iii. 6), thus seeming to indicate that pride was at the bottom of all
the contention that is at present going on in the universe between light and darkness, between good and evil. From the pride of this fallen star has come contention in heaven, and earth, and hell.
He it was whose guile, Stirred up with envy and revenge, deceived The mother of mankind; what time his _pride_ Had cast him out from heaven, with all his host Of rebel angels, by whose aid aspiring To set himself in glory 'bove his peers, He trusted to have equalled the Most High, If he opposed, and with ambitious aim, Against the throne and monarchy of God, Raised impious war in heaven, and battle proud, With vain attempt.
And in the history of man's dealings with man pride is the root of contention. _"Whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?"_ (Jas. iv. 1). And is not the lust of pride, or envy, which is her foster-sister, the great cause of all domestic, and social, and national contentions? Has it not been the cause of every unrighteous war from the days of Chedorlaomer to the present century? And pride breeds contention on a narrower battle-ground still. It often creates war in the human spirit. Pride brings contention between duty and inclination, and, although there is no bloodshed, the contest is often very sharp and painful. The fact that "by pride cometh contention" is so plain that it may be said to be written upon the scroll of time, like Ezekiel's roll, within and without. It is impossible that it should be otherwise. Pride is a thinking more of ourselves than we are--an over-estimation of our own worth. This must lead us to strive for supremacy over others who are our equals, or even our superiors. This must bring contention, for they will not willingly accord to us that to which we have no lawful claim. Therefore, while there is pride in the universe contention will never end. The fountain must be dried up before the streams cease to flow. When a human soul is emptied of pride there will be peace within. In proportion as it ceases to be a ruling force in the world contention will cease. Pride keeps the fallen principalities in contention with heaven, keeps the sinner in contention with his Saviour, and keeps man in contention with man.
+II. Those who are not ruled by pride are well advised.+ 1. _Because of the consequences that obedience to the dictates of pride must bring to men themselves._ There is in all men a wholesome fear of the consequences which flow from certain actions. If a child sees another burnt from playing with the fire, he will avoid doing that which he has seen to bring such pain and deformation to his brother. Self-love deters him from the act. Those who are well advised, because advised by the highest wisdom, know that the consequences of pride have been, and take cognisance of the deformation of character which it works in men around them. Therefore, the natural and spiritual instinct of wholesome self-love leads them to dread that which would bring such an additional scar to their already too much deformed character. The children of wisdom are well advised to be afraid of pride on account of its consequences to themselves. 2. _Because of the misery it would bring to those nearly related to them._ Isolation is not possible in this world. Every man, woman, and child is more or less nearly related to some others. The relation may be physical, intellectual, political, or moral--in some instances all are combined. A proud man, or woman, or child, makes those who belong to them miserable. A proud father makes his children miserable, a proud king involves his country in war, and brings misery upon his subjects. How many friends has pride severed? How many homes and countries has family or national pride blighted? Surely, then, those are well advised who shun it for the sake of those related to them. 3. _Because of its consequences to humanity._ The miseries of the human race are increased by pride, and the progress of the gospel is hindered by it. The man who does not scruple to pour oil upon a burning house, not only shows that he has no intention to help to extinguish the flames, but that he intends to widen their influence. Each drop that he pours upon the fire increases its intensity, and spreads the destruction. There are men who do not hesitate, by the indulgence of pride, to increase that war of passions which burns so fiercely and destructively in the world and desolates ten thousand hearts and homes. But the well advised, by the exercise of the grace of humility, endeavour to quench the conflagration which, first kindled by hell, has devastated the earth for so many generations.
_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._
Pride, if there be no cause of contention given, will make it. _Transcendo non obedio perturbo_ is the motto written upon pride's triple crown. . . . Pride is a dividing distemper. Bladders blown up with wind spurt one from another, and will not close; but prick them, and you may pack a thousand of them in a little room. . . . It was a great trouble to Haman to lead Mordecai's horse, which another man would not have thought so. The moving of a straw troubleth proud flesh; whereas, humility, if compelled to go one mile, will go two for a need; yea, as far as the shoes of the gospel of peace can carry it. "The wisdom from above is _peaceable._"--_Trapp._
As to the great quarrel with God, which needs the _ransom_ (ver. 8), and which is mended by the _righteousness_ (ver. 6), how long would that last, if we abandoned pride?--_Miller._
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 11.
TWO WAYS OF GROWING RICH.
+I. Wealth can be gotten.+ Wealth may be acquired by those who have it not. The wealth of the sea is within the reach of the fisherman. If he put down his net, sooner or later he will probably be rewarded with some gain. There is wealth in the sea of human life. Although the experience of some may be "to toil all night and to take nothing," yet the rule is that men who make an effort will succeed in bringing into their nets more or less of worldly gain. Some degree of skill and toil are needed to do this, but probably there was never a time when talent of any kind, or patient endeavour, was more certain to meet with a reward than in the present day. Aptitude for business will probably make a man a thriving tradesman if it does not make him a merchant prince. Intellectual power and artistic skill have a wide field in which to work, and are generally sure of liberal reward. Probably there never was an age when those who have nothing but the net of genius to spread upon the sea of life were so certain to land gold upon the shore.
+II. But there are two ways of getting rich.+ There is the way of _vanity._ Some men come into a fortune by a single throw of the dice--by a fortunate speculation--a lucky hit. They may not be dishonest as men generally understand the word, although as a rule such transactions will not bear too much exposure to the sunlight, but it is not the best way to get money. Then there are others who for a lifetime have nibbled at the lawful gains of other men, and have thus become rich. And others have gotten their wealth by some one act of dishonesty, of which society is ignorant or is unable to punish. All these ways of making money are vain in comparison _with that of patient, honest, daily toil._ The reaper gathers in the golden grain in the sweat of his face, an armful at each stroke of the sickle; step by step, "hand by hand," he makes himself master of the field and gathers the wheat into the garner. So patient daily toil is the Divinely-ordained way to grow rich. The daily practice of industrious habits and the exercise of patience, which are thus rendered necessary, are beneficial to a man's moral nature.
+III. The possession of wealth will be permanent or short-lived according to the way in which it has been acquired.+ 1. _Wealth gotten at a leap is generally "diminished" by the man who gained it._ Such men are generally reckless in their expenditure, and squander a fortune in almost as short a time as they gained it. Such a sudden acquisition of wealth has been unfavourable to the formation of thrifty habits, and the man is not equal to his position. Many a gold-digger who has found in a day a nugget worth many thousands, has been a poor man again in a few months, and the experience of most men furnishes them with some similar illustration of the truth although not perhaps so striking. 2. _Wealth gotten by dishonesty will be diminished by God._ Time only is needed to make manifest the righteous judgment of God upon wealth gotten by such "vanity." Like the prophet's gourd, although it affords pleasant shelter to those who sit under it now, there is a worm at the root which will certainly bring it to nothing. Did we but know how some fortunes have been acquired, we should be less surprised at their possessors being suddenly reduced to beggary. It may be that those who are thus brought low are not the makers, but the possessors only, of wealth gotten by vanity, yet they have to pay the penalty. On the contrary, the man who has patiently and honestly gathered, little by little, a sufficiency, or even more, has gathered at the same time wisdom to use it, and has not forfeited the blessing of the Lord (chap. x. 22).
_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._
"It is easier to make a fortune than to keep it." So say the worldly. Specifically forbidden is the keeping of the bread of heaven (Exod. xvi. 19). It was to be gathered every morning. A man who keeps gathering on the hand is the man to stay rich. But the saint who hoards up the past, and lives upon the fortune that he had, is the Israelite who kept the manna, and who found that it "bred worms and stank." Even happiness is not promoted by over-guard. "Things won are done; joy's soul lies in the doing." . . . Continuing to work not only keeps wealth, but "increases it," most particularly spiritual wealth.--_Miller._
The words admit of three renderings (1) That of the A.V. "Wealth gotten by vanity," _i.e._, by a windfall, or sudden stroke of fortune, not by honest labour, is soon diminished; or (2) wealth is diminished by vanity, by empty or hollow ostentation; or (3) wealth is diminished quicker than a breath. Of these (1) is believed to be the best. In any case the general meaning seems to be that the mere possession of riches is as nothing; they come and go; but the power to gain by skill of hand is everything. By labour, "or by the hand," has three possible meanings (1) as in the A.V.; (2) in proportion to his strength; (3) "in due measure."--_Plumptre._
Ill-gotten goods fly away without taking leave of the owner; leaving nothing but the print of talons to torment him (chap. xxiii. 5). "But he that gathereth by labour shall increase." Howbeit, sometimes, it is otherwise. "Master, we have toiled all night, and taken nothing" (Luke v. 5).--_Trapp._
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 12.
DEFERRED AND ACCOMPLISHED HOPE.
+I. Two things are necessary to constitute hope.+ 1. _There is the desire for the real or supposed good._ The man conceives there is in the distance that which he esteems a good, and he desires to possess it. No man desires what he deems is an evil. The fact that he desires it shows that he regards it as a good. 2. _There is an expectation._ A man may desire a good thing without hoping for it because he may feel that it is impossible to have his desire fulfilled. He has no expectation of its accomplishment, consequently he has no hope. Hope includes some amount of expectation, some foundation for the hope. A man who knows that his disease is incurable may _desire_ to recover his health, but as he has no reason to expect recovery he does not _hope_ for it. Sometimes, also, hope is founded on the promise of some person who is presumed to be both able and willing to perform it.
+II. The constant postponement of the attainment of the desired and expected good produces mental sickness.+ Sickness of body enfeebles its powers, so does sickness of soul. A man derives strength to work when he possesses hope of enjoying some good thing in the future. Hope is a kind of spiritual food, by feeding upon which a man renews his energy. But the constant postponement of its realisation renders the hope less and less strong, and has the same effect upon the mind as insufficient food has upon the body, it enfeebles its resolution and lessens its courage. If a hungry man finds each day that his portion of food grows less, he will soon be conscious of the loss of flesh and strength, and if the process goes on for many months he will lose all power of action and probably his very life. The same thing takes place in a man's spirit when hope is indefinitely "deferred."
