splits a stone;" the Germans, "Patience breaks iron," Gen. 32. II-20; 1 Sam. 25. 35. 1. Fire gives heat which makes (passion) boil over, while a man of understanding is of a cool spirit, Prov. 17. 27; so Christ, Matt. 27. 12-14. 2. Kindles great things, Matt. 12. 36; hence fire called a good servant, but a bad master, Prov. 26. 18–20. 3. Scorches and gives pain; so the wicked compared to coals of juniper, Ps. 120. 4, which burn hot and long. The fire of the evil tongue is kindled from hell; not so the zeal of the righteous, compared to a live coal, Isa. 6. 6; the cloven tongues of fire were harmless, Acts 2. 3. Tamul.-The words of a babbler are fine dust. Afghan.-A great spear-wound is well to heal quickly; a severe tongue-wound becomes a sore in the heart, healeth not. China.-A man's conversation is the mirror of the heart. Turk.-Who masters his tongue saves his head. Little Sins like Dead Flies in Ointment.-ECCL. IO. I. Telugu "The remains of a debt, a sore, or a fire should not be left, as they may increase." Veman-A stone in the shoe, a gadfly in the ear, a mote in the eye, a thorn in the foot, and a quarrel in a family, however small in themselves, are unspeakably tormenting, 2 Cor. 12. 7. The text refers to the acid salts in insects which dispose syrups to fermentation, and then to putrescence, causing a bad smell and sour taste, and so the whole ointment is spoiled, as a little leaven leavens the whole lump, I Cor. 5. 6; the tongue is a little fire, and kindles great things, as the little helm of a ship turns a big vessel, Jas. 3. 4. A small leak will sink a great ship: break one link in the chain, the whole goes. China. It is with law as with dykes-in whatever part they are broken, the rest becomes useless. No ease for the mouth when one tooth is aching. Malabar.-A coir improperly twisted will break the whole mass. Russian. A spoonful of tar in a barrel of honey, and all is spoiled. Oriental. Good qualities efface not bad, as sugar mixed with poison does not prevent the poison being mortal. Kurd.-A vessel of honey with a drop of poison in it. Cingalese. The tree which (when young) you could have nipped off with your nail you cannot afterwards cut with your axe. Modern Greek.-A little bait catches a large fish. China. To spare a swelling till it becomes an ulcer, Malay.--One piece of arsenic suffices to kill a thousand crows. Telugu. To look at it, it is like a musk rat; but to dig into walls, it is a bandicoot. Tapan.-Poking out the eye with an insignificant twig. Hebrew. Of a spark of fire a heap of coals is kindled.* Life a Flood.-Ps. 90. 5. This Psalm was composed by Moses towards the close of his wandering in the desert, when human life had been shortened, and when out of 3,000,000 Jews that came into the wilderness only two adults were allowed to enter Canaan. There are more than 1,000,000,000 of people in the world, composed, like the Ganges and Brahmaputra, of streams of many nations; they make a great noise; like a flood, rise suddenly, and as suddenly go down to the *There is the well-known homely French and English proverb, "For want of a nail the horseshoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost; for want of a horse, the rider was lost. ocean of Eternity. Some of these floods fertilize the soil, while others sweep away cattle and villages; so some men lead the lives of sheep, others of goats. China. The waves flowing away chase those that precede; in the world the new-born chase away the old, and they also pass away; no feast lasts for ever. Russian.-There are not two summers in one year, Jer. 8. 20. Japan. As the stars, so man appears little at a distance. Persian. The world is like an old building on the banks of a stream-it carries away piece by piece; in vain you stop it with a handful of earth. Telugu. If the priest does not come, will the new moon wait for him? Tamul.-Does any one desire to chew his betel over again? Gen. 47. 9. Life passes as a Flower.