Verse 12. This is true of earthly monarchies. _"A throne,"_ without

some equity in it, could not last an instant. If it were

unmitigatedly bad, it would be swept out of existence. A king must be

just to his people, or else to his soldiers, who support him against

his people. His strength is justice, somewhere. The strength of a bad

throne is precisely that part of it that is just. But if this be true

of a world's throne, where it has been seen that God governs as well

as the king, how not of a Divine throne, that rests solely on its

Maker? It is impossible to conceive of a universe without justice, or

of anything so complicated being externally possible without every

sort of harmony, and especially that sort which is highest and best.

Hence many of the expressions in the eighth chapter (verses 22, 30,

etc.), the personage being personified Wisdom, which is holiness or

moral light, and which includes all the attributes of

justice.--_Miller._

The greater men be, the more grievous their faults are when they fall

into sin. For--1. The more bountiful God hath been to them, the more

grateful they ought to be to Him, and as He hath increased their

wages, so they ought to mend their work; large pay doth duly

challenge large pains, and therefore, contrariwise, their great

offences must needs deserve the greater punishment. 2. Their sins are

very pernicious and pestilent, they bring evil into request, and men

by their example will practise it for credit's sake. When Jeroboam is

mentioned, he is usually described by this, that _he made Israel to

sin._ 3. They draw down the plagues and judgments upon the places and

people that are under them, as David did. And the strokes which the

fearful sins of Manasseh, Jehoiakim, and others brought upon the city

and inhabitants of Jerusalem were very lamentable in those days, and

very memorable still in these times. . . . The goodness and justice

of men in authority doth better uphold their estate than greatness

and riches. "The throne is established by righteousness,"

for--(1) There, and nowhere else, is stability and assurance, where

God is a refuge and defence; they stand all firm whom He protecteth,

and down they must whom He neglecteth. And whom doth He prefer but

the righteous? And what righteous man was ever forsaken? (2) Equal

and upright administration of justice doth knit the hearts of a

people to their governors, and the love of the subjects is a strong

foot and a mighty munition for the safety of the ruler. (3) When the

magistrate doth right to all and wrong to none, every good and

indifferent man will reverence him, and stand in the greater awe of

his laws, so that none but such are as desperately rebellious will

dare to attempt anything against him.--_Dod._

Verse 13. There never was a kingdom so corrupt that its courts of

justice were not used, in the main, against wickedness. There never

was a Nero, or a Borgia, who, on the very account of his crimes, did

not find crime sore, and a trouble to him, in those about him. It is

one of the strangest miracles of Omnipotence that a universe can take

in transgression and yet last. And, while God has made even the

wicked "for his decree" (ver. 4), yet "a pleasure to kings are lips

of righteousness, and he who speaks right is loved."--_Miller._

We have here in this passage Solomon's king, and in these words the

delight of his king. For, whereas, many are, and well may be, the

delights of kings, this one it is, the delight of righteousness,

which sweetens all the rest unto them. This is a royal delight

indeed, which makes the king of righteousness to delight in them. And

surely needful it is that a king's lips should delight in

righteousness. For _fear_ may compel others, but _delight_ must carry

him unto it. Needful is it that righteous lips should be a king's

delight, because it is in kings' courts that there is too much lying.

We read of one who said that he would be a lying prophet in the

mouths of all Ahab's prophets (1 Kings xxii. 22), to which the answer

of God is, Thou shalt go and prevail. Upon which the note of Cajetan

is, "God manifested the efficacy of this means--namely, of lying in

the Court." It is needful, therefore, that the king should delight in

lips of righteousness, for he that doth himself delight in them will

also love others that speak right; yea, will therefore love them that

they also may delight in it. For then is righteousness best spoken

when delight openeth the door of the lips.--_Jermin._

Verse 14. The report of one may be a mistake, but the relation of

many carrieth more force with it. The wrath, therefore, of a king is

as _messengers_ of death, enough to pull down the stoutest heart; and

if his moved spirit send down this message to any, it is sufficient

to tell them and to assure them, that they had need to look unto

themselves. But well it is that the wrath of a king is as the

_messengers_ of death, and not the _executioners_ of it. For so it

ought to be, that himself may have time either to alter or recall his

message, and they may have time to whom it is sent to answer for

themselves. St. Peter was hasty in wrath when he cut off the ear of

Malchus, whereupon Tertullian saith, "The patience of God was wounded

in Malchus." And surely the mercy of God is often wounded in the

hasty wrath of a king. Plutarch saith well, that as bodies through a

cloud, so through anger things seem greater than they are. To put

therefore wrath to a journey, is a good way to moderate, if by

nothing else, by wearying the hasty fierceness of it. And let a wise

man have respite to meet with it, he will with gentle blasts of cool

air easily mitigate the violent force of it. Let him be told of a

king's wrath against him, he need not be told that he take care to

prevent it. But, though great be the wrath of heaven against careless

sinners, and though many be the messengers that He sendeth to them,

yet they all cry, "Who hath believed our report?" Did they hear one

word of an earthly king's anger against them, it would more move them

than the whole Word of God doth, wherein the message of His anger is

so often repeated. The answer which they send back to the message of

God's wrath, is obstinate rebellion in their sinful

courses.--_Jermin._

_ILLUSTRATION._

Executions in the East are often very prompt and arbitrary. In many

cases the suspicion is no sooner entertained, or the cause of offence

given, than the fatal order is issued. The messenger of death hurries

to the unsuspecting victim, shows his warrant, and executes his

orders that instant, in silence and solitude. Instances of this kind

are continually occurring in the Turkish and Persian histories. Such

executions were not uncommon among the Jews under the government of

their kings. Solomon sent Benaiah as his capidgi, or executioner, to

put to death Joab, the commander-in-chief of the forces during the

reign of his father. A capidgi likewise beheaded John the Baptist,

and carried his head to the court of Herod. To such silent and hasty

executioners the royal Preacher seems to refer in the proverb. From

the dreadful promptitude with which Benaiah executed the commands of

Solomon on Adonijah and Joab, it may be concluded that the

executioner of the court was as little ceremonious, and the ancient

Jews nearly as passive, as the Turks or Persians. The prophet Elisha

is the only person on the inspired record who ventured to resist the

bloody mandate of the sovereign (2 Kings vi. 32). But if such

mandates had not been too common among the Jews, and in general

submitted to without resistance, Jehoram had scarcely ventured to

despatch a single messenger to take away the life of so eminent a

person as Elisha.--_Paxton's Illustrations._

_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._

Verse 15. As the wise man before teacheth subjects to fear the king's

wrath, and to seek his favour, so here he teacheth kings to join the

light of mercy, the softness of clemency, unto the hardness and

severity of wrath. Or else we may thus meditate upon the words--the

true favour of a king is not only to shine with a cheerful

countenance upon them whom he affecteth, but sometimes to look

through a thick cloud upon them. For as the light of the sun giveth

life to the fruits of the earth, but the cloud of latter rain giveth

bigness and fulness unto them, so the light of the king's countenance

giveth life to the fruits of earthly honour, but it is the dewy cloud

of his wise displeasure, when things are amiss, that giveth fulness

of worth unto them whom his favour honoureth. The latter rain many

times does them more good and sheweth in the king greater favour to

them than his former sunshining countenance. But to apply the verse

unto a fuller profit. The light of the countenance of the King of

heaven is Jesus Christ our Lord, who is the brightness of His glory;

and in this light there is life indeed. For as He is light and in Him

is no darkness, so He is life, and in Him is no death. It was in the

_latter time_ that He was _clouded_ with the veil of our flesh, and

that He became a heavenly _cloud of the latter rain_ unto us, pouring

out the glorious dew of His precious blood for us, that so, we being

watered therewith might even swell in grace, and grow to a fulness of

glory in heaven. . . . In Judea usually about harvest time there are

evening clouds which, yielding a sweet rain, do much increase the

largeness of the fruits; and in the evening of the world, when the

harvest was great, this heavenly cloud was sent upon us, whereby the

fruit of God's Church, confined before to Judea, was enlarged

throughout the world.--_Jermin._

For Homiletics on verse 16, see chap. viii. 10, 11, page 107.

_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._

Not wisdom, but "to get wisdom." Wisdom itself is glorious. Wisdom in

God is above all praise. It will be the gem of Paradise. It will be

the grand opulence of the family of the skies. But what the great

Preacher would confine us to in the language of the text is, our

_getting_ wisdom as the evangelical condition; our getting it,

moreover, in time, like "the latter rain," so as to be in season for

the crop; for, as a former sentence urges (chap. iv. 7), "As the

chiefest thing in wisdom, get wisdom." Because, "what shall it profit

a man, if he gain the whole world," if God is his "King," and "the

wrath of the King" makes all His providences but as messengers of

gloom (ver. 14).--_Miller._

Let us call to mind in word-outline the scene on a spring morning in

the city of David, when David's son was "king in Jerusalem." Before

the portico of the fragrant cedar-house of Solomon, the royal guards,

Cherithites and Pelethites, executioners and messengers of the kings'

behests, waited their master's coming. Impatient steeds from Arabia,

or the far-off banks of the Nile, pawed the highway, and shook with

pride their plumes and costly accoutrements. Soldiers, with silken

standards blazoned with the sacred Name, and throwing back the

sunlight from their targets and shields of beaten gold, kept their

ranks firm and close, as if the foe were at hand, and the silver

trumpets waited but to sound the battle charge. Veterans, grown grey

in David's service, and wearing the laurels of many a hard-fought

field, were driven all along the line in their chariots of State, and

the grim faces of these old warriors gleamed with satisfaction as

they looked about them on the evidences of their nation's military

strength. . . . But now the trumpets sound, and the echoing shout of

welcome rises on the morning air. Solomon, arrayed in all his glory,

appears, and the cry, "God save the king!" is heard on every side.