+III. The accomplishment of the desire and expectation renews mental health and strength.+ "It is a tree of life." The fruit of the tree of life in Paradise was designed to lengthen man's life, to perpetuate his youth by constantly renewing his bodily vigour. It is said of the tree of life in the Paradise yet to come that "its leaves are for the healing of the nations" (Rev. xxii. 2). So the realisation of hope renews the life of the spirit, quickens all its powers, perpetuates its youth. And if the hope has been so long deferred as to induce "heart sickness," its "coming" brings healing with it. Bodily health is restored by the operation of something from without. It is not usually brought about by that which is within us, but by the coming to us of that which is without. A man desires something which he has not--something outside of himself--either a material or a spiritual good; and if he comes to possess it, it is to the soul what healing medicine is to the body. And as those who eat of the tree of life in the heavenly world are "children of the resurrection," and sons of undying youth, so realised hope makes the spirit conscious of new life, because it brings _joy,_ and when a man is filled with joy he feels young, however many years he has lived. A renewed youth brings renewed activity. It lifts up the hands which hang down, and restores the feeble knees, and gives a man a new start in the race of life. Applying the words to the revelation of the New Testament, to the "hope of the Gospel" (Col. i. 23), we remark--1. _That the Christian must be the subject of deferred hope._ He _must_ wait for the realisation of his desires and expectations. That "adoption of the body" (Rom. viii. 23) must be waited for. A glorified body would be out of place in an unglorified world. This hope must be deferred until his Lord's expectations with regard to this world are fulfilled. The Son of God is waiting until the Father shall give the word that "time shall be no longer"--until the times of restitution of all things (Acts iii. 21). He is "at the right hand of God; from henceforth _expecting_ till his enemies be made His footstool" (Heb. x. 13). When that _expectation_ is fulfilled, the _desire_ of the Christian with regard to the resurrection body will be fulfilled also. He must also wait until after death for perfect victory over sin and its consequence, for the full revelation of what it is to be one of the sons of God. _"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be." "When this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, 'Death is swallowed up in victory.'"_ (1 John iii. 2; 1 Cor. xv. 54). 2. _That even the deferred hope of the Christian is a tree of life._ It is an eater that yields meat. It bears fruit (1) It gives birth to _patience,_ and there is no grace that the human spirit needs more. According to apostolic teaching it is needful to _"let patience have her perfect work,"_ if the Christian is to _be perfect and entire, wanting nothing_ (Jas. i. 4). It is the evidence of a great mind to be able to wait. The Eternal is a "God of patience" (Rom. xv. 5). He can wait, because He is infinitely great. (2) It brings forth joy. Paul says, _"We rejoice in hope of the glory of God"_ (Rom. v. 2). (3) It satisfies the soul. _"Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself"_ (1 John iii. 3). (4) It gives sympathy with God in relation to unregenerate humanity. God defers the realisation of the Christian's hope, because He is not willing that any should perish (2 Pet. iii. 9). While we wait the Divine desire grows in us also, that "all should come to repentance."
_ILLUSTRATION._
Perhaps in all history there is not a more salient instance of hoping against hope deferred than that of Columbus. Years and years were wasted in irksome solicitation; years spent, not indeed in the drowsy and monotonous attendance of ante-chambers, but, as his foremost biographer narrates, amid scenes of peril and adventure, from the pursuit of which he was several times summoned to attend royal conferences and anon dismissed abruptly. "Whenever the court had an interval of leisure and repose (from the exigencies of the Moorish war), there would again be manifested a disposition to consider his proposal, but the hurry and tempest would again return, and the question be again swept away." . . . He came to look upon these indefinite postponements as a mere courtly mode of evading his importunity, and after the rebuff in the summer of 1490, he is said to have renounced all further confidence in vague promises, which had so often led to chagrin; and, giving up all hopes of countenance from the throne, he turned his back upon Seville, indignant at the thought of having been beguiled out of so many years of waning existence. But it is impossible not to admire the great constancy of purpose and loftiness of spirit displayed by Columbus ever since he had conceived the sublime idea of the discovery. When he applied again to the court after the surrender of Granada, in 1492, more than eighteen years had elapsed since the announcement of the design, the greatest part of which had been consumed in applications to various sovereigns, poverty, neglect, ridicule, contumely, and the heart-sickness of hope deferred, all that hitherto had come of it. Five years later, when preparations were afoot for his third voyage, we read that, "so wearied and disheartened did he become by the impediments thrown in his way," that he thought of abandoning his discoveries altogether.--_Jacox._
_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._
In his analysis of "the immediate emotions," Dr. Thomas Brown adverts to that weariness of mind which one would so gladly exchange for weariness of body, and which he takes to be more difficult to bear with good humour than many profound griefs, because it involves the uneasiness of hope that is renewed every moment, to be every moment disappointed. He supposes a day's journey along one continuous avenue, where the uniformity of similar trees at similar distances is of itself most wearisome; but what we should feel with far more fretfulness would be the constant disappointment of our expectation, that the last tree that we beheld in the distance would be the last that should rise upon us; when "tree after tree, as if in mockery of our very patience itself, would still continue to present the same dismal continuity of line." Lord Bolingbroke, a professed expert in its power to weary and wear out, called suspense the only insupportable misfortune of life.--_Jacox._
The rule, as expressed in the first clause, is universal, but in the second clause it is applied to a particular case. . . . The second member is a dividing word. The accomplishment of the desire is "a tree of life." This belongs only to the hope of the holy. Many, after waiting long and expecting eagerly, discover, when at last they reach their object, that it is a withered branch and not a living tree. When a human heart has been set on perishable things, after the sickness of deferred expectation comes the sorer sickness of satiated possession. If the world be made the portion of the immortal Spirit, to want it is one sickness, to have it is another. The one is a hungry mouth empty, the other is a hungry mouth filled with chaff. The clog of disappointed possession is a more nauseous sickness than the aching of disappointed desire. There is no peace to the wicked. They are always either desiring or possessing; but to desire and to possess a perishable portion are only two different kinds of misery to men. They are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest. You stand on the shore, and gaze on the restless waters. A wave is hastening on, struggling and panting, and making with all its might for the shore. It seems as if all it wanted was to reach the land. It reaches the land, and disappears in a hiss of discontent. Gathering its strength at a distance, it tries again, and again, with the same result. It is never satisfied, it never rests. In the constitution of the world, under the government of the Most Holy, when a soul's desire is set on unworthy objects, the accomplishment of the desire does not satisfy the soul.--_Arnot._
Aquinas noteth that hope in itself causeth joy, it is by accident that it causeth sorrow. Inasmuch as it is a present apprehension of good to come, it breedeth delight, but as it wanteth the presence of that good, it bringeth trouble. It is therefore the delay of hope that afflicteth. And indeed a lingering hope breedeth in the heart as it were a lingering consumption. It is a long child-bearing travail of a weak mind, for hope having conceived comfort is still in labour, until it be brought forth. So it is with the servants of God with respect to heaven. They having begun in hope their journey thitherward, it makes them even _sick at heart_ to think how long it is until they can get there. Wherefore, St. Gregory saith, the punishments of the innocent are the desires of the righteous. For all having lost heaven by sin, even the just are punished with the _deferred hope_ of recovering it.--_Jermin._
Here is instruction--+I. To hope for nothing but that which is haveable, and may well be had, and whereof we are capable, and that doth belong unto us.+ For if protraction cause the heart to languish, what will frustration and disappointment? It is one of the threatenings against the wicked in Deuteronomy, that _"their sons and their daughters shall be given unto another people, and their eyes should look for them until they fail, and there shall be no might in their hand"_ (chap xxviii. 32). Now what is meant by this is that their expectation deceived should turn them to as much woe as if their eyes had lost their sight. And that was because that they, incurring the curse by their sinful behaviour, did yet presume of a restitution to happiness as though nothing had appertained to them but blessings. +II. Not to limit God or prescribe to Him in what space He shall fulfil His promise.+ It was a heathenish speech of the King of Israel's messenger, when he said, in blasphemous manner, that he neither _would_ nor _ought to attend on the Lord any longer_ (2 Kings vi. 33). But we need not draw admonitions against this from the infidelity of the wicked, but from the infirmities of the godly, as Abraham and Sarah had much ado to believe that a child should be gotten and conceived of their body after their natural vigour was consumed, and, therefore, Hagar was brought in to help the matter. +III. Not to depend on man, nor to repose our hope in flesh and blood.+ For thereby we shall not only be delayed of our help too long, but defeated of it altogether. For it is a righteous thing with God, that they who will deify creatures with confidence, should be deceived by creatures with confusion. The poor Israelites found and felt this (Lam. iv. 17). +IV. Where we undertake to minister succour, not to grieve the hearts of them that are in affliction by lingering too long before we relieve them.+ God doth teach us to show beneficence timely and in due season (chap. iii. 28). This was one testimony of a good conscience that comforted Job in his extremities, that "he had not held the poor from their desire nor caused the eyes of the widow to fail" (Job xxxi. 16).--_Dod._
Hope's hours are full of eternity; and how many see we languishing at hope's hospital, as he at the pool of Bethesda! Hope unfailable (Rom. v. 5) is founded upon faith unfeigned. The desire will come to those who patiently wait on God; for waiting is but hope and trust lengthened. We are apt to antedate the promises and set God at a time as they (Jer. viii. 20) who looked for salvation in summer at furthest. We are short-breathed, short-spirited. But as God seldom comes at our time, so he never fails at His own, and then He is most sweet, because most seasonable.--_Trapp._
The fourth verse has said that "the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing." This verse declares that longing, accompanied by procrastination, _enfeebles the heart;_ but that a bold plunging after the good, and attaining it, is a "tree of life." This, dimly, is true in worldly affairs. A man who desires some worldly good and wavers, enfeebles his heart, but he who will dash boldly in strengthens it. . . . The least taste of arrived-at desire in the spiritual world, like the apples of Eden, breeds "life." The soul will go on after that eternally.--_Miller._
If Jacob serve the churl Laban seven years longer, if he think he shall have Rachel at the end of it, it will be but as seven days. Thus it is that the hope of better days sweeteneth the present sadness of any outward condition. There is no grief so heavy, but if a man tie heaven at the end of it, it will become light, but put them together, and the one will be swallowed up in the other.--_Spencer._
The world dares say no more of its devices than _Dum spiro spero_ (while I breathe, I hope); but the children of God can add by virtue of their living hope, _Dum expiro spero_ (while I expire, I hope).--_Leighton._
Hope is the hunger that makes our food acceptable; but hope deferred, like hunger prolonged, brings a kind of torture. . . . With the child of God "the patience of hope" issues in "the full assurance of hope." What was it to Abraham, when, after long deferred hope, the answer came? Laughter. What was it when the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, and they were like unto them that dream? What was it to old Simeon and the waiting remnant when "the _desire_ of all nations" _came?_ What to the disciples, when, at the manifestation of their risen Lord, their _sickening hearts_ believed not for joy, and wondered? . . . But what will be the joy at the great consummation of hope? (Rom. viii. 23-25).--_Bridges._
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 13.
