tho PcrRon nf ChrlBt. 1. We muR'- ditding11,iRh, th-.rifor,, bet11,~en duires 8u99e.,ted and desires encoura,qed, 'fho first mo.y ho brought by the tempter to the innocent. It is In tho caso of tho second that the des!reB become eignB of sin. 2. Many desires are in tltomselves sinful. Buch deelree find no place in a pure heart. 'fhe very fact that thoy exist is an evidenco of Indwelling ein. II, TIII!: WOIIST NATUDEII AIIF: THOIIB THAT DF:RTRF: F.VJT, P'Oll IT~ OWN l!AKF., 1. Jt is possible to be surprised into sin without having previouely choriahcd any desire for It. It is o. darker thing to sin deliberately, after nursing the vile project and waiting long for nn opportunHy to carry it out. 2. Or it may be that the desire is for some definite ol,fect wltich is thought to be attractive on ilR own account. Then tbere Is no wiHh to sin; on tbe contrary, tho fact that there is no reaching the goal without tran11- ~resRlng the law of righteousness may be regarded with regret. 'fhe desire is gratified in spite of It~ slnfillnesR, not because of Its sinfulneRs, 3. The worst state is that of desiring tlw Hin, loving evll, finding a foecinntion in it-of two paths choo11ing the downward just because it descends. This ls diabolic wickedness. III. EVIL DESIRES AUE BINIJ'UL. 'l'his ie the cler1r teaching of Christ (Matt. v. 28). 1. 'l'hey are sinful o.s indicating a wiclcerJ heart. 'rho bad fruit condemns the bad tree. '.l'he world may not detect the hidden fires of Ruppressccl desire; but they are known tu the AII-eecinll,'. 2. 'l'hey uro sinful ne sltowiny tl,e exercise of llin ; i.e. if they are entertained, When we resist nnd seek to crush evil deMireH, this secood stngo of sin- fulnuss is not reached. But brooding over them o.n<l giving thorn good room to live nnd grow in the heart ndd to their guilt. 3. 'l'bey nro sinful as leading to wicked deedB. Evil clesires arc Reeds buried in the soul. Left to themselves and unchtcke<l, they are Huro to grow up nnd reveal their bndnoss in wicked condllct. v. l BVIL DEBllll(B BIJOULI) DE CIIEOKED AT ONCE. 'l'be above conslnero.tion11 Rhould show us thn.t it would bo wrong to wait until the desires bad reached the outer door of action in tho world. 'l'hoy should be checked for various reasons. 1. Because they are alrea<l,iJ evil. Evon if we wore sure tho.t we could o.1 wnyH keep them secret o.nd lnopcro.tivo, their natural and present wickednesij makes it incumbent on us to destroy them, 'l'bo enako sbouhl bo dostroyecl, though it lurks hidden in tho thicket. 2. Because they can be most rearlily rlestroyerl in an early sta9e. It i8 eo.sior to kill the young brood in the nest tho.n to slo.y the monsters when thoy havo grown to full size. 3. Beco.uso they will be beyond our control when they ho.vo issued in actions. Deeds nro il'rovoco.blo; but desires can be suppressed, 'l'bercforo mon nood the ~raco of Christ before tboy ho.ve fallen intu nctunl sin. 'l'be best form of redomptiua iH for the boo.rt to bo cleansed frum its evil dosires.
Ver. 13.-lgnorin_q th~ cry of the 'J'OM. I. TnE IIIN, 1. Tl,e rrr'!J' of the poor i~ ea:cc•edi11gly bitter, It rnny not bo clnmorouH, hut it iK grievous. 'l'horo is no more pressing problem for society in the present day than the question how to denl with the wretched, overcrowded, poverty-stricken qunrtorH of our grent cities. (1) 'l'ho evil is 1JJidesprcarl, It concerns the mlsor,Y of tone of thoueo.nds of people, (:::) It is intense. No ouo who hne not inquired into tbo subject can conceive of tbo depth of miHery tba& it roprcHente-po.le children crying for bren,1, weary women heart-sick with doepair, 11trong men enfeebled with hunger nn<l ombittero,l with tbo Hight of wealth thnt soems to mock their rniHery. '!'ho won<lcr iH thnt the poor benr their hard l,,t so patiently that the wo1·lcl of welllth scr1rccly heoile it, (3) It is moral. Overcrowding, i~nomnce, nnd despair, lend to grus8 moral dcgro.dation, drunkonnees, reoklcee n11imr1lism, brutnlity, ho.trod, nnd outrnge. 2. lt is our duly to hear tMa bitter cry. 'l'ho very poor o.ro our follow-mon-011r IJrotlwrj nnd Ri~tors. Only the Cnina among us cnn daro to nsk, "Am I my hrothor'e keeper'/" Christ hna Llddcn ue to love our noigbbour ne oursolvo8, o.nd in the pnrnblo o! tho p:O<Yl Snmnritnn ho hn11 Hhown who ie our neighbour. We cn.nnot 111111s by on the other Hido without guilt in the sight of God. 3. The ner1lect of thiB bitter cry •is wilful. 'l'bo sin le tbnt of n mnn who "stoppoth hiH em·H." lt is tme he <loce not now hcnr the cry, llut ho iH not the loss guilty, for be refuHes to hear it. 'l'horo Is n eulpnhlo ignomnco. Woll-to-do people mu.y say tho.t thoy do not know of the mieerablo condition of their brethren. 1t is tho more eho.morul tlmt thoy o.ro thus ignomnt. It in thoir linty to inqulro into it. If the WOBt Enu luxuriatcH in plc11Hure11 while the l'Al.11& End toil11 o.nu Ht.o.rvcs 111 1Ui1:1Cry, tho more fortun11to 114:ction of ijuciuty 412 THE PROVERBS. [OH. XXI. 1-lJl,
has ample means of ascertaining the condition of the unbo.ppy portion. Heedless indifference is cruel selfishness. II. THE PUNISHMENT, "He also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard." 1. His own circumstances may bring him into distress. We see strange reverses of fortune. ~me of the most wretcb_ed denizens of the lowest quarters were once in affluent circum_stances. T~e breaking_ of a bank, the failure of a mine, the losses of speculation, the rum of gamblmg, may brmg a wealthy man down to destitution. Then if ho has encouraged the n~glect of the poor by his conduct in more fortunate days, he will suffer fro_m the bad socia\ custom that he has helped to foster. 2. .A social revolution rnay bring fearful punishment on the scornful who now neglect the cry of tliefr brethren. S_o ~t. wa_s m France a hundred years ago. 'l'here are not wanting signs that the whole c1v1h1.at1on of Europe may be endangered by a huge social upheaval. The scandalous inequality of lots is glaringly apparent to all, and the privileges of the few may ho ruthlessly torn from them in the interest of the many. If the volcano overflows there will be little respect for '°'ested interests, abstract rights, or personal claims. But if we dread a violent revolution which might shatter the whole fabric of civilization, we must attend to the cry of poverty. To disregard this is to sit on the safety-valve while we wait for the coming explosion. 3. In the future world the cry of the cruel and negligent will be unheeded. Dives in torment cries in vain for Lazarus to cool his burning tongue. He is the very type of those who stop their ears auainst 0 the cry of the poor. His runishment is to suffer from a similar neglect.