Vers. 16, 17.-T/ie condemnation of pride. The simple, strong langnage of the text tells us that pride is a thing which God hates. We should therefore make some inquiries concerning it, and know all we can learn about it; for who would like to have in bis heart and life that which is positively odious to the Father of his spirit? I. lTs SEAT IS IK THE soot. The wise man speaks of the "proud look" or the "haughty eyes," but he specifies this as it is a most common manifestation of the evil which lies within. Its seat is in the soul, in the lurking thought, in the secret senti- ment, in the nursed and nourished convictions, in the false idea. It is in the habit of the heart ; it is em be<lded in the character. IL IT IS MA1''IFOLD IN ITS MANIFESTATION. It is most often shown, as intimated, in the proud look, but it may make itself felt in (1) the disdainful tone; (2) the con- temptuous silence or non-observance; (3) the cutting sentence; (4) the exclusive action. JU. IT SPRINGS FROM MAXY SOURCES. Jt may arise from: 1. A consciousness. of physical superiority-elegance of figure, beauty of face, muscular strength, c~c. 2. Consciousness of mental acquisitions-intellectual force, knowledge, eloquence, etc. 3. 8ocial prominence--rank, oftice, distinction. 4. Recollection of great scrvfces rcn<lcre<l. IV. lT rs HATEFUL rn THE SIGHT OF Gon. '!'his thing" doth the Lord hate." • He hates it, for doubtless he mes in it a heinousness and enormity we do not perceive. But he may hate it because: 1. It is an essentially false thing. We give ourselves credit fur that which is not due. "What have we that we have Iiot received 'I" The pedestal on which we stan? is a false imagining. 2. It is an_ utterly 11;nbecoming thing. Who are we, the sinful children of men, the body of whom 1s deservmg of condemna- tion, that we should look down superciliously on others? Ih any ~uman soul pride ie unbecoming, unlovely. 3. It is a cruel thing. It wou~ds, and _it wounds the most sensitive spirits worst. ,ve place, by itself, as demanding particular reference, one evil in pri<le for which God condemns it, viz.- V. IT SHUTS us ouT OF THE KINGDOM oF' ms GRACE. How can we possibly go in bun,ility and faith to the redeeming Lord, our Saviour, while pride occupies the (Ill, vt. 1-35.] THE PROVERBS. 151
throne? The man in whom the proud spirit dwells stands afar from the salvation of God. "The Lord resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble." "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of l)eaven." "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye 11ball not enter into the kingdom of heaven."--C. Vere. 16, 17.-The Divine dislifce of deceitfulness. (See eh. xii. 22.) God bates "a lying tongue;" "Lying lips are abomination to the Lord." We must consider- !. WHAT 18 THE DECEITFULNESS WHICH GOD DETESTS. It is evident that the "lyinl!: tongue" and the "lying lips" ore mentioned as the principal instrument of the soul in the sin which is rebuked. It is the sin itself which is the object of the Divine dis- pleasure. That sin is deceitfulness; conveying false impressions to the mind of our neighbour, the wilful blinding of his eyes by untrue words or by false actions. This may be done by: 1. Downright falsehood-the most shameless and shocking of all ways. 2. Covert insinuation or innuendo-the most cowardly and despicable of all ways. 3. Prevarication, the utterance of a half-truth which is also half a lie-the most mischievous, becauw the most plausible and last detected, of all ways. 4. Acted untruth-one of the most common forms of falsehood, and perhaps as hurtful to the sinner as any, because it avoids apparent guilt, while it really is as culpable as most, if not as any, of these manifestations of deceit. H. WHY IT IS BO ODIOUS TO THE RIGHTEOUS FATHER. What makes it" hateful," "abominable in his sight"? 1. It is inherently heinous. The soul bas to make a very decided departure from rectitude to commit this sin. We may sav of it, "Oh, 'tis foul ! 'tis unnatural ! " It is a " strange " thing in the view of the Holy One and the True. It is something which comes into direct and sharp collision with his Divine principles; which, in its own nature, is a painful, oppressive spectacle to bis pure spirit. He loves and lives and desires truth-" truth in the inward parts;" and with the same intensity with which be loves truth, he must bate, with immeasurable abomi- nation, ev1=ry shape and form of falsehood. 2. It is ruinons to the soul that practises it. Nothing so surely leads down to spiritual destruction as this sin. It breaks down the walls and breaks up the very foundation of all character. For those who habitually decline from the truth, in word or deed, are constantly teaching themselves to consider that there is nothing sacred in truth at all; they are sliding down the incline at the foot of which is the sceptic's question," What is truth?" A man who is false in language or in action is poisoning his soul by degrees; he is a spiritual suicide. 3. It is mischievous to society. "Putting away lying, speak every man truth with bis neighbour; for we are members one of another." Human society depends on truthful- ness in its members for its prosperity, comfort, and almost for its very life. What if we constnntly doubted one another's word? 'l'be men of truth and trustworthiness are the salt of society. The men of lying tongue are its pest and its peril. Oar neighbours have a right to claim of us that we shall put away lying lips and shall "speak the trnth in love.'' God, who cares for the well-being of this human world, hates to see his children weakening, wounding, endangering that world of man by falsehood and deceit. III. WHAT Goo WILL DO WITH THOSE WHO ARE GUILTY. He will surely punish them. He does so (1) by making them bear their penalty in the shape of spiritual demoralization; (2) by bringing down upon them first the di.!trust and then the repro- bation of their fellows; (3) by excluding them firmly and finally from his own fellow- ship. He that does not "speak the truth in his heart" may not abide in his tabernacle here (Ps. xv. 1); he that deserves to be denominated a liar will be ba!lished from his presence hereafter (Rev. xx.ii. 15).--C. Vers. 16-19.-The brand of God. God placed a brand on the first murderer's brow, and he carried the curse with him to his grave. He does not mark us thus now with such signs of guilt; nevertheless, he has made it clear as the day that there are some men who are the objects of his very high displeasure. We know from the text that among these are- I. MEN OF A PROUD HEART. (See above.) IJ. MEN OF A FALSE SPIRIT. (See above.) III. MEN THAT ARE RESPONSIBI,E FOR OTIIERs' DEATH. (Ver. 17.) Those wh,_,se 152 THE PROVERDS. [olt. vr. 1-35.