Proverbs 4:23

“Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life!”

It is certainly of infinite importance that we be deeply convinced of our utter inability to do anything that is good in God’s sight, and of our entire dependence upon God for the effectual aids of his Holy Spirit. But we must not imagine, that, because we have no sufficiency of ourselves to do the will of God, we are not bound in duty to do it, or not to be exhorted and stimulated to the performance of it. Our duty is the same, whatever are the circumstances to which we have reduced ourselves; and it is in, and by, our personal exertions, that God has promised to “work all our works in us.” Hence, in the Scriptures of Truth, we are continually exhorted to serve our God in the way of his commandments. It is obvious that we cannot preserve the life of our bodies for one single moment; yet God expects that we keep ourselves from those things which would destroy life, and use all proper means of preserving it; so neither can we, of ourselves, preserve the life of our souls; yet are we bound to “keep our heart with all diligence; since out of it are the issues of life.”

It is indeed supposed here, that a new heart has been given to us; because from the unregenerated heart no good thing can issue; but inasmuch as even the renewed heart has still innumerable corruptions within it, we must keep it with all diligence.

To impress this duty on our minds, let us consider:

I. The duty enjoined.

“To keep the heart” is indeed an arduous task. To assist you in the performance of it, we will offer such suggestions as appear suitable to the occasion:

1. Fortify your heart with good principles.

An unfortified city is open to assault on every side. In the same way is the heart, if not duly fortified by the principles of true religion. As a sinner redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, and sanctified by his Spirit, I am the Lord’s peculiar property. I live by him; and I must live for him, “having been bought with a price, I am not my own, but his” who bought me; and I have nothing to do but to “glorify him with my body and my spirit, which are his.” When therefore anything attempts to gain possession of my heart, I must keep it for Him; for Him wholly; for Him alone.

Nothing is to break in upon this principle. Let earth and Hell assault me, I must oppose them in this impregnable bulwark, “Depart from me, you evil-doers; I will keep the commandments of my God! Psalm 119:115.” The Christian is furnished by God with armor for this contest, Ephesians 6:11-16; and, clothed in this panoply, he must maintain the conflict even unto death! Revelation 2:10.

2. Watch all of your heart’s most secret motions.

A citadel, however strong, if filled with traitors waiting for an occasion to open it to the enemy, needs to be guarded with peculiar care; the professed defenders of it must themselves be watched.

In the same way it is with the heart, notwithstanding it is at present garrisoned for the Lord. It is inconceivably difficult in many instances to distinguish between the loyal and the treacherous. They are both dressed in the same uniform; and both make the very same professions; both too appear actuated by the same holy zeal. The Apostles, when disputing with each other who should be the greatest, and forbidding others to cast out devils, because they followed not with them, and desiring to call fire from Heaven to avenge their Master’s cause—appeared as faithful as men could be, Luke 9:46; Luke 9:49; Luke 9:54; yet were they in reality actuated by pride and envy, in the garb of zeal and love; and, had not these corrupt passions been checked at first, who can tell, “how great a matter this little fire might have kindled! James 3:5.”

There is not a motion of the heart but must be strictly marked;
its associates must be carefully noticed;
its tendencies must be examined;
its professions must be scrutinized;
lest Satan himself be found there, under the semblance of an angel of light, 2 Corinthians 11:13-14.

3. Combine all the heart’s energies in the service of your God.

The Psalmist has a remarkable expression on this subject, “Unite my heart, O Lord, to fear your name, Psalm 86:11.” If the powers of the soul are scattered, they will be as inefficient as soldiers that are dispersed. It is by a combination of efforts for a preconcerted end, and by simultaneous movements for its accomplishment, that success is attained. The various powers of the soul must act in unison; the understanding, the will, the affections, the memory, the conscience—must all have the same object in view, each defending its proper post to the uttermost, and ready to support the other with all its might.

If, while the understanding is occupied about spiritual and heavenly things, the will and the affections are running after earthly and carnal things, what can be expected, but that the enemy shall soon gain undisguised and permanent possession of the soul? Every one knows, that “a house divided against itself, falls;” and a divided heart must become a prey to the great adversary of God and man. All its powers must center in God, if God is to inhabit it as his temple, and to possess it as his inheritance.

4. Call in for it the most effectual aid.

Human efforts, unassisted by God, will be of little avail. Indeed we can do nothing but as we are assisted by “the Captain of our Salvation, John 15:5.” To him then must we look to “strengthen us with might by his Spirit in our inward man, Ephesians 3:16;” we must go forth against our enemies, as David did against Goliath, not in dependence on an arm of flesh, but in the name of the Lord God of Israel; we must “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, Ephesians 6:10.”

Then we may defy all our adversaries; we may boldly ask the greatest among them, “Who are you, O great Mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain.” See how Paul taught the first Christians to triumph, while yet in the midst of all their conflicts, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? No; in all these things we are more than conquerors! Romans 8:35-37” In the same way then may the weakest of us triumph, if we call in our blessed Lord to our aid; for “through Christ strengthening us, we can do all things! Philippians 4:13.”

But to form a right judgment of our duty, we must yet more distinctly notice:

II. The particular instruction relating to it.

We must:

1. keep our heart

2. with all diligence

1. That is, we must keep our heart earnestly.

It is not a slight or superficial attention to it that will suffice. The work is too great to be effected in such a way. To keep the heart from sin amidst so many temptations on every side, and to keep it in the exercise of all holy and heavenly graces, from every one of which it is by nature alienated; this is a great work indeed, and requires the utmost possible exertion on our part.

The metaphors by which the Christian’s life is set forth, sufficiently show what efforts are called for on our part.

A race is not to be won without straining every nerve.

An adversary, whether in fight or in wrestling, is not to be overcome without putting forth all our strength.

Can we then suppose, that, when our contest is not with flesh and blood only, but with all the principalities and powers of Hell, the victory can be gained without the most strenuous exertions? No; it cannot; and our Lord plainly tells us that it cannot, “Strive,” says he, “to enter in at the strait gate; for many shall seek to enter in, and not be able.” Know then, that whatever you have to do in the keeping of your heart, you must “do it with all your might.”

2. We must keep our heart constantly.

The work which we have to do, is not like that of a painter or a statuary, who may leave his work for a time, and find it afterwards in the state in which he left it; it is rather like that of one who is rolling a stone up hill, which will return upon him, as soon as ever he intermits his labor.

In the same way, our hearts of themselves are “bent to backslide from God,” ever ready to “start aside as a deceitful bow;” and Satan is ever on the watch to draw us aside. If he intermits his labors, it is in appearance only, and not in reality; for he is ever “going about, as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour!” His wiles and devices are innumerable; and, if once he can find us off our guard, he will assuredly avail himself of the occasion to deceive and, if possible, to destroy us.

We therefore must be always “on our watch-tower,” according to that direction of our blessed Lord, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation; and, what I say unto you, I say unto all, Watch!”

3. We must keep our heart perseveringly.

There is no state at which we can arrive in this world that supersedes the necessity of continued vigilance and care. Were we as eminent as Paul himself, we must still, like him, “keep our body under control and bring it into subjection, lest by any means, after having preached to others, we ourselves become castaways.” Let our circumstances be ever so favorable, we know not but that we shall fall the very next moment.

Hezekiah was but just recovered from a dangerous illness, and that by miracle; yet when the Babylonian ambassadors came to offer him their master’s congratulations, he fell, and offended God by “the pride of his heart! 2 Chronicles 32:24-26.”

Peter also was but just descended from Mount Tabor, where he had beheld his Lord transfigured, and shining forth in all his glory, when he acted Satan’s part in dissuading his Lord from completing the work assigned him; so that he drew forth from his Divine Master that just reprimand, “Get behind me, Satan! Matthew 16:23-24.”

We may add too, that there is no wickedness so great, but we may be enticed to the commission of it. Who can reflect on David’s adultery and murder, or on Peter’s denial of his Lord with oaths and curses, and not see reason to cry continually to God, “Hold me up, and I shall be safe!”

Thus then we see, it is not enough to keep our hearts, but we must “keep them with all diligence,” engaging in the work with earnestness, and maintaining it with constancy and perseverance to the last hour of our lives.

Let us now attend to,

III. The reason with which both the one and the other are enforced.

The heart may in some respects be considered as the seat of vitality in the human body, because from thence issues the blood that circulates through the whole frame. But still more may it be said of the heart in a spiritual view, that out of it are the issues of life. For,

1. The heart is the proper source of all evil.

There are many evils to which our corrupt nature is apt to yield; some are spiritual, and some are fleshly; but the womb where all are generated, and from whence they proceed, is the heart. Adultery, and murder, and theft, with many other evils, might be supposed to arise rather out of external circumstances connected with our outward man; but they are all traced by our blessed Lord to the heart, “For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’ Mark 7:21-23.”

Now, if the heart is the fruitful spring of such evils—then ought it not to be watched? Ought it not to be kept with all diligence? It is evident that, without continual care, the whole man would soon be inundated with evil! Should we not then watch the sluices? Should we not guard the banks, and keep them in good repair? In other words, should we not do all in our power to prevent such fatal effects?

Let it never be forgotten, that the smallest breach in a bank will soon yield to the torrent, and, by its extension, bid defiance to any remedy that can be applied. Consequently, if we would not be overrun with all manner of evil, we must guard against the irruption of any. “A little leaven will soon leaven the whole lump.”

2. The heart is the proper seat of all good.

Grace is planted in the heart; it has no other residence; it may operate by the members; but its seat is in the heart. Repentance flows from thence, even from “the broken and contrite heart.” Faith has there its first formation. “With the heart man believes unto righteousness.” Love combines and concentrates all its powers, “We are to love God with all the heart;” yes, “Christ himself dwells in our hearts by faith.”

Whatever then proceeds not from the heart, is of no value; all our best services for God are no other than hypocrisy, if the heart is far from him! Matthew 15:7-8. Must we not then keep the heart with all diligence, to see that it be duly influenced by divine grace, and that all which we do is the result of gracious principles implanted there?

Truly, if “a man may give all his goods to feed the poor, and his body to be burned, and, after all, be no better than sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal,” because his actions proceed not from a principle of love in the heart—then we are called upon to watch over our hearts with all imaginable care, that they be duly stored with all that is good. This is the plain and obvious inference from what our Lord himself has distinctly affirmed in those memorable words. “The evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil; and the good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good;” in both cases the produce is “from the abundance of the heart, Luke 6:45;” and “the tree is known by its fruits.”

3. By the condition of our heart, shall our state be determined in the last day.

Even in courts of judicature among ourselves, it is not so much the act, as the heart, that is the object of investigation. Murder itself is not accounted murder, if it was not attended with a purpose of heart to injure and destroy. Much more therefore may it be expected that God will inquire into the designs and purposes of our hearts, “He does not look on the outward appearance, but at the heart;” and “he searches the heart, and tries the thoughts, on purpose to give to every man according to the fruit of his doings.” For this end “he will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the heart.”

To our hearts then must we look, if ever we would give up our account with joy; for, as our hearts are, so shall we appear in his sight, Proverbs 23:7. Let us then not only search and try ourselves, but beg of God also to “search and try us, and to see if there is any wicked way in us, and to lead us in the way everlasting.”

APPLICATION.

1. Do not grudge your labor in the way to Heaven.

You cannot make any attainments in this life without labor; how then can you hope to attain the glory and felicity of Heaven without it? True it is, that Heaven is a gift of God; a gift altogether of his free and sovereign grace; but it is also true, that we must labor for it, according to that direction of our Lord, “Do not labor for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, John 6:27.” Labor then with all earnestness, and constancy, and perseverance. If you are frequently foiled, still return to your post, and increase your vigilance in proportion as you discover the deceitfulness and wickedness of your hearts; and be assured, that, however great your toil may be, Heaven will be an abundant recompense for all.