- -I PET. I. 24. Though the flowers are clad with a raiment superior in beauty to Solomon's, yet the scythe of death, sunshine, storm, rain, or worms sweep them away. The Prabodh Chandrodaya says the society even of friends is a flash of lightning which is dazzling, but momentary. The righteous, like a plant, may lose his flower on earth, but he will he transplanted to the gardens of Paradise. China. The swallow plastering its nest is labour losti.e., it soon migrates. China. We find trees in the mountains 1,000 years old; we rarely find a man 100 years old. Turk.-Have you ever seen a day which ends not in evening? Turk.-Happiness is like crystal-when it shines the most it soon cracks. Arab. Every day in thy life is a leaf in thy history. Modern Greek.-Many dead are sitting at the head of the sick man-i.e., many of those who visit a sick man die before him. Afghan.-Life is not such a mouthful that a man should gulp it down whole; life is not so short that a man should live heedless. Arab.-Life like a fire begins in smoke, ends in ashes. China. The moon is not always round; the clouds sometimes disappear. Japan.-Life is a light before the wind, Job 7. 7. God-fearing the Fountain of Life.-PROV. 14. 27. Fear of God differs from the wicked's fear in five points:— One kind of fear has torment, 1 John 4. 18; such was Adam's, Gen. 3. 8-10, the devil's, Jas. 2. 19. The other is reverential, and leading to watchfulness; as Joseph, Gen. 39. 9, Noah, Heb. II. 7. This is the beginning of knowledge, Prov. 1. 7. Arab. The fear of God makes the heart shine. Afghan. The shelter of a tamarisk is equal to that of a mountain for a man who fears not God-i.e., no restraint in wickedness for those not fearing God.. Arab.-There are four things God cannot do: He cannot lie; He cannot die; He cannot deny Himself; and He cannot look favourably on sin. The Heart the Fountain of Action.—MAT. 15. 19. Sanskrit.—If the heart be impure, all actions will be wrong. Turk.-The eyes are a balance of which the heart forms the weight. Telugu. A good work performed with a pure heart, though small, is not trifling. How large is the seed of the banyan and the mustard tree? Luke 21. 2. Sanskrit. The poison of a scorpion is in his tail, of a fly in his head, of a snake in his fang; but of a bad man in his whole body, Isa. 1. 5. The Wicked are Foxes.-LUKE 13. 32. Herod the king was called a fox, because he tried to catch Christ by cunning, Luke 13. 32, Mat. 2. 8; false teachers are also so called, Ezek. 13. 4; they used rough garments to deceive, Zech. 13. 14, in imitation of the true teachers, who wore sackcloth and hairy garments. The wicked are like foxes in five points :— 1. Craftiness. The fox when pursued and caught pretends to be dead; he uses his tail to catch crabs; he has many entrances to his den; he moves crookedly and steals up lightly, Neh. 4. 3, yet he does not escape. 2. Cruel and destructive. He destroys more than he kills; makes havoc among grapes. 3. Attacks at night; the wicked called children of darkness, I Thess. 5. 5. 4. Greedy. The fox eats all kind of filthy putrid things, lives on filth, digs up dead bodies. 5. Moves in packs to destroy; so Samson used three hundred of them with lighted brands to their tails to fire the corn, Judg. 15. 4; the wicked combine to do evil. Christ said even the foxes had holes, but he had not where to lay his head, Luke 9. 58. Turk.-The fox goes at last to the shop of the furrier. Friendship like Perfume, rejoicing the Heart.-Ps. 27. 9. Abraham was the friend of God, Jas. 2. 23; Jonathan and David had close friendship, 1 Sam. 18. 1. Urdu.-The friendship of the base is a wall of sand. Arab.-A bad friend is like a smith, who, if he does not burn you with fire, will injure you with smoke. Arab.—A fool or unlearned is an enemy to himself: how is he a friend to others? Arab.-Three things are not known except in three points : courage except in war, the wise except in anger, a friend except in adversity. Afghan.-God will remain, friends will not, Prov. 18. 24. Turk.-Friends are one soul in two bodies. Gujerat.-A rat and cat's friendship. Persian.-Friendship with a fool is the embrace of a bear. Talmud.-A man without a friend is a left hand without the right. |