me.y expect the bitterest revenge. To steal the love of a wife from her husband, or of e. husbe.nd from hie wife, ie to make one enemy whose wrath nothing will appease. It is an evil thing, even if it be not a. dangerous thing, to go through life bearing the malice, exposed to the intense and inextinguishable hatred of a human soul. III. THAT THERE IS ONE PATH OF SAFETY, It is that which is suggested in vern. 27, 28, "Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?" etc. The way to escape the evil is not to touch it, to steer clear of it altogether, to keep well out of harm's way-to avoid the houBe and company of the flippant woman, to leave the sparkling cup untasted, to refuse to stake a farthing in any kind of lottery whatever. 'fhis is the only secure ground to take. Once begin to talk with the seductive woman, or to taste the pleasure of exhilaration from intoxicants, or to enjoy the sweets of approprie.ting money gained by nothing but a. guess, and who shall say what the end will be? Do not touch the fire, and you will not be burnt. JV. 'l'BAT THE YOUNG SHOULD BEAR THE GUIDING LAMP OF TRUTH ABOUT THEM ALONG THE WHOLE PATH OF LIFE. (Vers. 20-23.) In order to snstain the resolution to keep a.way from the destroying fires, consult the Word of God. 1. Have it in continual remembrance (ver. 21). 2. Illustrate it in every way open (ver. 20). 3. Find it a steady light, accompanying the steps everywhere (vers. 22, 23).-C. Ver. 22.-God's Word-guide, guardian, companiM. Man is insufficient of himself; he needs help from on high. Often in the course of his life he has goings forth, and then he W3.Ilts direction; often he finds himself helpless, and then he needs a. guardian to preserve him; often he is a.lone, and then he craves a. friend who will commune with him. A.ll this he has in the Word of the living God. It is- I. IN ACTION, OUR GUIDE. "When thou goest, it shall lead thee." We go "from home " "into business " "to sea. " "a.broad " etc In all these aoinas 0 forth we want that ~hich will lead ~s in the' right and' the ~ise way-the ;ay of truth, purity, righteousness, happiness. The Word of the heavenly Father will supply this. II. IN DANGER, OUR DEFENCE. "When thou sleepest, it shall keep thee." Not only when we a.re" a.sleep" on our couch are we in danger from those who might wish to injure us, but when we a.re unconscious of the spiritual dangers by which we are surrounded; when in a state of "innocence," of being uninitiated into the secrets of sin; when we are not a.live to duty and opportunity as we should be ;-then the Word of God will be a fence, a. security. Following it, coming to it to learn God's will, we shall know which way to take, what courses to avoid, how to revive and to be reani- mated with holy energy and zeal. III. IN LONELINESS, OUR COMPANION, "When we awake," when we find ourselves with our faculties all in force, and no one to hold fellowship with us, then the Word of God will "talk with us." It will speak to us of God our Father, of the supreme value of our spiritual nature, of the path of lifa, of the kingdom of Christ and the salvation in him, of the heavenly home. "Lamp of our feet, whereby we trace," etc. (ver. 23).-C.
EXPOSITION. The LXX. adds here a distich which is not CRAPTER VII. in the Hebrew or in any other version, and Vers. 1-27.-13. Thirteenth admonitory is not germane to the context, however discourse, containing e. warning a.go.inst excellent, .in itself: " My son, honour the adultery, treated under a different aspect Lord, and thou shall be strong, and beside him fear no other." With this we may from previous exhortations, and ~trength- compare Luke xii. 5 o.nd Isa.. viii. 12, 13. ened by an example. In this chapter e.nd Ver. 2.~Xeep my commandments, and the following a contrast is drawn between live (see on eh. iv. 4). As the apple of the adulteress and Wisdom. thine eye j literally, the little man ( i8ltan, diminutive of ish) of the eye; so ea.lied from Ver. 1.-llrly son, keep my words. The the miniature reflection of objects seen in teaober enjoins his pupil, as in eh. ii. 1, to the pupil, specially of the person who !auks observe the rules which he gives. Lay up, into another's eye. It is a proverbial ex- u a precious treasure (see on eh, ii. 1 nnd 7). pression for anything particularly preciouM 154 THE PROVERBS. (ea. VII, 1-27,