Here then we are reduced to this dilemma; either to believe that the word of God is full of the most palpable falsehoods from one end to the other, or to acknowledge that the confidence of ungodly men is unfounded, and their hope delusive. Mark the thoughtless and indifferent person--the man who, being too indolent, too timid, or too superstitious to think and act for himself, borrows his system of doctrines and forms of worship from a long train of credulous ancestors or the opinions prevalent around him which are considered the most reputable. “O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself, but in Me is thy help.”. Mark the self-confident man. But clearness that is gained by exclusion may cost too much. By way of terror to those whose way is not right, is not as it should be, however it may seem to themselves or others; the end of it will certainly be death; to that it has a direct and certain tendency. Then shall we be blessings to the generation in which we live, and shall attain that glory which ought to be the one object of our constant pursuit. Proverbs 16:1 The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD. or does he speak of them in the same gentle terms? Proverbs 16:33.—Spurgeon, Morning by Morning, p. 354; F. Tholuck, Hours of Devotion, p. 141. ), "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, But the end thereof are the ways of death.". See that man who is just too late, or the other, who was sitting quietly at his breakfast when he heard the departing signal. It may be added that multitudes misinterpret Scripture. Not directly in the region of intellect and its knowledge, but in that of the will and its preferences and energies. The self-deceiver now can no longer doubt to what an end his former ways were leading, or whither they will come who follow the paths he trod. But Jehovah had already stated they were to be slaughtered. Commentary on Proverbs 16:25 (Read Proverbs 16:25) This is caution to all, to take heed of deceiving themselves as to their souls. The law is one. Some think it is repeated here on account of what precedes concerning persuasive speech, or the power of the tongue; as much as to say, there is never more need of caution than when we are listening to a moving orator, for he makes many things seem innocent which in themselves and in their results are deadly and destructive. Proverbs 17:8-15.—Ibid., p. 133. They blame the Bible, the Church, the ministry; anything, anybody, everything, everybody, rather than self. Honest and dishonest error. Now it sees the weakness and futility of all its former hopes. There are the self-confident who trust in their fancied rectitude. This is the standard employed for most worldly or social purposes. A group of six proverbs follows, four of which begin with אישׁ, and five relate to the utterances of the mouth. I. I. Multitudes judge of duty by the standard of their own moral sentiments and feelings, and therefore the way of death is thought to be right. Perhaps they persevere in their wishes, and a faithful monitor is sent for. That calls every thing by its proper name, and assigns to every thing its proper character: and the unbelief which is thought a matter of so much indifference by the world at large, is declared to be the infallible source of ruin to all who indulge it. Sin first defiles the principles and then the conduct. Pro 16:1. There is a way that seemeth right to a man.] And fact is the chief thing. Having stood the judgment of his fellows, man supposes that be can stand the judgment of God. This is a man’s personal opinion about a particular matter. Vaughan, Children's Sermons, 1875, p. 71. Christ has made an atonement for our sins: and he calls us to seek salvation through his blood and righteousness. As for all that zeal and love and diligence in the service of the Lord Jesus which they behold in some few around them, they account it all a needless preciseness; and they impute it, for the most part, to ostentation or vanity in those who dare to maintain it. But they soon settle down into heartless regularity; their conscience keeps pace with their profession, till at length they come to regard it as a sin to doubt respecting their good estate, and are offended at every faithful admonition. After using the Bible as your first standard for right thinking, your next safeguard is to consult wise and successful men. There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end. Does he leave us at liberty to embrace or reject his Gospel as we please? Many suppose it was used, because the form or matter of the proverb, or both, involved the idea of comparison. 1. We cannot suppose any person so ignorant as really to think that licentious gaiety is right: but there are millions who do not think it materially wrong. Ì, and that of desire after nourishment, vid., at Proverbs 6:30; Proverbs 10:3). (Christian Treasury. Let not their excuses for rejecting Christ prevail on us to neglect his great salvation. A fool, in Solomon's proverbs, signifies a wicked man, whom excellent speech does not become, because his conversation gives the lie to his excellent speech. God knows the thoughts of men are vanity â worthless trash (Ps 94:11), and you should think the same of them â whether your own or another man’s (Ps 119:113). Seek higher than human counsel. He knew you would foolishly think your ideas are noble and wise. I. Multitudes judge of duty by the standard of their own moral sentiments and feelings, and therefore the way of death is thought to be right. Believing as I do the word of God to be true, I must believe, and must exhort you also to believe, that they who make light of sin “shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” The drunkard, the swearer, the whoremonger, in short the careless sinner, may “think his ways right;” but, if there be any truth in the word of God, they shall end in death. cf Pro_14:2. or shall we believe the surmises of