EXPOSITION
OF THE
BOOK OF PROVERBS.
BY THE LATE
REV. GEORGE LAWSON, D. D.
PROFESSOR OF DIVINITY TO THE ASSOCIATE SYNOD,
SELKIRK.
IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. I.
EDINBURGH:
PRINTED for
DAVID BROWN, NO. 6. ST ANDREW'S STREET,
1 W. OLIPHIANT, AND F. PILLANS, EDINBURGH; M. OGLE,
GLASGOW; OGLE, DUNCAN & CO. AND
J. NISBET, LONDON.
1821.
ADVERTISEMENT.
DURING his life-time, the Author of the
following Lectures had been frequently so-
licited by some of his earliest and most es-
teemed friends in the ministry to publish
them. For some time before his death, he
had entertained serious thoughts of comply-
ing with their solicitations. It has been
judged, by the surviving members of his
family, not improper to carry into effect what
they knew to have been his intention.
A desire, which it is presumed will appear
natural and proper, to follow out his design,
and thus to gratify the friends in conse-
quence of whose request this design was ori-
ginally formed, led to the selection of DR
LAWSON'S Lectures on the Proverbs from
the Discourses on many books of Scripture
which are found among his writings.
While it is probable that these Discourses
will be judged not altogether free from the
(vi )
defects incident to posthumous publications,
it is at the same time hoped that they will
be found to exhibit the same characteristic
qualities which have secured for his other
Expository Writings the approbation of the
Public.
At the suggestion of some valued friends,
the present mode of publication was adopted;
and much gratitude is due to the ministers
and others, whose exertions have promoted
its success.
It would have been the earnest prayer of
the Author had he been still alive, and it is
the prayer of his surviving relatives, who
have sent the Work to the Press, that the
Work may be rendered instrumental in ad-
vancing the best interests of mankind.
EXPOSITION
OF THE
BOOK OF PROVERBS.
Of Augustus Caesar it is said, that when he read the
works of men of learning and genius, he used to ex-
tract such precepts as might prove useful to him in his
government. This part of his conduct manifested wis-
dom; the precepts thus collected, served to assist him
and his ministers in managing the affairs of the em-
pire. But the necessity of our imitating this part of
his conduct, has been in a great measure superseded
by that Spirit of truth, under whose guidance Solomon
wrote his Proverbs, and transmitted them to future
ages for their instruction in righteousness. In this
little book there appears more wisdom than in the
combined monuments of Greek and Roman learning.
The wisest of men wrote it, and his object is to make
us wise:—But a greater than Solomon is here, for
Wisdom speaks in her own person.
The first nine chapters are a preface to the book.
In it Solomon recommends to our study, that wisdom
which he designs to teach, and insists on some of her
most useful precepts.
VOL. I. A
2 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. I.
CHAPTER I
In this chapter, Solomon gives us an account of the
writer, and the design, of this book; recommends the
fear of the Lord, a dutiful regard to the instructions
of parents, and diligence in guarding against the temp-
tations of bad company, as principal parts of wisdom.
It is concluded with an earnest call to the unwise to
learn wisdom.
Let us hear, first, what Solomon has to say, for re-
commending this much neglected book to our at-
tention.
Verse 1. The Proverbs of Solomon, the son of David,
King of Israel.
This book consists of proverbs, which are wise, and
short sayings of great use to direct us in the conduct
of life. Proverbs were much valued in ancient times.
But no proverbs deserve so much esteem and attention
as these, for they are the proverbs of Solomon, another
name almost for wisdom. In his days he was honoured
like an angel of God, for his understanding. All kings
that heard of him, admired him, and thought them-
selves happy if they could hear some of his wise in-
structions. The Queen of Sheba came from the utter-
most parts of the earth to hear his wisdom; although
she had not heard the one half of what she found to be
true concerning him, yet even these imperfect accounts
were such as to exceed her belief. Did she come so
far, upon uncertain reports, to hear his wisdom? and
shall not we receive with gladness his instructions,
since he is come to us, to be our teacher? We have
no need to cross dangerous seas, and travel into distant
CHAP I.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 3
countries, to hear the lectures of this divine teacher,—
he cries to us in our streets, he talks with us in our
closets. He died some thousands of years ago, but he
yet speaks.
Though Solomon had been the son of an Ahas, or
of some poor herdsman, his wisdom would have en-
titled him to our respect. But this wisest of men was
the son of the best of men. He that was raised on
high,—the anointed of the God of Jacob,—the man
after God's own heart,—was his father. This wise son
enjoyed all the advantages to be expected from the in-
structions and the example, the prayers and the bless-
ings, of so good a father. Solomon was a prophet,
and the son of a prophet,—he was the son of the best
of kings; and of the many Sons whom God had given
to David, he was chosen to fill his father's throne.
Great men are not always wise, and except from
their own subjects, the words of kings are seldom en-
titled to more regard than those of other men. But it
was in Israel, where God was well known, that Solo-
mon was king; and he was advanced to that dignity,
because he was the worthiest of it in the kingdom.
These words are the instructions of that king, who
excelled in wisdom and grandeur all the kings of the
earth. This great prince is our teacher; but not he
alone,—the only wise God here condescends to become
our instructor;—he, then, who disregards this book,
despises a greater than Solomon.
This book is the work of a noble writer, and truly it
was written with a noble design-
Ver. 2. To know wisdom and instruction, to perceive
the words of understanding—
To give us the knowledge of wisdom, and that in-
struction by which knowledge is conveyed into our
minds; for man is born without wisdom, and without
instruction must continue foolish all his days.
4 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. I.
The words of understanding are the instruction of
wisdom, and this book will lead the simple and inex-
perienced to perceive these words. But what sort of
wisdom is it that Solomon means to teach in this book?
The best kind of wisdom-
Ver. 3. To receive the instruction of wisdom; justice,
and judgment, and equity.
The careful reader of this book will receive the in-
structions of that wisdom which directs men to prac-
tise justice, regulated by discretion, and tempered by
moderation and mercy. It teaches us our duty to God
and man, and leads us in every good path. Solomon
could have given us lectures on Astronomy and Poe-
try, on the nature of birds and beasts, and every
thing that attracts the curiosity of men; but as the
wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, he is
directed by the Spirit of God to give us in this book
the instructions of divine and moral wisdom, to remain
for the use of men till the latest posterity.
They thought themselves happy that were admitted
to hear the discourses of this great philosopher, while
he lived among men. But the best of his instructions
are left on record for our benefit. The best knowledge
is the knowledge of God, and of Christ, who is his re-
presenting image to men, and holiness, which is the
image of God in men. The most necessary truths are
first to be learned, and these are clearly represented in
this little book.
But who are the persons that may receive benefit
from it? This you may learn from the next verse-
Ver. 4. To give subtilty to the simple, to the young
man knowledge and discretion.
Plato wrote on the door of his Academy, "Let no
man unskilled in Geometry come hither." Solomon
writes the very reverse on the door of his school:
"Let the simple man who is easily deceived come
CHAP. I.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 5
hither, and he shall learn that subtilty which is neces-
sary to preserve him from the snares of the destroyer,
and is yet fully consistent with integrity. Let the
young and inexperienced come and learn knowledge
and discretion."
Which of us does not, need subtilty to preserve us
from the wiles of the great deceiver and his agents?
This book not only teaches, but gives subtilty to the
simple. When its truth enters into the soul, and
takes possession of the heart through the grace of the
Spirit who dictates the Scriptures, and makes use of
them as his instrument of illumination, then the simple
are made wise, and the hearts of the rash understand
knowledge.
It were our happiness if we understood our own
simplicity, that we might thankfully receive the in-
structions of wisdom, and fervently pray for the Spirit
of God to open our ears and seal our instructions. If
any man would be wise in this world, let him become
a fool, that he may be wise.
Persons to whom books are dedicated, may be ex-
pected to give them a careful perusal. Solomon dedi-
cates this book to the young, as well as to the simple.
He knew that young people stand in great need of ad-
vice and direction, and earnestly desired to do them
good; and could they be persuaded to accept of Solo-
mon as their teacher, he will speak to them with the
kindness of a father, and communicate to them know-
ledge and discretion.
But is this book of no use but to the unwise and the
untaught?—It is of great use to the wise also; and if
men are truly wise, they will value it above much fine
gold, and by the diligent use of it, will greatly im-
prove in wisdom.
Ver. 5. A wise man will hear, and will increase learn-
6 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. I.
ing; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise
counsels.
This book contains wise counsels for directing a man
under every perplexing difficulty in the way of peace
and safety, and enabling him to give the most season-
able and prudent counsels to others.
How precious are wise counsels! and what a treasure
is a wise counsellor to his friends and neighbours! —
This book will also enable a wise man,
Ver. 6. To understand a proverb, and the interpre-
tation thereof; the words if the wise, and their dark
sayings.
The dark sayings of fools and triflers are not worth a
thought; but the dark sayings of the wise are worthy
to be studied till we obtain a complete knowledge of
their meaning; for they are dark at first hearing only,
on account of the sublimity of their views, and the force
of their manner of expression, which contains much
useful instruction in small compass.
Are we old or young, wise or unwise? Here is milk
for babes, and strong meat for those that are of full
age. Here are plain instructions for the ignorant, and
depths of wisdom proper to exercise and enrich the
minds of the most intelligent.
Let us attend, and learn, and practise. It is Solo-
mon the son of David, and king of Israel, that speaks.
He speaks to the simple and inexperienced, and to the
wise. He speaks of the most important points of truth,
and a greater than Solomon is here. Christ spoke by
his Spirit in the prophets, and he still speaks from
heaven to us, He speaks by his word and by his
Spirit. He opens the understandings of men, that they
may understand the Scriptures. Christ is the Word
and the Wisdom of God, and he is made to us wisdom.
Let us depend upon him as our wisdom, that his Spirit
CHAP. I.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 7
may write in our hearts the things written in this book:
so shall we be the epistle of Christ, written not with
pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God,
and our conversations will be living commentaries on
the proverbs of Solomon.
Some of the most necessary parts of wisdom are ex-
plained and enforced from the 7th to the 17th verse.
The first of these is, that-
Ver. 7. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of know-
ledge.
The fear of the Lord, so often recommended in this
book, is not that fear which hath torment in it, and is
excluded by love; but that fear which is joined with
faith, and keeps it from degenerating into presumption,
whilst faith keeps fear from sinking into despondency.
It is a lively impression of the excellency of God upon
the soul, whereby a man is disposed to walk before him
unto all pleasing, and to put far away every thing pro-
voking and offensive to the eyes of his glory. It is
therefore justly made to signify the whole of religion
in the heart and life of man.
Great commendations are bestowed on this grace in
Scripture. It makes a chief part in the noble charac-
ters of Abraham and Job, and here Solomon tells us
that it is the beginning, the ground-work, and the com-
prehensive sum of all true knowledge.
He that wants the fear of the Lord does not know
him; and he that knows not God, knows nothing as
he ought to know it. He knows neither his business
in life, nor his happiness. A rational creature without
the fear and knowledge of God, is like a soldier that
never saw a sword, or a lawyer that never read an act
of parliament. But he that knows the Lord so as to
fear him, knows Christ, through whom we see those
glorious perfections that are the object of our reverence.
He knows his duty and happiness, and he is on the
8 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. I.
plain road to the knowledge of every thing necessary to
make the man of God perfect.
Let no man say that this kind of knowledge deserves
not our study, because it is generally despised; it is in-
deed despised, but by whom? The wise man tells us,
—But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Who would despise a pearl because an idiot would not
give his rattle for it? It is no dishonour to the divine
wisdom to be despised by any man; but it is the utmost
dishonour to any man to despise the wisdom of God.
tie is an unreasonable and foolish man that has not the
faith of Christ and the fear of the Lord*.
The next part of doctrine taught by the wise man,
respects the reverence due to the instructions of parents.
Ver. 8. My son, hear the instruction if thy father,
and forsake not the law of thy mother.
This exhortation speaks to us as unto children;
Solomon is entitled to the authority, and addresses us
with the tenderness of a father. If such, then, be the
affection with which he addresses us, surely we owe
him the reverence of children. God is our heavenly
Father. All his precepts are the expressions of divine
goodness, and we are unnatural to our Maker if we
forget them.
It is here supposed that parents will instruct their
children. They are monsters rather than parents, who
do not love the fruit of their own bodies. Love will
dispose persons to do all the good they can to the objects
of it; and the best thing that can be done for children,
is to teach them the fear of the Lord. To be careful
about providing the supports of life, or raising portions
for children, without taking care of their souls, is like
taking care of the clothes, and being indifferent
about the body that wears them. "O ye people,”
* 2 Thess. iii. 2.
CHAP. I] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 9
cried an ancient philosopher, "why do ye toil in rais-
ing estates for your children, and neglect to prepare
them by needful instructions for enjoying them?"
Mothers are to instruct their children, as well as
fathers. Solomon gratefully remembered the instruc-
tions he received in his younger years from Bathsheba;
and the last chapter of this book contains the noble
instructions which a wise king had learned from his
mother.
Perhaps the reason why the names of the mothers of
the kings of Judah are recorded along with their cha-
racters is, because the lessons and example of their
mothers had a considerable influence in forming their
behaviour.
Children are required to hear, and reverence, and
obey the instructions of their fathers. Next to the
duties we owe immediately to God, the commandments
require us to obey our parents in the Lord*. He that
despiseth his earthly father, is no doubt a despiser of
the Father of spirits. A proper regard to the wise
and godly instructions of parents, gives a happy pre-
sage of good behaviour in after life. Vice and ruin, on
the other hand, are the ordinary consequences of irre-
verence to these natural guardians of our tender years.
The sages of heathen antiquity, though themselves
born of women, usually held them in such small re-
spect, that they almost confined to the father precepts
that regarded filial duty. The more enlarged wisdom
of Solomon, however, pleads the cause of the mother
in forcible words. The instructions of a mother are to
be considered by us as a law that we are never to for-
sake. When old, she is still entitled to our respect;
and we are never to leave those good paths into which
her affectionate care has directed our steps.
*Exod. xx.
10 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. I.
But what advantage is proposed to us by attending
to the voice of parental admonition?
Ver. 9. For they shall be an ornament of grace unto,
thy head, and chains about thy neck.
Young people are generally fond of fine clothes, and
of ornaments to their bodies; but with regard to this,
Solomon here sets their notions right. Reverence to
parents, a dutiful regard to their instructions, and the
wisdom which is learnt from them, is by far the most
beautiful ornament. It will make the face to shine;
it will be a chain to the neck; it will be a graceful or-
namenl, more beautiful than a crown of gold, to the
head. With such ornaments was our Lord himself ar-
rayed, while he dwelt among us. He was subject to
his parents, though himself their Maker and Saviour*.
Young people are generally disposed to hearken to
advice; but because human nature is in a corrupt state,
they are generally more prone to follow bad advice than
good. Having therefore exhorted them to reverence
and to obey God and their parents, he now proceeds
to warn them against hearkening to the enticing words
of seducers to sin, ver. 10.-19.
Ver. 10. My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou
not.
Sinners have generally so much of the venom of the
old serpent in them, that they do not wish to go unat-
tended to hell, but desire to make others as much the
children of the devil as themselves. Sinners, after com-
plying with the suggestions of their tempter, generally
proceed from evil to worse, till they become devils
themselves, and aid their master in ruining others.
The young ought to remember, that they will meet
with ill advisers; and if so, how firmly should they
resolve, through the grace of God, to hold on in the
*Luke ii. 51, 52.
CHAP. I.] BOOK OP PROVERBS. 11
way of virtue, and to refuse the least compliance with
that advice which causeth to err from the words of
knowledge!
Solomon arms us against these deceivers, by making
us acquainted with their devices.
Ver. 11. If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait
far blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without
cause.—
These are not the express words of seducers, but a
translation of them into the language of truth. They
will say, ‘Come let us pick the pocket of some cove-
tous miser, who has made himself rich by cunning,
and scraped money together by such cowardly prac-
tices, as cannot expose him to the vengeance of the
law.’ Solomon tells us not the express words of the
tempter, but puts into his mouth such language as
expresses the real meaning and tendency of his solici-
tations. When transgressors varnish over their crimes,
it is our part to pluck of the false covering, and to
represent sin to ourselves in its true colours, and in its
tendency to other iniquities of higher aggravation.
When the drunkard invites us to go to the tavern, and
drink a cheerful glass with him, let his words sound
in our ears as if he had said, ‘Let us go to the tavern,
and there drown our reason, and make ourselves
monsters.’ When another desires us to take a hand
at cards, let us take his meaning to be, ‘Come, let
us rob our friend of his money, without incurring the
pains of law.’
Perhaps those men whom the tempters here spoken
of wish to rob or kill, may be like themselves, strangers
to every good way; but they are innocent in compa-
rison with those pests of society, who plot against their
property or their lives. The treasons of Abner and
Amasa, did not exempt Joab, their murderer, from
the guilt of innocent blood.
12 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. I.
These tempters to iniquity will try to persuade the
inexperienced, that there is no danger of being detected.
Ver. 11. Let us swallow them up alive as the grave,
and whole as those that go down to the pit.
We shall manage matters in such a manner, as that
there cannot be even the possibility of detection. So well
concerted shall our plans be, that the thing will be as
effectually concealed from public view, as those bodies
which are covered by the grave. Vain hopes! can
men flatter themselves that they shall escape the
righteous judgment of God? Even in this life, mur-
derers seldom escape punishment. But what though
men neither see nor suspect? conscience sees, angels
see, the great Avenger of blood sees; the assembled
world shall know their crimes, shall hear their sentence,
and witness their punishment.
The devil told our Lord, that he would give him all
the kingdoms and glories of the world, if he would
comply with his persuasions. The ministers of Satan
in like manner endeavour to persuade men that they will
obtain much advantage by sin, that the gains of it
shall fill all their treasures, and every corner of their
houses.
Ver. 13. We shall find all precious substance, we shall
fill our houses with spoil.
These promises are lies; or if such treasures be pro-
cured, they will last but for a moment. What profit
had Judas the traitor in his thirty pieces of silver,
though paid him to the last farthing? Though thirty
thousand talents of gold had been his reward, they
could not have soothed his racked conscience, they
could not have retained his breath when his own hands
had applied the halter, they could not have preserved
his separated soul from going to its place. The profits
of sin are the worst of losses *.
* Rev. x. 3. Matth. xvi. 26.
CHAP. I.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 13
These wretches, abandoned as they are, have yet
the effrontery to pretend a regard to honesty, and a
generous disinterestedness in their mutual dealings—
Ver. 14: Cast in thy lot among us, let us all have one
purse.
Let the security and profit of our way of living in-
duce thee to join our society; we shall lead a merry
life, we shall faithfully share our gains, and none shall
want while another has.
In what manner ought a young man to act when
offers so tempting are made to him?
Ver. 15. My son, walk not thou in the way with them,
refrain thy foot from their path.
Let us attend with filial regard to the kind advice
of a venerable father, who tells us, that we must not
only shut our ears against these ensnaring words, and
resolve to keep the path of innocence, but shun their
company, and avoid those places which they haunt.
If we knew a place that was said to be a haunt of
ghosts and infernal spirits, we need not shun it, for
these terrors are but creatures of fancy; but places
frequented by men who have the devil in their hearts,
and who hire him their tongues for the purpose of de-
ceiving their fellow-men,—such places are dangerous
indeed. All of us have corrupted natures ready to be
inflamed; how infatuated the man who, carrying gun-
powder, enters a smith's shop, where the sparks fly
from the anvil in every direction
But may we not take a single turn with them? No.
Ver. 16. For their feet run to evil, and make haste to
shed blood.
Let us never forget the evil that is in sin. How-
ever men may dress it out in beautiful colours, it is
the very quintessence of naughtiness. All men see a
great deal of evil in some infernal crimes, but the God
whose judgment is always true, sees more evil in the
14 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. I.
least sin, than we are able to do in the greatest.
It is a dangerous and detestable thing for a man wil-
fully to transgress the smallest commandment of the
law of God. But the men of whom we now speak,
are desperately bent upon sin. Their feet run to evil.
and that of the most damnable sort, for they make haste
to shed blood.
Perhaps it will be said, that they have no design to
load their souls with such bloody crimes, but only to
cheat or rob somebody that well deserves to be plun-
dered. But let us remember, that no man becomes
desperate in wickedness all at once. Hazael had no
intention to murder the king of Syria, or rip up wo-
men with child; he would have abhorred the thoughts
of such wickedness, till interest and ambition uniting,
gradually hardened his heart, and prepared him for
perpetrating without remorse deeds of darkness and of
horror. Young sinners are like travellers, who at first
setting out cannot bear a speck of mud to alight upon
their clothes, but who in the course of their journey
become inured to bad roads, and can suffer themselves,
without feeling uneasiness, to be all bespattered with
mire.
They are like silly birds, who suffer themselves to
be ensnared by the arts of the cunning fowler.
Ver. 17. Surely in vain is the net spread in the sight
of any bird.
Birds have not the gift of reason, to warn them
against the snares of the fowler. But how lamentable
is it, that men, whom God hath made wiser than the
fowls of heaven, should be as easily deceived as the
silliest of these animals, and that in matters of greater
importance! Do not reply, that the snares are set,
not for the sinner himself, but for those whom he in-
tends to destroy. It is for his own life that a sinner
spreads his nets.
CHAP. I.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 15
Ver. 18. And they lay wait for their own blood, they
lurk privily for their own lives.
It is not the sufferer, so much as the doer of evil,
that is hurt. Whom did Judas destroy by his treach-
ery? The death to which Jesus was sold was glo-
rious to himself; the treason which Judas wrought was
his own destruction. Abel lives and speaks, and his
name is embalmed in the memories of the good; the
life which his murderer led was more miserable than
death, and his name is remembered only to be exe-
crated. The sinner designs mischief to his neighbour;
but all things are under the direction of the just Lord,
under whose administration mischief recoils upon its
author, bringing him to the scaffold here, or to hell
hereafter *.
But is such the natural tendency of covetousness?—
Yes.
Ver. 19. So are the ways of every one that is greedy
of gain, which taketh away the lie of the owners thereof.
“Take heed and beware of covetousness," said he
who knew the heart of man, and the native tendency
of every vice. It is a mother of abominations and
miseries. They that are determined to be rich, would
have money by honest means if it could be got, but at
any rate they must have it.” If it cannot be had to fill
their desires (which indeed are insatiable) by fair
means, it must by chicanery and cunning. When the
conscience has been brought to this, it is prepared for
advancing in wickedness, till at last it offers but small
resistance, even at the commission of crimes, from the
very thought of which their author would once have
shrunk. The last step in vice, is less painful to a man
than the first departure from honesty †.
* Matt. vii. 2. Psal. vii. 11.-17. ix. 15, 16. † 1 Tim. vi. 10.
16 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. I.
If the eyes of these pests of society were not alto-
gether shut, they would see that a man's life depends
not on the abundance of his wealth. In their own
hands it becomes a sword to slay its owner; and can
they anticipate comfort in that ill-gotten wealth which
has proved fatal to its honest possessor?
We must therefore flee from unrighteousness, and
stand at a distance from the way of sin. Every one
that would tempt us to evil, is to be looked upon as a
factor for Satan.
Sinners are addressed, through the remaining part
of this chapter, by Wisdom herself, who speaks to men
in solemn and awful language.
Ver. 20, 21. Wisdom crieth without, she uttereth her
voice in the streets. She crieth in the chief places of con-
course, in the opening of the gates; in the city she uttereth
her words, saying,
How can wisdom cry? Is not wisdom a quality,
and not a person? Wisdom cries to men when God
speaks to them, for he is the fountain of wisdom. The
words of men may be wise, but when God speaks, Wis-
dom itself addresses us. He opens his mouth in in-
finite wisdom, and speaks to us by him who is the Word
and Wisdom of God. He who despiseth that wisdom
which is from above, despiseth the Father and the Son,
and brands with the imputation of folly the emanations
of unsearchable wisdom.
Wisdom desires to be heard, and therefore speaks
not in secret; she whispers not in the ears of a few
favourites, but in the public places of resort, she pro-
claims to every one that will listen her interesting
truths. She crieth without, in every place where a
crowd is likely to be collected, in the streets, in the
chief place of concourse, in the gates, the place of
judgment, and in every part of the city.
No disobedient sinner can make a valid excuse for
CHAP. I.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 17
his conduct. The voice of wisdom is heard every
where. It sounds from the pulpit. From every crea-
ture it is heard*. The word is in our very hearts,
and conscience echoes the voice to our souls. Let
us go where we will, we must hear it, unless we wil-
fully shut our ears. And what does she say?
Ver. 22. How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplici-
ty, and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools
hate knowledge!
‘Had I a mountain for a pulpit, and a voice capable
of reaching to the ends of the world, (said a venerable
father), I would preach on that text, "O ye sons of
men, how long will ye love vanity?"’ Wisdom proclaims
the like words to all the world as far as her voice is heard.
If persons ruin themselves by their folly, it will be
no excuse to them that they were cheated by the great
deceiver. Who will excuse Eve for hearkening to the
voice of the serpent, or Adam for hearkening to the
voice of his wife, in opposition to the voice of God?
The simpleton and the fool are justly condemned, be-
cause they love simplicity and hate knowledge. So
strongly are they bent upon their foolish courses, that
every suggestion of the devil meets with a cheerful
compliance. Sin is loved with the whole heart, and
those truths which might be the means of salvation, are
the objects of extreme aversion.
Many are so mad upon their idols, that they take
pleasure in scoffing at holiness, and at the preachers and
professors of it; some run to such a pitch in wicked-
ness as to jest with the word of the Most High, though
safer far it were to sport with fire and death.
Were the Physician of souls like earthly physicians,
he would leave such creatures to pine away in their sins
till their obstinacy terminate in eternal death. But
*Job xii. 7, 8.
18 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. I.
O how merciful is he! He is in earnest with them
when he urges them to admit of his salutary medicines.
It is a grief to him that they will not come to him for
health. He cries to them,
Ver. 23. Turn ye at my reproof I behold, I will pour
out my Spirit unto you, I will make known my word unto
you.
The lovers of folly must turn or perish; for Christ is
an all-sufficient Saviour from sin and wrath, but he
will deliver none to continue in abominations: "Except
ye repent, ye shall all perish."
The lovers of sin, and those that delight in scorning,
are graciously called by him to turn,—a plain evidence
that there is pardoning and saving mercy for these
worst of sinners*. Even scoffers at religion are among
the number of those sinners whom the Son of Man call-
ed to repentance, when he came to seek and to save
the lost.
Such profligates have for the most part an intention
to turn from their evil ways at some future but inde-
finite period; but if they turn not at present, they refuse
to hear the voice of wisdom. "Turn ye," says the Wis-
dom of God, "at my reproof." "To day," says the
Spirit, "if ye will hear my voice, harden not your
hearts." We harden our hearts when we intend to
take our pleasure in sin to-day, though we resolve to
bear the voice of God to-morrow.
The reproof of wisdom is a means of alarming us,
and of impressing our souls with a sense of the necessi-
ty of turning. If we harden our hearts against these
reproofs while they are sounding in our ears, the im-
pression is not likely to be deeper or stronger when the
bustle and noise of the world have helped us to forget
the awful admonition.
* Isa. 1v. 7.
CHAP.I.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 19
It is at the reproof of the word of God that we
are called to turn. It is brutish for a son to despise
the reproof of a parent. It is devilish for a creature
to despise the reproof of its Creator. It is a sin which
devils could never commit, for a guilty creature to
shut his ears against the reproof of a Saviour, who ad-
dresses us in earnest and affectionate language, and
calls us to turn our feet from the paths of death.
But how can fools turn? —Are they not infatuated by
sin?—are not their affections possessed with the love of
it?— "Behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you," says
the Saviour. By his influences you shall be enabled to
understand my words, and to comply with them. —Let
not sinners imagine that it will excuse them to say,
they had no ability to repent. They were not called to
turn by any power of their own, but in the strength
of divine grace. They were unwilling, and therefore
unable. Their sins were so dear to them, that they
disliked the reproofs of Christ, and resisted his Spirit.
Our Lord does not make a jest of the lovers of sin,
when he calls them to turn. His words do good even
to sinners, or the fault is their own *.
Do we then feel the necessity of turning, and yet an
unconquerable aversion to it in our hearts? Let us plead
for the abundant communications of the enlightening
and renewing Spirit. If persons are made heartily
willing to submit to his influence, it is a happy presage
that he will be granted, or rather a sign that he has
already begun to work †.
But there are many so foolishly devoted to sin, that
they reject the counsel of God, and instead of welcom-
ing the good Spirit, resist his motions till they provoke
him to depart. The doom of such persons will be very
terrible, but very just.
*John v. 40. Matt. xxiii. 37. † Jer. xxxi. 18. 19.20.
20 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. I.
Ver. 24-27. Because I have called, and ye refused;
I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but
ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of
my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will
mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as
desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind;
when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
Do none then, or next to none, regard the admo-
nitions of wisdom? Strange. Are men enemies to
themselves? are they in love with destruction? Is it
their joy to please the devil, and to cross the benevo-
lent intentions of a Saviour? Was the devil crucified
for them? or do they think the burnings of eternity,
and the pain of condemnation, more tolerable than the
tears of repentance or the self-denial which Jesus pro-
scribes?
John's disciples complained to him, that all men
went after Jesus, but John complained that so few
believed his report : "No man receiveth his testimony."
How wonderful is that grace, which continues to deal
with men when it is so ungratefully despised!
The sin of unbelief and impenitence is exceeding
great. Various are the forms of expression by which in
the passage before us, the wickedness of it is inti-
mated, and the offence which it gives to him who
comes in the name of the Lord to save us, pointed out.
It is a refusal of divinely gracious offers and advises;
a disregard of the most earnest importunities of the
wisdom of God; a sovereign contempt of all the counsel
of that wonderful Counsellor who is given to be the
leader and commander of the people; a stubborn op-
position of the will to the most needful and salutary
reproof. Hear, O ye heavens, and be horribly afraid!
Rational creatures rebel against the Father of spirits;
Diseased sinners scorn the great Physician, and refuse
to accept of that sovereign cure for all their maladies,
CHAP. I.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 21
which he so graciously offers. Abhorring, as they do,
the name of devils, they yet spurn at those companions
which devils can never experience.
But let sinners remember, that there is justice as
well as grace in the Most High. Justice shall avenge
the contempt of mercy. Sinners feel some presage of
that vengeance in their own guilty conscience. Fears
of punishment often make them uneasy. They would
gladly persuade themselves that these are but the
terrors of a distempered fancy; but the day is coming
when the will find them to be terrible realities; or if
they want truth, it is because they are nothing to that
vengeance which is their object. No passion is so tor-
menting fear, but no fear can equal the power of
God's anger.
The fear of sinners shall come upon them, and their
feet shall slide in due time. It shall come like a deso-
lating judgment, which with resistless violence lays
waste a country. It shall come like a raging tempest,
and a furious whirlwind, at once sweeping away every
comfort and every hope. Then shall distress and
anguish seize upon the mind of the stubborn transgres-
sor, when he feels himself involved in remediless sorrow.
This threatening will have its great accomplishment in
the everlasting world, when the torrents of wrath shall
swallow up the impenitent sinner, and the whirlwind
of fury all beat upon him with ceaseless violence.
Wrath an indignation shall press him down in the
lake of fire. Anguish and despair shall prey upon his
soul, without the intermission of a moment; no ray of
hope shall ever enter the abodes of darkness and of
horror.
But will the poor victim of suffering find no pity
from the Saviour of men? Not says the Spirit of God,
‘I will laugh at your calamity, and mock when your
fear comes.” With relentless eye shell he behold that
22 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. I.
terrible vengeance which now overtakes the wicked.
God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but
rather that they should turn and live; yet he will take
pleasure in the death of them that turn not, for in this
manner is his justice glorified, and the dishonours done
to his love repaired. God sometimes laughs at the
trial of the innocent. He took pleasure in bruising his
own Son. He is comforted in the pain of the wicked*.
But may not prayer avail in this deplorable condi-
tion? By no means.
Ver. 28. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not
answer; they shall seek me early, (i.e. earnestly,) but they
shall not find me.
The prayer of faith is ever heard, and they that seek
God shall find him, when they seek him with all their
heart. But the prayers of these desperate rebels,
are like the howlings of a dog. They are cries
extorted by strong necessity, and intolerable anguish.
They are the cries of such as sought not the Lord
whist he was to be found, nor called on him whilst
he was near.
Sinners miserably delude their own souls by propos-
ing to live in the indulgence of their sins, and die in
the exercise of repentance. True repentance is never
too late, but late repentance is seldom true. Christ is
not every day hanging on the cross, nor are thieves
every day converted, and sent from the place of pu-
nishment meet to the paradise above.
Prayers are of no use in the eternal world. The
day of grace is at an end, and the wretched shall cry
in vain to the rocks and mountains to fall upon them,
and hide them from the wrath of the Lord God and
of de Lamb. Behold, now is the accepted time,
*Job ix. 3. Isa. 1iii. 10. and i. 24. Ezek. v. 13.
CHAP. I..] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 23
now the Lord waits to be gracious; but the day is
coming that is cruel with wrath and fierce anguish; no
place shall then be found for mercy, though sought
with an ocean of tears. But why does he who takes
pleasure in the voice of prayer, and listen so graciously
to the cry of the supplicant,—why does he refuse to
accept the petitions of those who are reduced to such
an extremity of distress? The reason is,
Ver. 29, 30. For that they hated knowledge, and did
not chuse the fear of the Lord. They would none of my
counsel; they despised all my reproof.
The punishment is indeed tremendous, but the sin
that cause it is atrocious. It is no less than a con-
tempt and hatred of the counsels of the Lord. What
is this but an undeniable proof of enmity against God
himself? and will not God ease himself of his adversa-
ries, and; avenge himself of his enemies?
When men do not chuse the fear of the Lord, but
prefer to it the base pleasures of sin, they give plain
proof of their hatred to every thing that is good, and
how can they escape the damnation of hell? If we
think that the punishment is greater than the sin, the
reason is, that we are under the power of iniquity.
Self-love disposes the malefactor to prescribe to his
judge. Let us impartially consider what malignity
lies in impenitence, and what a complication of wick-
ednesses is contained in the rejection of the great sal-
vation, and we must acknowledge that the ruin of
sinners is entirely owing to themselves. God is not to
be blamed, but on the contrary, he will be eternally
glorious as their avenger. His insulted mercy will be
glorious in the punishment of its despisers. His justice
shall shine in dispensing to the workers of iniquity
the reward of their works: "They despised all my
reproof" ¾
24 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. I.
Ver. 31. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their
own way, and be filled with their own devices.
They laughed at God's threatenings, as if they had
been idle tales; and God shall laugh at them. They
despised his counsels, and he shall despise their prayers.
They were always the same, and continued unchanged
all admonition; and God will prove an immutable
avenger, and will pay no regard to their cries for help.
They took pleasure in sin, and God will take pleasure
in punishing on account of it.
If a man plants and dresses a poisonous tree in his
garden, it is just that he should be obliged to eat of
its fruit. If our vine is the vine of Sodom, and our
clusters the clusters of bitterness, we must leave our
complaint on ourselves; if we must drink till we are
drunken, and fall, and rise no more.
Sinners never think they have drunk deep enough
of the poisoned cup of sin; but they shall at length be
filled with it. Then shall it satiate them; when they
find that intolerable misery is its native consequence.
That cup which now delights the lover of evil, will
then be found a cup of fury, and the wicked of the
earth must drink it out to its bitterest dregs.
Ver. 32. For the turning away of the simple shall slay
them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
The sins of men, unless pardoned through the blood
of Christ, shall be their destruction; for he that turns
away from God and his law, turns his back upon hap-
piness; and he that cherishes iniquity, warms in his
bosom the most venomous of serpents*. Sinners owe
their ruin to their willful hardness of heart, their abuse
of mercy, and their indifference about salvation.
It may be alleged, that sinners often prosper; but
their prosperity is a part of their misery, for it will in-
*Job xx. 11. &c.
CHAP. I.] BOOK OP PROVEBRS. 25
crease their guilt, and render their damnation terrible.
It nourishes their vicious affections, and tends to inspire
them with pride and insolence, with sensuality and
earthliness of mind. It is so strong a temptation, that
our Lord has declared it almost impossible for a rich
man to enter into the kingdom of God. This saying
has been justified by fact. In times of persecution,
the prosperous have been ordinarily the apostates who
made shipwreck of faith, while the poor loved the
world less, and stood out more firmly against temptation.
If the prosperity of fools leads them to the indul-
gence of sin, and the neglect of holiness, it renders
their damnation more certain and more dreadful.
Their provocations are like those of the Israelites, who
provoked God, by turning the Egyptian gold and
silver, which he had given them, into an idol of jea-
lousy. They are like the impious ingratitude of Jero-
boam the son of Nebat, whom God raised to a throne,
but who degraded God into the image of a four-footed
beast. When the favours of God are turned into
means instruments of unrighteousness, Oh! what
wrath is then treasured up against the day of wrath,
and revelation of the righteous judgment of God!
But the prosperity of the wise has a very opposite
tendency. When they act like themselves, it excites
their gratitude; it stimulates them to serve God more
effectually and to do good to men more diligently.
Wisdom teaches those who hearken to her voice, to
make to themselves friends of the mammon of unrigh-
teousness; so that while riches serve to expose the folly
of the foolish, they prove a crown to the wise. But
though disciples of Wisdom should never attain
prosperity, they are happy; for says Wisdom,
Ver. 33. But whose hearkeneth unto me shall dwell
safely, a be quiet from the fear of evil.
26 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP.I.
They that love knowledge, and chuse the fear of
the Lord, and value the instructions of wisdom more
than thousands of gold and silver, are the men that
hearken to Wisdom, ver. 29, 30. Many of these
once loved folly, and took pleasure in scorning;
but they have received the atonement, and all their
unrighteousnesses are blotted out. They now share in
the privileges of the children of wisdom, and while
prosperous sinners are set in slippery places, they dwell
safely, for they dwell in God, and God dwelleth in
them. They are safe from the devil, and from the
power of sin, from death and from hell. They may
endure tribulation in the world, but in Christ they
shall have peace. They enjoy quiet consciences, and
pleasant hopes. They are quiet, not only from evil,
but from the fear of evil. They may indeed have fears,
but they are clouds that shall soon be blown, away, and
succeeded by everlasting serenity. Even while these
fears continue, they have a refuge where they can find
safety, and hopes sufficient to give them such happi-
ness as worldly men cannot enjoy amid their ill-
grounded confidence. Paul had often fightings with-
out, and fears within; but this was his comfort, that
nothing could separate him from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus.
Let us examine ourselves impartially, whether we
are the despisers or the lovers of wisdom. The ques-
tion is not, whether we attend the means of grace, and
make a profession of religion. Herod heard John
gladly, and did many things. Ananias and Sapphira
parted with a considerable share of their substance.
But do we chuse the fear of the Lord? Do we value
Christ above the whole world? Do we prefer holiness,
in its most painful exercises, to the most pleasant sins?
Are we yet despisers of wisdom? Let us tremble
at the vengeance threatened. Let our prayers ascend
CHAP. I..] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 27
up on high, that the Lord by his Spirit would open our
hearts that we may attend to the dictates of heavenly
wisdom.
Are we lovers of wisdom? Let us bless God who
hath opened our ears to discipline, and sealed our in-
struction. Let us thankfully rejoice in the blessings
that Wisdom bestows. Let us testify our regard to
Wisdom, in the manner directed in the succeeding
chapter. In vain do we pretend to religion, unless
that which we call by this honourable name, be ap-
prove by that word whereby, we must be judged.
CHAPTER II.
Wisdom is an excellent thing, therefore get wisdom.
But how shall we get wisdom? or in what shall the
attainment of it profit us? You have an answer to
both of these questions in this chapter.
How shall we get wisdom? The wise man answers,
Ver. 1.-7. My son, if thou wilt receive my words,
and hide my commandments with thee, so that thou in-
cline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to un-
derstanding; yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and
liftest thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her
as silver and searchest for her as for hid treasure;
then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and
find the knowledge of God; for the Lord giveth wisdom:
out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He
layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous. ¾
28 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. II.
It is not enough for us to attend the public ordi-
nances of God, and to read a chapter or two of the
Bible at home every day, but we are required to re-
ceive the words of wisdom, to keep them in our hearts,
and apply our souls to them.
We are to receive the words of our heavenly Father,
with reverence and love, with faith and diligent atten-
tion. No gift is so precious as that knowledge which
God parts to us in the scriptures, and we ought to
receive it with eagerness, like that which the covetous
man shews for gold and silver; and as he who receives
money is careful to lay it up where he may find it
when he has occasion to use it, so in like manner it
becomes us to lay up in the midst of our heart the in-
structions of wisdom, collecting and hiding the pre-
cious treasure, till the word of Christ dwell in us richly
in all wisdom. When we give due attention to the
word of truth, it will dwell in our minds, dispelling
ignorance and error, and communicating that light
which is necessary to direct the whole of our conduct;
in our memories, affording a constant supply for spi-
ritual meditation, ready for use on every emergency;
in our wills, to guide their choice and inclination; in
our affections, to direct their motions, to curb their ex-
travagance, and to inflame their ardour towards spiri-
tual objects; and in our consciences, to preserve alive
the impressions of the divine law, and to direct them
in judging of the spiritual state of the soul.
The ear must be inclined to wisdom, that we may
learn it. The senses of the body minister to the soul.
The eye, surveying the wonders of God's hand, fur-
nishes the soul with apprehensions of his power and
wisdom; but the ear is that learning sense by which
the richest treasures of spiritual knowledge are admit-
ted into to the soul. As the mouth tastes the food of the
CHAP. II] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 29
body, the ear receives and tries those words that
nourish the soul. We attend to our friends or neigh-
bours when they are informing us of some new thing;
we count it a piece of good manners to listen, when
nothing is to be heard but dullness and insipidity: shall
we not, then, attend to Him that made the ear, when
he condescends to speak to us, and to disclose truths
of eternal moment?
Whilst our ears are attentive, our hearts must be ap-
plied to wisdom. Angels, who are so much our su-
periors, apply themselves to the learning of it. They
are already replenished with the stores of truth, and
yet the desire to pry deeper into the mystery of wis-
dom. Great as was the measure which Solomon had
received he still continued to apply his heart to it;
surely, then, the wisest of us ought to apply our whole
hearts; or what is so needful to us, and so valuable in
itself?
But after all our application, we have understand-
ings so dark, that the Bible must remain a sealed book
unto us, unless our eyes are enlightened to discern the
wonders of God's law. With our instructions, there-
fore, earnest prayer must be mingled, that the Spirit
of wisdom and revelation may illuminate our under-
standings, and fit our souls for receiving and retaining
the truths of God. David was wiser than his teachers,
and yet he still lifts up his voice for wisdom to the
Father of lights, and pleads, with fervent importunity,
that God would open his eyes, and not conceal his
laws from him, nor take the word of truth out of his
mouth. Let us, in imitation of such a holy example,
earnestly pray that we may stand perfect and complete
in all the will of God; and particularly, that we may
be furnished with all that wisdom and knowledge that
is requite for directing us in our respective stations
and circumstances. Solomon was already a wise man,
30 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. II.
yet when commanded to chuse what he would have,
he chose a greater measure of wisdom, of that wisdom
especially which would be most useful for him in go-
verning the kingdom of Israel. With this petition
God was well pleased. He gave him not only what he
requested, but everything most highly valued by men.
But while we cry after wisdom, and depend on God
to bestow it on us, it would be presumptuous to ne-
glect the means of obtaining it. We must seek it as
silver and search for it as for hid treasure. We every
day see with what anxious diligence men seek for sil-
ver. They fatigue their bodies, and waste their spirits;
they destroy their health, and expose their lives;
they even mound their consciences, and expose them-
selves to shameful deaths and everlasting misery, that
they may load themselves with shining clay. Shall
the professed disciples of the great Teacher set less
value upon knowledge, than other men set upon sil-
ver? David well knew the value of this knowledge,
and esteemed it above thousands of gold and silver.
Job prefers it to every thing that dazzles with its lustre
the eyes of mortals*.
It is therefore highly reasonable, that we diligently
and carefully use all those means which God hath ap-
pointed for this end; that we hear sermons with ear-
nest attention; that we read and search the word of
God, and make it the subject of our frequent medita-
tion; that we make use of edifying conversation; that
we go to the wise, who have the law of God in their
hearts, so that their mouth speaks wisdom, and their
tongue talks of judgment. To the use of such means
of improvement as these, we must add prayer for the
divine blessing, to render them effectual to our instruc-
tion and salvation. Truth is like a mine, more pre-
*Job xxviii,
CHAP. II.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 31
cious than that which is the depository of gold and of
diamonds. Had any of us such a precious treasure as
this in our garden, we would not travel over the ground
for pleasure, but employ ourselves day and night in
digging, till our houses should be enriched with the
precious store. Why, then, are we careless about
that which will enrich us to eternity, and fill all our
treasures?
You see the means to be used by us for attaining
wisdom. Our ears and hearts must be employed in
the search. We must lift up our voices to the Author
of wisdom and seek for it with all the desire of our
souls and with such earnest endeavours as men use in
digging or hid treasures. Through the blessing of
God the search shall not be unsuccessful; for "then
shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find
the knowledge of God." It is plain that those who
employ themselves in the diligent pursuit of wisdom,
have been already blessed with some degree of true
knowledge; for how could they value so highly that
with which they were altogether unacquainted? He
is already wise, who prefers wisdom to every earthly
object; and he shall be wiser still, for to him that hath
shall be given, and he shall have more abundantly.
The fear of the Lord, and the sound knowledge of
God, are inseparably connected. Religious fear is not
a blind and tormenting passion of the soul, but a holy
and delightful grace, founded in true apprehensions
of the awful and lovely glories of the divine nature,
and disposing him who possesses it, to walk with God.
The knowledge of God regulates this fear, and pre-
serves it from sinking into terror, or degenerating into
superstition, but guides it to express its power in
checking and subduing every corrupt affection, and
animating the soul to every instance of obedience.
If men are careless about wisdom, and use no dili-
32 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. II.
gence in seeking it, they make it evident that they are
destitute of the knowledge and fear of the Lord.
They have not, and from them shall be taken even
that which they seem to have.
The efficacy of every means of knowledge is from
God, for "the Lord giveth wisdom; out of his mouth
cometh knowledge and understanding." Every beam
of reason in men, is communicated from the wisdom
of God*. The simplest of the mechanical arts cannot
be acquired unless men are taught of God †. How,
then, can we expect to understand the mystery of the
divine will, without spiritual light communicated from
that God who is the Father of lights, and the author of
every good and perfect gift!
Knowledge and understanding cometh out of the
mouth of God. By his Spirit he bestows upon us
this blessing through his word, for it is the inspira-
tion of the Almighty that giveth understanding to
men. Experience, however long, observation, however
close, human teaching, however skilful, can do nothing
to supply us with true knowledge, without the influ-
enc of that Spirit which rested upon Christ as a Spirit
of wisdom and understanding, and which is given by
him to all his followers in their measure ‡.
The wisdom that God in his kindness bestows upon
men is sound and substantial. There are many kinds
of knowledge of little importance. The knowledge
which some possess tends only to vex and disquiet
them or to inspire them with vanity and self-conceit.
How different the knowledge that God imparts to the
diligent students of wisdom! Far from perplexing or
elating, it fills their understanding with the most
pleasant truths, and directs them in the way ever-
lasting.
* 1 John i. 9. † Isa. Xxviii. 26. ‡ Job xxxii. 7, 8. Matt. xvi. 17.
CHAP. II.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 33
But who are the blessed persons that are favored
with this divinely excellent wisdom? “The Lord lays it
up for the righteous.” God is said to teach sinners in
the way *; for man’s unworthiness does not exclude
him from divine mercy. Saul the persecutor had the
Son of God revealed in him by divine grace, and
neither his stubborn prejudices, nor his cruelty to the
church of Christ, could shut out the beams of heaven-
ly light. Sinners are invited to Christ as the light of
the Gentiles, and the salvation of the lost †; but here
it is said, he lays it up for the righteous. Sinners and
fools may have it, but the righteous shall have it. They
are already made sensible of their need of it, and de-
sire it more than silver and gold. They ask it from
God, who giveth liberally to all men, and upbraideth
not, and it shall be given them. The Lord layeth up
this wisdom for them. There are infinite stores of it
in his possession, and they are all treasured up in
Christ, and out of his fullness shall the righteous re-
ceive supplies suited to their exigencies.
To encourage God’s people to expect all needful
supplies of wisdom from him, let them consider his
peculiar regard to them, and the constant protection
he has engaged to afford them.
Ver. 7, 8. He is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.
He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way
of his saints.
Whoso hearkeneth unto wisdom shall dwell safely,
for God is a sure defense to those that walk in wisdom's
ways. There are many adversaries that would destroy
them if they could, and these are too strong for them;
but there none like unto the God of Jeshurun, that
rideth on the heavens in their help, and in his excel-
*Psal. xxv. 8. † Eph. v. 14.
34 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. II.
lency in the skies. While therefore they are walking
to their eternal home, they may sing in the ways of the
Lord. Mighty is their protector; in the shadow of his
wings they may trust, and to his faithfulness they may
look as their shield and buckler.
The most dreadful enemies of them that walk up-
rightly, are those that endeavour to turn aside the way
of their paths; but against these enemies God is a
mighty defense, for he keepeth the paths of wisdom
and righteousness. He is a fence about their ways,
and a wall of fire around those that walk in them.
The devil casteth his fiery darts, but they are safe
from the arrow that flieth by day, and from the noisome
pestilence. No weapon formed against them shall pros-
per. They are commanded still to trust in the name
of the Lord, and their faith is like a shield that will
quench every fiery dart. The world displays its ter-
rors and its charms to terrify or allure them into the
paths of sin. Against this, as well as the adversary
formerly mentioned, they must exercise vigilance. Still,
however, in the hottest part of the combat they may
be of good cheer, for the Captain of their salvation hath
overcome the world, and shall make them through their
faith to share in his victory*.
Their own remaining corruptions give them many
alarms. Nor is it wonderful that they feel alarmed
when ready to halt by its influence, or powerfully soli-
cited to turn aside unto the flowery but destructive
paths where poisons grow and serpents haunt. But
their fears shall not overpower them, for the spirit lusts
against the flesh, and shall prevail. What says their
Almighty guide? "Sin shall not have dominion over
you.”
Those that walk in the paths of judgment are God's
* 1 John 5.
CHAP. II.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 35
saints. He has beautified them with holiness, and he
acknowledges them as his own property. They are
his portion and the lot of his inheritance, his treasure
and his glory, and he will suffer none of them to be
lost. Every one of them shall be hid in the day when
he maketh up his jewels.
Let us ask for these good old ways, and walk in them,
and we shall find rest and safety for our souls. They
are safe paths when God guards them, and preserves
the way of those that walk in them. No lion, no
ravenous beast is found there; and the wayfaring man,
though a fool, shall not err therein. But it is our duty,
while we trust in God to guide and preserve us, to
make use of our eyes. None of Zion's travelers shall
be found wanting in the end, but many too that
thought themselves in the good way shall fail of the
end of their hopes, because they entered not in at the
gate, neither trod the narrow path. He that is born of
God keepeth himself, that the wicked one toucheth him
not. We cannot by our utmost care keep ourselves
in safety; but a true dependence upon God will dispose
us to be as sober and vigilant as if we had none else
to keep us, while we yet trust entirely in God, and not
in ourselves, knowing that if left to ourselves one
hour, we must perish.
You see that the lovers of wisdom are furnished
with the best wisdom, and led into those paths of holi-
ness where safety is to be found. In order to persuade
us to hearken to the instructions of wisdom, the wise
man adds¾
Ver. 9. Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and
judgment, and equity, yea, every good path.
There is no end of the commendation of the ways of
wisdom. The fear and knowledge of God is not only
the beginning, but the perfection of wisdom. But the
lovers of wisdom have those instructions also which
36 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. II.
are necessary for guiding them in their behaviour to-
ward men. They are taught how to walk justly and
wisely, and in what manner to behave in every affair.
When a traveler is going to a distant place, it is
pleasant to him to be informed that his way is safe,
and that it may be found without difficulty. Now, as
the way of holiness is the way of peace, so the scriptures
give us sufficient directions for every step of it. Are
we at a loss about our duty in any case? We may then
safely infer, either that we have forgotten what our
directory says, or that we are not skilful in applying it.
Our carelessness in the study of this rule of life may
often put us to a stand, therefore we ought to have
it daily in our hands, and to meditate on it day and
night, so shall we find it a counsellor in all our straits.
The Spirit is promised as our guide through this
world, and he directs us by his word, opening our
minds to understand it, and directing our conduct in
the way that it prescribes. Is the saint at a loss with
regard to the way of duty in any particular instance?
Let him pray, as David did in such cases, and like this
holy man, he shall be led in the way of truth*.
Solomon has instructed us how to obtain wisdom,
and in part shewn the advantages of it. He insists on
this last point through the remaining part of this chap-
ter, telling us that it will preserve us from the snares
of irked men and women, ver. 10-19. and lead us
in the way that has been traced by the saints in every
age who have found it to be the way of happiness and
joy, ver. 20, 21, 22.
Wisdom will be a preservative from the worst dangers.
Ver. 10, 11. When wisdom entereth into thine heart,
and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul, discretion shall
preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee.
* Psal. xxv. 4, 5.
CHAP. II.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 37
That we may enjoy the advantages of wisdom, it
must enter into our heart, which is naturally disposed
to enter sin and folly; for man, however fond he
may be of the reputation of wisdom, is born like the
wild ass's colt. Some receive the words of wisdom
into their ears, but understand not what they hear;
others hear and form clear apprehensions of what they
hear, so to be able to talk of them, like Balaam or
Judas, and instruct others. But the children of wis-
dom not only hear and understand, but love the truth.
The Spirit of God writes it in the inward part; then
it comes to them in power and in the Holy Ghost, and
the testimonies of God are received by their spirits with
pleasure and joy. Knowledge becomes sweeter than
honey dropping from the comb, and is esteemed more
than necessary food. Paul counted every thing but
loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus.
When Jeremiah found the word of God, he did eat it,
and it was to him the joy and rejoicing of his heart.
The pleasure that saints take in knowledge, is very
different from the transient affection experienced in the
word by those hearers whom our Lord compares to
stony ground. These false believers were moved and
transported by the novelty of the truth, by the pros-
pect of deliverance from hell and possession of heaven
which it presented to them, but they had no spiritual
apprehensions alone of its divine glory, nor any deep-rooted
affection to it. They still loved the world more than
the testimonies of God, and this reigning earthliness of
spirit in time choked the beautiful springing of this
seed in their souls. But those into whose hearts wis-
dom enters, have their eyes opened to see its glory,
and the affections sanctified to relish its genuine sweet-
ness. They rejoice in the truths that oppose their
most darling corruptions. They take pleasure in the
way of God's testimonies, as well as in the glorious
38 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP.II.
prospects which they present. They heartily esteem
all God's precepts concerning all things to be right,
and delight in the law of God after the inward man,
because it is pure and spiritual. They delight in it,
though it forces them to confess that they are carnal,
sold under sin.
This wisdom entering into their souls, furnishes them
with understanding to see their way, and discretion to
manage their affairs with prudence and judgment to
the end *.
This understanding and prudence is an antidote
against the poisonous infection of evil men and strange
women. —It is, first, a means of preserving us from the
snares of bad men.
Ver. 12-15. To deliver thee from the way of the evil
man, from the man that speaketh froward things; who
leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of
darkness; who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the fro-
wardness of the wicked; whose ways are crooked, and
they forward in their paths.
Such is the portrait drawn by Solomon of those bad
men by whom his pupils are in danger of being seduc-
ed, unless furnished with wisdom to avoid the snare.
They speak froward things; they pay no regard to truth,
but bend their tongue like their bow for lies. Among
these pests of men, none are such virulent pests of
every thing that is good, as those that once made a
profession of religion, but have left the way of upright-
ness to walk in those miserable and gloomy paths,
to which begin in the darkness of the mind, and end in
the darkness of hell. The stings of conscience which
such persons experience, instead of reclaiming them,
tend only to irritate their spirits, and inflame them
into fierce enmity against religion. If, instead of being
* Psal. cxii. 5.
CHAP.II.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 39
pierced with such stings, they are cursed with the con-
quest of their own consciences, they are hardened
enough for the blackest sin, and prepared not only to
do evil, but to work it with both hands greedily. They
rejoice in the service of Satan, and no greater pleasure
do they know than that which arises from seeing that
his interests flourish, that his kingdom prospers. Such
persons are crooked in their ways. The only straight
way is the way of uprightness, but that sinners leave,
and wander into paths where they are bewildered and
lost. They know not whither they go, because dark-
ness path blinded their eyes. One sin leads them on
to another, and that to a third, till at length they run
into wickednesses of which they could not have thought
without horror when first they set foot in these deceit-
ful paths.
These miscreants are froward and stubborn in their
ways; and why? Custom has become a second nature
to them, their hearts are become impenetrably hard,
and proof against admonition. Yet look back to their
early days and you shall find them to have evinced
tempers and dispositions very different. They would
then have abhorred gross impieties, and were not with-
out impressions of the necessity of virtue and holiness.
But the unwearied adversary of mankind spread his
toils around them, and employed such men as they are
now become to efface every good impression, and to
lead them on, by slow and imperceptible degrees, to
those lengths in wickedness at which they have now
arrived. Had they been armed with the instructions
of wisdom, and employed these in their own defense,
what different persons might they now have been!
Whilst they would mislead us by their persuasions,
let us learn instruction from their miserable situation,
and thankfully improve those means which God has
afforded, to keep us out of the paths of destruction.
40 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. II.
God is our preserver, but he has been pleased to ap-
point the instructions of wisdom as our great defense
against these instruments of mischief. The knowledge
of the truth, and the cordial love of it, will open our
eyes to our danger, and possess our hearts with a set-
tled aversion to the practices of the ungodly. As our
Lord repelled every temptation of the devil by the
word of God, so when it abides in us, it will enable us
to meet every temptation of the old serpent, and of his
instruments, with safety and steadfast resolution *.
Grace in the soul is weak of itself, but the seed of
God shall remain for ever. The powers of hell shall
never be able to extinguish it utterly, for it receives new
supplies from the fountain of grace †.
Secondly, Wisdom, by its instructions received into
the heart, will preserve us also from the malignant in-
fluence of bad women.
Ver. 16.-19. To deliver thee from the strange woman,
from the stranger that flattereth with her lips; which for-
saketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant
of God: For her house inclineth unto death, and her
paths unto the dead: None that go unto her return again,
neither take they hold of the paths of life.
It is a great happiness for young people to escape the
snares of the harlot, in which so many have been en-
tangled and lost. A true love to the word of God is
eminently fitted to secure such a happiness.
There is no viler object in nature than an adulteress.
Her beauty is but a jewel of gold in a swine's snout.
Though born and baptized in a Christian land, she is
to looked upon as a heathen woman and a stranger;
and as self-made brutes are greater monsters than na-
tural brute beasts, so baptized heathens are by far the
worst of pagans.
* Acts. xx. 32. † Jer. xxxii. 40. Rev. iii. 10.
CHAP. II.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 41
Her words may be sweet and soft to the inexperi-
enced ear of a thoughtless youth, but she is only flat-
tering with her lips. Honey and milk seem to be un-
der her tongue, but it is the cruel venom of dragons.
She is monster of ingratitude to that husband who
was the guide and protector of her youth. All the
fervours of her first love are forgotten. She returns
the most cruel treatment for all that fond affection by
which he bound her to him in the most endearing ob-
ligations.
But her profaneness is still more shocking; for she
violates it sacred bond which was instituted by him
whom she presumes to call her God, and regards not
the marriage- oath which she swore by his great and
awful name.
Shall a woman unfaithful to the best and kindest of
friends, wretch that commits perjury without re-
morse,— prove faithful to any man? When she speaks
fair, believe her not, for there are seven abominations in
her heart.
Miserable are they who trust to her alluring profes-
sions, for there is scarcely a hope that they will recover
themselves from the snare of the devil. Her house is
full of the pestilence of sin, and will infect every one
that enters with a mortal and almost incurable distem-
per. The mind is darkened, and the conscience dead-
ened; the affections, too, are by uncleanness sunk into
sensuality. How then can they again take hold of the
paths of life? No doubt there is virtue in the blood
and Spirit of Christ for the remission of the greatest sins,
and the purification of the most defiled souls. It is
even admitted, that whoremongers have been made il-
lustrious monuments of the power of divine grace*; but
let it be remembered that these are miracles of grace.
Who would cast himself into a deep pit, in the hopes of
*1 Cor. vi. 11.
42 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. II.
coming out alive, when almost all that fell into it were
dashed in pieces or buried alive!
Whosoever pleaseth God, shall escape from this de-
vouring deep. Let us therefore cleave to God's judg-
ments, and follow their direction, and keep at a distance
from the place of temptation. How worthy of our imi-
tation is the example of Joseph, who was tempted day
by day, but hearkened not to his mistress to lie by
her or to be with her, because he would not sin
against God *.
But wisdom will not only keep us from the paths of
the wicked, it will also lead us in the way of good
men.
Ver. 20. That thou mayest walk in the way of good
men, and keep the path of the righteous.
It is not enough to refrain from wickedness, we
in also work righteousness. We profess to be the
servants of God, and it will be no sufficient excuse for
a servant that has slept all day, to say that he did no
mischief. There are two ways, in one or other of
which all men walk, ¾the narrow way that leads unto
life and the broad way that leads to destruction. In
the former way few walk, but it has been trodden by
the feet of all who are worthy of our imitation. In it
Abraham, and Job, and David walked, whilst those
whose memorials are now perished, or whose names
are remembered only to be execrated, were traveling
in the broad way that leads to destruction. Which of
these classes of persons would we chuse to follow in
our course of life? If the former, we must take our
directions from the wisdom taught by Solomon, and
the other inspired writers. Those venerable men who
have obtained a good report, and who through faith
and patience inherit the promises, were close students
*Gen. xxxvii.
CHAP. II.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 43
of the word of God, so far as they enjoyed the benefit
of its instructions; and by faith in its doctrines and
promises, and a constant regard to its precepts, they
obtained their good report. Happy shall we be if, like
them, we esteem the word of God more than our neces-
sary food and keep the judgments of God still in our
view;
Ver. 21. For the upright shall dwell in the land, and
the perfect shall remain in it.
They shall enjoy a long and a prosperous life, as far
as it is for their real advantage, in that good land which
God bestowed on his people, and shall, even when
they are dead, possess it in the persons of their pos-
terity, who are blessed for their sakes. Sinners enjoy
not this happiness,
Ver. 2 . But the wicked shall be cut of from the
earth, an the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.
Must not the righteous leave the earth too? Yes:
But the earth is a very different thing to the righteous,
and to the wicked. To the latter it is all the heaven
they ever have; to the righteous it is a place of pre-
paration or heaven. Death is a kind messenger sent
to the righteous by their heavenly Father, calling them
to the possession of their eternal inheritance; to the
wicked it is a messenger of wrath, summoning them to
the abodes of misery. It is almost the beginning of hap-
piness to God's people, but the final conclusion of all
that the wicked counted their happiness. To the
righteous, death is a translation to a better life. To
the wicked, it is destruction and woe. And is it all
one to us whether we share with the wicked in the
miseries of their latter end, or with Zion's travelers in
those everlasting joys that shall crown them when they
attain the end of their faith *?
* Psal. xxxvii. 36-40.
44 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. III.
CHAPTER III.
This chapter contains a variety of useful precepts
enforced by the strongest motives.
First, To remember and keep in our hearts the
things written in this book, ver. 1, 2.
Ver. 1. My son, forget not my law, but let thine heart
keep my commandments.
This inspired teacher is to be reverenced as a spiri-
tual father. His word is to be regarded as a law pub-
lish by Solomon, but binding on us by the authority
of God *. We must never forget this law, but make
it familiar to our memories, that we may have a guide
ready to direct us in every situation in which we may
be placed; and when we treasure it up in our memory,
we are to keep it in our heart. Richly does it deserve
to form the object of our constant love, and the sub-
ject of our meditation all the day. Our obedience to
it must proceed from the heart. What is the difference
between good men, and false pretenders to religion?
To the latter, the religion which they have is a burden,
to the former a pleasure; to the one the law is a dis-
agreeable restraint, to the other God's commandments
are of grievous, for they rejoice in the way of his tes-
timonies, more than in all riches. Interest dictates to
us the propriety of keeping God's commandments¾
Ver. 2. For length of days, and long life, [Heb.
years of life,] and peace, shall they add to thee.
A long and happy life is the desire of all men, and
* Mal. iv. 4.
CHAP. III.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 45
riches and good physicians appear to them the most
likely means of obtaining it. But religion is better
than all the gold and physicians in the world, for it
has the promise of this life, as well as of that to come.
Solomon knew well that good men sometimes die
young, while the wicked live, become old, yea, mighty
in power; but still he asserts and often repeats the
promise of long life which belongs to godliness.
Surely, then it is not without meaning and truth.
The godly shall enjoy life as far as it is really a bless-
ing in their particular circumstances, and the mean-
ing carried beyond this would convert the blessing
into a threatening. Peace is enjoyed by the godly,
even that of God which passeth all understand-
ing, and it keeps their hearts and minds through
Jesus Christ. Outward prosperity is enjoyed by them,
as far as it is consistent with their spiritual interests.
Tribulations and enemies they may meet with, but
they live in peace. Though slaughtered by the hand
of violence, or the sword of war, they die in peace;
and when they die, they enter into everlasting peace.
The second precept in this chapter, is one requiring
us to live in the exercise of mercy and truth.
Ver. 3. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee. Bind
them about thy neck, write them upon the table of thine
heart.
Mercy and truth are to be exercised by us in every
part of our intercourse with our fellow-creatures, how-
ever defective they may be in the practice of these
virtues to us. They are to be tied about our necks as
a precious ornament, to be worn through life, and
made visible to all men. Our light should shine be-
fore men, not for our own praise, but for the glory
of our heavenly Father.
But it is not enough to practice mercy and truth,
so as to obtain a character for fidelity among men.
46 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. III.
Our outward acts must proceed from the heart. As
the law of commandments was written upon tables of
stone, so is the law of Christ written on the fleshly
tables of the Christian's heart, by the Spirit of the living
God. As workers under the Spirit, we are required
to write the law of kindness and of truth upon the
tables of our heart, by maintaining deep impressions
of it, by meditating upon the peaceful motives that
should excite us to that virtue, and by endeavouring,
through the grace of Christ, to have our hearts habi-
tually disposed to all those duties which are the na-
tural fruits of love and integrity.
Ver. 4. So shalt thou find favour and good under-
standing in the sight of God and man.
God is well pleased, not only with the reverence
and love which his people shew to himself, but with
that generosity and mercy, that sincerity and faithful-
ness, which they evince to their fellow-men. Mercy
and truth are glorious perfections in the Deity, ¾per-
fections which shall be for ever praised as the springs
of our felicity. Of these, the mercy and truth found in
wisdom's disciples, are to be regarded as a faint imi-
tation. To find in his children this his true, though
perfect image, the Deity is greatly delighted. To
the merciful he will shew himself merciful, and they
that deal truly are his delight. He not only smiles
upon them with the light of his countenance, but gives
them favour in the sight of men also. Kindness and
truth are qualities so amiable as to engage the esteem
even of those who are too selfish to practice them.
They attract the good-will of men. They procure
that good name which is better than precious ointment.
For a good man some have even dared to die.
That understanding which is good in the sight of
God and man, is another fruit of the constant practice
of mercy and truth, A good understanding appears
CHAP. III.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 47
already in his behaviour, but it is also promoted by it;
for the practice of what we know, tends greatly to
render our knowledge more dear, and certain, and
extensive *.
The next precept is, to depend on God, and not on
our own understanding.
Ver. 5. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and
lean not to thine own understanding.
To trust in God, is to depend on him for bestowing
on us every needful blessing, and preserving us from
all evil.
Faith in Christ for eternal life is included in this
dependence on God, for by him we believe in God.
But we are commanded to trust in God for every thing
necessary for us in this life also; for the Lord God is a
sun and shield, he will give grace and glory, and every
good thing. O Lord God of hosts, blessed is the man
that trusteth in thee!
This dependence on God is to be exercised with all
our hearts, our judgments being persuaded that God
is the only and the all-sufficient object of confidence,
and our souls resting with full satisfaction in his power
and faithfulness. This holy exercise is fully and clearly
exemplified, to us in many of the psalms of David †.
Whilst we trust in the Lord, our hearts must cleave
to him, and renounce every sublunary dependence.
To divide our confidence between God and the crea-
ture, is to lean with one hand upon a rock, and with
the other hand upon a broken reed. David charges
his soul to wait upon God only, for his expectation
was from him, and from none else.
We must not make our own understanding a staff
to our hearts.—Dependence on our own wisdom, will
* Psal. cxix, 100, † Psal. 1xii, &c.
48 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. III.
lead us from trusting in God, to make lies our refuge,
and to adopt unhallowed means for the attainment of
our wishes. When men reject the testimony of God
concerning Christ, when they depend on their own
righteousness and strength instead of Christ, or on
creatures rather than on God for help in difficulty, or
when they expect to obtain pleasure or profit by sinful
means, it is evident that they are departing from God,
through an evil heart of unbelief, and trusting for the
direction of their behaviour to their own corrupted
minds.
Do we trust in God, and not in ourselves? It will
then give us much pleasure to know that we are direct-
ed and encouraged to make known all our affairs to
God, according to the following words of the wise king,
Ver. 6. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall
direct thy paths.
God is well acquainted with all our affairs, and yet
he graciously requires us to present them to him in
prayer, and to ask from him direction in the manage-
ment of them, that we may be guided by his provi-
dence and Spirit, according to his word. The saints
have found much relief in their perplexities, by spread-
ing their case before him, and petitioning this interpo-
sition for their help *. But times of distress are not
the only seasons in which we ought to apply to him,
“Be careful for nothing, (says Paul,) but in every
thing, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving,
make known your requests unto him." We are every
day to pray that our steps may be so ordered, as that
we may not be led into temptation. Joshua in the
midst of his prosperity erred, by neglecting to ask
counsel at the mouth of the Lord, because he thought
* Psal. xiv. 2, 3.
CHAP. III.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 49
the matter so clear, as that he might safely trust to his
own understanding.
Our encouragement to this duty is a promise that
our path shall be directed. Having shewed to God
our way, we must wait on God for direction, not by a
voice from heaven, or by a new inspiration, but by his
Spirit enabling us to understand his word, and apply
it to particular affairs, and by his providence making
the way where we should walk clear before us. Thus will
our path be so directed, as that we shall be preserved
from falling into sin, from meeting with temptations
that might prove too hard for us, and from being sub-
jected to more than needful calamity.
What a pleasure is it to have a wise and kind friend
to consult with in all our affairs! but how much sweeter
the pleasure, that we know where to find God, that we
are invited to go even to his seat, and to utter all our
words before him! When we interest God in our
affairs by prayer, we may cast away every care, and
walk on cheerfully, believing that he will guide every
step of our journey; for his eyes are not only upon the
way of his people, but upon every step of it *.
But when we acknowledge the Lord in all our ways,
let us be sure to do it with self-diffidence, and with sin-
cere resolutions to adhere to that way that will be pleas-
ing to God .
Ver. 7. Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear the Lord,
and depart from evil.
Vain man would be wise, although man is born like
the wild ass's colt. The world is full of wise men, or
of men that would be thought wise. But we cannot
be truly wise unless we become fools, renouncing all
dependence on our own wisdom, and depending with hu-
mility upon the Lord, for those supplies of wisdom that
* Psal. xxxvii. 23. 31.
50 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. III.
are necessary for enlightening our minds and directing
our paths. When we pretend to ask counsel from God,
whilst we have a secret dependence upon ourselves,
and a reserved determination to pay no regard to his
word or providence if it should cross our own humours,
we play the hypocrite with God, and cover over that
self- confidence which he abhors, with false professions
of faith and resignation to the will of God. Johanan
and his proud companions were terribly threatened for
this dissimulation by the prophet Jeremiah *.
A high opinion of men's own wisdom is so danger-
ous, that Isaiah pronounces a heavy woe upon it.
We are not indeed to pull out our own eyes, to re-
nounce our own understandings, or to believe con-
tradictions; but we ought certainly to keep our rational
powers in subjection to the word of God, to be sen-
sible of our great liableness to err, and of our absolute
need of the divine direction, especially in those mat-
ters that concern religion †.
That we may have our paths made straight, we must
also fear the Lord and depart from evil. To them that
fear the Lord is addressed a promise of divine teach-
ing ‡. This religious affection has a native tendency to
prevent men from turning out of the way of truth:
By the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil. It acts
as a sentinel to the soul, which keeps temptation from
entering. God makes use of the grace of fear, as well
as that of faith, in repelling temptation, and in sub-
duing corruption. “I will put my fear," says he,
"into their hearts, and they shall not depart from me."
Abraham displayed his fear of God, as well as his un-
conquerable faith, when nothing could for one moment
* Jer. x1ii. 19.—22.
†Jer. x. 23. 1 Cor. ii. 14, 15. ‡ Psal. xxv. 12.-14.
CHAP. III] BOOK OP PROVERBS. 51
withhold him from obeying the strangest command
which mortal ever received. "Now I know that thou
feared God," said the angel," seeing thou had not
withheld from me thy son, thine only son *."
The fear of God preserves men from bodily disease,
As well as from sin.
Ver. 8. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to
thy bones.
The navel is a useful part of the body, being sort
of ligament to knit the bowels together; ¾the bones
are the strength and fence of the body. The fear of
God is health to the outward, as well as to the inward
man. Health is an object of desire to all, and
the wise man will not only use medicines when sick,
for the restoration of it, but will attentively consider
what food and what exercise are the most proper for
preserving health in the navel, and marrow in the
bones. The spiritually wise will remember, that in
God's hands is our life, and breath, and all our
ways, ¾that diseases are his servants, which come and
go at his pleasure, ¾and that the surest way to health
is to walk before him unto all pleasing. Does he
then enjoy health? he has a blessing along with it
Is he the victim of disease? it will be more beneficial
to him than is to the wicked his unsanctified health.
Religion has a natural tendency to impart health and
vigor to the body, because it preserves a man from
those distempers which proceed from unsubdued lusts,
and diffuses over the mind that calm serenity and
heartfelt joy, which even upon the body exercise a
medicinal influence
We are next required to be liberal in the service of
God.
* Gen. xxii. 12.
52 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. III.
Ver. 9, 10. Honour the Lord with thy substance, and
with the first fruits of all thine increase: So shall thy
barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out
with new wine.
Earthly substance is necessary for the use of our bo-
dies, but we are called to make a nobler use of it than
the snare service of the outward man. We are to ho-
nour the Lord with it, making no use of any part of
our increase, till we have set apart a reasonable propor-
tion of it for the service of God. God needs nothing
at our hands; but for our own benefit, he will have us
to render back a part of all he gives us for the decent
support of his worship, and for the maintenance of the
poor. Is it any hardship to give a part to him from whom
we have received all? Can we make a better use of
our wealth, which is often a snare and a trap to men,
by serving God, and thus making to ourselves
friends of the mammon of unrighteousness?
By this means we honour the Lord. He is the
Creator and Redeemer of our souls and bodies, and
therefore we are to glorify him with our bodies and
our spirits, which are his. Our substance is his also,
and we must honour him with it by a liberality in his
service, proportioned to the extent of his bounty. By
the practice of this duty, we shew our faith in his pro-
vidence and promises, our love to God, our gratitude
for his goodness, and our preference of his service to
that of mammon. In this manner we justify our pro-
fession of the gospel of Christ, and others are made to
glorify God, while they enjoy the benefit of our minis-
trations to this purpose.
By the neglect of this duty, we are guilty of robbing
God himself of that rent which he requires from us as
his tenants. We dishonour him by shewing that we
love the world better than his service, and that we trust
more to our chests, or to our bonds upon our fellow-
CHAP. III.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 53
creatures, than to his promises; for has he not assured
us, that instead of being losers, we shall be great gain-
ers by what we bestow upon him? Liberality on God's
account brings down the blessing of providence to such
a degree, that our barns shall be filled, and our presses
need enlargement. God has the sun, and winds, and
rain, an creatures of every description, in his hand;
and these he manages in such a manner, as that none
shall be a loser by him, nor a gainer by withholding
from him. Robbers of God are visited with a curse,
which like a moth wastes, or like a fire destroys, their
substance *. Liberality opens the windows of heaven,
destroys, the devouring locust, and turns the barren
field in a delightful land †.
Health and riches are the advantages that attend the
fear of the Lord, and liberality in his service; but we
must not imagine that these blessings are promised
without a reservation of the cross, when God sees it
needful for us, nor suppose that God is unfaithful when
he administers correction to his children. This truth
is inculcated in the next instruction of the wise king,
which teaches us how to behave under afflictive provi-
dences.
Ver. 11. My son, despise not the chastening of the
Lord, neither be weary of his correction.
This exhortation, like many of the others, speaks to
us as unto children; and it is a piece of ingratitude in
the children of wisdom, to forget it, by suffering it to
be obliterated from their memories, or to produce no
practical influence ‡.
We are here warned against despising divine re-
bukes, or fainting under them. The rebukes of provi-
dence are despised, when persons regard not the supreme
*
Hag. i. 6. ii, 16. † Mal, iii. 10- 12. ‡ Heb. xii. 5.
54 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. III.
hand that afflicts; when they consider not the design of
God in afflicting; or when, through stupidity of mind
or hardness of heart, they neglect to comply with it.
This is a great affront to God. It is as if a child should
say his father when he strikes him, I do not care,
do with me what you will, I shall behave no better
than I have done. Ahaz was a very wicked man, but
nothing shewed the stubbornness of his heart so much,
as his walking contrary to God, when he sent sore dis-
tress upon him *.
God's people may fall into this sin, sleeping like Jo-
nah amidst the storm that God sends to testify his dis-
pleasure with them. But those whom he loves, he will
awaken out of their sleep; and this he sometimes does
by terrible tempests of outward calamity or of inward
terror, sufficient to rouse them from the deepest slum-
ber. As the lively Christian is thankful for the least
mercy so the afflictions which others despise are im-
proved by him as calls to serious thought.
Afflictions may be despised in another sense, which
seem to agree better with the argument used in the
following verse. Men despise them, when they do not
value them as necessary and useful. We need afflic-
tions and yet we are ready to think that they might
be very well spared, and the work designed by them
effected by gentler means. This notion is to be reject-
ed by us with abhorrence, because it implies a reflec-
tion upon the wisdom and love of our heavenly Father,
who does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children
of men; though now for a season, if need be, he af-
filcts them, because the beneficial consequences are
far more than sufficient to counterbalance the pain of
it. The original word often signifies to abhor.
*
2 Chron. xxviii. 22.
CHAP. III.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 55
Weariness under the divine correction is another
fault, which we must avoid with care. Our
hearts must not fret against the Lord, nor suffer re-
flecting thoughts to spring up, for God never exceeds
the due measure in distressing us. No ingredient is
poured to the cup of affliction, but by infinite wis-
dom and grace; nor shall the rod of Jehovah rest upon
the lot of the righteous, longer than need requires.
Weariness will make the heart to sink like a stone, and
produce harsh suspicions of the divine goodness. It
will disqualify the mind for relishing the consolations
of God, and answering the designs of the Almighty.
To keep our minds from fainting, let us consider
who it is that corrects us. It is the Lord, and all
flesh must be silent before him, and receive what evils
he is pleased to appoint, with reverence and resigna-
tion. It is the Lord, let him do unto us what seemeth
good in his sight. He is excellent in judgment, and
in plenty of justice, and cannot do wrong to any of his
creatures. But it is a sweeter consideration, that he is
a Father, and chastens us in love.
Ver. 12. For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth,
even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
He intends, not to destroy but to reform, and correc-
tion is one of those privileges that belong to the family
of God. Christ himself, though a Son in an infinitely
higher sense than we, though altogether free from the
need correction, yet learned obedience by the things
which he suffered. Christ was the first-born among
many brethren, and we are predestinated to be con-
formed to him in sufferings and in holiness, and the
sorrows which we endure are means appointed for
making us partakers of God's holiness. Earthly fa-
thers correct their children, in order to drive away
folly from them; and that misguided lenity which
withhold the rod, is but cruelty in disguise. Now, we
56 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. III.
yield reverence and submission to earthly parents;
how much more do we owe it to that heavenly Father,
who exercises love infinitely wiser and greater than
theirs! He knows the greatest afflictions have not so
much bitterness as the least sin, and he loves his chil-
dren too well to spare correction when it is requisite
to purge away their sin.
The best commentary we can have on this text, is
that given by Paul in his epistle to the Hebrews*.
Did we understand it aright, we should bless God for
correction, as well as for smiles; and the wormwood
and the gall of our miseries would be turned into ho-
ney and the honey-comb.
Whatever corrections the children of God suffer,
they are still happy, and it is our duty to be-
lieve them so. Behold, happy is the man whom God
correcteth! Nothing can make that person unhappy
who is possessed of wisdom, as the inspired philoso-
pher tells us in the next part of this chapter. In it
he again recommends wisdom to our esteem and pur-
suit, ver. 13. -26.
Ver. 13. Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and
the man that getteth understanding.
Where shall wisdom be found, and who is the man
that getteth understanding? Wisdom is to be found
in the Bible, and in Christ, who is revealed in it. The
Scriptures are able to make us wise unto salvation,
through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All the trea-
sures of wisdom are hid in him, and he communicates
this precious gift by his word and Spirit, to those who
apply to him for this purpose. And while they dill-
gently make use of the prescribed means, they in-
crease in wisdom, and with it their happiness increases
too.