2. Do not doubt but that your labor shall at last be crowned with success.

Were your success dependent on an arm of flesh, you might well despond; but your God and Savior is pledged to “carry on in you the work he has begun,” and to “perfect that which concerns you.” Your enemies may renew their assaults as often as they will; but they shall not prevail; for God has said, that “No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper! Isaiah 54:17;” and again. “The law of God is in his heart; his footsteps shall not slide! Psalm 37:31.” Go on then, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong! 1 Corinthians 16:13;” and know for your comfort what the all-gracious and unchanging God has spoken, “Do not be weary in well-doing; for in due season you shall reap, if you do not faint! Galatians 6:9.”

Charles Simeon

Proverbs 4:18

“The path of the righteous is as the shining light, that shines more and more unto the perfect day!”

Habits, of whatever kind, are strengthened by exercise; the more congenial they are with our natural feelings, the more easily are they confirmed.

Hence the wicked, without any express purpose on their part, are daily more and more riveted to the world and sin.

The righteous too, increase in love to the ways of God in proportion as they endeavor to fulfill his will. They have indeed a bias, which, if they were left to themselves, would soon turn them aside. But God will not leave them destitute of needful support; he pledges himself that their path shall resemble the shining light. This is found true by happy experience.

I. The path of the righteous is beautiful in its appearance.

The rising sun is as beautiful an object as any in the whole creation.

At its first approach it tinges the distant clouds with light. On its first appearance it gilds the summits of the woods and mountains; then, dispelling all the shadows of night, it illumines the whole horizon. How delightful is this to every one that beholds it, Ecclesiastes 11:7.

In the same way, the path of the righteous is exceeding beautiful.

“The righteous” are those who are renewed and sanctified by the Spirit of God. Their path in the very outset is beautiful to behold. Their simplicity of mind, and teachableness of spirit, endear them to us; their lowliness and humility attract the notice of the very angels themselves, Luke 15:10. The fervor of their love engages both our admiration and esteem. The very shadows in their character serve as a contrast to show the excellence of the change that has passed upon them. As they proceed their graces are more matured. Their course is justly described by the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:8. Surely such a conduct must be beautiful in the eyes of God and man. They are justly spoken of as “beautified with salvation, Psalm 149:4; they even reflect a luster upon the Gospel itself, Titus 2:10.

While their path is so amiable, it resembles the light further, in that,

II. The path of the righteous is beneficial in its influence.

The sun does not shine with unproductive splendor.

It enables the several orders of men to return to their respective callings. In the darkness they could not go without stumbling, John 11:9-10; but now they follow their occupations without fear or difficulty. The productions of the earth also feel the genial influence of the sun, and are matured by means of its invigorating beams.

In the same way, the Christian is profitable in his course.

The wicked are stumbling on every side of him Proverbs 4:19; but the Christian affords a light to the benighted souls around him, Matthew 5:14. He shines in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, Philippians 2:15-16; he is an epistle of Christ, known and read by all men, 2 Corinthians 3:2-3. The account given of Job, describes his course, as far as his situation and circumstances will allow, Job 29:11-16. Thus by his conduct he puts to silence the ignorance of foolish men, 1 Peter 2:15. He even wins some, perhaps, whom the Word alone would never have converted, 1 Peter 3:1-2, and causes many to glorify his heavenly Father, Matthew 5:16.

The comparison yet further holds, in that,

III. The path of the righteous is constant in its progress.

The sun invariably pursues its usual course.

From the instant it rises, it hastens toward the meridian. Sometimes indeed its splendor is intercepted by clouds, and sometimes it may be partially, or even totally eclipsed; still, however, it proceeds in its appointed path, and is sure to arrive at its meridian height.

The Christian too, goes forward towards perfection.

He never rests as though he had attained the summit, Philippians 3:12. He determines to be ever pressing forward for higher attainments, Philippians 3:13-14. He may indeed for a season be involved in clouds; yes, perhaps, he may through the violence of temptation, suffer an eclipse; but, if he is really “just” and upright, his light shall break forth again. God has ensured this by a solemn promise, Job 17:9. Jeremiah illustrates it by the very allusion in the text, Jeremiah 31:33-37; nor is this progress the privilege of some only, Philippians 1:6-7. David speaks of it as belonging to Israel of old, Psalm 84:7. Paul represents it as enjoyed by every true Christian, 2 Corinthians 3:18; and Peter shows us whence this stability proceeds, 1 Peter 1:5. None indeed arrive at absolute perfection in this life, 1 Corinthians 13:9-10; but soon the just will be changed into Christ’s perfect image! 1 John 3:2. Philippians 3:21, and shine above the sun in the firmament forever and ever, Daniel 12:3 and Matthew 13:43.

Improvement.

1. For conviction.

We are in a world that lies in darkness and the shadow of death; and, if we are Christians indeed, we are shining as lights in a dark place. Do our consciences testify that this is the case with us? Are we examples of holiness to those of our own age and rank? Do we reprove all works of darkness, instead of having fellowship with them? Ephesians 5:11. If not, how can we ever be numbered among the just? Shall we say that we once were such, but are now under a cloud? Or that our light is at the present eclipsed! Let us beware lest we prove only as a fleeting meteor. Our light must be steady and increasing, like that of the sun. The tree is known by its fruit; and the just by their light, Ephesians 5:8; and a false profession will deceive us to our eternal ruin! 1 John 1:6; 1 John 2:9; 1 John 2:11.

2. For consolation.

There are many true Christians who do not enjoy much comfort, and the darkness of their minds sometimes makes them doubt whether they are upright before God; but they often write bitter things against themselves without a cause. Distress, whether temporal or spiritual, argues nothing against our integrity. Job never shone brighter than in his trouble; nor Christ, than in the depths of his passion. Let him then that is in darkness, stay himself upon his God, Isaiah 50:10. It is to such people that God sends us with words of comfort, Isaiah 35:3-4. To them in particular is that delightful declaration addressed, Isaiah 54:7-10. Wait then the Lord’s timing, you afflicted souls, and trust in him. Soon shall your “light rise in obscurity, and your darkness be as the noon-day;” nor will God be glorified less in your patience, than in more active services.

Charles Simeon

Proverbs 4:7

“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom!
Though it costs all you have, get understanding!”

The inspired volume is no less useful in rectifying the prejudices of education, than it is in restraining the indulgence of forbidden desires. As far as relates to the grosser violations of moral duty, the advice of parents and teachers is in unison with the Holy Scriptures; but we are very rarely exhorted to follow that which is the main end and purpose of life. Get wealth! Get honor! are the lessons inculcated on all the rising generation. David however sets us a better example; he earnestly entreated his son above all things to cultivate true religion. And Solomon, having reaped much advantage from those instructions, has left them on record for our benefit in verses 3-7. We shall endeavor to show:

I. The nature and excellence of true wisdom.

That which is usually termed wisdom is far from being the object so extolled in the text.

We do not mean to depreciate the attainments of art or science. They are valuable in themselves, and, if duly improved, may, like the Egyptian gold, enrich and beautify the sanctuary of God. But the wisdom spoken of in the text, has respect entirely to spiritual things.

True wisdom is the proposing of the best ends and prosecuting of them by the fittest means.

There is no end so worthy to be pursued by a rational creature, as the sanctification and salvation of his own soul. Nor are there any means of attaining it so proper, as those prescribed in the holy Scriptures. To repent of all our sins, to flee to Christ for the pardon of them, and to seek the renovation of our hearts by the Holy Spirit, are represented as the only effectual means of salvation.

These things, it must be confessed, are often called folly; but they are called so only by those, who have never known them by experience. Not one among the holy angels would account it folly to love and serve God. None of the redeemed in Heaven regret that they were once so strenuous in the exercises of true religion. The saints on earth are precisely of the same mind with those in Heaven. Hence conversion to a holy life is called “a turning of the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, Luke 1:17.” Even devils and damned spirits would confess that devotedness of heart to God is the truest wisdom. Careless sinners are the only beings who dissent from this truth; and they in a little time will assuredly alter their opinion! What do those rich men, Luke 12:19-20; Luke 16:19; Luke 16:23, now think of their once envied state?

Such wisdom is justly termed “the principal thing.”

There are many other things which are important in their place; but this is far superior to them all. Riches cannot be put in competition with wisdom, Job 28:12-19. Pleasure, honor, or even life itself, are not worthy to be compared with wisdom, Proverbs 3:13-18. Wisdom excels everything else as much as light excels darkness, Ecclesiastes 2:13. This exclusively deserves the name of wisdom, God himself being witness, Job 28:28. It is “the good part, Luke 10:42,” and he alone can be called truly wise, who, like Paul, accounts everything but loss for that unspeakably excellent attainment, Philippians 3:7-8.

Its excellency being thus established, we may proceed,

II. To urge upon you the diligent pursuit of wisdom.

In the text, with the preceding context, we may see the utmost fervor that language can express. May we be animated with the same, while we labor to impress the subject on your minds by the following considerations! Consider then:

1. This wisdom is both more easily, and more certainly, to be attained than anything else.

With respect to other things, every one has not a capacity for making great attainments; nor have all, who possess good abilities, an opportunity of cultivating them to advantage. Nor can great industry united with great talents, always ensure success, Ecclesiastes 9:11; but no man ever sought wisdom in vain. The poor fishermen of Galilee were as capable of comprehending it, as the philosophers of Greece and Rome. We attain wisdom, not by the mere exertion of our own powers, but by the teachings of God’s Spirit, John 1:13; John 6:45. Nor will he ever refuse that heavenly gift to any who seek it with a teachable and childlike disposition, James 1:5. This thought may well encourage all. May we be stirred up by it to seek the unction that shall teach us all things, 1 John 2:20. Then will God bestow upon us his promised blessing, Proverbs 2:1-6; and make us wise unto salvation through faith in Christ, 2 Timothy 3:15.

2. There is nothing else which will so conduce to our present happiness as godly wisdom.

The creature is justly represented as a cistern that will hold no water, Jeremiah 2:13. All who seek happiness in it are disappointed. Even science itself, which is the most rational of all earthly pleasures, is often a source of sorrow and vexation, Ecclesiastes 1:17-18.

But true wisdom is an overflowing fountain of joy. In prosperity, wisdom adds a zest to all our comforts; and in adversity, a balm to all our sorrows. In a time of pain and trouble, more especially its excellency appears. What can earthly things do to assuage our anguish or compose our minds, Ecclesiastes 5:17. But piety enables us to see the rod in our Father’s hand, and to know that He is working all for our good, Romans 8:28. Paul found wisdom to be wealth in poverty, joy in sorrow, life in death! 2 Corinthians 6:9-10. And such will every Christian experience wisdom to be in the hour of trial, Proverbs 3:21-26. Shall not this consideration then quicken our diligence in the pursuit of wisdom?

3. There is nothing besides wisdom that can in the least promote our eternal welfare.

Our duties, when performed with an eye to God, are a part of religion itself; but, independent of the respect which we have to him in the performance of them, they are of no value in his sight. A person may do many things that are beneficial to society, and yet be dead in trespasses and sins. But Solomon, specifying the supreme excellency of wisdom, affirms, that it gives life to them that have it, Ecclesiastes 7:12. No man can perish that possesses godly wisdom; nor can any man be saved who is destitute of it, Romans 8:6; Romans 8:13. Shall we not then be prevailed upon to seek wisdom? Shall we disregard the commendations that David and Solomon have given of it? And shall their importunity be treated by us with coldness and neglect? Surely such a conduct may well expose us to the most severe of all reflections, Proverbs 17:16.