ungodly men, and, as St. John expresses it, “make God a liar?” Even if there were no such strong assertions to guide us, our own reason might tell us, that God, after having given his only dear Son to die for us, would never leave it a matter of indifference whether we believed in him or not: but when we find the testimonies of Scripture so plain and so express on the subject, we must conclude, that the unbelief which men so proudly and impiously justify, will issue in the everlasting confusion of those who indulge it. So Samuel the prophet condemned his thinking as witchcraft and idolatry (I Sam 15:1-35). A Way that Seemeth Right. Arnot, Laws from Heaven, 2nd series, p. 104. By way of caution to us all to take heed of deceiving ourselves in the great concerns of our souls by resting in that which seems right and is not really so, and, for the preventing of a self-delusion, to be impartial in self-examination and keep up a jealousy over ourselves. Is there any necessity for him to resort to such an expedient; or could he do it in consistency with his own perfections? Proverbs 17:16.—H. There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, when his conduct, in his own judgment, is good and fitting, but the end thereof are the ways of death; his judgment being wrong, his error leads him into destruction. Every instance of rejection increases guilt, hardens the heart, and tends to bring about a death of indifference. This is a true picture of human life. Мы должны опасаться путей неверных: они не такие, какими должны быть, хотя и кажутся такими нам и другим. (2) Seek higher than human counsel. Hast thou found honey? III. 2. It is a luminary: so likewise is the moon, and so are the stars; but can we, therefore, dispense with the sun? This belongs to us, not to circumstance. 25a A way that seemeth right. The recurrence of these thoughts makes them cling to life: not that life is pleasant to them; but they are afraid to die. See Proverbs 16:23â27 in ⦠It draws to itself unattached particles, and has an incisive momentum that bruises into softer substances. Solomon observed that this way often seems right to a man. Put thy whole life into the keeping of God. They are then answered in the most confident manner, that, as they have done no harm, and have been very attentive to their duties in life, they have no cause of fear. This is caution to all, to take heed of deceiving themselves as to their souls. Let us “stand,” as the prophet speaks, “and ask for the good old way, and walk therein.” Let us seek instruction wherever we can find it: and let us remember, that the broad and frequented path is, according to our Lord’s express declaration, a way that leadeth to destruction; but that the path to life is narrow, difficult, and unfrequented; for “few there be that find it.” In short, let us look forward to the end of our journey. EXPOSITION: 1. Such consolations as are founded on error and presumption are administered to the last: and at length the disembodied spirit rushes unprepared into the presence of its God. So far from condemning these things in their minds, the generality will laugh at those who are scrupulous enough to doubt the lawfulness of such courses: and if any one were bold enough to bear a decisive testimony against them, he would instantly be characterized by some opprobrious name. They wish, but cannot make up their minds, to send for him. eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it. There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end. There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Now permit me to ask, For what end are these things written? Decision and indecision. Proverbs 16:20 Context. Does not the way of physical persecution for truth’s sake seem to be right? Downrightness is always a desirable thing, especially for emergencies that come suddenly and only once. Be mild to speak without passion; for persuasive language is the most effectual to prevail over the hardened mind. Does God himself lay no stress on the exercise of faith? A way that SEEMS right⦠Choose ye the former alternative if ye please: but you must excuse me if I embrace the latter. Pressed unduly it becomes practical atheism. Others provide meals for men too lazy to work. He tells us, that “having N 2 no sin of his own, he was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God m him” And when he sent his disciples to go and preach this Gospel to every creature, he added, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned.”. They legislate welfare, which mysteriously multiplies those needing handouts. See Gill on Proverbs 14:12. 3. 2. Apples are fruit much desired and gold has to do symbolically with the purity of God. Persons who have made considerable attainments in self-knowledge, are yet by no means free from this infirmity: the Apostles themselves, on more occasions than one, betrayed by their conduct, that “they knew not what spirit they were of.” Nor does this proneness to self-deceit discover itself only in relation to individual acts, wherein men may be supposed to be biassed either by their interests or passions: it extends itself to men’s whole character, and leads them to form a most erroneous judgment of their state: it leads them to “call evil good, and good evil; to put darkness for light, and light for darkness; to put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.” But it may be thought, that, if a man be deceived by his own heart, a less degree of criminality will attach to his actions, and he will have less reason to apprehend the displeasure of God. Play Audio: Shall we believe what the Lord Jesus Christ has so strongly affirmed? No: he says, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot! II. And what says God unto them? But the time is come for it to be undeceived. a. We must “yield ourselves living sacrifices to him:” we must endeavour to “walk worthy of him;” and strive to the uttermost to “glorify him with our bodies and our spirits, which are his.” This is the holiness to which we are to attain; and “without this holiness no man shall see the Lord.”