*Heb.
xii. 5.- 11.
CHAP. III.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 57
None can tell how happy the man is that finds wis-
dom. They are accounted happy who possess large
quantities of gold, or silver, or precious stones; but
these lose all their value when brought into comparison
with this heavenly treasure.
Ver. 14, 15. For the merchandise of it is better than
the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine
gold. She is more precious than rubies, and all the
things thou cant desire are not to be compared with
her.
Silver is much esteemed by men, and gold is almost
adored by them. Rubies are still more precious, and
perhaps there are some things still preferred to these
shining stones. But none of them all are to be named
in one day with wisdom; and he has no true judg-
ment of the real value of things, who would give a
grain of true wisdom for a mountain of diamonds.
Earthly riches are for the body, wisdom is for the
soul; the former may enrich a man for the space of
threescore and ten years, the latter for numberless
millions of ages. Gold and rubies are the true riches
in the eyes of erring mortals, wisdom and grace in
the eyes of Christ; and if we follow his judgment, the
diseased beggar Lazarus was incomparably happier than
the rich man who was clothed with purple, and who
fared sumptuously every day.
A venerable father, when he saw Rome in its splen-
dour, took occasion to contemplate the ineffable glories
of the celestial city, compared with which Rome itself
was but a pitiful village. The Scripture teaches us,
when we are charmed with the lustre of earthly riches,
to consider how incomparably these are surpassed by
the excellency of wisdom.
He is not a true Christian who would not wish to be
rich in faith rather than in silver and gold; for every
one that partakes of heavenly wisdom is enlightened by
58 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. III.
the Spirit of God, and disposed, in his judgment of the
value of things, to listen to the instructions of God in
his word.
The excellency of wisdom further appears in the
gifts she bestows. She is a munificent princess, hold-
ing in both hands the richest presents, to be given to
her servants.
Ver. 16. Length of days is in her right hand; and in
her left hand riches and honour.
A happy life extended to old age is given to the
lovers of wisdom; or if cut off in the midst of their days,
they are no losers. They cannot even in this case
complain that God is unfaithful to his promise, for in
another world they enter on a state of life which excels
the present as much in value as in duration. If a man
promises to give us threescore and ten acres of ground
in a barren country, and instead of them gives us ten
thousand in a fruitful soil, watered by the river of God,
and blessed by the smiles of heaven, he is not worse,
but a great deal better than his word.
Riches and honour are given in the same sense as
length of days. When Solomon testified his high re-
gard for wisdom, God bestowed upon him the riches
and glory of this world. But experience taught Solo-
mon that these things did not make him wiser, or
better, or happier. Let us, from the history of the
wise man, learn to implore the accomplishment of this
promise in a spiritual sense. There are eternal treasures
and unfading diadems reserved for the wise in another
world. There they will be so rich, that the streets of
their city of habitation are paved with pure gold,—so
honourable, that they shall sit with Christ himself on his
throne.
But great as are the advantages, splendid as are the
honours which wisdom confers, the world is generally
prejudiced against it, and prepossessed with the idea of
CHAP. III.] BOOK OP PROVERBS. 59
its being burdensome and unpleasant. Worldly plea-
sure appears so desirable, so essential indeed to human
happiness, that for this sole reason multitudes abhor
the thoughts of becoming religious. In order to re-
move this mischievous prejudice, Solomon assures us,
that religion is not less conducive to pleasure than it is
to honour and wealth.
Ver. 17. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all
her paths are peace.
Call not religion Marah, but call her Naomi, for she
is in every respect desirable. True, indeed, it is no rare
occurrence to find a religious man leading an unplea-
sant life, but this is to be ascribed to his own mistakes
and dispositions, and not to religion, than which nothing
tends so much to render the present life a scene of
happiness.
It is pleasant to enter into wisdom's ways by believ-
ing on Christ. It is pleasant to go on in these paths,
by walking in him who is the new and living way. In
God's presence is that fullness of joy into which those
travellers shall enter at the termination of their journey.
Even now some drops of those rivers of pleasure that
are with him enter into their souls, and give them more
delight than the highest earthly enjoyments can impart
to those whose portion is in this life.
It will readily be admitted, that some of wisdom's
ways are pleasant; but are they all so? Yes, all her
paths are peace itself, for the work of righteousness, as
well as the erect of it, is peace.
There is peace and pleasure in repentance, which is
sweetened by the apprehension of God's mercy in Christ;
so that the true penitent enjoys more satisfaction in one
hour's mourning, than the votary of worldly pleasure
in twenty years' carnal gratification. There is pleasure
in self-denial, for he that practices it knows that he is
the true self-seeker; and of this he is assured by the
60 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. III.
word of Christ *. There is pleasure and peace in bear-
ing the cross of Christ, for it is made light by the Spirit
of Christ, and the prospect of sharing with him in his
glory †. There is pleasure and peace in tribulations,
because when they abound, consolations abound much
more by Christ ‡. There is peace in fighting the Lord's
battles against the mightiest enemies, for the Christian
soldier fights under the banner of the Prince of Peace.
His feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of
peace. The God of peace will bruise every enemy
under his feet. More exquisite is that pleasure which
the subjugation of one sinful affection produces, than
that which results from the gratification of a thousand.
—Should the Christian be called to die a violent death,
there is peace in his latter end, as we find there was
in the death of the good Josiah when he fell in battle.
The pleasures of the world are like the gleams of a
wintry sun, faint, and feeble, and transient. The plea-
sures of religion are satisfying and eternal. The ca-
lamities of this life are not able to interrupt, far less to
destroy them. This is verified in the experience of
every one whose soul is under the lively influence of
that faith which constitutes an essential part of religion.
David, though in deep waters, yielded not to despond-
ing thoughts, believing that the Lord would yet com-
mand his loving-kindness; though about to walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, he saw no
ground for the fear of evil.
All the exercises, all the privileges, all the hopes of
religion, are full of pleasure. Even the trials to which
religious men are exposed afford pleasure, if not whilst
they are felt, at the farthest when they come to a
period ||.
* Mat. xxvi. 25. † 1 Pet. iv. 13, 14. ‡ 2 Cor. 1. 5.
|| Jam, 1. 4, 12. 1 Pet. i. 6, 7. Isa. x1ix, 10.
CHAP. III.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 61
Such is the pleasure and peace with which wisdom
is attended, that,
Ver. 18. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon
her; and happy is every one that retaineth her.
Nothing in the present state of the creation is suffi-
cient to furnish out a proper emblem of the happiness
that wisdom affords, and therefore the wise man goes
back to the state of the world under innocent Adam,
comparing the delights of religion to the fruits of the
tree of life. For the sin of Adam we were driven from
Paradise, and our approach to the tree of life in the
midst of the garden for ever prevented. But a second
Adam has opened our way to a better paradise, in which
is the tree of life that bears every month twelve man-
ner of fruits. The branches of this wide-spreading
tree bend down to this lower world, and those that are
wise unto salvation sit under its shadow with great de-
light, while its fruit is sweet to their taste.
If we wish to eat of these delicious and soul-reviv-
ing fruits, we must take fast hold of wisdom, and keep
that hold against all the enemies that would tear it from
us. To wisdom we must cleave with purpose of heart,
when the devil and the world would persuade us to fore-
go some part of truth or duty, or to make some small
compliance with sin, in order to serve some worldly
end *. "To him that overcometh, [i. e. to him that
keepeth Christ's works unto the end,] will he give to
eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the para-
dise of God †."
To all the great things that have been said of wis-
dom, let us add the glory which belongs to wisdom, as
it appears in creation and providence.
Ver. 19, 20. The Lord by wisdom hath founded the
earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.
*James i. 12. † Rev. ii. 7.
62 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. III.
By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the
clouds drop down the dew.
Knowledge and wisdom belong to God in their high-
est perfection, and shine forth in all his works. By his
wisdom he established the world, and formed every
creature beautiful in its kind. By his knowledge, the
heavens and the earth, and all their inhabitants, were
formed into one universe, which incessantly proclaims
the greatness of its Creator's wisdom. The language
of every creature when considered by itself, and especi-
ally when viewed as part of the grand system, is, "We
come forth from the Lord of Hosts, who is wonderful
in counsel and excellent in wisdom." The world could
never have afforded us a convenient dwelling-place, had
not the depths by the knowledge of God been broken
up, and the waters separated from the dry land, to be
laid up in the vast repository of the sea, or to flow along
in rivers for our benefit. It is wisdom that draws up
the moisture from the earth in waters, and exhales it
in vapours, forming them into clouds, and again distill-
ing them in dew, or pouring them down in rain, that
food may spring out of the earth for man and beast.
This wisdom calls for our gratitude, and praise, and
imitation. We cannot pretend to make or govern a
world, but we are enjoined to manage our own con-
cerns with wisdom. The God whose understanding is
infinite, hath dignified us with rational powers, and di-
rected us to that wisdom which is proper for us. When
he displayed the wonders of his infinite understanding
at the creation of all things, he said unto man, "The
fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from
evil is understanding." He is the giver of wisdom, and
he gives it from his own exhaustless stores. Every
beam of wisdom in man is a ray from that eternal Sun;
and the divine image, which we lost by our folly in
departing from God, begins to be renewed in us when
CHAP. III] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 68
we attain that knowledge and wisdom so earnestly re-
commended by the royal teacher.
Is wisdom so incomparably useful and excellent? let
us then listen with reverence to the instruction that
again speaks to us as unto children.
Ver. 51. My son, let not them depart from thine eyes;
keep sound wisdom and discretion.
There are some kinds of wisdom highly esteemed by
the world, yet of these some are so far from being use-
ful, that they are brutish folly. No wisdom is sound
but that which is taught by the word of God, and ap-
proved by him who is the Author of wisdom, and who
has given us plain marks for distinguishing it from
that which is earthly, sensual, and devilish *. This
sound wisdom makes us discreet and prudent, and
guards us against that selfish cunning which has so
often assumed its name.
This sound wisdom and discretion must be like
frontlets before our eyes, that we may keep them al-
ways in our view. Then will our steps be ordered in
God's word; for by what means shall we purify our
way? By taking heed thereto, according to God's
word.
There are many adversaries that would rob us of this
treasure, and we are but too ready to let it slip out of
our hearts. For this reason, we need to be frequently
reminded of our duty to keep it. If we retain it on
our minds and hearts, if we uniformly exhibit it in our
practice, we shall certainly find that our labour is not
in vain in the Lord.
Ver. 22. So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace
to thy neck.
Fools can scarcely be said to live; they neither glo-
rify God nor enjoy him, so that they are dead whilst
* James iii. 17.
64 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. III.
they live. But the excellency of knowledge is, that
wisdom giveth life to them that have it. It imparts to
life that happiness which alone renders it worthy of
the name. True wisdom is real life, communicated
from him who is the quickening Spirit, to them that
were dead in trespasses and sins. It is an ornament
of grace to the neck, which renders the meanest beg-
gar who possesses it more noble than the mightiest
monarch, who is acquainted with no brighter ornament
than his regal crown.
Safety is another of the great advantages which al-
ways attend wisdom.
Ver. 23, 24. Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely,
and thy foot shall not stumble. When thou liest down,
thou shalt not be afraid; yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy
sleep shall be sweet.
Whilst we keep wisdom and discretion, we are safe
by the protection of the Almighty. We are safe
whether we walk in the way, or sit in the house, or re-
pose on the couch. There shall no evil happen to the
just; even those events which are evil to others, are
sanctified and blessed to them.
"He shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee
in all thy ways, (says the scripture), lest thou shouldst
dash thy foot against a stone." Happy it is to be the
care of angels, but happier far to be under his protect-
ing eye who is the keeper of Israel.
We must remember, that this promise has a direc-
tion embodied with it, "Thou shalt walk in thy way."
Satan endeavoured to cheat our Saviour out of this im-
portant part of the promise, that he might cheat him
out of the benefit of it altogether. But Jesus knew
well the regard due to every jot and tittle of the word
of God. We are required still to keep the way of the
Lord, and in the affairs of life to attend to our own
CHAP. III.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 65
concerns, shunning the character of busy-bodies, by
not meddling in the affairs of others. In the calling
wherewith we are called, let us abide with God, and
we shall dwell in safety under the shadow of the Al-
mighty.
Sleep commonly flies from the victims of wretched-
mess and calamity; but quiet and peaceful are the
slumbers of those who can lie down in safety, because
the Lord sustaineth them. Even in the prospect of
danger and distress, they can repose in calm serenity,
for Jehovah giveth his beloved sleep. Such were the
calamitous circumstances of David, when exiled and
pursued by the unnatural Absalom, that all the people
who were witnesses of his banishment, wept for him.
Yet what says David himself? "I laid me down and
slept; I awaked, for the Lord sustained me." When the
most prosperous sinners lie down to rest, they want cove-
nant protection, and know not but they may open their
eyes in hell. The servant of God knows, that when buried
in the arms of "Nature's sweet restorer," he is under
that guardian eye which neither slumbers nor sleeps.
There may be seasons in which the good man can-
not enjoy pleasant slumbers. But what does he lose,
if by the thoughts that Wisdom suggests, he enjoys a
feast of holy contemplation, more refreshing to him
than sleep is to others *!
In order to enjoy this tranquility of mind, we must
believe the promises of God, and by the exercise of
holy confidence, banish those fears that would distress
the soul,
Ver. 25, 26. Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither
of the desolation of the wicked when it cometh. For the
Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot
from being taken.
* Psal. 1xiii 5.
66 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. III.
Sudden fears are attended with a stupifying influ-
ence upon those that want faith, but far different is the
fact with regard to the righteous. The righteous man
is bold as a lion, for he knows, like the three children
in Babylon, that the God whom he serves is able to
deliver him, or to render him happy, though the deso-
lation of others should involve the destruction, not only
of all his outward comforts, but of his mortal life *.
The Lord is a sure ground of confidence in the
worst of times. Our proper exercise in such seasons,
is to trust in the Lord, and to pour out our hearts be-
fore him, knowing that he will be a refuge for us.
This comfortable doctrine is illustrated and enforced
in almost every Psalm.
May not one, then, exclaim with the royal philoso-
pher, "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and
the man that getteth understanding!" The way in
which wisdom leads us, is attended with every bless-
ing, and free from every evil; or if there be any evil
in it, so wonderful is the providence of God, that it is
turned into good. Thus is Sampson's riddle verified
to every afflicted saint. May our lives be those of the
righteous, and our last end their's!
The wise man next directs us, to make no unneces-
sary delay in the performance of any good work.
Ver. 27. Withhold not good from them to whom it is
due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.
To do justly, is one great point of religion; and we
ought not unnecessarily to delay giving every man his
due, for the delay of justice is temporary injustice.
When we owe money to our neighbours, which they
require from us at present, and we, though able, defer
payment till afterwards, we are plainly guilty of injus-
tice; for a man has the same right to his property now,
* Hab. iii. 17, 18. Psa1. xlvi,
CHAP. III BOOK OF PROVERBS. 67
that he will have a year hence. We find men re-
proved and threatened for keeping in their own hands
the hire of the labourer. The same censure may be ap-
plied to those who refuse to pay just debts, or to re-
store to its rightful owner any piece of lost property
which they have found; for we are not to do what we
will with that which is not ours, nor are we to owe to
another any thing but love.
We owe love and the proper fruits of it to our fel-
low-creatures, according to their necessities and cha-
racters, and our connection with them; and we trans-
gress the rule of righteousness, if we withhold even
from our enemies that which is due to them by the
law of Christ; for many things are to be reckoned just
debts from us on his account, which they have no title
to claim for their own sakes. It may be difficult for
us to render to others what is due to them by the laws
of justice or charity; but the question is not, whether
it is easy, but whether it is in the power of our hands,
to render unto others that good which is due to them.
The fruits of love are often labours, but they are not
such labours of love as those which our Redeemer
cheerfully performed for us, nor is any man a loser by
them *.
What is in the power of our hands to-day, may not
be in our power to-morrow, and therefore we ought
not to delay the performance of any good work †.
Ver. 28. Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come
again, and to-morrow I will give thee; when thou hast it
by thee.
Delays in any part of duty, furnish a strong pre-
sumption that we do not perform it cheerfully. We
are commanded, not only to do good works, but to be
ready to every good work; not only to shew mercy,
* Heb. vi, 10. † Gal. vi. 10. Eccl. xi. 2.
68 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. III.
but to shew it with cheerfulness. He that gives
speedily, gives twice; but he that gives with slow re-
luctance, gives in part a denial. Much of the benefit
is often lost to the receiver, and much of the gratitude
to the giver, by telling our neighbour to go and come
again.
There is a manner of giving that but ill accords
with that humanity and mercy which should dispose
us to give. Airs of superiority assumed even to the
meanest of our fellow-creatures, are unbecoming; for
however inferior to us in point of station, they are still
our neighbours, and God commands us to love them
as ourselves. God often delays answering our prayers,
but he is infinitely and essentially superior to us; yet
his delays are all in wisdom and love. When it is fit
that his petitioners should receive what they ask, he
gives before they ask, or whilst they are yet speaking
he hears.
In one case, the wise man allows us to defer giving.
When we have it not by us, and when we cannot
give at all in a consistency with more urgent duties,
we may refuse to give; but still we must have hearts
to give, were it in our power. And if there be first a
willing mind, it is accepted according to what a man
hath, and not according to what he hath not.
The next direction is against doing evil to our neigh-
bours.
Ver. 29. Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing
he dwelleth securely by thee.
Our fellow-men are our neighbours, and we are des-
titute of the love of God if we feel no love to them.
If the practice be an index of what passes within, we
must conclude that man to be wholly destitute of
love, who can wilfully hurt those whom he is required
to love as himself. Such a man cannot surely pretend
to religion; or if he does, he is at best like a tinkling
CHAP. III.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 69
brass, or a sounding cymbal, for his professions are
emptiness and hypocrisy.
At the day of judgment, they shall be doomed to hell,
who did not serve their neighbour in love; where, then,
must those appear whose practice was quite the reverse?
All injurious persons are wicked, and the more con-
trivance there is in any evil that we do, it has so much
the greater malignity in it *. It is criminal to devise
evil against any person; but it is double iniquity to
hurt those that dwell securely by us, for this in effect is
a breach of trust, and an indication of a heart base and
depraved beyond the common pitch of human wicked.
ness. The meek and the quiet of the land are the
persons who dread no injury from us, as they plot
none against others; and the Lord Jesus, to whom all
judgment is committed, is the Redeemer of all such
persons. He hath pronounced a blessing on them,
and will avenge them of their enemies; for with righ-
teousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with
equity for the meek of the earth †.
We must not even contend with our neighbours by
hard words, when they have done nothing to provoke
us; otherwise we are volunteers in the devil's service,
sinning without putting him to the trouble of tempt.
ing us.
Ver. 30. Strive not with a man without cause, if he
have done thee no harm.
If a man has injured us, we ought to forgive him.
Do we believe that God for Christ's sake hath for-
given us ten thousand talents, and shall we reckon it
a hard matter, at Christ's command, to forgive our
brother a few pence?
If the unforgiving shall never enter into heaven,
what curses shall for ever lie upon those who are
* Mic. ii. 1. † Iss. xi. 4. Mic. ii. 9, Psal, 1xxii. 12, 14.
70 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. III.
guilty of unprovoked injuries? Railers and revilers
stand excluded from the kingdom of God, and the ad-
mission of injurious persons, like Saul the Pharisee,
into the kingdom of God, is to be regarded as a miracle
of mercy.
It may possibly be alleged, that injurious persons
are often prosperous in the world. It may be so in
some circumstances, yet,
Ver. 31. Envy thou not the oppressor, and chase none
of his ways.
Imagine not that a man can be happy in the enjoy-
ment of that which he has gained by dishonest means.
Envy or admiration of his success, might lead us to
imitate his unrighteous behaviour. Though his wine
sparkle, let us remember that there is poison in the cup.
Ver. 82. For the froward is abomination to the Lord;
but his secret is with the righteous.
That man who is detested by the Lord, is so far
from being happy, that he is miserable and accursed.
Can he know true happiness, who is looked upon with
an angry countenance by him whose smiles are heaven,
and whose frowns are hell? Such is the situation of
oppressors of every rank, from the mighty Nimrods of`
the world, who employ themselves in general mas-
sacres and desolations, down to the petty parish op-
pressors, who grind the faces of their poor neighbours,
and by adding field to field, to the ruin of many fami-
lies, endeavour to plant themselves alone in the country-
side *.
"But his secret is with the righteous." They en-
joy a fellowship with God unknown to the World. He
discovers to them the secret mysteries of grace, re-
freshes their souls with the manifestations of his spe-
cial love, and blesses their substance by the unper-
* Is. v. 8, -10. Hab. ii.
CHAP. III.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 71
ceived workings of his gracious providence *. God not
only enriches them with his goodness, but treats them
as friends, and to them all his paths are mercy and
truth.
The blessing of God upon his people, and his indig-
nation toward his enemies, spread through their dwell.
ings, rendering them happy or miserable. The cottage
Of the just is a quiet and pleasant habitation. The
palace of the wicked is blasted by a secret curse.
Ver. 38. The curse of the Lord is in the house of the
wicked, but he blesseth the habitation of the just;
And happiness or misery lies in the blessing or curse
of God †. When you behold the magnificent struc-
tures in which sinners dwell, let not your thoughts be
lost in wonder, or your hearts rankle with envy. They
are fabrics, stately indeed, but not solid. You may
pronounce them cursed. Eliphaz saw the wicked
taking root, but suddenly he cursed his habitation, for
his children are far from safety. The curse of God
has often destroyed the timber and the beams of the
most towering palaces; often has it kindled a fire, by
which they have been destroyed to the lowest founda-
tion. Such dwellings as these are houses of infection,
for the leprosy of sin has taken possession of them, and
it can be ascribed only to wonderful mercy, if the
children and servants in them escape the plagues pre-
pared for their lords.
By the blessing of the Lord, the meanest cottage is
converted into a dwelling of joy and praise. We read
of whole houses that have been blessed for the sake of
godly servants; how much more may the divine blessing
be expected, where the masters are pious, and make
their dwellings a little church, where the melody of
* Psal. xxv. 14. John xiv. 21.—xv. 15. Hag. ii. 19.
† Psal. xxxvii. 22.
72 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. III.
thanksgiving and the voice of prayer are daily heard!
The blessing of God, that is daily asked, shall not be
refused; and the members of the family are blessed
with instructions and examples that must produce
good effects on them, unless they harden their hearts
like an adamant. The holy conversation of good wives
may be a means of winning their husbands; and many
children and servants have found the greatest reason to
thank God for the appointment of their dwelling in a
family of saints.
From among the wicked, we find that proud and
haughty scorners are singled out as signal monuments
of the vengeance of God.
Ver. 84. Surely he scorneth the scorner, but he giveth
grace unto the lowly.
It is pride that makes men scorners. When men
have an overweening conceit of themselves, they are
likely to behave insolently to others, and contemptu-
ously to God himself *. But on such arrogant worms
of the dust, Jehovah looks down with contempt, and
makes them objects of derision to all men. We read
in scripture of many, whom the pride of their heart and
countenance brought to the lowest disgrace. Nebu-
chadnezzar, and Haman, and Herod, and the proud
Pharisee, are set forth for examples, to shew us that
these men stand not on an even place, whose hearts are
not kept low by that grace which cherishes humility.
That God whose eye turns away with disdain from
the splendour of haughty princes, and the diadems of
imperious kings, looks with kindness upon the mean-
est of those who walk humbly with their God †. He
visits them in mercy, and refreshes their spirits with
his love ‡. He gave them that grace which makes
* Compare 1 Peter v. 5. and James iv. 6. † Isa. lxvi. 2.
‡ Isa. lvii. 15.
CHAP. III.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 73
them humble, and he giveth more grace. God bestows
grace on men, that he may be glorified; and the lowly,
who are made sensible of their emptiness and guilt,
are the persons who will ascribe praise to him, for the
least of his favours: In them he will display the ex-
cellency of his love, and enrich them with his bless-
ings in this and in the everlasting world. "Blessed are
the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
With the lowly is wisdom, and,
Ver. 35. The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall
be the promotion of fools.
Some by their birth and fortune inherit high sound-
ing titles, and celebrated kingdoms. But if they are
not wise, their lofty situation is the theatre of their dis-
honour. Those who are blessed with sound wisdom,
have an inheritance of glory in reserve, compared with
which the crowns and sceptres of the world deserve
not a name. The prudent are even at present crowned
with knowledge; but the happy day is coming when
they that are wise shall shine as the brightness of the
firmament, and they that have turned others to the
wisdom of the just, as the stars for ever and ever.
Fools are fond of honours, but all the honours they
can enjoy are like bubbles when they glitter in the
sun. They shall be promoted, indeed, but their exal-
tation shall be like that of Haman, who was exalted
when he was hung upon a gallows fifty cubits high.
Their shame shall be conspicuous to the world, when
they shall be covered with everlasting disgrace, and
become an abhorring to all flesh *.
* Luke xiv. 11.
74 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. IV.
CHAPTER IV.
IN this chapter, Solomon renews his exhortations to
us to get wisdom, ver. 1-18, and to avoid tempta-
tions, ver. 14.7-19. The chapter concludes with a
short sum of practical religion.
In his exhortation to wisdom, he makes use of
many of the same motives by which he had already
recommended it. Solomon had a heart filled with
knowledge, beyond all the sons of men; and he could
have charmed and astonished, by the discoveries of
new truths in every sentence; but he had Wisdom to
manage his knowledge, and therefore prefers those dis-
courses which are solid and useful, to those which, by
their dazzling brilliancy, are fitted only to produce ad-
miration and surprise. He desires not our applause,
but our benefit; and his aim is not to shine, but to in-
struct. He was a wise householder, instructed into
the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, and brings
out of his treasure things old as well as new.
God speaks to us more than once or twice by this
inspired penman, and shaIl we not listen to his voice?
We have precept upon precept, and line upon line; and
if we do not receive instructions pressed upon us so
warmly, we must go and fall backwards, and be broken,
and snared, and taken. May God open our hearts to
hear what is said by him who was the wisest of men,
and who spoke under the guidance of unerring Wisdom.
Ver. 1. Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father,
and attend to know understanding.
CHAP. IV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 75
Our Lord teaches us to pray to God, as children to
a father. Have we such confidence toward God, and
shall we not attend with the reverence and love of chil-
dren, to him who addresses us with the infinite tender-
ness of a heavenly Father?
Some have lost their fathers; some have fathers who
give no food to the souls of their children. There is a
Father who will take up these orphans, and supply
than with the best and kindest instructions. He calls
upon all of us to attend to his understanding, for he
still opens his mouth in wisdom. That blessed God
who makes the sun to shine upon our world, has
caused this luminary still to shine for enlightening the
souls of men. It was in mercy to Israel that the sun
was made to stand still upon Gibeon, that the people
might avenge themselves of their enemies; but it is a
richer favour, that this light of his age still shines, to
direct our paths in wisdom and safety. But let us
hear what he can say in recommendation of what he in-
culcates upon us.
Ver. 2. For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not
my law.
The many say, "Who will shew us any good?"
But they know not what is good for them, and suffer
themselves to be deceived with shadows. Here God
shews us what is good, and gives it to us. All the
things that the sons of men can desire, are not to be
compared to good doctrine.
But is it becoming in a wise man to commend his
own discourses? Solomon might well commend them,
for they are not his, but God's, and God is graciously
pleased to commend them to our acceptance. He calls
us to buy wisdom without price, and discovers as much
earnestness in recommending this precious merchan-
dize, as if he were to be enriched by the price.
Were a thousand volumes to be written in commen-
76 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. IV.
dation of this book, they could not say so much for it,
as it can say for itself in a few words. God is not
only the author, but the recommender of it. He calls
it good doctrine, and requires us not to forsake it in
our practice. To despise it, is to despise the authority
and love of him who guided the pen of Solomon in
writing and commending it to us. To forsake his law
is to forsake the king's highway, which is ever under
his eye and protection, (chap. ii. 9.) and to turn into
those paths which are haunted by ravenous beasts.
The words of Wisdom here sounding in our ears,
are the words, not only of Solomon the wise, but of
David, the man after God's own heart. He delivers
to his children, what he heard from his blessed father,
by whom also the Spirit of the Lord spake.
Ver. 3, 4. For I was my father's son, tender and
only beloved in the sight of my mother. He taught me
also, and said unto me,—
His parents had, in his tender years, instructed him
in the principles of religion; and the reason why they
did so, was, that they loved him; for the best evidence
of parental love is to instruct, and when necessary, to
correct children. Solomon was the best loved son in
the family, and the greatest pains were employed in
training him up in the way wherein he should go. Of
him, accordingly, we find, that his parents had more
joy than of all the rest.
His mother gave him instruction, as well as his fa-
ther. Her crime had lost her a child, but her reli-
gious care was rewarded with double comfort in the
best and dearest of her sons. Were there more women of
the spirit of Bathsheba, and Lois, and Lemuel's mother,
we might hope to see a greater number of Solomon's,
and Timothy's, and Lemuel's in the world. Solomon
was a wise and good king, but his mother's name was
Bathsheba. Rehoboam was a bad king, and his
CHAP. IV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 77
mother's name was Naamah, an Ammonitess. It was
peculiarly creditable to Asa that he behaved well,
though Abijah was his father, and Maacha his mother,
or grandmother.
Solomon communicates to his children the instruc-
tions which his father had given him. We do injus-
tice to our children, if we do not endeavour to leave
them that estate which our forefathers acquired for
their posterity. It is a more grievous iniquity, if the
fathers transmit not to their children those pious in-
structions, which in their tender years they received
from their own parents. Families are reckoned ho-
nourable, when a rich estate passes from father to son,
through many generations; but it is a far more lovely
sight, to behold the same faith dwelling in a rising
family, that dwelt in their mother, and father, and
remote ancestors.
We have a specimen of David's instructions to Solo-
mon in the twenty-eighth chapter of the first book of
Chronicles. The reading of it is sufficient to warm
our hearts, and make us wish to hear more of the ve-
nerable king's instructions to his son. Solomon, who
did not forget what his affectionate father said, gives
us more of them in this place. Let us hear them with
reverence, that we may not be found despisers of him,
by whose direction David spoke, and Solomon wrote.
Ver. 4. Let thine heart retain my words: keep my
commandments, and live.
Children must attend to the words of their pious
parents, and treasure them up in their hearts, to be ob-
served in their lives; for it is no vain thing, but their
life, to which they are called to hearken *. When our
fathers leave us money or land, we will not part with
these gifts of their love; but the instructions of life are
* Deut. xxxii. 46.
78 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. IV.
more precious than any earthly heritage. The wisdom
which Solomon learned by his father's counsels, was
better than his kingdom. When proved by God, it
appeared that he valued an increase of wisdom above
an addition to his dominions, or his wealth, or even to
the years of his life.
Ver. 5. Get wisdom, get understanding; forget it not,
neither decline from the words of my mouth.
How earnestly are we called to seek after wisdom,
till we find it! It would be a happy token of getting
it, were we so deeply convinced of its value; as to
make the attainment of it our grand concern; for bless-
ed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness,
they shall be filled. If we cry for wisdom, and lift up
our voice for understanding, our cries shall not remain
unanswered. The success of Solomon's petition is re-
corded as an encouragement to our prayers and our
hopes *.
It is not enough to get wisdom; we must also use
it, and walk in its ways. They are all pleasantness and
peace, but pain and misery will meet us, if we turn ei-
ther to the right hand or to the left.
Ver. 6. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee;
love her, and she shall keep thee.
There are some who think it necessary, in particular
cases, to forsake wisdom, lest their strictness should
expose them to damage. But David here tells Solo-
mon and us, that this must be a dangerous error. The
way of duty and of safety is still the same. Those
who walk by faith will believe this, though it appear
to such as walk by sight, an absurdity contradicted by
a thousand facts. It is incomparably safer and hap-
pier, to lose our credit and our life, by cleaving to the
* Chap, ii. 1-5.
CHAP. IV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 79
truths and ways of Christ, than to preserve both by
base compliances with the enemies of the truth *.
That we may not forsake wisdom, we must embrace
and love her. A miser will never forget where his
treasure lies, and he will lose his life sooner than be
robbed of his precious store. The love of wisdom
will in like manner induce us to lay it up in our hearts,
and to keep fast hold of it in defiance of every danger.
When persons receive not the truth in the love of it,
they provoke God to leave them to the influence of
strong and soul-ruining delusions. When we receive
it into our hearts, it makes us strong and victorious
over the wicked one †.
Ver, 7. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get
wisdom, and with all thy getting get understanding.
David had got understanding by meditating on
God's testimonies, and he found it the principal thing.
His crown and palace were not comparable to it in his
eyes. Setting so high a value upon it himself, it was
his great desire that his beloved son should get it also.
And those parents who are possessed of David's spirit,
would rather see their children wise unto salvation,
than rich and great in the world. Evil parents are
not so bad as to refuse bread and fishes to their chil-
dren. Good parents use every means to make them
sharers of that wisdom, which they have found to be
their own happiness.
Whatever we get, let us get wisdom. I remember
to have read of two religious women in the reign of
Queen Mary of England, who parted with a consider-
able portion of their estate, for a few leaves of the
Bible. They who look upon the bargain as a foolish
one, have little knowledge of the worth of the scrip-
tures. If a man has acquired thousands of gold and
* Mat. xvi. † 2 Thes. ii. 10. 1 John ii. 14.
80 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. IV.
silver, and is without wisdom, he has gained thousands
of shining nothings. If he has acquired wisdom, and
nothing besides, he has gained the one thing needful *.
Having gained wisdom, we ought to value her as
she deserves to be valued.
Ver. 8, 9. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee;
the shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace
her. She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace;
a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.
All that truly know wisdom, must embrace and
exalt her. The only reason why any treat her with
indifference, is that they are entire strangers to her.
None knew her better than David and Solomon, and
we hear how eloquent in her praises they are.
We must prize wisdom as a pearl of inestimable
value, and we must testify our regard for her, by
growing in grace and in knowledge; by improving
every means and opportunity afforded us of increasing
this divine treasure; by valuing, for the sake of wis-
dom, the teachers and lovers of it; by earnest endea-
vours to make our friends and neighbours sensible of
its value; and, in a word, by giving it the throne of our
hearts, and the government of every action of our lives.
They who honour wisdom, obtain the noblest ho-
nours; for by wisdom they are promoted. Their heads
are adorned with a diadem of beauty, and a crown of
glory is delivered to them.
None are so apt to be vain of earthly honours as
those who, like David, are unexpectedly raised to the
possession of them, or who, like Solomon, surpass in
majesty all their contemporaries. Yet we find, that
neither David nor Solomon was greatly charmed with
the lustre of a crown. The reason is obvious,—their
eyes were open to the glories of true wisdom, and all
* Mat. xiii. 44- 46.
CHAP. IV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 81
the glories of earthly kingdoms were lost in the su-
perior brightness. They would rather have exchanged
conditions with the poorest saint in Israel, than with
the most magnificent monarch in a land where God
was no known.
Solomon received and readily assented to his father's
good doctrine; we need not wonder therefore that he
prayed for wisdom rather than for long life, or glory,
or power. He had learned not only that wisdom was
a nobler possession than any of these things, but that
it brings these along with it. If we receive in faith and
love these instructions of the holy man, our desires
will be like his. He that is told of a rich treasure hid
in his ground, will soon make it appear whether he be-
lieves the report. He who believes the report of God
concerning the excellency of wisdom, will dig for it as
for hid treasure.
The are the instructions of David to Solomon,
which he communicates to us. Solomon now appears
again to address us in his own person.
Ver. 10. Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings;
and the years of thy life shall be many.
Who is the man that desires to live long, that he may
see good? Let him hear and receive the sayings of
David * and of Solomon. There are few men that do
not wish to live long, but there are few too that can
trust as much to the counsels of the sovereign arbiter
of life an of death, as to the counsels of a good phy-
sician; for all men have not faith. Many shorten their
days by seeking to the physicians rather than to the Lord.
A wise man would not chuse, for the sake of a long
life, to expose himself to guilt and misery. But Solo-
mon, in is prescription, consults our innocence and
happiness as well as the length of our lives.
* Psal. xxxiv. 11 -14.
82 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. IV.
Ver. 11-18. I have taught thee in the way of wisdom;
I have led thee in right paths. When thou goest, thy steps
shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt
not stumble. Take fast hold of instruction; let her not
go: keep her, for she is thy life.
In our journey through life we have great need of
one to guide us, for it is not in man that walketh to
his steps. God only can lead us in a safe way,
and he does it by his Spirit through his word. This
inspired writer does not only teach, but guide us. He
is like a companion in our journey; who points out
every step that we should take, and every step that we
ought to avoid.
The way in which he leads us, is the way of wisdom,
for we are taught to keep our great end constantly in
view and to adopt the proper methods for reaching
it. It is a right way, for our interest and duty are
jointly pursued; and every point is gained, when these
two most important objects are combined. Our duty
to God and to man, and to ourselves, are all clearly
explained by this divinely instructed teacher.
It is a straight way, —a way in which we shall not
be straightend, and in which we shall not stumble.
They that walk in the ways of sin and folly, imagine
themselves the only persons that enjoy liberty. But
how vain the thought! They are very slaves, for they
are in bondage to impetuous passions, which prescribe
service hard and impossible to be performed. One of
the tyrants contradicts the orders of another; and
though one should gain the sovereignty, and crush
ever insurrection of the rest, the servant of sin is still
straightened, because conscience terrifies him, or divine
providence crosses him in his pursuits. He, on the
contrary, that walks in the way of God's precepts,
at liberty; for though he is in the strait way
CHAP. IV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 83
that leads to life, that way is broad enough to allow
him all the room that a reasonable being can desire.
We taught to manage our civil and spiritual
business with ease and safety, and to avoid every thing
that might encumber or ensnare us. Stumbling-blocks
lie before us in our journey through life, and they that
have not a skilful guide often fall upon them to their
hurt. Sometimes we are under the necessity of run-
ning, an there is then most danger of falling into sin
and mischief, when, without being allowed time to de-
liberate, we must instantly resolve upon one of two
courses that lie before us, or must act with vigour and
alacrity, at the risk of being by our passions hurried
forcibly along, without time to take due care of our
steps. In such cases as these, it is needful to have re-
ligious principles rooted in our hearts, and religious
knowledge stored up in our minds, which through
divine grace will prevent us from adopting any course
of action displeasing to God, and enable us to deter-
mine by what means we may best consult the glory of
God and our own real interest. When we act with re-
solution, and shew our fervent zeal in religion, this
knowledge and wisdom will preserve us from those
dangerous extremes which have so often brought dis-
honour on religion and the professors of it.
Many temptations surrounded David in the days of
his youth and he was sometimes ready to slip with his
feet; but he meditated on God's testimonies, and in all
his ways acknowledged God, and the Lord directed
his steps and enlarged them under him. If at any
time he stumbled, the reason was, that he lost sight of
that word which was the light of his path, but he was
never left to turn aside from following the Lord.
Let us therefore receive the instructions of life with
84 EXPOSITION OP THE [CHAP. IV.
all the desire of our hearts. Let us value them as our
life, and abhor sin and folly more than death.
That we may keep fast hold of instruction, and walk
in this straight way in which we shall not stumble, it
is necessary to keep out of the way of evil men.
Ver. 14, 15. Enter not into the path of the wicked, and
go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it,
turn from it, and pass away.
We must not have fellowship with bad men. Their
course and company are to be avoided *. We must
not much as enter into their path, or if we have
entered, we ought instantly to turn out of it. Their
path is to be avoided by us when we are at a distance
from it. It is unsafe to pass by it, lest we should be
tempted to take a step or two in it. When we find
ourselves near, it is our duty to hasten away till we get
at a distance from danger.
This wise leader calls out to us with a loud voice, to
keep at a great distance from the way of evil men. He
calls as if it were a haunt of robbers and murderers;
and so indeed he may, for they that would rob us of
our innocence and peace, are more dangerous than
those that would rob us of our money. The sins to
which they would tempt us by their example and per-
suasions, may prove the destruction of our comforts and
our souls.
We pray to be kept from temptation, and our prac-
tice ought not to contradict our prayers; otherwise it is
evident, that as one man mketh another, so we mock
God, by asking from him what we wish not to have.
No wonder that the wise man is so peremptory in
urging us to avoid the society of the wicked,
Ver. 16, 17. For they sleep not, except they have done
mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause
*
Eph. v. 13.
CHAP. IV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 85
some to fall. For they eat the bread of wickedness, and
drink the wine of violence.
They are faithful servants of him who is a murderer
from the beginning, and their pleasure lies in doing
mischief. It is their meat and their drink to do the
will of the wicked one. They subsist on robbery and
spoil, and if they have not been eating the bread of
wickedness, they retire to their beds with the reluctance
of those who have been unable to procure for themselves
necessary food.
These wicked persons may teach us how zealous we
ought to be of good works. Why should the servants
of the best Master labour in his service with less fidelity
and resolution than those that serve the devil, and
work for his poor wages *? If we have David’s spirit,
we will not give sleep to our eyes, nor slumber to our
eye-lid, till we have done the work of the day for
God. The faithful followers of Christ will count it
their meat and their drink to do the will of their heaven-
ly Father.
He was a heathen, but he had the soul as well as the
purple of an Emperor, who said on the evening of a
day in which he had not done any good, “Friends, I
have lost a day.”
There are many whom it would be difficult to per-
suade to manifest the same zeal in the service of right-
eousness, which these profligates discover in the service
of iniquity; but it may reasonably be expected that we
should flee their company when their character is laid
before us. Let us not form the mistaken idea, that the
worse they are, we are in the less danger of imitating
them, for the heart of man is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked. Of little sins we are not
afraid, but say within ourselves, “These sins are at-
*Rom. vi. 23.
86 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. IV.
tended with little danger, are they not little ones? sure-
ly our souls shall not die though we fall into them."
We are as little afraid of great sins, because we think
them so shocking that we cannot fall into them. Fre-
quently does it happen, that labouring under such mis-
apprhensions as these, men lay down their heads upon
the 1ap of temptation, and awake like Sampson in the
hand of their enemies. By these enemies they are
captive at their will, and to this punishment
God has given them up for neglecting to follow his
counsels, and preferring to them the instructions of
those who cause to err.
There is as great a difference between the path of
the just and that of the wicked, as there is between
light and darkness.
Ver. 18, 19. But the path of the just is as the shining
light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
The way of the wicked is as darkness; they know not at
what they stumble.
The righteous man possesses an understanding
brightened by the rays of divine truth, for the Sun of
righteousness hath shone into his soul. His heart is
beautified by the light of purity, diffusing a pleasant
lustre around him in his conversation; and his spirit is
cheered with the light of joy and consolation from the
countenance of God.
This light is not like that of a taper which burns it-
self away into darkness, but like that of the morning
sun, which shines brighter and brighter, till it blazes
with meridian splendour.
Christians increase in knowledge, and grace, and
happiness, in this world, and are perfected at death and
the resurrection. Clouds may indeed- obscure their
brightness, and thick darkness may occasionally cover
them. Their progress may be suspended, like that of
the sun in the days of Joshua; or they may go back-
CHAP. IV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 87
ward, as the same glorious luminary did in the days of
Hezekiah but these days of threatening aspect shall not
extinguish their light. The Lord will make their light
to spring forth speedily, and their darkness as the noon-
day. He will remove or turn back in their progress
the causes that obstructed them, and he that began the
good work in them will perform it until the day of
Christ. Then shall they shine forth as the sun in the
kingdom of their Father, for the Lord shall be to them
an everlasting light. They shall see God as he is; they
shall, love him to the utmost extent of their capacity,
and enjoy full satisfaction in the presence of him with
whom is the fountain of life.
The wicked travel in darkness all their days. This
is true, not only of those rebels against the light who
abandon themselves to all manner of wickedness, but
of all who follow not him who is the light of the world,
and live without that charity which is the distinguish-
ing mark of the disciples of Christ *. Unbelievers may
have some glimmerings of light in their minds and con-
sciences, but these are not sufficient to keep them from
walking in darkness; their eyes are evil, and their whole
course of life is full of the darkness of ignorance and
error, of misery and sin.
So great is this darkness, that they often stumble and
wound themselves without knowing the cause of it, or
even that they are wounded; and hence arises their
ignorance of their need of healing. The wise are not
ignorant of Satan's devices, and when they fall they are
instructed to avoid the stumbling-block by which their
fall was occasioned; but it is the misery of fools walk-
ing in darkness, that being insensible to the means of
their seduction into sin, they fall again and again by
the same instruments of temptation. Instead of learn-
* John viii. 12. 1 John ii. 11, 12.
88 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. IV.
ing caution by their sins, one fall is the occasion of
another, and perhaps a worse.
There is indeed a great difference between the dark-
ness of their path, and that region of darkness to which
it 1eads. Their minds being blind, there is no light
within them; still, however, the light of Christ shines
around them, and they are called upon to give it ad-
mission *. Arise, shine, for thy light is come, O thou
that long dwellest in darkness! If you are deaf to the
voice of him who has come to shed light into your
souls, you know not when your feet may stumble
upon the dark mountains, and your souls drop into
the regions of eternal darkness, where there is not the
light of a candle to mitigate the horrors of the gloom.
If, after all that our wise instructor says, we still
chase the path of evil men, let us hear the sentence of
our Judge †.
This chapter is concluded with a short but compre-
hensive sum of practical directions; but before address-
ing them to us, the preacher again summons us to
attend.
Ver. 20-22. My son, attend to my words; incline
thine ear unto my sayings, Let them not depart from
thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For
they are life unto those that find them, and health to all
their flesh.
When a preacher has truths of great importance to
communicate, and sees many of his hearers asleep, he
endeavours to rouse them up; so this wise man, know-
ing that we are dull of hearing, frequently renews his
calls to us to hear and treasure up his words.
It is our duty to be frequently summoning the
powers of our souls to attend with reverence to the
word of God, our Maker and our Judge, and to pray
* John xii, 33. Eph, v. 14. Mat. viii. 16. † John iii. 19, 20.
CHAP. IV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 89
to God that he may open our ears to discipline, and
seal our instruction.
He that hath ears, let him hear. Let him place
these necessary instructions before his eyes, that they
may be a rule to his life, and let him lay them up in
the midst of his heart, believing them to be the faith-
ful sayings of God, and loving them with a cordial af-
fection, because they are more precious than gold, and
sweeter an honey from the comb.
The motives that call for our attention are ex-
ceedingly powerful. It is a father that speaks. The
things which are spoken are of quickening and in-
vigorating virtue. They are life to such as find
them, an health not only to the soul but to the body;
not to a particular part of it, but to all the flesh. A
medicine effectual to the cure of a single member might
soon enrich the inventor of it. Here is a medicine for
all the flesh, and yet the physician that prescribes it
without reward, finds so few willing to make use of it
that he must proclaim its virtues again and again. He
speaketh once and again, but man perceiveth it not.
Are we then dead not only to every generous principle,
but to every feeling of self-interest? Are life and
death become matters of indifference to us? Is it all
one in our eyes whether we enjoy health in our bodies
and spirit, or pine away under the power of deadly
distemper? Here is healing balm. Here is a physi-
cian of infinite value. Attend to the directions which
he gives for the management of our whole life.
He that is born of God keepeth himself, and the
wicked one toucheth him not. The Lord is our keeper;
and in the history of Peter we are furnished with a
melancholy proof, that unless he keep us, our care of
ourselves will be unavailing; but if we commit the care
of ourselves to God by a lively faith, it will not make
us careless about ourselves, for God keeps us by his
90 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. IV.
power through faith, by putting his fear into our
hearts, and by exciting into activity those beneficial
graces. If God keeps his fear alive in our hearts, we
shall be powerfully disposed to guard our hearts and
tongues, our eyes and feet from evil. We are here in-
structed by Solomon in what manner to manage this
important affair.
Ver. 23. Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of
it are the issues of life.
The heart is the fountain of vital action. It is out
of the good treasure of the heart that a good man brings
forth good things, and out of the evil treasure of the
heart that the evil man brings forth evil things. No
actions can be good unless the heart be good, more
than the fruit can be good when the tree is corrupt.
The heart of Simon Magus was not right with God,
and therefore his professions were hypocrisy. This
corrupt fountain must be purified by the Spirit of
Christ, or the streams issuing from it will be corrupt
and poisonous. But even when purified by renewing
grace, it is not altogether pure. Such is the remain-
ing tendency to corruption, that the heart must still be
kept with all diligence.
We ought carefully to keep our tongues and hands,
our eyes and feet; but above all, we ought to keep
our hearts. This will be the best means for keeping
all the rest, and without this, however well our exter-
nal behaviour is regulated, we are but corrupt and
false-hearted professors of religion *.
That our hearts may be kept, we must observe them
with a watchful eye, and endeavour to be well acquaint-
ed with their leading principles and their inward work-
ings. It is a shame for one who knows many things
* Psal. cxix. 80,
CHAP. IV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 91
not to know himself, and the chief thing about our-
selves to be known is the heart.
With a strong hand must the heart be ruled; and it
ought to our constant endeavour to subject to the
word of be our every imagination and reasoning, every
opinion and thought, every inclination and affection.
A neglected garden will not be so full of weeds, as a
neglected soul of vain thoughts and exorbitant passions,
hateful to God, and dangerous to our own happiness
and peace.
The heart must also be guarded against those dan-
gers that perpetually threaten our best interests. It is
like a besieged city attacked by mighty and cunning
enemies, and in danger of being betrayed by a trea-
cherous within.
It is a great encouragement to us in performing this
difficult duty, that our labour shall not be in vain. Nu-
merous the promises made to us of assisting grace*,
and if we suffer from a surprise of the enemy, Christ
prays that our faith fail not.
The tongue is that member of the body which com-
municates most readily with the heart. For this reason
it is to be regarded as its most active instrument, either
for good or evil service; therefore, in the next place,—
Ver. 24. Put away from thee a froward mouth, and
perverse lips put far from thee.
A wry mouth is a great deformity to the counte-
nance; a perverse tongue is a more ugly blemish to
the conversation.
The tongue is a world of iniquity, and needs a world
of care to manage it. We must not only refrain from
evil discourse, but put it far from us, avoiding every
thought and feeling that might set an evil tongue in
motion, a refusing to listen to evil speakers, that we
*Ezek. xxxvi, 26. Jer. xxxii, 40.
92 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. IV.
may not be tempted by them to retail their infamous
orders.
It is a sad thing to think evil, for that corrupts our-
selves; but if we have done foolishly in thinking evil,
let us lay our hands upon our mouths, lest we corrupt
others also.
We must repent bitterly of evil imaginations, but
the manifestations of pardoning grace restore complete
comfort and calm serenity to the wounded spirit. But
when we have given our tongues a license, whereby
others also have been drawn into sin, we must remem-
ber that, though pardoning mercy may clear our con-
sciences from the terrors of guilt, deep remorse must
still be felt for the irreparable injury done to others.
Who can tell how far its baneful influence may have
spread?
The commandment of God must also give direction
to our eyes.
Ver. 25. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eye-
lids look straight before thee.
Sincere views in the course of our life to the great
end of our being is a necessary part of religion, and
without these there is no truth in our religious profes-
sion. The Pharisees abounded in prayers and giving of
alms; but the praise of men was in their eye, and our
Lord tells us that they had their reward. Their desire
was to be seen and honoured by men; that they no
doubt by their religion obtained, but it was all that
they obtained by it. Jehu thought himself a very
zealous man, but he took not heed to walk in the way
of the Lord with all his heart; and it is testified of
him that he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam all
his days. He did many good things, but his eyes
looked aside to his honour and profit. All the splendid
actions he performed, were but so many splendid sins.
None of us liveth to himself, and none dieth to him-
CHAP.IV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 93
self. The glory of God must be our great aim, other-
wise it appears that redeeming grace has not taken
effect upon us.
Heaven is in the Christian's eye, and from it his
views must never be turned aside to the world *. No
doubt the enjoyments of the world may be sought by
us, but still in subordination to the hope of our call-
ing. Heaven is our home, earth our inn. If the
world be our home, we are not strangers and pilgrims
here, neither are we citizens of heaven †.
We must not, under the pretence of serving God,
make earthly motives our end, otherwise we are guilty
of that kind of sacrilege which is of all others the worst,
—that which consists in alienating God's own service
from him. It is not less dishonourable to God, when
in our zeal or the accomplishment of good ends, we
have recourse to means disapproved by him, for the
command of God combined with his glory must be kept
in our eye ‡
Our actions must be all ordered in the word of
God.
Ver. 26, 27. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all
thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor
to the left; remove thy foot from evil.
Consideration is one of those things in which man
excels the irrational animals, and it is absolutely neces-
sary in the religious life. If we shew not ourselves
men, we never please him, who made us wiser
than the beasts of the earth! If we walk not circum-
spectly, we can with no propriety be numbered among
the wise ||.
Our actions will be weighed by God in an even ba-
*Heb. xi. 25. † Phil. iii. 18.-20.
‡ Job xiii. 7.-9, Rom. iii. 5. || Eph. v. 15.
94 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. IV.
lance at last, and it is necessary for us to weigh them
now in the same balance. As we ought to compare
our past actions with the word of God, in order to
know what occasion there is for repentance; so in like
manner those which we design to perform, that we may
know whether it be lawful to perform them or not.
This is necessary for the direction and establishment
our ways. They that ponder not their paths are like
a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed; but
in the hearts of such as receive and apply it to the
cleansing of their way, the word of God has an estab-
lishing efficacy *.
Our ways ought to be stable and consistent. It is
disgraceful for men to have their religion modelled and
varied by their company and circumstances of life.
Let us resemble, not the osier, but the oak. Our good-
ness, if like the morning cloud, is no goodness at all,
for the path of the just is as the morning sun. To be
unstedfast in God's covenant, is to be treacherous to
God. The truly righteous man is faithful unto death.
His frames of mind may vary, and his steps may some-
times be seduced from the straight way, but the good
Spirit of God will restore his soul, and make him again
to walk in the paths of righteousness. David slipped
with his feet, and he once turned aside, yet could he
say in truth that he had not wickedly departed from
his God. He finished his course with joy, and receiv-
ed the crown of life.
It is dangerous to turn either to the left hand or the
right from the way of God's commandments. On each
side of the King's highway are those crooked paths,
which are full of precipices and pitfalls. Men may be
destroyed by being righteous, as well as by being
wicked overmuch. The Pharisees in the days of Christ's
* Psal. cxix. 9. 11. Eph. iv. 14.
CHAP. IV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 95
flesh, sinned as much by adding to God's law as by
taking from it. To add to God's precepts, is a reflec-
tion upon the wisdom of the Lawgiver; to violate them,
is an insult upon his authority. It commonly happens,
that when men have the presumption to make some
new articles of religion, they make compensation to
themselves for their additional restraints on their liber-
ty, by straitening the law of God in some other points,
and thus make it on the whole much easier to flesh
and blood, than it was made by God.
Our foot must be removed from all evil. Sin must
not be indulged in thought, word, or action. No de-
gree of this abominable thing is to be allowed in our
practice. Saints have fallen into some of the greatest
sins, but is inconsistent with holiness to take liberty
in the 1east *. Even the garment spotted by the flesh
must be hated by us.
From this whole directory, we may see our need of
pardoning mercy; for which of us can say, "We have
made our hands clean, or kept our tongues from every
evil thing?" But the blood of Jesus is a fountain open-
ed to cleanse from all sin.
Without renewing grace, our labour in guarding our
hearts, and restraining our tongues and feet from evil,
will be as vain as to attempt washing an Ethiopian
white. The old heart cannot be reformed, but God
hath promised to give us a new heart, and to put a new
spirit wit us.
With our vigilance, faith and prayer must be
joined †.
*
Mat. v. 19. † Psal. xvi. 5. 1vi. 12, 13
96 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. V.
CHAPTER V.
THE wise man gives us this chapter, as an antidote
against those youthful lusts by which so many are
ensnared. Let such as are tempted by their own hearts,
or by the agents of Satan, to sins of uncleanness, se-
riously consider its contents, and pray that God may
bless them for their benefit. None of us are superior
to all temptations of this nature; let us therefore give
heed to the things that are spoken, in order to repre-
sent the danger and mischief of impurity, and to shew
us in what manner to avoid it.
Ver. 1, 2. My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow
thine ear unto my understanding: That thou mayest
regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep know-
ledge.
The wisdom which Solomon teaches in this chapter
cost him dear; but if we attend to his instructions, we
shall have them at an easy rate. It may save us much
bitter repentance, and preserve us from some of the
most dreadful dangers; for it will teach us that spiri-
ual subtilty and discretion, by which, like David, we
shall become wiser than our enemies, and be enabled
to escape their snares.
Attention will enable us to keep knowledge in our
hearts, for a wanton imagination, ever dictating cor-
rut conversation to the lips, proves the beginning of
ruin to many of the sons of men. They accustom
the selves to speak of things not fit to be named among
Christians; and from foolish talking, and impure
CHAP. V.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 97
jesting, by which they corrupt themselves and their
companions, they proceed to the works of darkness.
When the word of God enters into our hearts, it
will banish all pollution from the tongue, and dispose
us to entertain our companions with that discourse
which is good for the use of edifying. Thus our own
hearts will be more deeply impressed, God will be
honoured and other men guarded against the snares of
the destroyer.
Now it is of great importance for men, especially
in their younger days, to furnish themselves with pre-
servative from that word which is able to keep us,
against the snares of the strange woman. Solomon had
already warned us against her; but he is directed by
God to do it a second time at greater length.
Ver. 8. For the lips of a strange woman drop as an
honey-comb and her mouth is smoother than oil.
She talks of nothing but love, and pleasure, and
perpetual delights. To hear her, one would suppose
that she possessed the most generous and disinterested
spirit. Her tongue is taught by him who betrayed
Eve to paint the vilest sin with the most beautiful co-
lours, an to conceal all its deformity and danger; but
it is the part of a reasonable creature to look beyond
the present moment, and to consider the end of things,
as well as their beginning. There is sweetness indeed
in the mouth of this strange woman,
Ver. 4. But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a
two-edge sword.
The venom and sting of a serpent is concealed under
the honey of her lips. Those who repent of their un-
cleanness will experience far more bitterness than ever
they tasted pleasure, in their unlawful gratifications.
But few get so well off, and if persons continue har-
dened; the end is more bitter than death. it is like a
98 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP.V.
two-edged sword, which wounds and destroys
both soul and body at once.
Ver. 5. Her feet go down, to death, her steps take
hold on hell.
She is on the highway to eternal ruin, and thither
she is carrying those that listen to her bewitching
voice. Her house is in the suburbs of the place of de-
struction, and her steps take hold of hell. David was
in great fear when he said to his friend, "As the Lord
liveth, there is but a step between me and death." But
there is not even this small interval between the steps
of the strange woman and hell. They already take
hold of it. But may not persons, when they see this
danger before their eyes, make a timely retreat to the
paths of life? No. In most cases this is not to be ex-
pected.
Ver. 6. Lest thou shouldst ponder the path of life,
her ways are moveable that thou canst not know them.
When men enter into a course of sin, they have no
intention to be damned. They intend only to indulge
the selves in the pleasures of sin for a time, and then
to return to the paths of life. Millions of souls have
been seduced to everlasting destruction by this one
temptation of the old serpent,— "Ye shall not die al-
though you eat; grace is free, and there is abundance
of time to repent." The wise man gives what may re-
pel is temptation, by letting us know how foolish it
is for men to flatter themselves with the hope, that
they shall be truly disposed and enabled to repent of
their sin.
“Her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know
them." She can form her mode of behaviour into a
hundred different shapes, to entangle the heart of the
lover. She spreads a thousand snares, and if you es-
cape one of them, you will find yourself held fast by
another. She knows well how to suit her words and
CHAP.V] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 99
behaviour to your present humour, to lull conscience
asleep, and to spread before your eyes such a mist, as
shall prevent you from being able to descry the paths
of life. If you ever think of the danger of your course,
and feel the necessity of changing it, she will urge you
to spend a little time longer in the pleasures of sin. If
her solicitations prevail, if you linger within the pre-
cincts of guilt, your resolutions are weakened, and
your passions gain new strength. What is the awful
result? The devil obtains more influence; conscience,
forcibly repressed, ceases to reclaim with so loud a voice;
God gives you up to the lusts of your own heart, and
leaves you to chuse your own delusions. Attend, then,
to the wisest of men, who instructs you to keep free of
these dangerous temptations.
Ver. 7. Hear me now, therefore, O ye children, and
depart not from the words of my mouth.
If a father saw his son walking on the edge of a pre-
cipice, how greatly would he be alarmed! how loud
would be his cries! And if the adventurous youth still
kept his dangerous post, he would fly to him, and
try to force him from the brink of destruction. No
less earnest is this kind instructor to save us from im-
pending ruin. His words are cries; they have life and
power in them. He is deaf who will not attend; he is
stuborn who will not comply.
Ver. 8. Remove thy way far from her, and come not
nigh the door of her house.
But what need is there for so much preciseness?
May not a man be permitted to talk with her, merely
by way of amusement? Is it unlawful to drink a glass
in her house, and to satisfy our curiosity by observing
what passes in it, and by what arts she contrives to se-
duce those who are less established in virtue than our-
selves? Yes; it is unlawful to have the least corres-
pondence with her. By the requirements of the cere-
100 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. V.
monial law, no man was to be in the same house with
a leper. The moral law forbids us to enter into a house
full of the leprosy of sin. Her house is full of snares,
and her hands are as bands. The devil glances in her
smiles and lurks in her dress and in her motions. He
is there, ready to discharge at you his fiery darts of
temptation; and to aid his efforts, you have much com-
bustible matter about you. Dare you then promise
yourself that the fire of licentious passion shall not be
kindled, and blown up into a flame that you cannot
quench. The devil will tempt you enough without
own help. To tempt is his business. As you
love your life and your own soul, give him no assist-
ance in the work of destruction.
Ver .9-11. Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and .
thy years unto the cruel; lest strangers be filled with thy
wealth, and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;
mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body
are consumed.
A good name is better than precious ointment, but
of a good name this abominable sin is the ruin. The
credit of David and of Solomon was greatly sunk by it.
By it has the honour of thousands been irrecoverably
lost.
Life is a great blessing, and may be regarded as the
foundation of every earthly blessing. But unclean
persons part with every thing that renders life worthy
of the name, and in a literal sense, they often give
their years unto the cruel. Their lives are lost in the
pursuit of this sin by the just vengeance of God, by its
native consequences, or by the accidents to which it ex-
pose those who practise it.
And for what are these years given away? Did men
generously part with their lives in the defence of their
country or for the sake of a generous friend, the loss
would be amply compensated by honour, and by the
CHAP. V.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 101
pleasure of a good conscience. But how infatuated are
they to give their years unto the cruel, who conceal
a selfish and malignant heart under the mask of love!
All unlawful love is hatred, and all tempters to it are
cruel enemies to our happiness. Shall we then gratify
inhuman enemies, at the expense of honour and life,
and every thing dear to us?
The false friends and malicious enemies rob you
of your honour and life, with as much eagerness as if
they could enjoy these precious blessings of which you
are deprived. Their real views, however, are direct-
ed to your money or estate, and why should men give
away fruits of their own labour and toil? or if
they wish to be rid of them, why should strangers be
filled with them, rather than friends?
Some are so foolish, as to live in the lust of un-
cleanness, to save the necessary expences of a family.
But observation, as well as Scripture, might convince
them of their error. The followers of vice are often at-
tacked by poverty, that comes upon them like an armed
man; and how distressing is poverty to those who
have indulged themselves in lewd courses, contracted
insatiable desires after carnal pleasure, deprived them-
selves of their friends, and disqualified themselves for
any business that might retrieve their circumstances,
or supply their wants!
Poverty is still more distressing when it is attended
by weakness and disease, the natural consequences
which Providence has annexed to those courses by
which men dishonour God and themselves.
When the body is tortured, and the spirits dejected
by the loathsome distempers which sin brings in its
train, their conscience, which was formerly trampled
under foot, rises up and regains its power, and in-
flicts severe vengeance for the injuries it has received.
Then, O profligate sinner! thou wilt mourn--
102 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. V.
Ver. 12-14. And say, How have I hated instruc-
tion, and my heart despised reproof; and have not
obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to
them that instructed me! I was almost in all evil in the
midst of the congregation and assembly.
Religion has received many testimonies in its favour
from enemies, whose hearts have at last forced them to
curse the day when they were so mad, as to turn a
deaf ear to its friendly voice.
The word of God read and preached, is God's ap-
pointed means of keeping or reclaiming men from sin,
and a Christian land the votaries of vice are rebels
against the light. They are, to their own loss, fatally
successful in fighting against that God who opposes
their wickedness by the sword of the Spirit, which is
the Word of God, written by prophets and apostles,
and preached by the ministers of God.
It is not in vain for ministers, and parents, and tu-
tors, to use means for acquainting young persons with
the Scripture, and imprinting it upon their hearts.
The confession of profligates, when arrived at the end
of their career, makes it evident, that if any thing would
have proved effectual to preserve them from ruin, it
would have been the instructions and reproofs of
teachers. Such means have no doubt been the instru-
ments of preserving many, and reclaiming some.
The confession of the wretch tortured by his con-
science, is not introduced by the inspired sage as the
humble confession of a penitent, who looks for pardon
through the merits of Christ. How greatly are they
deluded who think that misery can produce true re-
pentance, or that sorrow pressed out of the soul by dis-
tress of body and anguish of conscience, are signs of
real grace! Persons may cry out of their folly, and
warn others, and beg others to pray for them; and
CHAP. V.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 103
yet, like Simon Magus, remain all the while in the
gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.
Sinners who will not comply with the calls of God,
may now make them the object of their scorn; but at
the latter end, when conscience shall preach with a
voice louder than any minister, sorrow shall be their
inevitable portion. Then, in the breasts of desperate
sinners, despised admonitions shall burn like raging
fire. Then shall multitudes of iniquities, once over-
looked, present themselves like so many dismal appari-
tions to the eyes of the sinner, and make him a terror to
himself.
The pleasure derived from the present moment is
nothing. Our enjoyment is derived from the recollec-
tion of the past, or from the prospect of what is to
come. Sensualists cannot flatter themselves so gross-
ly, as to fetch any pleasure from that part of life which
they have already spent, but their hopes are ever on
the wing to seize on anticipated pleasure. It frequent-
ly happens, that when their course is run, and hope
can no longer be indulged, their attention is forced
back on the scenes of life, through which they have
already passed. When in this manner they are brought
to recollect the numberless sins, to the commission of
which their various dispositions have led them, and to
forebode the punishments that await them, their souls
are convulsed with remorse, and horror takes full pos-
session of them: "Wretched creatures that we are!
Our impetuous passions have hurried us into all wick-
ednesses, those only excepted which our powers were
too feeble and narrow to add to the rest. Would to
God we had been brutes, or could yet have our por-
tion with them, to be turned for ever into earth and
rottenness! O that we had been heathens, and had
never heard the gospel of Christ, and the law of the
Most Holy! Our abominable iniquities are dreadfully
104 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. V.
aggravated by the opportunities we have had of being
present in the assemblies of Zion, and receiving the in-
structions and reproofs of life. Instead of deriving
benefit from the ordinances of God's worship and the
communion of saints, we have exposed ourselves to
the reproach of the whole assembly of the pious. By
our example we have grieved some, and caused others
to stumble. Our hell must be heated seven times
more than the hell of heathens!”
The words in the 14th verse may be translated, In
a moment I am in all evil, &c. ‘I am suddenly pu-
nished with all the plagues threatened by the minis-
ters of God, and made a spectacle of misery and horror
to the whole congregation.' It is an aggravation of
that misery which is the fruit of a man's own ways,
when publicity is one of its attendant circumstances*.
They who will not believe the threatenings of God
shall feel them. There are no free-thinkers in hell,
and but few on a death-bed. How happy are they
who are preserved by the grace of God from laying up
treasures of wrath against the last days, and planting
thorns to line their death-bed pillows!
To avoid uncleanness, let every man have his own
wife, and let him love her as himself. This remedy
against such a vice Solomon illustrates in a beautiful
allegory.
Ver. 15-19. Drink waters out of thine own cistern,
and running waters out of thine own well. Let thy foun-
tains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the
streets. Let them be only thine own, and not strangers
with thee. Let thy fountain be blessed, and rejoice with
the wife of thy youth. Let her be as the loving hind and
pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times, and
be thou ravished always with her love.
* Isa. lxvi, 24.
CHAP. V.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 105
Children are in the language of Scripture sometimes
compared to waters*. We find Solomon in this pas-
sage comparing both wife and children to fountains;
for there is as great a difference between the joys of
lawful and unlawful love, as there is between the wa-
ters of a clear spring, and those which are drunk out
of an impure and poisonous stream.
Let every man, to avoid fornication, have his own
wife. Then may he reasonably expect to have child-
ren who shall be like olive plants around his table, or
like fountains dispersed in the streets, pleasant to others,
and likely to become one day comforts to their neigh-
bours as well as to their parents. Is not this far bet-
ter than to have a bastard progeny imposed on him,
which he does not know, and yet cannot deny to be his
own?
Husbands ought to praise God for virtuous wives,
and to observe their good qualities, and call them
blessed. They ought to love them as themselves, to
wear a cheerful countenance in their company, to take
pleasure in them as the companions of their youth, to
rejoice in their love, and to treat them with the tender-
est affection. They ought to view them with feelings
of delight. The pleasant roes are the delight of their
masters, who are charmed with that bland and insinu-
ating manner of behaviour which nature teaches them.
Much more may it be expected, that this human crea-
ture will be dear to our souls, whom God has given
us to be the solace of our lives. In old age, when their
beauty fades, the kindness of youth is to be retained
for them, more especially if they retain those amiable
virtues which fade not with the complexion of the
countenance.
Wives are to be hated in comparison with Christ;
* Isa. xlviii. 1.
106 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. V.
but the sake of Christ, they are to be loved with
an affection so ardent, that other women, however
beautiful, may appear in their presence like painted
flowers*.
It is the duty and the interest of wives, to be adorned
with those beauties which will render easy the duties
which their husbands owe them. It is indeed the
duty of husbands to love their wives, for the sake of
God's command, and Christ's example; but it is very
difficult to love, where this pleasant affection is not en-
gaged by lovely qualities in the object. Why should
husbands and wives tempt one another to sin against
God to their own prejudice?
This cordial love in the married state, will produce
pleasures far sweeter than were ever found in unlawful
love; and what chiefly recommends them is, that they
have no sting attending them, and give no offence to
God, our Witness and our Judge.
Ver. 20, 21. And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished
with strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stran-
ger? For the ways of man are before the eyes of the
Lord, and he pondereth all his goings.
Is it a pleasure to men to affront their Judge, and to
provoke the vengeance of an Almighty arm? Will
they prefer these poor, and spiritless, and unsatisfying
pleasures which he forbids, to those pure delights
which are licensed by his goodness? Remember, sin-
ners, that God is present in your close retreats of
wickedness! You see him not, because you are blind,
but your stupidity cannot banish an omnipresent Deity;
your bars and bolts cannot exclude him who fills hea-
ven and earth. Darkness hideth not from him of
whom it is said, "The day is thine, the night also is
thine.” Why should men dare to affront Jehovah,
* Eph. v. 28-32.
CHAP. V.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 107
their Maker and their Judge, by doing that in his
presence, which they would be ashamed to do in the
presence of a child? God will not be mocked. He
will punish the wanton glance, and the lascivious
thought. Where, then, shall they appear who indulge
themselves in acts of criminality? Will a thief steal in
the presence of the judge, and yet hope to escape ven-
geance? And shall abandoned sinners flatter them-
selves with the thought of escaping the damnation of
hell, from Him who will come to judgment, and will
be a swift witness against adulterers*?
Sinners think that they will repent, after having for
a while enjoyed the pleasures of sin,--pitiable delu-
sion!
Ver. 22. His own iniquities shall take the wicked him-
self, and he shall be holden with the cords of his own sins.
Sinners will find, when too late, if wonderful mercy
prevent not, that the sorrow which springs from self-
love, is a very different thing from repentance, and
that it is not so easy a matter as the devil told them,
to venture their salvation in the hands of a Redeemer.
They look upon saints as slaves who live an unpleasant
life, but time will convince them, since admonition can-
not, that themselves are the slaves, bound in the strong-
est and most ignominious chains. They are fettered
by vicious affections, and they have neither power nor
will to assert their liberty. The cords of their own
sins shall hold them fast, till they are cast into that
prison from whence there is no release.
This is a wretched condition, but they may thank
themselves. Their own hands forged the chains which
are rivetted upon them. They refused that glorious
liberty proclaimed to them in the word of Christ.
The sinner flattered himself that he did not refuse
redemption, he only delayed the acceptance of it. But
* Mal. iii. 3. Heb. xiii. 4.
108 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. V.
such delays are refusals in God's estimation. To the
sinner they are for the most part fraught with ruin.
Ver. 28. He shall die without instruction; and in the
greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
He despised instruction during life, and he shall die
without it. He expected, that when his mortal career
should draw near its close, good ministers should at-
tend him and pray with him. He shall either want
that comfort, or it is to be feared that it will not be
blessed to him. None but God can awaken a sleeping
and stupified conscience; and when it is awakened,
its clamours drown the voice of him who says, "Be-
lieve Christ, and thou shalt be saved."
In his amazing folly, he goes astray in his crooked
ways, and is led forth in the first rank of the workers
of iniquity*.
Let those who are not yet tainted by this vice bless
God, and let them watch and pray. Let the guilty
tremble and mourn; yet despair not. The arm that
rescued Solomon is not weakened. The blood that
cleansed the Corinthian whoremongers has lost none of
its virtue.
CHAPTER VI.
In this chapter we are cautioned by the wise man,
against rash suretiship, idleness, mischievousness, and
especially against impurity, together with a variety of
other sins, exceedingly hateful to God.
* 2 Pet. ii. 11.
CHAP. VI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 109
The first five verses contain a warning against sure-
tiship.
Ver. 1, 2. My son, if thou be surety for thy friend,
if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, thou art
snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with
the words of thy mouth.
God graciously directs our temporal affairs by his
providence, and condescends, in his word, to give us
instructions concerning them. If we regard not these,
we need not be surprised though his providence con-
vince us, by dear-bought experience, of our folly and
sin.
He forbids us to become surety, even for a friend,
(except for some weighty reason,) and to strike hands
with a stranger, in token of our becoming bound for
our friend’s debts. Men who think only of the present
time, are generally too rash in undertaking; but they
ought to remember, that the time to come is before
them, and will be present time when the time now
present is past. If the money were to be paid just
now, they would hesitate and deliberate before acting,
lest they should wrong their families; but Solomon
tells them, that men may ensnare and entangle them-
selves with the words of their mouths, as well as with
the works of their hands.
This consideration may alarm those who have al-
ready implicated themselves by such engagements.
This kind teacher, therefore, puts them on a plan to
get free.
Ver. 3. Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when
thou art come into the hand of thy friend: go, humble thy-
self and make sure thy friend.
By rash suretiship, you put yourself into the power,
not only of the creditor, but of the debtor, for whom
you are bound. You lie at his mercy. He has it in
his power to make you smart severely for your foolish
110 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. VI.
kindness to him. The world is full of complaints
about ungrateful men, who have basely abused, to the
prejudice of their benefactors, the goodness they
have experienced. Endeavour, therefore, by the
humblest behaviour toward your friend, to induce him
to take the proper steps to bring you out of your pre-
sent embarrassed situation; for if you peevishly re-
flect on him as the means of bringing you into it,
he may be provoked to use his advantage to your
loss.
The wise man is very urgent with his scholars to
take this step.
Ver. 4, 5. Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slum-
ber to thine eye-lids. Deliver thyself as a roe from
the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of
the fowler.
A roe and a bird are creatures destitute of reason,
yet when entrapped by the arts of the sportsman, they
will try every method of escape, and make no delay
in using every effort for regaining their freedom. May
not equal prudence and attention to their own interests,
be expected from reasonable creatures!
But what is the great importance of this precept, that
Solomon will not allow his disciple to rest till he is free
from these rash engagements? Has this precept any
connection with our spiritual interest? It has. It is a
part of the eighth commandment, and though men re-
gard it rather as a loss than a sin to endanger their out-
ward estate, it is both a sin and a temptation. Men
who once seemed upright in their dealings, have
brought reproach upon religion, by living and dying
in other men's debt, and by having recourse to unjus-
tifiable methods, suggested by distress, to relieve them-
selves.
The effect of suretiship, even with the most upright
men, has often proved hurtful to their souls, embitter-
CHAP. VI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 111
ing their days, and unfitting them for the cheerful
services of religion. It has not unfrequently ren-
dered them unable to perform those services to God
and to his church, for the sake of which a competency
of the good things of life is to be valued. We are the
servants of Christ, and must not disqualify ourselves
for his service, by making ourselves needlessly the ser-
vants of men.
The precept here given may remind us, how foolish
it is for us to make ourselves debtors to divine justice,
to please any friend in the world. When one tempts
you to commit any sin, however small, consider whe-
ther it would be wise in you to make yourselves debt-
ors even to man on his account.
As we are all in debt to God, let us give no sleep to
our eyes, till we implore his mercy. How powerful
must be that lethargy which closes in sleep eyes that
shall awake in hell, if another day of life is not granted
by the abused long-suffering of God! We may be asha-
med to humble ourselves to our friends, or our applica-
tions to them may be fruitless. But God is equally glo-
rious in majesty and mercy. He delights in forgiving
thousands of talents.
The wise man next proceeds to warn us against the
vice of sluggishness, to which he was a constant
enemy.
Ver. 6. Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her
ways, and be wise.
God has taught us more than the beasts of the earth,
and made us wiser than the fowls of heaven. But the
sluggard equals not in wisdom the least of insects.
He complains that he is not able to work, but has
he less strength than an emmet? "The ants, (says an-
other wise man), are a people not strong, yet they pre-
pare their meat in the summer;” they therefore shall
be his judges.
112 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. VI.
Why has God made such a multitude of creatures,
that are of no use to man? Why has he made some
that destroy his property? This is a vain question.
We are sure that God has made them all in wis-
dom, and that he has made some of them teachers of
wisdom to us. The ant devours some part of our
sustenance, but it will pay us well for it, if we are
wise enough to improve by its lessons. Every ant-hill
is a school, and the wisest of men gives these little
animals a testimonial, recommending their instructions
to us. That man makes a god of his belly, who thinks
no creature of anyuse to us but such as gives us its flesh
to eat, or its labour to provide for our sustenance or
comfort. The wisdom which some of them teach is
far more valuable than the food with which they sup-
ply us.
Other creatures are teachers to us as well as the ant.
Look on the whole brutal creation, O atheist! and
confess their Maker. Go to the oxen and the asses, O
unthankful man! and be wise to acknowledge thy
Benefactor. Consider the fowls of the air, ye that are
of little faith, and trust the providence of God!
Why does the wise man single out the ant as a
teacher of wisdom to the sluggard? Agur gives us one
reason in the 30th chapter of this book,—their weak-
ness, which may render the sluggard ashamed of his
silly excuses. Another reason we find assigned by So-
lomon in this place.
Ver. 7, 8. Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her
food in the harvest.
The bees are a very industrious people, but they
have a queen to require their labour, and if she dies
they will work no more. The ant has no guide to set
her example, no overseer to inspect her work, no
ruler to exact her task; and yet she neglects not a day
CHAP. VI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 113
in summer, when the roads are clean and the sky
clear; or in harvest, when the grain can be had in
plenty. She improves every opportunity to store up
provisions, that she may spend in comfort the days of
cold and scarcity. And what is the result of all her
toil? In winter she enjoys plenty, when other creatures
are pinched with poverty, or perish with cold and
hunger.
We have guides to set us a good example. We have
overseers and rulers appointed us by the King of
nations and the King of Zion. Yet how many slug-
gards are to be found among us, who spend their days
in vanity! They are like butterflies, which wanton
away the best days of their existence, when they ought
to be like ants, suffering no summer day to pass un-
improved.
These little animals have knowledge of the times,
and are wise to improve opportunities. They join with
the stork, and the crane, and the swallow, in reprov-
ing those who know not the judgment of the Lord, and
neglect the duty of the day in its day.
There are sluggards who bring misery upon them-
selves in this world. There are far more who bring
eternal misery upon their souls, by neglecting the hap-
py opportunities afforded them by the long-suffering of
the Lord, or securing their everlasting interests. They
see many days of the Son of man, and enjoy the beams
of the Sun of righteousness. They are called with a
loud voice to arise and shine, but they are less con-
cerned about an everlasting duration of happiness or
misery, than the despised ant about the provisions of a
few months. How will they mourn at the last, and
say, "The summer is past, and the harvest is ended,
and we are not saved!"
The sluggard will not awake from his sleep to go and
114 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. VI.
learn wisdom, but the wise man goes to him to break
his slumbers.
Ver. 9. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard! when
wilt thou awake out of thy sleep?
It is a great waste of time, to spend in sleep more
hours than are necessary. Yet from the prac-
tice of how many does it appear, that they have adopt-
ed the maxim of the Indians,—That rest is better than
work, and lying better than sitting, and sleeping bet-
ter than waking, and death better than life!
It is a shame for men to give up to sleep a third part
of their time, but it is not less so to spend our waking
hours in doing nothing, or in doing what is as unprofit-
able. All the world would despise a man who should
keep his bed from morning till night, though in the
possession of perfect health; but in what respect is he
better employed, who trifles away in idleness every
hour of the day? He is still worse, for want of employ-
ment and weariness of life will lead him to seek relief
in impertinent and mischievous talk, or in sensual in-
dulgencies, or in meddling with the matters of others.
If a man of rank should come to the sleeper's bed-
side while he is dozing away the morning-hours, and
should call him to rise, it might be expected that
he would be covered with confusion, and instantly
shake off the bands of slumber; but here the wise king
comes and draws aside his curtains, and expostulates
with him, —"How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard!”
