If a wise man goes to court with a fool, there will be raving and laughing with no resolution. Sermons
Such is the designation given by St. Paul (see Revised Version of the New Testament, Romans 1:26, etc.) to the various workings of the evil leaven in the soul. Here is a description of some of these "lusts." I. SCOFFING. (Ver. 8.) Set on fire of hell, it inflames others, disturbs the peace of communities, produces failures and tumults in public life. But wisdom calms, and turns all things to the best. The scoffer, the malevolent critic of existing institutions, is a public pest; the judicious man, a public blessing. The one raises tumults, the other quells them. II. CONTENTIOUSNESS. (Ver. 9.) It delights in dispute for dispute's sake. The man of this vice does not want to elicit truth, but to find fuel for his passion. Alternating between rage and ridicule, he uses words merely as weapons of offence and defence. Egotism is at the root of all his activity. III. THE SANGUINARY TEMPER. (Ver. 10.) All hatred to the truth involves hatred to the truth speaker and the truth doer. Here lies the secret of all persecution and of all judicial murders. But in ourselves, whenever we detect the rising of resentment against him who exposes our faults or fallacies, we may find something of the dark temper of him "who was of the wicked one, and slew his brother" (1 John 3:12). IV. WANT OF SELF-CONTROL. (Ver. 11.) The impetuous, unbridled temper, which explodes with wrath at the smallest provocation, or with ill-considered opinions. He is wise who knows when to hold his peace. We are not always to speak all we feel or think, but when we do speak should ever think what we say. We must remember that "there is a time to speak, and a time to keep silence." - J.
Scornful men bring a city into a snare. As residents in London we ask, Is there as much wickedness here as in other great cities? Are there snares and temptations of a peculiar character, and highly dangerous to the rising youth of the age?1. One of the snares is the spirit of the world — the spirit of competition and a low tone of moral feeling. 2. Irreligious habits. 3. Irreligious associates; such as the young man who is not conscientious in the discharge of his ordinary duties; the young man who is devoted to pleasure. 4. Late hours. This leads to neglect of prayer. And the late hour is the hour of sin. 5. Lewd women. This snare involves great moral debasement, the prostration of all intellectual power, and the annihilation of all benevolent and elevated feeling. And to this specific form other vices will adhere. (R. Ainslie.) Links Proverbs 29:9 NIVProverbs 29:9 NLT Proverbs 29:9 ESV Proverbs 29:9 NASB Proverbs 29:9 KJV Proverbs 29:9 Bible Apps Proverbs 29:9 Parallel Proverbs 29:9 Biblia Paralela Proverbs 29:9 Chinese Bible Proverbs 29:9 French Bible Proverbs 29:9 German Bible Proverbs 29:9 Commentaries Bible Hub |
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