James 3:17, commentary and pictures

Wisdom from above comes in a fixed order, first inwardly pure and then peaceable, gentle and open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without favoritism and without pretense. Purity comes before peaceableness, meaning a humble unselfish heart cleansed from pride, self-seeking and sensuality. It is the wisdom of God in Christ, planted by the Holy Spirit to sanctify the soul, subdue selfishness and make a person kind and loving like Christ. It stands opposite wisdom that is earthly, sensual and devilish, which is known by bitter envying and strife and brings confusion and every evil work. Lived out it makes peacemakers who sow righteousness in peace, walk in unity of mind and tender brotherly love, hate sin while loving the sinner without compromising truth, and govern tongue, home, correction and counsel with gentleness, mercy and impartial sincerity.

Meaning and Order

The marks of heavenly wisdom come in a fixed order, pure first and then peaceable, gentle and open to appeal, merciful and fruitful in good works, impartial and sincere, and this godly wisdom is distinct from earthly wisdom marked by envy and strife and leading to confusion and every evil work. It is shown by good conduct with meekness rather than by claims to advanced spiritual knowledge, for cherishing bitter envying and strife lies against the truth. Cleverness in argument and a controversial spirit even when supposing mastery has been gained are not pleasing to God, and righteousness is sown in peace by peacemakers without sacrificing any principle of truth.

Purity stands first as inward moral purity before peaceableness, reaching beyond outward or ceremonial cleanliness to hidden purposes, motives, heart, mind and character. It is humble, unselfish and childlike, excluding sensuality, pride, self-seeking, earthly dross, lust for forbidden things and glorifying of self, and it comes only through spiritual enlightenment, divine grace, purification through obedience to truth, and becoming partakers of the divine nature having escaped corruption through lust. Those learning from Jesus develop refinement in thought and manner, receive power to love God supremely and neighbor as self with unfeigned fervent love, mercy and good fruits, and are qualified to carry out Christ's work of proclaiming truth and to live in God's kingdom. This love does not love sin nor indulge sinners, which exposes false charity that does so as counterfeit, and it is incompatible with defiling the body or contaminating others, so that tobacco use cannot be reconciled with holiness, the gospel, genuine sanctification, or entrance where nothing defiling enters, but belongs with what is earthly, sensual and devilish.

To be easy to be entreated is to be teachable, humble, open to reason, counsel, persuasion, appeal and learning, willing to listen, to yield personal ideas, feelings, opinions, preferences and purposes for peace and unity without sacrificing divine truth, to excuse and forgive others' errors as one wishes to be excused, and to suffer wrong rather than injure God's heritage. It is the Spirit of Jesus softening and subduing hearts into love and unity, giving sanctified ears and perception to distinguish true from false, and it rules out self-sufficiency, independence, selfish narrow-mindedness, self-exaltation and stubbornness. No one man is authority in all things and it is not safe to follow one man's mind and judgment, but believers think and act as free moral agents bound together as helps to one another without becoming the shadow of any man, gathering light from God to reflect to others and absorbing sound sense from the experience and education of experienced people while casting aside what is not of value. Great and noble-minded people are teachable in this way with humble heart and true purpose, aligning will with Christ and trusting and obeying God's Word, while refusal to be taught, insistence on one's own way and stubborn self-confidence show self unconverted.

Without partiality means exact and impartial justice and sincere love to all without favoritism, giving no special favors or attentions to a few and preferring no one above another, for such partiality is displeasing to God. It forbids passing by one who needs sympathy and kindly acts to bestow favors on others simply because they are more pleasing, neglecting the bruised and wounded and lame of the flock while bestowing attention on those who have no need or who are forward, which harms recipients and brings condemnation rather than reward. It requires no partiality to the wealthy and no oppression of the weak, no encroaching on another's rights by position or desire for gain, no close personal alliances or groups formed around admiration of particular people, which God will not bless, and more than justice it requires constant compassion for the suffering and pity and love for the erring. In race and rank it gives no favor of white over black or black over white, but loves one another as Christ loved, with sympathy and kindness to the afflicted, and its fruit is righteousness established in peace by peacemakers.