BOUND BY LAW.
The literal translation of the first clause of this verse is "Whoso despiseth the law is bound by it," or "is in bonds to it" (see Critical Notes).
+I. Divine law is a necessity of human nature.+ There must be a standard of right and wrong for moral and responsible creatures, and the law which is that standard ought to be appreciated in proportion to its perfection. Law in a family is a necessity for its right regulation, and in proportion as it approaches perfection it will meet the needs of its members. 1. The law of God is a necessity, in order to educate man's moral sense. The human conscience sometimes lies buried under ignorance, or is passive in the hands of lawless desire, and it needs the law to arouse it to perform its proper functions, and thus prepare men for a Saviour. "Christ," says Paul, "is the end of the law." It arouses men to feel their need of His atonement. 2. It is needed as a basis of punishment and reward. There are some actions upon which men, by almost universal consent, pass judgment, and their judgment is embodied in their law, and thus forms a basis of conviction for the transgressor. And there are other actions which, by the same consent, are allowed to deserve reward, and that universal consent forms a kind of law. So the holy, just, and true law of God is needed as a standard by which men's actions may be judged.
+II. Whether men honour or despise the law they are bound by it.+ There is no place and there are no circumstances in this world in which men are not bound by _physical_ law. Every man finds that if he would have health he must inhale pure air. No man can afford to despise this law, but whether he do so or not, it will hold him in bonds. He must obey it if he would have health, to disobey may be death. If a moving object is coming to meet us, if it has more force in it than we have, we shall be overthrown by it if we do not get out of its path. We may do as we please about meeting it, but we cannot be loosed from the law which governs it. These laws of our earthly life may not be universal laws, they are doubtless many of them confined to our present state of being, but the moral law of God is in force throughout the universe and there is no escape from it. What is good here is good everywhere, what is morally right now can never be wrong through all eternity. Whether men obey it or defy it, they will be for ever bound by it.
+III. It is seen to be a good law by the results of keeping it.+ "He that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded," or "shall be at peace." Even when men violate physical law they do not pronounce it bad. But it is seen to be good by its effects on those who keep it. Men who obey the laws of health recommend those laws in their own persons. Those who acknowledge the binding nature of Divine law and fear it, recommend it to others as good. "Great peace have they that love Thy law and nothing shall offend them" (Psa. cxix. 165). Self-love binds men to obey it. "Whoso breaketh" this "hedge, a serpent shall bite him" (Eccles. x. 8). The whole Bible is an exposition of this text. (See Homiletics on verse 6.)
_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._
The slave _fears_ the penalty; the child _the commandment._--_Bridges._
In many things we offend all, but we are not all despisers of the Word of God. Good men have reason to lament their manifold breaches of the commandment, and yet they have a sincere love and esteem for it.--_Lawson._
Whatever comes with Divine authority is a Divine commandment. The Gospel is on this as well as other accounts called the "law of faith," being the _Divine prescription_ for the salvation of sinners.--_Wardlaw._
This word has a private and personal, as well as a public application; but it is in the providential government of the nations that its truth has been most conspicuously displayed. The kingdoms of this world in these days prosper or pine in proportion as they honour or despise God's Word. . . . Number the nations over one by one, and see where property is valuable and life secure; mark the places where you would like to invest your means and educate your family; you will shun some of the sunniest climes on earth, as if they lie under a polar night, because the light of truth has been taken from their sky. Traverse the world in search of merely human good, seeking but an earthly home, and your tent, like Abraham's, will certainly be pitched at "the place of the altar."--_Arnot._
The more we despise the law, the more we are bound by it. "But he that fears." This is a splendid picture of the Christian. He is not one that keeps the law, but "fears" it, _i.e.,_ tries to keep it, fears it with a godly fear, and as a climax, frequent in a second clause (see chap. xiv. 11 and _passim_), he is not one who comes simply less under bonds, but is forgiven altogether.--_Miller._
The word of Divine revelation is here, as it were, personified as a real superhuman power, whose service one cannot escape, and in default of this he comes into bondage to it, _i.e._, loses his liberty.--_Lange's Commentary._
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 14.
LIVING BY RULE.
+I. The wise man lives by rule or according to law.+ "The law of the wise." Wherever there is any _force_ or _power_ there must be rule, or there will be destruction _from_ the power and possibly destruction _to_ the power. The power that sets in motion the locomotive must be governed by law, or it will destroy the driver and that to which it was intended to give motion. Under the guidance of law it will minister to man's convenience, left to itself it will injure him and put an end to itself. Power is lodged within the hand of every human being which may be used to bless himself and others, but in order that it may do so it must act in accordance with some law, it must have some rule for its guidance. Nothing on earth is so powerful for good or for evil as a human soul, because its power is exercised in the domain of spirit, but without rule it cannot exercise its power for the good of others, and will even destroy all its capabilities of working good to itself. Where men live without a rule of life there is power without law, and this must work evil and not good. It is the characteristic of a morally wise man that all his powers of mind and soul are under control, he has them well in hand.
+II. Living by rule gives distinctness and definiteness to life, and thus augments its power.+ The chaff that is lifted from the sieve by the wind has no definite destination, it is entirely at the mercy of the breeze to carry it anywhere that it pleases. How different is the course of the eagle out in the storm wind! He moves by rule, either facing or cleaving the blast, or utilising its force to bring him to his destination. The vessel that has no hand to hold the rudder is bound for no special port. The sea will take her somewhere, either before or after she has gone to pieces; but it is very uncertain to which point of the compass she will be carried. How different is the steady ploughing of the waves by the ship whose head is under the rule of the helmsman. There is a definiteness in her path, which shows that she has one point to make, one port in view. Those who live without rule are "like the chaff which the wind driveth away." The blasts of passion, the current of outside circumstances, carry them whithersoever they list. But the wise man lives under a law by which those winds are rendered powerless to drive him, and are made to carry him forward in the path which he is treading. The man without a rule is a vessel without a rudder, and is destined, finally, to be washed upon the shore of eternity a wreck. The very gait of the child of wisdom indicates that he is bound for a certain destination. By the way in which he guides his bark he shows that he has a port to make upon the sea of life. And this definiteness is always about him, whether he is in solitude or among the multitude. He lives by rule, in the private recesses of his soul (see on chap. xii. 5), and this enables him to rule his outward life. He finds that the rule which governs his private life is strong enough to keep him in public. The power of the multitude is not strong enough to overmaster the power that is resident in his single will, because that will is under a rule which gives it definiteness; and, therefore, increases its force of resistance. Elijah is a fine example of such a man. He was a man emphatically whose whole forceful nature was under Divine rule. Whether he was in the wilderness or upon Mount Carmel he was in subjection to the law of his God, and this made him a man whose life was possessed with one definite aim and purpose. Hence the mighty wave of opposition with which he was met had no more power to move him than the ocean has to move the solid rock. So with his great antitype, John the Baptist. He lived by rule as much when alone in the desert as he did when he was in the midst of the multitude; and, therefore, neither their applause or blame, nor Herod's outburst of rage, had any power to change his pre-determined course. Hence the question of Him who declared the Baptiser to be the "greatest born of woman." "What went ye out in the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind," implying that he was no reed bending to every blast, but a storm-resisting cedar, which amid the uproar of the storm holds its own, and comes out of it more firmly rooted and grounded by the power of the elements which it has resisted. This is the inevitable consequence of living by rule. The unruled though mighty locomotive wastes and loses its power in destroying, that which is under the guidance of law preserves and increases it. A lawless man possesses a terrible capacity for destruction; but his power diminishes, even while he exercises it, while he who is under Divine rule grows stronger and stronger. Sin weakens a man, goodness increases his power.
+III. Snares are laid to turn men's power into a wrong channel--to bring their lives under the dominion of lawlessness.+ There are "snares of death" set to entrap men's feet. The aim of every tempter, whether human or Satanic, is to lead men to abuse that power which God has put into our hands in giving us a will. This being the supreme force in a human soul, it is the great aim of the devil that it should not be "subject to the law of God." His aim in Eden was to loose the bonds which had hitherto held it firm to the Divine command. The end of the temptation was, and has always been concealed under a specious pretence of freedom, hence it is a _snare._ It is a _snare of death,_ because, as we have seen, power without rule destroys itself and others. As soon as Eve had fallen into the snare of the devil, she began to know what it was to be under the dominion of sin--she was conscious of having lost her hold upon herself, and of having set in motion within her spirit a mighty power of evil. The great aim of Satan in his temptation of Christ was to get His will to exercise its power, if only for a moment, in antagonism to the will of His Father. If the devil could have prevailed upon the Saviour to have but created a loaf of bread to satisfy His hunger, he would have succeeded in getting Him to use His Divine power in a manner which would not have been in accordance with the purpose or plan of God. The same aim is seen in each temptation under different forms, to endeavour to lead the Son of God to free Himself by His Divine power from the law of His Father. But the snare was avoided in each instance by close adherence to the words of the law. "It is written" is a sure preservative from the snares of death.
