The figure leads to the idea of death as a fowler (Psa. xci. 3). If

it is not here a mean formula for the dangers of death, then the

proverb is designed to state that the life which springs from the

doctrine of a wise man as from a fountain of health, for the disciple

who will receive it, communicates to him knowledge and strength, to

know where the snares of destruction lie, and to hasten with vigorous

steps away when they threaten to entangle him.--_Delitzsch._

If we take the _law of the wise_ for the law of wise men as given by

them, we may thus consider the words. He that goeth on according to

the stream and course thereof, shall be sure at last to come to the

fountain. The law of the wise is but a stream for the fountain of

life, and he that keepeth to the stream shall be sure at last to meet

with the fountain.--_Jermin._

Sin is Satan's snare to catch men to perdition. He that is in the

power of it, and entangled therewith, is in great peril of perishing,

being caught in a trap and held fast there, till either grace deliver

him or death devour him. There is no safe treading but in the ways of

God. Every step without it, though the length and breadth of the

whole world, hath somewhat set in it to entangle us.--_Dod._

Even in defect of liberal prescript, the spirit of _the law_ will

supply practical rules for keeping the heart and life. Dr. Payson

says, "By the help of three rules I soon settle all my doubts--viz.,

to do nothing of which the lawfulness is questionable; to do nothing

which indisposes for prayer, or interrupts communion with God; to go

into no company, business, or situation in which the presence and

blessing of God cannot conscientiously be asked and

expected."--_Bridges._

The _"law of the wise"_ can be nothing but the Book of God. . . . It

is essentially _life-giving._ Its design is not to publish and

confirm the sentence of death, but to show how death may be escaped.

The declaration of the sentence of death is only intended to show the

necessity, and to impress the importance and value of the tidings of

_life. Life_ is the end of Divine revelation.--_Wardlaw._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 15.

A BAD WAY AND A GOOD UNDERSTANDING.

+I. Favour is here spoken of as a thing to be desired.+ It is

desirable to have the favour of _any_ man if thereby we can do him

any good. It was desirable that Joseph should have Pharaoh's favour,

as he was thereby enabled to gain his ear and help him in his

perplexity. The favour which Daniel obtained from Nebuchadnezzar

enabled him to be a great blessing to that monarch. A man who is

regarded by his fellow creatures with favour possesses a powerful

instrument which he may use to do them good. On this account the

favour of men is to be desired. It is also desirable to have the

favour of _good_ men as thereby we may _get_ good. Good men are the

only living representatives of God in the world, and next to the

blessedness of having the favour of the parent is the blessedness of

having that of His children. Therefore the favour of men is to be

desired both for their sakes and for our own.

+II. The instrument of obtaining favour.+ "Good understanding" or

"good intelligence." Man's highest and truest intelligence springs

from moral relation and sympathy with God. All intellectual

intelligence is derived from Him, and this intelligence alone will

often gain for men a large share of human favour. There are many men

of great mental intelligence, who do not acknowledge the existence of

God, who have won high places in the esteem of men. But these words

refer to those who have been enlightened by the teaching of the

Divine spirit, and are in sympathy with God and with His moral laws.

Such men are not less intelligent concerning other matters, but more

so. Other things being equal, a godly man's purely intellectual

powers are quickened by his godliness. If an ungodly man becomes a

true servant of God, all the powers of his mind are thereby

strengthened. Observation confirms this, and it is impossible that it

should be otherwise. If a man cannot come into communion with a wiser

_man,_ without gaining in intelligence, how can he come into

communion with the _Fountain of all wisdom_ without becoming a more

intelligent man in every sense of the word? What a capable man of

business Joseph was. When quite a youth, and without any previous

training, he became controller of the household of an Egyptian

nobleman; and when only thirty was not only the first lord of Egypt,

but showed himself fully equal to all the exigencies of his position.

Whence did his "good understanding" proceed? Was it not from his

moral relationship with the God of his fathers? "Can we find such an

one as this is?" said the heathen king,--"a man in whom the Spirit of

God is" (Gen. xli. 38). The possession of this "good understanding"

in temporal and secular matters gives a man favour in the eyes of

other men. The possession of _spiritual intelligence_ gives him

favour in the eyes of all the good. There is a relationship among all

true members of the family of God, which is stronger and deeper than

any merely human relationship. And this spiritual intelligence gives

a man a moral power among all his fellow-men. They cannot withhold

the testimony of their consciences, unless they are altogether

hardened they must secretly, if not openly, give him their esteem and

confidence. "Natural conscience," says Trapp, "cannot but do homage

to the image of God stamped upon the nature and works of the godly."

+III. The way of those who are destitute of this spiritual

intelligence.+ All such men are "transgressors." Their spiritual

nature is dormant--they are without spiritual discernment. In

scriptural phrase they are "blind" (Rev. iii. 17) and "dead" (Ephes.

ii. 1). Their way is _hard,_ however we use the word. (See Critical

Notes.) 1. _It is hard in the sense of being a well-trodden way._ It

has become hard by being much frequented--by being perpetually used.

It has several elements of attraction. 2. _Antiquity is on its side._

It is an _old_ way--it has been in use for ages. "No man," says our

Lord, "having drunk old wine, straight way desireth new" (Luke

v. 39). Men are naturally conservative--naturally inclined to go as

their fathers went. True it is that there is an _older_ way--the way

of the good (see Homiletics on chap. iv. 14-19, page 58), but still

the way of the transgressor is very ancient. 3. _Men's natural

inclination leads into that way._ Men are led by their inclination,

unless there is a stronger principle within them. We are born with a

tendency to evil rather than to good--to walk after the devices of

our own heart rather than according to the will of God. In most men

"inclination is as strong as will," and leads them to tread the "way

of the transgressor." 4. _It is attractive because of the numbers who

tread it._ "Many there be which go in thereat" (Matt. vii. 13). Many

men make that fact a city of refuge wherein to shelter themselves

from the admonitions of conscience. "I only do as others do" is

regarded by many men as an impregnable citadel wherein they can

securely await the righteous judgments of God (See Homiletics on ch.

i. 10-19, page 8, 2nd head). 5. _It is hard and therefore desolate,

unfruitful._ The common highway that is trodden down by many feet is

not the place in which to look for a golden harvest. The stony rock

is not a soil whence flowers spring. Men do not expect to gather

choice fruit on the desolate moorland. Neither can the way of the

transgressor yield the flowers or the pleasant fruits of life. Thorns

and nettles are there, but no golden harvest. The favour neither of

God nor man is his portion. He can only reap as he has sown (See

Homiletics on chap. xi. 18-20, page 223). 6. _It is a hard way in the

sense that it is a miserable way._ Every act carries with it present

judgment. Every action has its reaction of pleasure or of pain. Every

step, therefore, in the way of transgression has its accompanying

reproach of conscience. Then the way of sin is a way of

self-deception. What is more painful than to be the subject of

constant deception? We have just dwelt upon the heart-sickness of

hope deferred (verse 12); the sinner is a constant victim of this

malady. Nothing can be a more bitter experience than to stake our all

upon a promise, and when the time comes for its fulfilment, to find

that it was made only to be broken. Yet this is the experience of a

transgressor of God's law, not once or twice, but all through his

life. It is his lot not only to deceive but _to be deceived_ (2 Tim.

iii. 13). He is ever promising himself, and is ever being promised by

the master whom he serves, satisfaction as the result of his deeds,

but he is always finding that the performance falls as far short of

the promise as it did when the devil led our first parents into sin,

by the promise "ye shall be as gods," and performed it by making them

slaves to himself. This is another ingredient in the hardness of the

way. He is a slave to him who has deceived him. Many a man is fully

alive to the deceptive nature of sin--to its utter powerlessness to

give him real pleasure--and yet he goes on it. Why is this? He is

bound by a chain which he finds it well nigh impossible to break.

Evil habits, as well as good ones, grow stronger by exercise. Slavery

is hard under any master, excepting under Him whose service is

perfect freedom. How bitter, then, is slavery to one who has deceived

us. Yet this is not the _hardest_ part of the _hard_ way. None who

are thus victims of the great deceiver--none whom he has made his

bond slaves but feel that they are so by their own consent. Each evil

thought unchecked, each evil thought indulged, has forged a link in

the chain. Their condition has been likened, by an old writer, to

that of a man who has been busily at work in carrying stick after

stick to make a pile of wood, and then finds that he has only been

heaping up materials for a fire upon which he is to be burned.

+IV. But though the way of transgressors is hard, it is not too

hard.+ Its very hardness is intended to lead them to leave it.

Because the end will be worse than the way, it is the tenderest mercy

to make the way hard. It only tells him that he has taken the wrong

road. The pain that he suffers is only the voice of God, saying, "Do

thyself no harm." When a mountain pass becomes so blocked with fallen

rocks that every step is a misery, does it not admonish the traveller

to turn back before he makes a fatal slip? When in the regions of

eternal snow a man feels intense pain from the biting cold, and

encounters at every step the corpse of one who has been frozen to

death by persistently disregarding the voice of nature, is it not

suicide to continue? Can he say he received no admonition? Is it not

a sentinel with a drawn sword to turn back the unwary from the

precipice? Even so is the hardness of the way of the transgressor.