The sluggard's ears are heavy with sleep, and cannot
hear. Solomon cries again, "When wilt thou awake
out of thy sleep?" Does the sluggard now hear?
The voice is loud enough to pierce his ears, but he
hears as if he heard not. He is nailed to his bed by
sloth , and though conscious that he should arise and
walk, he pleads hard for a little delay.
CHAP. VI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 115
Ver. 10. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little
folding of the hands to sleep.
He forms some faint resolutions to awake, and it is
only a short respite from that torment that he begs—"a
little sleep.” If that is too much—"a little slumber;"
or if even that cannot be granted, "a little folding of
the hands to sleep," is but a moderate request.
The sluggard himself cannot vindicate his sloth, and
is resolved to shake it off, only he will not do it pre-
sently. From time to time he defers the hated refor-
mation, and what is the consequence?
Ver. 11. So shall thy poverty come as one that travel-
leth, and thy want as an armed man.
The house of the sluggard is the haunt of poverty,
and it comes not like an invited guest, whose visit is ex-
pected, but like a traveller, whose approach is unfore-
seen. It comes like an armed man, and gains an easy
victory over the naked and slumbering sluggard.
Had he been awake and busy, he might easily have
defended himself against its assaults.
Sleep, sloth, and delay, are the thieves of time. By
them vigorous bodies have been often enervated, shining
talents covered with rust, estates melted into nothing;
and what is a thousand times worse, millions of souls
have been betrayed into perdition. The Spirit of God
says, "To-day, if ye will hear his voice." The slug-
gard is not at leisure to-day, but he will hear it to-mor
row. To-morrow comes, but the cause of this delay
still exists. A thousand to-morrows pass away, and
the sluggard is never awakened to wisdom. At last
the king of terrors seizes him with irresistible violence,
and hurries him to that place of darkness where there
is no work, nor device, nor counsel. The soul must
then appear before the awful Judge; and what excuse
can be made for these delays of complying with the
voice of the great God? If a king were to call us to
116 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. VI.
come to him, in order to receive some great favour at
his hands, we surely would not shew so little respect
to royalty, and so little regard to our own interest, as
to defer from day to day compliance with the kind in-
vitation. Is the majesty of earthly princes so much
revered by us? Yet to the majesty of heaven's great
Lord, it bears only the same proportion that a spark
does to the sun.
The idle man is bad, but the mischievous man is still
worse; but indeed it generally happens, that he who
is enslaved by the one of these vices, becomes in pro-
cess of time the slave of the other also.
Ver. 12-15. A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh
with a froward mouth. He winketh with his eyes, he
speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers: Fro-
wardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually;
he soweth discord. Therefore shall his calamity come
suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.
The mischievous person casts off the yoke of God,
but he remains the willing and active servant of the
devil. He rebels against God beyond his might, and
beyond nature presses the members of his body into
the service of iniquity. He not only speaks, but walks
with a froward tongue, making a constant trade of
slandering his neighbours, and spreading dissension.
His tongue is a world of iniquity, and yet it does not
serve him sufficiently for expressing the wickedness of
his heart. To supply its defects, therefore, he makes
artificial tongues of his eyes, his fingers, and his feet.
By winking with his eyes, by stamping with his feet,
and by pointing with his fingers, he shews the scorn
and the malice which he bears towards others, and
conveys his instructions to his accomplices in wicked-
ness.
It is the malice of his heart that employs all the
members of his body, as the instruments of his un-
CHAP. VI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 117
righteousness. His heart overflows with malignity,
and is still running over into the words and works of
mischief. The greatest miser takes some rest to his
body, from the toils by which he expects to enrich
himself; but the heart of this profligate wretch takes
no rest from the contrivances of wickedness. He is
perpetually torturing his own brain, in devising me-
thods for destroying the happiness and the peace of
others.
What will be the end of a fiend like this? He shall,
while dreaming of success in his hellish plans, fall a
prey to some unexpected calamity. He may possibly
flatter himself with the intention of repenting of his
misdeeds, before called to that war in which there is
no discharge; but he is suddenly and irremediably
broken. He lived like a devil clothed with flesh, and
his soul shall be chased out of his body, to dwell with
its kindred devils. He that does evil to others, does a
thousand times greater hurt to himself.
O my soul! come not thou into the secret of such
creatures. Blessed be God, who checks that corrup-
tion which abounds in the hearts of men, and makes
the earth a habitable world. Who could live an hour
in peace, if God did not provide for our safety, by his
all-governing providence? To this must our safety be
all ascribed, since evil spirits, numerous and crafty,
constantly traverse our earth, and men whose hearts
are filled with all iniquity, abound on the face of it*.
The mischievous man is a compound of vices ab-
horred by the Lord.
Ver. 16-19. These six things doth the Lord hate;
yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look,
a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood: An
heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift
* Rom. iii. 10-18.
118 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. VI.
in running to mischeif: A false witness that speaketh lies,
and him that soweth discord among brethren.
Every sin is hateful to God. The sins enumerated
in this passage are not mentioned, because there are
not others as hateful to God, but because they are
nearly allied to that vice which had been last repro-
bated by the wise man, and are generally found in the
character of the mischievous person. They are all ab-
horred by him who is the guardian of his creatures,
and the avenger of injuries done to his saints.
Pride leads the van of this troop of iniquities. Its
palace is the heart, but its throne is erected in the eye,
whence it looks with disdain upon men, and lours
defiance towards Heaven. The proud man is not only
a rebel to God, but a usurper of his dignity. He
would be a God to men, but the living and true God
looks upon him with contempt and indignation, and
spurns him into hell*.
A lying tongue is abhorred by men, because it tends
to the dissolution of society. The devil was a liar
from the beginning, and is the father of lies. It is by
means of lying that this adversary of man carries on
his work. The God of truth hates liars. He has bar-
red the gates of heaven fast against them, for none of
them are his people†.
Murder is a crime against which the first law enact-
ed after the fall was passed‡. Providence seldom
suffers it to escape unpunished in this world. Mighty
tyrants, who shed the blood of the innocent without
fear of human vengeance, escape not punishment from
the King of nations. The wicked Emperors of Rome;
and many persecuting and bloody kings, are instances
of this truth. They shed the blood of men, and God
* Chap. iii. 32. † John viii. 44. Rev. xxi. 27. Isa. lxiii. 8.
‡ Gen. ix. 5.
CHAP. VI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 119
gave them blood to drink. That murder which lies
hidden in the heart, or breaks forth only in the tongue,
escapes not the eye and the vengeance of the Almighty*.
The first motions of sin in the hearts of men are of-
fensive to God. How greatly then must he abhor that
heart, which employs itself in contriving wickedness,
and forms deliberate purposes of sin! A royal cham-
ber, filled, like that of Pharaoh, with frogs and vermin,
is not so loathsome as a human heart, that should be
the residence of God, filled with evil imaginations and
hellish contrivances. It may well be called, like Ba-
bylon in ruins, a habitation of devils, and a hold of
every unclean and foul spirit.
Sin is bad enough when men venture upon it with
reluctance and fear, but when they are cheerful in the
practice of it, and thus run swiftly to mischief, it is a
sign that they are veterans in the devil's army, and
have in a great degree conquered their consciences.
The feet of such transgressors shall slide in due time,
for the things that shall come upon them make greater
haste than their feet can possibly do, either to do evil,
or to escape the punishment which is their due.
A false witness that speaketh lies, is the most dan-
gerous pet of human society. Who can insure any
man's life or fortune, or character against his tongue,
which is like a two-edged sword, or against his throat,
which is an open sepulchre, to swallow up every thing
dear to men? But the God whose awful name is pro-
faned by these enemies of mankind, holds them in ab-
horrence, and will by no means permit them to escape
punishment†.
The sowers of discord among brethren, are worse
than those who set fire to the houses of their neigh-
bours. They kindle flames which burn with unre-
* I John iii. 19. Matt. v. 22. † Psal. xxxvi. 4.
120 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. VI.
lenting fury, and set on fire families and provinces,
and sometimes even nations themselves. They not
only sin, but, like Jeroboam the son of Nebat, they
cause multitudes to sin, destroying that charity which
is the soul of every commandment, and disseminating
those corrupt passions, which prove incentives to all
the works of mischief. The God whose command-
ments are all included in love, and who sent his Son
to be our peace, cannot but abhor these sons of Belial.
Surely he will make their mischiefs to recoil with an
awful vengeance upon their own heads.
The wise man proceeds again to warn us against the
snares of the strange woman; but first he renews his
call to attend to those instructions which are the only
effectual preventives from her dangerous artifices.
Ver. 20-21. My son, keep thy father's commandment,
and forsake not the law of thy mother. Bind them con-
tinually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.
The inspired writer takes it for granted, that the
instructions of parents will correspond with the law of
God. Can it be supposed that parents will give stones
instead of bread, or serpents instead of wholesome
nourishment, to their children? If they do, they are
not to be obeyed, for they act not as parents, but as
enemies.
The children of Jonadab denied themselves, for many
generations, some of the pleasures of the land of Ca-
naan. This they did from a regard to the advice of
their progenitor. But when the commands of our
earthly parents only enforce those laws of our heaven-
ly Father which are designed for our own benefit,
every motive of interest and duty, whether divine or
human, concurs to enforce our obedience.
These laws ought to be bound continually upon our
hearts, that they may be ever present to our souls.
The ancient Israelites wore them on their garments, but
CHAP. VI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 121
let us wear them on our hearts, and tie them about our
necks as the most precious ornament.
We must read the instructions of God, and hear the
good instructions of men, with attention. We must
transcribe them into our hearts, and meditate upon
them, and make them the guide of our lives. Here-
by much good shall come unto us.
Ver. 22. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when
thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest,
it shall talk with thee.
We derive much enjoyment and security from hav-
ing a companion who can entertain us with agreeable
conversation, direct us in doubtful paths, and protect
us from impending dangers. All these valuable pur-
poses are served by the word of God.
When we walk, it will be our guide, and enable us
to avoid every bad step. It will lead us in safety to
the land of uprightness, at which none can arrive,
who walk according to the course of this world, fulfil-
ling the desires of their flesh and their mind*.
When we sleep, it will keep us. There is nothing
improbable in supposing that foolish and distressing
dreams may be prevented, by the sweet composure
which it imparts to the spirit. But be this as it may,
we know well that the providence of God will perform
the promises of the word of God. By it we shall be
preserved from the pestilence that walketh in darkness,
and from the malicious snares of those invisible enemies
who wake when we sleep, and who, when not check-
ed by the power of God, have methods of disquieting
our minds and destroying our peace in the season of
rest. Job's fancy was harassed by the devil in his
sleep. That, however, was an extraordinary case, and
* Psal. cxix. 1.
122 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. VI.
even then the rage of that cruel enemy was under
restraints.
The word of God will be an entertaining and useful
companion to us, when we awake from sleep. It will
talk to us of the loving-kindness of the Lord, and the
grace of our Redeemer. It will give us the best ad-
vices about the business of the day, and teach us to
order every step with discretion. If we cannot sleep
in the night, it will suggest meditations far more plea-
sant to our minds, than is refreshing sleep to the body,
of the worn-out labourer*.
How does the law of the Lord answer all these pur-
poses?
Ver. 23. For the commandment is a lamp, and the law
is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life.
It is necessary to have a lamp, when one is in a dark
place. The law of God is a lamp to dispel the dark-
ness of this world, and to guide our steps in safety.
But as it may be compared to a lamp, because it gives
us light in the night, so also to the sun, because it is
the light of the world. Christ, who is the Sun of righ-
teousness, shines upon us by the word of his grace,
enlightening our minds in the knowledge of every
useful truth, and guiding us in safety to a better world.
If we shut our eyes on this light, we walk in darkness;
but those who walk under its beams, have the light
of Heaven shining on their paths. The places that
want it, are the dark places of the world; and the souls
that receive not the rays of this luminary, are but dun-
geons in which the day-star has not risen.
It will be allowed, that the doctrines and precepts of
the word of God are useful and pleasant as the light;
but are not the reproofs of it very disagreeable? No†;
the reproofs of it convey necessary and most bene-
* Psal. lxiii. 5. cxxxix. 18. † Psal. cxix. 103.
CHAP. VI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 123
ficial instruction. They are like the admonitions of a
kind father, who will not suffer his son to follow those
courses which he knows would be his ruin. The
reproofs of the law may alarm and terrify, but they
are not to be less valued on that account. The threat-
enings of hell guard the way to heaven, and strongly
urge us to keep the King's highway, the only way of
safety. The admonitions given us against sin, have a
powerful tendency to keep us from the paths of the
destroyer.
Ver. 24. To keep thee from the evil woman, from the
flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
The insinuating language of a bad woman is no-
thing but flattery. She professes the fondest love, but she
designs the gratification of her own detestable passions,
and the serving of her interests, at the expense of
what is most valuable to her fond admirer. Her
tongue is full of falsehood. By her fair speeches the
unwary youth, whom she wishes to seduce, is in great
danger of being entangled, and is therefore in great
need of some effectual preservative. Now, the only
effectual preservative against the dangers of temptation
is the word of God. A good education, a sense of
honour, the principle of self-interest,—may have some
efficacy for this end; but the great means blessed by
God for this purpose is his own word, which is the
sword of the Spirit, by which he enables us effectually
to resist and baffle, not only flesh and blood, but
principalities and powers. Every part of the word
of God serves to promote purity in all its branches. No
passages of it are more effectual to preserve us from
fleshly lusts, than the warnings of Paul to the Corin-
thians*, and those of Solomon in various parts of this
book.
* I Cor. vi.
124 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. VI.
Solomon knew well from experience, that it is ex-
tremely dangerous to give sin indulgence in the heart,
though we design not to practise it. He therefore
warns us against lusting after the beauty of the strange
woman in our heart.
Ver. 25. Lust not after her beauty in thine heart;
neither let her take thee with her eye-lids.
The beauty that sparkles in the eye of a virtuous
woman is a lovely ornament. The beauty of the
strange woman is a temptation to the unwise, for to
others it appears like a beautiful garment on a body
covered with loathsome sores, or a jewel of gold in a
swine's snout.
The lust of the heart is adultery in the sight of God,
and it were better to have our eyes plucked out, than
to have our hearts inflamed with lust*. But impure
imaginations do not ordinarily rest in quiet. They
push on the man that harbours them, to outward acts
of sin. When lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth
sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth mi-
sery.
Ver. 26. For by means of a whorish woman a man is
brought to a piece of bread; and the adulteress will hunt
for the precious life.
Poverty is the object almost of horror to the greater
part of men. The desire of removing or preventing it,
is the grand spring which keeps, the world constantly in
motion. But the adulterer drives on furiously towards
it, for though as much afraid of it as other men, he is
hurried along in his wild career by tyrannizing pas-
sions, that have blinded his eyes, and taken possession
of his soul to such a degree, that he must have them
gratified, though ruin be the inevitable consequence†.
Life is so precious, that a man will give for it all
* Matth. v. 29. † Luke xv.
CHAP. VI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 125
that he hath. Yet the infatuated whoremonger sells
his life at a cheaper rate than a wise man would sell
his dog. He flatters himself indeed that he shall es-
cape vengeance; but the scripture assures us that
such hopes are self-delusions, and that a man may as
well expect to remain unhurt though he take fire to
burn himself; or walk on burning coals.
Ver. 27-29. Can a man take fire in his bosom, and
his clothes not be burnt? Can one go upon hot coals, and
his feet not be burnt? So he that goeth in to his neigh-
bour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be inno-
cent.
Sodom and Gomorrah are standing illustrations of this
awful truth. You say, "The burning of these cities was
a strange act, scarcely any thing similar to it has hap-
pened since." But God hath set forth these cities as
an example, making them to suffer the vengeance of
eternal fire*; and impenitent sinners will find at the
last, that they who despised the words of Solomon,
and of Christ himself, shall suffer more severely than
the cities of the plain, whose iniquities were not so
terribly aggravated, by despised means of instruction
and reformation.
Stealing is a detested sin, and exposes men to severe
punishment; but it is much less heinous than adultery,
nor will the punishment of it be so great.
Ver. 30-35. Men do not despise a thief, if he steal
to satisfy his soul when he is hungry: But if he be
found, he shall restore seven-fold; he shall give all the
substance of his house. But whoso committeth adultery
with a woman, lacketh understanding; he that doeth it de-
stroyeth his own soul. A wound and dishonour shall he
get, and his reproach shall not be wiped away. For
jealousy is the rage of a man, therefore he will not spare
* Jude 6. Job xxxi. 12.
126 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. VI.
in the day of vengeance. He will not regard any ransom;
neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.
Theft is a sin deservedly abhorred, and they who
are guilty of it expose themselves to contempt and
indignation. Yet when necessity tempts a man to
steal, he is the object of pity rather than of scorn. No
necessity can excuse any sin, but apparent necessity
may extenuate it. This plea, however, cannot be urg-
ed to palliate the crime of adultery, which is always
the effect of a wicked disposition, and an impure ima-
gination.
When a man steals, it is perhaps to satisfy his soul,
and to appease the cravings of hunger, which is an ap-
petite too fierce for human nature to oppose. But un-
clean actions are the gratifications of brutal lust, and
tend not to the preservation, but to the destruction of
the life.
Yet a thief must suffer, although he is pitied when
hunger urges him on to steal. He shall restore mani-
fold, according to the law; and if he cannot make the
ample restitution required, he must give all the sub-
stance of his house. How then does the adulterer, hope
to escape a much more grievous punishment, for a
crime which can admit of no reparation? A thief
may steal for want of bread, but the adulterer sins be-
cause he has no understanding. He exposes himself
to a deadly wound from a jealous husband, or an
avenging magistrate. He contracts a blot upon his
name which adheres to it indelibly, and spreads itself
even to his children*. He may give all the substance
of his house to the man whom he has injured, but it
will not be accepted as an atonement for his life; for a
fire of jealousy is kindled, which can be quenched only
in his blood.
* Deut. xxiii. 2.
CHAP. VI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 127
This argument may be supposed to have little
weight among us, who punish theft more severely
than adultery. But when crimes that deserve death
escape punishment from men, God, the King of all
nations, punishes them by his providence, and some-
times with greater severity, because his earthly minis-
ters neglect to shew his resentment of them. Hophni
and Phineas, Amnon and Absalom, gained nothing
by the indulgence of their fond parents. David him-
self smarted severely under the rod for this sin, though
divine mercy exempted him from death. Earthly ma-
gistrates often punish thieves and highwaymen more
severely than adulterers, but whoremongers and adul-
terers God will judge. We may without presumption
suppose, that even in this world he often brings them
to a gibbet, by suffering them to imbrue their hands in
blood, or to commit other capital crimes. The Bible
assures us, that God often punishes one sin, by per-
mitting the transgressor to fall into another; and par-
ticularly, that God has given up men to uncleanness,
for the indignities they have done to his own name*,
and along with it, to other iniquities that bring venge-
ance in their train†.
If these sinners escape outward punishment, let
them remember how terrible that destruction is, which
God has designed for them, and how impossible it
will be to escape from the Judge of all. They com-
plain that they cannot extinguish their burning lusts,
but it shall be more impossible to extinguish the fire
that shall never be quenched‡.
* Rom. i. 23. † Rom. i. 29. &c.
‡ Job xxxi. 3. Matt. v. 28.
128 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. VII.
CHAPTER VII
Solomon was deeply impressed with a sense of the
evil of profligate courses. Nor was he less fully
convinced of that danger to which young men are ex-
posed, from the temptations presented by those factors
for hell, who, lost to all sense of shame and interest,
precipitate themselves, and as many along with them ,
as they can, into an everlasting hell, and all for the
momentary gratification of a base and brutal passion.
On this subject he had already said as much as might
have served to guard any man against this danger, who
was not under the influence of a very dark mind, and
a very depraved heart. But he wishes to penetrate the
heart of the most hardened, to rouse to thought the
most inconsiderate of the sons of men. He thinks that
too much cannot be said on a matter of such concern-
ment to us.
We have in this chapter an affecting illustration of
the danger of youthful lusts. The mode of instruction
to which our teacher in the present instance has re-
course, is the narration of a piece of history or para-
ble, (for it matters not which), of the most instructive
kind. Will any one dare to venture on temptations
that lead to impurity, after Solomon has set before
his eyes in so lively a manner, the danger of so much
as going near the harlot's house? Then is he as in-
excuseable as the man who dances on the brink of a
precipice, when he has just seen another, who ven-
tured to display his courage in the same manner, fall
CHAP. VII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 129
headlong from his place, and dashed to pieces on the
rocks below, perish the sad victim of his own rashness
and folly.
The danger of vicious courses should mightily re-
commend to us the word of God, which is able to
keep us from falling*, and to which self-ruined sin-
ners give testimony, when they must acknowledge too
late, that their misery began in their disregard to that
blessed book. What would not men give for an anti-
dote that could preserve them from every bodily dis-
ease? If any person, possessed of such a medicine,
were to perish by some fatal distemper, in consequence
of neglecting to have recourse to it, surely his fate
would excite no commiseration.
Ver. 1-5. My son, keep my words, and lay up my
commandments with thee. Keep my commandments, and
live, and my law as the apple of thine eye. Bind them
upon thy fingers, and write them upon the table of thine
heart. Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call
understanding thy kinswoman: That they may keep thee
from the strange woman, from the stranger which flatter-
eth with her words.
When a man has got possession of some precious
jewel, he will deposit it in some place secured from
the depredations of thieves. The words of God are
infinitely more precious than diamonds, and ought to
be laid up in our hearts, and kept with constant dili-
gence and caution. They are to be kept as our life,
for we are but dead men if we lose them, and they are
the effectual instruments by which God is pleased to
quicken men to newness of life, and to nourish, and
strengthen, and preserve their souls. Without them,
* Acts xx. 32.
130 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. VII.
the life of the body is no better than a dream. It is
our advantage that God has in view, in furnishing us
with a rule of conduct. “Be holy," is the sum of
the whole law; and its excellency is, that it is as
good as it is holy and just. Those, therefore, who ne-
glect it, regard lying vanities, and despise their own
mercy.
God expresses that regard which he has for his peo-
ple, and that compassionate care which he exercises
over them, by affirming that he who touches them
touches the apple of his eye. No less regard is cer-
tainly due on our part to that divine word of his, with-
out which our souls must remain in darkness. The
eye is a most precious member, and the apple of the
eye is its most precious part. The Author of the body
has guarded that part of it with a natural fence, and
no less vigilance is exercised by us in its protection.
We will not, if possible, permit the smallest mote to fall
into it. With equal care ought we to observe the law of
God, and to avoid every temptation which might induce
us in the smallest degree to transgress its command-
ments*.
The law is to be fixed as a ring upon our fingers,
that it may constantly present itself to our view, and
deeply impress our hearts. These are the living tables,
on which the statutes of the Lord are to be inscribed,
that every inward power may be wrought into a suita-
bleness unto them†.
We take great pleasure in the society of amiable
friends. Wisdom ought to be our most beloved friend,
and our constant companion. With this best of
friends let us daily converse, and thus shall we be
preserved from the danger of infectious company,
* Matt. v. 19. † Rom. vi. 16.
CHAP. VII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 131
and the allurements of seducers to vice. Those who
love understanding, and call wisdom their sister, are
acknowledged by our Saviour himself as his dearest
relations*.
When we familiarise ourselves to wisdom, and
treat her as a kinswoman, we shall find ourselves
great gainers by it. She will preserve us from the
strange woman, and from her flatteries. The charms
of wisdom will sink her beauty into deformity. The
music of wisdom's voice will render us deaf to the
most inviting eloquence of her who would tempt us to
forget the covenant of our God. Her lips drop as a
honey-comb, but wisdom assures us that her end is
bitter as wormwood†.
But those who reject wisdom, will find this tempter
too cunning for them. Of this Solomon gives us a
proof from his own observation. He was a wise ob-
server of men and manners, and the result of his ob-
servation, as well as the wisdom which he learned by
experience, he has communicated for our caution and
instruction.
Ver. 6-10. For at the window of my house, I look-
ed through my casement, and beheld among the simple
ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of
understanding, passing through the street near her cor-
ner; and he went the way to her house, in the twilight,
in the evening, in the black and dark night; and, behold,
there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and
subtile of heart.
Though this story were to be considered as a para-
ble, the instruction it contains is grounded on the ob-
servation of Solomon. He was, no doubt, acquainted
with many who owed their ruin to the arts which are
here described.
* Matt. xii. 46. 50. † Chap. v. 3, 4.
132 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. VII.
Persons of every age, and sex, and condition, ought
to watch against the temptations incident to their par-
ticular situations, for the great master of deceit knows
how to suit his temptations to the different circumstan-
ces of men. Young persons, whose passions are warm
and whose experience is little, are easily seduced into
those sins which gratify the lusts of the flesh. The
man whom Solomon observed going towards the house
of the strange woman, was a young man. He was
void of understanding, for he had not supplied the
want of experience on his own part, by the instruc-
tions of the aged, or of the word of God. If young
men would be prevailed on to read and study the
Book of Proverbs, they would not deserve to be
classed among the simple ones; for it gives subtilty
to the simple, to the young man knowledge and dis-
cretion.
This young man had no intention to pollute his
body with acts of wickedness, (ver. 21.), but in the
evening he wished to have a little amusement; and,
forgetful of the danger of going near the dwellings of
the wicked, he went in the way that leads to the har-
lot's house. We ought daily to pray that we may be
preserved from running into temptation; for if we in-
vite our enemies to spread their snares for us, how can
we expect to escape?
The time of work was over; and for the purpose of
recruiting our spirits, a little evening's relaxation is
allowable. Those amusements, however, that lead us
into the company of the wicked, are exceedingly dan-
gerous.. In our evening walks, let us avoid the places
where we are likely to meet with devils, possessed
indeed of human shapes, but not of human hearts.
Isaac goes out at the evening-tide, to converse with
himself and his God, and God sends him a virtuous
CHAP. VII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 133
wife. This poor simpleton goes out to walk in the
purlieus of vice, and, behold, he meets with a common
harlot, dressed out with that gaudiness of attire which
befitted her wicked dispositions; for sometimes the
dress of the female is like the sign-post hung out be-
fore the house, telling what is within. Her heart was
subtle, for she possessed the art as well as the venom
of the old serpent. Her manners accorded with her
dress and her heart.
Ver. 11, 12. (She is loud and stubborn; her feet
abide not in her house: Now is she without, now in the
streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)
Her obstreperous tongue is the token of her impe-
rious and stubborn spirit. She loves to reign, and
cannot brook subjection to the guide of her youth;
thus exemplifying a spirit completely opposite to those
godly women who call their husbands lord. But cla-
morous and stubborn as she is at home, (where indeed
she is seldom to be found), she has the art, when she
comes abroad, to fashion her speech to her designs.
With soothing words and insinuating flattery, she se-
duces the unhappy victim of her wiles. She is fierce,
like a tiger, but when a purpose is to be gained, can
assume all the meekness of a lamb.
She hates her own house, because she abhors useful
labour, and holds her husband in detestation; but she
is still roaming about those places where she may meet
unwary passengers. Like a wild beast of the desert,
she constantly prowls about those places where a prey
may be expected.
Let women that desire to be thought virtuous be
keepers at home; and let them beware of eating the
bread of idleness, which, though not always, is often-
times the companion of profligacy, and never the at-
tendant of virtue.
134 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. VII.
Thus was the unwary youth caught by one but too
well versed in the arts of seduction.
Ver. 13-20. So she caught him, and kissed him,
and with an impudent face said unto him, I have peace-
offerings with me, this day have I paid my vows:
Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy
face, and I have found thee. I have decked my bed with
coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen
of Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes,
and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love until
the morning; let us solace ourselves with loves. For
the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey:
He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come
home at the day appointed.
Modesty is the lovely ornament of the female sex,
and nothing can be more hateful than a woman that
hath renounced it. When this fence of virtue is de-
molished, profligacy is the natural and unavoidable
consequence.
The words and the behaviour of this abandoned
creature are alike shameless. Yet, with marvellous in-
consistency, she pretends to a sense of religion. The
feast which she intends for her lover, is that part of
the peace-offerings which, according to the law, she
had reserved for herself and her friends, after paying
her vows to the Lord. It is strange to tell, and yet
certainly true, that there are persons who endeavour
to join together the service of God and Belial. They
must have their passions gratified, and in all other
things they will be obedient to the dictates of con-
science. But those who think that they may some-
times eat a little poison, provided they take whole-
some food at other times, and yet live and enjoy to-
lerable health, are not more foolish. God is glo-
CHAP. VII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 135
rious in shewing mercy to sinners, but he will show
none to sin*.
She pretends a special and tender regard for this
miserable youth, whom she wishes to draw into her
snares, and has the address to avail herself of an acci-
dental meeting for the proof of it. Words are very
cheap, and the warmest professions of kindness are for
the most part the most insincere. The old serpent made
use of this artifice to deceive our common mother.
There is nothing that renders the young a more easy
prey to deceivers, than their inexperience of the emp-
tiness of the professions of many.
This abandoned woman artfully entangles the heart
of the simple youth, by promising him every thing
that can afford delight to any of his senses. She will
entertain him with the delicate provision of which
feasts were made, after performing the ceremonies of
religion. His eyes shall be entertained with the sight
of furniture, equally valuable for its materials and
workmanship. The bed is decked with the finest
linen, and the whole house perfumed with odours,
emitted by the most fragrant herbs. All these pleasures,
she informs him, may be enjoyed in the most perfect
security, for the goodman (she takes care not to call
him husband,) is gone far from home; and it is cer-
tain that he will not return till the time appointed, for
he has a great deal of business to transact, and has car-
ried a great deal of money with him, to bear his ex-
pences, and to employ in trade.
Beware of those sins that are represented to you as
pleasant sins. They are more dangerous than others,
because they most easily gain the heart, and most
powerfully guard it against repentance. Eve found
* Psal. lxviii. 31. Zeph. i. 15
136 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. VII.
that the pleasure of forbidden fruit was only an intro-
duction to horror and remorse.
Our hearts must be guarded against the admission
of sin, by stronger motives than the fear of detection
and disgrace; for artful solicitors to evil, will easily
baffle such restraints as these. Joseph might have
expected his master's favour by complying with the
desires of his mistress, but the motive that induced him
to decline her company was irresistible,—" How can
I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?"
But the unhappy subject of the wise man's story
was not a Joseph.
Ver. 21. With much fair speech she caused him to
yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.
There is a force in words, which it is often almost
impossible to resist. Good words have a wonderful
virtue in them to work upon the mind, and a great
part of the good which we are called to do in the
world, is to be accomplished by means of that little
member—the tongue. But corrupt minds are often
found to have greater influence in persuading men to
sin, because human nature is depraved, and needs only
a temptation to draw men to the practice of the worst
of evils.
No words have greater force in them to persuade
men to sin, than the flatteries of the strange woman ;
and therefore the apostle Paul, who directs us to strive
against sin, calls loudly to us to flee youthful lusts.
Such lusts can scarcely be conquered but by flight,
because the temptations to them, when they meet
with a simple mind and an impure heart, are like
sparks of fire lighting upon stubble fully dry.
The force that is in the tongue of the strange wo-
man, will not excuse the deluded youth; for his yield-
ing to her is to be attributed to the depravity of his
own heart, which inclines him to prefer the advice of
CHAP. VII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 137
a bad woman, to the counsels of the Supreme and
Eternal Wisdom. When a thief is arraigned before a
magistrate, he is not suffered to escape punishment,
because it appears that he had such a propensity to
steal, that he could not find in his heart to resist the
influence of a temptation.
Ver. 22, 23. He goeth after her straightway, as an
ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction
of the stocks: Till a dart strike through his liver, as a
bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for
his life.
Poor deluded creature! The cursed enchantress per-
suaded him that she would conduct him to a paradise;
but he soon finds his feet entangled in the stocks, and
bound with fetters of iron. He is more brutish than
the ox, which will not without reluctance go to the
place of slaughter, but must be forced and goaded on-
ward by its driver. He is sillier than a bird, which
will not sit to be shot, but flies from the appearance
of danger: Whereas he wilfully sets himself up as a
mark for the arrows of justice. A bird may indeed fly
into the snare, for it has not the gift of reason; but
for men to hasten into a snare, there is no excuse.
God hath made them wiser than the fowls of heaven.
It was a good maxim, said to be delivered by an
eastern sage,—Do nothing till thou hast well consider-
ed the end of it. The time to come will be soon pre-
sent, and by the exercise of reason and faith, we
should make it now present to us. The pleasures of
sin will then be seen in a very different light. They
will appear to be remorse and anguish, varnished over
with a little transient pang of delight that never reaches
the heart, or at least plays only on the surface of it.
Were a man to live as long as Methuselah, and spend
all his days in the highest delights of sin, one hour of
138 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. VII.
the anguish and tribulation that must follow will far
outweigh them.
What must we do in order to avoid that infatuation
which is so common, and which is attended with con-
sequences so awful?
Ver. 24, 25. Hearken unto me now, therefore, O ye
children, and attend to the words of my mouth. Let
not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her
paths.
Let us give the most earnest heed to these calls,
that are addressed to us with such urgent and repeat-
ed importunity, and let us guard our hearts and ways
with all diligence. Indulgence given to any impute
imagination, is an indication of a sensual heart, and
an introduction to a licentious behaviour, which will
in all probability lead to a miserable end.
Ver. 26, 27. For she hath cast down many wounded,
yea, many strong men have been slain by her. Her
house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of
death.
When but one of the disciples was to betray Christ,
all of them were anxious lest they should fall into such
a horrid sin. When not a small number, but multi-
tudes, have fallen by the force of temptations to impu-
rity, and when the same depraved disposition conti-
nues in men, and the same temptations expose
them to danger, shall we not fear, and depart from
evil?
Men have been wounded and slain by the arts of the
strange woman, who seemed to possess resolution and
strength to support them against the most dangerous as-
saults. David was sore wounded; Sampson was slain; and
when cedars are shaken and fall, it is time for the fir-
trees to be afraid. It is a dangerous piece of self-con-
fidence in us to imagine, that we are possessed of more
CHAP. VII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 139
strength than Sampson, or endowed with more steady
virtue than David.
Uncleanness is not the blasphemy against the Holy
Ghost, but it is ordinarily a sin unto death. He that
has entered on a course of it, is on a staircase that
leads down to death and hell; and the descent makes
the brain so giddy, that power is seldom left to make
a timely retreat. They are gross self-flatterers, who
imagine that they may go on for a time in sensuality,
and stop short, and repent when they please. Who
but God can say to the waves of sin, " Hitherto shall
ye come, and no farther, and here shall your proud
swellings be stayed?"
David repented, and was pardoned, and so we hope
was Sampson. The three children were cast alive
into a burning fiery furnace, and came out unsinged;
but we will not cast ourselves into the fire, in hope
that the same miracle will be wrought for our deliver-
ance. May the Lord keep us from temptation, and
pluck out hardened sensualists as brands out of the
fire!
CHAPTER VIII.
The grand question in this chapter is, What are we to
understand by that wisdom which is here introduced,
recommending her instructions to us? The fear of the
140 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. VIII.
Lord is said to be the beginning of wisdom*. But the
wisdom that speaks in this passage appears to be a per-
son; and it is disputed whether we are to understand
it of Christ, the great Fountain of wisdom, or of the
noble quality of wisdom, represented by a strong eas-
tern figure under a personal character.
This wisdom has been generally understood in the
Christian church to mean the Lord Jesus Christ,—the
Word (Logos) spoken of by John, who ascribes to him
under that name several of those glories which are
here ascribed to wisdom.
There are some things spoken of men in the pro-
phetical passages of Scripture, too great to be under-
stood in their full meaning of any of the sons of men,
except the man Christ. These we are taught by the
Scriptures of the New Testament, to understand of
him who is the glory of our race, to whom all the
prophets bare witness†. Now, if Solomon say con-
cerning wisdom things that are true to their full ex-
tent of signification in Christ only, may we not with
good reason conclude, that the Spirit who directed
his pen, meant to lead our thoughts to the personal
Word of God, in whom are all the treasures of wisdom,
and to whom the church of Israelites and Christians is
indebted for all the discoveries that were ever made?
The voice of Christ is the voice of wisdom itself. The
wise will hear, and will increase their learning, and
fools only will despise this wisdom and instruction;
for surely they cannot be reasonable creatures, who
resist the fervent eloquence and the persuasive argu-
ments addressed to us in this chapter.
Ver. 1. Doth not wisdom cry, and understanding put
forth her voice?
* Chap. ix. 10. † Heb. i. 5. Compare 2 Sam. vii. 14
CHAP. VIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 141
Our consciences bear testimony to this truth, that
wisdom not only speaks, but cries to us with a voice
like the sound of a trumpet. If we do not hear, it is
because our ears are shut, or because we turn them
away from the truth, to hear the alluring and enchant-
ing voice of sin and its servants; and how shall they
excuse themselves who give ear to the voice of the
cunning serpent, rather than to the voice of the
Eternal Wisdom? But where does wisdom put forth
her voice?
Ver. 2, 8. She standeth in the top of high places, by
the fray in the places of the paths. She cried at the
gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the
doors*.
If we hear not the voice of wisdom, we have our-
selves to blame. Her pulpit is erected in the high
places, and her voice is heard from afar. She preaches
at the places of concourse, the gates of the city, and
in the places where roads meet. At our very doors
we may hear her publishing her precious doctrines;
and ignorance, when chosen and wilful, will by no
means excuse us. If we are in darkness, it is not
for want of light, but because we hate light, and by
winking hard exclude its beams.
Why should we not use all due pains to find wisdom,
when wisdom uses such pains to find us out, and to
proclaim her necessary instructions in our ears? Sure-
ly our Lord Jesus was willing to communicate his
saving instructions, when he preached in mountains
and in fields, in public roads and in deserts, in syna-
gogues and in ships, inviting men to receive his salva-
tion, and pressing them to repent. Nor is the voice
of wisdom in our days become more feeble, or heard
* See Chap. i. 21, 22.
142 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. VIII.
in fewer places. Unless we are stupidly inattentive,
we may still hear it sounding in our ears, whether we
are at home or abroad, walking in the fields or sit-
ting in the church. The voice of the gospel, the
voice of providence, the voice of conscience, the voice
of honest friends, is a cry of wisdom, to which we do
well to take heed, for to all of us she speaks.
Ver. 4. Unto you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the
sons of men.
The mercy of God is sovereign, and therefore the
sons of Adam are called to repentance; while by the
angels that fell, no voice of mercy was ever heard.
They were nobler in their origin, and more excellent
in their natures. But the Son of God loved us because
he loved us, and was made of God unto us, and not
to them, wisdom and righteousness.
There are many of the sons of Adam, that never
heard the calls of wisdom; but all within hearing are
called, and earnestly importuned to comply with the
call. Let us not then give reason for that complaint,
"Wherefore when I came was there no man, when
I called was there none to answer." The disobedient
and unbelieving shall be tormented in hell with a
soul-rending remorse, which devils and heathens can-
not feel.
Say not that the calls of wisdom are not to you, be-
cause ye are fools; for to such she speaks-
Ver. 5. O ye simple, understand wisdom; and ye fools,
be ye of an understanding heart.
Those that are easily seduced, those that live under
the power of error and sin, are here called to hear the
wisdom which is from above. Your case, O ye simple
ones! is not hopeless. Eternal Wisdom is your teacher,
and calls you to learn; and to none does wisdom say,
Seek ye me in vain. The teacher is the Lord our God;
and he teacheth to profit, because there is power and
CHAP. VIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 143
light in his words, and in the Spirit that accompanies
them*.
Have you been foolish and disobedient? you are
called to turn to the wisdom of the just; and there is
pardoning mercy revealed to encourage you to turn to the
Lord†, there is converting power in the words of wis-
dom‡. Your situation is bad, but not desperate ||.
Hear the words that are spoken to you, and let them
sink into your souls; consider the excellencies of the
words, and of the speaker of them.
Ver. 6. Hear, for I will speak of excellent things;
and the opening of my lips shall be right things.
Where the words of a king are, there is power.
The words of wisdom are the princely words of the
eternal King. As the sun and moon, these works of
God's hands, are more excellent than a machine or
clock made by some curious artist, so is the word of
God more excellent than the sayings of the wisest and
greatest of men. The same divine excellency which
appears to reason's eye in the works of God, appears to .
the eye of faith in the word of God. In the words
of the wisest philosophers and most eloquent orators,
there are some good and some bad things. There is dross
mingled with their silver; but all the words of wisdom
are right words, they are like silver seven times puri-
fied. They are spoken in perfect righteousness and
faithfulness.
Ver. 7. For my mouth shall speak truth, and wickedness
is an abomination to my lips.
Why do we not all believe the words of Christ?
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but one jot or tittle.
shall not pass from his word. Let us never again be
so impious as to suspect the faithfulness of his pro-
* Isa. xlviii. 17. Prov. i. 23. Psal. cxix. 130.
† Isa. lv. 7. ‡ Psal. xix. 7. || Ezek. xxxiii. 11.
144 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. VIII.
mises, or the sincerity of his invitations, or the truth of
his precious doctrines. We believe the word of an ho-
nest man; but Christ is the Amen, the faithful and true
Witness. All lying is wickedness in his esteem, and is
abhorred by his heart. If we believe the word of a man
who will not lie, shall we disbelieve the word of him
that cannot lie, nor suffer liars to stand in his pre-
sence?
We attend with diligence to the words of a man
famous for wisdom and integrity; but all the words of
Christ are the words of wisdom itself, and the things
spoken are uprightness, even words of truth.
Ver. 8. All the words of my mouth are in righteous-
ness, there is nothing froward or perverse in them.
One of the characters which our Lord takes is, "I
that speak in righteousness." Eternal righteousness
in our Lord Jesus Christ, and shines in all his adminis-
trations and in all his words. God has given us in
his word a representation of the righteousness of his
own nature and will, and framed it as a rule of righ-
teousness to us. Those are froward and perverse who
walk in ways not authorized by this rule*; and by the
degree of our conformity to it, are our improvements
in righteousness and true holiness to be estimated.
There is righteousness in the promises and doctrines,
as well as in the commands of it. God's words of
grace are spoken by him in his holiness, and are
therefore to be received with an unshaken confidence†.
Hath God promised us eternal life, and called us by his
word to depend on his Son for salvation?—We may
safely venture our souls upon the faithful word of
Jehovah. To doubt whether these addresses to us
are sincere or not, is to suspect that there is something
crooked or perverse in the faithful sayings of God.
* Psal. cxxv. 5. † Psal. lx. 7.
CHAP. VIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 145
But is it possible for us to understand the words of
wisdom? Yes.
Ver. 9. They are all plain to him that understandeth,
and right to them that find knowledge.
The words of wisdom are a great depth. In them
are mysteries which cannot be fully comprehended;
for we find that the all-wise God has laid up in every
part of Scripture, stores of wisdom too deep for mor-
tal minds to fathom. There are some passages of
Scripture, especially in that part of it which was writ-
ten after the time of Solomon, in which are things
hard to be understood; and yet all the words of wis-
dom are here said to be plain to him that understand-
eth. The meaning is, that every thing necessary for
faith and practice is clearly revealed in the Bible by
the great Author of it, who meant not to insult our
ignorance, but to instruct our minds, by that sacred
book. When we are wailed with difficulties, we
ought not to quarrel with the Bible, but to ascribe it
to our own stupidity or sloth. If, after the due use
of means, some parts of Scripture still continue dark
to us let us bless God that the needful doctrines con-
tained in them are in other passages taught with suffi-
cient plainness.
But if these words are plain only to him that under-
standeth, of what service can it prove for simple* and
foolish persons to attend to them? Fools are called
not only to hear, but to receive wisdom from our
great Teacher, for none teaches like him. Socrates
confessed that he could not make any man wise who
was not furnished by nature with talents for acquiring
wisdom, more than his mother Phoenareta could de-
liver a woman who was not pregnant. But the en-
* Ver. 3.
146 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. VIII.
trance of God's word gives understanding to the sim-
ple, and the Spirit of Christ makes them wise unto
salvation, who were born like the wild ass's colt.
The words of God meet with reproach and banter
from some, who would found a reputation for wit
upon wickedness; but wisdom will be justified of
her children, and her words will be esteemed to be
right concerning all things by them that find know-
ledge.
What improvement should we make of these com-
mendations given to the words of wisdom? We ought
to receive them with superlative esteem.
Ver. 10, 11. Receive my instructions, and not silver;
and knowledge, rather than choice gold. For wisdom is
better than rubies, and all the things that may be desired
are not to be compared to it*.
We profess to prefer wisdom in our judgment to the
most valued things upon earth; but we are hypocrites,
if there is not a consistency between our profession and
our practice. If wisdom is better than silver, we must
receive it rather than silver; and if it were put to our
choice whether to be rich or holy, we ought not for a
moment to hesitate in deciding,
It is actually put to our choice, whether we will seek
first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, or the
delights of sense, and the riches that shine to the eye
of flesh†. If we are resolved at any rate to be rich; if
we value the means of enriching ourselves with gold
above the means of grace; if we grudge the necessary
expence that may attend the means of religious instruc-
tion; then we receive gold, and not wisdom. The
truly wise have some degree of Paul's spirit in them,
and are taught by God to count every thing loss and
* See Chap. iii. 14, 15. † Deut. xxx. 15, 19.
CHAP. VIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 147
dung for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ
Jesus their Lord*.
Silver and gold are good things, under the direction
of wisdom†. But they must not be the chief object
of our esteem; for if any man love the world, the love
of the Father is not in him. Luther, having received
large presents from some princes of Saxony, protested
that he would not have them for his portion. If gold
or rubies are equal to wisdom in our judgment, we
have not the mind of Christ.
That we may be disposed heartily to prefer wisdom
to every thing that our eyes have seen, or our fancies
have imagined, let us hear and believe what more can
be said on wisdom's behalf.
Ver. 12. I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out
knowledge of witty inventions.
For a man to search out his own glory, is no glory;
but for the Son of God, to discover his own glory to us,
is one of the innumerable instances of his condescend-
ing grace. Had he not manifested his own glory to us,
we should, to our loss, have remained for ever ignorant
of it.
Prudence is the companion of wisdom, and infinite
prudence was from eternity familiar to the personal
Wisdom of God, who abounded toward us in all pru-
dence, in the contrivance of that glorious plan by
which the wisdom of God is raised to the highest pitch
in the salvation of men. For the Word was with God,
and was a sharer in the glory of his eternal purpose of
grace. Consummate prudence and divine invention
shine with illustrious splendour in the whole adminis-
tration of our Lord Jesus Christ, and out of his trea-
sures we receive all that prudence and skill that is ne-
* Phil. iii. 8. † Ezek. vii. 11.
148 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. VIII.
cessary for us, whilst sojourning in a world full of
enemies and snares.
Who would not rather go for water to a fountain
that ever flows, than to a brook that often disappoints
the thirsty traveller? The Son of God has the foun-
tain of life with him, and in his light shall we see
light.
Perfect purity is another excellency of our divine
Teacher, and his instructions have a sanctifying effect
upon us.
Ver. 13. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Pride
and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward tongue,
do I hate.
Some men refrain from evil actions through fear of
shame or punishment; but true wisdom teaches men
not only to refrain from evil, but to hate it, through
the fear of God. Then we are possessed of this gra-
cious principle, when we abhor not only evil actions
but evil words and dispositions. Pride and arrogancy
of spirit, wickedness in the course of the conversa-
tion, or frowardness in spirit, are equally abhorred by
our Lord; and such as have received his instructions
into their hearts, cannot love that which is declared
in every part of his word to be utterly offensive to
him*.
Were any thing deserving the name of wisdom to
be found any where else, we might with less damage
despise the word of exhortation; but Christ claims it
as his peculiar excellency--
Ver. 14. Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am
understanding, I have strength.
Bildad had referred Job to the wise men that lived
in the days of old, as the oracles of wisdom, for deter-
* Chap. vi. 17-19.
CHAP. VIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 149
mining the disputes between Job and his friends.
Job acknowledged that the ancients had some degree
of wisdom, but would not implicitly submit his un-
derstanding to their maxims, because there was no
comparison in this respect between the wisest sages
and the Ancient of days*. What is the wisdom of
philosophers, who frequently became vain in their rea-
sonings, and spoiled men by their philosophy and vain
deceit, to the wisdom of the Eternal Word ? But why
should we speak of wise men, when the angels are
charged with folly ?
There is no sound wisdom but in Christ, or from him,
who is the Fountain of human reason, and the Author of
that wisdom which has procured so high a reputation
to some that were ignorant of the name of Christ.
Whether these great men made their celebrated disco-
veries by the mere force of their own genius or by the
help of tradition, it is plain that their light was but a
beam from that true light that lighteth every man that
cometh into the world†. Counsel is his, for he is the
wonderful Counsellor, between whom and his eternal
Father the council of peace was formed, and who by
his counsel conducts us in the right way to happiness,
The very quintessence of wisdom is his. He is under-
standing itself, and his eyes penetrate to the bottom of
the deepest mysteries. Blessed be God that such a
person is made to us wisdom!
Wisdom is better than strength, and yet wisdom
needs strength to execute its plans. The eternal wis-
dom of God is joined with omnipotence. The eternal
Word is the Almighty, by whom all things were made,
and all the purposes of grace effected. He gives cou-
rage and power to all that learn wisdom from him, so
* Job xii. 12, 13, 16. † John i. 9.
150 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. VIII.
that a man of understanding increaseth strength.
Where counsel to contrive and wisdom to propose the
noblest end, understanding to discern the true nature
and tendencies of things, and strength to execute, con-
cur, there can be nothing wanting.
The wisdom and power of kings, and of those
that have power delegated from kings, is derived from
him.
Ver. 15, 16. By me kings reign, and princes decree
justice. By me princes rule, and, nobles, even all the
judges of the earth.
Eternal wisdom has devised magistracy, and deter-
mined the persons to be entrusted with it. From the
same source is derived all the majesty, and wisdom,
and righteousness which ever appeared in the world,
to adorn the thrones of princes. When David govern-
ed the people of God according to the good skill of his
hands and the integrity of his heart,—when Solomon
governed the same nation with wisdom and righ-
teousness, they were indebted for all their noble qua-
lifications to that Word of God, by whom all crea-
tures were formed, and from whom all light is de-
rived*.
When magistrates of inferior rank distinguish them-
selves by their wise and righteous administration, they
owe their glory and usefulness to the same fountain of
wisdom†.
Those princes that are strangers to the name of
Christ are the ministers of his providence, and are
furnished from his treasures with every ornamental
and useful qualification which they may possess. If
we admire the courage and fortune, the generosity
and wisdom of Cyrus king of Persia, we ought to give
* John i. 3, 9. † Isa. xxii. 24. Prov. xxi. 1.
CHAP. VIII] BOOK OF PROVERBS 151
glory to the King of Israel, by whom that heathen
prince was guided *.
The histories of every nation, through the light of
this text, may lead us to contemplate the excellency
of the Son of God, from whom every good gift comes.
All the wisdom in the world must be ascribed to him,
but none of that folly which always attends wisdom
in men. His treasures of wisdom are not diminished
in the least degree. Let the simple ones apply to
him with faith and importunity, and they shall be
made wise unto holiness and salvation, for says Wis-
dom—
Ver. 17. I love them that love me, and they that seek
me early shall find me.
All of us profess to love wisdom, but few justify
this profession. We do not truly love that person
whose friendship we do not seek to share, and whose
company we do not desire to enjoy. We do not love
Christ if we do not seek him with our hearts, and with
all earnestness of spirit desire fellowship with him in
his wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and
redemption.
They that seek him are accounted by him lovers of
his name, and this love to him is a proof that they are
loved by him. He loved them before they loved him.
His good-will disposed their hearts to love him, and
he takes pleasure in that love which was kindled by
himself; and will not disappoint those ardent desires
which were excited by his Spirit. He has been found
of them that sought him not, and will he hide himself
from them that seek him ?
Young persons have good encouragement from this
Scripture to seek wisdom. Christ was kind to those
young children that were brought to be blessed by
* Isa. xlvi.
152 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. VIII.
him. He loved a young man who came to ask him
what he should do to inherit eternal life, although he
neither asked a right question, nor shewed a proper
regard to Christ's answer. It is mentioned as the ho-
nour of Josiah king of Judah, that when he was
young, he sought the God of his fathers. The word
translated seek early may be rendered seek earnestly
or diligently*.
All the true lovers and seekers of Christ shall find
him, and find inexpressible happiness in him†. They
are sharers in his fulness, and he opens all his trea-
sures to them.
Ver. 18, 19. Riches and honour are with me, yea, du-
rable riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than
gold, yea, than fine gold, and my revenue than choice
silver.
On whom do the kings of this world bestow their
gifts? On their own friends, or on strangers and
enemies? On their friends, no doubt, unless they
are restrained by an interested policy. No motives of
that kind can direct the managements of the eternal
King. The silver is his, and the gold is his; and he
would give silver and gold to all that love him, if he
did not see it better for the greater part of them to
want these perishing riches. It is not for want of
riches and honours to bestow. It is not for want of
love to his people, that he does not bestow on every
one of them crowns of gold, and mines of precious
metals. The riches of Christ are incomparably more
valuable than gold and silver. His justifying righ-
teousness, which is upon all them that believe, enriches
them for ever, though formerly they were indebted
millions of talents, and unable to pay one farthing to
* Chap. vii. † John xiv. 21, 22.
CHAP. VIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 153
the justice of God. The grace of the Spirit enriches
them above what the finest gold or the choicest silver
could ever do. These shining metals glitter in the
eye, but they cannot shed joy or contentment in the
heart. The only use that riches can answer, is to
help us to be content; but even here riches can do
little, whilst godliness does all, and is justly esteemed
great gain*.
How wisdom enriches men, we are more dearly told
in the next verse.
Ver. 20, 21. I lead in the way of righteousness, in
the midst of the paths of judgment; that I may cause
those that love me to inherit substance, and I will fill all
their treasures.
Great was the favour bestowed by God on the chil-
dren of Israel, when he conducted them through the
wilderness to the land of promise by a pillar of cloud
and fire. Had he left them to their own conduct,
they must have lost themselves, and perished in that
land of deserts, of pits and serpents, of drought and
of the shadow of death. Nor could we find the way
to the celestial city without the Captain of salvation,
who is given by God to be a Leader to the people.
He leads us in the paths of righteousness for his own
name's sake, and in the midst of the paths of judg-
ment, keeping us from every dangerous mistake, and
preserving us from the snares which on each side of
our way are spread for our feet.
Our great Teacher leads us in this way, to enrich us
with the most precious substance. The followers of
Christ shall be no losers by him. They shall not in-
herit the wind, nor possess for their portion those un-
substantial things, of which it is said—they are not†,
because they are not the true riches; but they shall pos-
* Tim. vi. 6. † Prov. xxiii. 5.
154 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. VIII.
sess, by the right and tenure of the children of God, that
which is durable and solid riches. The fashion of this
world passeth away, but he that doth the will of God a-
bideth for ever, and shall be for ever rich, for all his trea-
sures are filled by the wisdom of God. In this world
he receives every needful supply, and can say in truth
that all things are his*. In the eternal world every
craving shall be fully satisfied, and no uneasy desires
shall remain.
Blessed are the lovers of wisdom, though the world
may account them poor. Have they no silver or gold?
The apostles for the most part bad none, and yet they
made many rich. The angels have none, and desire
to have it as little as we desire to have our treasures
filled with gravel. Saints are like angels, rich in hea-
venly treasure; and whilst God is rich, they shall not
be poor. Here is a short way of becoming rich, and
here covetousness is a virtue.
These blessed treasures of righteousness and glory
were designed for the possessors of them before the
foundation of the world, and God entered into a co-
venant of grace with his own eternal Son to provide
them; for Christ existed from eternity, and before all
worlds he was appointed to be the Author of our sal-
vation, and rejoiced with his Father in the prospect
of it.
Ver. 22. The Lord possessed me in the beginning of
his way, before his works of old.
The Son of God was begotten by the Father before
all worlds†; and if we may speak it with reverence, it
was the unspeakable blessedness of the most holy God,
that he possessed a Son the same in essence with him-
self, and the brightness of his glory, by whom he de-
signed to make and govern the world, and to shew the
* 1 Cor. iii. 22. † Compare Gen. iv. 1. Heb.
CHAP. VIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 155
glory of wisdom in repairing the ruins of it. When
the eternal decrees of God were framed in his infinite
mind, before any of his creatures were made, the Word
was with God, even in the bosom of the Father, and
the purpose of God was purposed in him*.
Ver. 23. I was set up from everlasting, from the be-
ginning, or ever the earth was.
It was a profane question which a philosopher once
asked at a Christian, What God was doing before he
made the world? But we have here a serious and de-
lightful answer to it. The Son of God was ordained
before the foundation of the world to be the Author
of wisdom and salvation to us, and he accounted it his
glory to be the foundation of the counsel of God about
the administration of grace. The eternal power and
Godhead of Christ, are enlarged upon by himself at
great length in the following verses.
Ver. 24, 25. When there were no depths I was brought
forth, when there were no fountains abounding with water.
Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I
brought forth.
The antiquity of his existence, of his generation by
the Father, and his appointment to be our Redeemer,
are expressed in the same language in which the un-
beginning duration of the Godhead is described†.
Ver. 26. While as yet he had not made the earth, nor
the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.
The Wisdom of the Father was in the beginning,
but had no beginning to his own existence. The Fa-
ther himself did not exist before the only-begotten Son,
and he that spread abroad the earth by himself, without
the assistance of other beings, or the agency of instru-
ments, did not create the world without the everlast-
ing Word.
* Eph. iii. 11. † Psal. xc. 2.
156 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. VIII.
Ver. 27. When he prepared the heavens I was there,
when he set a compass upon the face of the deep.
Fashioning the great mass of earth and water by a
divine architecture, into the most regular form.
Ver. 28, 29. When he established the clouds above,
when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: When
he gave to the sea his decree that the waters should not
pass his commandment, when he appointed the founda-
tions of the earth. Then was I by him.
The power and wisdom of God appeared in the
order and stability which he gave to the various crea-
tures, as well as in the formation of them. He sepa-
rated the waters below from the waters above the fir-
mament, and fixed both in their respective places.
He confined the waters of the sea within their proper
channels, and appointed foundations to the earth, that
it might not be removed.
It is our duty to consider the works of God with
attention, and to contemplate them in their different
parts, which make one beautiful whole; and every
one of these parts is fitted to excite our veneration for
the great Author of nature,—the three-one God.
When we survey the earth and the waters, the
mountains and the valleys, and consider that they had
a beginning, we are led by the Scripture to adore the
Word which was with God, and was God, when these
creatures that make so good a figure in our eyes were
nothing.
When we consider the wisdom and power that
shine with amazing lustre in the fabric of the world,
let us raise our thoughts to the Son of God, by whom
God made the world, and by whom he has now re-
covered it from the ruins that were the fruits of our
sin.
If we reverence the wisdom of the aged, what re-
CHAP. VIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 157
verence is due to the unbeginning Word, who conde-
scends to reveal to us the Father, and to disclose the
secrets of his wisdom!
When we behold the immense repository of waters,
and the spacious earth, when we lift up our eyes to the
lofty mountains, and to the immeasureable circuit of
the heavens, can we forbear saying, What is man, that
he who is before all these things, and by whom they
all consist, should regard him with such astonishing
favour! and how ungrateful must we be, if we turn
a deaf ear to the merciful instructions of our Divine
Teacher!
But let us admire, with increasing wonder, the glory
and grace of Him who speaks to us from heaven, when
we hear him declaring his infinite happiness in the
bosom of his Father.
Ver. 30. Then I was by him, as one brought up with
him; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always be-
fore him.
The blessedness of rational creatures lies in their
fellowship with God. Those are blessed whom God
makes to approach to himself; and the nearer the ap-
proach, the greater the blessedness. But there is in-
finite blessedness in the Godhead itself, and in that
divine and incomprehensible fellowship which the Son
of God enjoyed from eternity, whilst he was in the
Father's bosom, as his only-begotten Son. The Fa-
ther was in the Son, and the Son in the Father, and
both in the Spirit, and the Spirit in both, and they
were infinitely blessed in one another. These things
are so mysterious to us, that it is safer to adore and
wonder, than to speak. But one thing we cannot
overlook, that when we consider the infinite happi-
ness of the Son of God, in his oneness of nature with
the Father, and in that infinite nearness of person to
him, which must be inferred from the unity of essence,
158 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. VIII.
and mutual relation of the persons, we must be a-
mazed to think that he bestowed a thought upon
men,—upon creatures whose apostacy and wickedness
were foreknown by him. Before the world began,
he thought upon men with compassion, and rejoiced
in the purposes of his love concerning them. Then,
(says he,) was I by him,
Ver. 31. Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth;
and my delights were with the sons of men.
It was infinite goodness to rejoice in the prospect of
those holy angels, whose dwelling was assigned them
in heaven, beside the throne of God. But he delighted
in the prospect of that grace and salvation that was de-
signed for lost men, through the sufferings to be en-
dured in that human nature which was pre-ordained
for him.
Did our Lord Jesus think upon us with compassion
and love, before the foundation of the world? Let
our thoughts be often employed in contemplating that
amazing goodness, and in tracing up redemption and
the blessings of salvation, to the fountain whence they
proceed. Shall we, from day to day, put off the
thoughts of Christ, and defer that regard and obedi-
ence which is so entirely his due, when he thought on
us with pity, before we or the world in which we dwell
had a being?
Ver. 32. Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye chil-
dren: for blessed are they that keep my ways.
We must not give unto him the hearing of the
ear only, but the hearing of faith and obedience also.
The blessing is upon those that are not forgetful hear-
ers, but observers of his word. We are under infinite
obligations, from the greatness and the eternal grace
of Christ, to hearken unto him; and our duty and in-
terest are here the same. Our observation of his ways
is not the foundation or cause of our blessedness, for
CHAP. VIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 159
that was designed for us before we could do good or
evil, and our holy dispositions are not the cause, but
the effect of the purpose of grace in Christ Jesus*;
yet because they are the effect, they are also a proof
of our happy interest in it.
Are they blessed that keep the way of wisdom ?
Then,
Ver. 33. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it
not.
If we hear instruction with faith and reverence, we
shall be wise. If we refuse it, we are fools, and must
continue to be so. Christ is the only author of wis-
dom, and it is by the hearing of faith that he conveys
it. The word is the good seed, and if it be not sown,
how can we expect a harvest? But it is not enough
that the seed is sown. Should it be presently picked
up, or should no fruit be brought forth to perfection,
the sowing of it will be of no avail. We are required,
not only to hear instruction, but to hold it fast in our
hearts and practice; and the man that does so, is truly
wise, and receives blessing from God†.
Ver. 34. Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching
daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.
Those who desire favours from the great, attend
their levees day by day, and think themselves happy
if they can at length obtain a favourable answer to
their suit. With how much greater reason do we
wait at the posts of Wisdom's doors, in expectation of
blessings the most necessary and important!
Happy were Solomon's servants, in the opinion of
the queen of Sheba, because they enjoyed the privi-
lege of daily hearing that celebrated prince. We are
happy, if we knew our own happiness, who are admit-
ted to hear the instructions of Him who is Wisdom it-
* 2 Tim. i. 9. Eph. i. 4. † Matt. xiii. 1-20. James i. 23. &c.
160 EXPOSITIONS OF THE [CHAP. VIII.
self, His palace is erected amongst us, and it is a
greater happiness to stand at the door of it, than to
dwell in the tents of wickedness. David desired one
thing, and what was it? Not that he might enjoy a
long and undisturbed possession of his throne, but
that he might dwell in the house of the Lord all the
days of his life, and enjoy the blessed views and dis-
coveries afforded in the sanctuary.
If we have long attended the instructions of Christ,
and found little advantage from them, we must not
say with the unbelieving prince, Why should I wait
for the Lord any longer? The God of mercy waits to
be gracious to us, and we ought to wait for him, at-
tending those ordinances where he is pleased to dis-
play his glory and love, with unwearied diligence,
earnest desire, and lively hope. The man that waited
thirty-eight years at the pool of Siloam, was well re-
warded at last, when he received vigour to his body.
But they enjoy greater happiness, who wait for God
in his appointed way. Christ is found of those that
seek him, for to whom did he ever say, Seek ye me in
vain? And blessed are they that find him,
Ver. 35. For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall
obtain favour of the Lord.
He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not
the Son of God hath not life. The first man, Adam,
was made a living soul, but by sin he died, and we all
sinned and died in him, and must have continued for
ever in a state of death, had not another Adam appeared
who was made a quickening Spirit; and whosoever
believeth in him shall not die, but have everlasting
life. Even in this land of darkness and death, believ-
ers enjoy a true and happy lift, for they are delivered
from condemnation, and entitled to the heavenly life.
They are made free from that principle of corruption,
which is called the law of sin and death, and made
CHAP. VIII] BOOK OF PROVERBS 161
alive unto God and holiness. They enjoy that which is
better than life,—the loving-kindness of the Lord; for
through Jesus, the Father looks upon them with a
pleasant countenance. The smiles of God make
heaven, and they that obtain favour of the Lord have
a heaven upon earth.
But miserable are the despisers of the wisdom and
grace of Christ.
Ver. 36. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his
own soul: all they that hate me love death.
They that despise Christ's, gospel, or reject his sal-
vation, are sinners against him who is the Supreme
Wisdom, and the fountain of happiness to men. They
are haters of Him who is love itself. Such ungrateful
rebels are as great enemies to themselves as to Christ.
They murder their immortal souls; they love those
sins which are death and damnation in disguise.
Sinners against Christ shall receive a reward of ven-
geance suited to the blackness of their guilt, and shall,
through eternity, have no room to complain of their
Judge. Death and life were set before them, and they
chose death, and shall for ever eat of the fruit of their
own choice. Consider these things, O unbelievers!
If ye will not now consider them, in the latter days ye
shall perfectly consider them.
162 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. IX.
CHAPTER IX.
The happiness of the followers of Christ is not en-
tirely reserved to another world. Even in this life
they are admitted to a feast of fat things.
Ver. 1. Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn
out her seven pillars.
The church of Christ is a house, wherein he dwells
and takes pleasure*. It must be a glorious edifice, for
wisdom is the builder of it†. It is a strong and dura-
ble building, for it has many pillars, hewed out, not by,
the wisest of kings, but by the wisdom of God. Here
there is abundance of soul-nourishing provision; for,
Ver. 2. She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled
her wine; she hath also furnished her table.
We shall surely be satisfied with the fatness of
God's house, with that flesh which is given for the life
of the world, and with that spiced wine which is the
blood of the New Testament. Does Christ give us
his own flesh and blood, to nourish and refresh our
souls? what grace, what comfort, what privilege, will
he withhold? He is most willing to communicate this
provision to us.
Ver. 3. She hath sent forth her maidens; she crieth
upon the highest places of the city.
The servants of Christ are called maidens, because
Christ himself is spoken of under the character of Wis-
dom, which in the Hebrew language is of the feminine
* Psa. cxxxii. 13. † Matt. xvi. 18.
CHAP. IX] BOOK OF PROVERBS 163
gender. The followers of the Lamb are called virgins,
to denote their purity*. Ministers also must be pure
in their doctrine and behaviour. The voice of these
maidens, is the voice of that wisdom which sends them.
It is she that gives the invitation by their mouth; and
she does it in the most public and audible manner,
crying with a voice like that of a herald from the highest
places of the city. But who are invited to this feast?
Ver. 4, 5. Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither;
as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,
Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I
have mingled.
The simple and unwise are welcomed to this feast.
They are called not only by the servants, but by the
master of the feast, to partake of these precious pro-
visions. The poor, the maimed, the lame, and the
blind,--they that have no money, and they that have
spent all their substance for things that do not profit,
are graciously invited to come, and eat and drink abun-
dantly, by receiving Christ and his salvation, as they
are freely offered in the gospel†.
But we cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and
the table of devils. When we come to Jesus by faith,
and partake of his precious blessings, we must forsake
the society and the course of the foolish.
Ver. 6. Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the
way of understanding.
The companions of fools shall remain for ever in the
congregation of the dead. But in the way of understand-
ing there is life, and no death. Do we abhor death,
and love life? Then, if we believe the words of Christ;
we will forsake the foolish, and go in the path of un-
derstanding‡.
* Rev. xiv. † Luke xiv. Isa. lv. 1-4.
‡ Prov. xiii. 14. John vii. 51.
164 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. IX.
But may we not associate with the foolish, in order
to reclaim them. There are two sorts of foolish per-
sons. Some have naturally a pliable and modest dis-
position; though destitute of the grace of God, or
though conversant in the ways of sin, they are not yet
hardened in sin by long practice. There may be some
hope of making good impressions on the minds of such
persons as these. But there are others who are stub-
born and determined sinners. To them, in ordinary
cases, there is no hope of doing any good.
Ver. 7, 8. He that reproved a scorner getteth to him-
self shame; and he that rebuked a wicked man getteth
himself a blot. Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee—
If we reprove the profligate sinners that mock at
every thing sacred, we are not likely to benefit them,
but to procure hurt to ourselves.
Such men, when we have irritated them by our
admonitions, will pry into our characters with all the
keenness of malice and revenge. Few characters can
stand the scrutiny of a malicious eye; so that instead of
serving them, we shall be in danger of losing much of
our usefulness to others, by making them our enemies*.
Yet reproofs are like pearls when they are adminis-
tered with the meekness of wisdom, and met with an
obedient ear†.
Ver. 8, 9.—Rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser;
teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
There is scarcely a man so wise and holy as not to
need instruction and reproof. The difference between
wise men and fools lies not in this, that the former are
above reproofs, but that they know their need of them,
and are disposed to receive them with meekness, and
to improve by them, and to love and thank their re-
* Matt. vii. 6. † Psal. cxli. 5.
CHAP. IX.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 165
provers*. The wise and the just man are the same in
the view of this wisest of men, for this is a fundamen-
tal maxim in his writings-
Ver. 10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wis-
dom; and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
Solomon knew how to appreciate that wisdom which
directs men in the prudent management of their own
concerns, and in the wise administration of public
affairs; but he rightly judged that religion is the true
wisdom, and that, compared with it, all other kinds are
vanity and folly. He examined with the eye of the
prince of philosophers the objects of nature; but the
knowledge of the most holy God, one in essence, but
subsisting in three persons, was in his estimation true
understanding. This kind of knowledge excels the
other as much as the light of the sun the glimmer of
a glow-worm. He that knows God in truth, is pos-
sessed of a never-ending life†.
Ver. 11. For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and
the years of thy life shall be increased.
It is not for God's benefit, but for ours, that he invites
us to receive wisdom‡.
Ver. 12. If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself;
but it thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it.
God can receive no additions of blessedness by our
wisdom, though he delights in it. He cannot lose his
glory by our contempt of his gospel and laws ||. The
ministers of wisdom will rejoice in our compliance with
their calls, but the profit or the loss of our behaviour
under a dispensation of the gospel, must be felt by our-
selves§. Life and death are set before us. May God
grant us a disposition to chase life.
* Psal. cxli. 5. † John xvii. 3. Phil. iii. 8.
‡ Prov. iii. 2. Job xxxv. 6. || Ezek. xxxiii. 11. Rom. ix. 22.
§ Isa. xlix. 4.
166 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. IX
Another offer is made us of entertainment, but alas
of how different a kind! It is made by the harlot,
against whom we need to be often warned.
Ver. 13. A foolish woman is clamorous; she is simple,
and knoweth nothing.
She is foolish, ignorant, and stupid to the last de-
gree, for she buys a moment of empty delight at the
expense of everlasting burnings. She is impudent and
clamorous. The damned in hell are afraid that their
companions should come to their place of torments.
But this shameless creature earnestly calls others to
share with her in those pleasures which are followed
by everlasting sorrows.
Ver. 14, 15. For she sitteth at the door of her house,
on a seat in the high place of the city, to call passengers
who go right on their ways.
They are evil times, when tempters to sin are per-
mitted to hunt so avowedly for prey. Let well-mean-
ing persons, in such a time, watch and pray against
temptation. These are the persons whom the foolish
woman solicits, and too often with success.
Ver. 16, 17. Whom is simple, let him turn in hither:
and as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to
him, Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret
is pleasant.
They are surely stupid, who believe that there is
any pleasure in those things that are forbidden by God,
and afraid to appear in open day. Yet such is the
corruption of the hearts of men, that they relish doc-
trines so contrary to reason, as well as to Scripture.
We are naturally prone to things forbidden, and till
our souls are renewed by the grace of God, can taste
an unaccountable sweetness in that which is poison to
the soul. But when we are restored to a sound mind,
those delights only will be relished, which consist with
CHAP. IX.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 167
a pure conscience, and the dignity of a rational and
immortal soul.
It is through blindness and inconsideration that any
man is entangled in the snares of the foolish woman
Ver. 18. But he knoweth not that the dead are there;
and that her guests are in the depths of hell.
We are naturally starving creatures, and cannot
find happiness within ourselves. As every man must
have food to satisfy the natural cravings of hunger, so
every soul must have some gratification to its desires of
happiness. Wisdom and folly do each spread a feast
for men. The question is, Whose guests shall we be?
And did we possess any wisdom, or any true and well-
directed self-love, it might be easily decided. The en-
tertainments of wisdom, are soul-quickening provision.
They that hear her calls, shall eat that which is good,
and their souls shall live for ever. The guests of wisdom
are in the heights of heaven. They feast on the hid-
den manna, and on the fruits of the tree of life. The
provisions of the foolish woman are a deadly, though
perhaps a slow poison. Her guests have their portion
with the wicked giants, who brought on the world a
universal deluge, and with the inhabitants of Sodom
and Gomorrah, who are set forth for an example, suf-
fering the vengeance of eternal fire. Let us consider
where Joseph now is, and what blessings are come
upon the crown of the head of him, who so bravely
resisted temptations the most alluring, and the most
threatening. Let us, on the other hand, remember
Sodom and Gomorrah, and chuse our portion with the
one or the other. Be astonished, O heavens! that men
should be so cruel to their own souls, as to deliberate
a moment in so clear a case. To-day let us hear the
voice of wisdom.
168 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. X.
CHAPTER X.
Salvation is by grace through faith; and this
faith works by love, producing universal obedience
to the law of our Creator and Redeemer. This
law is summarily comprehended in the ten command-
ments, and published with more particularity in this
divinely inspired body of Christian morality. Let us
study it with attention, and pray that the Spirit of
Jesus may enable us to understand and practise it.
Ver. 1. The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh
a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his
mother.
The first nine chapters are a prefatory address. Now
begin the proverbs, (or masterly sayings,) properly so
called. Weighty sayings deserve and gain regard.
But how shall we sufficiently esteem the proverbs left
us by Solomon, which is almost another name for wis-
dom itself! By this inspired philosopher, Divine Wis-
dom speaks to every generation.
Were the first of these proverbs to have its due in-
fluence on mankind, the world would be greatly re-
formed and blessed by its efficacy. A great part of
our race are parents,—all mankind are, or have been
children; and by it both parents and children are di-
rected. Parents are instructed to use all possible means
to make their children wise. But how shall they effect
this? Is it not the prerogative of God to give wisdom?
No doubt. But he makes use of proper and appointed
means for this purpose. Would you then derive com-
CHAP. X.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 169
fort from your children? Instruct, reprove, exhort
them, pray for them, recommend religion to them by
your example; for thus saith the Author of wisdom,
"Train up a child in the way wherein he should go,
and when he is old he will not depart from it." But if
in some rare instance he should, your souls will not on
that account be stung with self-accusations.
Remember, ye that are children, how greatly you
are indebted to your parents, and how much their
comfort is bound up in you. Be wise, seek useful
knowledge, and search for it as for hid treasure. Walk
in the fear of the Lord. Let prudence and discretion,
(such as Solomon teaches,) appear in every part of
your conduct; so shall your father and mother greatly
rejoice, and bless the Lord on your account. But if
you are foolish and unruly, you grieve their spirits,
and wound the souls that love you with the dearest
affection. Consider that your mothers bore you with
sorrow. Why should your lives also be a continual
source of pain to their tender hearts! or why should
the anxieties of your fathers on your behalf, be re-
warded with the cutting view of your ungodly lives!
"A wise-son maketh a glad father, but a foolish man de-
spiseth his mother *." Though he should in no other
way express his contempt for her, his foolish behaviour
is a plain proof that he values not her happiness.
Ver. 2. Treasures of wickedness profit nothing--
Ill-gotten riches are called treasures of wickedness.
It is an opinion generally held by men, that riches, in
whatever way procured, will do them great service.
If, therefore, they cannot come at the possession of them
by honest means, they will scrape them together by any
means in their power. But here the Spirit of God tells
* Chap. xv. 20.
170 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. X.
us, that if a man should heap up immense riches to
himself, they will profit him nothing. And how can
they? They are cursed to him. If a moth in his sub-
stance, and stings in his conscience, and the damna-
tion of hell, can bring any advantage to the robber and
extortioner, let them rejoice in their portion.
--But righteousness delivereth from death.
No righteousness but that which is by the faith of
Jesus Christ, delivers from eternal death. However,
he is a gross deceiver of his own soul, who pretends
to be clothed with it, while be continues to live un-
righteously.
By righteousness, we give to every one his due;
first to God, and next to men. This righteousness is a
preservative from death and misery of every kind.
How? Through the gracious protection of him that
keepeth the path of the righteous, as the wise man tells
us in the next words:
Ver. 3. The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righ-
teous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the
wicked.
But was it never known that the just man perished
by want? Are ravens always commissioned to feed
the people of God in times of famine? God has them
at his command, if he sees it proper to make use of
them; and when be pleases, he can administer to his
people's necessities as easily by miracle as by the use
of ordinary means. Let them, then, joyfully commit
the care of their bodies to his mercy. So long as his
infinite wisdom shall see their continuance in life meet
for them, their bread and their water shall be sure;
and though their bodies should in some rare instances
be pinched with hunger, he will nourish their souls
with bread which the world knows not of.
But the wicked are not so. Whilst the righteous are
sure of being satisfied in days of famine, they are near
CHAP. X.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 171
to ruin in their greatest abundance; for the Lord
casteth away that which they call their substance.
Many of them will take care not to spend it upon riot-
ous living, and harlots. None of them will part with
it, from motives of generosity and charity. But whilst
they grasp it fast with both hands, God will pull it
out from between their fingers, and toss it irrecover-
ably from them. Should they even be permitted to
hold it all their days, death, that terrible messenger,
shall at last drag them from it; nor shall their glory
descend after them to the grave, but that wickedness
by which they acquired it, shall lie down with them
in the dust, and torture their souls in hell.
You see from this verse, how it comes to pass, that
righteousness delivereth from death, and that treasures
of wickedness are so unprofitable. But let none from
these truths conclude, that honest labour is useless.
God takes care of his people, but he makes use of
their labours in the performance of his promise about
their provision, and whoever indulges himself in idle-
ness, may expect poverty as a matter of course; for,
Ver. 5. He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack
hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
Idleness was never designed for man. Adam in
paradise, was to dress the garden. Why should men
expect any good from slothfulness, since that doom
was pronounced, "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou
eat bread!" Show me a slothful man, and I will show
you a wicked, a poor, and a miserable man.
"But the hand of the diligent maketh rich." Riches
are dispensed by God at his pleasure, and he common-
ly gives them to the man employed in honest industry.
How then do we see some men laborious, and yet poor!
Perhaps they trust too much to their own labour.
Perhaps they are earth-worms, abhorred by God. Or
if they fear the Lord, and look to him for a blessing
172 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. X.
on the labour of their hands, he sees that riches are
not convenient for them. To prevent pride and vanity
from being increased in them by the wealth of the
world, he keeps them poor, designing to bestow upon
them the better and enduring substance. Would you
complain of one, who promised you one acre of ground,
and gave your instead of it an hundred in a better
soil?
But are not some indolent persons enriched by un-
expected means? No; at least their wealth is not
substantial nor enduring. It is worse than poverty.
Let us, therefore, be at once fervent in spirit and
diligent in business; and if we would deserve this cha-
racter, we must carefully improve the proper seasons
of profitable labour; for,
Ver. 5. He that gathereth in summer is a wise son:
but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.
Summer and harvest are the fit seasons for rearing
and gathering in the fruits of the field. He who im-
proves these and similar opportunities for honest gain,
does honour to himself, and to those who had the care
of his education. He who neglects them, is like one
who sleeps all the time he should be working. It
would be a shame for a man in health to spend all his
days in bed. The idle man might as well be there, for
any thing he does out of it. He brings disgrace to
himself, and to his father, who ought to have trained
him to habits of prudence and diligence.
Are prudence and diligence so commendable, when
employed about the bread that perisheth? How much
more necessary and profitable are they, when we are
called to labour in the strength of divine grace, for the
meat that endureth unto everlasting life! He that trifles
away the acceptable time and the day of salvation, is
a thousand times more distracted, then the man who
defers the reaping of his fields till the end of December.
CHAP. X.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 173
Riches are the ordinary fruit of labour, but the fruit
of righteousness shall be peace and every good thing;
for,
Ver. 6. Blessings are upon the head of the just; but
violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
The just man is not only commended by men, but
by God. He not only expects, but possesses bless-
ings. He is not only enriched, but crowned with
blessings coming down from the Father of lights. He
shall not be confounded, but his mouth is opened to
bless the Author of his blessings.
"But violence covereth the mouth of the wicked."
The covering of Haman’s face, was a badge of his con-
demnation. The violent man is condemned already,
and when the Judge of all shall return his violent deal-
ings upon his own head, his face shall be covered with
confusion, nor shall he be able to open his mouth in
extenuation of his crimes.
