Holy Bible

Also that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good. Proverbs 19:2 The advantages of knowledge to the lower classes R. Hall, M. A. I. THE UTILITY OF KNOWLEDGE IN GENERAL. The extent to which we have the faculty of acquiring knowledge forms the most obvious distinction of our species. As the power of acquiring knowledge is to be ascribed to reason, so the attainment of it mightily strengthens and improves it, and thereby enables it to enrich itself with further acquisitions. Knowledge, in general, expands the mind, exalts the faculties, refines the taste of pleasure, and opens numerous sources of intellectual enjoyment. The moral good of the acquisition of knowledge is chiefly this, that by multiplying the mental resources it has a tendency to exalt the character, and, in some measure, to correct and subdue the taste for gross sensuality. Some think that the instruction of the lower classes will make them dissatisfied with their station in life; and by impairing the habits of subordination, endanger the tranquillity of the state. But, in truth, nothing renders legitimate governments so insecure as extreme ignorance in the people. The true prop of good government is the opinion, the perception, on the part of the subject, of benefits resulting from it. Nothing can produce or maintain that opinion but knowledge. Of tyrannical and unlawful governments, indeed, the support is fear, to which ignorance is as congenial as it is abhorrent from the genius of a free people. Ignorance gives a sort of eternity to prejudice, and perpetuity to error. II. THE UTILITY OF RELIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE IN PARTICULAR. Religion, on account of its intimate relation to a future state, is every man's proper business, and should be his chief care. The primary truths of religion are of such daily use and necessity, that they form, not the materials of mental luxury, so properly as the food of the mind. Two considerations may suffice to evince the indispensable necessity of Scriptural knowledge. 1. The Scriptures contain an authentic discovery of the way of salvation. 2. Scriptural knowledge is of inestimable value on account of its supplying an infallible rule of life. Of an accountable creature, duty is the concern of every moment, since he is every moment pleasing or displeasing God. Hence the indispensable necessity, to every description of persons, of sound religious instruction, and of an intimate acquaintance with the Scriptures as its genuine source. ( R. Hall, M. A. ) Evils of popular ignorance Daniel Moore, M. A. I. THE EVILS OF IGNORANCE. The faculties of reason, and judgment, and moral determination, must ever distinguish man from "the beast that perisheth," must for ever constitute the true dignity of human nature; but then faculties and powers are of little value in themselves, and if they be not cultivated and developed, and directed to some specific end. Instruction is to man what culture is to plants. When he is deprived of its aid, his powers will either lie wholly dormant, or that which they bring forth, like the productions of the uncultivated plant, will be wild and worthless. Ignorance "is not good" for man, in regard of his social advancement. To the improvement of the mind all nations owe whatever of social blessing they enjoy. The comforts and conveniences of life, the useful and productive arts, the blessings of law and order and good government, are all derived to us from an elevated condition of the national intelligence. Ignorance may be considered as negative of everything that is good and useful: it is the night of a nation's life, during which it can neither work for itself nor for others. Of all despotisms, the despotism of ignorance is the most tyrannical; its will is the only law it recognises, and it hates the light of reason as the night-bird dreads the sun. Ignorance "is not good" for the cause of national morality and virtue. Virtue can no more exist without a certain amount of knowledge than an animal can exist without life. In proportion as ignorance prevails morality will be destroyed. Ignorance "is not good" for a man's individual happiness. Ignorance is a state in which all the finer feelings of the human soul are locked up, and the subject of it is deprived of some of the purest forms of moral happiness and enjoyment. Right knowledge tends to promote a man's happiness, even with regard to the present state. Such knowledge will be found to have an ulterior effect upon a man's character; it will awaken within him many pure and elevating emotions. II. THE NATURE AND OBJECTS OF TRUE KNOWLEDGE. It may be questioned whether the term education is understood in the plain, broad, comprehensive sense in which Hooker defined it, by whom it was made to comprehend the cultivation of all the moral, spiritual, immortal powers of man. The knowledge that "it is not good" for the soul to be without, includes a knowledge of Holy Scripture. Through this knowledge we get knowledge of other things — ourselves, redemption, sanctification. Without this knowledge a man cannot be moral, cannot be happy, cannot have peace in this life, cannot have hope for the life to come. "It is not good" that a man should be without knowing what are those remedial agencies which have been provided of God for lifting up his soul from its condition of degradation, and preparing it for endless happiness in the presence of his God. ( Daniel Moore, M. A. ) The importance of knowledge T. H. Terry, B. A. Man alone of all the creatures in this lower world is possessed of a rational, intelligent, and immortal soul. Whilst other creatures are made to look down upon the ground, man stands erect, with his lofty countenance looking up to the heavens. He can look abroad on the face of the earth, and understand, in some degree, and admire the wisdom and power and goodness manifested in the works of the great Creator. He has analysed the elements of air and water, and can even make them of their component gases. He can explore the trackless ocean, ride in safety on its swelling billows, and cut his liquid way to the most distant regions of the world. Man can acquire a knowledge of foreign languages, and thus converse with men of other climes and kindreds and tongues. Moreover, by means of written or printed characters, he can spread his thoughts around him yet wider and wider, and even after he has sunk into the grave he can thus mould the minds of generations to come. If, then, the mind of man be capable of such great things, and can exert such a mighty influence, we should take good care that, by affording it Christian knowledge and a religious training, it be rightly informed and properly directed. Thus science and devotion would walk hand in hand together, and lead on our youthful progeny to the knowledge of the true God, and of the duties which they owe to Him and to one another. "That the soul be without knowledge, it is not good," is manifest from the consideration that without the knowledge of some useful art or science or business, man, ordinarily speaking, cannot procure the means of support, or fulfil the duties of his station in life. Moreover, that it is not good for the soul to be without knowledge may be inferred from the consideration that the faculties of the mind, on the one hand, are suited to the reception and pursuit of knowledge, and are strengthened and improved when they are so employed; whilst, on the other hand, the whole economy of nature is such as to invite us to examine and admire it. But doubtless the knowledge spoken of in the text relates principally to Divine things. What is the light of science apart from the light of Christ? Now, that the soul be without this knowledge, it is not good — I. WITH REGARD TO THE INDIVIDUAL HIMSELF. 1. It is not good, because such a state is unhappy and unprofitable. "He that is wise may be profitable unto himself." But how unprofitable is the state of a child growing up without the knowledge of what is necessary to his welfare both in time and through eternity! 2. Such a state is not good, because it is not a safe one. In what an awfully insecure state is the soul that is without the knowledge of God! Any moment the thread of life may be cut asunder, and then shall his desire and expectation perish! II. IN REGARD TO OTHERS. 1. In regard to God and His work. It is true that "our goodness extendeth not to Him." Our knowledge cannot augment His infinite stores of knowledge. Neither does He need our services. They cannot profit Him, nor add to His perfection and blessedness. But still, in a lower sense, God may be said to need the instruments or agents which He is pleased to make use of in accomplishing His designs. It is manifest that without the knowledge of which I am speaking we cannot be fit instruments in the hands of God for performing His work, for establishing and extending His kingdom through the world. 2. It is not good in regard to our fellow-men. How should he who is without knowledge fulfil the relative and social duties of life, giving to each his due, and benefiting all within his sphere of action? ( T. H. Terry, B. A. ) Ignorance is not good J. W. Niblock, D. D. I. MAN IS POSSESSED OF AN IMMORTAL PRINCIPLE WHICH, ONCE CALLED INTO EXISTENCE, IS BY ITS VERY CONSTITUTION COEVAL WITH ITS MAKER. Man has a soul. God has provided for the supply of the soul as well as of the body. The mental aliment is knowledge. II. PROVE IN WHAT RESPECT IT IS NOT GOOD THAT THE SOUL BE WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE. The knowledge meant is — 1. The knowledge of God as revealed in His Word. 2. A knowledge of Christ crucified. 3. The knowledge of ourselves as fallen moral beings. 4. The knowledge of our threefold duty to God, to our neighbour, and to ourselves.(1) It is not good for a man's self, whether we consider him as a solitary or a social being.(2) It is not good for others. Man, as even heathen moralists maintain, was made for his fellow-creatures as well as for himself. As causes produce effects, so ignorance produces rudeness, incivility, insubordination, and, too frequently, cunning, dishonesty, cruelty, sensuality, and every evil work. It cannot be good for others that they should be left without knowledge. ( J. W. Niblock, D. D. ) The benefit of religious knowledge Albert Bibby, M. A. There are things which we can and things which we cannot know. God hath set a limit to man's capacity of knowing, as to his faculty of hearing and seeing. There are things hid altogether from mortal ken. Still are there unhallowed longings after the fruit of the tree of knowledge. All that we may know let us set ourselves with energy to acquire. The benefits of knowledge may be traced in the progress of civilisation. It is knowledge which makes the difference between the refined Chinaman and the brutalised Kaffir. 