There is one quality that is not so much a part of character as the very soil out of which it grows—Honesty of purpose; if absent or only fitfully present, moral growth{266} is either stunted13 or cut off; if present, then a multitude of imperfections are found pardonable. Wise therefore is the Jewish proverb that says of Deceitfulness, using a realistic metaphor14 more eloquent15 than many words, Bread of falsehood is sweet to a man, but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel16 (Pr. 2017). Over against it set this strong simple plea for Sincerity17: Strive for the truth, unto death, and the Lord God shall fight for thee (E. 428); and then consider the implication in the contrast of those maxims—that Evil is first sweet then bitter, and Good first painful then joyous18. Sometimes those propositions are visibly, demonstrably, true in their entirety; sometimes the second part of them to be credited requires faith in the spiritual nature of man. But of the first part there can be no question; ’tis a matter of universal experience—moral victories at the first are difficult, moral defeats easy, The way of sinners is smooth without stones, but at the end thereof is the pit of Hades (E. 2110), a glissade to the precipice19 and over; facilis descensus Averno.
Setting aside for the moment the influence of religious belief on conduct (the next chapter will have something to say upon the point), it would seem that there is one outstanding quality to which the Jewish proverbs recur20 again and again, as if to tell us that here is the supreme21 secret. That quality may be called Receptivity, but it has many aspects for which other titles might more fittingly be used: it is the willing mind, the open eye and the hearing ear; in youth it is zeal22 to learn, in manhood more often the grace to profit by mistake. So from teachableness it is wont23 to pass into penitence24, the recognition of error and imperfection—not passive penitence, however, but the active desire to improve—and then from this virile25 penitence it should rise into that disposition26 of Charity or Love towards others, which is the highest virtue8, without which a man may have many talents and yet profit nothing. Let us{267} trace the sequence in the proverbs, commencing with the desire for knowledge:
The fear of the Lord is the chief part of knowledge,
But the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.
My son, hear the instruction of thy father,
For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head
Yea, if thou cry after discernment,
And lift up thy voice for understanding;
If thou seek her as silver
And search for her as hid treasures ...
Then shalt thou understand righteousness and judgement,
To him that is willing to learn, the proverbs promise rich and wonderful reward, and the New Testament30 repeats the promise:
God scorneth the scorners,
But He giveth grace to the lowly (Pr. 334).[149]
If thou desire wisdom, keep the commandments,
And the Lord shall give it unto thee freely (E. 126).[150]
Thus far the subject is familiar. Twice already reference has been made to this virtue of Learning-Ever. Impenitently31 we bring it up again, seeing that the Jewish proverbs are most urgent on the matter and also that men to-day stand in no small need of the counsel. For all its vaunted liberty of thought, our age is by no means patient of personal criticism, doubtless because owing to the swift and amazing{268} increase in control of material resources it has been peculiarly successful in certain directions (not, however, the most important); and the success has made us vain. To know a little about the universe (and we know no more) is a very dangerous thing.
But observe how from the initial grace of an eager, receptive attitude towards life, other virtues naturally appear. Frankly32 and patiently to recognise one’s errors is to increase in wisdom, to learn before it is too late, to see the pitfalls33 one has narrowly escaped, and so to be humbled34, to feel the sense of a great forgiveness vouchsafed35 to the simple-hearted, and accordingly to be grateful and to be happy:
But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain mercy.
Happy is the man that feareth alway:
(Pr. 2813, 14).
This experience, if at all intense, has a profound effect on character; he that knows he has been forgiven much will love much, and his gratitude39 towards the Giver of all mercy will spontaneously show itself in mercy towards other men. Others will wrong him and disappoint him often, but, remembering his own imperfections, he will want to judge them gently and never to despair of helping40 them; to him it seems as if “they know not what they do.” But this is the very disposition required of us in the prayer “Forgive us our trespasses42, as we forgive them that trespass41 against us,” and the question must surely be rising in the reader’s mind, What relation can possibly be discovered between these high thoughts and the Jewish proverbs? This surprisingly intimate relation—that whilst the manifestation43 of perfect forgiveness in Christ’s own Person made His Prayer a new power in the world, the thought in this petition was not new; it goes back to these words of Ben Sirach, He{269} that taketh vengeance44 on his neighbour will meet vengeance from the Lord, and his sins will surely be confirmed. Forgive thy neighbour the hurt that he hath done thee, and then shall thy sins be pardoned when thou prayest (E. 281, 2)! Who dares withhold45 his approval from the condition in the abstract? If we are Christians46 at all, our conscience must welcome its eternal justice, recognising that we can ask no greater mercy to be extended us by God. And so we are wont to repeat the Prayer willingly without reservations or misgivings48 ... just until the day come when “our neighbour” has gotten him a name and we lie dazed and bleeding from the hurt that he hath dealt us. That is the moment for which these words were spoken—Let not mercy and truth forsake thee, bind49 them upon thy neck (Pr. 33). Know that—By mercy and truth iniquity50 is purged51 away, and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil (Pr. 166). By the time a man has schooled himself to put those exhortations53 into practice, he will be in no danger of treating forgiveness lightly: true forgiveness is conditioned by the Moral Law, is no futile54 shutting-of-the-eyes to uneradicated sin, and may therefore call for faithfulness unto death and necessitate55 the greatest sacrifice earth knows, even the Cross of Christ.
