Psalms 58:4,5

They are not only insidious and venomous as serpents, but obstinately oppose all attempts to control them; like the deaf adder or asp, most venomous of all serpents, which resists all the arts of the charmer. The Arabs distinguish the -deaf" serpent from that which answers the call of the charmer by hissing. Snake charming is alluded to in Ecclesiastes 10:11; Jeremiah 8:17; Sir 12:13, and is still practised in Africa and the East. As the asp is deaf to the voice of the enchanter, so these men shut their ears to the warnings and exhortations of the prophets.

Experience confirms the teaching of the Psalmist that among the endless varieties of human character, there are some which exhibit a diabolical aptitude for evil and opposition to good. In the light of God's infinite love, none are outside the pale of His mercy; yet it lies in the power of man to defeat the operations of His grace (Matthew 12:31).