Vers. 16-20.-Light in the head, love in the heart. , I. ·MoNEY u~ELESS WITII~UT • sE~SE. (Ver. 16.) The true view of money is that of means to eods. Bnt if the ends are not seen, or, being seen, are not earnestly desired, of what avail the means? If our heart be set upon the right objects of life, opportunities will always present themselves. li blind to life's meaning, no advantages will seem to be advantages._ . II. THE BEAuTY OF FRIE~-OSHIP. (Ver. 17.) 1. In general. It is constant; it is unvarying; it is adapted to all the various states and ·vicissitudes of life. 2. In par- ticular. It takes new life out of sorrow. In distress, th11 friend is developed into the .. brother," and is taken close to the heart. True friendship gladdens at the opportunity of self-devotion for the beloved one's good. It is the distress of our sin which makes us acquainted with him " that sticketh closer than a brother." But thank God for all those who are new-born to us in the freshly revealed grace and goodness of their hearts amidst the scenes of suffering. III. THE STRICT DUTY OF CAUTION m REFERENCE TO BESPONSIBILITY, (Ver. 18.) The consequences of becoming bail for a defaulter were in ancient life very terrible. Nowadays there are prudent men who will never set their baud to an acceptance.' Although all moral duties are not equally amiable in their aspect, ii J]lust be remema, bered that the ability to do good to others rests upon strict prudence with reference to one·s self. We may be maimed or destroyed by imprudence. IV. RESISTANCE TO THE BEGINNINGS OF EVIL. (Ver. 19.) Contention or temper and passion in general leads on to graver sin. Open the way to one sin, and others will immediately troop forward in its rear. Again, contentiousness and pride are in close connection ; the latter is generally the spring or the former. And both are ruinous in their tendency. High towers invite the lightning; but he that does not soar too loftily will suffer the less by a falL A modest way of life, within our means, is the only truly Christian life. V. THE TRUE HEART AND THE GUILELESS TONGUE. (Ver. 20.) There is no health, no salvation for self or others, in the false heart and the tongue that flickers and wavers between opposing impulses. Old Homer has the sentiment that he who speaks one thing and thinks another in his heart is hateful as the gates of hell. 1. There is no true light in the head without love in the heart. 2. There is no dualism in our moral character. 3. There is a correspondence between our outward lot and our inward choice.--J. Vers. 21-28.-Varied ercperiences of good and evil in life. We may divide them into the sorrowful, the joyous, and the mixed experiences. I. SAD EXPERIENCES. The sorrow of thankless children. (Vera. 21, 25.) To nnme it is enough for tlwse who have known it. It has its analogue in Divine places. How C:1I, XVII. 1-28,] 'l'HE PROVERBS. 343
pathetically does the Bible speak of the grief of God over the rebellious children he has uourished and brought up I and of Christ's lamentation as of a mother over Jerusalem! Let us remember that our innocent earthly sorrows are reflected in the bosom of our God. II. Joyous EXPERIENOEB. (Ver. 22.) The blessing of a cheerful heart, who can overprize it in relation to personal health, to social charm and helpfulness? Contrasted with the troubled spirit, like a parching fever in the bones, it is the perpetual sap of life and source of all its greenness and its fruit. A simple faith is the best known source of cheerfulness. It was a fine remark of a good friend of Dr. Johnson's, that "he had tried to be a philosopher, but somehow always found cheerfulness creeping in." III. MIXED EXPERIENCES OF HUMAN CHARACTER. 1. The brfber. (Ver. 23.) How strongly marked is this sin in the denunciations of the Bible 1 and yet how little the practice seems affected in a land which boasts above others of its love for the Bible I 'l'he stealth and so the shame, the evil motive, the perverse result, all are branded here. "He that shaketh his bands from holding of bribes, he shall dwell on high" (Isa. :nxiii. 15). 2. The quick perception of wisdom and the warning glance of folly. The one sees before him what is to be known or done at once; the other is lost in cloudy musings. The more a man gapes after vanity, the more foolish the heart becomes. In religion we see this temper in the restless roving to and fro, the constant query, "Who will show us any good?" "He is full of business at church; a stranger at home; a sceptic abroad; an observer in the street; everywhere afool." 3. Harshness in judges. (Ver. 26.) Fining and flogging are mentioned. The writer had observed some such scene with the horror of a just man. Inequity or inhumanity in the judge seems an insult against the eternal throne of Jehovah. 4. The wisdom of a calm temper and economy of words. (Vers. 27, 28.) An anxiety to talk is the mark of a shallow mind. The knowledge of the season of silence and reserve may'be compared to the wisdom of the general who knows when to keep his forces back and when to launch them at the foe. The com- posed spirit comes from the knowledge that truth will prevail in one way or another, and the time for our utterance will arrive. Lastly, the wisdom of silence, so often preached by great men. Even the fool may gain some credit for wisdom which he does not possess by holding his tongue; and this is an index of the reality. Our great example here is the silence of Jesus, continued for thirty years; out of that silence a voice at length proceeded that will ever vibrate through the world.-J.