+IV. The rule by which the morally wise are governed is--+First, _Abundant._ It is a _fountain._ A fountain is supplied from a living spring--a never-failing source--and it therefore yields an unfailing supply of water for men of all classes and conditions whenever they need it. The Divine rule which governs the gild of wisdom originated in God. The fountain of Divine truth came from this Holy and Infinite spring. Therefore it is an all-sufficient guide or rule of life for men in all ages, and under all circumstances. Secondly--_Lifegiving._ It is a "fountain of life." By being the conserver and strengthener of his spiritual power, as we saw under the first head, and by being the means of his escape from the great soul-ensnarer. Allowed to flow through the garden of the soul, and exert there its due influence, it produces fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life (Rom. vi. 22). _The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. . . . Moreover, by them is thy servant warned, and in keeping of them there is great reward_ (Psalm xix. 7-11). This was the testimony of one who had drunk long and deeply of the waters of this life-giving fountain.
_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._
Of law there can be no less acknowledged than that her seat is in the bosom of God, her voice the harmony of the world. All things in heaven and earth do her homage; the very least, as feeling her care, and the greatest, as not exempt from her power, both angels and men, and creatures of what condition soever, though each in different sort and manner, yet all with uniform consent admiring her as the mother of peace and joy.--_Hooker._
The holy instructions of a wise man are to be valued in this world. There is a living virtue in the world of truth, even when earthen pipes are the channel of its conveyance.--_Lawson._
The figure leads to the idea of death as a fowler (Psa. xci. 3). If it is not here a mean formula for the dangers of death, then the proverb is designed to state that the life which springs from the doctrine of a wise man as from a fountain of health, for the disciple who will receive it, communicates to him knowledge and strength, to know where the snares of destruction lie, and to hasten with vigorous steps away when they threaten to entangle him.--_Delitzsch._
If we take the _law of the wise_ for the law of wise men as given by them, we may thus consider the words. He that goeth on according to the stream and course thereof, shall be sure at last to come to the fountain. The law of the wise is but a stream for the fountain of life, and he that keepeth to the stream shall be sure at last to meet with the fountain.--_Jermin._
Sin is Satan's snare to catch men to perdition. He that is in the power of it, and entangled therewith, is in great peril of perishing, being caught in a trap and held fast there, till either grace deliver him or death devour him. There is no safe treading but in the ways of God. Every step without it, though the length and breadth of the whole world, hath somewhat set in it to entangle us.--_Dod._
Even in defect of liberal prescript, the spirit of _the law_ will supply practical rules for keeping the heart and life. Dr. Payson says, "By the help of three rules I soon settle all my doubts--viz., to do nothing of which the lawfulness is questionable; to do nothing which indisposes for prayer, or interrupts communion with God; to go into no company, business, or situation in which the presence and blessing of God cannot conscientiously be asked and expected."--_Bridges._
The _"law of the wise"_ can be nothing but the Book of God. . . . It is essentially _life-giving._ Its design is not to publish and confirm the sentence of death, but to show how death may be escaped. The declaration of the sentence of death is only intended to show the necessity, and to impress the importance and value of the tidings of _life. Life_ is the end of Divine revelation.--_Wardlaw._
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 15.
A BAD WAY AND A GOOD UNDERSTANDING.
+I. Favour is here spoken of as a thing to be desired.+ It is desirable to have the favour of _any_ man if thereby we can do him any good. It was desirable that Joseph should have Pharaoh's favour, as he was thereby enabled to gain his ear and help him in his perplexity. The favour which Daniel obtained from Nebuchadnezzar enabled him to be a great blessing to that monarch. A man who is regarded by his fellow creatures with favour possesses a powerful instrument which he may use to do them good. On this account the favour of men is to be desired. It is also desirable to have the favour of _good_ men as thereby we may _get_ good. Good men are the only living representatives of God in the world, and next to the blessedness of having the favour of the parent is the blessedness of having that of His children. Therefore the favour of men is to be desired both for their sakes and for our own.
+II. The instrument of obtaining favour.+ "Good understanding" or "good intelligence." Man's highest and truest intelligence springs from moral relation and sympathy with God. All intellectual intelligence is derived from Him, and this intelligence alone will often gain for men a large share of human favour. There are many men of great mental intelligence, who do not acknowledge the existence of God, who have won high places in the esteem of men. But these words refer to those who have been enlightened by the teaching of the Divine spirit, and are in sympathy with God and with His moral laws. Such men are not less intelligent concerning other matters, but more so. Other things being equal, a godly man's purely intellectual powers are quickened by his godliness. If an ungodly man becomes a true servant of God, all the powers of his mind are thereby strengthened. Observation confirms this, and it is impossible that it should be otherwise. If a man cannot come into communion with a wiser _man,_ without gaining in intelligence, how can he come into communion with the _Fountain of all wisdom_ without becoming a more intelligent man in every sense of the word? What a capable man of business Joseph was. When quite a youth, and without any previous training, he became controller of the household of an Egyptian nobleman; and when only thirty was not only the first lord of Egypt, but showed himself fully equal to all the exigencies of his position. Whence did his "good understanding" proceed? Was it not from his moral relationship with the God of his fathers? "Can we find such an one as this is?" said the heathen king,--"a man in whom the Spirit of God is" (Gen. xli. 38). The possession of this "good understanding" in temporal and secular matters gives a man favour in the eyes of other men. The possession of _spiritual intelligence_ gives him favour in the eyes of all the good. There is a relationship among all true members of the family of God, which is stronger and deeper than any merely human relationship. And this spiritual intelligence gives a man a moral power among all his fellow-men. They cannot withhold the testimony of their consciences, unless they are altogether hardened they must secretly, if not openly, give him their esteem and confidence. "Natural conscience," says Trapp, "cannot but do homage to the image of God stamped upon the nature and works of the godly."
+III. The way of those who are destitute of this spiritual intelligence.+ All such men are "transgressors." Their spiritual nature is dormant--they are without spiritual discernment. In scriptural phrase they are "blind" (Rev. iii. 17) and "dead" (Ephes. ii. 1). Their way is _hard,_ however we use the word. (See Critical Notes.) 1. _It is hard in the sense of being a well-trodden way._ It has become hard by being much frequented--by being perpetually used. It has several elements of attraction. 2. _Antiquity is on its side._ It is an _old_ way--it has been in use for ages. "No man," says our Lord, "having drunk old wine, straight way desireth new" (Luke v. 39). Men are naturally conservative--naturally inclined to go as their fathers went. True it is that there is an _older_ way--the way of the good (see Homiletics on chap. iv. 14-19, page 58), but still the way of the transgressor is very ancient. 3. _Men's natural inclination leads into that way._ Men are led by their inclination, unless there is a stronger principle within them. We are born with a tendency to evil rather than to good--to walk after the devices of our own heart rather than according to the will of God. In most men "inclination is as strong as will," and leads them to tread the "way of the transgressor." 4. _It is attractive because of the numbers who tread it._ "Many there be which go in thereat" (Matt. vii. 13). Many men make that fact a city of refuge wherein to shelter themselves from the admonitions of conscience. "I only do as others do" is regarded by many men as an impregnable citadel wherein they can securely await the righteous judgments of God (See Homiletics on ch. i. 10-19, page 8, 2nd head). 5. _It is hard and therefore desolate, unfruitful._ The common highway that is trodden down by many feet is not the place in which to look for a golden harvest. The stony rock is not a soil whence flowers spring. Men do not expect to gather choice fruit on the desolate moorland. Neither can the way of the transgressor yield the flowers or the pleasant fruits of life. Thorns and nettles are there, but no golden harvest. The favour neither of God nor man is his portion. He can only reap as he has sown (See Homiletics on chap. xi. 18-20, page 223). 6. _It is a hard way in the sense that it is a miserable way._ Every act carries with it present judgment. Every action has its reaction of pleasure or of pain. Every step, therefore, in the way of transgression has its accompanying reproach of conscience. Then the way of sin is a way of self-deception. What is more painful than to be the subject of constant deception? We have just dwelt upon the heart-sickness of hope deferred (verse 12); the sinner is a constant victim of this malady. Nothing can be a more bitter experience than to stake our all upon a promise, and when the time comes for its fulfilment, to find that it was made only to be broken. Yet this is the experience of a transgressor of God's law, not once or twice, but all through his life. It is his lot not only to deceive but _to be deceived_ (2 Tim. iii. 13). He is ever promising himself, and is ever being promised by the master whom he serves, satisfaction as the result of his deeds, but he is always finding that the performance falls as far short of the promise as it did when the devil led our first parents into sin, by the promise "ye shall be as gods," and performed it by making them slaves to himself. This is another ingredient in the hardness of the way. He is a slave to him who has deceived him. Many a man is fully alive to the deceptive nature of sin--to its utter powerlessness to give him real pleasure--and yet he goes on it. Why is this? He is bound by a chain which he finds it well nigh impossible to break. Evil habits, as well as good ones, grow stronger by exercise. Slavery is hard under any master, excepting under Him whose service is perfect freedom. How bitter, then, is slavery to one who has deceived us. Yet this is not the _hardest_ part of the _hard_ way. None who are thus victims of the great deceiver--none whom he has made his bond slaves but feel that they are so by their own consent. Each evil thought unchecked, each evil thought indulged, has forged a link in the chain. Their condition has been likened, by an old writer, to that of a man who has been busily at work in carrying stick after stick to make a pile of wood, and then finds that he has only been heaping up materials for a fire upon which he is to be burned.