1. If the soul be left without knowledge, it will be unable to detect the false maxims of the world, and of course to avoid the consequences to which they lead. 2. It is not good that the soul be without knowledge, lest we should be contaminated with the noxious errors on religious subjects which prevail so extensively amongst us in the present day. 3. Let the Christian remember that he must not be content with his present attainments. ( Albert Bibby, M. A. ) The soul without knowledge D. Thomas, D. D. Other translations of this verse are, "It is not good for the soul to be without caution, for he that hasteth with his feet sinneth"; or "Quickness of action, without prudence of spirit, is not good, for he that hasteth with his feet sinneth"; or "Fervent zeal without prudence is not good," etc.; or "Ignorance of one's self is not good," etc. There does not appear the least necessity for any alteration of the received version. I. THAT IGNORANCE IS NOT GOOD FOR THE SOUL. "The soul without knowledge is not good." This will appear if we consider three things. 1. That an ignorant soul is exceedingly confined. The mind cannot range beyond what it knows. The more limited its information, the narrower is the scene of its activities. The man of enlarged scientific information has a range over vast continents, whereas the ignorant man is confined within the cell of his senses. Our souls get scope by exploring the unknown. "Knowledge," says Shakespeare, "is the wing on which we fly to heaven." 2. That an ignorant soul is exceedingly benighted. The contracted sphere in which it lives is only lighted with the rushlight of a few crude thoughts. Knowledge is light. The accession of every true idea is a planting of a new star in the mental heavens. The more knowledge, the brighter will sparkle the sky of your being. 3. That an ignorant soul is exceedingly feeble. Exercise and food are as essential to the power of the mind as they are to the power of the body. Knowledge is at once the incentive to exercise it and the aliment to strengthen. "Ignorance," says Johnson, "is mere privation by which nothing can be produced; it is a vacuity in which the soul sits motionless and torpid for want of attraction. And, without knowing why, we always rejoice when we learn, and grieve when we forget." Truly the soul without knowledge is not good. Of what good are limbs without the power of exercise; what good are eyes without light? II. IGNORANCE IS PERILOUS TO THE SOUL. Ignorance is more than a negative evil, it is a positive curse. The text teaches that ignorance — 1. Exposes to sinful haste. "He that hasteth with his feet sinneth." Men without knowledge are ever in danger of acting incautiously, acting with a reckless haste. As a rule the more ignorant a man is the more hasty he is in his conclusions and steps of conduct. The less informed the mind is the more rapid and reckless in its generalisation. Impulse, not intelligence, is the helmsman of the ignorant soul. 2. It exposes to a perversity of conduct. The foolishness of man perverteth his way. What is foolishness but ignorance? Ignorant men are terribly liable to perversity of conduct in every relation of life, and especially in relation to the great God. The murderers of Christ were ignorant. Paul says, had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 3. It exposes to impiety of feeling. Ignorant men are ever disposed to find fault with God. Ignorance is peevish. It is always fretting. Learn that a nation of ignorant souls is not only a nation of worthless men, but a nation liable to the commission of terrible mistakes and crimes. Men should get knowledge for the sake of becoming useful. ( D. Thomas, D. D. ) The evil of ignorance Sketches of Four Hundred Sermons. I. A CASE SUPPOSED. "A soul without knowledge." This is not to be understood absolutely. All knowledge is not blessing, nor all ignorance misfortune. The knowledge specified in the text may imply — 1. A knowledge of the works of God in creation. God is known by His works. Their vast magnitude serves to display His power. Their amazing extent shadows forth His immensity. The admirable harmony that prevails among them evidences His wisdom. And the ample provision made for all creatures exhibits His goodness. 2. A knowledge of our particular calling, trade, or profession. No man is obliged to know everything, but every man ought to know what he professes to know. 3. A knowledge of the will of God, as revealed in the Bible. This revelation is so plain that he may run that readeth it; so ample as to embrace the whole of our duty; so repeated that we have precept upon precept; so circumstantial as to mark every description of character, and identify every variety of situation; so impartial as to know no distinction between the monarch and the beggar; and so full and perfect that nothing can be added to it. Our knowledge of the will of God should be Scriptural, spiritual, experimental, and practical. II. AN AFFIRMATION MADE CONCERNING IT. "It is not good." 1. It is not good, as it does not harmonise with the original purpose of God in the formation of man. 2. It is not good, as it is not commendable. 3. As it is not beneficial. 4. As it is not comfortable. 5. As it is not safe. From this subject let us learn(1) What gratitude is due to God, who hath afforded us such facilities for the acquisition of knowledge.(2) How diligently we should use the means with which God hath favoured us for augmenting our stock of knowledge.(3) Let us commiserate the circumstances of those who are destitute of the means of information. ( Sketches of Four Hundred Sermons. ) The evil tendency of education not based on religion E. B. Were, M. A. What is meant by knowledge? An acquaintance with those truths the perception and practice of which will duly qualify us both for our present and future state of existence. To this end we should know ourselves, our capacities, our duties, our particular business or vocation in life; the state of things in which we are placed, the character of mankind in general, and the nature of our social and civil relations. We should know also the revealed character of God; the position in which we stand to Him, the nature of His transactions with the human race, our present condition and future destiny. The matter and extent of knowledge is almost infinite. Exhibiting, as the mind does, a most varied scale of intellectual strength, a corresponding variety in the measure of knowledge is the necessary consequence. Considerations for confirming and illustrating the truth that for the soul to be without knowledge is not good: 1. The human mind is evidently framed for the acquisition of knowledge. 2. A certain degree of knowledge is absolutely necessary to enable men duly to perform their parts in life. 3. Knowledge tends to increase the influence and usefulness of its possessor. 4. It tends to increase the pleasures of life, by opening new sources of innocent enjoyment. If we would give men an education suitable to their character and destinies, we must attend to the cultivation of the heart as well as that of the head. We must make religion a prominent feature in our systems of instruction. Without religion, worldly knowledge, by stimulating the pride and pravity of a corrupt heart, may do much injury. When the foundation of morality and religion is firmly laid, we may proceed with safety to erect the superstructure of human science and general knowledge. But while education may teach men their duty, it cannot enable them to perform it. Religion alone can do that. He who would establish a system of education without making religion the basis of it, is like a man who builds his house upon the sand. He will find the corruptions of human nature too strong for his intellectual barrier. There is no more effectual method of checking the progress of socialism and infidelity than a system of sound, solid, and religious education. Then educate the rising generation, but do so in a sound and Scriptural manner. ( E. B. Were, M. A. ) Knowledge essential to man's welfare Geo. Gibbon, M. A. In what senses does the writer affirm the text? 1. In the personal sense. To man as an individual. Knowledge gives him mental occupation. 2. In a domestic sense. The family circle, or household, is the first and simplest form of society. It is necessary to its well-being that a legitimate authority and a due subordination should exist in it. The duties of a parent cannot be performed without the advantages of knowledge. 3. In a social sense. In reference to the proper discharge of our duties towards friends and neighbours, superiors and inferiors. 4. In a political sense. If we desire to make a man a good member of the state, we must instruct him in the principles on which political society is formed, and by which alone can exist. We must teach him the grounds of moral obligation. And what are those grounds but the truths of religion? ( Geo. Gibbon, M. A. ) foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the Lord. Proverbs 19:3 The folly and sin of men in perverting their own way J. Orton. Men are apt to charge all the afflictions which befall them upon God, whereas they bring most of them upon themselves. God is no further accessory to them than as, in the nature of things, and in the course of His wise providence, He hath established a connection between folly and suffering, between sin and misery. Homer observes that "men lay those evils upon the gods which they have incurred through their own folly and perverseness." "The foolishness of man" signifies his want of thought and reflection; his indiscretion and rashness. It "perverts his way," leads him aside from the path of wisdom and prudence, safety and happiness; by this means he brings himself into trouble, is reduced to necessity, perplexed with difficulties, or oppressed with sorrow. Then he committeth this grand error after all the rest, that "his heart fretteth against the Lord." He is vexed, not at himself, but at Providence. "Fretteth" expresses the commotion and uneasiness there is in a discontented, ungoverned mind. I. THE GENERAL PRINCIPLE ON WHICH MEN ACT IN THIS CASE IS RIGHT AND JUST. When they fret against the Lord they suppose that there is a God, and that He observes and interests Himself in the affairs of His creatures; and that it is a considerable part of His providential government to try, exercise, and promote the virtues of His rational creatures by the discipline of affliction. II. THE CONCLUSION THEY DRAW IS GENERALLY WRONG, AND THEIR CHARGE UPON THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD GROUNDLESS AND UNJUST. 