another step in the same direction. 4. Hopes of secrecy. The man of husiness cannot afford to lose hie good name, and therefore plain self-interest holds him back from open theft. But the subtle pursuit of a. more refined form of dishonesty appears to be possible without any loss of character. Thus as the pressure of the opinion of society is eluded, the only conscience which some men recognize ceases to operate. III. 'l'HE RUINOUS RESULTS OF MAKING FRAUDULENT GAIN. 1. It is a great sin. 'l'he delusive appearance of the pursuit blinds people to its true character. But theft cannot be made honest by becoming refined. .All the laws of righteousness bristle up in front of the man who pursues dishonesty, and threaten his ruin. Even though social and civil retribution be evaded, there is a higher court of justice than any of man's jurisdiction, and before its awful bar the wealthy, respected thief must ultimately stand condemned. 2. It is likely to lead to earthly ruin. The man whose life is one huge lie lives in a frail shell, which may be broken at any moment to expose him to pitiless punishments. Then what has he to fall back upon? He who has la.id up treasures in heaven can afford to lose his poor, earthly stores; but one who has sold his prospects of heaven for brief earthly proli t,i loses all when the gains of this life a.re snatched from him. The way of peace and safety can never be any other than the way of right. Ver. 12.-Hope deferred. I. THE HOPE THAT IS DEFERRED. Most men who live to any purpose live by hope. It is scarcely possible to press forward with energy to a future that is wholly dark. The prospect of some future good is a present inspira- tion. Thus hope takes a large place in the heart of man. Note some of its forms. 1. The hope of youth. It is natural for youth to believe in the future, to treat its possibilities as certainties, and to colour its grey outline with the gorgeous hues of a fresh imagination. 2. The hope of this world. Pursuits of business or pleasure allure those who enter them with good promises. 3. The hope of heaven. They who have been disappointed in all earthly anticipations may cherish this glorious dream. 4. The hope that is unselfish. Hope need not be centred in personal pleasure. We may hope for a great cause, and hope to see some good effected, though by the sacrifice of our- selves. 5. The hope that is in God. .A sorrowful soul may hope in God with no distinct visions of any possible future advantage, making God himself the Hope. " Christ our Hope." II. How THE HOPE IB DEFERRED. 1. By disillusion. From the first the hope may be too sanguine. The mirage is mistaken for the oasis. Or perhaps distance is mis- judged. We think that we are near to the future that still lies in the remote distance with leagues of desert between us and it. Experience must dispel such an illusion. 2. By direct disappointment. The well-founded hope may be deferred by a change of circumstances, or failure of ability to accomplish it, unfaithfulness to a promise, etc. 'l'hus in life the expected "good time coming" is continually receding as men approach it. Hope may be deferred by trying changes of circumstances, or by a man's own mistakes and failures. III. WHY THE HEART IS MADE BITTER. To be lifted up and dropped down gives a shock which is not felt if we remain on the low ground. Disappointment is a source of keen pain in any case; but when it is repeated after vague anticipations and uncer- tainties, it is far more distressing. The hope deferred is not denied. We cannot banish it as a mistake. Such an act would be easier to bear; there would be first a great shock of disappointment, and then the dead hope would be buried out of sight, and the grief of the loss of it would grow lighter with time. But when the hope is deferred, it is continually present, yet as a disappointment. The mind is first on the rack of wondering expectation, and then there follows a sense of unutterable weariness-true heart-sickness. It is said that sea-sickness is produced by the sinking from beneath a. person of the support on which he rests. 'l'he heart-sickness of a hope long deferred arises from a. similar cause in the experience of souls. IV. Bow THIS BITTEnNESS MAY DE CURED. 1. By the sati.ifaction of the hope. Long deferred, it may yet come. When we are most despairing the tide may turn. 'l'he heart-sick mother is startled with a sudden joy in the return of her long-lost sailor-lad when she is relinquishing the weary hope of ever seeing him again. 2. By the rising of a new hope. If this may not be found in earthly experience, and tho ver.v PROVERBS. ~ 258 THE PROVERBS. [on, XIII, 1-25,
mention of it sounds like treason to the faithful soul, it may indeed appenr in hiaher regions of life. In the bitterness of earthly disappointment Christ's great hope may be received. 3. By trusting in God. "Oh rest in the Lord, and we.it patiently for him." The earthly hope may be deferred, disappointed, shattered; yet some soul-satisfying answer will be given to the prayer of faith.