“Allow then a word of exhortation.”

The wisdom here spoken of is not the only thing in the world that is desirable; nor the only thing that you may laudably pursue. There are innumerable other things which demand our attention; and which our several conditions in life render necessary. The text itself supposes, or rather enjoins, that we should labor to get other things; but wisdom is indisputably “the principal thing;” and “with all our getting we must be mindful to get understanding.”

Whatever else is neglected, wisdom must not. Wisdom is “the one thing needful.” Therefore, “get it, get it, get it, get it! Four times is this repeated in verses 5, 7.” “Forsake it not, neither forget it; exalt it, love it, and embrace it; so shall it be an ornament of grace to your head, and a crown of glory to your soul.” For whoever finds wisdom finds life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord, Proverbs 8:35.

Charles Simeon

Proverbs 3:35

“The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the legacy of fools!”

A desire for distinction, and a fear of shame, are powerful incentives to the human mind. They produce, in every department of life, exertions far beyond those to which mere natural inclination would prompt us. The soldier on the field of battle finds those principles stronger than the fear of death!

Now, these feelings being founded in nature itself, God is pleased to call them into action in reference to things of far higher consequence than those which too generally engross them.

Disgrace or honor are awarded to men, even in the present life, on moral and religious grounds, and much more will they in the life to come; and I wish that a due concern may be felt in reference to them, while I point out:

I. The influence of wisdom on our present state.

Wisdom may fitly be described as a conformity to the mind of God; and folly may fitly be described as any aberration from wisdom. But it is the Gospel alone that places these in their true light.

1. Let us distinguish the two characters.

The Gospel is a proclamation of mercy to perishing sinners, through the death and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ; nor is there any way of salvation for fallen man, except that which is there revealed. All who are not savingly interested in that Savior must perish under the guilt of their sins.

Now, who is wise, but he who labors to secure that salvation? Or who is a fool, but he who neglects it? Suppose that means of escape from a sinking vessel, or a house in flames, were offered to one in danger of instantaneous destruction; would any person in the universe hesitate to assign the proper and distinctive epithets to him who availed himself of them, and to him who disregarded them? Yet would their conduct but very faintly shadow forth that which is exhibited under the Gospel dispensation; and the terms used to designate that conduct would very faintly describe its appropriate character.

Let the two characters, then, be properly distinguished. Where is the man who, with all humility of mind and entire devotion of soul, seeks a saving interest in the Savior? Him we may safely designate as “wise.”

Where, on the other hand, is the man who neglects the Savior? Whatever excuses he may allege in vindication of his conduct, we need not hesitate to assign to him the humiliating appellation of a “fool.”

2. Let us declare their proper recompense.

“The wise” shall even here “inherit glory.” Everyone, whatever his own practice may be, has within his own bosom a witness in favor of those who are religious, provided their conduct is uniform and consistent. In outward profession, I grant, the world may brand religion with the name of folly; but their consciences in secret give a very different testimony; nor is there any man, however ungodly, so wicked, but that he reverences in his heart a pious character, and wishes, if it were possible, to be found in his place at the day of judgment!

Herod, in the midst of all his impiety, “feared John, because he knew him to be a just and holy man.” And so it is with the ungodly world; they venerate the very man whom for his piety they hate and persecute.

On the other hand, vain and thoughtless as are the world at large, and interested in upholding each other in their various pursuits, there is not one among them, who, in his moments of reflection, does not see the emptiness and vanity of worldly things; and who would not regard it as an inconsistency in a religious man, if he should betray an eagerness in the prosecution of them. The truth of these observations will be manifest beyond either contradiction or doubt, if only we bear in mind the conduct of the Scribes and Pharisees of old, who, while persecuting our blessed Lord even unto death, “built the tombs of the prophets, and garnished the sepulchers of the righteous,” whom their forefathers had put to death! Matthew 23:29-31.

Precisely thus we also at this time honor the memory of the Apostles, and of our own reformers too, for who does not honor the names of Cranmer, and Latimer, and Ridley—while we hate, revile, and persecute the living saints, who walk in their steps; and the names of the Scribes and Pharisees of old are odious to us, while we pay respect to those who sustain the same character among ourselves! All this clearly shows that whatever our outward behavior may be towards the two different parties, both of them have an inward witness in our own bosoms, “the wise inheriting the glory” that is due to them, while “shame is the only recompense of fools.”

But still more effect will wisdom have,

II. The influence of wisdom on our condition in the eternal world.

There the conduct of all will be rightly appreciated.

In this present world there are many things which obscure the wisdom of the wise, and which serve to palliate the folly of fools. The weaknesses of many good men excite a prejudice against their opinions and conduct, and do really cast an air of folly over their very profession. This is deeply to be lamented; but, while there is so much folly bound up in the heart of man, and in many the seed of Divine Grace is but as a grain of mustard-seed, it is not to be wondered at that such stumbling-blocks should occur; indeed, unless a miracle were wrought to turn babes at once into young men and fathers, it is scarcely possible that offences of some kind should not arise from the injudicious deportment of weaker brethren.

On the other hand, among those who are not devoted to the Savior, there are many eminent for their attainments in science, and abounding in every species of worldly wisdom; and amidst so much that is amiable and good, it is difficult to mark with befitting severity the folly of which they are guilty.

But God will judge righteous judgment; he will distinguish infallibly between the errors of the judgment and the bias of the heart; and to those who sought him, though in much weakness, he will give a testimony of acceptance. But on those who sought him not he will denounce his sentence of eternal condemnation!

Then will wisdom and folly appear in their true light.

Behold the saint approved of his God, and seated on a throne of glory! Will anyone think he sacrificed too much for this, or labored too hard for this? Will there be any difference of opinion respecting him, among the hosts of Heaven, or even in the regions of Hell? No! There will be but one testimony respecting him. Every creature in the universe will pronounce him wise.

See, on the other hand, the most successful and distinguished of the human race banished from the presence of that Savior whom he would not seek, and of that God whom he refused to serve! Will there be any difference of opinion respecting his folly? Nay, will not he himself be the very first to accuse himself, and to curse the folly which once he so fondly cherished? Yes! We are told that, in Hell, men will “weep, and wail, and gnash their teeth” with anguish; and I cannot doubt but that their self-reproach will be one of the bitterest ingredients in the cup which will there be given them to drink. When they see in what their love of “promotion” has issued, and that it has brought nothing but a pre-eminence in “shame” and sorrow—they will set their seal to that once-despised truth, that “wisdom excels folly, as much as light excels darkness!”

Permit me now to recommend to every one among you:

A retrospect of your past lives.

What is your estimate now of your past life? If there one among you who would not rather that it should have been under the influence of wisdom, than that it should have been so devoted to folly, as in the great majority of cases it has been? I suppose there is scarcely anyone that has not, at some season or other, had moments of reflection, and formed some faint purposes of amendment. Let the humiliation then experienced have been ever so transient, do you not at this time look back upon it as the best hour of your lives? And do you not regret that it so speedily passed away? And, however deeply you may have drunk of the cup of pleasure, do you not now feel that it is all vanity, and that nothing of it remains but the dregs, which have a bitter taste? Where is there one among you, who, if he should hear a dying man glorying in having lived altogether to the flesh and to the world, would not be shocked at it as an excess of impiety and folly? Or who, if he were himself in dying circumstances, would not wish for a far different frame of mind to prepare him for his great account?

I make this appeal with confidence, and am content to rest the whole of what I have said on the testimony of your own consciences. Yes, beloved brethren, you shall be constituted judges in your own case; and I will abide by the decision which you yourselves shall give. Let your convictions, then, be now realized; and let the Lord Jesus Christ be now sought by you without delay.

2. A prospective view of futurity.

Soon you will be convinced, at all events, whether you will listen to good instruction now, or not. Soon you will see whose word shall stand—the world’s, or God’s! Depend upon it, God’s Word will not change. What he has designated as wisdom by the mouth of Prophets and Apostles, he will pronounce to have been so, when he shall sit on his throne of judgment.

Why will you not then anticipate that sentence? And why will you not consider what your reflections will be, when all your present opportunities of turning unto God shall have passed away?

This only do I ask of you, “Act now, as you will then wish you had acted!” Methinks this is a reasonable request; it is a request which every one acknowledges to be good in reference to the things of time; and surely it cannot be less good in reference to eternity! May God enable all of you, then, to comply with it! And may you all not only become wise, but be made wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus!

Charles Simeon

Proverbs 3:21-24

“My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble; when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet!”

In the book of Proverbs, “wisdom” is generally put for true religion. But in some places, perhaps, it may be interpreted as representing Christ himself, who is “the wisdom of God and the power of God.” But in our text there can be no doubt of its importing piety, or the influence of true religion in the soul. And though in the Book of Proverbs the doctrines of religion are not very distinctly specified, the general character of it is developed with peculiar richness and beauty; and this gives to the Proverbs of Solomon, an importance far beyond what would belong to a mere collection of moral lessons.

We have, in the passage before us, what I might almost call a full-length picture of true religion, both in its character and effects; and in these two points of view, we shall, in conformity with our text:

I. Consider true religion in its true and proper character.

Doubtless religion admits of an infinite diversity of description. But in no place can we find a juster representation of it than in that before us.

1. True religion is wisdom in the heart.

Were we to define “wisdom,” we would say: It is the seeking of the best ends by the fittest means.

And were we to declare what “true religion” is, we would say: It is the seeking of the salvation of the soul through the mediation and intercession of Jesus Christ.

Now, then, I would ask: What end is there for us to propose to ourselves, that can be compared with the everlasting salvation of our souls? The pursuit of crowns and kingdoms would be unworthy of an effort, in comparison with this; Truly it is “the one thing needful.”

Again I would ask: What means are there fitted for the attainment of this end in comparison with those which are proposed to us in the gospel of Christ? There we find a Savior precisely suited to our necessities:

One who has made an atonement for all our sins.

One who “ever lives to make intercession for us” in Heaven.

One who, as the Head of all vital influence, is “able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by him.” By the exercise of genuine faith in him, we become partakers of all his blessings; and, therefore, it is our one aim from day to day to “live by faith upon him,” and to “receive out of his fullness” all the blessings which we stand in need of!

Now, compare with this any other mode of salvation that can be devised; and its wisdom will shine forth as the sun, which eclipses, and, as it were, blots from the firmament, all the lights of Heaven.

2. True religion is discretion in the life.

When once true religion occupies the soul, it implants a spiritual principle there which thenceforth regulates the whole man.

No longer does an anxiety about earthly things distract the mind.

Pleasure, riches, and honor—are all subordinated to the welfare of the soul.

The will of God in his Word, becomes the one only rule of conduct to him.

A regard for God’s honor will then operate, so as to give to all circumstances, whether of time or place, their legitimate influence, and to secure to him who is under its influence the approbation of the wise and good. He illustrates in his life that saying of Solomon, “I, Wisdom, dwell with Prudence.”

In a word, to approve himself to God is the one object of his life; and that one object being ever before his eyes, he is kept from every corrupt bias, and from the inconsistencies which an unhallowed principle would produce.

Of course, it must not be supposed that a person, naturally weak and foolish, will pass in a moment to a comprehensiveness of mind and soundness of judgment. That is not to be expected; on the contrary, inasmuch as a principle of piety infinitely outweighs every earthly object, it may be expected, that, on its first entrance into the soul, it will operate rather in a way of extravagance, and cause a person to overlook the minor considerations of prudence and discretion. But this must be imputed not to religion itself, but to the weakness of him in whom it dwells; and the effect of religion will be to correct his errors, and to induce habits of wisdom, which no other principle would ever have been able to form within him.

