of the date and author of this book—viz., that it was written after the restoration from Babylon, to comfort the Hebrew people under their national affliction. But let Ecclesiastes be compared, in respect to its use of the names of God, with the known writings of that age. In the Psalms of that period (mostly 91-150), the name Jehovah occurs almost exclusively. In the three prophets of the restoration, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, Elohim occurs in its absolute form five times; Jehovah no less than two hundred and fourteen times. Yet Ecclesiastes, claimed by the Neologists to bear the same date and to have the same general purpose, gives the name Jehovah not even once! H. C. In 1838 Herzfeld, who also believed (though on different grounds) that the book is the work of a late writer, showed that most of the so-called Aramaisms are not peculiar to Ecclesiastes and later books, but exist in such books as the Pentateuch, Isaiah, and the Psalms; and he reduced the total to eight or ten Chaldee, and eleven or fifteen late Hebrew words. In 1856 Herzfeld's strictures on Knobel's list were confirmed by the independent criticism of L. Von Essen. In 1864 Dr. Pusey ("Daniel," p. 325), taking up the question where it had been left by Herzfeld, showed that many of the words regarded by him and by Knobel as distinctly Chaldee are common to other Semitic dialects, and therefore are useless as evidence of the Chaldee origin or late date of the language of Ecclesiastes; and that many of the expressions designated as late Hebrew by Herzfeld either have earlier precedents overlooked by him, or are used to denote ideas not expressed in earlier writings. Dr. Pusey's conclusion is that not one word has been found in Ecclesiastes to characterize a later age than Solomon's. Among more recent critics Dr. Tayler Lewis and Dr. B. Schäfer conclude in favor of the authorship of Solomon. On the whole, it would appear that every word quoted from Ecclesiastes as impossible to be used before the captivity has been shown either to be used in books written, as is generally believed, before the captivity, or to be formed from words and by a grammatical process in use before the captivity, or to be represented in such books by a derivative, or to be undoubtedly common to other Semitic dialects besides Chaldee, and therefore presumably to Hebrew before the captivity, although not found in extant writings of earlier date than Ecclesiastes. And thus the allegation that the language of this book shows distinct traces of the Chaldean invasion, of the Babylonian captivity, or of any later event which affected the Hebrew tongue, appears to have been sufficiently answered. It is not to be denied that in the list of writers who maintain that the languages of Ecclesiastes could not have been used by a Jew in Solomon's age are to be found the names of some of the most eminent Hebrew grammarians to whom is mainly due the advance of Hebrew philology in the last hundred years. But when they proceed to define the time at which, according to their principles of criticism, the book must have been written, they diverge so widely from one another as to suggest a serious doubt whether such grammatical knowledge of Hebrew as is now attainable ought to be allowed all the weight that is claimed for it in deciding the date of the composition of this book. The various dates assigned to Ecclesiastes by thirty-seven modern critics reach from 699 to 8 years before Christ. W. T. B. The number of Aramaic or Syriac words and forms in the Book of Ecclesiastes is the chief argument for its late origin and parable form. According to the view often taken, the language in which it is written could not have been in use when Solomon was king. But the antiquity of the dialect in which the author wrote is unknown. Only one thing is certain about the language. It was a cross between the Hebrew tongue and that of the Syrians on the north and east of Palestine. But wherever those who used the former came in friendly contact with those who used the latter, the dialect of which we are speaking might originate. This or something similar took place in Nehemiah's time, when the children of Jews, who had married women of Ashdod, "spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews' language." What happened at that late period in the history may have happened five or six or seven centuries before under similar circumstances. As friendly intercourse between men who spoke Hebrew and others who spoke Syriac did not begin during the Babylonian captivity, a theory which rests on the idea that it did then begin has no foundation in fact. Their intercourse dated almost from the settlement of Israel in Palestine. The dialect which thus arose may have been spoken for ages along the borders of Ammon and Damascus. To assign the rise of the dialect used in Ecclesiastes to the Babylonian captivity is to shut one's eyes to the facts of history. To this day in Palestine "the peasant dialect proves to be much nearer to Aramaic (which Jerome says was the native language in his time) than to modern literary Arabic." History, so far as it is known, thus shows no respect to a theory which pronounces it impossible for Solomon to have written in