And with the thought let us return to that saying of Ben Sirach, Strive for the truth unto death. “The Truth” is here to be interpreted in the fullest sense of the term; it means Righteousness or Justice; it denotes sincerity in things great and small, in thought word and deed. The proverb then may serve as a reminder56 of the uncompromisingly stern and perilous57 element in human experience. Until three years ago many men had no lively sense of that aspect of things. The sinister58 possibilities were not absent, but often they were fallaciously concealed59. When a man catches the same train to town day after day and his outward circumstances are uneventful and regular as some{270} slow-moving stream, he may easily be deluded60 into thinking that his inner, spiritual self is likewise pursuing the even tenor61 of its way; whereas in reality it may be waging a desperate battle against increasing pride, prejudice, hardness of heart, and a whole battalion62 of the Fiend’s picked legionaries. The Prosperous, consulting his bankbook, may easily be betrayed into saying “I shall not want,” whilst the soul within him is choking. If our essential life is spiritual and consists in our love of the True, the Good, the Beautiful, riches are likely to prove a thin armour63 against the enemy. But three long and terrible years of war have transformed the situation, and there are few to-day who do not know that there is “a striving for the truth unto death.” Little need now to emphasise64 the dark side of life; myriads65 are but too well acquainted with its tragedies.
The Jewish proverbs offer no philosophy of Suffering; for that one must go to the Christian47 religion, which has faced the worst of the problem and is unique in having found a reassuring66 answer. When, however, we turn to the immediate67 question, how best to meet and deal with hardship, physical or mental, behold68! Christianity is content to appropriate the language of a Jewish proverb and reiterate69 its counsel, though with a glorious new confidence: Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight, and the sin that doth so easily beset70 us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.... For consider Him who endured such gainsaying71 of sinners against himself that ye wax not weary, fainting in your souls. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin, and ye have forgotten the exhortation52 which reasoneth with you as with sons,
My son, regard not lightly the discipline of the Lord
Nor faint when thou art reproved of him;{271}
For whom the Lord loveth He disciplines,
And chasteneth[151] every son whom He receiveth (Pr. 311, 12).
It is for discipline that ye endure; God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father doth not discipline? (Hebrews 121-7). To use or to refuse this idea of the educative opportunity in suffering makes an amazing difference to life. Says a commentator72 of the older school writing upon this passage in Proverbs: “First, Despise not the discipline.... Do not meet sorrow by a mere73 hardihood of nature. Let your heart flow down under trouble, for this is human: let it rise up also to God, for this is divine. And secondly74, Faint not.... This is the opposite extreme. Do not be dissolved, as it were—taken down and taken to pieces by the stroke. You should retain presence of mind and exercise your faculties75. If the bold would see God in his afflictions, he would not despise; if the timid would see God in them, he would not faint.... The same stroke may fall on two men and be in the one case judgement, in the other love. You may prune76 branches lying withered77 on the ground, and also branches living in the vine. In the two cases the operation and instrument are precisely78 alike; but the operation on this branch has no result, and the operation on that branch produces fruitfulness.”[152]
My son, if thou comest to serve the Lord,
Prepare thy soul for trial.
Set thy heart aright and with constancy endure,
And be not terrified in time of calamity....{272}
For gold is tried in the fire,
And acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation79,
Put thy trust in God and He will help thee;
Order thy ways aright and set thy hope on Him (E. 21-6).
