Proverbs 1:10-19 My son, if sinners entice you, consent you not.… I. THE TEMPTERS ARE CALLED SINNERS. A sinner here is one who has himself gone out of the straight path of duty, and is now a wilful wanderer, aiming to draw others into his own dangerous course. II. THE WAY OF TEMPTING CALLED ENTICING. Sometimes the enticement of flattery is employed; sometimes misrepresentation; sometimes allurement; sometimes the barest artifice. The most dangerous artifices are those that tend to shake the only sure foundations of moral obligation and responsibility. III. HOW ARE THESE TEMPTERS TO BE DEALT WITH? Parental authority and affection enforce the solemn charge. Call in reason to your aid. Call in reflection. Call in self-knowledge. Call in the solemn warnings of God's holy oracles. Call in watchfulness and prayer. Covet the approbation of conscience. Stop to count the final cost. Let the sensual allure, let the unbelieving misrepresent, let the reckless scoff; but by the help of God, in the name of all that is virtuous and praiseworthy, for the happiness of your whole present life, in the aspiration after a life of perfect virtue and of perfect bliss, let your one decisive answer ever be, "No." (J. Bullar.) Parallel Verses KJV: My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. |
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