II. Consider true religion in its just and necessary effects.

Religion is not a mere principle; nor does it consist in any peculiar practice without a principle; it is an operative principle:

1. True religion produces spiritual life in the soul.

I cannot give any more just view of religion, than by saying, It is that in the soul, which the soul is in the body. Without the soul, the body is dead; and without religion, the soul is dead. By the soul the body is animated, and performs all the functions of the animal life; by religion the soul is quickened, and performs all the functions of the spiritual life. By the union of the soul with the body, all the powers, both of body and mind, are called into activity. And by the operation of religion in the soul—the understanding, the will, the affections, the memory, the conscience, perform their respective offices in subserviency to God, for the promotion of a man’s spiritual and eternal good.

The soul, pervading the whole body, acts with ease and regularity, and with so little ostentation, that its operations, though effectual, attract no notice.

And so it is with true religion in the soul; it brings into easy and harmonious use all its different faculties and powers, governing the whole man, and subjecting even the thoughts themselves to the obedience of Christ.

In a word, it is, as my text has said, “life to the soul.” If we were to understand by this expression, that it tends to lengthen out the existence of man on earth, it would be true, and an important truth; but we cannot so contract the sense, or comprehend less in these words than what we have expressed. True religion makes a man a new creature, “old things pass away, and all things become new.”

2. True religion produces gracefulness in the deportment.

Well is it said by the Apostle, that “a meek and quiet spirit is, in the sight of God himself, an ornament of great price.” Through the operation of divine grace upon the soul, all the tempers and dispositions will be kept in order; so that none shall prevail to the injury of other men, or to the dishonor of the man himself. The discipline of religion is somewhat like that which prevails in reference to the body among the higher ranks of society. In people untaught, there is an awkwardness, as it were, apparent in their whole gait; while those who have mixed in polished society have a comparative ease and elegance in all their motions.

So, if you see a person uninstructed in religion engaged in religious exercises, he is not at home in any of them; his occupation sits not easy upon him; and if he attempt to assume the posture of real piety, he betrays his lack of true feeling by the very motions in which he attempts to express it.

But let a contrite and devout soul draw near to God, and there is a correspondence between his looks and attitude, his words and professions. His every motion is such as befits the employment in which he is engaged. Yes, there is a symmetry in every part of the spiritual man, so that his whole demeanor is simple, uniform, befitting. He exemplifies in his life that expression of the Psalmist, “I will beautify the meek with salvation;” and he shows in his deportment what that inspired writer meant by that petition, “Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us.” The more of real piety any man possesses, the more of this image will be stamped upon him; and the more he communes with his God, the more will a divine glory surround his head, and beam forth from his countenance in the sight of all who behold him.

3. True religion produces stability in the walk.

The man of sound wisdom takes heed to his ways; he desires to see his path clear before him. If he is in doubt, he will take “the Word of God as a light to his feet, and a lantern to his paths.” If his path is slippery, he will cry unto his God, “Hold up my goings in your paths, that my footsteps do not slip!” And in answer to his prayer, “God will give his angels charge over him, to keep him in all his ways, that he dash not his foot against a stone.”

Of these advantages the unconverted man has no experience. He ventures into scenes of temptation, without being aware of his danger; nor has he any guidance or strength but his own. What wonder, then, if he falls?

But the man who, with wisdom in his heart, and discretion in his life, “suffers not these” guardian angels, as it were, “to depart from his eyes,” will be kept amidst all the most trying scenes in which he can be engaged, and “will be preserved blameless unto the kingdom of his God.” “The Law of God is in his heart, and therefore his footsteps do not slide. See Psalm 37:31 and Proverbs 4:11-13.”

4. True religion produces peace in the heart.

“What man is he who fears the Lord? His soul,” says the Psalmist, “shall dwell at ease.” A man without religion may pass through the day with some degree of comfort, because of the variety of occupations that engage his thoughts. But when he comes to lie down at night, and he has time for reflection, some painful occurrence will dwell upon his mind, and agitate his spirits, and disturb his rest. And when he wakes in the morning, the same unpleasant feelings will haunt him, and destroy that serenity which sleep was calculated to convey. Or, if nothing particular has occurred to distress him, he lies down and rises up without any other feeling than that which he possesses in common with the beasts.

But not so the truly pious man. He, when retiring to rest, calls to remembrance the mercies with which he has been encompassed during the day, and renders thanks for them to his heavenly Benefactor; to whom also he commends himself for protection during the defenseless hours of the night.

Shall I speak too strongly if I say that he lies down, as it were, in the bosom of his God, saying, “I will lay down in peace, and sleep; for you Lord, make me to dwell in safety?” In the morning, too, when he awakes, he finds that “his sleep has been sweet unto him;” not to his body merely, but to his soul; for his soul, at the first resuming of its powers, finds God present with it, in a way which the merely natural man has no conception of; so true is that expression of the Psalmist, “When I awake, I am still with you.” So true, also, is that encouraging promise of Solomon, “Bind the commandment upon your heart, and tie it about your neck; when you go, it shall lead you; when you sleep, it shall keep you; and when you awake, it shall walk with you.”

APPLICATION.

1. Are there now any present, who are prejudiced against religion?

Know what true religion is. It is not by any means that thing which worldly people are ready to imagine. “It is wisdom, sound wisdom, and discretion.” There are surely in the Gospel many things which surpass our comprehension. But so there are also in all the other works of God, whether of creation or providence. But if there are truths at which a proud man will stumble, there is not one which will not commend itself to a humble and childlike spirit. And as far as piety operates upon the soul, it induces discretion in every part of a man’s conduct, and assimilates him to the very image of his God.

Who among us will say that the Savior’s example was not good? Yet his enemies condemned it, and accounted him worthy to be crucified as the vilest malefactor! And may there not be a measure of the same prejudice in you—a prejudice that blinds your eyes, and makes you to hate those whom you should love and honor?

At all events, know this; whatever corresponds not with religion as described in our text, we disclaim. If there is folly and indiscretion in any who profess the Gospel, let them bear the blame, and not religion. But if you will condemn the care of the soul as a needless preciseness, and a cleaving unto the Savior as an enthusiastic and vain conceit—then you shall bear the burden; for, blame these things as you may, know that “Wisdom will be justified by all her children.”

2. Are there those here who profess to love piety?

Beware, lest by anything imprudent you “cause the way of truth to be evil spoken of;” yes, seek rather to the utmost of your power to “adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.” On your conduct much depends. Men will not judge of religion so much by what we say, as by what we do. In vain shall Solomon himself describe it as forming such lovely characters, if you contradict his statements in your life and conversation. However we may expose the folly of so doing, men will identify religion with the conduct of its professors; and will take occasion, from anything that is unfitting in you, to cast reflections upon religion for your sake.

But knowing this propensity in them, you should be doubly careful not to cast a stumbling-block in their way. See to it, then, that you “walk worthy of your high calling.” If you are children of the light, let it be seen by the holiness of your conduct; and, wherever you go, be epistles of Christ, known and read by all men; so that all who behold you may be constrained to say, “We will go with you; for we see that God is with you in truth!”

Charles Simeon

Proverbs 3:17

“Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace!”

To be sincerely and eminently pious, is considered by the world as a symptom of weakness and folly. But the Scriptures represent such a life as characteristic of true wisdom. Upon such “wisdom” Solomon bestows the highest commendations, verses 13-16.

That this is the true meaning of “wisdom” and “understanding” is evident from Job 28:28. He speaks of it as incomparably more precious than gold, or rubies, or any earthly good whatever; he paints wisdom as a queen disposing of riches, honor, and longevity to all her subjects. And because we are more captivated by the idea of pleasure than of anything else, he commends her to us in the text as productive of it in the highest possible degree.

We are naturally led to show from the words before us that,

I. Piety is pleasant in its exercise.

In confirmation of this truth, let us,

1. Consider piety in a general and comprehensive view.

True piety, as our Lord informs us, is comprehended in two things; the love of God, and the love of our neighbor.

Let us then inquire into the love of God.

Suppose a person filled with admiration of the divine perfections as exhibited in the works of creation—must not that be a pleasant exercise of mind?

Suppose him rising yet higher to the works of redemption, and contemplating the justice and the mercy, the truth and the love, the wisdom and the goodness of God—as united, and harmonizing, and glorified in the cross of Christ.

Suppose him, I say, contemplating these with rapture, until he bursts forth in songs of praise similar to those uttered by the angels at the birth of Christ, or those which are now sung around the throne of God—would there be no pleasure in such an employment?

Suppose him yet further meditating upon the mercies of God given to himself in particular, and adoring the triune God for all the wonders of electing, redeeming, sanctifying grace—must not such a frame be pleasant?

Inquire, next, into the love of our neighbor.

Suppose one to be exercising all those dispositions towards him which his relation to us or his situation demands.

Suppose one to be rejoicing with him in his prosperity, or to be weeping over his adversity in tender sympathy.

Suppose one to be stretching out the hand of charity for his relief, or administering consolation for his support.

Is there no pleasure in all this? Surely he has not the heart of a man, who can question this obvious, indubitable truth.

2. Consider piety in its most difficult and painful duties.

Repentance is a principal duty of true piety; but can we find, it may be asked, any pleasure in that? We answer, Yes, only view repentance in its proper light, and we will affirm that it is pleasant.

Suppose that one of us had by mistake swallowed somewhat that was poisonous; that we felt the deadly venom preying on our vitals; and that our physician informed us, that, unless removed from our stomach, the poison would destroy us in a few hours; would we deem the exertions necessary for the removal of it a painful task? Would we not gladly renew them, until we had accomplished our end? Would we not, instead of regretting the pain occasioned by them, feel thankful that we had an opportunity to use them? And would not the success that accompanied our efforts turn our pain into a pleasure?

Such then is repentance; it is a painful exertion to get rid of sin, which, if not expelled from our hearts, will utterly and eternally destroy us; and, though we do not say that pain can ever be pleasure—yet we affirm, that the very pangs of contrition, considered in a complex view, as consonant with our wishes and conducive to our good, are really pleasant. For the truth of our assertion we will appeal to all who ever experienced those pangs; we will ask whether the seasons of their deepest humiliation have not been the sweetest seasons of their lives? We fear no contradiction upon this point, unless from those who are wholly ignorant of the matter.

Self-denial is another, and a very important, duty. But this, it should seem, precludes, in the very nature of it, the idea of pleasure, because it is a thwarting of our own inclinations. We must however include this also among the ways that are ways of pleasantness.

That the gratifying of a corrupt inclination is pleasant to flesh and blood, we cannot deny; but that the mortifying of it is abundantly more pleasant, we do not hesitate to affirm.

Suppose a person tempted to yield to the solicitations of lust, or to gratify a no less keen appetite for revenge; would not a victory over his evil passions afford him more pleasure than a compliance with them? Would not the mortifying of an unchaste desire be attended with a pleasure more pure and refined than could be attained by the indulgence of it? And, granting that the overcoming of evil with evil would be pleasant, (for revenge, they say, is sweet,) would not the “overcoming it with good” afford him incomparably sublimer happiness! Romans 12:21.

Let us illustrate each of these positions by an example. Joseph, we know, resisted the importunity of his mistress; but were his sensations less pleasing when he had got out of the reach of temptation, than they would have been if he had consented to her wishes?

David, when enraged at the ingratitude and insolence of Nabal, went to avenge himself by his destruction; but when stopped and pacified by Abigail, did he regret the loss of any satisfaction which he would have felt in executing his cruel designs? No! he blessed her, and blessed God for her; and found infinitely more delight in the exercise of a forgiving spirit than the completest revenge could ever have afforded him, 1 Samuel 25:31-33. We maintain it then, that the self-denial which piety calls for, is a source of real pleasure to the soul.