Without hypocrisy means true, sincere, unaffected, guileless love and godliness, free from favoritism and pretense, not cold, unsympathetic and unforgiving, and not exalting self over an erring brother as holier than he. It is not a passing impulse or transitory emotion dependent on circumstances, nor the shallow courtesy of the world and meaningless expressions of effusive friendship, which are as chaff to wheat, but a living principle and permanent power fed by streams of pure love flowing from Christ's heart that quicken the heart, ennoble motives and deepen affections. Learned under the education and discipline of the Holy Spirit, springing from the heart being in love with Jesus and from common relation to God as one family loving as He loved, it is practiced at all times and in all places and not only when feeling like it or when circumstances are pleasing. Day by day it shows kindness to everyone for Christ's sake and not only to a few favorites, living a fragrant life of kindly words and deeds that cheer and help all around, living as in the sight of a holy God without seeking to do any great thing, refusing bitterness and faultfinding toward fellow believers, for pretense cannot deceive God who looks on the heart.

Full of mercy and good fruits means active goodness appearing in kind, compassionate, forgiving words and deeds, tender compassion for others, and seeking peace and making peace rather than criticizing, spreading hearsay, making harsh judgments, cherishing evil thoughts, or favoring only those who give praise. Harsh denunciation and severe judgments are not its fruit but come from unsanctified ambition, while those abiding in Christ show mildness, kindness, forgiving courtesy and meekness and earnestly seek peace with brethren. Its good fruits are evidence of a changed life and of conduct with meekness, pictured as passing from active life to death, and where they are absent the person should earnestly seek the Lord. Those fruits come only through labor of cultivation, for a blossom cannot be produced on a dry dead pole but the living tree must be cared for and carefully grafted before choice fruit can be gathered, and trying to gather fruit while unwilling to do that work, or spending money and labor for what is not bread and does not satisfy, fails.

Heavenly Versus Earthly Wisdom

The wisdom from above stands in direct opposite to a wisdom that is earthly, sensual and devilish. Where bitter envying and strife are cherished in the heart there is confusion and every evil work, with alienation, difference, contention, harshness, accusation and evil-surmising. Cleverness in argument is not this wisdom, and a controversial spirit that supposes mastery has been gained by keenness in debate does not please God. Those who cherish envy and strife cannot rightly claim advanced spiritual knowledge, for such a claim lies against the truth, and genuine wisdom is shown instead by good conduct with meekness of wisdom and by a consistent life. It is first morally pure and then peaceable, gentle, open to persuasion, full of mercy and active in good deeds, impartial and sincere, leading to peace and righteous fruit, with the fruit of righteousness sown in peace by them that make peace. It comes from truth enthroned in the heart, which softens and subdues the soul, sanctifies the character, elevates, ennobles and purifies, giving faith that works by love and purifies the soul from every species of selfishness. It is formed by beholding the self-denial, self-sacrifice, meekness, purity and holiness of the life of Christ, making those who have it Christlike, one with Christ in spirit and character as Christ was one with the Father, and they bear the test and pruning of God to show whether they will be found worthy to compose the members of God's own family above. One who has it would rather suffer wrong than do injury to God's heritage.

The wisdom from beneath is seen in doubts, cavilings, playing and quibbling upon words, sarcasm, evil feelings expressed, bearing false witness, making light of the message God sends and the messenger who brings it, turning aside from close reproofs, ridiculing, misrepresenting, brooding over imaginary wrongs, skepticism, unbelief, criticism, exaggerated statements, envy, jealousy, evil surmising, false accusing, resistance and confederacy to allow no change of ideas. It includes regarding reproofs as idle fables, bitter speaking, and acting with a mob spirit to berate, falsify and inflame minds instead of having the spirit of Jesus. Words and work done in that spirit are written in the book of records and will have condemning power upon all who act a part in them. That spirit, brought into the Minneapolis conference, is an offense to God, comes under His rebuke, and must have no place at His meetings, while souls starving for food must be fed with the pure, peaceable, gentle wisdom from above. It cannot harmonize with the Spirit of Christ, of truth and righteousness, is like the spirit that actuated the Jews to doubt, criticize and become spies upon Christ, closes the door to the Spirit of Christ, and brings evil angels with those who cherish it. It is joined to self-sufficiency, trusting in men, letting form and ceremony take the place of true piety, living by one's own spirit, seeking praise from men, being almost devoid of love, praising those who praise in return, exalting human capability above simplicity, shaping the work to human lines, and acting in zeal not according to knowledge with pride, jealousy, self-righteousness and refusal to acknowledge a mistake. By contrast wisdom from above is joined with purity, elevation, nobility, and the meekness and lowliness of Jesus Christ, seen when self is crucified and the stubborn will is subdued, leading to a spirit of respect and Christian courtesy rather than selfishness or cold rigidity.

