ON LOVE; PART MCDXLVIII
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FIRST IS THE GREAT COMMANDMENTS: “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31).
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WHAT THEN IS LOVE? In a general sense love is benevolence, good will; that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good. In a theological sense, it includes supreme love to God, and universal good will to men. While this IS from an older definition of Charity, which IS rendered in the King James Bible from the same Greek word agape which IS generally rendered as Love, we should amend our own definition here to include the idea that in the reality of Love a man will accord to ALL men ALL things that he would accord to himself and to say that Love IS our thoughts and attitude of the equality of ALL men regardless of their outward nature or appearance…that ALL ARE equally children of Our One God.
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PLUS THE EVER IMPORTANT AND HIGH IDEAL TAUGHT TO US BY THE CHRIST: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12).
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We ended the last essay with some thoughts on our continuation of our discussion of the Master’s words in His Sermon on the Mount as He becomes a bit more specific. In this next chapter Jesus teaches us about the comportment of the man who IS Truly seeking the Lord, the man that DOES choose the things of God over the things of the self. In the fifth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel the Lord gives us generalities regarding the way a man must see the law, that the traditions of men, their doctrines if you will, had altered the intent of the laws given by Moses as He cites the confused attitude of the Jew’s doctrines. We should try to understand that whatsoever we may see in the Old Testament writings from Moses IS, from a spiritual perspective, a parabolic effort to teach men first that there IS but One God and second that God’s commandments given through Moses have been both misinterpreted and confused. While there should have been a demarcation between the laws of God and the ancillary laws offered by Moses to control his barbaric and superstitious flock, this line either has never existed, leaving it to the individual to discern the Truth, or it was obliterated in the doctrinal approach to the Lord. Either way the Master DOES show us the difference between the written law according to the Jews’ traditions and the reality of the Truth regarding such things as killing, oaths, adultery and the force of agape. These generalities offered by Jesus set the stage for the more specific ‘rules’ that we will discuss in this next section of our study; Jesus begins by telling us:
“Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not[ sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly“
Matthew 6:1-4
While almsgiving may NOT seem to be the most important thing that should be addressed regarding the Jew’s treatment of the law, it DOES set the Master’s ideas on selflessness into motion. And while many may see the idea here in terms of the rewards that ARE alluded to, this IS NOT the emphasis that should be taken from Jesus’ words. The message here IS simply that if one IS giving alms for the recognition of other men that there IS NO spiritual benefit whatsoever and, to be sure, this message was never accepted by most as men continue to this day to seek credit for whatsoever they may be giving; many people of means quietly brag about what they give. It IS this that we should see in Paul’s words that help us to understand Jesus point here; Paul tells us “though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:3). The parallel here IS in giving apart from keeping His words, an effort that encourages selflessness in giving and in ALL else and we should remember that Jesus ties this to agape saying that “give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away” (Matthew 5:42). The Apostle Luke shows us this same idea with a direct link to our expression of agape as he links the Master’s words with the actions of the Lord. Luke tells us to “love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil” (Luke 6:25). Jesus’ opening instructions set the stage for the Master’s thoughts on the Way to the Truth and we should understand that these words ARE NOT suggestions but rater instructions to the man who would Truly Repent and follow the Lord. And His point IS clearly cited in these words: we should NOT DO for the recognition of men but rather for the sake of DOING for others as an expression of Love which IS our expression of mercy. In a similar way the Master addresses the idea of prayer and DOES so against the apparent ways of the Jews who “pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men” and here we should understand that the idea is the same as in almsgiving but perhaps aimed at a different desire of men: that one may be seen as a spiritual person by his actions in prayer regardless of whether one IS actually a spiritual person. Jesus tells us:
“when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him“
Matthew 6:5-8
The Master’s words on prayer are misinterpreted and misapplied by most ALL men who tie His words to carnal ideas especially regarding the last line of this selection. Again, the primary message here IS the same as that regarding almsgiving; that a man should NOT pray to be seen as praying and that prayer IS a deeply personal undertaking. Of course we ARE NOT writing against public prayer as such as any union of people praying together can be a beneficial thing but, here too, we should remember that such prayers made for carnal things have little effect if any. The way to best understand these words IS to understand that “there is no respect of persons with God” (Romans 2:11), that despite men’s prayers for physical world intervention, there will be NONE; there will be NO car, No house, NO new job and NO windfall of any kind attached to one’s prayer for such. That some may attain what they pray for IS purely anecdotal as far more prayers for such intervention ARE NOT attained. This Christian expectation of having one’s prayers answered puts much stress on men as they come to question their own faith and much of the church will tell men that one must have enough faith to attain whatsoever they desire. Perhaps the whole idea can be understood in terms of desire; that whatsoever one may desire for the self in this world IS but a carnal desire and to this the Apostle James speaks saying “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:3-4). Other apostles offer similar messages; John tells us “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (1 John 2:15-17). Both of these messages ARE intended to show the dichotomy between the things of God and the things of the world and we should be careful to NOT use the common understanding of lust here but rather see this lust as desire albeit perhaps a stronger one. Paul also shows us this idea of dichotomy saying “they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:5-8). Finally we go to the Apostle Peter who shows us that the Way to the Lord IS through our escape from our carnal bondage; Peter tells us “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:2-4).
