Homilist Proverbs 14:15 The simple believes every word: but the prudent man looks well to his going. I. THE HASTILY CREDULOUS. "The simple believeth every word." 1. One of the strongest tendencies in man's mental nature is his propensity to believe. It is one of the most voracious appetites of the soul. The child opens its mental mouth, hungering for tales from the nurse's lips, and will eagerly swallow up everything that is said. (1) This propensity to believe implies a state of society that does not exist. Were men born into heaven, were society free from all error and deception, it would be not only right, but a beneficial thing to believe every word, and to confide in every character. This is the state of society for which man was created, but he has lost it. He comes into a world of lies. (2) This propensity to believe explains the reign of priesthood. (3) This propensity to believe shows the easiness of the condition on which God has made the salvation of man to depend. "He that believeth shall be saved." 2. The thoughtless yielding to this tendency is an immense loss. "The fool rageth, and is confident." The fool sees no danger, dreads no harm. He rushes recklessly forward into mischief. (1) He is passionate. "He rageth." Counsels and warnings only irritate him. (2) He is stubborn. He "is confident." What does he care about your warnings? Nothing. (3) He is foolish. "He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly, and he inherits folly."(4) He is despised. A man of wicked devices is hated. The man who has given way to his credulity becomes all this. He is passionate, ignorant of the grounds of his belief, he cannot brook contradiction, his opinions being prejudices, he is stubborn in holding them, and in all this he is "foolish" and "hated." II. THE CAUTIOUSLY BELIEVING. "The prudent man looketh well to his going." True prudence is indicated by two things. 1. A dread of evil. "A wise man feareth." True dread of evil is consistent with true courage. Few, if any, displayed more heroism than Noah, yet, being moved by fear, he prepared an ark. Evil, both physical and moral, is a bad thing in the universe, and it is right to dread it, as we dread poisonous serpents and ravenous beasts. True prudence is indicated — 2. By a departure from evil. "He departeth from evil." Moral evil is the heart of all evil, and this he forsakes. He shuns it as an enemy to God and the universe. The prudence is indicated — 3. By mental greatness. He is dignified with knowledge. He is "crowned with knowledge." Caution in believing is necessary for three reasons. (1) The strength of man's tendency to believe. (2) The prevalence of error in society. (3) The damaging influence of falsehood on the soul. (Homilist.) Parallel Verses KJV: The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.WEB: A simple man believes everything, but the prudent man carefully considers his ways. |
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