Chapter XIII (2)

+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._