The Pulpit Commentary — Proverbs — Section 544

up tho waters in his thiok clouds· 1tnd the name written, which no one lmowoth but oload ie llot rent Ullder them." And again he himself" (Rev. xix. 12). It is useless (xxxviii. 37), "Who <'.aa number the clouds to put su~h question to o. fellow-man; no by wisdom? or wl10 can pour out the huwau mmd can fathom the nature of the bottles of heaven?" So the psalmist, "Thou G~~-head, or trnce out its openi.tions (Ecclus. co_veredst it [the earth] with the deep 118 xvm. 4, etc.). with.~ vesture" (Ps. civ. 6). (See above, oh. vm. 27, etc.) Who hath established all Vere. 5, 6.-The following tetrastich it, the ends of the earth 1 Who bath con- connected with whn.t has preceded in this solidated the foundations, and defined the ~y: As the _light of nature and metaphy- limits, of the remot.est regions of the earth? sical speoulat10n are of no avail in obtaining (comp. Job xxxviii. 4, etc.). The nnswer to the perfect knowledge of God which the these four questions is "Almighty God." He alone can order and control the forces of seeker craves, he must be all the more nature. What is his name, and what is his thankful for the revealed Word of God son's name, ~ thou canst tell 1 or, if thou which teaches him as much as he is capabl; knmcest. It 1B not enough to acknowledge of learning. the power and operation and providence of this mysterious Being; Agur longs to know Ver. 5.-Every word of God ie pure more of his nature, his essence. He muet "Word" is here imrah, which does not have personality; he is not an abstraction occur elsew~el'e in our book, which is the a fore~, a_qua.lity; he is a Person. Wha~ case also w1th El.oah, the term used for then, 1s h_1s _un~e, tbe name which expresses '.' G~d." Every declaration of God in the what he l.S ID himself? Men have different 1nspll'ed_ record, the Torah, is pure, as if ~ppellations for this Supreme Being, accord- refine_d m the fire (Ps. xvili. 30). Vulgate, mg as they !'eoaard one or other of his Omnu, sermo Dei eRt ignitus • Septua"int attributes: is there one name that com- " All the words of God are' tried in° th~ prehends all, which gives an adequate fire (1rurvpr.,µ/vo1)." God's words are true account of the incomprehensible Creator? sincere, _with no mixture of error, certain of The question cannot be answered affirma- accomplishment ( comp. Ps. xii. 6; cxix. tively in this life. "We know that if be 140~. He is a shield. He is perfect pro- shall be manifested, we shall be like him; tection to all those who, relying on the for we shall see him even as he is" (1 John word of revelation, fly to him for refuae iii. 2). The further question, "What is ~see on. eh. !i. 7). The knowledga of G~d hie son's nome?" bas given some difficulty. 1s obtamed m two ways-by his revelntion The LXX. bas, "What is the name of in his Word, and by the experience of those his children (-ro'is .,-/,cvois .,.J.,.ou)?" as if who trust in him. th~re was reference to Israel, the special Ver. 6.-Add thou not unto his words. children of God. But the original does God's will, as announced in revelation is to not bear ont this interpretation, which is be simply accepted and acted upo~, not also opposed to the idea of the enigma watered down, not overstrained. This in- proposed. The inquiry mi,!!ht mean-Are junction had already been given in the old we to apply to the Supreme Being the so.me Law (Deut. iv. 2; xii. 32); it is repeated in notion of natural rel1ttioUBhip with which the New:_ Testament with awful empl111sis w~ are familiar in the human family? But (Rev. xxu. 18, 19). No humnn speculations thIB seems a low and unworthy conception. or traditions may be mingled with God's Or the "son" might be primeval man word~ ( t.he glosses and explanations nnd (Job xv. 7) or the sage; but the answer definitions, affixed by rabbinical ingenuity "\\"ould not be satisfactory, and would not to plain enactments, and proved to be false tend to solve the great question. There in morality and fatal to vital religion, are are two replies which can be made to a commentary on the succeeding sentence, .A.gur's interrogation. Looking to the Lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a marvelloUB description of Wisdom in eh. liar. The reproof is found in the cou- viii. 22, etc., we may consider Wisdom to seq uences of such additions; the results to be a denotation of the Son of God, and the which they lead are such as show that he inquirer desires to know the nnme und who asserts thnt these things are contained .:ial.ure of this personage, of whose existence in the W orcl of God is o. liar. he wue certified. Or he may havo o.rl'ived Vera. 7-9.-A mashnl ode, containing at a knowledge of the only begotten 8on of two req nest.a, o.ncl a rationale of the lntter. God, WI the idea of the Logos is more or The matter of the two prnyers connects it lee~ developed in the Book cf Wisdom, iu Plulo's treatises, nnd in the Alcxo.n<lrio.n with ver. 6, whether we consider that the school; and longs for more perfect know- limitation of man's desire follows nnturnlly letlge. This, indeed, is hidden; "He ho.th a tho limitation of hie knowledge (Pluwptre). OH, XXX'., 1-33.] THE PROVERBS. 673