1. It is often the case with regard to men's health. Many complain that God denies them the health and spirits which He has given to others. But health very largely, and very directly, depends on men's management of themselves, by indulgence, fretfulness, inactivity, too close application to business, etc. 2. With regard to their circumstances in life. We see men impoverished and reduced to straits and difficulties. They complain that God brings them into straits, and embarrasses their circumstances. But most persons are really in straits through their own negligence, carelessness, or extravagance. Many are ruined in this world by an indolent temper. Cardinal de Retz used to say that "misfortune was only another word for imprudence." 3. With regard to their relations in life. How many unhappy marriages there are! But they are almost always the consequence of foolish and wilful choices. Many complain that their children are idle, disobedient, and undutiful. But this is generally the result of parental inefficiency in training or in example. 4. With regard to men's minds and their religious concerns. Many who make a profession of religion are uneasy and fretful, without any external cause; but this is usually owing to their own negligence or self-willedness. III. THE FOLLY AND WICKEDNESS OF SUCH CONDUCT. It is very absurd, for in most of these cases they have no one to blame but themselves. It likewise proceeds from ignorance of themselves. Fretfulness only tends to aggravate our afflictions and to hurt our minds. It may provoke God to bring upon us some heavier affliction. Application: 1. How much prudence, caution, and foresight are necessary for those who are setting out in life! 2. What a great and mischievous evil pride is! 3. Inquire to what your afflictions are owing. 4. Guard against the great sin of fretting against the Lord. ( J. Orton. ) Man's sorrows the result of his sins W. Jay. I. ILLUSTRATE THE PROVERB. 1. As regards health. 2. As regards worldly substance. 3. As regards the vexations of domestic life. 4. From the state of the mind. 5. From the world in which we reside. II. INSTRUCTIONS DERIVABLE FROM THE PROVERB. 1. It instructs us with regard to sin. 2. It shows the inefficacy of mere suffering to bring a man to a proper state of thinking and feeling. 3. The disposition of the mind under sanctified affliction. 4. The reality of a moral providence. 5. Learn to look to God for His grace and guidance. ( W. Jay. ) The misfortunes of men chargeable on themselves H. Blair, D. D. I. CONSIDER THE EXTERNAL CONDITION OF MAN. He is placed in a world where he has by no means the disposal of the events that happen. Calamities befall us, which are directly the Divine dealing. But a multitude of evils beset us which are due to our own negligences or imprudences. Men seek to ascribe their disappointments to any cause rather than to their own misconduct, and when they can devise no other cause they lay them to the charge of Providence. They are doubly unjust towards God. When we look abroad we see more proofs of the truth of this assertion. We see great societies of men torn in pieces by intestine dissensions, tumults, and civil commotions. But did man control his passions, and form his conduct according to the dictates of wisdom, humanity, and virtue, the earth would no longer be desolated by wars and cruelties. II. CONSIDER THE INTERNAL STATE OF MAN. So far as this inward disquietude arises from the stings of conscience and the horrors of guilt, there can be no doubt of its being self-created misery, which it is impossible to impute to Heaven. But how much poison man himself infuses into the most prosperous conditions by peevishness and restlessness, by impatience and low spirits, etc. Unattainable objects pursued, intemperate passions nourished, vicious pleasures and desires indulged, God and God's holy laws forgotten — these are the great scourges of the world; the great causes of the life of man being so embroiled and unhappy. 1. Let us be taught to look upon sin as the source of all our miseries. 2. The reality of a Divine government exercised over the world. 3. The injustice of our charging Providence with a promiscuous and unequal distribution of its favours among the good and the bad. 4. The necessity of looking up to God for direction and aid in the conduct of life. Let us hold fast the persuasion of these fundamental truths — that, in all His dispensations, God is just and good; that the cause of all the troubles we suffer is in ourselves, not in Him; that virtue is the surest guide to a happy life; and that he who forsakes this guide enters upon the path of death. ( H. Blair, D. D. ) Fretting against God a frequent sin G. Lawson, D. D. Men are oftener guilty of this sin than they imagine. Our hearts fret against the Lord by fretting at the ministers and instruments of His providence; and therefore, when the people murmured against Moses in the wilderness, he tells them that their murmuring was not against him and his brother Aaron, but against the Lord. Instead of fretting, it is our duty to accept of the punishment of our iniquity, and to bless God that matters are not so bad with us as we deserve. If our troubles come upon us without any particular reason from our own conduct, yet reflections upon God would be very unjust. Job's troubles were extremely grievous, and as they came upon him without cause in himself, he was made to acknowledge his great folly in reflecting upon God for his distresses. ( G. Lawson, D. D. ) The untoward incidents of life must not be charged against God J. Halsey. Let us not charge God overhastily with the untoward incidents of life. In the main we are the manufacturers of our own life-material. If you give the weaver none but dark threads he can only fashion a sombre pattern. ( J. Halsey. ) Life regarded as a wrong Oscar Browning. George Eliot once said to a friend, with deep solemnity, that she regarded it as a wrong and misery that she had ever been born. ( Oscar Browning. ) Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour. Proverbs 19:4 The rich and the poor G. R. Van de Water. Nothing upon earth is so powerful as money. It is a force before which everything bows. Wealth is such a mighty power, that one possessing it does not feel his dependence as other men do. Being more easily spoiled than other men, his salvation is more difficult. This accounts for everything the gospel has to say about rich men. In speaking of wealth, we are very apt to make the mistake of supposing that only very rich men are wealthy. The Bible accounts that man wealthy who, free from debt, has anything left after making provision for actual necessities of life. Poverty is isolation. When we become poor we become lonely. Either friends withdraw from us or we with- draw from them. When one gets really poor he is pretty much left by his brethren. They may not mean to shun him, but they let him pretty severely alone. The poor are the material we Christians are to work upon. To these we are to let our light shine. It is our holiest work to stop this separation of the poor from his neighbours. The poor are here by Divine intention. The poor help to save our souls. We are not to relieve them only; we are to help them. Giving is not enough to fulfil our Christian duty towards them. Helping the poor to help themselves is the most Christlike thing you can do. Machinery in religious life is to be avoided. It is of use only as it helps to concentrate energy. ( G. R. Van de Water. ) Poverty, riches, and social selfishness Homilist. I. THE TRIALS OF POVERTY. 1. Degradation. "The poor useth entreaties." To beg of a fellow-man is a degradation; it is that from which our manhood revolts. "The poor useth entreaties." They have to mortify the natural independence of their spirit. They are subjected to — 2. Insolent treatment. "The rich answereth roughly." 3. Social desertion. "The poor is separated from his neighbour." Who in this selfish world will make friends with the poor, however superior in intellect or excellent in character? When the wealthy man with his large circle of friends becomes poor the poles of his magnet are reversed, and his old friends feel the repulsion. II. THE TEMPTATIONS OF WEALTH. 1. Upon the mind of its possessor. It tends to promote haughtiness and insolence. "The rich answereth roughly." The temptation of wealth is revealed — 2. Upon the mind of the wealthy man's circle. "Wealth maketh many friends." III. THE SELFISHNESS OF SOCIETY. "Every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts." ( Homilist. ) Friendship of the world H. G. Salter. When I see leaves drop from their trees in the beginning of autumn, just such, think I, is the friendship of the world; just such are the comforts and joys of this life. While the sap of maintenance lasts my friends will swarm in abundance, my joys and comforts will abide with me; but when the sap ceases, the spring which supplies them fails; in the winter of my need they leave me naked. ( H. G. Salter. ) Friends sought far money In Dr. Guthrie's "Autobiography" there is a good illustration of the unhappy state of cynicism into which the rich are prone to fall. There he relates how, in a winter of extraordinary severity, he made an appeal to a lady who had succeeded to a prodigious fortune, on behalf of the starving poor of his parish. In doing so he had no very sanguine hope of success. On being ushered into her room, she turned round, and showing her thin, spare figure, and a face that looked as if it had been cut out of mahogany, grinned and said, "I am sorry to see ye. What do you want? I suppose you are here seeking siller." "The very thing I am here for," was the Doctor's frank reply. Her next remark demonstrated how little power her riches had of conferring happiness; and with all her wealth of flatterers, what a poor, lonely, desolate, miserable creature this possessor of more than a million sterling was. "Ah," she said, "there is nobody comes to see me or seek me; but it's the money, the money they are after." We are glad to be able to relate that this rich old lady gave to Dr. Guthrie fifty pounds for the poor — an act which we hope shed a gleam of sunshine into her dark life. A false witness shall not be unpunished. Proverbs 19:5 The woe of the untruthful W. Reading, M. A. The man who gives wrong evidence. The man of untruthfulness in common conversation. Such men are always punished in one way or another. Nothing is more frequently inculcated in Holy Scripture than the practice of truth, justice, and righteousness. The commandments of God are called "truth," because in keeping of them lie our truest advantages and everlasting comforts. All kinds of fraud and deception are abominable in the sight of God, and inconsistent with the ordering of any civil government. For — 1. Fraud in commerce and dealing is but a species of robbery. 2. Haughtiness of spirit unfits a man for those offices of meekness, courtesy, and humanity which make society agreeable and easy. 3. No less unsociable is a tongue addicted to calumny, talebearing, and detraction. It is impossible for men of these dispositions not to meet with their punishment in their own mischievous ways. The law of Moses requires the judg

