uine penitential tenderness, mingling, as they always do, with those of calm, thankful, thrilling ecstasy. To the spirit that is loaded with a sense of guilt, and bowed to the dust by the apprehension of coming wrath, there is no song but one that can impart relief and joy,-none but one that can harmonize its jarring emotions, and soothe it to permanent peace. It is the song of the angels at the nativity of the Saviour "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men,"-or of the redeemed multitude before the throne for the spirit of both is the same- "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain"—"Thou art worthy, for thou hast redeemed us unto God by thy blood." Let but that blood touch the heart, and all its alarms are hushed. The lips will be tuned to the notes of that song. its sackcloth, and gird itself with gladness."

It will "throw off

LECTURE LXXIX

PROV. XXV. 21-28.

"If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: for thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee. The north wind driveth away rain; so doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue. It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman, and in a wide house. As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so good news from a far country. A righteous man falling down before the wicked is as a troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring. It is not good to eat much honey; so for men to search their own glory is not glory. He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls."

THE "honour which cometh from men," and which men assert for themselves even at the sword's point, is very diverse from the "honour which cometh from God," and which He has enjoined on His children to covet. The one is the honour of pride, the other of humility; the cne the honour of allowing no injury to be unavenged, the other of forgiving wrongs and covering the multitude of sins; the one the honour of the mere natural and conventional courage that exposes life for life, rather than allow the slightest or most imaginary affront to pass unavenged,—the other the moral courage that sets at nought the contempt of men rather than incur the displeasure of God.-In His eye, and in the eye of every holy being, a victory gained in the way prescribed by the opening verses of this passage, is incomparably more glorious than even the deepest humiliation of an adversary by an opposite course-by the wrath-breathing retaliations of pride. It is a

double victory, a victory over ourselves as well as over our enemy.*

In these remarks, I have taken for granted, what I believe to be the truth, that the words "for thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head," have reference, not to the fires of divine vengeance, but to the influence of kindly treatment melting down the enemy to conciliation, as fuel heaped on the ore fuses it from its hardness, and sends it forth in liquid streams, to take the features and impress of the mould.— A certain prince, on leading his generals and his army against an advancing host of invaders, declared his resolution not to leave a single enemy alive. He sent an embassy to treat with them. He made proposals such as subdued and attached them, and rendered them valuable allies. On astonishment being expressed that he should have thus failed in his determination and promise, his ready reply was- "I have not failed: I have kept my word. I engaged not to leave a living enemy; nor have I. They are enemies no longer-they are friends." He had "heaped coals of fire on their head."

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Verse 23. "The north wind driveth away rain; so doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue."-You will observe that the marginal rendering just reverses the meaning: "The north wind bringeth forth rain; so doth a backbiting tongue an angry countenance." Some critics insist on this being the true rendering. The latter words of the verse are certainly capable of either arrangement: and if the verb rendered driveth away" would not bear that meaning, but required being translated as in the margin, then of course we should have to bow to the force of necessity. That rendering, however, is defended by other critics, as one of which the original word is susceptible. And I confess that if the word will bear it at all, it appears to me decidedly preferable There is something tame, common-place, and of little practical consequence, hardly worth forming the subject of a proverb,-in saying that as the north wind

*For further illustration, see verses 17, 18, and 29, of the preceding chapter.

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brings rain "a backbiting tongue" brings anger. But the verse, as it stands in our translation, inculcates a most important lesson-namely, the way to discourage and repress slander. Backbiting" is a word which sufficiently conveys its own meaning. It is secretly traducing characters, by telling of them what is false, or even, for malicious purposes, by circulating clandestinely what is true. It is very generally accompanied with a hypocritical simulation of affection or admiration to the person's face, while he is vilified in his absence. Some show much of this spirit of detraction. They never seem easy when they hear any one specially commended. They are ever disposed to throw in some qualifying insinuation,something or other on the per contra side, to reduce the praise. They even appear to lay hold with delight on every opportunity to depreciate excellence; and particularly if there happens to be any kind of rivalry between the person who is the subject of commendation and themselves. O they do

enjoy the bringing down of a rival! They spare no pains for this. And they often effect much in this way without uttering a word. A look, a wink, a shrug, a humph-can be made to convey a vast deal of meaning; and if the mean ing be not explicit, so much the better. It is enough if suspicion is raised;-if the impression is made that there is something that is not right, something which, if the eulogist but knew all, would go far to qualify his commendations.

He feigns

On the other side, how sad the tendency in human nature to lend a ready ear to such! When the artful and practised back biter, well aware of this, has by degrees got a willing listener, he goes on step by step-one thing after another undermining and destroying the fair fame of the object of his dislike. He takes great care not to say too much all at once: that might shock and repel. reluctance. He is exceedingly concerned to be necessity of saying so; but truth obliges him. is, only to put you on your guard; to prevent your being led to any false course by taking up the representations of others, who happen not to know what he knows. He thinks it right at any rate that you should be made aware of the

under the

His object

true state of the case, that you may feel and act accordingly.

All such vile "backbiting" should be met with " an angry countenance." It should be instantly frowned away; no willing ear being ever lent to the defamer. Were all to act thus, and to stop his mouth with an indignant and resolute rebuke, it would put down the evil, "as the north wind driveth away rain.”

O let not this spirit and this practice be so much as named amongst believers. It is utterly adverse to the entire genius of the Gospel, and to the precepts and example of the Lord of Christians. The religion of Jesus is the religion of love, love even to enemies; the religion too of open day-light, and singleness of heart;-the religion of that charity which "thinketh no evil, which rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth.”*

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Verse 25. As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country." A beautiful similitude! Its full import, no doubt, is best understood and felt in sultry climes. Yet even we can in some measure appreciate its propriety and force, if in the parching drought of summer we have ever slaked our thirst at the cooling spring, when oppressed by the heat and fatigue of a wearing-out journey. The very sight of such a spring is refreshment. It exhilarates the spirit, and gives new energy to the exhausted frame.

The simile is applicable to all "good news,"—especially to such as are more than ordinarily interesting to any of our natural and social affections; and in a peculiar manner, when the tidings are unexpected; more so still, when they come after long delay and corresponding anxiety,—when 'hope deferred has made the heart sick;" when day after day,-week after week,-month after month, we have waited and longed, and sighed, and prayed, for favourable accounts, not of mere worldly property, but of lives, in which we feel

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*For the illustration of the following verse, the reader is referred to chaps. xix. 13; xxi. 9, 19, &c.