Human science and philosophy alone cannot establish virtue and the fruit of righteousness, for these require wisdom from above imparted by the Spirit of the Lord. There are two opposite kinds of wisdom, the wisdom of this world and the wisdom from above, and education must choose which will shape its work, keeping God and His word central and sustaining vital connection with Him to mold mind and character for lasting results. Worldly learning pursued apart from God can nourish pride, estrange students from Him, and turn their gifts toward evil, in opposition to self-exaltation, reliance on human ability, and disregard for mercy and tender compassion. Confidence in one's own learning, self-sufficiency, form and ceremony, praise of men and reliance on human ability displace wisdom from above. The Greeks' pride in learning made the cross seem foolish to them, for their wisdom did not recognize or acknowledge God's ways when He acts in His own way to perform His wonders.

Purity first means tobacco use is incompatible with wisdom from above, for it defiles the person and those nearby and pollutes the air others breathe. Claiming Christian hope or sanctification while enslaved to such a habit contradicts the purity of the gospel, and such conduct belongs with what is earthly, sensual and devilish, not with genuine sanctification. One enslaved to the habit cannot consistently claim the blessing of sanctification or expect to enter heaven, where nothing defiling is admitted. Those who belong to Christ are to keep their bodies, the Holy Spirit's temple, from this enslavement and use their powers and resources for the Lord rather than to gratify a harmful appetite. Dependence on stimulants for enjoyment and zeal in worship likewise does not show enjoyment from above, for the source of a person's enjoyment is shown by whether it is from above or beneath.

Heavenly wisdom is honest rather than deceptive, in contrast to wisdom from beneath which leads to deception and selfishly wronging others. It belongs with clean hands, a pure heart and a sanctified purpose. It is absent when literary talent is pursued for vainglory or self-exaltation, for it is sought in order to serve Christ, not to advance selfish ambition, being pure, peaceable, easy to be entreated, full of love and productive of good fruits. Even great God-given wisdom can be perverted when turned to self-exaltation and harm, as Solomon's history shows, for his alliances and friendships with idolatrous nations turned his heart from God, weakened his sympathy and love, and led to tyranny.

Nature of True Religion

Wisdom from above is the wisdom of God and of Jesus Christ, the truth as it is in Jesus and the natural outgrowth of the Christian religion. Planted by the Holy Spirit it takes possession of the soul and is brought into the character, softening and subduing the soul, sanctifying the character, elevating, ennobling and purifying it. It gives faith that works by love and purifies the soul from every species of selfishness, and it is formed by beholding the self-denial, self-sacrifice, meekness, purity and holiness of the life of Christ. It does not make people cold, unsympathetic and unforgiving, nor lead them to exalt themselves over an erring brother as holier than he is, but makes them kind and loving like Christ, because God is not only just but a God of love. Those who have it become Christlike, one with Christ in spirit and character as Christ was one with the Father, and they bear the test and pruning of God to show whether they will be found worthy to compose the members of God's own family above.

This wisdom cannot err. When Christ is honored as present in the midst and self is hidden in Him, it lifts and controls the whole assembly and brings every thought, word and action under the will of Christ. It shuts out irreverence, deceitful use of Scripture to carry a point, levity and self-seeking, joined with charity that does not seek its own and thinks no evil. In meetings about God's work and sacred matters, when Christ presides and the Spirit guides, it is brought to bear on plans and decisions so judgment is not one-sided or warped or easily provoked, and decisions can be dispassionate and righteous.

