.,.,./tum, Vulgatc; the fMe, look, appearance. itself; the aftermath appears. And the The LXX. has ,j,vxd.s, which may perhaps herbs of the mountain are gathered; the moan" the number "--a necessary precaution fodder from off the hills is out and stored. when the sheep wandered on the downs and All these verbs are best taken hypothetically, mountains, and had to be collected in the the following verses forming the apodosis. evening nnd folded. These precepts are When 1111 these operations are oomplete, naturally applied to all rulers, and especially then come the results in plenty and comfort, to Christian pastors who have the oversight Septuagint, "Hnve a oue of the herbaae of the flock of Christ (l Pet. v. 2-4). (x>..o,piiw) in the pfoin, and thou shalt c~t Ecclus. vii. 22, " Ifost thou cattle? have nn graes, and gather thou the mountain hay." eye to them; o.nd if they be for thy profit, Ver. 26.-The lambs are for thy olothing. keep them with thee." Thy sheep will provide thee with clothing Yer. 2+.-For riches are not for ever; as by their skin and wool, and by the money eh. xxiii. 5. llloney and other kinds of which thou wilt obto.in by the sale of them. wcnlth may be lost or w11sted; it is therefore The goats are the prioe of the field; the sale cxpcc!icnt to ha"l'Ctheresourccsofagriculture, of thy goats and their produce will pay for butl :ind herds, to depend upon. Chosen (eh. thy field if thou wish to buy it (see on oh. X\"'. G), translated ., riches," is "strength,'' xxx. 31). Septuagint, "That thou mayest "ahnu,l:rnce," "treasure laid up." Delitzsch hnve sheep for clothing; honour thy land renders, "prosperity;" Septuagint," A man that thou mayest have lambs." h:is n0t ~trength and power for ever;" Vul- Ver. 27.-Goats' milk. Dr. Geikie (' Holy g:ctr, .Yon ha/Je/Jisjur,iter potestatem,, i.e. "you Land and Bible,' i. 311) notes that in most will not al ways be able to tend your flocks; parts of Palestine goats' milk in every form inlir111ily nnd old age will prevent yon." -sour, sweet, thick, thin, warm, or cold- AI!d doth the crown endure to every genera- makes, with eggs and bread, the main food tion 1 The crown or diadem, "1}.l (nezer), is of the people. And maintenanoe for thy the symbol of royal authority, or of the maidens; who milk the goats, etc., and hi.~hcst dignity of the priestho0d (Exod. tend the cattle, and do the household work. xxix. G; xxxix. 30). These positions are There is no mention of the use of animal not secure from generation to generation; flesh as food. It was only on great occasions, much kss st11ble, in feet., than the possession as high festivals, or the presence of an of farms 11nd cattle. St. Jerome, s,,d corona honoured guest, that kids, lambs, and oalves tribuetur in gencrafionem et generationem, were killed and eaten. This picture of "ll"here corona is the headship of the family. rural peace 11nd plenty points to a time of Septua:,,rint, "Neither doth he trnnsmit it security and prospe1·ity, free alike from (his strength) from generation to generation." int&rno.l oommotion and external do.nger. Yer. 25.-As ver. 23 commended the rear- The famous passage in Cicero, 'De Seneot.,' ing of cattle, and ver, 24 supportecl tbe xv., on the pleasures and advanta..,es of the injunclion by showing its oompnrntive per- agricultural life, will occur to all cl11ssico.l manence, so this nnd the following verses readers. So also Horace (' Epod.,' 2), <lisruss the material advantages of such "Deatus ille qui procnl negotiis," eto. The occupation. The hay appeareth; rather, the LXX. makes short work of this verse," My grass passeth a,Day, is eut nnd carried. This son, thou hast from me snyiugs mighty for iB the first stage iu the agricultural operations thy lifo aud for the lifo of thy servo.nts." debcribed. And the tender grass showeth
HOMILE'rICs. Ver. 1.-Boasting of the morrow. I. I-rs FOLLY, No man is a prophet. At the best we can but calculate probabilities. The man who has never ho.d 11, do.y's illness may be suddenly laid low, btruck down with paralysis, nnested by unsuspected heart• dibease, blood-poisoned by a whiff of bad o.ir from _a drain,. at death's. door from pneumonia caught in an unheeded draught. The busmess which looks fo.1r and pros- perous may suddenly collapse. 'l'he trusted bank may break. Our life is dependent upoo so many unseen sources, and is affected by so many complicated circumstances, that n<J man can unravel the tendencies or predict the results. Astronomy is a simple science compared with sociology, 'l'he i_novements of the solo.r s~stcm are altogether more intelli"ible thao those of the homeliest soul. We cannot predict our own conduct. :M.ureover there are other minds to be considered. Above all, tl1cre is the inscrutable 11ruv i<leode of God. 11. In DANGER, "Boasting of the morrow" leads to carelessness. The man who an. XXVII. 1--27.] THE PROVERBS. 621