The point of ALL this is simply that to pray for the things of the self, the things of the self in this world, IS essentially a futile endeavor that has been promoted by the various denominations and sects of Christianity with some laying much emphasis upon this idea of prayer. Prayer IS essentially a personal communication with the Lord and from our perspective this communication goes to and through our own Souls, our own Christ Within. It IS for this reason that Jesus tells us “when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret“. James shows us the nature of prayer that it IS NOT for the things of the self and we should try to see here that there IS but one thing that men should pray for which IS Wisdom; NOT earthly wisdom however but spiritual Wisdom. James tells us “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed” (James 1:5-6). We should try to understand Wisdom as the inflow of spiritual Power into the Life of a man in this world; it IS through this Wisdom that we DO come to KNOW God. It IS through this Wisdom that we can become “partakers of the divine nature” for in this Wisdom comes our “knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord“. It IS in our “knowledge of God” that His Love flows into our psyche to be expressed by the man whose focus IS upon the Lord and the things of God. Paul tells us that “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ” (Ephesians 4:13-15). That these words ARE largely misunderstood by the doctrinal church that sees “every wind of doctrine” as the doctrine of others IS unfortunate and IS the result of the glamour and illusion in which men exist in their continued vanity which we should remember IS: a perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends4.
It IS a product of that vanity through which men seek to impress other men with their almsgiving and prayer and the idea that Jesus calls such men hypocrites and heathens should show us this. And we should try to see this from more than one perspective; first that men will, in their vanity, seek to impress others for the sake of that impression and for the expectation that they will gain favor. To be sure, this sense of impression ranges far and wide and NOT only in relation to these subjects that the Master cites. We ARE likely ALL guilty of a lifestyle that emphasizes our own comparisons to those around us, our neighbors if you will, as we desire what they have and want to have it too. Here we should not forget that to be a forerunner in such endeavors, to have such desires fulfilled first to be emulated by others, IS equally a problem. Can we see the idea here in the the commandments on covetousness? Can we see that we need NOT covet the specific things that a neighbor has but simply desire to have the same. The second perspective IS more sinister as men will feign their religious leanings in the sight of others while living a completely carnal existence outside of their sight. Both perspectives ARE inherent in that vanity to which ALL men ARE subjected and which must be escaped if we ARE to have any spiritual attainment. As we often cite, Paul shows us this vanity saying “the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because expectation that the creature itself also shall be delivered made free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:20-21). While Paul shows us the nature of our vanity and the expectation that it will be overcome, Peter shows us the way of overcoming saying “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust“. The point here IS that Jesus IS showing us the way of vanity in the Life of a man in religious circles but we should understand that according to ALL that we cite above regarding the dichotomy between the things of God and the things of the world, this IS much more than a religious issue. Both the apostles and the Master ARE speaking to the very nature of men in a religious setting and cautioning them that they must forsake their pride and their vanity if they ARE to overcome and “come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” as Jesus admonishes us to DO as He starts this dialogue of instruction on almsgiving and prayer. We should remember here that the separation of the gospels and the epistles into chapter and verse IS NOT the way that these ARE written, that this separation was done by man to make for an easier understanding of the ideas presented. From this lesson on men’s desire to be seen the Master takes us into the very nature of prayer, a nature that IS largely ignored by the church in favor of their own forms of petition to the Lord; Jesus tells us:
“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen“
Matthew 6:9-13).
