I. Much that is good, or much that is bad, may lie hidden in a man’s heart without its existence being suspected by the majority of his acquaintance. The word here rendered “counsel” may be taken in a twofold sense. It may be used of knowledge, or of great mental ability, which is hidden either because its possessor is exceedingly modest or exceedingly reserved—either because he lacks the will or the power to make it known. Or it may refer to deeply-laid schemes or well-planned purposes which a man intends shall one day become facts, but which at present exist only in his own mind. And according to the nature of the counsel it may be compared to the wealth of beauty and riches which lie hidden in the depth of the ocean, unsuspected by the majority of those who sail above, or to the deadly torpedo which makes no ripple upon the surface of the water, and which its victims approach without dreaming of what is concealed beneath.
II. The difficulty of one man’s obtaining what another wishes to conceal will depend upon the comparative wisdom of both. For many ages the deep sea seemed to defy all the efforts of man to explore its depths and to find out its secrets, but now even the ocean has to own him master in this respect, and to submit to have its treasures brought to light. There has been, as it were, a struggle between the sea and the man of science as to which should possess the treasures of the deep, and the issue has depended upon the ability of the man in comparison with the depth of the ocean. So there is sometimes a struggle between men—the one desiring to conceal his knowledge or his plans within his own breast, and the other desiring to discover them. The issue will depend upon the comparative mental power of the two men. If both be “men of understanding,” the resistance on the one side and the effort on the other will be continuous and long, and the “deep waters” may prove too deep for the bucket or the dredging net. But if the balance of wisdom is in favour of the seeker—if there is one spot where his line can reach—he will “draw out” the counsel and proclaim himself the master.
outlines and suggestive comments.
The whole emblem finely illustrates what is true of the “inward light” as held by the “Friends.” All men have light which, if they would follow, would lead them (granting that they persevere) into the light of the gospel (Rom. i. 20). What better name for this than counsel? Alas! it lies “deep.” No man will follow it but by the Spirit of God. . . . Nevertheless it is there! How solemn that fact at the judgment day! “The word is nigh” (Rom x. 8). “A man of discernment,” or “understanding,” i.e., the Christian. . . . Only the illuminated man, getting his light from its great fountain, will be moved to go down into his “heart,” where the counsel lies waiting and, “draw” the “deep waters.”—Miller.
Every question is, as it were, a turn of the windlass.—Plumptre.
He is an expert fisher. . . . But man can but draw them out; God seeth them in the heart, man can see no more than he draws out, but God seeth all; man draws and labours for the knowledge he getteth, but all things are naked and open unto God’s sight.—Jermin.
main homiletics of the paragraph.—Verses 6–12.
An Universal Challenge, a General Rule, and a Rare Virtue.
I. A double challenge to all men. Who can say, I am pure from my sin? A faithful man, who can find? To the first of these questions the answer must be in the negative. 1. God answers “No” to it. The testimony of Scriptures is that in His sight “shall no man living be justified” (Psa. cxlii. 2): that “all have sinned” (Rom. iii. 23): that “if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John i. 8). His ability to form a correct judgment rests upon His omniscience—He hath made the “hearing ear and the seeing eye” (verse 12), and shall He not hear and see and know the thoughts of man? (Psa. xciv. 9, 10). He is the ideal King who winnows the actions of man. See [Miller’s note] on ver. 8 (Matt. iii. 12). 2. Man’s experience answers “No” to it. “Even a child is known by its doings” (verse 11); the actions are like the hands of a clock, which tell to those who look upon them whether all the wheels within are in perfect working order. When we mark at all observantly the actions of even the best of men, we shall be most likely to detect here and there a flaw in their characters—some inconsistencies which tell of moral imperfection—but if not, man need only to look within with some degree of impartiality to be convinced that his “own heart condemns him” (1 John iii. 20). But to the second challenge we need not give an universal negative. Faithful men are rare, but they can be found. Even Solomon could point to the “just man” who “walked in his integrity,” leaving a blessing behind him. His father David, although he was far from being free from sin, yea, although he sinned deeply and terribly, and yet was a man who could appeal to God to witness to his integrity (Psa. vii. 8)—to the general intent and purpose of his life being toward God and goodness—to his being in the main faithful to his convictions of the right and true. (On this subject see on chap. [xi. 3], page 196.) And although faithful men are still rare enough to need search, they are more common than they were in Solomon’s days. There are many men scattered throughout the world who put duty before worldly interests, and God’s glory before their own, and are thus earning for themselves the well-done of the faithful though not the perfect servant (Matt. xxv. 21). For it is certain that if a man is faithful to himself—if he subjects his own moral condition to that scrutiny which must convince him of his own impurity before a heart-searching and Holy God, and accepts His method of being cleansed from guilt—he will be faithful both to God and man.
“To thine own self be true:
And it must follow as the night the day;
Thou canst not then be false to any man.”