The happiness of the just and the misery of the
wicked is not confined to this life. The just man shall
not all die. His spirit is life because of righteousness;
his body shall sleep in Jesus; and,
Ver. 7. The memory of the just is blessed--
His name shall live when he is dead. The remem-
brance of him is dear to his friends, and honoured by
the wise. And what signifies an empty name? It
brings honour to God, and prolongs the influence of
his good example who has left it. His good works
not only follow him, but live behind him. As Jero-
boam made Israel to sin after he was dead, so the good
man helps to make others holy whilst he is lying in
the grave. Should it so happen that his character is
mistaken in the world, or should his name die out
among men, it shall yet be had in everlasting remem-
brance before God; for never shall those names be
174 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. X.
erased from the Lamb's book of life, which were writ-
ten in it from the foundation of the world.
—But the name of the wicked shall rot. It
shall either perish, or be covered with disgrace.
Have they performed great actions, or built stately
monuments to perpetuate their name? These may be
useful, indeed, to keep up and to recall their infamy to
recollection. The names of the Alexanders and Caesars
of the days of old, are honourable among bad judges
of character. Among the wise, leopards and other vo-
racious beasts are accounted no less deserving of glory
and fame*.
Ver. 8. The wise in heart will receive commandments;
but a prating fool shall fall.
All men desire to be accounted wise ; but who is
truly a wise man? Solomon being judge, the man is
wise who receives commandments. He will not ad-
mit of any lord to his conscience, but the Judge of all;
yet he hearkens to instruction from all who are autho-
rized or qualified to give it. He receives with meek-
ness the instructions of parents and teachers, and
yields a cheerful submission to lawful authority. He
is much readier to hear than to speak, and his feet
stand upon an even place.
—"But a prating fool shall fall." Loquacity
is a sure sign of vanity and folly. This kind of
fool, in his endless talk, speaks many vain and sinful
words, for which he must give an account ; many
proud and senseless words, which bring upon him con-
tempt; many rash, malicious, and provoking words,
which lay him open to hatred and mischief. Sooner
or later, his ungoverned tongue must fall upon him
with unsupportable weight, and hurl him to ruin.
* Dan. viii. 6, 7.
CHAP. X.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 175
Ver. 9. He that walketh uprightly walketh surely;
but he that perverteth his ways shall be known.
Men’s characters are discerned by their conversation.
The good man walketh uprightly, for he regulates his
steps by the unerring rule, and constantly endeavours
to follow it, unbiassed by interest or honour, persua-
sion, terror, or example. He abhors dissimulation in
his dealings either with God or men, but speaks as
he thinks, acts as he speaks, and makes the example
of Christ his constant pattern. This man walks surely,
or confidently. None of his steps shall slide. If he
should fall, he shall not be utterly cast down. If he
meets with enemies, and tribulations, he receives joy
from the testimony of his conscience; and the name of
the Lord is a strong tower, to which he runs and is
safe.
The dissembler walks in crooked paths. Like Ju-
das, who put on a cloak of charity to hide his covet-
ousness*, he conceals the selfish principles which re-
gulate his behaviour under the appearances of piety,
prudence, and other good qualities. But he cannot
hold the mantle so tight about him, as to conceal from
the wise observer his inward baseness. It will oc-
casionally be shuffled aside, it will at length drop off,
and he shall be known for what he is, abhorred by all
men, and punished with other hypocrites.
Ver. 10. He that winked with the eye causeth sorrow;
but a prating fool shall fall.
He that winketh with the eye, either in derision of
his neighbour, or to give a signal to his associate in
mischief, is the cause of sorrow to another, which shall
return upon himself; for he that does a bad thing to
others, in whatever way he does it, is doing a worse to
himself. Better to suffer an hundred wrongs, than to
* John xii.
176 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. X.
commit one. "And a prating fool shall fall." Such
a fool is often boasting that he is no dissembler, and
indeed he has no talent for dissembling and carrying
on his schemes by policy; but his plainness is no vir-
tue, nor shall it make atonement for the follies of his
mouth. The scorner, the plotter of mischief, and the
prating fool, shall be involved in equal misery.
Some ancient translations, particularly that of the
LXX. read the verse thus : "He that winketh with the
eye causeth sorrow; but he that reproveth causeth
safety."
In this contrast, winking with the eye is the gesture
of one that hides his eyes from his neighbour's fault,
because he is unwilling to risk his favour by adminis-
tering necessary reproof. Such a man is not a true
friend, for he suffers sin upon his brother, when he
might, by faithful admonition, have prevented it. And
he that does not prevent sin when it is in his power,
is the cause of grief, the sure consequence of sin; but
he who faithfully reproves, causes safety to his friend,
and shall, in the end, receive more thanks than he that
winked with the eye, and flattered with the mouth.
Ver. 11. The mouth of a righteous man is a well of
life; but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
Much is spoken by the wise man about the go-
vernment of the tongue, but not too much, for he that
learns effectually to bridle his tongue is a perfect man,
and able also to bridle the whole body.
The mouth of a righteous man utters words which
are refreshing to the mourners, as cold waters to a
thirsty soul. His wise and edifying conversations,
through the Divine blessing, promote the spiritual in-
terests of the hearers. Let our speech, therefore, be
always with grace, seasoned with salt.
The mouths of others are like a standing pool; no-
thing but insipid trash is to be found in them. They
CHAP. X.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 177
are too frequently like a poisoned fountain, tending to
corruption and death.
But the violence breathed from the mouths, or exe-
cuted by the hands of the wicked, shall bring upon
them condemnation, or stop their mouths with shame*.
Ver. 12. Hatred stirreth up strifes; but love covereth
all sins.
Hatred is so hateful a thing, that no man will ac-
knowledge it in himself; but by its fruits ye shall
know it. What else is it that induces men to provoke
their neighbours to wrath and contention, by expres-
sions of contempt, by base insinuations, by cutting re-
proaches, by opprobrious names, by recalling old faults
to remembrance, and raising up to view what seemed
buried in the grave of forgetfulness? Can the man
who indulges in such practices, be justly regarded as a
child of the God of peace, or a follower of Jesus, who
shewed such love to his disciples, after all of them had
forsaken, and one denied him in the day of his dis-
tress†?
“But love covereth all sins."—All sins! What a
strange word is that! We think it a great deal to cast
a mantle over seven offences of our brother: to hide
from our eyes, and drop from our remembrance, not a
few nor a great number of offences, but all sins, is a
hard matter. Yet what are all the sins of our bro-
ther, by which he has offended us, compared with our
sins against God ? Why should not he to whom ten
thousand talents are remitted, readily forgive his bro-
ther a few pence?
Examine yourselves, whether love or hatred reign
in your souls.
Ver. 18. In the lips of him that hath understanding
* Ver. 6. † John ii. 9, 10, 11.
178 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. X.
wisdom is found; but a rod is for the back of him that is
void of understanding.
He that is wise in heart will receive commandment*.
That is one mark of a wise man, but he shews his
wisdom in speaking, as well as in hearing. Wisdom
seals not up, but governs the mouth, and dictates to it
useful words. On whatever occasion you consult the
possessor of it, you will find wisdom, whether you
want instruction, or direction, or comfort. Should
you consult him about matters that come not within
the compass of his talents, even then he will evince
his wisdom, for it is the part of a wise man not to
deal in things too high for him. The wisdom of his
heart and tongue is his safety and honour, but a rod
is for the back of him that is void of understanding.
How can he escape an ignominious punishment, when
by his unbridled mouth he makes both God and man
his enemy? "A whip for the horse, a bridle for the
ass, and a rod for the fool's back†." A bridle was ne-
cessary to govern asses when men rode on them; a
rod is equally necessary for fools. It is not by words,
but blows, that they must be managed. They deserve
the scourge, and sooner or later they shall have it.
Ver. 14. Wise men lay up knowledge; but the mouth
of the foolish is near destruction.
Here we learn how the lips of the wise are furnish-
ed with wisdom. Their heart is a storehouse, in
which they lay up a treasure of it. How do they
come by it? By reading the Bible, by meditating, by
hearing sermons, by conversation, by observation and
experience, by prayer, by faith in Christ, who is made
of God unto us wisdom. And when they have found
it, they take care not to lose it, but lay it up in their
memories and hearts, where it is kept to be used by
* Ver. 8. † Chap. xxvi. 3.
CHAP. X.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 179
themselves, and communicated to others. Such men
are in the way of happiness, but fools lay up lies and
vanities, and idle, malicious stories, which furnish a
large supply for their mischievous tongues, so that
they are not far from destruction, for of the fruit of
their mouths shall they eat.
Ver. 15. The rich man's wealth is his strong city--
Can this be true? Yes, if you will believe himself.
The rich man's wealth is his strong city, and as an
high wall in his own conceit *. It is not a strong
city, but his strong city. He thinks it will prove a
sufficient defence to him from that destruction which
his mouth has merited. You see how justly the world-
ling is called an idolater, for he makes not God his
confidence, but trusts to a thing of nought; for his
riches, if they are a city, are not a strong city, but a
city broken down, and without walls. How hard is it
for rich men to obtain an entrance into that city that
hath foundations, when it is a miracle for a man that
hath riches, not to trust in them! But are we to sup-
pose poor men exempt from the temptation to idolize
gold and silver? No; for
—The destruction of the poor is their poverty.—
That was a good prayer, "Give me neither poverty nor
rishes." Poor men, by envying the rich, by cringing
to them, by discontentment with their lot, by despon-
dency and fear of ruin, do often make themselves as
wretched and vile, as the rich who boast of their
wealth.
Ver. 16. The labour of the righteous tendeth to life;
the fruit of the wicked to sin.
The advantage of diligence has been already ex-
plained, but there is a very great difference between
the righteous and the wicked in this as in other things.
* Chap. xviii. 4.
180 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. X.
To the pure all things are pure, but to the defiled and
unbelieving there is nothing pure. The labour of a
righteous man is blessed by God, and tends, not only
to procure the necessaries of life, but to make his life
comfortable, and to lengthen its days. Nay, it has a
favourable influence upon his eternal life, for it is a
preservative from temptation, and the performance of
a duty, part of the fruits of which are lent unto the
Lord, to be repaid with abundant increase. The fruit
of the wicked man's labours, on the contrary, tends to
sin; it does so, whether it be hoarded up by his co-
vetousness, or spent in the gratification of vanity and
luxury. With all your getting, get righteousness,
which will make your labour pure and profitable.
Without it, your ploughing is sin; your gains loss to
your souls.
Ver. 17. He is in the way of life that keepeth instruc-
tion; but he that refuseth reproof erreth.
A wise man will receive commandment, but it is
not truly received if it is not kept. The instructions
received from parents, ministers, and wise men, must
be esteemed as a treasure, laid up in our memories, fol-
lowed in our lives. He that keeps instruction, is in
the way of happiness. His present life is safe and
joyful; his soul is prosperous ; death is his passage to
eternal life. Hereby do we know that we know
Christ, if we keep his commandments.
Reproofs are necessary for us on many occasions,
and the wise man that keeps instruction, will receive
them with meekness and thankfulness; and improve
them for his humiliation and correction. But he
that refuseth reproof erreth from the way of life. He
is like a sick man to whom a kind physician prescribes
some medicine of powerful virtue, but bitter to the
taste; so infatuated, however, is he, that he will
rather risk his life, than follow the prescription.
CHAP. X.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 181
Ver. 18. He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and
he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.
He who indulges so wicked and dangerous a passion,
is a fool, whether he conceals it under the mask of
friendship, or discovers it by reproaches and calum-
nies. It must neither be concealed nor published,
but suppressed and extinguished. To conceal it like
Absalom, is to nourish a fire within us, that will con-
sume our vitals, and prove mortal in the end. To
utter it in slander, like Shimei, is to set on fire our
dwelling, which may soon involve us in the flames.
Ver. 19. In the multitude of words there wanteth not
sin--
And that of many different kinds. Expressions of
vanity and pride, of ill-nature and impiety, of rash-
ness and inconsideration, never fail to proceed from the
lips of a man who loves to hear himself talk. Even
foolish talking, and inconvenient jesting, and idle
words, are sinful, being forbidden by God. If we
profess wisdom, we must govern our tongues, and
think before we speak. Time and place must be re-
garded by us, and we must sometimes refrain our lips
even from speaking good. Men often sin by a mul-
titude of words in praying, in preaching, and giving
advice;--
--But he that refraineth his lips is wise.
He discovers his modesty and self-command. He
keeps himself innocent from much sin, and prevents many
dangers to which perpetual talkers expose themselves.
Let us not carry this maxim to excess. There is a
time to speak, and if our words are well ordered, they
may be very useful; for,
Ver. 20. The tongue of the just is as choice sliver—
His conversation is useful, and very precious, not
only like silver, but choice silver, which has been well
purified in the fire. Our tongues deserve not this
182 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. X.
praise, unless they are refined from vanity, malignity,
and falsehood, in all its diversity of forms.
How eagerly would we court the conversation of
man possessed of endless treasures and unwearied libe-
rality, freely imparting to every petitioner! The con-
versation of a wise and righteous man, is still more va-
luable, for he distributes treasures of knowledge, more
precious than gold and rubies.
If his tongue is like choice silver, his heart is still
richer in value, for that is the good treasure out of
which he brings good things.
—But the heart of the wicked is little worth.
It is worth less than nothing, for folly and malignity
have possession of it, and his tongue is furnished from
that bad treasure with froth and wickedness. If he
speaks any thing good, it is but silver dross, covering
a useless potsherd. Let us therefore avoid the com-
pany of the wicked, which can do no good; but let us
endeavour to derive pleasure from that of the righteous;
for,
Ver. 21. The lips of the righteous feed many; but fools
die for want of wisdom (Heb. heart.)
Food is better than silver, which is useful as a me-
dium of commerce, but which cannot satisfy hunger
nor preserve life. Useful discourse is precious like the
finest silver, and nourishing to the soul as food to the
body. Knowledge, faith, charity, and every holy dis-
position, is increased by it. The righteous man feeds
many with knowledge, for he finds it sweet to himself,
and wishes not to eat his morsel alone. His heart is a
storehouse of provision for the soul, and like a hospitable
landlord, he delights in distributing it to others. But
the wicked die for want of heart. Knowledge is no less
necessary to the soul than the heart to the body, or
food for the preservation of life. Fools therefore are in
a bad condition, for they neither have knowledge nor
CHAP. X.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 183
hunger after it, otherwise they might be supplied from
the lips of the wise. Therefore go from the presence
of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the
lips of knowledge. But abide by the righteous, for
the words of their mouth, when they speak like them-
selves, are better than necessary food.
Ver. 22. The blessing of the Lord it maketh rich, and
he addeth no sorrow with it.
Men generally wish to be rich. But what is the
surest way of having such a wish gratified? Diligence
is necessary, but not to be depended on; for without
the blessing of the Lord on our labours, we may rise
early and sit late, and oppress our bodies with toil, and
our minds with anxious care, and after all continue in
want; but the blessing of the Lord is that which alone
makes a man rich. If it should not enrich him that
enjoys it with gold, it will enrich him with what is far
more precious—wisdom and grace. This blessing con-
fers riches and preserves them, without exposing to
harassing cares, their natural and common attendants.
When riches bring with them vexations and fears, we
would be better without them. Who would chuse to
lie on a golden bed with thorns spread under him, and
thorns for his covering? But the blessing of the Lord
is a hedge about all that a righteous man hath. His
labours are pleasant, his gains are safe. His portion is
beyond the reach of danger, and his heart is preserved
from vexation, in getting, or keeping, or using, or lov-
ing the world, because the Lord is his confidence.
The belief of this proverb would sweeten our toils,
and make us spiritually-minded about earthly things,
and eradicate every dishonest disposition. No man can
look for the divine blessing on the work of fraud.
Ver. 28. It is a sport to a fool to do mischief--
That man has arrived at an advanced stage of folly,
who takes as much pleasure in it as if it were an agree-
184 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. X.
able amusement. This, however, is to be expected in
its natural course. Sinners at first feel much uneasi-
ness from the operation of fear and shame, but they are
hardened by the deceitfulness of sin, till at length they
not only cast off all restraints, but become impudent in
sin, and think it a manly action to cast away the cords
of God, and to pour insult and abuse on their fellow-
men. But it were far safer to sport with fire than with
sin, which kindles a fire that will burn to the lowest
hell. It may now be a sport to do mischief, but in the
lake of fire and brimstone it will be no sport to have
done it.
--But a man of understanding hath wisdom.
And therefore it is impossible that he should be so
awfully infatuated. He is deeply sensible of the
misery and ruin that is in sin, but his delight is in holi-
ness; and in the exercises of it he experiences that
heartfelt pleasure, which the sweetest sins could never
afford.
Ver. 24. The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon
him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted.
It is scarcely supposable that a wicked man can
wholly rid himself of fear. His terrors may be sus-
pended, but they are like a sleeping adder, which will
awake and pierce his heart with a venomous sting; and
his fears are not fancies. Ten thousand times greater
misery than he can apprehend is appointed to him for
the portion of his cup, by the irreversible sentence of
his Almighty Judge. His guilty conscience does some-
times torment him with fear where no fear is, but if
he escapes the hand of man, he shall fall into the hands
of the living God; and if he is not struck down by the
storm of lightning, his day will come to drop into hell.
But let not the righteous be afraid; his desires are pure,
being regulated by the will of God revealed in his
word, and the God that hears prayers will grant them,
CHAP. X.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 185
if not at present, yet at the time most suitable in the
judgment of Infinite Wisdom. If what he wishes is not
allowed, his desire is yet granted, for whatever he de-
sires is with this reservation, "If it is agreeable to the
will of God, and conducive, all things considered, to
his best interest."
We read of righteous men desiring things which
they did not immediately obtain; but they obtained all
that was good for them at that time, and in another
world were satisfied to the utmost desire of their
hearts.
Ver. 25. As the whirlwind passeth so is the wicked no
more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation.
We have no reason to envy the wicked the figure
they sometimes make in this world. It is but like the
bluster and noise of the whirlwind, which is soon over.
His happiness and his fame are transitory. He shall
indeed survive the grave, but annihilation would be a
blessing to him, for he shall continue to live only to be
miserable. The righteous man, on the contrary, is
like mount Zion, which can never be moved. He is a
living stone built upon the Rock of ages, for he is kept
by the power of God, and neither principalities nor
powers, nor life, nor death, nor any other creature,
shall be able to separate him from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus. When the blast of the ter-
rible one is as a storm against the wall, Almighty grace
is his strength and refuge. As the rock remains the
same when the whirlwind has spent its force, so God's
people, having his protection, shall enjoy unimpaired
happiness, when the destructions of the enemy are
come to a perpetual end.
Ver. 26. As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the
eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him,
On any errand. It is a great point of prudence to
chuse proper persons to transact our business, especially
186 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. X.
if it be an affair of consequence. A man must feel
great vexation when he finds his affairs deranged or
ruined, and his wisdom called in question, through the
stupidity and negligence of those whom he trusts.
Solomon showed his good sense by chusing for his ser-
vice men of activity, as we learn from the history of
Jeroboam.
This proverb is of use to direct us in the choice of
magistrates, ministers, or wives; and to excite us to
shake off slothfulness in the service of our Master who
is in heaven, and who will cast into hell the unprofit-
able servant.
Ver. 27. The fear of the Lord prolongeth days; but
the years of the wicked shall be shortened.
Some sins have a natural tendency to shorten men's
days; others bring men to the gibbet. All provoke the
wrath of him in whose hand is our life and breath.
The contrary virtues have an effect directly the reverse.
But did not the wicked Jeroboam live to be old, whilst
the only righteous person in his family died in youth?
True, but the saint that dies in youth has lived as long
upon earth as infinite wisdom saw it good for him,
and his spirit is still life because of righteousness.
Whereas, if the wicked man should live to be an hun-
dred years old, he is accursed. Even in this case, his
life is a shadow, and a thing of nought.
Could your physician give you a prescription for
lengthening out your days to any term you please, you
would think no price too high for it. Here is a tried
receipt for making you live as long as it can be good
for you to live. Shall we trust physicians more than
the Sovereign of life and death?
Ver. 28. The hope of the righteous shall be gladness:
but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.
The hope of the righteous is in the Lord. From
him they hope for every earthly blessing that appears
CHAP. X.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 187
to infinite wisdom really good for them, and they shall
not be disappointed*. But the great object of their
hope is everlasting life†, and how can they fail of ob-
taining it? Their hopes are founded upon the word of
a God that cannot lie, upon the inviolable oath of Je-
hovah, upon an all-sufficient Saviour, and upon a cove-
nant that is everlasting, ordered in all things and sure.
This hope shall be gladness inexpressible and incon-
ceivable.
Great things are said of the joys and glories of the
heavenly world, but they are spoken in the language of
men. The tongue of angels could speak greater things,
but angels themselves cannot conceive that fulness of
joy which ages hence the blessed shall possess.
The hopes of wicked men are contracted within nar-
row bounds. The objects of their hope are things which
the unerring word calls vanity and vexation of spirit.
They may obtain the body of their wishes, but alas
without the soul. Happiness is the object of hope to
all of us. With a view to this, we seek the riches and
honours, the pleasures and friendships of this life, but
should we possess the richest abundance of these things,
and not find happiness in them, what doth it profit?
But if the wicked man should have his belly filled with
worldly treasures, and should rejoice in them, his ex-
pectation shall nevertheless perish. Misfortune or
death shall rob him of all that he placed in the room
of God, and the remembrance of former pleasures shall
greatly embitter his miseries. There is one dreadful
ingredient of torture which the poor man that goes to
hell will not experience,—the remembrance of prosperi-
ty enjoyed and abused.
Does the wicked man expect heaven? How terrible
will be the punishment of his presumptuous hopes,
* Psal. xxxiv. 9, 10. † Titus i. 2.
188 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. X.
when he shall be hurled down headlong into the depths
of despair*!
Ver. 29. The way of the Lord is strength to the up-
right: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.
Christ is the way, into which the upright man enters
by faith, and he walks in it by holiness of conversation.
He hates all guile, and hypocrisy is an abomination to
his soul. Whilst other men strengthen themselves in
their own imaginations by fraud and cunning, he de-
rives all needful supplies of grace from him in whom
all fulness dwells. The testimony of his conscience em-
boldens and invigorates his soul, and he waxes stronger
and stronger. He is weak in himself; but his depen-
dance is not on himself, but on God; out of weakness
he thus waxes strong, surmounts every difficulty, and
turns to flight armies of aliens. How weak was Peter
when he denied his Lord! but the way of the Lord was
strength to him, and when near the end of his pilgri-
mage, he looked forward to the death of the cross with
as much composure as a man does to putting off his
clothes when retiring to rest†. Upright men, when
feeling the weakness of their own strength, are some-
times filled with anxious thoughts, lest they should be-
come weary and faint, and fall before their enemies; but
through the grace of Christ their strength shall in-
crease, and shall be suited to their needs. They shall
reach in safety the end of their journey, and be more
than conquerors‡.
But what shall be the end of those that walk in crook-
ed ways, and endeavour to secure their wishes by hy-
pocrisy and iniquity? Destruction shall be their por-
tion. Destruction and misery are in their ways. If
* Matt. vii. 22, 23. † 2 Peter i. 12.
‡ Psal. xxvii. 13, 14. Isa. xl. 29
CHAP. X.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 189
they cannot now see this, they shall feel it at the
end of their journey.
Ver. 30. The righteous shall never be removed; but the
wicked shall not inhabit the earth.
The righteous man is founded upon the Rock of ages,
for his dependance is placed upon a better righteous-
ness than his own. He is guarded by Omnipotence.
Death and hell may rage, and seem to prevail, but he
is safe from every real evil. He may be removed to
another land, or to another world; but heaven is his
country, and the mightiest of his enemies are unable
to prevent his entrance into it, or to banish him from
it*.
Even in this world the enemies of the righteous have
not the power of which they fancy themselves possess-
ed. Neither Chaldeans, nor Sabeans, nor devils, could
deprive Job of a camel or a sheep, without the permis-
sion of him that would suffer no evil to befal that
righteous man, without making it work for good†.
"But the wicked shall not inhabit the earth." Is
Job then mistaken when he says, "The earth is given
into the hand of the wicked ?" No. It is given into
their hand for a little moment, but they are not unfre-
quently driven out of it by visible judgments. At
the best, when a few years are gone, the king of ter-
rors shall chase them away to hell, and they that made
shipwreck of faith or a good conscience for the trea-
sures of earth, shall make shipwreck of these treasures
also.
Ver. 31. The mouth of the just bringeth forth wis-
dom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out.
Our first care must be, to keep our hearts with all
diligence; and our next to govern our tongue, which
will otherwise be an unruly evil, full of deadly poison;
* Rom. viii. 38, 39. † Matt. x. 29.-31.
190 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. X.
and the tongue will best be governed, when the heart
is well furnished with wisdom, for the mouth of the
just bringeth forth wisdom as naturally as a good tree
bringeth forth good fruit. Wisdom is said to be a tree
of life, and this tree of life bringeth forth the fruits of
holiness in speech and behaviour, not once a year, but
every day. How valuable would a tree be thought,
that should bring forth the most delicious fruits in such
abundance, and such frequency!
When our speech is with grace, and seasoned with
salt, it ministers grace to the hearers, and keeps our-
selves from mischief; whereas the froward tongue shall
be cut out. It provokes God, and it oftentimes pro-
vokes men. Froward speeches may escape punishment
from man, but they shall not escape God's righteous
judgment, who will cut out their tongues, and make
them fall upon themselves.
Ver. 32. The lips of the righteous know what is accep-
table; but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness.
How is knowledge ascribed to the lips of the righ-
teous? Because their lips are directed by their hearts.
They speak not thoughtlessly, but intelligently. Their
lips are not devoted to flattery, nor do they slavishly
comply with the sentiments and humours of men. But
they know when it is fit to speak, and what is fit to be
spoken. They know how to address persons of diffe-
rent dispositions, in a different manner, so as to please
them, or what is of more importance in their estimation,
so as to serve their best interests.
It is said of a certain General, that he had such a grace
in his manner of behaviour, that a suppliant who had
met with the refusal of a petition from him, returned
better satisfied than he would from another who had
granted the solicited favour. A prudent Christian has
so much grace in his speech, that his reproofs and re-
bukes often gain him more favour and esteem, than
CHAP. XI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 191
others gain from their insinuating address. But the
wicked man speaketh the words of deceit and folly, for
what can be expected from a bad tree but corrupt fruit?
and what shall be the end of a corrupt tree, but to be
cut down, and cast into the fire?
CHAPTER XI.
Ver. 1. A false balance is abomination to the Lord:
but a just weight is his delight*.
Commerce is a blessing of great value to men. In
the same light are we to consider the invention of
weights and balances, by which it is facilitated. These
are instances of the divine goodness, for God has taught
discretion to the merchant as well as to the husband-
man. But by corrupt men, these, as well as every
other instance of the goodness of God, have been
abused. Whilst God furnishes them with the means
of practising justice, the devil teaches them to turn the
instruments of righteousness, into the means of de-
frauding one another.
False balances are not only hated, but abhorred by
God. They are abomination itself in his eyes. But
what is the meaning of this? Is the Lord's indigna-
tion excited against pieces of wood or of stone? No;
this manner of expression points out the greatness of
* Chap. xvi. 11. xx. 10
192 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XI.
his displeasure against such as use them, and shews
that such instruments of iniquity should be dashed in
pieces.
As money was weighed in ancient times, bad money
comes within the compass of this proverb. But not to
limit its operations, we must observe, that villainy of
every kind, and that especially which is committed
under colour of justice, is condemned by it. As no
iniquity is so odious to God as that which is cloaked by
religion, so that injustice is the most detestable in his
sight which is masked by hypocritical pretences of fair
dealing. How deep in the pit must that man sink who
is borne down by this double load of guilt in one sin!
or if this be not heavy enough, oppression of the poor,
whose cause God hath promised to avenge, will fill up
the measure of the sin.
"But a just weight, is his delight." For the righ-
teous Lord loveth righteousness, and beholdeth the
upright with a pleasant countenance. Honesty in
dealing, though not an infallible mark of true piety,
must always form a part of it.
Ver. 2. When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but
with the lowly is wisdom.
The contrast between the two branches of this verse
gives us this meaning.—Pride is joined with folly, and
ends in shame. The humble man is wise, and shall
be exalted to honour.
Pride consists in an immoderate self-esteem, and
places its happiness in esteem and honour from others.
No sin is more foolish than this; it springs from ig-
norance of God, of ourselves and other men, and by
the very means which it uses for the accomplishment
of its ends, ensures disappointment. In seeking glory,
it finds disgrace. Pride made Nebuchadnezzar a brute.
It destroyed Herod with worms. It turned Lucifer
into Beelzebub. By other sins, man rebels against God;
CHAP. XI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 193
by pride he usurps his crown and dignity. No won-
der, then, that God looks upon all those that are proud,
and abaseth them.
"But with the lowly is wisdom." Humble men
think of themselves as they ought to think. They
desire that God may be honoured, even at the expense
of their own honour; but they shall be exalted by him
to the highest glory*. Christ humbled himself, and I
was highly exalted, and became the brightest example
of what he so often declared, "He that humbleth
himself shall be exalted."
Ver. 3. The integrity of the upright shall guide them;
but the will of transgressors shall destroy them.
“I will teach thee," says David†. And what are
the great lessons that he introduces by this preface?
They are truths which the generality of mankind sup-
pose they have already learned: it shall be ill with
the wicked, and well with the righteous‡. Solomon
knew that but few had learned these instructions suffi-
ciently, and therefore we find that on them he insists
at considerable length.
Sincerity is one eminent branch of the good man's
character, and is of great use to him, for it guides
him in a safe way. The upright man earnestly desires
to stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
Whilst others regulate their behaviour by their in-
terests and passions, and the course of this world, he
endeavours to know the will of God, and to comply
with it in every instance. Nor does he deviate from
this role, even when it leads in direct opposition to his
dearest interests and friendships. Conscious that he
cannot direct his own steps, he humbly commits him-
self to Jesus, who is given to be a Leader to the people,
* Matt. v. 5. † Psal. xxxii. 8, 9. ‡ Ver. 10.
194 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XI.
that he may be led by his good Spirit to the land
of uprightness. Thus the upright man is kept from
every dangerous mistake*.
"But the perverseness of transgressors shall de-
stroy them." Their deceitful conduct shall be, not
only the cause, but not unfrequently the means also, of
their destruction.
Nathanael was a man without guile. We accordingly
find, that though prejudiced against Jesus of Naza-
reth, his sincerity appeared in the means which he
employed to arrive at the knowledge of the truth, and
he was led by it in the right way. Christ's enemies
were men of perverse spirits. They crucified him
with a view to maintain their honour, and preserve
their nation; but by their perverse conduct both were
destroyed.
Ver. 4. Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but
righteousness delivereth from death.
"Treasures of wickedness profit nothing," said the
wise man, in a preceding part of this book†. But
mistake him not; he did not say that well-gotten
treasures profit much. Though we should allow that
they are of some little use in the time of prosperity,
they are altogether useless in the time of calamity.
When God punishes a land, riches only make their
owners a fairer mark, and a richer booty to the spoil-
ers. When conscience stings, its wounds are poisoned
by reflections on the abuse of riches. They make
death more terrible. To the wicked who possessed
wealth, it shall be said at the last judgment, "I was
an hungered, and ye gave me no meat." Nothing of
the world shall follow them to hell, but the bitter re-
membrance of the good things they possessed, and the
guilt contracted by the influence of such a possession.
* Psal. xxv. 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 13. † Chap. x. 2.
CHAP. XI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 195
“But righteousness delivereth from death." In Jeru-
salem's day, the poor and the righteous alone escaped.
The righteous shall not be subdued by the first, nor
touched by the second death.
Ver. 5. The righteousness of the perfect shall direct
his way--(and so he shall be delivered from death)—
but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.
If the righteous man should turn aside from the
right way, he shall not wander to destruction. His
righteousness will rectify his way. He cannot enjoy
pleasure in the way of sin, for it is contrary to the
tastes that have been excited, and are still preserved,
by the Holy Spirit*. When Christ's sheep wander
into the paths of sin and error, the eye of the Shep-
herd is upon them, and his grace shall reclaim them†.
But the wicked wander from mountain to hill, till
they fall irrecoverably into the pit of destruction.
Ver. 6. The righteousness of the upright shall deliver
them; but transgressors shall be taken in their own
naughtiness.
"Who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of
that which is good?" Righteousness disposes men to
walk unblameably and inoffensively, so that none but
savages will hurt them. There are such savages among
the sons of Adam, but their mischief shall come down
on their own head, whilst the righteous are delivered
from their malice; for they wait on the Lord, and keep
his way, which is the way of life and peace. They
cry unto God, and God delivers them, not only from
their troubles, but from all their fears. Christ is the
Captain of their salvation, and he will lose none of his
soldiers. Though they should lose their lives in his
cause, they are still overcomers‡.
* 1 John iii. 9. † Psalm. xxiii. 3. ‡ Rom. viii. 37
196 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XI.
Were it possible to obtain a medicine of universal
efficacy, who would not endeavour to gain possession
of it? or who would drink a poison always mortal, ex-
cept when a remedy were speedily applied? There
is no trouble from which righteousness does not de-
liver; nor did any one ever meddle with wickedness,
but to his own sorrow.
Ver. 7. When a wicked man dieth, his expectation
shall perish; and the hope of unjust men perisheth.
Men derive almost the whole of their happiness
from hope. The wicked man laughs at the righteous,
because he lives by hope; but the wicked man himself
does the same, with this difference, that whilst the
hopes of the one are coeval with eternity, those of the
other are bounded by time. The expectation of the
one has for its object things heavenly and durable,
whilst that of the other is fixed on objects circum-
scribed by the present life. The present situation of
the wicked man never yields him the pleasure which
he wishes and expects, but there is ever something in
view, in which, could he but obtain it, he would find
rest. If his hopes are deferred, his heart is sick; if
they are accomplished, he is still unsatisfied; but he
comforts himself with some other hope, like a child,
who thinks he sees a rainbow on the top of a neigh-
bouring hill, and runs to take hold of it, but sees it as
far removed from him as before. Thus the life of a
wicked man is spent in vain wishes, and toils, and
hopes, till death kills at once his body, his hope, and
his happiness.
Wicked men may indulge themselves in hopes of
eternal happiness too. They cannot deny themselves
to be sinners, but they hope that they are not sinners
of the worst sort, or at least that they will amend, and
fly to Christ, and be as happy through eternity as
those who are so foolish, or so timorous, as to come
CHAP. XI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 197
into the Lord's vineyard in the morning, and bear the
burdon and heat of the day, and have no better recom-
pence in the evening, than those who began to work
at the eleventh hour. Such hopes are highly pleasing
to the devil, who keeps his slaves quiet by means of
them, till they are brought into the same hopeless con-
dition with himself.
Were the sun literally turned into darkness, and all
the worlds now enlightened by his beams, into dreary
dungeons, it would not be so shocking, as for one im-
mortal soul that looks for happiness, to be drowned in
eternal despair.
Ver. 8. The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and
the wicked cometh in his stead.
Though Solomon celebrates so frequently the happi-
ness of the righteous, he by no means insinuates that
righteousness will exempt men from adversity. Christ
himself suffered, and shall we claim uninterrupted
prosperity? The wicked often possess wealth and
ease, when the saints of God are beaten with the storm
of adversity; but it shall not be always so. The saints
are delivered, and misery comes upon those that de-
spised and hated them. But there is this difference
between the troubles of the righteous and those of the
wicked. The righteous have first their evil things,
and when they receive their good things, the remem-
brance of former distress fills them with additional sa-
tisfaction. They rejoice, like the weather-beaten mari-
ner who has escaped from the waves and tempests.
The wicked have first their good things, and the re-
membrance of them envenoms their misery, and is oil
to the fire where they are tormented. The wicked
comes not again out of trouble, nor does the righteous
come in his stead.
This proverb is often true in a more literal sense,
for the wicked frequently comes into that very trouble
198 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XI.
from which the righteous man is delivered. The Phi-
listines came into David's place, when Saul was pur-
suing him in the wilderness of Maon. Haman and
his sons were hanged on the gallows designed for
Mordecai; and the enemies of the Jews perished on
that day which was expected to be fatal to the Jews.
Herod thought to have destroyed Peter, but God put
Peter's keepers and Herod himself in his place. The
Jews, in the days of the apostles, persecuted the Chris-
tians; but the unbelieving Jews were put into their
place, when the Roman eagle was brought into their
land and sanctuary. These things are done by God,
as often as he sees it proper for his own glory, and
for the advantage of his people*.
Ver. 9. An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his
neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be de-
livered.
There are so many mischiefs in the tongue of a
wicked man, that it is called a world of iniquity.
None of them, however, is so bad as the deceit that is
in the mouth of the hypocrite, whose tongue is like a
sharp razor, working deceitfully. Abner's hands were
not bound when he was engaged in fair battle, and we
find, that over Asahel, though a mighty and a swift
enemy, he gained an easy victory. But how different
was the fate of this victorious champion, when attacked
by Joab! Then he died as a fool dieth, and for this
reason; he was deceived by the ensnaring professions of
friendship made by his treacherous assailant. Such is
the difference between an open enemy and a false
friend. Many souls have been ruined by the mouth
of the hypocrite, whilst the servants of Satan have art-
fully disguised themselves in the dress of the ministers
* Isa. xliii. 34. Prov. xxi. 18.
CHAP. XI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 199
of righteousness, and by fair words, and saint-like
speeches, deceived the hearts of the simple.
It was an ordinary prayer of King Antigonus, "De-
liver me from the hands of my friends." When asked
why he did not rather pray for preservation from his
enemies, he answered, " That he guarded against his
enemies, but could not guard against false friends."
Have we then no defence against them? Yes, know-
ledge is a defence against this worst of dangers. Jo-
seph and David were guarded by this armour, and
were safe*. The knowledge of the truth will pre-
serve our inward man, and as it is attended with pru-
dence and integrity, it will in like manner greatly con-
tribute to our present safety†.
Ver. 10. When it goeth well with the righteous, the city
rejoiceth; and when the wicked perish, there is shouting.
The righteous fear God, and live in the practice of
justice and charity towards men. These virtues pro-
cure the esteem, even of those who have no experience
of the power of religion; and therefore, when it goes
well with them, their neighbours rejoice; but when
the wicked fall, there is shouting, because they were liv-
ing plagues, and employed their prosperity and power
for the gratification of their own selfish and unrighteous
passions. There was great joy in Judah when righ-
teous princes were raised to the throne‡, or good mi-
nisters entrusted with the management of affairs ||.
When bad kings perished, their memories were infa-
mous, neither were they honoured with burnings, or
with a place in the sepulchres of the kings.
Righteous men are actuated by nobler motives than
the applause of men, and yet they must regard the
good-will of others, as a means of being useful§,
* Gen. xxxix. Psal. xvii. 4. † Prov. ii. 11, 12. ‡ 1 Chron. xxx. 26
|| Isa. xxii. 23. § Eccles. vii. 1.
200 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XI.
Wicked men, on the contrary, are like swine, of no
use till they die; and their fall is not a misfortune to
others, but a relief.
Ver. 11. By the blessing of the upright the city is
exalted; but is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.
No wonder that the advancement of the righteous is
a cause of public joy. Their prayers, their holy con-
versation, their counsels, and their example, is a pub-
lic blessing, by which the city is exalted, for some of
the sinners in it are reformed. The young are al-
lured by the beauty of goodness, virtue is encouraged,
vice is discountenanced, and the city becomes, as far as
their influence extends, a habitation of justice; and
righteousness exalteth a nation. But though inveterate
corruptions should, in a great measure, obstruct their
patriotic exertions, yet a city is preserved from ruin,
or at least its ruin is deferred, on their account. A
cloud of wrath hung over Judah in the days of good
Josiah, and the corruptions of the land were too obsti-
nate to be thoroughly removed by him, yet the threat-
ened wrath was suspended till he was laid in the grave.
God, as we are told, then sought for one to stand in
the gap, to turn away his anger from the guilty land,
but found none, and so his anger was poured out upon
it to the uttermost.
"But the city is overthrown by the mouth of the
wicked." Their mouth is a pestilence, which infects
their neighbours, till the fatal venom of iniquity cor-
rupt the body of the community, and ruin become in-
evitable; or else their counsels prove destructive to its
welfare or existence.
Have we any generosity of spirit? Then it will in-
spire us with heartfelt joy to be instruments of happi-
ness to all around us. Though we should be little
better than savages, it must fill us with horror to think
CHAP. XI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 201
of ruining others as well as ourselves. Let us, then,
depart from evil, and do good.
As far as our connections are within the compass of
our choice, let us form them upon this maxim. It is
good to have the heirs of blessing, and the instruments
of blessing to others, for husbands or wives, masters
or servants, friends or neighbours.
Ver. 12. He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neigh-
hour; but a man of understanding holdeth his peace.
No human creature is to be despised, for he is our
neighbour. He is our own flesh, our brother, sprung
from our common father, Adam. Honour all men.
Men were made in the image of God; and though that
image is now lost, it is still a sufficient evidence of the
sinfulness of despising, as well as of murdering, our
neighbour, that in the image of God man was made *,
and that we cannot say whether the persons whom
we are tempted to despise, are not in that happy num-
ber of the chosen of God, for whose sakes the Son of
God hath dignified our nature by assuming it, and
whom he will again beautify with that glorious image
which was effaced by the fall.
Do you allege that your neighbour is worthy of
contempt, on account of his poverty, or meanness, or
some remarkable weakness, by which he is rendered
ridiculous? I ask you whether he is a fool. You
say, No. Then confess that your contempt ought to
rest on yourself; for Solomon says you are one, and
want of wisdom is far worse than the want of riches,
or beauty, or polite accomplishments.
Although it is a sin to despise any man, yet, bad men
are to be comparatively despised †. The vile person,
though clothed with purple, and adorned with shining
*
Gen. xix.:5 †Psal. xv. 4
202 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XI.
talents, is to be despised, in comparison with the man
that fears the Lord, though poor and mean as La-
zarus.
None are so contemptible as the contemptuous.
They are so void of sense, that they make themselves
the objects of scorn or indignation, by publishing their
insolence in the disparaging of their neighbours; but
"a man of understanding holdeth his peace." He
will not expose himself to the hatred of men, or to the
condemnation of hell, by saying to his brother, Raca;
and if he is insulted with the contempt of others, he
returns not abuse, but pity. Should some mud stick
to his clothes, he will not defile his hands by throwing
it at his adversary, but rather leaves it till time makes
it easy to be brushed off.
Ver. 13. A tale-bearer revealeth secrets; but he that is
of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.
Much of our wisdom lies in the prudent choice of
friends. A well-chosen friend sweetens the present
life, and assists us in our progress to a better. An un-
worthy friend will bring on us disappointment, vexa-
tion, and remorse. But what sort of persons are we
to avoid or to chuse for our friends? We must not
chuse one that takes pleasure in telling every thing he
knows. You may be sure that such a one will betray
your secrets; for though he should have no malignity
of disposition, his anxiety to rehearse every private
story that he has picked up, will prove to him an ir-
resistible temptation to expose you.
The scripture, however, does not condemn all re-
vealing of secrets. There are some secrets which the
laws of justice and charity bind us to reveal*. But it
is a proof that a man has no command of his tongue,
when he can risk the uneasiness and displeasure of his
*Lev. v. 5; 1 Sam. xx.
CHAP. XI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 203
neighbours, by publishing matters which can be of no
benefit to him to whom they are communicated.
But that man is to be chosen as your friend, who is
of an honest and faithful spirit. Your heart will be
relieved of its sorrows, by pouring them into his
bosom; and you may rest assured that he will cause
you no uneasiness by blabbing what you would not
have the world to know.
Here we see that a well-governed spirit will govern
the tongue. An unrestrained tongue is an evidence
of levity, or of some worse quality in the heart. And
if the spirit be faithful, the tongue will be cautious and
friendly. The communication between the spirit and
the tongue is so easy, that the one will certainly dis-
cover the quality of the other, for out of the abundance
of the heart the mouth speaketh.
Ver. 14. Where no counsel is, the people fall; but in
the multitude of counsellors there is safety.
In our private concerns it is dangerous to trust our
own wisdom, and it is our interest to advise with wise
and faithful friends, in every important business of,
life. But in the affairs of countries, public calamity
must be the inevitable consequence of the sovereign's
being not wise enough to know his need of asking
and following the advice of wise men. If he asks the
advice of wise men, and yet follows that of fools, he is
no better than Rehoboam, who by such conduct rent
his kingdom, and but for the kindness and faithful-
ness of God to David, in reserving two tribes to his
grandson, would have lost it all.
Solomon had wisdom not only to teach, but to prac-
tise this maxim. He had wise counsellors under whom
his kingdom flourished, and their counsels might have
preserved the kingdom in the hands of his son. But
God infatuates those whom he intends to punish; and
there is not a plainer evidence of infatuation than when
204 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. II.
men presume on their own sense, or prefer the counsel
of the vain and foolish to that of the sober and the
wise.
Great is the judgment with which God visits a
land, when he removes wise and faithful, counsellors
from the management of its concerns *. In our inter-
cession for kings, then, let us pray that God may fur-
nish them with good counsellors, and with wisdom to
make a proper use of them.
Ver. 15. He that is surety for a stranger shall smart
for it; and he that hateth suretiship is sure.
Friendship or charity may, on some rare occasion,
make it our duty to become surety for one that is not a
stranger†; but still our friendship must be guided by
discretion, that our own peace, the welfare of our fami-
ly, and our ability to pay our just debts, may not be,
brought into danger.
"He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it,"
for he will lose his money, and involve himself in diffi-
culties, or at least feel many anxious thoughts till re-
lieved from the rash obligation. Or should he escape
all these misfortunes, the same levity of mind that in-
duced him to become bound for another man's debts,
will entangle him in new engagements, so that he must
have extraordinary good fortune if he never smart for
it. "He that hateth suretiship," on the other hand, is
comparatively sure, for perfect certainty is not in earth-
ly things. He is at least secure against those self-re-
flections which sting the mind of the thoughtless squan-
derer, who signed away his peace and property, the
talent of beneficence entrusted to him, and the bread of
a family dependent on him, because, forsooth, he could
not utter the word no, to one that seemed to trust his
generosity.
*
Isa. iii. † Philemon
CHAP. XI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 205
He that conscientiously observes this and other
rules of Scripture about his worldly substance, keeps
the way of the Lord; and the man who, while he does
so, trusts in the Lord, has promises respecting earthly
things, that impart a security to which other men have
no parallel.
If the Scripture condemns those who risk their sub-
stance by a species of prodigality that has in it a tinc-
ture of generosity, how worthy of condemnation are
those unfaithful stewards of providence who spend their
Master's substance on cards, or on riotous living and
harlots; thus using the bounties of God for the service
of the devil, and for ruining their own souls and the
souls of others!
How infinite was the grace of him who became sure-
ty for enemies! He was sure to smart under agonies
unknown in our world, and to be impoverished, though
possessed of unsearchable riches. How small, when
compared with this, was the generosity of Paul in be-
coming surety for a poor slave, or of Dion in risking
his life for his friend at the court of Syracuse!
Ver. 16. A gracious woman retaineth honour, and
strong men retain riches.
It is not a set of fine features, or a blooming com-
plexion, that makes a woman gracious, but faith in
Christ, and the fear of God; prudence and modesty,
humility and attention to the duties which she owes to
her parents, her husband, and her children.
A woman beautified with these lovely graces, is pos-
sessed of true honour, for such ornaments are in the
sight of God himself of great price. If she is in the
married state, her possession of such virtues will be
the means of conferring upon her husband more happi-
ness than a crown could bestow.
But the children of the serpent would rob the daugh-
ters of Eve of their honour. Partaking of the subtilty
206 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XI.
and malice of their father, they would, for the sake of
a little contemptible gratification, turn the paradise of
the gracious woman into a dreary desert.
As strong men will not suffer their riches to become
a prey to depredators, so a gracious woman will hold
fast her virtue against those villainous spoilers, who
would rob her of the ornaments, with which, when
compared, oriental pearls are like the mud in the mire,
the diamonds of Golconda like the stones of the
street.
That she may be successful in holding fast her vir-
tue, she must commit herself to the keeping of the Seed
of the woman, who was manifested to bruise the head
of the old serpent, and to destroy the works of the
devil. If Eve in her perfect state could not protect
herself from the serpent when yet young, how shall
the fallen daughters of Eve protect themselves against
that old serpent, who, by the diligent practice of near-
ly 6000 years, has now become a proficient in the art
of tempting!
She must read the Bible, guard against idleness, and
shun the society of the bad, as she would a house in-
fected by the pestilence. If in a single state, she must
shew all deference to her parents, and care for the things
of the Lord; if married, she must care for her hus-
band how to please him, and by her dress and beha-
viour prove herself a daughter of Sarah *.
Let her, in a word, treasure up the instructions of
Lemuel's mother. On them let her form her character,
and by them regulate her general deportment. Then,
shall her husband and her children, her neighbours
and acquaintances, yea, and her own good works also,
praise her in the gates. Nor shall her honour be
*1 Tim. ii. 9; 1 Peter iii. 1-6; Prov. xxxi. 11-31.
CHAP. XI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 207
confined to herself, but her husband shall be honoured
with her.
Ver. 17. The merciful man doeth good to his own
soul; but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.
It is the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to which
we must look for eternal life * . He that has this hope
in him will compassionate the distressed, and endeavour
to imitate that mercy on which all his hope depends.
And God is so full of mercy, that men shall be no los-
ers, but great gainers, by that mercy which they shew
to others. Though it should be considered in no other
light than a debt which they already owed to God
and to their fellow-creatures, yet the gracious rewards
of the merciful man are rich in this world†, and at the
last day they shall be so transcendantly great as to fill
with amazement the happy receiver ‡.
That they may be losers by the exercise of mercy,
and that they know not what they may need for them-
selves, are the only objections which men can urge a-
gainst it. But if they really believed the Bible, they
would shew mercy, because they know not what they
may need, and would regard such loss better far than
gain ||.
"But he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh."
Why did not the wise man say, "his own soul?" He
knew that a cruel man cares nothing for his soul. If
you would obtain a hearing from the merciless man,
say nothing about his soul. He values it less than his
dog. But if you could convince him that his want of
mercy will be hurtful to his flesh, he would think a
little about his ways. And it is evident from Scrip-
ture, that his flesh, no less than his soul, is under a
fearful curse. He shall have judgment without mercy.
* Jude 21 † Psal. xli ‡ Matt. xxv. 37 ||Eccl. xi. 1, 2.
208 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XI.
How awful is this sentence, when even merciful men
need infinite mercy to save them *!
But who is the cruel man? Scarcely any person
will take with this detestable character. Julius Caesar,
who had been the death of many hundred thousands,
did not think himself a cruel man. Hazael, a few
hours before he murdered his master, could not believe
himself to be such a dog as to be cruel. But the con-
trast in this verse teaches us, that to want mercy, is a
sign of cruelty. He is not the only great transgressor
who strips the naked, but that man also who gives not
bread to the hungry, nor water to the thirsty.
Ver. 18. The wicked worketh a deceitful work; but to
him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward.
Solomon's heart was large as the sand on the sea-
shore. He could have amused and surprised us with
new discoveries in every proverb, but he was directed
by the Holy Spirit to seek our profit rather than his
own fame, and to inculcate again and again the same
interesting and necessary truths, that we may learn and
practise them.
That sin is attended with extreme misery, and righ-
teousness with great happiness, he has already informed
us at considerable length †; and we here find him re-
suming the subject, dilating upon it, and exhibiting it
in a variety of lights. If we consider our ways, we
shall find that there is no vain repetition in his words,
for none of us have been sufficiently attentive to them.
If we had, no motives, however alluring or terrifying,
would have reconciled us to any neglect or violation of
the divine law. The pound that is particularly bad,
must be ploughed over and over, to prepare it for a
crop.
*The expression, “his own flesh”, may perhaps rather mean those
who
are related to him by blood. † Ver. 3-11.
CHAP. XI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 209
"The wicked worketh a deceitful work." None
would be so rich and happy as the servants of Satan,
were his promises all performed; but the misery is, that
he will promise kingdoms, though he cannot, like
Chaldean robbers, have a single sheep without the
divine permission; and what is worst of all, those that
trust his promises are paid with fire and brimstone.
The devil was a liar from the beginning, and yet so
infatuated are men, that they will trust him more than
the God that cannot lie. The devil places pleasure
and profit before them; God, by the threatenings of
his word, sets an everlasting hell before them. But
they will venture through it, in order to enjoy the vani-
ties with which the great tempter allures them. They
have the presumption to think, that by their plausible
pretences they shall not only be able to cheat their fel-
low-men, but to elude the all-seeing eye of God, while,
alas! the devil is cheating them to everlasting misery.
"But to him that soweth righteousness shall be a
sure reward." All men are sowing seed in the course of
their lives. Wicked men sow the wind, and shall reap
the whirlwind. Righteous thoughts, and words, and
actions, are seed that shall shoot up in happiness inex-
pressible. The sower must wait and exercise long
patience, but the harvest shall abundantly recompence
his patience and his toil. He may sow in tears, but he
shall reap in joy. He may be at much expense, and
so was Isaac, when he sowed much corn in a time
of famine. The good patriarch might be a little strait-
ened whilst his corn was growing in the fields, but the
Lord gave him an hundred-fold, and will give much
more than an hundred-fold to the sowers of righteous-
ness,—an hundred-fold in this life, and in the world
to come, life everlasting. Who would not expend
more seed than he could well spare on so fruitful a field!
Husbandmen may be disappointed of their hopes,
210 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XI.
and through adverse providences, the harvest may be-
come a heap in the day of desperate sorrow; but if
there be truth and righteousness with God, or certain-
ty in the word of the faithful Witness, the reward of
the sowers of righteousness shall be sure *.
Ver. 19. As righteousness tendeth to life, so he that
pursueth evil, pursueth it to his own death.
Our best life is the gift of God, through Jesus Christ,
on whose righteousness our title to it stands. Our
personal righteousness is the proof of our title, and our
preparation for the possession of it. He, therefore,
that lives in the practice of sin, that only evil, "does
it to his own death." It is natural to all men to hate
the devil, and death, and hell; yet so infatuated are
wicked men, that they willingly serve the devil, and
love death, and push on towards hell, though God
thunders in their ears this awful sentence, "He that
pursueth evil, doth it to his own death." And there
must be truth in it, if God be the Sovereign of life and
death; for,
Ver. 20. They that are of a froward heart are abomi-
nation to the Lord; but such as are upright in their way
are his delight.
There is inexpressible malignity in sin, for the most
merciful God threatens, and detests, and curses, and
will destroy them that live in it. Uprightness is a
noble quality, for the Lord greatly delights in it.
He boasted, if we may speak so, to the devil of Job's
invincible integrity. Christ speaks of an upright Na-
thanael, as a wonder in the world. How wonderful is
the grace of God, that takes such kind notice of grace
so imperfect as that which may be found on earth! It
is but a faint and sullied beam from himself, who is the
Sun of righteousness.
* Matt. vi. 20; Heb.vi. 10.
CHAP. XI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 211
How forcible motives are these to deter men from
sin, and allure them to holiness! Are we men, or are
we stones rather? We shew ourselves to be so, if we
are impressed, neither by the tremendous denunciations
of his displeasure, nor by the displays of his loving-
kindness. Sinners flatter themselves with the blasphe-
mous hope that the word of threatening shall be wind,
and that by some means they shall escape the ven-
geance of the Lord. But hear, O sinners! believe and
tremble;
Ver. 21. Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall
not be unpunished; but the seed of the righteous shall be
delivered.
If all the wicked on earth should combine with all
the devils of hell, to prevent the execution of judg-
ment, it would only be a combination of thorns fully
dry against the devouring flame. Do sinners imagine
that they shall be safe, though so many dreadful threat-
enings stand pointed against them? Let them read
with horror that portion of Scripture contained in
Deuteronomy, chap. xxix. from the 18th to the 25th
verse. The man that hardens his spirit against these
words, is an infidel.
But upon mount Zion, and upon Jerusalem, shall be
deliverance, and the righteous shall enjoy it, and their
offspring with them. No believer in Christ can secure
his unbelieving children; but present deliverances are
often granted to the ungodly seed of the godly. That
blemish in David's line, king Ahaz, was not utterly de-
stroyed, because God would still give a lamp in Jeru-
salem to his servant David.
When some of Sir Thomas More's children complain-
ed to him that they could make nothing of their posts
under him, because of his strict administration, he an-
swered, "I will do justice to all men for your sake,
and will leave you a blessing."
212 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP XI.
Ver. 22. As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a
fair woman which is without discretion.
Solomon does not deny that beauty is an amiable
quality, for he compares it to a jewel of gold. But he
denies that beauty without discretion can render a
woman lovely. The nature of a swine is not altered
by its being adorned with nose jewels, such as those
which some of the ladies of Zion used to wear. It is
still, with all its decorations, a swine; it loves the
mire, and its ornaments, instead of concealing its ugli-
ness, only render it so much the more an object of
scorn and of ridicule. Every eye will be attracted by
it, and every beholder astonished by so unnatural a
conjunction of vileness and adorning. A beautiful
woman may be admired for a time, but when her vani-
ty and folly are detected, admiration is turned into
loathing.
If beautiful women would gain and preserve the
honour that belongs to the gracious woman, let them
beware of those who are disposed to flatter. When
their flatterers compare them to angels, and speak of
their lilies and their roses, let them remember, that a
wiser and more honest man compares beauty, without
discretion, to a jewel of gold in a swine's snout.
Look to thy face in a glass, (said one of the wise
men of Greece), and if thou hast beauty, disgrace it
not by an unseemly behaviour; but if thou art ugly,
make amends for it by the beauty of thy conversa-
tion.
Ver. 29. The desire of the righteous is only good; the
expectation of the wicked is wrath.
A righteous man will not indulge the natural desires
of the flesh and of the mind, but will endeavour to
limit his wishes by the rules of the Bible. In conse-
quence, indeed, of the remaining darkness of his mind,
and distempers of his heart, he may desire things not
CHAP. XI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 213
good for him; still, however, it is his wish that nothing
may be granted him, inconsistent with the will of that
God, who knows infinitely better than his people do
what is good for them, and who will give them what
is good though they ask not for it, and who will keep
back nothing needful for them, however averse to re-
ceive it they may be.
For this reason it is that the desire of the righteous
shall always end in what is good for them, for their
desires are presented to that God who hath assured
them, that if they ask any thing according to his will,
he heareth them. No righteous man would for a
world consent that these words, "according to his
will," should be dropped from this promise of Scrip-
ture.
The righteous man is happy when his desires are
either granted or refined, but "the expectations of
the wicked," gratified or disappointed, "are wrath."
The Israelites had flesh to satisfy their lusts, but lean-
ness was sent into their souls, and the wrath of God
soon squeezed out all the sweetness of their quails.
They, at another time, desired a king, and God gave
them a king in his anger, but took him away in his
wrath. "The expectation of the wicked shall perish."
Here is misery, but it is not all their misery. The
perfection of it is, that their "expectation is wrath.”
Ver. 24. There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth
and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it
tendeth to poverty.
Liberality is one eminent branch of the character of
the righteous, but because there are many objections in
the heart of man against the practice of it, urgent mo-
tives are here addressed to us. The instructions de-
livered in this and the four following verses, will, if
they are but believed, be a sufficient answer to every
objection.
214 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XI.
There is that scattereth his substance by profusion
and luxury. That man diminishes his substance till it
comes to nothing. But he that disperses by giving to
the poor, by liberal distributions for the support of the
commonwealth in times of danger, or for the service of
religion, shall increase his substance. He is like the
husbandman, who sows with good will and unsparing
hand, that precious seed which is to produce a joyful
harvest. It is God who gives all that we enjoy, and
by his secret blessing, or by remarkable interpositions
of providence, the liberal man is often made to abound
in riches, and enabled more and more abundantly to
serve his fellow-men *. Abraham sat at his tent-door
to watch for passengers, and those who came, he urged
to partake of his bounty, with more earnestness than
other men beg an alms. Job never ate his morsel
alone; and the latter end of both these men did greatly
increase.
Of all the rich men that have come to poverty, I
never heard of any that was ruined by a discreet libera-
lity, but "there is that withholdeth more than is meet,
and it tendeth to poverty." Men may give something
to the poor, and yet be impoverished, without being ex-
ceptions to the truth of this proverb; for though they
give some small matter off their superfluities, yet they
withhold more than is meet. They are like a husband-
man sowing an acre with half a bushel of grain, who
will soon reduce his substance to nothing †.
What will become of him who is so far from being
generous, that he is not just? He withholdeth of that
which is right, as the word may be rendered, and
brings the roll of God's curses into his house, to con-
sume the timber and stones thereof.
*
2 Cor ix. 7-11 † 2 Cor. xix. 6.
CHAP. XI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 215
Ver. 25. The liberal soul (Heb. soul of blessings) shall
be made fat; and he that watereth shall be watered also
himself.
He is not the truly charitable man who has an open
purse, but not a charitable heart. The thoughtless pro-
digal, when he is scattering his money, may bestow
his share upon the indigent; but though he should
give them all he has, it will not prove him possessed of
the grace of charity.
The good man not only gives his bread, but draws
out his soul to the hungry. He knows the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who was rich, and yet became
poor for our sake; and his charity, produced by this
knowledge, is suitable to the design of the gospel, for
it is out of a pure heart, and a good conscience, and
faith unfeigned.
The man of liberal soul shall be made fat. He pros-
pers in his soul, and if God think it good for him,
he shall prosper in his body and in his circumstances
also. He waters others with the blessings of his
bounty, and he shall be watered himself with the bless-
ing of Divine mercy, till he become like a watered gar-
den, or like a spring of waters, whose waters fail not *.
Say not, then, you would be liberal if you could.
Every man who has a liberal soul, however little his
purse be, shares in the blessedness of the liberal. Two
mites from a poor widow, will be as acceptable in the
temple-treasury, as two pounds from one who abounds
in wealth; and the poor who pour forth prayers for
those distressed persons whom they have not money to
relieve, are liberal in the sight of God; for if there be
first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what
a man hath, and not according to what he hath not.
Did not charity forbid, a Christian would be glad
*
Isa. lviii.
216 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XI.
on his own account that there are very poor persons in
the world, for in relieving their necessities, he does
a thousand times more good to himself than to them.
That saying of Christ is certainly true, "It is more
blessed to give than to receive."
Persons may exercise charity in selling as well as in
giving, for,
Ver. 26. He that withholdeth corn, the people shall
curse him; but blessing shall be upon the head of him
that selleth it.
Bread is the staff of life. The king himself is serv-
ed by the field. But the husbandman, or trader in
corn, must not withhold or sell merely as it serves his
own interests, but must consider himself as a steward in
God's great family, and use that talent with which he
is entrusted, for the benefit of others, as well as for his
own advantage. He must not withhold his corn from
the market in order to increase the price, and enrich
himself at the expense of the poor, and the risk of their
life and health. If he does so, he counteracts the kind
design of Providence in making the corn spring out of
the earth, and discovers a mean, selfish, and unfeeling
heart. He grinds the faces of the poor, and tempts
people to murmur at the allotments of Providence, and
to utter imprecations against himself. Thus he at once
shares in the guilt of their curses, and exposes himself
to the effect of them; for though such curses are very
sinful, the sin lies chiefly on the inhuman object who
was the tempter to them, and they are not to be rank-
ed among the causeless curses which shall not come.
When defrauded labourers, or the oppressed poor, cry
against the author of their distresses, the cry enters
into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth: much more will
he hear the cries of a whole province or people, against
him who is the instrument of withholding from them
the necessaries of life. "But blessings shall be upon
CHAP. XI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 217
the head of him that generously sells it," when it was
in his power to enrich himself by withholding. Al-
though he takes a reasonable price for this useful com-
modity, he yet exercises more useful and extensive
liberality, than he who bestows his superfluities to feed
a few of the indigent.
It is not said the people shall bless him. Men are
more ready to curse their oppressors than to bless their
benefactors. Besides, they may think it superfluous to
give both a price and a blessing for their food. But
we are not to serve men chiefly from a regard to their
thanks, but to look above them, to that God who de-
lights in goodness, and who will not fail to recompense
it in its different expressions of giving, or lending, or
selling.
Though no blessings should reach the ear of the man
who generously sells, they shall descend from heaven upon
his head. God looketh down upon the children of men,
and considereth all their ways; whatever, therefore, our
business is, it is our duty to perform the offices of it
with a view to the glory of God. And God is glorified
when we do all our works in charity, endeavouring
faithfully, in our respective stations, to serve our gene-
ration according to the will of God. When we look,
not only on our own things, but also on the things
of others, we are serving ourselves most effectually;
for,
Ver. 27. He that diligently seeketh good, procureth
favour; but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto
him.
God is infinitely good, and is still doing good from
Heaven. He gives us rain and fruitful seasons; yea,
he has bestowed upon us the inestimable gift of Christ,
and salvation through his blood. Surely the considera-
tion of this goodness might dispose us to labour dili-
218 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XI.
gently in promoting the good of other men, though in
doing so we should be obliged to forego much happiness
of our own. But God in his goodness hath provided
a sufficient answer to all those objections against serv-
ing others, which are taken from our own interest.
He that diligently pursueth good, may put himself to
much toil and expense; but he obtains favour, and
that is an abundant recompense for all the labours and
sufferings of love. He will likely have the favour of
men, for when a man's ways please the Lord, he mak-
eth even his enemies to be at peace with him; but he is
sure of the favour and blessing of God *.
But when a man seeks mischief, it is questionable
indeed whether he shall effect his malicious purpose,
but it is certain that the mischief he does to himself is
greater than that intended against his neighbour. The
just Lord is known by the judgment which he exe-
cutes, in causing the contrivers of evil to fall into their
own snares.
Ver. 28. He that trusteth in his riches shall fall; but
the righteous shall flourish like a branch.
After all that Solomon can say, many will still trust
to their chests and to their .bonds, more than to the
promises of God. Their money is their strong castle
in which they hope to be safe, and the fountain whence,
they expect supplies of comfort. A text in the Pro-
verbs is not so good as a full purse, and therefore they
will not part with their money to others, but will keep
it for their own use. Confidence in money is a sin that
has produced much sin, prevented many acts of good-
ness, and will, at the day of judgment, be found a
general article in the charge against the wicked. The
Scripture frequently warns men against this instance
of idolatry †, and calls on ministers to preach against it.
* Luke vi. 38 † Psal. xlxix. & lii., Eph. v. 5.
CHAP. XI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 219
They that trust in riches shall fall like the flower of
the grass, or like the leaves of a tree. Their riches
shall leave them; or if they should die in the midst of
their wealth, they can carry nothing of their glory along
with them. Their wealth cannot keep them from fall-
ing into hell, or mitigate the horrors of the infernal
lake; but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.
The righteous man trusts not in the unfaithful mam-
mon, but in the name of the Lord *. He thinks the
promise of God better security than the earth can
afford, and trusts his money in the hands of him who
says, "He that giveth to the poor lendeth to the
Lord, and he will recompense again what he hath given
unto him." This man shall not fade like the leaves,
but shall flourish like the branch of a tree. A branch
may during winter appear withered, but it drops not
from the stock, and in the spring it revives and grows.
So the righteous man, though he meets with seasons
of affliction, shall revive and flourish. He is ingrafted
into the true Vine, and partaking of his vital influence,
shall abound in the fruits of comfort and righteousness.
At death he shall be transplanted into the celestial pa-
radise, where all the trees of righteousness shall flourish
in immortal beauty.
Ver. 29. He that troubleth his own house shall inherit
the wind; and the fool shall be servant to the wise of
heart.
The eye of God is still upon us, and he observes
how we behave in our different relations. He punishes
with disappointment, poverty, and disgrace, the man
who is a scourge instead of a blessing to his own
family.
A man is a plague to his family, when he is of a
domineering and quarrelsome temper, bursting into
*
Job i. 5, xxxi. 13-15.
220 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XI.
passion at every trifling omission of his will and plea-
sure; when by covetousness he oppresses his servants
and children with bondage and hard labour, scarcely al-
lowing them to enjoy life; when by prodigality he wastes
the bread and portion of his children; when, by his dis-
regard to mercy and justice, he brings the curse of God
on himself and his house; when, by irreligion, he ne-
glects the spiritual welfare of his family, and encou-
rages them in evil by a bad example.
The troubler of his house shall possess vanity, disap-
ointment, and misery. The evils that he brings to
his dependants are doubled to himself. Those who
might be his best friends, he makes his enemies; and
his vices, so troublesome to others, produce in the end
torment and ruin to himself. He has all the marks of
a fool, and through the natural consequences of his
folly, and the merited judgment of God, is likely to be
reduced to a slavish dependence on the wise of heart,
who spew their wisdom by such a government of their
families, as promotes the holiness and happiness of those
whom Providence has entrusted to their care *.
Providence does not always bring these punishments
upon men, lest we should forget that there is a judg-
ment-day coming; but they are often inflicted as an
earnest of what all persons of like behaviour are to ex-
pect at the great day of accounts.
Ver. 30. The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life :
and he that winneth souls is wise †.
The righteous shall flourish as a branch, and they
bear the fruits of the tree of life, for they are ingrafted
in Christ, and derive supplies of spiritual influence from
him. No fruit-bearing tree that is seen in our cursed
earth, is a sufficient emblem to represent the excellency
of the righteous man. He is like that noblest tree of
*
Prov. xviii. 10, 11 † Jer. xvii. 7, 8.
CHAP. XI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 221
paradise, which was planted by the hand of God him-
self, and was distinguished above all the trees in the
paradise of God. His fruits are such as tend to pro-
duce and nourish a nobler life than any of the trees of
the garden of Eden. Christ is indeed the life of souls
and those who are not united to him continue in death;
but he is pleased to honour faithful ministers and edi-
fying professors, by making them instruments of im-
parting his best blessings unto men. It is for this
reason that diligent ministers are said to save themselves
and their hearers. How excellent is the righteous man
above his neighbours! His gracious words, his holy con-
versation, his prayers, his admonitions and instructions,
are means of rendering service to others, more valuable
than silver, or gold, or life itself. Let Christians there-
fore endeavour to be fruitful in the knowledge of our
Lord Jesus Christ, and labour to win souls to their Re-
deemer. Even women, who are not allowed to speak
in the church, may by this means share the reward of
those who turn many to righteousness. What know
they but that they may save their husbands or neigh-
boors, and allure to the faith of Christ those that did
not obey his word *? They are wise who are wise unto
salvation; how truly wise, then, are they who are in-
struments in converting and saving the souls of others
from death†! They are by the world counted wise,
who, by means of their skill in business, leave their
friends rich. But they shall at the great day be de-
clared by the Judge of all wise, who can say, "Behold
I, and the children which thou hast given me." These
are my joy and crown of rejoicing. Happy are all they
who shall be able thus to speak on that eventful day,
which seals the characters of men.
Let us also learn from this passage, to value
*
1 Pet. iii.2 1 Cor. vii. 16 † James v. 20.
222 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XI.
friendship and conversation of the righteous. If we
knew of any tree that bore fruit which could prolong
the life of man to an hundred years, it would be esteem-
ed more valuable than the treasures of kings, and we
would spare no trouble or expense to have it trans-
planted into our gardens. What value, then, should we
put on those whose fruit is the fruit of the tree of life
and whose conversation is instrumental in saving souls
from death!
Ver. 31. Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed
in the earth; much more the wicked and the sinner.
This verse is introduced by a word that calls for
our attention, and contains an observation which ex-
plains all the proverbs which express the happiness of
the righteous and the misery of the wicked, and an-
swers an objection against them which naturally springs
up in our minds.
It is evident from experience, and Solomon himself
observes it, that there is a righteous man to whom it
happens according to the work of the wicked, and a
wicked man to whom it happens according to the work
of the righteous. How, then, can it be said of the
righteous, it shall be well with them; and of the wicked,
it shall be ill with them?
We are to remember that the righteous need trials,
and deserve chastisements. David suffered many af-
flictions, but he acknowledges that his sin and folly
were the causes of them; and it was necessary, in order
to keep the enemies of the Lord from blaspheming,
that he should suffer in his person and family, when in
the matter of Uriah he had turned aside from follow-
ing the Lord. But the recompense of the errors of the
righteous is confined to this life. They may suffer
much severe correction, but there is no condemnation
to them; for Jesus delivers them from the wrath to
come and in his blood they have a complete pardon of
CHAP. XI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 223
their iniquities; so that their calamities are not the ef-
fect of divine wrath, but trials of their faith, or the cor-
rections of a father.
Now, if the righteous are chastened so severely, how
dreadful is the condemnation of the world! if fatherly
corrections break the bones and drink up the spirits of
God's people, what imagination can conceive the hor-
rors of that inflamed wrath which is the portion of the
wicked! Believers smart for sins committed through
infirmity, fully forgiven through the blood of Christ,
and sincerely lamented by themselves. But who
knoweth the power of God's anger in crushing the
wicked, when the day of grace is past, and the time is
come to make the praise of God known in the vessels
of wrath fitted to destruction! "If the righteous
scarcely be saved, where shall the wicked and ungodly
appear?"
CHAPTER XII.
Ver. 1. Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge; but
he that hateth reproof is brutish.
Pythagoras took to himself the name of Philoso-
pher, or lover of wisdom, rather than the name of
wise man, which had been assumed by the sages before
him, because he thought that the greatest men might,
224 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XII.
with more propriety, be called seekers, than finders of
wisdom. If a man be a lover of knowledge, though
much ignorance still remains with him, he is in the
sure way of finding it *. But is there any man so
foolish, and so like a beast, as not to love knowledge?
Solomon tells us, that those who love instruction, love
knowledge; but those who hate reproof are brutish.
Let us, therefore, examine ourselves by this mark.
The lover of knowledge will take pleasure in the Bible,
and in sermons, and in conversation with the wise.
He will be glad of reproofs, which serve to convey the
most seasonable and necessary instructions, though in
a manner so mortifying to human pride, that they
are not relished but by those who prefer their real
good to the applause of men. The lover of knowledge
will count that man his real friend, who honestly tells
him his faults, and would chase to be a member of
that family and church which is governed by the rules
of Christ; for though he values liberty, he does not
place it in being allowed to do evil when he pleases,
without check.
But he who hates instruction, and cannot endure
the reproof of charity, is brutish. He is like the horse
or the mule, which bites and kicks at the man who
performs a painful operation upon it, though absolutely
necessary for removing a dangerous distemper; or like
a dog, or sow, which will shew as much rage at the
man that casts a pearl before it, as if he were killing it
with a stone†. He is surely a brute, and not a ra-
tional creature, who has swallowed poison, and will
rather suffer it to take its course, than admit the neces-
sary relief of medicine, lest he should be obliged to
confess his folly, in exposing himself to the need
of it.
*Phil. 3. 13 † Psal. xxxii. 9; Matt. vii. 6.
CHAP. XII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 225
There is ordinarily in offenders a strong aversion to
the administration of Christian discipline. They think,
that by it their honour is wounded; but they ought
to consider, that by their sin the wound is already
given to their honour, and that a cheerful submissions
to this ordinance of Christ, is the only way by which
it can be repaired.
There is an equal indisposedness among professors
of religion, to receive Christian reproof. Drunkards
and swearers often discover less displeasure against a
reprover, than some that consider themselves first-rate
Christians. The man, therefore, that ventures on the
friendly office of admonition, must exercise much pru-
dence, and show, by his manner of dispensing it, that
he is constrained by charity, lest he irritate instead of
reforming.
Asa was a good man, and yet he was angry at a
prophet of God for reproving him. He certainly
ought to have made Asaph's confession, "Thus fool-
ish was I, and ignorant; I was as a beast before
thee.
Ver. 2. A good man obtaineth favour of the Lord; but
a man of wicked devices will he condemn.
We are to shew forth the virtues of him that called
us out of darkness into his marvellous light, by endea-
vouring to shine in the exercise of such Christian
graces, as correspond to those attributes of God that
shine with resplendent lustre in the work of our salva-
tion. The exercise, therefore, of charity and goodness,
is highly becoming those on whose account such mi-
racles of goodness and love have been displayed.
A good man forms no devices for serving himself,
to the prejudice of his fellow-creatures. Could a win-
dow be opened in his breast, you would see charity
ruling in his heart, and disposing him earnestly to
226 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XII.
wish for the spiritual and temporal advantages of his
neighbours, and to imitate our gracious Saviour, who
went about doing good; for the Spirit of Christ is in
him, and the fruit of this Spirit is in all goodness. He
does not value himself on this account, as if there were
any merit in paying a debt which he owes to men on
God's account*. All his hopes are founded upon that
infinite goodness, which provided salvation for self-
ruined sinners; yet his goodness is well-pleasing unto
the Lord, who blesses him with the smiles of his coun-
tenance, and will remember him concerning all his
works, and all his thoughts and designs of love, ac-
cording to the multitude of his mercies†.
We must not do as others do to us, nor be dis-
couraged in the practice of goodness, by the unthank-
ful returns which we meet with from ungrateful men,
but perform our duties to our fellow creatures, from a
regard to God, and with a view to his acceptance
through Christ ‡. Is the praise or gratitude of men
worthy to be the subject of a thought, when we read
that a good man shall obtain favour from the Lord?
If our goodness is produced by a regard to men, it is
not goodness, but selfishness in disguise, and verily
its whole reward is from men||.
“But the man of wicked devices will he condemn."
Such a man may be artful enough to disguise his self-
ish plans, under the mask of religion and benevolence,
like the old Pharisees; but the eyes of the Judge of
the world are like a flame of fire, they pierce into the
secrets of every soul, and there is no dark design har-
boured, which shall not be completely disclosed in the
day of Christ. When our Lord was upon earth, he
discovered and condemned the corrupt hearts of many
*Rom. xiii. 8; † Eph. vi. 8; Neh. xiii. 14, 22, 31 ‡Heb. xiii. 15, 16
||
Mat. vi. 2
CHAP. XII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 227
hypocritical rogues; and at the day of the revelation
of the righteous judgment of God, no vain pretender
to goodness shall stand in the congregation of the
righteous. Even those that refused to minister to the
necessities of others, shall be commanded to hell; and
how shall they escape, whose hearts were pre-occupied
with wicked devices, to the ruin or damage of those
who were made of the same blood with themselves!
Ver. 8. A man shall not be established by wickedness;
but the root of the righteous shall not be moved.
A man sometimes appears to be established, and
often hopes to be so by wickedness; but it is all a de-
lusion. Had Zimri peace who founded his throne on
treason? A man may with more reason hope to build
himself a sure house upon pillars of ice, than to esta-
blish his fortunes upon an accursed ground.
“But the root of the righteous shall not be moved."
The leaves of the trees of righteousness may wither,
their branches may be tossed hither and thither by the
tempests of tribulation and affliction; but they are root-
ed in Christ*, and kept night and day by the Almigh-
ty†, and therefore their root is safe from the rage of
earth and hell.
Ver. 4. A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband;
but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness is his bones.
A virtuous woman fears the Lord, reverences her
husband, manages her house with prudence and care,
behaves charitably to the poor, and kindly to all. To
what should we compare such a woman? Should we
resemble her to a bracelet, or say that she is a neck-
lace of gold to her husband? Such comparisons would
be quite below her worth. She makes him as happy
as a king, and procures him such respect and honour,
that she deserves to be compared to that royal orna-
*
Col. ii. 7 † Isa. xxvii. 3
228 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XII.
ment that encircles the head of Majesty. She is to
her husband a crown enriched with those lovely vir-
tues, which shine with more radiant lustre than the
diamonds of the East.
She is health to her husband's bones, for the sight
of her amiable behaviour, and the pleasure of her so-
ciety, inspires him with that habitual cheerfulness.
which doth good like a medicine. But the woman
that wants virtue makes her husband ashamed, and
is as rottenness in his bones. Her peevish temper or
passionate behaviour, her extravagant expences or her
sordid avarice, the levity of her speech or the scandal
of her vices, make him the object of pity or scorn
when he is abroad, and fill him with anguish at home.
She is not a help, but a torment to him that hath made
her bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh. A man
may get out of a fever in a few weeks; but the misery
of this living disease is, that unless the Almighty grace
of God work an uncommon cure, it will prey upon a
man's bones and spirits, till the death of one of the
married parties brings relief.
Let such, then, as have wives to chuse, consider
that the man should be the glory of Christ, as the
woman of the man; that a good wife is from the Lord;
and that it is therefore their interest to live to the
praise of Christ, to resolve to marry only in the Lord,
and to seek this precious gift from him, by humble
prayer.
Let wives consider seriously, whether they wish
for happiness and honour to their husbands, or dis-
grace and misery; and whether it be better for them-
selves to prove helpers to the joy, and crowns to the
head of their husbands, or living plagues to them, and
fires to consume their vitals.*
* 1 Cor. xi. 5-10
CHAP. XII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 229
Let husbands give honour to their wives, and en-
courage them in virtue, by their kindness and appro-
bation. What tender love does Christ shew to those,
whom he is pleased to betrothe to himself in loving-
kindness! So ought husbands to love their wives*.
Ver. 5. The thoughts of the righteous are right; but
the counsels of the wicked are deceit.
As far as we are warranted or concerned to judge
of the character of our neighbours, we must draw our
opinion of them from their words and behaviour; but
we are to form our judgment of ourselves, chiefly by
our thoughts, which are the immediate product of our
hearts; for as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. The
thoughts of the righteous are right. Evil and foolish
thoughts often rise up in their minds, but they hate
vain thoughts, and will not allow them a lodging-
place. Their love to God produces many delightful
meditations concerning his excellency and grace, and
constant desires to show forth his glory. Their cha-
rity to men excludes ungrounded suspicion and evil
surmises, and in their deliberations about their conduct,
disposes them to consider not only how they may serve
their own interests, but how they may contribute to
the happiness of their neighbours. Should any plan
be suggested to them that appears greatly conducive
to their own advantage, it will be rejected with ab-
horrence, unless it consist with the happiness of those
whom they are constrained, by the command of God
and the love of Christ, to love as themselves.