Children chanting their sweet hosannahs to David's son and David's

heir strew the path with the lilies of the field, or the roses of

Sharon, and the boughs of palms. Others throw their garments upon the

dusty highway as the long procession moves to the soft music of

Eastern minstrelsy along the narrow streets, and out upon the broader

pathway leading to the royal gardens, or the cool retreats of Olivet,

each beaming face by the wayside, or peering from latticed balcony,

each welcome shout and song from the daughters of Jerusalem, or the

trained singers of the temple choirs, attest the affection of a

grateful people, and make of the monarch's morning progress a

triumphal ovation. Such was Solomon in all his glory; such the

popular acclaim, and we might go on to tell until the tale were

tiresome to tell how "Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth,"

in riches, splendour, fame. But was this the principal thing? Had

Solomon in getting all this glory, and in winning all this praise,

gained that with which his soul was satisfied, and the cravings of

his nobler self appeased. Years before. . . . "Give me wisdom and

knowledge," was his prayer. . . . Even in the wishes of one so

lately invested with royal power, wisdom in its relation to his

Maker, knowledge so far as it concerned his fellow-men, seemed the

principal thing. And that prayer was heard in heaven. . . . He to

whom God gave such gifts may well direct us to the possession of this

principal thing. We need not ask for an earthly teacher with higher

qualifications.--_Bishop Perry._

Gold is the crown of metals, wisdom is the crown of knowledge. Silver

beareth the image of an earthly king, understanding beareth the image

of the King of heaven. Gold is the treasure of the purse, wisdom the

treasure of the soul. Silver is the price of outward commodities,

understanding is the price of inward virtues; by that sought, by that

bought. Wherefore by how much knowledge is better than metal, virtue

than worldly commodities, the image of God than the image of man; by

so much wisdom and knowledge are better than silver and gold. But

they are not wisdom and understanding that are here compared with

them, there being no comparison between them. But the very _getting_

of wisdom and understanding, the very pains taken in procuring of

them, the very honour of being a possessor of them, is better than

all the gold and silver in the world.--_Jermin._

The question only is written in the book; the learner is expected to

work out the answer. We, of this mercantile community, are expert in

the arithmetic of time. Here is an example to test our skill in

casting up the accounts of eternity. Deeper interests are at stake;

greater care should be taken to avoid an error, more labour willingly

expended in making the balance true. . . . The question is strictly

one of degree. It is not, whether wisdom or gold is the more precious

portion for a soul. That question was settled long ago by common

consent. All who in any sense make a profession of faith in God,

confess that wisdom is better than gold; and this teacher plies them

with another problem, _How much better?_ Two classes of persons have

experience in this matter--those who have chosen the meaner portion,

and those who have chosen the nobler; but only the latter class is

capable of calculating the difference suggested by the text. Those

who give their heart to money understand only the value of their own

portion; those who possess treasures in heaven have tasted both

kings, and can appreciate the difference between them. . . . As the

man born blind cannot tell how much better light is than his native

darkness--as the slave born under the yoke of his master cannot tell

how much better liberty is than his life-long bondage--so he who has

despised treasures at God's right hand cannot conceive how much more

precious they are to a man in his extremity than the riches that

perish in the use. . . . But even these cannot compute the

difference. Eye hath not seen it, ear hath not heard it. Wisdom from

above, like the love of God, passeth knowledge. . . . How much better

is wisdom than gold? Better by all the worth of a soul--by all the

blessedness of heaven--by all the length of eternity. But all these

expressions are only tiny lines that children fling into the ocean to

measure its depth withal. . . In a time of war between two great

maritime nations, a ship belonging to one of them is captured upon

the high seas by a ship belonging to the other. The captain, with a

few attendants, goes on board his prize, and directs the native crew

to steer for the nearest point of his country's shore. The prize is

very rich. The victors occupy themselves wholly in collecting and

counting the treasure, and arranging their several shares, abandoning

the care of the ship to her original owners. These, content with

being permitted to handle the helm, allow their rivals to handle the

treasure unmolested. After a long night, with a steady breeze, the

captured mariners quietly, at dawn, run the ship into a harbour on

their own shores. The conquerors are in turn made captives. They lose

all the gold which they grasped too eagerly, and their liberty

besides. In that case it was much better to have hold of the helm

which directed the ship, than of the money which the ship contained.

Those who seized the money, and neglected the helm, lost even the

money which was in their hands. Those who neglected the money and

held the helm, obtained the money which they neglected and liberty

too. They arrived at home, and all their wealth with them. Thus they

who make money their aim suffer a double loss, and they who seek the

wisdom from above secure a double gain. The gold with which men are

occupied will profit little, if the voyage of life be not pointed

home. If themselves are lost, the possessions are worthless.--_Arnot._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 17.

SOUL-PRESERVATION.

+I. The main object of an upright man's care--his soul.+ Every human

creature is possessed of an instinct to preserve his bodily life and

well-being. An upright man has also a spiritual instinct which leads

him to guard carefully his spiritual life--his soul. He is desirous

of keeping a conscience purged from dead works--free from bruise or

moral taint. 1. _He seeks to preserve his soul because of the value

he places upon its powers._ We are wont to value material things

according to the power they possess to fulfil certain ends. A skilful

workman values a piece of mechanism in proportion to the complicated

and various movements which it can execute. And in proportion to the

value set upon it will be the care taken to preserve it. Human life

is valued according to its abilities to do things which cannot be

done by many. The life of a great statesman, of a skilful physician,

is of more value to the race than the lives of a hundred ordinary

men, because their power to minister to the welfare and health of

their fellow-creatures so far surpasses the power of ordinary men.

And the upright man values his soul because of its mighty and almost

infinite capabilities and powers. In its present undeveloped

condition it can suffer much and can enjoy much, it can become a

partaker of the "Divine nature" (2 Pet. i. 4), and he knows that its

powers will be mightily increased and multiplied after the death of

the body. 2. _He seeks to preserve it because of the value God sets

upon it._ If we come into possession of a precious gem and desire to

know its value, we take it to one who we are certain is qualified to

judge in such matters, and our estimate of it is increased or

lessened in proportion to his opinion. He who wants to know the value

of his soul must go to the only Being in the universe who is certain

not to err in the price he sets upon it. Jesus Christ Himself has

given to men His estimate of the worth of the human soul, both in His

word and in His deeds. He who is fully acquainted with all its powers

and possibilities for good and evil--of suffering and of joy--has

said, _"What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and

lose his own soul, or what shall a man give in exchange for his

soul?"_ (Matt. xvi. 26). And He has gone beyond words. To save men's

souls He, _"being in the form of God . . . took upon Him the form of

a servant, and was made in the likeness of men, and being found in

fashion as a man, humbled Himself and became obedient unto death,

even the death of the cross"_ (Phil. ii. 6-8). The wise man values

his soul according to the estimate of Gethsemane and Calvary, and

therefore he counts it the chief business of his life to guard it.

+II. There can be no preservation of the soul except by departure

from evil.+ The human nature of even the best men in this world is

duplex. The ruling power in a godly man is good, but there are also

evil tendencies within him still. He subscribes to the apostolic

confession, "Evil is present with me," (Rom. viii. 21). But there

must be a constant departure from evil by a constant effort to do

good. The strengthening of holy affections will most effectually

check the power of sinful desires. The dominion of sin will be

weakened by the formation of holy habits. In other words, keeping the

highway of the upright is in itself a departure from evil--"following

after righteousness is fleeing from sin" (1 Tim. vi. 11).

_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._

_"The highway,"_ a way _cast up._ Such ways were convenient in the

East;--first, for being found; second, for being travelled.

_"Departing from evil"_ is a way that opens itself as we press on.

One evil cured, like the big coal lump in the digging, clears the way

to another. So much (1) for its being found; then (2) as to its being

travelled. Conceive of how a man could get to heaven except on such a

_"highway."_ We cannot move nearer except on some sort of _way._

There is no sort of _"way"_ except the discipline of wisdom. There is

no discipline of wisdom except _"the departing from evil."_ The only

thing a soul can do for itself under the grace of the Spirit is to

exercise itself unto godliness (1 Tim. iv. 7). And therefore the last

clause is important, which intimates the fact that we cannot _"guard

our souls"_ directly,--that we _watch our souls_ by _watching our

way_--and that the plan to fit a lost spirit for Paradise is, under

the grace of the Redeemer, to observe its steps--to see that one by

one they are taken so as to depart from evil.--_Miller._

_The highway of the upright is to depart from evil._ That is his

road, his desire and endeavour, his general purpose, though sometimes

(by mistake, or by the violence of temptation), he step out of the

way, and turn aside to sin, yet there is no "way of wickedness in

him" (Psa. cxxxix. 24). _He that keepeth his way preserveth his

soul._ As if a man be out of God's precincts he is out of His

protection. "He shall keep thee in all thy ways" (Psa. xci. 11), not

in all thine outstrays. He that leaves the highway, and takes to

byeways, travelling at unseasonable hours, etc., if he fall into foul

hands, may go look his remedy, the law allows him none.--_Trapp._

I should say that this last clause is a notable; and the lesson that

I should read and give forth from it is: _"the reflex influence of

the outward walk upon the inner man."--Chalmers._

Our English word "highway" doth well express the force of the

original. And as we call it the highway, either because it is the

king's way, who is the highest, or else because it is made higher

than the rest, for the more clearness of it, _so the way of the

upright is a highway,_ because it is the way of the King of Heaven;

