Vers. 29-31 (with ver. 22).-The achievements and limitations of wisdom. There is great virtue in wisdom; Solomon never wearies of {)raising it. Here he adds another commendation, but he calls attention to a boundary beyond which it may not pass. I. 'IHE ACHIEVEMENTS OF WISDOM. ".A wise man scaleth the city of the mighty," etc. (ver. 22). How often have men stood behind their strong ramparts-not of stone or rock only-and looked down with complacent contempt upon the despised adver- saries outside and below them; but when the shock of the battle came they found, to their dismay, that wisdom is stronger than all defences that could be raised, and that it can cast down the confidence of the proud! It is not only the city which is built of brick or stone which is at the command of the truly wise; it is also the city of falsehood and of error; it is the city of oppression and of wrong; it is also the city of knowledge and of truth. However hard to win may be its walls, the wise man- who is the man of rectitude, of unselfishness, of purity, of diligence, of earnestness, of patience, of devotion-will strive and toil until he stands within the citadel. ll. ONE OF JTS CHIEF CHARACTERISTICS. On the one hand, a wicked (who is an unwise) man •• hardeneth his face." He may be proved to be in the wrong; he may be suffering seriously for his folly ; but he will not change his course. He is obstinatn, perverse, proud; he will go on his way, come what will. But, on the other hand, the upright (who is the wise) man directeth (or rather, conaidereth) hie way. Even when Le is right, and things are profitable and promising with him, he is often pondering his path, looking to bis chart, carefully considering whether he is moving on in the right <lirection. But when be has been induced to wander into some byway, and when ho is admonished either by God's providence or by man's fidelity, then he seriously con- siders his way, and, if he finds that he has erred, he immediately retraces his steps, until he is found again in the King's highway. The habit of considering is one of the clearest marks of wi.sdom. III. Two OF ITS LIMITATIONS. I. It cannot succeed against God (vcr. 30). Good men and true, who are within the kingdom of Christ, may put forth e.ll their mental powers and moral energies to bring about that which God has condemned; they have watched and thought and striven for the cause which has not been, as they imagined, the cause of Christ, and they have hopelessly failed. History will supply abundant illustrations. 2. It cannot succeed without God (ver. 31). Equip your cavalry, arm (ltt. x:tm. 1-29.J THE PROVERBS. 421
your !nfantry, ond 1'.ollrct your artillery for the day of battle; bring forth your most experienced general, who wi!l be ready with his most brilliant tactics· still the issue will not be determined thus. There may arise a sudden unaccountable panic; there !Day_ b~ a movement made by the enemy's captain wholly unrxpected and practically irre_s1st1ble;. ~here a~e forces at_ work on _the grrat battle-field of the world against which no m1htary skill can provide. God 1s present there. He can act upon the mind of one man or of many men in such wise that the battle will not be to the stron", the victory not be to the seasoned troops and the confident commander. Without God's consent, without,his blessing, any battle on any field whatever, military or moral, must be lost,.-C.