+IV. But though the way of transgressors is hard, it is not too hard.+ Its very hardness is intended to lead them to leave it. Because the end will be worse than the way, it is the tenderest mercy to make the way hard. It only tells him that he has taken the wrong road. The pain that he suffers is only the voice of God, saying, "Do thyself no harm." When a mountain pass becomes so blocked with fallen rocks that every step is a misery, does it not admonish the traveller to turn back before he makes a fatal slip? When in the regions of eternal snow a man feels intense pain from the biting cold, and encounters at every step the corpse of one who has been frozen to death by persistently disregarding the voice of nature, is it not suicide to continue? Can he say he received no admonition? Is it not a sentinel with a drawn sword to turn back the unwary from the precipice? Even so is the hardness of the way of the transgressor.
_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._
For the most part the word translated "good understanding" corresponds with that which, in a deep ethical sense, we call fine culture, which shows men how to take the right side, and in all circumstances to take the right key, exercise a kindly, heart-winning influence, not merely to the benefit of its possessor, but such as removes a partition wall, and brings men closer to each other. The word translated "hard" denotes that which stretches itself far, and with reference to time, that which remains the same during the course of time. That which does not change in time, continuing the same, according to its nature, strong, firm, thus becomes the designation of the enduring and the solid, whose quality remains always the same. The fundamental idea of remaining like itself, continuing, passes over into the idea of the firm, the hard, and, at the same time, of the uncultivated and the uncultivatable. The way of transgressors, or of the _treacherous,_ _i.e.,_ the manner in which they transact with men, is stiff, as hard as stone, repulsive; they follow selfish views, never placing themselves in sympathy with the condition of their neighbour; they are without the tenderness which is connected with fine culture; they remain destitute of feeling in things which, as we say, would soften a stone.--_Delitzsch._
Many _seek_ favour as the gift of others which it is in their own power to give themselves. For, get a _good understanding,_ whereby to understand well what thou goest about, and how to go about it. It is true, as Tertullian speaketh, now and then it falls out, that in a great tempest wherein sea and heaven are confounded, the haven is attained by a happy error; and now and then, in darkness, the way of entrance and going out is found by a blind happiness. But this is a favour which has no holdfast--it is a _good understanding_ that giveth favour.--_Jermin._
Is not the way of transgressors pleasant in prospect, although it ends in death? No; sin barters away future safety but does not secure present peace in return. Things are not always what they seem. The pleasures of sin are not only limited in their duration, they are lies even while they last. . . . The race is torture and the goal perdition. . . . But the right way is not a soft and silky path for the foot of man to tread upon; and, if one thing happens to all in the journey of life, what advantage have the good? Much every way, and specifically thus: The hardness which disciples experience in following their Lord is righteousness rubbing on their remaining lusts, and so wasting their deformities away; whereas the hardness of a transgressor's way is a carnal mind in its impotent enmity dashing itself against the bosses of the Almighty's buckler. . . . As the pains of cure differ from the pains of killing, so differs the salutary straitness which presses the entrance at the gates of life, from the hardness which hurts transgressors as they flee from God.--_Arnot._
Sin, as of its nature, sinks always lower under bond (ver. 13), and must, therefore, _de jure,_ be _"perpetual"_ (see Miller's rendering, in Critical Notes). For, strange enough, the man without "_good_ intelligence," _i.e.,_ the best kind of knowledge, neglects to act on what knowledge he has. The worst man has knowledge enough to save him--that is (to expound an averment which is only in one sense true), God's goodness is such that if a man would use the light he had, he would start from that point, and be helped into the kingdom.--_Miller._
Different senses have been affixed to these words--1. "Good understanding showeth favour to others"--_i.e.,_ is mild and conciliatory, while the "way of transgressors is hard, unyielding, stern." 2. "Ingenuous manners procure favour; but rugged is the path of the artful"--_i.e.,_ exposing him to incessant difficulties, while open dealing makes a man's way plain before him. 3. More probably the meaning in both parts of the verse terminates on the person's self. Intelligent and sound judgment, by fitting a man to be a wise and useful counsellor, procures him favour. On the contrary, the "way of transgressors," like "Bypath Meadow" in the _Pilgrim's Progress,_ presents at its entrance all that is tempting to allure into it, but supplies no real enjoyment to the traveller in it at last.--_Wardlaw._
Wicked men live under a hard taskmaster. "I was held before conversion," said Augustine, "not with an iron chain, but with the obstinacy of my own will." The philosophical infidel bears the same testimony. "I began to fancy myself in a most deplorable condition, environed with the deepest darkness on every side" (Essays, I. 458). Voltaire, judging of course from his own heart, pronounces, "In man is more wretchedness than in all other animals put together. Man loves life, yet knows he must die." "I wish," continues the wretched witness for his master, "I had never been born." The worldly infidel adds his seal to the record. Colonel Gardiner declared, that in his course of wickedness he had often envied the existence of a dog.--_Bridges._
_The hardness of the transgressor's way._ +I. A truth to be confirmed.+ It is hard to themselves--to others, to their families, their friends, to society. +II. A dispensation to be approved.+ It illustrates the mingled justice and mercy of God, who has made the way to hell difficult. The hardness of the way of sin is often the means of stopping sinners in their course. The sufferings of the wicked operate as a check and preservative to the righteous. +III. A warning to be enforced.+ Take care how you take the first step. Be anxious, if you have entered the road, to retrace your step. Remember that the hardness of the way is nothing like the bitterness of the end.--_S. Thodey._
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 16.
DEALING WITH KNOWLEDGE.
For a definition of prudence see Homiletics on chap. viii. 12, 13, page 109. Carrying out the thought that prudence is wisdom applied to practice, we remark,
+I. That a prudent man deals, or acts with knowledge from a sense of responsibility.+ 1. _In commercial life._ No prudent man will engage in any business transaction without first making himself thoroughly acquainted with it in all its bearings. He will, if possible, look far into the future and weigh probabilities and calculate results, so as to secure himself from ultimate loss. He will not deal with the matter at all unless he understands it. This we conceive is "dealing with knowledge." And it is the course pursued by every prudent man of business from a sense of responsibility. He feels that he has obligations to fulfil to others and a character to maintain, and therefore he thinks before he acts. A man who values his life at all will not deliberately walk over a precipice, and a prudent man will not go very near the edge, he will know what is the safe distance at which he may walk without even risking the possibility of a false step. 2. _As a teacher or leader of others._ A man who undertakes the guidance of his fellow-creatures in any way, is especially bound to "deal with knowledge." If he is a teacher of youth, and is a prudent man, he will make it his business to know his pupils, to become acquainted with the best methods of imparting instruction and developing their mental and moral powers. He feels that they are in his hands very much as clay in the hands of the potter, and that it depends very much upon him whether they become vessels of honour or dishonour, and this invests all his dealings with them with a deep sense of responsibility. So with the statesman, the Christian teacher, or any other man who finds himself entrusted with influence over his fellows. Prudence is almost as necessary as goodness and right intentions. A man may have abundance of wealth at his disposal whereby to accomplish some desired end. But if he does not know how to use it, he may as surely miss his aim as if he were poor. So a man may have much spiritual wealth and an earnest desire to use it for the good of others, but if he is not a prudent man--if he neglects to acquire a knowledge of the how, and the when, and the where to do it, he may not only fail to realise his desire, but may cause his good to be evil spoken of. And the principle applies to every good man, however limited his sphere or humble his position. It is the special trade of a _good man to do good,_ but he may greatly injure his trade by neglecting to "deal with knowledge." _"What king,"_ says our Lord, _"going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?"_ (Luke xiv. 31). It is implied that this man has a sense of the importance of the undertaking upon which he is about to embark, that he duly estimates the possible loss or gain which may result from it. He may serve as an illustration of what is meant by a prudent man "dealing with knowledge" in any and every step of life, whether it be apparently great or small, weighty or trivial. For there are no _little_ things in human life--the greatest issues often hang upon what men ignorantly call trifles.
+II. A fool by rash and inconsiderate conduct "layeth open" or "publishes" his folly.+ It is implied by contrasting him with the prudent man who "deals with knowledge" that he deals without it, that he leaps before he looks and walks in the dark when he might avail himself of a light to guide him. Such conduct arises from a lack of the sense of responsibility. He does not consider what is involved in his failure, how much misery may thus be entailed on himself and others. Every man who does not weigh results proves himself thereby to be a fool.
_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._
He that is wise will not be doing or dealing in anything unless he _know_ what it is wherein he dealeth, and unless he deal so as _he knoweth_ that he should. He knoweth that a man is known by his dealing. He knoweth that others look on his dealing, and therefore he looketh so to it as that they may know him to be wise by it. But a fool will be dealing, although by dealing he uncover his nakedness. The shame of his folly shall be spread abroad as wide as his dealings are heard of.--_Jermin._
Observes circumstances, and deports himself with discretion; thrusts not himself into unnecessary dangers; carves not a piece of his heart but to those he is well assured of. See an instance of this prudence in Ezra, chap. viii. 22; in Nehemiah, chap. ii. 5. He calls it not the place of God's worship--such an expression might have disgusted the heathen king--but the place of his father's sepulchres. In Christ, when He was tried for His life; in Paul, who lived two years at Ephesus, and spake not much against the worship of their great goddess Diana (Acts xxiii. 6, and xix. 10).--_Trapp._
Fools might be esteemed half-wise if they had sense enough to keep their folly to themselves.--_Lawson._
Wide is the sphere for trading with this responsible talent. _In the family economy_ (Judges xiii. 8-12; chap. xiv. 1; xxxi. 27). _In the church;_ in a wise accommodation to circumstances (Gal. ii. 2); in the conviction of gainsayers (Tit. i. 9); in forbearing with the prejudices of the weak (Acts xv. 22-29); in the exercise of Christian admonition (Rom. xv. 14).--_Bridges._
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 17.
A SOCIAL LINK.