The bearing of the cross is another duty inculcated on all the followers of Christ, Luke 9:23. 2 Timothy 3:12. And can this be pleasant? Yes, we must affirm that this also is a source of pleasure to the true Christian. Doubtless the contempt and hatred which we must expect from an ungodly world are not pleasant in themselves; to be shut up in prison, and scourged, and put to a cruel and lingering death—are not pleasant in themselves; but, as endured for the sake of Christ, they are pleasant.

To ascertain this, inquire of those “who took joyfully the confiscation of their goods, Hebrews 10:34;” or those who, with their feet in the stocks and their backs torn with scourges “sang praises to God at midnight, Acts 16:23-25.” Or those who, after their imprisonment, “rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the sake of Christ, Acts 5:41.” Ask what our Lord meant, when he taught his followers to “rejoice and be exceedingly glad,” whenever they should be called to suffer, Matthew 5:11-12. And inquire of all the primitive saints who had learned. through grace, to “glory in tribulation, Romans 5:3.” Inquire of him, who suffered more than any other of the Apostles, and who, speaking of his expected martyrdom, exults in it as a matter of the warmest encouragement, Philippians 2:17-18.

The experience of all true Christians is the same at this day; they “count themselves happy when they are called to endure suffering, James 1:2; James 5:11;” and look upon it as a special honor conferred upon them, when “it is given them to suffer anything for their Redeemer’s sake, Philippians 1:29.” In a word, piety raises us so much above earthly pains and pleasures, as to render us altogether independent on them for our happiness, Habakkuk 3:17-18.

Seeing then that even the most painful duties of piety are sources of pleasure, we may confidently affirm the same respecting “all” her ways.

To this blessed account of wisdom’s ways, we may add,

II. Piety is pleasant in its peaceful outcome.

Mark the influences of piety on all who walk in her ways:

1. Piety is pleasant in life.

None know anything of “peace,” except the true Christian. As God has said, so experience proves, that “there is no peace to the wicked, Isaiah 57:21.” The cisterns to which they go for refreshment, are polluted; or rather, they are “broken cisterns that can hold no water, Jeremiah 2:13.” All that they possess is more “vanity and vexation of spirit.” “Even in laughter their heart is sorrowful; and the end of their mirth is heaviness, Ecclesiastes 2:2. Proverbs 14:13.”

But is it thus with the true Christian? Has he peace in his soul, and joys with which the stranger does not understand? Yes, he “has already entered into rest, Hebrews 4:3.”

He has a tranquility arising from the subjugation of his passions.

He has a holy composure of mind springing from the testimony of a good conscience, 2 Corinthians 1:12.

He has many sweet manifestations of God’s love to his soul.

He has that within him which mitigates every sorrow, enhances every enjoyment, and supplies his every need.

In a word, from committing his soul, and all his concerns, to God, he has “a peace that passes all understanding.” This peace, we say, flows from the very exercises of piety, and is, more or less, an inseparable attendant on them.

To this effect the inspired writers uniformly speak. The Psalmist observes, “Great peace have they that love your law, Psalm 119:165.” To the same purpose Isaiah also says, “The work of righteousness is peace, and the effect of righteousness is quietness and assurance forever, Isaiah 32:17.” Paul confirms their testimony, saying, “To be carnally-minded is death; but to be spiritually-minded is life and peace! Romans 8:6.”

2. Piety is pleasant in death.

Even in the time of health the ungodly cannot bear to think of death; conversation upon that solemn subject is irksome and disgusting to them; they avoid it, because it makes them melancholy. If they are attacked with any fatal disease, their friends do all that they can to abate their fears, and to hide from them the real state of their disorder. When at last they come to feel their danger, then they are full of alarm and terror; and, however much they despised the duties of piety before, they will then begin to pay attention to them.

There are some indeed so blinded by their own delusions, that they believe themselves safe; while others are so callous as to be altogether insensible of their awful condition. But if men are not wholly blinded by conceit, or hardened by wickedness, they cannot but tremble at the approach of death; and then the hopes which they once fondly entertained, give way to painful forebodings, even to “a fearful looking-for of judgment and fiery indignation.”

On the contrary, he who has walked in wisdom’s ways, is enabled in the midst of life to look forward to death, (like a bridegroom to his approaching nuptials,) as to the period, when all his desires shall be fulfilled, and his joys consummated. As he beholds death approaching, he rather chides its tardiness, than deprecates its advent. He “knows in whom he has believed;” and, in the hour of his departure, commits his soul with confidence into the hands of his ever-living and adorable Redeemer!

Thus Stephen, Acts 7:59-60; thus Paul, 2 Timothy 4:6-8; and innumerable others, have died; and David tells us, that it is the privilege of all true believers to expect and enjoy such a death as this, “Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; for the end of that man is peace! Psalm 37:37.”

3. Piety is pleasant in eternity.

As soon as the ungodly enter into the eternal world, whether they were conceited or callous, whether confident or trembling, they know the truth of all that God’s Word has declared.

The Rich Man that fared sumptuously no sooner breathed out his soul, than he understood and felt the evil of neglecting his eternal interests; he then found his misery irremediable, and incapable of the smallest alleviation. He knew that his five surviving brethren were living in the same thoughtless way, and hastening to the same fatal end; and wished that they might be apprised of their danger, before it were too late. He knew by bitter experience that to those who lived and died in sin, nothing remained but unintermitted everlasting misery! “They drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and the smoke of their torment ascends up forever and ever; and they have no rest day nor night, Revelation 14:10-11.”

How different is the state of true Christians! They enjoy “the rest which here remained for them;” they rest in the bosom of their Savior, free from all sin and temptation, from pain and weariness. The peace which they enjoyed in this world, was but a taste of that banquet on which they feast continually, a drop of “those rivers of pleasure which are at God’s right hand for evermore!”

ADDRESS.

1. The votaries of pleasure.

There are two fatal mistakes under which you labor:

1. The one is, that you think piety according to the Scriptural representation of it, will afford nothing but pain.

2. The other is, that piety will consist with an enjoyment of all the pleasures of the world.

With respect to the former of these, we hope that nothing need be added to what has been already spoken; we hope that piety, if it has a dark and gloomy side, has also, like the pillar and cloud, a bright and cheering aspect; it is only on God’s enemies that it casts a gloom; to his friends it affords a reviving light, a refreshing shade, a sure and safe directory to Heaven.

With respect to the latter idea, namely, that of piety countenancing worldly pleasures; surely no one can deliberately put such a construction on our text. If so, what can be meant by Paul, when he says, “She who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives, 1 Timothy 5:6.” What could John mean, when he said, “If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him, 1 John 3:15-16.” And what could our Lord mean, when he said, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world, John 17:16.”

Do not be deceived, as though carnal and worldly pleasures were the only sources of enjoyment. But be assured that the renunciation of them will contribute more to your happiness than the indulgence; and that real pleasure is to be found in God alone!

2. The disciples of Christ.

The wicked know that you profess to find more pleasure in piety than they can obtain in the world; give them not then any reason to think that you are disappointed in your expectations.

If they see you lukewarm in piety, will they not conclude that it has not charms sufficient to allure you, or benefits sufficient to reward your labor?

If they see you joining in their company and vain pursuits, will they not, however they may encourage you in such a conduct, suppose that piety is not able to make you happy, and that you are forced, after all your professions, to come and borrow of their carnal pleasures, in order to eke out the scanty pittance that piety has bestowed?

O bring not such disgrace upon your holy profession. Show that you despise the vanities of this world, and that you have no appetite for husks after living upon “the bread that is in your Father’s house!” Our Lord has said, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Show therefore that you feel it so; and let it be seen by your zeal in religious duties, that they are not a weariness to you, but a delight. Thus will you recommend to others the paths you tread, and prove to them that “your feet are guided into the way of peace.”

Charles Simeon

Proverbs 3:9-10

“Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first-fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine!”

To instruct men how to ensure success in their agricultural pursuits or commercial speculations, is no part of a minister’s office. Were we able substantially to benefit mankind in those particulars, there would be no lack of hearers, nor any complaint that we labored too zealously in our vocation. On the contrary, the more successful we were in effecting our wishes, the more gratefully would we be acknowledged as public benefactors.

Shall I then, for once, exceed, as it were, the commission given me, and attempt to teach you how to thrive in this world? Yes; allow me for once to usurp this office; and to assure the most unlearned person among you, that by acting on the principles which I will set before him this day, he shall be as sure to prosper in his business, as if he were ever so conversant with the arts of trade. I mean not indeed to say, that a person going out of his own proper line shall be enabled to prosecute that line to advantage; but that, while proceeding prudently in his proper vocation, he shall succeed more certainly, and to a greater extent, than on other principles he can expect to do.

I say this the more confidently, because the directions which I shall give are not the results of fallible reasonings or of uncertain conjectures, but the plain unequivocal declarations of God, “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first-fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine!”

In these words we see,

I. Our duty.

We must “honor the Lord with our wealth”.

All that we have is the Lord’s! “Our very bodies and souls are his;” as well as the property which he has committed to our care. With the whole of that he is to be honored; and in the disposal of it, respect must be had to his will, his interests, his glory. We are to consider everything that we possess, not as given to us, but merely as confided to us, to be improved for him; and we must so employ the whole, as to meet his approbation in the day that we shall give up our account, and to be acknowledged by him as good and faithful stewards.

We must honor him, also, “with the first-fruits of all our increase.”

The first-fruits under the Law were claimed by God as his, and they were to be presented to him as his peculiar property, “You shall take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which you shall bring, of the land which the Lord your God gives you, and shall put it in a basket, and shall go unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose to place his name there, Deuteronomy 26:2.”

Besides these, was the tithe of all their increase to be offered to him every third year, “At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands, Deuteronomy 14:28-29.”

Under the Gospel, the letter of this law is abolished; but the spirit of it yet remains in force; for the express command of God to us is, “On the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store as God has prospered him, 1 Corinthians 16:2.” We are not to wait for the gathering in of our harvest; and then give a portion to the Lord after our own interests are secured; but rather to honor the Lord first, as the real proprietor of all; and then, trusting him for a supply of our own needs, to employ for ourselves what he shall graciously bestow upon us.

This duty will not appear hard, if we consider what God has spoken for,

II. Our encouragement.

It should seem as if the giving of our substance were the way to diminish it; and the devoting of our first-fruits to him, the way to endanger our own provision through the year. But God has declared the very reverse, and has pledged himself that he will amply make up to us all that we part with for his sake.

This, under the Law, he did, visibly, according to the letter.

Under that dispensation, a present and visible retribution marked, for the most part, the approbation or displeasure of God. When the people delayed to build his temple, he chastised them with famine, and referred to that visitation as a judgment inflicted on them for their sin, “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops, Haggai 1:9-10.”

And when they were stirred up to begin the work, God not only assured them of his blessing on their temporal concerns, but bade them note down the day that the foundation of his temple was laid, and see whether their blessings were not augmented from that very hour, “From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid. Give careful thought: Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. “‘From this day on I will bless you.'” Haggai 2:18-19.”

He bids them even to prove him in relation to this matter, and to see whether his bounty would not keep pace with their piety, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it! Malachi 3:10.”

Under the Gospel, also, he will do it, but invisibly, and according to the spirit of our motto verse.

We are not taught to look so much to temporal rewards, as to those which are spiritual and eternal; though still we are told that “godliness has the promise of the life that now is, as well as of that which is to come 1 Timothy 4:8;” and that, if we “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, all needful things shall be added unto us! Matthew 6:33.”