_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._

For the most part the word translated "good understanding"

corresponds with that which, in a deep ethical sense, we call fine

culture, which shows men how to take the right side, and in all

circumstances to take the right key, exercise a kindly, heart-winning

influence, not merely to the benefit of its possessor, but such as

removes a partition wall, and brings men closer to each other. The

word translated "hard" denotes that which stretches itself far, and

with reference to time, that which remains the same during the course

of time. That which does not change in time, continuing the same,

according to its nature, strong, firm, thus becomes the designation

of the enduring and the solid, whose quality remains always the same.

The fundamental idea of remaining like itself, continuing, passes

over into the idea of the firm, the hard, and, at the same time, of

the uncultivated and the uncultivatable. The way of transgressors, or

of the _treacherous,_ _i.e.,_ the manner in which they transact with

men, is stiff, as hard as stone, repulsive; they follow selfish

views, never placing themselves in sympathy with the condition of

their neighbour; they are without the tenderness which is connected

with fine culture; they remain destitute of feeling in things which,

as we say, would soften a stone.--_Delitzsch._

Many _seek_ favour as the gift of others which it is in their own

power to give themselves. For, get a _good understanding,_ whereby to

understand well what thou goest about, and how to go about it. It is

true, as Tertullian speaketh, now and then it falls out, that in a

great tempest wherein sea and heaven are confounded, the haven is

attained by a happy error; and now and then, in darkness, the way of

entrance and going out is found by a blind happiness. But this is a

favour which has no holdfast--it is a _good understanding_ that

giveth favour.--_Jermin._

Is not the way of transgressors pleasant in prospect, although it

ends in death? No; sin barters away future safety but does not secure

present peace in return. Things are not always what they seem. The

pleasures of sin are not only limited in their duration, they are

lies even while they last. . . . The race is torture and the goal

perdition. . . . But the right way is not a soft and silky path for

the foot of man to tread upon; and, if one thing happens to all in

the journey of life, what advantage have the good? Much every way,

and specifically thus: The hardness which disciples experience in

following their Lord is righteousness rubbing on their remaining

lusts, and so wasting their deformities away; whereas the hardness of

a transgressor's way is a carnal mind in its impotent enmity dashing

itself against the bosses of the Almighty's buckler. . . . As the

pains of cure differ from the pains of killing, so differs the

salutary straitness which presses the entrance at the gates of life,

from the hardness which hurts transgressors as they flee from

God.--_Arnot._

Sin, as of its nature, sinks always lower under bond (ver. 13), and

must, therefore, _de jure,_ be _"perpetual"_ (see Miller's rendering,

in Critical Notes). For, strange enough, the man without "_good_

intelligence," _i.e.,_ the best kind of knowledge, neglects to act on

what knowledge he has. The worst man has knowledge enough to save

him--that is (to expound an averment which is only in one sense

true), God's goodness is such that if a man would use the light he

had, he would start from that point, and be helped into the

kingdom.--_Miller._

Different senses have been affixed to these words--1. "Good

understanding showeth favour to others"--_i.e.,_ is mild and

conciliatory, while the "way of transgressors is hard, unyielding,

stern." 2. "Ingenuous manners procure favour; but rugged is the path

of the artful"--_i.e.,_ exposing him to incessant difficulties, while

open dealing makes a man's way plain before him. 3. More probably the

meaning in both parts of the verse terminates on the person's self.

Intelligent and sound judgment, by fitting a man to be a wise and

useful counsellor, procures him favour. On the contrary, the "way of

transgressors," like "Bypath Meadow" in the _Pilgrim's Progress,_

presents at its entrance all that is tempting to allure into it, but

supplies no real enjoyment to the traveller in it at last.--_Wardlaw._

Wicked men live under a hard taskmaster. "I was held before

conversion," said Augustine, "not with an iron chain, but with the

obstinacy of my own will." The philosophical infidel bears the same

testimony. "I began to fancy myself in a most deplorable condition,

environed with the deepest darkness on every side" (Essays, I. 458).

Voltaire, judging of course from his own heart, pronounces, "In man

is more wretchedness than in all other animals put together. Man

loves life, yet knows he must die." "I wish," continues the wretched

witness for his master, "I had never been born." The worldly infidel

adds his seal to the record. Colonel Gardiner declared, that in his

course of wickedness he had often envied the existence of a

dog.--_Bridges._

_The hardness of the transgressor's way._ +I. A truth to be

confirmed.+ It is hard to themselves--to others, to their families,

their friends, to society. +II. A dispensation to be approved.+ It

illustrates the mingled justice and mercy of God, who has made the

way to hell difficult. The hardness of the way of sin is often the

means of stopping sinners in their course. The sufferings of the

wicked operate as a check and preservative to the righteous. +III. A

warning to be enforced.+ Take care how you take the first step. Be

anxious, if you have entered the road, to retrace your step. Remember

that the hardness of the way is nothing like the bitterness of the

end.--_S. Thodey._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 16.

DEALING WITH KNOWLEDGE.

For a definition of prudence see Homiletics on chap. viii. 12, 13,

page 109. Carrying out the thought that prudence is wisdom applied to

practice, we remark,

+I. That a prudent man deals, or acts with knowledge from a sense of

responsibility.+ 1. _In commercial life._ No prudent man will engage

in any business transaction without first making himself thoroughly

acquainted with it in all its bearings. He will, if possible, look

far into the future and weigh probabilities and calculate results, so

as to secure himself from ultimate loss. He will not deal with the

matter at all unless he understands it. This we conceive is "dealing

with knowledge." And it is the course pursued by every prudent man of

business from a sense of responsibility. He feels that he has

obligations to fulfil to others and a character to maintain, and

therefore he thinks before he acts. A man who values his life at all

will not deliberately walk over a precipice, and a prudent man will

not go very near the edge, he will know what is the safe distance at

which he may walk without even risking the possibility of a false

step. 2. _As a teacher or leader of others._ A man who undertakes the

guidance of his fellow-creatures in any way, is especially bound to

"deal with knowledge." If he is a teacher of youth, and is a prudent

man, he will make it his business to know his pupils, to become

acquainted with the best methods of imparting instruction and

developing their mental and moral powers. He feels that they are in

his hands very much as clay in the hands of the potter, and that it

depends very much upon him whether they become vessels of honour or

dishonour, and this invests all his dealings with them with a deep

sense of responsibility. So with the statesman, the Christian

teacher, or any other man who finds himself entrusted with influence

over his fellows. Prudence is almost as necessary as goodness and

right intentions. A man may have abundance of wealth at his disposal

whereby to accomplish some desired end. But if he does not know how

to use it, he may as surely miss his aim as if he were poor. So a man

may have much spiritual wealth and an earnest desire to use it for

the good of others, but if he is not a prudent man--if he neglects to

acquire a knowledge of the how, and the when, and the where to do it,

he may not only fail to realise his desire, but may cause his good to

be evil spoken of. And the principle applies to every good man,

however limited his sphere or humble his position. It is the special

trade of a _good man to do good,_ but he may greatly injure his trade

by neglecting to "deal with knowledge." _"What king,"_ says our Lord,

_"going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and

consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that

cometh against him with twenty thousand?"_ (Luke xiv. 31). It is

implied that this man has a sense of the importance of the

undertaking upon which he is about to embark, that he duly estimates

the possible loss or gain which may result from it. He may serve as

an illustration of what is meant by a prudent man "dealing with

knowledge" in any and every step of life, whether it be apparently

great or small, weighty or trivial. For there are no _little_ things

in human life--the greatest issues often hang upon what men

ignorantly call trifles.

+II. A fool by rash and inconsiderate conduct "layeth open" or

"publishes" his folly.+ It is implied by contrasting him with the

prudent man who "deals with knowledge" that he deals without it, that

he leaps before he looks and walks in the dark when he might avail

himself of a light to guide him. Such conduct arises from a lack of

the sense of responsibility. He does not consider what is involved in

his failure, how much misery may thus be entailed on himself and

others. Every man who does not weigh results proves himself thereby

to be a fool.

_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._

He that is wise will not be doing or dealing in anything unless he

_know_ what it is wherein he dealeth, and unless he deal so as _he

knoweth_ that he should. He knoweth that a man is known by his

dealing. He knoweth that others look on his dealing, and therefore he

looketh so to it as that they may know him to be wise by it. But a

fool will be dealing, although by dealing he uncover his nakedness.

The shame of his folly shall be spread abroad as wide as his dealings

are heard of.--_Jermin._

Observes circumstances, and deports himself with discretion; thrusts

not himself into unnecessary dangers; carves not a piece of his heart

but to those he is well assured of. See an instance of this prudence

in Ezra, chap. viii. 22; in Nehemiah, chap. ii. 5. He calls it not

the place of God's worship--such an expression might have disgusted

the heathen king--but the place of his father's sepulchres. In

Christ, when He was tried for His life; in Paul, who lived two years

at Ephesus, and spake not much against the worship of their great

goddess Diana (Acts xxiii. 6, and xix. 10).--_Trapp._

Fools might be esteemed half-wise if they had sense enough to keep

their folly to themselves.--_Lawson._

Wide is the sphere for trading with this responsible talent. _In the

family economy_ (Judges xiii. 8-12; chap. xiv. 1; xxxi. 27). _In the

church;_ in a wise accommodation to circumstances (Gal. ii. 2); in

the conviction of gainsayers (Tit. i. 9); in forbearing with the

prejudices of the weak (Acts xv. 22-29); in the exercise of Christian

admonition (Rom. xv. 14).--_Bridges._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 17.