and because it is higher, and so cleaner from the dust of the

world. . . . There is hardly any so perpetual follower of wickedness

as that he doth not sometimes _depart from evil._ And this it is

which many other times doth embolden him in the embracing of it. For

if a wicked man once do well he conceiveth it so great a matter as

that he imagineth that God ought to pardon his doing ill many times

for it. But _to depart from evil is the way of_ the upright. It is

their common and ordinary course, wherein they go as frequently as

passengers do go along the highway of the earth. All may see what

they do, they care not who looks on, for their way being to depart

from evil they walk in the highway, where everyone may view them. And

there they walk the rather that others also may follow them, and

departing from evil may be joined to them in the highway to

heaven.--_Jermin._

Every man has a highway of his own. It is formed, as our forefathers

formed their roads, simply by walking often on it and without a

pre-determined plan. Foresight and wisdom may improve the moral path,

as much as they have in our day improved the material. The highway of

the covetous is to depart from poverty and make for riches with all

his might. In his eagerness to take the shortest cut he often falls

over a precipice, or loses his way in a wood. The highway of the vain

is to depart from seriousness, and follow mirth on the trail of

fools. The highway of the ambitious is a toilsome scramble up a

mountain's side towards its summit, which seems in the distance to be

a paradise basking in sunlight above the clouds; but when attained is

found to be colder and barer than the plain below. The upright has a

highway too, and it is to "depart from evil." The upright is not an

unfallen angel, but a restored man. He has been in the miry pit, and

the marks of the fall are upon him still. . . . The power of evil

within him is not entirely subdued, the stain of evil is not entirely

wiped away. He hates sin now in his heart, but he feels the yoke of

it in his flesh still. His back is turned to the bondage that he

loathes, his face to the liberty which he loves. . . . The preserving

of your soul depends upon the keeping of your way. . . . It is in the

_way,_ the _conduct,_ the _life,_ that the breach occurs whereby a

soul is lost that seemed to bid fair for a better land. It is

probable that with nine people out of ten in this favoured land the

enemy finds it easier to inject actual impurity into the life than

speculative error into the creed. A shaken faith leads a life astray;

but also a life going astray makes shipwreck of faith. I do not teach

that any righteousness done by the fallen can either please God or

justify a man; but I do teach on the authority of the Bible that a

slipping from the way of righteousness and purity in actual life is

the mainstay of Satan's kingdom--the chief destroyer of souls. . . .

The miners in the gold-fields of Australia, when they have gathered a

large quantity of dust, make for the city with the treasure. The mine

is far in the interior. The country is wild: the bush is infested

with robbers. The miners keep the road and the daylight. They march

in company, and close to the guard sent to protect them. They do not

stray from the path among the woods, for they bear with them a

treasure which they value, and they are determined to run no risks.

Do likewise, brother, for your treasure is of greater value--your

enemies of greater power. Keep the way, lest you lose your

soul.--_Arnot._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSES_ 18, 19.

THE END OF PRIDE.

+I. Pride has a present place and power in the world.+ All human

history bears witness to the existence of pride in the human heart,

and to the mighty influence it has always exerted upon the destinies

of men. And it is in the full exercise of its power to-day; in

various forms, and under various modifications, it still holds its

place in the nation, in the social circle, and in the individual

heart. Would that we could speak of it as an existence of the past,

and had only to mourn over the mischief that it has wrought in bygone

ages. But we cannot speak of it as a mighty tyrant who once held sway

over men to their destruction, but whose dominion has long ceased to

exist. To-day, as in the days of old, we must use the present tense

and say, "Pride goeth." Pride is not like some monster who lived in

pre-historic times, of whose life and death we know nothing but what

we can infer from the skeleton dug up by the geologist, and which we

now gaze upon as a curiosity, but which is a _thing_ only, and not a

living power in the world. Pride is living and active. Like the

mighty being to whom it owes its origin, it is ever "going to and fro

in the world, and walking up and down in it." Without doubt, while it

rules some men, it only exists under protest in others, but the most

godly man upon earth is not altogether free from its blighting

influence. It lived in ages past in the souls of prophets and

apostles, and to-day it has a place and power in the Church, as well

as in the world.

+II. Pride is always a forerunner of evil to its possessor.+ Wherever

and whenever found, the mischief that it brings in its train is

always proportionate to the rule which it has been allowed to

exercise. It is like the officer who comes to the condemned criminal

to announce the hour of execution--after him comes destruction; or

like the advanced guard of a destroying army, the pledge and promise

of the ruin that is on its way. When pride enters there destruction

of some kind--humiliation and sorrow in some form or other--is sure

to follow sooner or later. Pride was the forerunner of the deepest

humiliation--of the most entire destruction--of Belshazzar when he

drank wine out of the vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had

taken out of the temple at Jerusalem (Dan. v.), and a "haughty

spirit" was the forerunner of a terrible fall to Peter when it led

him to utter the boast "Though all shall be offended, yet will not I"

(Mark xiv. 29). It therefore follows--

+III. That fellowship with poverty and humility is better than

fellowship with wealth and pride.+ 1. _When a man is in the society

of the proud he is in danger of becoming proud himself._ We are all

moulded unconsciously by those by whom we are surrounded; our own

moral health depends very much upon the moral atmosphere we breathe,

and therefore fellowship with the proud is injurious to a man's

spiritual well-being. But fellowship with those who are "poor in

spirit" (Matt v. 3) may make us like-minded. Intercourse with the

lowly in heart is likely to have a blessed influence upon our own

hearts, and to help us also not to estimate ourselves too highly.

This holds good whether the proud man be rich or poor, and whether

the lowly man be high or low in station, for pride and wealth have no

necessary connection with each other any more than poverty and

humility have. But when pride and riches are found united in one

person, fellowship with them is more to be avoided, inasmuch as we

may not only be influenced to become as proud as they are, but may be

tempted to over-value their external possessions, and, perhaps, to

envy the possessor. But in the society of the poor we are free from

both dangers, and intercourse with those who are poor in the world's

goods as well as poor in spirit, will be a good lesson in the science

of true happiness. 2. _But such fellowship is not only better for a

man's spirit, it may also be better for his material warfare._ Seeing

that every proud man must experience the destruction of that upon

which his pride has fed, and that every haughty spirit will have a

fall, association with such may involve a participation in their

misfortune. To divide spoil with the proud may make us partakers of

the penalty which follows the proud. (See also on chap. xi. 2.)

_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._

Verse 18. _Shame and contempt the end of pride._ 1. By natural

tendency. 2. Because of God's detestation and resolution to punish

it.--_Waterland._

The danger of pride is plain from every history of the great

transactions that have come to pass in heaven and earth. The prophets

describe the destructive consequences of this sin with all the

strength of their Divine eloquence, and all the sublimity of the

prophetic style (Isa. xiv.; Ezek. xxix. 31). The history of the

evangelists shows us what amazing humiliation was necessary to

expiate the guilt contracted by the pride of man. And the tendency of

the preaching and writings of the apostles was to cast down every

high imagination of men, that no flesh might glory but in the Lord

(1 Cor. i. 29). Might not this loathsome disease become a cure for

itself? Can anything afford us greater cause of humiliation, than to

find ourselves guilty of a sin so exceedingly unreasonable and

presumptuous as pride? Shall a worm swell itself into an equality

with the huge leviathan? What is man that he should be great in his

own eyes? or, what is the son of man, that he should magnify himself

as if he were some being greater than an angel? Was the Son of God

humbled for us that we might not perish for ever, and shall pride be

suffered to reign in our souls?--_Lawson._

_Before,_ in the presence of, in a confronting local sense. _"Before

ruin is pride;"_ that is, when its terror-fit has come, _"pride"_ is

to appear as the wretched cause of it.--_Miller._

"God resisteth the proud;" and good reason, for the proud resisteth

God. Other sins divert a man from God, only pride brings him against

God, and brings God against him. There is nothing in this world worth

our pride, but that moss will grow to a stone.--_T. Adams._

The _haughty spirit_ carries the head high. The man looks upward,

instead of to his steps. What wonder, therefore, if, not seeing what

is before him, he falls? He loves to climb. The enemy is always at

hand to assist him (Matt. iv. 5, 6); and the greater the height, the

more dreadful the fall.--_Bridges._

It is the nature of pride that it seeketh to go before, and to take

place, and so God hath placed it. He hath appointed it to _go

before,_ but it is _before destruction,_ and _before a fall._ It is

the quality of a haughty spirit to love to be waited on, and God hath

appointed attendants for it, but they are the attendants of ruin and

confusion. No doubt as the pride of a haughty spirit disdaineth them

that follow him, so it disdaineth to hear of either falling or

destruction, notwithstanding they shall pursue and overtake him also.

He that sees pride go before may quickly tell what will follow after:

he that heareth the major proposition of an angry spirit may easily

infer the conclusion of a certain destruction. Indeed it is but one

falling that goeth before another; and, as St. Augustine speaketh,

the falling which is within, and whereby the heart falleth from Him

than whom there is nothing higher, this hidden falling, whilst it is

not thought to be a falling, goeth before the outward and manifest

falling of destruction.--_Jermin._

Verse 19. It is a pleasant thing to be enriched with other men's

goods; it is a gainful thing to have part of the prey; it is a

glorious thing to divide the spoil. But what are all outward

possessions to the inward virtues of the mind? What will goods

ill-gotten profit the possessors thereof? Finally, what is the end of

a proud person but to have a fall? Surely it is better to be injured

than to do injury; it is better to be patient than to be insolent; it

is better with the afflicted people of God to be bruised in heart and

low of port than to enjoy the pleasures or treasures of sin or of

this world for a season.--_Muffet._

Such an one is happier in having the favour of God and man, immunity

from perils, and tranquillity of conscience. Whereas the proud, who

seek their own aggrandisement by oppressing their fellow-men, lose

the favour of these as well as of God, are in danger of destruction

at any moment, and have a guilty conscience whenever they dare to

reflect.--_Fausset._

Although pride were not followed by destruction, and humility were

attended with the most afflicting circumstances, yet humility is to

be infinitely preferred to pride. The word here rendered _humble_

might, by inconsiderable variation, be rendered _afflicted._ Humility

and affliction are often in Scripture expressed by the same word, and

described as parts of the same character. Low and afflicted

circumstances are often useful, by promoting humiliation of spirit.