But a wicked man's pleasure lies in those thoughts,
that feed upon the earthly objects where his fancied
happiness lies, and the schemes which he forms in his
mind are crooked and artful. He must if possible
be gratified in his pursuits, though others should be
*
Eph. v.
230 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XII.
rendered unhappy; and because the permit at whose
expense he means to serve himself, will naturally stand
in his way, he contrives to cover his real designs
with the false appearances of honesty and charity, that
he may not be obstructed in their accomplishment.
Ver. 6. The words of the wicked are to lie in wait for
blood: but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them.
There is a ready communication between the tongue
and the heart; when men's counsels are deceit, it may
therefore be expected, that their words will be to lie
in wait for blood.
There are passions in the hearts of wicked men, that
are murder in the sight of God, and have a natural
tendency to mischief and blood; but through the good
providence of the universal Ruler, they are checked by
the terrors of conscience, or the fear of punishment
from men, or some other means, and the world is pre-
vented from becoming a scene of universal outrage.
But some wicked men are so unprincipled, that the
life of their neighbours is of small account with them,
if they can accomplish their own cursed designs. Their
tongues have the subtilty and poison of the serpent in
them, and by their devilish arts, they draw men into
dangers fatal to their reputation, their souls, and their
bodies. "But the mouth of the upright shall deliver
them." Their wise answers preserve themselves, and
their wise counsels preserve others from ruin. Thus
Mephibosheth preserved himself from the snares of
Ziba; and our Lord Jesus Christ often preserved
himself from the well-laid devices of his deceitful
enemies *.
God will severely punish the wicked for their de-
ceitful counsels and their deceitful tongue; for,
*
Isa. xxxiii. 16
CHAP. XII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 231
Ver. 7. The wicked are overthrown, and are not: but
the house of the righteous shall stand.
There is a mighty difference between the evils that
befall the righteous, and those that come upon the
wicked. Evil shall slay the wicked, so that they shall
have no more existence in that world where their hopes
and happiness lay, and their existence in another world
shall be an everlasting curse; but the righteous shall
be established, and their seed with them *.
Ver. 8. A man shall be commended according to his
wisdom; but he that is of a perverse heart shall be de-
spised.
It is not here said, that a man is commended accord-
ing to his wisdom. There are some commended for
their wit, and others for their cunning; some for their
genius, and others for their learning; nay, some are
foolishly commended for what in Solomon's estimation
is nothing but folly. But praise built on a false foun-
dation shall not continue, and wisdom will be found
the only solid basis of a name. God approves of it,
and men shall sooner or later join in its commendation.
John the Baptist did not affect the praise of men,
and yet we find that by the people he was commended
greatly, and even held in respect by the king. The
Pharisees and the Priests procured the esteem of the
people, and yet we find that Pilate saw through their
false pretences, when they delivered up Christ to him;
and through the prevalence of truth, that veneration
which they had engrossed, was in a great measure
transferred to the apostles.
It is a great temptation to men to see wisdom de-
spised, and qualities which have no necessary connexion
with it applauded. The desire of respect is natural to
men, and this prejudises them against that profession
*Verse
3. Chap. x. 25, 30.
232 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XII.
or practice, which makes them forfeit the good opinion
of men. This hindered many from professing the
name of our Saviour*, and others from believing in
him†. But the apostles shewed their wisdom, by
glorying in shame for the name of Christ. They knew
that this shame would end in royal honours‡.
We should frequently think on the day of judgment,
that day which will set the seal on all human charac-
ters. Then will the Lord himself commend the wise,
in the face of the world, and the perverse in heart
shall be a universal abhorring.
Ver. 9. He that is despised, and hath a servant||, is
better than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread.
Some people are such bond slaves to the applause
and respect of men, that in order to make others think
them happy, they render themselves miserable. For
the sake of making a figure in the eye of the world,
they live in constant straits and anxieties.
By the inspired moralist, this piece of folly is here
censured ; yet it is still very common, and very mis-
chievous.
When men, through the pride of birth or station,
or some unaccountable vanity of mind, are determined
to live in such splendour as their income cannot sup-
port, the ordinary consequence is, that they run into
debt, defraud their creditors, lose all trust from men,
and expose themselves to the devil, who is too cunning
to let slip the opportunity that thus presents itself, of
tempting them to have recourse to the gaming-table,
that decent substitute for the highway, or should this
resource fail, to the highway itself, as a relief to their
necessities. Starvation, or a jail, or a gibbet, or some-
*John xii. 43 †John v. 44 ‡v. 11, 12
||
Or, is servant to himself.
CHAP. XII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 233
thing incomparably worse than all these, closes the
scene.
Oh! how much better and wiser were it to reverence
the providence of God, which fixes the lot of men, and
to accommodate our minds to our circumstances, how-
ever narrow! In this way may we hope to enjoy the
comforts, or at least the necessaries of life with com-
posed minds, and be able to serve the Lord without
distraction. If men should despise us because we
cannot live as men of our rank do, it is not difficult
to determine whether their opinion or our own peace
of mind is to be preferred. Whatever men may say
at present, yet afterwards shall a man be commended
according to his wisdom.
To live above our income, that we may figure in
the world, is to rebel against divine providence, and to
forget him who used to feed on barley bread and fishes,
while employed in, accomplishing the work of human
salvation. Paul travelling on foot, and living on the
wages of a tent-maker, was more respectable than the
pretended successor of his brother apostle with a triple
crown on his head.
Ver. 10. A righteous man regardeth the life of his
beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.
How presumptuous are those men who despise their
inferiors, and look on their happiness and comfort as
matters unworthy of their regard! Though kings and
beggars share in the same common nature, they have
less goodness towards their fellow-men, than the righ-
teous have for their beasts. A righteous man's mercy
diffuses itself not only over the most abject of his
neighbours, but even to creatures without reason. He
will not deprive his beast of its food and rest, nor op-
press it with unreasonable toil, nor sport himself with
the misery and pain of those creatures which God hath
subjected to his power. He considers them as servants
234 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XII.
to be employed for his advantage, but not to be ty-
rannized over. Are they animals good for food? Even
in depriving them of life, he shews his humanity, by
inflicting upon them no unnecessary degree of pain.
But why should such a regard be paid to the lives end
to the comforts of brutes? Because they are susceptible
of pleasure and pain, and not so much our inferiors as
we are inferior to him that made both them and us.
Heathens themselves were sensible of the mercy due
to the animal creation. The Athenians excluded a
man from a place in their government, because he kill-
ed a bird that fled to him for shelter; justly reasoning,
that a man who could exercise cruelty to brutes, could
not be safely trusted with the life or comfort of his
fellow-men.
That God, whose goodness the righteous imitates,
is good to all. In goodness he made and preserves the
beasts. He would not suffer them to be all drowned
in Noah's flood, all he considered them in sparing
Nineveh. There are many laws in the books of Moses
guarding us against wanton oppression; and these laws,
inconsiderable as they may appear to us, are fenced
with promises and threatening. And what is equally
worthy of our regard on this head, God on one occa-
sion opened the month of one of the meet contemptible
beasts, to plead the cause of the dumb creation, and
an angel took its part.
But wicked men are so for from exercising their
compassion to brutes, that they are unfeeling to men;
and when they appear to themselves or to others the
most merciful, their kindness is often cruelty in dis-
guise. When persons give to the poor, and join their
gifts with insult and abuse, this is cruel mercy. When
Pilate ordered Christ to be scourged, with a design to
procure his release, was this mercy? and not rather
injustice and oppression. Such was the mercy of the
CHAP. XII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 235
Jewish council to the apostles*, and of the Philippian
magistrates to Paul†.
Ahab's meroy to Benhadad was cruelty in another
sense. He was cruel to himself and to his people, that
he might preserve the reputation of the kings of the
house of Israel. Of the like nature are those foolish
compassions which are sometimes exercised by parents,
and magistrates, and ministers, to the great damage
of those under their inspection, who are encouraged
in vice by the connivance, or the too gentle reproofs
and punishments administered to them. But this kind
of cruel mercy has been too often practised by the
righteous themselves, of which Eli and David are
striking instances.
Let us look to our virtues, and examine them atten-
tively, that vice may not lurk under them undiscover-
ed. We too often applaud ourselves for that which
should rather cause us to mourn.
Ver.11. He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with
bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of un-
derstanding.
The business of the husbandman is so honourable,
that it is here used by Solomon to signify every useful
profession. Kings themselves are served by the field,
and the only two universal monarchs practised hus-
bandry.
The Spirit of God here teaches us, that we ought to
have a useful profession, and to follow it with diligence,
minding our own business, and not intermeddling
with affairs in which we have no concern. That we
shall be satisfied with bread, is the encouragement
held out to pursue such a course as this. Some people
think that they cannot have enough, unless they have
more than the necessaries and decent comforts of life;
*
Acts v. 41 †Acts xvi. 37.
236 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XII.
but we are here instructed that bread should satisfy
our desires, unless God is pleased to bestow more upon
us. Having food and raiment, let us be therewith
content. There are few that want these, and yet few
are content.
There are others who think that they will not be
able to live by their business, without over-reaching
their neighbours, by means of those underhand prac-
tices which custom has interwoven with many profes-
sions; but says the wise man, "He that tilleth his
land shall have enough;” and Paul tells us, that he
may have something more to give to him that needeth.
To be satisfied with bread, is a happy temper of
mind, and is commonly the portion of the man of in-
dustry, which not only procures bread, but gives it a
relish unknown to men that are above labour. A din-
ner of green herbs is commonly a sweeter meal to the
labourer, and followed by more refreshing sleep, than
all the luxuries of high life to a man of fortune.
“But he that followeth vain or idle persons, is void
of understanding." The idle man deserves the name
of a fool; nor can he clear himself of it by alleging,
that the love of company, or the example of others, al-
lures him to this course of life. It must be both sin
and folly for a man, whatever reasons he pretends for
it, to indulge himself in a vice by which he endea-
vours to elude the sentence passed upon fallen man,
and breaks so many commandments of God; weakens
the powers of his mind, and destroys the vigour of his
constitution; exposes his mind as a prey to chagrin,
and his soul to the temptations of the devil; wastes
his precious time, and lays himself open to all the mi-
series of a self-procured poverty. In short, all the
creatures in heaven, earth, and hell, proclaim the folly
of the idle man. Let us, therefore, avoid it, as a nur-
sery of vice and misery, and fill up our days with the
CHAP. XII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 237
useful labours of our calling, and the more important
concerns of our souls.
Ver. 12. The wicked desireth the net of evil men; but
the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit.
The original word, which in the 24th verse of this
chapter is rendered slothful, signifies also deceitfulness,
for slothfulness and deceit often accompany each
ether. Wicked men have more enlarged desires after
earthly things than the righteous, and their hands
soften refuse to labour for necessary things. What,
then, shall they do? Their lusts must be gratified at
the expence of conscience and honesty, and so they
desire the net of evil men, to ensnare others, and drag
their property to themselves, that their portion may be
fat, and their meat plenteous. But a righteous man is
above the temptations that lead men to over-reach
their neighbours, for he has an inward principle of in-
tegrity and contentment, which tends to moderate his
desires, and directs to praise-worthy means for the en-
joyment of them. Thus, by the blessing of God, he
obtains what is needful for himself, and something also
to give to him that needeth.
The life of a slothful man is full of the worst kind
of toils, and is often a scene of guilt and wretchedness;
whilst a good man, besides his happy prospects, en-
joys much pleasure in those earthly things, which to
others are vanity and vexation of spirit.
Ver. 13. The wicked is snared by the transgression of
his lips; but the just shall come out of trouble.
As birds are suddenly seized by the gin, and cannot
work their way out of it, so wicked men are often
ruined unexpectedly and irretrievably, by means of
their ungoverned tongues. Adonijah was spared for
his rebellion, but by one presumptuous petition, he
shewed himself a dangerous man, and brought ven-
geance upon his own head. Nabal, by his insolent
238 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XII.
language, almost destroyed his whole family; and as
the corrupt tongue is set on fire of hell, so burning
coals are its reward*.
A just man may be endangered by his own tongue,
but through the mercy of God he shall be delivered,
as David was, when he had engaged himself too far
with the king of Gath; and Isaac and Abraham, when
they had exposed the chastity of their wives, by their
dissimulation at the court of the Philistines.
Nor will God ordinarily suffer the just to perish
by the tongues of the wicked. Sometimes he has done
it, as in the case of Abimelech the priest; but just men
are not ruined by death itself.
Ver. 14. A man shall be satisfied with good by the
fruit of his mouth; and the recompense of a man’s hand
shall be rendered unto him.
As a bad tongue is one of the worst, so a good tongue
is one of the best things in the world. By a well-or-
dered tongue, we may be useful in winning souls to
Christ; in teaching the ignorant, strengthening the
weak, and making the mourners to rejoice. By our
tongues we may glorify God, even the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, and spread the savour of that name
which is so dear to every Christian.
When men use their tongues in this manner, they
shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of them; for
they obtain the friendship and respect of men, they
enjoy acceptance with God through Christ Jesus, and
the testimony of their conscience, that they have in
some measure answered the end of their being. They
are assured, that every word which proceeds from a
pure heart, is marked down in God's book of remem-
brance.
*
Psal. cxx.
CHAP. XII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 239
David often reflected with pleasure on the restraints
he had imposed on his tongue, or the charitable use
he had made of it as circumstances required*; and at
the last day, our Judge tells us, that by our words we
shall be justified or condemned.
But our words will only prove us to be hypocrites,
if they proceed not from sincere hearts, or are unat-
tended with a suitable behaviour. Those trees will be
cut down that produce no good fruit, though they
should abound with the most beauteous blossoms; and
therefore it is added, that the recompence of a man's
hands shall be rendered unto him.
Let our words, then, be ordered in the fear of God,
and with a view to the account that will be taken of
them, first by our own consciences, and then by our
Judge, who now hearkens and hears every thing that
proceeds from our lips; and our actions must be un-
der the same influence, that we may not condemn our
selves, and be judged out of our own mouths as dis-
sembling hypocrites.
Ver. 15. The way of a fool is right is his own eyes;
but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.
The greater fools are those that have the highest
opinion of their own wisdom. Their self-esteem dis-
poses them to neglect the advice of others, and to pro-
secute their own schemes, however foolish and dan-
gerous, till they meet with fatal disappointments,
which, after all, can hardly open their eyes, clean shut
with pride and vanity.
The wisest men are they who are most sensible of
their need to avail themselves of the wisdom of others;
and most qualified to make a proper use of counsel.
This rule is to be observed, especially in the affairs
of religion, for in none do men discover more folly,
*Psal.
xxxviii. 13, cxlii. 6; cxx. 7.
240 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XII.
and a greater degree of self-confidence. Multitudes
walk under the influence of delusion and error, who,
instead of suffering themselves to be set right, despise
those that are able to give them good advice. Multi-
tudes that make a sound profession of religion, are
strangers to the narrow way that leads to life, and
would yet exclaim against such as would give them,
from scripture, the clearest proofs of the danger of the
mistakes under which they labour, and the insufficiency
of the evidences which they think they can, produce,
of their being in the right way.
We are not, however, to hearken to counsel without
examination, because other men are liable to error as
well as ourselves. Absalom was ruined by giving ear
to treacherous counsel; and Rehoboam lost the greater
part of his kingdom, by preferring the counsel of fools
to that of wise men. In our spiritual concerns, the
only infallible counsellor is he who is made of God
unto us wisdom, to whose word we are carefully to at-
tend, and on whose Spirit and grace we must exercise
a daily and humble dependence*.
It is our wisdom to value the instructions and coun-
sels of ministers of parents and Christian friends, par-
ticularly of experienced and aged saints. But they
must be able to prove the goodness of their advices
by the Scriptures, which are the great and only rule
to direct us to our chief end.
Ver. 16. A fool’s wrath is presently known; but a pru-
dent man covereth shame.
The wise man here uses a very observable word, to
express wrath. He calls it shame, for it is a shame for
a man to suffer his reasons to be tyrannized over by an
unruly passion, which spreads deformity over his coun-
tenance, and hurries him on to expressions and actions
*
Psa. xxv. Isa. xix. 6.
CHAP. XII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 241
more like those of one confined in bedlam, than one
who is supposed to have the use of his reason. A man
would reckon himself debased, if the form of his body
were changed into that of a wild beast; and is a man
in a condition one whit more respectable, when reason
is trampled under foot, and the government of his
body and his tongue subjected to the spirit of a tiger?
A fool disgraces himself by giving way to the im-
petuous sallies of passion. He discovers his temporary
madness, by his pale countenance, his quivering lips,
and his flashing eyes. His tongue, having thrown
up the reins of reason, pours forth torrents of rage, and
perhaps of oaths and imprecations; thus announcing to
every one that he meets, that he is a fool. It is with
difficulty that his hands are restrained from doing that
which in a short time would become the source of
bitter and unceasing remorse.
"But a prudent man covereth shame." When he
finds his passions beginning to ferment, he does not
give them full scope, but considers whether he does
well to be angry, and how far it is lawful and safe for
him to give way to this turbulent passion. He does
not cover his wrath, that it may have time to work,
and draw the powers of reason into its service, that it
may break forth with more effect on some other oc-
cassion, -but covers it, that he may have time to sup-
press and destroy it, by considering its folly and
wickedness, by meditating on the example and grace
of Christ, and by fervent supplications for the support
and assistance of the Spirit of meekness.
By such means as these the prudent man preserves
own honour, and covers the shame of his neigh-
bour, who is likely to be gained by gentleness and
meekness. Thus the noblest of all victories is gained,
whilst the Christian, subdues, not only his own spirit,
242 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XII.
but the stubborn soul of his adversary, and covers, by
his charity, a multitude of sins.
Ver. 17. He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righ-
teousness; but a false witness deceit.
Men, destitute of a principle of integrity, may be
guilty of much iniquity in witness-bearing, whilst
they flatter themselves that they are speaking nothing
but the truth.
A true and faithful witness will deliver his testimony
fully, clearly, and impartially. He will not only tell
the truth, but all the truth that he knows about the
point in question, as far as it will open up the merits
of the cause. He will use no language that may be
misunderstood by the judges, nor dissemble matters so
as to favour even that cause which he supposes to be
the right one. He will give no unfair representation
of matters, to gratify or serve a good man, or one who
is his best friend; nor will pity constrain him so to
disguise facts as to serve the cause of the poor man, or
him who is in danger of being condemned. If one
should offer him a bribe, he will shake his hands from
holding it, and shut his ears against every attempt
made to bias his mind.
"But a false witness sheweth forth deceit." He
utters falsehood, or turns truth into a lie, by his man-
ner of telling it. Doeg, by a real fact misrepresented,
was the death of eighty-five priests of the Lord; and
they who bore testimony against our Lord, are called
false witnesses, though they repeated our Lord's words
with but little if any variation, because the little dif-
ference in words made a complete change in the sense.
It is necessary for us to consider exactly what we
say, when the character or happiness of others is at
stake, and to be cautious whom we trust, lest by artful
misrepresentations we be persuaded to do injuries to
our neighbours, which we cannot repair.
CHAP. XII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 243
Ver. 18. There is that speaketh like the piercings of a
sword; but the tongue of the wise is health.
The slanderer and backbiter, the railer, the flatterer,
the unrighteous witness, and the unreasonable mur-
murer, have tongues which may justly be compared to
sharp swords, by which they wound or destroy the
peace and comfort, the reputation and prosperity, or
the very lives of their neighbours. The seducer to sin
or error, has a sword in his mouth to destroy the souls
of men. But the tongue of the wise has a healing
virtue to cure the wounds inflicted by the wicked
tongue, and other diseases that affect the comfort or
safety of men.
It is not enough to refrain our tongues from evil.
By them we should endeavour to defend the character
of the injured, to pacify those that are offended by the
slanders and revilings of others, to comfort the de-
jected, to instruct the ignorant, to reclaim those that
err, and warn those that are in danger.
For these purposes, we must not only consider what
is fit to be spoken, but when also, and to whom it may
be proper to speak.
Job is an instance of the healing power of the tongue;
his friends, of the bad consequences of misapplying
the most certain and important truths. They were
good men, and their words discovered much zeal for
God, and concern for the welfare of Job, and yet to
that good man they were drawn swords*.
Ver. 19. The lip of truth shall be established for ever;
but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
Let us always remember to speak truth one to an-
other, for if we lose any thing by it, our gain shall
counterbalance the damage. Our credit will be estab-
lished, and we shall enjoy that confidence from men,
*Job
iv. 3 etc.
244 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XII.
on which our success and usefulness depend. Truth
is the ornament of the great, and to poor men it is their
stock and livelihood. Some small matter may be gain-
ed by lying, in the meantime, but a great deal more is
lost when men lose their character by it. Our Lord
tells those that had left all for him, that they should
have an hundred-fold more in this world, and in the
world to come life everlasting. It may, on the other
hand, be said of liars, that besides death everlasting,
they shall lose an hundred-fold more in this life, than
they can gain by such unhallowed means. The liar
begins by making falsehood to be taken for truth, and
ends in making truth to be taken for falsehood. Truth
from his mouth is ever suspected, and will not in time
of need serve that man who formerly made lies his
refuge.
Hypocrisy is lying to God, but the fancied advan-
tages of it soon came to an end. The hypocrite's pro-
fession soon withers, or by his behaviour is discredited.
His character is lost, and his hopes perish; but that
profession of the mouth which proceeds from faith and
soundness in the heart, shall always flourish and bear
fruit. Its honours and advantages shall endure for
ever, and if it exposes men to present inconveniences,
they shall be abundantly compensated at the judgment
of the last day*.
Ver. 20. Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine
evil; but to the counsellors of peace is joy.
The more of art and contrivance there is in any sin,
it is so much the more sinful, and exposes men to the
more severe judgment. God has given us the endow-
ments of our minds, as talents with which we are to
occupy till our Master come; but if men hide them in
a napkin, they shall be punished as unprofitable ser-
* Matt. x.
CHAP. XII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 245
vants; and if they use them for doing mischief, their
punishment shall be still more severe. If the servant
is punished who is careless about his work, he shall be
punished with much greater severity, who employs
his thoughts in contriving, and his hands in executing,
mischief against his fellow-servants.
Such persons have hearts full of deceitfulness, but
their crafty devices shall recoil upon themselves, and
they shall have no solid joy, but disappointment and
disgrace, as the reward of their work. What did their
father the devil gain, by employing his servants to
bring our Saviour to the dust of death? Ruin to his
kingdom. What was the consequence of his shutting
up Paul in a dungeon? The furtherance of the gos-
pel. Haman was rewarded with a gibbet, for erecting
one for Mordecai; for it is the glory of God to force a
tribute of praise to himself, out of the wrath and cun-
ning device of men.
"But to the counsellors of peace is joy." Let us
give praise to God for his everlasting purpose to save
men by Christ Jesus, and for the counsel of peace be-
tween the Father and the Son; and follow the pattern
of the Prince of Peace, by promoting the peace and
happiness of our fellow-creatures. When the wicked
are so busy in sowing discord and mischief, we must
not be careless in seeking peace and pursuing it, for
to the counsellors and promoters of peace is joy. Their
minds are serene, their consciences are full of peace;
they are respected by men, and receive a blessing
from Christ, who says, "Blessed are the peace-makers,
for they shall be called the children of God."
Ver. 21. There shall no evil happen to the just; but
the wicked shall be filled with mischief.
Are not sickness, and persecution, and death, incident
to the just? or must we become Stoic philosophers,
and imagine that there is no evil in pain? Solomon
246 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XII.
did not mean this. But the evils that befall the just
are so inconsiderable, compared with their happiness,
and have their nature so much changed by the grace
of God, that it may well be said, No evil shall happen
to them. These are not the unmeaning flights of a
philosopher who sits in his closet, and when he feels
no inconveniency of any kind, can declaim with great
fluency on the inability of outward accidents to disturb
the repose of a wise man. The primitive Christians
were exposed to every thing that men would call evil,
and yet they would scarcely admit that they merited
the name of evil things to them; because they could
not separate them from the love of God which is in
Christ Jesus, and because they bore no proportion, in
weight or duration, to the glory to be revealed, and
for which they were the means of preparing their
souls.
But whatever may be the present situation of a wicked
man, he shall be filled with misery and mischief. The
calamities of the wicked, even in this world, are very
different from those of God's people, for they are en-
venomed by the consciousness of guilt, unallayed by
the comforts of faith and hope. Those things are
killing to the wicked, which are trials to the righteous;
and the time is speedily approaching, when the un-
godly shall be for ever stripped of those objects which
they looked upon as their portion, and filled with mi-
sery and horror, to the utmost extent of their ca-
pacity*.
How foolish is it to be terrified from righteousness,
by evils not worthy to be named, or allured to sin by
those slight and momentary pleasures, which are not
to be compared with the exceeding and eternal weight
of misery!
*2
Thes. i. 9.
CHAP. XII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 247
Ver. 22. Lying lips are abomination to the Lord; but
they that deal truly are his delight.
How terrible a thing is it to be abhorred by the
Lord, whose loving-kindness is better than life, and
his frowns worse than the most miserable death?
What would it avail us to gain the highest advan-
tages, or to insinuate ourselves into the favour of the
mightiest prince, by a method that must provoke the
indignation of Him from whom every man's judgment
must come?
Lying lips are the objects of the Lord's abhorrence,
though man design no evil to others by them; nor will
he excuse a person for lying, even when he intends to
serve the best and most friendly purposes by it. If
God's own favourites should be so unwise as to adopt
this crooked method of serving the gracious providence
of God to them, the Lord will often make them to feel
how abominable their lies are to him, even when he
shews his favour to their souls. Jacob would have got
the blessing without cheating his father, but it may be
questioned whether he should have been cheated by
his second father, had he not by his sin deserved it at
the hand of God.
God's abhorrence of liars appears in the common
course of providence, which generally deprives them
of greater advantages than their lies could ever pro-
duce; but it shall be manifested with awful severity in
the other world, when none that loveth and maketh a
lie shall enter into the celestial city, but all liars shall
have their part with their great pattern the father of
lies, in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone.
"But they that deal truly are his delight." Why
did not the inspired writer say, they that speak truly?
Because truth in our words is not enough, without
truth in our conversation. There must be in the
Christian, a uniformity of the heart, the tongue, and
248 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XII.
the life. This is that integrity which God requires,
and which he beholds with a pleasant countenance.
How presumptuous are they who think it no great
evil to tell a lie, unless some farther degree of evil is
intended? Is it all one whether we provoke God or
please him? Do liars imagine that God is a liar like
themselves? and will suffer his faithfulness to be
dishonoured, by exempting them from the punishment
found written in his word?
Ver. 28. A prudent man concealeth knowledge; but
the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness.
A prudent man will certainly publish his know-
ledge, when he finds a proper opportunity of mak-
ing it useful to his fellow-creatures*. But he will
conceal it, when to publish it would only display his
own vanity and folly.
There is a time to be silent, and at that time it is a
piece of prudence to keep our knowledge to ourselves.
Elihu was a better speaker than any of the other
friends of Job, and yet had the good sense to observe
a profound silence, till they who had a better title to
speak had finished all that they had to say. Our
Lord had in him all the treasures of knowledge, and
yet refused to speak before his enemies and judges,
when speaking could be of no use; and did not even
open up all the treasures of his wisdom to his disciples,
when they were not duly prepared for the discovery
of them; and he gives us a very necessary caution
against casting our pearls before swine, or giving our
holy things to dogs†.
But a prudent man will not conceal his knowledge,
as the discoverers of some useful secret in the arts
often do, to feed their pride, or to gratify a malignant
disposition. He lays it up as a good householder lays
*Chap.
xi. 30 †Mat. vii. 6.
CHAP. XII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 249
up provisions in his storehouse, to be produced for use
as occasion requires. "But the heart of fools pro-
claimeth foolishness." The fool's mouth, under the di-
rection of a foolish heart, is the herald of his own dis-
grace. He presumes to speak of those things of which
he has a very imperfect knowledge, and to dictate
to those that are much wiser than himself. He is con-
fident where wise men speak with caution, and pub-
lishes what he actually knows, without a due regard to
times, and persons, and places; and whilst he flatters
himself that he has gained a character for wisdom and
downright honesty, he is generally looked upon as
an impertinent fool. A word spoken in season, how
good is it! but out of season, it is a sign of folly, and
a cause of mischief.
Ver. 24. The hand of the diligent shall bear rule; but
the slothful shall be under tribute.
We must not try to thrust ourselves into places of
power, for an aspiring spirit is more likely to be hum-
bled than exalted. But in the calling wherewith we
are called, let us abide and walk with God; so shall
we obtain that measure of wealth which is the fruit of
industry, and if it so please God, we shall be advanced
to stations of more eminent usefulness and dignity.
The advancement of Joseph and of Mordecai, of Mo-
ses and of David, and of the apostles, are eminent
illustrations of this truth.
They that have the power of advancing others into
public stations, should make choice of men approved
for their industry, as well as other good qualities, for
it is industry that gives life and motion to all the rest.
Solomon advanced Jeroboam because he was an active
man, and Pharaoh would have none but men of activity
set over his cattle, although they had been the brethren
of his favourite.
250 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XII.
"But the slothful shall be under tribute." Like
Issachar, who saw that rest was good, and bowed down
his shoulder to bear, and became a servant to tribute;
by their laziness they expose themselves to want, and
reduce themselves to a slavish dependence on those
who, through the blessing of God on their own dili-
gence or that of their fathers, are in better circum-
stances.
Spiritual sloth weakens men, and exposes them to
the power of their spiritual enemies. We must be
strong, resolute, and active, if we would stand in the
evil day, and escape the tyranny of the rulers of the
darkness of this world*.
Ver. 25. Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it
stoop; but a good word maketh it glad.
There is a necessity that we should be in heaviness,
through manifold temptations; but we must be aware
lest by giving free scope to anxious and melancholy
thoughts, our hearts should sink in us like a stone, and
our souls become altogether unfit to relish the com-
forts, or perform the services of life. Sadness of the
countenance makes the heart better, but despondency
of heart disqualifies men for thanking and praising
God, for serving their generation, and for bearing the
burdens of life. Life itself becomes burdensome, and
is often shortened by excessive grief. There is nothing
that claims our grief so much as sin, and yet there
may be an excess of sorrow for sin, which exposes men
to the devil, and drives them into his arms†.
"But a good word maketh it glad." Expressions of
sympathy and friendship have a powerful virtue to
soothe and allay the sorrows of the mind, and to pre-
vent their dangerous effect‡. Job's complaints would
have been fewer, had his friends shewed him that pity
*Eph.
vi. 10-18 †2 Cor. ii ‡Job xvi. 5
CHAP. XII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 251
which he expected from them. But no words have
such efficacy far this purpose, as the words of God.
David had perished in the day of his affliction, unless
the law of God had been his delight. His afflictions
were many, his griefs often great; but they never
overwhelmed him, for the statutes of God were his
song in the house of his pilgrimage.
Would you comfort them that are cast down? Study
the doctrines and promises of the Bible; make your-
selves acquainted with the records of the experience of
afflicted saints; and pray for the tongue of the learned,
that you may be enabled to make seasonable applica-
tions from this spiritual dispensary, to the broken in
heart.
Are you grieved in your minds? Remember that
it is sinful and dangerous to brood perpetually over
your sorrows. In order that you may have comfort
restored, retire and read your Bibles, and see that ye
resist not, by the indulgence of unbelief, that Spirit
who is promised as a comforter. In the 14th, 15th,
and 16th chapters of John's Gospel, are contained
those words of Christ, by which he conveyed strong
consolation to his disciples, when sorrow had filled
their hearts, because he was about to leave them.
Can there be greater sorrows on any earthly account,
or are there any griefs too desperate to be relieved by
such consolations?
Ver. 26. The righteous is more excellent than his
neighbour; but the way of the wicked seduceth them.
The wise man does not say that the righteous is
more excellent than the wicked, but gives the un-
righteous man the best designation of which truth will
admit, for after all possible allowances are made on the
side of the unrighteous, the superior excellency of the
righteous man is still unquestionable.
252 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XII.
The righteous man is possessed with the faith of
Christ, and this faith works by love to God and man.
He is not selfish in his disposition, but makes it his
settled principle of conduct, to glorify God and to do
good to man. He is under the government of inward
principles, that render him steady in his good purposes,
and dispose him, not only to seek for glory, honour,
and immortality, but to perform conscientiously the
duties of his station, and of every relation in which
Providence shall be pleased to place him.
His neighbour may exceed him in many of those
possessions and qualifications which are valued in the
world, but the righteous man is still more excellent in
every thing that is truly valuable. His neighbour
may be able to perform more splendid acts of gene-
rosity, but he wants that charity without which it pro-
fits a man nothing to part with all his goods. He may
possess wit, and the wisdom of the world; but that is
foolishness with God, and can bear no comparison
with that wisdom which is unto salvation. He may
be very rich, but he has no interest in the unsearch-
able riches of Christ. He may be a duke, or a prince
of the blood; but he is not a child of God, nor an heir
of heaven. He may be clothed with purple, and fare
sumptuously every day; but he is not clothed with the
robe of righteousness, nor does he feed on the hidden
manna. He may live in a magnificent palace, but he
has no title to the house not made with hands, and to
the mansions which Christ hath gone to prepare for
his followers. He may be admired by men, but the
righteous man is an eternal excellency in the eyes of
God, and the Lord of hosts is to him a crown of glory,
and a diadem of beauty.
Why then do men despise the righteous, and toil
themselves in the chase of those things that are not
to be compared with the objects that make the righ-
CHAP. XII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 253
teous so excellent? Because their way seduceth them.
They are seduced by the devil and the world, other-
wise they would not walk in such dangerous paths, and
in their wicked progress their seduction grows upon
them. They are more and more infatuated with the
deceitful charms of the world, and despising the
genuine worth of righteousness, are bewildered and
lost in the pursuit of vanities and lies.
Let us pray for the Spirit of wisdom, that our under-
standings may be enlightened to discern the true na-
ture and the incomparable excellency of righteousness;
for the light of the body is the eye, and the understand-
ing is the light of the soul, and the whole course of our
lives will be directed by it*.
Ver. 27. The slothful man roasteth not that which he
took in hunting; but the substance of a diligent man is
precious.
It is a great happiness for a man to eat of the labour
of his hands, and a great misery for a man to be de-
prived of the fruits of his industry. Disappointment
of hope is a grievous thing, especially when that hope
is the fruit of a man's own labour; end the disappoint-
ment is mingled with bitter reflections on the toils sus-
tained, with a view to the expected advantage. But
no disappointment of this kind is more grievous than
that of the sluggard, to whom labour is a burden which
nothing but necessity can render supportable.
If the slothful man took nothing in hunting, it would
vex him; but to take, and not to roast,—this is alto-
gether intolerable, and must make his heart sick; for
his labour is vain, his hope makes him ashamed, and
Providence fights against him, depriving him of what
he had got, at the very time that he thought himself
sure of enjoying it.
*Mat.
vi. 20, 21
254 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XII.
"But the substance of a diligent man is precious."
His toils sweeten his gains, and he enjoys them with
pleasure and thankfulness. The blessing of the Lord
infuses a sweetness into his substance, so that, (though
little), it affords him more pleasure than the wicked
and indolent can derive from great riches.
The substance of a diligent Christian, though small,
is very precious to him, because it is not the fruit of
his labours only, but of his prayers also, and he dis-
cerns in it the love of his heavenly Father, who, while
he gives him the pardon of his sins, gives him also daily
bread.
Ver. 28. In the way of righteousness is life; and in
the path-way thereof there is no death.
Solomon knew very well that Zion's travellers must
die, but it is a kind of happy impropriety to call the
death of the righteous by its own name. Christ's death
was truly death, but the death of them that die in the
Lord is only a sleep*, for Christ hath abolished death,
and secured an uninterrupted life to them that believe
in him†.
There is nothing that can subject the righteous man
to the curse of the first, or to the power of the second
death. Nothing can deprive him of that life which is
hid with Christ in God.
What man is he that desireth immortal life? Let
him enter into the new and living way. There let him
walk, and in it he shall find no death‡.
*1
Thess. iv. 14 †Job xi. 25, xxvi. 15 ‡Isa. xxxv. 8, 9
CHAP. XIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 255
CHAPTER XIII.
Ver. 1. A wise son heareth his father's instruction:
but a scorner heareth not rebuke.
The reason why so many will not regard instruction,
and listen to rebuke with meekness, is, that they think
it a disparagement to their good sense. But in what
does man's wisdom lie? Not in being infallible, or in
needing no reproof, but in being sensible that he is
liable to error and sin, and in a humble disposition to
reverence instruction even when administered in the
form of reproof, and enforced by needful correction.
He is an unkind father who never checks the froward
inclinations and behaviour of his children; and he is a
proud and haughty scorner who receives the rebukes
of a father, or of any other wise person, with contempt
and aversion. Eli's sons disregarded the mild admoni-
tions of their father. Their father was punished in
them for his excessive lenity, and they were destroyed
for their stubborn contempt of advice.
If a wise son will regard the instructions and re-
proofs of a father, how much more should we be in
subjection to the Father of spirits! and how fatal is the
stubbornness of those who cry not when he bindeth
them*!
Ver. 2. A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth:
but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence.
Trees are often planted by one man and dressed by
*Zeph.
iii. 2
256 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XIII.
another, whilst the fruit of them is eaten by a third.
But the tongue of the righteous is a tree of life, that
yields its most precious fruits to themselves. They en-
joy the comfort, and credit, and gracious acceptance of
their own holy and useful discourse; and these fruits
are produced, not once a year, but every day. But the
tongue of transgressors is like a poisonous tree, that
bears fruit often hurtful to others, but mortal to them-
selves*.
Ver. 3. He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life;
but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.
We must not only avoid speaking evil, but prudent-
ly beware of speaking good when it would be unseason-
able. A certain philosopher being silent in company,
and asked the reason of it, answered, "I have often
repented of speaking, but never of keeping silence."
Destruction from God, and sometimes from men, is
the punishment of an ungoverned tongue, which in
this respect resembles an untameable monster, that often
destroys its owner. Nabal had almost ruined his whole
family by his intemperate railing at David. The mis-
chief was indeed prevented by the prudent tongue of
Abigail, and yet the remorse of his own mind was one
means of bringing him to his latter end.
Why does the wise man insist so much on this sub-
ject? Because the tongue is a most unruly member,
and yet it is absolutely necessary to bridle it. Who
is the man that desires ruin and misery? Let him give
a loose rein to his tongue. Who is the man that de-
sires peace and happiness? Let him say nothing that
he will repent of having said, ten or a hundred years
hence.
Ver. 4. The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath
nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.
*Chap.
xii. 14.
CHAP. XIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 257
Laziness has a double tendency to make men miser-
able, for it at the same time affords to the mind abun-
dant opportunity to form boundless desires, and re-
fuses the means of gratifying them. When men in-
dulge an idle disposition, the desires of the mind are
not idle, but enlarge themselves as hell, and grow into
exorbitant wishes, which even the most successful in-
dustry could not satisfy. "But the soul of the diligent
shall be made fat." He enjoys inward happiness, for
his wishes are confined within the bounds of reason,
and the success of his labours is sufficient to satisfy
them.
Spiritual sloth is in like manner attended with po-
verty. There is no man that would not choose to be
eternally happy, but the slothful man will not strive to
enter in at the strait gate, or to walk in the narrow
way. He has one mighty objection against heaven,
that he cannot make sure of it in a morning dream.
But the soul of the diligent Christian prospers, for he
adds one grace to another, and is neither barren nor
unfruitful. His corruptions are subdued, his graces
are lively, his comforts pleasant, his usefulness great,
and he has an abundant entrance into the everlasting
kingdom.
Ver. 5. A righteous man hateth lying; but a wicked
man is loathsome, and cometh to shame.
It is not said that a righteous man never lies. David
lied more than once, and yet he could say with truth
that he abhorred lying. Though he lied to Abimelech
the priest, and to the king of the Philistines, yet his
fixed hatred of sin was an evidence of piety, to which
those can lay no claim who never spoke a lie in their
lives, if their abstinence from this sin was caused by
some other motive than hatred.
A righteous man hates lying in all its forms, because
it is contrary to the nature of God, and an abomination
258 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XIII.
to him. God hates all liars, and therefore a good man
will not suffer such as tell lies to tarry in his sight*,
and if temptation has hurried him into this sin, he
loathes himself, endeavours to repair every injury that
his lie has occasioned, and prays to God to remove far
from him the wicked way of lies.
They that hate lying are valuable members of so-
ciety, and are blessed with that good name which is
better than precious ointment. But wicked men are
loathsome to God, and come to shame. Whatever re-
spectable qualities they may possess, they are destitute
of a principle of truth and honesty. That falsehood
which they sometimes use to serve a turn, is the same
thing in their characters as a dead fly in a box of pre-
cious ointment, which causeth it to send forth a stink-
ing savour. God and men agree in almost nothing
but this, that a liar is detestable to both, and therefore
he must sooner or later come to disgrace.
Ver. 6. Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the
way; but wickedness overthroweth the sinner.
No wonder that this truth is so often repeated. The
righteous themselves retain not so lively an impression
of it as they ought. In this case Abraham had not
dissembled about his wife, nor had the upright Jacob
had recourse to lying in order to obtain the blessing.
Let us never, to avoid danger, shun the path of duty,
or suffer ourselves to be allured into that of sin, as
though it were the way of rest and safety. What God
hath joined together, let no man put asunder; what God
hath put asunder, let no man attempt to join†.
Ver. 7. There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath
nothing; there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great
riches.
Some who have nothing affect a splendid way of liv-
*Psal.
ci. 7 †Chap. xi. 5, 6
CHAP. XIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 259
ing, in order that others may believe them to be very
rich. This is to love a lie, and to impose upon society,
by exacting that respect which is commonly given to
the rich, without any just pretensions to it. Such per-
sons naturally run themselves into debts which they
cannot pay, and thus ruin themselves and defraud their
neighbours. They walk contrary to God's providence,
and discover a worldly, proud, and unsatisfied disposi-
tion. They have spiritual riches, sufficient to satisfy
the most enlarged desires, freely offered to them in the
gospel. If they will be rich, why do they not seek
after these true riches, which would fill all their trea-
sures, and make silver and gold to appear as dross?
There are others who are rich, and conceal their
riches under an appearance of poverty. These are un-
grateful to divine providence, which hath bestowed on
them this talent, not to be hid in a napkin, but to be
laid out in serving God, in the exercises of liberality.
They defraud themselves, and the poor, and God also,
while they sacrilegiously retain in their chests what
should be employed in his service.
Divine providence makes us either rich or poor, and
it is our duty cheerfully to acquiesce in its disposal,
and to suit our appearance and way of life to our cir-
cumstances, which are appointed for us by infinite wis-
dom. If we can make but a poor appearance, let us
remember him that became poor for our sakes, and had
not where to lay his head, while employed in procur-
ing for us the true riches. If we are rich, let us be
rich in good works, and remember that we are stewards,
and must give an account
These opposite faults, which are in this proverb cen-
sured by the wise man, originate in the same cause,―
an excessive esteem of worldly riches. It is this that
makes poor men pretend to have them, and rich men
conceal them for the purpose of preserving them more
260 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XIII.
safely. All men are sensible of the conveniences that
wait upon riches, and the inconveniences that attend
poverty. But we should remember that there are in-
conveniences also that cleave to riches, and that po-
verty, as the wise man teaches, possesses advantages
peculiar to itself.
Ver. 8. The ransom of a man's life are his riches:
but the poor heareth not rebuke.
Our Lord tells us that a rich man shall hardly enter
into the kingdom of God. This saying, if it met with
implicit credit from us, would have a mighty influence
in checking our immoderate desires after riches. Do
we really desire to walk in that way which leads to
life? And would we not rather choose to walk where
there are fewest dangers, than to travel in places infect-
ed with robbers and murderers?
But even in regard to the present life, there are great
inconveniences that frequently attend riches. Rich
men are the persons whose houses are broken into by
thieves, who are attacked by highwaymen, and whose
lives are sometimes brought into danger by false ac-
cusations. They are often meeting with losses of their
property, and sometimes they would be glad to lose it,
if it might ransom their lives, like the ten men that
willingly parted with their treasures to Ishmael the
son of Nethaniah, that he might spare their lives*.
“But the poor heareth not rebuke." Money is
sometimes a defence; but the want of it is a shadow
under which poor men live unnoticed by the plunderers.
A poor man can travel pleasantly in a road beset by
robbers, when he that carries a full purse trembles in
every joint. In public calamities, the poor are often
suffered to escape without a blow or a threatening,
when the riches of others cannot ransom them. When
*Jer.
xli. 8
CHAP. XIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 261
Jerusalem was destroyed by the Chaldeans, the poor
were put into more comfortable circumstances than
they had before experienced since the days of the good
Josiah.
Whatever be the disadvantages of our condition, let
us bear them like Christians, still thankfully observing
its advantages. Neither riches nor poverty have the
power of rendering us either happy or miserable; but,
we are taught, the righteous are truly happy, whilst
misery is the sure portion of the wicked.
Ver. 9. The light of the righteous rejoiceth; but the
lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
The righteous have the light of comfort within their
souls, the light of God's countenance shining upon
them, and sometimes the light of prosperity in their
outward affairs. Their light waxes clearer and bright-
er, and fills them with increasing joy. Clouds may
sometimes obscure their light, but it cannot he extin-
guished; for the Lord shall be their everlasting light,
and therefore their sun shall go no more down.
The wicked have something that may be veiled light,
but it is not the light of the star which shineth more
and more unto the perfect day, but the light of a lamp,
which would soon expire if it were left to itself, but
is more frequently extinguished before it has time to
consume away*.
In the other world, the righteous shall have no need
of the sun or the moon, because the Lord God and the
Lamb are their light; whilst the wicked shall not have
the benefit of a candle to mitigate the horrors of their
darkness, or a drop of water to cool their scorched
tongue.
Ver. 10. Only by pride cometh contention; but with
the well-advised is wisdom.
*Job
xviii. 5, 6
262 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XIII.
Contention is the fruit of anger and injuries, of
drunkenness and covetousness, but it is oftener the fruit
of pride than of any of them. Quarrels seldom, if ever,
happen without pride as one part of their cause, and
they very often proceed from pride alone. Pride and
ambition made the disciples to dispute among them-
selves which should be the greatest. Pride raised the
war in Jephtha's days, between the tribes of Ephraim
and Manasseh, in which so much Israelitish blood was
spilt, that might have been more usefully shed in tak-
ing vengeance upon Israel's enemies. Pride darkens
the mind to one's own faults and the virtues of other,
and on the contrary, represents one's own virtues and
the faults of others in a very false and aggravated light.
It produces contempt of others, and provoking speeches
and insolent behaviour, and by these means is an end-
less spring of contentions and mischiefs. We can
never live in peace unless we subdue our own pride,
and keep ourselves as free as we can from all connec-
tion with proud men.
"But with the well-advised is wisdom." The
proud and contentious are neither well-advised nor
wise, for they despise the advice of others, and are
enemies to their own peace. The humble will not
easily suffer themselves to be drawn into contention.
If they are insolently treated by others, they consider
whether and how far it is lawful and expedient for them
to give place to anger. Injuries done to them are like
sparks falling upon a rock; and they shew themselves
to be truly wise when they will abate of their preten-
sions in point of honour or interest, to preserve peace,
and to keep themselves and others from sin and
trouble.
How wise was Abraham in consenting that Lot
should have his choice of the pasture, though, for a
variety of reasons, Abraham might have claimed the
CHAP. XIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 263
right of choosing to himself! But Lot was soon obliged
to flee the pleasant fields he had chosen, and Abraham
had the promise of all the land.
Ver. 11. Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished;
but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.
The blessing of God is not in that money which is
gotten by stealing and cheating, or by their polite sub-
stitutes, cards and dice, or by the exercise of profess-
sions prejudicial to the interests and morals of society;
and where the blessing of God does not accompany
riches, they will consume like snow before the sun.
But he that gathereth by useful labour shall increase in
substance, and therefore we must not only be indus-
trious, but show a regard for the public interest in that
calling in which we labour*. It is not enough to let
alone stealing and to work, but we must work that
which is good; so shall we have enough for ourselves,
and something for others.
Ver. 12. Hope deferred maketh the heart sick; but
when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.
If we would enjoy happiness, we must labour dili-
gently to keep our passions and desires under restraint;
for they produce, when not duly regulated, disappoint-
ment and misery. If we indulge ardent desires, and
confident hopes of obtaining a thing, the hope pro-
duces a borrowed pleasure, for which, if our hopes are
disappointed, we repay a high interest. What stings
did the hopes of Absalom and Adonijah leave in their
minds, when they failed in their attempts to obtain the
kingdom of their father! When the object of hope is
deferred, the heart languishes and pines. When hope
is destroyed, the heart dies outright.
It is cruel to disappoint the just hopes of others. If
we make the eyes of the widow to fail, or keep the
*Eph.
iv. 28.
264 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XIII.
poor from their moderate desires, we break that
commandment which forbids murder. We must not
withhold the wages of the hireling, for this reason,
among others, because his heart is set upon it, and
be will be filled with uneasiness if he does not re-
ceive it.
But when the desire cometh, the heart is revived and
gladdened as with the fruits of a tree of life. But this
is not the case if the desire was irregular and unlawful.
Amnon enjoyed no pleasure by the gratification of his
desire after Tamar, which was succeeded by remorse
and vexation. Desires of lawful things, when they are
crowned by enjoyment, impart pleasure to the mind,
but that pleasure is for the most part soon followed by
weariness; and this proverb is verified chiefly in the
righteous, whose desire is only good, and whose en-
joyments far exceed their most sanguine hopes. Bless-
ed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness,
for they shall be filled with the fruits of the tree of life,
which grows in the midst of the paradise of God; and
they shall hunger and thirst no more, neither shall the
sun light upon them, nor any heat.
Ver. 13. Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed;
but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.
In many things we offend all, but we are not all de-
spisers of the word of God. Good men have reason to
lament their manifold breaches of the commandment,
And yet they have a sincere love and esteem for it, ear-
nestly desiring that their ways might be directed to
keep God's statutes.
It was an evidence that Esau despised his birth-
right, when he sold it for a morsel of meat; and men
discover a contempt for the word, when they disregard
its precepts, to gain some advantage, and some indul-
gence for the flesh. A tree may be sound at the heart,
and yet have its branches broken by a strong blast;
CHAP. XIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 265
but a tree must be rotten which is broken with a gale
of wind. In like manner, a strong temptation may
prevail against a sound and lively Christian; but he is
not sound in God's statutes, who falls before every
temptation.
He that pours contempt upon a single word of God,
however inconsiderable it may appear to him, shall be
destroyed by the vengeance of God; for every jot and
tittle of the law is enforced by the awful authority of
the Lawgiver*. He that despises his authority de-
spises not man but God, and shall have his place a-
mong those to whom it will be said, "Behold, ye de-
spisers, and wonder, and perish." On the contrary, he
who reverences the authority of the Lord, and earnest-
ly endeavours, by the grace of God, to govern his steps,
not by the fashion of the world, or with a view to serve
himself, but according to the will of God, shall be re-
warded with the gracious acceptance of God, and shall
experience all that favour which God through Christ
vouchsafes to such as fear his name†.
Ver. 14. The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to
depart from the snares of death.
Fountains of living waters are highly esteemed in a
desert land; and the holy instructions of a wise man
are equally to be valued in this world, which is a wil-
derness full of pits and snares. These instructions are
agreeable to the word of life, because they are fetched
from it, and may therefore be called a law to us, and a
fountain of life, whereby the soul is refreshed and quick-
ened. There is living virtue in the word of truth,
even when earthen pipes are the channel of its convey-
ance‡.
In this desert land through which we travel, there
*Matt.
vi. 19 † Isa. lxvi. 2 ‡Chap. x. 11
266 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XIII.
are innumerable snares spread for us by the great ene-
my of souls, who wishes to entrap us for our destruct
tion, like a bird in the snare of the fowler. It is by
the word of God that we must keep ourselves from the
snares of this destroyer*; and the word of God is
seasonably applied to particular circumstances, by a
wise counsellor, by which we are enabled to perceive
these snares, and animated to keep the straight way,
and to guard with resolution against the temptations
that beset us. By the advice of the prudent wife of
Nabal, David was preserved from bloodshed; and by
the instructions of Nathan, he was delivered from a
dangerous snare in which he was already entangled.
We should value the friendship and counsels of a
wise man, as a happy means of promoting our spiritual
life and comfort, and of preserving us from the snares
of death; and endeavour to have our minds furnished,
from the scripture, with that wisdom which will enable
us to perform such important services to others. The
tongue of a righteous man talketh of judgment, be-
cause the law of his God is in his heart†.
Ver. 15. Good understanding giveth favour: but the
way of transgressors is hard.
A good understanding lies not in dry apprehensions
of spiritual things, but appears in that good way where-
in it directs men to walk; for a good understanding
have all they, and they only, who do God's command-
ments. This good understanding giveth favour in the
sight of God and men‡. It is the grace of God that
gives a good understanding to men, and grace is mul-
tiplied to them through the knowledge of God, and of
Jesus our Lord||. God has the hearts of all men in
his hand, and shews his favour to men of good under-
*Psal.
xvii. 4 †Psal. xxxvii. 30, 31 ‡Prov. iiii. 4 || 2 Pet. i. 2
CHAP. XIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 267
standing, by disposing others to favour them, as far
as it seems proper to his infinite wisdom. He turned
the hearts of the Egyptians to hate his people; but
when the set time was come, he gave them favour in
the sight of these enemies, so that they enriched them
at their own expense. God made Joseph and Daniel
to be favoured in the season of their captivity; and the
primitive Christians, at a time when they were mor-
tally hated by the rulers of the nation. Let us keep
ourselves in the love of God, and the respect of men
will attend us, should it be necessary for us.
"But the way of transgressors is hard." Their
practice is not only offensive to God and grievous to
men, but unhappy to themselves. There are many
present inconveniences that attend sin, so that sinners
have a hell here as well as hereafter. They have restless
minds, and unsatisfied cravings, and uneasy consciences,
to torment them. They draw upon themselves the
frowns of providence and the hatred of men, and
through manifold tribulations they make their way to
everlasting fire.
Let sinners be persuaded to enter into the way of
life. It is a narrow but a pleasant way, and rest is
found in it for the soul*.
Ver. 16. Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge;
but a fool layeth open his folly.
The wise man does not hide his talents in a napkin,
but makes use of his knowledge to direct his choice
and pursuits, and every part of his behaviour in life.
Knowledge buried in the head is like the miser's
money, which he locks up in a chest, and which is of
no use either to himself or others; but the knowledge
that is joined with prudence, beautifies every discourse
and every action. Those, on the contrary, who live at
*Mat.
vii. 13, 14; Isa. lv. 7, Mat. xi. 29.
268 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XIII.
random, are constantly rushing into dangers and mis-
chiefs, and are like an ignorant physician, who cannot
distinguish between poisonous and medicinal herbs,
and may therefore administer a poison instead of a
cure.
Fools might be esteemed half wise, if they had sense
enough to keep their folly to themselves; but they pre-
sume that they are wise, and talk of things of which they
know as little as brute beasts, and meddle with things
quite above their capacity. Thus they discover their
pride and ignorance, whilst they imagine that every
one must think them as wise as they think them-
selves.
Ver. 17. A wicked messenger falleth into mischief: but
A faithful ambassador is health.
Persons under authority, often think that they do
no wrong whilst they execute the commands of their
employer, however unlawful these commands are
but the doers of evil shall fall into mischief, whoever
they are that excite them to it. Those servants of
Nebuchadnezzar, that cast the three children into the
fire by their master's command, were consumed to
death, and none pities them*.
Unfaithful servants of princes, are to be reckoned
among wicked messengers. Such was Hazael, who
indeed obtained his master's throne by his treachery;
but his new dignity led him into crimes, which will
cause his name to be abhorred for ever. Such also
was Haman, whose mischievous designs so signally
recoiled upon himself.
Corrupt ministers are wicked messengers, who fall
into the ditch, and draw others along with them,
to add to their eternal disgrace and torment.
Even common servants who are unfaithful in a little,
*2
Kings i.
CHAP. XIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 269
shall fall into mischief, as Paul assures them: He
that doth wrong, shall receive for the wrong done.
But a faithful ambassador is an instrument of pro-
curing advantage and comfort to his master and to him-
self. Such was Mordecai in the king's court; Paul
in the gospel ministry; and Joseph in the house of
Potiphar and Pharaoh.
Let us undertake no business, but what may be
warrantably executed; and having undertaken it, let
us perform it faithfully as to the Lord.
Ver. I8. Poverty and shame shall be to him that refu-
seth instruction; but he that regardeth reproof shall be
honoured.
A man that follows vicious courses, and will not be
persuaded to abandon them, must be left to himself.
Disgrace and ruin will soon make him feel that which he
would not believe; and then every admonition former-
ly given him, will be like an envenomed dart in his soul,
inflaming his conscience with tormenting remorse.
Persons think it incompatible with their honour to
receive reproof, but the dishonour lies in needing, and
not receiving it. He, on the contrary, who regards it,
and profits by it, shall be honoured as a man adorned
with humility and meekness, and shall be turned from
that course which disgraced him, into that way of life
which is attended with true and solid honour*.
Ver. 19. The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul;
but (or and) it is abomination to fools to depart from
evil.
The deceitful pleasures which fools think they enjoy,
or the gratification of their desires, is a means of har-
dening them in their sinful courses. They find the
life of their hands, and therefore their eyes are shut to
the wretchedness of their state. Their minds are under
*2
Sam. xii.
270 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XII.
an infatuation, from the influence of the pleasures of
sin, and the god of this world. In consequence of
this, their hearts cleave with obstinacy to those sins
that effectually exclude true happiness.
No satisfaction of desire can give solid and durable
happiness to a vicious man. The pleasures of sense
lie in fancy, rather than enjoyment, which rather ex-
tinguishes than bestows real pleasure, because it de-
stroys the pleasing imaginations that were produced
by hope. For this reason, a bad man cannot possess
real felicity, which cannot be separated from true holi-
ness. His heart is filled with aversion to goodness,
and he abhors the thought of forsaking his beloved
lusts. His desires are so perverse, that the fulfilment
of them cannot satisfy him, but must add to his misery.
Sin poisons every enjoyment, and provokes divine
justice to blast all his hopes, and what he desires shall
utterly decay.
Ver. 20. He that walketh with wise men shall be wise:
but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.
Wisdom is so valuable, that those who know the
worth of it, will take advantage of every opportunity
of improving in it. And the society of wise men is a
valuable means for attaining this. He who converses
with the wise will learn wisdom from their words and
example, which will have a powerful tendency to pro-
duce in him a resemblance to their goodness.
For this reason we ought to make the wise our com-
panions and friends. David would not have a wicked
servant in his house; and though he had learned much
wisdom from God's testimonies, he was yet sensible,
that, in order to preserve and increase his wisdom, it
was necessary to avoid the fellowship of evil-doers,
and to make those men his companions that feared the
Lord.
For the same reasons, we ought to attend the wor-
CHAP. XIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 271
shipping assemblies of God's people. Thomas would
have been sooner cured of his unbelief, and recovered
from his despondency, had he been present with the
rest of the apostles when our Lord first appeared to
them. David thought with deeper concern upon his
exclusion from the place where the multitude kept the
holy days, than his banishment from the royal palace.
But a companion of fools shall be corrupted, or de-
stroyed. Bad company has a still stronger influence
than that which is good, because the corruption of hu-
man nature readily complies with it. A healthy man
cannot communicate health to the sick, but a person
infected with the pestilence may communicate the con-
tagion to a thousand. Our Lord safely conversed with
sinners, because he was free from all danger of being
corrupted; and it may on some occasions be our duty
also to mingle with the wicked, that we may use means
for reclaiming them: but in ordinary cases, guilt or
grief is all that a godly man gets by the company of
sinners. Lot chose the neighbourhood of Sodom for
his dwelling, because it afforded pleasant pasture. He
forgot that the Sodomites were impudent sinners, but
he soon found that daily griefs were the best things he
could expect from such wicked neighbours. The grace
of God kept him unstained by their profligacy; but
he was obliged to flee for his life, and to leave his
pleasant possessions and his plenteous flocks behind
him, that he might escape their punishment.
A church that is become obstinate and incurable in
apostacy must be left, for this reason, that we may
avoid her sins and plagues*.
Ver. 21. Evil pursueth sinners: but to the righteous
good shall be repaid.
Mischief is allotted to such as obstinately persevere
*Rev.
xviii. 4
271 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XIII.
in sin. They perhaps do not feel their misery and
danger, but enjoy the transient pleasures of sin and
the world, and think themselves secure of a long con-
tinued term of prosperity; but Solomon here assures
them, that misery is pursuing them, as the hound
pursues his prey, and will not desist from the chase
till it is destroyed. Sinners may flee away as on eagles’
wings; but vengeance follows them on the wings of
the wind. They may look for safety and deliverance;
but their eyes shall fail, and escape shall perish from
them, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the
ghost*.
If sinners desire to escape, let them flee to the Sa-
viour of sinners, and cut away their transgressions†.
Let them depart from evil, and do good, while their
day of grace continues; for, if they resist the calls of
wisdom, their desolation will come like a whirlwind‡.
"But to the righteous good shall be repaid." Im-
perfect as their goodness is, not a single instance of
it shall lose its reward. What can be less than giving
a cup of water to a thirsty disciple of Christ? yet that
shall be mentioned at the great day, to the praise of
the followers of the Redeemer.
God is so abundant in goodness, that he gave a re-
ward to Nebuchadnezzar and to Jehu, for services done
to him from a principle purely selfish. Much more
will he reward those services that are done from love
to his name||. Even the children, and the more re-
mote descendants of the godly, have often experienced
the overflowing kindness of God to their pious proge-
nitors; for,
Ver. 22. A good man leaveth an inheritance to his
*Job
xi. 20 †Psal. lviii. 20, 21 ‡Prov. i. 21-32 |Heb. vi. 10.
CHAP. XIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 273
children's children, and the wealth of the sinner is laid
up for the just.
A good man is ever righteous and merciful. He is
blessed, and his children and grand-children are bless-
ed after him. He leaves to them the goodwill of men,
and many precious promises; the influence of his ex-
ample and instructions descends to his posterity, and
they are enriched with substance for his sake. David
left an inheritance to his children for seventeen gene-
rations, and they were not dispossessed of it, till by
intolerable provocations they had extorted punishment
from God.
But is this always true? It is to be remembered that
the proverbs are often to be understood of what gene-
rally happens, though not always. But when this
sentence is not verified, we may conclude that good
men, by the defects of their goodness, have forfeited
this blessing to their children, which was the case with
Eli; or that divine wisdom sees some better method, in
these instances, of testifying that kindness which God
has for them.
It is better to be the son of a poor saint, than of a
great lord, for every believer will acknowledge, that
a single promise in the Bible is far better than a large
estate; and parents that are anxious about the state of
their families after their own death, if they believe the
scriptures, will be more desirous of leaving them an
estate in promises, than in land and money.
But many believe not this truth. They fill their
brains with projects, and their souls are vexed with
anxious cares about obtaining portions to leave to their
children. In these labours they may be successful;
but in the mean time the thoughts of eternity are ba-
nished from their own minds; and when they are inhe-
riting the fruits of their earthly-mindedness, what plea-
sure can it give them, to think that their children are
274 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XIII.
rioting in the enjoyment of wealth, and probably lay-
ing up to themselves treasures of vengeance!
But their success in worldly pursuits is very doubt-
ful. Their posterity may fail, or be reduced to poverty;
for the wealth of the sinner is laid up, not for his pos-
terity, but for the just. Riches are still changing
masters, according to the direction of God, who made
the wealth of the Egyptians and Canaanites to come
into the possession of the Israelites, and who still dis-
tributes the gifts of his bounty to them that are good
in his sight*.
Ver. 23. Much food is in the tillage of the poor; but
there is that is destroyed for lack of judgment.
Better is the industrious poor man, than the rich
man who wants discretion and integrity; for though
a man be poor, yet when he improves his little stock
by honest labour, he shall not want, nor in the greater
part of cases shall he need to beg, or to be put into
the poors-roll. There is plenty of food in his tillage
for himself and his family; and having food and rai-
ment, he should be therewith content.
But some are ruined by want of integrity. They
endeavour to increase their wealth by those dishonest
and unhallowed means that bring the curse of God
into their substance, and it melts like the Israelitish
manna before the rising sun.
Others are brought to poverty by indiscretion.
Frugality and economy must be joined with industry.
Our Lord could feed men by miracle, and yet he would
not suffer the fragments to be lost. The seven years
of extraordinary plenty, could not have preserved
Egypt from ruin, had not Joseph laid up the corn
against the years of scarcity.
*Job
xxvii. 15, 16.
CHAP. XIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 275
Ver. 24. He that spareth his rod hateth his son; but
he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.
Parents feel those lashes with which they are obliged
sometimes to chastise their children; but they love
them with no true affection, if they are not willing to
endure the smart of them for the good of their children.
There is not a groan of the believer, but is felt at the
heart of Christ; but Christ does not for that reason
spare his correcting rod: "Whom I love, (says he) I re-
buke and chasten."
The foolish fondness of too indulgent parents is ac-
counted by them parental love; but the Spirit of
God calls it hatred. That affection which is prejudi-
cial to the spiritual interests of its objects is love in the
language of men, but hatred in the language of the
Holy Ghost. A parent would be accounted a hater of
his child, were he to suffer him to keep a knife in his
hands till he gave himself a mortal stab; and he de-
serves the same character, who by fond indulgence
suffers his son to bring himself to a gibbet, or to ex-
pose himself to the damnation of hell.
But he who loves his son, chastens him as soon as
he begins to discover that folly which is bound up in
his heart. He will not, indeed, chastise him with
blows, when words are sufficient to answer the end;
but he will administer the rod, when words have small
influence; and imitate the skilful physician, who pre-
scribes medicines, neither too weak, lest the disease
should remain uncured, nor too strong, lest the con-
stitution should prove two weak to bear them.
The early days of childhood are a proper season for
correction, because vice has not then obtained deep
and firm root in the heart. A young bullock may
be tamed, but if you suffer it to grow old in idleness,
you will, sooner break its neck, than break it to the
yoke.
276 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XIII.
Ver. 25. The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his
soul; but the belly of the wicked shall want.
God's blessing gives to a righteous man food and
contentment, but the wicked man wants one or both
of them. The family of Jacob were well fed, when
the Egyptians were almost starved; and Elijah had
food to his satisfaction, when Ahab and his courtiers
were obliged, with anxious hearts, to traverse the coun-
try for a supply of pasture to their cattle.
The righteous man must sometimes live on coarse
fare, when the wicked riot in plenty. But Daniel
was happier in his pulse, than the other servants of
the king of Babylon in the luxuries of the royal table.
The family of Christ, too, enjoyed more pleasure in
their barley-loaves and fishes, than the rulers who de-
spised them in their sumptuous entertainments.
If a righteous man has little, that little is better than
the riches of many wicked. The wicked is often re-
duced to want by his own vices, and the judgment of
God upon him; but if he has much, he still wants the
blessing of God, which alone can sweeten it, and there-
fore in the midst of sufficiency he is in straits.
CHAPTER XIV.
Ver. 1. Every wise woman buildeth her house; but
the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.
Diligence in business is often recommended by So-
lomon, as a means of obtaining riches, or at least a
CHAP. XIV] BOOK OF PROVERBS 277
competency; but he here informs us, that the care of
the wife is necessary, as well as the industry of the
husband.
A wise woman is frugal, and saves. She is indus-
trious, and gains. She is religious and charitable,
and brings down a blessing from heaven upon her fa-
mily; for if the houses of Laban and Potiphar were
blessed for the sake of religious servants, a house must
be still more favoured by Providence, for the sake of a
religious mistress.
"But a foolish woman plucketh it down with her
hands." As if it were a small thing in her eye to
suffer it to go to ruin, she uses her own hands to de-
molish it. The idle and careless woman uses one of
her hands, but the extravagant makes use of both, in
this ruinous work. How soon, in such a case, must a
house become a heap of rubbish.
This verse directs men in the choice of wives. A
woman may be rich and beautiful, and yet prove a
plague to her husband and his family, for nothing
is more necessary to ruin a house than a bad wife.
But a wise and virtuous woman is a rich portion to
her husband, though she brings nothing with her.
Her father would give her a portion if he were able;
but let it be remembered, that she is a daughter of the
Lord Almighty, who gives a better portion of graces
and blessings with her, than the wealthiest of earthly
parents can bestow.
Ver. 2. He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the
Lord; but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.
Most men pretend to the fear of God, but pretensions
go for nothing when they are confuted by facts. The
scripture lays down plain marks, by which we may
know whether we are really possessed of that truth of
religion, which lies in an affectionate reverence to the
Most High.
278 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XIV.
The truly religious man, is he that walks in his
uprightness; and the faith that is not attended with
godly sincerity in the heart, and endeavours after uni-
versal obedience in the life, is a dead faith, which gives
no evidence of spiritual life.
The good man not only receives Christ, but walks
in him. He not only enters in at the strait gate, but
continues travelling in the narrow way, till he comes
to the end of his faith and holiness in the heavenly
world.
He walketh in his uprightness, shewing a constant
regard, not only to the common duties of a man and
a Christian, but to those also that are incumbent on
him on account of the particular relations and circum-
stances in which he is placed.
Upright walking is a sure and true evidence of the
fear of the Lord; for that fear consists in a deep im-
pression of the divine excellency and authority, by
which men are disposed to abstain from whatever God
forbids, however pleasing to the flesh it may be, and
to walk before him unto all well pleasing.
Men of corrupt minds and a perverse behaviour,
may speak much to the praise of God, and profess a
high veneration for him, but they are so far from fear-
ing the Lord, that they despise him. Every wilful
sin is a plain proof that they disregard his authority,
and defy his vengeance; insult his patience, and turn
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ into lasciviousness.
Let stubborn sinners learn from this observation,
the exceeding sinfulness of their perverse conduct. It
contains in it a downright contempt for God, which is
a crime that can scarcely be charged upon devils.
What punishment is sufficient for such as despise the
authority of their Maker, and pour contempt on the
grace of a Saviour? To them it shall be said, "Be-
hold, ye despisers! and wonder, and perish."
CHAP. XIV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 279
Ver. 3. In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride;
but the lips of the wise shall preserve them.
Pride is a root of bitterness, producing a rod of in-
solence and rudeness in the mouth of the foolish. By
this rod they strike and wound their neighbours, who
are better than they, but it proves also a rod of correc-
tion to themselves.
The wise man does not call the instrument of their
punishment a sword, but a rod; meaning probably in
this manner to intimate, that their pride shall be
abased by punishment of an ignominious kind. They
shall not die like heroes, but their punishment shall be
that of slaves and fools, and shall yet prove destruc-
tive to them, for God can arm with vengeance the
meanest instruments. Pharaoh was tormented by flies
and frogs, and Herod was eaten up with despicable
worms.
But the lips of the wise will preserve them from the
rod which is in the mouth of fools, and from that ven-
geance which overtakes the proud. The humility of
their hearts instructs their mouths in the language of
meekness and kindness, and their piety and prudence
preserve their lips from speaking evil*.
Ver. 4. Where no oxen are, the crib is clean; but
much increase is by the strength of the ox.
As the wise man teaches us to be diligent in busi-
ness, so the providence of God encourages us to prac-
tise this virtue. As he hath done so in giving us
other animals to assist us in our labours, so we ought
thankfully to employ them. Where no oxen or other
beasts of husbandry are, there is no food for man or
beast; but there is much increase by their labour.
Oxen and asses testify, as Isaiah speaks, against the
ingratitude of God's people; and here Solomon insinu-
*Psal.
xxxiv. 12, 13.
280 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XIV.
ates that they bear witness against the laziness of the
sluggard also. If oxen do not employ their strength
for our benefit, the fault is not theirs, but ours.
If oxen serve us so well, we should not grudge them
that food which they earn by their labour, and which
is necessary for the preservation of their strength. God
would not have the mouth of the ox to be muzzled when
he was treading out the corn. That law was in part,
though not chiefly designed for the benefit of oxen;
for the God who made all things, shows his regard
and bounty to them in his laws, as well as in his pro-
vidence.
We should praise God for his bounty to the irra-
tional creatures, since they not only discover the riches
of the Lord, but perform useful services to us. What
is man, that God should give us the dominion over so
many useful animals, and keep them in subjection to
us, even in our fallen state?
Ver. 5. A faithful witness will not lie: but a false
witness will utter lies.
In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every
ward be established; but the witnesses ought to
be men of veracity, otherwise twenty witnesses are no
better than so many ciphers. A faithful witness is one
that will not lie; but a man who has no principle of
honesty, will, on the smallest temptation, utter lies
without scruple.
Judges, and juries, and elders of the church, must
be cautious what testimonies they receive. Justice re-
quires that no man should suffer in his person or cha-
racter, upon exceptionable grounds. What man can
enjoy security, if liars are to receive credit?
How mean a character is that of a liar! His testi-
mony cannot serve his neighbour, and ought not to
hurt him. In his mouth, even truth is suspected for
a lie.
CHAP. XIV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 281
It is unjust and uncharitable to indulge suspicions
against our neighbours, on the report of a liar, or even
of common fame, which is generally a common lie.
Ver. 6. A scorner seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not;
but knowledge is easy unto him that understandeth.
A scorner may seek wisdom, but he never seeks it
with right views, nor does he seek after that wisdom
which best deserves the name. The wisdom of the
prudent is to understand his way, but the scorner seeks
wisdom to gratify a curious fancy, to feed his pride;
and to enable him, by the display of his wit, to make a
figure. But he cannot find it, and the reason is plain:
He has not a due value for the wisdom that comes
from God, and he seeks it not with that earnestness
and humility without which it cannot be found. He
does not resign his understanding to the instructions of
God, nor can his pride suffer him to receive with
meekness the instructions and reproofs that give wis-
dom. The Greeks sought after wisdom, but Christ
crucified was foolishness to them. They were already
too wise to admit of the preaching of the cross, and
scorned a tent-maker who would inform them of new
doctrines, which had never entered into their own
minds, and who would prove them by other methods
than their own favourite ones,—eloquence and reason-
ing.
"But knowledge is easy unto him that under-
standeth." For he knows the inestimable worth of
knowledge, and seeks for it as for silver. Conscious
of his own ignorance, he thankfully improves the
means of knowledge, and daily depends upon Jesus,
the great Teacher, to open his heart for receiving it.
Reproof, as a means of wisdom, is precious to him,
and the knowledge which he already possesses fits him
for making progress in it, for to him that hath shall be
given.
282 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XIV.
Ver. 7. Go from the presence of a foolish man, when
thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.
We must not willingly enter into the company of
fools, but if, through ignorance of their character, we
happen to do so, we must not stay in it, lest we be
corrupted by their foolish conversation. We are either
like them whose company we frequent, or shall soon
be like them. Evil communications will efface our
impressions of the evil of sin, and corrupt our own
manners. Lukewarm persons, who are perhaps the
least dangerous of bad companions, will, if we take
pleasure in their company, transfuse their lukewarm-
ness into us. Ephraim mixed with the people, and he
soon became a cake not turned.
But when are we to leave the company of a foolish
man? As soon as we perceive that he has not the lips
of knowledge. As trees are known by their fruit, so
men are known by their words and works; but they
are soonest known by their words, which are the most
plentiful and the easiest products of the heart. We
are not to suppose men to be fools without evidence;
but profane or foolish words come from folly in the
heart; for a good man out of the good treasure of his
heart bringeth forth good things, and an evil man out
of his evil treasure, evil things,
Men may think themselves so steady in goodness,
that they are in no danger of being corrupted by evil
communications: but none are so ready to fall as
those that think they stand. Let Peter be a witness,
who on this ground ventured into temptation, and fell
before it. But though we were secure against all dan-
ger to ourselves, our rashness might embolden weaker
Christians to mingle with dangerous society, and so
our practice prove a temptation to those for whom
Christ died.
This commandment of God should strike terror
CHAP. XIV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 283
into the wicked. God will not allow us to keep com-
pany with them, and is it to be supposed that he will
admit them to his own eternal fellowship? Either
God or they must change, before they can be received
into heaven*.
Ver. 8. The wisdom of the prudent is to understand
his way; but the folly of fools is deceit.
When men are acquainted with every thing but
what they ought to know, they are only notable fools.
If we had hearts large as the sand on the sea-shore,
and filled with a world of things, whilst we remained
ignorant of the way of attaining true happiness, we
should resemble that philosopher who was busied
gazing at the moon, till he fell into the ditch.
We are travellers to another world, and our wisdom
lies in knowing the way that leads to the world of
happiness. There is no way that will bring us to
heaven but Christ; nor is any man wise to salvation
who does not value the knowledge of a crucified Sa-
viour above all other knowledge. We must endeavour
to know the good, and acceptable, and perfect will of
God; to be acquainted with the difficulties of our way,
and how to surmount them; to know the enemies
that may be expected to oppose our progress, and in
what manner to conquer them, and what refreshments
may be met with in the way to animate our spirits in
pursuing our journey.
It is a piece of necessary wisdom also, to acquaint
ourselves with the business and duties of our own par-
ticular callings, that we may discharge them with ho-
nour and success, They are fools who know other
people's business better than their own. Some people,
if you will take their own word for it, could reign
better than the king, and preach better than the minis-
*2
Cor. vi. 14.
284 EXPOSITION
OF THE [CHAP. XIV.
ter. They know, in short, how to manage in every
condition but their own. These are the busy-bodies
and meddlers in other men's matters, who in scripture
are condemned, and by their neighbours held in de-
rision.
"But the folly of fools is deceit." That which they
call wit, the scripture calls folly. They mean to de-
ceive others, but they deceive themselves worst by it.
They may trick their neighbours out of their money,
but they cheat themselves out of their souls.
All that wisdom of the serpent that is not recon-
cileable with the harmlessness of the dove, is folly; and
every piece of deceit practised on our fellow-men, is a
dangerous imposition on our own souls.
Ver. 9. Fools make a mock at sin; but among the righ-
teous there is favour.
Foolish men make a sport of their own sins, when
they ought to be humbled to the dust on account of
them. Because they are not presently punished, they
think that punishment shall never come, or, like brute
beasts, they consider not what shall be hereafter. But
if eternal burnings are a serious matter, sin that
kindles them can be no just matter of indifference or
sport.
Fools sport at the sins of others, which is far less
human than to laugh at the fits of a man convulsed
with agony, or the pains of one giving up the ghost.
Sin is the sport of devils only, and those who make it
a jest are devils clothed with flesh. Some of them are
so like their father, that they will tempt men to sin
that they may laugh at them. Such laughter will end
in weeping and howling.
"But among the righteous there is favour." They
have too much good-will to one another, and to all men,
to make a sport at sin. They are affected with the sins
of others, as a man would be if he were brought into
CHAP. XIV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 285
a lazar-house. A man of spiritual discernment per-
ceives sin to be the most loathsome and dangerous of
all distempers, and his eye affects his heart with tender
compassion for their misery.
The righteous have a principle of charity, that dis-
poses them to rejoice in the goodness and happiness of
others as their own. Paul scarcely begins an epistle,
without strong expressions of his joy in the prosperity
of his fellow-Christians. This charity completed will
multiply the blessedness of the heavenly state.
Ver. 10. The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and
a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy.
The things of a man knoweth no man, but the spirit
of a man that is in him. And a man's own tongue
cannot express the bitterness of the griefs that he often
feels, or the sweetness of the joy he experiences.
We must not be censorious of the griefs of others.
There are some who do not express that grief which we
think they ought to feel for their miscarriages, or the
adversities with which they have met; but they per-
haps grieve more than they appear to do. Sorrow may
fill their hearts when they are alone, though company
spreads cheerfulness over their countenances. God is
the true judge of the measure of our repentance for
sin, or our humiliation of spirit under his afflicting
hand.
This observation should lead us to compassionate the
sorrows of the afflicted. They have inward uneasiness
that we cannot feel. Their griefs are frequently too
strong for them to subdue, and when they would com-
fort themselves against sorrow, their hearts are faint
within them. Job's friends would not have vexed him
so much with their severe censures on his complaints,
had they thoroughly weighed his griefs and calami-
ties*.
*Job.
vi. 1, 2.
286 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XIV.
It is a great comfort to Christians, that our Redeem-
er bore our griefs, and knows our sorrows, and is touch-
ed with the feeling of them. For this reason should
the broken in spirit pour forth all their sorrows at the
throne of grace, and firmly expect from it all needful
succours.
There are joys that equally exceed the knowledge of
a stranger, especially the joys of religion, which an un-
renewed man cannot relish or understand. These are
sometimes unspeakable, and full of glory. Christians
do not now enter into the joy of their Lord, but streams
of joy enter into their souls from the overflowing foun-
tain of pleasures, and refresh their hearts amidst the
sorrows of this wilderness to such a degree, that they
can rejoice greatly in the God of their salvation, at the
very seasons when they are pitied by the world, as of
all men the most miserable.
Sinners cannot understand how all the ways of wis-
dom should be pleasantness and peace, but they should
consider that they want those purified understanding
and affections, without which spiritual joys cannot be
relished. Let them believe the Scripture, and the ex-
perience of all good men. Let them taste and see that
the Lord is good, and that there is no want to them
that fear him. Christians do indeed feel sorrows pe-
culiar to themselves, but these are the seeds of inex-
pressible gladness.
Ver. 11. The house of the wicked shall be overthrown,
but the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish.