A SOCIAL LINK.

+I. An important link in human society--a messenger.+ This link may

or may not be important _in himself._ He may belong to the highest or

to the lowest stratum of human life. He may be a princely ambassador,

or he may be a telegraph boy. The link which holds two bodies

together may be of great intrinsic value. It may be of wrought gold,

and much skill may have been expended on its workmanship; but what it

is in itself is not of so much importance as what it is as a link.

Its beauty and costliness will not avail much if it gives way when it

is subject to strain, and thereby causes loss and vexation to its

owner. The link that holds the cable to the anchor is not in itself

worth much; but when it holds an ironclad off a rocky coast, there

hangs upon it half a million of money, and the sorrow or joy of many

human hearts for years to come. Untold loss or gain depend upon

whether that ring of iron can bear the strain or not. So it is with a

messenger. He may be a person of great intellectual powers, and of

great social importance, or he may not have either. But he is always

of value in his _relative position._ Like the link in a cable, he

always holds in his keeping more than he is. He may be the bearer of

the secrets of one who has hanging upon his will an army of many

thousands, and a nation of as many millions may be interested in the

message which he bears. Whether he be a prince or peasant is of no

importance in comparison with the fact that he bears a message.

+II. The one all-important qualification in a

messenger--faithfulness.+ No greater praise can be given to a man

than to say that he is _faithful,_ yet nothing less will make him

worth anything in human life. All men's hopes for time and eternity

rest upon the faithfulness of God. This is the sheet-anchor of

humanity that He is "a faithful Creator" (1 Pet. iv. 19). That He is

faithful that promised (Heb. x. 23). It is for _faithfulness,_ not

for _success,_ that He gives the "well done" (Matt. xxv. 21), to His

servants. In a messenger it is the one thing needful, and its

importance is increased in proportion to what hangs upon his message.

Life or death may depend upon it, and often not the fate of an

individual merely, but the destiny of a nation. An unfaithful

messenger _"falleth into mischief himself."_ He who betrays his trust

injures himself. He goes down in the moral scale. He loses his

reputation, and is not trusted again. If the link in the cable gives

way, it is itself broken. But this is not all, not the worst. He is

the cause of _mischief falling upon others._ How true is this in

social life. A message, coloured in its delivery, to gratify some

selfish purpose, may divide men who would have been friends, if it

had not been for the third person. And its omission, through

carelessness, may bring about a like mischief. And it is also true in

national relationships. The ambassador, who is entrusted to express a

nation's will, may be a fruitful source of mischief if he is

negligent or unwary when war and peace hang in the balance. Millions

of hearts may be made sad by an under or over statement of facts.

"But a faithful messenger is health," or "healing." He is health in

himself. A faithful messenger, apart from his official or

representative character, is an embodiment of moral health, and when

he is entrusted to make peace where there has been war, he is

"healing." He may be only a counsellor of peace between individual

men who have been at strife, or he may be the bearer of terms of

peace between hostile nations. But, whether in the one case or the

other, the faithful discharge of his duties will bring healing: for

all real peace must be founded on a truthful statement of facts. This

verse is especially true of an ambassador of Christ. He who is truly

sent of God will be faithful in the delivery of his message, and will

thus bring healing to many. He will _"not walk in craftiness, nor

handle the Word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth

commend himself to every man's conscience in the sight of God."_ And

so he will be the means of bringing moral health (2 Cor. iv. 2;

1 Cor. vi. 11).

_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._

Every man is a "messenger," and has an errand, and that is as a

witness for God (chap. xiv. 25). The word for _"messenger"_ is the

word for "angel." How soon did the wicked angel fall, when he became

of no use? and men, how long do they tolerate a false messenger? The

soul sent out by the Almighty, if wicked, shall fall; but a soul that

is _"faithful"_ is needed, and will hold its place.--_Miller._

A wicked messenger hath no sooner a business committed unto him than

he falleth into mischief, by betraying the trust reposed in him, and

therefore justly doth mischief fall on him. He that is a faithful

ambassador is, indeed, the ambassador of truth itself. He, being

sent, hath healing under his wings, whereby he giveth soundness and

health unto his business, whereby he giveth soundness and health to

those that employed him. The proverbial sense is, That the good or

bad success of a business proceedeth much from the goodness or

badness of him that is employed in it.--_Jermin._

How much more then, wicked ministers, those "messengers of the

churches" (2 Cor. viii. 23) that do the Lord's work negligently (Jer.

xlviii. 10), that corrupt His message (2 Cor. ii. 17). Who is blind

but my servant, or deaf as my messenger? (Isa. xlii. 19).--_Trapp._

While the wicked messenger prepares misfortune for himself, as well

as for his master, the faithful makes good even his lord's

mistakes.--_Von Gerlach._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 18.

THE WAY TO HONOUR.

+I. Man needs instruction because his natural intuitions are not

enough to meet the needs of human life.+ The instinct of the animal

is enough to enable it to fulfil its destiny. Its limited powers find

sufficient guidance in the use of the faculties which are born with

it. But it is not so with man. If, as some philosophers suppose, a

man comes into the world without any ideas, if he receives everything

from the outside world, instruction is so much the more needed, but

even if he does bring with him a small stock of knowledge, experience

shows us that the amount is very small, and he needs instruction for

body, soul, and spirit from the first day of his dawning intellect to

the last of his probationary life.

+II. Instruction is to be obtained.+ Somebody will teach him either

directly or indirectly. He will learn much from observation and much

from direct teaching. The word here, as in chap. xii. 1, includes the

idea of correction. This forms an inevitable part of man's

instruction in matters relating both to his bodily and spiritual

life. God has provided for man's instruction in relation to his

spiritual needs. It is within the reach of all men in a Christian

nation (See Isa. lv. 1-3.)

+III. If he refuses what he needs, he will have what he does not

desire.+ He will have _poverty._ This is a calamity when

self-inflicted. Whatever is the outcome of sin must be a calamity. If

a man refuses to submit to the correction and instruction of others

in connection with matters relative to every-day life, he shuts

himself up to his own ignorance and shuts out all possibility of

advancing in any profession or calling. Therefore he must be poor in

worldly wealth. And it is pre-eminently true of him who refuses the

disciplinary instruction of God. Such a man must be poor in a

spiritual sense throughout eternity. And this will bring shame. Shame

is always the result of sin. There is no shame in being poor in

material things when poverty is the outcome of righteousness, but

there is shame in poverty which is the result of neglected

opportunities. What is the root of this rejection of instruction? Is

it not pride? (See Homiletics on chap. xi. 2, page 193; also on chap.

xii. 1, page 246.)

+IV. Reproof is instruction.+ This is implied here, and in many other

passages in this book where the words are used interchangeably. A man

who reproves us gives us information about ourselves. He lets us know

how we appear in the eyes of others. This ought to be valued by us.

We are too partial to see our own defects, therefore we ought to be

glad when they are pointed out to us by another.

+V. Taking reproof in a spirit of humility is the only road to

honour.+ In the long run, men will give honour where honour is due.

They will give their esteem, and respect, and confidence to men who,

from moral or intellectual eminence, deserve it. And, as we have

seen, this height can be reached only by those who are willing to be

taught both by God and by man.

_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._

Poverty is in itself a want; but no misery unless shame be joined

with it. Shame is in itself a misery; but much greater if joined with

poverty, which hath no means to shelter or cover it. Now both are to

him that refuseth instruction. For, indeed, instruction is a glorious

treasure, offered and opened to him who hath need of it; and,

therefore, to refuse it, what can be but poverty and shame? And,

though it be the too common fault of those that are great, either in

riches or honour, to despise reproof, yet the most honor, the truest

riches, are to those that embrace it. St. Bernard, therefore, writing

unto a great person, but deserving reproof, saith "Charity hath

forced me to reproof thee, which grieveth with thee, although thou be

not grieved, and which pitieth thee, although thou pitieth not

thyself, and therefore it doth lament the more, because thou dost not

lament, who art to be lamented; therefore doth it pity thee the more,

because thou dost not pity thyself, who art in so pitiful a

condition."--_Jermin._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 19.

In common with most commentators we regard the first clause of this

verse as embodying the same thought as that expressed in the last

clause of verse 12. We will therefore consider the last clause only.

THE ABOMINATION OF THE FOOL.

This verse pourtrays a man whose character is most unnatural.

+1. He is unnatural because he belies his origin.+ What should we say

if we saw the son of a king taking delight in the society and in the

pastimes of the most degraded men? Or if we saw a man finding his

enjoyment in herding with the beasts of the field? We should judge

that they had lost all sense of their high origin. The sinner who is

in love with evil gives the lie to the historic fact that God made

man in His own image.

+2. He is unnatural, because he burdens himself unnecessarily.+ In

other matters men are not wont to carry heavier burdens than they are

obliged. They do not generally desire an increase of their load. They

are content with what is allotted to them. The burdens of life that

must be borne are numerous and heavy enough for men to bear, yet this

moral fool must weigh himself down with the evil that he need not

bear--the evil consequences of evil deeds. He prefers to carry about

with him the burden of his guilt, and all its accompanying evils. As

we saw in verse 15, his way is hard, yet he pursues it. In the face

of God's expressed desire (Isa. lv. 7), that he should be rid of his

burden, and although it weighs him to the earth "it is an abomination

to the fool to depart from evil."

