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THE BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR I PET 2CHAPTER II.Vers. 1-3. — Wherefore laying aside all malice. — Malice laid aside : — I. ThatEEGEERATio AD THE LOVE OF SI CAOT STAD TOGETHER, Itmust needs be accom-panied with a new life. Do vines bear brambles ? II. That there is no perfec-tion HERE TO BE ATTAIED, for cvcn the bcst have sin dwelling, though notreigning,in them. III. That it is no easy thing to be a Christian. IV. That underTHOSE corruptions HERE AMED ALL OTHERS ARE ICLUDED. V. ThATMOST OFthose here mentioned are inward CORRUPTIOS WHICH WE MUST AS WELLAVOID ASTHE OUTWARD. (Johv, Rogers.) Renovation : — I. What is to be laid aside ?"All malice, guile, hypocrisies, envies, evil-speakings." These are only a fewspecimens of the many lusts which are to be cast out, if we would enter thekingdom of heaven. If a child has swallowed poison I could not expect that whole-some food would confer any benefit upon him — the poison must be first removed ;and if these poisonous evils lodge in your hearts and be not repented of, theyprevent the Word of God having its proper effect, they effectually neutrahse it.II. The special reason why these are to be " laid aside." The fact of theirbeing "newborn babes," the apostle urges as a reason why they should put away allthese evils. This reason is a very efficacious one. If you are born again, whathave you to do any more with the old habits of corruption ? III. What is to bedesired? " The sincere milk of the Word." IV. For what is the " sincere milk OF the Word " to be desired ? " That ye may grow thereby." {H. Verschoyle.)A catalogue of sins to be avoided : — I. It is exceedingly profitable to gatherspecial catalogues of our sins WHICH WE SHOULD AVOID, to singlc out such aswewould specially strive against, and do more specially hurt us. II. The ministerought to IFORM HIS FLOCK COCERIG THE PARTICULAR FAULTSTHAT HIDER THEWORK OF HIS MIISTRY wherc he lives. It is not enough to reprove sin, butthere isa great judgment to be expressed in applying himself to the diseases of that people,
 
in. The apostle doth not name here all the sins that hinder the Word, but heimports that in most places these here named do much reign, and marvellouslylet the course of the Word. IV. It should be considered how these sins do hinderthe word. {. Byfield.) Malice. — Malice is an old grudge upon some wrongdone, or conceived to be done to a man, whereupon he waits to do some mischief to him that did it. Anger is like a fire kindled in thorns, soon blazeth, is soon out ;but malice, like fire kindled in a log, it continues long. This is often forbidden(Eph. iv. 31 ; Col. iii. 8). 1. We ought to take heed of the beginnings of unadvisedanger. God is slow to wrath, and so should we be. 2. If we be overtaken (as aright good man may) take heed it fester not, grow not to hatred ; heal it quickly aswe do our wounds. The devil is an ill counsellor. {John Rogers.) The veno-mous disposition : — There are plants which may be said to distil venom of theirown accord. The machineel-tree, for example (by no means uncommon in theWest India Islands), affords a milky fluid which blisters the skin as if it were burntwith a hot iron ; and indeed so dangerous has the vegetable been accounted, thatif a traveller should sleep under its shade it was once popularly believed he wouldnever wake again. The venomous disposition of these plants has its representativein the human family. There are persons to be met with who are so spiteful as tocause pain the moment you come into contact with them. Their lips distil malice,and it seems the object of their life to inflict malignant wounds. If you trust themyour happiness will sleep the sleep of death. (Scientific Illustrations.) All g^uile. — Guile : — It is meant of guile that is between men and men in their dealings witheach other, as in buying, selling, letting, hiring, borrowing, lending, paying wages,doing work, partnership, &c. ; when men would seem to do well, but do otherwise;when one thing is pretended, but another practised. We are not born for ourselves,but for the good of each other ; we must not lie one to another, seeing we aremembers one to another, as it were monstrous in the natural