Isaiah 32:5

"Handfuls of Purpose"

For All Gleaners

"The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said to be bountiful." Isaiah 32:5 .

There is a morality of names. When charity wishes to speak well of the vile person or the churl charity loses all its charm. It is no longer charity, it is no longer charity, it is falsehood. There will come a time when a name shall stand for character. It may be right for us to speak strong words concerning our fellow-men, even such words as "the vile persons" and "the churl." Woe unto us when we do not distinguish between light and darkness. The enlightened conscience is ever critical. It does not examine cases for the purpose of finding fault with them, or discovering fault in them, but when it does detect a fault it gives it conspicuousness and pronounces upon it in unequivocal language. Never let us forget the self-application of some texts. We should sometimes call ourselves vile persons; and some of us ought now and then to look in upon our own heart and call it churlish. Social criticism is of immense advantage, but even that advantage will be increased if it be preceded by self-criticism. How many of us would be dumb in judgment if we could only speak in the degree in which we know ourselves to be worthy of moral credit. Every man must search his own heart, and speak with the degree of authority which he finds there. It is one thing to read sentences out of a magisterial code and to pronounce those sentences against public or private offenders, and another to take all our judgments out of the record of our own hearts. How temperate we should often be; how oftentimes we should see that a man who has infirmities of a very obvious kind may even have more virtues than some of his judges can rightfully claim. "Judge not that ye be not judged." "Blessed are the merciful." Thus we have criticism forbidden and criticism encouraged. Preachers and leaders must speak out concerning the men who are offending that law of God without violating the law of the state. We should not only expel the drunkard, we should expel the covetous man. Not only should we denounce the debauchee, we should pursue the liar into his place of hiding and hold the light of God above his deceit. Judgment should begin at he house of God.