We may not obtain a temporal recompense for our liberality; but a spiritual reward is sure. For thus said the Lord, “Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter–when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail, Isaiah 58:7-11.”

An eternal recompense will also most assuredly await us; for our blessed Lord has expressly told us, that if instead of lavishing our money in self-indulgence and feasting ourselves, we delight to expend it on the poor, “we shall be recompensed at the resurrection of the just, Luke 14:12-14.” He has commanded us on this account to “make friends to ourselves of the mammon of un-
righteousness,” in the full expectation that at our death “we
shall be received into everlasting habitations Luke 16:9.”

And Paul speaks to the same effect when he says, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life! 1 Timothy 6:17-19.”

But, after all, we must not altogether put out of our consideration even a present reward in the precise sense spoken of in our text; for it is beyond a doubt, that God does engage to supply the necessities of those who honor him with their substance, “I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever! Philippians 4:18-20.” We can appeal to many, and ask whether they have not seen, in relation to their temporal concerns, many gracious interpositions of God in their behalf?

But, independent of these, who does not know that liberality is the parent of economy, and economy of wealth? A man desirous of honoring God with his substance, is delivered at once from all those vices and follies which ruin the estates of thousands. Besides, who that delights in doing good has not found incomparably greater delight in self-denial for the benefit of others, than the utmost latitude of self-indulgence could ever have afforded him? Granting, then, that no addition is actually made to our wealth; yet, if our desires are moderated, and our selfish expenditures restrained—then the same effect is ultimately produced; for we are not more truly enriched by the increase of our substance, than we are by the diminution of our needs and our consumption.

Let me now point out the bearings of this subject,

1. On those who are engaged in visiting the sick.

People engaged in imparting instruction to the ignorant, and consolation to the afflicted, have yet in a more eminent degree, the promise in our text fulfilled to them. Their light perhaps, at first, is but very imperfect; but by imparting it to others. their own views become enlarged, and their own experience of divine truth becomes deeper, from the very circumstance of their improving it for the benefit of others. Indeed, I can hardly suggest any better method for enlarging our own knowledge, than the making use of it for the instruction of our less enlightened brethren; for besides the natural effect which may be expected from the communication of knowledge, we may expect a peculiar blessing from God while we are so employed.

A remarkable instance of this may be found in Apollos, “He, when he knew only the baptism of John, spoke and taught diligently the Word of the Lord.” “Aquila and Priscilla hearing him in the synagogue, took him, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.” And then, going forth with his augmented light, he prospered far more in his labors of love, not only “convincing the Jews that Jesus was the Christ, but much helping those who had believed through grace, Acts 18:24-28.” This example is most encouraging to all, to improve for God the light which they possess; for, whatever we do for God, is regarded by him as a loan which he will repay! Proverbs 19:17; and in every instance shall it be found, that “he who waters others, shall be watered also himself! Proverbs 11:25.”

2. On those who contribute for the support of charity.

On these, the subject bears to its full extent; and we are warranted to affirm, that men shall “reap either sparingly or bountifully, according as they sow, 2 Corinthians 9:6.” But there is one point of view in which they pre-eminently “honor God.” and with peculiar advantage secure their reward. They honor God particularly, not merely by the distribution of their alms, but by employing and calling forth into activity the piety of others, for the benefit of their fellow-creatures.

It is obvious that individuals of small property could not, without assistance from others, relieve the necessities of the poor to any great extent; and if they could not administer some temporal relief, they could not find easy access to the chambers of the sick. But being furnished with the means of easy access, they can pour the light of instruction and the balm of consolation into the souls of the afflicted to great advantage; and the people so instructed and comforted, not only abound in thanksgivings to God for the benefits received, but in prayers to God in behalf of their benefactors.

This Paul speaks of, as ennobling charity far beyond the mere conveyance of temporal relief, “This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people, but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else! 2 Corinthians 9:12-13.”

Now then, let me ask: How can you honor God more, than in causing thanksgivings to arise to him from the altars of many hearts? What compensation under Heaven can equal the prayers and intercessions of saints in your behalf? Put your alms in one scale, and the prayers offered to a prayer-hearing God in the other, and say whether your recompense is not very abundant, or whether it is possible to lay out money in any other way to such advantage? Let all of you, then, according to your power, “abound in this heavenly grace” of charity, after the example of your blessed Lord, “who, though he was rich—yet for your sakes became poor, that you through his poverty might be rich! 2 Corinthians 8:9.” Only get a sense of his love upon your souls, and a “sincere love to him” in return, and we shall have no occasion to entreat liberality from you. “For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will. But just as you excel in everything–in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us–see that you also excel in this grace of giving! 2 Corinthians 8:3-8.”

Charles Simeon

Proverbs 3:5-6

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and do not lean unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him; and he shall direct your paths!”

The book of Proverbs is not so much designed to open to us the way of salvation, as it is to regulate our conduct after we have attained a saving knowledge of the truth. It abounds with maxims admirably calculated to assist us in our fellowship with men, and with instructions also relative to our walk before God. Of this latter kind is the advice given us in the words which we have just read; wherein we see,

I. The confidence which God requires of us.

As creatures, we are of necessity dependent on Him who first gave us our existence; for in him we live, and move, and have our being. But it is by no means sufficient for us to acknowledge this as a truth which we cannot controvert; we must acquiesce in it as a state that we approve, and glory in it as our highest privilege. Our confidence in God must be co-extensive with our necessities.

1. Our confidence in God must be entire.

We must trust in the Lord “with all our heart.” There must be no aversion to such an appointment as unnecessary, no distrust of it as insufficient. We should view ourselves as utterly incapable of ensuring our own happiness; and we should regard God as engaged to order everything for our good. We should not for a moment doubt his wisdom to discern what shall eventually prove best for us, nor his power to execute it, however great or numerous the difficulties may be which appear to obstruct its accomplishment.

Nay, we must be persuaded that his love delights in caring for us, and that his truth and faithfulness will perform all that in his unbounded mercy he has undertaken in our behalf.

From this conviction we must commit all our concerns to him, to be ordered and overruled as he in his infinite wisdom shall see best. There must be an actual transfer of them if we may so speak into his hands, and a full conviction of mind that he is able to keep, and will assuredly keep, what we have so committed to him, so as to bring all our affairs to a blessed and successful outcome, Psalm 37:5 with 2 Timothy 1:12. “We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose! Romans 8:28.”

2. Our confidence in God must be exclusive.

We must “not lean to our own understanding,” so as to rely on it for anything. We are to use our understanding indeed, but not to transfer to it any measure of that dependence which should be placed on God alone. We know not what would be the ultimate outcome of any one thing. We are ready to suppose that whatever obstructs our wishes for a time, will endanger their final accomplishment; whereas God often makes those very events subservient to his own gracious purposes, and uses them as means whereby his ends shall be fulfilled.

This was remarkably the case with Joseph in all his trials; and there is no true believer who will not acknowledge, that in his own experience many things which have been desired by him would have proved injurious, and many things which have been deprecated by him have been overruled for his welfare. From a full conviction that “a man’s way is not in himself, and that it is not in man that walks to direct his steps, Jeremiah 10:23,” we must renounce all idea of planning for ourselves, any further than in an entire dependence on the divine guidance and direction. We are surely to use all proper means for attaining what on the whole appears most desirable; but the relying on our own devices, as calculated of themselves to ensure success, is the thing which God has marked with his strongest disapprobation, Isaiah 22:8-11. See also Isaiah 30:1-3; Isaiah 31:1-3. The doing of this demonstrates our folly, Proverbs 28:26, and exposes us to the heaviest curse, Jeremiah 17:5-6. We must therefore altogether “cease from our own wisdom, Proverbs 23:4.”

3. Our confidence in God must be uniform.

“In all our ways we must acknowledge him;” not only in those ways which seem to be of greater importance, but in all things without exception. It is not in the rise and fall of empires alone that God’s hand is to be viewed, but in the falling of a sparrow, or in any event equally insignificant. We are apt to consider some things as important, and others as unimportant; but the truth is, that in God’s sight nothing is important (except as it may advance his glory); nor is there anything unimportant as it relates to us. Many things which in their effects and consequences have been of the greatest imaginable importance, may in their origin be traced to the slightest possible occurrence! If we look into the book of Esther, we shall see this observation confirmed in its utmost extent. Nor is God to be acknowledged only in those events which would be deemed small, but in those also which are casual, or, as we call them, accidental, “the lot (than which nothing is more casual) is cast into the lap, but the whole disposal thereof is of the Lord.” In everything therefore, whether great or small, painful or pleasant, planned or incidental, God must be acknowledged as having sent it, if past, and as having the entire disposal of it, if future.

To place this entire confidence in God will be found our truest wisdom, if we consider,

II. The encouragement which God gives us to trust in him.

Wonderful is the promise here given for our encouragement, “He shall direct our paths.” But how will he direct us? Will he speak to us in dreams, or visions, or by Urim and Thummim, or by an audible voice? Or will he go before us in the pillar and the cloud, as he did before his people in the wilderness? or answer us, as he did David, in reference to the men of Keilah, and the Amalekites? 1 Samuel 23:4; 1 Samuel 11:12; 1 Samuel 30:8. No; we are not authorized to expect anything of the kind; yet will he direct us sufficiently to preserve us from any material error,

1. God will direct us by his Spirit.

To “open the eyes of our understanding” is one of the most important offices of the Spirit; and, in doing this, he will purge away from our eyes that film which obstructs our sight. Pride, passion, self-interest, and a thousand other things, incapacitate us for a clear and perfect discovery of our duty; and, until these are mortified, we are constantly exposed to the most awful delusions; we are ready at all times to “call good evil, and evil good; to put darkness for light, and light for darkness.”

But when our minds are duly enlightened, we see things in their proper colors. On different occasions, when the apostles would have called fire from Heaven to consume a Samaritan village, and when they contended with each other who would be the greatest, our blessed Lord instructed them better; and so will he do with us, bringing to our remembrance some portion of God’s Word which bears upon the point in hand.

Thus he fulfills that blessed promise, “that we shall hear a word behind us, saying. This is the way, walk in it! when we would otherwise have turned either to the right hand or to the left, Isaiah 30:21.” We do not say, that the Holy Spirit does not sometimes effect this without the Word; we are inclined to think he does; and that too by a kind of impression on the mind deterring us from evil and guiding us to good, Psalm 73:24. 1 John 2:20; 1 John 2:27. But he never does it contrary to the Word. Suffice it to say, that whether with or without the Word, he will guide us into all truth, so far as shall be necessary for the rectifying of our views, and the regulating of our conduct.

2. God will direct us by his Providence.

God often interposes for men in a most astonishing manner, to preserve them from evil, and to guide them into that which is good. Even a wicked Balaam was obstructed in his way by God’s appointment, in order to awaken him to a just sense of his duty.

A remarkable instance of such an interposition occurs in the life of David. He, being incensed against Nabal for the contemptuous manner in which he had treated his messengers, and for his ungrateful refusal to administer to his necessities, 1 Samuel 25:4-11, had determined to avenge himself upon him and all that belonged to him. But God put it into the heart of Abigail to go to meet him, and by mild means to pacify his wrath, 1 Samuel 25:18-31. Thus were the greatest impieties prevented through the intervention of this prudent woman! 1 Samuel 25:32-34.

In the same way, God often directs the ways of his people, either sending a friend perhaps, or a minister, to suggest such considerations as shall influence their minds; or by some particular occurrence “raising, as it were, a hedge, or building a wall,” to keep them in the path of duty, Hosea 2:6-7. It may be that the occurrence may occasion much grief at the time; but God knows how to accomplish his own purposes, and will constrain us all in due time to acknowledge that “he does all things well!”