+3. He is unnatural, because he is an unnecessary burden on the heart

of humanity.+ He burdens the hearts of God's children. They sigh over

him, because he is bad, and refuses to be better. They are weighed

down with a sense of his present sad condition, and the retribution

that awaits him. He is a burden to those who are less wicked than he,

because he prevents their being better, and he adds to the burden of

those who are as bad as himself, because he increases their guilt by

yielding to their temptations.

_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._

The sentence that fulfilled desire does good to the soul appears

commonplace; but it is comprehensive enough on the ground of Heb. xi.

to cheer even a dying person, and conceals the ethically significant

truth that the blessedness of vision is measured by the degree and

the longing of faith. But its application in its pairing with the

last clause of the verse give it quite another aspect. On this

account, because the desire of the soul is pleasant in its

fulfilment, fools abhor the renouncing of evil, for their desire is

directed to that which is morally blameworthy, and the endeavour,

which they closely and constantly adhere to, is to reach the

attainment of this design.--_Delitzsch._

A canon of interpretation in Proverbs is, _In antithetical clauses an

opposite member is often suppressed in one clause and has to be

supplied from the opposition of the other member in the corresponding

clause (Gataker)._ Thus, here, the desire of the wise or _good_ being

accomplished _by their departing from evil_ is sweet to their soul,

but as it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil, _their

desire being not accomplished is not sweet, nay, "it maketh the heart

sick"_ (ver. 12). Cf. Psa. cxlv. 19: "The Lord will fulfil the desire

of them that fear Him." As the wise desire the possession of the true

good, and by departing from evil attain to it, so that it is "sweet

to the soul," so fools desire the possession of what is good and

"sweet to the soul," but shall have bitter and everlasting grief.

Just as if there were two patients, both desiring health; the one

avoiding forbidden foods, and using the prescribed drugs, would

recover health, to his joy; the other, disliking the remedies, and

indulging his appetite, would fail to recover and would die

(_Gejer_). The reason why fools abominate to depart from evil is

because evil is sweet to them.--_Fausset._

I have three interpretations of this verse. 1. Solomon has been

thought to express the sentiment that the final attainment and

enjoyment of a desired good abundantly compensates for all the

self-denial and difficulty endured in waiting for it. This is a truth

of practical importance, holding out as it does encouragement to

perseverance. And it is a truth which holds with unfailing certainty,

in regard to spiritual blessings. But the fool cannot be persuaded to

deny himself the gratification of the passing moment, even for the

sake of the best and highest blessings and hopes. 2. Some render, "It

is sweet to the soul to enjoy what we love; therefore it is an

abomination" etc. Here the reason or principle is assigned, from

which it arises that fools will not depart from evil. Their enjoyment

is in it. They feel that there are pleasures in sin. These pleasures

they love. And, as these pleasures arise from sin, sin is what they

like; sin is sweet, and they will indulge their present propensities,

for the sake of the present pleasure they yield. 3. "Desire,"

subdued, restrained, or overcome "is sweet to the soul; but it is an

abomination," etc. According to this translation the former clause

expresses the inward satisfaction arising from the successful curbing

and subjugation of any sinful desire--any evil propensity. This forms

a fine and striking antithesis to the second clause. While the good

man can hardly enjoy a greater satisfaction than is imparted by the

exercise of self-control, and the overcoming of any powerful and

imperative desire that has tempted and endangered his virtue; on the

contrary, to the ungodly, the exercise of self-restraint is irksome,

the denial of any sinful propensity is misery. They "draw iniquity

with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart-rope." The

character is portrayed with great spirit in the tenth

Psalm.--_Wardlaw._

_A desire that has sprung up is sweet to the Soul._ (See rendering in

Critical Notes.) A sinner can get on comparatively well when a pious

_"desire"_ has been once enkindled. What is said of the lips of the

strange woman dropping honey (chap. v. 3) is true also in this case.

The soul is so near to the sinner that if there is anything sweet to

it it is easy to follow it on. The soul once converted and conceiving

its first desire will follow it afterward. And, therefore, the

Psalmist begs us to "taste and see" (Ps. xxxiv. 8), that we may have

this first desire. But the unconverted man finds it loathsome to take

the first step. His desires that have "come to be," are of another

nature. How can a man will when unwilling? "It is the first step

which costs."--_Miller._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 20.

COMPANIONSHIP, CONSTRUCTIVE OR DESTRUCTIVE.

We have here:--

+I. Habit, assimilation, and transformation.+ 1. _Habit._ A habit is

formed by the constant repetition of an act. Walking is the constant

repetition of an act. The child first gets courage to take a single

step, that step leads to another, and by degrees he acquires the

habit of walking. To walk with wise men is to have habitual

intercourse with them, either through reading their written thoughts

or by immediate contact with their living selves. As bodily walking

is only acquired by practice, so it is in soul-walking--in mental and

spiritual communion. It is at first difficult for the uninitiated to

master the arguments of the wise and grasp the truths which they

utter. But the power to do so comes by making the effort. If the wise

men are morally wise, it may not be so easy to apprehend Divine truth

as they do with their keener spiritual perceptions. But constant

intercourse and communion enable one to do so. The religious

faculty--the conscience--is thus developed. 2. _Assimilation._ The

law of assimilation is in operation within us and around us in the

world of matter. The plant drinks in the moisture and chemical

elements of the earth, and they are assimilated to itself and come

forth in bud, and flower, and fruit. Man eats vegetable and animal

food and it becomes flesh and bone. The man who walks with wiser men

than himself imbibes their thought, and those thoughts become part of

himself. As the health of the body depends upon the kind of food

which it assimilates and its power of assimilation, so the health of

the mind depends upon the character of the thoughts which it receives

and its power of making them its own. 3. _Transformation._ It is

implied that those here represented as walking are, when they begin

their walk, comparatively ignorant. But a constant reception and

assimilation of the wisdom of others, whether it be intellectual or

moral wisdom, will in time transform the pupil into a teacher--the

student into a master. The ignorant becomes in time a wise man. The

strong animal life nourishes the weaker--the new born--life until the

weak child becomes as strong as the parent. So in mind and soul life.

Hence the constant repetition in this book of exhortations to receive

instruction. The assimilating and transforming power of intercourse

with the Fountain of all Wisdom by the reception of the Divine

thought is thus set forth by Paul:--_"But we all, with open face

beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the

same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord"_

(2 Cor. iii. 18).

+II. That if our companionship is not a constructive influence, it

will be destructive.+ It is implied that human beings will have

companionship of some kind--that if a man does not "walk with wise

men," he will be "the companion of fools." 1. _Companionship in early

life the outcome of necessity._ A child of foolish parents cannot

help being "the companion of fools." This is the sad portion of

millions, and it is the destruction of millions in the sense that it

is the cause of their missing the great end of life--to glorify and

enjoy God. 2. _But there is a companionship of choice._ When a human

being comes to years of maturity he chooses his companions. He cannot

always choose his _associates,_ for then "he must needs go out of the

world." And there is no necessity that those with whom duty compels

him to associate should exert any evil influence upon his character.

But "companion" evidently means him with whom he communes--a man

whose society he chooses. And if this society is not morally good, a

man begins to deteriorate from the first moment that he enters it.

His choice of it is an indication of some moral flaw in his

character, and is a strong presumption that he does not intend or

desire to resist its destructive influence. If a sound apple is

placed beside one that has begun to decay, nothing is needed to

complete the work of destruction in both, but that they should remain

in contact. An utter missing of all that makes life worth

having--that which our Lord calls the "loss of the soul"--is the

portion of every man who does not continually grow in moral wisdom.

For there is no standing still. Neglect is ruin in most material

things. The house that is not constantly repaired will be ruined by

the constant action of the elements. A man is surrounded on all sides

by adverse moral influences, and if he only neglects to _grow_ he

will _die._ And to grow he must "walk with the wise."

_ILLUSTRATION._

The following statement was made to a Wesleyan minister by a young

man under sentence of death: "I am the child of pious parents, who

were connected with the Wesleyan body. At the age of 16, through

their instrumentality, and under the preaching of the Gospel, I

became the subject of religious impressions. These, in the course of

time, were effaced; but I still continued to read the Bible and

respect the Sabbath. One Lord's Day I went to hear a celebrated

minister deliver a discourse on 'Prophecy.' As I was returning I

expressed to an acquaintance who I met my admiration of the sermon.

