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292 illustrations
The abuses of the tongue are manifold, and malignity ranks foremost among them.
The apostle Paul, when dissuading from impurity, eschewed mere physical or social arguments.
Jesus Christ proclaimed these words knowing the world's deepest moral condition.
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord—not because the ritual itself is defective, but because the worshipper lacks consideration.
To eat and drink unworthily means partaking of the sacramental bread and wine contrary to Christ's institution, not discerning the Lord's body in the ordinance.
First, the gospel illuminates what was previously hidden.
Its acquisition presents such difficulties that it is seldom truly found in our age.
Little sins are peculiarly offensive to God precisely because they are little—we risk offending Him for what we ourselves care very little about and expect insignificant return from.
Similarly, when a musician strikes an out-of-tune instrument, he produces sound but the instrument's broken strings produce the jarring discord.
It is not mere religious habit but your entire conduct—all you think, feel, desire, speak, do, and suffer.
The wisdom of Solomon stands in sharp contrast to our modern systems, which often direct men's attention everywhere but inward.
The accumulation of light things becomes overwhelmingly ponderous.
Rather, He sets him apart for Himself—to converse with him, to communicate Himself to him as a friend and companion, making him His delight.
At the base of those ancient fortifications lie five or six courses of massive, squared blocks, 'the wonders of the world yet; well jointed, well laid, well cemented.' These represent gold, silver, and precious stones—the solid verities of Christ proclaimed...
While all persons possess some sense of duty rooted deeply in the human heart, the constant strife between inclination and principle generates contradiction in conduct.
Exell observes that science itself demonstrates this principle: the passions of grief, disappointment, anger, jealousy, and revenge derange the bodily system in proportion to their strength, while pleasurable emotions rooted in moral virtue give buoyancy and vigor to the body.
Iniquity expresses unevenness or inequality—a want of rectitude or moral principle.
This text reveals a profound truth: bodily satisfaction depends entirely upon the soul's condition.
They streamed into the wilderness seeking baptism as a *talisman*, a magical protection against coming judgment.
The *peripateo* (walking) denotes chosen motion—not forced proximity, but intentional association.
Thomas Carlyle observed with prescience: "There is a great necessity indeed of getting a little more silent than we are.
Cleanse Thou me from secret faults." — Psalm 19:12 Sin possesses a remarkable tenacity and cunning.
The ruined city in Solomon's metaphor depicts precisely this condition.
The latter we enjoy now through faith and hope; but the former is present with us, the certain consequence and necessary attendant upon a mind truly virtuous and religious.