. There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. The individual error becomes a process and the process becomes a system. THERE IS A WAY THAT SEEMS RIGHT TO A MAN: "But 'things are not what they seem.' Even when the way seems right stand still and commune with Heaven. He is confident his opinion is good and right, because he came up with the idea and has enormous bias to justify himself and defend his thinking. 2. There is safety from your vain ideas in a multitude of wise counselors (Pr 11:14; 12:15; 15:22). We all have erred and gone astray; multitudes have perished irrecoverably. But only a few men are humble and wise enough to subject their ideas and opinions to the examination and criticism of others. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”, Let me not be understood as though I would vindicate any thing that was really enthusiastic: God forbid! xviii., p. 11. The coiled scorpion may be mistaken for an egg. But when sickness comes, and they draw near to the chambers of death, a doubt will not unfrequently arise in their minds, whether they are prepared to meet their God. He is the way of pardon, of peace, and of salvation. THE testimony of an inspired prophet respecting the human heart is, that it “is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.” This testimony, as far as it respects the world at large, we all are ready to confirm. There is first light defied and then light debased. Is there any difficulty in understanding these passages? Illustrate from--, 3. Proverbs 14.12 . Commentary on Proverbs 25:16 (Read Proverbs 25:16) God has given us leave to use grateful things, but we are cautioned against excess. To indulge a wish for another period of probation, or even for the smallest mitigation of his misery, now were vain. The same is said in ( Proverbs 14:12 ) , and is here repeated because of the excellence, importance, and usefulness of the observation, and to excite an attention to it; that men may be more diligent to look into their ways, and be more cautious where and how they walk, and be more ⦠Proverbs lacks context to clarify the meaning of this passage. May I make three comments about this verse, about these two identical verses, that has great applicability to ⦠All the ways of a ⦠The loved sin is the test. “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man.” The seat of the trouble is in the man, not in the way. 26 He that laboureth laboureth for himself; for his mouth craveth it of him. Would we avoid this awful end, let us turn from the paths that lead to it. This verse is identical in every way (meaning and words) to Proverbs 14:12. So with the inward eye and the vision of the moral life. Этот стих уже встречался нам раньше (Прит.14:12), но здесь он повторяется как истина, о которой необходимо поразмыслить еще раз. Does not the way of self-redemption seem right? To a certain extent it is right. Gladly would he go back for a moment to the world he has left, to warn his surviving friends, lest they also come into the same place of torment: but that cannot be admitted. There is only one criterion for truth and wisdom, and that is the will of God revealed in the Bible. "My eyes view" ⦠Let not their standard of religion be ours: let us go “unto the word and to the testimony:” let us see how Christ and his Apostles walked: and though we be ridiculed as precise and righteous over-much, let us persevere in following the path of duty. II. This is the fatal error of mankind. ⦠18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. (James Stewart.). Let us remember, that the assertions of men, however confident, are of no value, any further than they are founded on the word of God. How comes it, that the divine life is compared to a race, that calls for such exertion: a wrestling, that requires such skill: a warfare, that is attended with such labour and danger? What shall we say then? 2. The next way to which I would call your attention, is that of proud unbelief. Multitudes judge of duty, and of the safety of a course of conduct, according to the belief that the Divine Law-giver accepts of compensation in one department for wrongs done in another. Wardlaw, Lectures on Proverbs, vol. And once you commit yourself to a course of action, you are too proud to admit any error (Ps 36:2). I mean one who is a strict observer of all the outward ceremonies of religion; the faithful adherent to her most minute forms. 27 An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire. The persons of whom we are speaking, particularly value themselves upon their moderation in religion: as though it were a virtue to love God moderately; to serve our Lord and Saviour moderately; and to seek the salvation of our souls moderately. (G. M. Mackie, M.A.). Popular thinking on matters of truth and wisdom is always wrong. Mark the formalist. is it merely to alarm and terrify us? Men may invent subtleties on any subject: and on this among the rest: but there is nothing here which is not plain and easy to the most common apprehension. I know, it is fashionable with many to represent the doctrines of the Gospel as so abstruse and intricate that no one of common discernment can understand them. The second clause describes the end, or result, of one way of one man to be the plural ways of death. 1. his watch is right. St. Paul, when enumerating many classes of ungodly persons who should arise in the latter days, mentions those who have “a form of godliness without the power;” and in those very words describes the characters which we are now considering. None that I have mentioned are in greater danger. Where they are obviously wrong there is no need for hesitation, but where probabilities are in their favour we must pause and consider. 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