We will add a few words,

1. To direct your exertions.

Do not imagine that confidence in God is to supersede your own personal exertions. You are to labor, as much as if everything depended on yourselves; and then to trust in God, as if nothing had been done by you. You must also expressly commit your concerns to God in fervent and continual prayer. The Psalmist particularly combines this with confidence in God, “Trust in God at all times, pour out your hearts before him, Psalm 62:8.” The confidence that is unaccompanied with prayer and diligence is mere sinful presumption. We have a beautiful pattern in Jacob, when he was about to meet his brother Esau. He disposed everything in a way most suited to pacify his brother’s anger, or, in the event of not succeeding in that attempt, to secure that part of his family who were most dear to him; but, while he acted thus, he committed himself wholly to the Lord, and looked for success from him alone, Genesis 32:9-32. Thus let there be no lack of prudence or of diligence on your part; and then you may be assured that God will not allow you to be disappointed of your hope.

2. To regulate your expectations.

Though God promises to direct your paths, he will not so direct you as to keep you from every degree of error. The apostles themselves, though in what they declared to be the will of God, they were inspired to utter nothing but what was true, were not infallible in their own personal conduct. Peter greatly erred on one occasion, in his conduct towards the Gentiles; as Paul also did in reviling God’s high priest.

You must not therefore conceive that you are certainly and altogether right, because you have prayed to God for direction. God may have many wise and gracious purposes to answer by leaving you still under some measure of darkness and ignorance; if it is only to humble you still more, and to show you the blindness of your minds and the deceitfulness of your hearts; it is a good and gracious end, for which you will in the outcome see reason to be thankful. Be modest then, and diffident in your conclusions; and instead of assuming infallibility to yourselves, be always ready to suspect that your way is still far from perfect; and to the last hour of your lives be praying to God to lead you in a right path, and to fulfill to you that gracious promise, “The meek he will guide in judgment; the meek he will teach his way.”

Charles Simeon

Proverbs 2:10-22

“For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you. Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways. It will save you also from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words, who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God. For her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. None who go to her return or attain the paths of life. Thus you will walk in the ways of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous. For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it; but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be torn from it.”

Whether we regard Solomon as a saint walking with his God, or as a backslider restored to God—we must consider him as pre-eminently qualified to give advice for the regulation of our conduct. For, as a saint—he was endued with wisdom above all men. And, as a backslider—he had a wider range for his wickedness, and a deeper experience of its folly, than any other person ever possessed.

Under the character of “wisdom,” he here speaks of true religion; which he recommends to all, but especially to people in early life; and, in order to impress his advice the more deeply on our minds, he sets before us:

I. The benefits derived from true wisdom.

When once true religion is deeply rooted in the heart, it will render us the most essential services.

1. True religion will keep us from the society of ungodly men.

There are many whose delight is in wickedness; they have departed from God themselves, and have “made crooked paths for themselves;” in which they proceed with all imaginable vileness and perverseness. Disdaining to receive any light from God or his Word, they “walk in utter darkness, not at all knowing where they are going, verse 13 with 1 John 2:11.”

Not content with casting off all restraint themselves, and walking after their own lusts in all manner of impurity—they wish to draw all whom they can along with them. They deride all serious piety, and labor to the uttermost to turn aside from the way of godliness, any who may be inclined to it! They rejoice to do evil, and if they can but succeed in their efforts to ensnare a person who has been fleeing from sin, and to divert him from following after God—not even Satan himself will exult more than they!

Now from such companions true religion will preserve us. We shall see at once how far they are from God, and how impossible it is to be happy in their society, “for what fellowship can righteousness have with unrighteousness; or light with darkness; or Christ with Belial; or he who believes with an unbeliever! 2 Corinthians 6:14-15.” Instead of seeking their society, therefore, we shall come out from among them, and be separate! 2 Corinthians 6:17;” and not have any fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them, Ephesians 5:11.”

2. True religion will keep us from the snares also of ungodly women.

It is lamentable to think how degraded human nature is, and how assimilated to the very beasts multitudes are, who were originally formed in the image of their God. Females, married, as well as unmarried, “forsaking the husband of their youth and the covenant of their God,” will abandon themselves to the most vile courses, soliciting the embrace of men to whom they are utter “strangers,” and practicing every species of artifice, to ensnare and corrupt all who come in their way!

And such is their influence over those whom they have once ensnared, that it is a miracle almost if even one is recovered to a sense of his duty, and is brought back again in penitential sorrow to his God! verse 19. Truly their ways lead down to death and to Hell! Proverbs 5:3-5; Proverbs 7:26-27. For not only do they draw men from all thoughtfulness about their souls, but they bring them into corruptions and crimes, which frequently end in suicide, or death by the hands of the public executioner.

But from these also, will vital piety preserve us. It will lead us to use all the precautions against them, that a prudent government employs against the infection of the plague. We shall have no communication with people whose very presence will endanger the life of our souls. We shall not go near their houses, or the places of their resort, Proverbs 5:8. We shall not parley with temptation when it comes in our way; but shall flee from it, as Joseph did, saying, “How shall I do this great wickedness, and sin against God! Genesis 39:9.”

3. True religion will guide us in the paths of righteousness and peace.

When once true religion enters into the soul, we shall take the Scriptures for our guide, and endeavor to walk in the paths which all the holy men of old have trod before us, verse 20. We shall not be satisfied with following the customs of those around us, or with conforming to the standard of duty which the world approves. We shall desire to be as “holy, as God is holy;” and shall determine through grace to “perfect holiness in the fear of God”.

Such being the effects of true wisdom, I will proceed to point out to you,

II. The vast importance of seeking after true religion.

Both the promises and threatenings of the Mosaic law were chiefly of a temporal nature; the people who served God faithfully being encouraged to expect peace and plenty in the land of Canaan; while those who were disobedient to his laws were to be visited with war, famine, pestilence, and ultimately to be driven out of that land, as the Canaanites had been before them.

But under these figures, truths of far higher consequence were veiled; and the present and eternal states of men were shadowed forth as indissolubly connected with their moral and religious character. Hence the contrast drawn between the sentence accorded to “the upright” and “the wicked” in the concluding verses of our text, must be understood as referring to:

1. Their respective states in this world.

“Godliness is profitable unto all things, having the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come, 1 Timothy 4:8.” Certainly in this world there is an immense “difference between those who serve God, and those who serve him not, Malachi 3:18.”

We readily grant that the ungodly and profane may prosper in respect of outward things, and that the saints may be in a state of degradation and oppression, Psalm 73:3-10. But there is no comparison between the real happiness of the one and of the other; the ungodly are “like the troubled sea, whose waters cast up mire and dirt! Isaiah 57:20-21.” They are agitated by many ungovernable and conflicting passions; their tempers are a source of continual disquietude, Romans 3:16-17; and they have no inward resources to calm the tumult of their minds.

But the godly have consolations peculiar to themselves, and abundantly sufficient to counterbalance their afflictions. They have a God to go unto—a God, who says, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you.” The very tribulations which they endure for righteousness sake, are to them a ground of glorying! Romans 5:3; and the light of God’s countenance lifted up upon their souls with joy and peace, even with “a joy that is unspeakable,” and “a peace that surpasses all understanding.”

If then we look no further than to this present life, we do not hesitate to declare that “the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil, that is understanding! Job 28:28.”

2. Their respective states in the world to come.

“There is a rest which remains for the people of God, Hebrews 4:9″—a rest, into which the true Joshua shall introduce them, as soon as ever they shall have completed the period fixed for their abode in this dreary wilderness; and there shall they “remain” forever; there shall they be as “pillars in the temple of their God and shall never leave, verse 21 with Revelation 3:12.”

But how shall I represent their happiness in that place where there will be no remains of those evils which they experienced in this world, Revelation 21:4; and where every blessing which they here sought for, shall be imparted to the utmost extent of their desires, and of their capacities for enjoyment! Psalm 16:11.

On the other hand, there is a day of retribution for the ungodly, when they shall not only be “convinced of all their ungodly deeds which they have wickedly committed, and of all their hard speeches which they have spoken against the Lord and his ways, but will have judgment executed upon them” by the Judge of the living and the dead! Jude 15. And what words can ever suffice to give an adequate idea of their misery, when, driven from the presence of their God, and from the congregation of his saints, Psalm 1:5. Luke 13:28. They shall be consigned to those regions of misery, where they will take their portion in “the lake that burns with fire and brimstone,” and “dwell forever with everlasting burnings!”

If men would but reflect one moment on these consequences of their impiety, there would be no longer any occasion to discourse on the wisdom of seeking after God, or the folly of provoking his displeasure by a life of sin!

APPLICATION:

1. Let us learn to form a right estimate of true religion.

True religion is wisdom, even though the whole world should combine to call it folly.

2. Let us learn to seek true religion in due measure.

To receive it into the head is to little purpose; the proper seat of it is the heart. Nor is it sufficient that we yield a constrained obedience to it—its service should in our estimation be accounted perfect freedom. It is only “when wisdom enters into our heart, and knowledge it pleasant to our soul,” that we can be said to have received the grace of God in truth.

The worldly man is at home in the world—it is his element wherein he moves. And such must religion be to the child of God—his rest, his element, his delight.

3. Let us learn to let true religion have its full operation on our souls.

Wherever true wisdom is, “Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you, Proverbs 2:11.” We conceive this observation to be deserving of peculiar attention; because the indiscretions of religious people are rarely traced to their proper source—a lack of right dispositions in the heart.

Where meekness, and modesty, and faith, and humility reside in the heart—there will be a corresponding propriety of conduct in the life.

But where pride, and conceit, and forwardness, and self-will are predominant, there will the deportment savor of these hateful qualities in all our interactions with mankind.

There is this remarkable difference between human wisdom and that which is divine: human wisdom leaves the heart untouched, or even administers fuel to its corruptions. But divine wisdom “pours the very soul into the mold of the Gospel, Romans 6:17.” and assimilates all its dispositions to the image of God himself.

It was not Paul’s eminence in intellectual attainments that made him so eminent in Christian virtues—it was the abundance of God’s grace that rendered him so fruitful in every good word and work; and, if the grace of God abounds in us, then we also shall proportionality adorn the Gospel in the whole of our life and conversation.

Let that then be remembered which Solomon has told us, “I Wisdom dwell with Prudence, Proverbs 8:12;” and let us be careful that we do not by any indiscreet conduct give “occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.” Our determination, through grace, must be, to cut off from the world all unnecessary occasion of offence. We must not imagine that our separation from an ungodly world gives us a licence to violate either the duties or the charities of life. But while we “abstain from all appearance of evil,” we must cultivate to the uttermost not only “whatever things are true, and honest, and just, and pure—but whatever things are lovely and of good report, Philippians 4:8.” We must labor to “behave ourselves wisely in a holy way! Psalm 101:2.”

Charles Simeon

Proverbs 2:10-11

“For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you!”

Piety, more than any other thing whatever, is regarded with jealousy and suspicion; and it is a common thing for parents to guard their children against its advocates and professors, as they would against people infected with a contagious disease! What the fruit of this folly, both in parents and children too, generally is, may be easily conceived. The children, taught to dread piety, which alone could preserve them from evil, become the victims of temptation, and fall into every species of iniquity! And the parents frequently are bowed down by the misconduct of their children, until their grey hairs are brought with sorrow to the grave!