Its presence or absence tests professions and movements, giving the right mold to the precious and important work of God and requiring teachers to keep within the bounds of the Bible and to repeat Christ's lessons over and over. When its traits of purity, peace, gentleness, openness to reason, mercy, good works, impartiality and sincerity appear eminently, as they did in the solemnity, humility, repentance, confession and consecration resulting from the midnight cry, they prove the movement was of God and distinguish His special work from fanaticism and mere human excitement. Applied to those in Indiana advocating strange doctrines, it exposes their work as not after God's order, a dangerous delusion not prompted by the Holy Spirit giving a wrong mold and working against God, because the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

The wisdom is received only by laying aside human wisdom and seeking Christ daily and earnestly, having Him with us and abiding in Him as counselor, support and helper. Seeking it with true contrition gives an understanding heart and enables people serving God to represent His character. Outward acts of worship may look alike, yet only service offered with a humble, contrite heart is acceptable to Him. Such wisdom is the Spirit of Jesus softening and subduing hearts and producing love and unity, meaning being teachable and willing to listen and learn rather than self-sufficient, independent, selfish and narrow-minded. No one man considers himself authority in all things and it is not safe to follow one man's mind and judgment, but believers think and act as free moral agents bound together, serving as helps to one another without becoming the shadow of any man, willingly learning from one another, gathering light from God to reflect to others, and gaining wisdom from men of experience by absorbing sound sense and casting aside what is not of value, and great and noble-minded people with humble heart and true purpose thus receive sanctified ears and perception to distinguish between the true and the false. Its good fruits come only through the labor of cultivation, for a blossom cannot be produced on a dry, dead pole but the living tree must be cared for and carefully grafted before choice fruit can be gathered, and trying to gather fruit while unwilling to do that work fails, as does spending money and labor for what is not bread and does not satisfy.

It belongs to sanctification and partaking of the divine nature, coming only through spiritual enlightenment and divine grace purifying the mind and heart from hereditary and cultivated partialities, earthly dross, lust for forbidden things and the glorifying of self. Through purification through obedience and by faith and earnest prayer placing themselves to escape the corruption that is in the world through lust, recipients receive power to love God supremely and neighbor as self, bearing unfeigned fervent love with mercy and good fruits. It is a real working power for a fallen world and a church where wheat and tares grow together until the harvest, so tares are not to be rooted up by human wisdom lest wheat supposed to be tares be destroyed under Satan's suggestion, but comes to the meek, humble, lowly soul who will not destroy but will build up, making consecrated human workers cooperating with divine intelligences, free from all selfishness, partiality, guile and hypocrisy, pervading and sanctifying every branch of human action from the least to the most solemn exercises of religious devotion. It guides every sincere lover of truth and wisdom, not a lover of his own ideas, way and opinions, guarding against hopeless perplexity and discouragement from dwelling upon perplexing things and against killing the precious plant of love by criticizing others for failing to manifest love. It leads instead to appreciate and feel the warmth of love Christ represented and to manifest that love, to spend as little time as possible dwelling upon and talking of the great mistakes of others, and to give due attention to precious truths from sanctified lips, to praise God for light and gladness, to talk of soul-feasting instruction, and to bring the solid timbers of truth into character-building in faithful performance of God's precepts, with truth refining and uplifting those who receive and practice it and restoring God's character through meekness and self-control rather than passion.

Peace Unity and Fruit

The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace, for heavenly wisdom produces peacemakers who advance God's work, strengthen others, and sow righteousness rather than stirring strife. This peaceable conduct is the opposite of earthly wisdom marked by envy and strife, which brings alienation, contention, confusion and every evil work. Truth enthroned in the heart softens and subdues the soul, sanctifies character, gives faith that works by love and purifies from selfishness by beholding Christ's self-denial, meekness and holiness, making people Christlike and one with Christ as Christ was one with the Father. Such fruit is the evidence of a changed life, and it does not require sacrificing any principle of truth.