He replied that no doubt Mr. ---- was a superior orator, and it would

afford him great pleasure to hear him discuss on any subject having a

true claim upon the attention of a rational being; but that such was

not the case with religion. A conversation followed, which led him to

invite me to his house, to hear his reasons for disbelieving the

Bible. There I met others, of a kindred spirit, and from that moment

they were my principal, because my favourite, associates. I soon

adopted all their opinions as my own, and used every effort in my

power to diffuse our common views. I could at this moment almost say

the bitterness of death is passed, if I were sure that no one had

become an infidel through me. But I have too much reason to fear that

many have. Before this time I had married a very respectable young

woman, and had entered into business. I was, however, brought to ruin

by my own folly and extravagance, and went to America. There, my

principles not fully satisfying me, I read _Watson's Apology for the

Bible_, and similar works, and again avowed myself a believer in the

Word of God. It was my bitter lot, however, soon to see that it is

much more easy to renounce the principles of error than to cease from

those evil practices of which they are the productive sources. It

will not be wondered that, even after I had disavowed the creed of an

infidel, I was confirmed in the habits of infidelity, and was

_still,_ on returning to my native land, ready to perpetrate any deed

of darkness which the fury of passion might prompt, or the straits of

poverty suggest. The act for which I may soon be suspended on the

gallows is the final consummation of a wilful disbelief in the

inspired record." The minister continues, "I was often with him, and

found him to possess an extensive acquaintance with the Scriptures,

and a considerable knowledge of our religious poets. As the person at

whom he fired, though severely wounded, was not killed, he seemed to

the last to expect a reprieve. The governor of the gaol entered his

cell half-an-hour before the time which had been fixed for his

execution, saying, 'I have a communication from the Secretary of

State.' A smile of hope played for a moment round his pallid face,

but it seemed only as if to give the gloom of despair the opportunity

of coming in deeper and more terrible shadows over his features, for

the governor instantly added, 'but there is nothing said respecting

you--_you must therefore die._' We were again alone, and pacing his

cell he said, with deep emotion, 'It is then a fact that I must

suffer the extreme penalty of the law. In a few minutes I shall be in

eternity, my wife will be a widow, and my children will be

fatherless, bearing part of my reproach, notwithstanding they had no

part in my guilt.' On his way to the place of execution we passed

through the turnkey's room. Seeing a lad seated in a distant corner,

he went to him, and said, 'Look at me, and learn never to stand in

the way of the ungodly, nor sit in the seat of the scorner of

truth.'"--_Evangelist._

_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._

The influence of society upon man is great, and was intended to be

great. As the natural world is held together by the influence of

matter upon matter by the law of gravitation, so the moral world is

held together by the influence of mind upon mind. We are made to

attract and to be attracted, to influence and to be influenced, to

instruct and to be instructed. But this power of mind over mind is

not a neutral power, it is necessarily great for evil and for good.

Paul says that "Evil communications corrupt good manners." There is

nothing to be expected from evil companions but an increase of sin,

and an increase of punishment. The best is a briar, the most upright

sharper than a thorn-hedge, which will rob us of our fleece, if they

do not pierce our skin. Most likely they will do both.--_S. Thodey._

The literal meaning of the word _rahah,_ from which "companion"

comes, is to feed; boon-companions, who _feed_ together (chap.

xxix. 3). There is a play upon like Hebrew sounds, in "companion" and

"destroyed," _roheh_ and _roang._ The Greek _Theognis_ says, "Thou

shalt learn good from the good; but if thou wilt associate with the

bad, thou shalt lose even the mind thou hast." _Seneca_ says, "The

road is long by precept; it is short and effectual by example." What

one sees makes more impression than what one hears. As bad air

injures the strongest health, so association with the bad injures the

strongest mind.--_Fausset._

What you learn from bad habits and from bad society you will never

forget, and it will be a lasting pang to you. I tell you in all

sincerity, not as in the excitement of speech, but as I would confess

and have confessed before God, that I would give my right hand

to-night if I _could forget_ that which I have learned in evil

society; if I could tear from my remembrance the scenes which I have

witnessed, the transactions which have taken place before me.--_J. B.

Gough._

In the neighbourhood of Swansea, for miles round, no vegetation

exists, owing to the smoke from the large copper-works there: even

so, exposure to the influence of bad companions prevents man from

growing and flourishing in the Divine life.--_T. Jones._

It is not left to us to determine whether there shall be any

influence; only, what that influence shall be. Joash, while he

_walked with his wise_ guardian, was _wise._ But when, after his

guardian's death, he became _"a companion of fools,"_ he was

_"destroyed"_ (2 Chron. xxiv.). . . . The first warning to sinners

just plucked out of the fire, was--"Save yourselves from this

untoward generation" (Acts ii. 40).--_Bridges._

We shall never get the good "desire" (ver. 19) if we keep out among

the wicked. In heathen lands all are _"fools,"_ and therefore all do

badly. In Christian lands piety is in circles and in families, and

moves in lines. The mutual influences are immense. A noble way to be

_"wise,"_ is to go boldly among the good, confess Christ, and ask

their prayers and influence.--_Miller._

It is better--safer, I am sure it is--to ride alone than to have a

thief's company; and such is a wicked man, who will rob thee of

precious time, if he do thee no more mischief. The Nazarites, who

might drink no wine, were also forbidden to eat grapes, of which wine

is made. So we must not only avoid sin itself, but also the causes

and occasions thereof, amongst which bad company (the lime-twigs of

the devil) is the chiefest, especially to catch those natures which

are most swayed by others.--_Fuller._

Many scriptural illustrations press for notice. _The family of Lot,_

suffering from the fearful contamination of Sodom; _Rehoboam,_

following the counsel of his young companions in preference to that

of the experienced counsellors of his father, and losing thereby

five-sixths of his kingdom; _Jehoshaphat,_ associating with Ahab

"helping the ungodly, and loving them that hated the Lord" (2 Chron.

xvii., xix. 1, 2), wrath, therefore, coming upon him from

Jehovah.--_Wardlaw._

It is not talking with the wise, but walking with the wise that will

make you wise. It is not your commending and praising of the wise,

but your walking with the wise that will make you wise. It is not

your taking a few turns with the wise that will make you wise, but

your walking with the wise that will make you wise. There is no

getting much good by them that are good but by making them your

ordinary and constant companions. Ah, friends! you should do as

Joseph in Egypt, of whom the Scripture saith--Psa. cv. 22--(according

to the Hebrew phrase) that he tied the princes of Pharaoh's court

about his heart. If ever you would gain by the saints, you must bind

them upon your souls. The Jews have a proverb that two dry sticks put

to a green one will kindle it. The best way to be in a flame Godward,

Christward, heavenward, and holinessward, is to be among the dry

sticks, the kindle-coals, the saints; for as live coals kindle those

that are dead, so lively Christians will heat and enliven those that

are dead.--_Brooks._

_Character affected by intercourse. He that walks with religious men

will become religious._ Walking signifies a continued course of

conduct. To walk with religious men is not to mingle with them

occasionally, or to unite with them in performing some of the more

public duties of religion. Ahithophel, who died as a fool dieth,

walked with David to the house of God in company. It is not to live

in a pious family, for a person may do this without making its

members his associates. Nor does uniting with religious men in

promoting some of the great objects which the Christian world is now

pursuing, necessarily prove that we walk with them, for this may be

done from a wrong motive. To walk with them is to choose them for our

associates, our fellow travellers in the journey of life; and this

implies an agreement with them in our views and objects of pursuit.

Can two walk together, says the prophet, except they be agreed? In

order that two persons may walk together they must be agreed, first,

as to the place to which they will go, and secondly, they must agree

in opinion as to the way that leads to that place. If they disagree

on either point they will soon separate. Every religious man is

travelling towards heaven, and all who would walk with them must make

heaven the object of their pursuit. The only way to heaven is Jesus

Christ, and all who walk with religious persons must at least assent

to this truth although they may not immediately and cordially embrace

it. He who perseveres in this course will become religious. 1. The

simple fact that he chooses such associates proves that he is already

the subject of religious impressions--that the Spirit of God is

striving with him. 2. He will see and hear many things which

powerfully tend to increase and perpetuate his serious impressions.

He moves in a circle where God, the soul, and salvation are regarded

as of supreme importance--where religion is presented to him--not as

a cold abstraction, but living in the persons of its disciples. 3. No

one will continue to walk with religious persons after his serious

impressions are effaced, and it is presumed that no one who continued

to be the subject of religious impressions for any length of time

ever failed to become religious. It is true persons may be seriously

affected, occasionally, and perhaps for years together, and at

different seasons may associate much with religious characters

without becoming religious; but such persons cannot be said to walk

with good men in the sense of the text; for their religious

impressions are often effected for a considerable time, and long

intervals of carelessness succeed, during which they, in a measure,

forsake religious society.--_Payson._

It is not for us to let our hearts have their own way in the

selection of companions. On that choice depend interests too great to

be safely left to chance. The issue to be decided is not what herd

you shall graze with a few years before your spirit returns to the

dust; but what moral element you shall move in during the few and

evil days of your life, till your spirit returns to God who gave it.

I like this companion; he fascinates me; I cannot want him; an

enforced separation would be like tearing myself asunder. Well, if

that companion's heart be godless, and his steps already slipping

backward and downward, why not tear yourself asunder? The act will be

painful, no doubt, but "skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will

he give for his life."--_Arnot._

He that comes where sweet spices and ointments are stirring, doth

carry away some of the sweet savour, though he think not of it; so

holiness is such an elixir as by contraction (if there be any

disposition of goodness in the same metal), it will render it of the

property.--_Trapp._

All sorts of companions are market men, and they usually traffic

together, when they meet together, whether they be good or bad, the

wares being commonly precious or vile, according to the dispositions

of the persons who utter them.--_Dod._

It is not said, he that sitteth still with the wise, for both sitting

still, neither doth the one teach nor the other learn. But he that

when a wise man walketh in the ways of wisdom, walketh also with him

by following his example and steps, he it is that shall be wise. To

be with the wise, and not in their ways of wisdom, is to be out of

the way for getting any good by them. Be therefore with them so as

that their wisdom may be with thee.--_Jermin._

No person that is an enemy to God can be a friend to man. He that has

already proved himself ungrateful to the Author of every blessing

will not scruple, when it will serve his turn, to shake off a

fellow-worm like himself. He may render you instrumental to his own

purposes, but he will never benefit you.--_Bishop Coleridge._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 21.