The upright man is far happier in the meanest cir-
cumstances, than a transgressor in his greatest prosperi-
ty. Though a wicked man overtop his neighbour as
far as the cedars of the mountain do the creeping shrubs
of the valley, he shall be filled with the strokes of
divine vengeance. Though he dwell in a magnificent
palace, the tempest of indignation shall beat it down;
CHAP. XIV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 287
but the righteous man, though at present he appear,
like the incarnate Saviour, a tender plant, shall grow
like the cedar in Lebanon; and though his dwelling-
place is a tabernacle, it shall flourish, and prosper, and
grow into a palace. It is far better to dwell in a cot-
tage where the blessing of God rests, and in which is
heard the melody of joy and praise, than in a palace
which lies under the curse of the Lord*.
Ver. 12. There is a way which seemeth right unto a
man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way;
and happy is the man who understands it indeed, for
many whose end shall be destruction, think that they
are travelling in the ways of life.
The Jews in Isaiah's time thought their way right,
when they endeavoured to please God by multitudes of
costly services, whilst they were mocking and insulting
the Most High, by attempting to bribe him into a conni-
vance at their injustice and inhumanity. The Jews in
our Lord's time walked in the like paths of self-deceit,
in setting the traditions of the elders on a level with the
commands of God, and. seeking righteousness, not by
faith, but as it were by the works of the law.
Some professing Christians would join their own
works to the righteousness of Christ, as the ground of
their acceptance with God. They stand with one foot
upon a rock, and the other in a quagmire, and must
sink in the mire†. Others, on pretence of seeking
justification by the faith of Christ, are careless about
holiness, and consider not, that the faith which does not
lead men to holiness will never bring them to heaven‡.
There are many who expect to please God by serv-
ing him, not according to the rule of his word, but
according to the inventions and commandments of men,
*Prov. iii. 33, Job v. 18 †Gal. v. 4 ‡James ii. 14.
288 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XIV.
and suppose that they are serving him when they are
breaking the second commandment, and provoking the
Lord to jealousy.
Some are so perverse that they think they are doing
God service, whilst they are doing mischief to other
men, and indulging those uncharitable tempers which
God abhors*.
We should always keep our eyes on the end of things,
and learn with certainty what end we are to expect to
our course of life. How terrible will it be for men to
hear themselves condemned by the Judge of the world,
for those actions for which they expected to hear
these pleasant words, "Well done, good and faithful
servant!"
Let us give earnest heed unto the word of God, and
compare our expectations and practice with it. Let
us daily pray that God may lead us in that way of
holiness, in which the wayfaring man, though a fool,
shall not err.
Ver. 15. Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and
the end of that mirth is heaviness.
The joys of this world cannot make a man happy.
They are often false, and they commonly end in hea-
viness.
It is very common for men to put on a face of joy,
whilst the heart pines away with grief. Some put on
the appearance of joy to prevent or remove suspicions
about their behaviour, and endeavour to cover a guilty
conscience with smiles. It would surely be far better
to own their sins, and to seek after the pleasures of
pardon, and then they may rejoice in God through the
atonement. Others, from a pride of appearing happy,
conceal their uncomfortable circumstances and deject-
ed spirits under the appearances of mirth, when they
*John
xvi. 2.
CHAP. XIV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 289
ought to acquiesce in the providence of God, and to
seek those pleasures which the world cannot give nor
take away.
There are others still, who laugh when their hearts
are sorrowful, from an ambition of appearing heroes,
who cannot be subdued by misfortunes. They are
like the Stoic philosopher, who, under a severe fit of
the gravel, discovered at once his weakness and his de-
sire of concealing it by these words: "Pain, thou may-
est rack me, but thou shalt not make me confess that
thou art an evil thing." An affected joy under tribu-
lation, is as despicable as the triumphant joy of a be-
liever is glorious.
The end of this, and of all worldly mirth, is for the
most part heaviness. In this valley of tears our joys
are few and weak, and pains tread upon their heels.
Our greatest comforts are avenues to our bitterest ca-
lamities. Heaven is the land of joys, and the only
joys on earth worth the naming, are derived from the
hope of possessing them*.
Ver. 16. The backslider in heart shall be filled with
his own ways; and a good man shall be satisfied from
himself.
A true saint may slip with his feet, but his heart is
ordinarily perfect with the Lord his God. The back-
slider in heart is the lover of sin, who departs, in the
course of his life from God and his laws with purpose
of heart.
Such a man is never filled with sin, but takes so
much pleasure in it, that he revolts more and more,
adding drunkenness to thirst. He shall, however, be
filled with sin, either in this world or the next, when,
he feels its painful consequences, and finds that God
*Rom.
viii. 18. v. 2
290 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XIV.
has marked all his steps, and will not acquit him from
any of his iniquities.
This will be the end of all impenitent sinners, but
chiefly of such as have not only forsaken the law of God,
but also violated their own solemn vows, and after pro-
fessing holiness, turned like the dog to his vomit, and
like the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the
mire.
Apostacy is a horrible affront to the ways of righte-
ousness, and is commonly, though not always, the fore-
runner of final impenitence and despair*.
“But a good man shall be satisfied from himself.
The springs of his satisfaction are in God, and he ab-
hors the thought of glorying, save in the Lord, and in
his cross; and yet it is true that he shall be satisfied
from himself. His pleasure does not lie in comparing
himself with those that are worse than he, but he
proves his own work, and has rejoicing in himself and
not in another. His soul is fitted for relishing true
satisfaction, and filled with that holiness which is the
same thing to the inner man, that health is to the body.
His good works are not the grounds of his confidence,
but through Christ they are accepted of God, and gra-
ciously rewarded. "Say ye to the righteous, It shall be
well with him; for they shall eat the fruit of their do-
ings†.”
Ver. 15. The simple believeth every word, but the pru-
dent man looketh well to his going.
Readiness to believe what people say, being suppos-
ed to proceed from a good temper, is commonly regard-
ed a small fault. But none has ever proved more mis-
chievous to the world.
Daily experience shews that many have their for-
tunes ruined by giving too easy credit to those knaves
*James
iii. 14 †Isa. v. 10
CHAP. XIV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 291
who will say or swear any thing that serves their own
interests.
History is full of examples of men who have lost
their lives by means of their credulity, amongst whom
were those great men Abner and Amass. Others have
by this means been robbed of their comfort, as was
Jacob for the space of twenty years, though he may
well be excused for believing the mournful tidings of
his son's death, especially when confirmed by so many
plausible circumstances.
Some have been betrayed into the worst of sins, by
believing groundless reports of others, as Saul in the
case of David, and we might almost add, David him-
self in the case of Mephibosheth. The nation of the
Jews was threatened with desolation by the easy tem-
per of Ahasuerus, who believed without examination
the malicious suggestions of the wicked Haman.
Multitudes have been seduced into the most danger-
ous errors and damning sins, by seducers whom they
believed, either from an implicit faith, or from want
of care in searching the oracles of truth.
The whole world was ruined by the simplicity of
Eve, and the easy credit she gave to the serpent.
A prudent man will therefore look well to his goings.
He will not risk his fortune and happiness, his life and
soul, by believing groundless reports, or receiving doc-
trines that are destitute of sufficient proof.
He will not withdraw his love from men; or do them
hurt, because they have the misfortune to become the
butt of slander.
There is nothing in which we are so ready to be de-
ceived as in points of religion, and no errors are so
dangerous as these. A prudent man will therefore call
no man on earth master, but will look upon Christ as
his only Master. The Scriptures he considers as his
only rule, and the Spirit that dictated them as their
292 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XIV.
great interpreter. He searches the Scripture, and seeks
wisdom from God by daily prayer.
As Christ is the only way to the Father, the man
that is spiritually wise enters into his religious course,
and walks in it, depending on this Saviour alone for
acceptance. As there is great danger in stepping aside
from the path of God's commandments, he pays a strict
regard to the least of them*.
"Many deceivers are gone out into the world, and the
old deceiver is still walking about, seeking whom he
may mislead and destroy. The prudent man is there-
fore sober and vigilant. He informs himself of the de-
vices of these enemies of his salvation, and whilst he
guards against them by taking heed to God's word, he
commits himself to the guidance of him who led Joseph
like a flock through the desert, and arrives safely at
that paradise where there is no subtile serpent to
betray.
Ver. 16. A wise man feared and departeth from evil;
but the fool rageth and is confident.
A wise man will foresee apparent or probable dan-
gers, and will guard against them. Nehemiah fore-
saw the danger he was in from the enemies of the Jews,
and used every proper means to prevent their incur-
sions, and this fear was very consistent with courage,
for he scorned to use any mean shift for his own safety.
A wise man trusts in God's mercy; but this truth is
consistent with fear, not with that tormenting fear
which is cast out by faith and love, but with that
reverence of God, and that necessary caution, which
makes persons depart from sin, and to flee from it as
they would from the devil and hell. Noah is an in-
stance of this fear. Paul himself, that noble believer,
who was always triumphing in Christ, lived under the
*Mat.
v. 19 † Heb xi. 17.
CHAP. XIV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 293
influence of this holy temper, and kept his body in sub-
jection, lest when he had preached the gospel to others,
he himself should be a cast away.
A wise man indulges not anxious fears about the
evils that may come at some future period, for he trusts
in the gracious providence of God*. But he trembles
at the word of God, reverencing its precepts, consider-
ing its threatenings with awe, and fearing lest he
should seem to come short of the promised blessings.
This fear is a bridle to the soul, to curb the workings
of the passions, and to restrain it from every appear-
ance of evil.
"But the fool rageth and is confident." Some are so
foolish as to think it a sign of a brave spirit to live su-
perior to all fear, as if it were men's glory to be like
the leviathan, who is made without fear. Fools despise
the threatenings of the Bible. They are filled with
rage at those providences and reprovers which would
check them in their course of sin; but their confidence
is daring presumption, which hurries them on to those
courses that end in despair. They will rush on in sin,
if you should set everlasting burnings before them;
but their haughty spirits will be tamed when they shall
cry to the rocks and mountains to fall on them, and
hide them from the face of the Lamb. The Assyrian
monarch raged against God and his people, and was
confident that God himself could not stop him in his
victorious course; but he soon found a hook in his nose,
and a bridle in his jaws.
Ver. 17. He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly, and
a man of wicked devices is hated.
Rash anger is a fruit and evidence of folly. Be-
cause another man has done me an injury, am I to do
myself a greater, by suffering my passions to domineer
*Mat.
vi. 25-34.
294 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XIV.
over my reason, and expose me to the vengeance of
God*? He that is soon angry speaks and does many
foolish things, which may cost him many bitter thoughts
through his whole life†. But a man of wicked de-
vices is far worse than a passionate man, for he har-
bours malice in his breast, and his soul is the habita-
tion of him whom malice makes a devil, though he
was once a glorious angel. Wo unto the man of wick-
ed devices, for he walks in the way of Cain, and is hat-
ed by God and men. Providence may keep him, by
the restraints of fear, from embruing his hands in his
brother's blood; but in his heart he daily commits
murder, and cannot have eternal life abiding in him.
Simeon and Levi procured reproaches from their father
for this evil disposition, when the other tribes were re-
ceiving blessings‡.
Ver. 18. The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are
crowned with knowledge.
Folly is hereditary to men that spring from Adam,
who lost to himself and to his posterity that excellent
wisdom which beautified his soul in the state of inno-
cency.
Folly is like a field that produces nothing but weeds
and poisons, and brings forth in great plenty the grapes
of bitterness. This is the inheritance of the simple who
love simplicity, and will not hearken to the counsels of
wisdom; with these fruits they shall be filled abundant-
ly, but they shall never see the floods and the brooks
of honey and butter.
The prudent have a royal heritage. They shall in-
herit glory, and their knowledge is not only a chain to
their necks, but a diadem of beauty to their heads.
It makes them honourable as kings, and prepares them
for the possession of those celestial glories, compared
*Mat.
v. 22 †Chap.
xii. 26 ‡Gen. xlxix., Chap. xii. 2.
CHAP. XIV.] BOOK
OF PROVERBS. 295
with which crowns and sceptres are but yellow dust;
for the wise shall shine as the brightness of the firma-
ment.
The most prosperous sinners are objects of compass
sion to the wise, because they are fools, and the fruit
of folly are their inheritance. But the saint in rags is
to them one of the excellent of the earth, for he is pos-
sessed of those glories that confer inconceivable dignity
on a beggar, whilst an emperor without them is mean
and despicable*.
Ver. 19. The evil bow before the good, and the wicked
at the gates of the righteous.
Bad men follow courses which have a tendency in
their own nature, and by the appointment of God, to
bring them to a state of slavery and dependance. Good
men, through the blessing of God on their virtue and
industry, are often placed in circumstances that enable
them to relieve the wretched and unhappy, so that their
favour is humbly courted by those that once despised
them.
There have been instances in which this proverb
was verified in a very remarkable manner. The
Egyptians bowed down before Joseph, and Moses, and
the Israelites. The proud king of Babylon almost
worshipped the captive Daniel, and Elisha's favour was
solicited by three kings, one or two of whom were
bad men. But it is certain, from experience, that the
reverse sometimes takes place, and good men are made
to bow done before the wicked. It is, however, cer-
tain, that goodness infallibly conducts to honour, and
wickedness to disgrace in the end†.
It is because men believe not the scripture that they
shun religion in those branches of it that are under dis-
repute, or that they make any compliances with the
*Psal.
xv. 4 †Mal. ix. 1; Psal. xlxix.14; Rev. ii. 26-27.
296 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XIV.
wicked of the world with a view to honour from men.
God is the King of nations, and the great fountain of
honour; and those that honour him he will honour, but
those that despise him shall be lightly esteemed. If
at any time God's people are under a cloud of disgrace,
they have full assurance that it will be soon blown away.
Christ himself was once a servant of rulers, but all
things are now put under his feet; and it is a faithful
saying, If we suffer, we shall also reign with him.
Ver. 20. The poor is hated even of his own neighbour;
but the rich hath many friends.
The poor man's neighbour, in this place, must
signify one that lives in his neighbourhood, or one that
is obliged by the ties of relation to love him. All our
neighbours of the human race have a title to our love,
but those whom Providence has connected with us by
the bonds of vicinity or relation, have a double title to
our regard; and to despise or hate them, or to be indif-
ferent to their happiness, is a very great sin.
Our love to our neighbour deserves not the name,
if it is founded only upon his riches; poverty, or dis-
tress, instead of diminishing, ought to draw it forth into
action. It is base to profess love to persons in the
time of their prosperity, and to be cold to them in the
day of their distress. All men censure Job's friends
for behaving harshly to him at a time when they could
not shew too much tenderness and compassion*.
The rich hath many friends, but little reason to place
much confidence in many of them. They are gene-
rally not friends to himself, but to his coat and his
table. Let him wear rags, and live on bread and
water, and he will find who are his friends.
Let us try our love to our neighbours, for there is
much hypocrisy in men's regard to their fellow-crea-
*Job
vi. 14.
CHAP. XIV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 297
tures, as well as in that respect which they shew to
their Maker. Unfeigned love to Christ cleaves to him,
whether religion be well or ill spoken of; and true love
to our neighbours is the same, whether they are in ad-
verse or prosperous circumstances, excepting that it ap-
pears most when there is most need to discover it.
The poor need not be discouraged because their
friends have forsaken them. It is not true that their
friends have forsaken them, if they have given them no
other reason for it than becoming poor. They were
not friends but dissemblers, and it is no loss to know
their insincerity. They have reason to rejoice that
Christ is the poor man's friend, and that he shews his
friendship most in the season of greatest need*.
The rich man needs not boast of the multitude of his
friends, for many of them are very probably dissemblers,
who want to serve themselves at his expence. A man
need not call himself rich, although he has many
guineas in his pocket, if he has reason to think that
most of them are counterfeits. The friendship of Christ
is necessary for him as well as the poor man, and in
that he may rejoice and triumph at all times. David
was driven from his throne, and multitudes of his
friends became his enemies; but his rejoicing was this,
that he had one sure and all-sufficient Friend†.
Ver. 21. He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but
he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.
However common it is for men to hate or despise
the poor, it is a great sin, and exposes men to misery.
A man's poverty divests him not of that relation to
ourselves, and to our Maker and our Saviour, which
gives him a title to our love; nor does it weaken the
obligation of that great commandment, which requires
us to love our neighbours as ourselves.
*Psal. lxxii. 4, 12-14 †Psal. iii. 3.
298 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XIV.
We shew our contempt of the poor, not only by
trampling upon them, but by overlooking them, or
by withholding that help for which their distress loudly
calls. The Levite and the Priest that declined the
giving of assistance to the wounded traveller on the
way to Jericho, were notorious breakers of the law of
love, in the judgment of our Lord. The good Sama-
ritan was the only man that performed the duty of a
neighbour.
He is an unhappy man, who is chargeable with this
sin*. "But he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is
he." He needs, and he shall have, that mercy which
he cannot merit†.
If those that do not shew mercy are punished, an
heavy vengeance will fall upon the cruel and mis-
chievous.
Ver. 22. Do they not err that devise evil? but mercy
and truth shall be to them that devise good.
The doers of evil are abhorred by the Lord, and the
more of deliberation and industry that is found with
sinners, the more severely will they be punished. The
plotters of mischief promise to themselves success in
their plans, and expect great advantage from them‡.
But are they not grossly mistaken? undoubtedly they
are. They shall be baffled by the wisdom and power
of the God whose kingdom ruleth over all. They
may bring their devices to pass, but they shall not be
able by the accomplishment of them to gain their ends.
Instead of doing hurt to the people of God, and dis-
appointing the purposes of the Most High, concern-
ing his own glory, and the happiness of his chosen,
the wrath of man shall praise God, and promote the
salvation of his people; and what remains of the wrath
of God's enemies, beyond what would serve these
*Mat.
xxv. 42 †Mat. v. 7; xxv. 35 ‡Psal. xii. 4.
CHAP. XIV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 299
glorious purposes, shall be restrained. Whatever profit
wicked men propose to themselves, they shall find to
be loss; and if they should triumph in the accomplish-
ment of their devices, a moment will put an end to
their boasting. The builders of Babel expected to
make themselves a glorious name; but they made
themselves a by-word to every generation. The proud
king of Babylon expected to set his throne above the
stars, and to be like the Most High, and with that
view he ravaged the nations, and turned their countries
into deserts: But how is he fallen from heaven! and
great Babylon which he built for the honour of his
majesty, become the dwelling of every loathsome
creature.
If wicked men employ their thoughts to contrive
mischief, and shew so much diligence in the service
of sin, although they have such a miserable reward;
let God's people exercise the same diligence in the
service of righteousness, by seeking out and seizing
opportunities for doing good, and their labour shall
not be in vain in the Lord.
God's servants are oftentimes tempted to weary in
well-doing, because they find they can do little good
to others by their labours, which are frequently at-
tended with much toil, and many disquieting and
anxious thoughts to themselves. But to him that
soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward at last, for
his reward is not in the hands of men, but with the
Lord, and his work is with his God. He cannot, in-
deed, pretend to merit any thing from the Lord, for
he stands in need of mercy. But mercy shall not be
denied to Him; for he is interested in the promises
that are derived from the grace, and secured by the
faithfulness of God. If God so exactly fulfil his
threatenings against the devisers of evil, the Father
of mercies will not be slack to fulfil his words of grace
300 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XIV.
to those whom he has beautified with his own likeness,
and disposed to be faithful in his service*.
Ver. 23. In all labour there is profit; but the talk of
the lips tendeth only to penury.
Some men, if they cannot obtain employment of
an easy or genteel kind, would rather be idle than
descend below their fancied rank, or expose themselves
to the drudgeries of a vulgar profession; and whilst
they are busied in contriving plans for business more
suitable to their taste and spirit, and talking of them,
they waste their time in idleness.
But no useful business is to be despised, for in all la-
bour there is profit, and the lowest professions in life
may be a mean of procuring subsistence to him that is
diligent in it, and to his family.
Men must not, however, expect success in their
labour without the blessing of God; and therefore,
to industry must be added a dependance on God's
providence, a due regard to the service of God, and a
disposition to contribute a proper proportion of the
fruit of their labours to pious and charitable uses;
otherwise God may blast their labours in righteous
judgment, and then no diligence in business can be
a security against want†.
As in religion it is not the man who speaks, but the
man who does, that gives proof of his sincerity‡; so
in earthly business, it is not the man who talks fluently,
and lays down plausible schemes of business, but the
man who labours, and does all his work, that has
reason to expect the blessing of Providence. Those
that wear their working instruments in their tongues,
are always the most useless, and sometimes the most
hurtful members of society. They work not at all,
*Eph. vi. 8 †Hag. i. 9; ii. 17; Psal. cxxvii. 1 ‡Mat. vii. 22-28.
CHAP. XIV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 301
but are busy-bodies in other men's matters; and whilst
they pretend to manage those affairs with which they
have nothing to do, they bring themselves to poverty
by neglecting their own. Like the sons of Jacob,
when their father refused to send Joseph with them,
they spend more time in deliberating about a thing,
than they might have taken to perform it. If they are
professors of religion, their slothfulness causes an offence
against the good ways of the Lord; but with what
justice, is plain from this text.
Ver. 24. The crown of the wise is their riches; but
the foolishness of fools is folly.
Riches are far from being useless in the hands of
a wise man. They place him in an eminent situation,
so that he is like a city set on an hill, and his wisdom
shines and gives light to multitudes around him.
Abraham and Lot could not have afforded us so illus-
trious proofs of their hospitality, had they been poor
men. Solomon was wise enough to chuse wisdom,
rather than mines of gold and silver; but without
riches his wisdom could not have executed plans of
such advantage to the church of God, nor built a temple
so celebrated in every age. When men have riches,
it will soon be known whether they have wisdom or
not; for wisdom will avail itself of riches, to make
itself evident by the noblest acts.
But poor saints have no reason to be dissatisfied
with their condition; it requires a greater degree of
wisdom than perhaps they have, to overcome the
temptations of wealth, and to make it a crown to them.
And if their wisdom is despised among foolish men,
yet God is well acquainted and well pleased with
every good disposition of their heart, although they
have not the means of displaying it in acts of goodness.
Many that could never give any thing but a tear and
a prayer to the distressed, shall be classed with Abra-
302 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XIV.
ham and Lot in the kingdom of God, whilst others
that exercised splendid acts of beneficence, shall be
thrust down to the pit with the uncharitable.
If good men are spoiled of their wealth, they need
not lament, as if they had lost their crown. For
riches are an ornament of grace to the head of wise
men, even when they are lost. Job's patience in the
loss of every thing, did as much honour to him, as his
extraordinary beneficence whilst he was the richest
man in the East. We honour his memory still more,
when he sewed sackcloth upon his skin, and defiled
his horn in the dust, than at the time when judgment
was his robe and his diadem. Riches are transitory
possessions; but the crown of the wise is incorruptible,
for the honours of charity and patience are eternal.
But the foolishness of fools is still folly, when they
are in their best and highest condition. Riches give a
man fair opportunities to serve God and man by his
wisdom; but instead of making a fool wise, they make
him seven times more a fool, and render his folly
visible to the world. If Rehoboam had been in a
lower situation, his folly would have done less mis-
chief in his own time, and might have been forgotten
when his eyes were closed. Men are generally eager
in the pursuit of riches for themselves and their chil-
dren; but if Solomon may be trusted, it is far better
to want them, unless wisdom is first got to manage
them; for they are instruments of good or evil, as men
have, or want wisdom. An Athenian philosopher
used to cry out to his fellow-citizens, O ye Athenians!
why do ye toil yourselves to procure estates for your
children, and yet take no pains to give them that edu-
cation which will teach them to make a right use of
their estates?—When you see drunkards, and debau-
chees, and oppressors, you have reason to pity them
that they ever had the command of a single shilling.
CHAP. XIV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 303
Pray earnestly for wisdom, and leave it to Provi-
dence to determine your outward condition. Wisdom
will make every condition good and pleasant.
Ver. 25. A true witness delivereth souls; but a de-
ceitful witness speaketh lies*.
Some have an aversion to appear as witnesses in a
court of justice, as if swearing were never lawful; but
it is men's duty to bear witness when they have a call
to it; and by bearing witness, God may be glorified,
and the lives and properties of the innocent pre-
served†.
But we must never lie on any pretence. Neither
the preservation of our own life, nor a regard to the
life of our neighbours, is a sufficient motive to induce
us to dishonour God, by violating the law of truth.
Rahab was approved, not for her dissimulation, but for
her faith and her good works. We may redeem the
life of our brother, in some cases, with our own life,
but a lie is too dear a price for it.
But a deceitful witness speaketh lies, and these lies
are often swords to destroy the innocent. The liar
breaks not the ninth commandment alone, but fre-
quently the sixth and the eighth also.
Ministers and professors of religion are God's wit-
nesses, and it is of infinite importance to give faithful
testimony for God. Whilst they hold forth the word
of life, souls may be edified and saved; but the profes-
sion and preaching of false doctrine, is pernicious to
the everlasting interests of men‡.
Ver. 26. In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence;
and his children shall have a place of refuge.
Riches are a crown to the wise, but the fear of the
Lord is incomparably better. The grace of fear is so
*Prov. xii. 17. xiv. 5. † Prov. xxiv. 11, 12. ‡ Isa. xliii. 12.
2 Tim ii. 16, 17.
304 EXPOSITION OP THE [CHAP. XIV.
great a point in religion, and so inseparably connected
with every holy disposition, that it is ordinarily used
to denote piety in all its branches. In piety there is
strong confidence, for godly men are safe from every
danger, and know, or may know, that they are safe.
Neither earth nor hell shall be able to destroy them,
for the place of their defence is the munition of rocks.
They are the children of Jehovah, and their almighty
Father is their sun and shield. Death itself shall not
destroy them, but convey them to those mansions that
are made ready by Christ for their reception in their
Father's house.
By his children, we may understand the children of
them that fear God. Our goodness can merit no-
thing from God for ourselves, far less for our children.
But God is so abundant in goodness and truth, that he
has spoken good, and has often brought it to pass, not
only concerning his people, but also concerning their
seed for many generations*. All men wish to do every
thing that lies in their power for their children; but
death will soon remove us out of the world, and what
will we then do for them or ourselves? The estates
that are left them, often vanish like snow in the month
of March. The best thing we can do for our children,
is to fear God, and whether we live or die, the word of
God liveth, and his promise abideth for ever.
They that do not chuse the fear of the Lord, chuse
death and ruin, but,
Ver. 27. The fear of the Lord is a fountain, of life, to
depart front the snares of death.
The fear of the Lord includes in it the faith of
Christ, and they that believe on the Redeemer, have in
them a well of water springing up unto life ever-
lasting. They enjoy true life, and every thing that
CHAP. XIV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 305
can render life happy, and are preserved from those
temptations and sins that are snares and nets to en-
tangle and destroy those that have not the fear of God
before their eyes. The fear of God is attended with
every blessing, and a preservative against all misery.
Happy is the man that feareth the Lord*. We may
say to him as Abigail to David, "Thy soul shall be
bound up in the bundle of life with the Lord thy God;
but thine enemies shall be like stones bound in a sling."
But of those that reject the fear of the Lord, we may
speak in truth what Bildad says, in a very unjust al-
lusion to Job, "He is cast into a net by his own feet,
and he walketh upon a snare†.”
Ver. 28. In the multitude of people is the king's ho-
nour; but in the want of people is the destructive of the
prince.
The wise king gives many good instructions to his
brethren in office, and is thereby doing good to us all;
for kings without wisdom are public calamities, but
well-instructed kings, with their long arms, are the
ministers of God for good to millions. In this passage
he directs kings to govern in such a manner as to make
their subjects happy, that they may not be tempted to
leave their country, and retire to a land of greater
liberty, but encouraged to rear up an offspring for the
service of their king and country.
This instruction is conveyed in a powerful motive to
enforce it, which is, that the glory and safety of a
prince lies in the multitude of his loyal subjects, and
his disgrace and ruin in the want of men attached to
his government, and prepared to venture their lives in
his defence. In the happy days of Solomon, the peo-
ple enjoyed peace and plenty, and the children of
* Psal. cxxviii. 1. xxxiv. 8, 9, 10. † Job xviii. 9-10.
306 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XIV.
Israel and Judah were like the sand of the sea in mul-
titude, eating and drinking, and making merry. In
the miserable reign of Jehoahas, the people of Israel
were made like the dust by threshing, so that he and
his kingdom were on the brink of destruction, when
the God of mercy raised up saviours to prevent their
extirpation.
It is the glory of the great King of Israel, that his
subjects cannot be numbered for multitude; and the
lovers of his name will contribute their zealous endea-
vours, by their holy conversation and their prayers, to
increase the number of his subjects.
Ver. 29. He that is slow to wrath is of great under-
standing; but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.
Anger is a more ungovernable monster than the le-
viathan, and needs much more than a double bridle
for curbing it; and more is provided by Solomon, who
is constantly repeating his admonitions to us, to be on
our guard against the incursions and ravages of this
fury. Many people are in a gross mistake on this
point, and imagine that meekness is a sign of stupidity,
and an high and outrageous sense of honour an evi-
dence of great spirit; but the inspired philosopher
make it his business to correct our false apprehen-
sions of things, and assures us, that he is the truly
wise man who keeps his passions in subjection to sanc-
tified reason; and that the man who gives way to anger,
upon every provocation, is not only a fool, but so far
gone in folly, that he lifts it up to public view, and
proclaims by his behaviour, that he has given to folly
the throne of his heart.
Moses was the meekest, and he was for that, as well
as other reasons, the wisest man of his age. Solomon
was in the zenith of his wisdom when he spared those
rebels Abiathar and Adonijah; but he was in his decline
CHAP. XIV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 307
when he sought to destroy the man to whom God had
promised a part of his kingdom.
A philosopher advised Augustus Caesar, when he
felt himself angry, to say nothing till he had taken
time to repeat all the letters of the Greek alphabet.
When we find ourselves provoked, let us check our pas-
sions, till we are able, with greater coolness than
Jonah, to answer that question, "Dost thou well to
be angry?”
Ver. 30. A sound heart is the life of the flesh; but
only the rottenness of the bones.
Most men will allow that religion is the best thing
for the soul. But the body is generally regarded more
than the soul, and they are prejudised against religion,
because it is considered as unfavourable to the interest
and comfort of the outward man. This false apprehen-
sion, Solomon endeavours in many places of this book
to remove. According to his doctrine, holiness is the
health of the soul, and diffuses its influence over the
body; but sin, which is the disease and death of the
soul, is a slow poison also to the body in its present
state.
A heart purified by the grace of God, and set at li-
berty from corroding and turbulent passions, enjoys
the pleasures of a peaceful conscience, and a sweet joy,
which gives a grace to the countenance, and commu-
nicates health and vigour to the bones. That cheerful
heart which doth good like a medicine, is chiefly the
gift of sacred wisdom; and that benevolence which
inclines us to do good to others, is sure to do good to
ourselves, so that the fruits of charity always begin at
home*.
“But envy is the rottenness of the bones.” It is a
torment and punishment as well as a sin, so that uncha-
* Chap. iii. 8.
308 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XIV.
ritableness, as well as the virtue opposed to it, begins
at home. The envious man is impoverished by an-
other's riches, and tormented by another man's happi-
ness; and every person that seeks his own happiness,
is endeavouring to make the envious wretch miserable.
A certain author speaks of a woman who was dissected
after her death, and a serpent found in her heart.
But the envious man has a serpent in his heart whilst
he lives, that is constantly tormenting him. He is not
only disfigured by his evil eye, but pines away under a
distemper that consumes his bones, and is a greater
enemy to himself than to any other man. He has a
hell within himself, and is on the road to that hell
which is prepared for the devil and his angels,-
where a place is allotted to him amongst adulterers and
murderers*.
Envy in the devil was the occasion of our ruin;
envy in the Pharisees brought our Lord to the cross;
envy in ourselves is rottenness to our bones, and dam-
nation to our souls. May the God of love free us from
this baneful passion!
Ver. 31. He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his
Maker; but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the
poor.
To oppress the poor by taking advantage to ourselves
from their poverty, is a monstrous iniquity: To oppress
them by the refusal of that mercy which they need, is
a less degree of wickedness, but sufficient to procure
condemnation†.
He that oppresseth the poor, either by insults and
injuries, or by neglect; reproacheth his Maker, who
made man after his image, and by his providence al-
lots to men their several stations in life, requiring the
rich and the poor to be useful to one another; the for-
* Gal. v. 20. † Matt xxv. 42.
CHAP. XIV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 309
mer by kindness, the latter either by their labour, or if
they are disabled from work, by their prayers for their
benefactors. Oppression and uncharitableness make
it evident that men revere not the works of creation
and providence, but are atheists either in opinion, or
at least in practice; and that the commandments, and
promises, and threatenings of God, are despised by
them as idle fancies. What would have hindered the
oppressor. of the poor from joining with the enemies
of Christ, had he lived in Jerusalem near 1800 year
ago?
Every man that places more confidence in the pro-
mises of God than in the bonds of men, and trusts
more to the living God than to a piece of shining dust;
every man that regards the authority of God in his
precepts, and the providence of God in its administra-
tions, will exercise mercy to the poor, and contribute
to their relief; and if we say that we love God and
hate our brethren, or if we say that we love them, and
yet act as if we hated them, then we are liars, and the
truth is not in us*.
Ver. 32. The wicked is driven away in his wicked-
ness; but the righteous hath hope in his death.
All must die;—but there is an immense difference
between the death of the righteous and that of the
wicked. This difference is not always discernible to
observers, but it is real and wide, as the distance be-
tween heaven and hell. The wicked man is chased
out of the world in which his portion lies and all his
hopes are circumscribed, into a world of unmingled mi-
sery and unchanging despair. He lived in sin and
dies in sin, and his sins lie down with him in the dust,
and afford everlasting nourishment to the warm that
shall never die, and fuel to the fire that shall never
* Ver. 21.
310 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XIV.
be quenched. If he should die as quietly as a lamb,
that does not lessen his misery, but only suspends it
a few moments; if he should feed his vain mind
with the hopes of heaven to the last, yet he dies into
hopeless anguish.
“But the righteous hath hope in his death.” He be-
lieves in Christ, and dies not in his sins*. His death
is the destruction of sin, that gave him so much trou-
ble in his life. He departs from this world, and from
his own body, but it is to a better country, where he
is absent from the body, and present with the Lord.
His death is full of hope, for he expects to be with
Christ, which is far better for him than the best things
he could hope or wish for on earth. His hopes may be
weak and languishing, but still he has so much hope
in Christ, as to venture his soul in his hands; and if
his faith is mingled with fears, these fears shall vanish
as a thin cloud, and these anxieties, when he is leav-
ing his body, will add to the triumphant joy which he
will feel, when angels swear to convey his soul to the
regions from whence fear and sorrow are for ever ba-
nished. Death is a grim serjeant to the wicked,
sent to arrest them for their crimes; to believers it is
like Joseph's waggons sent to convey his father to his
best-loved son.
The wicked are unhappy in their lives, for there is
but a step between them and the king of terrors. The
righteous are blessed in their lives, for their salvation
is drawing nearer every day. They are most blessed
in their deaths, for to them to die is Christ. Now they
are saved by hope, then they die in hope, and
through eternity they shall enjoy what they waited for
in hope.
Ver. 38. Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath
* John viii. 24.
CHAP. XIV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 311
understanding; but that which is in the midst of fools is
made known.
Wisdom does not lie buried in the heart of the wise
man, for his tongue bringeth it forth for the advantage
of others on every proper occasion. But it is hid in
his heart, like a precious treasure that he wishes to
preserve from those "robbers that would deprive him
of what he values above gold and silver. He does not
make a vain and useless show of his wisdom to draw
the applause of men, for he is not like those philoso-
pliers, falsely so called, who valued the reputation of
wisdom above wisdom itself. He does not pretend to
give instruction to those that are fitted to instruct him-
self, for he is readier to learn than to teach, except
when he sees a proper call to instruct others; and
he will not make his wisdom cheap, by casting his
pearls before swine, and prostituting his holy things to
dogs. Nevertheless he is willing and ready to pro-
duce some of his precious stores, when he sees a pro-
bability of doing good by them to others. He is like
a rich and generous man, that takes no pleasure in
boasting of his wealth, but still keeps something in
readiness to serve his friends.
But that little sense which fools may have is soon
known, and found to be what it really is, and not
what they fancy it to be. If they know any thing,
they think it useless till others know that they know
it. This folly is wisdom in their own eyes, and there-
fore they publish it abroad, till all men know by their
own testimony that they are fools. Some people are
so weak as to think that much speaking is a sign of
much sense, and silence a proof of ignorance. But a
wise man is often known by his silence, and a fool by
* Chap. xv. 3.
312 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XIV.
his multitude of words; whereas, if he could have held
his peace, he might have been taken for a wise man.
Ver. 34. Righteousness exalted a nation, but sin is a
reproach to any people.
This proverb is verified in the whole history of the
nation of Israel, and in those promises and threaten-
ing that received their fulfilment in the events which
befel them.
Some allege, that God dispenses no rewards and
punishments to the nations; but such as are the na-
tive consequences of their behaviour, without any par-
ticular direction of providence, from a regard to their
good or bad conduct; and that the history of the
things that befel Israel as a nation, affords no exam-
ple unto nations that are not under the Mosaic cove-
nant. But, besides that Providence has affixed pros-
perity or misery to virtue or vice, as their natural con-
sequences, we find God punishing many nations on
account of their sins, by calamities that were not the
native results of their sins. The histories of Genesis,
and Exodus, and Joshua, and the predictions of all the
prophets concerning the heathen nations, might be
quoted in proof of this point and even under the
New Testament, we find prophecies of the miseries
that would cane upon public bodies for their sins*.
Great is the regard which a righteous God has for
righteousness. The virtue even of heathen nations has
been rewarded with prosperity, and their vices have
brought reproach and ruin on than Righteousness,
such as heathens could practice, made Greece and
Rome to flourish, and exalted them to glory. But the
last of these nations, after it was advanced to the high-
est pitch of worldly grandeur, was soon brought to
extreme misery, and debased to the most wretched
* Matt. xxii. 1.-7. Rev. viiii. 21.
CHAP. XIV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 313
servitude, when corruption and wickedness, in oppo-
sition to the dictates of natural light, was become com-
mon in it. Let us all, therefore, if we love our coun-
try, oppose wickedness to the utmost of our power, for
a remnant of righteous perions may sometimes prove
for a time the pillars of a land*.
It is the interest of kings to promote righteous-
ness, and to discourage iniquity among their sub-
jects; and this they will do, if they deserve that noble
title.
Ver. 35. The king's favour is toward a wise servant,
but his wrath is against him that causeth shame.
Many kings have indeed erred in this point, but
they have frequently been made to see their error, like
Ahasuerus, who nourished in his bosom that serpent
Haman, and overlooked the faithful services of Mor-
decai; but afterwards destroyed him to whom he had
so shamefully given his confidence, and exalted the
preserver of his life.
Solomon had told us that riches are a crown to the
wise†, but here he tells us that poverty and mean cir-
cumstances will not hinder men from being crowned
by wisdom. A servant that fears the Lord, and ma-
nages the affairs entrusted to him with prudence and
faithfulness, obtains the favour of his master, although
he be a king. A foolish servant is a shame to himself
and to his master; and although for a while his folly
and vices may be concealed, yet in the end they
bring down that displeasure upon him which is often
attended with vengeance.
Some masters may be so ungrateful, as to despise
the best servants, or through prejudice they may be
led to treat them with great injustice; but time will
*Isa. i. 9. † Ver. 24.
VOL. I.
314 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XIV.
convince them of their mistake, and cause them to
alter their conduct, as we find in the case of David
and Mephibosheth; but if they prove so inhuman and
wicked as to continue enemies to their best friends, let
such servants remember how David was, used by Saul,
and consider whether he was a gainer or a loser by the
persecutions he underwent.
The great King who reigns over heaven and earth,
will reward faithful servants, who do honour to his
gospel by the proper discharge of the duties of their
stations; for he despises not the lowest services of the
meanest men, but he is a severe Avenger of the wrongs
done by men, to those with whom his providence has
connected them*.
CHAPTER XV.
Ver. 1. A soft answer turneth away wrath;
but grievous words stir up anger.
WRATH is a fire that burns unto destruction, and it
is our duty to bring water to quench this fire. A soft
answer to provoking words is like water to a fire. By
gentle language, joined to liberal presents, Jacob paci-
fied the fierce resentments of his brother Esau. He
prayed, to God, and trusted in him for the preserva-
tion of his family, but he did not neglect the proper
* Col. iii. 22-25.
CHAP. XV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 315
means of calming his brother's angry spirit. There
are some tempers so untractable that they cannot be
pacified, but these are rare, and seem to be under
some powerful influence of the devil, like that of Ju-
dais Iscariot, who was not reclaimed by the kind words
of our Lord from executing his bloody purpose; or
those miscreants that seized on our Saviour, although
to his ordinary gentleness he added his miraculous
power in healing the ear of Malchus.
But there are some who cast oil upon the flame of
anger, and make it to burn more fiercely by their grie-
vous and provoking words. What can such persons
expect, but to be consumed by their own rashness?
Anger is a short madness, and when two mad persons
are engaged in combat, they both are in danger or
receiving deadly wounds. Let us, therefore, endea-
vour to bridle our passions, and guard ourselves
by the meekness of wisdom from the fierce passions of
other men, lest, by biting and devouring one another,
we be consumed one of another. The fierce words of
the men of Judah and Israel, when they were bring-
ing back David to his throne, kindled a new war,
which, without active and prudent management in
David and his generals, might have produced fatal
consequences*.
Ver. 2. The tongue of the wise useth knowledge
aright, but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.
The wise man knows when he ought to be silent,
and when he should speak; and will not cast his pearls
before swine, and give his holy things to dogs. His
words are good, for they are spoken in due season,
and he knows how to address himself hi a proper man-
ner to different persons, according to their tempers and
circumstances. Gideon used very different language
* Chap. iii. 18.
316 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XV.
to the angry Ephraimites, from that which he used to
the men of Succoth and Penuel, otherwise the end of
the Midianitish war had been the beginning of a more
dangerous civil war. But our Lord is the most glo-
rious instance of the right use of knowledge. The
different answers be made to his friends and enemies,
whether open or disguised, whilst they give proof of
his admirable wisdom, afford us a pattern of prudence,
joined with inflexible integrity. But fools turn the
little wisdom and knowledge they have into folly, by
their way of using it; for the very instruction of fools
is folly.
Their mouths pour out foolishness, as a fountain
casteth out her streams. They are not masters of
their tongues, but their tongues are masters of them.
Whilst wise men have the fear of God set for a senti-
nel upon the door of their lips, their lips have neither
a door nor a watch, but every thing that is within
comes out; and as their hearts are little worth, their
conversation is empty and vain*.
Ver. 3. The eyes of Me Lord are in every place, be-
holding the evil and the good.
The eyes of men can be but in one place, because
themselves are circumscribed in one place. But the
eyes of that God who fills heaven and earth are every
where. Angels are full of eyes before and behind,
but God is all eye, and darkness and the shadow of
death hideth not from him. He is in heaven by his
glorious presence; and that high and holy place is like
a watch-tower, from whence he espies the evil and the
good. Evil men flatter themselves that none sees or
knows their wickedness, as if God could not see through
the dark clouds; but be is a witness of what they speak
and do in their bed-chambers, nor does a single thought
* Chap. xii. 23. xiii. 16.
CHAP. XV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 317
of their heart escape his notice. "Beware, Cato looks
on," was a proverb among the Romans; but a greater
than any man on earth is still looking on us, and shall
we do that before the eye of God, which we durst not
be guilty of in the presence of a child? Alas! how
is the God who sees all things despised and insulted by
the sons of men! But he will not be mocked; he be-
holds and judges, and will punish the evil-doer.*
His eyes behold the good also; and this is their
great consolation, when they are overlooked or un-
gratefully used by men. God knows their integrity,
and beholds with a pleasant countenance their humble
and sincere endeavours to please him, and to do good
to men. Every thought of his name, and every good
word that they speak, is written before him in a book
of remembrance†. He beholds with an eye of pity all
their secret sorrows, and puts their tears in his bottle;
and not a moment does he withdraw his from the
righteous‡.
Good men need not fear that God will forget any of
his gracious promises. They will be all accomplished
to them in due season; for his eyes run to and fro
through the whole earth, to shew himself strong in
their behalf; and his providence is constantly employ-
ed to glorify his faithfulness, in fulfilling that
word which he hath magnified above or upon all his
name.
Ver. 4. A wholesome tongue is a tree of life,
but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.
The tongue that administers proper and seasonable
counsels, comforts, and reproofs, is a wholesome
tongue. Unmerited rebukes, reproaches, unkind
words, and cruel mockings, are perverseness in that
* Psal. xi. 4 7
†
Mal. iii. 16. ‡ Job xxxvi. 7.
318 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XV.
little member, which boasteth and can really effect
great things. The advantages derived from a healing
tongue are like the fruits of the tree of life,—the erring
are reclaimed, the dejected are comforted, the weak
are animated and invigorated by it. When Job weak
in deep distress, he was very sensible how pleasant
these fruits were which he had no opportunity to taste,
and tells his friends, that if they had been in his situa-
don, he would have strengthened them by his words,
and assuaged their grief by the moving of his lips.
The words of God have a divine virtue for healing the
diseases and the wounds of the spirit. This is the dis-
pensary from which we are to derive healing words for
the broken in spirit*.
But perverseness in the tongue is a breach in the
spirit. It wounds and pierces, it breaks and bruises,
the heart of him that is reproached by it. Job would
not have exposed himself so much to the censures of
Elihu, if his more aged friends had behaved more
kindly to him. His patient spirit felt most sensibly
the piercing edge of their unjust reproofs. David felt
none of his afflictions more bitterly, than the keen re-
proaches and insults of his enemies. And our Lord
Jesus Christ exemplified his unconquerable patience in
bearing the contradictions of sinners, and enduring with
all meekness, though not without afflicting sensibili-
ty, the indignities that were poured upon him†. When
we are exposed to the scourge of the tongue, let us re-
member that He was tempted like as we are, and imi-
tate his patience, and trust in him for the supplies of
needful grace.
Ver. 5. A fool despiseth his father's instruction,
but he that regardeth reproof is prudent.
* Prov. xii. 25. † Psal. xxii. 6, 7. Isa. l. 7, 8.
CHAP. XV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 319
A father's instruction proceeds from love, and it is
folly and ingratitude to despise it; and yet some chil-
dren are such enemies to themselves, and so unnatural
to their best friends, that they break the spirits of their
affectionate parents, by spurning at those admonitions
that are needful for their own welfare. They are like
froward patients, who are angry at the physician for
giving them medicines which are salutary, but unpalat-
able. In a father's instructions there is authority.
The authority of parents over their children has been
acknowledged by the wildest nations, and is ratified in
that law which was spoken by the mouth, and written
by the finger of God. When they reprove their
children, the authority of God is joined to the authori-
ty of parents, to enforce their admonitions; for they
are expressly required to attempt the reformation of
their children by rebukes and corrections. He that
despises his father's reproofs; despises not only man,
but God. This is folly in the extreme, and he that
was a fool before he received instruction, becomes mad
when be resists it.
If a fool despises his father's instruction, it is not
to be supposed that he will pay much regard to the
admonitions of other men; but a prudent man will re-
ceive correction, and be thankful for it, not only from
a father, but from any person, though inferior to him-
self in station or wisdom. David suffered himself to
be reclaimed by the wife of Nabal, and Sarah receiv-
ed with meekness the reproofs of a heathen king.
Persons may receive instruction, when it does not
touch their pride, and yet have no solid wisdom; but
he that receives reproof with calmness, and makes use
of it for the correction of his life, gives a sure proof of
his prudence. There are many persons who come to
church, and sit as God's people sit, and appear very
attentive to the preaching of the word; but if there is
320 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XV.
any occasion to administer the censures of the church
to them, they are like a horse or mule when their sores
are touched; and the bit and bridle will scarcely hold
them in from coming nigh unto their reprovers.
Ver. 6. In the house of the righteous is much treasure;
but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble.
That there is much treasure in the house of some
righteous persons, is certain; but it is equally certain
that some of those who are rich in faith, have no silver
and gold, and can scarcely find daily bread. Solomon
was not ignorant of this, and explains this proverb,
ver. 16, 17. There is incomparably more of solid
treasure in the little that a righteous man hath, than in
the substance of many wicked. Another explication
of this maxim may be drawn from chap. xiv. 11. iii.
34. The blessing of the Lord is in the house of the
righteous, and that is a more precious treasure than
the gold and diamonds in a thousand mines. The
riches of the wicked, in which they pride themselves,
often consist of paper; and if bonds and charters
make a man rich, the righteous cannot be poor, when
they have bonds upon God himself for every thing
they need, and the charter which shews their sure title
to the everlasting inheritance. The devil robbed Job,
but he could not make him poor, for his chief treasure
lay quite out of the reach of that enemy. Had he
served God, as the devil said, for hire, he had been
poor indeed; but a good conscience, and faith in the
living Redeemer, could not be torn from him as long
as he lived.
"But in the revenues of the wicked is trouble." When
good men have nothing, they possess all things; when
bad men have much, they are in straits, for their crav-
ing desires are still larger than their possessions, and
whatever they have, they want satisfaction, and are
sill caring, Give, give. They have, besides, a bad
CHAP. XV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 321.
conscience, and a drop of that bitter ingredient is suf-
ficient swallow up an ocean of earthly delights.
Do we wish to be rich? let us learn from the Bible
what it it is to be rich, that we may not spend our time
and labour in the pursuit of feathers and vanities.
Ver. 7. The lips of the wise disperse knowledge:
but the heart of the foolish doeth not so, (or is not right.)
The wise man does not boast of his wisdom, or make
a vain parade of his knowledge, but he is far from
grudging the benefit of it to others. He does not be-
have like that foolish man who grudges to the fields
the precious grain, and keeps it shut up in his store-
houses, till it is destroyed by vermin. He scatters the
good seed of knowledge, where there is any probability
that it will do good; and as the husbandman, although
he will not sow upon the rock, will nevertheless com-
mit his seed to that ground where he is not certain of
a good increase, and is not deterred by every cloud
from his work; so the wise man will endeavour to do
good, even to those that may possibly disappoint his
kind intentions, and prove ungrateful for his offices of
love. He that disperses knowledge wisely, shall not
be disappointed of a harvest of gracious recompences
to himself*.
But the wicked man cannot disperse knowledge, for
he has not a right heart. There is no good treasure in
his soul to furnish useful instructions to others, but an
evil treasure within, from which he brings forth evil
things. He sows the seed of tares and hemlock, and
shall reap destruction to himself.
Our tongues are our glory, and should be used for
the glory of God, and for the good of men; and there-
fore we ought diligently to store our hearts with that
* Prov. x. 31.
322 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XV.
wledge and wisdom which will be of infinite ad-
vantage to ourselves, and make us useful to others.
Ver. 8. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination
to the Lord; but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
Wicked men may abound in the external acts of re-
ligion, as if they intended to compensate the defects of
the inward man, by a double measure of bodily exer-
cise. By this means they flatter themselves into dan-
gerous and presumptuous hopes of the favour of God,
and sometimes gain a name among the godly, who are
neither qualified nor authorized to search the secrets of
the heart. But God, who cannot be deceived, sees the
insincerity of their hearts, and loathes their most splen-
did and costly services, as so many presumptuous at-
tempts to bribe the great Judge into a connivance at
their wickedness.
No man would chuse to put himself to a great deal
of trouble to no purpose. But hypocrites not only
lose the benefit of their services, but provoke God's in-
dignation by them. The wicked and their sacrifices are
detestable to him; he counts them a trouble, and will
not long bear with them. How miserable are unrenew-
ed sinners! Their righteousnesses are abominable and
provoking iniquities; what need have they to disclaim
their own goodness, and seek to win Christ and be
found in him, clothed with his righteousness, and pu-
rified by his Spirit!
But let not God's people be afraid of this text, al-
though they are often obliged to confess that they are
carnal, sold under sin. They walk in the light, and
have fellowship with God; and the blood of Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, cleanseth them from all sin.
Their prayers are unworthy of divine acceptance, but
through the Beloved they are well pleasing to him.
Whilst the costly services of the wicked are detested
by him, he delights in the meanest services of the up-
CHAP XV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 323
right. This was a truth to be believed, whilst the Old
Testament ordinances were yet in force; how much
more are we encouraged to believe this truth, who
have clear revelations of that great High Priest who
is passed into the heavens, and appears in the presence
of God, making intercession for us, and recommending
our weak and imperfect services to his Father! Prayer
is God's delight, and should it not be ours also, who
stand in so much need of the benefit of it? When
God requires from us the severest instances of self-
denial, it is our duty and interest to please God rather
than ourselves; but when he delights in prayer, and
takes pleasure to have his richest favours asked by
needy creatures, shall we not come often to his throne
of grace? He that commands us to pray, and delights
in the voice of prayer, and hath appointed his Son to
be or advocate, will not turn a deaf ear to the peti-
tions of his suppliants.
Ver. 9. The way of the wicked is an abomination
unto Lord; but he loveth him that followeth after
righteousness.
Wherefore do we offer sacrifices, and God sees not?
Why do we perform the most splendid services, and
meet with contempt, instead of thanks? will the hypo-
crites say. What does the Lord mean by requiring
duties, and yet refusing to accept of them when they
are performed? The fault is in the sinner himself;
his hands are full of blood, or, at least, his heart is pol-
luted with iniquity, and therefore he cannot reasonably
expect acceptance to his most costly oblations*.
The whole course of the wicked man's life is detest-
ed by God, who is of purer eyes than to behold sin, or
to look upon iniquity. The sinner's principles are
corrupt; his thoughts are evil continually; his words
are all vain, or vile, or hypocritical; his holy things
*Isa.
i.
324 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XV.
are deeply stained with his pollutions, and he is a
of God when he thinks he is praying or prais-
ing. Not one of his innumerable iniquities are for-
given for he is without Christ, and has no interest in
the blood of atonement.
If the very heavens are not clean in God's sight, how
abominable and filthy is the man that drinketh iniquity
like water! and how detestable is the course of his
life to him whose glorious holiness makes the angels to
cover their faces! Yet, detestable as sinners are to
God, their situation is not hopeless, unless they make
it so by stubbornness in sin and unbelief*.
Though God hates all sin, even in his own people,
yet rich is his grace, and so prevalent is the inter-
cession of Christ, that he loves his people even in this
world where their righteousness is imperfect, and
their course of life stained with many sins. At the
best, they are but followers of righteousness. Paul
himself could not say that he had attained, or was al-
ready perfect; but their hungering. and thirstings after
righteousness are sure evidences of the love of God to
them, and presages of that perfection which they shall
attain in due time. Like as a father pitieth his son,
and takes pleasure to see his feeble efforts to please
and serve him; so the Lord delights in every breathing
of desire, and every aim to obey his will which he sees
in his people. Their righteousness towards men, and
faithful discharge of the duty of their stations, is ac-
cepted in his sight, as well as their praises addressed
to himself†.
Ver. 10. Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh
the way; and he that hateth reproof shall die.
When a traveller loses the right way, he is glad of
one at can set him right. When a man is on the
* Ezek. xxxiii. 11. Isa. lv. 7. † Psal. xxxvii. 23.
CHAP. XV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 325
edge of a concealed pit, he will thank the person that
pulls him back with violence, and tells him of his dan-
ger. But many men are such enemies to their own
souls, that they cannot endure necessary reproofs and
corrections, and would rather be suffered to go to the
place of torment at their ease, than terrified with ap-
prehensions of their danger, whilst there is time to
make a retreat.
Let such persons consider, that however grievous
correction is, yet hell is much more grievous; and that
however they may get free of the former, there is no
possibility of getting out of the latter. Who pities
Ahab for his fall at Ramoth-Gilead? He was forewarn-
ed of his danger by Micaiah, but he hated the holy
prophet for telling him the truth. Equally unpitied
shall they be who perish for refusing reproof, and all
the words of instruction which they heard in the day
of grace, shall be like flaming thunderbolts in their
consciences through endless ages.
Ver. 11. Hell and destruction are before the Lord;
how much more, then, the hearts of the children of men!
Hast thou seen through the gates of death, or have
the doors of the shadow of death been opened unto
thee? No. The world of spirits is hidden from the
eyes of all living. Many vain disputes have been car-
ried on by men about the place and state of the depart-
ed. But this concealed region is open to the eyes of
him with whom we have to do. The outer darkness
of the place of the damned is light before him. He
knows perfectly every thought of his grand adversary,
and is entirely acquainted with every design and every
feeling of all the fiends of darkness. Why then do
wicked men flatter themselves with the hopes of secrecy
in their wicked actions? The most secret principles
of their conduct, the most retired thoughts of their
hearts, are bright as the day to his eyes. At the
326 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XV.
day of judgment there will be a revelation of the
secrets of all hearts, and then it will appear, that not a
single imagination of the thoughts of the heart was
secret to him whose eyes are like a flame of fire.
Wo to them who seek deep to hide their Counsel
from the Lord, and whose work is in the dark*. But
happy are they who labour, that whether present or
absent, they may be accepted of him. He knows their
hearts, he knows all the purposes that their enemies
form against them, and will disappoint the most crafty
devices of those that hate them†. God has saved to
every creature that loathsome spectacle, the heart of
man; but his eye beholds all the deceitfulness and
desperate wickedness of it. How astonishing is the
patience that bears with such vile creatures! How
wonderful that love which gave his Son to die for them,
and gives his Spirit to sanctify them, and accepts of
their services, though defiled with stains infinitely of-
fensive to the eyes of his glory!
Ver. 12. A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him;
neither will he go unto the wise.
Wisdom is necessary in a reprover, lest his reproofs
meet with that cutting reply, Physician, heal thyself;
and much skill is required in dispensing reproofs, that
they may not irritate instead of reforming.
However wise the reprover is, a scorner will hate
him, at least he will not love him; and as an evidence
of his aversion, he will not go to him, but avoid his
company as if he were an enemy, because he mortifies
his pride; for the scorner is as impatient of rebuke, as
if, like the Pope, he laid claim to infallibility.
Here is a trial of true wisdom. The seed that sprung
up pleasantly for a time, but withered when the sun
rose in its strength, was an emblem of those hearers,
* Isa. xxix. 5. † Job v. 12-16.
CHAP. XV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 327
that cannot endure persecution for the gospel; and
how could we endure persecution, if we cannot bear a
friendly admonition, or a needful censure from the pas-
tors of the church! The Apostle Peter received with
meekness a sharp reproof from Paul, and we find him
afterwards speaking of him in very friendly language*.
David was a king and a prophet, yet he could receive
with thankfulness a reproof from those that were by
many degrees his inferiors†. Some think that he call-
ed one of his sons Nathan, in token of respect to the
prophet of the same name, who reproved him for the
blackest crimes.
The rebukes of Christ in his word and providence
are fruits of the tenderest love, and the wise will love
him the more on their account, and thank him for the
necessary discipline of the covenant.
Ver. 13. A merry heart, maketh a cheerful countenance;
but sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
There is so close a connection between the soul and
body, that when the latter is pained, the former feels
its pains; and when the mind is oppressed with grief,
the body cannot enjoy its health and vigour. On the
other side, a healthy body is of great advantage to the
operations of the mind, and the joy of the heart spreads
itself over the countenance. It makes the eyes brisk
and sparkling, and gives a pleasant grace to the aspect
in the eyes of every beholder. If one could paint as
well as Jezebel, he could not make his face so lovely as
it is rendered by the cheerfulness of the spirit.
Every thing that tends to promote a well-regulated
joy in the mind is valuable, for it serves both soul and
body at once. Meekness and contentment with our lot,
peace and love, afford a continual feast to the mind, and
make us agreeable to others. These virtues are not
* 2 Peter iii. † Psal. cxli.
328 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XV.
to be acquired, in their true excellency, but from God,
for they are fruits of his Spirit, and are the property of
the believer in Christ*. Christians should remember,
that to rejoice is their duty, their privilege, and an or-
nament to their profession. The world has been too
much tempted by Christians themselves, to think that
there is little pleasure in religion. Why should we not
constantly verify that saying of the wise preacher, "A
man's wisdom maketh his face to shine."
The effect of sorrow is often dangerous, and some-
times destructive. It blunts the edge of the under-
standing, impairs the memory, destroys the vigour of
the soul, and if too much indulged, may utterly de-
stroy reason, and sink a man into despair. There are
indeed sorrows required by religion, but these have no
danger in them, for they are mingled and attended
with the sweetest pleasures. It is sin and not religion
that makes sorrow needful, and religion forbids sorrow,
even for sin, to be carried to a dangerous height, lest
Satan should thereby gain an advantage; for we are
not ignorant of his devices, and know that some of his
most dreadful temptations are founded on that consti-
tution of body or mind that disposes men to the enter-
tainment of melancholy thoughts.
The kingdom of God is not a kingdom of darkness,
but of righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy
Ghost.
Ver. 14. The heart of him that hath understanding
seeketh knowledge; but the mouth of fools feedeth on fool-
ishness.
Here the most intelligent men know but in part, and
they are the wisest men that are most sensible of the im-
perfection of their wisdom, "I know nothing," said the
wisest of the Greeks, "but that I know nothing;" and
*
Gal. v. 19.
CHAP. XV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 329
the wisest of Christians compares his present attain-
ments to those of a child. Desires of wisdom, discover-
ed in the ardent pursuit of it, are the best evidences we
can give of our wisdom.
There are many that use the ordinary means of
knowledge, and yet have no true wisdom; but their
fault lies more in the heart than in the head. They
are formal and careless in their endeavours to obtain
knowledge, because they have not a cordial love to the
truth. They read and hear, but they do not meditate
and pray. If knowledge would drop into their minds
as the dew upon the earth, they would be very glad
of it; but they will not incline their ear unto wisdom,
nor apply their heart to understanding. The truly
wise have a higher esteem of knowledge than of gold
and rubies, and their hearts are deeply engaged in the
search of it. They use the means of knowledge, but
will not be satisfied with the use of them without ob-
taining the end, and therefore they depend upon Christ
as the great teacher, and earnestly plead for the illumi-
nations of his Spirit, to brighten their understandings
with discoveries of the truth, and to furnish them with
that practical wisdom, without which they cannot be
happy. Such seekers of wisdom shall not be disap-
pointed; they shall know God to their joy in this
world, and in heaven they shall know even as they are
known.
But the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness, for they
have no relish for wisdom; they can drink in vain and
frothy discourse from morning till night, as if it were
sweet wine; and when good men meditate by day and
night on the law of God, the vain imagination of fools
supplies them with thoughts suited to their corrupt
minds, in which they delight as much as in their neces-
sary food. God has provided marrow and fatness for
the entertainment of our minds, but these foolish crea-
330 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XV.
tures rather choose to feed on wind and chaff. Their
mouth poureth out foolishness, and they cannot do bet-
ter, because they neither have, nor desire to have, any
thing better within their hearts, and out of the abun-
dance of the heart the month speaketh.
Ver. 15. All the days of the afflicted are evil; but he
that is of a merry (or good) heart, hath a continual
feast.
To him that is afflicted, pity should be shewed from
his friend, for none but those that have experience can
tell what a gloom affliction uses to spread over the
mind, and what unceasing sorrows it produces, when
it is not soothed by the consolations of friendship, or
alleviated by the vigour of the mind. The patientest
of men tells us that his thoughts, disquieted by pain,
and embittered by the unkindness of his friends, turn-
ed night into day, and made the light short because of
darkness*. In distress the night cannot put an end to
the fatigue of the day by the refreshments of sleep, and
the pleasant light of morning can convey no cheering
influence to the anxious mind.
But a good and cheerful heart is a continual feast.
The pleasures of a peaceful conscience and a healthful
sold, are sweeter than those which sensualists enjoy
when they are revelling in all the pleasures that riches
can give. The longest feast that we read of, lasted
only six months†; but it was impossible that the no-
bles of Ahasuerus could be merry all that time. Feast-
ing continued too long, becomes an insupportable
burden; but the feast of a soul that enjoys well-ground-
ed mirth never ends, and needs not suffer interruption.
The mirth of fools, Solomon tells us, is like the crack-
ling of thorns under a pot, and therefore it cannot be
the mirth that is meant by him in this place. The joy
* Job xvii. 12. † Esth. i.
CHAP. XV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 331
of the Lord is the strength and life of the heart. When
affliction makes a man to abhor dainty meat, the joys
of God's salvation feed the soul as with marrow and
with fatness. Paul was exposed to constant sufferings,
and could safely protest that he died daily; yet every
day he enjoyed those pleasures that were better than
wine. The days of affliction could not suspend his
happiness, for he was exceeding joyful in all his tribu-
lations, and gloried in his infirmities, and sung praises
in dungeons, and gave thanks to God, who always
made him to triumph in Christ. This continual feast,
which lost not its relish in the days of evil, was not pe-
culiar to apostles. The first believers in Christ were
so lively in the exercise of faith and hope, that the
days of affliction were in general good and happy days
to them*. How valuable is religion! what fools are
they that seek or expect happiness without it! and
how much are religious persons to be blamed, when
they are sad from day to day, as if they were not the
King's children, or their Father were unkind to them!
The question that Eliphaz puts to Job without suiffi-
cient reason, may pierce into their consciences, "Are
the consolations of God small with thee†?"
Religion is the soul of joy, it can cheer the afflicted,
and will not suffer the poor to be unhappy.
Ver. 16. Better is little with the fear of the Lord,
than great treasure, and trouble therewith.
It is the blessing of God that makes any thing plea-
sant and satisfying. It is sufficient alone to make the
beggar rich, and without it the man is poor who calls
whole counties his own. And his blessing is upon his
own people, and upon their basket and store, whilst the
wicked and all they have are under his curse. It is
God that gives both food and gladness, and without
* Heb. x. 34, 1 Pet. i. 5, 6. † Job xv. 11.
332 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XV.
gladness, what good can our food do to us? and this
gladness is ordinarily given to him that is good in his
sight; but to the sinner he giveth travel; to gather
and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good
before God*.
If a Christian has but little, it is pleasant to him;
because he considers it as the gift of his heavenly
Father†, and tastes in it the love of his Saviour,
through whose grace every thing is pure and sanctified
to him. The wicked have their food from the provi-
dence of God which ruleth over all, the righteous
have their bread by covenant and promise‡. If they
have little in possession, they know that they shall
have every thing necessary and good for them, from
the possessor of heaven and earth; and when they are
pinched with straits, it is not for want of good will in
their heavenly Father, but because his goodness to
their is directed by wisdom. If they have scarcely
any food at all, they have promises on which they can
feed; with a pleasure never tasted by the men of the
word when their corn and wine do most abound ||.
Trouble is the inseparable companion of great trea-
sures, when they are not sanctified by prayer, and
sweetened by the fear of the Lord. They are like
water to a man in a dropsy, which doth not quench,
but inflame his thirst. Anxiety and care, an ill con-
science, and the uncertainty of present things, embitter
the portion of the men of the world. Nothing can be
really pleasant that wants the blessing of God. A
little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches,
not of one, but of many wicked§.
The love that religion promotes, tends greatly to
sweeten their outward enjoyments.
* Eccl. ii. 26. † Mat. vi. 11. ‡ Hos. ii. 19. Matt. vi. 33.
|| Psal. xxxvii. 19. § Psal. xxxvii. 16.
CHAP. XV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 333
Ver. 17. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is,
than a stalled ox, and hatred therewith.
Love is a pleasing affection of the soul, and diffuses
cheerfulness all around it. It gives a relish to the
scantiest and coarsest meal. Water is sweeter than
wine, and dry bread more pleasant than fat things full
of marrow, when this delightful affection gives a relish
to them Ruth and Naomi were happy when they
lived on the gleanings of the fields of Boaz, and in the
fulness of their satisfaction poured their blessings on
the head of him that allowed them the scanty pittance.
But selfishness, and hatred, and variance, makes every
pleasant dish insipid or bitter.
The conversation of friends is far pleasanter than
any dish at the table. Where hatred is, there is silence
or sullenness, or at least hollow mirth, and tasteless
ceremony; but where love and the fear of God is,
the table conversation is delightful and useful. We
find even an heathen poet reflecting with rapture on
the pleasures of such entertainment*. How blessed
were the disciples of our Lord, when they sat at meat
with him! Barley loaves and fishes were probably
ordinary fare with them, but they were entertained
with divine discourse.
Such pleasure its they enjoyed in their Master's
company we cannot now expect; but his religion is
admirably fitted to promote our present happiness, for
love is his great commandment. He enforces love
between husbands and wives, as well as among friends,
by motives which no Christian can withstand.
If love is necessary to sweeten our ordinary meals,
we must never come to the Lord's table without exer-
cising supreme love to Christ, and fervent love to our
fellow Christians. We must consider ourselves as one
*O noctes coenaeque deûm! -HOR.
334 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XV.
body and one bread, when we are all partaking of one
bread. Love is a pleasant passion, but let us beware
of anger, which makes a man a torment to himself,
and a plague to his neighbours.
Ver. 18. A wrathful man stirreth up strife; but he
that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.
It will be our wisdom, if possible, to avoid the
company of a passionate man, for it is almost impos-
sible to live in peace with him. He is almost perpe-
tually giving offence, and yet he cannot bear the least
shadow of offence to be given to himself. You cannot
act or speak so cautiously, but he will find or make
some occasion for a quarrel, for tow is not more in-
flammable than a mind in which passion rules over
reason.
But if you cannot avoid his company, be sure to
keep a strict guard over your spirit, and by this means
strife may be prevented or appeased. It is one of the
amiable glories of God, that he is slow to anger; and
considering how much we are indebted to his patience,
we are strongly obliged to copy after him, as dear
children.
A passionate disposition makes a man the firebrand
of society; but meekness makes him a blessing to
his neighbours. He that appeaseth strife, does us as
much service, as he that quenches the fire that is
burning down a house.
We must learn of Christ, who was meek and lowly
of heart; so shall we find rest to ourselves, and pacify
contentions, and enjoy a double blessing from the
great Author of blessings. "Blessed are the meek,
blessed are the peace-makers."
Ver. 19. The may of the slothful man is as an hedge
of thorns; but the way of the righteous is made plain.
It is but little that a slothful man can be prevailed
on to do; but that little gives him great trouble and
CHAP. XV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 335
fatigue. A diligent man finds himself easy and cheer-
ful in the exercise of his profession; but the slothful
man cannot be content, but when he is permitted to
doze or sleep. When he is on the way of his duty he
cannot proceed far, for he sees a hedge of thorns be-
fore him, and no opening to give him passage. What-
ever business he is employed about, he finds uncon-
querable difficulties, and inextricable perplexities in it,
so that he either leaves it undone, or slubbers it over,
and does nothing to purpose. Such a man is fit neither
for heaven nor earth. His dispositions do not at all
suit the present state of mankind, to whom God has
appointed labour and sweat; nor do they suit the law
of Christ, which requires men to rejoice and work
righteousness
“But the way of the righteous is made plain.” The
wise man mentions righteousness in this place rather
than diligence, because the latter is included in the
former, and is not sufficient without it, to make a
man's way plain. The man that joins to industry the
practice of justice towards men and piety towards God,
may find difficulties in his way; but he is not diverted
by them from his duty, nor discouraged from making
progress. In worldly affairs, hard labour, with the
blessing of God, conquers every thing. In the course
of the spiritual life, difficulties and discouragements
vanish away before faith, and mountains are threshed
down to vallies, by that power on which faith relies†.
Ver.
20. A wise son maketh a glad father;
but a foolish man despiseth his mother.
Nothing can make a dutiful child happier, than to
contribute to the happiness of his parents; and this
filial disposition must not be confined to childhood,
but dwell in us whilst either father or mother dwell
* Matt. vii. 23-27. † Job xvii. 8, 9. Isa. xli. 13, 14, 15.
336 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XV.
upon the earth. If our parents should require us to
do some great and hard thing for them, nature and
gratitude would enforce our compliance; but all that
they require is, that we should be wise and happy,
for their felicity is bound up in our welfare. Surely
he is an unnatural fool that will not gratify them in
such kind desires.
Epaminondas, one of the best of the Greeks, having
gained a glorious victory over the enemies of his country,
said to them that complimented him on it, that his chief
pleasure in it was the pleasure that the news would
give to his father and mother.
Nature and Scripture condemn the folly of those
that despise either father or mother. If our depen-
dance is chiefly on our father, yet we have experienced
more tenderness from our mother, and have cost her
greater sorrows*.
Religion, if it had free course, would turn this earth
into a kind of paradise, by making all men a blessing
to one another. The duties we owe to human society,
and to our respective relations, are enforced in the
Bible by motives, which nothing but folly and impiety
can resist.
Ver. 21. Folly is joy to him that is destitute of wis-
dom: but a man of understanding walketh uprightly (or,
makes his way straight.)
It is a sign of prodigious folly for a man to take
pleasure in sin, which gives mortal wounds to the soul,
provokes the displeasure of the Almighty, and could
not be expiated, but in the groans and blood of a
Redeemer; and yet all wicked men take pleasure in it.
It is with the utmost propriety that the wise man gives
the name of fool to the sinner, and allows the character
of wisdom to none but the godly.
* Chap. x. 1. xxxi.17.
CHAP. XV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 337
We have in this verse a mark whereby we may know
with certainty whether we are wise men or fools; and
this mark is explained at great length by Paul, and
illustrated by his own example*.
Wise men are not wise in every instance of their con-
duct, for weakness and temptation too often betray
them into sin, yet they hate sin, and account their
indwelling corruption a body of death; but sin is not
only practised by the wicked, but it is loved by them.
Folly is their joy, and therefore they sin even with-
out a temptation. It is their meat and drink to sin,
and they roll iniquity as if it were a sweet morsel un-
der their tongue. They often feel stings of conscience
from the word of God; but they hate not those sins
that are condemned by it, but the word that condemns
them. They dislike salvation itself; because it is a
deliverance from sin.
But the wise man's employment is to cleanse his
way, and make it straight. He hates sin that dwells
in him, and loathes himself for his impurities. He
takes pleasure in holiness, and loves the law of God,
because it testifies against his iniquities. He joins
earnestly with the Psalmist in that prayer, "O that
my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!" and
instead of being satisfied with such a degree of holi-
ness as may amount to the lowest evidence of true
grace, he will not count himself completely happy,
till his grace is completed in the glory of the heavenly
state †.
Ver. 22. Without counsel purposes are disappointed,
but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.
Wisdom is profitable to direct, and all our affairs
must be conducted by it, and nothing done rashly and
* Rom. vii. 14-25. † Prov. x. 23.
VOL. I.
338 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XV.
precipitately; for what is done too hastily, is generally
repented of at leisure.
As we should endeavour to make our knowledge
and wisdom useful to other men, so we should take
the benefit of other men's wisdom, for we were
designed by our common Creator to give and to re-
ceive, and by a commerce of wisdom to enrich one
another.
The proud and selfish man, that thinks himself
above advice, meets with disappointment and shame.
But by a multitude of counsellors, (that is, of wise
counsellors, for none else deserve the name), purposes
are established, and their success is generally ensured.
This is so important a truth, that Solomon takes care
we should not forget it, and therefore repeats it in
this place, out of a former passage of this book*.
Solomon often speaks of the destruction of the
proud, and the exaltation of the humble. This is
chiefly owing to God's hatred of pride and love of hu-
mility; but the natural tendencies of virtue and vice
serve Providence in this, as in other cases. The
proud man takes the course that leads to disgrace
and ruin, whilst he trusts so much to his own wis-
dom, that he consults with neither God nor man.
The humble man acknowledges God in all his ways,
and employs the wisdom of other men with his own,
and his way is prosperous, because it is wise.
Ver. 23. A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth;
and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!
It is not a good objection against endeavouring to
do good by our words, that we are often unsuccessful
in our endeavours to serve our fellow-creatures in this
way; for although, by the perverseness of men, our
kindness may be rendered unprofitableto them, yet a man
* Chap. xi. 14.
CHAP. XV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 339
hath joy by the answer of his mouth. It will be a plea-
sure to us to reflect, that we have discharged our duty,
and used our tongues for the ends for which they were
made. It can give us no true satisfaction, that we have
gained the applause or good-will of men by sinful si-
lence, or by flattering men's humours and prejudices;
but if we have lost the favour of men by faithfulness
to their best interests, the testimony of an approving
conscience will abundantly counterbalance our damage.
The joy that arises to a man from the answer of his
tongue, will not be confined to this world; but at the
day of judgment, those that have been converted by
our words from the error of their ways, and edified in
righteousness, will be a crown of rejoicing to us; and
Christ himself will take a gracious notice of every word
that has been spoken in his cause. Our Judge assures
us, that by our words we shall be justified or condemn-
ed; and when the works of charity are mentioned with
honour, the words which proceeded from that noble
pinciple shall not be forgotten.
To make words really good, it is necessary that
they be spoken in due season; for as the showers of
rain in their proper season fertilize the ground, but at
a wrong time drown the hopes of the year, so words
have good or bad effects, as the time of speaking
them is well or ill chosen. Abigail would not tell
Nabal of his danger till he was sober; and Job's friends
wounded his spirit in a cruel manner, by speaking
things excellent in themselves, and very suitable to
Job, if he had been the man they believed him to be.
It is one of the properties of a wise man, that his
heart knoweth both time and judgment.
A single word spoken in due season, is inexpressi-
bly good. It may revive the desponding soul, pre-
340 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XV.
serve from death or save a soul, for death and life are
in the power of the tongue*.
Ver. 34. The way of life is above to the wise,
that he may depart from hell beneath.
All men are travellers either to heaven above, or
hell beneath. The writers of Scripture knew nothing
of the middle place, which perverters of Christianity
have found out since their days, by the assistance of
the ancient heathens.
There is but one way of life, and Christ tells us that
he is that way, and no man cometh unto the Father
but by him. Those only are in the way of life, that
he received him by faith, and walk in him by a holy
and heavenly conversation, to which true faith in
Christ always leads him that possesses it.
This way is above, and they are great deceivers of
themselves, who imagine that Christ will save thee
from hell that will not accept of his salvation from sin
which leads to hell. Without holiness, no man shall
see, the Lord; and the faith which does not make a
man heavenly in his affections and conversation, will
never conduct a man to the regions of blessedness.
The Son of God came from heaven to earth to pur-
chase our salvation, and he is gone to bowels to plead
for it, and the hearts of all that hate the living hope;
of heaven will follow him thither †.
Our everlasting abode must be either in heaven or
hell. Salvation from hell is the half of heaven. The
threatenings of hell are a fence about the way to hea-
ven, and whilst we are travelling in it, they are of
great use to make us serious and earnest in pursuing
our course; for how is it possible that we can flee
* Job iv. 2, 3. 1 Sam. xxv. 33. Acts xvi. 31. Compare 1 Tim. iv. 16.
† Col. iii. 1, 2.
CHAP. XV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 341
with too much speed from everlasting burnings, when
our flight is directed, not, like that of the manslayer,
to a place of banishment, but to the world of happi-
ness and pleasure?
Let us try ourselves by this mark of true wisdom.
Do we mind earthly or heavenly things? If earthly
things be the chief object of our regard, our way is
below, end our names are written in the earth, be-
cause we forsake the fountain of living waters. If our
affections, be set on things above, then, when Christ
our life shall appear, he will receive us into the celes-
tial mansions, that where he is we may be also.
David and Paul explain this character of the wise
man, from their own example, compared with that of
worldly men*.
Ver. 25. The Lord will destroy the house of the proud,
but he will establish the border of the widow.
We have already heard how detestable pride is to the
Lord, and how it provokes his vengeance. Here we
are told that God destroys the dwellings and families of
the proud, as well as their persons. Proud men value
themselves upon their magnificent palaces, their great
riches, and their prosperous families, and provoke the
Lord to destroy those things which are turned by them
into idols, and used as the pillars of that creature confi-
dence which he abhors. Nebuchadnezzar prided him-
self in the splendour of his palace, and the magnificence
of his royal city. But he was driven from it to dwell
among the beasts; and some ages after his death, his
family, which he had exalted by his ravages, was
rooted out of the world, and great Babylon, which he
had built for the honour of his majesty, became a mo-
nument of the triumphs of God's power over the
haughtiness of worms. Haman boasted of his riches
* Psal. xvii. 13, 14, 15. Phil. iii. 18, 19, 20
342 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XV.
and the number of his children; but Haman and his
ten children were soon hanged, and his riches given to
his hated enemy.
Let us never be vain of any thing, unless we wish
to have it destroyed. God abhors pride even in them
whom he dearly loves, and shews his resentment of it
by humbling providence, that remove man from his
putpose, and hide pride from man. David was proud
of the vast numbers of his subjects, but God soon
shewed him that great hosts save not a king, and that
three days may greatly lessen the numbers of a peo-
ple. Hezekiah's heart was lifted up, but he was
soon obliged to humble himself, being assured that
the treasures which he had so ostentatiously shewed to
the Babylonish ambassadors, should be carried with
his posterity to their own land.
God is terrible to the proud, but he is gracious
to the helpless and desolate. Proud men often at-
tempt to aggrandize their houses, by removing
the landmark of the widow and fatherless; but the
Lord establisheth the border of the widow. Let
dying husbands leave their fatherless children and wi-
dows in the hand of God*, and let widows trust in
him. If they are desolate and weak, and liable to
oppression, that should not be a discouragement, but a
strong motive to them to commit themselves unto the
Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort†.
There is often more meant than expressed in the
words of God. Widows in this place are to be under-
stood of those that are in desolate circumstances, and
exposed to injuries of any kind. Their distressed si-
tuations make them proper objects of compassion, and
infinite compassion are with God. He hath erected
a throne of mercy, and the Redeemer sits upon it, and
* Jer. xlvii. 1. † Psal. x. 14. 1 Tim. v. 5.
CHAP. XV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 348
is exalted, that he may have mercy upon the poor and
destitute*.
From the acts of terror and of grace here repre-
sented to us, we may take occasion to join in the song
of the mother of our Lord: "He hath scattered the
proud in the imagination of their hearts; he hath put
down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of
low degree†."
