LECTURE LXVI. PROV. XXI. 14-20. "A gift in secret pacifieth anger; and a reward in the boson strong wrath. It is joy to the just to do judgment: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity. The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead. He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man; he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich. The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous, and the transgressor for the upright. It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman. There is treasure to be desired, and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up." IN the first of these verses, we have a subject which, under various aspects, has been repeatedly before us.*—The offer on one side, and the reception on the other, of any "gift" that wears the form of a bribe, be it for the perversion of judgment-the tempting of a judge or an arbitrator to give a decision contrary to conscientious conviction,— or for the securing of an office, whether the office be of the lowest or of the highest description,-a place at a municipal Board, or a seat in the British Parliament,—deserves unqualified reprobation. It is well when corruption of this kind. is sifted, detected, exposed, and publicly disgraced and put down. There are cases, however, in which "gifts" may be bestowed in perfect good faith, and for the most desirable ends, when they may be lawful, proper, and even necessary. The case supposed in this verse, seems to be that in which we have been guilty of something provoking, by which the *Chap. xvii. 8; xviii. 16; xix. 6. anger of our neighbour has been stirred;-in which the of fence taken has been well-founded; although the anger may not, in its degree at least, be justifiable. In such a case, submission, confession, apology, are manifestly due from us: and " a gift" may be an accompanying token of our sincerity in making it, and of our respect for the party offended. When, however, such a "gift" is bestowed, it must, in order to its answering its end, be bestowed discreetly—not in any such way as is calculated to produce the impression of selfishness, or vanity, or a mercenary spirit, on the part of him who receives it. It must, therefore, be " a gift in secret," not ostentatious; not such as to bring credit to ourselves, and attach meanness to the other party,-credit to us for generosity,-meanness to him for selfish cupidity. There may be cases, indeed, in which the offence has been public, and in which the gift may be a public acknowledgment and public reparation. In such cases, publicity may be called for. But there must nothing be done that either implies on our part, or seems to impute on the other, aught that is hypocritical or dishonourable. All must be open and ingenuous,--all in "simplicity and godly sincerity." "Have gifts," says a judicious writer, "such a powerful influence to disarm resentment? Then let no man plead, in apology for the fury of his passions, that he is not able to conquer them. If money can conquer them, shall reason, and the fear of God, and the command of Christ, be too weak to bridle them? Surely the commandments of God our Saviour have too little authority with us, if they have less influence upon our spirits than gold and jewels have upon the spirits of almost all men." Verse 15. "It is joy to the just to do judgment: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity." You will perceive, that, without the supplement, the antithesis in this verse is by no means direct and pointed. Other renderings accordingly have been given. As the following: 1. "The doing of what is right is joy to the just; but destruction (is joy) to the workers of iniquity:"-the right eous, that is, delight in doing good, but the wicked in working mischief and ruin. The one resembles God, "who loveth righteousness and judgment, and of whose goodness the earth is full;" and Christ, who "with righteousness judges the poor, and reproves with equity for the meek of the earth;" who “went about doing good." The other resembles Satan, who 66 was a murderer from the beginning;" whose work of delight is to tempt and to destroy; "who hath his name Apollyon." 2. "It is joy to the just to do right; but vexation" (distress, trouble) "to the workers of iniquity." Such is Boothroyd's rendering; and it agrees with the French. The righeous find their happiness in the ways of God,-in doing the thing that is right. So far from true religion—practical godliness-being a source to them of irksome melancholy, it is their "joy." But to the wicked it is irksome. The principle of goodness or of godliness being absent from the heart, all conformity to precept is against the grain with them. They may do what is right from compulsion, from considerations of interest, or from the constraint of conscience and fear; but pleasure in it they have none-no "joy." And hence it is that amongst ungodly, worldly men, the impression and saying are so prevalent, that religion is melancholy. While the heart continues at enmity with God, all outward conformity to the will and worship of God can be nothing better than vexation,-harassing and fretting to the spirit, and drawing forth the exclamation, What a weariness is it! The joy of religious and virtuous practice can only be felt, where there is the inward power of religious and virtuous principle. It is a joy that can only be known by the experience of the new heart; and by the new heart it is felt to be the only joy worthy of the name. But the heart that is still a stranger to the love must be still a stranger to the joy; and the whole life of the good man must appear a life of bondage. The man who has no ear for music would regard the ecstasies of a Handel as ridiculous; but such ecstasies are not on that account the less real. 3. There is still a third sense, of which the words, with |