PURSUIT AND REPAYMENT.

+I. Evil pursues sinners because sinners pursue evil.+ The huntsman

who pursues the hare in the direction of a precipice is pursuing a

course which, if continued, must be followed by evil. It is an evil

thing for him to follow such a trifle at such a risk. There is evil

before him in the form of the precipice, and evil will follow if he

continues to pursue his present course. Should he try his strength

against the law of gravitation by leaping over the precipice, he will

find that law will exact its penalty. There are but two things that

will prevent evil from pursuing him, either he must desist from his

present course or a great law of nature must be suspended. The first

alternative rests with himself, the second does not. He will find

that this "battle is to the strong," and that "the race is to the

swift," even to the mighty law which holds together the material

universe. So with sinners against the moral law. "Evil be to him who

evil thinks" is a wish that is always fulfilled. It is a law in

constant operation. The consequence of pursuing evil in the form of

evil thinking _is_ evil thinking, the consequence of evil feeling

_is_ evil feeling, the consequence of evil doing _is_ evil doing, for

it is the tendency of evil to repeat itself, and this in itself is a

punishment. Peter speaks of sinners who "cannot cease from sin"

(2 Pet. ii. 14). They have sinned until they have bound themselves in

fetters of sinful habit. Evil, in this sense, pursues them, and will

pursue them so long as they pursue it. Then there is, of course, the

positive retribution, which both in time and beyond time visits

pursuers of evil. Of this we have several times treated.

+II. Good men are repaid with good because their characters are

righteous.+ The law of repayment runs through nature. He who sows

seed is repaid by a harvest. All her forces--rain, sunlight, heat and

cold--combine to give back to the husbandman that which he has

entrusted to her care. And she repays of the same kind, wheat for the

sowing of wheat, thistles for the planting of thistles. She also

repays with liberal interest. One head of thistledown scattered over

a field will reproduce a hundred heads in a few months. One grain of

corn will produce an ear of thirty or forty grains. The law in the

kingdom of nature is also the law of the kingdom of grace. Evil sown,

as we have just seen under another metaphor, necessitates a reaping

of evil. Good sown endures a reaping of good. And grace is not behind

nature in liberal repayment. He who sows handfuls shall reap armfuls.

He that goes forth with the _seed basket_ returns with _sheaves_ (Ps.

cxxvi. 6). The one "corn of wheat bears much fruit" (John xii. 24).

This repayment begins in time, and extends beyond it. Righteousness

as well as sin is its own present reward, and is the present first

fruits. But the righteous man must wait for the "resurrection of the

just" for the abundant harvest.

_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._

_"Evil"_ is rapacious in its gains. Each inch _"evil"_ holds. It

never lets back any advance. It is versatile to tempt, and ruins with

many instruments while the good, however, have just the opposite lot.

They gain by every advance. Each act that is holy in their lives is

rewarded by better acts and higher holiness on through their whole

probation,--nay, eternally! The pit is bottomless. But evil never

ceases to hound sinners and make them worse.--_Miller._

The reprobation here is very striking. "Evil _pursueth_ sinners." It

follows them every step. It keeps pace with the progress of time.

Each moment it comes nearer. Silent and unperceived it tracks them

through their whole course. Insensibly it gains upon them; and at

last--it may be suddenly and when least expected--it seizes and

destroys them.--_Wardlaw._

Not the smallest good, even "a cup of cold water to a disciple"

(Matt. x. 42), or honour shown to his servants (Matt. x. 41; 1 Kings

xvii. 16-23) shall "lose its reward" (Heb. vi. 10). And if a single

act is thus remembered much more "a course, a flight held out to the

end" (2 Tim. iv. 7, 8). How manifestly is this the constitution of

grace; that when perfect obedience can claim no recompense (Luke

xvii. 10), such unworthy, such defiled work should be so honoured

with an infinite overwhelming acceptance.--_Bridges._

To be out of the hands of evil is not to be free from it; for it

still pursueth sinners, and it ceaseth not until it be gotten to the

place where they are. . . . For, as St. Augustine saith, that God

doth not forthwith avenge sinners is His patience, not His

negligence. Wherefore it is to be feared lest by how much He stays

the longer that we may repent, by so much He will punish us the more,

if that we will not amend.--_Jermin._

Caius--Agrippa having suffered imprisonment for wishing him

emperor--when he came afterwards to the empire, the first thing he

did was to prefer Agrippa, and give him a chain of gold as heavy as

the chain of iron that was on him in prison. Those that lose anything

for God He seals them a bill of exchange of a double return.--_Trapp._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 22.

AN INHERITANCE INCORRUPTIBLE.

+I. A good man has always spiritual inheritance to leave his

children.+ He has always his own holy character and example. And this

is often of great service to them in a material point of view. Men

who have obtained fame in the world leave their children the

inheritance of a famous name, which is often a fortune in itself. The

son or daughter of a famous man can command positions of worldly

advantage which are closed against the children of obscure parents.

But while a famous father can leave his fame as an inheritance to his

children he cannot ensure to them the possession of the genius by

which he gained it. Talent is not hereditary, and it often happens

that a very gifted father has very common-place children. But moral

worth--a godly character--is an inheritance that not only makes a son

respected in the world for his father's sake, but is very likely to

make him also a partaker of the same godliness. A good man's

character is not hereditary, but it is very apt to propagate other

characters of the same kind. This inheritance of a good man is an

incorruptible inheritance. No inheritance of lands or money are

entirely out of reach of the changes and chances of human life, but

the example, and the memory, and the blessings which have come from a

godly parentage, make an inheritance which, like the heavenly one,

"fadeth not away." It is the best possible safeguard that a father

can leave his children against the temptations of the world, the

flesh, and the devil. The remembrance of what belief in the Gospel

did for a holy father has saved many a son for drifting on the

quicksands of infidelity. There have been times in the history of

many a child of godly parents, when such an anchor has been the only

one which has held them from "making shipwreck of faith" (1 Tim.

i. 19). The character of a good man is such an indisputable fact, and

is so entirely unexplainable on any other ground than that of the

existence of a supernatural and Divine power, that it constitutes an

unanswerable argument for the truth of revelation. And so with every

other form of evil that assails men. The inheritance which Christ has

left to his disciples--to His spiritual children--is His _character._

This has produced and reproduced its own kind through all the ages

since His sojourn upon earth. This has held them to the faith in the

dark days of persecution. And when the infidel himself has come face

to face with it, even he has been compelled to acknowledge the

intrinsic worth of the children's portion. This holy life, lived

among sinful men, has been the "unsearchable riches" (Ephes. iii. 8)

of one Christian generation after another, for more than eighteen

centuries, and it is by virtue of this inheritance that good men have

been enabled to transmit to their posterity their own godly lives and

examples.

+II. A good man may have a material as well as a moral inheritance to

bequeath.+ He may possess both character and substance. But the fact

that a man is good is no guarantee that he will have any worldly

wealth to leave behind him. If Lord Bacon's assertion be correct,

that "Prosperity is the blessing of the Old Testament, and adversity

the blessing of the New," he is quite as likely to die poor as rich.

Still there is often a blessing of some amount of material riches

given to honest labour, and probably there are far more godly men in

proportion to their number, who acquire _some_ inheritance to leave

behind them, than there are godless men. (See on verse 11, etc.)

+III. Good men sometimes inherit wealth which has been gathered by

bad men.+ It is not a universal rule, but it may be oftener fulfilled

than we are aware of. It may be inherited by generations of wicked

men and at last come into the hands of a just one. That it should be

so is seen to be a wise and good law of providence. 1. _Because a

good man will make a far better use of "the mammon of

unrighteousness."_ He will use it to minister to both the bodily and

spiritual needs of his fellow-creatures as well as his own.

2. _Because the laid-up wealth of the wicked has often been obtained

by defrauding the good._ God does not always cause it to be repaid to

the identical _persons_ who were thus defrauded, but He may often

cause it to be restored to identical _characters._ This proverb must

be taken to assert the straightforward motion of the wheels of

providence, although by reason of their "great height" (Ezek.

i. 18),--their vast circumference--they take a long time to go round.

_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._

The usurer lightly begets blind children that cannot see to keep what

their father left them. But when the father is gone to hell for

gathering, the son often follows for scattering. But God is

just.--_T. Adams._

That the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just appears to have

been a prominent feature of the Old Dispensation (chap. xxviii. 8;

Job xxvii. 16, 17), and it will be openly renewed in the latter-day

glory of the Church (Isa. lxi. 6).--_Bridges._

This is the direct promise of heaven (Psa. ciii. 17; Prov. xxii. 6).

