slothful man be to die under such a disappointment! If the rust eats into the sword which is in constant use, how much more certainly will it destroy that which is never drawn from the scabbard! IV. The righteous man is a worker and a giver. He is in all respects the exact opposite of the sluggard. He works not so much because of the gain of labour as because he loves to work, and because it is wrong to be idle. This he shows by the use he makes of much that he gains-he gives with an unsparing hand. In both he is an imitator of the righteous God, who is the Greatest Worker and the Greatest Giver in the universe. The righteousness of God prompts Him to bountiful acts towards needy creatures, and the righteousness of His righteous servants prompts them to do like deeds, according to their ability. On this subject see also Homiletics on chap. xiii. 4, page 296. .. OUTLINES And suggestIVE COMMENTS. The desire kills him. Why? Because he will not gratify it. The way to gratify it is to get it accomplished. Say not, It is the refusal that kills and not the desire. That is not altogether the case. The spark that is too weak to grow puts itself out by its attempts. The desire that is too dull to act has treasured in it the last remainders of the heart, and in its languid throbs makes itself the instrument of its own growing dissolution.Miller. In the Paris French translation the words stand thus-"All the day long he does nothing but wish." How very expressive at once of the unconquerable indolence and the fretful, envions, pining unhappiness of the sluggard! And in his wishing, he may at times, by the power of a sanguine imagination, work himself into hope; and then, disappointment only embitters the cup of his own mingling,-aggravates the misery, which he is painfully conscious is self-inflicted.-Further: he appears before us a stranger to all the positive and exquisite pleasures of charity and beneficence; but "the righteous giveth and spareth not." It is not said, you It is not said, you will observe-" the diligent giveth and spareth not; because there are not a few who are sufficiently exemplary in diligence, to whom the Bible would not give the designation of "the righteous," and who are far from being distinguished for benevolence. But the antithesis, as it stands here, implies these three things: First, that diligence is one of the features in the character of the righ teous-Secondly, that the natural tendency, and ordinary result of this is, through the divine blessing, abundance to spare:-Thirdly, that another distinguishing feature of the character of the righteous man, is readiness to part with what his industry acquires"giving, and not sparing;" that is, giving cheerfully, and giving liberally; not assenting merely to the truth of the maxim, as being the word of the Lord, but feeling the truth of it in their own heart's experience-"It is more blessed to give than to receive." Wardlaw. It is not said by Paul," If any man do not work, neither let him eat," for some would work and cannot get it, others would work and are not able, but "If any man will not work," if any have work to do, and will not, let him not eat. In the same manner the wise man speaketh; he doth not say, his hands do not labour, but his hands refuse to labour. . . . . But he sheweth that though a sluggard be idle himself, yet his desire be so hard a labourer, that it is a daily labourer, and such a daily labourer painfully worketh all the day long. So that although he have no hands to work, his desire hath hands to beg and crave of him; which being not satisfied, is a just punishment of his careless sluggishness. But the righteous man, being as earnest in his labour as the other in his desire, getteth enough, not only to satisfy his own desire, but to supply the wants of others.-Jermin. MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE 27. THE SACRIFICE OF THE WICKED. I. A Divine institution may become an abomination to the Divine Being. The right use of the gifts of God makes them blessings to men, but the abuse of them turns them into curses. So with the ordinances of worship, both under the Old Testament dispensation and in the New-that which is designed to bless men may by misuse add to their guilt before God, and that which, done in a right spirit, is most acceptable to Him, will, when joined to a sinful motive, be most abhorrent to His holy nature. The sacrifice of the Levitical dispensation was an ordinance of Divine appointment, but even those who lived before the days of the prophets were not left to suppose that the merely ceremonial act was of any value in the sight of God if a correspondent state of heart was wanting. The offering of Cain was unacceptable, because he lacked the faith of his brother Abel. (Heb. xi. 4). Samuel taught the truth that "to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams (1 Sam. xv. 22), and the father of our preacher was deeply conscious that "sacrifice and burnt offering" would not be acceptable to God unless they were the outcome of a "broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart" (Psalm li. 16, 17). The doctrine that "God is a spirit, and they who worship Ilim must worship Him in spirit and in truth (John iv. 24), is taught in the Old Testament as well as in the New. It is the teaching of this proverb. II. A Divine institution may be used by men to cloak their iniquity. The absence of right motive is enough to turn the sacrifice into an abomination, as we have seen (see also on chapter xv. 9, page 408), but this comparatively negative wrong seems to lose some of its guilt beside the actual crime of the second clause of the verse, when men actually put on an outward semblance of religion, not from inadequate ideas of the requirements of God's law, or from the force of habit, or in a thoughtless spirit, but with the deliberate intention of deceiving their fellow-creatures. For it is inconceivable that any reasonable being can for a moment suppose that he can blind Him before