_The instruction of a father._ A RELIGIOUS HOME I. The love of a religious home. Two kinds of love for the offspring. 1. The natural love. 2. The spiritual love, which has respect to the spiritual being, relations, and interests of the children. II. The training of a religious home. 1. The par... [ Continue Reading ]
_For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother._ THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OF SOLOMON Solomon in these words gives us two pieces of his own private history, in order to account for the zeal he shows in this book for the welfare of the rising generation. The first is, th... [ Continue Reading ]
_Wisdom is the principal thing._ THE PRINCIPAL THING I. If we consider man’s spiritual state in the sight of God. II. If we consider man’s present happiness. The true happiness of man has its foundation in wisdom. I go on the supposition of Christ that a “man’s life consisteth not in the abundanc... [ Continue Reading ]
_Exalt her, and she shall promote thee._ MAN AND RELIGION MUTUALLY EXALTED True wisdom includes two things--first, the choice of the highest possible good; secondly, the adoption of the best possible means for the attainment of that good. I. Man exalting religion. There is a sense in which it may... [ Continue Reading ]
_I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths _ PRECEPT AND EXAMPLE Teaching and leading are closely allied, but are not identical. It is possible and common to have the first in large measure where the second is wanting. It is easier to tell another the right way than... [ Continue Reading ]
_When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble._ MONOTONY AND CRISES The old metaphor likening life to a path has many felicities in it. It suggests constant change, it suggests continuous progress in one direction, and that all our days are linke... [ Continue Reading ]
_Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life._ THE HOLD-FAST RELIGION Faith may be well described as taking hold upon Divine instruction. To take “fast hold” is an exhortation which concerns the strength, the reality, the heartiness, and the truthfulness of faith,... [ Continue Reading ]
_Avoid it._ COMPANIONSHIPS TO BE AVOIDED The same decision of character which men evidence in their worldly affairs is necessary also in the affairs of eternity. The duty here enjoined is one by no means pleasing to the natural mind, and cannot possibly be softened down to suit the taste of the wo... [ Continue Reading ]
_Their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall._ THE PROSELYTISM OF ERROR It is of the wicked that Solomon here speaks. What a restlessness does this indicate! What a zeal in a bad cause! The subject suggested by the text is the restless activity of evil men in the propagation of evil.... [ Continue Reading ]
_The path of the just is as the shining light._ THE PATH OF THE JUST The essentials of a just man’s character have been in all ages the same. The path, the life-course, of such a man, is like the shining light. I do not think that the path of the justified is compared to the course of the sun, from... [ Continue Reading ]
_The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble._ THE BLINDNESS OF SINNERS THEIR DESTRUCTION All men are either saints or sinners; and they are all walking in paths as different as the characters they sustain. The text indicates that sinners are in such darkness that they... [ Continue Reading ]
_My son, attend to my words._ DIVINE PRINCIPLES “The words of wisdom” are the vehicles of those Divine principles the reception and embodiment of which by man are essential to his well-being. I. The method of gaining them. 1. There must be the attentive ear. 2. There must be the steadfast look.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Keep thy heart with all diligence._ HEART-KEEPING The great defect in our system of education is that it turns a man away from himself. Many a schoolboy can describe the continents and islands of the earth, trace out the intricacies of the planetary system, naming suns and moons and stars, who wo... [ Continue Reading ]
_Put away from thee a froward mouth._ LAWS OF LIFE A law for the tongue, a law for the eye, a law for the mind, a law for the life. I. A demand for pure language. Speech is one of the grand peculiarities that distinguish man. It is the organ by which one man can influence the ages. Yet it has bec... [ Continue Reading ]
_Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee._ EYES RIGHT These words occur in a passage wherein the wise man exhorts us to take care of all parts of our nature, which he indicates by members of the body. Every part of our nature needs to be carefully watched, les... [ Continue Reading ]
_Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established._ PONDERING THE PATH Mystery surrounds me. I find myself a resident of the illimitable realm of the unknown. The commonest objects touching me on every side start unanswerable questions. But amidst these enveloping mysteries, like a... [ Continue Reading ]
_Turn not to the right hand nor to the left._ RELIGIOUS AND MORAL CONDUCT Whatever the belief of men be, they generally pride themselves on the possession of some good moral qualities. The sense of duty is deeply rooted in the human heart. But as there is a constant strife between the lower and hig... [ Continue Reading ]