xii. 45; Mark xvi. 9). Eoclus. xii. 10, etc., St. Chryeostom speaks of the blindness of '' Never trust thine enemy; for like a.a iron • me.lice_: "Let us not plot against others, rustelh, so is his wickedness. Though he lest we injure ourselves. When we supplant humble himself, and go crouching, yet trike the reput.ation of others, let us consider that good heed e.nd beware of him." Ple.to'e we injure ourselves, it is ngnin,t ourselves verdict concerning hypocrisy is often quoted, that we plot. For perchance with men wo 'Eo-xcirn a.oucla. B01ceiv OiKa.tOJI «Jva., µ1] ~v-ra, do him harm, if we havo power, but our- "It is the very worst form of injustice to eel ves in the sight of Gu<l, by provoking appear to be just without being so in reality" him a.gainst us. Let us not, tllen, injure (' De Rep.,' ii. p. 361, A). With this Cicero ourselves. For 11s we injure ourselves when agrees(' De Offic.,' i. 13), "Totiue injustitim we injure our neighbours, so by benefitin~ nulla cu.pit.alior est quam eorum, qui tum them we benefit ourselves" ('Hom. xiv. iu cum maxima fallunt id agunt ut viri !Joni Phil.,' Oxford transl.). esse videantur." Ver. 28.-'-A lying tongue hateth those that Ver. 26.-Whose he.tred is oovered by are afflicted by it; or, those iolwm it c1·usl1efh deceit; or, hatred may be concealed by deceit, (<'h. xxv. 15). There is a consemusiot' the 11s was said above (ver. 24). • (But) his Vulgate, Septungint, Syriuc,nnd Tnr;;um to wickedness shall be showed before the whole tmnslnte 1':i, "truth," thinking o.ppo.renUy oongregation. The hater's renl wickodneaa, of the Aramemn 1-1;;:i,, "that which is pure." at some time or other, iu spite of all hie But the hemisticl; • would thus sto.te the efforts to hide it, will be openly displayed. baldest truism, nud wodern commentntors He will bhow it before some third party unite in o.ssigning to the word aomo such and thus it will be divulged. At nny rnte, sense as that given above in the .Authorized this will be the cuse llt the judgmcnl-dtiy, Version. A liar shows his want of charity when ho who hateth his bruthcr shall h~ by slandering his neighbour; und tht1t men showu to be not only o. murdere1·, but o. dislike thoso whom they ho.ve injured is lmtor or God nlso (1 John iii. 15; iv. 20). ll common cxperienoo. " It is o. cl ,amcter- Septuagint, "He that hideth enwity pre- islic of human nature," snysTt1citus(' Agric ..' p1U'eth deceit, but be revealeth hie own sins, 42), "to ho.te tbose wholll one has injured." bdng well known in assomhlies." Seneca, 'Do lrn,' ii. 33, "Hoe Lio.bent pessi- Ver. 27.-Whoso diggeth a pit shall fe.11 mu111 nnirni mo.gna. fortuno. insoleutes, quos therein. 'l'his thought is found often elae- lroscrunt, et oderuut." A fte.ttering mouth w here ; e.g. PH. vii. 1ti; ix. 16 ; Eccles. x. 8; worketh rnin; brings dtslruction on tho,ie Ecclua. xxvii. 25, 26. 'l'he pit ia such a who succumb to its ecducth-e word,i. Vul- one ns was made to cutch wild animals; the gate, Os lubricttm operafor rufoas; Septua- mnker is supposed to npproaoh incautiously gint, "A month uncovered (!iu,,.yov) cnuscth one of these traps, and to fall into it. And tumults." (For "the smooth mouth," comp. he that rolleth e. stone, it will return upon oh. v. 3; Ps. xii. 3; Iv. 21; Isa. u:x. 10.) him. This does not refer to throwing stones The word for "tumults" is ci1Ca.'1'a.u-.-auia.r, into the air, which fall upon the hee.d of whioh does not occur elsewhere in the U1e thrower, but to rolling stones up a Septuagint, but is common in the Now boi 0 ht in order to burl them down upon the Tcijtament; e.g. Luko ui. 9; 1 Cor. xiv. 33, tiO-i 'l'IlE PROVERDS. [CH. XX\'I, 1-28,
HOMILETICS. Ver. 2.~The curte causeless. I. Goo WILL NOT nEAR A smFtJL PRAYER. A curs~ is a prayer. No ono has the power of inflicting direct harm upon his victim by sheer force of malignant words. Only the superstition of magic could suppose auy such thing to be possible. A curse is just a prayer for evil to come on the head of the devoted person. But God will not heed such a petition if he disapproves of it. Prayer is not a force that compels God ; it is but a petition that seeks his a.id, and the response to it is entirely dependent on his will. II. THERE IS A PROVIDENCE OVER LIFE. Curses cannot fly about like black-plumed birds of evil, roosting wherever their authors choose. Above the most potent and direful curse of man is the calm, fair, equable government of God. Though the whole human race combined to curse one on whom God smiled, not a. shadow of real evil could light on his head. Bala.am saw the uselessness of trying to curse a. people whom God had blessed (Numb. xxiiL 8). III. IT IS MOBE IMPORTANT TO WIN THE FAVOUR OB' Goo THAN TO ESCAPE FROM THE CURSES OF MAN. This conclusion must necessarily result from the previous _con- siderations. Man cannot really curse or bless. Our whole future depends, not on man's opinions, but on God's treatment of us. Yet many men a.re in an agony of distress when they are visited with the disapproval of society, while they take no steps to secure the favour of God. This "fear of man bringeth a. snare." It is a. cowardly thing, and reveals great weakness. We need a more tough moral fibre. How grand was the courage of John Bright, when, after standing on the pinnacle of popular fame in his triumph over the corn laws, he suddenly stepped down into a. position of isola- tion and unpopularity by denouncing the Crimean War! IV. IT lS WORSE TO DESERVE THE CURSE THAT IS NOT GIVEN THAN TO RECEIVE THE CURSE TH.AT IS NOT DESERVED, It may be that vile.conduct is concealed or con- doned by a low tone of social morality; while right conduct is misinterpreted or condemned by a. false standard. Men shudder a.t crimes when they a.re guilty of more sinful vices. Nevertheless, what is evil deserves execration, and for the quick con- science ill desert is more dreadful than public disapproval. V. NO MALIG?,~TY CAN ULTIMATELY FRUSTRATE THE CA USE OF TRUTH AND RIGHTEOUS- NESS. The curse causeless was flung at Christ. It appeared to alight on his head and he died in gloom a shameful death. '!'hen he rose and triumphed, and shook off the harmless curse in his joyous victory. The enemies of Christ have cursed his gospel. But they have failed to destroy it. On the contrary, it flourishes under the curses of bad men. Though Satan and all his hosts combined against it they could not stay it11 glorious progress. VI. No SATA:NIC CUBBEB CAN HURT THE TRUE DISCIPLE OF CHRIST, All the curses of bell cannot touch a hair of the head of him who is sheltered by the grace of Christ. Even the deserved curses of his sin are not to hurt the Christian, pardoned and renewed.