+I. An important link in human society--a messenger.+ This link may or may not be important _in himself._ He may belong to the highest or to the lowest stratum of human life. He may be a princely ambassador, or he may be a telegraph boy. The link which holds two bodies together may be of great intrinsic value. It may be of wrought gold, and much skill may have been expended on its workmanship; but what it is in itself is not of so much importance as what it is as a link. Its beauty and costliness will not avail much if it gives way when it is subject to strain, and thereby causes loss and vexation to its owner. The link that holds the cable to the anchor is not in itself worth much; but when it holds an ironclad off a rocky coast, there hangs upon it half a million of money, and the sorrow or joy of many human hearts for years to come. Untold loss or gain depend upon whether that ring of iron can bear the strain or not. So it is with a messenger. He may be a person of great intellectual powers, and of great social importance, or he may not have either. But he is always of value in his _relative position._ Like the link in a cable, he always holds in his keeping more than he is. He may be the bearer of the secrets of one who has hanging upon his will an army of many thousands, and a nation of as many millions may be interested in the message which he bears. Whether he be a prince or peasant is of no importance in comparison with the fact that he bears a message.
+II. The one all-important qualification in a messenger--faithfulness.+ No greater praise can be given to a man than to say that he is _faithful,_ yet nothing less will make him worth anything in human life. All men's hopes for time and eternity rest upon the faithfulness of God. This is the sheet-anchor of humanity that He is "a faithful Creator" (1 Pet. iv. 19). That He is faithful that promised (Heb. x. 23). It is for _faithfulness,_ not for _success,_ that He gives the "well done" (Matt. xxv. 21), to His servants. In a messenger it is the one thing needful, and its importance is increased in proportion to what hangs upon his message. Life or death may depend upon it, and often not the fate of an individual merely, but the destiny of a nation. An unfaithful messenger _"falleth into mischief himself."_ He who betrays his trust injures himself. He goes down in the moral scale. He loses his reputation, and is not trusted again. If the link in the cable gives way, it is itself broken. But this is not all, not the worst. He is the cause of _mischief falling upon others._ How true is this in social life. A message, coloured in its delivery, to gratify some selfish purpose, may divide men who would have been friends, if it had not been for the third person. And its omission, through carelessness, may bring about a like mischief. And it is also true in national relationships. The ambassador, who is entrusted to express a nation's will, may be a fruitful source of mischief if he is negligent or unwary when war and peace hang in the balance. Millions of hearts may be made sad by an under or over statement of facts. "But a faithful messenger is health," or "healing." He is health in himself. A faithful messenger, apart from his official or representative character, is an embodiment of moral health, and when he is entrusted to make peace where there has been war, he is "healing." He may be only a counsellor of peace between individual men who have been at strife, or he may be the bearer of terms of peace between hostile nations. But, whether in the one case or the other, the faithful discharge of his duties will bring healing: for all real peace must be founded on a truthful statement of facts. This verse is especially true of an ambassador of Christ. He who is truly sent of God will be faithful in the delivery of his message, and will thus bring healing to many. He will _"not walk in craftiness, nor handle the Word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commend himself to every man's conscience in the sight of God."_ And so he will be the means of bringing moral health (2 Cor. iv. 2; 1 Cor. vi. 11).
_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._
Every man is a "messenger," and has an errand, and that is as a witness for God (chap. xiv. 25). The word for _"messenger"_ is the word for "angel." How soon did the wicked angel fall, when he became of no use? and men, how long do they tolerate a false messenger? The soul sent out by the Almighty, if wicked, shall fall; but a soul that is _"faithful"_ is needed, and will hold its place.--_Miller._
A wicked messenger hath no sooner a business committed unto him than he falleth into mischief, by betraying the trust reposed in him, and therefore justly doth mischief fall on him. He that is a faithful ambassador is, indeed, the ambassador of truth itself. He, being sent, hath healing under his wings, whereby he giveth soundness and health unto his business, whereby he giveth soundness and health to those that employed him. The proverbial sense is, That the good or bad success of a business proceedeth much from the goodness or badness of him that is employed in it.--_Jermin._
How much more then, wicked ministers, those "messengers of the churches" (2 Cor. viii. 23) that do the Lord's work negligently (Jer. xlviii. 10), that corrupt His message (2 Cor. ii. 17). Who is blind but my servant, or deaf as my messenger? (Isa. xlii. 19).--_Trapp._
While the wicked messenger prepares misfortune for himself, as well as for his master, the faithful makes good even his lord's mistakes.--_Von Gerlach._
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 18.
THE WAY TO HONOUR.
+I. Man needs instruction because his natural intuitions are not enough to meet the needs of human life.+ The instinct of the animal is enough to enable it to fulfil its destiny. Its limited powers find sufficient guidance in the use of the faculties which are born with it. But it is not so with man. If, as some philosophers suppose, a man comes into the world without any ideas, if he receives everything from the outside world, instruction is so much the more needed, but even if he does bring with him a small stock of knowledge, experience shows us that the amount is very small, and he needs instruction for body, soul, and spirit from the first day of his dawning intellect to the last of his probationary life.
+II. Instruction is to be obtained.+ Somebody will teach him either directly or indirectly. He will learn much from observation and much from direct teaching. The word here, as in chap. xii. 1, includes the idea of correction. This forms an inevitable part of man's instruction in matters relating both to his bodily and spiritual life. God has provided for man's instruction in relation to his spiritual needs. It is within the reach of all men in a Christian nation (See Isa. lv. 1-3.)
+III. If he refuses what he needs, he will have what he does not desire.+ He will have _poverty._ This is a calamity when self-inflicted. Whatever is the outcome of sin must be a calamity. If a man refuses to submit to the correction and instruction of others in connection with matters relative to every-day life, he shuts himself up to his own ignorance and shuts out all possibility of advancing in any profession or calling. Therefore he must be poor in worldly wealth. And it is pre-eminently true of him who refuses the disciplinary instruction of God. Such a man must be poor in a spiritual sense throughout eternity. And this will bring shame. Shame is always the result of sin. There is no shame in being poor in material things when poverty is the outcome of righteousness, but there is shame in poverty which is the result of neglected opportunities. What is the root of this rejection of instruction? Is it not pride? (See Homiletics on chap. xi. 2, page 193; also on chap. xii. 1, page 246.)
+IV. Reproof is instruction.+ This is implied here, and in many other passages in this book where the words are used interchangeably. A man who reproves us gives us information about ourselves. He lets us know how we appear in the eyes of others. This ought to be valued by us. We are too partial to see our own defects, therefore we ought to be glad when they are pointed out to us by another.
+V. Taking reproof in a spirit of humility is the only road to honour.+ In the long run, men will give honour where honour is due. They will give their esteem, and respect, and confidence to men who, from moral or intellectual eminence, deserve it. And, as we have seen, this height can be reached only by those who are willing to be taught both by God and by man.
_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._
Poverty is in itself a want; but no misery unless shame be joined with it. Shame is in itself a misery; but much greater if joined with poverty, which hath no means to shelter or cover it. Now both are to him that refuseth instruction. For, indeed, instruction is a glorious treasure, offered and opened to him who hath need of it; and, therefore, to refuse it, what can be but poverty and shame? And, though it be the too common fault of those that are great, either in riches or honour, to despise reproof, yet the most honor, the truest riches, are to those that embrace it. St. Bernard, therefore, writing unto a great person, but deserving reproof, saith "Charity hath forced me to reproof thee, which grieveth with thee, although thou be not grieved, and which pitieth thee, although thou pitieth not thyself, and therefore it doth lament the more, because thou dost not lament, who art to be lamented; therefore doth it pity thee the more, because thou dost not pity thyself, who art in so pitiful a condition."--_Jermin._
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 19.
In common with most commentators we regard the first clause of this verse as embodying the same thought as that expressed in the last clause of verse 12. We will therefore consider the last clause only.
THE ABOMINATION OF THE FOOL.
This verse pourtrays a man whose character is most unnatural.
+1. He is unnatural because he belies his origin.+ What should we say if we saw the son of a king taking delight in the society and in the pastimes of the most degraded men? Or if we saw a man finding his enjoyment in herding with the beasts of the field? We should judge that they had lost all sense of their high origin. The sinner who is in love with evil gives the lie to the historic fact that God made man in His own image.
+2. He is unnatural, because he burdens himself unnecessarily.+ In other matters men are not wont to carry heavier burdens than they are obliged. They do not generally desire an increase of their load. They are content with what is allotted to them. The burdens of life that must be borne are numerous and heavy enough for men to bear, yet this moral fool must weigh himself down with the evil that he need not bear--the evil consequences of evil deeds. He prefers to carry about with him the burden of his guilt, and all its accompanying evils. As we saw in verse 15, his way is hard, yet he pursues it. In the face of God's expressed desire (Isa. lv. 7), that he should be rid of his burden, and although it weighs him to the earth "it is an abomination to the fool to depart from evil."
+3. He is unnatural, because he is an unnecessary burden on the heart of humanity.+ He burdens the hearts of God's children. They sigh over him, because he is bad, and refuses to be better. They are weighed down with a sense of his present sad condition, and the retribution that awaits him. He is a burden to those who are less wicked than he, because he prevents their being better, and he adds to the burden of those who are as bad as himself, because he increases their guilt by yielding to their temptations.
