Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1905-02-23
o return, and in such condition we

to return, and In such condition we
call upon our Common Sense, but get no
answer, for it has no remedy to supply.
We seek the resources of wisdom, but
we caRnot find them, for that we hated
knowledge and did not choose the fear
of the Lord. Therefore they shall eat
of the fruit of their own way and be
filed with devices" The mission Of
wisdom calling to us from every quar-
ter, is to lead us to do right, to trust
God and walk in His ways, and if
we fail to hear this voice and heed it's
counsels there will come time when
this very. wisdom will be our greatest
distress.
The first eighteen verses Of the third
chapter establish the fact that godli-
ness pays, even though chastisements
come. with it. And this chapter fur
nishes a motto which every Christian
ought to adopt as the rule of his life:
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart,
and lean not unto thine own under
standing. In all thy ways acknowledge
Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear the
Lord and depart from evil. It shall be
health to thy navel, and marrow to thy
stance, and with the first fruits of all
thine increase; SO shall thy barns be
filed with plenty, and thy presses shall
burst out with new wine.''
The man whose trust is in the Lord,
with entire lack of confidence in him.
self, God will direct, and the man who
| honors the Lord with the first fruits
shall have an increase of wealth. This,
of course, applies to the Old Testa-
ment dispensation, when wealth was
the result of faithfulness. But under
the reign Of grace there is something
better than money promised. There
may come poverty and persecution,
! and with this true prosperity. We are
not to expect pay in money for services
| rendered to God, but if we are faith
full we can plead the promise that He
will supply ali our need according to
His riches III glory by Christ Jesus"
With this four-fold introduction as to
the use of proverbs, the socialism Of
sin, the mission Of wisdom, and the
reward Of godliness, we now come to a
classification Of the proverbs. It is not
exhaustive, but I think it will be sug-
. gestive and enable US to finish the
classification as we carefully read the
| book.
The application of the Proverbs Of
Solomon to the family life will make
a perfect home. "He that spareth the
rod hateth his son, but he that loveth
him chasteneth him betimes.' Modern
sentimentalists pronounce this old
fogyish, and inveigh against it's cruelty,
but you will notice that the homes in
which disobedience his become asso-
| c1ated with punishment. and disobe-
dience with reward, send forth into the
world the manifest sons and most
| womanly daughters. To refuse to adj
| minister loving chastisement to child
| is to train him in life of disobedience
that will unfit him for citizenship in
the State or usefulness in the church.
Let there be no anger, for anger only
provokes anger. Love can administer
chastisement with regret and tears,
but it must not shrink from the duty.
keep thy heart with all diligence,
4 for out of it are the issues of life" This
proverb expresses the teaching of Jesus
| Christ The heart is the source of good
or evil. and if the heart is right the
life will be right. Let Jesus Christ
fully occupy the heart, and you may
! be careless about everything else. Over
the archway in the old Tombs prison
! in New York were the words: "The
| way Of transgressors is hard" and
every criminal who passed beneath il
| needed no argument to prove its truth
On the walls of every store should be
| hung the words: GA false weight is
| abomination to the Lord, but just
weight is His delight" Our God be
lieves in fair dealing. The man who
gives good measure pleases Him, and
we need to know that honesty in trade
is as holy thing as prayer.
And when you hear anyone laughing
at an oath, vulgar remark, or 9
wicked deal, quietly repeat the words
"Fools make a mock at sin" The mar
who plays with the poisonous adder j!
wise compared with him who sports
with sin or treats it lightly.
If you are tempted to surrender you
convictions in order that you ma,
further your interests, social or inan
cial, recall the words: "Buy the trutl
and sell it not" They will give stiff
ness to your moral backbone and STAN
ina to your character. No man Cal
afford to hold the truth for sale. 1t j
the most priceless thing that he ca
possess, and whatever the father O
lies may offer him for it, he shoul
scorn the price with contempt.
There are so many of these tha
| barely to mention them would take th
| time of sermon. "a merry hear