That it ever fails, must be by palpable neglect. A man may be saved

himself, and lose his children; but the Bible speaks of this as the

parent's fault (1 Sam. iii. 13; Prov. xiii. 24), and brands it as the

great curse upon the earth (Mal. iv. 6). While the sinner not only

cannot send down his wealth, but cannot himself possess it. It is a

curse to him. It will be used for the saints (Matt.

xxv. 28).--_Miller._

It is quite clear that in this and other passages an inheritance is

regarded _as a good,_ and that no blame is attached to "the good man"

who leaves it to his children. The principle expressed in the latter

clause is the same as that laid down by the apostle, _"All things are

yours,"_ and, among other things, "the world." That may most truly be

called mine, from which I derive the greatest possible benefit it can

be made to yield. It would be strange, indeed, were I to wish

anything else, or anything more. . . . The wicked man calls his

wealth _his own._ But it is _God's._ God is the friend of His

children, and holds that property, like everything else, for their

good; so that it is _theirs_ by being _His._--_Wardlaw._

Personal goodness profiteth for posterity. God gives not to His

servants some small annuity for life only, as great men used to do,

but "keepeth mercy for thousands" of generations "of them that fear

Him." The opposite is not perpetually and universally true of every

wicked person, . . . but, together with their lands, they bequeath

their children their sins and punishments, which is far worse than

that legacy of leprosy that Joab left his issue (2 Sam.

iii. 29).--_Trapp._

An expression of trust like that in Eccles. ii. 26, that in the long

run the anomalies of the world are rendered even.--_Plumptre._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 23.

LAND AND ITS TILLERS.

+I. That untilled land+ (see Critical Notes) +possesses a latent

power to produce food.+ There are many things in nature in which

there exists a latent power to minister to man's needs; but his hand

must be put forth to arouse the sleeping power. There is heat in coal

to warm him, but he must kindle the coal before it will put it forth.

So in the earth, there are stores of life-giving power wrapped up in

its bosom, but the hand of man must till it before it will yield him

food. And it will yield food to the poor man as well as to the rich;

his hard toil will be rewarded by receiving bread for his labour.

+II. That though much food is to be got out of the land by the poor

man, yet more is to be got out of it by the rich.+ This is implied in

the contrast, though it is not directly expressed.--(See Fausset's

Note in the Comments.) The poor man cannot spend so much upon his

land as the rich man can. He can give little beside hard labour,

while the man who possesses wealth can call in every appliance to

increase the fruitfulness of the land. It is well known that the more

liberally a land is farmed the more abundant will be the crop.

+III. Yet want of judgment--_i.e.,_ a sense of justice, often leads a

rich man to neglect to cultivate his land so as to increase its power

of yielding food.+ All landowners are responsible to God for a right

use of His earth. Holding in their hands, as they do, the power of

making food abundant or scarce, they have much for which to give an

account to Him whose stewards they are. When they turn into

hunting-grounds and parks for their own exclusive use acres of land

which, if cultivated, would yield much food, and thus lighten the

burdens of their poorer fellow-creatures, they "destroy it for want

of judgment," or "justice."

_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._

By the rule of interpretation by the contrast of opposites, and by

supplying the wanting member in one clause from its opposite

expressed in the other clause, the sense is, "But there is food

(wealth) possessed by rich men that is destroyed for want of honesty

in its acquisition and its employment." The poor man's (honest)

labour forms the contrast to the rich man's "want of justice" in his

acquisitions. The _newly_ tilled land of the poor forms the contrast

to the rich man's possessions held for some time.--_Fausset._

What is the practical or extended application? If talents lie

inactive, or if their activity is not wisely directed, a rich harvest

is _destroyed for want of judgment._ The same ruin flows from a

neglect of religious advantages. The harvest of grace withers into a

famine. Slothful professor! rouse thyself to _till_ the ground; else

thou wilt starve for want of _food._ Then let thy roused energy be

directed by a _sound judgment;_ for want of which, the fruits of

industry, temporal, intellectual, and spiritual, will run to

waste.--_Bridges._

There seems an interesting connection between the former verse and

this. Talk of _inheritances!_ says the poor man, with his scanty

means and daily hard toil; _we_ have no inheritance, either _from_

our fathers, or _for_ our children: all is homely with us, and likely

to remain so. Well, says Solomon, the poor man is not without his

consolations, even of a temporal nature, _"much food is in the

tillage of the poor."_ The maxim is not to be confined to the one

kind of labour specified, but extends equally to all the different

modes in which the poor make their daily bread. The poor peasant, who

cultivates his plot industriously and by "the sweat of his brow,"

will, through the Divine blessing, procure thereby an ample supply of

_food_ for himself and his family, and industry and tidy economy will

make the cottage fireside and table snug and comfortable, and its

lowly tenants will enjoy plenty, though in a plain and homely form.

On the other hand, how often in the case of those who obtain

_inheritances_ may the poor see the saying verified, "There is that

is destroyed for want of _judgment._" By prodigality, by bad

management, they waste their fortunes. Their lands are extensive, but

unproductive; or if productive, the product is mis-spent and

squandered; it goes, no one can tell how. To such persons the homely

comfort of the poor is a just object of envy; far more, in many

cases, than the wealth of the rich is to the poor.--_Wardlaw._

The proverbial sense is, that a little is made much by God's blessing

and pains, and that much is made little by wickedness and

carelessness.--_Jermin._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 24.

THE CHILD AND THE ROD.

+I. Pain is a necessary instrument in human training.+ The rod is to

be included in the means of education. Some natures need an

experience of pain to quicken their _mental_ capabilities. Sometimes

children are like untilled land (see ver. 23), they have large

capabilities lying dormant, which will not awaken unless they are

subjected to severe discipline and punished for their shortcomings.

And what is necessary in intellectual training is also necessary in

moral training. Children must be made to feel that pain is the

outcome of transgression, and evil habits must if possible be crushed

while in the bud. They can be overcome then at the expense of far

less suffering than when they have taken firmer hold, and the pain is

as nothing compared with that which the habits themselves will

inflict if they are allowed to go on through life and enthrall the

soul entirely. A thorn which has but just entered the skin can be

extracted with a very small amount of suffering, even by an unskilful

hand; if left for a few days it may produce a festering wound; if not

extracted at all, it may end in mortification. The fear of suffering

is also a great _preventive_ of sin. The Great Father of men uses it

as an instrument to dissuade men from breaking His laws. He warns

them, over and over again, of the suffering which they will bring

upon themselves if they disobey His commands and their experience of

the suffering that has followed sin in the past often leads them to

avoid it in the future. And what is effectual in the training of men

is effectual also with children. They will often avoid the repetition

of an act which they know has brought them punishment before and will

do so again. This fear of pain is not the highest motive for

abstinence from wrong-doing, but in both the child and the man it may

be the foundation of an upbuilding of character which shall by-and-by

go on growing in goodness without this instrumentality.

+II. That infliction of pain is compatible with the highest love, and

is often a token of it.+ The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews

tells us that God scourges His children whenever He sees that they

need it. And yet they have become His children only by the exercise

of His own Infinite love. But we know that He chastens not for His

pleasure, but for our profit (Heb. xii. 10); that He has love and

wisdom enough to see the "far-off interest of tears." So it is the

father or mother, who truly loves his or her child, who is willing to

undergo the present suffering of inflicting pain in order to ensure a

future blessing to their children. "You only have I known of all the

families of the earth; _therefore_ I will punish you for your

iniquities" (Amos iii. 2). What is true of the Divine parent is true

also of the human. It follows--

+III. That the neglect of chastisement is a proof of the want of real

love.+ "He that spareth his rod _hateth_ his son." What should we

think of a father who would see his child bleed to death rather than

bind up the wound, because in so doing he would inflict some present

bodily pain upon the child, and some mental suffering upon himself?

Or of the physician who would not use the knife to stop the progress

of mortal disease because the patient shrinks from the incision, and

he himself is averse to the sight of blood? We should say they were

destroyers of life which had been entrusted to them to preserve. But

what shall we say of a parent who is so fond of his child that he

cannot inflict pain upon him now for deeds that, if repeated until

they become habits, will ruin him for time and for eternity? Such

sickly sentimentalism in a parent makes him unworthy of his name, and

turns him who should have been his child's highest earthly blessing

into his direst curse. Many inmates of our gaols are there because

they have been the victims of this so-called love; and when God sums

up their misdeeds a large portion of the guilt will fall elsewhere

than on the child cursed by such a parent.

_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._

Fond parents think it love (that spares the rod), but Divine wisdom

calls it hatred.--_John Howe._

The discipline of our children must commence with self-discipline.