_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._
The sentence that fulfilled desire does good to the soul appears commonplace; but it is comprehensive enough on the ground of Heb. xi. to cheer even a dying person, and conceals the ethically significant truth that the blessedness of vision is measured by the degree and the longing of faith. But its application in its pairing with the last clause of the verse give it quite another aspect. On this account, because the desire of the soul is pleasant in its fulfilment, fools abhor the renouncing of evil, for their desire is directed to that which is morally blameworthy, and the endeavour, which they closely and constantly adhere to, is to reach the attainment of this design.--_Delitzsch._
A canon of interpretation in Proverbs is, _In antithetical clauses an opposite member is often suppressed in one clause and has to be supplied from the opposition of the other member in the corresponding clause (Gataker)._ Thus, here, the desire of the wise or _good_ being accomplished _by their departing from evil_ is sweet to their soul, but as it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil, _their desire being not accomplished is not sweet, nay, "it maketh the heart sick"_ (ver. 12). Cf. Psa. cxlv. 19: "The Lord will fulfil the desire of them that fear Him." As the wise desire the possession of the true good, and by departing from evil attain to it, so that it is "sweet to the soul," so fools desire the possession of what is good and "sweet to the soul," but shall have bitter and everlasting grief. Just as if there were two patients, both desiring health; the one avoiding forbidden foods, and using the prescribed drugs, would recover health, to his joy; the other, disliking the remedies, and indulging his appetite, would fail to recover and would die (_Gejer_). The reason why fools abominate to depart from evil is because evil is sweet to them.--_Fausset._
I have three interpretations of this verse. 1. Solomon has been thought to express the sentiment that the final attainment and enjoyment of a desired good abundantly compensates for all the self-denial and difficulty endured in waiting for it. This is a truth of practical importance, holding out as it does encouragement to perseverance. And it is a truth which holds with unfailing certainty, in regard to spiritual blessings. But the fool cannot be persuaded to deny himself the gratification of the passing moment, even for the sake of the best and highest blessings and hopes. 2. Some render, "It is sweet to the soul to enjoy what we love; therefore it is an abomination" etc. Here the reason or principle is assigned, from which it arises that fools will not depart from evil. Their enjoyment is in it. They feel that there are pleasures in sin. These pleasures they love. And, as these pleasures arise from sin, sin is what they like; sin is sweet, and they will indulge their present propensities, for the sake of the present pleasure they yield. 3. "Desire," subdued, restrained, or overcome "is sweet to the soul; but it is an abomination," etc. According to this translation the former clause expresses the inward satisfaction arising from the successful curbing and subjugation of any sinful desire--any evil propensity. This forms a fine and striking antithesis to the second clause. While the good man can hardly enjoy a greater satisfaction than is imparted by the exercise of self-control, and the overcoming of any powerful and imperative desire that has tempted and endangered his virtue; on the contrary, to the ungodly, the exercise of self-restraint is irksome, the denial of any sinful propensity is misery. They "draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart-rope." The character is portrayed with great spirit in the tenth Psalm.--_Wardlaw._
_A desire that has sprung up is sweet to the Soul._ (See rendering in Critical Notes.) A sinner can get on comparatively well when a pious _"desire"_ has been once enkindled. What is said of the lips of the strange woman dropping honey (chap. v. 3) is true also in this case. The soul is so near to the sinner that if there is anything sweet to it it is easy to follow it on. The soul once converted and conceiving its first desire will follow it afterward. And, therefore, the Psalmist begs us to "taste and see" (Ps. xxxiv. 8), that we may have this first desire. But the unconverted man finds it loathsome to take the first step. His desires that have "come to be," are of another nature. How can a man will when unwilling? "It is the first step which costs."--_Miller._
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 20.
COMPANIONSHIP, CONSTRUCTIVE OR DESTRUCTIVE.
We have here:--
+I. Habit, assimilation, and transformation.+ 1. _Habit._ A habit is formed by the constant repetition of an act. Walking is the constant repetition of an act. The child first gets courage to take a single step, that step leads to another, and by degrees he acquires the habit of walking. To walk with wise men is to have habitual intercourse with them, either through reading their written thoughts or by immediate contact with their living selves. As bodily walking is only acquired by practice, so it is in soul-walking--in mental and spiritual communion. It is at first difficult for the uninitiated to master the arguments of the wise and grasp the truths which they utter. But the power to do so comes by making the effort. If the wise men are morally wise, it may not be so easy to apprehend Divine truth as they do with their keener spiritual perceptions. But constant intercourse and communion enable one to do so. The religious faculty--the conscience--is thus developed. 2. _Assimilation._ The law of assimilation is in operation within us and around us in the world of matter. The plant drinks in the moisture and chemical elements of the earth, and they are assimilated to itself and come forth in bud, and flower, and fruit. Man eats vegetable and animal food and it becomes flesh and bone. The man who walks with wiser men than himself imbibes their thought, and those thoughts become part of himself. As the health of the body depends upon the kind of food which it assimilates and its power of assimilation, so the health of the mind depends upon the character of the thoughts which it receives and its power of making them its own. 3. _Transformation._ It is implied that those here represented as walking are, when they begin their walk, comparatively ignorant. But a constant reception and assimilation of the wisdom of others, whether it be intellectual or moral wisdom, will in time transform the pupil into a teacher--the student into a master. The ignorant becomes in time a wise man. The strong animal life nourishes the weaker--the new born--life until the weak child becomes as strong as the parent. So in mind and soul life. Hence the constant repetition in this book of exhortations to receive instruction. The assimilating and transforming power of intercourse with the Fountain of all Wisdom by the reception of the Divine thought is thus set forth by Paul:--_"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord"_ (2 Cor. iii. 18).
+II. That if our companionship is not a constructive influence, it will be destructive.+ It is implied that human beings will have companionship of some kind--that if a man does not "walk with wise men," he will be "the companion of fools." 1. _Companionship in early life the outcome of necessity._ A child of foolish parents cannot help being "the companion of fools." This is the sad portion of millions, and it is the destruction of millions in the sense that it is the cause of their missing the great end of life--to glorify and enjoy God. 2. _But there is a companionship of choice._ When a human being comes to years of maturity he chooses his companions. He cannot always choose his _associates,_ for then "he must needs go out of the world." And there is no necessity that those with whom duty compels him to associate should exert any evil influence upon his character. But "companion" evidently means him with whom he communes--a man whose society he chooses. And if this society is not morally good, a man begins to deteriorate from the first moment that he enters it. His choice of it is an indication of some moral flaw in his character, and is a strong presumption that he does not intend or desire to resist its destructive influence. If a sound apple is placed beside one that has begun to decay, nothing is needed to complete the work of destruction in both, but that they should remain in contact. An utter missing of all that makes life worth having--that which our Lord calls the "loss of the soul"--is the portion of every man who does not continually grow in moral wisdom. For there is no standing still. Neglect is ruin in most material things. The house that is not constantly repaired will be ruined by the constant action of the elements. A man is surrounded on all sides by adverse moral influences, and if he only neglects to _grow_ he will _die._ And to grow he must "walk with the wise."
_ILLUSTRATION._
The following statement was made to a Wesleyan minister by a young man under sentence of death: "I am the child of pious parents, who were connected with the Wesleyan body. At the age of 16, through their instrumentality, and under the preaching of the Gospel, I became the subject of religious impressions. These, in the course of time, were effaced; but I still continued to read the Bible and respect the Sabbath. One Lord's Day I went to hear a celebrated minister deliver a discourse on 'Prophecy.' As I was returning I expressed to an acquaintance who I met my admiration of the sermon. He replied that no doubt Mr. ---- was a superior orator, and it would afford him great pleasure to hear him discuss on any subject having a true claim upon the attention of a rational being; but that such was not the case with religion. A conversation followed, which led him to invite me to his house, to hear his reasons for disbelieving the Bible. There I met others, of a kindred spirit, and from that moment they were my principal, because my favourite, associates. I soon adopted all their opinions as my own, and used every effort in my power to diffuse our common views. I could at this moment almost say the bitterness of death is passed, if I were sure that no one had become an infidel through me. But I have too much reason to fear that many have. Before this time I had married a very respectable young woman, and had entered into business. I was, however, brought to ruin by my own folly and extravagance, and went to America. There, my principles not fully satisfying me, I read _Watson's Apology for the Bible_, and similar works, and again avowed myself a believer in the Word of God. It was my bitter lot, however, soon to see that it is much more easy to renounce the principles of error than to cease from those evil practices of which they are the productive sources. It will not be wondered that, even after I had disavowed the creed of an infidel, I was confirmed in the habits of infidelity, and was _still,_ on returning to my native land, ready to perpetrate any deed of darkness which the fury of passion might prompt, or the straits of poverty suggest. The act for which I may soon be suspended on the gallows is the final consummation of a wilful disbelief in the inspired record." The minister continues, "I was often with him, and found him to possess an extensive acquaintance with the Scriptures, and a considerable knowledge of our religious poets. As the person at whom he fired, though severely wounded, was not killed, he seemed to the last to expect a reprieve. The governor of the gaol entered his cell half-an-hour before the time which had been fixed for his execution, saying, 'I have a communication from the Secretary of State.' A smile of hope played for a moment round his pallid face, but it seemed only as if to give the gloom of despair the opportunity of coming in deeper and more terrible shadows over his features, for the governor instantly added, 'but there is nothing said respecting you--_you must therefore die._' We were again alone, and pacing his cell he said, with deep emotion, 'It is then a fact that I must suffer the extreme penalty of the law. In a few minutes I shall be in eternity, my wife will be a widow, and my children will be fatherless, bearing part of my reproach, notwithstanding they had no part in my guilt.' On his way to the place of execution we passed through the turnkey's room. Seeing a lad seated in a distant corner, he went to him, and said, 'Look at me, and learn never to stand in the way of the ungodly, nor sit in the seat of the scorner of truth.'"--_Evangelist._
_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._
The influence of society upon man is great, and was intended to be great. As the natural world is held together by the influence of matter upon matter by the law of gravitation, so the moral world is held together by the influence of mind upon mind. We are made to attract and to be attracted, to influence and to be influenced, to instruct and to be instructed. But this power of mind over mind is not a neutral power, it is necessarily great for evil and for good. Paul says that "Evil communications corrupt good manners." There is nothing to be expected from evil companions but an increase of sin, and an increase of punishment. The best is a briar, the most upright sharper than a thorn-hedge, which will rob us of our fleece, if they do not pierce our skin. Most likely they will do both.--_S. Thodey._