Benson Commentary Proverbs 19:1 Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool. Proverbs 19:1-2 . Better is the poor — Hebrew, ??? , a poor man; that walketh in his integrity — Who is upright in his words and actions; he has a better character, is in a better condition, is more beloved, lives to better purpose, and is greater and more excellent in the eyes of God, and of all wise and good men; than he that is perverse in his lips — Who is in the habit of uttering sinful and mischievous expressions, however high he may be in rank, wealth, or dignity. Also, that the soul be without knowledge — Without wisdom or prudence to discern the right way of speaking and acting, and how a person ought to conduct himself in all affairs, and on all occasions; is not good — Is of evil and pernicious consequence; and he that hasteth with his feet — That rashly and hastily rushes into actions without serious consideration; sinneth — Contracts guilt, and involves himself, and perhaps also many others, into difficulties and troubles. “Solomon, in this verse,” says Bishop Patrick, “observes two great springs of all our miscarriages; want of understanding and want of deliberation. To make too much haste in a business is the way not to speed; and to run blindly upon any thing is no less prejudicial to our undertakings. Both he that affects things without knowledge, and he that pursues what he understands without deliberation, runs into many mistakes, and commits many sins. For which Solomon shows in the next verse that he must blame none but himself, and never, in the least, reflect upon God as if he were negligent of us, or hard to us; which men are prone to think, when they have foolishly undone themselves.” Proverbs 19:2 Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth. Proverbs 19:3 The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the LORD. Proverbs 19:4 Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour. Proverbs 19:5 A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape. Proverbs 19:5 . A false witness shall not be unpunished — Though he escape the observation and punishment of men, yet he shall not avoid the judgment of God. And he that speaketh lies — That accustoms himself to lying, either in giving evidence in courts of justice, or in common conversation; shall not escape — The righteous judgment of God, though he may flatter himself with hopes of impunity, for the Lord is jealous of his honour, and will not suffer his name to be profaned. Proverbs 19:6 Many will intreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts. Proverbs 19:6-7 . Many will entreat the favour of the prince — Or, of the liberal, or bountiful man, as ???? may be properly rendered. Kings and princes were anciently called benefactors, Luke 22:25 . And every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts — Not sincerely, however, as daily experience shows, but only in show, or profession, or in the outward expressions of friendship and kindness. All the brethren of the poor — His nearest and dearest relations, who are often called brethren in the Scriptures; do hate him — Despise and shun him, as men do a thing that they hate, and as the following words explain it; How much more do his friends go far from him — His other friends, who are no way related to him, but in his prosperity professed love and friendship to him. He pursueth them with words — Earnestly imploring their pity and help. Or, He urgeth their words, as ??? Š ????? may be rendered; that is, he allegeth their former promises and professions of friendship: or, He seeketh words, (as the preacher sought to find out acceptable words, Ecclesiastes 12:10 ,) wherewith he might prevail and move them to pity; yet they are wanting to him — Hebrew, ?? ??? , not they, or, they not. The meaning is, they are not what they pretended to be, namely, friends to him: or, their words are vain, and without effect; there is no reality in them. Houbigant renders the verse, “All his own brethren hate a poor man; how much more his neighbours! They have departed far from him; he followeth after them, but they are not found.” Proverbs 19:7 All the brethren of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? he pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him . Proverbs 19:8 He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good. Proverbs 19:8 . He that getteth wisdom — That takes pains, and labours to get knowledge, grace, and acquaintance with God; loveth his own soul — Or, loveth himself, because he procures great and lasting, yea, everlasting good to himself, as sinners, on the contrary, are said to hate their souls, chap. 29:24, because they bring evil upon them; he that keepeth understanding — That observes, and carefully practises its precepts; shall find good — Shall have great benefit by it, both for his conduct in this life, and for his happiness in the next. Proverbs 19:9 A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish. Proverbs 19:10 Delight is not seemly for a fool; much less for a servant to have rule over princes. Proverbs 19:10 . Delight is not seemly for a fool — To live in affluence, pleasure, and outward glory, doth not become him, nor suit with him; because prosperity corrupts even wise men, and makes fools mad; and because it gives him more opportunity to discover his folly, and to do mischief both to himself and others. He implies that a rod, or punishment, is fitter for him than pleasure; much less for a servant — For one who has been a slave, or who is in a servile condition, and of a servile disposition, not much differing from a fool; or who is a servant to his lusts, and wholly unfit to rule other men; to have rule over princes — Over men of better quality than himself: for servants are commonly ignorant; and when they are advanced, they grow insolent, presumptuous, and intolerable. Proverbs 19:11 The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression. Proverbs 19:11 . The discretion of a man deferreth his anger — Defers the admission of anger, till he has thoroughly considered all the merits of the provocation, seen them in a true light, and weighed them in a just balance; and then defers the prosecution of it, till there be no danger of going into indecencies of speech or behaviour. Plato said to his servant, “I would beat thee if I were not angry.” And it is his glory to pass over a transgression — Not to revenge a wrong, or an affront, when he hath an opportunity. This is opposed to the perverse judgment of worldly men, who account it folly and stupidity not quickly to resent a provocation, and a dishonour and reproach not to revenge it. Proverbs 19:12 The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass. Proverbs 19:12 . The king’s wrath is as the roaring of a lion — The words of a king in anger are as much to be feared as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass — Any token of his favour and kindness is as comfortable as the dew which refreshes the grass and herbs, parched by the hot beams of the sun. Proverbs 19:13 A foolish son is the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping. Proverbs 19:13 . A foolish son, &c. — Two things make a man exceeding unhappy, a dissolute son, and a contentious wife: for the former is a perpetual grief to his father, to see him likely to prove the utter destruction of his family; and the quarrels of a wife spoil a man’s happiness, like perpetual droppings, which wear away what they fall upon. Proverbs 19:14 House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the LORD. Proverbs 19:14 . House and riches are the inheritance of fathers, &c. — Parents may bestow on their children houses, and lands, and riches; but a prudent wife is from the Lord — Is vouchsafed to a man by the singular providence of God, who is the only searcher and ruler of hearts, exactly discerning who are prudent or pious, (with regard to which the judgments even of wise men are frequently mistaken,) and inclining the hearts of persons one toward another. So that when such a wife falls to the lot of any one, he should look upon it as a singular favour of God to him, for which he ought to be very thankful. Proverbs 19:15 Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger. Proverbs 19:15 . Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep — “As labour makes men vigorous and rich, so sloth and idleness have these two miserable effects, that they insensibly sink the mind into a dull stupidity and unconcernedness about the most necessary things, and thereby reduce a man to extreme want and beggary; to which may be added a third, that they tempt him to shift and use dishonest arts for a livelihood.” — Bishop Patrick. Proverbs 19:16 He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his own soul; but he that despiseth his ways shall die. Proverbs 19:17 He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again. Proverbs 19:17 . He that hath pity on the poor — And relieves their necessities; lendeth unto the Lord — Doth not empoverish, but enrich himself: for the Lord takes what is done to them as done to himself, because it is done to those whom he has appointed in his own stead to be his receivers, and whom he hath, in a peculiar manner, commended to the care and charity of all other men. He therefore will not fail to make a full compensation; he will return the benefit done to others, with large interest and increase of blessings, upon the beneficent man and his posterity. Proverbs 19:18 Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying. Proverbs 19:18 . Chasten thy son while there is hope — Before custom in sin, and thy indulgence have made him hard-hearted and incorrigible; and let not thy soul spare for his crying — Forbear not to give him due and necessary correction, through a foolish and destructive pity, excited by his tears and cries; for it is better he should cry under thy rod, than under the sword of the magistrate, or, which is more to be feared, that of divine vengeance. Proverbs 19:19 A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment: for if thou deliver him , yet thou must do it again. Proverbs 19:19 . A man of great wrath — Or, he who is of great wrath, that is, of strong passions; who is of a fierce and furious temper; shall suffer punishment — Will certainly bring great mischiefs upon himself; for if thou deliver him — If any parent, relation, or friend deliver him out of one trouble, through his ungovernable temper he will soon involve himself in another; and thou must do it again — Thou wilt soon find it necessary to interpose for his deliverance a second, third, or even fourth time: all which trouble to themselves and others would be prevented if such men would look unto God for grace to enable them to mortify their passions, and to get the rule of their own spirits. Proverbs 19:20 Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end. Proverbs 19:20 . Hear counsel, &c. — Be willing to be taught and ruled; to be advised and reproved, when thou art young; that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end — Before thy death come. Which he adds, not exclusively, as if a man ought not to be wise before, but emphatically, to show that how foolishly soever he may have spent his former and younger years, it highly and especially concerns him to be wise before it is too late, or before death comes. Proverbs 19:21 There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand. Proverbs 19:21 . There are many devices in a man’s heart — Which shall not stand, but be disappointed; many designs and contrivances, which he thinks to be so well devised and planned that they cannot miscarry. Nevertheless, the counsel of the Lord — Which ofttimes contradicts, and therefore overrules or defeats the designs and purposes of men; that shall stand — Shall certainly be fulfilled, and bring to pass whatever he pleases. Proverbs 19:22 The desire of a man is his kindness: and a poor man is better than a liar. Proverbs 19:22-23 . The desire of a man is his kindness — This expression is obscure, and will admit of several interpretations. The Seventy render it, ?????? ????? ?????????? , alms-giving, or charity, is fruit to a man. The meaning, Le Clerc thinks, is, that there is no virtue a man ought to be so desirous of as benignity, or a generous, charitable spirit, as it is the greatest ornament of human nature, and the strongest bond of human society; which if any one wants, however rich he may be, yet he is despised. Others think, that if it be considered as connected with the following clause, the most natural construction is, “A man shows his kindness by his will, or desire to do good; and in this respect a poor man, who would be beneficent if he could, is better than a liar, that is, than a rich man, who makes a profession of kindness, but does not perform it. The Seventy read this latter clause, A poor righteous man is better than a rich man who is a liar: and the Syriac renders it, A poor man is better than a deceitful rich one. The fear of the Lord tendeth to life — To holiness and happiness here and hereafter; in other words, nothing makes a man so comfortable to himself, and so useful to others, as a religious care to please God in all things; and he that hath it shall abide satisfied — Shall want nothing, and shall be fully contented with God’s favour and blessing; he shall not be visited with evil — With any destructive calamity. But the Hebrew text of the verse being obscure, interpreters have taken it in different senses. Houbigant renders it, The fear, &c., tendeth to life, and he who is filled with it shall sleep, or pass his nights, free from all evil. Schultens and Grey interpret it, The fear of Jehovah indeed is life; but he who sleeps in carnal security shall not be free from evil: see Deuteronomy 32:15 . The Seventy read it, The fear of the Lord is to a man’s life; but he that is without fear (namely, of God) shall abide in places where there is no knowledge to govern him; that is, shall run blindly into all manner of mischief. Proverbs 19:23 The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil. Proverbs 19:24 A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again. Proverbs 19:24 . A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom — Either to keep it warm in cold weather, or to give it rest, being unwilling to fatigue it with the labour of any action; and will not bring it to his mouth again — Namely, to feed himself; as if he expected that the meat should drop into his mouth. “It is a most elegant, but hyperbolical, description of a man who hath given himself up to sloth; who refuses to do things as easy as pulling his hand out of his bosom, and as necessary as eating and drinking.” Proverbs 19:25 Smite a scorner, and the simple will beware: and reprove one that hath understanding, and he will understand knowledge. Proverbs 19:25 . Smite a scorner — An obstinate and impudent transgressor, a derider of religion and virtue, who rejects and scorns all admonition: that is, punish him; and the simple will beware — Though the punishment do him no good, yet other inconsiderate persons, who sin, it may be, through ignorance, imprudence, or infirmity, will be awakened by it to a better way of thinking and acting; who, if they saw him pass with impunity, would be apt to follow his example. And reprove one that hath understanding, &c. — A verbal reproof will be more effectual for his reformation than the severest punishments will be to that of a scorner. Proverbs 19:26 He that wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother, is a son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach. Proverbs 19:26 . He that wasteth his father — That is, his father’s estate, by unjust or riotous courses; and chaseth away his mother — Causes her to avoid and abhor his presence and society, and to go from the house where he is; is a son that causeth shame — Both to himself, and to his parents and family. But this verse ought rather to be rendered, A son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach, wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother; that is, as some interpret it, he gives them as much concern as if he were to waste his father’s substance, and turn his mother out of doors. Proverbs 19:27 Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge. Proverbs 19:27 . Cease, my son, to hear the instruction, &c. — If thou hast done it formerly, yet do not now, any longer, hearken to those false doctrines, or evil counsels, which tend to withdraw thee from the belief or practice of God’s holy word. Or, as Bishop Patrick interprets the verse, “My son, beware of their discourse, who, under the show of greater learning, seduce thee from the plain doctrines of virtue; or, if thou hast been unhappily engaged in such company, quit it presently, and stick to those that honestly instruct thee; for, remember this, to leave off hearing the instruction of good men, is the first step toward a departure from all religion.” Proverbs 19:28 An ungodly witness scorneth judgment: and the mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity. Proverbs 19:28 . An ungodly witness scorneth judgment — Hath no reverence to the place of justice, nor to the presence of God there, nor to that sacred and solemn work, of executing judgment, but, in spite of all, gives in a false testimony. And the mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity — Uttereth it with as great greediness, delight, and ease, as they swallow down delicious meats and drinks; or, is as eager to commit it in word and deed, as if it were as necessary to their well-being as the food they eat. Proverbs 19:29 Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools. Proverbs 19:29 . Judgments are prepared for scorners — Either by men, or, at least, by God; although they be deferred for a time, yet they are treasured up for them, and shall infallibly be inflicted upon them: and stripes for the back of fools — Nor shall other sinners escape, who sin through want of consideration, but they also shall be punished, though in a less degree. Benson Commentary on the Old and New Testaments Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission.