The reverse sometimes takes place, but it is an evidence of a very

intractable spirit if we cry not when God bindeth us, and continue

unhumbled under humbling providences. The cottager that has his

little Babylon of straw is less excusable than the mighty

Nebuchadnezzar walking in his pride through the splendid chambers of

his stupendous palace.--_Lawson._

There are main gates to the city of peace; there is a little postern

besides, that is, humility: for of all vices, pride is a stranger to

peace. The proud man is too guilty to come in by innocence, too surly

to come in by patience; he hath no mind to come in by benefaction,

and he scorns to come in by satisfaction. All these portcullises be

shut against him; there is no way left but the postern for him; he

must stoop or never be admitted to peace. Heaven is a high city, yet

hath but a low gate. . . . Men may behold glory in humility, they

never shall find peace in ambition. The safest way to keep fire is to

rake it up in embers; the best means to preserve peace is in

humbleness. The tall cedars feel the fury of tempests which blow over

the humble shrubs in the low valleys.--_T. Adams._

Better is it to be conquered by God than to be conqueror of the whole

world. For if God conquer thee, the devil is conquered by thee; if

pride be driven from thee, meekness is triumphant in thee, and where

thou art so spoiled thou hast gotten the spoil of thy spiritual

enemies, the love of God, the comfort of His Spirit, the expectation

of glory which they hadst gotten from thee, and which the earth

cannot value, much less be an equal value unto them. But then thou

must be not only of a humble look, or of a humble speech, but of a

humble _spirit.--Jermin._

I. The one is rich in his soul by the endowments and force of the

spirit, and the other hath a beggarly mind and impotent heart.

II. The one is acceptable to God and amiable to good men, whereas the

Lord doth abhor the other, and good men shun his society. III. The

one is rising and growing to a better state, and the other is coming

down and falling into misery.--_Dod._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSES_ 20 _and_ 21.

THE FRUITS OF TRUST IN THE LORD.

+I. There can be no real blessedness in life unless there is trust in

the Lord.+ Men are so constituted that, if they are to have

soul-rest, they must confide in the power and wisdom and love of a

Being who is stronger and wiser and better than they are. Let a man

be ever so great intellectually or morally, there will be times in

his life when he will feel the absolute need he has of the guidance

of One who is far wiser than he is, of the help of One who far

exceeds him in ability and in goodness. If he has not such a helper

and guide to whom he can turn, he will be a stranger to that calmness

of soul which alone makes a man truly blessed. 1. _A trust of this

kind must rest upon a knowledge of the Divine character._ If a man is

following a guide in some difficult and dangerous path, it is

necessary to his peace of mind that he should know enough about his

guide to be assured that he will lead him aright. If he does not know

enough about him to know this, he may be haunted by underlying doubts

and fears which will banish all comfort from his mind. When a ship's

crew have so little knowledge of their captain's character and

ability as to be uncertain whether he is able or whether he intends

to bring the ship safely to her destined port, they will be possessed

by a spirit of uneasiness. But if they know that all his powers will

be directed to that end, and that his ability is equal to the task,

they will sail through the deep in comparative rest and peace. So no

human soul can possess a confidence in God which will keep it calm

and restful amid the waves of life's sea, unless he has made himself

acquainted with the character of God--unless he knows so much about

Him as to feel assured that His ways and works are perfectly wise and

good. 2. _God has given men means of acquiring this knowledge._ He

has no motive for holding back from His creatures a knowledge of what

He is and what His purposes are concerning them. Those who endeavour

to conceal what they are and what their intentions are in relation to

their fellow-men, do so from a consciousness that if they revealed

them they would not be trusted. But God has no such motive for

concealing His character and intentions, and He has therefore

revealed to men what He is and what He desires to do for them as

fully as they are able to receive it, and with clearness and

certainty enough to be the basis of an unwavering trust. This is

indeed the end of all revelation of Himself--to lead men to _"know

the only true God and Jesus Christ"_ (John xvii. 2), so that they may

have faith in both the Divine Father and Divine Son,--that a trust

may be begotten of the knowledge that will make them truly blessed.

+II. An intelligent trust in the Lord is true wisdom.+ Wisdom has

been often defined as the application of knowledge to practice, and a

man whose knowledge of God has begotten within him a trust in the

Lord, is the only man who is capable of "handling wisely" either

matters connected with his own life or with the lives of others. When

Adam lost his trust in God he gave evidence of his folly--when his

confidence in the Divine character became unsettled, he lost his

ability to do the best with his own existence as a whole, or with any

particular matter connected with it. It is a mark of the truest

wisdom to handle all matters whether they are more immediately

connected with our spiritual or material welfare, in a spirit of

trust in the perfect wisdom and love of God, and it is a mark of the

highest folly to endeavour to do it without dependence upon Him. He

who, in all his ways, rests upon a Divine guide, is the only man who

deserves the name of a "prudent" man (ver. 21). If a child comes into

possession of vast estates--of large revenues--he is quite unable by

reason of his undeveloped capacities and his limited experience to

use what he possesses to the best advantage. Unless his inheritance

is to suffer from misuse, there must be the help of a higher

intelligence and a more extended experience than he possesses: and

many men possess a great inheritance of intellectual endowments, or

of wealth and position, but because they fail to apply to the Highest

Wisdom for help to use it rightly, they are neither blessed

themselves in the possession, nor do they bless others by the

possession.

+III. Such a wise and prudent man finds good and does good.+ 1. _He

will get good to himself._ He will get a godly character, for trust

in the Lord is not only the foundation of all true soul-rest, but of

godliness of heart and life. _"He shall be as a tree planted by the

waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not

see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be

careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding

fruit"_ (Jer. xvii. 8). Here the prophet teaches that he who

possesses within him a constant well of spiritual happiness from

confidence in God will manifest it in godly deeds, and thus will

become the possessor of the greatest good in God's universe--a holy

character. 2. _He will do good to others by his wise and holy

conversation._ "The sweetness of the lips increaseth learning," and

the speech of a man who trusts in the Lord will be so attractive and

winning a nature as to lead others to know God and to trust in Him.

_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._

Verse 20. Combined view of the two chief requisites to a really

devout life; (1) Obedience to the Word of God. (2) Inspiring

confidence in God.--_Lange's Commentary._

In doubtful cases to hold fast to God's Word, and believingly hope in

His help, ensures always a good issue.--_Geier._

_Wise about a word._ (See Critical Notes.) By usage, _"wise about a

thing,"_ hence, _"shrewd, though it be but in one transaction."_ How

often in London might mansions be pointed out of men opulent at a

stroke! Such a stroke is faith! See the same marvel in chap.

xviii. 21. What a wonder is it that a man can win palaces of light by

_"one act"_ of casting himself upon the sacrifice. _"Act,"_

literally, _word._ But men acted so by the _word_ in that country,

that it grew to mean _affair_ (Gen. xx. 8). The very name of Christ

(John i. 1) seems to be coloured by this Eastern usage. "By the word

of the Lord were the heavens made" (Psalm xxxiii. 6). "Blessed" in

every sense whatever. What other "affair" ever produced as much as

the _affair_ of faith? (Mark ix. 23).--_Miller._

The obvious sense is that thorough understanding of business and

prudent management of it _tend_ to insure a prosperous issue. And if

the business is another's, the intelligent, cautious, successful

conducting of it, will procure benefit by the favour it conciliates,

and the character it establishes. One business well conducted brings

a man another. This is the way to get forward in the world. And in

proportion as the entrusted transaction is difficult and delicate,

will the "handling of it wisely" prove advantageous. Still there is

no amount of human understanding and discretion that can render

success in any transaction _certain._ The result rests with God.

Hence a very natural connection of the latter clause of the verse

with the former. Here is the true secret of happiness--_the union in

all things of prudence and diligence, with trust in God._ . . . Let

it be further observed that "handling a matter wisely" does not mean

handling it _cunningly_ with artifice and what the apostle calls

"fleshly wisdom"--the policy of this world; but with a wisdom and

prudence in harmony with the most rigid and straightforward

integrity. Double dealing may be misnamed wisdom, the arts of a

tortuous cunning may be dignified with the designation of prudence;

but when _such_ wisdom, _such_ prudence has been employed, even the

greatest amount of success can impart little that deserves the name

of happiness. And no man who is using the arts of a crooked policy

can exercise _trust in God._ The two things are incompatible. Who can

unite obedience and confidence? How could David trust in God for the

success of his plan against Uriah the Hittite? There was art in it,

but there was not wisdom.--_Wardlaw._

This is in all cases true wisdom--to make man the excitement to

diligence, God the object of trust. . . . "I have had many things,"

said Luther, "in my hands, and have lost them all. But whatever I

have been able to trust in God's I still possess.". . . "I will

therefore," says Bishop Hall, "trust Him on His bare word, with hope,

beside hope, above hope, against hope, for small matters of this

life. For how shall I hope to trust Him in impossibilities if I may

not in likelihoods." This simple habit of faith enables us fearlessly

to look an extremity in the face. Thus holding on, it is His honour

to put His own seal to His Word. (Psalm ii. 12; Jer. xvii. 7,

8).--_Bridges._

Many meddle with more matters than they do well quit themselves of;

and many a time a good matter is made ill by the ill _handling_ of

it. And he that handleth a matter wisely shall find good, although

the matter be ill; and well doth he acquit himself, although the

matter may not succeed well. . . . To put our trust in God, and not

to use a wise care, is to deceive ourselves; to use a wise care, and

not to trust in God, is to dishonour God.--_Jermin._

Verse 21. Piety is sure to be discovered; but many a pious man has

less influence for want of courtesy. The _suaviter_ may be really

stronger than the _fortiter._ The last word is literally _a taking,_

from the verb to _take._ This noun is often _learning._ A _taking_

may very legitimately be _"a lesson."_ The idea is, that sweet lips

_increase the taking, i.e.,_ make more wisdom to be taken by the men

around. The duty, therefore, is evolved, of being kind in speech that

our good may not be evil spoken of (Rom. xiv. 16).--_Miller._

If the "wise in heart" be understood of the truly, spiritually,

divinely wise, then the phrase "_shall be called_ prudent" must be

interpreted, according to a common Hebrew idiom, as meaning "_is_

prudent"--_deserves_ to be so called. The sentiment will thus be the

oft-repeated one, that _true religion is the only genuine prudence._

And is it not so? we ask anew. Take as a standard the ordinary maxims

of prudence among men. Is it the part of prudence to be considerate?

to look forward? to anticipate, as far as possible, the contingencies

of the future? to provide against evil? to make sure of lasting good?