While this IS called the Lord’s Prayer by some, others eschew the prayer itself as they claim that it belongs to other parts of the church and other than its use in church services, the prayer IS little used as the method of prayer that the Master shows us. Still others lay claim to the idea that this prayer IS but a ‘model’ for the prayers of men but there IS NO direct evidence that this was Jesus’ intent. The prayer IS simple and straightforward and, when diligently prayed, acts upon the self in this world as men ‘ask’ that the Will of God be “done in earth, as it is in heaven“. To understand this however requires a departure from the general ideas attached to heaven as a place to go at death rather than a state of being in and out of this world. We should remember here that the Lord tells us that “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21) and to enter into that state of being Jesus tells us that “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). This prayer then can work upon the self in this world as the man who diligently prays invokes the Will of God into his Life and it IS unfortunate that in much of the church the very idea of His Will IS grossly misunderstood. Our understanding of the Will of God comes in our “knowledge of God” and here we should look to the Apostle John who tells us “hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:3-4). Can we see the Master’s point here in giving us this prayer as such and NOT merely as a format? Jesus also shows us that we must revere the name of God; this reverence however IS reflected on our attitude toward His teaching. We should try to see that to revere the Name of God we must become “doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22) as James tells us and as the Lord reminds us saying “why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). The Master’s prayer goes on to ask for “our daily bread” and this idea should be understood as our daily needs, NOT our daily desires but our needs. Far too many today exercise their covetousness in prayer as they pray for whatsoever they desire and lust after but this has never been the intent of this or any True prayer. The next idea IS forgiveness and we should note the different renderings of this idea into ideas of debt, of wrongdoing and of shortcomings. While the idea of debt IS tied to monetary ideas by some, there IS a scriptural foundation for this in Jesus’ Sermon as He tells us “Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away” (Matthew 5:42) and the more specific version offered by Luke saying “love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again” (Luke 6:35). While this idea of forgiving monetary debt IS a valid one, this IS NOT the emphasis that we should put upon the idea as it IS presented; we ARE NOT asking the Lord to forgive our debt, that IS in the hands of the lender. We ARE however asking for forgiveness for wrongdoing and shortcomings making such renderings valuable to men’s spiritual journey. This IS shown us by the Master at the end of the prayer as He says “if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15). While different Greek words give us the ideas of debts and trespasses, we should try to see the purposeful way that these idea cross over each other. This crossover IS NOT apparent in the carnal world of men where debts ARE rather commonplace and actually promoted as a way to live Life. Spiritually however there IS a definitive link between debts and trespasses and we should note that while the ideas offered by alternate translations, wrongdoing and shortcomings, ARE valid observations of the overall intent, the Greek word DOES NOT actually lean toward them except metaphorically. This IS perhaps based in Thayer’s analysis of opheilema that tells us it IS: in imitation of the Chaldean חוב or חובָא (which denotes both debt and sin)9 Vincent paints us a comparison saying: Debts [οφειληματα] . So rightly, A. V., and Rev. (compare Luke 11:4). Sin is pictured as a debt, and the sinner as a debtor (compare Matthew 18:28, Matthew 18:30). Accordingly the word represents sin both as a wrong and as requiring satisfaction4. The greater synergy of these ideas of debt and trespasses IS found in Luke’s version of the prayer were we read “And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us” (Luke 11:4).
Forgiving debt IS done in mercy which IS the active idea of Love toward others and when we ask the Lord to “forgive us our debts” we ARE surely NOT praying in terms of monetary debt while “as we forgive our debtors” should be seen as both monetary, according to the idea that we should “lend, hoping for nothing again“, and in terms of perceived offences. We should remember here that Jesus reinforces this idea of forgiveness at the end of the prayer showing us a quid pro quo on the part of the Lord. If we want forgiveness we must offer forgiveness and this IS True regardless of how we look at the idea of forgiveness from the Lord. Much of the idea of forgiveness IS contorted and has departed from the scriptural ideas upon which it IS founded. The common understanding of forgiving IS: to grant pardon for or remission of (an offense, debt, etc.), absolve; to give up all claim on account of, remit (a debt, obligation, etc.); to grant pardon to (a person); to cease to feel resentment against; to cancel an indebtedness or liability of; to pardon an offense or an offender*. Contrasting this with the defining ideas of the Greek word aphiemi can offer us some perspective on the intent of forgiveness as a spiritual enterprise; Strong’s tells us that the idea IS to send forth, while Thayer’s tells us the meaning IS to send away; to send forth, yield up, emit and to let go, let alone, let be and to be sure both of these dictionaries DO leave us with some uncertainty of the intent. Vincent offers us the idea that: Forgive [αφηκαμεν] . Lit., to send away, or dismiss. The Rev. rightly gives the force of the past tense, we have forgiven; since Christ assumes that he who prays for the remission of his own debts has already forgiven those indebted to him4 while offering us some commentary on the Master’s intent. Our perspective on this idea of forgiveness gives NO room to the common understanding of the word but says that to forgive IS to forget. From the perspective of forgiveness from the Lord which occurs through our own Souls and the conviction that one may feel about whatsoever one has DONE, this IS that we forget, set aside, whatsoever we have DONE save for the recollection that it was error as a lesson for the future. From the perspective of forgiving others either for offences or debts we should see the same dynamic at play for the man whose focus IS upon the Lord; we forget the wrongs as we see through them as behaviors of the flesh that have naught to DO with the spiritual intent of the Inner Man. Regardless how we see this idea of forgiveness, it IS a difficult thing to offer while at the same time it IS something that IS desired when we ARE the offender or the debtor and this should ever bring to mind a saying that we will further discuss as we proceed through Jesus’ words; the Master tells us clearly that “all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12).