Expositor's Bible Commentary Proverbs 19:1 Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool. CHAPTER 20 HUMAN FREEDOM "The foolishness of man subverteth his way; And his heart fretteth against the Lord."- Proverbs 19:3 THERE is such a valuable expansion and commentary on this proverb in the book of Ecclesiasticus that it seems worthwhile to quote it in full: "Say not, it is through the Lord that I fell away, for the things He hates thou shalt not do. Say not, it is He that caused me to err, for He has no use for a sinful man. Every abomination the Lord hates, neither is it lovely to those that fear Him. He Himself at the outset made Man, and left him in the power of his own control, that, if thou wilt, thou shouldst keep His commandments, and to do faithfully what is pleasing to Him. He set fire and water before thee, that thou shouldst stretch out thy hand to which thou wilt. In front of men is life and death, and whichever a man pleases shall be given to him. Because wide is the wisdom of the Lord; He is mighty in power, beholding all things; and His eyes are upon them that fear Him, and He Himself will take note of every work of man. He never enjoined any one to do wickedly, and He never gave to any one license to sin." { Sir 15:11-20 } It is our constant tendency to claim whatever good we do as our own doing, and to charge whatever evil we do on causes which are beyond our control, -on heredity, on circumstances of our birth and upbringing, or even on God. The Scriptures, on the other hand, regard all our good deeds as the work which God works within us, when our will is given to Him, while all our evil is ascribed to our own foolish and corrupt will, for which we are, and shall be, held responsible. This is certainly a very remarkable contrast, and we shall do well to take account of it. It is not necessary to run into any extreme statement, to deny the effects either of taints in the blood which we receive from our parents, or of early surroundings and education, or even the enormous influence which other people exercise over us in later life; but when all allowance is made for these recognized facts, the contention of the text is that what really subverts our lives is our own folly, -and not uncontrollable circumstances, -and our folly is due, not to our misfortune, but to our fault. Now we will not attempt to deal with all the modifications and reservations and refinements which ingenuity might offer to this doctrine; however charity may require us to make allowance for others on the ground of disadvantages, it is questionable whether we help them, and it is certain that we weaken ourselves, by turning attention constantly from the central fact to the surrounding circumstances; we will therefore try to steadily look at this truth of Individual Responsibility, and lay it to heart. When we have acquitted ourselves of blame, and have obtained a discharge in the forum of our own conscience, it will be time to seek other causes of our guilt, and to "fret against the Lord." But before we turn inwards and appeal to our own consciousness, may we not observe how absurd it is that the Lord should be charged with responsibility for our sins? What do we know of the Lord except that He hates and abominates sin? It is as the Hater of sin that He is revealed to us in ever-clearer for us from the first page of revelation to the last. But more, the most powerful proof that we possess of His existence is to be found in the voice of conscience within us; we instinctively identify Him with that stern monitor that denounces so vigorously and unsparingly all our offences against holiness. The God of revelation is from the first declared to be "He who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children." The God of conscience is by the very nature of the case identified with the uncompromising sentence against evil; is it not then obviously inconsistent to lay our sins to the charge of God? We are more assured of His Holiness than of His omnipotence; we cannot therefore bring His omnipotence to impeach His Holiness. We see Him as the Avenger of sin before we see Him in any other capacity; we cannot therefore bring any subsequent vision of Him to discredit the first. It is surely the dictate of plain common sense, as St. James says, that "God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempteth no man: but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth sin: and the sin, when it is full grown, bringeth forth death." { Jam 1:13-15 } Now our actual responsibility for our own sins, and the troubles which result from them, will perhaps come out in the clear light of conscience, if we regard our conduct in the following way. We must make an appeal to consciousness. There are actions which, consciousness tells us, rest entirely on our own choice, and concerning which no sophistry, however ingenious, can furnish an adequate exculpation. There was in these cases, as we well remember, the plain offer of an alternative "Fire or Water, Life or Death." We knew at the time that we were equally able to take either of them; we felt no compulsion; there was, it is true, a great tumult of conflicting motives, but when the motives were balanced and the resulting verdict was declared, we were perfectly conscious that we could, if we chose, reverse the verdict and give our judgment against it. Our first deviations from truth, from purity, from charity, come up before us as we reflect; the struggle which went on survives vividly in memory; and when we yielded to the evil power we were conscious at the time, as we remember still, that our will was to blame. As the lie glided from the lips, as the unhallowed thought was allowed to pass into act, as the rein was thrown on the neck of the evil passion, we knew that we were doing wrong, we felt that by an adequate exercise of the will we could do right. Cast your eye back on the steps by which your character was formed, on the gradual destruction of your finer feelings, on the steady decline of your spiritual instincts, on the slow deadening and searing of your moral sense. Do you not remember how deliberately you submitted to the fascinations of that dangerous friend, whom your conscience entirely disapproved? How willfully you opened and perused the pages of that foul book, which swept over your soul like a mud-torrent and left its slimy sediment there ever after? How you consciously avoided the influence of good people, made every excuse to escape the prayer, the reading, the sermon, which was to you a conscience-stirring influence, an appeal of God to the soul? AS you retrace those fatal steps, you will be surprised to discover how entirely your own master you were at the time, although the evil deeds done then have forged a chain which limits your freedom now. If at any of those critical moments someone had said to you, Are you free to do just which of the two things you please? You would have replied at once, Why, of course I am. Indeed, if there had been any compulsion to evil, you would have rebelled against it and resisted it. It was really the complete liberty, the sense of power, the delight in following your own desire, that determined your choice. The evil companion persuaded, your conscience dissuaded, neither compelled; when the balance hung even you threw the weight of your will into the scale. The book lay open; curiosity, prurience, impurity, bade you read; your best conviction shamed you and called you away: when the-two forces pulled even, you deliberately gave your support to the evil force. The solemn voice of prayer and worship called you, moving you with mystical power, waking strange desires and hopes and aspirations; the half-mocking voice of the earth was also in your ear, tempting, luring, exciting, and when the sounds were about balanced, you raised up your own voice for the one and gave it the predominance. Or if now in the bondage of evil you can no longer realize that you were once free, you can look at others who are now where you were then; notice even when you try to tempt your younger companions into evil, how the blush of shame, the furtive glance, the sudden collapse of resistance, plainly proves that the action is one consciously determined by an evil choice; notice how your first blasphemies, your first devil-born doubts, suggestions, and innuendoes, bring the pained expression to the face, and raise a conflict which the will has to decide. In this appeal to consciousness or to observation we must be scrupulously honest with ourselves; we must take infinite pains not to garble the evidence to suit a foregone conclusion or to excuse an accomplished fall. I think we may say that when men are honest with themselves, and in proportion as they are pure and innocent, and not yet bound hand and foot by the bondage of their own sins, they know that they have been free, that in the face of all circumstances they still stood uncommitted; that if they yielded to temptation it was their own "foolishness that subverted their way." But now we may pass from these inward moral decisions which have determined our character and made us what we are, to the ordinary actions which form the greater part of our everyday conduct. Here again we are generally inclined to take credit for every course which has a happy issue, and for every unfortunate decision to cast the blame on others. We are reminded, however, that our misfortunes are generally the result of our own folly; we are too impatient, too hasty, too impetuous, too self-willed. "Desire without knowledge is not good, and he that hasteth with his feet misseth the way." { Proverbs 19:2 } If we look back upon our mistakes in life, it is surprising to see how many were due to our own headstrong determination to follow our own way, and our complete disregard of the prudent counsels which our wiser friends ventured to offer us. "The way of the foolish is right in his own eyes: but he that is wise harkeneth unto counsel." { Proverbs 12:15 } "Where there is no counsel, purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counselors they are established." { Proverbs 15:22 } Hear counsel," is the command of this chapter, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end." { Proverbs 19:20 } "Every purpose is established by counsel,"-affairs of state, whether civil { Proverbs 11:14 } or military, { Proverbs 20:18 } -and so by counsel a man is made strong and is able to carry out the warfare of his own personal life. { Proverbs 24:5-6 } It is well for us therefore not only to accept counsel which is proffered to us, but to be at pains to get it, for it often lies, like the waters of a well, deep down in a man’s mind, and requires some patience and skill in order to elicit it. { Proverbs 20:5 } Our false steps are due to a rash precipitancy which prevents us from looking at the question on all its sides, and learning the views of those who have had experience and know. The calamities which befell us were foreseen by many onlookers, and were even foretold by our friends, but we could accept no advice, no warning. And while therefore it is perfectly true that our own judgment was not sufficient to ward off the evil or prevent the faux pas, we are none the less to blame, our own foolishness has none the less subverted our way, for it was our own fault that we refused to be advised, it was our own incredible folly that made us form so wrong an idea of our wisdom. Suppose then that in our retrospect of life and in the estimation of our errors, we mark off all those sins for which