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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S chaplet of flow- COMMENTS FROM ers, says Isaiah, MANY SOURCES shall be trodden K eith 1 1 . B rooks under foot be cause of its sin and pride.— Torrey. The d runkards. The use of liquor leads to poverty (Prov. 2 3 :2 1 ); folly (E sth er 1:10, 1 1 ); shame (Gen. 9 :2 1 ); confusion (Gen. 1 9 :3 3 ); defeat (I Kings 20 :16 -20 ); sacrilege (Dan. 5 :1 -5 ); trouble (Prov. 23:29, 30J; hell (I Cor. 6 :1 0 ).— Garry. The fading flower. Those crowned w ith pride often become fading flowers. Many a proud genius and w it has been reduc ed to an idiot. Our high titles are noth ing to God.—Henry. Overcome w ith wine. Wine, like other things, is harm less in itself. It is the love of it th a t overcomes one. The whiskey bo ttle on the shelf is harm less, b u t man cannot yield his love to it w ithout being over come in constitution, health and sp irit ual prospects. It destroys connection w ith God.— Davis. v. 2. A strong one. The king of Assyria (2 K ings 16:10-12). The As syrians were a bloody, deceitful and rapacious p eo p le'(N a h . 3 :1 ), b u t they were an in strum en t in God’s hands for fulfilling His Word and bringing judg m ent upon a backsliding people (Ps. 7 6 :1 0 ).— Torrey. The penalty of the drink h ab it is always a strong one to seize all th a t one has and destroy all th a t they form erly held dear. I t is a hand too strong for them to oppose. It throw s them into th e gu tters.— E liot. ~ v. 3. Crown of pride. Note how th e drunken man boasts and v aun ts him self, b u t he only makes him self more ridiculous. v. 4. He ea te th it up. The devil plays a clever trick on a man when he gets him to tak e his first drink.— Boone. The possessions of th e d runk ard either ro t like th e fru it on th e ground or are gobbled up by those waiting th e ir chance.— Echoes. v. 5. Crown of glory (not a crown of pride— v. 1). When destroying storm s come to th e proud, God’s favor to His own peculiar people wil be set off as never before. They will rejoice in th a t day th a t they have lived in yieldedness to Him and walked in th e Spirit instead of in the flesh. To them Christ becomes a crown of glory, a diadem of beauty.— Kaylby. v. 6. S pirit of judgm ent. To those who are tru e to Him He gives a sound judgm ent and streng th for all battles. Their counsel i^ worth seeking. The
d runk ard has n eith er judgm ent nor strength. It is a g reat mercy when men of God are called to public service for th is reason. They have th e courage to stand by th e ir rig h t judgm ent.— Henry. T u rn th e b attle. When God leads th e people into w ar He will give them th e victory. W ar is sometimes necessary in th e providence of God, and those who go into it by H is leading may expect victory through th e wisdom and streng th He gives.— Johnson. v. 7. E rre d th rough wine. L iter ally, “reeled.” Can you laugh a t a reeling d runk ard ?—Miller. Out of th e way. Some e rr th ink ing to preserve health, help digestion or stim ulate th e system, bu t it hastens disease and death and promotes th e sins of the baser natu re. It means a be fogged mind, a seared conscience; sp iritu al deadness. • I t instantly changes th e a ttitu d e on moral ques tions. Many weTe led to worship idols because of the freely flowing wine.— Haldeman. P rie st and prophet. Those who were supposed to w arn against these things practiced them . A man cannot ta lk w ith power against evil un less he himself is keeping his distance from it.—Sawyer. Swallowed up. One who swallows it will be swallowed by it. It may not happen all a t once. Men may touch it experimentally for a tim e and m aintain self control, b u t to meddle w ith it is to be th e devil’s toy only in some fata l moment to be devoured.— Sel. v. 8. F u ll of filthiness. How odious and despicable the sin of drunk enness. W hat an in su lt to God if it so sickens men. How proud \ th e d runk ard m ust be to look upon his mess. Judgm ent aw aits th e land th a t to lerates th e detestable business. The strong hand will come and lay waste th a t land,- — Exp. Bible. v. 9, 10. Whom shall he teach? “Whom shall he bring to know w hat he calls knowledge, and whom shall he make to understand w hat he calls doc trin e? He talk s as if he were talk ing to babies ju st weaned from th e m other’s breast. He does no t know we are strong men, wise men. W hat is this prophet’s talk ? W hat is his sermon? I t is precept upon precept, alphabet up- • on alphabet, line upon line, here a little and th e re a little .” The drinking man has to be ta u g h t as a little child is ta u g h t his a, b, c, ’s. They can grasp only a little a t a tim e and those th a t
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