Yer. 17.-Truth and righteousness. We have here a suggestion of the close con- nection between truth and righteousness. This connection is based on a reciprocal relation. Truthfulness is a trait of righteousness, and righteousness is advanced by truthfulness. I. TRUTHFULNESS IS A TRAIT OF EIGHTEOUSNESS. The truth here referred to is that which is most often mentioned in the Bible, viz. subjective truth, the agreement between our convictions and our utterances. We cannot attain to perfect objective truth, to the truth which consists in an agreement between our beliefs and the facts of the universe, because all men sometimes err even with the most innocent inten- tion of finding the truth. We are liable to delu~ions from without, and to the influence of an unconscious bias from within. But we can all utter what we believe to be true. Now, this truth-speaking is one of the most solemn and absolute obligations of right- eousness. 1. The grounds of the obligation. (l) We recognize the awful duty of truthfulness in our conscience. (2) The Teutonic conscience is supposed to respond to this duty more readily than the Oriental conscience. Yet it is clearly and firmly insisted on in the Bible. (3) It is most evident in the transparent life of Christ, who is a true Witness to the truth (John xviii. 37). (4) All social arrangements presuppose truthfulness; without it society becomes a confusion. Truth cements the social fabric; lying dissolves it. A city of universal liars would be an inferno of mutual distrust, suspicion, and necessary isolation. 2. The bearing of the obligation. (1) On small thin,"S, Slight iuaccuracies of speech may seem to be of no importance; but they open 1 he door for more gross forms of deceit, by generating a habit of indifference to truth . .Apart from this tendency, the least untruth is treason against the royal supremacy of truth. (2) In difficult cases. When we are severely tried, it is hard to speak the truth. Yet it is just then that truthfulness becomes a positive quality. Under such circumstances only a character that is morally sound will stand the strain. Indeed, it needs the grace of Christ to keep true in word and deed under all provocations to easier paths. II. RIGHTEOUSNESS 1s ADVANCED BY TRUTHFULNESS. 1. In the individual. Untruth- fulness is certain to issue in a lower moral tone all round. We cannot abandon one of the guardian towers of the soul without risking the whole citadel. The liar ii.• not only a person who uses false language. His cowardly habit eats into the ve~y heart of virtue and rots the moral fibre of his soul. On the other hand, there 1s no more bracina moral tonic than a loyal and reverent regard for truth. 'l'he true man is likely to be honest, just, and pure in all respects. 2. In the world. Truth al~~ys makes for righteousness. No greater blunder was ever made than the suppos1t10n that "pious frauds" could be used for advancing the cause of Christianity. .Any temporary gain th:i,t co~ld be ;produced io thi~ w~y must be unsou~d from the first, and the ultimate issue 1s certam to be moral md1fference and unbelief. Some truths are unpleasant some ualy, some seemingly hurtful. Yet, in the end, truth makes for soul-health. Above all: is not he who is "the Truth" also the great Source of the world's righteousness? Ver. 23.-Concealing knowledge. I. KNOWLEDGE MUST FIRST BE POSSESSED. We cannot bide what we do not hold. The idea of secreting knowledge suggests the owning of a large amount of it, or at least of knowledge of some value. Tbe tradesman who on. xn, 1-28.] THE PROVERBS. 241
puts all his wares in the window is not the proprietor of a large stock. It cannot be a superficial mind which conceals much knowledge. Such an action suggests a. granary of truth, a storehouse of ideas, a territory rich in minerals that lie far below the surface. II. KNOWLEDGE MUST THEN BE PRIZED. Men may hide things from various motives -from shame as much as from love, because the things are bad quite as much as on account of any value set upon them. Thus the criminal tries to hide the evidences of his crime-buries his victim in a wood, or fliil!§B the tell-tale knife into a pond. But it is not with this ugly knowledge, which a man would only too gladly banisb from his own mind, that we are now concerned. There are choice secrets, rare attainments, and much-valued stores of information. Such knowledge may well be kept for its own sake. III. KNOWLEDGE SHOULD NEVER BE DISPLAYED, The vanity which would make a show of knowledge is one of the weakest traits of humanity. It is usually a sign that but little is really known. A great pretence is made by the a.id of a mere smattering of information cleverly arranged, like the scenery on a small stage adjusted to suggest a long vista. Such a parade of learning springs from more love of admiration than love of truth. ,The loyal seeker after truth will have little thought of" making an effect" by the exhibition of his mental properties. He will prize bis possessions on their own account, though no one else may be aware of their existence. IV. KNOWLEDGE MAY SOMETIMES BE ABUSED. We may know damaging facts about a neighbour, and then charity will urge us to hide our knowledge. The feverish passion for gossiping tears the cloak of common decency which should cover the knowledge of what is bad. It is shocking that details of crime and vice are made familiar to millions by the blare of the newspaper trumpet. But, further, the knowledge of good thinga may sometimes be abused. The revelation may be premature; God di<l not send forth his Son till "the fulness of the times." Truth may be misapprehended. The most sacred things may be degraded by irreverent handling. V, KNOWLEDGE IS TO BE USED. We do not have it as a hidden jewel to be laid by in a secret place and forgotten. Though buried in the soul and little talked about, it is a living thing, like a seed in the soil. It is given us that it may influence our lives and become a vital part of our souls. VI. KNOWLEDGE SHOUf,D BE WISELY IMPARTED. We have no right to keep to our- selves any knowledge that would be helpful to our brethren. Concealment must never go so far as to hide from others the good news of God. The gospel is for the world. All Divine trnth is for all honest inquirers. "He that bath ears to hear, let him hear."