body to see the handbeguile the mouth, &c., and yet how common is this sin! how doth one spreada net for another ! not caring how they come by their goods, so they be oncemasters of them. (John Rogers.) Guile in small matters as well as great to beavoided : — "All" — this is added to show (lest any should think none but guile ingreat matters or measure forbidden here) that there is a thorough reformationrequired. Therefore it wUl not serve any man's turn to say, " My shop is not sodark as others; I. mingle not my commodities so much as such and such ; I neverdeceived in any great matters." All guile must be abandoned by a Christian who126 THE BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR. [chap. n.cares for his soul. A Christian must show forth the truth of his Christianity in hisparticular calling, in his shop, buying, selling, &e., that men may count his word
 
as good as a bond, that they dare rest on his faithfulness, that he will not deceive.{Ibid.) Hypocrisies. — Preservatives against hypocrisy : — 1. Keep thyself in God'spresence ; remember always that His eyes are upon thee (Psa. xvi. 8 ; Gen. xvii. 1).2. Thou must pray much and often to God to create a right spirit within thee ; forby nature we have all hypocritical hearts (Psa. li. 10). 3. Keep thy heart with alldiligence, watching daily and resisting distractions, wavering thoughts, and forget-fulness. Judge thyself seriously before God (James iv. 8; Matt, xxiii. 26). 4. Inall matters of well-doing be as secret as may be (Matt, vi.), both in mercy, prayer,fasting, reading, and the like. 5. Be watchful over thy own ways, and see thatthou be as careful of all duties of godliness in prosperity as in adversity, in healthas in sickness (Job xxvii. 9, 10). 6. Converse with such as in whom thou- dis-cernest true spirits without guile, and shun the company of known hypocrites. 7.Be not rash and easy to condemn other men for hypocrites, only because theycross thy opinions, or humours, or will, or practice. It is often observed that rashcensurers that usually lash others as hypocrites fall at length into some vile kindof hypocrisy themselves. {. Byfield.) Hypocrisy : — Hypocrites are like untowhite silver, but they draw black lines, they have a seeming sanctified outside, butstuffed within with malice, worldliness, intemperance ; like window cushions madeup of velvet, and perhaps richly embroidered, but stuffed within with hay. {J.Spencer.) Hypocrisy ineffective .•—Coals of fire cannot be concealed beneaththe most sumptuous apparel, they will betray themselves with smoke and flame ;nor can darling sins be long hidden beneath the most ostentatious profession, theywill sooner or later discover themselves, and burn sad holes in the man'sreputation.Sin needs quenching in the Saviour's blood, not concealing under the garb of rehgion. {G. H. Spurgeon.) Envies. — The hatefulness of envy :— I. ConsiderThe subject persons in which it usually is. It is found most in natural men (Titusiii. 3), yea, in silly men (Job v. 2). This was the sin of Cain (Gen. iv). yea, of thedevil himself. II. Consider the cause of it. It is for the most part the daughterof pride (Gal. v. 26), sometimes of covetousness (Prov. xxviii. 22), and often of someegregious transgression, such as in Eom. i. 29, but ever it is the filthy fruit of theflesh (Gal. v. 25). III. Consider the vile effects of it, which are many. 1. Ithath done many mischiefs for which it is infamous. It sold Joseph into Egypt(Gen. xxxvii.), and killed the Son of God (Matt, xxvii. 8) ; 2. It deforms our natures,it makes a man suspicious, malicious, contentious, it makes us to provoke, backbite,and practise evil against our neighbours. 3. It begins even death and hell, while aman is alive (Job v. 2). It destroyeth the contentment of his life, and burns himwith a kind of fire unquenchable. IV. It is a notable hindrance to the profit opthe Word, and so no doubt it is to prayer and all piety, as evidently it is a let of charity (Phil. i. 15). (. Byfield.) All evil speaking's. — Rides against evil-speaking : — He that would restrain himself from being guilty of backbiting, judging, reviling, or any kind of evil-speaking, must observe such rules as these.
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