Lived out, this wisdom creates unity among laborers and believers of varied temperaments and dispositions, so that they see eye to eye, speak the same things, are of one mind and judgment, and are one in Christ. Those of the same faith, members of one family with the same hope of immortality, are bound by close tender brotherly love, working together without collision, each laboring for his brother's highest good in burden-bearing. Personal interests are made secondary, with no attempt to rule or seek supremacy, no pushing of private ideas against brethren and no dictatorial spirit, but active humility, softened spirit and eye single to God's glory. Such harmony and union is the strongest witness that God sent His Son to save sinners and gives the world no occasion to reproach the faith, while envy, suspicion, faultfinding and evil-surmising weaken spirituality and retard God's cause. Christ's prayer follows the same order as the verse, asking first for purity and next for unity, with the responsive, entreated heart controlled by one Spirit, stamped with the same image and knit together in perfect heaven-born love with selfishness and quarreling removed.

As genuine heaven-born charity and Bible wisdom it is first pure and therefore hates sin while loving the sinner. It does not call sin good, conceal wrong under a false show of peace, or falsely assure the sinner that all is well, but faithfully warns of danger and points to Christ to take sin away. This exposes as counterfeit the false charity that loves and indulges sin, for true love does not indulge sinners. Peace is thus made without compromising purity.

It fulfills the principles of God's law, for keeping the ten commandments is impossible without heeding it in words and acts, forming character without fault before God's throne. It means keeping the law as love to God and man, loving as brethren, doing no injustice, and showing liberality, tenderness, compassion and true courtesy as Christian gentlemen. These directions are sacred truth to be acted out in all service to God and one another and to be preached, never losing force as expressions of the infinite God's mind, with departure in action misrepresenting His character. Christ as instructor leads His people to seek this wisdom from above for instruction in righteousness that molds character after the divine likeness in obedience to Old and New Testament commandments.

It is known by good conduct with meekness rather than by profession, talk or mere assent to truth, for fruits reveal the heart and the tree is known by its fruit. Even professing truth and assenting to it in judgment is not enough unless truth as it is in Jesus is brought into life and woven into character, otherwise a person will present truth only in his own way and manner with words and appearance showing the lack. True piety does not make a person stubborn, dictatorial, eager to lecture, condemn or criticize, insistent on his own way or proud in self-confidence, but makes the Christian a meek learner reflecting Jesus in gentle courteous words and conduct. Refusal to yield and be entreated shows self unconverted and can repel unbelievers, while envy, jealousy, strife, harsh denunciation and self-seeking prove the absence of a life connected to Christ the true Vine.

Leaders Teachers and Councils

Ministers and under-shepherds meet alienation, bitterness, envy and jealousy with wisdom that is pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere, correcting wrongs and giving faithful warnings and reproofs in Christ's spirit rather than with harshness. That work is done through personal labor to set things right, with selfish interests swallowed up in deep concern and felt burden for souls for whom Christ died, proved by meekness of conduct. Domineering, severe, critical and overbearing treatment only stirs strife, while patient, kind, gentle and courteous dealing with tact adapts methods to win souls without surrendering truth and seeks peace rather than repelling hearers. Righteousness so sown in peace by peacemakers is the fruit promised in the verse that follows.

Teachers of children and youth must examine whether truth has taken possession of the soul and brought this wisdom from Jesus Christ into character with all its named traits, cherishing peacemaking that sows righteousness in peace. It must govern conduct at all times and in all places and not only when feeling like it, keeping temper and feelings under the Holy Spirit's control in a balanced Christlike spirit for the spiritual good of students. Instructors so disciplined to Christ correct even stubborn pupils kindly, soften hearts, and make rules clear and fair rather than expelling unless truly necessary, preparing each student for his best service. Otherwise irritation, inherited or cultivated traits, impatience and unsanctified words confirm youth in perversity, while sanctified speech obeys conscience and holy affection.

