A question of wonder and indignation! We often find this reckless infatuation in temporal things. A young man will spend a large income at the university in the professed purchase of wisdom, and yet idle away all his time! Is not the price manifestly in the hand of a fool, who has no heart to the advantages? The thoughtless rake might be warned even by his worldly friends, involving himself in debt, injuring his constitution, blasting his character. Is not this throwing away a valuable price by reckless folly?

Yet much more affecting is it to see the picture of this folly in religion. Why is a fool so blessed, seeing he hath no heart to improve his blessings? Birth, religious privileges, talents, time, influence, opportunity — all are a price to get wisdom. If the fool throws it away, the account of unprofitableness seals his sentence. (Matthew 25:24-30.) The grand price of inestimable value is in our hands.† Yet how many thousand fools have no heart to buy, would rather lose it, than labour for it; rather go sleeping to hell, than toiling to heaven! The remnant of the ten tribes despised the opportunity put within their reach of coming up to the feast of the LORD.† The town where Jesus was brought up,† the cities where he wrought his miracles,† willfully despised the price of wisdom. The Gadarenes threw away the pearl.† Herod eyed it with curiosity;† Pilate with indifference;† the Jews with scorn.† The rich youth preferred his own “goodly pearls” to it.† Felix hoped to turn it to his own selfish purpose.† Agrippa dared not purchase it.† Were not all these pictures of the fool, that every day meets our eye? ‘That which “is more precious than rubies” (chapter 3:15) is to him more worthless than a pebble. That which “is more sweet than honey,” is tasteless as the white of an egg.’† He lives for himself, as if there was no God in the world. His heart is given to the world, as if it could be a God to him, or could fill up God's vacant place in his heart! Yet thus the realities of eternity — the mighty things of the Gospel — things that should drink up our spirits, are like “a tale that is told.” Enough that they should have a place in our creed, though never in our hearts. The world is preferred to heaven, time to eternity; and the immortal soul, for which such a cost has been paid, and such prospects prepared, perishes in folly. But lingerers will stop short of heaven. And will it not be a sword in the awakened conscience — ‘I might have been enriched, had I not wasted the golden opportunities of salvation, and fooled away the glorious days of the Son of man’? Yea — will not this be the sting of the never-dying worm — ‘Had I come to Christ when I might, I should not have been in this place of torment. I would not come then.† I cannot come now’† ‘Lord, save me’ — cries the pious Howe — ‘from trifling with the things of eternity.’†

But if I have a heart to this wisdom, there can be no doubt the price will get it. I shall find Him whom my soul needeth above all, and desires to love above all; whose lovely names are not empty names, but full of truth. Brother — Husband — Savior — would but the fool ponder, might not the picture attract his heart; as One “able to promote him to honour,” to give him an infinite compensation for toil or loss; whose very upbraidings are pity, whose strivings are tenderness; whose rebukes are love, whose smile is heaven.