This is true religion the very perfection of prudence.--_Wardlaw._

That our wisdom may be useful, we should endeavour to produce it to

advantage by a graceful and engaging manner of expression. It is not

uncommon with bad men to set off their corrupt sentiments by dressing

them in all the beauties of language, and by this means multitudes

are seduced into error and folly. Is not wisdom far better entitled

to this recommendation than folly?--_Lawson._

There is no sweetness that entereth into the lips to be compared to

the sweetness that cometh from the lips. The fig-tree must leave her

sweetness, and tall the trees of delight their pleasantness, when the

fruit of the lips is mentioned among them. And most fitly is

eloquence styled the sweetness of the lips. How daintily doth it

sweeten all matters of knowledge! What a delicate relish doth it give

unto them! With what pleasure doth it make them to slip into the ears

of men! How doth it mollify the hardness and sharpness of reproof!

How doth it qualify the bitterness of sorrows! How doth it warm the

dull coldness of apprehension and attention! And therefore, though

wisdom in the heart is of the chiefest worth, yet eloquence of the

lips is an addition to it. St. Augustine, speaking of himself, saith,

that when he heard St. Ambrose preaching, "I stood by as one careless

of the matter he spake, and a contemner of it, and I was delighted

with the sweetness of his words; but together with the words which I

respected, the matter came into my heart which I neglected, and while

I opened my heart to receive how _eloquently_ he spake, it entered

also into my heart how _truly_ he spake."--_Jermin._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSES_ 22-24.

AN UNFAILING SPRING.

+I. Moral intelligence is its own reward.+ A healthy state of body is

its own reward. It is a well-spring whence men may draw much bodily

comfort--it adds much to the joy of existence. Moral intelligence--a

good understanding--is a condition of moral health, it is a state of

soul in which the moral capabilities of a man are well-developed, and

it is a constant source of satisfaction to the possessor. _"Whosoever

drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but

the water that I shall give him shall be in him, a well of water

springing up into everlasting life"_ (John iv. 14).

+II. It is also a means of giving spiritual life and comfort to

others.+ A well is a place where weary men find refreshment and

consolation. And no morally wise man lives for himself alone; his

"heart maketh his mouth wise," and his "pleasant words" strengthen

and comfort weary wayfarers on the journey of life. No man who is

himself acquainted with God can fail to speak words which will help

and comfort others. He who drinks of the water which Christ gives

will be a fountain-head whence _"shall flow rivers of living water"_

(John vii. 38).

+III. A moral fool may be in the seat of instruction.+ "The

correction," rather "_the instruction_ of fools is folly" (ver. 22).

A man is not necessarily a wise man, either intellectually or

morally, because he assumes the position which ought only to be held

by a wise man. Many fools are found sitting as instructors of others.

The Scribes and Pharisees in the days of our Lord were destitute of

moral wisdom, and yet they were found _"in Moses' seat"_ (Matt.

xxii. 2). And in all ages of the Church men have been found speaking

in the name of God who have been entirely ignorant of Divine

truth--_"watchmen"_ who have been _"blind," . . . "shepherds that

could not understand"_ (Isa. lvi. 10, 11). Men of such a character

are like wells of poisoned water, their teachings are not simply

unsatisfying and powerless to bless, but they are positively

injurious to those who imbibe their doctrines. All who come under

their influence will by their own lack of moral strength show that

"the instruction of fools is folly."

_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._

Verse 22. This spiritual understanding is not a work on the surface;

not a mere forced impulse; not the summer stream, but a deep-flowing

fountain. If it be not always bubbling, there is always a supply at

the bottom-spring.--_Bridges._

Two things are necessary to the opening and flow of

well-springs--deep rendings beneath the earth's surface, and lofty

risings above it. There must be deep veins and high mountains. The

mountains draw the drops from heaven; the rents receive, retain, and

give forth the supply. There must be corresponding heights and depths

in the life of a man ere he be charged as a well-spring of life from

above. Upward to God and downward into himself the exercises of his

soul must alternately penetrate. You must lift up yourself in the

prayer of faith, and rend your heart in the work of repentance; you

must ascend into heaven to bring the blessing down, and descend into

the depths to draw it up. Extremes meet in a lively Christian. He is

at once very high and very lowly. God puts all His treasures in the

power of a soul that rises to reach the upper springs, as the Andes

intercept water from the sky sufficient to fertilise a continent. And

when the Spirit has so descended like floods of water, the secret

places of a broken heart afford room for his indwelling, so that the

grace which came at first from God rises within the man like a

springing well, satisfying himself and refreshing his

neighbours.--_Arnot._

Verse 23. 1. That which a wise man utters is _in itself_

good--instructive, edifying, "profitable to direct." The streams bear

analogy to the fountain. 2. The wise man uses the understanding

imparted to him for the benefit of others. The wisdom that is in his

heart passes to his lips. 3. His self-knowledge, his experience of

his own heart, his incessant self-inspection, . . . his knowledge

both of the "old man" and of the "new man" in their respective

principles and influences as they exist and contend within himself,

all qualify him for wisely and judiciously counselling others,

according to their characters and situations. 4. The truly wise man

will, in his wisdom, accommodate the _manner_ of his instructions and

counsels to the varying characters and tempers of his fellow-men. A

vast deal depends on this. The end is often lost, not for want of

wisdom in the lesson itself, but for lack of discretion in the _mode_

of imparting it. A thorough knowledge of anatomy is necessary to a

judicious and successful practice in the operations of surgery. Ere

he venture to make his incision, the surgeon ought to understand all

about the region where it is to be made--what arteries, veins,

glands, nerves, lie in the way of his instrument; and should be fully

aware of the peculiarities of the case under his treatment. In like

manner an intimate acquaintance with the _anatomy of the heart_ is

necessary to discriminative and successful dealing with _moral

cases_--to the suitable communication of instruction and advice.

Without the surgical knowledge mentioned, a practitioner may inflict

a worse evil than the one he means to cure. And so, through the

ignorance of _moral_ anatomy, may the injudicious adviser, who treats

all cases alike, and makes no account of the peculiarities of

character and situation with which he has to do.--_Wardlaw._

Who does not know the difference between one who speaks of what he

has read or heard, and one who speaks of what he has felt and tasted?

The one has the knowledge of the Gospel--dry and spiritless. The

other has the _savour_ of this knowledge (2 Cor. ii. 14)--fragrant

and invigorating. The theorist may exceed in the quantum (for

Satan--as an angel of light--is a fearful proof how much knowledge

may be consistent with ungodliness); but the real difference applies,

not to the extent, but to the character of knowledge; not to the

matter known, but to the mode of knowing it. . . . It is not,

therefore, the intellectual knowledge of Divine truth that makes the

divine. The only true divine is he who knows holy things in a holy

manner; because he only is gifted with a spiritual taste and relish

for them. . . . And this experimental knowledge gives a rich unction

to his communications. Divinity is not said by rote. _The heart

teacheth the mouth.--Bridges._

Every wise man is both a master and scholar, and that unto himself;

as a master he sitteth in the chair of his heart, and giveth thence

lessons to his several scholars, that are within the school of his

own person, of his own life. His hands he teacheth what to do, and

how to work; his feet he teacheth whither to go, and how to walk; his

ears what to hear, and how to listen; his eyes what to see, and how

to look; his mouth what to say, and how to speak. And that being an

unruly scholar, and like a wild youth, much care he hath, and much

pains he taketh to instruct it well and to keep it in good

order.--_Jermin._

Verse 24. The words express the twofold idea of _pleasantness_ and of

_benefit._ Many things have the one quality which have not the other.

Many a poison is like honey, sweet to the taste; but instead of being

_health_ to the bones, it is laden with _death._ So it may be in

regard to their present effect, and their ultimate influence with

_words._ Harshness and severity never afford pleasure, and seldom

yield profit. If they were, in any case, requisite to the latter, we

should be under the necessity of giving it the preference, for profit

must ever take precedence of mere pleasure. But it will be usually

found that _both_ are united. _Pleasant_ words, however, must be

distinguished from _flattering_ words. The latter may be at times

palatable, but they can never be otherwise than injurious; for they

are not words of _truth.--Wardlaw._

Verse 25 is a repetition of chap. xiv. 12, for which see Homiletics.

_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._

These words concern not so much the course of the open sinner as of

the mistaken and self-deceived man. . . . The practice of sin seems

expedient, seems pleasant, seems unavoidable, but it does not seem

_right._ Those who live in the open practice of it are in the ways of

death, and they know it. They are blinded, infatuated, intoxicated,

if you will, but they are not _mistaken._ There is, however, a very

different class of persons, to whom the text directly applies, and to

whom the warning is very solemn; persons whose course lies just short

of that degree of divergence from right where the conscience begins

to protest, and yet is sure, as every divergence must if followed, to

lead very far from it at last. . . . It is this sort of travellers

wherewith, in our day, the downward road is lavishly crowded; men who

walk not with the sinful multitude, but on convenient embankments so

contrived as to make the great broad road appear immensely distant

and precipitous beneath, and the narrow path comfortably near and

accessible above. . . . It does not say of these apparently right

ways that they _are_ themselves ways of death, but that they _end_ in

ways of death. And this is important; for nothing is so common as for

the man, when warned, to vindicate himself by endeavouring to show,

and often by successfully showing, that there is nothing destructive

in his present course. . . . The ways are mainly of two kinds--errors

in practice and errors in doctrine. . . . There is (1) _A life not

led under the influence of practical religion._ . . . Improbable as

it may seem that this correct man, this blameless and upright liver,

should perish at last, it is but a necessary consequence from his

having rejected the only remedy which God has provided for the

universal taint of our nature. (2) _Those believing from the heart

yet notoriously and confessedly wanting in some of the main elements

of the Gospel._ Or, (3) _Those who, while professing zeal for

religion in general, nourish some one known sin or prohibited

indulgence._ . . . And regarding errors of doctrine, 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 the truth, is sure to cause a

fatal divergence in the end.--_Alford._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 26.

