The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-02-07


soul 1t makes only one or two references
to sacrifice, and practically none at all 10
either the cere nonial law or the temple
service. 1t contains reference to the law,
but. il bases the obligation of the law upon
prudential considerations. not upon the OBJ
legation to obey Jehovah. In the main.
bases the laws of right and wrong
upon prudential considerations, not
where the idealist placed - them
recognizes a personal God, and yet ii has
little to say about him. In other words. the
point of view of the writers of the proverbs
is the point of view of man who takes TINS
life as IL actually is. describes ii as 1t Is,
and gives the result of his observation,
telling us not what ought to be, but what
is. There are better books than the bttk
of Proverbs for the conduct of public wor-
ship; there are better books for the lnSplra-
ton of private devotion; there are better
books for the inspiration of higher Ideals,
but there Is no better book in the Bible
for "a young man to take who desires TO
guide himself by wise counsels with refer
ence to this present life. j want to-nlSht:
not so much to talk about the book or
Proverbs, as 10 let the book OF proverbs
speak TO you for itself. | say that 1t is
distinctly characterized by a lack OF IDEAL,
ity 1t is practical. not ideal Poetical
sometimes in form. it's pictures are taken
from the common experiences or ne re , n-o'
me read for example. contrasting the TWO:
a psalm of praise to the Creator. the GOD
of nature. from the book of Psalms, ana
Tier an ode of praise 10 WISDOM as the
y
a PSALM OF PRAISE TO JEHOVAH.
\ Psalm of David.
Give unto the Lord o We sons of the mighty,
Give unto the Lord glory and strength
Give unto the Lord the glory due unto fiis name
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness
The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
The God OF glory thundereth,
Even the Lord unon many waters
The The Voice Voice of of the Lord Lord is G Of majesty
The voice OF the Lord breaketh the cedars;
both In MO
He makeih them also to skip like a calf:
Lebanon and Srion like a young Wlld OK.
The voice of the Lord cleaveth the flames OF ire.
The voice Of the Lord shaketh the wIdeTneSs'
The voice of the Lord maketh the hlnds 10 carve
And strippeth the forests bare: go CO,
And in His temple every thing satin, Giory.
That is the work of imagination. A poet,
an intuitionalist, looking upon nature upon
the thunderstorm. the kinds, the cedars,
sees i'm them all and behind them all the IN,
visible jehovah Turn now to Proverbs and
read the ode TO wisdom and observe that X
is ode. not TO a personal JehoVah' out
to an impersonal wisdom
AN ODE TO WISDOM.
The Lord possessed me the beginning Of His
Refor@ Ills works of old
I vars set up from everlasting. from the be-
Or ever the earth was
when there were no fountains Astounding with
Before the mountains were settled
Before the hills was brought forth:
While as yet He had not made the earth' nor the
Nor the beginning of the dust of the world
When He established the heavens. was there
When He set circle upon the face of the deep;
When He made firm the skies above
When He gave to the sea its bound.
That the waters should not transgress His COM
When He marked out the foundations of the
Then / was by Him. as a master workman:
And / daily His delight.
Rejoicing always before Him;
Rejoicing I'm His habitable earth:
And nv delight with the sons OF men.
Now, therefore my sons h hear en-, unto 1e2 me:
For blessed they that Keep my ways
Hear instruction and be wise
R aLa egi - the man that heareth me.
Watching daily at my gates;
Waiting at the posts of my doors
For whose fndeth fndeth life.
And shall obtain favor of the Lord.
But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his
All they that hate me love death.
Here there is it is true. an historic mag
ination. but it is only an imaginaihon t ins
those who personify wisdom. as some COLI
mentators have done. and make IL the sec
ond person in the Trinity ana Try TO uefiVe
from it the eternal procession of the Son
from the Father, are making the mistake
of reading theology into q form OF litera-
theology in it, This ode is the glorification
of wisdom as eternal, eternal as Jehovah
Himself. , -,
the Psalms is perhaps, still more striking
w brought out in the presentation or the
two paths of life which they each ofer.
Here is the representation of the two paths
from the Psalms:
THE TWO PATHS: PSALMS.
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the coun-
sci of the wicked.
Nor standeth in the " ay of sinners,
| Nor stitch in the seat OF the scornful.
But his delight is in the law Of the Lord
| And he shall be like a tree planted by the
THAT brinceth forth it's fruit in its season.
| Whose leaf also doth not wlther;
| And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
But Il are like the chaff which the wind driveth
Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the
| For the Lord knoweth the way OF the righteous
| But the way of the wicked shall perish.
That throughout is i'm structure and form
| poetic III might have been written by a
| nan who evolved his notion of the effect OF
| Justice and wickedness out of his own con-
| seriousness, who had made no observation
/ Of life but projected on the paper before
| him simply his own ideal, who prophesies
| the final outcome of good and evil because
he has faith IN the justice OF an unseen
| Jehovah But the other ode to two paths
| i'm the Book of Proverbs is very different
| i'm its spirit. 1t is picture painted by a
man who takes life Just as II is, piGturt
| knowledge of Jehovah. though Jehovah Is
! referred to in it,
| THE TWO PATHS: PROVERBS.
| Hear q my son. and receive my sayings;
| And the years q thy life shall be many.
/ have taught thee in the way OF wisdom;
| I have led thee i'm the paths OF uprghtness.
| When thou goest thy steps shall not be strait
And If thou FUNNIEST thou shalt not stumble.
| Take fast hold Of instruction.; let her not go:
| Keep her; for she is thy lie: -,
| Enter not into the path of the wicked
| And walk not in the way of evil men,
| Avoid il, pass not by II;
| Turn from it, and pass ON. -, -, =
| For
And their sleep is taken away unless they cause
| For thev eat the bread Of wickedness,
| And drink the wine of violence
| But the path of the righteousness is as the liGh
| That shineth more and moro unto the perfect day
| The way of the wicked IS as darkness;
| 'rhev know not at what they stumble.
| Sometimes there is only a contrast. some
times there is an apparent cohrlct pe'Weei
| the idealist and the practical observer, a:
| i'm these examples from proverbs ant
| isaiah | wonder if some of you have no
| Sometimes shivered and revolted at the hrs
passage l am going To read l. oiten az, dl'
| up when 7 thought wisdom was identlca
| with Jehovah was a nightmare TO me:
| WISDOMS WARNING.
How long. We simple ones. viii ye love sim
| IlCity?
| And scorners delight them in seorninS.
| And fools hate knowledge
| Turn YOU at my reproof;
| Behold | viii pour out my spirit unto you,
| I viii make known my words unto you.
| isecaIise 1 have called. and we have refused:
| / have stretched out my hand and no man re
Rut re have set at naught all my counsel.
| And would none of my reor0Of:
| | also will laugh an the day of yopr calamity;
| / viii mock when your fear cometh;
| When vour fear cometh storm,
| Nnd ,-clr calamity COmeth as q whrlwind;