"I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man
void of understanding; and lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and
nettles had covered the face thereof, and _the stone wall thereof was
broken down_. Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it and
received instruction."--PROVERBS 24:30-32.
THIS slothful man did no hurt to his fellow-men: he was not a thief, nor
a ruffian, nor a meddler in anybody else's business. He did not trouble
himself about other men's concerns, for he did not even attend to his
own--it required too much exertion. He was not grossly vicious; he had
not energy enough to care for that. He was one who liked to take things
easily. He always let well alone, and, for the matter of that, he let
ill alone, too, as the nettles and the thistles in his garden plainly
proved. What was the use of disturbing himself? It would be all the same
a hundred years hence; and so he took things just as they came. He was
not a bad man, so some said of him; and yet, perhaps, it will be found
at last that there is no worse man in the world than the man who is not
good, for in some respects he is not good enough to be bad; he has not
enough force of character about him to serve either God or Baal. He
simply serves himself, worshipping his own ease and adoring his own
comfort. Yet he always meant to be right. Dear me! he was not going to
sleep much longer, he would only have forty winks more, and then he
would be at his work, and show you what he could do. One of these days
he meant to be thoroughly in earnest, and make up for lost time. The
time never actually came for him to begin, but it was always coming. He
always meant to repent, but he went on in his sin. He meant to believe,
but he died an unbeliever. He meant to be a Christian, but he lived
without Christ. He halted between two opinions because he could not
trouble himself to make up his mind; and so he perished of delay.
This picture of the slothful man and his garden and field overgrown with
nettles and weeds represents many a man who has professed to be a
Christian, but who has become slothful in the things of God. Spiritual
life has withered in him. He has backslidden; he has come down from the
condition of healthy spiritual energy into one of listlessness, and
indifference to the things of God; and while things have gone wrong
within his heart, and all sorts of mischiefs have come into him and
grown up and seeded themselves in him, mischief is also taking place
externally in his daily conduct. The stone wall which guarded his
character is broken down, and he lies open to all evil. Upon this point
we will now meditate. "The stone wall thereof was broken down."
Come, then, let us take a walk with Solomon, and stand with him and
consider and learn instruction while we _look at this broken-down
fence_. When we have examined it, let us _consider the consequences of
broken-down walls_; and then, in the last place, let us try to _rouse up
this sluggard that his wall may yet be repaired_. If this slothful
person should be one of ourselves, may God's infinite mercy rouse us up
before this ruined wall has let in a herd of prowling vices.