Ver. 26. The thoughts of the wicked are an abomina-
tion to the Lord; but the words of the pure are pleasant
words.
Solomon already told us that the way of the wicked
is detestable to God; and here he tells us that his
thoughts, no less than his words and actions; are abo-
minable to him. Men see not the hearts of one another,
and are too ready to imagine that they shall never be
called to an account of what passes in their minds; but
we must remember that the difference between God
and man is infinite. Man looketh only on the outward
appearance, and his rewards and punishments can
reach no farther than his knowledge of the facts that
deserve them. But it is the prerogative of the Father
of spirits to search the hearts and to try the reins of
the children of men, to render unto them according to
their ways. The thoughts of the wicked are full of
selfishness, impiety, pride, and impurity, and must be
infinitely offensive unto the pure eyes of Jehovah; and
whenever wicked men are, by the convincing operation
of the Spirit, made to discern the secrets of their own
hearts, they become loathsome to themselves.
Wicked men must forsake their thoughts, as well as
their outward practices of wickedness; for what is the
profit of making clean the outside of the cup and plat-
* Psal. lxxii. 4, 12, 13. † Luke i. 51, 52, 53.
344 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XV.
ter, whilst the inner part is full of impurity? God re-
quires us to give him our hearts for his residence. A
heart which should be God's habitation, if full of abo-
minable thoughts, is like the royal chambers of Pharaoh
filled with frogs.
If the thoughts of the wicked are abominable to God,
their words cannot be pleasant to him, for how can
those that are evil speak good things? If the words
should be good when the thoughts are vile, they are
like potsherds covered over with silver dross. God de-
sireth truth in the outward parts, and abhors those
that flatter him with their tongues, or seek the ap-
plause of men by making their tongues the instruments
of hypocrisy.
But the thoughts of the pure are well pleasing to
the Lord, and their words are pleasant in his ears.
God is of pure eyes, and delights in those that are
made pure by the blood and Spirit of his Son. Their
heals are cleansed from iniquity, and produce those
holy thoughts and words which are acceptable in the
sight of the Lord their God and Redeemer*. Their
prayers and praises are a sweet odour in his nostrils.
Their confessions are music to his ears†. Their com-
mon discourse, when it is seasoned with salt, and
ministers grace to the hearers, is heard by him with
delight. It is a solemn consideration, that God hears
every thing that we say, and is pleased or displeased
with it. He hearkens and hears what the wicked say,
and his judgment of them is, that they speak not
aright‡. When those that fear him speak one to
another, he hearkens and hears, and a book of remem-
brance is written before him for them that fear the
Lord, and think upon his name||. What have we to
* Psi. xix. 14. † Jer. xxxi. 18. ‡ Jer. viii.6.
|| Mal. iii. 16.
CHAP. XV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 345.
do on earth, but to labour that in our thoughts, and
words, and ways, we may be accepted of him*?
Ver. 27. He that is greedy of gain troubled his own
house; but he that hateth gifts shall live.
The counsel of the wicked shall cast him down, for
he is cast into a net by his own feet, and he walketh
upon a snare. Instead of gaining what he expects by
his iniquity, he exposes himself to those miseries
which he most dreads, and that which he thought
would be a shield to defend him, proves a killing
sword. The covetous man is an instance of this truth.
His heart is set upon gain, and he expects that it will
render his life comfortable and happy. But he finds,
by bitter experience, the truth of what he would not
believe from the mouth of Christ, that a man's life
consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he
possesseth. He that is greedy of gain shall not live;
so the wise man insinuates in the last part of the verse.
He either shortens his days by his anxieties about the
world, and those sinful methods which he takes to ob-
tain the things on which he has placed his heart, or he
embitters his life by his distracting cares. He designs
to secure his family against want and contempt, and to
raise it to eminence and honour; but he covets an evil
covetousness to his house, and consults shame to it,
whilst he sins against his own soul†. He kindles a
fire in his dwelling, which shall consume the tabernacles
of bribery.
If men could obtain what they seek by sin, it would
be a pitiful compensation for eternal misery; but the
same Almighty God that punishes the wicked in hell,
reigns by his providence upon earth; his face is ever
against the wicked, and if they prosper and flourish for
a while, like the grass, it is that they shall be destroyed
* 2 Cor. v. 9. † Hab. ii. 9, 10.
346 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XV.
for ever*; and they are the wretched instruments of
mischief, not only to themselves, but to those whom they
most love, and whom they mean to serve by their sins.
Money is a good thing when it is possessed by the
wise, but the love of money is the root of every evil,
and therefore covetousness is not to be named among
the saints. If we love ourselves and our children, if
we wish for quietness and peace on earth, if we cannot
think without horror of dwelling in everlasting fire, we
must take heed and beware of covetousness.
"But he that hateth gifts shall live," and his louse
shall stand. It is not enough for us to refrain from
dishonest gain, but we must shake our hands from
holding of bribes. This is the difference between the
disposition of good and bad men, with relation to sin.
Bad men may for many reasons abstain from the out-
ward commission of it; but good men hate sin, and
every thing that leads to it. He that hateth bribes is
not a loser by his justice, unless a little money be more
valuable than life, and the blessing of God to sweeten
it. His family are great gainers, for the just men
walketh in his integrity, and his children are blessed
after him.
Jeremiah gives us several striking illustrations of
this proverb†.
Ver. 28. The heart of the righteous studieth to answer;
but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.
The righteous man has a good treasure in his heart,
out of which he bringeth good things; but he does not
depend upon this good treasure, so as to speak any
thing upon a subject that occurs most readily and easily
to him. He wishes to speak nothing that may do hurt
to others, or lead them into mistakes, but on every oc-
casion, and especially in affairs of importance, to say
* Psal xcii. 7, 8. † Jer. xvii. 11. xxli. 13-19.
CHAP. XV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 347
what is best and most seasonable. He therefore con-
siders what is fit to be answered to any man with
whom he converses, and his words as well as his affairs
are ordered with discretion. Without thought the righ-
teous would speak like fools, as David did when he
was provoked by the churlish words of Nabal, and in
his fury, vowed to destroy the house of Nabal, and cut
of the innocent with the guilty.
In matters of great consequence that require delicate
management, it is needful, in answering men, to lift up
our soul to God in secret prayer for the direction of
our tongues. Nehemiah prayed to the Lord in the
presence of the king of Persia, before he answered his
question; and it is remarkable with what insinuating
eloquence he was taught of God to address the king,
in such a manner as to obtain great favour for himself
and for Israel.
But a wicked man has little sense of the importance
of the government of the tongue, and wants the bridle
of the fear of God to manage this unruly member, and
therefore he pours forth evil things. But for all his
vain and wicked words he must one day account.
Ver. 29. The Lord is far from the wicked; but he
heareth the prayer of the righteous.
The Lord is not far from any man, for in him we
all live, and move, and have our being. But as wick-
ed men are far from God, through the alienation of
their hearts, and the wickedness of their works, so the
Lord is far from them, he will have no fellowship with
them. The righteous cry, and the Lord hears them;
but he does not hear the cry of the wicked, and be-
holds them afar off. Wicked men think they may safe-
ly go on in sin, and if trouble come upon them they
will cry to the Lord, and all shall be well. Many
have been ruined by such presumptuous expectations,
and sad experience has at last convinced them that the
348 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XV.
Almighty was under no obligation to attend to their
voice in adversity, when they would not hear his voice
in the day of his forbearance.
The prayers of the righteous are graciously heard.
God does not always give a present answer to them,
but they need not wonder at that, for he did not give
a present answer to his own Son crying to him is the
days of his flesh. He will hear at the time, and in the
manner, that appears best to himself. And wise
heathens could see, that it is proper to leave it to the
wisdom of God to determine what is best for us. If
we do not obtain a speedy answer to our mind, we
must wait on God, for he is a God of judgment;
blessed are all they that wait for him. Our Advocate
who presents our petitions is always heard, and. the
worthy name in which we pray is ever prevalent with-
God.
The blind man whom Christ healed*, made a noble
use of the truth contained in the beginning of this
verse. He drew from it an irrefragable proof of the
divine mission of Christ. But there are too many that
draw a very bad conclusion from it. If our prayer.
cannot be heard, say they, we may give over pray-
ing. The prophet Isaiah draws a very apposite in-
struction from this truth, teaching sinners to leave
their sins, and not their prayers†. "When ye make
many prayers," says God, "I will not hear; your
hands are full of blood." What then must they do?
are they for ever excluded from the favour of God?
No; the Lord is far from the wicked, and yet brings
near his salvation to them. He shows them a foun-
tain of blood in which they must be washed and purg-
ed flora their blood and filth, and then their prayers
will come with acceptance before him‡.
*John ix. † Isa. lv. 6, 7. i. 15.-16. ‡ Acts viii. 22.
CHAP. XV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 349
Var. 30. The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart;
and a good report maketh the bones fat.
Truly the light is sweet, and we ought to give
thanks every day to God, who makes the sun to shine,
and formed that amazing piece of mechanism, the eye
of man, and contrived it so as to fetch in a thousand
pleasures, not only from the objects that surround us,
but from those glorious luminaries that are millions of
leagues distant from the place of our abode. If Barti-
meus was transported with gratitude to Christ when
he restored to him his sight, why should we be less
grateful to our Maker, who gave us this noble organ
of sense, and has constantly preserved it, and made it
the instrument of so many pleasures and advantages?
It is very ungrateful to make our eyes the instrument
of rebelling against our Maker, which is every day done
by the adulterer and drunkard. On the contrary,
when our eyes give joy to our hearts, it is highly ro-
per to improve this pleasure into adoration and praise,
by magnifying the work of God which we behold.
“And a good report maketh the bones fat,” for the ear
as well as the eye ministers delight and advantage to us.
Pleasant views are cheering to the spirit, but glad
tidings are no less reviving to the heart, and the plea-
sures received from them is marrow to the bones, and
health to the whole man.
No reports have this effect so much as the glad tid-
ings of salvation to lost sinners. We must thank God
that we receive so many curious discoveries by means
of the sense of hearing, but above all, that the gospel
of his grace has reached our ears. Gratitude teaches
us to turn away our ears from the instruction that
causeth to err from the words of knowledge, and from
all corrupt and uncharitable conversation, and to at-
tend with earnestness unto the voice of the Lord, ad-
350 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XV.
dressing us from day to day. Faith cometh by hear-
ing, and hearing by the word of God.
Have any of us lost the sight of our eyes? That is
a sore affliction, yet let us be thankful if the use of our
ears remains to us, by which we enjoy the agreeable
converse of our friends, and the opportunities of serv-
ing God, and waiting on him in his sanctuary.
Ver. 31. The ear that heareth the reproof of life,
abiddeth among the wise.
There are great differences among reprovers. Some
reproofs are not the reproofs of life, and these deserve
little regard from us. There are not wanting persons.
that will rebuke others for doing their duty, and curse
them because they will not see with the eyes of their
unjust reprovers. But in opposition to these gainsay-
ors, and perverters of the right ways of the Lord, we
must hold on our way, and never be ashamed of the
testimony of the Lord.
But the reproofs of life are valuable. Our Lord
teaches us to account them pearls, and Solomon in this
expression gives them an equal commendation, and
frequently lays it down as a mark of wisdom, to pay
a proper regard to just and needful reproofs.
But how shall we know whether we have this cha-
racter of wisdom? It is not by saying to that friend
who reproves us, that we are obliged to him. Good
manners will make almost any man to say that. But
here is the trial of our submission to rebukes, "The
ear that hears them abides among the wise."
If we have a just sense of the value of reproofs, we
will count that faithful friend that reproves rather than
flatters, a treasure, and frequent his company on that
account. We will not passionately leave that Christian
society with which we are connected, because the word
of God is faithfully applied in it to the correction of
vice, and discipline impartially administered, although
CHAP. XV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 351
we ourselves should become the objects of it. The
servant that loves a faithful reprover, and truly regards
his own soul, will chuse to live in a house where God
is feared, and family religion enforced; and every man
possessed of this humble disposition, will chuse that
company in which he is most likely to be told of his
faults.
Those that reprove others, ought to dispense their
salutary admonitions with meekness and prudence,
that they may not render this ordinance of God dis-
gusting and offensive by their manner of dispensing it,
and render themselves accountable for the mischief
done by this means to precious souls.
Ver. 32. He that refuseth instruction despiseth his
own soul; but he that heareth reproof gaineth under-
standing.
We are born like the wild ass's colt, and need not
only instruction, but reproof, to make us wise; but
some are such enemies to themselves, that they will
not suffer themselves to be taught wisdom. The
scorner hates his reprover, but he is the greatest enemy
to himself, whilst he spurns at the physician for giving
him those prescriptions that are absolutely necessary
for his health, though disagreeable to his vitiated pa-
late. He is more brutish than the horse or mule, for
these animals, although they want the benefit of reason,
and are stubborn at first, will rather be tamed than de-
stroyed.
But the man is happy who suffers the word of ex-
hortation and reproof, for though he is at present
chargeable with many faults and follies, yet he is in
the way of reformation, and takes the sure method of
getting understanding. He is meek and teachable,
and God will bless to his soul that word which he re-
ceives with meekness.
Solomon gives us frequent advises on this point, but
352 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XV.
they are all needful, for no duty is harder to our proud
spirits, than receiving reproofs with calmness, and ap-
plying them to the correction of our lives.
Ver. 33. The fear of the Lord is the instruction of
wisdom; and before honour is humility*.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and it instructs men in every other branch of wisdom;
for a right impression of the excellencies of God upon
our spirits, will dispose us with due reverence to search
the scriptures, and to acquiesce in the wise instruc-
tions which they contain; it will powerfully influence
as to make a thankful use of Christ, as he is made of
God wisdom to us, and to follow the conduct of the
Holy Spirit. The fear of the Lord will be a preserva-
tive to us from sin and folly, and an incentive to all
holy conversation and godliness; and a good under-
standing have all they that do the commandments of
God.
"And before honour is humility." For whilst we
humbly renounce our own righteousness, and place all
our dependence on the grace of God, we are exalted in
imputed righteousness; and when we are pure in spirit,
we are prepared for the kingdom of heaven. He to
whom all judgment is committed, hath declared, and
will make it good, "He that humbleth himself shall be
exalted."
The honours of this world are so short-lived, that
they are scarcely worth the naming. Sometimes the
proud push themselves into high stations, and yet
they cannot attain the summit of their ambitious aims,
without the permission of that Providence from which
promotion comes; and it is certain, that God hates the
proud, and will not suffer them to rise into eminence
for their real advantage, but rather to signalize his
* See Proverbs ix. 10. xi. 2,
CHAP. XV.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 353
vengeance, by spurning them, in due time, into dis-
grace and misery.
Alexander and Julius Caesar blazed for a time; but
how much more illustrious and durable were the ho-
nours of David, who thought himself quite unworthy
to be the king's son-in-law, and compared himself to a
partridge and a flea, but was exalted by God to the
throne of his kingdom over Israel, and to the greater
honour of being a prophet in the church, and the
sweet singer of Israel!
CHAPTER XVI.
Ver. 1. The preparations of the heart in man,
and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord.
A MAN cannot put his heart into a proper order, nor
manage his thoughts so as to be ready for any good
word or work, by his own abilities. We cannot expel
sin from our hearts, nor furnish them with holy dispo-
sitions; and when our hearts are purified by the grace
of God, we cannot, without new supplies of grace
prepare them for praying, or speaking to the edifica-
tion of our fellow Christians. One of the best of men
tells us, that he was not sufficient of himself to think
any thing as he ought. It is our duty to prepare our
hearts, and fix our thoughts for every religious service
to which we are called; and it is our sin when we are
354 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVI.
careless about it: but we must not attempt this work
in our own strength. In every thing we must direct
our eyes to God, the fountain of all goodness, praying
to him, as David did for his people, that he may pre-
pare our hearts unto himself*. To encourage us to
apply to God for his needful assistance, we are here
told, that the preparation of the heart belongs to him;
and in other passages of scripture we are encouraged
by his promises, to expect this favour at his hands†.
We must depend on God for every thing. The an-
swer of the tongue is from the Lord, as well as the
preparation of the heart. He fashions the hearts of
men, and makes their tongues to speak what he pleases.
He pressed Balsam's tongue, against his heart, into the
service of Israel, and would not suffer Laban to speak
to Jacob either good or bad, when he came to him
with a full resolution to do him some mischief. Caia-
phas was made to speak a noble truth, when he de-
signed only to suggest a politic counsel; and Pilate had
not power to pronounce the condemning sentence
against our Lord, till it was given him from above.
However well our thoughts are ranged in our minds,
yet we cannot utter them to the advantage of men,
and the glory of God, unless the Lord enlarge our
hearts and loose our tongues; and therefore David
prays that his lips, which were closed, might be open-
ed, and Paul begs the prayers of the Ephesians, that
utterance might be given.
We must beg from God the gifts of the Spirit for
ministers, and the gift of prayer and Christian confer-
ence for ourselves, under a firm persuasion that we are
altogether unable of ourselves to think or speak, or per-
form any good thing, and that every good and perfect
gift is from above, even from the Father of lights, who
* 1 Chron xxix. 18. † Psal. x. 17. Phil. ii. 13.
CHAP. XVI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 355
bestows his gifts freely, but requires the praise of them
to be rendered back to himself.
The truth contained in this text must not slacken,
but encourage our Christian diligence*.
Ver. 2. All the ways of a man are clean in his own
eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits.
How different is the judgment which men form of
themselves, from that which God makes of them! He
looks down from heaven to see how men behave, and
behold, be sees all men walking in ways that are not
good. They are filthy and abominable, and yet so
blind, that they generally think their way clean and
pure. They will acknowledge that they are not free
from sin, but they have no impressions of the evil of
sin. Their great transgressions they account venial
trespasses. Their lesser iniquities, which they daily
commit, are accounted mere motes, not worth the
minding; and every slight appearance of goodness,
their vain imagination exalts into a shining virtue.
The reason of men's good opinion of their ways is,
that they are unacquainted with their own spirits, and
take no pains to be acquainted with the secret princi-
ples and aims that animate and direct the course of
their life. No kind of knowledge is more necessary,
nor seldomer sought after and obtained, than the know-
ledge of a man's self.
But it will profit us nothing to be pure in our own
eyes, if we are abominable in the eyes of Him with
whom we have to do, for not he that commendeth him-
self is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.
The better that a bad man thinks of himself, he is the
more abhorred of the Lord, who is the irreconcileable
enemy of pride and self-conceit, and calls those men
* Ezek. xxxvi. 27. Phil. ii. 12, 13.
556 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVI.
who boast of their goodness, a smoke in his nose, a
fire that burneth all the day.
The Lord is our Judge, and our sentence must
come from him. He weigheth our spirits in a just and
unerring balance; and if they are destitute of faith in
Christ, and love to God and holiness, he will condemn
our way. The most splendid actions, and shining ap-
pearances of virtue, without purity of heart, will make
us, in his sight, only like whitened sepulchre., beauti-
ful without, but inwardly full of rottenness and dead
men's bones.
Let us examine our own hearts and ways, under a deep
impression of this truth, that God is greater than our
hearts, and knoweth all things. The word of God in
the rule by which we must search and try ourselves
for God will judge us by it at last; and we learn from
it, that none shall be able to stand in judgment with
God, who have not been made to discern the impurity
of their heart and conversation, and compelled to build
their confidence upon him that saves the lost.
It is not impossible for men to attain a comfortable
knowledge of their own sanctification. Although a
ragged beggar, when he dreams of crowns and scep-
tres, thinks himself as sure of his fancied dignity, as if
it were a reality; yet a king will not doubt of his roy-
alty, nor imagine that it may be only a dream. But
those who have obtained this precious blessing, of
knowing assuredly that they are purified in heart and
life, have, at the same time, an humbling sense of re-
maining impurities. Their dependence is not upon
themselves, but upon Christ; and they would dread
the thoughts of being brought into judgment with God
on the ground of their own righteousness, knowing
that no flesh can be justified before him*.
* Psal. cxliii.
CHAP. XVI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 357
Ver. 3. Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy
thoughts shall be established.
The just God has appointed much toil to the sons
of Adam, to be exercised therewith; and it often
becomes a burden that makes us to groan and cry out
for ease. And here God in his mercy directs us to a
method of finding ease and comfort under the heaviest
burdens. Roll (Heb.) thy works upon the Lord. But
how shall we cast them upon him? Shall we ascend
into the heavens to find him for this purpose? No;
David explains this point of instruction at great length
in the thirty-seventh Psalm, and tells us that we are
to commit our work unto the Lord, by trusting and
resting in him, and waiting patiently for the event.
Paul directs us* to do it by prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving. And as Hannah, when she had
prayed about her sorrows, went away, and was no
more sorrowful; so when our burden is cast upon the
Lord by fervent supplications, we ought to banish
every anxious thought, believing that God is mighty
and faithful, and will give a good account of that which
is entrusted to him by his own direction. We must
not, however, neglect the use of proper and warrant-
able means for accomplishing our designs, for it is pre-
sumption, and not faith, to believe God's promise,
and disregard his command. Joshua was to depend
upon God alone for victory over the Canaanites, and
yet he was required to be strong and courageous, to
fight with them, and observe all God's commandments;
and he seems to have erred when he sent only 3000
men against Ai, to save toil to the people.
Our worldly affairs are to be committed to God,
is well as our spiritual concerns†. In every thing
we must depend upon God's help, ask his direc-
* Phil. iv. 6. † Prov. iii. 6.
358 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVI.
tion, and refer ourselves to his will. In the meantime,
we must undertake nothing inconsistent with our
duty to God and men, for it would be gross im-
piety to interest the most holy God in things oppo-
site to his own will. Had David been employed in
acknowledging God when he prepared his men for
marching with the Philistines against Israel, the Amale-
kites would never have found an opportunity to destroy
Ziklag. And yet David's encouraging himself in the
Lord his God*, after he had felt the bad consequences
of his rashness, teaches us this comfortable lesson,—
that although we have been turned by our own rash-
ness out of God's way, we are not excluded from the
benefit of this gracious direction. David still commit-
ted his work to the Lord, and the mischiefs occasioned
by his unadvised conduct were soon retrieved.
What a pleasure is it for a weary man to be allowed
to cast his burden upon one that is well able to bear
it! But it is our mercy, that we are allowed to cast
our works and burdens upon the Almighty†. And
we are assured that he will then establish our thoughts,
and bring what concerns us to a comfortable end.
Perhaps the event will not suit our present views; but
in that case it will appear that our views were not a-
greeable to the gracious intentions of God, and in that
case it will be our happiness to have them disappoint-
ed. The will of the Lord be done, and let our, own
will be done as far as it consists with his. It was a
prayer of a famous divine, ‘Let my will be done, O
Lord,—my will, because it is thine.’
Ver. 4. The Lord hath made all things for himself
yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.
Every rational agent has some end of his work in
view. And God, in all his works of creation and pro-
* 1 Sam. xxx. 6. † Psal. lv. 19.
CHAP. XVI] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 359
vidence, has the noblest of possible ends in view,—the
glory of his name, and the manifestation of his divine
excellencies. He is infinitely blessed, and needs no
glory from us; but he is infinitely wise and holy, and
he will be glorified by us, or upon us.
Every creature should be used by us as a mean of rais-
ing our thoughts to its Creator, for what being is there
that wants a tongue, to declare his glory to the rational
mind? The dumb fishes will declare unto us that the
hand of the Lord hath made them*.
But does not God lose his glory in some of his crea-
tures? are not wicked men and devils dishonouring him.
every day to his face? Yet God shall never be disap-
pointed of his great end. He will distrain a revenue
of praise from those that will not give him the glory
due unto his name, and will force the wrath and wick-
edness of his enemies to praise him. Pharaoh was an
insolent rebel against the Sovereign of the world, and
yet in very deed God raised him up, to shew in him
his power, and that his name might be declared
throughout all the earth.
Tremble, ye stubborn sinners! God must be glorified
in you, and if you will not be persuaded to give him
glory before he cause darkness, by accepting of his graci-
ous salvation, and turning from your sins, there remains
nothing for you but a fearful looking for of judgment,
and of fiery indignation. The Lord of hosts will be ex-
alted in judgment, and God that is holy will be sancti-
fied in righteousness. The day of evil is the day of the
display of the glorious holiness of God. You cannot
expect to escape, unless God could be persuaded to
renounce his glory for you; and you may with much
more reason hope, that the earth should be forsaken
for you, and the rock removed out of its place. Aaron
was a highly-favoured saint, and yet when his two
* Job xii. 9.
360 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVI.
sons affronted God by offering strange fire, they were
immediately consumed; and the reason was, because
God would be glorified in all that came nigh unto him.
The flames of hell will shine for ever to the glory of
God, and afford a subject for the songs of heaven*.
How admirable are the glories of the Lord! Every
creature in every world, and every thing that falls out
in any part of his dominions, concurs to shew forth
his praise. Of him, and through him, and to him are
all things; and to him be glory for ever and ever.
Amen.
The proud amongst those that do wickedly, shall
be dreadful monuments of the vengeance of the Al-
mighty, and not one of them shall escape.
Ver. 15. Every one that is proud in heart is an abomi-
nation to the Lord: though hand join in hand, he shall
not be unpunished.
We have heard already, that a proud look is greatly
offensive to God†; but although there be no appear-
ances of pride in the countenance or behaviour to pro-
voke the displeasure of the Almighty, yet he is the
searcher of the heart, and if he finds it governed, by
pride, he will execute the vengeance written in his
word upon the haughty sinner. Man looks on the
outward appearance, and frequently makes false judg-
ments. The demure Pharisees were counted humble
and self-denied men, when they were hunting after
the praise of the people; but their inward pride was
well known to our Lord, who tells them, that what
was highly valued by men was abhorred by God.
The proud abound in the world. This abominable
sin is natural to the posterity of him that fell by at-
tempting to be like God. The forms of it are very
various, and the grounds of it cannot be reckoned up,
* 2 Thess. 1. 9. Rev. xix. † Chap. vi. 17.
CHAP. XVI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 361
for it is an insatiable monster that will find nourish-
ment to itself in any thing. Some are proud of their
dignity and power, and high birth; others boast them-
selves because of their great riches. Some are proud,
like Goliath, of their stature and the vigour of their
limbs; others boast of their beauty, and that pleasing
form which shall soon be turned into corruption. Some
are proud of their righteousness, and others (O the in-
fatuation of the human race!) glory in the shame.
But whatever shape pride may assume, and whatever
is its ground, it is seen by the all-seeing eye of God,
and makes the man in whom it dwells and reigns, an
object of his abhorrence and avenging arm.
None can imagine the terrors of that punishment
which inflicted by the hand of the Lord, on those
whom his heart abhors. But is there no possibility of
avoiding it? None, unless the haughty spirit be
humble into a submission to the righteousness of
faith. Though hand join in hand, those that walk on
in pride shall be abased, and spurned into hell. Un-
known myriads of angels fell by pride into the bot-
tomless pit, and are groaning, and shall for ever groan,
under the power of God's wrath. Although all the
proud on earth should enter into a confederacy with
all the legions of devils and damned spirits in hell,
and exert their utmost combined force to oppose the
execution of Almighty vengeance, they will only be
like mountains of tow and rotten wood, reared up to
oppose the progress of a raging flame*.
Ver. 6. By mercy and truth iniquity is purged; and
by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.
It is plain from scripture, that Christ hath by him-
self purged our sins, and by one offering for ever per-
* Mal. iv. 1. James iv. 6-10.
VOL. I.
361 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVI.
fected all them that are sanctified. To pretend to
substitute any thing of our own in place of his per-
fect atonement, or to join our own works to his blood
to procure our pardon, would be as foolish as an at-
tempt to extinguish the sun, and supply its place with
a candle; or to improve the brightness of that lumi-
nary, by lighting a torch at mid-day. We must not
therefore imagine, that Solomon meant in this place to
recommend mercy and truth to us, as means of pro-
curing the favour of God and the pardon of our sins,
for a scripture cannot contradict itself.
Some, by mercy and truth, understand the mercy
and truth of God, two attributes which shine with il-
lustrious brightness in our salvation, and are frequently
mentioned together by the sacred writers, when they
celebrate the glories of it*. Christ, our atonement,
was the mercy promised unto the fathers, and when
God bestows pardon through Christ, he discovers the
riches of his mercy according to his word; for he is
faithful and merciful when he fulfils that promise of
the covenant, "I will be merciful to their unrighteous-
nesses, and their sins and their iniquities will I re-
member no more."
None shall receive the benefit of pardoning mercy,
but consistency with the truth of God in his word;
and therefore hopes of safety, not grounded on the
scripture, shall end in shame and disappointment†.
The Hebrew word which we render purged, is
sometimes used to signify the cause or mean of de-
liverance from temporal mischiefs, or death. In this
sense I think it may be said, that by mercy and truth
in men, iniquity is removed; according to that ex-
hortation of Daniel to the king of Babylon, “Break off
* Psal. lxxxix. 1, 2. cxvii. 2. † Isa. xxviii. 17.
CHAP. XVI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 363
thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor, if so be
it may a lengthening of thy tranquillity*."
It is mighty recommendation of mercy and fidelity
towards men, that we are so infinitely indebted to the
mercy and faithfulness of God, to whom we are to
shew our gratitude, by imitating those amiable attri-
butes that appear with such lovely glories in our par-
don and salvation; and whilst we thus shew forth the
virtues of our God and our Saviour, in doing good
to men, we are consulting and pursuing our own best.
interest and comfort.
But mercy and truth to men, must have the fear of
the Lord joined to them, to make them Christian
graces. Morality is not solid without piety, and piety
is not genuine without morality. The fear of the Lord
is a soul-purifying grace, and we must cleanse ourselves
from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting
holiness in the fear of God. When Joseph's brethren
were terrified that he would do them some injustice,
he assures them that they might banish every anxious
thought, for, says he, “I fear God.” The fear of
God will not only dispose men to abstain from mani-
fest acts of injustice, but it will keep them from every
instance of harsh and ungenerous conduct. Nehemiah
would oppress the people by exacting the ordinary
perquisites of his office, because he was under the con-
straining influence of this gracious principle†. You-
may safely trust a man that has the fear of God in
him, for herein he will exercise himself to have a con-
science void of offence, both towards God and towards
man‡.
* Prov. iii. 3, 4. See chap. vi. 345. xiii. 8. xvi. 14. xxi. 18.
where the word rendered ransom, or pacify, corresponds to the word
in our text.
† Neh. v. 15. ‡ Psal. xxxvi. 1. Gen. xx. 11.
364 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVI.
Ver. 7. When a man's ways please the Lord, he mak-
eth even his enemies to be at peace with him.
It is very natural for men to endeavour to please
those whom they love, and on whom their interests
depend; and often they despise and provoke God, by
preferring the favour of men to the approbation of
Judge*.
Every true Christian is disposed, by the grace of
God, to endeavour to walk so as to please God; and
if there were no other happiness but what this world
affords, it would still be our wisdom to prefer the
pleasing of God to the favour of men, because the
hearts of all men are in his hand, and he disposes our
neighbours to love or hate us, according to his will.
When we have lost the favour of our friends or su-
periors, we are disposed to reflect on them for their
unkindness or ingratitude; but we should rather con-
sider seriously, whether we have not provoked our
great Benefactor to deprive us of the good-will of
men, by our ingratitude to himself. Wolsey made
this melancholy reflection, when he was turned out of
his Master's favour: "Had I served God as faithfully
as I served my prince, he would not have forsaken me
thus at last." But if he had served God more faith-
fully, it is probable that his prince had not forsaken
him at last; or if this calamity had in that case be-
fallen him, it need not have produced such a bitter
reflection.
When we have lost the favour of our friends, or
in fear of enemies, it is our wisdom to use proper
means for softening their resentments; but that is not
the first nor the chief thing we have to do; our first
work should be, to make our peace with God, if we
have offended him, for he fashioneth the hearts of men
* Gal. i. 10.
CHAP. XVI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 365
according to his pleasure; and whether they act as
friends or enemies, they are ministers of his provi-
dance*. Jacob did well in giving so large presents to
Esau, and addressing him in such submissive language
but neither his complaisance nor his gifts turned his
brother's alienated heart to him. These were, indeed,
means which God blessed for that purpose; but the
principal mean which Jacob used for this purpose,
was weeping and supplication, and by these he had
power with God, and, by consequence, with men, and
obtained the glorious name of Israel.
God has often given favour to his faithful people in
the eyes of strangers and enemies, which appears in
the instances of Joseph in Egypt, David at Gath, and
Daniel in Babylon. These and the like examples of
God's sovereignty over the hearts of men, and good-
ness to his people, may satisfy us that God will sooner
or later reconcile the hearts of enemies to his servants,
when he sees it for their real benefit. Job was long
an object of indifference to some of his friends, and
aversion to others of them, yet at last the hearts of all
his acquaintances were disposed to love and serve him.
If one endeavours to prove what is the good, and ac-
ceptable, and perfect will of God, and yet misses the
favour of men, he may rest satisfied in this, that he is
at peace with God, and that his providence will make
the wrath of men to promote his noblest interests.
The matyrs, when they lost their lives, were over-
comers, and obtained brighter crowns than the mighti-
est of their adversaries ever wore†.
Ver. 8. Better is a little with righteousness, than great
revenues without right.
The fruits of unrighteousness may be pleasant in the
mouth, but they are bitter in the belly; and a man
* Prov. xxi. 1; Psal. cv. 25. † Rev. xii. 8.
366 EXXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVI.
that consults his true interest, will rather live on bread
and water, or starve, with a good conseience, than
enjoy the revenue of kings, without the approbation
of God and his own heart.
There are too many in the world who would rather
be rich by unfair means, than enjoy the pleasures of a
good conscience with poverty; and therefore the
Spirit of God cries to us again and again, that a little
with honesty and the fear of the Lord, is better than
affluence without it*.
Ver. 9. A man's heart deviseth his way;
but the Lord directeth his steps.
The first verse of this chapter is in many transla-
tions made to express the same truth.. "The prepara-
tions of the heart belong to man, but the answer of
the tongue to the Lord†.
The Lord has a sovereign influence over the hearts
and thoughts of men; and they can devise nothing
without the concurrence of his providence, for in him
we live, and move, and have our being. When men
are even taking unhallowed means to determine their
conduct, the holy providence of God, by undiscerned
influence; overrules their minds, and decides in their
councils. When the king of Babylon used divination
to direct him whether he should direct his march to
Rabbah or Jerusalem, it was the Lord that determined
him to come against his own people, to punish them
for their iniquities. Yet Solomon affirms with truth,
that a man’s heart deviseth his way, because man ex-
ercises full freedom of will in forming his projects.
* Chap. xv. 16.
† To account for the variety of translation in this and many other
places, it is necessary for the English reader to remember, that the
meaning of the Hebrew particles is very indeterminate, and the verb
often omitted.
CHAP. XVI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 367
The decree and providence of God do not inter-
fere with the free-will of rational creatures, far less can,
man's free-will preclude the absolute dominion of the
Most High, over the hearts, as well as the fortunes
of men*.
The sovereign dominion of God shines clearly
in the disposal of men's ways. They either exe-
cute their counsels or not, as his wisdom has de-
termined. They sometimes accomplish their own
counsels, but whether they do or not, they never fail
to accomplish the purpose of God. Those that know
not God, those that will not acknowledge his de-
crees and providence, and those that set themselves in
the most avowed opposition to God, are all of them
employed as instruments in the execution of his de-
crees. The devil himself was deeply concerned in the
accomplishment of the glorious purpose of God about
our salvation.
God not only determines the event of a man's de-
vices, but every step in his progress. He not only di-
rects every step of his people†, but every step in the
walk of every-man, and even of his greatest enemies,
is ordered by him‡. And accordingly, we find
Isaiah and Micah, when they speak of the Assyrian
invasion of Judea, naming the particulars of their
march, as if they had been writing an history, rather
than a prophecy; for they were inspired by Him who
worketh all things after the counsel of his own will,
and makes use of all creatures as the ministers of his
providence||.
What comfort to God's people may be derived from
this point! Our heavenly Father has all hearts, and
tongues, and hands under his management. A dog
* Psal. xxxiii. 15. † Prov. iii. 5. ‡ Jer. x. 25.
|| Isa. x. Mic. i.
368 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVI.
cannot move its tongue against any one of us, unless
he give it commission*.
Whatever befals us by the spite of men, should
lead our thoughts to God; and when we consider it
as a piece of his providence, we shall see that we
have no reason to complain, but much reason to
adore†.
Let us never lay down any plan of conduct, with-
out acknowledging God. If we will not take notice of
his providence in proposing our measures, we shall
find in the prosecution of them, that there is a provi-
dance which will have its course, in spite of all the
wisdom and strength of men.
Ver. 10. A divine sentence is in the lips of the king;
his mouth transgresseth not in judgment.
It is too evident that this sentence contains not the
character of all kings, but only of those who deserve
this noble title by their wisdom and goodness. It would
not be a perversion of the original text, in this and
other passages which speak of the excellent qualities of
kings, to translate them as advice, rather than de-
scriptions of their behaviour,—Let a divine sentence
be in the lips of the king, and let not his mouth transgress
in judgment.
Great sagacity and penetration is necessary, for
those that govern whole nations. The higher men are
exalted, they need the more wisdom, because igno-
rance and folly are attended, in men of station and
power, with very destructive consequences. Kings
are not born wiser than other men, but they are under
stronger obligations than their subjects, to use with
unceasing diligence the means of attaining wisdom, and
to pray for it to Him who is the Fountain of wisdom
and royalty. When God calls men to any station for
* Isa. liv. 17. † Lam. iii. 37, 38, 39.
CHAP. XVI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 369
which great degrees of wisdom are requisite, let
them ask it of God, who giveth liberally and upbraid-
eth not.*
Justice is equally necessary in kings, for without
this, great talents only render them terrible scourges
for their subjects and neighbouring nations†.
This text directs our sentiments about kings. We
are not required to shut our eyes, and to believe ma-
nifest lies of the greatest men; but it is sinful and
dangerous to entertain groundless prejudices against
kings, and to weaken their government by speaking
to their disadvantage‡.
How worthy is our Lord Jesus Christ to wear upon
his head many crowns! He is the wisdom of God,
and all administrations are judgment and righteous-
ness ||.
Ver. 11 A just weight and balance are the Lord's;
all the weights of the bag are his work.
It was a custom among the nations who knew not
God, to ascribe divinity to the inventors of useful arts;
but the Scripture teaches us to ascribe all good inven-
tions to the one living and true God. It was he who
taught the merchant, as well as the husbandman,
discretion; and the appointment of weights and mea-
sures, as instruments of justice in trade, is to be ascribe-
ed to him.
A man that puts the royal stamp upon base metal,
is accounted a traitor to his prince; and it is a daring
wickedness for men to use those weights and balances,
which are God's appointments for the benefit of so-
ciety, as means of injustice to their fellow-men.
* 2 Chron. vii. 12. I Kgs. iii. † 1 Kings x. 9.
‡ Job xxxiv. 18. Eccl. x. 20. || Psal. xcvii. 2.
370 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVI.
But a just weight and a just measure are approved by
him, for he loveth justice and establisheth equity.
Ver. 12. It is an abomination to kings to commit wick-
edness, for the throne is established by righteousness.
Should not wickedness be abhorred by the poor on
the dunghlll, as well as the king on the throne? No
doubt. But sin is greatly aggravated by the place
that a man holds in society, and what is pernicious to
one individual in a private man, is mischievous to a
kingdom in a sovereign. Jeroboam not only sinned;
but made Israel to sin, and his iniquity spread itself
from Dan to Beersheba, and continued to diffuse its
poison many hundreds of years after he was laid in his
grave.
Kings must not only abstain from wickedness; but
abhor it and punish it; and it is their interest to do so,
for great hosts save not a king, nor is his throne se-
cured by the largeness of his dominions, and the valour
of his soldiers, but by righteousness, which brings
down the blessing of God, and attaches to him the
hearts of his subjects.
How greatly does God recommend righteousnees
our love and practice! He makes it the instrument of
safety and happiness to familial and nations, as well
as private persons. The histories of nations shew us,
that the number of years has been hidden to the op-
pressor, that long and happy reigns have seldom been
enjoyed but by good princes, and that national con-
vulsions and revolutions have been the ordinary conse-
quences of of public injustice.
Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever. Why?
The sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre; thou
lovest righteousness, and hatest iniquity*.
*Isa. ix. 6, 7. Jer, xxiii. 5, 6.
CHAP. XVI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 371
Ver. 13. Righteous lips are the delight of kings, and
they love him that speaketh right.
There have been too many kings that loved flattery
much better than the lips of truth; but they have al-
ways found the smart of it. Jeroboam had almost lost
an arm, and Ahab lost his life, because they could not
bear plain dealing.
David was a wise prince, who would not suffer liars
to abide in his sight, and loved Nathan for his sharp
reproofs.
It is the duty of those who have the ear of kings, to
give faithful and just counsels, and to tell them neces-
sary though displeasing truths. By this they will at
last gain favour, when flatterers are become the ob-
jects of their just abhorrence. Micaiah was honoured
as an honest prophet, when Zedekiah the son of Che-
naanah was obliged to flee into an inner chamber to
hide himself; and even the proud kings of Babylon
bestowed the highest honours upon Daniel the captive,
for his' sagacity and honesty in foretelling the most
dreadful calamities.
If God requires his vicegerents upon earth to abhor
liars and flatterers, how detestable must they be to
himself! None of them are ranked by him among his
own people, of whom he says, "Surely they are chil-
dren that will not lie*.”
Ver. 14, 15. The wrath of a king is as messengers
of death, but a wise man will pacify it. In the light of
the king's countenance is life, and his favour is as a cloud
of the latter rain.
It is, the duty of all men to govern their passions,
but especially of kings, because their anger may prove
deadly. On the other side, their favour misplaced is
of such consequence, and attended with so much ho-
* Isa. lviii. 8. Psal. v. 5.
372 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVI.
nour and advantage, that it may give encouragement
to wickedness. The good emperor Theodosius the
Great, made the latter part of his life unhappy to
himself, by the effects of his rash anger, in causing
many of the Thessalonians to be murdered; and many
princes have been ruined by means of unworthy fa-
vourites.
A wise man will not rashly incur the hatred of his
prince, or if he has provoked his anger, will endeavour
by proper submissions to appease it. And it is a very
justifiable piece of prudence in those who are admitted
to the presence of monarchs, to make themselves
agreeable, by every mean that consists with a good
conscience*. We have reason, however, to be thank-
ful, that we are not plagued with arbitrary monarchs,
as many nations were in ancient times, and still are in
our own age. Let us do that which is good, and we
need not much fear the frowns of princes.
If the wrath of kings, which reaches only the body,
and is circumscribed within the limits of the present
life, be dreadful as messengers of death, who can
stand before the wrath of Him that can kill both soul
and body, and torment them in an everlasting lake of
fire! How infatuated are they that provoke his dis-
pleasure by wilful rebellion, and will not accept the
benefit of that reconciliation which his grace has pro-
vided! Is it all one to us whether we are crushed for
ever under the avenging arm of God, or blessed with
the smiles of the King of heaven, infinitely more re-
freshing than the dew upon the grass, or the clouds of
the latter rain, which mature the precious fruits of the
earth? We are children of wrath; but Christ is our
peace, and through him we are called to the enjoyment
* Eccles. viii. 2-5.
CHAP. XVI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 373
of that favour which is the fountain of felicity; and
shall the favour of God be less esteemed by us than
the smiles of a great man by his fellow-worms!
Ver. 16. How much better is it to get wisdom than
gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than
silver.
If you ask a rich man that wants wisdom, whether
gold or Wisdom is best? he will answer, gold. But
he is a fool, and his word deserves no regard. If you
ask the some question at a poor wise man, he will give
the preference to wisdom; but you will say he is not
a competent judge, because he wants experience and
impartiality. Here we have a clear and full answer to
the question, by a man celebrated equally for his wis-
dom and riches; and he tells us that it is impossible to
declare or imagine, how much wisdom is better than
silver or gold. Most men prefer gold to wisdom, and
thereby discover their ignorance and folly; for as much
as heaven is higher than the earth, and eternity exceeds
a moment in duration, so far does wisdom exceed riches
in value. It is uncertain whether riches will do us
any service, but it is certain they can do little. It is
uncertain how long they will continue with us, but it
is well known, that they will in a few years at most
be useless to us; whereas the least degree of saving
wisdom is of immense value, and has the promise of
the life that now is, and of that which is to come. Re-
ceive wisdom, therefore, rather than silver, and the
instructions of wisdom rather than choice gold*.
Var. 17. The high way of the upright is to depart
from evil; he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.
To live in any known sin is utterly inconsistent with
wisdom and uprightness. It is the property of a sin-
cerely religious man to depart from sin of every kind,
* Chap. iii. 14, 15.
374 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVI.
and in every degree. He will not allow himself in
any sin, however profitable or pleasant, or however
dangerous the opposite course of holiness may be. He
will, not indulge sin in his words, or in his most secret
thoughts, more than in his actions; but keeps at a dis-
tance from every appearance of evil. He knows that
there are many temptations surrounding his path, and
that he has a corrupt nature within him, which is a
constant and indwelling temptation; and therefore he
walks circumspectly, not as a fool, but as a wise man,
and daily prays that he may be led and kept in the
way, of uprightness by the good Spirit of the Lord.
Happy is the man that keepeth his way; he walks
in safe path wherein he shall not stumble, for it is the
highway of the King of heaven. He preserveth his
soul for he is preserved from the paths of the de-
stroyer. He walks in Christ, and is led by the Spirit
of Christ, and no lion nor ravenous beast shall be let
loose to destroy him; but he shall come at length to
the Zion of blessedness with songs and everlasting joy
upon his head.
By this mark we ought to try our uprightness, and
by this rule to guide our steps*.
Ver. 18. Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty
spirit before a fall.
Pride is a common and dangerous iniquity, and our
kind instructor multiplies his cautions against it. The
danger of pride is plain from every history of the great
transactions that have come to pass in heaven and in
earth. The prophets describe the destructive conse-
quences of this sin with all the strength of their divine
eloquence, and all the sublimity of the prophetic style†.
The history of the evangelists shews us what amazing
* Psal. xviii. 23. Isa. xxxv. 8-11. xlix. 10, 11.
† Isa. xiv. Ezek. xxix. 31.
CHAP. XVI] BOOK OF PROVERBS 375
humiliation was necessary to expiate the guilt contract-
ed by the pride of man. And the tendency of the
preaching and writings of the apostles, was to cast
down every high imagination of men, that no flesh
might gory, but in the Lord*.
Might not this loathsome disease become a cure for
itself? Can any thing afford us greater cause of humi-
liation, than to find ourselves guilty of a sin so exceed-
ingly unreasonable and presumptuous as pride? Shall
a worm swell itself into an equality with the huge le-
viathan? What is man that he should be great in his
own eyes? or what is the son of man, who is a worm,
that he should magnify himself as if he were some
being greater than an angel? Was the Son of God
humbled for us, that we might not perish for ever,
and shall pride ever be suffered to reign in our souls†?
Ver. 19. Better it is to be of a humble spirit with the
lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.
Although pride were not followed by destruction,
and humility were attended by the most afflicting cir-
cumstances, yet humility is to be infinitely preferred
to pride.
The word here rendered humble might by an incon-
siderable variation signify afflicted. Humility and af-
fiction are often in scripture expressed by the same
word, and described as parts of the same character.
Low and afflicted circumstances are often useful, by pro-
moting humiliation of spirit. The reverse sometimes
takes place, but it is an evidence of a very intractable
spirit, if we cry not when God bindeth us, and con-
tinue unhumbled under humbling providences. The
cottager that has his little Babylon of straw, is less
excuseable than the mighty Nebuchadnesaar walking
* I Cor. i, 29. † Chap. xi. 2. xvi. 5.
376 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVII.
in his pride through the splendid chambers of his stu-
pendous palace.
However mean the circumstances of the humble man
may be, he is incomparably happier than the most
prosperous of proud sinners. Alexander and Severnus,
after all their mighty conquests, are said to have lament-
ed the emptiness of their acquisitions. I have been all
things, said the last of these mighty men, and nothing
is of any use. The joys and triumphs of the prospe-
rous sinner are unsubstantial and fleeting as the wind.
But the humble and afflicted Christian is a happy man,
for his poverty of spirit makes him content and thank-
ful. The God that knows the proud afar off, looks on
him with complacency, and dwells with him, to revive
his contrite spirit. He believes that he is in the cir-
cumstances which his heavenly Father knows to be
best for him. Christ declares him blessed, and he
shall be blessed through eternity.
Ver. 20. He that handleth a matter wisely shall find
good; and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he.
We ought not only to avoid every thing sinful and
foolish, and to exercise ourselves diligently in our ne-
cessary businesses and duties, but likewise to do every
thing that we undertake wisely and discreetly.
The prudent management of affairs is attended with
great comfort and advantage. It will give us reason-
able hopes of success, command esteem from others,
and prevent the evil consequences that usually result
from indiscretion. David's name was much set by
when he was in the house of Saul, because he behaved
himself prudently on every occasion; and Solomon's
prudent administration filled the Queen of Sheba with
amazement, and made her almost to envy the servants
that had the pleasure of attending him, and seeing and
hearing his wisdom.
In our religious course, we are required to do every
CHAP. XVI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 377
thing in a decent, orderly, and prudent manner. This
will conduce to our own comfort and happiness, to the
glory of the God of order, and to the edification of the
body of Christ; and it will prevent our good from being
evil spoken of by those that desire to find occasion
against us.
But whether we are employed in the business of the
world, or in that of God, we must not trust to our
own skill and prudence. To God we must look, and
on him we must depend for direction, and help, and
success; for a man's heart may devise his way, but the
Lord directs his steps *.
Happy, is the man that trusts all his concerns in the
hands of God. His heart is freed from anxious cares.
He receives all needful supplies of wisdom and strength.
He is led in the way of safety, and shall at last inherit
God's holy mountain.
Ver. 21. The wise in heart shall be called prudent;
and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.
A good name is better than precious ointment, and
this blessing is enjoyed by the wise in heart, and en-
ables them to be serviceable to other men by the com-
munication of their wisdom. Although the heart is
the seat of wisdom, it must not be buried there, but
discover itself in the speech and conversation, that many
may be edified; for we were not born for ourselves
alone, but as we are made of one blood, and joined to-
gether by endearing relations, so we are bound to be
useful to one another.
That our wisdom may be useful, we should endea-
vour to produce it to advantage, by a graceful and en-
gaging manner of expression. It is not uncommon
with bad men to set off their corrupt sentiments by
dressing them in all the beauties of language, and by
* Verse 9.
378 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP: XVI.
this means multitudes are seduced into error and folly.
Is not wisdom far better entitled to this recommenda-
tion than folly? The expression of our thoughts in
proper language will increase our learning, by making
them more clear and distinct to ourselves, and thus en-
abling us to pursue them into their native consequences.
And learning will be diffused amongst others, whilst it
is conveyed to them in a clear and engaging manner.
What satisfaction must it give a man to improve his
neighbours in the most useful knowledge? It makes
him a public good, as we are told in the next verse.
Ver. 22. Understanding is a well-spring of life unto
him that hath it; but the instruction of fools is folly.
Our plenty of water makes us less sensible than the
inhabitants of Palestine, of the propriety of that meta-
phor, whereby every thing that is useful or pleasant
is in scripture compared to water. It was one of the
recommendations that God himself gave to his people
of the land of promise, that it was a land of fountains
of water, as well as a land of milk and honey; and the
blessings of Christ are compared to water in many pass-
sages of the scriptures.
As waters in a thirsty land; so is a wise man to his
friends and neighbours. He has in him a well of liv-
ing waters, and these issue forth in quickening and re-
freshing discourse. His wise and edifying converse is
not confined to those times when he is professedly in-
structing or counselling his family or friends, but when
he acts in character, his familiar converse ministers
grace to the hearers. But When fools are giving their
instructions and counsels, they cannot hide that folly
which cleaves to them continually. They must still, be
themselves, and it is to be lamented that fools are for
the most part more consistent than wise men. Wise men
have folly still remaining in them, and therefore are
not wise in every thing; but fools are entirely destitute
CHAP. XVI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 379
of wisdom, and discover their foolishness when they
are most earnestly endeavouring to appear wise.*
Every man, when he builds a house, seeks a situation
where he may be furnished with plenty of wholesome
water; and if we believe the wise man when he com-
mends the wise, we shall be desirous of their society
and friendship, and account their neighbourhood a
blessing†.
Ver. 23. The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth;
and addeth learning to his lips.
The wise man commended a graceful manner of ex-
pression to us‡ but there is a false eloquence which
he rather wishes to guard us against. Pompous
words, and turns of wit, and fine thoughts that want
solidity, will not make a man, truly eloquent. The true
excellency of language consists in expressing just and
important thoughts with clearness and force, that they
may be understood and felt by the heaver. A man
that understands a subject well, although he is but an
ordinary speaker, will do more justice to it than the
finest speaker in the world, that has not a clear view of
it. And we cannot expect to make others feel the im-
portance of the things we speak, unless our own hearts
are duly impressed with them.
This text is a good rule for preachers, and directs
them to a proper taste for pulpit eloquence. They
ought to understand and feel the truths they explain
and recommend, and this will greatly assist them to
find out, acceptable words, by which their hearers will
be edified.—It likewise directs hearers in the choice of
their pastors. A voluble tongue may enable a preach-
er to entertain them for a time, but they cannot expect
to be fed with knowledge and understanding by one
whose heart is not furnished with the truths of the
* Job xi. 12. † Chap. xiii. 14. ‡ Ver. 21.
380 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVII.
word and impressed with a deep sense of their im-
portance.
The tongue of every wise man is governed and taught
by his heart. God is our great Teacher, and he has di-
rected us to be teachers to ourselves. "My reins,"
says David, "instruct me in the night." The heart,
by its wise deliberations, must instruct and guide the
members of the body, the eyes, the hands, the feet, and
particularly the tongue, which is hardest to be taught
of them all. The tongue of the just is as choice sil-
ver, when that of the wicked is little worth; and it is
the heart that makes this mighty difference.*
Ver. 24. Pleasant words are as an homey-comb, sweet
to the soul, and health to the bones.
Friendly converse is a very agreeable and useful
thing. It relaxes and amuses the mind, dispels anxiety
from the thoughts, furnishes us with useful informa-
tion, promotes mutual kindness, and makes us to re-
turn with renewed vigour to the businesses of life.
Words that convey proper counsels and consolations
to persons in perplexity and distress, are pleasant and
medicinal like honey from the comb. They revive the
drooping spirit, and strengthen the feeble knees.
“The words of the pure are pleasant words.” The
truths of God are unspeakably pleasant to every man
that has not a most vitiated relish. They deserve to be
expressed in the most pleasant language, but unless
they are debased by a manner of expression quite
below their dignity, they must be pleasant to the
heart, and nourishment to the soul. The honey
that drops of itself from the comb, is not so sweet to
the mouth as the words of God to the spiritual relish.
It is a feast to Christians to hear these truths delivered
by the preachers of the gospel; but they are not enter-
* Chap. x. 20.
CHAP. XVI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 381
tainments merely for the Lord's day. Christians should
accustom themselves to useful and religious communi-
cations. Our Lord, in the days of his humiliation, set
us an example of entertaining one another with them
at ordinary meals and social meetings. How greatly
would our comfort and spiritual strength be increased
by such useful converse! Such discourse is pleasant in
the ears of God himself, and why should it not be
pleasant to those who profess to be followers of God as
dear children*?
Ver. 25. There is a way that seemed right unto a
man; but the end thereof are the ways of death.
It is no evidence that a man is in the right way, that
he thinks himself to be in it. There are some that toil
themselves all their life in the practice of things which
have not the stamp of divine institution, and yet are
called by the name of religion. God, instead of saying
to them as they expect, "Well done, good and faithful
servant," will ask them that mortifying question, “Who
hath required these things at your hands?” Some are
treasuring up to themselves the fiercest indignation,
when they are feeding their pride with ungrounded
imaginations of doing to God acceptable service. Let
us therefore give earnest attention to the word of God,
as a light shining in a dark place.
There are many of the human race who think they
are in the high road to heaven, and yet know nothing
experimentally of Christ, without whom no man shall
see the Lord. How terrible will it be for those that
imagine themselves in the way to heaven, to find them-
selves at last in the lake of fire and brimstone! Alas!
why should men indulge themselves in their own de-
ceivings? Will it make a man well when he is dying,
to think he is in a good way? It will only keep him
* Chap. xv. 26.
382 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVI.
from employing the physician till his case is beyond
recovery. Examine yourselves impartially by the word
of God, by which you must be judged at the last day.
If you are then found in a state of condemnation, there
is no relief. But, behold, now is the accepted time,
and the day of salvation. Judge yourselves, and fly to
the hope set before you, and you shall not be judged.
So common and dangerous is self-deceit, that the
wise man, directed by the Spirit, did not judge a single
warning against it sufficient. Again and again he cries
to us; to see that we are in the right way that leadeth
unto life.
Ver. 26. He that laboureth, laboureth for himself;
for his mouth craveth it of him.
A man’s industry in his calling is no sure sign of
virtue, for although it is a duty commanded by God,
and necessary to be practised; yet profit and necessity
constrain a man to labour, who has no regard
either to God or man.
But this proves that idleness is a most inexcuseable
sin. It is not only condemned in the scripture, but
it is a sign that a man wants common reason, as well
as piety, when he can neither be drawn by interest;
nor driven by necessity, to work. Self-love is a damn-
ing sin where it reigns as the chief principle of action;
but the want of self-love where it is required is no less
criminal. They should be left to starve who have
strength, and want will to labour.
But may those be idle who are exempted by their
circumstances from the necessity of labouring for
bread? By no means. Idleness wastes precious time,
it enervates the body, and rusts the faculties of the
mind. It is an endeavour to elude the sentence pro-
* Chap. xiv. 12. xvi. 2.
CHAP. XVI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 383
nounced upon fallen man, and an introduction to every
vice*.
Ver. 27. An ungodly man diggeth up evil; and in his
lips there it as a burning fire.
If the bishops of England will not learn diligence,
said the godly Latimer, from Christ and his apostles,
they may learn it from the devil, who is still busy in
his diocese. We may add, that slothful Christians, if
they will not learn diligence from the example of those
who through faith and patience inherit the promises,
may be roused by considering the restless activity of
ungodly men, who employ themselves in the service
of sin, as busily as the slave who digs in a mine to
supply the avarice of his unfeeling master. The ser-
vice of sin is the worst of drudgeries, for that cruel
master obliges the poor wretches who are enslaved by
their own corrupt lusts, to fatigue their minds in con-
triving, and their members in executing their imperious
commands.
Some of the ungodly dig up mischief, by reviving
stories that ought to have been for ever buried in for-
getfulness. Themistoeles told one that proffered to
teach him the art of memory, that he rather wished to
learn the art of forgetfulness. There, are too many that
remember what ought to have been for ever forgotten,
and thereby kindle up the flames of contention. In
their lips there is as it were a burning fire; for their
words are as dangerous as fire kindled in the thatch of
a house, which threatens to burn it down, and set the
neighbouring houses in a flame. When men have such
a fire kindled in their tongues, it is easy to see by
whose breath it is blown up. The devil was liar and
a destroyer from the beginning, and endeavours to
make men as like to himself as possible. For this end
* Chap. xiv. 23.
384 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVI.
he fetches coals from the bottomless pit, and sets (the
tongues of wicked men on fire, that they may spread
the infernal flame around them, destroying peace and
charity to the utmost of their power from the earth.
What shall be given to these wicked tongues? Burning
coals of juniper, and they shall not have a drop of
water to quench them.
Ver. 28. A froward man soweth strife, and a whisperer
separateth chief friends.
He is a wretch that spreads dissensions and entails
among men, who ought to live as brethren in unity.
Such a person; Solomon has already told us, is abhor-
red of the Lord*.
One of the most dangerous of these classes of men
that sow strife, is that of the whisperers. These men
do not think fit to slander their neighbours openly, but
secretly defame one man to another. They report their
idle or false stories by way of secrets, and generally en-
deavour to procure credit by pretending to lament these
faults which they tell with pleasure, and which they
even forge, or at least make them a great deal worse by
their spiteful manner of relating them. This kind of
evil-speakers is like serpents in the way, or adders in
the path, which hiss and sting men when they are
dreading no evil. Men may oppose open enemies, and
ward, off blows which they see, but how can a man
guard himself from the invisible arrows that as shot
by the whisperer, whilst he keeps himself concealed
from view. By these agents of the wicked one, irre-
parable breaches are often made in families and neigh-
bourhoods, and incurable jealousies excited amongst
the dearest friends.
It is our duty never to lend an ear to the whisperer,
nor to believe any thing bad of our friend and neigh-
* Chap. vi. 4, 19
CHAP. XVII] BOOK OF PROVERBS 385
bour, unless the cowardly backbiter will venture to
become an open accuser. If our own characters are in
any danger from these arrows that fly about in darkness,
let us commit them to God "Deliver my soul, O
Lord, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue."
Ver. 29. A violent man enticeth his neighbour, and lead-
eth him into the way that is not good.
The devil never did any good to any of his servants,
and yet some of them seem to have more zeal for their
master's interest, than many of the servants of Christ.
These are too useless about gaining others to the obe-
dience of their Redeemer; whilst violent men compass
sea and land to make others as much the children of
hell as themselves.
Such tempters to wickedness are to be abhorred as
the greatest plagues of mankind. Thieves deprive us
of our money, and murderers deprive us only of a short
life; but these factors of hell who would seduce us to
sin, attempt to rob us of heavenly treasures, and to
destroy our immortal souls. The Spirit of God warns
us at great length, in the first chapter of this book, to
avoid their snares.
Whenever any man would lead us into a way that
is not good, let us remember what the end of that way
is, and hear his words with the same indignation as if
he were persuading us to cast ourselves into a burning
fairy furnace.
The character of the seducer might be sufficient to
set us on our guard-
Ver. 30. He shutteth his eyes to devise froward and things;
moving his lips, he bringeth evil to pass.
He takes so much delight in wickedness that he,
shuts his eyes, to meditate mischief with an undisturb-
ed mind, and vigorously employs the faculties which
God has given him, in the service of his grand enemy.
Vol. I
386 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVI.
His tongue is a fire, a whole world of iniquity; but
it has not enough of wickedness in the compass of its
power to gratify his infernal thirst for sin, and there-
fore he speaks with his feet, and teaches with his
fingers, and winks with his eye, to express the malig-
nity of his heart, and give the signal to his companions
in wickedness.
Strange that the eons of Adam should thus aban-
don themselves to wickedness, and serve sin with so
much toil, when the wages of it is death. Men com-
plain that the way to heaven is full of difficulty and
danger. But broad as the way to hell is, there are
many who undergo much more fatigue in it than the
way to heaven requires, and they have not the comforts
and joyful hopes to entertain them under their toil and
sweat, that the travellers to Zion enjoy. They pass
through a hell of labours and fears, to a hell of fire
and brimstone.
Shall we join in a confederacy with these workers of
iniquity? Let us rather abhor their company, unless
we wish our souls to be hereafter gathered with sinners.
Ver. 31. The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be
found in the way of righteousness.
Both Scripture and reason teach us to honour grey
hairs. It is reported, that when an aged man went
into a public assembly at Athens, and every seat was
filled, none of the Athenians moved to give him place.
Whereupon the Lacedemonians, who were in a seat by
themselves, rose up to a man, to give him a place.
All the Athenians applauded their polite behaviour;
whereupon the old man observed, that the Athenians
knew what was right, and the Lacedemonians practis-
ed it.
But old men are not always wise, neither do the
aged always understand judgment, and thus they for-
feit that honour which they might otherwise expect.
CHAP. XVI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 387
Old age is an honour, and royalty is an honour; but
better is a poor and wise child, than an old and foolish
king who will no more be admonished. His self-con-
ceit and intractable disposition, debase at once the
lustre of his crown, and the glory of his grey hairs;
but to be an old saint, is an honour that entitles a man
to the highest respect. None but fools will despise
him for those infirmities, which are the inseparable at-
tendants of grey hairs. How provoking to God such
insolence is, may be learned from the story of the two
she-bears that tore forty and two children for saying
to Elijah, "Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald
head."
The honour bestowed by God upon old Christians
in lengthening their days, the experience they have
gained, and the usefulness of their former life, should
engage us to pay them great respect. We honour them
whose heads have been encircled with crowns by the
hands of men, and will we refuse honour to those
whom God himself hath crowned with silver hairs.
It is a comfort to aged Christians to find due respect
paid to them, and they should endeavour to secure this
respect, by avoiding peevishness and covetousness, which
are vices incident to this period of life, by bearing with
young persons, although they have not learned so much
wisdom as themselves, by submitting with cheerful-
ness to the unavoidable weaknesses of age, by trust-
ing in God*, by shewing the faithfulness of God and
the advantages of religion to the rising generation, and
by bringing forth the various fruits proper to that time
of life.
Young persons should remember that old age is fast
hastening to them, and show that regard to the old,
which they will then expect to meet with from the
* Isa. xlvi. 4.
388 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVI.
young. They ought to enter into the way of righte-
ousness, that they may be found in it by old age or
death if age should find them in the way of sin, their
situation is very dangerous, though not altogether des-
perate.
Ver. 32. He that is slow to anger is better than the
mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh
a city.
The meek obtain the noblest victories, and enjoy
the happiest kind of authority. They have power over
their passions, which are brought under the dominion
of reason, and are not suffered to make such insurrec-
tions as those which disquiet the spirits of the proud
and haughty.
The conquerors of nations and cities have been cele-
brated by historians and poets, and their valour and
success dazzle the eyes of the generality of men; and
yet few of them deserve praise. Seneca observes, that
such heroes as Alexander the Great deserve the same
kind of honours with wild beasts, and earthquakes,
and pestilences, or any other instrument of desolation
to mankind. Some conquerors are nevertheless truly
honourable, who have exposed their lives in just and
necessary wars, for the service of their country and the
suppression of tyranny. Gallant exploits of such true
heroes, are celebrated in the inspired writings.
But he that is slow to anger and rules his passions
deserves far higher praise, for he gains a nobler victory.
Others conquer the bodies of men, but he conquers
his own soul. The conquerors of nations fight with the
arms of other men, but the meek have no soldier,
to deprive them of any part of their praise. Most of
the celebrated heroes conquered at the expense of their
fellow-creatures, and spread horror and devastation-
around them like the tigers of the desert; but the
meek of the earth are public blessings, and deserve the
CHAP. XVI.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 389
love of all men. Of earthly conquerors it may be said,
that they have slain their thousands and ten thousands
of men, by their swords and warlike artillery. But
of the meek we may say, that they have put to flight
armies of devils by the sword of the Spirit and the
shield of faith; for these malignant spirits fight against
our souls, to support the dominion of our passions over
our reason. Other conquerors have their praise from
men, and chiefly from men of foolish minds, for the
wise look upon the generality of them as the plagues
of the world; but those that are slow to anger have
their praise from the unerring Judge, who exalts the
meek to inherit the earth, whilst he looks upon the
proud ravagers of nations with disdain, and spurns
them into the dust. The conquerors of cities and na-
tions are wretched slaves to their own imperious pas-
sions, which forced Alexander to kill some of his best
friends, and made him so unhappy, that he almost
killed himself. The meek enjoy the sweet and glo-
rious liberty of the sons of God. The crowns of con-
querors soon wither; but the homers of him that
rules over his own spirit shall continue through every
generation. Do we wish to enjoy honour and power?
Let us fight against the corrupt affections of our own
mind, with the armour of righteousness on our right
hand and on our left. To be our own masters, will be
more glorious for us than if we were masters of the
world.
Ver. 28. The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole
disposing thereof is of the Lord.
By lots men refer the determination of an event to
that which in respect of men is purely casual, and comes
not within the compass of men's knowledge or power;
but it is wholly determined by the Lord, who does all
things, great and small, according to the counsel of his
on will. A remarkable instance of this truth we have
390 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVI.
in the division of the promised land amongst the tribes
of Israel, which was done by casting the lot into the
laps of men; but these lots were managed by divine
providence in such a manner, that Jacob's predictions
in blessing his children were exactly accomplished.
For this reason, lots are not to be used by way of
amusement, but in matters of importance worthy to be
referred to the arbitration of God, and incapable of
being otherwise decided to advantage.
This proverb teaches us, that the things that fall
out to our view by pure accident, are within the com-
pass of Providence, which so entirely regulates every
thing, however inconsiderable, that a sparrow falls not
to the ground, nor a hair from our head; without our
heavenly Father. Time and chance happen to all
men, and the most important events of the life of men,
and of kingdoms and nations, turn upon very small
hinges, which do not come within the verge of our
knowledge and care. The safety of the Jewish nation
in the days of Esther, depended upon a very great
number of accidents, that appear to us very unimpor-
tant, and very remote from the interests of God's peo-
ple. But the Lord of hosts, who is wonderful in coun-
sel and excellent in working, was their saviour and
hope in the day of evil. Time and chance are his, and
the feast of Ahasuerus, the disobedience of Vashti, the
pride of the king and his ministers, the conspiracy
of Bigthan and Teresh, with the discovery of it by
Mordecai, the beauty of Esther, the departure of
sleep on a certain night from the king's eyes, the fancy
that struck him to have the Chronicles of the king-
dom read for his amusement, the superstition of Ha-
man, the event of his lots, and the good-humour
which Ahasuerus happened to be in when Esther came
into his presence to petition for the life of her coun-
trymen,-all these things wrought together, under the
CHAP. XVI]. BOOK OP PROVERBS. 391
direction of the Lord, for the salvation of his chosen
people.
Think not that your mountain stands immoveably
strong, for if God hide his face, you will be troubled.
He can make the veriest trifle the instrument of de-
stroying all the strength of your confidence, and the
mighty are taken away by him without hand.
Trust in him at all times, and trouble not yourselves
with anxious thoughts about the things that shall
come to pass in the future parts of life. We never
discover so much folly, as when we set up for pro-
phets; for the things that are to come to pass, depend
upon a very complicated chain of causes, consisting of
innumerable links, which are quite out of the reach of
our view, but are every one of them under the eye
and in the hand of God. Blessed are those that give
up all their fortunes to the will of God, with a cheer-
ful resignation. Nothing shall befal them, but accord-
ing to the will of Him that loves them better than
themselves, and knows infinitely better what is good
for them.
CHAPTER XVII.
Ver. 1. Better is a dry morsel, and quietness there-
with, than an house full of sacrifices with strife.
SOLOMON expresses the most delicious entertainments
by the word sacrifices, intimating his hope, that none
would presume to offer unto God a sacrifice, but of
392 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVII.
the best of their cattle, for the best of beings is to be
honoured with the best we can give him*.
The flesh of the peace-offerings was a feast for the
family and friends of the offerer, and there could not
be a more delightful feast, when piety and friendship
gave a relish to the entertainment. But the deli-
cate provisions are turned into gall and wormwood
by variance, whilst the bitterest things are made sweet
by love and friendship.
Solomon has already given us the instruction con-
tained in this verse†. But it is useful to have it still
before our eyes, for peace and friendship are not
the balm of life, but of great importance in our re-
ligious course. Strife is productive of innumerable
sins, and renders us unfit for the duties we owe to
God, as well as those of our various relations. Love
and peace make every service to our families and
friends pleasant, and prepare us to lift up holy hands
to God, without wrath and doubting.
Ver. 2. A wise servant shall have rule over a son that
causeth shame, and shall have part of the inheritance
among the brethren.
A low situation does not disqualify men from ob-
taining and using wisdom, nor from enjoying the ho-
nours and benefits of it; nor will an elevated rank
support men in folly, or hinder them from feeling its
mischievous effects.
A poor wise man is too often despised, but it is only
by the unwise; for those that have wisdom set an high
value upon it, wherever it is found, and honour the
meanest person that appears to possess it. It is per-
haps owing to the partiality, and not the wisdom of
parents, that this proverb has not been more frequently
verified in the letter. Children that are a shame to
* Mal i, 14. † Chap. xv. 17.
CHAP. XVII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS, 393
their parents, have sometimes brought disgrace upon
themselves, from those that once loved them with a tender
affection, and still love them. Reuben was the begin-
ning of Jacob's strength, and yet he lost his dignity to
a younger brother, who, according to the fashions of
those times, was to be in some degree under his go-
vernment. But even when partiality prevails over
reason in the behaviour of parents, folly, by its native
consequences, and the just providence of God, does
often reduce men from honour and wealth to poverty
and disgrace, and place them below those over whom
they once tyrannised; and wisdom exalts servants from
poverty to wealth, or even to power. Joseph was a
slave in Potiphar’s house, and then a prisoner, but he
was made lord over Potiphar himself.
Servants have often for their wisdom shared in the
inheritance. Solomon himself married his daughters
to two of his own subjects. Jarha, an Egyptian ser-
vant, was taken into the family of his master, and be-
came the head of a family in Israel*.
This verse gives parents a proper hint about the dis-
tribution of their estates, and directs those who have
the disposal of places of trust, to pay a greater regard
to wisdom and integrity, than to high birth, or great
estates, or the connections of friendship and kindred.
How excellent is wisdom, which raises the slave
from grinding at the mill, and the beggar from the
dunghill, to places of distinction, and to the truest ho-
nours, because they are the pure fruits of goodness!
How miserable a thing is folly, which degrades the
high, and brings misery upon the latter days of those
who flourished like green bay-trees in the prime of
their life!
Ver. 3. The fining-pot is for silver, and the furnace
for gold; but the Lord trieth the hearts.
* I Chron. ii. 34, 35.
394 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVII.
As the fire tries metals, and separates the dross
from them, so the Lord tries the hearts of men; for
his eyes are like a flame of fire, and he perfectly dis-
cerns all the secrets of the heart. Men are too often
strangers to themselves, and mistake the principles by
which they are governed; but God is greater than our
hearts, and every thought is naked and open to his
eyes. He knows our words before they are pronounc-
ed by the mouth, and our imaginations before they are
framed in our minds.
This is God's prerogative. There is not a greater
folly among those corrupters of Christianity, the Ro-
man Catholics, than their practice of praying to saints
and angels. Thou, Lord, even thou alone, knowest the
hearts of all the children of men, and therefore oughtest
to be feared, and to receive all religious homage.
It is vain for men to worship God with the lips,
whilst the heart is removed from him; nor will our
good deeds to our fellow-men be accepted of God, when
they do not proceed from a principle of love*.
This proverb may likewise be understood of those
awful providences by which the spirits of his people
are tried, as gold and silver are tried by the fire. Af-
flictions and calamities are like a furnace which God
has in Jerusalem, by which dross is discovered, and
purged away†. But herein God discovers his kind-
ness, that he does not keep his gold in the fire till it is
entirely free from the dross, for if such a furious heat
were applied to it as is requisite to make metals entire-
ly pure, it would be altogether destroyed. "I have
refined thee," says he, "but not with silver; I have
chosen thee (or made thee a choice vessel) in the fur-
nace of affliction‡.
* Cor. xiii. 1, 2; Rom. ii. 28. † Mal. iii. 2, 3.
‡ Vide Septuagint.
CHAP. XVII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 395
Ver. 4. A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a
liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.
Solomon has often warned us against compliance
with temptation; and every man that is not wicked
will surely follow his advice, for he is a wicked doer
that giveth heed to false lips.
Wicked men have a great treasure of evil in their
hearts, and yet have not enough to satisfy their own
corrupt dispositions. They are like covetous men, in
whom their large possessions only increase their lust
of having, and therefore they carry on a trade with
other wicked men, who are able to add to their store
of iniquity, by flattering and counselling them in sin.
Their heart gathers iniquity to itself, not merely by
its own corrupt imaginations and contrivances, but by
hearing the devilish lessons of those that have made a
greater proficiency in that wisdom which cometh from
below. They are blessed who hunger and thirst after
righteousness, but cursed are they who add drunken-
ness to thirst in the service of sin, for they shall be
filled with their own devices*. By hearkening to the
wicked instructions of Jezebel, Ahab destroyed him-
self and his house; and the politic advices of Jonadab
proved no less fatal to the apparent heir of David.
A liar is a wicked doer, and giveth ear to a naughty
tongue, for by the lies of other men he increases his
own stock, and is enabled to retail his abominable
stories with a better grace. He can say that he gives
the story as he heard it, (although he has no scruple to
make some additions), and thinks this a sufficient justi-
fication of himself; if the falsehood of what he has
told is detected. But a man shews himself to be a
liar and slanderer, when he gives too easy belief to bad
stories, that he may have the barbarous satisfaction of
* Psal. lxiv. 5-7.
396 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVII.
spreading them. An honest man will not wound his
neighbour's character, by trusting the words of a tale-
bearer, and divulging what may very possibly be false.
And even when there is too much ground for believ-
ing the report, he will be backward to spread it any
farther, without some good reason.
Ver. 5. Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Ma-
ker; and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished.
It is our indispensible duty to compassionate the
poor, and if Providence puts it in our power, to re-
lieve them; and yet some are so destitute of bowels,
that they will trample them lower in the dust, by in-
sult and oppression.
The reason why poor men are more exposed than
the rich to reproach, is, because they are supposed in-
capable of taking revenge; but it ought to be remem-
bered, that God is mocked through their side. If
God should appear in human shape, would we dare to
insult him? Would not the fear of a just and dread-
ful vengeance deter us? And to mock the poor, amounts;
to the very same thing. God end actually appear
in our nature, and he was then poor for our
sakes; and those that despise the poor, despise them
for a reason that reflects upon our Saviour himself
when he dwelt among us; and poor Christians are
members of his body, and every injury done to them
he considers as done to himself*.
The reason of this proverb extends the meaning of
it to all persons that are despised, or held up to ridi-
cule, on account of any defect of body or mind, or
misfortune in circumstances, that does not affect the
moral or religious character of men. When we are
what God made us, and meet with calamities from the
* Mat. xxv. 42.
CHAP. XVII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 397
appointment of providence, every indignity or affront
offered us reflects upon our Maker. Let no man,
therefore, be ashamed of any circumstance in his con-
dition that is not the fruit of sin, unless he is ashamed
to own his Creator.
To rejoice in calamities, is a mark of a child of the
devil. Christ wept for the miseries that were to befal
his implacable enemies for their cruelty to himself.
We find the people of God rejoicing and praising God
at the destruction of their enemies, but their satisfac-
tion was caused, not by any pleasure in the miseries of
their enemies, but by the discoveries of Gods mercy
to themselves, and the vindication of his righteousness,
by the infliction of deserved punishment on the irre-
concileable enemies of God*. A savage delight in
the misery of enemies, is often represented in scrip-
ture as the temper of the worst of men, who thereby
expose themselves to signal vengeance†.
Ver. 6. Children's children are the crown of old men;
and the glory of children are their fathers.
Children are the means of preserving the name of
their parents when they are dead; and whilst they are
alive, it is their delight and honour to be surrounded
with descendants, except when they are so unnatural to
the instruments of their being, as to disgrace them by
their manners.
When persons are now on the verge of the grave, and
every thing else becomes insipid to them, their chil-
dren's children are a great comfort, and procure them
much respect, when they are trained up in the way
wherein they should go. Old men are therefore bound
to give thanks to God for giving and sparing to them a
posterity on the earth. "I had not thought," said Jacob
to his beloved son. "to see thy face, and lo, God hath
* Exod. xv. Psal. xxxv. 9, 10.
†Psal. xxxv. 19-26. Ezek. xxvi. 2. xxv. 2 xxxv. 15 Obad. 12.
398 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVI.
sheared me thy seed also." Children are an heritage from
the Lord, and ought to be instructed in his ways, that
parents may have pleasure in them, and in their young
families, when the days come wherein they would
otherwise be obliged to say, We have no pleasure in
them.
It was a custom among the Romans, for men that
wanted sons, to adopt young men, and give them the
title and privileges of sons, that their name might not
die with themselves. Christians to whom God has
denied, or from whom he has taken away the blessing
of children, may find a better method of having some
to be their crown and glory. If, by their holy example
and religious converse, they win souls to Christ, these
shall be their crown of rejoicing in the day of Christ*.
Some children are so destitute of natural affection,
that they care not how soon their parents die, that they
may enjoy their estates, and become masters of their
own actions. These are profane persons like Esau,
who thought he would have it in his power to kill
Jacob, when Isaac, who was now an old man, was dead.
Dutiful children will think it an ornament to them to
have their aged parents still alive, even when their
poverty and weakness make it the duty of their chil-
dren to labour for their support.
But are parents of every kind a glory to their chil-
dren? The hoary head is not always a crown of glory
to the man that wears it, or to his family, but only
when it is found in the way of righteousness. The
seed of the righteous are respected for the sake of their
parents by good men, and even God himself has a re-
gard to them. Perhaps no history but that of David's
family gives us an example of a crown transmitted
from father to son for seventeen generations. Why
* 2 Cor. i.
CHAP. XVII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 399
did not God make the house of Ahaz like the house of
Jeroboam the son of Nebat, or the house of Baasha the
son of Ahijah? Because he would give a light to his
servant David in Jerusalem.
Verily there is a reward to the righteous, which ex-
tends to their families and posterity. By righteousness
children are a crown to their parents, and parents are
a glory to their children; and therefore we ought not
only to practise, but to promote and maintain it amongst
our connections*.
Ver. 7. Excellent speech becometh not a fool: much less
do lying lips a prince.
Fools make themselves ridiculous, by affecting to
speak of things beyond their reach, or to use language
too high for their abilities. For a wicked man to talk
like a Christian, is equally unseemly. When a covetous
man talks in praise of liberality, or a hypocrite com-
mends the integrity of David, they condemn them-
selves.
For a beggar who wears rags to put upon his breast
the coronet of a Duke, is ridiculous, because the agree-
ment of things to one another is requisite to the beauty
and propriety of any thing. Professions of religion
joined to wicked practices, are equally absurd. In no-
thing is consistency to be more studied than in order-
ing our words and conversation.