Never in living memory has there been greater need for wise and persuasive80 advice how to conduct oneself in time of anxiety and affliction. In the gales81 of life many a ship is flung on the rocks for lack of a little good seamanship on board. But ships need care even when they are sailing summer seas; and so, because one hopes that brighter days are coming to the world and coming soon, there is room for one more counsel in conclusion. Religion, and particularly Christianity, has been robbed of half of its power over men’s souls, by reason of the absurd and tragical82 notion that it bears chiefly on the woes83 of man and very little on his joys. On this score also the Jewish proverbs preach a useful and pleasant sermon, with their natural honest desire for the good things of life and their strong and salutary conviction that in Wisdom—being that fear of the Lord which is to depart from evil—will be found a never-failing source of refreshing84 happiness:
The fear of the Lord is glory and exultation85
And gladness and a crown of rejoicing.
The fear of the Lord shall delight the heart,
And shall give gladness and joy and length of days (E. I11, 12; cp. Pr. 210, 316).
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1
politic
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| adj.有智虑的；精明的；v.从政 | |
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superfluous
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| adj.过多的，过剩的，多余的 | |
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recapitulate
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| v.节述要旨，择要说明 | |
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eschewed
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| v.（尤指为道德或实际理由而）习惯性避开，回避( eschew的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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vices
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| 缺陷( vice的名词复数 )； 恶习； 不道德行为； 台钳 | |
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dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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celestial
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| adj.天体的；天上的 | |
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attainment
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| n.达到，到达；［常pl.］成就，造诣 | |
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assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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maze
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| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
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stunted
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| adj.矮小的；发育迟缓的 | |
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metaphor
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| n.隐喻，暗喻 | |
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eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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precipice
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| n.悬崖，危急的处境 | |
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recur
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| vi.复发，重现，再发生 | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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penitence
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| n.忏悔，赎罪；悔过 | |
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virile
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| adj.男性的；有男性生殖力的；有男子气概的；强有力的 | |
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disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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forsake
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| vt.遗弃，抛弃；舍弃，放弃 | |
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28
ornaments
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| n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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equity
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| n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票 | |
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testament
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| n.遗嘱；证明 | |
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31
impenitently
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| adv.不知悔改地 | |
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32
frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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33
pitfalls
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| （捕猎野兽用的）陷阱( pitfall的名词复数 )； 意想不到的困难，易犯的错误 | |
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34
humbled
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| adj. 卑下的，谦逊的，粗陋的 vt. 使 ... 卑下，贬低 | |
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35
vouchsafed
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| v.给予，赐予( vouchsafe的过去式和过去分词 )；允诺 | |
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36
transgressions
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| n.违反，违法，罪过( transgression的名词复数 ) | |
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prosper
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| v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣 | |
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calamity
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| n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件 | |
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39
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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40
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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trespass
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| n./v.侵犯，闯入私人领地 | |
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42
trespasses
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| 罪过( trespass的名词复数 )； 非法进入 | |
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43
manifestation
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| n.表现形式；表明；现象 | |
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44
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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withhold
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| v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡 | |
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Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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misgivings
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕；疑虑，担心，恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 )；疑惧 | |
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49
bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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50
iniquity
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| n.邪恶；不公正 | |
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51
purged
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| 清除（政敌等）( purge的过去式和过去分词 )； 涤除（罪恶等）； 净化（心灵、风气等）； 消除（错事等）的不良影响 | |
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52
exhortation
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| n.劝告，规劝 | |
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exhortations
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| n.敦促( exhortation的名词复数 )；极力推荐；（正式的）演讲；（宗教仪式中的）劝诫 | |
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54
futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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55
necessitate
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| v.使成为必要，需要 | |
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reminder
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| n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示 | |
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57
perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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60
deluded
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| v.欺骗，哄骗( delude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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61
tenor
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| n.男高音（歌手），次中音（乐器），要旨，大意 | |
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battalion
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| n.营；部队；大队(的人) | |
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armour
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| （=armor）n.盔甲；装甲部队 | |
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emphasise
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| vt.加强...的语气，强调，着重 | |
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myriads
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| n.无数，极大数量( myriad的名词复数 ) | |
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reassuring
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| a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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reiterate
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| v.重申，反复地说 | |
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beset
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| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
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gainsaying
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| v.否认，反驳( gainsay的现在分词 ) | |
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commentator
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| n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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secondly
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| adv.第二，其次 | |
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faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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prune
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| n.酶干；vt.修剪，砍掉，削减；vi.删除 | |
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withered
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| adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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humiliation
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| n.羞辱 | |
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80
persuasive
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| adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的 | |
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81
gales
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| 龙猫 | |
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82
tragical
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| adj. 悲剧的, 悲剧性的 | |
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83
woes
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| 困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉 | |
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refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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exultation
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| n.狂喜，得意 | |
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