Nature teaches us to love them much. But we want a controlling

principle to teach us to love them wisely. The indulgence of our

children has its root in self-indulgence.--_Bridges._

The phrase "betimes," or "early in the morning," admonisheth parents

to procure the means of their children's welfare before all other

matters; and, as it were, as soon as they rise out of their beds. The

Lord be merciful to us for the neglect of this duty; for if we have

any worldly business to do we go first about that, and then teach and

instruct our children at our leisure. O reckless carelessness about

the chiefest matters! Oh that as we use to feed our children in the

morning so we could once be brought to instruct them also

betimes.--_Muffet._

Justice must be observed in the correction of children. 1. That there

is a fault committed. 2. That the fault so committed deserveth

punishment. 3. That the punishment do not exceed the quality of the

fault, which will otherwise seem to rage and revenge rather than to

chastise for amendment.--_Spencer._

_To spare the rod_ in the first clause being opposed to _chastening_

in the second, by the rod must be meant not only that particular

instrument of punishment, but everything besides that may prove the

means of our correction and amendment. And by chastisement is here

intended every means of correction, every means of effecting what we

intend by chastening, whether it be reproof, restraint of liberty,

disappointment of our children's wills, or corporal punishment. By

_loving_ and _hating_ is not here meant the exerting actually those

passions in the heart, for then the text would be untrue, but the

acting agreeably to the _reason,_ and not the _blindness_ of those

passions; the producing such effects as are in God's account, and in

wise men's too, and in our own when freed from partial prejudices;

the consequences and fruits of love and hatred acting regularly, such

as are commonly esteemed the effects of those two causes, whether

they indeed proceed from them or no. For if we are to reckon of love

or hatred by the effects, then it is easy to discern when parents

hate their children, namely, when, through neglect or fondness, they

permit them to enter on a course of ruin, and so let them fall into

such miseries as the utmost hatred of their inveterate enemies could

neither wish nor make them greater, whatever love there may be at the

bottom. A mother is as much a murderess who stifles her child in a

bed of roses as she that does it with a pillow-bear _(pillow-case)._

The end and mischief is as great, though the means and instrument be

not the same.--_Bishop Fleetwood._

He that spareth the rod from his son maketh him to be _his rod,_

wherewith he whips himself, and wherewith God whips both of them. It

is better thy son should feel thy rod than thou feel the sorrow of

his wicked life. And do not _hate_ him in not correcting of him, lest

he _hate thee_ by thy not correcting of him, and God shew His hatred

against both by His wrath upon you.--_Jermin._

The Koh-i-noor diamond, when it came into the Queen's possession, was

a mis-shapen lump. It was very desirable to get its corners cut off

and all its sides reduced to symmetry; but no unskilful hand was

permitted to touch it. Men of science were summoned to consider its

nature and capabilities. They examined the form of its crystals and

the consistency of its parts. They considered the direction of the

grain, and the side on which it would bear a pressure. With their

instructions, the jewel was placed in the hands of an experienced

lapidary, and by long, patient, careful labour, its sides were ground

down to the desired proportions. The gem was hard, and needed a heavy

pressure; the gem was precious, and every precaution was taken which

science and skill could suggest to get it polished into shape without

cracking it in the process. The effort was successful. The hard

diamond was rubbed down into forms of beauty, and yet sustained no

damage by the greatness of the pressure to which it was subjected.

"Jewels, bright jewels," in the form of little children, are the

heritage which God gives to every parent. They are unshapely and need

to be polished; they are brittle and so liable to be permanently

injured by the pressure; but they are stones of peculiar

preciousness, and if they were successfully polished they would shine

as stars for ever and ever, giving off, from their undimming edge,

more brilliantly than other creatures can, the glory which they get

from the Sun of Righteousness. Those who possess these diamonds in

the rough should neither strike them unskilfully nor let them be

uncut. . . . Prayer and pains must go together in this difficult

work. Lay the whole case before our Father in heaven; this will take

the hardness out of the correction, without diminishing its

strength.--_Arnot._

Correction is a kind of cure, saith the philosopher (Arist. _Ethic._

lib. ii.), the likeliest way to save the child's soul; where, yet,

saith Bernard, it is the care of the child that is charged upon the

parent, not the cure, that is God's work alone.--_Trapp._

In order to form the minds of children, the first thing to be done is

_to conquer the will._ To inform the understanding is a work of time,

and must, with children, proceed by slow degrees, as they are able to

bear it; but the subjecting of the will must be done at once, _and

the sooner the better;_ for, by neglecting timely correction, they

will contract a stubbornness and obstinacy which are hardly ever

conquered, and not without using such severity as would be as painful

to me as to the child. I insist upon the conquering of the will

betimes, because this is the only strong and rational foundation of a

religious education, without which both precept and example will be

ineffectual. But when this is thoroughly done, a child is capable of

being governed by the wisdom and piety of its parents till its own

understanding comes to maturity, and the principles of religion have

taken root in the mind.--_Mrs. S. Wesley._

It is _his_ rod that must be used, the rod of a parent, not the rod

of a servant.--_Henry._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 25.

WANT AND SATISFACTION.

+I. The limited truth of the assertion in relation both to the

righteous and the wicked.+ Read in the light of personal experience,

and in the light of history, it is found _true,_ and is found _not

true_ in the case of the righteous. Elijah _ate to satisfaction_

beside the brook Cherith, while many of his idolatrous countrymen

suffered _want._ But Paul was often in hunger (2 Cor. xi. 27), while

Nero lived in luxury. Christians have died from hunger, and others

have had all their bodily wants supplied all their lives, and

sometimes by most remarkable providential interpositions. Godliness

is often profitable in this sense for the "life that now is" (1 Tim.

iv. 8), but not always, and wickedness often brings a man literally

to the condition of the prodigal when he would "fain have filled his

belly with the husks that the swine did eat;" but many a wicked man,

like him of the parable (Luke xvi. 19), have "fared sumptuously every

day" from their cradle to their grave. To take our text as absolutely

true of material food would be to contradict the testimony of

Scripture itself.

+II. Its absolute truth in relation to both characters.+ 1. _That

wickedness gives a man no real satisfaction is a fact of experience._

Men have testified over and over again that while they lived in sin

they knew nothing of real heart-satisfaction and rest, and have borne

witness to the words of St. Augustine, who spoke from experience when

he said, "Thou hast made us for thyself, and the heart is restless

till it finds rest in Thee." A man who feeds upon unwholesome food is

always in want, because that upon which he feeds is not suited to

meet the demands of his physical frame, so it is with the soul of a

godless man. 2. _The history of the world testifies that it is so._

The unrest of the ungodly is the explanation of much of the ambition,

of many of the selfish schemes of some men, as well as the voluntary

asceticism, the self-imposed sufferings of others. The key to both is

that they have spent _"money for that which is not bread, and their

labour for that which satisfieth not"_ (Isa. lv. 2). The teaching of

Christ confirms it. Want was the condition of the prodigal; he wanted

the bread which his father's home and table alone could supply.

"Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, ye

have no life in you" (John vi. 53). On this subject see Dr. Arnot's

remarks on verse 12 in the comments on that verse. 3. _That there is

satisfaction in sainthood is declared by Christ, and testified to be

true by all His followers._ The bread upon which a renewed man feeds

is the Divine Word--the thoughts of God in the abstract, and the

personal thought or word _Jesus Christ._ "As the living Father hath

sent Me and I live by the Father, so he that eateth Me shall live by

Me" (John vi. 57). And life is but another word for satisfaction. "He

that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly

shall flow rivers of living water" (John vii. 38). Millions of men

and women in all circumstances, both poor and rich in worldly wealth,

have set their "seal that God is true" (John iii. 33) when He invites

men to "hearken diligently unto Him, and eat that which is good, and

let their souls delight themselves in fatness" (Isa. lv. 2).

_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._

One of the confidences of the wicked is that he, at least, has his

pleasure in this world. The inspired Solomon denies it. He himself

has left us an experience (Eccles. i). The righteous man seeks

righteousness and peace, and these things do satisfy him. He seeks

them, not as the world does, under a mistake, but for what they

really are. He seeks them more and more as he knows them better, and

shall be seeking them and enjoying them though eternal ages. _"But

the wicked,"_ even in his _"belly,"_ wants. His delights, even of the

more carnal sort, are not to be directly gazed at. If they are, they

vanish. He cannot trust himself to theorise over any solid pleasures.

So hollow are they that he would not live over again the history of

the past, and so poor that he grows tired of enjoying them.--_Miller._

Have he more or less, he hath that which satisfies him. Nature is

content with little, grace with less. If Jacob may have but "bread to

eat and raiment to put on" it sufficeth him; and this he dare be bold

to promise himself. Beg his bread he hopes he shall not, but if he

should, he can say with Luther (who made many a meal of a broiled

herring) "Let us be content to fare hard here: have we not the bread

that came down from heaven?"--_Trapp._

To have to eat is the common mercy of God, who openeth His hand and

feedeth all things living. To have enough to eat is a great mercy in

itself, and greater than man's nature, which hath never enough of

sinning anyway deserveth; but to be _satisfied_ with that which is

enough is a peculiar property bestowed on the righteous. The belly of

the wicked wanting enough to eat in some degree is punished for

feeding too greedily on the husks of sin. Wanting all food is more

hardly punished, and it may be for the hardness of their hearts in

resisting all instruction; but that it shall _want_ though it have

enough, this is a severe punishment of wickedness, though thought to

be the least. The wise man doth not speak of the want of the _mouth_

of the wicked as showing that the mouth should have sufficient, and

yet the belly be punished with want in not being satisfied.--_Jermin._

_HOMILETIC TREATMENT OF THE CHAPTER AS A WHOLE._

"The true Christian education of children." (1) Its basis: God's Word

(vers. 1, 13, 14); (2) Its means: Love and strictness in inculcating

God's Word (vers. 1, 18, 24); (3) Its aim: Guidance of the youth to

the promotion of his temporal and eternal welfare (vers. 2 sq. 16

sq.)--_Lange's Commentary._

* * * * * *