Proverbs 4:27

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 higher parts of our nature, between inclination and principle, this produces much contradiction and inconsistency in conduct. Hence arise most of the extremes into which men run in their moral behaviour. One of the first and most common of those extremes is that of placing all virtue either in justice on the one hand or in generosity on the other. Both these classes of men run to a faulty extreme. The perfection of our social character consists in properly tempering the two with one another; in holding that middle course which admits of our being just without being rigid, and allows us to be generous without being unjust. We must next guard against either too great severity or too great facility of manners. He who leans to the side of severity is harsh in his censures and narrow in his opinions. The opposite extreme is more dangerous--that of too great facility and accommodation to the ways of others. Such a man views every character with an indulgent eye. Nothing, in moral conduct, is more difficult than to avoid turning here, either to the right hand or to the left; to preserve a just medium. True religion enjoins us to pursue the difficult but honourable aim of uniting good-nature with fixed religious principle, affable manners with untainted virtue. Further, we run to one extreme, when we contemn altogether the opinions of mankind; to another, when we court their praise too eagerly. The former discovers a high degree of pride and self-conceit. The latter betrays servility of spirit. He who extinguishes all regard to the sentiments of mankind suppresses one incentive to honourable deeds, and removes one of the strongest checks on vice. He who is actuated solely by the love of human praise encroaches on the higher respect which he owes to conscience and to God. Hence, virtue is often counterfeited, and religious truths have been disguised, or unfairly represented, in order to be suited to popular tastes. Then there is the danger of running to the extreme of anxiety about worldly interests on the one hand and of negligence on the other. We need also to be warned against the extreme of engaging in a course of life too busy and hurried, or of being devoted to one too retired and unemployed. We are formed for a mixture of action and retreat. Temper business with serious meditation, and enliven retreat by returns of action and industry. Let us study to attain a regular, uniform, consistent character, where nothing that is excessive or disproportioned shall come forward to view. Turning neither to the right hand nor to the left, we shall, as far as our frailty permits, approach to the perfection of the human character. (Hugh Blair, D. D.).