The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool. Sermons
I. THE POWER OF WEALTH AND THE WEAKNESS OF POVERTY. The former like a strong city or fortress; the latter like a ruinous dwelling, which threatens at any moment to tumble about the dweller's head. The teacher is thinking, as the following verse shows, on the one hand, of wealth wisely and honourably won, which becomes a means to other wise ends; on the other hand, of blameworthy poverty, which leads in time to further vice and misery. To desire competent means for the sake of worthy objects, and to fear poverty because of its temptations, is a right and true attitude of mind. II. THE TENDENCY OF WEALTH DEPENDS ON THE MIND OF THE POSSESSOR. (Ver. 16.) The "tendency of riches" is in itself an incomplete thought. Silver and gold have no tendency, except by a figure of speech. In the heart of man the directing force is found. Used justly, riches are a good; they are simply, like bodily strength, knowledge, skill, a mass of available means. Used wickedly, so that they simply feed our senses and our pride, or become corrupters of others' integrity, they simply increase the possessor's power and range of mischief. When we poetically speak of accursed gold, or base dross, we should be aware that these are figures, and that the curse can never rest on anything in God's creation except the will which perverts what is a means to good into a means to evil. III. THE CAUSES OF DIRECTION ADD MISDIRECTION IN LIFE. (Ver. 17.) Why do some men succeed, and others fail, in perpetual blundering and error? The particular cases may be complex; but as to the general rule there can be no question. In the one case there is admission of faults and attention to the correction of them. In the other, blindness to faults, inattention to warnings, obstinate persistence in error. Be not above taking a hint, especially from a foe. "Temper" is the bane of many. Any opportunity is sacrificed rather than the whim, the humour which seems to the man so thoroughly a part of himself that he cannot give it up. The habit of calm revision of one's progress and failures in the hour of prayer seems needful both to preserve from over self-confidence and from over-reliance on the advice of others. IV. CONCEALED HATRED AND OPEN MALICE EQUALLY ODIOUS. (Ver. 18.) Resentment that one dares not, or thinks it polite not to, express makes the lips turn traitor; and the victim is both "contemned and flattered." God has placed a natural hatred of duplicity in our hearts. It was levelled as a reproach against Euripides that he had put into the mouth of one of his characters the sentiment, "My tongue did swear, my heart remain'd unsworn." Not so dangerous in many cases, but morally worse, is the deliberate slanderer, who goes about to despoil his neighbours of that which leaves them much poorer, makes him none the richer. He is a fool, because his arts recoil upon himself. V. THE PERIL OF THE BABBLING TONGUE; THE PRUDENCE OF RESERVE. (Ver. 19.) The man may be confronted with his words. The "written letter remains," and "many witnesses" may serve equally well to convict of the authorship of a malicious speech. It is far more easy for men to forgive abusive things said to their faces than things reported to have been said behind their backs. And even injurious acts can be got over more readily than stinging words of sarcasm. Words have a more definite shape in thought than deeds; they reveal a certain view of you which has some truth in it. You cannot forget it, which means with most you cannot forgive it. A clean-cut sarcasm, a slander which has just that vraisemblance about it which gives currency to gossip, stamps a certain image of the victim in the public mind. The gentler motive to prudence is the hurt we may do others; the motive consistently here is the treatment we may experience ourselves. If a person, on grounds like these, were to take a pledge of total abstinence from "personal talk" of the critical kind, his prudence must be respected. An approach to this is found in well bred society. And how lamentable the condition of some so called religious circles, when there is so little culture that conversation gravitates as if by necessity to the discussion of the character and doings of popular preachers, etc.! VI. THE TONGUE AND THE HEART ARE IN IMMEDIATE CONNECTION. (Ver. 20.) Just as Napoleon said his brain and hand were in immediate connection. The analogy will serve. The "silver tongue" (no accents are silvery but those of truth) bespeaks the fine disposition, the noble heart. And what can the produce of the "worthless" heart be but "rot" upon the tongue? VII. GOOD BREEDS GOOD, WHILE EVIL CANNOT KEEP ITSELF ALIVE. (Ver. 21.) The lips of the just pasture many. Good words, good preachers, good books, - these are the food of the world, and there cannot be an oversupply. Bad books and teachers may be let alone. As Dr. Johnson said of a poem, it had not enough life in it to keep it sweet (or, "not enough vitality to preserve it from corruption"). - J.