our conscience duly charges us with direct responsibility, and all those blunders which might have been avoided if we had wisely submitted to more prudent judgments than our own, what is there that remains? Can we point out any group of actions or any kind of errors which are yet unaccounted for, and may possibly be charged on some other person or thing than ourselves? Is there yet some opening by which we may escape responsibility? Are there any effectual and valid excuses that we can successfully urge? Now it appears that all these possible excuses are netted and completely removed-and every avenue of escape is finally blocked-by this broad consideration; God is at hand as the wisest of Counselors, and we might by simple appeal to Him, and by reverently obeying His commandments, avoid all the evils and the dangers to which we are exposed. So far from being able to excuse ourselves and to lay the blame on God, it is our chief and all-inclusive fault, it is the clearest mark of our foolishness, that we do not resort to Him for help, but constantly follow our own devices; that we do not rely upon His goodness, but idly fret against Him and all His ordinances. "There are many devices in a man’s heart," but over against these feeble, fluctuating, and inconsistent ideas of ours is "the counsel of the Lord, which shall stand." { Proverbs 19:21 } "The fear of the Lord tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil." { Proverbs 19:23 } There is a way of life, there is a plain commandment, a law of God’s appointing: "He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his soul: but he that is careless of his ways shall." Proverbs 19:16 It is simply our own carelessness that is our ruin; if we would pay the slightest heed, if there were one grain of seriousness in us, we should be wise, we should get understanding, and so find good in the salvation of the soul; { Proverbs 19:8 } we should not, as we so often do, "hear instruction, only to err from the words of knowledge." { Proverbs 19:27 } We may wonder at the strong conviction with which this truth was urged even under the Jewish law; it may seem to us that the requirements then were so great, and the details so numerous, and the revelation so uncertain, that a man could scarcely be held responsible if he missed the way of life through inadvertence or defective knowledge. Yet even then the path was plain, and if a man missed it he had but himself and his own folly to blame. But how much more plain and sure is everything made for us! Our Lord has not only declared the way, but He is the Way; He has not only given us a commandment to keep, but He has Himself kept it, and offers to the believing soul the powers of an inward life, by which the yoke of obedience becomes easy, and the burden of service is made light. He has become "the end of the law to everyone that believeth." He has made His offer of Himself not only general, but universal, so that no human being can say that he is excluded, or murmur that he is not able to "keep his soul." His word has gone out into all the world, and while they have not heard it, being without a law are yet a law unto themselves, and are responsible by virtue of that self-witness which God has given everywhere in Nature, in Society, and in the conscience of man, how can we sufficiently emphasize our own responsibility, to whom God has spoken in the latter days by His own Son! Surely "whoso despiseth the word bringeth destruction on himself." { Proverbs 13:13 } If even in that old and darker dispensation the light was so clear that it was chargeable to a man’s own folly when he disobeyed, -and "judgments were prepared for scorners, and stripes for the backs of fools," { Proverbs 19:29 }-what must come upon us who have the clearer light if we willfully and foolishly disobey? The counsel of the Lord stands sure: "There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord." { Proverbs 21:30 } No authority of wise men, no sneer of wits, no devices of the clever, can in the least avail to set aside His mighty ordinance or to excuse us from disregarding it. "The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but victory is of the Lord." { Proverbs 21:31 } There can be no evasion, no escape. He Himself, by His own invincible power, will bring home to the hearts of the rebellious the evil of their rebellion, and will send the cruel messenger against them. { Proverbs 17:11 } Does it not behoove us to remember and consider? To remember our offenses, to consider our guilt and the Lord’s power? Here is a way of life marked out before you, and there is the way of death; here is the water held out to you, and there is the fire; and you may choose. The way of life is in the Gospel of God’s dear Son; you know that its precepts are perfect, converting the soul, and that Christ Himself is holy, such a one as the earth never bore before or since, you know too that this Holy One came to give His life a ransom for many, that He invited all to come unto Him, and promised to all who came everlasting life. You know that He did give His life a ransom, -as the Good Shepherd He gave Himself for the sheep, and then took again the life which He laid down. You know that He ever liveth to make intercession for us, and that His saving power was not exercised for the last time years and years ago, but this very day, probably just at the moment that I am now speaking to you. The way is plain, and the choice is free; the truth shines, and you can open your eyes to it; the life is offered, and you can accept it. What pretext can you give for not choosing Christ, for not coming to the truth, for not accepting the life? Is it not clear to you that if you refuse Him that speaketh, and your way is thus subverted, -as indeed it must be, -it is your own folly that is to blame? You fret against the Lord now, and you charge Him foolishly, but some day you will see clearly that this is all a blind and a subterfuge; you will admit that the choice was open to you, and you chose amiss; that life and death were offered to you, and you preferred death. If any question might be entertained about those who have only the light of conscience to guide them, and have not heard of the direct relation of succor and support which God is ready to give to those who depend upon Him, there can be no doubt of the complete freedom of every human being, who hears the message of the Gospel, to accept it. You may put it aside, you may decline to accept it on the ground of disinclination, or because you consider the historical evidence insufficient, but you will be the first to admit that in doing so you exercise your discretion and consciously choose the course which you take. Nay, leaving all metaphysical discussion about the freedom of the will, I put it to you simply, Can you not, if you choose, come to Christ now? Oh, hear counsel and receive instruction: is not the Spirit pleading with you, counseling, teaching, warning you? Do not harden your heart, do not turn away. Attend to Christ now, admit Him now, that you may be wise in your latter end. { Proverbs 19:20 } Proverbs 19:23 The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil. 28 CHAPTER 29 AN ASPECT OF ATONEMENT "He that hideth his transgressions shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain mercy."- Proverbs 28:13 "Happy is the man that feareth alway but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief."- Proverbs 28:14 "The fear of the Lord tendeth to life, and he that hath it shall abide satisfied. He shall not be visited with evil."- Proverbs 19:23 "By mercy and truth iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil."- Proverbs 16:6 THE Hebrew word which is used for the idea of atonement is one which originally signifies to cover. Sin is a hideous sore, a shocking deformity, which must be hidden from the eyes of men, and much more from the holy eyes of God. Thus the Old Testament speaks about a Robe of Righteousness which is to be thrown over the ulcerated and leprous body of sin. Apart from this covering, the disease is seen working out its sure and terrible results. "A man that is laden with the blood of any person shall flee unto the pit: let no man stay him," { Proverbs 28:17 } and though blood-guiltiness appears to us the worst of sins, all sin is alike in its issue; every sinner may be seen by seeing eyes "fleeing unto the pit," and no man can stay him or deliver him. Or, to vary the image, the sinful man is exposed to the violence of justice, which beats like a storm upon all unprotected heads; he needs to be covered; he needs some shelter, some hiding place, or he must be swept away. But the objection which immediately occurs to us is this: what is the use of covering sin if the sin itself remains? The disease is not cured because a decent garment is drawn over the suffering part; indeed, it is not hard to conceive a case in which the covering might aggravate the mischief. If the idea of covering is to be of any service, it must be cleared from all misconception; there is a kind of hiding which may be ruinous, a garment which may drive the disease inward and hasten its deadly operation, a covert from the storm which may crush and stifle the person whom it professes to protect. "He that covereth his transgressions," in that way, "shall not prosper." Every attempt to conceal from God or from man or from oneself that one is diseased with sin is ineffectual: every lame excuse which seeks to palliate the guilt; every hypocritical pretense that the thing done has not been done, or that it is not what men usually suppose it to be; every ingenious argumentation which seeks to represent sin as something other than sin, as a mere defect or taint in the blood, as a hereditary and unavoidable weakness, as an aberration of the mind for which one is not responsible, or as a merely conventional and artificial offence, -all such attempts at hiding must be failures, "covering" of that kind can be no atonement. Quite the reverse; this trifling with conscience, this deluded self-righteousness, is the worst possible aggravation of the sin. Hidden in that way, though it be, as it were, in the bowels of the earth, sin becomes a poisonous gas, more noxious for confinement, and liable to break out in awful and devastating explosions. The covering of sin which is spoken of in Proverbs 16:6 is of a very different and of a quite particular kind. Combining