The next line of this prayer can be perplexing when we read it literally; Jesus says: “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”. Here we ARE praying to the Lord and whether we consider this as praying to God or praying through our own Souls as our link to the Godhead the idea remains the same. James tries to clarify the Master’s words saying that “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man” (James 1:13). Vincent tells us in this regard that: It is a mistake to define this word as only solicitation to evil. It means trial of any kind, without reference to its moral quality. Thus, Genesis 22:1 (Sept.), “God did tempt Abraham;” “This he said to prove him “(John 6:6); Paul and Timothy assayed to go to Bithynia (Acts 16:7);” Examine yourselves”(2 Corinthians 13:5). Here, generally of all situations and circumstances which furnish an occasion for sin. We cannot pray God not to tempt us to sin, “for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man” (James 1:13) as he too cites James clarifying words4. These words “lead us not into temptation” CAN NOT be so easily set aside however and in our discussion on the Lord’s Prayer, accessed from the front page of blog posts, we say of them that: ‘The next line is the more difficult to understand as the Lord does not tempt us nor lead us astray. It has been suggested by a eminent Christian writer that this is a reference to us becoming too big in our spiritual selves being tempted by such to think too much of our selves and our self-righteousness and our supposed place. In this light we should see that we can take our spiritual Light from within and from above and let our mortal, carnal selves abuse it to our own benefit; this is a great wrong. This approach does seem much more sensible than those generally accepted in the church‘. This writer IS Emmet Fox (1886-1951); he is the author of many books focused on the New Thought movement in Christianity and his words here can offer us a starting point in understanding the complexity of this idea of praying that the Lord would “lead us not into temptation“; perhaps we should consider the ways of the Pharisees and other religious leaders of the Jews here as an example. The Apostle Paul helps us here as he tells us “I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith” (Romans 12:3). Much of the problem with understanding such ideas lies in the way that men view the Godhead, as though there IS a God above that wields Power over the lives of men. Should we see that we ourselves ARE a part of this wielding of Power, we can much better understand the omnipresence of the Lord and, to be sure, this IS spoken of in Jesus’ words and the words of His apostles. Most ALL men have some measure of the Light of the Soul, some measure of the influence of the Christ Within, but it IS ONLY when this Light, this influence, IS allowed to bring men to Repentance that it IS Truly a Power in this world. And we should ever be diligent to reserve our measure of this Power to accomplish what Paul admonishes us to DO in his words before those on thinking soberly above. The apostle says “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1-2).
In the Light of these ideas from Paul, the ideas of Mr. Fox DO offer us a clearer understanding of the Master’s words asking the Lord to “lead us not into temptation” and we should note here that this sense of a man’s temptation to “think of himself more highly than he ought to think” IS an integral aspect of the vanity into which ALL ARE born. Here again we should look at just what this vanity IS and how that men ARE deluded by it as they follow their doctrinal paths which constantly intersect with their individual and corporate secular lives. Vincent tells us that this vanity IS a perishable and decaying condition, separate from God, and pursuing false ends4 which we should understand as being active in the lives of most ALL men whose doctrines assure them that they ARE NOT separate from God nor pursuing false ends. Through their doctrinal assurances most actively pursue a secular and carnal Life while so much of the words of the Master and His apostles show us that this IS NOT the Way. Most ARE most easily led into the temptation to live as men in this world and this because their Inner Light, their Christ Within, IS unable to break through their conformance to doctrines and traditions and become that force that can Truly lead men to Repentance and Transformation and “the renewing of your mind“. It IS in our delusion that we CAN NOT see clearly nor understand the role of our temptation to live as men in this world rather than to put forth the proper effort to become “doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). In the end we should try to see that it IS in keeping His words that we can keep ourselves out of the fray and Truly understand the next part of the prayer which reads “deliver us from evil” which IS our prayer for the Inner Light to make us free from being “conformed to this world“. We will continue with this idea from the Lord’s Prayer in the next essay as we repeat the Master’s words to us that ARE our trifecta, Jesus’ words that show us the Power of keeping His Words; Jesus tells us:
- “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).
- “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
- “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me” (John 14:21-24).
We will continue with our thoughts in the next post.
- 2a New Testament Greek lexicon on biblestudytools.com
- 4 Word Studies in the New Testament; Marvin R Vincent D.D. 2nd edition
- 9 Thayer’s Greek Lexicon on blueletterbible.org
- 9a The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible on blueletterbible.org
- * Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road.
Voltaire, Writer and Philosopher
