The·etate of the heart ie that to which God looks- " The Lotd is far from the wicked : But ha heareth the prayer of the righteouR" (eh xv. 29). Trust in God is the only security in life- '' Commit thy works unto the Lord, And thy purposes shall be established" (eh. xvi. 3). "He that giveth heed unto the word shall find good: And whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he!" (eh. xvi. 20). Gentleness and long-suffering are recommended- " A soft answer turneth away wrath : But a grievous word stirreth up anger" (eh. xv. 1). "The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: Therefore leave off contention, before there be quarrelling" (eh. xvii. 14). Humility is strongly enjoined- " Pride goeth before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall" (eh. xvi. 18). Sloth and intemperance and other vices are severely reprobated- " Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; And the idle soul shall suffer hunger" (eh. xix. 15). " Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty j Open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread" (eh. xx. 13). "He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man : He that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich" (eh. xxi .. 17). A good reputation should be sought and retained- " A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, And loving favour rather than silver and gold" (eh. xxii. 1). The section ends with an apothegm about rich and poor which ie capable of more than one1 intei:pretation- " Whosoever oppresseth the poor, it is for his gain; Whosoever giveth to the rich, it is for his loss" (eh. xxii. 16). T,his is a religious statement concerning the moral gover=ent of God, affirming, on the. one hand, that oppression and extortion inflicted on the poor man do in the end redound to his good; and, on the other hand, addition to the wealth of a rich man only injures him, leads him to indolence and extravagance, and sooner or later brings him to want. There is m°:ch said in this part about the king's prerogative- " The king's favour is toward a servant that dealeth wisely : But his wrath shall be against him.that causeth shame" (eh. xiv. 35), " He that loveth pureness of heart, For the grace pf his lips the king shall be his friend" (eh. xxii. 11). It ie possible to take exception to the worldliness and low motives of 'Viii INTRODUCTION TO
many of the maxims in this and other parts of the book. The wisdom often seems to be that of this world rather than of heavenly aspiration. And there have not been wanting persons who say such pronouncements cannot be deemed to be inspired, and that the work containing them was not dictated or controlled by the Holy Spirit, We will quote a, few of those so-called worldly maxims. Obedience to the Law is enjoined in order to gain long life and prosperity (eh. iii. 1, 2), riches and honour (eh. viii. 18) ; diligence is to be desired with the view of obtaining a sufficiency, and averting poverty ( eh. xx. 13) ; the great motive for charity and bene- volence is the temporal reward and tho favour of God which they secure ( eh. xix. 17 ; xxi. 13) ; the same reason holds good for honouring God i with our substance ( eh. iii. 9, 10) ; humility is to be practised because it , brings honour and life (eh. xxii. 4); self-control is a useful attainment because it preserves from many dangers ( eh. xvi. 32; xxv. 28) ; a fine reputation is a worthy object of quest (oh. xxii. 1); sloth, drunkenness, and gluttony are to bs' avoided because they impoverish a man (eh. xxi, 17; xx.iii. 20, 21 ; xxiv. 33, 34); we shol]]d avoid companionship with the evil because they will lead us into trouble (eh. xiii. 20; xxii. 24, etc.); it is unwise to retaliate lest we bring injury on ourselves in the end ( eh. xvii. 13) ; we are not to exult over an enemy's fall lest we provoke Providence to punish us (eh. xxiv. 17, etc.), but rather to assist an adver- sary in order to secure a reward at the hands of the Lord ( eh. xxv, 21, etc.) ; wisdom is to be sought for the temporal advantages which it brings (eh. x::riv. 3, etc.; x::ri. 20). Such are some of the ma:ri.m.s which confront us in this Script1ll'e; and there can be no doubt that they seem at first sight to make virtue a. matter of calculation; and though ;they are capable of being spiritnalized and forced into a higher sphere, yet in their natUl'al sense they do urge the puxsuit of right on low grounds, and base their . injunctions on selfish considerations. Is this what we should expect to find in a work con- fessedly appertaining to the sacred canon? Is this teaching such as tends to make a man wise unto salvation, to furnish the man of God unto good works? The whole question t=s upon the due employment of secondary motives in the conduct of life. Is this method properly employed fu education ? Does God use it in his dealings with ns ? W o must observe that 'Proverbs' is a book written chiefly for the edification of the young and inexperienced, the simple who were still in the early age of moral growth, those whose principles were as yet unsettled and needed direction and steadfastness. For such teaching of the highest character would be inappropriate; they could not at once appreciate more elevated doctrine ; their power of assimilation was a.t present too feeble to admit the strong meat of heavenly lore ; and they were to be led gradually to a higher stage by a slow and natural process which would make no great demand on their faith, nor conscious interruption in their daily life. It is thus that we educate children. We employ the motives THE PROVERBS. b.