THE MAINSPRING OF HUMAN INDUSTRY.

+I. God intends every man to be a labourer.+ Adam in Paradise was

required to dress and keep the Garden of Eden, so that the labourer's

patent of nobility dates from before the fall. The Son of God, in

human flesh, laboured with His own hands for the supply of His daily

wants, and thus for ever sanctified the ordinary toil of life. (On

the profitableness of labour, see on chap. xiv. 23.)

+II. God has taken means to ensure the continuance of labour.+ He has

so created man that if the majority do not labour neither can they

eat, nor can those eat who do not labour. There must be always a

large proportion of workers in the great hive of human creatures, or

both they and the drones would starve. It is hunger that keeps the

world in motion, and it is the craving of man's mouth that builds our

cities and our ships, that stimulates invention, and sends men abroad

in quest of fresh fields of industry. It is this necessity to eat

that keeps all the members of the human family in a state of

ceaseless activity, and prevents them from sinking into a state of

mental stagnation and bodily disease. It is a noteworthy fact that

those nations who have to work hard to supply their physical wants

are more intellectually and spiritually healthy than those who live

in lands where the needs of life are satisfied with little labour.

God has promised that "while the earth remaineth, seedtime and

harvest shall not cease" (Gen. viii. 22); but He has also, by the

constitution of man, ordained that he must be unceasingly active upon

the face of the earth; and He has so ordained because of the many

blessings which flow from this necessity.

_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._

Since that which causes us to labour and trouble becomes a means of

our subsistence, it in turn helps us to overcome labour and trouble,

for this very thing, by virtue of God's wise regulating providence,

becomes for us a spur to industry.--_Von. Gerlach._

A man's industry in his calling is no sure sign of virtue, for

although it is a duty commanded by God, and necessary to be

practised, yet profit and necessity may constrain a man to labour,

who has no regard either to God or man. But this proves that idleness

is a most inexcusable sin. It is not only condemned in the Scripture,

but it is a sign that a man wants common reason as well as piety,

when he can neither be drawn by interest, nor driven by necessity, to

work. Self-love is a damning sin where it reigns as the chief

principle of action; but the want of self-love where it is required

is no less criminal.--_Lawson._

To labour is man's punishment, and that man laboureth for himself is

God's mercy. For as it is painful to labour, so it is made more

painful when another reapeth the fruit thereof; but when ourselves

are comforted with the fruit thereof, the labour is much eased in the

gathering of it. God himself does not look for any benefit from our

labour, it is all for ourselves, whatever we do. And therefore as God

doth command labour, so the mouth of our benefit doth call for

it.--_Jermin._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.--Verses_ 27-30.

DIFFERENT SPECIES OF THE SAME GENUS.

+I. Human depravity manifests itself in a variety for forms.--+There

may be many lawless children in a family, but they may not all sin

against the same law--they may all rebel against what is true and

good, but some may be pre-eminent transgressors in one way and some

in another. One son may be a notorious liar and another may be a

slave to ungovernable passion, while a third may be addicted to

another and different vice. It is so in the great human family--all

unregenerate men are transgressors against God's good and righteous

law, but their transgressions may take different forms.

+II. But all ungodliness is subversive of human happiness.--+If a man

sets at nought the law of God, he will be a curse to those around

him. There are many such men who seem to delight in increasing the

misery of mankind, they make it their business to "dig up evil," they

work diligently to bring to light that which it is most desirable

should be hidden and forgotten, and so they are like a scorching,

consuming fire to the peace of many of their fellow creatures. And if

they are not so openly and manifestly bad, if they are untruthful

men, they must sow around them seeds of suspicion and discord which

hinder men from being bound together in bonds of friendship or break

such bonds when they have been formed.

_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._

Verse 27. _"A worthless man."_ This is the farthest an impenitent

moralist will go in condemning himself. He may be a worthless man (a

man of Belial, _i.e.,_ of no profit), but he is not a harmful

man. . . . Solomon calls this mild gracelessness a digging up of

evil. Recurring to the potency of the tongue, he says, "The _lips_ of

such men, sweet as they may seem, fairly scorch and burn."--_Miller._

In the expression "diggeth up evil" two ideas may be

included:--1. _Taking pains to devise it._ We dig or search for

treasure in a mine, or where we fancy it lies concealed: thus the

wicked man does in regard to evil. It is his treasure--that on which

he sets his heart; and for it, as for treasure, he "digs" and

"searches"--ay, often deep and long. His very happiness seems to

depend on his reaching and finding it. He is specially laborious and

persevering when anyone chances to have become the object of his

pique or malice. Marvellous is the assiduity with which he then

strains every nerve to produce mischief,--plodding and plotting for

it,--mining and undermining,--exploring in every direction, often

where no one could think of but himself,--and with savage delight

exulting in the discovery of aught that can be made available for his

diabolic purpose. 2. _Taking pains to revive it after it has been

buried and forgotten._ He goes down into the very graves of old

quarrels; brings them up afresh; puts new life into them; wakes up

grudges that had long slept; and sets people by the ears again who

had abandoned their enmities, and had been for years in

reconciliation and peace. As to "evil," whether old and new, "the son

of Belial" is like one in quest of some mine of coal, or of precious

metal. He examines his ground, and wherever he discovers any hopeful

symptoms on the surface he proceeds to drill, and bore, and excavate.

The slightest probability of success will be enough for his

encouragement to toil and harass himself night and day until he can

make something of it. The persevering pains of such men would be

incredible were they not sadly attested by _facts--"They search out

iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward

thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep"_ (Psalm

lxiv. 6).--_Wardlaw._

Whisperers are like the wind that creeps in by the chinks and

crevices of a wall, or the cracks in a window, that commonly proves

more dangerous than a storm that meets a man in the face upon the

plain.--_Trapp._

Verse 28. The idea is, sin cannot keep silence. In its quiet hour it

speaks, _rolling out_ (literally) articulate influences. The very

idea is terrible. It _separates friends._ That is, the world being

knit together by the law of love, the impenitent separate it asunder.

They separate man from his race, and destroy that highest friendship

that he might have with the Almighty.--_Miller._

Verse 29. Yet though a wicked man be never so violent, he cannot

compel thee to his ways, he can but _entice_ thee, he can but _lead_

thee; it is still in thine own power whether thou wilt follow him or

no. Wherefore though it agree to his violence to lead, let it be thy

care to keep back from his ways.--_Jermin._

Unbelief can hardly be libelled, and Solomon's very thought is to

show how _violent_ it is! It is the match even of hell, for it

derides it! It is the robber even of God, for it thieves from Him. It

takes life without paying for it. It assaults the Maker upon His

throne. It stares broadly at the truth each Sunday when it listens,

and flouts it as though never heard. Unbelief is _"violence;"_ and

yet, as though it were the most seductive charm it "seduces"

_(entices)_ one's neighbour.--_Miller._

These sons of Belial are also _tempters of others._ A fearful

employment--a fearful delight! Yet the employment would not be

followed were there not pleasure in it. The pleasure is

fiendish--laying plans and putting every vile art into practice, to

seduce the virtuous and unsuspecting youth from the way of

rectitude! . . . As there is joy in heaven over one sinner that

repenteth, so there is a malicious _joy in hell_ when such tempters

succeed in turning any from the right to the wrong, from the narrow

to the broad way. This is the joy of fiends, the other of

angels.--_Wardlaw._

Verse 30. Wicked men are great students; they beat their brains and

close their eyes that they may revolve and excogitate mischief with

more freedom of mind. They search the devil's skull for new devices,

and are very intentive to invent that which may do hurt; their wits

will better serve them to find out a hundred shifts or carnal

arguments, than to yield to one saving truth.--_Trapp._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 31.

A CROWN OF GLORY.

+I. Hoary heads may be found which are not in the way of

righteousness.+ A hoary head in the way of ungodliness is one of the

saddest sights that a thoughtful mind can look upon. 1. _Because in

such a man the tendency towards evil has been strengthened by the

habits of a long life._ In childhood there is a condition of

comparative innocency to start with, and there is hope that this

freedom from actual transgression may develop into a tried virtue in

the passage from youth to old age. But when childhood has passed

away, the condition of comparative innocence has passed away too, and

if the evil tendencies of human nature are not resisted they grow

stronger as the man grows in years, and old age finds him more under

the dominion of sinful habit than any former period of his life. An

ungodly man is more ungodly when he is old than he has ever been

before, and is therefore a sadder object of contemplation then than

he was in his youth or in his prime. Such a hoary-headed sinner often

wishes that it was now as easy to do right as it was in his youth,

but he finds that it is not so. "To will" may be "present" with him

(Rom. vii. 18), but he finds that by reason of his long indulgence in

sinful habits it is less easy now to perform that which he will than

it was when his locks were black and his form unbent. The man whose

limbs are palsied by age finds that they do not move in obedience to

his will so readily as they did in the days of his health, and the

aged man finds also that his moral actions are not so easily

controlled as they were when he was young--the vessel does not answer

to her helm so quickly as it did then. It is always sad to look upon

a slave, even upon one who is only a slave in body. But it is far

sadder to see a man who is in spiritual bondage--one who is "taken

captive by the devil at his will" (2 Tim. ii. 26), and we look upon

such an one whenever we look upon a hoary head in the way of

ungodliness. 2. _Because such a man is growing old in soul as well as

in body._ When he was a child the seeds of perpetual youth were

implanted within him; if he had then given himself up to holy

influences old age would have found him as young in heart as when he

was a boy, because although the outer man of all men perishes daily,

the inner man of the godly is renewed day by day (2 Cor. iv. 16). But

ungodliness deprives a man of the blessedness of being for ever

young--of retaining to the latest hour of life the freshness of

feeling which characterises the young, and of leaving the world with

a certainty that all his mental and spiritual powers will be renewed

throughout eternity. His soul sympathises with his body, and the

weakness and decay of the shell is a symbol of what is going on

within. 3. _Because he is nearing the mysterious exodus from this

world which must be accomplished by all without being prepared for

it._ All men are near to death--men of all ages are uncertain whether

they will be here on the morrow, but the old man knows certainly that

his race is almost run--that he must shortly put off this tabernacle.

