Ver. 17.-.Afaithful messenger. In ea.rly times, when no public posto.l arrangements existed, and when reading and writing were not generally cultivated, communications were more often sent by verbal messages and personal messengers. Great mischief would then accrue through unfaithfulness on the part of one of these agents of business or friendship. But important as would be the social effects arising out of this condition of affairs, far more momentous consequences must flow from the action of messengers between God and man. They indeed need to be faithful. I. 'l'HE CHRISTIAN PREACHER IS A MESSENGER. 1. He carries a message, He has to declare the truth of God as he has received it. He is the custodian of a gospel. 'l'he prophet has to utter the word of inspiration, and the apostle to proclaim the kingdom of heaven, and Christ as its King. Something of the prophet and apostle must be found in every Christian preacher. He is to go forth with the message that God has given him. 2. He delivers his message in person. The message is not posted; it is carried personally, and delivered by the mouth of the messenger. It is not enough that God's truth is recorded in the Bible, and that the Bible is circulated throughout t.ho world. The Jiving voica of the living man is needed. The missionary is God's messenger-so also is every true preacher of the gospel. II. THE MESSENGER IS REQUIRED TO BE FAITHFUL. 1. He must deliver his message. The missionary must travel; the preacher at home must work among his people. Jonah was unfaithful in fleeing to 'l'a.rshish. Mere silence is unfaithfulness when one is entrusted with a message to deliver. 2. He must give it intact. He may neither add to it nor detract from it. Faithfulness in a Christian preacher means not shunning to declare the whole counsel of God, and not adding "vain philosophy" or "traditions of men" thereto. Of course, there is room for thought, reasoning, imagination, adapta- tion of the truth to the hearer, but not so as to modify the essential message. 3. He must disregard consequences. It may seem to him that the message is useless. Men may reject it; they may resent his offer of it; they may turn upon him and rend him. Yet it is just his duty to give the message that is entrusted to him. III. THE FIDELITY OF THE MESSAGE SECURES HEALTH OF SOUL. Elsewhere we read, "The tongue of the wise is health" (eh, xii. 18). 1. It is an evidence of honesty and moral courage. The existence of messengers who are faithful even under the most trying circumstances proves that honour and right are regar~ed. It is for the health of a community at large that such virile qualities should ve found among the leaders of thought. 2. It secures the pi·esentation of truth to men. All lies and delusions are noxious poisons. Truth is food and medicine for the soul. ' A community that is fed on truth, though the truth be tough or bitter, is nourished with wholesome diet. That is indeed a healthy society in which all the citizens are led by honest teachers to unsophisticated truth. 3. It brings the most needful messages to the world. The Christian teacher is called upon to preach Christ-to show tbe need of Christ in the ruin of sin, the grace of Christ to save, and the right of Christ to rule. These are health-giving truths; they constitute the direct antidote to the deadly poison of sin, He who honestly proclaims them makes for the health of his fellow-men. Ver. 24.-Sparing the rod. The primitive rigour of the Book of Proverbs is repudi- ated by modern manners. Not only in domestic training, but _even iD:_ criminal law, people reject the old harsh methods, and endeavour to substitute milder me~ns of correction. No doubt there was much that was more than rough, even brutal, m the discipline of our forefathers. The relation bet_ween father and chil~ was too orten lacking in sympathy through the undue exercise of parental authority, and society generally was hardened rather than puried by pitiless forms o~ punishment: But n_ow the question is whether we are not erring towards the opposite extreme m ehowmg more tenderness to the criminal than to hie victim, and failing to let our children feel the need of ~ome painful discipline. We idolize comfort, and we are in danger of think4 C'H, XIII, 1-25.] THE PROVERBS. 259
ing pain to be worse than sin. It may be well, therefore, to consider some of tho disadvantages of negleding the old-fashioned methods of chastisement. I. IT IS A MISTAKE TO SUPPOSE THE BOD TO BE CRUEL BECAUSE IT HURTS, This mistake is made quite as much by the hand that should hold the rod as by the back that should feel it. Pain may be most wholesome. The highest form of punishment is that in which the cure of the offender is aimed at. To think more of the sufferings of the offender than of his sin is to show a failure of conscience, a lack of appreciation of the really evil condition of the sinner. We should learn that it i8 worse to sin than to suffer. IJ, THERE ARE CERTAIN SPECIAL CONDITIONS UND1':R WHICH PAINrUL CHASTISEMENT IS TH.E MOST WHOLESOME FORM OF COBREOTIO!i. 1. In the offender. Some natures are redeemed by a process of punishment which will only crush others. A low and cruel nature especially needs painful punishment. 2. Jn {he offence. Sins of t.he morally degrading class .are best punished with sharp pains. The treatment which may suit a more spiritual sin, and may well reveal the shame and evil of it, would not touch these coarser forms of wickedness. III. IT IS A SIGN OF WEAKNESS OB SELFISHNESS TO WITHHOLD NEEDFUL CHASTISE- "1ENT, 1. Of weakness. The lawful authority may not have the energy to proceed to an extremity. So serious an action requires strength of purpose. 2. OJ selfishness. It must be simply agonizing for a kind-hearted father to have to bring pain and dis- grace on his son. But to hold back from tho exercise of wholesome discipline on this account is really to give way to sinful self-indulgence. The true father will hurt him- self in punishing his child. No doubt a certain self-indulgent softness is to be found in the present objection of society to punish criminals with due severity. IV. GoD's CHASTISEMENT OF ms CIDLDREN IS FOR THEm GOOD. He does not hate his sons; therefore, at times, he does not spare his rod (see eh. iii. 12). There is neither weakness in the Almighty nor selfishness in the All-merciful. He must and will chastise sin for the correction of the sinner. We must suffer if we sin, though it is for us to choose whether we are to eudure the punishment of the impenitent or the chastisement of the penitent.