man's mind, and thence disseminates in- taking "sin" as put metonymically for "sin struction and light around to all who need offering," render: "Piety is an atonement for it. The Septuagint, with which agree the the peoples." But there is no doubt tba.t the Byriac, Aquila, and Theodotion, inserts a Authorized Version is correct (comp. eh. xi. nege.ti ve in the second clause, thns: "In the 11). Thus Symma.chus renders it by ~v ..60,, good heart of a man shall rest wisdom, bnt "shame ; " e.nd in the ea.me sense the Cha.1- in the heart of fools it is not disctrned" dee Para.phrase. The Vnlga.te and Septua- (Wisd. i. 4). gint, owing to the common confusion of the Ver. 84.-BighteousneBB exalteth a nation. letters daleth and resh, ha.ve rea,l cheeer "Righteousness" (eh. x. 2) is the rendering instead of chesed, e.nd render thus: Vulga.te, to all their due, whether to God or man. "Sin makes peoples miserable;" Septuagint, We are taught the salutary lesson that a "Bins diminish tribes." The sin of nations nation's real greatness consists not in its contra.sled with the righteousness in the conquests, magnificence, military or artistic first clause must be injustice, impiety, a.nd skill, but in its observance of the require- violence. See e. grand passage in the fifth ments of justice e.nd religion. Besiod, 'Ep-y, book of St. A11o"lliltine's • De Ci vita.te Dei,' 228- eh. xii 01 Ii~ lil,cru (el1101tfl ,cal l111i17µ.ouT1 li,lioiiow Ver. 35.-The king's favour is toward a '18,la.r 1<a.l µ.f, ..-, 1ra.pe,c/Ja.l11ourr, li11<a.lou, wise servant; sen,ant that dealeth wisely Toirr, .-,87171.• ,rol\.1r, l\.a.ol Ii' /.,,9.;;,,.,,, Ell a.vT'ff, (Revised Version). Thus Joseph was ad- vanced to the highest post in Egypt, owing llut sin is a reproaoh to any people; to peoples. to the wisdom which he displayed ; so, The words for "nation" (goi) and "peoples" too, in the case of Daniel (comp. l\fa.tt. (leummim) a.re usually applied to foreign xxiv. 45, 47). But his wra.th is against naiions rather than to the Hebrews; and him that canseth shame; literally, he (Jiat Wordsworth sees here e. statement afortiori: doeth shamefully shall be (the object of) if righteousness exalts and sin degrades his wrath. The Vulgate translates, Ira- heathen nations, how much more must this cundiam ejus inutilis sUBtinebit; the Septua- be the case with God's own people, who gint makes the second clause parallel to the have clearer revelations and heavier respon- first, "An intelligent servant is acceptable sibilities I ,1;11J (chesed) occurs in the sense to the king, e.nd by his expertness ( eurrTpo- of "reproach/ in Lev. xx. 17, and with e. cpl'?-) he removeth disgrace." Then is added, different punctuation in eh. xxv. 10 of this before the first verse of the next chapter, book. - Its more usual meaning is "mercy" e. paragraph which looks like e.n explana- or "piety;" hence some he.ve explained the tion of the present clause, or an introduction clause: "The piety of the peoples, i.e. the to ver. 1 of eh. xv. : "Aue;er destroyeth wo1·ship of the heathen, is Elin;" e.ud others, even the prudent."
HOMILETICS, Ver. 10.-Incommunicable experience. I. THE DEEPEST EXPERIENCE IS SOLITARY. This applies both to sorrows and to joys. There are profound sorrows which must lie buried in the hearts of the sufferers, and lofty joys which cannot be breathed to another soul. Sorrow has her shrine, which no intruder can enter without desecrating it; nnd joy her sweet silence, to break which is to shatter the delight. 1. Each soul lives a separate life. Wee.re like planets, moving in our own spheres. Though we mingle in social intercourse, we do not tonch in our most vitnl being. The "abysmal depths of personality" e.re utterly solitary. 2. No two natures are fust alike. In common we she.re many pleasures and pains. But when we come to what is mo~t characteristic, we reach e. line of demarcation which the most sympathetic can never cross. W,1 cannot enter into experiences quite unlike our own. We have not the key to unlock the mystery of e. lonely sorrow or a. rare joy. 3. The deepest experience is shy and ,·eserved. 'l'hose who feel most do not cry out the loudest. It is the silent grief that ea.ta out a. man's heart. Though yearning for sympathy, he feels that he cannot breathe o word of his a.wful trouble. On the other hand, there nre pure and lofty joys of soul that would be sullied with a. breath. II. FoncED SYMPATHY IS HUR'l'FUL. We ought to be able to" rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep" (Rom. xii. 15). When sympathy ca11 be real, it may be most helpful. But there is no opposition between this thought and that of our text. For just as real sympathy helps, unreal sympathy hurts. Now, sympathy may be unreal without being hypocritical, and even when it is well-meant 273 TllE P1WVERl3S. [on. xiv. 1-35.
nnd henrtfelt; if we do not understand e. person's feelings, we cannot sympathize with l,im. We may feel kindly towards him, and may desire to show compassion. But it will be nll in vain, we shall not touch the fringe of the trouble, <'.>r, if we do penetrate further, we shall jar and wound the sensitive soul by blundering incompetence. It will be like a surgeon trying to dress a wound in the dark. 'l'hus M11cduff, when robbed of all his children at one cruel stroke, is only vexed by the kindly but impotent con- dolence of Malcom, and cries, "He has no children." III. Gon's SYMPATHY PENETRATES TO THE DEEPEST EXPERIENCE. 1. Be lcnows all. ,ve have not to explain our ce.se to him, and then be misunders_tood and misjudged after all, as often happens in the attempt to open out the heart to a fellow-man .. For God reads our most secret thoughts, and the feelings that we will not even confess to ourselves are perfectly known to him. 2. He feels with Ms children. He is not like the scientific vivisectionist, who handles quivering nerves without e. spark of compunc- tion. God tenderly pities his childreu in their sorrows, and graciously smiles on their innocent joys. 3. He can touch us with sympathy. '!'his sympathy of God is not a tfatant heavenly experience hidden in the bosom of God. It is shed abroad over his cbildren for their consolation in sorrow and their blessedness in joy. 4. We should con- fide in the sympathy of God. It is not wholesome for the soul to be buried in the seclusion of its own feelings. There is healing in the sympathizing touch of God and a consecrating benediction in bis smile. Christ is the incarnation of God's human sympathy, and Christ's sympathy can reach and save and bless us all