And there is nothing more depressing to a man than to feel that he is

utterly unprepared to meet the demands of a great crisis in his life

which is near--that he has soon to meet a person who holds his

destines in his hand and that he has nothing to hope, but everything

to fear from him--that he has to embark on a voyage to a distant land

without any knowledge of what shall befall him when he arrives there.

And if a long course of ungodliness has blunted his capability of

seeing his own true position, it is clear to thoughtful onlookers,

and the sight fills them with sadness.

+II. But a hoary head in the way of righteousness is a kingly head.+

There is nothing kingly in old age considered in itself. An old man's

body is not such a kingly object to look upon as a young man's--it

does not give us the idea of so much power and capability. And an

ungodly old man--as we have seen--is not a king but a slave--a slave

to sinful habits, to the infirmities of age, and to the fear of

death. But the hoary head of a righteous man--1. _Tells a tale of

conquest._ It speaks of many temptations met, and wrestled with, and

overcome. His passions are not his masters, but his servants--he has

learned to bring into subjection even his thoughts; he reigns as king

over himself, and so his hoary hairs are a symbol of his kingship.

2. _It is a sign of spiritual maturity._ In all the works of God we

expect the best and the most perfect results at the last. There is a

glory and a beauty in the field covered with the green blades of

early spring, but the period of its perfection is not in the spring,

but in the autumn, when the full corn in the ear stands ready for the

sickle. The mind of the youthful philosopher may be mighty in its

power, but its capabilities are greater when he has spent a long life

in developing them. It is in harmony with all the methods of God's

working that all that is of real worth in a man should be nearer

perfection the longer he lives, and it is so with all those who are

willing to bring their lives into harmony with the Divine Will. If

an old man is a godly man, he is more like God in his character and

disposition in his old age than he ever was before, and this

spiritual maturity invests him with a kingly dignity. 3. _It is an

earnest of a brighter crown which is awaiting him._ To him death is

not an welcome visitor, and God is a Being in whose presence he

expects to realise "fulness of joy" (Psa. xvi. 11), and the country

beyond the grave a place to which he often longs to depart. All such

hoary-headed servants of God can adopt the language of the aged Paul,

and say, _"I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure

is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I

have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of

righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at

that day"_ (2 Tim. iv. 7, 8). To all such it is especially fit that

kingly honours should be paid. _"Thou shalt rise up before the hoary

head, and honour the face of the old man"_ (Lev. xix. 32).

_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._

We honour them whose heads have been encircled with crowns by the

hands of men, and will we refuse honour to those whom God himself

hath crowned with silver hairs?--_Lawson._

The word _if_ is a supplement. The verse may be read, "The hoary head

is a crown of glory: _it shall be_ found in the way of

righteousness." Two things are implied:--The conduciveness of

righteousness to _the attainment of old age,_ and its conduciveness

to the _respectability and honour of old age._--_Wardlaw._

The hoary head is the old man's glory and claim for reverence. God

solemnly links the honour of it with His own fear (Lev. xix. 32).

"The ancient" are numbered with "the honourable" (Isa. ix. 15). The

sin of despising them is marked (Isa. iii. 5), and, when shown

towards His own prophet, was awfully punished (2 Kings ii. 23, 24).

Wisdom and experience may be supposed to belong to them (Job

xii. 12), and the contempt of this wisdom was the destruction of a

kingdom (1 Kings xii. 13-20). But the diamond in the _crown_ is, when

it is found in the way of righteousness. Even a heathen monarch did

homage to it (Gen. xlvii. 7-10); an ungodly nation and king paid to

it the deepest respect (1 Sam. xxv. 1; 2 Kings xiii. 14). The fathers

of the Old and New Testament reflected _its glory._ The one died in

faith, waiting the Lord's salvation; the other was ready to "depart

in peace" at the joyous sight of it (Luke ii. 28, 29). Zacharias and

Elizabeth walked in all the ordinances of the Lord blameless; Anna "a

widow indeed," in the faith and hope of the Gospel; Polycarp, with

his fourscore and six years, in his Master's service. Crowns of glory

were their hoary heads, shining with all the splendour of royalty.

Earnestly does the holy Psalmist _plead_ this _crown_ for usefulness

to the Church (Psa. lxxi. 18); the Apostle, for the cause of his

converted slave (Philemon 9).--_Bridges._

The old age is to be reverenced most which is white, not with gray

hairs only, but with heavenly grace. Commendable old age leaneth upon

two staves--the one a remembrance of a life well led, the other a

hope of eternal life. Take away these two staves, and old age cannot

stand with comfort; pluck out the gray hairs of virtues, and the gray

head cannot shine with any bright glory. . . . The gray head is a

glorious ornament, for, first hoary hairs do wonderfully become the

ancient person, whom they make to look the more grave, and to carry

the greater authority in his countenance; secondly, they are a

garland or diadem, which not the art of men, but the finger of God,

hath fashioned and set on the head.--_Muffet._

Hoariness is only honourable when found in a way of righteousness. A

white head, accompanied with a holy heart, makes a man truly

honourable. There are two glorious sights in the world: the one is a

young man walking in his uprightness, and the other is an old man

walking in the ways of righteousness. It was Abraham's honour that he

went to his grave in a good old age, or rather, as the Hebrew hath

it, with a good grey head (Gen. xxv. 8). Many there be that go to

their graves with a grey head, but this was Abraham's crown, that he

went to his grave with a good grey head. Had Abraham's head been

never so grey, if it had not been good it would have been no honour

to him. . . . When the head is as white as snow, and the soul is a

black as hell, God usually gives up such to scorn and contempt. . . .

But God usually reveals Himself most to old disciples, to old saints:

"With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding"

(Job xii. 12). God usually manifests most of Himself to aged saints.

They usually pray most and pay most, they labour most and long most

after the choicest manifestations of Himself and of His grace, and

therefore He opens His bosom most to them, and makes them of His

cabinet council. "And the Lord said, shall I hide from Abraham that

thing which I do," etc. (Gen. xviii. 17-19). Abraham was an old

friend, and therefore God makes him both of His court and council. We

usually open our hearts most freely, fully, and familiarly, to old

friends. So doth God to His ancient friends.--_Brooks._

Age is not all decay; it is the ripening, the swelling of the fresh

life within that withers and bursts the husk.--_George Macdonald._

Aged piety is peculiarly honourable. 1. It hath long continued. When

it is said "If it be _found,_" etc., intimates that such a one has

been long walking in that way. 2. It is founded on knowledge and

experience. They are well acquainted with the suitableness and

sufficiency of the Redeemer. They have made many useful observations

on the methods of providence towards themselves, their families, and

the Church of God. They know much of the evil of sin, of the nature

of temptations, and of the many devices of Satan. 3. It is proved and

steadfast. The aged Christian is "rooted in the faith," grounded and

settled, his habits of piety are become quite natural. 4. It is

attended with much usefulness. The piety of an aged Christian is much

to the glory of God, as it shows especially the Gospel's power to

bear the Christian on through difficulties and temptations. And aged

saints are very _useful to mankind._ Their steadfast piety puts to

silence the ignorance of foolish men who complain of the restraints

of religion as unreasonable and intolerable, and of the Redeemer's

laws as impracticable. They are living witnesses to mankind to the

kindness of God's providence and the riches of His grace.--_Job

Orton._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 32.

TAKING A CITY AND RULING THE SPIRIT.

+I. A man who takes a city may do a good work.+ When Solomon says

that the man who rules his spirit does a better work than he who

takes a city, he by no means implies that the taking of a city is a

wrong action. In the records of God's dealings with the nations of

old, we find that He sometimes laid it as a duty upon His chosen

servants to take a city. The overthrow of a city is sometimes

necessary for the preservation of the morality of the human race, and

it is as indispensable for its well-being as the amputation of a

diseased limb is for the health of the individual man. Large cities

are favourable to the development and increase of crime, and

sometimes become such moral pest-houses that God, out of regard for

His human family, causes them to be wiped from off the earth, and

sometimes uses His own servants to do the work. It was He who

commanded Joshua to take the city of Jericho and the other cities of

Canaan, and they were destroyed because of the sin of those who dwelt

in them. Or the overthrow of a city may be the downfall of a tyrant,

and the deliverance of the oppressed, and then we also know that it

is well-pleasing to God. The Bible has it in many songs of praise to

God for His overthrow of those who held their fellow-men in

bondage--songs which were not only acceptable to Him, but which were

the fruit of the inspiration of His Spirit, and therefore we know

that the taking of a city which was followed by such a result might

in itself be a righteous and praiseworthy act.