When a bad man has the tongue of a saint, he dis-
credits religion, and brings suspicion upon truly reli-
gious men. The profane world will say, Do you hear
how finely that man talks? and yet he can take the ad-
vantage of his neighbour in a bargain: they are all
alike, and their profession's are but nets to catch the
unthinking. Good words will do no good to a bad man,
but aggravate his condemnation; out of his own mouth
* Gen. xviii. 19.
400 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVII.
shall he be judged. They are not acceptable to God.
As Christ would not suffer devils to make confessions
of faith, even when their doctrine was sound; so God
will not suffer the hypocrite to take his covenant into
his lips, because such a holy thing is polluted when it
comes into the mouth of dogs*.
Lying lips are no less unbecoming in the mouth of a
prince, who ought to honour the dignity of his station
by the dignity of his manners. A prince of our own
is said to have frequently used this proverbial saying,
"He that knows not how to dissemble, knows not
how to reign." You may judge from the text before
us, whether he deserved to be called the Solomon of
his age. It was certainly a nobler saying of one of the
kings of France,—that if truth were banished from all
the rest of the world, it ought to be found in the breasts
of princes.
A man's dignity obliges him to a behaviour worthy
of it, and of him whose favour has conferred it. All
Christians are advanced to spiritual honours of the
most exalted kind. They are the children of God, and
heirs of the eternal kingdom, and ought to resemble
their heavenly Father, who is the God of truth. When
a young prince desired a certain philosopher to give
him a directory for his conduct, all his instructions
were comprised in one sentence, "Remember that thou
art a king's son." Let Christians remember who they
are, and how they came to be what they are, and act
in character†.
Ver. 8. A gift is as a precious gone in the eyes of him
that hath it; whithersoever it turneth it prospereth.
Gifts have a very strong influence in gaining love.
They are like precious stones in the eyes of those
*Psal. li. 16. † Rev. i, 5, 6. 1 Peter ii. 9.
CHAP. XVIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 401
that receive them, charming their eyes, and power-
fully turning their affections to the giver; and their
influence is almost universal, for they work upon the
heart of the wise and the self-denied, as well as of
the foolish and selfish.
It was a sign of Abigail's prudence to meet David
with generous presents, as well as a persuasive speech,
when he was coming in fierce resentment to extirpate
her husband's family; and when Jacob met his incens-
ed brother, he not only endeavoured to pacify him by
submissive words, but also loaded him with noble gifts,
which were perhaps the most effectual means, (next to
Jacob's prayers), to regain his lost friendship.
Such is the efficacy of gifts, that God expressly for-
bids them to be received by judges from parties that
have a cause to be decided by them, because they blind
the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the
righteous.
What influence should the gifts of God have upon
our hearts! They are more numerous than the hairs
upon our head, and far more precious than pearls and
diamonds. Surely they must have a constraining in-
fluence upon every heart that is not harder than the
nether millstone.
Ver. 9. He that covereth a transgression seeketh love;
but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.
As we are required to love our neighbours as our-
selves, so we ought to promote love in the world, and
to seek the love of other men to ourselves. It is no
piece of the self-denial that becometh the followers
of Christ, to be unconcerned whether we are loved
by our neighbours or not; for then we should be
careless whether they obeyed God and performed
their duty, or lived in the neglect of it. Whatso-
ever things are lovely, are to be minded and prac-
tised by us; and nothing is more lovely than to cover
402 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVII.
transgressions, as nothing is more hateful than the re-
peating of them.
To cover our own transgressions, like Adam, would
be very dangerous, but we have the noblest examples
to recommend to us the covering of other men's faults.
How lovely was the behaviour of our Redeemer, when he
excused the unfriendly behaviour of his three disciples
in the garden of Gethsemane, and when he bestow-
ed such high commendations on their fidelity in his dis-
course with them, and his prayers to his Father, al-
though he knew that they would soon forsake him in
his sufferings, and make the best shift they could for
themselves! Nor was his goodness confined to his
Apostles; he excused even his murderers, when he
prayed to his Father for their forgiveness. Who is
like unto the Lord our God, who covers our iniquities
by his pardoning mercy, and removes them as far from
us as the east is from the west! Surely the faith of his
pardoning mercy must mightily persuade us to cover
by the mantle of charity the offences of our fellow
sinners.
Love covereth all sins*. Paul teacheth us how this
is done†, and our self-love may give us much light
and direction on this point. Had we a love to our
neighbours like that which we bear to ourselves, we
would not be ready to observe their faults, unless they
were very glaring; we would make much allowance for
the temptations that seduced them, and consider how lia-
ble we ourselves are to fall before temptation; we would
not keep our eyes fixed upon their faults; but consider
likewise what there is in them to provoke us to love; we
would not be harsh in reproving, nor backward in for-
giving them, nor would any consideration provoke us
to cast in their teeth those old faults that seemed to
* Chap. x. 12. † 1 Cor. xiii.
CHAP. XVII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 403
be forgotten. By such a behaviour as this, love is
sought and gained. Was it possible that Joseph's
brethren, cruel as they had been, could refuse their
love to him, after the apologies that he so kindly made
for their faults *?
But he that follows the contrary method of behaviour
seeks hatred, and alienates the affections of the most
cordial friends from one another. The censorious man,
the tale-bearer, the person that revives old quarrels, is
a mortal enemy to charity, a faithful servant of the ac-
cuser of the brethren; an enemy to him who is our
peace with God and with one another. If such dread-
ful punishments are threatened to those who are desti-
tute of love, what shall be the portion of those who
scatter the seed of enmity and variance through a whole
country, by the stories they tell, and by the lies and
misrepresentations which they mingle with their idle
tales!
The meaning of this proverb must not be stretched
into a prohibition of punishments or censures necessary
to be inflicted on offenders, or of friendly reproofs, all
which are recommended in other places of this book.
Ver. 10. A reproof entereth more into a wise man, than
an hundred stripes into a fool.
The wise man gives us many marks, by which fools
may be distinguished from wise men; and does not in-
sist more on any of them, than the different uses they
make of rebukes and correction*. He not only tells
us that the wise man hears rebuke, and the fool scorns
it; but that one rebuke will have a better effect on a
wise man, than an hundred stripes on a fool.
Fools have sometimes received correction, and made
a good use of it; but they were fools no longer, for
the rod and reproof gave them wisdom: but it is a sign
404 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVII.
that folly it deeply ingrained, when an hundred rods
have men as great fools as they found them.
Wicked men have uncircumcised ears, and they
cannot hear the word of the Lord; they have hard
hearts, and the works of God, in which he speaks
louder than in words, leave no impression. On the
contrary, we often find them walking contrary unto
God, and making their faces harder by those means
that should have wrought the very opposite effect.
Ahaz, in the time of his distress, trespassed yet more
and more against the Lord. This was that king Ahaz.
David was of a very opposite spirit; and when Nathan
said unto him, "Thou art the man," he replied, "I
have sinned against the Lord," and immediately com-
posed the fifty-first psalm, to testify his deep repentance
to the church, and to every generation of mankind.
We must not be so strict in trying other men by
this mark of wisdom, as ourselves, for wise men are
not wise in every piece of their behaviour. Asa's heart
was perfect with the Lord his God all his days, and
yet he was very angry with a prophet for giving him
a just reproof in the name of the Lord. But such is
not the ordinary temper of God's people, for God takes
away from them the heart of stone, and gives them
hearts of flesh, and they have the Spirit of God dwell-
ing within them, who opens their ears to discipline,
and seals their instruction.
It is good to have tender hearts susceptible of im-
pressions from reproof, and from the providence of
God. As a lively faith will enable the Christian to
bear the greatest trials, so a tender conscience will en-
able him to derive spiritual improvement from the gen-
tlest afflictions, which are not to be despised, because
they come to us on a message from God*.
* Prov. iii. 10.
CHAP. XVII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 405
This text likewise teaches us to make a difference, ac-
cording to the dispositions of men, in the reproofs or
chastisements that we are called to dispense unto men.
Eli reproved his children with words, when they deserv-
ed an hundred stripes, if the law had allowed it; and
some parents provoke their children to wrath, instead
of reforming them, by their severities.
Ver. 11. An evil man seeketh only rebellion therefore
a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
Some of the wicked are very pestilent members of
society, who, casting of all fear of God and the king,
employ themselves in those wicked courses which ex-
pose them to the vengeance of the laws, so that the
messengers of justice must be employed in their dis-
agreeable task of punishment for the benefit and peace
of society.
But others of the wicked have some fear of the king,
although they have no fear of God before their eyes;
and their corrupt dispositions take another course, which
exposes them to equal danger, though from a different
quarter. Their employment is to carry weapons
against the King of the world, and they pursue their
rebellious courses without intermission. There is much
iniquity in their actions, there is a world of iniquity
in their tongues, and the imaginations of the thoughts
of their hearts are only evil continually. They are blind,
and know not what they are doing; for whilst they
think they are only gratifying their own dispositions,
and making use of their liberty, they are provoking
God, by a continued course of disobedience to his will.
A cruel messenger shall be sent against these rebels;
for rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubborn-
ness is as iniquity and idolatry. God has innumerable
messengers of justice, for every instrument of venge-
ance is at his command, and employed at his plea-
sure, to avenge his quarrel upon the breakers of his
406 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVII.
law. Beasts and men, diseases and death, angels and
devils, are in arms at his call, to seize upon the crimi-
nals whom he means to punish.
The weakest creature, considered as a messenger of
the Almighty, is irresistible by transgressors. The proud
spirit of Pharaoh was humbled to the dust by flies and
frogs, as well as. by the evil angels, which were sent
among the Egyptians. The hornets fought with suc-
cess against the accursed Canaanites in the days of
Joshua, as well as the destroying angel who fought for
Hezekiah against the Assyrians.
God sometimes employs terrible messengers to chas-
tise his own people. When David numbered his sub-
jects, 70,000 of them were destroyed in three days by
a visible messenger of severity, under the direction of
an invisible minister of providence. If God takes such
vengeance of the rebellions of some whom he pardons,
what will the end be of them that seek only rebellion!
Let the wicked cut down their weapons of iniquity,
and acquaint themselves with God, and be at peace
with him through Jesus Christ, otherwise they may
expect that dreadful messenger of God, the king of
terrors, to be sent against them, to plunge them into
everlasting burnings *.
Ver. 12. Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man,
rather than a fool in his folly.
What a mercy is it that a fool is not always in his
folly, under the irresistible impulse of domineering
passions, driving on in his career of mischief, without
fearing God or regarding men! If a gracious providence
did not rein the wicked of the world by a strong bridle,
the world would become more uninhabitable than those
deserts, where lions and bears are constantly prowling
and destroying.
* Job xvi. 14. Isa. xxvii. 4, 5.
CHAP. XVII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 407
No creature is fiercer than a bear bereaved of her
whelps. Hushai thought he could not use a better
argument to affright Absalom from following the dan-
gerous counsels of Ahitophel, than by comparing the
fierce valour of David and his mighty men to the rage
of a bear bereaved of her whelps. And yet this animal
in its greatest fury is not so dangerous as a fool in the
heat of passion. A bear in its rage makes no distinc-
tion between those that have robbed her and others,
but falls upon any one she sees, and tears him in
pieces; and yet you may by proper means escape from
her, or secure yourself from her violence. But a fool
in his folly will neither be reduced to reason by just
reproofs, nor soothed by the mildest language, but
behaves like the venomous adder, that will not be
charmed by the wisest charmer. The most furious of
beasts are men whose passions rule their reason, and
make use of the understandings they have, to enable
them to behave more brutishly than natural brute
beasts can do.
Alas! that rational creatures, made after the image
of God, should debase themselves to such a degree,
that the savage animals should not furnish sufficient
emblems to represent their folly! Why should any
human creature chuse to be a beast, or a devil, rather
than a man!
Let those that give up themselves to the government
of passion, consider this text, and be ashamed, and
shew themselves at length rational creatures; and let
us all beware of rousing the sleeping passions of such
madmen, if we value our own safety and innocence.
God's people ought to be on their guard lest they
should, under provocation, be seduced into an imita-
tion, of such folly. David behaved too like a bear in
her rage, when he was inflamed by a provocation
from Nabal, and swore that he would destroy all the
408 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVII.
males in his house, although he afterwards found that
sense of them had pleaded his cause. However, let us
not debase that noble character by applying to his be-
haviour the comparison in our text, for before he had
time to execute his cruel purpose, he was again him-
self the permissions of Abigail having made him meek
as a Iamb.
Ver. 13. Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not
depart from his house.
Ingratitude is one of the vilest sins, and gives a
clear discovery of a disposition base beyond expres-
sion; and the punishment of it shall be proportioned
to the degree of its guilt. The ungrateful man brings
evil, loot only on himself, but likewise on his house;
and this misery, which so great a sin procures, does
not come like a stranger to the house, to tarry for a
night, but takes up its residence, and abides in it for
ever.
Ingratitude to Gideon kindled a fire in Shechem,
which consumed the inhabitants of that place and its
environs, together with Abimelech their tempter *.
But the most striking illustration of this sentence, is
the history of the Jewish nation. Never was such in-
gratitude sheaved to any benefactor, as they shewed to
the Son of God, and never was the punishment of any
people so dreadful, and of so long continuance. That
scattered people proclaim to every nation under heaven
how dangerous the sin of ingratitude is, especially when
God our Saviour is the object of it.
Although we are grateful to men for their favours
yet if we take no notice of God as the supreme Bene-
factor, we are as justly chargeable with this sin, as
those who have a present sent them by a friend; and
return all their thanks to the carrier that brings it.
* Judges ix.
CHAP. XVII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 409
The worst ingratitude in the world is a continuance
in unbelief or disobedience, in opposition to the gra-
cious declarations of the gospel. Those that despise the
riches of gospel-grace, must burn for ever in fiercer
flames than those to whom the grace of God that bring-
eth salvation never appeared, although they lived in
constant disobedience to the will of God, as far as na-
ture discovered it.
Ver. 14. The beginning of strife is as when one let-
teth out water; therefore leave off contention before it be
meddled with.
No creatures are more dangerous than fire or water,
when they become masters instead of servants to us;
and the mischiefs that arise from contention are illus-
trated from the rage of both these elements *.
When a breach is made in the bank that confines
water, the water seizes the opportunity, widens the
breach more and more, pours itself forth in mighty
currents, and gathering new force continually, it soon
becomes altogether irresistible, breaks through every
obstacle in its way, and sweeps along every thing
that meets it, with a violence which cannot be con-
trouled.
Such are the dismal effects of contention, which
might have been checked at the beginning, but gathers
fury in its progress, and will soon lay desolate a man's
peace; and credit, and comfort, and conscience, and
hurry him on to speak and to act in such a manner as
if he were altogether bereaved of his reason, and trans-
formed into a raging bear.
The effects of debate do not always stop at the per-
sons with whom it begun. This deluge often sweeps
away houses, and countries, and nations, and leaves a
* Chap. xxvi.
410 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVII.
scene of confusion and ruin in those places which for-
merly were the seat of prosperity and peace *.
We must therefore endeavour to get out of conten-
tion, whenever we find ourselves engaged in it, within
much haste as a man that endeavours to make his escape
from a deluge of waters, by which he is in danger of
being overwhelmed †.
But it is still better to leave off contention before it
be meddled with. The banks of rivers are more easily
preserved, than repaired after a breach is made. To
keep ourselves out of this snare of the devil, it is our
duty to mortify every selfish disposition, to keep every
passion under the government of sanctified reason, to
avoid every thing that may give offence, to be back-
ward in conceiving offences against others; and in our
dispositions, words, and actions, to observe that great
rule of doing to others as we wish that others should
do to us ‡.
There are some cases in which contending is a duty.
The apostles write unto us, and exhort us to contend
earnestly for the faith which was once delivered to the
saints; and a zeal for truth and holiness is a necessary
branch of Christian temper. But in striving for the
faith of the gospel, we must avoid the wrath of man,
which worketh not the righteousness of God, and care-
fully preserve the holy fire of religious zeal, from
mixture with that unhallowed fire of selfish passions
which has so often usurped its name, and brought it
into discredit with superficial observers.
Ver. 15. He that jusifieth the wicked, and he that
condemneth the just, even they both are an abomination to
the Lord.
That condemning the just is a grievous crime, there
is no doubt. But some will be startled at the wise
* Judges xii. † Gen. xiii. ‡ Psal. xxxiv. 11, 12.
CHAP. XVII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 411
man's assertion, that justifying the wicked is a crime of
the like nature and malignity.
But we rebel against God by turning to the right
hand, as well as by turning to the left, from that way
in which we are commanded to walk. Justifying the
wicked has an appearance of mercy in it, but there is
cruelty to millions in unreasonable acts of mercy to in-
dividuals. It was not altogether without ground ob-
served by a senator to the emperor, Cocceius Nerve,
when his detestation of his predecessor's cruelty se-
duced him into extremes of clemency,—That it was
bad to live in a state where every thing was forbidden,
but worse to live in a state where every thing was al-
lowed. Historians tell us, that the provinces of the
empire suffered more oppression under the administra-
tion of this mild prince, than in the bloody reign of
Domitian.
Judges are guilty of this detestable sin, not only
when they pronounce unrighteous sentences, but when
they obstruct unnecessarily the judging of causes,
whereby the righteous have their righteousness in part
or for a time taken from them. Lawyers, and wit-
nesses, and jurymen, are guilty in various degrees of
these crimes, when they wilfully contribute their influ-
ence to the perversion of justice, or withhold their in-
fluency in their respective situations from the support
of a righteous cause, where they are called to its de-
fence.
Private persons in common life are not frequently
chargeable with justifying the wicked, because they
are not called in most cases to condemn them; and yet
they may incur this guilt on some occasions, by plead-
ing the cause of the wicked in opposition to truth, or
to that justice which they owe to the innocent and
oppressed, or by taking the part of transgressors in
such a manner as to countenance their sins.
412 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVII.
But the sin of condemning the righteous, or pro-
nouncing too severe sentences upon those that have
been overtaken in a fault, is very common in ordinary
conversation, and the scripture often warns us against
it *.
Ministers are guilty of this sin when they preach
doctrines unscripturally rigid, making those things to
be sinful which are not condemned in the word of God,
or carrying the marks necessary to discover grace to a
pitch too high to suit the generality of true Christians,
or applying to particular persons those terrors that do
not justly belong to them. Such was the fault of Job's
friends.
It is a mere dangerous error in preachers, to explain
away, the commandments of God like the old Pharisees,
to accommodate the characters of real Christians to
many hypocrites by unsound representations of them,
or to flatter the sinner into a false belief that he is a
righteous man †. By all these methods righteousness
is discouraged, and wickedness favoured, in contradic-
tion to the mind of God.
God-never condemns the righteous, but it is his pe-
culiar glory to justify the ungodly, through the execu-
tion of the curse upon his righteous Son. In each of
these divine transactions, the injustice condemned in
our text is discovered to be detestable to God, for
righteousness shines with more awful splendour in the
infliction of punishment upon our Surety, and in our
absolution from guilt, than in the flames of the lake of
fire and brimstone. God would not justify his own
elect to the disparagement of his inflexible justice, but
condemned all their sins, and punished them in Christ;
* Matt. vii. 1-5. Rom. xiv. 1 Cor. iv. James iv. 14.
† Ezek. xiii. 10.
CHAP. XVII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 413
and so he is just, and the justifier of him that believeth
in Jesus.
Ver. 16. Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a
fool to get wisdom, seeing he hath no heart to it?
If fools had no means of obtaining wisdom put into
their hand, their folly would be excusable; but when
they have a price allowed them for procuring wisdom,
and yet have no heart to it, what apology can be made
for them?
Every thing that gives us an opportunity of becom-
ing wise, is a talent for which we must account to our
great Lord. Bibles, and divine ordinances, and time,
and leisure, and wealth, which enables us to furnish in
greater abundance the means of knowledge, are a price
put into our hands to get wisdom, and if we use them
not to this valuable end, we despise the riches of God's
goodness, and act like unreasonable creatures. Nay,
the meanest animals reprove us, for the stork and the
crane observe their seasons for flying to warmer
climates; and the ants, though a feeble people, never
neglect the gainful business of the summer and har-
vest.
How is the fool so stupid as to neglect such impor-
tant business as the gaining of wisdom, and trifle away
his time and talents in vanity? Surely if he were
formed of a rich inheritance to begot on easy terms, he
would stew a proper regard to his own interest. Does
he not know that wisdom is infinitely more precious
than land or gold? No; this is, the reason of his care-
lessness. He has no heart to wisdom, he knows not
its value, and has no relish of its pleasures. That
which is more precious than rubies, is to him more
worthless than a pebble. That which is more sweet
than honey is tasteless as the white of an egg.
Is this price, then, put into his hand in vain? To
himself it is worse than in vain. Every mean of wis-
414 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVII.
dam shall prove galling to his remembrance, when his
eyes are opened, for opened they shall be at last, to
discern the glory of that which he despised. The
worm that is to prey upon him for ever, will be con-
tinually fed by the recollection of sermons despised,
and days of the Son of man wasted in idleness. But
this price will not be lost to those who put it into the
hands of the fool; for their generous endeavours to turn
the foolish to the wisdom of the just, will be as gra-
ciously rewarded as the more successful attempts of
others to serve their generation*. Nor will God be a
loser of glory by the self-ruining folly of sinners, but
his justice will for ever triumph in the revenges exe-
cuted upon the despisers of his long-suffering and
grace.
Ver. 17. A friend loveth at all times, and a brother
is born for adversity.
There are many false friends that profess love fear
their own advantage, and discover their insincerity
when they have no more ground to hope that their in-
terest will be served by it. There are fickle friends
that love for a time, and grow indifferent to our in-
terests, without any reason but their own inconstancy.
But a true friend is steady in his love, and prosperity
and adversity, honour and dishonour, evil report and
good report, make no more difference to him, than
the changes of the air to a man of a healthy consti-
tution.
Some false friends become cool in the day of pro-
sperity, for they grudge to see their equals exalted
above them; but a true friend rejoices in the prosperity
of those whom he loves, although he possesses a share
in it only at second hand. Jonathan was one of the
noblest instances of this truth, who loved David, and
* Isa. xlix. 4.
CHAP. XVII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 415
rejoiced in his prospects of advancement at his own
expence*.
Adversity is commonly reputed the touchstone of
friendship. That is the season what our hollow friends
forsake us, but a real friend then acts the part of a
brother, and discovers his friendship more than ever.
Jonathan encountered the fury of a tyrant in a father,
and risked his life for David, for whom he had for-
merly given up with cheerfulness his prospects of a
crown.
We must not, however, be too rigorous in trying our
friends by this mark, for perfection is not to be found
any where among men, and the strength of prejudices
or fears, may sometimes make real and worthy friends
to act in a manner unworthy of themselves. The love
of the disciples to Christ was approved by himself,
“Ye are they which have, continued with me in my
temptations;” and yet through fear they forsook him,
and fled in the day of his strongest temptation. Job's
friends, through an unhappy mistake, added greatly to
his afflictions, and behaved like enemies; yet that
patient sufferer still calls them his friends, and solicits
their sympathy †.
We ought to shew proper attention to our friends in
their distresses, that we may approve the sincerity of our
former professions, and in the day of our own distress
to make due allowances for the weakness of human
nature ‡. But no friend but Christ deserves our un-
limited confidence. In him the text received, and still
receives, its most glorious accomplishment. He re-
membered us in our low estate, and forgets us not in
his own exaltation. Afflictions are the seasons when
his kindness is most richly experienced, and our pro-
* 1 Sam. xx. † Job xix. 21,
‡ Job vi. 14. Matt. xxvi. 4.
416. EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVII.
vocations do not alienate his affection from us. This is
our beloved, and this is our friend. In him we will
trust, and to him we will devote our hearts.
Ver. 18. A man void of understanding striketh hands,
and becometh surety in the presence of his friend.
Solomon warns us often against rash suretiship, and
yet many professors of religion have opened the
mouths of enemies by the temptations into which they
have run themselves by forgetting this exhortation.
Why should religion bear the blame of what it testifies
so often against, that every man who reads this book
must observe it, and have it in his mind, unless he
wilfully despises the instructions of the wise man? If
we would hearken to Solomon, he would teach us to
be richer and happier, as well as better Christians*.
Ver. 19. He loveth transgression that loveth strife;
and he that exalteth his gate seeketh destruction.
Pride is a destructive sin, in whatever form it disco-
vers itself; and the Spirit of God, by Solomon, gives us
many warnings of the danger of it, and of those sins
that are produced by it.
Only by pride cometh contention, and from the love
of contention spring an innumerable multitude of ini-
quities; for as charity is productive of every virtue; so
that he who loveth another hath fulfilled the law, and
will do no hurt to his neighbour; so he that takes pleas
sure in strife hath broken the whole law, and is ready
to do every bad thing, for where there is envying and
strife, there is confusion and every evil work.
But who is the man that loveth contention? Those
who are engaged in it, allege that they love peace as
much as any man, but they are forced into it by the
perverseness of other men. However, when men are
almost always engaged in strife, they afford too strong
* Chap. vi. 1 &c.
CHAP. XVII.] BOOK OF PROVREBS. 417
presumption that they love it. If a man is always en-
gaged in law-suits, or in angry contentions with his
neighbours either about religion or politics, or those
things that concern his private interest, he is surely a
lover of strife. It is an evidence no less clear of love
to contention, when persons seize every opportunity
for beginning a quarrel, and cannot make the least
sacrifice of self-will, or interest, or humour, for the sake
of peace. Now, if strife be productive of so many sins,
it must be attended with a proportionable train of mi-
series, and therefore our interest as well as duty re-
quires us to avoid every thing that may lead us into
angry disputes. If we love God, we will love our
brother also; and if we live in the faith of reconcilia-
tion with God, we will follow peace with all men.
The love of expensive vanities, is another sign or
pride, and is likewise censured by the wise man. He
that exalts his gate, and builds to himself a house
magnificent beyond what his station requires, or his
circumstances allow, seeketh destruction. The sloth-
ful man exposes himself to misery; but he waits, for it
till it comes upon him like a traveller. The aspiring
man, that cannot be happy without a stately dwelling,
and a splendid manner of living beyond what his estate
will bear, seeks for destruction, and sends a coach and
six to bring it to him. Let us hate pride, for it makes
a man miserable in this world as well as the next. It
makes men unsatisfied with the condition allotted them
by God, and tempts them to waste their substance,
and to cheat and oppress their neighbours, in order to
gratify their own ambitious disposition, and leads on the
person in whom it reigns, to the practice of many sins
which bring down destruction from the Almighty*.
* Jer xxii. 13. 14. Amos vi. 3, 4.
418 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVII.
Ver. 20. He that hath a forward heart findeth no good;
and he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief.
A man of a froward and perverse spirit, makes use
of art and dissimulation to gain his ends, and thinks
himself so wise, that he has no reason to fear a dissp-
ointment; but he indulges himself in an error which
the whole scripture condemns, and which no man of
real honesty can fall into, that some profit may be
gained by sin.
The froward in heart is an abomination to the Lord*.
And the Lord is the universal Ruler, and will never
suffer a man to enjoy any solid satisfaction in that
which he detests. He will most certainly frustrate
those expectations which are founded upon a contempt
of his majesty, and a presumptuous notion that the
power and wisdom of a creature can successfully op-
pose the Creator †.
The froward in heart and in tongue will not only
meet with a total disappointment of his hopes, but fall
into extreme misery. And this is the most deplorable
condition that we can imagine; when one is not only
divested of every thing comfortable and good, but
loaded with the opposite miseries. This severe punish-
ment is begun in this world, as experience teaches
every day, and it is consummated in that punishment of
loss and of sense, which the wicked suffer in the ever-
lasting world.
How foolish are the men whose wisdom lies in a
skill to do evil! Their own feet cast them into a snare,
and their own tongues, by which they hope to execute
their wicked contrivances, fall upon themselves, and
grind them to powder. Honesty and integrity is our
best wisdom; and upright men walk on firm ground,
* Chap. xi. 20.
† Psal. xii. 4, 5. Job v. 12, 13.
CHAP. XVII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 419
when the men that boast of their crooked arts fall into
their own snares.
Ver. 21. He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sor-
row; and the father of a fool hath no joy.
How little are earthly objects to be trusted! Men's
families are the sources of their expected joys, and the
birth of children is generally accounted a joyful occa-
sion; but many children are the causes of grief, and
not of joy, to their parents. By their folly they are a
disgrace to those that might have expected better re-
turns of their fondness, and fall those evil days of old
age with additional pains, when it was expected that
the sight of them would have relieved every pang.
He that has the unhappiness to be father to a fool,
hath no joy, either, in his son or in any thing else, for
every pleasure is deadened, and every distress embit-
tered and poisoned, by the sight of a child despising
the very instrument of his existence, and treasuring up
endless miseries for himself.
Unnatural are those children who make their pa-
rents miserable, by means of that fond affection to
their unworthy children, of which they cannot divest
themselves. Unwise are those parents who look for
comfort to their children, and do not look above than
to the Father of lights, who alone makes any thing a
blessing to us. It must, greatly increase the affliction
of those who meet with this sore calamity, to have oc-
casion of reflecting, that they have been careless in
using these means that might have driven away fool-
ishness from their children; or in praying for that
blessing on which the success of all means depends.
Ver. 22. A merry heart doeth good like a medicine;
but a broken spirit drieth the bones.
The intemperate mirth of sensualists is a slow poi-
son to the body, and therefore cannot be here meant.
Innocent amusement is here allowed, as a mean of
420 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVII.
promoting or preserving health; only it must not be
turned into a business, to consume our days in vanity,
and make our health useless to us; but the mirth
principally recommended by the inspired, writer, is
that cheerfulness which religion bestows; for he tells
us, that the ways of wisdom are all pleasantness and
peace, and that sorrow and wretchedness are insepa-
rable attendants of sin.
The things of this world are so incapable of afford-
ing permanent satisfaction, that Solomon wrote almost
a whole book to shew that they are vanity and vexa-
tion of spirit; but wisdom, he tells us, makes the face
to shine, and inspires the heart with pleasure.
A merry heart diffuses its influence through the
body, and preserves its vigour and health, or tends to
restore it where it is lost; but a broken spirit crushes
the frame of the body, enfeebles its powers, makes the
flesh to wither and decay, and burns the bones, like an
hearth. Christ himself, in his agony, felt the effect of
strong sorrows in his flesh.
Every thing that tends to spread a gloom over the
mind, is to be avoided. There are cases, indeed
where we are called to mourn and weep, but that grief
which religion requires and infuses, is not dangerous
to the animal frame, because it brings the sweetest
joys in its train. It is sin that brings the most dan-
gerous sorrows along with it, and not repentance
which is a medicine to remove. the cause of the worst
distempers. When David was stubborn, and did not
confess his sins, his bones waxed old, became of his
roaring all the daylong. But when he confessed his
sin, the joys of pardon healed his bones, and renewed
his vigour, so that he praised God, not only for par-
doning all his iniquities, but likewise for renewing his
age like the eagle’s.
CHAP. XVII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 421
The joys of God's salvation will be a mighty anti-
dote against every grief, and strengthen the body and
soul against those bad impressions which the multi.
plied calamities of life too often makes*.
Ver. 23. A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom,
to pervert the ways of judgment.
It is said of Sir Matthew Hale, that glory of the
English Bench of Justice, that when a cause was
brought before him by a gentleman who had sent the
present of a buck, he called for the gentleman, and de-
sired him either to withdraw his plea, or name the
price of his present; and although the judge was told
that it was no more than he used annually to send to
the circuit judges, yet he absolutely refused to admit
the cause, unless he was allowed to pay down the full
price of the present; whereupon the gentleman chose
to loose his cause, that he might not suffer the affront of
taking money for a gift. He is a wicked judge that
accepts of bribes and an honest man would rather
lose his cause, however just, than gain it by such a
base thing as a bribe. It must have been a great bon-
dage for Paul to be confined to a prison, when he
loved the pulpit so well, had not his will been sunk in
the will of God; yet he would not offer the least
bribe to his covetous judge, who detained him in
prison, expecting that money would be offered for his
freedom
Wished men take their gifts out of the bosom, that
they may do it without public observation; but why
should men thus affront the omniscient God? Can
any man do a thing so secretly, that God shall not see
it? Or will it be any profit to us to have our sins
hidden from the eyes of men, when they are all before
the great Avenger? That which is done in secret,
* Hab. iii. 17, 18. Psal. xlvi. 4.
422 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVII.
shall one day be revealed to the view of an assembled
world, and then the omniscience of God will be vind-
cated from all the insults put upon it in this world, by
those foolish men who were not ashamed to do those
things before the face of God himself, in which they
would not have wished the meanest of their fellow
creatures to detect them.
Ver. 24. Wisdom is before him that hath understand-
ing; but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.
Knowledge is often useless to the possessor of it,
either because he is ignorant of those things which he
aught to know, or because he wants wisdom to make
the proper use of his knowledge; but true wisdom is
of constant use to him that possesses it, for he does
not offer it to be buried in his mind, but applies
for the direction of his life. It guides him in the
choice of his great end, and makes him steady in the
pursuit of it. He keeps it still before his eyes to
guide all his stops, and walks in his way safely, for
wisdom preserves him, and discretion keeps him *.
Thus we find David regulating his life. He hid the
word of God in his heart, and kept it before his eyes,
and so he did not wickedly depart from his God †.
We must not only learn wisdom, but keep it in ones
eyes, that it may be a light to our feet; for a man
that has wisdom in his mind, and forgets to use it, is like
one that has money in his chest, but forgets to carry
some of it with him when he is going a long journey,
to bear his necessary expences. He will be at a great
loss, on many occasions, that has money in his house
but none in his pocket.
But a fool wants wisdom in his heart, and there is no
wisdom before his eyes; for instead of employing his un-
derstanding to fix upon the great end of life, as the mark
* Chap, ii. 13. † Psal. cxix. 11. xviii. 21, 22.
CHAP. XVII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 423
at which he aims, his eyes are at the ends of the earth,
roving up and down to look at every thing that comes
in his way, except that on which his view should be
constantly and steadily fixed. He has a roving fancy
that is perpetually misleading his mind, and never
minds what he ought to mind in the first place. He
is either doing nothing, or nothing to purpose, or no-
thing of what he should do, but lives at random, and
tosses to and fro like a ship in the sea, without a pilot
and a helm. Such a man is perpetually in chase of
shadows, and when he has overtaken one of them, and
finds no substance in it as he expected, he begins to
pursue another; and so his days are spent in vanity,
and he enters into the eternal world without any se-
rious thought of making provision for his long home.
Our duty is, to fix our eyes upon the things that are
not seen, and to live under the powerful influence of
an eternal world; and whatever lesser objects we
may be called to regard in our journey through life,
to tread that path which leads to eternal life, without
turning out of it to the right hand or left, on any con-
sideration whatever.
Ver. 25. A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bit-
terness to her that bare him.
This instruction would not be repeated so often, if
it were not useful for many excellent purposes.
It teaches parents to avoid that common fault of too
fond indulgence to the faults of their children, for a
child left to himself is for the most part a grief to his
father, and bitterness (which is the greatest degree of
grief,) to his mother, whose maternal tenderness was
more likely to spoil him by its excess, than the fond-
ness of a father.
It is a lesson to children, to beware of converting
the kindness of their parents to themselves into a tor-
ment, by bad behaviour.
424 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVII.
It instructs those that have not the pleasure of a
rising family, to acquiesce in the providence of God,
when they recollect that children are but an uncertain
comfort.
It instructs those that have not yet entered into
family connections, to chuse their partners in life with
prudence, and to marry none that are likely to set a
bad example before their children, or to neglect their
religious education.
If parents have the misfortune to be plagued, with
foolish and wicked children; let them remember Da-
vid, and the afflictions he suffered from his family, and
the comforts that refreshed his soul under this distress*.
Let those that can look upon their children with plea-
sure, bless God, and ascribe the praise to his name.
Von 26. Also to punish the just is not good; nor to
strike princes for equity.
It is a bad thing when children, that ought to be a
joy to the hearts of their parents, under every misfor-
tune, prove their heaviest cross. But here is a worse
evil censured; when magistrates, that are the ministers
of God for good by their office, prove the ministers of
Satan in the administration of it, by punishing the
just, and perverting an institution of our gracious
Creator, into an instrument of unrighteousness.
To punish the meanest of men without ground, is a
very bad thing, for it is a discouragement to virtue,
and a strong incentive to wickedness; but it is doubly
wicked to strike princes for equity, by punishing in-
ferior rulers for acting according to the eternal, rules
of righteousness, and refusing to truckle to the humour
and caprice of their sovereigns. It was the fear of
this that determined Pilate to condemn the holy One
and the just.
*2 Sam. xxiii. 5.
CHAP. XVII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS 425
Subjects may be guilty of striking princes for equity,
by smiting them with their tongues, or seditious prac-
tices against their authority, whilst they endeavour, in
the administration of their office, to serve the true in-
terests, rather than gratify the unreasonable wishes; of
those whom they govern. Moses had a large experi-
ence of this rebellious disposition, in the people whom
he led through the desert; and it is probable, that So-
lomon himself saw reason to complain of it in his reign.
Parents and masters of families may be charged
with the crime of punishing the just, by groundless se-
verities to those who are under their charge *.
Rulers in the church are in like manner worthy of
censure, when they administer the ordinance of dis-
cipline to the injury of those whom they rule, by re-
buking them for things that are not criminal; or for
real crimes which cannot be proved.
Ver. 27. He that hath knowledge spareth his words;
and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit, (or,
He who is cool in spirit is a man of understanding.)
As we must not be hasty with our mouths to utter
any thing before God, so it is foolish to be swift to
speak even before men. The empty vessel makes the
greatest sound, and the man that has nothing to say
that deserves hearing, is commonly most prodigal of
his words. When Xenocrates the philosopher was
quarrelled for silence in a meeting of friends, he an-
swered, That he had often repented of speaking, but
never of silence.
Persons should not be fond of hearing themselves
speak at any time, but double caution is unsavory
when we meet with provocations that put our minds
into a ferment. The wise man's knowledge teacheth
his mouth to speak the words of truth and soberness,
* Eph. vi. 4, 8.
426 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVII.
but angry passions are the worst instructors to the
tongue in the world. Floods of venom are poured
from them when they have mastered reason, and ob-
tained the command of the lips*.
A man of understanding having the government of
his tongue, shews the excellency and coolness of his
spirit, either by silence, or by the meekness of his
words, as the occasion directs him. David had such
a command of his passions through the power of faith,
that he said nothing amiss when he was tried with the
most provoking usage in the time of distress, a season
when the spirits of other men are discomposed by mere
trifles. He was like a man that heareth no, and in
whose mouth are no reproofs, "for in thee, O Lord,"
says he, "do I hope. Thou wilt hear, O Lord my
God †."
But if a man spare his words, may he not lay him-
self open to the suspicion of being an ignorant man or
a fool? No.
Ver. 28. Even a fool when he holdeth his peace is
counted wise; and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a
man of understanding.
The silence of a fool is almost always a covering to
folly, and a sign of some degree of wisdom, yet it is
not always a sign that his folly is in any degree cured.
Absalom held his peace when his sister was ravished by
Amnon; but his silence proceeded from sullenness and
cunning, and prepared the way for the execution of
his furious revenge.
It is a good sign that a fool is not incurable, when
he has learned to hold his peace from a sense of his
own ignorance, and a desire to learn from others. It
is as difficult a thing to learn to be silent, as to learn
* Jam. i. 19, 20. †Psal. xxxviii. 12-15.
CHAP. XVII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 427
to speak, and although unseasonable silence is not a
good thing, yet unseasonable speaking is far worse,
It is often a point of real Wisdom to be silent, for
there is a time to be silent, and a time to speak, and
the wise man’s heart knoweth both time and judgment.
When men have no call to speak on a subject, or when
they have not duly considered it; when they are dis-
composed by passion, or in the company of those whose
passions render them incapable of hearing reason; and
finally, when they are more likely to expose themselves
to damage than to do good to others by speaking,—then
to hold their peace altogether, will be their best me-
thod of behaviour.
It is sometimes our duty to hold our peace even from
good, but we must not run into one extreme to avoid
another. Silence which is occasioned by cowardice,
when we are manifestly called to bear testimony for
truth, is a dangerous sin *. Nor must we desert the
defence of oppressed innocency, to prevent inconve-
niency to ourselves †.
CHAPTER XVIII.
Ver. l. Through desire a man, having separated him-
self, seeketh and intemeddleth with all wisdom.
Man's wisdom in this world is imperfect, and ap-
pears much more in desires than attainments ‡. But
* Matt. x, 32. Rev. xxi. 3. † Prov. xxxi. 8. xxiv. 12.
‡ Phil. iii. 13, 14.
428 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVIII.
these desires are not feeble and ineffectual wishes, like
those of Balaam, when he desired to die the death, of
the righteous, and yet had a prevailing love to the
wages of unrighteousness. Genuine desires of wisdom
and holiness will dispose a man to separate himself
from every thing that would obstruct the attainment of
it, and to use every proper mean for obtaining it.
We are not called to give up every connection with
the world, but in the calling wherewith we are called,
we are directed to abide with God. But we must lay
aside every unnecessary incumbrance, and avoid that
load of worldly cares which would press us down to the
earth, and keep us from travelling in that way of life
which is above to the wise. Worldly cares, and the
lusts of other things, are the thorns that choak the good
seed of the word, and hinder it from bringing forth
good fruit. David was called to the government of a
kingdom, but he did not suffer the weighty cares of
government to alienate his soul from the word of God;
which was still his meditation day and night. How
far it is a man's duty to separate himself from other
things to learn wisdom, depends upon his particular
circumstances; for the same person, in different situa-
tions, is required to employ a greater or lesser part of
his time for this purpose. The labourer, that must
attend upon his own business with diligence in its pro-
per season, should employ himself in beholding God's
work, when his hand is sealed up by stormy weather*.
The person that desires wisdom with earnestness will
seek and intermeddle with it; although, he depends on
God for this precious gift, yet he will not make the
freeness of divine grace a pretence for laziness; but by
reading and hearing, meditating and conversing, pray-
ing, and practising what he knows already, he will
* Job xxxvi. 6, 7.
CHAP. XVIII] BOOK OF PROVERBS 429
follow on to know the Lord, and on such means the
blessing of God may be expected*.
It is not one branch of wisdom only that the lover
of wisdom will seek after. It is his earnest wish and
endeavour, that the word of Christ may dwell in him
richly in all wisdom. He regards both knowledge and
practice as necessary parts of wisdom, that his eye
easy be clear, and his whole body full of light. He
wishes and endeavours to be sound in the faith, and
to attain a large measure of acquaintance with the
law and the gospel. He is careful to understand his
own way exactly, and to have every one of his steps
ordered in the word of God. Every branch of religion
is valuable in his eyes, and the Spirit shall lead him
into all truth.
Ver. 8. A fool hath no delight in understanding, but
that his heart may discover itself.
The disposition of fools is entirely opposite to that
of the lovers of wisdom, for they have no pleasure in
understanding. Novelty, or curiosity, or a desire to
make a figure by their knowledge, may sometimes in-
duce them to bestow some pains to procure knowledge;
but their eyes were never opened to discern the divine
beauty of truth and holiness, and they have no spiri-
tual sensation, to relish the sweetness of that which
every Christian declares from experience to be sweeter
than honey from the comb. Herod heard John gladly,
and did many things because of him; but his obstinate
continuance in the sin of incest was an evidence that
he had no true delight in wisdom, for that would have
disposed him to abhor every false way. In the 58th
chapter of Isaiah, we read of wicked men that delight-
ed to know God’s way; but we learn from the follow-
* Prov. ii. 1-6.
430 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVIII.
ing part of that discourse, they delight in wisdom
was an empty pretence. They hoped to make satisfac-
tion to God for their sins by their observation of ordi-
naces, without seeking any experience of their sanc-
tifying influence. Their delight was not placed on
God or his ways, but on those advantages to them-
selves which they fondly hoped to obtain by bodily
exercise. The hearers resembled by the stony ground
received the word with joy, and for a time seemed to
profit by it; but they had no cordial relish of the gos-
pel. Their delight was only a transient flash of affec-
tion, and it soon appeared that they loved their bodies
more than their souls, and preferred their ease and
safety to the gospel of salvation.
The delight of a fool is, that his heart may discover
itself. Some of the wicked are decent in their out-
ward conduct, and their pleasure lies in the inward
indulgence of their corrupt disposition; but others of
them are not ashamed of their folly, and take delight
in making it visible to all men by its fruits. They
discover their pride and vanity, their sensual and irre-
ligious dispositions, by their tongues and practices; so
that you may easily see that they are corrupt trees, be-
cause they bear nothing but corrupt fruit.
This proverb instructs us to distinguish between
fools and wise men. A wise man seeks and intermed-
dles with all wisdom, because be delights in it after
the inward man. If we love not wisdom, but take
pleasure in the thoughts of foolishness or in the out-
ward expressions of folly, we must be ranked in that
black catalogue of which so many bad things are said
in this book, for as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.
Foolish thoughts too often come into the minds of
the wise, but we must suppress them as soon as they
enter, lest by giving them licence to pollute our hearts,
CHAP. XVIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 431
and stain our conversation, we should incur the repu-
tation of folly *.
Ver. 3. When the wicked cometh, then cometh also
contempt, and with ignominy reproach.
Pride is one ingredient of the wicked man's charac-
ter, and this disposes him to treat those with contempt
who are better men than himself. When he makes
his appearance, you need not wonder if you find con-
tempt, and ignominy, and reproach in his company,
for he wishes to exalt himself upon the ruins of the
honour and good name of his neighbours.
The proud man has sagacity to find materials in
great abundance to furnish him with those titles of
scorn and reproach which he heaps on other men.
Poverty and calamity, natural infirmities, or ungrace-
fulness, in behaviour, foibles and failings, are all em-
ployed by him for exposing his neighbours to contempt
and laughter. But good men are the chief objects of
his spleen, and if he can find nothing else to afford
him a handle for holding them up to scorn or re-
proach, he can make a dextrous use of their very vir-
tues to serve his pride and malice.
To expose our innocent neighbours as the objects of
contempt or ignominy, is a very wicked thing, especi-
ally when they are saints who are treated in this dis-
respectful manner. He that mocketh the poor, re-
proacheth his Maker; he that casts dirt in those faces
that shine with the beauties of holiness, is an enemy to
Christ, and to his beauteous image. What a pity is it,
that even the saints themselves should reproach or in-
sult one another! And yet it cannot be denied, that
party disputes have sometimes afforded instances of
this melancholy fact.
* Prov. xxx. 32.
432 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVIII.
When we meet with contempt and reproach, let us
remember that our Lord Jesus Christ met with it in a
much larger degree for our sake, and hath left us an
example of bearing it with patience. He hid not his
face from shame and spitting; but gave his back to
the exalters, and his cheeks to them that plucked off
the hair.
But wicked men shall be paid in their own contempt.
Michal despised David for his piety, and lived all her
days under the reproach of barrenness. The text may
admit of another meaning besides that we have given,
that dishonour and disgrace follows wickedness at the
heels. The wickedness and pride of men shall be re-
compensed with shame and everlasting contempt
Ver. 4. The words of a man's mouth are as deep
waters, and the well-spring of wisdom as a flowing
brook.
The words of a crafty man may be compared to deep
waters, because it is impossible to turn his thoughts
from them; but this is not owing so much to his wit as
his want of conscience, for he scruples not to speak in
direct contradiction to his real sentiments; but God
knows, and will reveal and punish his iniquity †.
The wise man seems here to speak of the words of a
man that is furnished with a rich treasure of true wis-
dom. His words are like deep waters, not because he
delights to express himself in riddles, and to conceal
his treasures of wisdom from the eyes of others. He
uses great plainness of speech; but there is more of
solid sense and useful instruction in his words, than
another man can apprehend at hearing them. Whilst
men of shallow understandings pour forth a flood of
words, in which there is scarcely a drop of matter,
the truly wise man spares his words; but what he says
* Chap. xi. 2 † Psal. lxiv. 6, 7.
CHAP. XVIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 433
contains much in its narrow compass. Such were the
words of Solomon himself, which filled the queen of
Sheba with amazement, for the sagacity of that wise
princess could not penetrate the depths of that wisdom
which he conveyed in his discourses.
How valuable is the conversation of the wise! Their
words are like oracles that deserve to be remembered,
and to be the subject of our thoughts; and they supply
us with refreshment and pleasure, like a flowing brook
which never runs dry, but is ever ready to afford drink
to the thirsty traveler *.
It is the word of God which furnishes the heart of a
wise man with all those treasures of knowledge which
are so justly compared to a spring of living waters.
And the faithful sayings of God deserve this high
character above all the words of the wisest men, that
they are like deep waters. Our ears can receive but a
little of them †, and therefore they ought to be our
study day and night. We cannot expect much bene-
fit by a cursory view of the scriptures; but when we
search into any part of them, with a dependance on the
Father of lights, we shall find not only treasures, but
rich mines of what is more valuable than the purest
gold.
Ver. 5. It is not good to accept the person of the wick-
ed, to overthrow the righteous in judgment.
It is a very bad thing to justify the wicked, and a
worse thing to condemn the righteous; but both these
iniquities meet in the sin condemned in the text.
Although God loves the righteous, he will not ac-
cept their persons, so as to give wrong judgment for
them against the wicked; and therefore, when David
prays against his enemies, we usually find him plead-
* See Chap. xvi. 22. † Job iv. 12.
434 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVIII.
ing the goodness of his cause *. And Peter exhorts op-
pressed Christians to commit their souls in well-doing
to God as to a faithful Creator.
If it were possible to accept the person of God him-
self, yet God hates partial dealings so much, that he
would certainly reprove it †. Job's friends condemned
that good man out of zeal for the glory of God, for
they could not conceive how God could be righteous
unless Job were wicked; and yet God did not approve
of their conduct, but sharply censured them for en-
deavouring to vindicate his glory at Job's expence.
This sin of partiality in judging is no less detestable
in ecclesiastical than in civil administrations. When
men of riches and power are allowed to trample upon
the liberties of the poor and mean, and when those that
ought not to have a place and a name in the church,
are permitted to usurp those powers that evidently be-
long, by Christ's appointment, to the body of the faith-
ful, is it not plain that church-rulers are become par-
tial in themselves, and judges of evil thoughts? What-
ever property men may have in manses and stipends,
they cannot from thence infer a right to constitute
spiritual relations, which ought to be founded in mutual
choice ‡.
There are other instances of partiality in church
managements equally condemned in this place ||.
When we take it, on us to judge other men, without any
call, against the command of Christ §, we too often run
into this iniquity of partial judgment, by censuring
the same faults in different persons, with different de-
grees of severity, as our affections lead us.
Ver. 6. A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his
mouth calleth for strokes.
* Psal. xvli. † Job xiii. 8, 10. ‡ James ii.
|| I Tim. v. 21. § Matt. vii. 1.
CHAP. XVIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 435
Solomon has already represented very clearly the
folly and danger of contention, and observation abun-
dantly verifies his words; and yet there are many peo-
ple so foolish that nothing will warn them. Their lips
enter into contention, and their mouth calls for strokes.
Whilst they pour forth the venom of ill-nature in a
torrent of spiteful reflections against their neighbours,
they do not consider that they are calling for a stroke to
themselves, by kindling up those passions which may
provoke their antagonists to return their rage with good
measure. That profane apostate, the emperor Julian,
used to banter the Christians with that precept of our
Lord, "When thine adversary smites thee on the one
cheek, turn to him the other also:" but Christians con-
sult their ease as well as their consciences when they
obey this precept in the spirit of it; whereas proud and
passionate fools, when they give vent to their rancorous
spirits, because they cannot bear the shadow of an in-
dignity, not only turn the other cheek to their adver-
sary, but smite, and urge, and almost force him to strike
and destroy them. It may be justly said, that.
Ver. 7. A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips
are the snare of his soul.
For men to be destroyed on account of the trans-
gression of their lips, is a grievous though just punish-
ment; but the text represents the calamity which they
bring upon themselves, in a still stronger light. They
are not only the causes, but the agents of their own de-
struction; by their lips they are caught in a snare, and
by their lips they are ruined. It was a severe, though
unjust censure, which Eliphas passed on Job, when he
said, "Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I,
and thine own lips testify against thee." But here
Solomon tells us that fools, who have not the command
of their tongues, are not only condemned, but punish-
ed by their own mouths. Their own tongues, as David
436 EXPOSITIQN OF THE [CHAP. XVIII.
expresses it, shall fall upon them; and when men's
tongues fall upon themselves, they are crushed under
the weight. The tongues of other men may pierce
into our vitals, but the sharpest and most envenomed
words of other men can never wound a man so incur-
ably as his own.
It was a more mortifying punishment for Haman to
be hanged on a gibbet erected by himself, than if he
had been hanged in the most disgraceful manner on
any other gallows. The contentious fool is like Haman;
he erects a gallows for himself, and twists those cords
by which he is strangled. But Haman could not well
know that he was working for himself; whereas the
lover of strife has fair warning of his danger from the
word of God, and therefore must fall unpitied if he
will not be reformed.
Ver. 6. The words of a tale-bearer are as wounds,
and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
It is just that a fool's mouth should become the in-
strument of his own destruction, for his words are
arrows that make deep, and sometimes fatal wounds in
other men.
Men may in some cases report the faults of others,
without exposing themselves to the censure of this text.
Joseph reported the faults of his brethren to his father,
that his authority might reclaim them; and we are
authorised by our Lord to complain to the church of
an offending brother, when he will not suffer himself
to be gained by a private admonition. But when men
publish bad things of their neighbours through spite or
levity, or to have the pleasure of hearing themselves talk,
then they deserve the name of tale-bearers; and incur
the reproofs given to such pestilent members of society
in this book.
The tales which this kind of men tell are sometimes
entirely false, and at other times have some truth in
CHAP. XVIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 437
them, although they seldom want some dash of slander,
to heighten their relish to those who love to feed on the
faults and misfortunes of their fellow-creatures.
The words of tale-bearers are as wounds, and these
wounds are of a very dangerous kind, for they pierce
into the inmost parts of the belly. They wound the
character, and often destroy the usefulness of those who
have the misfortune to be the mark of these arrows of
the tongue. Those who give these deadly wounds do
not always mean all the mischief they offset, being in-
stigated, not by downright spite, but by a pleasure
they have in speaking, whilst they are destitute of good
materials for conversation. But why can they not hold
their peace? If you kill your neighbour in sport, or
for want of better employment, wilt it be a sufficient
excuse for you to allege that you had no intention to
do it, or that you did it for want of better employment?
Know you not that a man's name is as dear to him as
his life, and his usefulness perhaps dearer to him than
either of them? By wanton cruelty to others, men
often bring serious misery upon themselves.
Ver. 9. He also that is slothful in his work, is brother
to him that is a great waster.
Slothfulness in business is commonly a companion of
tale-bearing; and both of them are more dangerous ini-
quities than men generally apprehend, and need to be
seriously and frequently remonstrated against.
A man with half an eye may see that the prodigal.
will soon reduce himself to husks; and with a little
attention, we may know that a slothful man is only a
younger brother to him, and will come to poverty as
certainly, though not with so much speed. The man
that runs will speedily arrive at the end of his journey,
but he that follows him with a slower pace, will arrive
at it in good time. He that spends his days in riot,
takes his estate and casts it into a devouring gulph; but
438 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVIII.
he that neglects his business, suffers a moth to devour
his substance. Both these sins are breaches of the eighth
commandment, though in different degrees.
There is the like difference between the careless
Christian and the profane sinner. Sloth in religion is
a consumption which preys upon the vitals, but open
profaneness is a burning fever, which will more rapidly
destroy the constitution. Let us not be slothful, other-
wise we are followers, though, at a distance, of those
who have already plunged themselves into perdition by
their wickedness, But let us follow them, who by faith
and patience inherit the promises.
Ver. 10. The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
the righteous runneth into it and is safe.
Nations use to provide fortifications and arms for
their defense, even in time of peace; and if they are so
imprudent as to neglect these precautions, they are in
imminent danger of destruction when an enemy makes
an attack. In like manner, when we know that life
is exposed to the incursions of calamity, and that we
are surrounded with legions of invisible enemies, it is
our wisdom to be provided with a sure defence, that
we may be safe in the day of battle and war.
No creature in heaven or earth can defend us against
the assaults of misfortune, or the more dangerous attacks
of invisible adversaries, nor have we any power or wis-
dom of our own to afford us security. Our safety is
only in the name of the Lord, that God with whom
is everlasting strength and sufficiency, and who reveals
himself through his blessed Son our Saviour, as the
refuge of fallen men. In this great name protection is
to be found from the distresses of the present life, from
the tyranny of sin, from everlasting wrath, from the
temptations of the devil, from the terrors of death, from
every evil, and from every fear.
David in the day or his distress haunted the caves of
CHAP. XVIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 439
Engedi, and the mountains of the wild goats; but we
find in his history, and in many of his psalms, that
these were insufficient for his protection, and that his
confidence was ever placed on God himself as his tower
of salvation. In him he trusted, and was helped; and
therefore his heart greatly rejoiced, and with his tongue
did he praise him.
But he was not the confidence of David alone; he
has ever been the dwelling-place of the generation of
the righteous. They run by faith and prayer, into this
high tower in the day of their calamity and danger,
and they are not at a loss when unexpected dangers are
ready to overwhelm them, for no enemy can be so near
to distress as God is to preserve. He is ever a present,
a very present help in the time of trouble *.
But are poor sinners excluded from this refuge?
Will they be expelled from it, if they come to shelter
themselves under the protection of the merciful God?
No, in no wise. The righteous runneth into it, and
none that run into it continue unrighteous. But it is
accessible to sinners also, for the name of the Lord is
"the Lord, the Lord God merciful and gracious, long-
suffering, and abundant in goodness,and truth, keep-
ing mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity †.” &c.
And sinners are invited into this tower of salvation by
God himself ‡.
Eternal safety is enjoyed by all that run into this
tower, for it can never be undermined, or sealed, or de-
stroyed, by all the devils in hell; and no enemy can
break into it by force, or find a way by fraud to enter.
None can so much as climb up to this refuge, to en-
danger the safety of those happy persons who have
made it their habitation; nor is there any want of ne-
*Psal. xlvi. † Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7. ‡ Isa. lv. 7, 8. Job vi. 37.
440 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVIII.
cassaries ever felt in it, for he that is the defence of his
people is their all-sufficient portion, and heavenly
Father. The place of their defence is the munition
of rocks; bread shall be given them, and their water
shall be sure.
Surely if we have any wisdom, we will endeavour di-
ligently to learn the way of running into this tower; and
we cannot learn it better than by taking David for our
pattern, whom we see, in many of his psalms, fleeing
unto God to hide him. Let us read these divine com-
positions, and pray for the same spirit of faith which
animated that holy man, and endeavour to follow the
steps of his faith *.
Ver. 11. The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and
as an high wall in his own conceit.
Few of the rich are righteous. God is the hope and
strength of his people; but the rich are generally
dazzled with the lustre of their gold and jewels, and
mistake those precious metals for gods; and so they
say unto the gold, Thou art our hope, and to the fine
gold, Thou art our confidence. They trust not to the
Rock of ages, but lean upon a broken reed which will
soon break, and pierce their arms, and leave them to
fall into perdition, after they have been pierced through
with many sorrows.
Riches are good things when they are well used, but
confidence in riches is a grievous sin, because it is an
alienation of the spirit from God, who requires the
homage of the heart still more than the worship of the
knee. It is a source of many iniquities, because it
prompts men to injustice and oppression, to despise
God, and to forget death and judgment. It shuts up
men's bowels of compassion from the indigent, and
makes it as difficult for men to get into the kingdom of
* Deut. xxxiii. 26-29.
CHAP. XVIII] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 441
God, as for a camel to pass through the eye of a
needle.
This second warning the wise man here gives against
this vain confidence. Examine yourselves, ye rich men,
and see whether you have not the symptoms of this
vain confidence. Trust not in uncertain riches, but in
the living God, and shew that your confidence is in
God by a readiness to lend unto the Lord
Murmur not, ye that are poor, because you are not
under the same temptation with some others, to make
to yourselves god of gold. Trust in the Lord, and
you shall want no good thing.
Ver. 12. Before destruction the heart of man is
haughty; and before honour is humility.
The ruin of all mankind, and of millions of angels,
is a tremendous proof of the first part of this text.
The abasement and exaltation of our Redeemer, is a
glorious illustration of the other clause.
Solomon gives us repeated warnings of the danger of
pride, and the necessity of a humble spirit; but we need
them all, for vile and worthless as we are, humility is
a very great stranger in our world, and pride is a sin
so insinuating, that most men's hearts, and even their
religion, is quite corrupted by it.
Proud men stand on the edge of a festal precipice,
from whence they will soon tumble into destruction.
But blessed are the poor in spirit; they may be at pre-
sent in the valley of abasement, but they shall dwell
for ever with God in his holy hill, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.
Ver. 13. He that answereth a matter before he heareth
it is folly and shame unto him.
Men pique themselves upon their penetration and
* 1 Tim. vi. 17. Psal. lxii. 10.
442 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVIII.
quickness of discernment, and to display this talent,
are often too hasty to give their judgment upon a
point, before they are well informed of it; but this rash
manner of judging, especially in matters of consequence,
is their folly and shame; they discover their ignorance
and pride, when they expect to have their sagacity ap-
pleaded. Instead of pronouncing peremptorily upon a
half hearing of a thing, it is often needful to hear it
once and again, and to hear different persons concern-
ing it, that we may not be drawn into false conclusions
by the prejudices and partiality of those whom we first
heard on the subject.
This is a necessary instruction to magistrates, who
may be guilty of crying injustice, by pronouncing a
hasty sentence in a cause that comes before them.
Philip king of Macedonia, having given sentence a-
gainst a widow in a cause she had before him, was so
sensible of his injustice upon second thoughts, that he
condemned himself to pay her damages. But kings
are seldom so honest as to acknowledge their mistakes,
and therefore they ought to be very careful that they
do not fall into them. The pride of sovereigns estab-
lished that law in Persia, that the royal decrees should
not be reversed; and other princes, although they do
not make sigh pretences to royal infallibility, have
nevertheless too high a sense of dignity to be easily
brought to an acknowledgment of errors.
Ministers of the word of God are instructed by this
rule, not, to be rash with their mouths to utter any
thing as the word of God in the pulpit, but to consider
well what they are to say in the name of the Lord;
and to use due deliberation and enquiry before they
give their judgment in cases of conscience; lest they
should make sins and duties which God never made,
by a wrong application of the word of God to particu-
lar cases, or distress the minds of God's people, and
CHAP. XVIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 443
encourage sinners, by giving a rash opinion on the state
of their souls.
This rule is to be observed by all men in giving ad-
vice, or in judging of men's characters or actions, when
they have any call to judge on them.
The Jews condemned our Lord as a Sabbath-breaker,
because he made a man whole on it; but he tells them
that they sinned by judging too rashly: "Ye judge
according to outward appearance, but judge righteous
judgment."
We ought to be the more cautious in forming and
pronouncing opinions, because we are so little disposed
to admit conviction if we fall into mistakes, or to re-
tract them upon conviction. It is commonly supposed
that ministers cannot repent, although they do not
claim, like the Pope, the gift of infallibility; and there
is too much reason for the supposition, provided it be
not restricted to that order of men; for the same pride
that makes one set of men stubborn in their wrong
opinions is to be found in other men, although it is not
perhaps so much strengthened by particular circum-
stances, nor so visible in their conduct, because they
meet not with the same temptations to discover it.
How many do we find who will not change their sen-
timents about religion, or about persons and things,
upon the clearest evidence, and give way to anger upon
the least contradiction to their favourite notions, as if
their dearest interests were attacked! Saints themselves
are not entirely delivered from this selfish disposition,
as we see in the behaviour of David to Mephibosbeth,
after he had pronounced a rash sentence in his case.
Ver. 14. The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmi-
ty; but a wounded spirit who can bear.
When the spirit of a man is free of wounds, it will
enable a man to bear an incredible load of distress.
That courage which is derived from natural constitution,
444 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVIII.
or moral principles, enabled some of the pagan heroes
to behave with astonishing firmness under the greatest
pressure of calamity. Caesar subdued all the world ex-
cept the invincible soul of Cato, and Epicretus suffered
his barbarous master to break his leg, without the least
expression of resentment. But the true Christian is
the true hero. Thousands, through the faith of Christ,
have encountered with resignation and joy the rage of
beasts, and flames, and tyrants. Cato and Brutus were
cowards compared with the apostle Paul. They kill-
ed themselves, and deserted their country, that they
might escape from the miseries of life. But Paul was
content to die every day for the service of the church,
and yet still live absent from the Lord, the life of all
his joys.
But a wounded spirit is absolutely intolerable. It is
a very hell upon earth, and has often made the most
courageous of men, and the best of saints, to roar
through the disquiet of their hearts. When the con-
science is pierced with a deep sense of guilt, and the
heart alarmed with the dreadful apprehensions of eternal
misery, then the affrighted eye seems to behold upon
the walls the hand-writing that amazed the mighty
king of Babylon, and unsinewed all his joints. Every
earthly comfort is to a man in this situation like the
white of an egg; mirth appears to be madness, and
nothing has any relish, but what gives some prospect
of deliverance from this intolerable anguish.
Blessed be Jesus, whose soul was amazed, and en-
vironed with sorrows not his own. He never knew
sin, and yet he felt the tremendous impressions of
wrath upon his blessed soul, for he bare our sins in his
own body on the tree, that by his stripes we might be
healed.
If the presages of hell are so astonishingly dreadful,
CHAP. XVIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 445
what must hell itself be? May we have grace to flee to
Jesus, who hath delivered us from the wrath to come.
It is sin that causes this terrible anguish which none
can endure, and sin unpardoned will cause it sooner or
later in every transgressor. Why then should we
thus wound and mangle our own souls, by fighting
against God? If we shoot these arrows against the
Almighty, they cannot wound his honour; but he can
soon dip them in the venom of his wrath and curse,
and shoot them back into our own souls*.
Ver. 15. The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge;
and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.
The prudent man has a due apprehension of the
value of knowledge, and seeks it with all his heart, and
finds it. The Spirit of God writes the word of truth
upon his heart, and inscribes it in his inward part; and
whilst others have it only in their memories or tongues,
he has it in his heart, which is filled with the love of
knowledge, and enriched with this precious treasure.
But he is not satisfied with that measure of know-
ledge he has already got. He would not part with it
for mines of gold, or mountains of prey, but he wishes
still to add to his stock, and therefore his ear is em-
ployed in seeking knowledge.
The ear is the learning sense, and the wise man will
hearken attentively to any man that can give him use-
ful information; but he attends chiefly upon the minis-
try of the word, because the is the appointed mean of
increasing his knowledge and animating his soul. Al-
though he meditates daily on the testimonies of God,
yet he does not satisfy himself with the suggestions of
his own mind, but feeds his meditating faculty with
the word read and heard †.
Those that wish for no more knowledge or grace
* Psal. l. 21, 22. † Rom. x. 17
446 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVIII.
than they think absolutely necessary for getting to
heaven, all that think their stock of knowledge suffi-
cient, and all those that neglect the means of grace,
are excluded from the class of prudent men by this
sentence of Solomon.
Ver. 16. A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bring-
eth him before great men.
It is a shame for great men to love, Give ye. They
should remember what our Lord says, "It is more
blessed to give than to receive." Great men have re-
ceived their great power, to do good to others; and
poor men should not find the way so strait to their
presence, as to have occasion for gifts to widen it. The
King of glory admits the meanest of men freely into
his presence, and will do justice to the poor and needy,
and send them every needful supply *.
It appears from this proverb, that riches cannot sa-
tisfy the heart of man; the great and rich of the world
are as eager to receive, and as much under the influ-
ence of money, as the poor. Silver and gold may dazzle
the eyes, but they cannot fill, even whilst they encum-
ber the heart.
Yet it is not in every case unlawful for great men to
receive gifts, nor for men of inferior station to bestow
them. Great men may cheerfully receive them as ex-
pressions of gratitude, for favours of a higher kind
conferred, or to be conferred on their inferiors. And
poor men may lawfully give them to procure favours,
though not to obtain justice in a court of law †.
Blessed be the Lord, who makes us welcome to
come to his throne without money and without-price,
to receive the riches gifts. May his gifts make room
for him in our souls!
* Psal. lxxii. 12, 13, 14. † Gen. xxxiii. Rom. ii. 3.
CHAP. XVIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 447
Ver. 17. He that is first in his own cause seemeth
just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him out.
When God came down to take vengeance on the
men of Sodom and Gomorrah for their wickedness, he
said, "I will see whether the wickedness is as great as
the cry that is come unto me; and if not, I will know."
God is not ignorant of any thing that men do, but he
speaks in our language, and intends, by this manner
of expression, not only to represent his own justice,
but to teach righteousness to earthly judges. By
judging in a cause without searching it out, David in-
jured the son of his generous friend; and Ahasuerus,
by the like conduct, exposed the people of his queen
to destruction, and signed a warrant for her own death,
and was forced to see that the Persian laws could not
make their kings infallible.
An eloquent speaker will make his own cause ap-
pear a great deal better, and that of his adversary a
great deal worse than it really is; and therefore a just
judge will not decide, nor even form a judgment
within his own mind, till the parties are both heard.
Claudius the emperor, who had no malignity but what
was put into him by others, has rendered his name for
ever infamous by judging causes after hearing only
one of the parties, and sometimes neither of them.
Rome, in its pagan state, would never have allowed
of a court so manifestly contrived by the father of
wickedness, as that of the Inquisition; but made it a
rule that no man should be reputed guilty till he had
seen his accuser face to face, and enjoyed the liberty of
answering for himself.
In private life, it is proper that we should know
what a man can say for himself and his behaviour, be-
fore we punish him in his character. If we will judge
our neighbours, we should certainly act the part of
partial judges, and not believe bad things of men, upon
448 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVIII.
the report of tale-bearers, or those who are too plainly
under the influence of prejudice against the persons
whom they accuse.
In religious disputes, it is a great injustice to de-
pend for the character of a sect, or an impartial repro-
sentation of their doctrines, upon one whom partiality
has blinded, and rendered unfit, however honest he
may be, to do them justice. Party-spirit has as much
influence as gifts, to blind the eyes of the wise, and to
pervert the words of the righteous.
It may, however, be a great satisfaction to us, that
we may judge, as far as we have any occasion to do so,
for ourselves, in the most important religious conten-
tions, without hearing either of the parties. A man
may easily know from the Bible, whether Christ is the
supreme God, without the help of either Clark or Wa-
terland. The Bereans could readily judge whether
Paul’s doctrine was true or not, by searching the scrip-
tures, without putting themselves to the trouble of
hearing what the Jewish doctors could say against it.
Causes between private persons are thus to be de-
cided by an impartial judgment, founded upon good
evidence; but how shall those contentions be decided,
that arise between princes, who are too high to have
any magistrate above them, and too proud to refer
their differences to an arbitrator?"
Ver. 18. The lot causeth contentions to cease, and
parteth between the mighty.
The contentions of princes are very dangerous, be-
cause pride will not suffer either party to yield, and
their power enables them to interest millions in their
cause. How often have oceans of blood been spilt,
and nations been loaded with the most oppressive
taxes, and great kingdoms utterly subverted and laid
desolate, in the prosecution of their quarrels! The
good agreement of kings, is like ointment on Aaron's
CHAP. XVIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 449
head, which descended to the skirts of his garments.
Their animosities are like dangerous wounds in the
head, which are felt to the sole of the foot.
Why may not the lot determine their quarrels?
They are too great to refer their causes to an earthly
judge, but the whole disposing of the lot is of the
Lord.
It is a mercy to men that God has provided a me-
thod so safe and easy for determining controversies,
that must otherwise be decided by the sword; but it
is the sin of men, that they will rather have matters
settled their own way, whatever it may cost, than by
means of an ordinance of God.
As the whole disposing of the lot is of the Lord
those who agree to have their businesses determined by
it, must reverence the providence of God in it, and
rest cheerfully satisfied with the determination, and
thus it will make contentions to cease.
Let us never prostitute to trifling uses, an ordinance
designed for such great and merciful ends.
Ver. 19. A brother offended it harder to be won than
a strong city; and their contentions are like the bars of
a castle.
That law which binds us to love our relations, obliges
us, if we have unhappily differed with them, to be
easily pacified, and even to seek peace with them, al-
though we have been the wronged party. Abraham
would not live in a state of contention with Lot, be-
cause they were brethren; and to put an end to the
strife of their servants, he yielded to him, though only
his nephew, the power of chasing what part of the
land he would take to himself.
But such is the perverseness of human nature, that
contentions between brethren are generally more irre-
mediable than any others. When we meet with prove-
cation where we thought we had all the reason in the
450 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVIII.
world to expect a contrary behaviour, we can scarcely
find in our hearts to bestow forgiveness; and thus it is
easier to win a strong city, or to break in pieces the
bars of a castle, than to heal breeches in families and
amongst near friends.
It is therefore our duty to guard against those mis-
chiefs which are so much easier prevented than re-
moved; and with this view; we must not wantonly
provoke our friends, nor be ready to take offence at
their conduct. But if we are involved in contention
with them, the authority of God should constrain us
to mortify that unforgiving disposition which would
prevent a cordial reconciliation. The love of Christ
has broken in pieces for us the gates of brass, and cut
in sunder the iron bars of our infernal prison; and why
should not our most stubborn enmities be dissolved by
the apprehensions of it?
Jacob used all possible means obtain the good
graces of his brother Esau after their unhappy differ-
ence, and yet it is a question whether their reconcilia-
tion was cordial and lasting. Their posterity kept up
the strife, and Edom did tear perpetually, and kept
his wrath for ever, as Obadiah tells us. This example
teaches us what means we should use for healing such
breaches but at the same time admonishes us to pre-
vent, if possible, the need of using them.
Ver. 20. A man's belly shall be satisfied with the
fruit if his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall
he be filled.
Bad men are never satisfied with their vain or wicked
discourse, and a good man never thinks he has served
God or his generation sufficiently by the good use of
his tongue, which is his glory. But both good and
bad men shall be filled with the product of their
tongues, in happiness or misery.
If a man were possessed of a field exceedingly pro-
CHAP. XVIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 451
ductive, either of good fruits, or of noisome and poison-
ous herbs, according to the cultivation bestowed on it,
what pains would he use to clear it of every weed,
and to have it sown with good grain! and yet when
the harvest is come, he may take his choice whether
he will eat of the product or not. Such a field is the
tongue of man, with this difference, that a man is
obliged to eat the fruit of it, although it should be
worse than hemlock. What care, then, should we use
to pluck from our hearts every root of bitterness, and
to have them furnished with knowledge and prudence,
that our discourse may be good, to the use of edifying!
The fruits of the tongue are either very bitter, or
very pleasant.
Ver. 21. Death and life are in the power of the tongue;
and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
Our tongues, as we have been frequently told in this
book, are often the instruments of life or death, to
others. But it is the fruit of our own tongues with
which we must chiefly be filled. A fool's mouth is
his destruction*, and a wise man's mouth is often-
times his safety. He that would live a long and a
happy life, let him take care how he uses his tongue †.
And at the last day, when evil-speakers are cast into a
fiery furnace‡, the fruits of the sanctified tongue will
be produced as evidences of a man's title to everlasting
life.
It is not the use of the tongue on some particular
occasion that will determine a man's happiness or
misery, but the love of a good or bad tongue. Saints
may, through the influence of provocation and passion,
speak unadvisedly with their lips; and sinners may
speak many good words, when their hearts are not
right with God. But be that loves to speak as be-
* Ver. 7. † Psal. xxxiv. 11, 12. ‡ Psal. cxli. Rev. xxi. 8.
452 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVIII.
cometh a saint, shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth;
and he that takes pleasure in vain or ungodly discourse,
shall meet with a just and dreadful recompence.
If, after all that the wise man has said, we bridle
not our tongue, with what eyes will we look to Solo-
mon at the last day! or rather, how shall we look our
Judge in the face, who speaks to us in this book, and
who taught the same lessons by his own blessed mouth
in the days of his flesh *!
Ver. 22. Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing,
and obtaineth favour of the Lord.
It was not good for man in the days of innocence to
be alone, and an help meet for us is still more needful,
amidst those calamities that embitter the life of fallen
men; for two are better than one, because when one
of them meets with a misfortune, the other is ready to
afford some relief.
A wife that is rottenness in her husband's bones, is
no doubt a bad thing, for sin and folly will turn the
choicest blessings of life into oppressive burdens. Such
a woman deserves not this endearing title.
A good wife is an excellent thing, and is to be
sought from the Lord. When Abraham wanted to
have a wife for his son, he prayed to God. His ser-
vant prayed, and Isaac went out into the fields to me-
ditate, and probably to pray likewise.
The man that has found a wife, has obtained favour
from the Lord, and ought to acknowledge him with
thanksgiving. It is God who made the woman for
the man, and has preserved an equality between the
sexes by his providence, and appointed marriage, and
directs every man to his own wife, and disposes her
heart to this tender union. If we are to thank God
for the pleasures of friendship, what thanks are due to
* Mat v. 22. xii. 36, 37.
CHAP. XVIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 453
him, for the pleasures of the most delightful union;
whereby of twain are made one flesh!
Ver. 23. The poor useth entreaties; but the rich an-
swereth roughly.
It cannot be denied that the rich have many par-
ticular advantages; but the poor have no reason to re-
pine, for poverty has also its gains, one of which is,
that it teaches us one of the best lessons,—that of hu-
mility. The poor have a daily experience of their de-
pendent condition, which instructs them in the lan-
guage of submission and lowliness; and when the
Spirit of God sanctifies this condition of life to a man,
it leads him to great improvements in that grace on
which Christ pronounces the first of his blessings¾po-
verty of spirit. A little of this holy and humble tem-
per is worth all the gold and silver in the world.
Some, indeed, are poor and proud, and they are the
most inexcusable of all the proud persons that can be
round on the earth, for they not only sin without a
temptation, but in opposition to a providential remedy.
However, their poverty still preserves them from
many bad fruits of pride that are to be found with the
rich.
The rich answer roughly, for their riches produce
self-confidence, and that makes them insolent towards
God himself *. And it need not surprise poor men, that
those who can say, Who is the Lord? can give rough
and uncivil words to them.
We should all consider the advantages of our dif-
ferent situations, that we may be thankful, and make a
good use of them, and the temptations that are inci-
dent to our respective situations, that we may be on
our guard. Let poor men take heed that the necessi-
ty they lie under of using entreaties, may not degene-
* Prov. xxx. 9.
454 EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. XVIII.
rate into a slavish meanness of spirit, disposing them to
sell their consciences for bread; and let the rich re-
member, that they are infinitely more dependent on
the great Patron of the poor and needy, than the poor
on them. Those that give nothing but good words to
the poor in their distress, are declared to be destitute
of charity. In what class, then, must they be placed,
who cannot afford even this poor favour?
The poor and the rich are alike poor before God,
and without his rich bounty must be eternally wretch-
ed. If poor men supplicate the rich for their favours,
with what words shall we express our meanness and ab-
solute dependence, before Him who regardeth not the
rich more than the poor! But he never gives a rough
answer to his suppliants. Let us therefore come bold-
ly to his throne of grace, that we may obtain every
needful supply *.
Ver. 24. A man that hath friends must shew himself
friendly; and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a
brother.
A man that hath found a wife must shew himself
affectionate and tender; a father must discover kindness;
every person must endeavour to fill up the offices of
the various relations in which he stands. A neighbour
must shew himself a social man; and he that has a
bosom friend, must discover in his behaviour all that
union of souls that is the very essence of friendship.
Religion requires us to perform all those kind services
to one another, which, if they were duly discharged
and returned, would still make our world in some mea-
sure a picture of paradise.
We must not suffer unreasonable disgusts to alienate
our affections from our friends, but cleave to them
* Job xxiii. 3-7.
CHAP. XVIII.] BOOK OF PROVERBS. 455
while we live; we must often gladden their hearts by
our company, and share in all their joys and sorrows.
We must not renounce their friendship for their imper-
fections, nor even for those temporary coldnesses which
they may discover in the day of our distress, unless
their behaviour is such as to show that their professions
of regard were not sincere. Above all, we must show
our tender sympathy in the time of their calamity,
otherwise our alienation will greatly embitter their
distress *.
To excite us to this duty, we are told that friends
sometimes stick closer than the nearest relations. The
greatest acts of generous heroism have perhaps been
performed by those who were not connected by the
bonds of relation or affinity. None of David's brothers
ever gave him such proof of their attachment as
Jonathan; and even his wife Michal, though she loved
him, did not love him so well as that gallant friend did.
She lied to his prejudice, to screen herself from the re-
sentment of her father; but Jonathan bravely incurred
the resentments of his father, and cheerfully gave up
his prospects of a crown, for David. When our Lord
was crucified, his disciples forsook him and fled, and
James and Jude, who had the honour of being our
Lord's brethren, among the rest; but the beloved dis-
ciple looked on his sorrows with the eye of a friend,
and received his charge about his mother with thank-
fulness and obedience.
If this is a reason for our friendly behaviour to our
friends, what regard ought we to shew to our Lord
Jesus Christ, who sticks to us infinitely closer than any
friend! Having loved his own which were in the
world, he loved them unto the end. Neither death,
* Job vi. 14-19.
456 EXPOSITION, &c. [CHAP. XVIII.
nor sin itself, can separate us from his love. What
shall we render to him for his marvellous loving-kind-
ness? Love and obedience; for we are his friends, if
we do whatsoever he commands us.
END OF VOL. I.
Please notify Ted Hildebrand if you find any errors in this document at:
ted.hildebrandt@gordon.edu