any language but the pure Hebrew of his own age. At that very time "a memorial tablet in the language of Babylon" was set up in the Nile Valley by a king of Assyria. And in those very days "a multitude of Aramaic" (i.e., Hebrew or Syriac) "words were introduced into Egypt, and it even became the fashion to give an Aramaic form to native words." Besides, the language in which the scribes of Nineveh recorded the events of history was altogether different from that spoken by the people around them. A fact so well ascertained needs no proof. Solomon, speaking pure Hebrew in his own court, and writing a dialect of it in a philosophical treatise, which was modelled on the conversation or writings of thinkers who may have used the same or a kindred form of speech, is not a singular feature in the world's history of that age. It was a common thing. And, since then, the fashion was followed for ages by the scholars of modern Europe, who preferred Latin or French to their mother tongues. Solomon may thus have adopted a custom sanctioned by ancient custom or philosophic caprice. The language of the Book of Ecclesiastes cannot, therefore, be held to disprove Solomon's authorship. The Historical References in Ecclesiastes are also believed to prove its late origin. According to the view frequently taken, Israel was then under foreign kings, who gave much occasion for complaint, and to whom the people paid an unwilling obedience. But all this is matter of suspicion or imagination. Not a word is said in the book itself which can fairly be held to justify these views. Kings are spoken of, and princes, and provinces, and people. But the writer is thinking of kings and people generally, as a philosopher would; and not of foreign kings ruling over his countrymen, or of Jews bowed beneath a hateful tyranny. The narrowness of vision, which sees nothing but Palestine or a part of Palestine in the book, cannot do justice to the work or its author. If Solomon wrote it, his acquaintance with the nations of the civilized world enabled him to take a breadth of view, and to support his conclusions by a range of historical examples, which are far above the narrowness of his most distinguished critics. Whoever, then, was the author of Ecclesiastes, and whatever was his object, Solomon is not excluded by any of the arguments which have been urged against his claims. Sime. It may be considered as a kind of inquiry into the chief good; an inquiry conducted on sound principles, and terminating in a conclusion which all, on mature reflection, will approve. One great object of Solomon appears to have been, from a comprehensive consideration of the circumstances of human life, to demonstrate the vanity of all secular pursuits. He endeavors to illustrate, by a just estimate, the insufficiency of earthly enjoyment; not with design to excite in us a disgust at life, but to influence us to prepare for that state where there is no vanity. Gray. The utter vanity of all earthly things when sought as the chief good of man stands out strongly in the opening sentence as the text of this sermon; it reappears repeatedly during the discourse; it is made emphatic in the conclusion (12:8). To prove this to his readers and to impress it upon their mind and heart, he adduces his own exhaustive experience; he also draws largely from his observation of other men; he takes up in detail numerous forms of earthly good which men are wont to seek, his eye sweeping the range not of Israel alone, but of the "provinces"—those other tribes and countries with which his readers and himself were familiar—all converging to the same grand conclusion. His argumentation is not tied down to the rules of modern logic. His strain is usually discursive and not closely consecutive, so that it is often difficult, perhaps sometimes impossible, to trace with certainty any logical connection between his successive topics. The state of the author's own mind and the views of those for whom he adapted his argument need to be known somewhat thoroughly in order to see the pertinence, beauty, and force of his book. Hence the personal history of Solomon up to the time when he wrote this book should be carefully studied in connection with the book itself as the legitimate means of obtaining the clew to his special aim and purpose in writing it. The heart of Solomon became a pleasure-loving heart; his life a pleasure-seeking life. He sought pleasure in wealth and splendor; he sought it in fame and honor; he sought it in all forms of sensual enjoyment. The immense resources at his command were lavishly expended upon this one object. Such pleasure-seeking swept him away from the fear and service of God. It was to him, we may fairly assume, "the root of all evil." It led him on to those associations which ensnared him into idolatry. A gracious providence spared Solomon to live till he became convicted, even if not radically penitent. After so much guilty wandering, he "came to himself and thought on his ways." It cannot be said on authority that he ever saw clearly the guilt of his idolatry, but it is plain that he saw the folly of his pleasure-loving life and felt the solemn obligation resting on all rational beings "to fear God and keep His commandments" as