whom all things must be "naked and opened" (Heb. iv. 13). If he believes in a God he cannot think that He is a Being who can be imposed upon by such a miserable deception, and, this being granted, it is most astonishing that any creature can presume to offer so great an insult to his Creator. And yet we know sacrifices have been and are even now being offered to God for no other purpose than to cloak sin. OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. This is a New Testament idea: "Ye ask and receive not," saith the Apostle James, "because ye ask amiss.' How? Why, precisely in the way that the proverb points out, because ye do it for an interested purpose; as the Apostle expresses it, "that ye may consume it upon your desires." The wicked man asks for heaven that he may consume it in keeping comfortable through a long eternity. The proverb in verse 17 postulates the opposite. In merely loving happiness a man cannot create wealth. The mass of . hypocrites, therefore, are these eternalhappiness hypocrites... There may be other reasons, but that additional and fundamental among them all is this deepest one, that religious acts cannot be accepted if they are built upon nothing tenderer than "a calculated purpose." (So Miller translates the last two words. See also Critical Notes.) "Ye seek Me," says our blessed Redeemer, "not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves and were filled" (John vi. 26).-Miller. For Homiletics of verse 28, see on chap. xii. 19, page 275. "The man that heareth" is evidently the man who is teachable and open to conviction, and therefore qualified to bear witness of the truth. OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. The last clause of the proverb seems to fix and restrict the first. A false witness often becomes so by the culpable habit of thoughtlessly repeating, without examination or certain knowledge. A man may thus do very serious injury to his neighbour's character or property. It proves a very loose conscience, and an utter want of that "charity which covers " instead of exposing faults. It is "rejoicing in iniquity rather than "rejoicing in truth. This false witness will certainly be punished by God; and even by man he will be confounded and silenced. No one for the future will regard or receive his testimony. But the man that heareth-the true witness who speaketh only what he heareth, and is fully acquainted with-he speaketh constantly-to conviction. He holds to his testimony and never contradicts himself. He "speaks the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." His word, even if it had been slighted at first, gains more and more credit and authority when the false witness shall have perished (chap. xii. 19).-Bridges. MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE 29. THE FACE AND THE WAY. The last verb in the text is better translated-establisheth, or maketh firm. I. What is intended to reveal may be used to conceal. The human countenance is intended to express the feelings of the mind, and when a man is not afraid for another to read his thoughts and intentions, his face is to a great extent the index of his heart. But a bad man is unwilling that his neighbour should know what is passing within him-his thoughts and purposes will not bear the light-they are so selfish or impure that he is ashamed of them, or they are occupied with some malicious plan which must be concealed if it is to be successful. He therefore hardens his face-puts on an appearance of innocence and frankness as a cloak of the evil underneath. But this method of life is not an easy or a pleasant one-the contrast in the second clause seems to imply that such a man walks in an uneven or a miry road-it is hard to be always acting a part and to be obliged at all times to look what we do not feel, and there may come unguarded moments and unlooked-for surprises when the mask will fall and the truth come to light. II. The godly man has no need to practise hypocrisy. His thoughts and desires, and aims, are toward the true and the good-his heart is filled with goodwill towards his fellow-men, and he has, therefore, nothing to fear or to be ashamed of when his face reveals his inner self. This way of the upright is, in comparison with the way of the wicked, as a firm and level road-he who walks on it finds solid ground beneath his feet, and has no need to be ever on the look-out for bogs and pitfalls. OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. A hardened heart and a hardened face,-a face that has learned to brave accusation and to look innocent under conscious guilt, are the most undesirable of all attainments. The confusion of innocence, when evil is imputed, is far preferable. Better far to be innocent and thought guilty, than to be guilty and thought innocent. Better Better far to have the sentence of acquittal in our own bosoms, though condemned by men, than to succeed in getting acquittal from men, and carry within us the sentence of guilt. How painful soever the former, we can still look up to God, and forward to His tribunal, as that of unerring rectitude,-where He will "bring forth our righteousness as the light, and our judgment as the noon-day." O! there will be no "hardening of the face" then. Conscience will do its duty. The eyes which are as a flame of fire will search the inmost soul. Every eye will quail, and every countenance, even the most hardened, sink, before the look of Him that sitteth upon the throne. He will then at once wipe off the reproach of his people," and "bring to light the hidden things of darkness." And then they who, under the influence of faith, and fear, and love, have " considered their way," shall lift up their faces without dread, and meet the smiles of their gracious Judge !-Wardlaw. MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSES 30 and 31. COUNSEL AGAINST THE LORD. This I. Only those plans succeed which harmonise with the will of God. is of course true only in regard to the ultimate and final issue of men's plans and purposes. Sometimes, and indeed oftentimes, counsel against the Lord is very successful for a season, and for a very long season, but it is only for a season. 