The literal meaning of the word _rahah,_ from which "companion" comes, is to feed; boon-companions, who _feed_ together (chap. xxix. 3). There is a play upon like Hebrew sounds, in "companion" and "destroyed," _roheh_ and _roang._ The Greek _Theognis_ says, "Thou shalt learn good from the good; but if thou wilt associate with the bad, thou shalt lose even the mind thou hast." _Seneca_ says, "The road is long by precept; it is short and effectual by example." What one sees makes more impression than what one hears. As bad air injures the strongest health, so association with the bad injures the strongest mind.--_Fausset._
What you learn from bad habits and from bad society you will never forget, and it will be a lasting pang to you. I tell you in all sincerity, not as in the excitement of speech, but as I would confess and have confessed before God, that I would give my right hand to-night if I _could forget_ that which I have learned in evil society; if I could tear from my remembrance the scenes which I have witnessed, the transactions which have taken place before me.--_J. B. Gough._
In the neighbourhood of Swansea, for miles round, no vegetation exists, owing to the smoke from the large copper-works there: even so, exposure to the influence of bad companions prevents man from growing and flourishing in the Divine life.--_T. Jones._
It is not left to us to determine whether there shall be any influence; only, what that influence shall be. Joash, while he _walked with his wise_ guardian, was _wise._ But when, after his guardian's death, he became _"a companion of fools,"_ he was _"destroyed"_ (2 Chron. xxiv.). . . . The first warning to sinners just plucked out of the fire, was--"Save yourselves from this untoward generation" (Acts ii. 40).--_Bridges._
We shall never get the good "desire" (ver. 19) if we keep out among the wicked. In heathen lands all are _"fools,"_ and therefore all do badly. In Christian lands piety is in circles and in families, and moves in lines. The mutual influences are immense. A noble way to be _"wise,"_ is to go boldly among the good, confess Christ, and ask their prayers and influence.--_Miller._
It is better--safer, I am sure it is--to ride alone than to have a thief's company; and such is a wicked man, who will rob thee of precious time, if he do thee no more mischief. The Nazarites, who might drink no wine, were also forbidden to eat grapes, of which wine is made. So we must not only avoid sin itself, but also the causes and occasions thereof, amongst which bad company (the lime-twigs of the devil) is the chiefest, especially to catch those natures which are most swayed by others.--_Fuller._
Many scriptural illustrations press for notice. _The family of Lot,_ suffering from the fearful contamination of Sodom; _Rehoboam,_ following the counsel of his young companions in preference to that of the experienced counsellors of his father, and losing thereby five-sixths of his kingdom; _Jehoshaphat,_ associating with Ahab "helping the ungodly, and loving them that hated the Lord" (2 Chron. xvii., xix. 1, 2), wrath, therefore, coming upon him from Jehovah.--_Wardlaw._
It is not talking with the wise, but walking with the wise that will make you wise. It is not your commending and praising of the wise, but your walking with the wise that will make you wise. It is not your taking a few turns with the wise that will make you wise, but your walking with the wise that will make you wise. There is no getting much good by them that are good but by making them your ordinary and constant companions. Ah, friends! you should do as Joseph in Egypt, of whom the Scripture saith--Psa. cv. 22--(according to the Hebrew phrase) that he tied the princes of Pharaoh's court about his heart. If ever you would gain by the saints, you must bind them upon your souls. The Jews have a proverb that two dry sticks put to a green one will kindle it. The best way to be in a flame Godward, Christward, heavenward, and holinessward, is to be among the dry sticks, the kindle-coals, the saints; for as live coals kindle those that are dead, so lively Christians will heat and enliven those that are dead.--_Brooks._
_Character affected by intercourse. He that walks with religious men will become religious._ Walking signifies a continued course of conduct. To walk with religious men is not to mingle with them occasionally, or to unite with them in performing some of the more public duties of religion. Ahithophel, who died as a fool dieth, walked with David to the house of God in company. It is not to live in a pious family, for a person may do this without making its members his associates. Nor does uniting with religious men in promoting some of the great objects which the Christian world is now pursuing, necessarily prove that we walk with them, for this may be done from a wrong motive. To walk with them is to choose them for our associates, our fellow travellers in the journey of life; and this implies an agreement with them in our views and objects of pursuit. Can two walk together, says the prophet, except they be agreed? In order that two persons may walk together they must be agreed, first, as to the place to which they will go, and secondly, they must agree in opinion as to the way that leads to that place. If they disagree on either point they will soon separate. Every religious man is travelling towards heaven, and all who would walk with them must make heaven the object of their pursuit. The only way to heaven is Jesus Christ, and all who walk with religious persons must at least assent to this truth although they may not immediately and cordially embrace it. He who perseveres in this course will become religious. 1. The simple fact that he chooses such associates proves that he is already the subject of religious impressions--that the Spirit of God is striving with him. 2. He will see and hear many things which powerfully tend to increase and perpetuate his serious impressions. He moves in a circle where God, the soul, and salvation are regarded as of supreme importance--where religion is presented to him--not as a cold abstraction, but living in the persons of its disciples. 3. No one will continue to walk with religious persons after his serious impressions are effaced, and it is presumed that no one who continued to be the subject of religious impressions for any length of time ever failed to become religious. It is true persons may be seriously affected, occasionally, and perhaps for years together, and at different seasons may associate much with religious characters without becoming religious; but such persons cannot be said to walk with good men in the sense of the text; for their religious impressions are often effected for a considerable time, and long intervals of carelessness succeed, during which they, in a measure, forsake religious society.--_Payson._
It is not for us to let our hearts have their own way in the selection of companions. On that choice depend interests too great to be safely left to chance. The issue to be decided is not what herd you shall graze with a few years before your spirit returns to the dust; but what moral element you shall move in during the few and evil days of your life, till your spirit returns to God who gave it. I like this companion; he fascinates me; I cannot want him; an enforced separation would be like tearing myself asunder. Well, if that companion's heart be godless, and his steps already slipping backward and downward, why not tear yourself asunder? The act will be painful, no doubt, but "skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life."--_Arnot._
He that comes where sweet spices and ointments are stirring, doth carry away some of the sweet savour, though he think not of it; so holiness is such an elixir as by contraction (if there be any disposition of goodness in the same metal), it will render it of the property.--_Trapp._
All sorts of companions are market men, and they usually traffic together, when they meet together, whether they be good or bad, the wares being commonly precious or vile, according to the dispositions of the persons who utter them.--_Dod._
It is not said, he that sitteth still with the wise, for both sitting still, neither doth the one teach nor the other learn. But he that when a wise man walketh in the ways of wisdom, walketh also with him by following his example and steps, he it is that shall be wise. To be with the wise, and not in their ways of wisdom, is to be out of the way for getting any good by them. Be therefore with them so as that their wisdom may be with thee.--_Jermin._
No person that is an enemy to God can be a friend to man. He that has already proved himself ungrateful to the Author of every blessing will not scruple, when it will serve his turn, to shake off a fellow-worm like himself. He may render you instrumental to his own purposes, but he will never benefit you.--_Bishop Coleridge._
_MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE_ 21.
PURSUIT AND REPAYMENT.
+I. Evil pursues sinners because sinners pursue evil.+ The huntsman who pursues the hare in the direction of a precipice is pursuing a course which, if continued, must be followed by evil. It is an evil thing for him to follow such a trifle at such a risk. There is evil before him in the form of the precipice, and evil will follow if he continues to pursue his present course. Should he try his strength against the law of gravitation by leaping over the precipice, he will find that law will exact its penalty. There are but two things that will prevent evil from pursuing him, either he must desist from his present course or a great law of nature must be suspended. The first alternative rests with himself, the second does not. He will find that this "battle is to the strong," and that "the race is to the swift," even to the mighty law which holds together the material universe. So with sinners against the moral law. "Evil be to him who evil thinks" is a wish that is always fulfilled. It is a law in constant operation. The consequence of pursuing evil in the form of evil thinking _is_ evil thinking, the consequence of evil feeling _is_ evil feeling, the consequence of evil doing _is_ evil doing, for it is the tendency of evil to repeat itself, and this in itself is a punishment. Peter speaks of sinners who "cannot cease from sin" (2 Pet. ii. 14). They have sinned until they have bound themselves in fetters of sinful habit. Evil, in this sense, pursues them, and will pursue them so long as they pursue it. Then there is, of course, the positive retribution, which both in time and beyond time visits pursuers of evil. Of this we have several times treated.
+II. Good men are repaid with good because their characters are righteous.+ The law of repayment runs through nature. He who sows seed is repaid by a harvest. All her forces--rain, sunlight, heat and cold--combine to give back to the husbandman that which he has entrusted to her care. And she repays of the same kind, wheat for the sowing of wheat, thistles for the planting of thistles. She also repays with liberal interest. One head of thistledown scattered over a field will reproduce a hundred heads in a few months. One grain of corn will produce an ear of thirty or forty grains. The law in the kingdom of nature is also the law of the kingdom of grace. Evil sown, as we have just seen under another metaphor, necessitates a reaping of evil. Good sown endures a reaping of good. And grace is not behind nature in liberal repayment. He who sows handfuls shall reap armfuls. He that goes forth with the _seed basket_ returns with _sheaves_ (Ps. cxxvi. 6). The one "corn of wheat bears much fruit" (John xii. 24). This repayment begins in time, and extends beyond it. Righteousness as well as sin is its own present reward, and is the present first fruits. But the righteous man must wait for the "resurrection of the just" for the abundant harvest.
_OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS._
_"Evil"_ is rapacious in its gains. Each inch _"evil"_ holds. It never lets back any advance. It is versatile to tempt, and ruins with many instruments while the good, however, have just the opposite lot. They gain by every advance. Each act that is holy in their lives is rewarded by better acts and higher holiness on through their whole probation,--nay, eternally! The pit is bottomless. But evil never ceases to hound sinners and make them worse.--_Miller._
The reprobation here is very striking. "Evil _pursueth_ sinners." It follows them every step. It keeps pace with the progress of time. Each moment it comes nearer. Silent and unperceived it tracks them through their whole course. Insensibly it gains upon them; and at last--it may be suddenly and when least expected--it seizes and destroys them.--_Wardlaw._
Not the smallest good, even "a cup of cold water to a disciple" (Matt. x. 42), or honour shown to his servants (Matt. x. 41; 1 Kings xvii. 16-23) shall "lose its reward" (Heb. vi. 10). And if a single act is thus remembered much more "a course, a flight held out to the end" (2 Tim. iv. 7, 8). How manifestly is this the constitution of grace; that when perfect obedience can claim no recompense (Luke