CHAPTER XV From Wisdom’s Treasury

 WISDOM EXALTETH HER SONS, AND TAKETH HOLD ON THEM THAT LOVE HER:

HE THAT LOVETH HER LOVETH LIFE.

AND THEY THAT SEEK HER EARLY SHALL BE FILLED WITH GLADNESS:

HE THAT HOLDETH HER FAST SHALL INHERIT GLORY (E. 411, 12).

But Wisdom will brook¹ nothing less than the full purport² of those words—a diligent³ search, a genuine love, and an unrelaxing grasp—in exchange for her high rewards. And though it is better to find her late than not at all, as a rule it is true that only the life she has entered early is likely to know great happiness. Yet Wisdom makes no mystery of her treasures, nor hides them willingly.

Here are some of her most precious truths.

How simply told! How hard to make our very own!

As iron sharpeneth iron,

So man sharpeneth man.[112]

Faithful are the wounds of a friend.[113]

Who is ignorant of it? As Bacon says in his essay on Friendship, “There is no such flatterer as is a man’s self; and there is no such remedy against flattery as the liberty of a friend.” And yet how rarely, in actual experience,{246} have men the grace to appreciate, or tolerate, even the kindliest of their critics.

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A soft answer turneth away wrath⁴.[114]

Have you tested the matter yet?

He whose spirit is without restraint is like a city that is broken down and hath no wall.[115]

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Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit⁵?

There is more hope of a fool than of him.[116]

Pride goeth before destruction,

And a haughty⁶ spirit before a fall.[117]

 

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The wicked flee when no man pursueth.[118]

If a righteous man fall seven times, he riseth up again;

But the wicked are overthrown⁷ by calamity⁸.[119]

* * * * *

He that despiseth small things shall fall by little and little.[120]

Be not wise in thine own eyes;

Fear the Lord and depart from evil.[121]

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Hope deferred⁹ maketh the heart sick;

But a wish fulfilled is a tree of life.[122]

Woe¹⁰ unto fearful hearts and to faint hands,

And to the sinner that goeth two ways!

Woe to the faint heart, for it believeth not;

Therefore shall it not be defended.

Woe unto you that have lost your patience!

What will ye do when the Lord shall visit you?[123]

{247} 

There is no wisdom nor understanding,

Nor counsel against the Lord:

The horse is prepared for the day of battle,

But the victory is of the Lord.[124]

Truth stands:

Falsehood does not stand.[125]

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This is a very long chapter;

Think on these things.

1 brook   

n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让

参考例句：

• In our room we could hear the murmur of a distant brook.在我们房间能听到远处小溪汩汩的流水声。
• The brook trickled through the valley.小溪涓涓流过峡谷。

2 purport   

n.意义，要旨，大要；v.意味著，做为...要旨，要领是...

参考例句：

• Many theories purport to explain growth in terms of a single cause.许多理论都标榜以单一的原因解释生长。
• Her letter may purport her forthcoming arrival.她的来信可能意味着她快要到了。

3 diligent   

adj.勤勉的，勤奋的

参考例句：

• He is the more diligent of the two boys.他是这两个男孩中较用功的一个。
• She is diligent and keeps herself busy all the time.她真勤快，一会儿也不闲着。

4 wrath   

n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒

参考例句：

• His silence marked his wrath. 他的沉默表明了他的愤怒。
• The wrath of the people is now aroused. 人们被激怒了。

5 conceit   

n.自负，自高自大

参考例句：

• As conceit makes one lag behind,so modesty helps one make progress.骄傲使人落后，谦虚使人进步。
• She seems to be eaten up with her own conceit.她仿佛已经被骄傲冲昏了头脑。

6 haughty   

adj.傲慢的，高傲的

参考例句：

• He gave me a haughty look and walked away.他向我摆出傲慢的表情后走开。
• They were displeased with her haughty airs.他们讨厌她高傲的派头。

7 overthrown   

adj. 打翻的，推倒的，倾覆的 动词overthrow的过去分词

参考例句：

• The president was overthrown in a military coup. 总统在军事政变中被赶下台。
• He has overthrown the basic standards of morality. 他已摒弃了基本的道德标准。

8 calamity   

n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件

参考例句：

• Even a greater natural calamity cannot daunt us. 再大的自然灾害也压不垮我们。
• The attack on Pearl Harbor was a crushing calamity.偷袭珍珠港(对美军来说)是一场毁灭性的灾难。

9 deferred   

adj.延期的，缓召的v.拖延，延缓，推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 )；服从某人的意愿，遵从

参考例句：

• The department deferred the decision for six months. 这个部门推迟了六个月才作决定。
• a tax-deferred savings plan 延税储蓄计划

10 woe   

n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌

参考例句：

• Our two peoples are brothers sharing weal and woe.我们两国人民是患难与共的兄弟。
• A man is well or woe as he thinks himself so.自认祸是祸，自认福是福。