In councils, board meetings and business decisions this wisdom is heaven's strength and illumination for upright integrity and justice, bearing on plans and decisions without error where Jesus is honored as present. It is the Spirit of Jesus softening and subduing hearts to love and unity, quieting tumultuous action and removing worldly sharpness, criticism, overbearing conduct, readiness to accuse, fraud, one-sided warped judgment and Satan's influence, making participants mild, calm and able to weigh evidence. It rules out self-sufficiency, independence and treating one's own plans and methods as perfect, requiring earnest importunate prayer from broken contrite hearts and continued communion rather than mere formal opening words, with counsel together in prayer and humility. No one man is authority in all things and it is unsafe to follow one man's mind, so believers think and act as free moral agents bound together as helps to one another, willingly learning from one another and gathering light from God to reflect to others, absorbing sound sense from men of experience and casting aside what is not of value, with sanctified ears to distinguish true from false. Decisions for institutions such as the school are to be sought and approved by God in this way.

Those placed in responsibility where influence means much must possess this wisdom in rich measure, learning daily in Christ's school as sinful mortals with enlightened eyes and understanding mind, firm as rock to principle yet humble, meek, lowly, kind, tender, forbearing, easy to be entreated and ready to yield personal ideas and feelings. Giving up one's own way and submitting to the judgment of others is hard for strong wills, but resisting every proposal not one's own shows Christ's lesson of meekness and lowliness unlearned. Without it men lord it over God's heritage, trust men, exalt self, favor unworthy men, lay grievous burdens, remove members' sense of need for divine instruction and teach souls to look to man instead of God, turning to man being an offense to the Spirit who is our wisdom, sanctification and righteousness. Such order must be changed by reform, and men lacking it should not be called to such service until reform comes.

Wisdom from above belongs only to those who fear God and obey His requirements, so it is not possessed by lawyers, judges, counselors and advisers not of the faith, who are without connection with heaven and cannot be trusted as safe counselors for God's cause even when honest, being blinded with suggestions contrary to God's mind to mislead, entangle and ruin. Church difficulties and wrongs between members must therefore not be opened before unbelievers nor settled by dependence on them to gain justice, for trusting them shows lack of faith and dishonors God. Entering lawsuit against a fellow believer manifests wisdom that is not from above, is wrong and a blot, and will not relieve the situation. Instead when perplexed or wronged, believers with fellow believers should agree together concerning what they desire and unite in persevering prayer to God for deliverance, trusting Him to hear prayer, while ministers teach but do not replace God as infallible.

It guides practical stewardship and planning, helping keep entrusted money in its proper place against pride, ambition, imagined wants and ruling power, directing wealth to good use. It calls for wise planning with economy amid limited resources and for thorough, vigorous, persevering effort to warn and enlighten unwarned unconverted souls, received by looking to heaven in faith upon God's full free promises with human agencies cooperating with heavenly agencies in the whole armor of God, confident that those for workers are more than those against them, bringing the Spirit in rich abundance as consecrated powers meet responsibility. It must direct efforts rather than fixed regular lines or mere human commission, and must be preserved by continual reliance on God. Even where purpose and object are good, as in literary societies, without it there is decided failure to exert saving influence and glorify God.

Practical Daily Application

Heavenly wisdom governs the tongue and speech, requiring a tamed tongue and select, well-chosen words that build up, bring peace and harmony, and keep conscience and holy affection instead of stirring strife, raising opposition and making war. It forbids gathering complaints, entertaining suspicion, condemning without a hearing, and secretly spreading reports, and it refuses gossip, censure, complaint-gathering, evil-surmising, talebearing, harsh denunciation and cutting words, calling instead for courteous speaking and writing and for self-examination rather than accusation of others. Hasty harsh words when spoken must be confessed, and disunion and bitterness must be removed, so that Scripture is presented point by point clearly under the Spirit with meekness and love that restores and sows righteousness in peace by peacemakers. Keeping the principles of the ten commandments is impossible without heeding this teaching in daily life, for uncontrolled or harmful speech is contrary to wisdom from above.