this verse with the others at the head of the chapter, we may observe that every effectual "covering" of sin in God’s sight involves three elements, -confession, forsaking, and a changed practice. First, there is confession. This appears on the face of it to be a paradox: the only way of covering sin is to uncover it. But it is strictly true. We must make a clean breast of it; we must acknowledge its full extent and enormity; we must spare the patient ear of God no detail of our guilt. The foul, explosive gases must be let out into the open, since every attempt to confine them increases their destructive power. The running sore must be exposed to the Physician’s eye, since every rag put over it to hide it becomes steeped in its defiling tides. It is true, confession is a painful and a weary task: it is like removing a heap of dust and refuse by spadefuls, -each bit as it is disturbed fills the atmosphere with choking particles and noisome smells; worse and worse is revealed the farther we go. We came to confess a single fault, and we found that it was but a broken shard lying on the foul and pestilential heap. Confession leads to confession, discovery to discovery. It is terribly humiliating. "Am I then so bad as this?" is the horrified cry as each candid admission shows only more and worse that must be admitted. True confession can never be made into a priest’s ear, - to men we can only confess the wrongs which we have done to men; but true confession is the awful tale of what we have done to God, against whom only we have sinned and done evil in His sight. It is sometimes urged that confession to a priest gives the penitent relief: possibly, but it is a false relief; since the eye of the priest is not omniscient, the sinner confesses only what he chooses, brings the broken shard, and receives absolution for that in lieu of removing the whole heap of abominations that underlie. When we have gone as far as we can in laying ourselves bare to man, there remain vast untraversed tracts of our life and our mind which are reserved; "Private road" is written on all the approaches, and trespassers are invariably prosecuted. It is only to God that a real confession can be made, because we know that to Him all is necessarily evident; with Him no subterfuges avail; he traverses those untraversed tracts; there are no private roads from which He is excluded; He knoweth our thoughts afar off. The first step in the "covering" of sin is to realize this. If our sins are to be really covered they must first be laid bare; we must frankly own that all things are open to Him with whom we have to do; we must get away from the priests and into the hands of the High Priest; we must abjure the confessional and bring God Himself into the secret places of our hearts to search us and try us and see if there be any evil way in us. The reserve, and the veilings, which every individual cannot but maintain between himself and all other individuals, must be torn away, in full and absolute confession to God Himself. Secondly. There is a confession, especially that fostered by the habit of confessing to priests, which is unaccompanied by any forsaking of the evil, or any departing from iniquity in general. Many times have men gone to their priests to receive absolution beforehand for the sin which they intended to commit; or they have postponed their confession to their, deathbeds, when there will be, as they suppose, no further sins to turn from. Confession of that kind is devoid of all significance; it covers no sins, it really only aggravates them. No confession is of the least avail-and indeed no real confession can be made to God at all-unless the heart turns away from the evil which is confessed, and actually departs at once, so far as it knows and is able, from all iniquity. The glib language of confession has been and is a deadly snare to multitudes. How easy it is to say, or even to musically chant, "We have done that we ought not to have done; we have left undone that which we ought to have done." There is no pain in such a confession if we once distinctly admit that it is a normal and natural state of mind for us to be in, and that as we say it today, so we shall say it tomorrow, and again the next day to the end. But real confession is so painful, and even heartrending, because it is only of value when we begin from that moment onwards "to do what we ought to do, and to leave undone what we ought not to do." It is well for us, perhaps, to confess mot so much sin in the abstract as our own particular transgressions. Sin is too shadowy a monster for us to definitely avoid and forsake; like death, its kinsman, -Death of whom Milton says:- "What seemed his head The likeness of a kingly crown had on." Sin is formless, vague, impalpable. But our own individual transgressions can be fixed and defined: bringing ourselves to the test of the Law, we can say particularly, "This practice of mine is condemned, this habit of mine is sinful, this point of my character is evil, this reticence, this indolence, this reluctance, in confessing Christ and in serving His cause, is all wrong; "and then we can definitely turn our back on the practice or the habit, we can distinctly get rid of the blot in our character, we can fly this guilty silence, rouse ourselves from our selfish indolence. "We live to greatness like what we have been"; and it is this act of the will, this resolute purpose, this loathing what once you loved, and turning towards that which once you ignored, it is, in a word, the twin process of repentance and conversion, that constitutes the second act in this "covering" of sin. Not, of course, that in a moment the tyranny of old habits can be broken, or the virtue of new activities acquired; but "the forsaking" and "the departing from" are instantaneous exertions of the will. Zaccheus, directly the Lord speaks to him, stands forth, and breaks with his sins, renounces his extortions, resolving to make amends for the past and enters on a new line of conduct, promising to give the half of his goods to the poor. That is the essential seal of every true confession: "Whoso confesseth and forsaketh" his transgressions. Thirdly. This has led us to see that the confession of sins and the conversion from them must issue in a positive practice of mercy and truth, in order to make the process of which we are speaking complete: "By mercy and truth iniquity is atoned for." It is this part of the "covering" which is so easily, so frequently, and so fatally overlooked. It is supposed that sins can be hidden without being removed, and that the covering of what is called imputed righteousness will serve instead of the covering of actual righteousness. To argue against this view theoretically is at the present day happily quite superfluous: but it is still necessary to contend against its subtle practical effects. There is no verity more wholesome and more needed than the one contained in this proverb. Sin may be summed up in two clauses: it is the Want of Mercy and it is the Want of Truth. All our ill-conduct to our fellow-men comes from the cruelty and hardness of our selfish nature. Lust and greed and ambition are the outcome of pitilessness: we injure the weak and ruin the helpless, and trample on our competitors, and stamp out the poor; our eye does not pity. Again, all our offence against God is insincerity or wilful lying. We are false to ourselves, we are false to one another, and so we become false to the unseen verities, and false to God. When a human spirit denies the spiritual world and the spiritual Cause which can alone account for it, is it not what Plato used to call "a lie in the soul"? It is the deep inward and vital contradiction of consciousness; it is equivalent to saying, "I am not I," or, "That which is, is not." Now, when we have lived in sin, without mercy or without truth, or without both; when our life up to a certain point has been a flagrant selfishness of absolute indifference to our fellows, or a flagrant lie denying Him in whom we live and move and have our being; or when as is so often the fact, the selfishness and the falseness have gone together, an inextricable and mutually dependent pair of evils, there can be no real covering of the sin, unless selfishness gives place to mercy and falsehood to truth. No verbal confession can possibly avail, no turning from the past iniquities, however genuine for the time, can have any permanent significance, unless the change is a reality, an obvious, living, and working fact. If a man supposes that he has become religious, but remains cruel and selfish, pitiless, unmerciful to his fellow-men, depend upon it that man’s religion is vain; the atonement in which he trusts is a fiction, and avails no more than the hecatombs which Carthage offered to Melcarth availed to gain a victory over Rome. If a man counts himself saved, but remains radically untrue, false in his speech, insincere in his professions, careless in his thought about God, unjust in his opinions about men and the world, he is certainly under a lamentable delusion. Though he has, as he thinks, believed, he has not believed to the saving of his soul; though he has undergone a change, he has changed from one lie to another, and is in no way better off. It is by mercy and truth that iniquity can be covered. Now it will be generally admitted that we do not take the course which has just been described unless we have the fear of God before our eyes. Nothing but the thought of His holiness and the awe which it inspires, and in some cases even, nothing but the absolute terror of Him who can by no means clear the guilty, moves the heart of man to confession, turns him away from his sins, or inclines him to mercy and truth. When the fear of God is removed from men’s eyes they not only continue in sin, but they quickly come to believe that they have no sins to confess; for indeed when God is put out of the question that is in a certain sense true. It is a mere fact of observation, confirmed not by many changing experiences of humanity, that it is "by the fear of the Lord men depart from iniquity"; and it is very significant to notice how many of those who have entirely put away the fear of the Lord from their own eyes have strongly advocated keeping it before the eyes of others as the most convenient and economical police resource. Many fervent free-thinkers are thankful that the