Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1893-04-29

I Plumptre says In his beautiful and poetic
style: Between the promise and the threat
there is, as it were, apause She waits, and
no one listens; none accepts her offer, AID
then the voice Of pleading is changed into
that of judgment" Wisdom calls. but
those whom she addresses refuse to lis
ten. Notice, the whole controversy as to
whether man is responsible for his beliefs
is here settled. Men are able to give or
to refuse to give their attention to the
truth. (b) stretching out the hand"
means beckoning those present TO listen
to what il said. A kindly invitation is
implied. (c) All this eager, earnest, kind
" desire on wisdom's part is Of no ava.i-
no one regarded the message. Compare
John iii, 10. 20; lisa. lxv, 2, 10; Xvi, 4. Her
counsel was treated as II it were worthless.
No one needed her reproof.
O. The penalty of despising wisdom. (a)
The Knockers at religion laugh now. The
time is coming when religion shall be able
to laugh at them. Here is a very bold i'm
putation of human feelings to heavenly
wisdom. Strange enough, it is to hear peo-
pie speak of the retribution Of natural law
and object to this. The most orthodox
would be satisfied to take Emerson's essay
on Compensation" and Charming 8 sermon
on "Sin" or Shakespeare's Macbeth" to IL
lustrate how the mocker's mockeries come
back to him with terrible effect. The nature
of things wars against the rejecter of wis
dom. (b) It is assumed here that calamity
shall certainly overtake the despisers of
wisdom. Often the storm that vexes them
is seen here and now. If not, it is sure to
come hereafter. (c) Then it will be too late
to avoid the worked for destruction. Com
pare Ps. H. 8; Math. XIV, 1913.
s. Why was this penalty incurredf (a)
Because the wicked hate knowledge, as was
shown in verse 22--the knowledge Of Gods
way of salvation: UNLESS they learn to
love it soon they will hate it forever. They
might learn to love it now, for the same
word that rebukes sin reveals mercy. But
II a man love not knowledge revealing
mercy, how shall he love it denouncing
wrathi The only knowledge that can reach
the lost is the knowlege that the door is
shut. How long will they hate that knowl-
edgei Evermore" (Arnot) (b) They did
not choose the fear of the Lord. That
means that they did not choose religion.
| The fault was all their own. (c) To refuse
good advice is to choose the evil that they
were recommended to avoid. To despise
the reproof that sets one right is to choose
to go wrong. The wrong can never be
right, nor come out right. People that
choose to go wrong always wish to come
| out right at last. This is the folly that
wisdom exposes. To point out the end OF
evil. then, is true mercy.
II-WIsDoM AVENGED. Verses 31-S3.)
1. The wages of wickedness (a) As the
wages of the husbandman are the fruits OF
the soil that he sowed and cultivated, SO
! the fruits of evil doing-the wicked mans
own ways Of working-are the only reward
that he reaps. The fruits of sin are deathly
poisons to the soul. To SOW sin on the
world field is to reap wrath at the day OF
| Judgment, the reaping time. Compare
| Gal. vi, Z; Prov xiv, IA; xxi, 8. (b) Filled
with their own devices, their own evil
schemes return to plague them. See Ha
man and Mordecai as picture of this. (c
Could men but see it, the sinful act carries
with it, in it's own bosom, the pain. What
a commentary on this are the pains and
diseases that drink, debauchery and lust
bring on their votariesl But these are but
outward. Remorse, anguish, woe, torment
the soul.
Q. Self destroyed (a) The wicked brins
on themselves their own destruction. Th'
simpleton turns away from wisdom wheI
invited to turn to wisdom and be saved
It is as if one should turn away from th'
life buoy thrown out by friendly hand ant
be drowned. (b) The prosperity of the un
godly-called here "fools'-confirms thei
irreligion and seems to prove that God doe
not reign in righteousness So they live II
reckless unbeljef and die in reckless unbe
lief, and so perish.
8. The happiness Of obeying wisdom. "a
Dwell safely, because virtue is its own re
ward, even If there be no God, and II Coz
exists the good man must be safe unde
the shadow of the Almighty. (b) Such
one can rest secure against any fear o
change or loss or pain. for either they viii
be kept from 1t or enabled to bear It, Com
pare Ps. xci. Is. They are safe whom Coz
keeps.