He that uttereth a slander is a fool. I. SLANDERING IS FOOLISH, AS SINFUL AND WICKED. All sin is foolish upon many accounts. To lie simply is a great fault, being a deviation from that good rule which prescribeth truth in all our words. Of all lies those certainly are the worst which proceed from malice, or from vanity, or from both, and which work mischief; such slanders are. To bear any hatred or ill-will towards any man is a heinous fault. Of this the slanderer is most guilty in the highest degree. Incurable are the wounds which the slanderer inflicteth, irreparable the damages which he causeth, indelible the marks which he leaveth. All injustice is abominable; and of this the slanderer is most deeply guilty. The slanderer may indeed conceive it no great matter that he committeth; because he doth not act in a boisterous and bloody way, but only by words, which are subtle, slim, and transient things. Tis only an imaginary stain that he daubeth his neighbour with; therefore he supposeth no great wrong done. But these conceits arise from great inconsiderateness or mistake.II. THE SLANDERER IS A FOOL, BECAUSE HE MAKETH WRONG JUDGMENTS AND VALUATIONS OF THINGS. And accordingly driveth on silly bargains for himself, in result whereof he proveth a great loser. The slanderer may pretend that what he does is for the sake of orthodox doctrines, or for advantage of the true Church. This indeed is the covert of innumerable slanders; zeal for some opinion, or some party, beareth out men of sectarian and factious spirits in such practices; they may do, they may say, anything for those fine ends. This plea will in no wise justify such practices. Truth does not need, and it loathes and scorns the patronage and the succour of lies. To prostitute the conscience, or sacrifice our honesty, for any cause, in any interest whatever, can never be warrantable or wise. III. THE SLANDERER IS A FOOL, BECAUSE HE USETH IMPROPER MEANS AND PREPOSTEROUS METHODS OF EFFECTING HIS PURPOSES. The straight way is always shorter than the oblique and crooked. The plain way is easier than the rough and cragged. Using strict veracity and integrity, candour and equity, is the best method of accomplishing good designs. IV. THE SLANDERER IS A VERY FOOL, as bringing many great inconveniences, troubles, and mischiefs on himself. 1. A fool's mouth is his destruction. If any kind of speech is destructive and dangerous, then is this slander kind most dangerous of all. Men will rather pardon a robber of their goods, than a defamer of their good Dame. 2. The slanderer is apprehended as a common enemy; all men are rendered averse from him, and ready to cross him. 3. All ingenious and honest persons have an aversion from the practice of the slanderer, and cannot entertain it with any acceptance or complacence. It is only ill-natured and ill-nurtured, unworthy and naughty people, that are willing auditors or encouragers thereof. 4. The slanderer doth banish himself from all conversation and company. 5. He derogateth wholly from his own credit in all matters of discourse. 6. This practice is perpetually haunted with most troublesome companions, inward regret, self-condemnation, fear and disquiet. 7. The consequence of this practice is commonly shameful disgrace, with an obligation to retract, and render satisfaction; for seldom doth calumny pass long without being detected and confuted. 8. He can never have sound quiet in his mind, he can never expect pardon from heaven, without acknowledging his fault, repairing the wrong he hath done, restoring that good name of which he dispossessed his neighbour. 9. This practice doth also certainly revenge itself, imposing on its actor a perfect retaliation, an irrecoverable infamy to himself, for the infamy he caused to others. 