Men vainly hope to effect that by moral persuasion, which nothing but the grace of God can produce; they would have fruit without a root, and blamelessness without any fixed principle of piety in the soul. But the only way in which any man can be kept in one uniform path of goodness and of honor, is by submitting his soul to the influence of true religion, and surrendering himself up unreservedly to God.

This at least was the conviction of Solomon’s mind, “For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you!” By “wisdom and knowledge” we are not to understand worldly wisdom; for a proficiency in that, however great it may be, is no pledge of morality, nor preservative from sin. These terms are used in Scripture to express genuine piety; and it is that alone which will prove a sufficient antidote to temptation, or become a perennial source of holiness in the life!

In confirmation of this sentiment, I will show,

I. What reception divine truth should meet with.

The heart is the proper seat of divine knowledge.

Worldly knowledge is seated in the head, and is acquired by deep study, and by force of intellect; nor, in whatever degree it is attained, does it at all sanctify and renew the soul.

But the truth of God “enters into the heart;” there is that “incorruptible seed” deposited; and from thence is it brought forth into life and action. I do no mean to say, that the understanding is not to be exercised, or exercised deeply, in relation to divine truth; for, beyond all doubt, every truth must so far approve itself to our judgment, as evidently to appear worthy of God, and suited to our condition.

Nor should any man give an unrestrained scope to his imagination or affections; for, if he were implicitly to follow them, he would of necessity be led away from the solid maxims of the Gospel. But when once he is convinced of any truth of God, then is he to deliver up his affections to be molded and directed by it.

To make this clear, let me state what I mean by divine knowledge.

The Word of God teaches us that sin is an evil of extreme malignity; that, to every soul in which it reigns, it is defiling, debasing, and damming!

It teaches us that we are altogether incapable of cancelling its guilt, or of subduing its power; and that if we have not a Savior who is able to effect these things for us, we must inevitably and eternally perish!

It teaches us yet further, that the Lord Jesus Christ is precisely such a Savior as we need, and that he is both “able and willing to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by him.”

Still further, it teaches us the beauty of holiness, and the blessedness of serving and enjoying God!

But of what use are those things as a mere theory? It is only by spiritual truths being actually experienced in the soul that they can be productive of any solid benefit. But, when truly received into the heart, they set in motion all the affections of the soul, and call into activity our fears and our hopes, our sorrows and our joys.

Truth should be received in the heart with supreme delight.

Truth of any kind is pleasing to the mind, as all who are accustomed to the investigations of science can attest. But divine truth should generate the sublimest joy; or, as my text expresses it, should be “pleasant to the soul.” It should be to us what light is to the wandering and benighted traveler; he pants for it; and encourages himself on the very first appearance of its orient dawn. To him it comes as a remedy that is suited to his most urgent necessities.

Conceive of the Israelites, when pressed with hunger, or perishing with thirst—with what interest must they have beheld the manna that was showered about their tents! And with what avidity must they have bowed down to drink of the streams that issued from the rock!

Or, if it is said that these things are objects of sense, and therefore inapplicable to the point in hand—then take the instance of the bronze serpent, which was exhibited to their faith. They felt themselves dying of the wounds which had been inflicted by the fiery serpents; they were perfectly conscious that no physician on earth could help them; and they were informed, that, by God’s appointment, a bronze serpent had been erected, in order that, by looking to that, they might be restored to health.

Would they hear of that with skeptical indifference, or behold it with uninterested curiosity? No! It would be to them a matter of life and death; the very first tidings of such an instrument would make them eager for the exposure of it to their view; and when they saw or heard others attesting its efficacy, they would look to it with a desire to experience in themselves its healing power. Now this is the way in which divine truth should be viewed by us.

To the ungodly world, gospel truth is most unwelcome, because it bears testimony against them, and against all their ways; hence “they hate the light, and will not come to it, lest their deeds should be reproved.”

But to us it should be an object of ardent desire and supreme delight. We should look to it, not for the purpose of critical discussion, but of grateful application to the soul.

Our spirit should be precisely that of the blind man whom Jesus had healed. Our Lord put the question to him, “Do you believe on the Son of God?” To which he replied, “Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? John 9:35-36.” Here he finds no disposition to speculate upon the subject, as on a matter of mere critical inquiry; but shows a readiness to admit the truth the moment it should be revealed to him, and to embrace it as the one ground of all his future conduct.

Such should be the disposition of our minds also. And when we have attained clearer views of divine truth, we should “rejoice as one that finds great spoil! Psalm 119:162.”

That we may be stirred up to seek divine truth in this way, let us consider,

II. Its beneficial influence when duly received.

“Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you!” This is the testimony of God himself. But it may be asked, ‘If common knowledge is not effectual to keep us, or even divine knowledge when received only into the head—then how can the circumstance of receiving knowledge into the heart be productive of any such effect?’ I answer: It is this very circumstance which makes all the difference:

Knowledge of spiritual truth when it resides merely in the head is speculative only.

Whereas, when it enters into the heart, it becomes practical.

1. Heart knowledge of spiritual realities rectifies the judgment.

On every subject connected with the soul, the judgment of mankind is in direct opposition to the mind of God.

In their eyes, the things of time and sense are of the first importance. But in the sight of God they are all lighter than vanity itself! In God’s eyes, the concerns of the soul and of eternity are alone worthy of the care of an immortal being.

To the ungodly, even the Gospel itself, that unrivaled production of divine wisdom, is “foolishness!” But to an enlightened mind, it is the power of God and the wisdom of God unto salvation!

To the stout-hearted infidel, to follow the commands of God would be torture! But to one who is taught of God, obedience to God’s commands appears his highest honor and happiness. The truth is, he once was in darkness, but is now “brought into marvelous light;” he once saw only through the distorting medium of sense; he now beholds with the eye of faith, which brings him within the veil of the sanctuary, and discovers everything as it is beheld by God himself.

Nor should this appear strange to us.

The difference made in the desire for any object, is made by its being viewed through glasses of different colored lenses. This may easily convince us how different an appearance every object must assume, according as it is viewed through the medium of sense, or by the penetrating eye of faith.

The person who turns to God has the very law of God written in his heart; and needs only to look within, and he will see the correspondence between the divine records and his own actual experience; so that he does not merely believe the divine testimonies to be true and good, but “has within himself a witness” of their transcendent excellence; or, as it is said in the verse before our text, “he understands righteousness, and judgment, and equity, yes, every good path.”

2. Heart knowledge of spiritual realities infuses sensibility into the conscience.

The conscience of an unenlightened man is blind, partial, and in many respects fully seared; since, in relation to the dispositions of the soul towards God, which is of far greater importance than anything else, it never reproves at all. But when divine wisdom has entered into his soul, a man will not be satisfied with a freedom from great and flagrant transgressions. He will examine his duties towards God as well as those towards man. He will mark his defects, no less than his excesses. He will observe his thoughts, yes, and “the very imaginations of his thoughts;” and will be more grieved for an evil propensity or desire, than the world at large are for an evil act! He endeavors to have his conscience as much alive to the least evils, as to the greatest; and to keep it tender, as the apple of his eye; and if but a mote assails it, he will take no rest, until he has wept it out with tears of penitence and contrition!

See this in the Apostle Paul. Before his conversion, he could find no evil in himself, though he was “a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious;” but after his conversion, he did but utter a disrespectful word to a judge who was violating the plainest rules of justice, and he made it a matter of humiliation in the presence of the whole court.

3. Heart knowledge of spiritual realities instills a watchfulness against the occasions of evil.

Those who are destitute of vital godliness will venture themselves any where, without fear and without remorse; but a man of real piety will be afraid to expose himself where the objects around him present only what has a tendency to vitiate his mind. He prays to God “not to lead him into temptation;” and therefore he will not voluntarily run into it.

He will select his associates from among the excellent of the earth, who will forward, rather than retard, the growth of holy affections within him. And, as far as his situation will admit of it, he will “come out from the ungodly world, and be separate, and not even touch an impure thing,” lest he be corrupted. “Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character! 1 Corinthians 15:33.”

This is very particularly insisted on in the following context, in reference both to evil men and evil women. It is said in Proverbs 2:11-20, Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you. Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways, who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways. It will save you also from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words, who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God. For her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. None who go to her return or attain the paths of life. Thus you will walk in the ways of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous!”

Here the conduct of evil men is drawn to the very life, as is the character of the evil woman also, against both of whom the man of piety will be strictly on his guard, proposing to himself the example of the godly, and availing himself of their aid in his walk before God. He knows, that “he cannot take fire in his bosom, without being burned;” and therefore he will use the utmost possible circumspection in the whole of his deportment.

The books, the company, the conversation that would defile his mind, he carefully avoids; and, like the Jews at the time of the Passover, he searches the most secret recesses of his soul, to sweep from it the leaven that would offend his God!

4. Heart knowledge of spiritual realities leads us continually to God for direction and support.

Without divine aid all human efforts are vain. But the Word of God clearly, fully, constantly directs us to look to him, and an experience of it in our own souls will convince us of the necessity of crying to him continually, “Hold me up, and I shall be safe.” It is in this way chiefly that divine wisdom preserves us. The soundness of our principles may prescribe what is right; and our love to those principles may incline us to the performance of it; but divine grace alone can ever prove effectual for us. No “power, but that which raised Jesus Christ himself from the dead,” will be sufficient to carry on within us the work that has been begun.

On the other hand, if we really trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall, “through his strength, be able to do all things!” “Nor shall anything ever prevail to separate us from his love!”

Having illustrated the great truth in our text, we would further improve it, by suggesting,

1. In what spirit we should read and hear the Word.

We should not come to the house of God in a mere customary manner, for example sake, or to perform a duty, and still less to be amused with what we hear. But, as Cornelius and his friends, when Peter came to minister unto them, said, “Now are we all here before God, to hear all things that are commanded you by God”—so should we come up to the house of God to “hear what the Lord our God shall say concerning us.”

We should come to learn our duty—in order that we may practice it.

We should bless our God that so sublime a privilege is accorded to us.

We should come as a patient to receive the counsels of his physician, with a determination of heart to follow his prescriptions.

We should come as a mariner, if among shoals and quick-sands, does not consult his chart and compass for amusement, or with a disposition to dispute their testimony, but with a desire to have every mistake rectified, and to navigate his ship through the dangerous passage, agreeably to their direction.

O! when will Christian assemblies meet in this frame? When will God’s ordinances be thus improved for their proper end? Brethren, only reflect on the office of true wisdom, as delineated in the passage before us and you will never lack either a direction or a motive for a profitable attendance on the means of grace.

2. With what care we should improve the Word.

The Word we read and hear will judge us in the last day; and if we do not take occasion from it to follow the counsels of the Most High, we shall greatly aggravate our guilt before God. The Word we hear, if it prove not “a savor of life unto life, will become to us a savor of death unto death.” The lessons of wisdom had better never have been delivered to us, than be allowed to pass away without a suitable improvement of them.

Our blessed Lord told his hearers, that if he had not come and spoken unto them, that they would not have had sin; but that now they had no cloak for their sin.

And so must I also say unto you: All that you have heard respecting the evil of sin, the sufficiency of Christ, the beauty of holiness—of what use will it be to you, if it does not . . .
humble you as sinners,
encourage you as penitents,
and animate you as believers?

I beg you, do not neglect the day of your visitation, nor “hold the truth in unrighteousness;” but receive the truth in the love of it; and deliver your souls into it as a mold, that it may fashion you after the image of your God!

Never imagine that you have got above the use of ordinances, or that it is of no profit to attend upon them; they are the golden pipes through which, to your last hour, you must receive the golden oil into your lamps; and through the supplies of the Spirit which you may receive by them, you may hope that your path shall shine brighter and brighter unto the perfect day.”

Charles Simeon