'... A good man shall be satisfied from himself.'--PROVERBS xiv. 14.
At first sight this saying strikes one as somewhat unlike the ordinary
Scripture tone, and savouring rather of a Stoical self-complacency;
but we recall parallel sayings, such as Christ's words, 'The water
that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water'; and the
Apostle's, 'Then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone.' We further
note that the text has an antithetic parallel in the preceding clause,
where the picture is drawn of 'a backslider in heart,' as 'filled with
his own ways'; so that both clauses set forth the familiar but solemn
thought that a man's deeds react upon the doer, and apart from all
thoughts of divine judgment, themselves bring certain retribution. To
grasp the inwardness of this saying we must note that--