their supreme duty. Having reached these convictions, it was inevitable that he should feel the importance of undoing, so far as he might be able, the mischiefs he had done. For this purpose he became "the Preacher," and wrote this book. H. C. Viewed from another standpoint, from the purpose of the inspiring Spirit, this sublime sermon presents the transcendent fact of a future life, as a necessary and essential complement to the present. Regarded in this higher aspect, it dwells upon the emptiness and failure of all things earthly, the inscrutable character of human events, and the impartial, irresistible onset of decay and death. These facts it presents as arguments to enforce the necessity of a future existence, where the unsatisfied cravings of man's heart may be met, where all problems of the Divine acting may have fitting solution, and where life may be forever unmarred by decay, and be unsubject to death. And it further employs the same fact to impress the reality of an ultimate judgment, of a fixed character, and a lasting destiny. So it is that this book, in its direct and implied teachings, really contrasts the present unreal, fleeting, stationary, and unsatisfying life, with one that is real, abiding, progressive, and satisfying. And its one chief aim is earnestly to commend such a wise, right use of the life that now is, as will ensure the possession and enjoyment of that blessed life to come. B. The doctrine of a future retribution forms the great basis and the leading truth of this book. In it the royal Preacher expatiates on the transitory condition of mankind, if considered as confined to the present state of existence; the vanity and vexation of spirit attending all present human enjoyment, which his own experience had so abundantly proved; the apparent inequality of Providence, by which there appears one event to the righteous and to the wicked. But in all the difficulties and perplexities, all that vanity and vexation of spirit, which this partial view of human nature implies, the royal Preacher brings forward the prospect of a future life and just retribution, as the solution and the remedy, the consolation and the cure. Graves. After stating that he had seen the tribunals of justice filled with oppression and wickedness, the writer says (3:17) that "God will judge the righteous and the wicked," and that He has appointed a time in which all will come under the judicial cognizance of His tribunal. Again, there is One higher than the highest earthly ruler (5:8)—namely, One who will punish oppressors, One who will vindicate the oppressed, that have no comforter here (4:1). The young may indeed rejoice in their blessings, but they are always to keep in view the judgment to come (11:9). "God will bring to judgment every work, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil" (12:14). Even Knobel acknowledges that this last passage indicates, beyond all doubt, a future retribution. Thus much for passages bearing directly on the idea of a judgment to come. Intimately and necessarily connected with these are those passages which speak of a just retribution. God is to be feared (3:14). Sin makes Him angry (5:6). Why feared? And what will His anger do? Those that fear God shall experience deliverance (7:18). Wickedness shall not deliver those who are given to it (8:8). "It shall be well with them who fear God" (8:12). "It shall not be well with those who do not fear Him" (8:13). "Remember thy Creator" (12:1; with the implication of reward in case of obedience). "Fear God, and keep His commandments" (12 : 13 ; with the same implication). Thus the doctrine of a retribution for good and evil, and of a time when every action will be scanned and judged, lies scattered through the whole Book of Coheleth. It is impossible reasonably to doubt the state of his mind in regard to these things. But in order to cast farther light on his meaning, it is necessary to take into view other things which he has said in relation to this subject. He has, in different ways, fully developed the sentiment that retribution is not made in the present life. All experience the same evils ; all die alike ; all are subject to the same disappointments ; the lot which the righteous deserves often falls to the wicked, and so vice versa ; the righteous perish not only in their righteousness, but because of it ; and so the wicked prosper by reason of their wickedness. Time and chance happen to all alike ; there is one event or destiny to the righteous and to the wicked, to the clean and to the unclean. We assume it as a plain doctrine in Coheleth, that (since the facts cannot be denied) retribution, adequate and final, does not take place in the present world. Indeed, the testimony of all ages unites in the confirmation of this position. We are, then, fully at liberty to make out the following syllogism : First, retribution, adequate and just, of good and evil, will certainly be made ; second, it is not made in the present world ; therefore, third, it must be made in a future world. If there be any way of properly shunning or avoiding this conclusion, it is unknown to me. M. S. This entry is longer than a Bible module can hold. The rest is at https://www.sermonindex.net/commentary/butler/