10. The slanderer doth banish himself from heaven and happiness, doth expose himself to endless miseries and sorrows. Is not he, then, who, out of malignity or vanity, to serve any design, or soothe any humour in himself or others, involves himself in all these great evils, a most desperate and deplorable fool? Persons of a generous and honest mind cannot but scorn to debase and defile themselves by so mean and vile a practice; and so do those who seriously profess Christianity; that is, the religion which peculiarly above all others prescribeth the constant truth, strictest justice, and highest charity. (I. Barrow, D.D.) I. THE LANGUAGE OF DECEIT (ver. 18). Lying is a sin committed by — 1. The false witness (Proverbs 14:5). 2. The dishonest tradesman (Proverbs 20:14). II. THE LANGUAGE OF SLANDER (ver. 18). "The safe rule as to the government of the tongue in society," says Dean Goulburn, "is to stand at a very respectful distance from all such topics as our neighbour's conduct and character." III. THE LANGUAGE OF PROFUSION (ver. 19). It is better to say nothing than that what we say should be nothing to the purpose. Profuse talkers often transgress the law of — 1. Reverence (Ecclesiastes 5:2). 2. Courtesy. Conversation is not merely talking to people, but talking with people (Romans 15:2). 3. Integrity. When speech runs in advance of thought, it is apt to run in advance of truth (Colossians 4:6; Titus 2:8). 4. Prudence (John 16:12). The restraint of the tongue is a Christian duty (Matthew 27:14; James 1:26). IV. THE LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION (vers. 20, 21). Two figures are used. "Choice silver" represents worth, Good words are a choice heritage. They are valuable because they create good thoughts and often lead to good acts (Psalm 34:11). The 21st verse gives us the thought of food ("feed many"). The words of the true man of God are food for the soul. The lips of the righteous utter the words of wisdom (ver. 30), for there is a vital connection between what a man is and what he says and does (Acts 4:20; Corinthians 4:13). (H. Thorne.) People SolomonPlaces JerusalemTopics Bringing, Conceals, Covered, Covereth, Covering, Evil, Fool, Foolish, Forth, Hate, Hatred, Hides, Hideth, Lets, Lips, Lying, Report, Slander, Spreads, Upright, Uttereth, UttersOutline 1. Proverbs of Solomon: observations of moral virtues, and their contrary vicesDictionary of Bible Themes Proverbs 10:18 5164 lips Library The Two-Fold Aspect of the Divine Working'The way of the Lord is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.'--PROVERBS x. 29. You observe that the words 'shall be,' in the last clause, are a supplement. They are quite unnecessary, and in fact they rather hinder the sense. They destroy the completeness of the antithesis between the two halves of the verse. If you leave them out, and suppose that the 'way of the Lord' is what is spoken of in both clauses, you get a far deeper and fuller meaning. 'The way … Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture The Folly of Slander. Part 1. The Folly of Slander. Part 2. Sanctions of Moral Law, Natural and Governmental. The Desire of the Righteous Granted; Lii. Trust in God. The Death and the Raising of Lazarus - the Question of Miracles and of this Miracle of Miracles - views of Negative Criticism on this History The Christian's Hope Letter xxxi (A. D. 1132) to the Abbot of a Certain Monastery at York, from which the Prior had Departed, Taking Several Religious with Him. The Poor in Spirit are Enriched with a Kingdom The Heavenly Footman; Or, a Description of the Man that Gets to Heaven: How the Simple and the Crafty are to be Admonished. Letter xv (Circa A. D. 1129) to Alvisus, Abbot of Anchin Jesus Heals Multitudes Beside the Sea of Galilee. How the Silent and the Talkative are to be Admonished. "But Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God, and his Righteousness, and all These Things Shall be Added unto You. " Proverbs Links Proverbs 10:18 NIVProverbs 10:18 NLT Proverbs 10:18 ESV Proverbs 10:18 NASB Proverbs 10:18 KJV Proverbs 10:18 Bible Apps Proverbs 10:18 Parallel Proverbs 10:18 Biblia Paralela Proverbs 10:18 Chinese Bible Proverbs 10:18 French Bible Proverbs 10:18 German Bible Proverbs 10:18 Commentaries Bible Hub |
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