1. This is obvious if we consider God's knowledge of the future. It is inseparable from His Divine nature that He shall be able to declare the end from the beginning," and therefore He says "My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:" "yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it" (Isaiah xlvi. 10, 11). Imagine the general of a vast army being confronted with a handful of blind men, would there be any room to doubt who would have the victory? If a traveller whose eyesight is so dim that he can only see a step or two before him has to travel an unknown road, will he not do well to take the arm and avail himself of the guidance of a man whose sight is perfect? The plan or purpose of our life is the road we desire to walk upon, and as we "know not what shall be on the morrow" (James v. 14) we can only hope to attain our desire if we enlist the All-seeing God on our side, and in order to do this our counsel must be in harmony with His. 2. God's Almighty power, also, ensures the success of His counsel. "The horse is prepared against the day of battle," but what is the united force of a world compared with the might of Him "who hath comprehended the dust in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?" The prophet answers the question, "The nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of a balance" (Isaiah xl. 12, 15). The knowledge that our guide has of a dangerous path-the fact that he is acquainted with it from the beginning to the end-may not ensure our arrival at the desired goal. He and we may together be attacked by powerful foes, and power to protect is as needful as knowledge to guide. When we commit our way to God we have omnipotence as well as omniscience on our side. II. Yet men are ever opposing their finite wisdom and strength to the almightiness and infinite knowledge of God. The proverb embodies a truth so palpable to any who will look facts plainly in the face-it contains an inference so obvious to an unprejudiced mind that it would seem unnecessary to write it if we did not know that sin has so distorted men's mental vision-so biassed their reason that they are ever imagining a "vain thing" and taking "counsel against the Lord and against His anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us" (Psa. ii. 2, 3). The world is full of confirmations of the fact, and it also contains abundant evidence of the truth of the inspired word. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh, the Lord shall have them in derision." OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. It would be a strong sentence if he declared that counsel against the Lord could never amount to anything. But he does something more clear than that. There is no (such thing as) wisdom, etc., against the Most High. They could do nothing if they were; but wisdom never could be enticed to that side. The sentence embodies both ideas. There is no wisdom that could avail against God; but secondly, there is none that would ever attempt it. The expressions are peculiar. There is nothing of wisdom. The word is repeated: "Nothing, nothing, nothing." -Miller. We may, perhaps, consider the wise man as pointing out three modes of covering and effecting evil purposes: in the twenty-seventh verse, the mask of religion; in the twenty-eighth, false testimony; in the twenty-ninth, the assumed boldness and look of innocence. But (verse 30)" there is no wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel, against the Lord." There may be against men. In one, or other, or all of these ways they may be deceived. There may, in many cases, be "wisdom, and understanding, and counsel" more than sufficient to impose upon and outwit them. But God knows all. His eye cannot be eluded; His designs cannot be thwarted; neither His promises nor His threatenings can be falsified, by any artifice, or policy, or might of the children of men—no, nor of any created being.-Wardlaw. Wisdom is that which is gotten by experience, understanding that which is gotten by study, counsel that which is gotten by advice . . . but let all be put in the scales against the Lord, they are but as the dust of the balance unto Him. . For if wisdom be gotten by experience, He is the Ancient of days; He was ancient when days began. If understanding come by study, He hath all understanding of Himself at once. . . . And the whole world is His common council, and that not to give at all, but to receive counsel from Him.-Jermin. CHAPTER XXII. CRITICAL NOTES.-1. A good name, "goodwill." 3. Are punished. rather “must suffer injury.” 4. By humility, rather "The end or reward of humility," etc. Delitzsch reads "The reward of humility is the fear of the Lord," etc. 5. Shall be, etc., or Let him keep, etc. 6. Train up a child, etc. Miller reads "Hedge in a child upon the mouth of his way;" Delitzsch, "Give to a child instruction according to his way," i.e., conformably to the nature of youth. 8. The rod of his anger, or, as Zöckler, the “staff of his haughtiness." 16. Zöckler reads this verse " One oppresseth the poor only to make him rich," i.e., "the oppression which one practises on a poor man rouses his moral energy, and thus, by means of his tireless industry and his productive labour in his vocation, he works himself out of needy circumstances into actual prosperity." Literally "a name.' Loving favour, or " grace," Here begins the third main division of the book of Proverbs. (See Introduction.) Its contents are styled in verse 17 "The words of wise men," and they differ from the second division in consisting for the most part of much longer sentences, comprising, as a general rule, two verses, but sometimes many more. Zöckler remarks that "there is prevalent everywhere the minutely hortatory, or, in turn, admonitory style, rather than that which is descriptive and |