In correcting the erring this wisdom means going directly, humbly and sincerely to the one thought to be in error in order to heal, with Christlike love, patience, tender sympathy, self-control, meekness, compassion and forgiveness, excusing errors as one wishes to be excused and yielding personal opinions and preferences to preserve peace and unity without sacrificing divine truth. It seeks peace rather than criticizing, spreading hearsay, meddling, or making harsh judgments, and it replaces gossip and censure with sympathy that strengthens hanging hands and confirms feeble knees. Envy, accusation, harshness, strife, jealous faultfinding, talebearing, gossip sowing dissension, irritation, severity, and a self-justifying claim to frankness or courage disguised as zeal for truth are not discernment from God but earthly, sensual, devilish wisdom bringing confusion and every evil work, and they reveal a heart needing renewal and one who is not a branch of the true vine but manifesting the attributes of Satan. True branches are peacemakers bearing good fruit, and the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

In home and marriage this wisdom requires kindness, patience, forbearance, considerateness and courtesy, with husband and wife helping rather than ruling over or compelling one another by will, and with no strife in the household but gentleness and peace learned at the cross by placing the hand in Christ's hand. Children are to be taught its gentleness, thoughtfulness, kindness to others and being easy to be entreated, and probationary time is to be spent not in dwelling and talking upon shortcomings of others but in closest diligence, strictest watchfulness, unceasing prayer, overcoming defects of character and copying the divine Pattern. Gentleness is not weakness but firmness as a rock to principle while humble and meek and lowly as Christ, kind, tender, forbearing, easy to be entreated and ready to yield personal ideas and feelings, gained only by learning daily in Christ's school with enlightened eyes and understanding mind from the Lord. Those who have this wisdom are truly Christlike, peaceable, pure and undefiled, with sanctifying influence upon associates, for God must be present in all efforts or they avail nothing and good works without Him end in self-righteousness.

In presenting truth and missionary work this wisdom gives sanctified tact that wins hearts instead of repulsing them, reflecting the character of its Author rather than defending truth through agitation, bitter strife, rash decisions or combative spirit. It guards the heart against the first signs of division, strife and harshness, leads missionaries and Bible teachers to live in peace and unity and practice the principles they teach, and calls those who meet opposed ideas to set aside unsanctified criticism and investigate candidly. It adapts to avoid needless offense, is neither blind impulse nor cold calculating formalism but grows from trust in God with zeal and energy to serve with tender pitying love, and on difficult questions such as prejudice it calls for a careful peaceable course learned from Christ rather than rash extremes. Peace gained by withholding present truth or laying aside the cross to win favor is deceptive and not Christ's peace, for peaceable conduct does not require sacrificing any principle of truth, and true peace joined to Christ and the cross bears righteousness sown in peace by peacemakers.

This wisdom makes a person know self and keep natural temperament in subjection to Jesus Christ, learning first to obey rather than striving for supremacy and seeking to command, guarding words, actions and spirit so they do not offend but are commended of God. It refuses to push private ideas against brethren or mar God's work with a strong masterly dictatorial spirit, calling Christians to humility rather than rule, to watch unto prayer, and to live amid strife as peacemakers who advance God's work. It is seen in conduct with meekness rather than in profession, replacing a cold critical sarcastic spirit with the spirit of Jesus, and it comes to those who seek Christ's counsel who understands every phase of human character, who walk in God's way in His work, and who turn wholly to the Lord and hold firmly to truth in His strength so as not to be prey to delusion but kept by God's power as they learn more of the Saviour's love.

This wisdom is to be sought daily in the family, school and sickroom, for the religion of Christ needed in the world today is pure and peaceable and full of righteousness and good fruits, opposed to romantic daydreaming that wastes time and leaves character without real virtue or strength. It keeps purity first and then is peace-loving, gentle, reasonable, merciful and fruitful, revealing the heart more truly than profession or talk, and true piety does not make a person stubborn, dictatorial or eager to lecture, condemn or criticize but makes the Christian a meek learner reflecting Jesus through gentle courteous words and conduct. It means holding firmly to what God requires, such as keeping the seventh-day Sabbath holy, while refusing to treat one's own ideas as God's law, make unchangeable human rules, or impose tests God has not required. In caring for the sick it means kindness and flexibility to win confidence so hearts can be reached by truth and drawn into Christ's love, not forcing reform on tea, coffee and flesh meat but yielding when a patient strongly desires them by serving privately, equipping physicians to point guilty sin-sick souls to Christ whose peace brings spiritual and bodily healing, and giving tact, perception and skill that must be shared while strengthening, establishing and settling believers to advance from light to greater light.