+II. A man may do a good work in taking a city, and yet be under the

dominion of sinful habits.+ Many a man has acquired vast power over

others without ever learning how to master his own evil

passions--many a city has been taken by him, and good may have been

the outcome of some of his conquests, and yet he has been ever an

abject bondslave to his own evil impulses. Many a conqueror of cities

has been himself brought more and more into captivity to the vices of

the mind as his conquests advanced, and though God may have used him

to further His wise and beneficent purposes to the race, he may, by

his inability to rule himself, have lived and died a miserable victim

of sin--in greater bondage to himself than any of those whom he

conquered could ever be to him.

+III. Self-rule is nobler than the possession of rule over others.+

1. _This conquest is over spirit and the other may only be over

flesh._ We cannot rule over the whole of our fellow-man by physical

force; if circumstances make us masters over his body, there is a

spiritual part of him which we cannot enslave without his consent. A

"city" and a man's "spirit" belong to entirely different regions, and

the latter cannot be ruled by the same weapons as the other. But

"spirit" is far higher than matter, and when a man has learned to

rule his own inner man he has made a conquest which is far more

difficult, and therefore nobler, than he who "takes a city." The man

who can check a lawless thought or desire, must be as much greater

than he who can only subdue men's bodies, as mind is greater than

matter, and he must do a more glorious work because he lessens the

power of sin in the universe. It may sometimes be a necessary and

good thing to drive the sinner out of the world, but it is infinitely

better to kill sin, and this is what he who rules himself is always

doing. 2. _It requires the exercise of greater skill and is a more

complete victory._ If there is a spiritual part of a man which cannot

be subdued to our will without his consent, this consent can only be

obtained by the exercise of weapons which require more skilful

handling than the sword of steel. God never attempts to conquer the

human spirit by physical force; He has created it to bow only to

spiritual forces, and it is by these that He brings men into

obedience to His will. A city may be surprised into submission, but

dominion over the soul must be gained step by step. And the man who

rules his own spirit uses these spiritual weapons, and achieves his

conquest little by little. But if the weapons are more difficult to

wield, and if the victory is more slowly won, the conquest is much

more complete. For when the spirit is ruled the entire man is ruled.

3. _The battle is fought and the victory won in silence and in

secret._ When men take a city they are as conscious that the eyes of

many are upon them, and that the news of their victory will be spread

throughout half the world, and that thus they will acquire great

renown among their fellow-creatures. And this nerves them to the

conflict. But the man who fights upon the battle-ground of his own

heart fights in secret, and his victories bring him none of that

renown which falls to him who takes a city. No eye looks on but the

omniscient eye of God, and although Divine approval is infinitely

beyond the praise of a world of finite creatures, yet it has not

always such a conscious influence as that of our fellow-men. 4. _The

conflict and victory works nothing but good._ Even when the taking of

a city ends in the good of the majority, there must be suffering for

some who are innocent. But the bringing of the spirit under dominion

to that which is good and true bring blessings on the man who wins

the victory, and works no ill to anyone, but is a source of good to

many. 5. _The glory of self-rule will last much longer than the glory

of any material conquest._ Alexander of Macedon took many cities, but

the glory that once shed a halo around his name has died away as the

world has grown older. And even if the fame of an earthly warrior

could last to the end of time, it would last no longer if it rested

only on his military achievements. But the glory of self-rule is the

glory of goodness which will never grow dim, but shine with

increasing brightness as the ages roll.

_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._

Now the Lord has made so glorious a conquest over these proud enemies

that rose up against you, I beseech you consider, of all conquests

the conquest of enemies within is the most honourable and the most

noble conquest; for in conquering those enemies that be within, you

make a conquest over the devil and hell itself. The word that is

rendered "ruleth," signifies to "conquer," to "overcome." It is this

conquest that lifts a man up above all other men in the world. And as

this is the most noble conquest, so it is the most necessary

conquest. You must be the death of your sins, or they will be the

death of your souls. Sin is a viper that does always kill where it is

not killed. There is nothing gained by making peace with sin but

repentance here and hell hereafter. Every yielding to sin is a

welcoming of Satan into our very bosoms. Valentine the emperor said

upon his deathbed, that among all his victories, one only comforted

him; and being asked what that was, he answered, "I have overcome my

worst enemy, mine own naughty heart." Ah, when you shall lie upon a

dying bed, then no conquest will thoroughly comfort, but the conquest

of your own sinful hearts. None were to triumph in Rome that had not

got five victories; and he shall never triumph in heaven that

subdueth not his five senses, saith Isidorus. Ah, souls! what mercy

is it to be delivered from an enemy without, and to be eternally

destroyed by an enemy within?--_Brooks._

To follow the bent and tendency of our nature requires no struggle,

and being common to all, involves no distinction. But to keep the

passions in check--to bridle and deny them; instead of letting loose

our rage against an enemy, to subdue him by kindness--this is one of

the severest efforts of a virtuous or of a gracious principle. The

most contemptible fool on earth may send a challenge, and draw a

trigger, but "not to be overcome of evil, but to overcome evil with

good," demands a vigour of mind and decision of character, far more

difficult of acquiring than the thoughtless courage that can stand

the fire of an adversary.--_Wardlaw._

The _taking of a city_ is only the battle of a day. The other is the

weary, unceasing conflict of a life. . . . But the magnifying of the

conflict exalts the glory of the triumph. Gideon's _rule over his

spirit_ was better than his victory over the Midianites (Judges

viii. 1-3). David's similar conquest was _better_ than could have

been the spoils of Nabal's house (1 Sam. xxv. 33). Not less glorious

was that decisive and conscious mastery over his spirit when he

refused to drink the water of Bethlehem, obtained at the hazard of

his bravest men; thus condemning the inordinate appetite that had

desired the refreshment at so unreasonable a cost (2 Sam.

xxiii. 17). . . . To rule one's spirit is to subdue an enemy that has

vanquished conquerors. . . . Meanwhile victory is declared, before

the conquest begins. Let every day then be a day of triumph. The

promises are to _present_ victory (Rev. ii. 7, etc.). With such

stirring, stimulating hopes, thou shall surely have rule if thou

darest to have it.--_Bridges._

It may be harder to keep from toppling over a precipice, than to

lift, by sheer strength, our body over a wall. The reason is obvious.

A feather might keep our balance, so we could lean and be safe; but

the difficulty is where to get it. We have strength enough if we only

had wherewithal it could be applied. The difficulty of _ruling our

spirits_ is, that they are _ourselves._ The difficulty of an

inebriate in resisting a desire, is--that it is his desire. What can

he resist it with? It might be far slighter, and yet, if there be

nothing to oppose, like the slight weight that topples one upon the

Alps, it is as sure to ruin him as a thousand tons.--_Miller._

Such an one is more excellent than he that is strong of body; for he

can bear reproaches, which are more intolerable burdens than any that

are wont to be laid upon the backs of the strongest.--_Muffet._

Therein stands the office of a king,

His honour, virtue, merit, and chief praise,

That for the public all this weight he bears;

Yet he who reigns within himself, and rules

Passions, desires, and fears, is more a king;

Which every wise and virtuous man attain;

And who attains not, ill aspires to rule

Cities of men, or headstrong multitudes,

Subject himself to anarchy within,

Or lawless passions in him which he serves.--_Milton._

_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 33.

THE LOT AND ITS DISPOSER.

+I. There is a special Providence of God in the midst of His

universal government.+ In nature there is a manifestation of a

universal Providence ruling over all God's creatures. But the

individual is not lost in the multitude--each bird of the air and

every blade of grass in the field is under the special supervision of

its Creator. And God is Ruler in the army of heaven and among the

inhabitants of the earth, but He does not deal with either angels or

men in the mass as human rulers must do, but knows, and cares for,

and guides the destines of the individual man--the disposal of the

lot of each one is from the Lord.

+II. The special Providence of God works through human

instrumentality.+ Reference is here doubtless made to the ancient

custom of casting lots to ascertain the Divine Will. This was done at

the division of the land of Canaan among the children of Israel, on

the occasion of the election of their first king, and in choosing the

apostle who took the place of Judas among the twelve. In all these

cases it was recognised that there was no chance in the disposal of

the lot--that the decision in each case was from the Lord

Himself--but in each case human instrumentality was used by Him to

make known His Will. This linking of human instrumentality with

Divine sovereignty is found in all God's dealings with men. He has

promised that seedtime and harvest shall not cease while the earth

continues, but he requires men to sow the grain to bring about the

harvest. The "casting of the lot" is symbolic of the part that human

effort takes in the government of the world--although God is above

and behind it, He does not work without it.

_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._

One general principle regarding the employment of the _"lot"_ is

sufficiently manifest, that it should never be introduced except in

cases where reason and evidence are incompetent to decide. And we

may, I think, safely go so far as to affirm that in cases of

importance and of extremity--that is, where other means of arriving

at a satisfactory conclusion or a harmonious agreement have

failed--there does not appear to be anything in Scripture by which

such an appeal can be considered as interdicted. . . . Still, if

there is nothing interdictory of the use of it, there is nothing that

makes it _obligatory_ in any specified circumstances; and it is clear

that, if used at all, it should be used seriously and sparingly. It

is very wrong, and the reverse of truth, to speak of any matter

whatever as being in this way referred to _chance._ There _is_ no

such thing. Chance is nothing--an absolute nonentity. It is a mere

term for expressing _our ignorance._ Every turn of the dice in the

box is regulated by certain physical laws, so that, _if we knew_ all

the turns, we could infallibly tell what number would cast up.

Besides, in no case is there a more thorough disavowal of chance than

in the use of _the lot._ It is the strongest and most direct

recognition that can be made of a particular providence--of the

constant and minute superintendence of an omniscient, overruling

mind.--_Wardlaw._

Everything is a wheel of Providence. Who directed the Ishmaelites on

their journey to Egypt at the very moment that Joseph was cast into

the pit? Who guided Pharaoh's daughter to the stream just when the

ark, with its precious deposit, was committed to the waters? What

gave Ahasuerus a sleepless night, that he might be amused with the

records of his kingdom?--_Bridges._

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